Category: Money Laundering
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Big Banks Money Laundering: UBS Fined $4.2 Billion, Danske Shuts Down in 4 Countries
Money laundering scandals involving some of the world’s largest banks have grown this week. Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, has been fined 3.7 billion euros (~$4.2 billion) for money laundering. Amid a $226 billion scandal, Estonian authorities have ordered Denmark’s largest bank to terminate its operations in the country. Danske Bank is also shutting down in…
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Australia’s Financial Intelligence Agency Registers 246 Bitcoin Exchanges
The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Austrac) has now officially registered 246 cryptocurrency exchanges. Pro-regulation industry participants have described the move as a key step towards legitimizing crypto assets. The registration process includes performing background checks and other anti-money laundering procedures on the entities involved. Also read: Coincheck Registers 1.7M New Users Since Resuming Operations…
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Florida Appeals Court Defines Bitcoin as Money as Espinoza Ruling Reversed
In 2016, Judge Teresa Mary Pooler of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida made headlines for a ruling she made during the Michell Espinoza trial. Judge Pooler ruled Espinoza could not be charged with illegal money transmission offenses because bitcoin was not considered legal tender. However, a motion filed with the Florida appeals court has…
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Cryptocurrency Is Providing a Lucrative New Revenue Stream for Governments
Cryptocurrency’s resistance to government control is countered by the fact that a number of governments, including Chile, Romania, Spain and South Africa, are looking to cash in by taxing crypto assets. These countries are crafting laws that bind citizens to annually disclose cryptocurrency investments that, in some cases, are held at home and abroad, and…
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Owner of Romanian Exchange Coinflux to Be Extradited to the US
The Romanian judiciary has decided to hand over to U.S. authorities the founder and CEO of Coinflux, one of the country’s cryptocurrency exchanges. Vlad Nistor has been accused of a number of crimes including the laundering of illicitly obtained funds through his digital asset trading platform. Also read: Russians See Growing Number of Options to…
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CEO of Romanian Exchange Coinflux Arrested on US Warrant
Police in Romania have detained the founder and CEO of Coinflux, one of the country’s major cryptocurrency exchanges. Vlad Nistor has been arrested on a warrant issued by U.S. authorities accusing him of a number of crimes, including the defrauding of American citizens. A court in Bucharest is currently reviewing the extradition request. Also read:…
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Netherlands to Regulate Cryptocurrencies in Bid to Curb Money Laundering
The Netherlands is seeking to regulate cryptocurrency companies, supposedly in a bid to prevent money laundering and alleged terrorist financing. All virtual currency businesses will now be required to obtain an operating license from De Nederlandsche Bank, the country’s central bank, under draft legislation designed to prevent crypto assets such as BTC from being used…
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US Law Enforcement Wants Blockchain Surveillance Tools for Privacy Coins
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published its 2019 fiscal year pre-solicitation document. Throughout the 27-page letter, the organization explains that it wants to dedicate resources toward creating blockchain forensic applications that can analyze privacy-centric digital asset movements. Prior efforts have addressed bitcoin analytics and now the agency wants surveillance tools for cryptocurrencies…
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Deutsche Bank Headquarters Raided by 170 Police Officers Over Money Laundering
Deutsche Bank’s headquarters and five other offices have been raided by 170 police officers, prosecutors, and tax inspectors over money laundering allegations. The bank’s written and electronic business documents were reportedly seized. Its employees allegedly helped clients set up offshore companies to launder money. Also read: Indian Supreme Court Moves Crypto Hearing, Community Calls for Positive…
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Court Drops Charges Against Alleged Btc-e Operator Alexander Vinnik
The lawsuit against alleged Btc-e operator Alexander Vinnik for “fraud, money laundering, and other grave crimes” filed in Cyprus has reportedly been dropped. His lawyer says the case “fell apart at the very early stage” at the initiative of the plaintiffs themselves. Also read: Indian Supreme Court Moves Crypto Hearing, Community Calls for Positive Regulations Lawsuit…