cryptocurrency

The criminal trial of Aiden Pleterski, who calls himself the "King of Crypto," regarding allegations of cryptocurrency fraud will begin on October 5 in the Ontario Superior Court of Canada. He is accused of raising funds from investors between 2021 and 2022 by making false promises of "smart investments yielding high weekly profits," with the fraud amounting to approximately $30 million. Canadian authorities have filed charges of fraud and money laundering against him in May 2024.According to CBC News, Pleterski failed to obtain a postponement to hire a lawyer and is expected to represent himself in court. The trial is expected to last about four weeks, and if convicted on the fraud charge alone, he could face up to 14 years in prison.In December 2022, several men (some of whom are reportedly victims of the scam) allegedly kidnapped and tortured Pleterski for three days, threatening his and his family's safety, and forcing him to record a video detailing his role in the alleged fraud. Pleterski is one of many high-profile figures in the cryptocurrency industry facing criminal charges during the market downturn in 2022, with executives from the now-bankrupt FTX and Celsius also facing charges in the United States thereafter.

The political action committee (PAC) Defend American Jobs, allied with the cryptocurrency industry and primarily funded by the industry, disclosed in documents submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that it has spent $11.4 million on media advertising to support Republican Jon Husted and oppose Democrat Sherrod Brown in the campaign for the Ohio U.S. Senate seat.This PAC is affiliated with Fairshake, which is supported by Coinbase and Ripple Labs. This advertising expenditure is part of Fairshake's commitment to initially invest $30 million to prevent Brown from returning to the Senate. Brown, a former chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is one of the critical voices in Congress regarding cryptocurrency legislation and policy.In the 2024 Ohio Senate election, the showdown between Brown and Republican Bernie Moreno attracted over $300 million in spending from external groups like Fairshake, with cryptocurrency-related PACs and their affiliates spending about $41 million opposing Brown and supporting Moreno, who ultimately won with 50.2% of the vote. Husted's seat was appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, succeeding JD Vance, who was elected as the Vice President of the United States in 2024.

According to The Block, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has obtained a court order requiring two individuals involved in a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scheme to jointly repay £851,402, with plans to return the funds to the victims.At least 65 investors have collectively lost £1.54 million, and the amount being recovered is approximately half of that.

According to a report by Reuters, if the Democrats gain control of the House of Representatives or the Senate after the midterm elections in November, they are expected to launch investigations into business dealings related to Trump and his family, focusing on the cryptocurrency, prediction markets, and investment businesses involving the Trump family, as well as companies that funded projects for the White House.The report states that controlling either chamber of Congress will give the Democrats more resources for committee investigations and subpoena power, with some investigations potentially starting as early as February next year. The subjects of investigation frequently mentioned by Democratic lawmakers include the venture capital firm 1789 Capital, in which Donald Trump Jr. is involved, as well as cryptocurrency companies related to the Trump family, but a final list of investigations has not yet been established.Additionally, Republican Senator John Curtis has previously called for an investigation into some of Donald Trump Jr.'s business relationships, believing that the commercial activities of the presidential family should be subject to consistent congressional oversight.

According to official news, the cryptocurrency enterprise banking platform Limited announced the completion of a $18.5 million seed round financing, led by Third Prime, North Island Ventures (NIV), The House Fund, and Collab+Currency, with participation from ParaFi Capital, Pharsalus Capital, Digital Currency Group (DCG), 1982 Ventures, Onigiri Capital, and others.It is reported that Limited is a global financial platform aimed at multinational enterprises, integrating local business accounts, Visa cards, payment, treasury and expense management, and cryptocurrency infrastructure. Enterprises can make and receive payments through local channels such as ACH, SEPA, Pix, and SWIFT, and it also supports the receipt and payment of cryptocurrency assets such as BTC, ETH, and USDC.

Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research Department's South Korea stock analyst Chris Cha stated in a report on September 23 that KOSPI has the conditions for a short-term tactical breakout, but the continuous flow of liquidity from South Korean retail investors into the cryptocurrency market will make the index's subsequent upward movement more reliant on foreign capital and local institutions reconfiguring. The report noted that concerns about the Federal Reserve's interest rates have been partially digested by the market, and risk appetite has shifted towards proxy AI themes.The report pointed out that South Korean memory chips provide fundamental support, with fourth-quarter DRAM contract prices expected to grow double digits quarter-on-quarter, and the ramp-up of HBM4 capacity will continue to limit the supply of standard server DRAM. Samsung Electronics' large shareholder returns, continuous buying by institutions, and foreign capital turning into net buying may drive KOSPI towards the resistance zone of 7000 to 7200 points.The report also indicated that the capacity of local South Korean retail investors to absorb has weakened. After Bitcoin returned to $85,000, cryptocurrency trading in South Korea has heated up. According to DefiLlama data cited in the report, Upbit's single-day spot trading volume on June 13 was approximately $770 million, which rose to $1.817 billion on September 22, an increase of about 136%. Based on the total trading volume of $3.27 billion on that day across South Korea's five major trading platforms, Upbit alone accounted for over half. Goldman Sachs believes this will make KOSPI more reliant on foreign and institutional buying in the future, and October is a critical window to test whether foreign capital will continue to increase its investment in South Korean semiconductor and AI assets.

The government of Kazakhstan is promoting the use of associated gas to power cryptocurrency mining, in order to restore the mining industry affected by power restrictions. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree in July requiring the establishment of mechanisms for enterprises to conduct digital mining using associated gas.Daniyar Mubarakov, head of the Blockchain and Digital Mining Association, stated that the total amount of associated gas in Kazakhstan can be converted into 1.2 to 1.3 terawatt-hours of electricity, sufficient to support medium or large data centers or Bitcoin mines in some oil fields. The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan estimates that there are up to 60 oil fields in the country producing associated gas. Oil companies can sell waste gas to miners, reducing disposal costs by millions of dollars, while miners can lock in electricity prices for years, reducing dependence on grid power.The government of Kazakhstan is developing a relevant legal framework to clarify the operational rules for enterprises and regulate the market. Gizzat Baitursynov, Deputy Minister of AI and Digital Development of Kazakhstan, stated that this mechanism will increase government tax revenue and improve the environment.

The Deputy Minister of Finance of Russia, Ivan Chebeskov, stated that at least 20 million Russians have invested in cryptocurrency products, holding a total of approximately 3.7 trillion rubles, equivalent to about 44 billion dollars. These assets are mainly used for foreign trade settlements, mining, and trading on overseas exchanges and savings.Russia is allowing qualified and non-qualified investors to hold and trade cryptocurrency assets on regulated domestic exchanges through a regulatory framework, while still prohibiting the use of cryptocurrency assets for everyday payments, and promoting the digital ruble as a payment tool directly regulated by the state.

The Ministry of State Security's WeChat public account published an article titled "Is Virtual Currency Crime Untraceable? Think Again!" stating that virtual currency has become an important tool for criminals engaging in illegal activities. The associated risks include being a "hotbed" for money laundering crimes, a "shelter" for cyber attacks, and an "accomplice" for espionage and theft. The article argues that the so-called "anonymity" of virtual currency is fundamentally a false proposition.The article states that blockchain is open and transparent, on-chain data is immutable, and complete transaction records are preserved, which can provide a basis for full-chain traceability. Address anonymity is merely a temporary separation of wallet addresses from real identities, and fiat currency exchanges leave traces such as device codes and network IPs. The article summarizes this as examining the ledger, checking the chain, and discussing the private key: the entire transaction leaves traces, making it difficult to hide real identities; if the private key is kept by the individual, it cannot be recovered if lost, while if it is entrusted to a platform, there is a risk of platform bankruptcy or disappearance.The article also mentions that in February 2026, the People's Bank of China and several departments reiterated that Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, and others should not and cannot be used as circulating currency, and related activities are classified as illegal financial activities, which are strictly prohibited. The article warns to be cautious of high-paying part-time jobs that settle in virtual currency and states that reports can be made through 12339, www.12339.gov.cn, the Ministry of State Security's WeChat public account, or local national security agencies.

According to CoinDesk, the Clarity Act, aimed at establishing a clear regulatory framework for cryptocurrency in the United States, has been declared a failure after months of intense negotiations. The bill was originally intended to address the definition of digital assets at the federal level, but it failed to reach the final voting process due to fierce interest group conflicts.Multiple sources indicate that the core reason for the legislative collapse lies in complex jurisdictional conflicts and disputes over terms. The CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) and SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) are in disagreement over the management rights of certain digital assets, while lawmakers also struggle to reach a consensus on how to define the legal attributes of NFTs, DeFi protocols, and stablecoins. Despite calls from organizations to eliminate market uncertainty through legislation, a key compromise proposal ultimately could not be reached.The Fintech Association and other industry organizations had previously lobbied actively in support of the bill, hoping to establish clear industry standards. With the failure of this legislation, traditional financial institutions on Wall Street and cryptocurrency projects will continue to face legal gray areas, and the industry's compliance process will thus be forced to delay.

The West Midlands Police in the UK reported that a young couple was attacked by masked individuals at their residence in Solihull in December 2025 and were forced to transfer a large amount of assets to the criminals' cryptocurrency wallet. The male victim was seriously injured, while the pregnant female victim was threatened with a knife, and the suspects also stole several high-value watches.The police believe this was a premeditated targeted attack, and the UK independent charity "Crimestoppers" is currently offering a reward of up to £10,000 for any information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.

Binance founder Zhao Changpeng stated during the podcast "When Shift Happens" that he remains bullish on Bitcoin but denies having the ability to influence the price of the entire crypto market. Previously, on August 19, when Bitcoin was around the $60,000 range, Zhao Changpeng posted that if one wants their future self to thank today's decisions in two years, immediate action is needed. This post was interpreted by the market as a hint to buy Bitcoin, and in the following days, the crypto market rose by about 20%.Zhao Changpeng responded that he does not have the ability to drive the entire market price. He stated that he has always been bullish on the crypto industry, and almost all of his posts have a bullish tendency, posting 5 to 10 times a day, so it is not surprising that one of his posts coincidentally appeared before positive news.Zhao Changpeng mentioned that about 5 hours after the post was published, Trump gave a relatively positive speech about the crypto industry, mentioning the push for Hyperliquid to enter the U.S. market, but he did not know the content of the speech in advance. He emphasized that if he had any information that could affect the market, he would not post about it. Therefore, the post and the subsequent market rise were merely a coincidence in timing.Regarding the Bitcoin cycle, Zhao Changpeng stated that the crypto market has roughly followed a four-year cycle to date. At that time, some speculated that Bitcoin might bottom out in October, but he believes there is no need to wait until October to express a bullish view.

According to Euronews, Kazakhstan is promoting cryptocurrency mining companies to utilize the remaining associated gas from oil fields to build their own power stations, in order to reduce natural gas flaring, alleviate pressure on the national power grid, and increase oil production.Data shows that the country will flare about 300 to 340 million cubic meters of associated gas in 2024, which, if used for power generation, is expected to produce 1.2 to 1.3 terawatt-hours of electricity. Currently, the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan and other departments are formulating the relevant legal framework.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Corporation Finance updated its frequently asked questions document on cryptocurrency assets on Friday, clarifying that token buybacks, network upgrades, and marketing promotions do not automatically make cryptocurrency assets securities. The division stated that announcing a buyback plan for an already functioning cryptocurrency network does not, by itself, make the associated tokens constitute an investment contract; however, for networks that are not yet operational, if the issuer promotes the buyback as a source of returns for holders, this conclusion may not necessarily apply.Regarding the ongoing development issues of cryptocurrency projects after their launch, the document pointed out that once a cryptocurrency system is operational, services used to protect, maintain, improve, or enhance that system and its functions, or to promote network effects, do not fall under the managerial efforts referred to in the Howey test. The existing uses of marketing networks generally do not create profit expectations, and statements regarding future functionalities are similarly true, provided that profit potential is not promoted. The document reiterated that specific judgments still heavily depend on the actual circumstances of each case.This document is based on the interpretive guidance issued by the SEC in March of this year regarding the application of securities laws to cryptocurrency assets, released just weeks after the Clarity Act failed to advance in the Senate, with regulators continuing to operate under existing laws. Additionally, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission updated its cryptocurrency FAQs on Thursday, stating that futures companies and clearinghouses may invest customer funds in tokenized versions of previously permitted assets, provided that investment and custody requirements are met; regulated companies may use blockchain for record-keeping but must be able to provide relevant records when the blockchain or its block explorer is not operational.

According to Cointelegraph, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the United States has stipulated that for transactions in 2025, brokers generally need to report the sales income from digital assets, but in most cases, they do not need to report the cost basis, and taxpayers still need to calculate their gains and losses themselves; starting from 2026, brokers will need to report the cost basis for eligible digital assets. The IRS also emphasized that even if a taxpayer does not receive a 1099-DA, they still must report income and gains and losses related to digital assets.During the first tax season applying the 1099-DA reporting rules for cryptocurrency assets in the United States, some investors are facing issues such as missing transaction data and difficulties in verifying cost basis. A survey conducted by Awaken Tax in August among 1,000 U.S. cryptocurrency investors showed that 21% of respondents who have filed or plan to file for an extension are still waiting for exchanges or cryptocurrency platforms to provide the necessary information; about 20% indicated that their 1099-DA form information is incomplete or are unsure whether it accurately reflects their trading situation.

CoinMarketCap officially announced that it has completed the acquisition of the crypto derivatives data platform Coinglass, with the transaction amount undisclosed.Coinglass was established in 2019, covering 28 exchanges and over 2,500 trading products, providing data on open interest, funding rates, liquidation, and options, with over 5 million monthly active users and more than 10,000 API clients.CoinMarketCap stated that this acquisition will bring Coinglass's derivatives data to its platform, providing information on market leverage positions, liquidation distribution, and funding rates to its 115 million monthly users.Coinglass stated that it will continue to operate as an independent business, with its website, app, free tools, API, and pricing remaining unchanged.

According to Caixin, poker master and seasoned cryptocurrency investor Hu Zheweng made significant bets during the three waves of cryptocurrency frenzy involving ICOs, algorithmic stablecoins, and AI tokens, but faced consecutive failures. Hu Zheweng claimed to have invested in the blockchain project Stratis, achieving a return of "over 1000 times."According to disclosed information, Hu Zheweng invested approximately 80 million USD in algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD (UST) and its sister token LUNA from May 2021 to May 2022, with the peak market value of his holdings exceeding 800 million USD, but the price of LUNA subsequently nearly dropped to zero.In addition, Hu Zheweng has filed a lawsuit in Chicago, USA against the globally renowned quantitative trading firm Jump Trading and its related companies and executives in the cryptocurrency business, seeking at least 500 million USD in damages. After experiencing Stox and Terra, Hu Zheweng has not left the cryptocurrency market; last January, he bet on a new project by a Chinese computer professor Zhang Yongfeng. Zhang Yongfeng entered the Computer Science Department of Tsinghua University in 2007 and is currently a tenured associate professor in the Computer Science Department at Rutgers University in the USA. He has been sued by Hu Zheweng on multiple charges including "securities fraud." It is reported that the tokens issued by the organization founded by Zhang Yongfeng, in which Hu Zheweng invested millions of dollars, have fallen over 99.6% from their peak in 2025.

The Central Bank of Brazil issued resolutions No. 588 and No. 589, requiring virtual asset service providers (VASP) to report self-custody wallet transactions that amount to or exceed $10,000, and to strengthen anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulations.Resolution No. 588 stipulates that relevant transaction data will be submitted to the Financial Activities Control Council (COAF). This agency may compile transactions based on this data and establish a self-custody address database to record the asset status of Brazilian users holding cryptocurrencies through authorized centralized exchanges. Resolution No. 589 prohibits conducting business with virtual asset service institutions or entities operating in Brazil without authorization. The new regulations will take effect on October 1, 2026, and currently, only 5 VASPs have applied for licenses to operate in Brazil.