Tag Archives: us

Over the past decade or so, countries around the world have resorted to seizing cryptocurrencies. The United States government stands at the forefront, boasting crypto holdings of almost $15.27 billion. This substantial stash includes 212.847k BTC and 45.654k ETH. US Leads with Holdings of $15.27B Silk Road is perhaps the most infamous case where the US government seized approximately 144,336 BTC in 2013. Silk Road was an online black market known for facilitating the sale of...

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has escalated its enforcement efforts by tightening its grip on individuals and entities operating within the financial services and technology sectors in Russia, particularly those involved in virtual assets, enabling evasion of US sanctions. The enforcement agency claimed that these individuals and entities played a crucial role in facilitating transactions or providing services aimed at aiding other designated entities in...

Digital asset investment products experienced a $1.18 billion increase in inflows last week, according to CoinShares. This figure, however, did not surpass the previous high set in October 2021 when futures-based Bitcoin ETFs garnered a total of $1.5 billion. The latest edition of “Digital Asset Fund Flows Weekly Report” further revealed that the trading volumes for Exchange-Traded Products (ETPs) did break records by reaching $17.5 billion last week, marking the highest...

While Bitcoin continued to break records throughout 2023, the kiosks providing the option to acquire cryptocurrencies using cash or debit cards have been on a decline. According to Coin ATM Radar, the total count of crypto ATMs worldwide has dwindled from 37,827 on January 1, 2023, to 33,628 on January 1, 2024, marking a noticeable decrease in just one year. Uncharacteristic Downturn in Bitcoin ATM Installation For a decade, the number of installed Bitcoin ATMs exhibited an...

Amid increased regulatory scrutiny in the United States, Europe has become an attractive destination for crypto firms. Galaxy Digital, the crypto venture led by US billionaire Mike Novogratz, is now venturing into the European market for greener pastures. As part of this expansion, the company has appointed Leon Marshall, formerly an executive at the crypto broker Genesis, as its first Head of Europe. Marshall is tasked with establishing a regional presence based in London....

Tether is one of the leading global purchasers of US Treasury bills. According to Paolo Ardoino, the stablecoin issuer’s chief technology officer, USDT has now amassed a substantial $72.5 billion in US Treasury bonds. This places Tether in the 22nd position worldwide, surpassing countries like the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Australia, and Spain in terms of Treasury holdings. Tether’s Treasury Holdings Expand While China Continues to Liquidate Since the beginning of the...

In a landmark ruling, Hong Kong’s High Court declared crypto as property that can be held in trust. This marks the first time such a decision regarding asset class has been made in the city-state. The ruling, which was handed down in liquidation of a case involving the now-defunct crypto exchange Gatecoin, essentially puts crypto on par with other intangible assets such as stocks and bonds. Cryptocurrencies Constitute Property The judgment was revealed by London-based law...

The US government has been very critical of the crypto space, especially over the past few months. Its upcoming actions could trigger potential sell pressure in the near future, even as investors currently do not exhibit any bearish behavior. Prominent analytic firm, CryptoQuant, has identified four important dates – 26 May 2023, 7 August 2023, 19 October 2023, and 30 December 2023 – as there may be extra selling pressure from the United States government’s Bitcoin holdings...

On Wednesday, the United States Department of Justice announced an international cryptocurrency enforcement action. The Department arrested the founder of Bitzlato – a Chinese crypto exchange involved in servicing financial criminals The DOJ broke the news on Wednesday, alongside representatives from the FBI, OFAC, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). OFAC administers the US sanctions regime, while FinCEN monitors suspicious activity among financial...

The decentralized stablecoin protocol MakerDAO has committed to converting $500 Million of its DAI reserves into bonds and U.S. treasuries.  This marks the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO)’s the first investment in high-quality government debt.  As MakerDAO explained over Twitter, MKR holders voted to deploy its peg stability module’s USDC on liquid bonds, using its recently created real-world asset Maker Vault. The allocation will consist of 20% investment-grade...