With an ‘Aggressive’ Fed Rate Hike Expected Next Week, Stocks and Crypto Markets Lose Billions

Investors will be focused on the U.S. central bank this Wednesday as Federal Reserve policymakers are expected to raise the benchmark interest rate aggressively. The top U.S. stock indexes saw significant losses at the end of the week, and the Nasdaq composite saw its worst four-month starting performance since 1971. Crypto markets have had a … Read more

Crypto Travel Rule Working Group Launches 2.0 Protocol ‘Solving the Discoverability Problem’

Just before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) published the organization’s 12-month review, a working group called the Travel Rule Protocol (TRP) released its 2.0 version of the TRP crypto application programming interface (API) in order to “simplify the end-user crypto exchange experience.” TRP is backed by big banks like Fidelity Investments, Standard Chartered, and … Read more

How G20 Central Bank Digital Currencies Are Progressing

Central bank digital currency has become a hot topic among finance ministers and central bankers worldwide, with some G20 countries ahead of the rest on work done toward issuing their own digital currencies. Experts have weighed in on their expectations of when the first G20 digital currency will be introduced. Also read: Central Banks Worldwide … Read more

Money Laundering Fines Worth Billions Help Bankers Avoid Prosecution and Unpleasant Labels

The recent seizure of a cargo ship owned by JP Morgan, a vessel loaded with 20 tons of cocaine according to latest accounts, highlighted the risks of banks’ involvement in illicit activities, inadvertent or otherwise. And although U.S. authorities released the MSC Gayane after the owner, JP Morgan’s asset management arm, and the operator, Mediterranean … Read more

1.3 Million Leaked Transactions Link Major Banks to $8.8 Billion Money Laundering Scheme

A new set of reports by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, compiled from over 1.3 million leaked transactions from 238,000 companies, have linked many major banks to a scheme to channel billions of dollars out of Russia. The Troika Laundromat is unique in that “it was created by a prestigious financial institution.” Also … Read more

Bitfinex Partnered With at Least 6 Different Banks During 2018

22 months since Wells Fargo suspended the processing of withdrawals sent by four Taiwanese banks that service Bitfinex, the platform remains among the top 20 exchanges by adjusted volume. While Bitfinex hosted more than $5 billion in trade this past month, the exchange has struggled to establish reliable banking partners, with traders seeking to deposit … Read more

Netherlands’ Largest Bank ING Group Fined $900M for Money Laundering

This week Dutch authorities revealed to the public that the Netherlands’ largest financial services provider, ING, had violated numerous money laundering laws because they didn’t scrutinize unusual transactions and certain accounts. Also Read: Public Anger Forces Bank CFO to Quit Over Huge Money Laundering Affair Netherlands’ Largest Bank Admits: “ING Clients Used Their Bank Accounts for … Read more