Editor's Choice
Russian authorities confiscated 1032.1 bitcoins from the former investigator Marat Tambiev, valued at over 1 billion rubles, after his conviction for receiving the largest bribe in the country's history 💸
Russian authorities seized 1032.1 bitcoins from the convicted former investigator Marat Tambiev, which were converted into more than 1 billion rubles. Tambiev was found guilty of receiving the largest bribe in the country's history and of collaborating with a hacker group that helped conceal illegal funds. He denied his guilt and rejected offers to cooperate with the authorities. The process of selling the confiscated bitcoins was complicated by their division into several parts, requiring additional court rulings.
Circle made a donation of $1 million in USDC to the inauguration of Donald Trump, highlighting the growing recognition of digital currencies and support for the crypto industry in his policy 💡
Circle donated $1 million in USDC to the inauguration of Donald Trump, becoming part of the broad support from the crypto industry, including companies like Ripple, Kraken, and Coinbase. This is Circle's first significant political donation in the US and highlights the growing recognition of digital currencies. Trump, who actively supports cryptocurrencies, appointed David Sachs as the first advisor on cryptocurrencies and AI, demonstrating his intent to foster collaboration between the government and the crypto industry.
The court rejected James Howell's claim to recover the hard drive with £600 million in bitcoins lost on a landfill in 2013: the expert plans to appeal to the Supreme Court 💰
James Howell, a computer expert, has been trying to recover £600 million in bitcoins that he accidentally threw away on a landfill in 2013. At that time, he confused a hard drive with garbage, and his partner sent it to the dump. Howell appealed to the Newport City Council asking for permission to search the landfill for the drive, but the court rejected his claim, considering that the drive had become the property of the council. The expert hopes that the bitcoins on the drive could be worth £1 billion and plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Nischal Shetty missed a key court hearing in Singapore concerning the WazirX case, intensifying investor dissatisfaction and raising questions about his accountability in the platform's crisis ⚖️
Nischal Shetty missed an important court hearing in Singapore, angering investors and increasing dissatisfaction with his leadership qualities. After a hacker attack on WazirX and a lawsuit filed through the company Zettai in Singapore, his absence at the court proceeding, where he was supposed to provide an affidavit, only worsened the situation. Investors see this as a breach of trust. WazirX plans to resume withdrawals by April 2025, and a creditors' meeting will take place on January 27.
In Thailand, 996 Bitcoin mining machines were seized at a farm in Chonburi, where electricity was stolen, causing damage in the hundreds of millions of baht, using a fake meter ⚡
The Financial Services Commission of South Korea has announced a plan to allow corporate investments in virtual assets and the development of a new law on virtual assets, including stablecoins and asset listings 📊
Donald Trump launches his fifth NFT collection on the Bitcoin blockchain using the Ordinals protocol, available only to holders of "Mugshot Edition" cards until January 31 🎨
Bitstamp has added the Ripple stablecoin RLUSD to Ethereum, offering trading pairs with USD, EUR, BTC, ETH, XRP, and USDT, backed 1:1 by the US dollar and complying with strict regulatory standards 📜
Fake OKX extension for Firefox with real branding stole users' data: the plugin with false reviews and hidden discrepancies could lead to loss of funds ⚠️
Bhutan has announced the inclusion of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Binance Coin in the strategic reserves of the new region Gelephu Mindfulness City to strengthen economic stability and develop the cryptocurrency ecosystem 📈
Bank of America uses XRP for all internal transactions, has filed 83 patents on Ripple technologies, and is a member of the RippleNet Steering Committee for developing interbank settlement standards 📝
The Federal Reserve System of the USA is slowing down the pace of lowering interest rates in 2025, despite the stable economy and higher-than-expected inflation, which affects the Bitcoin market 📉
FTX has denied Backpack's statements regarding the acquisition of FTX EU and responsibility for payments to creditors, stating that the deal was not approved by the court, and the company did not authorize Backpack to return funds ⚖️
FTX has denied the statement made by the company Backpack, which announced the acquisition of its European subsidiary FTX EU and its intention to take responsibility for payments to creditors. FTX stated that the deal was not approved by the bankruptcy court, and Backpack has not been authorized to manage payments. All statements made by Backpack were made without the knowledge of FTX, which remains the sole responsible entity for returning funds to its former clients.
Orange Finance hack on Arbitrum: hacker stole over 840,000 dollars by gaining access to the admin account, updating the contracts, and transferring the funds to their wallet, the team urges users to revoke permissions 🚨
Orange Finance platform on the Arbitrum network was hacked, resulting in the theft of over $840,000. The hacker gained access to the admin account, updated the contracts, and transferred the funds to their wallet, which led to the loss of control over the system. The project team reached out to the attacker, asking them to return the stolen funds within 24 hours, promising not to involve law enforcement and considering it a white-hat hack. Users are advised to revoke all permissions related to the platform to ensure the safety of their assets.
Kazakhstan has blocked more than 3500 illegal cryptocurrency exchanges, including Coinbase, as part of the enhanced fight against violations in the digital assets sector and increasing control over the crypto market 🚫
Kazakhstan has blocked more than 3500 illegal crypto exchanges, intensifying the fight against violations in the digital assets sector. In 2024, 36 platforms were liquidated with a total turnover of more than 113 million dollars. Legal crypto exchanges, such as Bybit and Binance, which received official licenses, continue to develop in the country. Kazakhstan is also launching a pilot project for the digital tenge and cooperating with the People's Bank of China to research digital currencies, strengthening control over cryptocurrency operations.
The chairman of the CFTC, Rostin Behnam, will leave his post on January 20, which will open the way for the appointment of a new head of the agency and a revision of cryptocurrency policy in the U.S. under the Trump administration 🏛️
The chairman of the CFTC, Rostin Behnam, will leave his post on January 20, when Donald Trump takes office as president. This will open the way for the appointment of a new head, allowing for a revision of the cryptocurrency policy. It is expected that Trump will temporarily appoint one of the Republican commissioners of the agency. Behnam, who has been more supportive of the crypto industry, acknowledged that regulation in this area in the U.S. remains insufficient. The CFTC plans to take on the role of regulating digital commodity assets.
Best news of the last 10 days
Bitfinex Derivatives has received the Digital Asset Service Provider license in El Salvador 🇸🇻, which will allow users to continue using the service through the new platform Bitfinex Derivatives El Salvador S.A. de C.V. 🚀
The Governor of the Czech National Bank, Aleš Michl, is considering acquiring Bitcoin to diversify currency reserves, but the bank is not planning to invest in the cryptocurrency at the moment 💰
Michael Barr steps down as Vice Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve for supervision amid criticism from the crypto industry and lawmakers over limiting banks' operations with cryptocurrencies 💼
The 14th state of the United States is ready to introduce a bill for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve 🪙, following the global trend of using cryptocurrency as an asset to hedge against inflation 📉
Ripple has integrated the Chainlink standard to provide reliable price data for the Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum blockchains for DeFi protocols 🔗
Ripple has implemented the Chainlink standard to provide reliable and secure price data for its stablecoin RLUSD, issued on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum blockchains. This will enhance the stability of the coin and expand its use in DeFi protocols such as trading and lending. With Chainlink, RLUSD will receive accurate and transparent price data, which will increase its use in various financial applications and strengthen trust in the multi-channel economy.
In Phuket, two Russians robbed their compatriot of 20,000 dollars due to a 120,000-dollar cryptocurrency debt: one fled to Dubai, the other remains in Thailand 💵
The police of Thailand have started the search for two Russians suspected of robbery against the backdrop of a cryptocurrency dispute in Phuket. A 31-year-old Russian was brutally beaten and robbed of 20,000 dollars at the Karong hotel. The criminals, who were acquainted with the victim, demanded the repayment of a 120,000-dollar debt related to unresolved cryptocurrency deals. One of the attackers, Andrei, stayed in Thailand, while the second, Dmitry, fled to Dubai. Arrest warrants have been issued for them, and the police continue their search with the help of the immigration service.
A Vietnamese criminal group defrauded 200 people of $157,300 through a fake cryptocurrency mining platform BitMiner and the promotion of the fictional cryptocurrency "Bincoin" 💻
A group of fraudsters in Vietnam defrauded over 200 people of $157,300 through a fake cryptocurrency platform BitMiner. They attracted investors with fake cloud mining contracts and promises of high returns. However, all funds went into the criminals' wallets. The platform was registered in Singapore but claimed to operate from Dubai. The police arrested several participants, but one suspect is still at large. A fake cryptocurrency "Bincoin" was also used for further deception.
HashKey Group receives registration from the Central Bank of Ireland as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP), compliant with the EU's Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive ✅
HashKey Group has received registration from the Central Bank of Ireland as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP), becoming the first such licensee compliant with the EU's Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive. The license allows HashKey Europe Limited to provide virtual asset exchange services, transfer services, and wallet storage. This is an important step in the company’s global expansion strategy, which has previously obtained licenses in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Bermuda.