Tag: blockchain

CZ Has Left Binance, SBF Is in Jail. Crypto Is About to Get Boring
Technology

CZ Has Left Binance, SBF Is in Jail. Crypto Is About to Get Boring

The world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, and its founder, Changpeng Zhao, pleaded guilty yesterday to criminal charges in the US, releasing a wave of pent-up tension that had hung over the crypto industry for years.Zhao, who also went by CZ, was one of the poster boys for crypto’s freewheeling and rebellious spirit, which hearkens back to the origins of the technology, built to undergird a parallel financial system outside the control of any government or bank. Under his leadership, Binance grew to become by far the world’s largest crypto exchange, but frequently clashed with regulators in the US and elsewhere. The company refused to establish a formal headquarters. According to the criminal indictment filed against Zhao in the US, he “prioritized growth and profits over compliance” ...
Citing Hamas, the US Wants to Treat Crypto “Mixers” as Suspected Money Launderers
Technology

Citing Hamas, the US Wants to Treat Crypto “Mixers” as Suspected Money Launderers

Hamas and militant groups’ use of cryptocurrency, while significant, pales in comparison to the amount of cryptocurrency used by other illicit actors. Hamas, for instance, raised $41 million in cryptocurrency over the past two years, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad raised $91 million, according to a report last week in the Wall Street Journal that cited analyses by cryptocurrency tracing firms and seizures by the Israeli government.It’s not clear, however, how much of those funds actually made it to these groups before being seized. In fact, Hamas asked its donors to stop using cryptocurrency in April of 2023, due to the public nature of the transactions on blockchains and the risk of prosecution. Cryptocurrency tracing firm Chainalysis, which frequently works with government and law enforc...