Friend.tech Team Renounces Control Over Smart Contracts

Friend.tech, the struggling decentralized social media application, has announced a major update to its platform, setting the admin and ownership parameters of its smart contracts to the address 0x000…000. This move effectively renounces control over these contracts, ensuring that no future changes can be made to their fees or functionality. The web client at friend.tech … Read more

Westlake Police Issue Alert on Blackmail Scams Involving Bitcoin

Westlake Police are cautioning residents about a rise in blackmail scam emails. Scammers claim they have been monitoring recipients’ online activities and demand payment, typically in bitcoin or gift cards, to prevent exposing personal internet habits. These emails may appear highly personalized, using details like the recipient’s name, address, or even attaching photos of their … Read more

Tether Invests $100 Million in Latam’s Agricultural Giant Adecoagro

Tether, the USDT stablecoin issuer, has acquired 9.8% of Adecoagro, a Latin American-based agricultural giant. In a move described by Argentine media as surprising, the company invested $100 million to diversify its investments in the agricultural and food sectors. Adecoagro, valued at over a billion dollars, has a direct presence in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. … Read more

Istanbul Police Arrest Omegapro Managers Over $4 Billion Crypto Fraud Scheme

Two managers from the now-defunct crypto fraudulent investment platform Omegapro were arrested in Istanbul, according to Turkish media reports. Dutch executive Robert Velghe was arrested Tuesday, following the July arrest of Swedish co-founder Andreas Szakacs. Omegapro, founded in 2018 and registered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, allegedly defrauded investors out of $4 billion by … Read more

UBS: European Real Estate Markets Enter New Cycle

UBS reported on Thursday that European real estate markets appear to be entering a new investment cycle, with key indicators pointing to stabilization. “A new cycle starts,” the report said, as investment volumes show signs of bottoming out. After a period of inflation and rising interest rates, the UK saw a 6.5% quarter-on-quarter growth in … Read more

20 Government Agencies in US, South Korea, and Japan Tackle North Korean Crypto Threats

The United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (ROK) held their third Trilateral Diplomatic Working Group meeting on Friday in Seoul to address North Korean cyber threats. Led by U.S. Deputy Special Representative Seth Bailey, ROK’s Lee Jun-il, and Japan’s Kumagai Naoki, the meeting focused on North Korea’s cyber activities, including revenue generation through … Read more

Kamala Harris Gains Ripple Co-Founder Chris Larsen’s Endorsement

Eighty-eight business leaders, including Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen, have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, in a new letter shared by CNBC on Friday. Some crypto investors are puzzled by Larsen’s move, given the Biden administration’s stringent regulatory stance on cryptocurrency and its ongoing lawsuit against Ripple. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) … Read more

Zambia’s Dedollarization Plan Aims to Strengthen Kwacha Stability

Zambia’s latest move to restrict foreign currency use in domestic transactions is aimed at stabilizing its currency, the kwacha, according to central bank Governor Denny Kalyalya. The Bank of Zambia announced this initiative in June and is still consulting market participants, with no set implementation date. Kalyalya highlighted that foreign currency use hinders effective monetary … Read more

Travala Integrates With Skyscanner, Enabling Crypto Payments for Over 2.2 Million Hotels

Crypto-native travel platform Travala has announced its integration with global travel marketplace Skyscanner. This partnership allows Skyscanner’s 110 million monthly users to discover and book over 2.2 million hotels using more than 100 cryptocurrencies via Travala. This integration positions Travala alongside leading travel agencies like Expedia and Booking, enhancing visibility and driving new users to … Read more

Libertarian Javier Milei: ‘Only Entrepreneurs Can Create Wealth’

The libertarian President of Argentina, Javier Milei, has shared his perspective on how wealth should be created efficiently and who should be responsible for its creation. During a visit to Mercado Libre’s offices on Thursday, Milei stated that while a president can create conditions that make investing attractive and profitable, the only ones who can … Read more