Category: Economic & Financial Crime

Sep 03 2025

Iranians Protest Corruption, Unpaid Wages and Failing Services

Thousands of Iranians have stagedacross cities including Tehran, Isfahan, Kerman and Ahvaz, denouncing corruption, unpaid wages and collapsing public services. Demonstrators said their anger was directed not at individual officials but at the clerical system led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The unrest underscored Iran’s worsening economic crisis and growing rejection of the ruling regime. …

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Sep 02 2025

Lithuania Fines Bankera-Affiliated Firm Over Compliance Failures

The Bank of Lithuania has fined Pervesk UAB, a company linked to the troubled Bankera cryptocurrency project, €130,000 ($151,525)  for serious violations of anti–money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing rules. The regulator issued both a financial penalty and a formal warning, citing “significant shortcomings” in risk management, client identification procedures, and controls over distributors. The …

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Sep 02 2025

ETH Price Analysis: Defending This Key Support Can Catapult Ethereum to New ATH

Ether has failed to sustain its bullish momentum, breaking below a key support range and now consolidating around the mid-line of its ascending channel. Both momentum indicators and price structure highlight a neutral yet fragile state, with upcoming sessions likely to determine whether ETH stabilizes or slides into a deeper correction. A decisive breakdown below …

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Sep 02 2025

Lebanese Court Releases Former Central Bank Governor on Bail

Lebanese court orders release of former central bank governor Riad Salameh on bail of more than $20 million. The 75-year-old was in September 2024 on multiple financial charges, including embezzlement of public money. His lawyer, Mark Habka, called the bail an “illegal” amount and said they will sek a reduction. Despite the order, SalameH had …

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Jun 03 2025

A masked gang tried to abduct the daughter and young grandson of a crypto company executive in Paris. The couple fought back, which resulted in the husband being hit several times on the head while trying to protect his family. Meanwhile, the wife managed to grab a gun from one of the culprits and threw it into the street. Police later confirmed the weapon was a replica air gun. This incident is part of a trend of violent cases targeting individuals connected to the crypto industry in France. The attack happened around 8:20 a.m. in the city’s 11th district.Paris Family Fights Off Masked Gang in Crypto-Linked Kidnapping Attempt

Source: Wayne Jones, 2025-05-18; https://cryptopotato.com/paris-family-fights-off-masked-gang-in-crypto-linked-kidnapping-attempt/

May 30 2025

More than 25% of Metaplanet’s shares have been borrowed for short positions, setting the stage for what some crypto community members feel could be a potential GameStop-style short squeeze. On May 18, the firm a record ¥877 million ($6M) in Q1 revenue, with a whopping 88% attributed to its Bitcoin strategy. It has increased its holdings of the crypto asset by almost four times since January, with its latest buy of 1,004 BTC for over $104 million bringing its entire stash to 7,800 BTC valued at more than $800 million.Metaplanet Faces Major Short Squeeze as Bitcoin Bet Defies Bears

Source: Wayne Jones, 2025-05-22; https://cryptopotato.com/metaplanet-faces-major-short-squeeze-as-bitcoin-bet-defies-bears/

May 28 2025

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) is officially launching XRP futures contracts on May 19. The move marks a major expansion of CME’s crypto offering, coming soon after its Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL) futures products. The new offerings will provide traders with cash-settled exposure to XRP’s price movement based on the CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate without requiring actual ownership of the asset. They also come in two distinct contract sizes to accommodate different trading strategies.CME Launches Ripple (XRP) Futures Today: Here’s What You Need to Know

Source: Wayne Jones, 2025-05-20; https://cryptopotato.com/cme-launches-ripple-xrp-futures-today-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

May 27 2025

Coinbase is facing a class-action lawsuit filed by a group of Illinois residents who allege the crypto exchange illegally collected and shared their biometric data. The suit, brought to federal court on May 13, claims the company violated Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) by capturing users’ facial data without proper notice or consent. According to the suit, users were asked to upload a government ID and a selfie as part of the sign-up procedure. These images were then sent to third-party facial recognition tools that analyzed facial features.Coinbase Faces Lawsuit Over Unauthorized Biometric Data Collection

Source: Wayne Jones, 2025-05-22; https://cryptopotato.com/coinbase-faces-lawsuit-over-unauthorized-biometric-data-collection/

May 26 2025

Japanese investment firm Metaplanet has added to its Bitcoin reserve with a fresh purchase worth $126.7 million on May 12. The latest move brings the company’s total Bitcoin holdings to 6,796 BTC. The Tokyo-listed firm has spent around $608.2 million on Bitcoin so far, with an average cost of $89,492 per coin. The company measures its progress using BTC Yield, a key metric that shows the percentage increase in Bitcoin held per fully diluted share.Metaplanet Boosts BTC Holdings with $126.7M Purchase

Source: Wayne Jones, 2025-05-14; https://cryptopotato.com/metaplanet-boosts-btc-holdings-with-126-7m-purchase/

May 24 2025

The latest CryptoQuant Weekly Report reveals that stablecoin liquidity has reached a new high of $220 billion. This surge is due to the expanding market caps of Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC), which have fueled capital inflows into the broader crypto ecosystem. Historically, this pattern has coincided with periods of increased liquidity and stronger performance in the crypto market. Specifically, this trend is a bullish indicator for Bitcoin (BTC). Market sentiment has also improved with these liquidity changes. The Bitcoin Bull Score IndeStablecoin Liquidity Reaches Record High $220B: Report

Source: Wayne Jones, 2025-05-04; https://cryptopotato.com/stablecoin-liquidity-reaches-record-high-220b-report/