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India Probes Cryptocurrency Exchange Wazirx in Chinese Money Laundering Case
12.6.2021
India’s Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has reportedly sent a notice to Wazirx, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in India, under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, (FEMA). The investigation was initiated “on the basis of the ongoing money-laundering investigation into...
Russian Court Bans Websites Explaining How to Trade Bitcoin
11.6.2021
A court in Russia’s Perm region has decided to block a number of websites describing how to exchange cryptocurrency for fiat cash. Local prosecutors claim the dissemination of this type of information is against the law in Russia as it may facilitate the laundering of illicit funds. Kungur...
China Arrests 1,100 People Allegedly Using Cryptocurrency to Launder Criminal Proceeds
10.6.2021
Chinese authorities have announced that more than 170 criminal gangs have been eliminated and over 1,100 suspects arrested in the latest round of crackdown on criminal groups providing cryptocurrency money laundering services for telecom fraudsters. Crackdown on Telecom Fraud Using Cryptocurrency...
UK Regulator Extends Temporary Registrations Regime as Crypto Firms Fail to Meet AML Rules
4.6.2021
Many companies operating with cryptocurrencies are not meeting anti-money laundering regulations, the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority revealed. The government agency has extended its temporary registration scheme after facing a growing number of crypto firms that are withdrawing their...
Binance Extends Blockade of Zimbabwean Crypto Users to Include Non-Resident Traders
3.6.2021
Malta-based cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, has reportedly extended its blockade of Zimbabwean users to include non-resident citizens. As a result of the new measures, all Zimbabwean nationals are now precluded from using the Binance trading platform. Zimbabwean Nationals Blocked Prior to...
Bitcoin Will Face Tougher Regulation as Popularity Grows, Says Sweden’s Central Banker
2.6.2021
The Swedish central bank’s governor says bitcoin will face tougher regulation given its sheer popularity that continues to grow. “When something gets big enough, things like consumer interests and money laundering come into play,” said Stefan Ingves, Governor of the Riksbank....
US Sends Bitcoin ATM Operator to Prison for Illegal Operation — 17 Machines Seized
29.5.2021
A bitcoin ATM operator has been sent to federal prison for two years for running an illegal cryptocurrency exchange operation. U.S. authorities have seized 17 bitcoin ATMs, along with some cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin. Illegal Bitcoin ATM Operator Sent to Prison The U.S. Department...
Uganda’s Financial Intelligence Authority Wants Government to Formulate a Crypto Regulatory Framework
25.5.2021
Uganda’s Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) says it wants the country’s Finance Ministry to help formulate a regulatory framework for crypto service providers. According to the FIA, this call for the government’s intervention has prompted by the Ugandan crypto industry’s...
Comparing the True Costs of Gold Mining in Africa With Those of Bitcoin Mining
24.5.2021
When billionaire Elon Musk announced that Tesla would no longer accept bitcoin as payment for its electric vehicles, the price of the crypto asset tanked. In justifying this decision, Musk cited bitcoin mining’s inefficient use of electricity as well as its impact on the environment. In fact...
France Rejects Russian Request to Extradite BTC-e Operator Alexander Vinnik
22.5.2021
Judicial authorities in France have refused to grant the extradition request filed by Russia for Alexander Vinnik. According to the Russian Ombudsman, Vinnik is now ready to start a new hunger strike despite his health deteriorating after spending almost four years in detention. Court Case Against...
Six People Connected to a $36M Crypto Scam Arrested, Scheme Operated From Multiple Locations in Europe
18.5.2021
Authorities in Germany launched a massive operation that cracked down on a sophisticated crypto scam, resulting in the arrest of six people in different European countries. Initial reports state that such a fraudulent scheme stole over $36.2 million worth in virtual currencies from individuals...
Ciphertrace Report Shows Crypto Crime Moving to Defi
15.5.2021
Ciphertrace, a blockchain analytics company, has announced that crypto-related crimes have moved to the realm of decentralized finance (defi) apps and protocols. Now, the impact these hacks and exploits represent is way bigger than the one classic hacks to centralized exchanges and other scams...
Lawsuit Claims Onecoin’s ‘Cryptoqueen’ Ruja Ignatova Holds 230,000 Bitcoin
14.5.2021
One of the ringleaders of the largest crypto Ponzi schemes, Onecoin’s Ruja Ignatova, otherwise known as the “Cryptoqueen,” allegedly owns 230,000 bitcoin worth over $11 billion today. Court documents filed by victims of the Onecoin scheme indicate that she received the bitcoins...
Binance Faces DOJ Probe as Investigators Target Crypto Money Laundering and Tax Evasion
13.5.2021
Binance, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, is now being probed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the assumption that it could be immersed in money laundering transactions. The investigation will also include inquiries from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which...
ECB Chief Lagarde: Cryptocurrencies Prone to Money Laundering, No Intrinsic Value, Buy if Prepared to Lose all Money
9.5.2021
The president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde, warned that cryptocurrencies are prone to money laundering. She agrees with the governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, who recently said that cryptocurrencies have no intrinsic value and investors should be prepared...
Treasury Secretary Yellen Says US Does Not Have Framework ‘up to the Task’ of Regulating Cryptocurrencies
5.5.2021
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says that the U.S. does not have an “adequate framework” to deal with all the different issues posed by cryptocurrencies, such as money laundering and illicit financing. According to her, there is no framework that’s “quite up to the task...
Spain to Share Data of Users From Domestic Crypto Businesses With European Union Countries
5.5.2021
The Spanish government doesn’t stop imposing its tough stance on cryptocurrencies, as another rule comes to strengthen the existing ones. A royal decree recently enacted aligns current regulations with the European Union’s directives regarding anti-money laundering (AML). Rule Aligns...
Thailand’s New Cryptocurrency Regulation Requires Users to Be Physically Present to Open Accounts
4.5.2021
The Thai government has reportedly imposed a new cryptocurrency requirement. Crypto exchanges will be required to verify users’ identities using a machine that requires the customers to be physically present. Thailand’s New Crypto Rules The Thai Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo)...
Turkey Updates Cryptocurrency Regulation Amid Payments Ban and Collapsing Exchanges
2.5.2021
The Turkish government has updated the country’s cryptocurrency regulation following the banning of cryptocurrencies for payments and failing crypto exchanges. Published in the Official Gazette on Saturday, the new rule adds crypto trading platforms to the list of entities covered...
Alleged Bitcoin Fog Operator Arrested for Money Laundering, Admin Accused of Mixing 1.2 Million BTC
28.4.2021
U.S. law enforcement arrested the alleged operator of Bitcoin Fog, Roman Sterlingov in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Documents show Sterlingov is accused of laundering over 1.2 million bitcoin via the Bitcoin Fog mixer, a tool that allows users to mix transactions together. According to federal...