Federal Court Rejects Motion Filed by Crypto Developer Virgil Griffith to Dismiss Charges on Aiding North Korea

A U.S. federal judge has rejected a motion filed by a former Ethereum Foundation developer over allegations of assisting North Korea to bypass sanctions. Prosecutors claim, Virgil Griffith, aided the regime by providing critical information on cryptocurrencies. Prosecutors Say Griffith’s Speech Was About the Use of Cryptos to Circumvent Sanctions Per Law360, a jury is … Read more

Ethereum Proponent Virgil Griffith Deemed a Flight Risk, Judge Denies Bail

U.S. law enforcement filed in November criminal charges against Ethereum researcher Virgil Griffith because he traveled to North Korea and taught “his audience how to use blockchain technology.” Griffith was arrested on Thanksgiving Day and has been forced to remain in prison the whole time. On Dec. 26, SDNY Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses refused Griffith’s … Read more

North Korea Plans to Launch Cryptocurrency to Bypass Economic Sanctions

A North Korean official claims that a Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) cryptocurrency is on the horizon. According to a delegate for the Committee for Cultural Relations, Alejandro Cao de Benós, the country plans to forge a token backed by a physical commodity like gold and the digital asset’s main purpose will be used … Read more

Analysts Suspect Cryptocurrencies Used to Evade US Sanctions in North Korea

During an interview earlier this week, two Washington-based financial intelligence analysts explain that North Korea is using cryptocurrencies to evade US sanctions. The intelligence researchers Lourdes Miranda, and Ross Delston say the Pyŏngyang region is actively trading established digital assets to avoid US financial sanctions that have been imposed since the fifties. Also read: Developer Paul … Read more

Report: North Korea to Hold a Crypto Conference

North Korea is reportedly planning to hold a conference devoted to blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies. The event, said to have been scheduled to take place in October, is expected to bring experts from around the world who will meet representatives of North Korean enterprises.     Also read: China Escalates Crackdown, Russia Chases Shadows, UK Warns … Read more

North Korea Obtained 11,000 bitcoins in 2017, Expert Says

North Korea may have made over $200 million USD from cryptocurrency transactions last year, according to a former NSA official. DPRK is believed to have obtained at least 11,000 bitcoins through mining or hacking in 2017. Pyongyang continues to exploit the benefits of using cryptos and the cyber security weaknesses of its adversaries, recent reports … Read more

Intelligence: Pyongyang Trying to Steal Cryptos before Pyeongchang Olympics

Despite some cracks on the icy surface of inter-Korean relations, caused by the Olympic spirit, tensions on the silent crypto front in Korea remain high. South Korean intelligence has informed lawmakers in Seoul that the North keeps trying to hack cryptocurrency exchanges south of the DMZ. Cryptos worth billions of won have been stolen by … Read more

The Futility of Government Bans – Bitcoin Always Finds a Way

Cryptocurrencies have been threatened at one point or another by nearly every country on the planet. Rarely does a government venture beyond rhetoric. Those resorting to crackdowns are often met with greater public appetite for decentralized virtual money, making all that initial fuss an exercise in futility. Be they communist strongholds or liberal democracies, bitcoin … Read more