Bank of Israel Launches Digital Shekel Challenge

The Bank of Israel has announced the Digital Shekel Challenge, inviting various entities — private companies, public sector organizations, and academic institutions — to participate in the digital shekel’s experimental environment. The initiative aims to foster the development of innovative payment solutions using the digital shekel, leveraging its Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Participants are expected … Read more

US Jury Convicts Two in $8M Crypto-Linked Dark Web Drug Scheme

A federal jury in Salt Lake City convicted Oluwole Adegboruwa and Enrique Isong, foreign nationals, of multiple drug-related charges. From 2016 to 2019, they generated over $8 million in cryptocurrency, including bitcoin and ethereum. Adegboruwa operated under the names “King Odua” and “Alagbada726,” converting cryptocurrencies to traditional currency. Sentencing is scheduled for August. The jury … Read more

Tokyo-Listed Metaplanet to Buy Additional Bitcoin for Its Treasury

Metaplanet, a publicly traded corporation listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, announced on Tuesday that its board of directors passed a resolution to purchase an additional 250 million yen (approximately $1.6 million) worth of bitcoin. For BTC held for long-term purposes, the company explained that it will record them at cost. Meanwhile, short-term holdings will … Read more

‘Spraying’ Naira Notes Causes Depreciation, Warns Nigerian Anti-Graft Body

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has issued a warning against the practice of spraying naira notes at social events, emphasizing that it diminishes the dignity of the currency. In a recent post on its official X page, the Nigerian anti-graft agency urged residents to respect the naira and avoid ridiculing it. The EFCC … Read more

Former FTX Executive Ryan Salame Sentenced to 7.5 Years for Criminal Charges

Former FTX executive Ryan Salame was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison by Judge Lewis Kaplan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York after pleading guilty to criminal charges, including engaging in an unlawful political influence campaign and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Salame, who once … Read more

Aave Network Set to Launch Following Aave V4 Protocol

In a recent social media post, Stani Kulechov, the founder of Aave, announced that the Aave Network is expected to launch following the completion of the Aave V4 protocol. This development is eagerly anticipated by the defi community, as the Aave Network is projected to become one of the largest Layer 2 networks on Ethereum, … Read more

Former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpelès Assures No Imminent Bitcoin Sale, “Everything Is Fine”

In a social media post, Mark Karpelès, the former CEO of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox, provided a status update on the recent situation. He assured followers that “everything is fine with MtGox” and revealed that the trustee is currently moving coins to a different wallet in preparation for a distribution that is expected … Read more

Trump Inquired if Bitcoin Could Aid in Solving the $35 Trillion US National Debt Problem

David Bailey, CEO of Bitcoin Magazine and a cryptocurrency aide of the Trump campaign, revealed that the former president asked if Bitcoin could be leveraged to solve the U.S. national debt problem. During an X space on Sunday night, Bailey revealed that the first time he met Trump, he asked if Bitcoin could do anything … Read more

Crypto Markets Spooked as Mt. Gox Moves Over $9B in Bitcoin

The price of bitcoin (BTC) fell sharply after Mt. Gox, the infamous cryptocurrency exchange that went bankrupt a decade ago, began moving billions worth of the cryptocurrency to a new wallet, Mt. Gox’s first bitcoin transfers in five years. So far the transactions total at least $9 billion worth of bitcoin. Bitcoin’s value dropped below … Read more

South Africa’s Regulator Tightens Rules for Crypto Asset Transfers via Latest Directive

The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) has proposed a directive regarding crypto asset transfers. This directive follows the licensing of 75 crypto asset service providers (CASPs) by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority in South Africa. The FIC aims to tighten regulations by requiring CASPs to implement more detailed and stricter requirements for digital transactions. The directive’s … Read more