De-Dollarization: Russia Removing All US Dollar Assets From Its $600 Billion National Wealth Fund

Russia has reportedly announced that U.S. dollar assets will be removed from its National Wealth Fund as U.S. sanctions on Moscow intensify. The fund, which currently totals about $600.9 billion, forms part of Russia’s gold and currency reserves. Russia Steps up De-Dollarization Efforts Russia’s finance minister, Anton Siluanov, announced at the St. Petersburg International Economic … Read more

Binance Extends Blockade of Zimbabwean Crypto Users to Include Non-Resident Traders

Malta-based cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, has reportedly extended its blockade of Zimbabwean users to include non-resident citizens. As a result of the new measures, all Zimbabwean nationals are now precluded from using the Binance trading platform. Zimbabwean Nationals Blocked Prior to the introduction of this new measure, Binance apparently allowed Zimbabwean nationals with non-Zimbabwean residential addresses … Read more

Iran Finds Scapegoat In ‘Easy Victim’ Bitcoin as Officials Shut Down 1,600 Mining Farms

As Iran experiences rolling electricity blackouts, the country’s authorities have responded to the crisis by targeting bitcoin mining farms. The sanctions-hit country’s campaign against miners has seen a total of 1,600 mining centers being shut down. This Iranian blitz on cryptocurrency miners, however, appears to contradict the country’s previous policies towards cryptocurrency mining. The Real … Read more

Unbanked Hong Kong Chief Carrie Lam: “I Have Piles of Cash at Home”

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam says she is currently unbanked and keeps piles of cash stashed at her home courtesy of US sanctions. Alongside 14 Chinese and Hong Kong officials, Lam has been slapped with punitive measures that effectively cut her off from the banking system. The US government announced the sanctions in response … Read more

Venezuela to Incorporate Bitcoin and Litecoin Wallets into National Remittances Platform

Venezuela says it will incorporate bitcoin and litecoin wallets to its Patria’s Cryptocurrency Remittance Platform. In an update, authorities in the country say this move will enable Venezuelan citizens to formally receive remittances in cryptocurrency form. Many citizens of hyperinflation hit Venezuela already use bitcoin as a store of value as well as for cross … Read more

OFAC Warns Americans Against Facilitating Ransomware Payments

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) recently issued an advisory highlighting the sanctions risk American citizens face if they help facilitate ransomware payments. In the advisory, the OFAC says it will “continue to impose sanctions on those who materially assist, sponsor, or provide financial, material, or technological support for … Read more

Venezuela’s State-Run ‘Defi’ Crypto Exchange Goes Live After Maduro’s Anti-Blockade Speech

Decentralized finance (defi) is allegedly coming to Venezuela after a recent decree from Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. The government recently introduced a defi platform called BDVE that purportedly provides Venezuelan citizens with the means to swap ERC20 tokens in a noncustodial manner. For quite some time now Venezuela … 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

Details of Iran’s National Cryptocurrency Unveiled

Iran has been developing a national cryptocurrency, a move that could allow them to evade US economic sanctions. Informatics Services Corporations, the country’s leading provider of banking systems, has reportedly been designing and developing the cryptocurrency and has now revealed its features. Also read: Yahoo! Japan Confirms Entrance Into the Crypto Space Built on Hyperledger Informatics … Read more

The Iranian Government Is Preparing to Launch Its Own Cryptocurrency

The government of Iran is preparing to launch its own cryptocurrency, according to state-controlled media reports. The intended purpose of the new Iranian govcoin is to help the country skirt the international financial sanctions meant to cut its access to the global economy. Also Read: The Daily: Skrill Launches Crypto Trade, Luxury Market Reaches $100M … Read more