Oct 1, 2026
U.S. federal prosecutors have charged a Vietnamese national with money laundering in connection with a "pig butchering" cryptocurrency scam that defrauded one victim of approximately $16 million. The case involves a sprawling fraud scheme that moved funds through cryptocurrency channels.
Federal prosecutors seized approximately $84.2 million from accounts of Capstone Ltd., a payments firm working on behalf of Tether and Bitfinex at offshore bank EQIBank. Tether stated its exposure represents less than 0.034% of group assets.
Brooklyn man Ronald Spektor, 23, was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to all 31 counts related to a phishing operation that stole nearly $16 million from approximately 100 Coinbase users.
The Manhattan US attorney's office and DOJ's criminal division are examining whether Binance knowingly allowed trading that violated US sanctions on Iran, three years after the exchange agreed to $4.3 billion in penalties to settle similar charges.
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde personally intervened to prevent Greece from granting Binance an EU-wide MiCA license in late May, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Lagarde reportedly asked Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to reject the application over compliance concerns.
Britain's Financial Conduct Authority, along with HMRC and Metropolitan Police, took enforcement action against three London premises on September 10, issuing cease and desist letters for suspected illegal peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading operations without proper registration.
South Korean authorities have booked 26 users of the crypto prediction market Polymarket on suspicion of illegal gambling involving 17.6 billion won ($12.7 million), with 18 cases already referred to prosecutors. Police identified the users through public blockchain transaction records.
Celsius Network's bankruptcy estate filed suit against five BitMEX entities on September 12, seeking the return of 6,360.17 Bitcoin (worth approximately $495 million) over forced liquidations during the March 2020 market crash. The lawsuit comes just 11 days before BitMEX's scheduled permanent shutdown.
Federal prosecutors charged two Robinhood engineers, Hefu Chai and Huaisong Xiang, with commodities fraud and wire fraud for allegedly using confidential information about upcoming cryptocurrency listings to profit approximately $50,000 each through perpetual futures trades on the decentralized exchange Hyperliquid. The case extends traditional insider trading laws to decentralized crypto markets.
Federal prosecutors charged Hefu Chai and Huaisong Xiang with commodities fraud and wire fraud for allegedly using confidential information about upcoming Robinhood crypto listings to trade perpetual futures on Hyperliquid ahead of public announcements.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking approximately $61 million in cryptocurrency allegedly derived from black-market sales of sanctioned Iranian crude oil and petroleum products, with funds allegedly laundered through Binance to Chinese buyers.
The US Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint against $61 million in cryptocurrency held in Binance accounts, alleging the funds originated from black market Iranian oil sales and money laundering operations.
Caroline Ellison, former Alameda Research CEO who cooperated with prosecutors following the FTX collapse, has taken a full-time position at Manifund, a nonprofit grant platform. She began working full-time in August, overseeing funding platform development and expansion of charitable efforts.
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn his fraud conviction and throw out the $11 billion forfeiture order. His legal team argues that evidence regarding the possibility of repaying FTX customers and the soundness of his investments was not fully considered during trial.
Federal regulators have launched at least three previously unreported investigations into suspicious trading activity on Polymarket, including trades related to Biden pardons, Iran war predictions, and potential insider trading at Google. A cluster of accounts also won big on companies audited by KPMG.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried petitioned the US Supreme Court to review his 2023 fraud conviction and 25-year sentence, arguing jurors heard about customer losses while his defense was barred from showing assets were available for repayment.
Singapore has begun online auctions of over 600 luxury items forfeited in its S$3 billion money laundering case, with 15 auctions scheduled to run through May 2027. The first two auctions feature 338 items including designer bags, jewelry, and a 15-carat diamond.
ESMA warned that major prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi lack required authorization to serve EU users, stating several countries are investigating their operations and raising insider trading concerns.
The U.S. Department of Justice seized Telegram channels operated by Xinbi Guarantee, a Chinese-language illicit marketplace, while the Secret Service froze $52.8 million in USDT across 52 wallets on September 8. Treasury designated Xinbi as a criminal organization, citing its role in processing $24 billion in scam-related transactions.
India's Financial Intelligence Unit issued notices to 15 offshore cryptocurrency platforms, including Weex, Blofin, Bitunix, DigiFinex, and Toobit, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for serving Indian customers without meeting anti-money laundering compliance requirements. The action seeks takedowns of the platforms for operating without proper registration.
India's Financial Intelligence Unit issued non-compliance notices to 15 cryptocurrency platforms including Weex, Blofin, Bitunix, DigiFinex, and Toobit under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, ordering them to block public access to their apps and websites. The action raises concerns about sudden account lockouts for users.
Australia's financial intelligence agency announced it canceled, suspended, or refused to renew 45 registrations for crypto and remittance providers over the past year, including action against GetCoins linked to investment scams.
Polish prosecutors charged a fifth person in the Zondacrypto exchange investigation, with a Katowice court ordering pretrial detention. The probe involves an estimated $94-100 million in losses related to alleged fraud and organized crime at the exchange.
Malone Lam, a 22-year-old Singapore man, is scheduled to appear in federal court in Washington on Tuesday for a plea agreement hearing related to one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts in U.S. history. Prosecutors allege he helped orchestrate a scheme in which callers posing as Google and Gemini staff defrauded a single victim of over $240 million in bitcoin, with proceeds allegedly spent on luxury cars and private jets.
The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) identified approximately $12.7 billion in suspected financial activity linked to digital asset investment scams operated by overseas criminal networks, based on analysis of 33,904 Bank Secrecy Act reports. The alert urges financial institutions to report suspicious activity related to these scams.
Binance Holdings Ltd., the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, has continued operating in the European Union despite failing to obtain required regulatory licenses under the bloc's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. The company is reportedly using regulatory workarounds and offshore routing to maintain service for some EU customers.
A court has given the defendant in TrueUSD's $456 million case days to disclose the sources of their legal payments through an affidavit, with potential sanctions requiring a further Techteryx application if they fail to comply.
Britain's populist Reform UK party received a £4 million donation from Ben Delo, a crypto investor convicted of a banking secrecy violation in the US and pardoned by Donald Trump. The donation accounts for 75% of the party's donations last quarter.
Ukraine's National Police and Security Service announced they dismantled a network of fake investment platforms operating from Kyiv that defrauded at least 62 victims across more than 20 countries, moving up to $1 million per month through crypto draining schemes.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission warned that cryptocurrency companies operating under temporary regulatory relief must apply for a Financial Services License by September 30 or face penalties of up to 10% of their annual turnover.
Australia's securities regulator ASIC has issued a final warning to cryptocurrency firms operating under temporary regulatory relief, requiring them to apply for financial services licenses by September 30, 2026. Non-compliant firms face penalties including fines of up to 10% of annual turnover starting October 1.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission asked a federal court to dismiss CME Group's lawsuit challenging the agency's approval of Kalshi's cryptocurrency perpetual futures, arguing CME has no standing to claim competitive injury since nothing prevents it from listing similar products.
The UK's National Crime Agency has frozen approximately $13.5 million held in a Premier League bank account under the Proceeds of Crime Act as part of an investigation into crypto fantasy sports platform Sorare.
High-ranking Russian law enforcement officials have received lengthy prison sentences for stealing large amounts of money from clients of the cryptocurrency exchange Garantex, which has been described as notorious.
A federal jury convicted Japheth Dillman, founder of Block Bits Capital, of wire fraud and conspiracy after he raised nearly $1 million from over 20 investors by falsely claiming his crypto fund used a complete, working proprietary automated trading system. The 48-year-old San Francisco resident faces sentencing for operating the fraudulent crypto trading fund.
Pakistan's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) has launched its licensing portal, requiring all crypto firms operating in the country on or before March 5 to apply for a No Objection Certificate by September 5 or stop their services. The move marks Pakistan's transition from an unregulated crypto market to a full licensing regime.
Two Binance employees were detained by police in the United Arab Emirates in recent weeks amid inquiries into possible financial crimes on the cryptocurrency platform. Binance confirmed on Aug. 20 that both employees had been cleared and released after answering questions about third-party fund flows.
Authorities in Dubai and Sharjah detained Binance employees for questioning as part of an investigation into a bank account the cryptocurrency exchange uses to hold customer funds. The incident echoes a similar 2023 probe involving US regulators and associates of former CEO Changpeng Zhao.
BitGo Korea became the first foreign cryptocurrency firm to receive regulatory approval as a virtual asset service provider in South Korea, while lawmakers introduced legislation to expand authorities' power to investigate unregistered crypto businesses.
Two Binance employees were detained at UAE airports in recent weeks amid police inquiries into possible financial crimes on the cryptocurrency platform, according to the New York Times. Both have since been released.
More than 150 wallets on Polymarket may have traded on inside US military information, according to new research, while a soldier who participated in a raid that captured Maduro faces charges for trading on the platform. Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan revealed the company employs a former FBI officer to monitor traders full-time.
President Trump announced at a White House crypto meeting that CFTC Chair Michael Selig is working to bring the offshore perpetuals platform Hyperliquid into the US legally, sending the HYPE token up more than 20% and sparking debate over regulatory pathways for decentralized exchanges.
Georgia man Edward Zimbardi was deported from Fiji to face federal fraud and money laundering charges for allegedly running a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme called 'The Crypto Program' that defrauded over 6,000 investors.
Austria's financial regulator FMA fined crypto platform Bitpanda €70,000 for MiCA breaches related to a white paper submitted in early 2025, marking the first published enforcement action under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation.
Roman Storm, convicted co-founder of cryptocurrency privacy protocol Tornado Cash, is challenging his conviction by arguing that Google and OpenAI should face similar liability since their AI tools are also used by the same North Korean operatives cited in the government's case against him.
A South Korean court sentenced Delio CEO Jeong Sang-ho to 15 years in prison after finding him guilty of defrauding customers of approximately $50 million in cryptocurrency assets. The Seoul Southern District Court also convicted him of using false documents to register as a virtual asset provider.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has issued warnings and taken down websites for Yepbit and Yepbit Exchange after receiving multiple reports from investors unable to withdraw funds from the digital assets and futures trading platform. The action joins similar alerts from regulators in other jurisdictions.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed parallel civil lawsuits against Goliath Ventures and founder Christopher Delgado over an alleged $425 million crypto Ponzi scheme. The civil actions come two months after Delgado pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges in the same case.
Australia's financial crimes regulator AUSTRAC suspended crypto ATM operator Cryptolink Pty Ltd's registration for three months starting August 9, 2026, forcing the shutdown of the country's largest network of 96 crypto ATMs due to failures in basic reporting obligations, particularly threshold transaction reporting requirements.
Australia's financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC suspended crypto ATM operator Cryptolink's registration for three months, taking 96 cryptocurrency ATMs across the country out of service. The suspension was issued due to missing transaction reports and the company's failure to respond to regulatory inquiries.
Following $3.4 billion in crypto thefts in 2025 and over $1 billion stolen in the first half of 2026, investigators reveal hackers have approximately 45 days to launder stolen assets before trails go cold. The Bybit exchange has recovered $48.4 million after suing North Korea's Lazarus Group, with a US court freezing $30.5 million in related assets.
Crypto exchange Bybit filed a civil lawsuit against North Korea, its intelligence agency, and the Lazarus Group over the February 2026 hack. A U.S. federal judge granted Bybit's request to trace stolen assets.
U.S. District Judge Shalina Kumar rejected Coinbase's preliminary injunction request to prevent Michigan from enforcing gambling laws against its sports event prediction contracts, dismissing the company's arguments as 'applesauce.' The ruling follows Coinbase's December 2025 lawsuit seeking to establish federal jurisdiction over prediction markets.
Russia's Federal Security Service raided nine unregistered cryptocurrency exchange offices in Moscow City, detaining more than 20 people accused of laundering money stolen from Russian scam victims and transferring proceeds to Ukraine-based operations.
European financial watchdogs have issued warnings about fraudsters impersonating regulators and licensed crypto firms to exploit confusion following the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation deadline, which forced over 1,700 unlicensed crypto service providers to cease EU operations.
European financial watchdogs have issued warnings about fraudsters impersonating regulators and licensed crypto firms to exploit confusion following the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation deadline, which forced over 1,700 unlicensed crypto service providers to cease EU operations.
Binance-affiliated companies have filed a lawsuit in Hong Kong against RedotPay's co-founders, alleging they breached a partnership agreement by diverting more than 470,000 Binance Card users to RedotPay's own stablecoin payment card service. RedotPay has vowed to vigorously defend against the claims.
Federal prosecutors charged Few and Far founder Taj Tarsha with securities fraud and wire fraud, alleging he misappropriated over $10 million raised from investors for an NFT marketplace and instead spent the funds on gambling, cryptocurrency trading, a Miami condominium, and DJ equipment.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged Few and Far founder Taj Tarsha with securities and wire fraud, alleging he misused over $10 million from investors on gambling, trading, and personal expenses including a DJ hobby.
Shaw Walters, founder of Eliza Labs and the ElizaOS AI agent framework, announced the project's token is 'dead' and the foundation is winding down after using remaining treasury funds to settle a Burwick Law class-action lawsuit. The token, formerly known as ai16z, has crashed 97% from its $2.4-2.5 billion peak market capitalization to approximately $305,000.
South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service has delivered an inspection opinion to cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb following a major Bitcoin overpayment incident caused by a system error, initiating formal sanctions proceedings. Separately, Bithumb and KB Kookmin Bank are pursuing a one-year extension of their real-name account partnership agreement set to expire on August 24.
South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced plans to create a dedicated Virtual Asset Joint Investigation Division within the Seoul Serious Crime Investigation Agency (Jungdaebeomjoe Susacheong), set to launch October 2. The new agency will focus on seven major crime categories including corruption, economic crimes, defense procurement, narcotics, insurrection, cybercrime, and judicial obstruction.
Authorities in Hong Kong and Macau conducted a joint operation arresting eight people connected to the 'Fun Coffee' cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme disguised as a Vietnam-based coffee business. The scam affected over 200 victims with losses totaling approximately HK$94-100 million, with the largest single case involving HK$9.63 million.
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued its mandate on August 4, 2026, officially closing Sam Bankman-Fried's appeal and affirming his conviction and 25-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy related to the collapse of FTX. A Supreme Court petition remains his only remaining legal option.
Cryptocurrency exchange Bitget announced it will terminate services for Japan residents by the end of 2026 after receiving a warning from Japan's Financial Services Agency for operating without proper registration. New user registrations will cease from August 3, 2026, with phased service restrictions to follow.
Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal have formally requested the Securities and Exchange Commission investigate President Donald Trump's memecoin, which he launched days before his 2025 inauguration, alleging it may constitute fraud or an illegal 'rug pull' scheme. The inquiry comes amid polling showing 55% of voters disapprove of Trump's billion-dollar cryptocurrency earnings.
BNB Chain announced it is pursuing legal action against a former employee who allegedly bought nearly 80% of ASTEROID token supply for $10,000 using a tutorial wallet, then sold most tokens for approximately $638,000.
BNB Chain announced it is taking legal action against a former employee who allegedly used a wallet seed phrase from an old tutorial video to independently launch the ASTEROID meme token without authorization. The company disavowed any connection to the token, which saw four wallets acquire nearly 80% of its supply before selling.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against prediction market platform KalshiEX, LLC, alleging it operates an illegal, unlicensed gambling operation in the state. The lawsuit seeks to halt Kalshi's operations and demands the company forfeit approximately $36 billion.
A Reuters investigation revealed that Shelbit, an unlicensed Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange, processed at least $4 billion for an Iranian sanctions-evasion network linked to the IRGC, Iran's central bank, and illegal gambling operations. At least $676 million from wallets connected to this network flowed to Binance.
New York's attorney general has filed a lawsuit against prediction market platform Kalshi, claiming the company operates illegal gambling operations without proper licensing. The legal action follows similar suits against cryptocurrency exchanges Coinbase and Gemini.
Marcos Arturo Kleiman Tronllan, 40-year-old CEO of cross-border currency exchange MoneyFlip LLC, was arrested July 30 on federal charges for allegedly paying undercover agents $40,000 in cryptocurrency to kidnap and kill a businessman over an unpaid debt. Prosecutors allege he converted $750,000 into cryptocurrency before arranging the payments.
A court dismissed the majority of a lawsuit accusing Coinbase, the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, of illegally selling securities without proper registration as an exchange or broker-dealer. The ruling represents a significant legal victory for the company in ongoing disputes over cryptocurrency regulation.
Major cryptocurrencies including Ethereum, XRP, MemeToro and HYPE are attracting investor capital in July 2026 while smaller tokens face liquidity challenges amid increased regulatory enforcement actions and payment-access restrictions.
South Korean police arrested three individuals behind a fraudulent XRP staking platform that stole 3.4 million XRP (worth $8.5 million) from 71 investors by impersonating Flare Network and promising fixed monthly returns.
Thailand's Securities and Exchange Commission filed a criminal complaint against crypto exchange Bitkub and two former directors for allegedly submitting false reports after a 2021 hack that resulted in $47 million in losses.
Cryptocurrency derivatives exchange BitMEX was hit with a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing it of engineering customer liquidations to seize 623 bitcoin (approximately $60 million) on the same day the platform announced it would shut down after 11 years of operation.
Polymarket announced it will legally challenge France's decision to block access to its website nationwide, arguing the regulator wrongly treated an information source as illegal gambling despite trading already being disabled since November 2024.
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed five civil forfeiture lawsuits seeking to seize more than $25 million in cryptocurrency recovered from investigations into international fraud schemes, including fake investment platforms and romance scams that targeted victims in the United States and Canada.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and U.S. Secret Service announced that investigations by the Cyber Fraud Task Force have resulted in the seizure of more than $25 million in cryptocurrency connected to international fraud operations.