Isibuyekezo Samasonto onke #36
MARK COLLINS & DEMETRIOS TSEAS
Umthethonqubo:
UNODC issues report, finds casinos, []junkets futhi cryptocurrencyI-cryptocurrency (noma imali ye-crypto) iyimpahla yedijithali… Okuningi to have emerged as a critical ML piece in the East and Southeast Asia: NgoJan 15, Ihhovisi leNhlangano Yezizwe Ezilwisana Nezidakamizwa Nobugebengu (UNODC) lakhipha a umbiko titled: ‘Casinos, Money Laundering, Underground Banking, and Transnational Organized Crime in East and Southeast Asia: A Hidden, Accelerating Threat’. The report highlights that illegal online casinos, e-junkets, alongside illegal or underregulated cryptocurrency exchanges have proliferated in recent years and have emerged as a critical piece of the underground banking and money laundering infrastructure in East and Southeast Asia, fueling transnational organized crime in the region. “It’s clear that the gap between organized crime and enforcement authorities is widening quickly. If the region fails to ikheliNgokwengqikithi ye-cryptocurrency, ikheli liyi-cryptographic k... Okuningi lokhu UbugebenguIsigebengu ngumuntu noma iqembu elilahlwe yicala ... Okuningi landscape the consequences will be seen in Southeast Asia and beyond as criminals look to reinvest profits and innovate operations,” stated Benedikt Hofmann, UNODC Deputy Regional Representative. “We trust the report will prove as a useful reference for deeper engagement between countries in Southeast Asia, UNODC, and international partners,” Hofmann said. “At this point, we are just scratching the surface.”
I-Venezuela inqamula i-cryptocurrency ye-Petro eyimpikiswano ngemuva kweminyaka emi-5: NgoJanuwari 15, eVenezuela kuthiwa iphelile it controversial Petro cryptocurrency. Announced in December 2017, Petro was a central bank digital currency created by Venezuela using blockchainI-blockchain iyileja yedijithali okwabelwana ngayo, noma ikhuphuka njalo... Okuningi technology, supposed to be backed by the country’s oil and mineral reserves. It was intended to supplement Venezuela’s plummeting hard bolivar currency as a means of circumventing U.S. sanctions. On August 2018, the sovereign bolivar was introduced, with the government stating it would be linked to the Petro coin.
EBA issues guidance to crypto asset service providers to effectively manage their exposure to ML/FT risks: On Jan 16, the European Banking Authority (EBA) yandisa Iziqondiso zayo on Money Laundering (ML) and Terrorist Financing (TF) risk factors to crypto asset service providers (CASP). The new Guidelines highlight ML/TF risk factors and mitigating measures that CASPs need to consider, representing an important step forward in the EU’s fight against financial crime. Sector specific guidance is provided on the factors that CASPs should consider when assessing ML/TF risks including transfers from/to self-hosted addresses, decentralized platforms, transfers to CASPs that are not authorized, the use of anonymity enhanced (privacy) coins, links to high-risk jurisdictions etc. By extending the scope of the ML/TF Risk Factors Guidelines, the EBA harmonizes the approach that CASPs across the EU should adopt when implementing the risk-based approach to AML/CFT as part of their business. The extended Guidelines will apply from 30 December 2024.
I-OKX inikeze ilayisensi ye-VASP yi-VARA yase-Dubai: NgoJan 16, OKX kumemezela okuyinkampani yaseDubai i-OKX Middle East I-Fintech FZE inikezwe ilayisense ye-VASP yi-Virtual Assets Igunya LokulawulaIgama le-ejensi elawulayo lapho kubhaliswa khona i-VASP... Okuningi (VARA) in Dubai. The license is non-operational and remains subject to fulfilment of specific conditions and qualifying for operational approval. Once operational, the VASP license will allow OKX Middle East to extend its approved suite of duly regulated virtual assets activities and to provide spot amasevisiAmasevisi ajwayelekile, afaka okungenzi-nzuzo, izinkundla nezindaba... Okuningi and spot-pairs, to institutional and qualified retail customers via the OKX App and OKX.com exchange.
I-Binance Thailand manje ivulekele bonke abasebenzisi abafanelekile: NgoJanuwari 16, uBinance kumemezela ukuthi ngemva kokuthola amalayisense okusebenza njengokushintshana kwedijithali kanye nomthengisi eThailand, i-Gulf Binance yethula ukusebenza okugcwele kwayo ngokushintshana kwempahla yedijithali kanye nesiteji somthengisi, i-Binance TH kaGulf Binance, kubo bonke abasebenzisi abafanelekile.
Donald Trump says he will not allow the creation of a CBDC if reelected: NgoJan 16, nangesikhathi senkulumo yomkhankaso eNew Hampshire, owayenguMongameli uDonald Trump kusho that “To protect Americans from government tyranny, as your President, I will never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency” if reelected. He warned that a CBDC would be a “dangerous threat to freedom” and would give the federal government “absolute control over your money”. On the flipside the Bank of International Settlements wakhipha iphepha in June 2023, suggesting that there could be 15 retail and 9 wholesale CBDCs publicly circulating in 2030.
Umgcinimafa wase-US kanye ne-IRS bamemezela ukuthi amabhizinisi akudingeki abike ngokuthola izimali zedijithali ezingaphezu kuka-$10K njengokheshi, kuze kube yilapho kukhishwa imithetho.: Ngomhlaka-16 Jan, ngemva kokubuyekezwa “koMthetho Wotshalomali Lwengqalasizinda Nemisebenzi” uMnyango Wezezimali kanye Nophiko Lwezentela Yangaphakathi kumemezela that U.S. businesses do not have to report the receipt of digital assets over $10K the same way as they must report the receipt of cash until Treasury and IRS issue regulations. However, the announcement does not affect the rules in effect before the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for cash received in the course of a trade or business, which must be reported on Ifomu 8300, Umbiko Wezinkokhelo Zemali ezingaphezu kuka-$10,000 Otholwe Kwezohwebo noma Ebhizinisini, zingakapheli izinsuku eziyi-15 zokuthola ukheshi.
Interpol releases analysis of the Metaverse’s key challenges threats and harms: On Jan 18, the Interpol released a iphepha elimhlophe elisha okubizwa ngokuthi: “Metaverse, a law enforcement perspective: Use cases, crime, forensics, investigation and governance”. This document provides an in-depth analysis of the Metaverse from a law enforcement perspective. The Interpol notes that the Metaverse holds opportunities for law enforcement i.e. advanced simulation and virtual crime scene preservation and immersive training. However, the document also identifies current and potential Metacrimes such as grooming: 1:, radicalization: 2:, cyber-physical attacks against critical infrastructure, theft of 3D virtual/cultural property, trespassing in private virtual spaces and robbery from an avatar. Some of the challenges currently faced by investigators include: the lack of standardization and interoperability; the fact that virtual worlds span across multiple jurisdictions; the added complexity of the Metaverse being accessed across multiple devices and systems. Police may be faced with virtual crime scenes where there is no physical evidence to be collected – just digital interactions involving virtual assets such as cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which underlines the need to define what constitutes crimes and harms in the Metaverse, from a regulatory and law enforcement perspective.
Izindaba ze-Crypto:
Frigid temps drive BTC’s hashrate down 34%: Unusually cold temperatures in Texas led to a 34% decline in the BitcoinIgama elithi "Bitcoin" lingabhekisa ku-Bitcoin inethiwekhi, ... Okuningi network hash rate between Jan. 11 and Jan. 15, with some miners reducing operations due to the strain on the state’s energy grid. Texas, hosting about 29% of the Bitcoin hash rate in the U.S., saw mining firms relocate there from China following a crackdown on BTC miners; however, some operations were curtailed to support the state’s electric grid during extreme weather conditions. I-Cointelegraph
I-TUSD ilahlekelwa ukulingana kwayo okungu-1:1, iphinde ithole ukulingana ezinsukwini ezimbili kamuva: NgoJanuwari 18, Trust Token’s TrueUSD stablecoinI-Stablecoins mhlawumbe i-cryptocurrency ekhishwe ngasese noma i-algorit… Okuningi (TUSD) kuthiwa ilahlekile its 1:1 parity with the US dollar, falling to $0.9715. At the time of this report (Jan 20), it appears to have gradually regained its parity to $0.9887. This coincided with a massive sell-off of the asset on Binance. The TUSD/USDT pair on Binance saw a total sales volume of around $435.4 million in TUSD, representing a net outflow of $66.1 million, over uncertainties regarding its reserves and an instability related to hacking incident that targeted Poloniex.
Okokuqala nje, umnikazi wendawo kanye nesiqashi basayina inkontileka yokuqasha ye-BTC e-Argentina: On Jan 15, and in a first of its kind agreement, landlord and tenant kubikiwe signed a BTC rental contract in Rosaria, the third most populated city in Argentina. The monthly payment under the signed contract will be equal to $100 in Bitcoin. Both the landlord and the tenant are presumed experienced crypto users, and will transfer the funds monthly via I-Fiwind inkundla ye-crypto yendawo.
Trezor reports phishing breach: I-hardware isikhwamaI-wallet iyithuluzi (i-hardware, uhlelo, noma i-servi… Okuningi manufacturer reported a security breach exposing contact information of around 66,000 users due to unauthorized access to a third-party support portal on Jan. 17. While no funds were compromised, users who interacted with Trezor’s support team since December 2021 may be at risk of phishing attacks, with at least 41 users receiving phishing emails and eight having their details compromised on a third-party vendor’s trial discussion platform. I-Trezor
ETF’s hoover up $4B in BTC after only six trading days: The recently approved Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) now collectively hold 95,000 Bitcoin, with assets approaching $4 billion after six days of trading. Inflows into these ETFs have exceeded outflows from the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, leading to a decrease of $2.8 billion in GBTC’s assets under management. Umhlaziyi weBloomberg
Hacks and Exploits:
Isokhethi: Socket’s Bungee bridge lost $3.3 million in an attack on addresses previously approved on the Ethereum-based SocketGateway contract. The vulnerability, resulting from a new route added to the bridging contract three days before the exploit, as funds stolen included ETH, MATIC, WBTC, WETH, and DAI, totaling approximately $3.3 million. CoinDesk
: 1:Cyber grooming is when someone (often an adult) befriends a child online and builds and emotional connection with future intentions of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of trafficking. Perpetrators often take on fake identities of a child of teen and approach their victims in child-friendly websites, leaving children vulnerable and unaware of the fact that they have been approached for purposes of cyber grooming. Source: https://www.csa.gov.gh/cyber_grooming.php Ku-Virtual Reality, kulula ku-cyber abahluphi ukuze bafihle ubunjalo bangempela nobudala besebenzisa ama-avatar. Kuwuhlobo olusha lokuhlukumeza ngokocansi.
: 2:Radicalization is defined as the action or process of making someone become more radical (=extreme) in their political or religious beliefs. Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/radicalization
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- Source: https://ciphertrace.com/weekly-update-36/