US$1.5B South Korean ‘kimchi premium’ crypto scheme prompts 33 arrests
Customs officers use foreign exchange law to shut down cycle of foreign remittances and arbitrage.
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Stablecoins could pose risks to global financial system, Chinese central bank official says
Warning comes as Beijing ramps up efforts to internationalize China’s currency through launch of digital yuan.
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Robinhood sees near-threefold rise in women users, COO says
Trading app Robinhood has seen a 369% increase in the number of women using its services in the past year, according to COO Gretchen Howard. According to a report by Business Insider, women now make up 30% of its customer base. Fast facts The result comes following Howard’s setting up of a task force to…
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Israel authorities order seizure of cryptocurrencies from Palestinian resistance group Hamas
Israel’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing has issued a seizure order against 84 cryptocurrency addresses associated with Palestinian resistance group Hamas as it looks to confiscate holdings of Bitcoin, Tether, Dogecoin and other cryptos. Fast facts “This action comes after a sizable uptick in cryptocurrency donations to Hamas in May following increased fighting between…
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Spending on crypto-linked Visa cards exceeds $1B in first half of 2021
More than US$1 billion was spent on crypto-linked Visa cards in the first six months of 2021, according to a Visa blog post this week. Fast facts Apart from enabling customers to buy cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin using its cards, Visa has partnered with 50 crypto platforms on card programs — such as Coinbase, the largest…
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Argentina proposes allowing salaries to be paid in crypto
An Argentine lawmaker presented a bill this week to allow employees and those exporting services abroad to be paid in cryptocurrency, Yahoo News reports. Fast facts Congressman José Luis Ramón said that he presented this bill to allow Argentina’s people — whose local currency, the peso, currently suffers from roughly 50% inflation a year —…
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Ethereum: London calling. Will the SEC ever approve Bitcoin ETFs? Foreign miners reap rewards amid China crypto crackdown.
Top blockchain and crypto news: Ethereum upgrade, torque of the town. SEC in snafu over Bitcoin ETFs. Crypto miners flourish amid China fallout.
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Iran crypto mining remains suspended amid blackouts
Iran has continued a suspension of cryptocurrency mining, with Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri urging all licensed miners to stop operating as the country continues to suffer power outages, according to a report by U.Today that cited a Farsi-language tweet by the Tasnim News Agency. Fast facts Jahangiri said the ongoing electricity supply problems could last…
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Chinese firm shut down by central bank for trading cryptocurrencies
China’s central bank has reiterated its ban on cryptocurrency trading and yesterday said it had ordered a company in Beijing suspected of offering software services for crypto trading to shut down as part of an ongoing nationwide crackdown on the crypto industry. Fast facts A Beijing office of the People’s Bank of China and a…
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South Korea holds firm on AML compliance for banks serving crypto exchanges
The chief of South Korea’s main finance sector regulator has spoken out again against banks that have requested exemptions from anti-money laundering compliance rules in their contracts with cryptocurrency exchanges. Fast facts Eun Sung-soo, the chairman of the Financial Services Commission said yesterday: “Banks should use their own judgement to make decisions and apply for…