The United States Department of the Treasury added five cryptocurrency addresses tied to a neo-Nazi group involved in Russia’s war on Ukraine to list of entities sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Asset Control. In a Thursday notice, the U.S. Treasury designated 22 individuals and 2 entities, including many the government department claimed had furthered the Russian government’s objectives in Ukraine, to its list of Specially Designated Nationals, effectively barring U.S. persons and companies from dealing with them. Included in sanctions of one of the entities — a neo-Nazi paramilitary group called Task Force Rusich — were 2 cryptocurrency addresses …

Rostin Behnam, chair of the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, said the Ethereum blockchain’s transition to proof-of-stake may help reduce crypto’s energy usage, but hinted legislation would likely still be needed to address the problem. Speaking at a Thursday hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee, Behnam addressed a question from Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who brought up the environmental impact of the “significant energy” required of mining cryptocurrencies. Without mentioning the Merge by name, the CFTC chair said the crypto bill currently being considered by lawmakers would require a report on energy usage that could lead to …

Sheila Warren, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation, said the Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act currently being considered by U.S. lawmakers was a “pivotal step” towards achieving regulatory clarity, but recommended changes to determine the role authorities will take on digital assets. In written testimony for a Wednesday hearing on the bill with the Senate Agriculture Committee, Warren said the proposed legislation needed to better define a “digital commodity” and security rather than leaving the matter to regulatory agencies or U.S. courts. According to the Crypto Council CEO, the Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act also fell short of clarifying …

The United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control has added 10 individuals, 2 entities, and several crypto addresses allegedly tied to an Iranian ransomware group to its list of Specially Designated Nationals, effectively making it illegal for U.S. persons and companies to engage with them. In a Wednesday announcement, the U.S. Treasury said the individuals and companies in the ransomware group were affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of the country’s military. The group allegedly “conducted a varied range of malicious cyber-enabled activities,” including compromising the systems of a U.S.-based children’s hospital in June 2021 …

The United States Department of the Treasury said “interacting” with cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash’s open-source code, with certain provisions, would not be in violation of sanctions imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC. In guidance posted to its frequently asked questions pages on Tuesday, the Treasury Department clarified some concerns previously voiced by many U.S.-based crypto users regarding controversial mixer Tornado Cash. According to the government department, U.S. residents would not be violating sanctions by copying the mixer’s code, nor making it available online or publishing it through another medium. “U.S. persons would not be prohibited by …

While last week brought no troubles from the market side of the crypto industry — no operations frozen, no bankruptcies filed — the United States regulators made some explicitly negative statements. Recently appointed U.S. Federal Reserve Board vice chair for supervision Michael Barr pledged to “ensure that crypto activity inside banks is well regulated, based on the principle of the same risk, same activity, same regulation, regardless of the technology used for the activity.” In Barr’s opinion, people “may come to believe that they understand new products only to learn that they don’t.” Michael Hsu, an acting Comptroller of the …

Following the decentralized finance (DeFi) boom of 2020, decentralized exchanges (DEXs) solidified their place in the ecosystems of both cryptocurrency and finance. Since DEXs are not as heavily regulated as centralized exchanges, users can list any token they want. With DEXs, high-frequency traders can make trades on coins before they hit major exchanges. Plus, decentralized exchanges are noncustodial, which implies that creators cannot pull an exit fraud — in theory. As such, high-frequency trading firms that used to broker unique trading transactions with cryptocurrency exchange operators have turned to decentralized exchanges to conduct business. What is high-frequency trading in crypto? …

Three federal agencies in the United States — the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center — jointly issued an advisory seeking information to curb ransomware attacks. As part of the #StopRansomware campaign, the joint cybersecurity advisory alerted citizens of Vice Society, a ransomware-type program that encrypts data and demands ransom for decryption. The trio anticipates a spike in ransomware attacks, primarily aimed at educational institutions, adding that “School districts with limited cybersecurity capabilities and constrained resources are often the most vulnerable.” While proactive measures remain vital to …

A Celsius Network co-founder has moved in court to declare the entirety of his equity stake in the embattled crypto company as “worthless." In a Sept. 5 document to the United States Bankruptcy Court, law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP filed a declaration on behalf of Celsius Co-Founder Daniel Leon, confirming his status as a substantial shareholder, and declaring that his 32,600 common shares are now considered worthless. #CelsiusNetwork #CelsiusBankruptcy Here’s a new one — a declaration of “wothlessness” was just filed by Daniel Leon , one of the cofounders. The Declaration was filed by K&E. https://t.co/OHldovdhBZ — David Adler …

The number of U.S. trademarks filed related to cryptocurrencies, nonfungible tokens, Web3, and the metaverse since January have reportedly passed those in 2021. According to data compiled by intellectual property lawyer Mike Kondoudis on Tuesday, individuals and businesses filed more than 3,600 trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for cryptocurrencies and crypto-related services as of Aug. 31, compared to 3,516 in 2021. In addition, Kondoudis reported that the number of nonfungible token, or NFT, applications had surged even higher — more than 5,800 in 2022 compared to 2,087 in 2021 — while the number of trademark …

The legal team for Alexander Vinnik, a Russian national recently extradited to the United States for his alleged role at defunct crypto exchange BTC-e, has reportedly been urging officials to consider a prisoner swap. According to a Monday report from Reuters, a lawyer representing Vinnik called on Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov to conduct negotiations with U.S. officials in order to bring the accused Bitcoin (BTC) launderer back to his home country. Russian authorities currently have several U.S. citizens in custody under questionable charges, including basketball star Brittney Griner, educator Marc Hilliard Fogel, and Paul Whelan, a former Marine detained …

Decentralized finance (DeFi), one of the fastest growing ecosystems in the cryptocurrency market, has long been a dilemma for regulators, given the decentralized nature of the space. In 2022, United States regulators paid special focus to the nascent area with significant attention to ending the anonymous nature of the ecosystem. DeFi protocols allow users to trade, borrow and lend digital assets without having to go through an intermediary. DeFi ecosystems by nature are decentralized with the majority of projects being run by automated smart contracts and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). Most DeFi protocols don’t require heavy Know Your Customer (KYC) …