UK Local Elections Show Swing to Labour With General Election Pending
The government, which has adopted a pro-crypto stance, must hold a general election by end-January.
Policy
Tether Enters Transaction Surveillance Partnership with Chainalysis as Regulatory Pressure Mounts
The monitoring system would help Tether identify risky crypto addresses that could be used for bypassing sanctions or illicit activities like terrorist financing, the company said.
U.S. Senate’s Warren Warns National Security Chiefs About Iranian Crypto Mining
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), one of the most prominent critics of cryptocurrency hazards, warned the top military and financial officials that Iran relies on digital assets mining as a source of revenue that can lessen the pressure from U.S. sanctions.
Binance Nigeria Money Laundering Trial Delayed to May 17, Says Gambaryan Family Spokesperson
Binance’s lawyer needed more time to look at evidence from Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Rabotnik, Affiliate of Ransomware Group REvil, Sentenced to 13 Years in Jail
Ukrainian national, Yaroslav Vasinskyi, also known as Rabotnik, has been sentenced 13 years and seven months in prison for his role in conducting over 2,500 ransomware attacks and demanding over $700 million in ransom payments, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Crypto Was One of the Biggest Money Laundering Risks in 2022-2023: UK Govt. Report
Between 2022 and 2023 Crypto alongside retail banking, wholesale banking and wealth management posed the greatest risk of being exploited for money laundering, a report by the U.K. Treasury department showed.
House’s McHenry Accuses SEC Chief Gensler of Misleading Congress on Ethereum
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler has been accused of misleading Congress by Rep. Patrick McHenry, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, who said Gensler’s agency already knew it considered Ethereum’s ether a security before he attended a hearing and declined to answer that question.
Stablecoin Bill Unlikely to Get Pinned to FAA Reauthorization, Putting Effort On Hold Again
Advocates for long-awaited U.S. stablecoin legislation tried to tie it onto an unrelated must-move reauthorization bill, but leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives are seeking to keep that effort clear of such attachments, according to a Democratic aide.
Roger Ver Indicted for Tax Fraud
Roger Ver (Wikimedia Commons)
Distilling the Tornado Cash and Samourai Suits
There was a lot of news last week, but maybe the biggest news came Wednesday when the U.S. Department of Justice arrested two co-founders of Samourai Wallet, a bitcoin wallet that offered mixing services. The arrest ramps up the federal government’s efforts to tamp down on what it sees as money laundering enabled by privacy tools, and sets up a continuation of that broader conversation on where the right to transact in privacy fits within national security interests.