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Venezuela’s Petro Cryptocurrency to Cease Operations on Jan 15
13.1.2024
Source: RawBeautyPixels/Adobe Venezuela’s national cryptocurrency, the Petro (PTR), is set to cease operations on January 15. The Petro, introduced in 2018 with the goal of helping the country evade United States sanctions, failed to gain widespread adoption throughout its existence....
SEC ‘Deeply Regrets’ Errors in Case Against Crypto Firm But Tells Court Sanctions Are Not Warranted
24.12.2023
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says that it “deeply regrets” the errors made in the case against crypto firm Debt Box after the court found that the agency made “materially false and misleading representations.” However, the SEC claimed that sanctions are...
UAE Authority Updates Anti-Money Laundering Measures to Implement FATF’s Travel Rule
21.12.2023
Image Source: Diana/Adobe Stock The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), a financial regulatory body in the United Arab Emirates, has released an updated version of its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and sanctions rules specifically tailored for digital assets. In an official announcement...
New EU Sanctions Package Preclude Russians From Owning Crypto Companies
21.12.2023
The European Union said Russian nationals from owning or controlling crypto service providers under the bloc’s twelfth package of restrictive measures against the country. According to the EU, diamonds entering its will now have to be traced from “the mine to the finger” and this...
BloXroute To Reject All OFAC-listed Transactions, Sparks Censorship Debate
19.12.2023
Source: Pixabay BloXroute, a blockchain infrastructure company offering DeFi tools, has announced that its relays will begin declining transactions that include addresses listed under U.S. sanctions. “Effective immediately, all bloXroute relays will reject block bids if they contain OFAC...
EU Reveals Details of Russian Sanctions Package in New Q&A, Includes Updated Crypto Provisions
19.12.2023
The European Union (EU) revealed details on their latest package of sanctions against Russia, which includes provisions on crypto, in a newly released Q&A this week. Enacting bans and closing loopholes According to the Q&A posted on the website of the European Commission, the updated...
Advisors May Drive Bitcoin ETF Flows in USA + More News
18.12.2023
Source: AdobeStock / Backcountry Media Get your daily, bite-sized digest of crypto and blockchain-related news – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s news. In this edition: Advisors May Drive Bitcoin ETF Flows, Says Needham US OFAC Fines Crypto Exchange $1.2M for Russia...
Crypto Exchange CoinList Settles OFAC's Russian Sanctions Allegations for $1.2M
14.12.2023
CoinList did not detect users who claimed to be from non-embargoed countries, but provided addresses in Crimea, OFAC said
US Lawmakers Launch Bill to Counter Terrorism and Threats Involving Digital Assets
10.12.2023
Several U.S. lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill to crack down on terrorist organizations by applying sanctions to foreign entities, including crypto platforms, that facilitate financial transactions for terrorists. The legislation would also “equip the Treasury Department with...
Tether Freezes 41 Crypto Wallets Tied to Sanctions
9.12.2023
Stabelcoin issuer Tether blacklisted 41 wallets controlled by people on the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List on Saturday
Crypto Exchange Bitzlato Co-Founder Pleads Guilty to U.S. Money Transmitter Charge
6.12.2023
Anatoly Legkodymov, a co-founder of Hong Kong-based crypto exchange Bitzlato, pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitter. Bitzlato was sanctioned by the U.S government in January
Ethereum’s Decentralization Questioned as Block Builders Censor Transactions Tied to US Sanctions
6.12.2023
Censorship is on the rise in Ethereum as key players block transactions tied to US sanctions, undermining its decentralized ethos. Image by Kerem Goktug Kaya, DALL-E 3. A pillar of Ethereum’s original vision was decentralization—the idea that its blockchain would operate outside constraints...
SEC Makes ‘Materially False and Misleading’ Representations Against Crypto Firm — Judge Threatens Sanctions
6.12.2023
The United States District Court for the District of Utah has expressed concerns that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is making “materially false and misleading representations” in its lawsuit against a crypto firm. The court has ordered the securities regulator...
Belarus Wants to Use Its CBDC to Evade Sanctions
6.12.2023
Source: christophe/Adobe Belarus wants to accelerate the launch of its CBDC as it looks to evade US and EU-led sanctions and let its firms trade with international partners. Per Belarus’ Ekonomicheskaya Gazeta, President Alexander Lukashenko could issue a CBDC-related verdict in the coming days....
Report: Spanish Police Arrest Man Accused of Conspiring With Jailed Ethereum Developer to Evade US Sanctions
4.12.2023
Spanish law enforcement said on Dec. 1 it arrested a man accused by the U.S. of conspiring with Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith to help North Korea evade sanctions. A Spanish judge released the man who has since denied the allegations. Cao de Benos Released Without Conditions The Spanish police...
Crypto Mixer Sinbad Sanctioned by OFAC Over Alleged Ties to North Korean Hackers
1.12.2023
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on yet another cryptocurrency mixing platform, labeling Sinbad.io as a “key money-laundering tool” used by the North Korean Lazarus Group crime syndicate. Sinbad.io, in addition...
Treasury Asks Congress for More Authorities to Go After Illicit Actors in Digital Asset Space
1.12.2023
The U.S. deputy secretary of the Treasury has revealed that the Treasury Department has asked Congress for more tools and authorities “to go after illicit actors in the digital asset space.” Moreover, he stressed: “We need to update our illicit finance authorities to match...
US Deputy Treasury Secretary calls for additional tools to sanction crypto firms
29.11.2023
Wally Adeyemo cited a recent settlement with crypto exchange Binance and sanctions against crypto mixer Sinbad in calling for an expansion of the U.S. Treasury’s authority
U.S. Treasury Campaigning for Amplified Powers to Chase Crypto Overseas
29.11.2023
The U.S. Department of the Treasury is pressing lawmakers for a new set of powers that would give the government unprecedented enforcement and sanctions authority over the crypto sector, including the ability to roam well beyond American borders and get involved with transactions that don't involve...
U.S. Treasury Sanctions North Korean Government’s Crypto Mixer Sinbad
29.11.2023
According to a statement released Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department has placed sanctions on the government of North Korea’s crypto mixer, Sinbad. “A key-money laundering tool” Sinbad serves as “a key money-laundering tool” for the state-sponsored North Korean cyber-hacking collective...