The number of crypto-related enforcement actions in the United States grew notably in 2022, according to a survey released by blockchain risk monitoring firm Solidus Labs. Both federal and state regulators broke records for enforcement actions. There were 58 actions carried out by the four main U.S. federal agencies engaged in crypto enforcement in 2022. That number surpassed the previous high of 40 recorded in 2020 and rose 65% over the 38 actions seen in 2021. The agencies – the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the Office …

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, the Republican ranking member on the United States Senate Banking Committee, reportedly plans to develop “a bipartisan regulatory framework" for cryptocurrencies. According to a Feb. 2 report from Politico, Scott included the crypto framework as one of his priorities for the 118th Congress. He reportedly was skeptical of some aspects of crypto, alluding to the collapse of exchanges like FTX — "high-profile failures resulted in lost consumer assets" — and potential uses for illicit finance. Scott recently took over the ranking member position from former Senator Pat Toomey, who served out his term without seeking …

The cryptocurrency community has ridiculed well-known Bitcoin (BTC) critic Charlie Munger for calling the United States to follow in the footsteps of China in banning crypto. In an op-ed article on The Wall Street Journal, the 99-year-old investment veteran has once again slammed crypto, calling a cryptocurrency a “gambling contract with a nearly 100% edge for the house.” Munger also said that a cryptocurrency is “not a currency, not a commodity, and not a security,” adding that “obviously” the U.S. should now enact a new federal law that would ban crypto. According to Munger, the best way to approach crypto …

The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury has added two cryptocurrency wallets allegedly connected to a Russian sanctions evasion network as part of its list of Specially Designated Nationals. In a Feb. 1 announcement, OFAC said it had added one Bitcoin (BTC) address and one Ether (ETH) address to its list of sanctioned entities as part of a move to “methodically and intensively target sanctions evasion efforts around the globe.” Treasury said it would impose “full blocking sanctions” on 22 individuals, including Jonatan Zimenkov, a Russian national with access to at least one …

Blockchain solutions provider SIMBA Chain has been selected for a $30 million Strategic Technology Focus Initiative (STRATFI) by the United States Air Force (USAF). The initiative is focused on identifying and advancing technologies that could secure the future dominance of the U.S. Air Force. According to the announcement, the investment will be used to develop blockchain applications in supply chain management and programs that will be used by several government organizations, including the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research & Engineering, the USAF, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army and the Defense Logistics Agency. SIMBA Chain has a …

Dennis Porter, chief executive officer of the Satoshi Action Fund, is taking the fight for hearts and minds on Bitcoin mining to Washington, D.C. and beyond in an effort to support friendly legislation. Porter, who first discovered Bitcoin (BTC) in 2017, told Cointelegraph his path on advocating the benefits of mining has taken him to support bills in at least six U.S. states with federal lawmakers also in his crosshairs. The Satoshi Action Fund CEO met with U.S. Senators and Representatives on Jan. 25 in support of proposed legislation aimed at eliminating discrimination against miners. According to Porter, the Lummis-Gillibrand …

Several United States senators have reportedly penned a letter requesting answers from Silvergate Capital — the parent company of Silvergate Bank — related to the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX. According to a Jan. 31 Bloomberg report, U.S. Senators including Elizabeth Warren, Roger Marshall and John Kennedy said Silvergate had not fully answered questions in response to a December letter about its alleged role in handling FTX user funds. Silvergate reportedly cited restrictions on disclosing “confidential supervisory information” — a rationale the senators said was unacceptable. “Both Congress and the public need and deserve the information necessary to understand Silvergate’s …

Twitter chief Elon Musk has reportedly instructed his developers to build the platform’s payments system in such a way that crypto functionality can be added in the future. According to a Jan. 30 Financial Times report, two people familiar with Twitter’s plans said the payments feature will support fiat currencies to start but be built to accommodate cryptocurrencies should the opportunity arise. Twitter has long teased bringing payments to the social media platform — forming part of Musk’s stated plan to make Twitter an “everything app.” Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app — Elon Musk …

Even though this winter continues to stress test the case for Bitcoin (BTC) advocation, some lawmakers strive to put their names on the crypto hot list among the likes of United States Senators Cynthia Lummis and Pat Toomey. State Senator Wendy Rogers, 68, introduced two bold bills in the Arizona legislature. One focuses on making BTC legal tender in the U.S. state. If passed into law, BTC will have the same status as the U.S. dollar, becoming an accepted medium of exchange for debt payment, public charges, taxes and dues in the state. The bill is not Rogers’ first attempt …

With the deadline approaching for filing the 2022 federal income tax return, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) — an enforcement agency of U.S. federal tax laws — released a list of reporting requirements for the general public dealing with cryptocurrencies. Until 2021, the IRS used the term ‘virtual currencies’ in income tax-related reporting forms, which have been updated to ‘digital assets.’ All US citizens must answer questions about cryptocurrencies “regardless of whether they engaged in any transactions involving digital assets.” The question about digital asset income features in three forms — 1040, Individual Income Tax Return; 1040-SR, U.S. Tax Return …

Wendy Rogers, a state senator in Arizona, United States, has launched bills concerning cryptocurrency, including one that aims to make Bitcoin (BTC) a legal tender in Arizona. In a recent tweet, Rogers cited data from investment firm Goldman Sachs that BTC is the best-performing asset in the world and announced that she launched a set of crypto bills. “Breaking: #Bitcoin is the best performing asset in the world this year according to data from Goldman Sachs.” Launched my #Crypto bills today, as well as Photo Radar Prohibition, which included nearly all my Republican senator colleagues as cosponsors @JeffWeninger @JDMesnard pic.twitter.com/ueUeFSEybo …

Institutional investors are “not giving up on crypto,” with recent data pointing to as much as 85% of Bitcoin buying being the result of American institutional players, according to Matrixport’s chief strategist. Markus Thielen, the head of research and strategy at the financial services firm, told Cointelegraph the evidence shows that institutions are not “giving up on crypto” and is an indicator that we might be entering a new “crypto bull market now.” The data was shared in a Jan. 27 report from Matrixport, which suggests that it can be distinguished whether a digital asset is more favorable by retail …