A new report has indicated that crypto exchange Coinbase has provided Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents with a “suite of features” intended for tracking the company’s customers. According to the report, ICE has been granted access to an intelligence-gathering application, called Coinbase Tracer, that provides a variety of forensic data tracking capabilities. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is an government agency under the Department of Homeland Security. The primary purpose of ICE is to protect the country from cross-border crime and illegal immigration. Coinbase Tracer’s intent is to assist ICE with tracing malicious and fraudulent transactions on blockchains. According …

The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, has taken enforcement action against a South African national in what the regulatory body called its “largest fraudulent scheme involving Bitcoin.” In a Thursday announcement, the CFTC said it had filed a civil enforcement action in federal court for fraud and registration violations against Cornelius Johannes Steynberg. The South African national allegedly created and operated a global foreign currency commodity pool totaling more than $1.7 billion, only allowing the participants to pay using Bitcoin (BTC). The CFTC alleged that Steynberg used the South Africa-based firm Mirror Trading International Proprietary Limited to …

After Grayscale’s application to convert its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) into a Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) was denied, the firm launched a legal challenge against the United States Securities and Exchanges Commission. Following these events, the community responded with various reactions, from accusing the SEC of price manipulation to suggesting different solutions. Redditor u/ThatsMRcurmudgeon2u, who introduced themself as a securities lawyer, weighed in on the matter. According to the Redditor, many anticipated the lawsuit, as SEC Chair Gary Gensler has made it clear that he wants exchanges to register with the SEC. The Redditor also accused the SEC of …

The provision in the U.S. infrastructure bill signed into law in November, which will require financial institutions and crypto brokers to report additional information, could reportedly be delayed. According to a Wednesday report from Bloomberg, the United States Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service may not be willing to enforce crypto brokers collecting information on certain transactions starting in January 2023, citing people familiar with the matter. The potential delay could reportedly affect billions of dollars related to capital gains taxes — the Biden administration’s budget for the government for the 2023 fiscal year previously estimated modifying the …

Just two weeks after being fined by Iowa’s regulators for offering and selling unregistered securities, crypto lending platform BlockFi announced on Tuesday that it has received a Money Services License in the state. The Iowan license will allow the crypto lender to receive money and sell payment instruments in the state. BlockFi on Twitter stated it will begin by allowing Iowan residents to trade stablecoins. We're excited to announce that we’ve received our Money Services License in Iowa. Iowa residents can now trade stablecoins on our platform and instantly transfer funds via ACH. pic.twitter.com/sNEFIlCeWY — BlockFi (@BlockFi) June 28, 2022 …

The French government has given former United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair Chris Giancarlo, also known as "Crypto Dad," the equivalent of a knighthood. In a Tuesday tweet from Giancarlo, the former CFTC head said France’s National Order of Merit awarded him a Chevalier — the equivalent of a knighthood — in a ceremony at the French ambassador's residence in Washington D.C. Those attending included current and former CFTC commissioners Rostin Behnam, Brian Quintenz, Christy Goldsmith Romero, Kristin Johnson, Caroline Pham, as well as Hester Peirce of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Merci for honor of l’Ordre National du …

KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms in Canada and the United States, has revealed the opening of its first metaverse collaboration hub to help its employees and clients pursue growth opportunities in the digital era. KPMG is entering the metaverse with a new collaboration hub that will connect employees, clients and others with Web3. The company is making a collective $30 million investment this year in Web3 experiences, with the metaverse hub as the "signature piece." According to a Tuesday report by Fortune, the hub will be focused on education, collaboration, training, events and workshops with Cliff Justice, …

Investing firm Alto recently surveyed adults based in the United States to find out their preferences in investing. The results show that more millennials aged 25 to 40 are investing in crypto than in mutual funds. The report, dubbed “How Millennials See Their Financial Future,” reveals that nearly 40% of millennial respondents have invested in cryptocurrencies. According to the report, this is “greater than the percentage of millennials who own mutual funds.” Moreover, the percentage is almost equal to those millennials who own stocks. The report also notes that most millennials either already own crypto or are considering buying . …

Troubled crypto lending firm Celsius is putting their best foot forward to recover operations alongside CEO Alex Mashinsky, who currently stays in the United States, the company has claimed. A spokesperson for Celsius has denied rumors that the company’s CEO tried to flee the U.S. last week amid the ongoing liquidity crisis of the Celsius Network. The representative told Cointelegraph on Monday that the firm continues working on restoring liquidity, stating: “All Celsius employees — including our CEO — are focused and hard at work in an effort to stabilize liquidity and operations. To that end, any reports that the …

Ethereum's native token, Ether (ETH), gained alongside riskier assets as investors assessed weak U.S. economic data and its potential to cool down rate hike fears. Ether mirrors risk-on recovery ETH's price climbed up to 8.31% on June 24 to $1,225, six days after falling below $880, its lowest level since January 2021. Overall, the upside retracement brought bulls 40% in gains, raising anticipation about an extended recovery in the future while alleviating fears of a "clean fakeout." For instance, independent market analyst "PostyXBT" projected ETH's price to close above $1,300 by the end of June. In contrast, analyst "Wolf" feared …

Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) do not pose any direct threat to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) but are still associated with risks in relation to stablecoins, one industry executive believes. According to Mikkel Morch, executive director at the digital asset hedge fund ARK36, a state-backed digital currency like the U.S. dollar doesn’t necessarily have to be a competitor to a private or a decentralized cryptocurrency. That’s because the use cases and value proposition of the decentralized digital assets “often go beyond the realm of simple transactions,” Morch said in a statement to Cointelegraph on Thursday. The exec referred to Federal …

Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple Labs, has claimed the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has inconsistently imposed regulations on crypto firms in the country. Speaking to Wired editor-in-chief at the Collision conference in Toronto on Thursday, Garlinghouse pointed to Ripple’s current legal battle with the SEC, in which the federal regulator has alleged the company’s executives conducted an “unregistered, ongoing digital asset securities offering” with Ripple (XRP) token sales. Garlinghouse referenced the SEC’s approval of Coinbase’s public offering in April 2021, despite the fact the crypto exchange listed XRP at the time. “The SEC now seems to …