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OFAC’s Tornado Cash Ban Causes Github Suspensions and the Blacklisting of Crypto Addresses Holding $437M
9.8.2022
On August 8, the ethereum mixing service Tornado Cash, and all the crypto addresses associated with the platform, were officially banned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC). Following the ban, the internet hosting service for software and open source code...
US Government Bans Ethereum Mixer Tornado Cash, Platform Added to OFAC’s SDN List
8.8.2022
On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department’s watchdog the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) banned the ethereum mixing application Tornado Cash. OFAC has cited that the mixer has helped North Korean hackers such as the hacking syndicate known as Lazarus Group. OFAC Sanctions Tornado Cash...
Report: Digital Currency Exchange Kraken Under Investigation for Violating OFAC Sanctions
27.7.2022
On Tuesday, a newly published report details that the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken is under federal investigation for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions, according to five people familiar with the matter. The unknown sources explained that the inquiry into Kraken started in 2019, and it’s...
Treasury's OFAC is investigating Kraken for violating US sanctions: Report
26.7.2022
More than 1,500 users with residences in Iran reportedly had accounts at Kraken as of June, while 149 users in Syria and 83 in Cuba were also able to access the crypto exchange
US Treasury Sanctions First Crypto Mixer
8.5.2022
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued its first-ever sanctions on a crypto mixer. The mixing service was used by Lazarus Group to process illicit proceeds from the $620 million crypto heist of the online game Axie Infinity, said the Treasury...
Decentralized Finance Crypto Exchange Uniswap Starts Blocking Addresses Linked To ‘Blocked Activities’
26.4.2022
Uniswap, one of the main decentralized finance exchanges in the cryptocurrency world, is now taking measures to ensure illegal funds cannot be transacted using its platform. The company has already started blocking addresses linked to “blocked activities” and will apply a filter with...
Report: Compass to Sell $30 Million in Crypto Mining Equipment Located in Russia
24.4.2022
The U.S.-based company Compass Mining plans to sell $30 million worth of bitcoin mining equipment that’s currently located in Siberia. The decision to sell the mining rigs follows the U.S. government sanctioning the bitcoin mining operation Bitriver and ten subsidiaries. Compass is hoping...
US Treasury’s OFAC Adds 3 ETH Addresses Linked to North Korean Cybercrime Group to SDN List
24.4.2022
The Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) has added three ethereum addresses to its Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons List (SDN). OFAC alleges the ether addresses are controlled by the Lazarus Group, a cybercrime group that is associated with North Korea. Lazarus Group Behind Axie...
US Sanctions Bitriver, Targets Russia’s Crypto Mining Potential
21.4.2022
In an attempt to deny Russia opportunities to evade sanctions through cryptocurrencies, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has sanctioned leading Russian mining firm Bitriver. The move comes amid concerns that Moscow may use the minting of digital coins to monetize its energy resources. Zug-Based...
Bitriver Calls OFAC Sanctions ‘Unfair’ Anti-Competitive Move to Benefit US Miners
21.4.2022
The firm and 10 of its subsidiaries were added to OFAC's list of designated nationals subject to sanctions on Wednesday
ETH Mixer Tornado Cash Reveals Blocking OFAC Sanctioned Ethereum Addresses via Chainalysis Oracle Contract
16.4.2022
According to the project’s official Twitter account, Tornado Cash, the ethereum mixing service that allows participants to shuffle ether, is blocking flagged ethereum addresses listed on the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons...
OFAC Update Claims Ronin Hack Is Tethered to North Korea’s Hacker Syndicate Lazarus Group
15.4.2022
According to the U.S. Treasury and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the recent Ronin bridge hack may have been tied to the North Korean hacker syndicate called Lazarus Group. Federal law enforcement officials have tied the flagged ethereum address connected with the Ronin bridge exploit...
Tornado Cash Adds Chainalysis Tool for Blocking OFAC-Sanctioned Wallets From Dapp
15.4.2022
The blockade only applies to the Tornado Cash front-end, not the underlying smart contract, one of the protocol's founders later tweeted
The Unnoticed OFAC Budget Ask in Last Week's Crypto Congressional Hearing
22.3.2022
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to task the Biden administration and Treasury Department with monitoring crypto transactions for fear of sanctions violations. The two Treasury agencies that would do so might already have the authority they need – but not the money
Report: Illicit Crypto Addresses Received $14 Billion in 2021, Only 0.15% of Transaction Volume Associated With Crime
8.1.2022
According to the latest data from Chainalysis, the total cryptocurrency value received by illicit addresses grew to a new all-time high of $14 billion in 2021. Although the new all-time high is almost twice the $7.8 billion that was recorded in 2020, it represents just 0.15% of the 2021...
An African Perspective on Why the World Needs Cryptocurrencies
29.12.2021
Rising cryptocurrency use in Africa over the past few years has not only shown that digital currencies are now a vital means of moving funds across borders and between people, but that cryptocurrencies are also an important means of accessing global markets for the financially excluded....
US Treasury Sanctions 2nd Cryptocurrency Exchange, DOJ Seizes $6.1 Million
9.11.2021
The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned a second cryptocurrency exchange “for facilitating financial transactions for ransomware actors.” Two ransomware operators have also been sanctioned and $6.1 million in funds were seized. US Treasury Sanctions Another Cryptocurrency Exchange...
Blacklisted Suex Addresses Received Over $900 Million in Crypto, Report Reveals
23.9.2021
Cryptocurrency addresses allegedly used by Russian exchange Suex, recently placed under U.S. sanctions, have received more than $934 million in crypto assets, blockchain analysis suggests. According to the Treasury Department, over 40% of the platform’s transactions involved criminal actors....
US Sanctions Russian Crypto Broker Suex for Laundering Millions in Illicit Funds
22.9.2021
The U.S. Treasury Department has blacklisted Suex, a cryptocurrency broker based in Russia, for its money laundering activities. The platform is suspected of processing hundreds of millions of dollars in crypto transactions related to scams, ransomware attacks, darknet markets, and the infamous...
US Regulators Have Imposed $2.5 Billion Penalties on Crypto Firms and Individuals
25.6.2021
A new report shows that U.S. regulators have imposed fines and penalties totaling $2.5 billion on crypto firms and individuals so far. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has imposed the most fines, followed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Meanwhile, the U.S....