Editor's Choice
Arkham Intelligence announces the launch of a cryptocurrency derivatives exchange in Punta Cana 💹 with the support of Sam Altman, targeting retail investors and excluding clients from the USA 🌟
Arkham Intelligence, a blockchain data analytics company, plans to launch a cryptocurrency derivatives exchange next month. The startup, backed by investors such as OpenAI founder Sam Altman, is relocating its operations from London and New York to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The platform will target retail investors; however, access for clients from the USA will not be opened.Founded in 2020, Arkham specializes in blockchain data analysis and the disclosure of identities and organizations conducting cryptocurrency transactions. The launch of the derivatives exchange will be the next step in the company’s development, aiming to take a place in the growing cryptocurrency market, particularly in the derivatives sector, which derives its value from underlying assets such as Bitcoin.
The SEC has filed a lawsuit against Cumberland for acting as an unregistered securities dealer in excess of $2 billion in cryptocurrencies 🎯
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a lawsuit against Cumberland, accusing it of operating as an unregistered securities dealer in more than $2 billion worth of cryptocurrency. The SEC claims that since 2018, Cumberland has been buying and selling assets that the regulator considers unregistered securities.The SEC is seeking disgorgement of profits, an injunction, and civil penalties. Cumberland, in turn, stated that it has cooperated with the regulator and does not intend to change its activities, confident in complying with all rules.
Bitget launches Telegram App Centre with over 600 mini-apps, providing access to airdrop opportunities and play-to-earn games directly from exchange accounts 🎮📱
Cryptocurrency exchange Bitget has launched a new feature – the Telegram App Centre, which brings together more than 600 Telegram mini-apps. This allows users to directly find airdrop opportunities, join communities, and play play-to-earn games through Bitget accounts.The new mini-apps page offers a convenient interface for quick access to applications and participation in airdrops, opening unique opportunities for interaction with blockchain projects.The integration of Telegram mini-apps on the Bitget platform facilitates the mass adoption of blockchain technology and simplifies access to new opportunities.
A Nigerian court has denied bail to Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, who has been in custody for over 220 days despite his deteriorating health ⚖️
On Friday, a family representative stated that a Nigerian judge denied bail to Tigran Gambaryan, the head of Binance's financial crime department. "We are deeply disappointed by the court's decision, especially given Tigran's deteriorating health. He has been unlawfully detained for over 220 days," Binance said, adding that the company continues to cooperate with the Nigerian government.Gambaryan, who has been held in Nigeria since February, was incarcerated in the infamous Kuje prison. In March, his colleague at Binance, Nadeem Anjarwalla, managed to escape from custody. Gambaryan is accused of tax evasion and money laundering, although the tax charges were later dropped.Gambaryan's lawyers have filed a new bail application, citing his worsening condition.
Rimar Capital paid a $310,000 fine in the SEC case over falsifying AI capabilities to raise $4 million on a cryptocurrency and stock trading platform 💰⚖️
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) loses more than 6% 📉, while Uber (NYSE: UBER) rises by 4.72% 📈 amid the presentation of the Cybercab 🚖 and the expansion of its partnership with Waymo 🚗.
South Korea recognizes cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, as part of joint marital property and allows their division in divorces 💼💱
Fidelity Investments launches blockchain money market fund to speed up transactions and compete with BlackRock and Franklin Templeton 💰📈
Continue Capital lost $36 million in fwDETH (15,079 tokens) after a phishing attack using a permission signature 💰
The Central Bank of the Kingdom of Eswatini has introduced a project for the digital Lilangeni (CBDC) with support for online wallets and smart cards 💳, maintaining pseudo-anonymity while complying with KYC and AML requirements.
Changpeng Zhao will make his first public appearance after stepping down as CEO of Binance amid a $50 million fine and holding on to 90% of his stake in the company 💰
Ripple files a counter-appeal against the SEC, disputing a $125 million fine for XRP sales and hoping for another court victory 💼⚖️
The Financial Services Commission of South Korea will reconsider the ban on spot cryptocurrency ETFs through a new digital assets committee 💼
The Financial Services Commission of South Korea (FSC) announced that the newly created cryptocurrency committee will reconsider the ban on local spot cryptocurrency ETFs. In a report presented at the annual audit, the FSC indicated that this committee, as a new advisory group on digital assets, will explore the possibility of lifting the current ban.This may indicate a softening of the regulator's stance, which was previously strongly opposed to including digital assets in traditional financial markets. It is worth noting that in January, the U.S. approved spot Bitcoin ETFs, although this did not affect the FSC's initial decision to maintain the ban due to potential risks to financial stability.Political forces in the country, both ruling and opposition, are pushing for rule changes. The left-wing government, which won the elections, stated back in May its intention to ask the FSC to review the existing ban.
SEC charges three companies and nine individuals for manipulating crypto-asset markets worth billions of dollars using trading bots and algorithms 🎯
Washington, D.C., October 9, 2024 — The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged three companies claiming to be market makers and nine individuals with fraud for their involvement in schemes to manipulate crypto-asset markets offered as securities to retail investors. The schemes allegedly aimed to create a false impression of active trading to attract investors.According to the SEC’s complaints, crypto-asset promoters — Russell Armand, Maxwell Hernandez, Manpreet Singh Kohli, Nam Tran, and Wai Pham — hired companies ZM Quant and Gotbit to provide a market manipulation service, which included creating artificial trading volume and manipulating the prices of crypto-assets that the promoters sold to retail investors. The SEC also stated that ZM Quant and a third so-called market-making company, CLS Global, used similar schemes to manipulate markets.As a result of the actions of these companies and individuals, trading bots and algorithms were used to generate billions of transactions daily, creating the illusion of high activity on cryptocurrency platforms.
Uniswap Labs launches a new Ethereum L2 network called Unichain to improve interaction and liquidity in DeFi 🚀
The firm behind Uniswap, the largest decentralized exchange by trading volume, is launching a new Ethereum L2 project called Unichain, aimed at decentralized finance (DeFi) users. The system, developed by Uniswap Labs based on the Superchain created by Optimism, is a Layer 2 blockchain network built using the OP Stack.Uniswap Labs' CEO Hayden Adams pointed out that one of Optimism's key benefits is its ability to unite participants around a standard for interconnected L2 networks. Unichain, launched on a private testnet, offers two main elements: verifiable block creation and a validation network.Developed in collaboration with Flashbots, Unichain will be able to create blocks with a delay of 200-250 milliseconds. The project joins a crowded market of L2 protocols like Arbitrum and Base, and is aimed at improving interaction between networks in DeFi. Unichain aims to simplify access to liquidity across different networks and enhance their interaction through new Ethereum improvement proposals.Unichain's sequencer system ensures additional decentralization: full nodes will be able to verify blocks through UNI staking, reducing the risks of centralized control.
The Constellation Network's "HyDef '24" conference will showcase the latest blockchain solutions for big data and collaboration with Panasonic: virtual participation is free, in-person event in San Francisco for $150, key topics — data security and the future of finance 🌐
The "HyDef '24" conference by Constellation Network will take place on October 24, 2024. It is a free virtual event with an in-person component at the 1 Hotel in San Francisco for $150.Constellation Network is a Web3 platform for building blockchain networks that ensure transparency and trust in big data processing. The network's partners include the U.S. Department of Defense and other major organizations.At HyDef, updates on projects and new collaborations with Panasonic will be presented. The program includes sessions on blockchain in finance, government regulation, and information security. The winners of the hackathon will showcase big data processing solutions integrated with AI.The virtual format is free, with access to live broadcasts and discussions.
Best news of the last 10 days
Fasttoken (FTN) by Fastex raised $23.2 million in private and public sales, becoming the foundation of the ecosystem for GameFi, crypto payments, and NFTs 🎮💰
The UAE introduces strict measures against unlicensed Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) with criminal and civil sanctions to combat money laundering and financial crimes 📉
Ubisoft will release its first Web3 game, Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles, on the Oasys blockchain on October 23, featuring a PvP system and the ability to own unique digital assets 🕹️🔗
WazirX forms an anonymous Creditors' Committee of 10 members 💼: Investors raise concerns about the transparency of the process 🔍, the first meeting is scheduled for October 15 📅
Ripple launches Ripple Custody service for storing digital assets with XRP Ledger support and 250% client growth 📈
American blockchain company Ripple has launched a new service, Ripple Custody, which will help banks and fintech companies store digital assets. Among the features are integration with the XRP Ledger blockchain platform, AML risk monitoring, and a user-friendly interface.This expands Ripple's activities beyond payment systems. Integration with the XRP Ledger provides access to a decentralized exchange for trading digital assets without intermediaries and with low fees.Custodial services are growing rapidly, with a 250% increase in clients over the year. Among the clients are HSBC, Societe Generale, and DBS. Ripple also allows the tokenization of real-world assets such as currencies, gold, and real estate using the XRP Ledger.
A massive cryptojacking attack affected more than 28,000 devices in Russia and neighboring countries, but the attackers stole only $6,000 in cryptocurrency 💻🔐
Cryptojacking and cryptocurrency theft malware infected tens of thousands of devices in recent months, but the attackers managed to steal only about $6,000.On October 8, cybersecurity company Doctor Web reported that this malware disguised itself as legitimate programs, such as office applications, game cheats, and bots for online trading. The malicious program affected more than 28,000 users, primarily in Russia, as well as in Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey.Hackers used the "clipper" technique to replace wallet addresses copied by users with addresses controlled by attackers, which allowed them to steal cryptocurrency. However, the total damage was only about $6,000. It is unknown how much cryptocurrency the attackers may have mined.The sources of malware distribution were fake pages on GitHub and video descriptions on YouTube with malicious links.Advanced methods were used to bypass antivirus programs: malicious files were disguised as system components, and malicious scripts were run through legitimate software.Doctor Web urges users to install programs only from official sources to avoid infection.
The FBI created the cryptocurrency NexFundAI based on Ethereum and seized more than $25 million as part of an operation against market manipulation 💰
The FBI created its own cryptocurrency, NexFundAI, on the Ethereum blockchain to catch market manipulators and participants in illegal activities within the crypto space. As part of an operation called "Token Mirrors," charges were brought against 18 individuals and organizations for fraud and market manipulation. Among them are companies Gotbit, ZM Quant, CLS Global, and MyTrade, suspected of organizing "pump and dump" schemes—they inflated token prices using fake trades (wash trades) and then sold them at inflated prices. The FBI also confiscated more than $25 million in cryptocurrency and deactivated trading bots involved in manipulating sixty tokens.
The US government has filed lawsuits for the confiscation of over $2.67 million in cryptocurrency 💰, including $1.7 million in Tether (USDT) and $972,000 in Avalanche-bridged bitcoin (BTC.b) 🪙, stolen by Lazarus Group hackers 🕵️♂️
The US government has filed two lawsuits aiming to confiscate over $2.67 million in cryptocurrency, stolen by the North Korean hacking group Lazarus. According to documents filed on October 4 in the District Court for the District of Columbia, authorities are seeking to recover approximately $1.7 million in Tether (USDT), stolen from the Panamanian cryptocurrency exchange Deribit in November 2022. During the hack, the exchange lost over $2.8 million from its hot wallets.The second case involves an attempt to recover $972,000 in bitcoin (BTC.b), which was stolen from the Stake.com platform in September 2023. This hack resulted in the platform losing over $42 million.Both thefts were linked to the use of Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixer used by hackers to launder stolen funds. The investigation led to the freezing of five cryptocurrency wallets associated with the Deribit theft, which allowed the recovery of $1.7 million.