Congressmen Issue Letter On Tornado Cash
Lawmakers urge FinCEN to finalize reporting requirements for cryptocurrency mixers. They still don't understand how the software works.
Latest
What Trump 2025 Means For Freedom Of Transaction
Why miners should brace for the application of sanctions law.
New FinCEN Alert Shows Cash, Smuggling Preferred Method For Hezbollah Financing
A FinCEN alert issued on Wednesday highlights that Hezbollah does not use cryptocurrencies at scale to finance its operations.
Judge Dismisses Defamation Suit Against Chainalysis
A New York Judge has dismissed a crypto project's defamation lawsuit against the blockchain surveillance firm Chainalysis on grounds of Anti-SLAPP laws.
"Blockchain And Bloodshed": What Soufan Center Gets Wrong On Terror Financing
The Soufan Center has published a brief on cryptocurrency adoption by terrorist groups titled "Blockchain and Bloodshed," citing outdated, incorrect, and misleading statements.
SLAPP: Chainalysis Argues For Dismissal Of Defamation Suit
In a hearing on Wednesday Chainalysis argued that a defamation lawsuit filed by alleged “scam” is an effort to silence the analytic's firm
TD Bank's “Historic Fine”: Drugs, Bribes, Human Trafficking, And A Calculated Risk
Last week, TD Bank agreed to pay a “historic fine” of over $3B for BSA violations linked to drugs, bribes, and human trafficking – but the fine makes up merely 1% of the banking group's revenue.
Rogue Police Chief Accessed FinCEN Data For "Private Investigation"
A Tennessee Assistant Police Chief gave a former Arizona Representative access to confidential FinCEN data in "private sector racketeering investigation", raising questions on illegitimate surveillance
"Tough" US Regulation Approach Positive For Industry, WEF Report Finds
A World Economic Forum report on digital asset regulation finds "tough" US approach "positive for the industry", recommends AI, digital identities for AML/KYC, EU stablecoin reserve requirements "too strict"
Utah Senator Proposes Bill To Reform Financial Privacy
The Saving Privacy Act amends codifications of financial privacy laws, introduces prohibitions for central databases holding personally identifiable information and CBDCs, and reforms executive regulations and penalties.
Colombia Implicates Financial Intelligence Unit In Pegasus Scandal
Colombia investigates whether information on the alleged purchase of Pegasus Spyware was shared with Colombia's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). Last week, Colombia was banned from the international FIU network Egmont Group for revealing a confidential report on Israeli Pegasus sales.
Tornado Cash: Code Not Speech, Non-Custodial MSBs, Knowledge Not Required
In an oral statement issued on Thursday, Tornado Cash judge says code is not speech, non-custodial service providers can be money service businesses, and specific knowledge of criminal activity is not a prerequisite for charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
US
Gensler To Rule On SEC Licensing Requirements For "Communication Protocols"
SEC Chair Gary Gensler expressed intent to rule on amendments to rule 3b-16 of the Exchange Act by November. Criticized as overly broad, the proposed amendments may be abused to require software publishers to obtain SEC licenses.
International
Keir Starmer Wants To Spy On Your Bank Account
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to "stop benefit fraud" costing taxpayers "almost £10 billion a year". The digital rights group Big Brother Watch sees a revival of bank spying powers.
EU
German Government Plans Expansion Of Bank Account Surveillance
In a proposed "security package", the German Government aims to expand the surveillance capabilities of the German Federal Police (BKA) of bank accounts subject to suspicious activity and transaction reports.
EU
German Interior Ministry Dodges Questions On Chain Analysis Software, Mixer Risks
The German Interior Ministry dodged questions on government use of chain analysis software and the risks of mixers for the concealment of criminal activity. Suspicious Transaction Reports involving cryptocurrencies appear negligibly low.
EU
Geyser Fund Shuts Down Bitcoin For Palestine
The crowdfunding platform Geyser Fund is shutting down projects in conflict zones citing regulatory uncertainty.
US
Samourai Wallet: Rodriguez Deemed Flight Risk, Denied Freedom Of Movement
Keonne Rodriguez has been denied a freedom of movement request due to alleged flight plans. The defense cited that Rodriguez had not fled after detecting law enforcement attempted to access overseas Samourai-related servers in March of 2024. The next hearing is set for December 17th.
EU
Kraken Germany Removes Lightning Network Support
The German banking authority BaFin is unaware of "new regulations that came into effect on September 10th", allegedly leading Kraken Germany to halt support for the Lightning Network according to customer service representatives. Kraken issued a correction after publication of this article.
EU
Human Rights in Finance Sues Dutch Central Bank Over AML
Human Rights in Finance is suing the Dutch Central Bank under Article 8 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights over failure to enforce protections in light of "potentially criminal" AML data outsourcing program ran by the Netherlands' five largest banks
EU
Dutch Foundation Requests Human Rights Evaluation of AMLD5
Human Rights in Finance formally requests a human rights evaluation from the European Commission on the EU's 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive, citing privacy infringements and procedural abuse
EU
German Parliament Faces Questions On Blockchain Surveillance
The German party Die Linke is questioning the German government on the use of blockchain surveillance software and the use of crypto mixers for the identification and prevention of financial crime.
International
UK NCA Claims Crypto "Increasingly Used" For Money Laundering, E2EE Risk To Children
The UK's National Crime Agency claims "cryptoassets are increasingly used to launder non-digital proceeds of crime" and identify increased risks to children through end-to-end encryption in a 2024 National Risk Assessment.
International
UN Cybercrime Convention To Overrule Bank Secrecy
The finalized UN Cybercrime Convention would overrule bank secrecy while criminalizing hacking, whistleblowing and security research.