Search
Kucoin and Huobi Are Accused in Report of Enabling Russian Banks to Break Sanctions
27.2.2023
Huobi and KuCoin, two of the world's largest crypto exchanges, have reportedly continued to provide services to customers of sanctioned Russian banks.
The exchanges, both based in Seychelles, failed to take proper measures in order to block traders from transacting with debit cards issued...
Into the storm: The murky world of cryptocurrency mixers
7.12.2022
A handful of obfuscation protocols are competing for the user base of OFAC-sanctioned Tornado Cash
Coin Center Sues Janet Yellen Over Tornado Cash Sanctions
13.10.2022
The crypto think tank Coin Center has sued US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen over sanctions imposed on the coin mixer Tornado Cash, saying the service has legitimate use cases.
In the lawsuit, filed in Florida on Wednesday this week, Coin Center said Tornado Cash is “an open-source software tool...
Crypto Payments May Not Help Russia Bypass Sanctions, Experts Say
26.9.2022
Russia is preparing to authorize international crypto payments but people involved in the industry doubt this would allow the country to circumvent sanctions. At the same time, the United States has been tightening the noose, recently targeting the use of cryptocurrencies to dodge the financial...
Russia Starts Developing Mechanism for International Crypto Payments
25.9.2022
Financial authorities in Russia have begun work on a mechanism to facilitate the employment of cryptocurrencies for settlements with other nations amid sanctions. The country’s central bank and finance ministry have already agreed on a draft law regulating cross-border crypto payments....
Foreigners to Be Given Anonymous Entry Points to Digital Ruble, Russian Official Suggests
15.9.2022
Foreign nationals should be able to buy Russia’s upcoming digital ruble through entry points providing anonymity, according to a high-ranking member of the Russian parliament. The idea circulated in Moscow aims to protect these investors from Western sanctions. State Duma Deputy Proposes...
Russia Explores Stablecoins for Settlements With Friendly Nations
7.9.2022
Russia is cooperating with friendly countries on the potential employment of stablecoins in international payments, a top government official unveiled. The news comes after key institutions in Moscow agreed that the Russian Federation needs to legalize cross-border crypto payments in the face...
Russia Can’t Do Without Cross-Border Crypto Payments, Consensus Reached
7.9.2022
Key government institutions have agreed that Russia needs to legalize crypto payments for international settlements. The proposal has been gaining support in the past few months since Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine was met with wave after wave of Western sanctions. Financial Authorities...
Uniswap Censors 253 Crypto Addresses Blacklisted for Crime, Sanction Associations
20.8.2022
According to a recently published report, the decentralized exchange (dex) Uniswap has blocked roughly 253 cryptocurrency addresses allegedly tied to crimes or government sanctions. The information was discovered by the software developer Banteg who analyzed and saved the shared logs from...
Report: Digital Currency Exchange Kraken Under Investigation for Violating OFAC Sanctions
27.7.2022
On Tuesday, a newly published report details that the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken is under federal investigation for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions, according to five people familiar with the matter. The unknown sources explained that the inquiry into Kraken started in 2019, and it’s...
Russian Blockchain Alternative to SWIFT to Prevent Disconnection of Nations, Banks
13.7.2022
A Russian university is ready to test its blockchain-based analogue to the global payment messaging network SWIFT, from which Russian banks were cut off as part of Western sanctions. The developers say their system would not allow the disconnecting of countries and banks. Russian Developers Create...
Demand for Hardware Crypto Wallets Increases Amid Currency Restrictions in Russia
7.7.2022
Hardware wallets designed to securely store cryptocurrency have seen a several-fold increase this spring in Russia, on the backdrop of currency restrictions introduced amid foreign sanctions. Ledger and Tangem have been the most popular products on the market, a media report revealed. Russians...
Bank of Russia Steps Up Efforts to Issue Digital Ruble Due to Sanctions
29.5.2022
The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has accelerated the development of its digital ruble in response to Western sanctions. The monetary authority now intends to pilot transactions with the new version of the national fiat in early 2023 instead of 2024, as originally planned. CBR to Launch...
DOJ Files First Criminal Complaint Against US Citizen Allegedly Using Cryptocurrency to Evade Sanctions
18.5.2022
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed its first criminal complaint against an American who allegedly used cryptocurrency to circumvent U.S. sanctions. “The payments platform advertised its services as designed to evade U.S. sanctions, including through purportedly untraceable virtual...
Russian Crypto Mining Giant Bitriver Considers Challenging US Sanctions
12.5.2022
Russia’s Bitriver, one of the largest operators of crypto mining data centers, may take legal action against the U.S. over the decision to place it under sanctions. The company insists it does not help the Russian government to circumvent international restrictions. Bitriver Rejects...
Coinbase Warns Some Russian Users Their Accounts May Be Blocked, Report Reveals
9.5.2022
Leading U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase has reportedly notified certain Russian customers that their accounts may be blocked at the end of this month. According to Russian media, the trading platform has offered them to withdraw their funds unless they prove they are not under sanctions. Coinbase...
Crypto Industry Lobbies Against Bills Targeting Russian Oligarchs Evading Sanctions Using Cryptocurrency
3.5.2022
The crypto industry is lobbying U.S. lawmakers against two bills aimed at preventing Russian oligarchs from using cryptocurrency to avoid sanctions. The U.S. and many other countries placed sanctions on them after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. Bills Preventing Wealthy Russians From Using...
US Charges Ethereum Dev’s Conspirators Allegedly Helping North Korea Evade Sanctions Using Crypto
26.4.2022
Two European citizens have been charged for conspiring with Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith to help North Korea evade U.S. sanctions using cryptocurrency, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced. They conspired “to teach and advise members of the North Korean government on cutting-edge...
Law Decoded: Competing narratives around crypto clash on the Earth Day, April 19-26
25.4.2022
The future of crypto adoption will largely depend on which of the competing narratives about digital assets and blockchain’s environmental effects prevails
American Bitcoin Miner Aims to Sell USD 30M Equipment in Russia to Avoid Sanctions
25.4.2022
US-based Bitcoin (BTC) & crypto mining company Compass Mining aims to sell USD 30m worth of mining gear currently stuck in Siberia to buyers in Russia in a bid to avoid possible sanctions by the US and the EU.
Whit Gibbs, CEO of the Texas-based company, has told Bloomberg that the mining...