UK High Court Grants Worldwide Freezing Order Against Craig Wright

The UK High Court has granted a Worldwide Freezing Order (WFO) against Craig Wright, amounting to £1.548 million (approximately $1.98 million). This decision stems from Peter McCormack’s application, which argued for the necessity of the WFO due to Wright’s fundamentally fraudulent defamation claim. Wright had asserted he was Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin’s creator, and sought damages … Read more

Tangem Partners With Visa to Launch Self-Custodial Crypto Payment Card

Hardware wallet firm Tangem AG is collaborating with Visa to launch a self-custodial payment solution. This collaboration introduces a Visa payment card integrated with a hardware wallet, allowing Tangem users to make payments using their crypto or stablecoin balances at any Visa-accepting merchant across Europe. Unlike traditional custodial solutions, Tangem’s card embeds a private key … Read more

Surge in Crypto Scams: FSMA Sees Significant Spike in Recovery Room Fraud

The Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA), Belgium’s financial regulatory agency, has published its mid-2024 report, highlighting a significant increase in fraudulent activities, particularly involving trading platforms and cryptocurrency scams. Nearly half of the 1,332 consumer reports received in the first half of 2024 pertained to these scams, reflecting a 44% increase from the same … Read more

CFTC Wins Case Against Crypto Fund Operators

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a case against Sam Ikkurty, Ravishankar Avadhanam, and Jafia LLC for civil violations of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), specifically involving cryptocurrency investments. The court granted the CFTC’s motion for summary judgment on Monday, finding that the defendants misrepresented the performance of their crypto funds, operated a … Read more

EU–US Financial Forum Highlights Cooperation on Crypto Regulation

The EU–U.S. Joint Financial Regulatory Forum took place last week, with participants exchanging views on topics of mutual interest as part of their regular financial regulatory dialogue. The dialogue was hosted by the European Commission and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. During the forum, participants discussed digital finance and crypto assets, focusing on regulatory … Read more

Hong Kong Professor: China’s Crypto Mining Ban Shifts Businesses to US

Professor Wang Yang, vice president for institutional advancement and chair professor at the Department of Mathematics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), criticized China’s cryptocurrency mining ban during a panel discussion in Hong Kong last week. He called the decision “very unwise” because it shifted businesses to the U.S., boosting American … Read more

Bahamas to Mandate Banks to Distribute Central Bank Digital Currency

The Bahamas, the first country to issue a central bank digital currency (CBDC) called the Sand Dollar, is preparing regulations to mandate commercial banks to provide access to the e-money to boost adoption. Central Bank Governor John Rolle indicated that these regulations would be implemented within two years. “We’ve begun to signal that to our … Read more

Paypal Ventures-Backed Mesh Partners With Conio to Launch Open Banking Solutions for Bitcoin in Europe

Mesh, a U.S. fintech company backed by Paypal Ventures, has partnered with Italian digital asset wallet Conio to enhance cryptocurrency exchange access for Conio’s 430,000 customers. This collaboration allows users to access 10 leading crypto exchanges, including Binance and Coinbase, through the Conio app, and seamlessly transfer bitcoin purchases directly into their Conio wallets. By … Read more

BIS Report Warns of Rising Public Debt Risks to Global Economies

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Annual Economic Report 2024, published on June 30, highlights the significant risks posed by rising public debt levels across both advanced and emerging market economies. The report stresses that without fiscal consolidation, debt trajectories will remain unsustainable, threatening macroeconomic stability. As interest rates rise, refinancing needs and higher debt … Read more

Tokyo Stock Exchange-Listed Metaplanet Boosts Bitcoin Holdings

Metaplanet, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under the ticker 3350, announced on July 1 that it has made an additional bitcoin purchase. Following the company’s disclosure on June 24 about plans to acquire BTC worth 1 billion yen ($6.2 million), Metaplanet has initiated the purchase with an investment of 200 million yen. This transaction … Read more