3 Reports Look at North Korea’s Lazarus Group, Iran’s Farhad Exchange, and the Crypto Ponzi Futurenet

On May 4, 2020, the blockchain surveillance firm Chainalysis published a three-part series covering a crypto Ponzi scheme, North Korea, and Iran’s use of digital currencies like bitcoin. The company’s research papers discuss the Poland-based crypto Ponzi called Futurenet, a hosting service allegedly tied to North Korea, and how Iran-based exchanges are bypassing OFAC sanctions … Read more

Bitcoin.com Local Gathers Steam as Other P2P Markets Falter

The bitcoin marketplace Localbitcoins was once the most popular peer-to-peer (P2P) trading platform. But during the last few years, the company’s trading requirements and KYC implementation have caused an influx of traders to migrate to different P2P crypto markets. The mass departure has caused business on Localbitcoins to drop like a rock and volumes haven’t … Read more

US Charges North Korea-Linked Chinese Nationals for Laundering Over $100 Million in Stolen Cryptocurrency

The U.S. government has charged two Chinese nationals involved in laundering stolen cryptocurrency worth $100 million from an exchange allegedly for the benefit of North Korea. They are linked to the U.S.-designated North Korean state-sponsored Lazarus Group. A total of 113 cryptocurrency accounts and addresses used to launder funds have been identified. Also read: SEC … Read more