A recent court case has unveiled a new level of sophistication in attacks targeting high-net-worth cryptocurrency holders. In a meticulously orchestrated scheme, hackers managed to steal more than $40 million in bitcoin from...more
Fraud involving digital assets, specifically cryptocurrency, is rapidly increasing on both sides of the Atlantic. In the UK, the value of reported crypto-fraud increased 41% between 2022/2023 reaching a record £306m, whilst...more
U.S. Companies Announce Crypto Cashback and NFT Ticketing Initiatives - According to recent reports, a major U.S. credit card company has partnered with Swoo, a mobile wallet blending traditional and crypto payments, to...more
CBDC Initiatives Advance in Colombia and Hong Kong - According to a recent press release, a major U.S. fintech company and “leader in enterprise blockchain and crypto solutions” has announced a collaboration with Colombia’s...more
European Bank Launches Stablecoin; Financial Firms Expand Crypto Products - A subsidiary of a major European financial services firm recently launched EUR CoinVertible (EURCV), an Ethereum ERC20 stablecoin backed 1:1 by...more
Bitcoin Association for BSV will release software to facilitate court orders to freeze stolen or lost coins, while some courts recently authorised service proceedings by tokenised airdrop. Earlier this year, in Tulip...more
Ontario Superior Court Issues an Anton Piller Order in Connection with Alleged Cryptocurrency Theft - Previously under seal and only recently released to the public, the Ontario Superior Court’s decision in Cicada 137 LLC v...more
A major U.S. fintech firm recently announced the launch of a “crypto payouts” pilot that will allow a select group of creators to receive cryptocurrency payments through a major social media platform. According to a press...more
Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Ethereum. You have likely heard of these terms as cryptocurrencies, and Bitcoin in particular, have seen immense growth in recent years, the so-called “digital gold rush.” In 2021, cryptocurrencies,...more
A large U.S.-based financial services company launched its crypto services arm last week, providing consumers with a platform to buy and sell cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). According to reports, the...more
The battle over blockchain technology and digital assets bears a striking resemblance to the debate over the potential of the internet in the mid-1990s. Where critics see a passing fad with little actual utility or a lawless...more
In recent years, demands for payments in cryptocurrencies have become the ransom of choice for cyber extortionists and other online frauds. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting public health lockdowns precipitated an...more
THE CHALLENGE: In the emerging cryptocurrency space, most investors store their assets in digital wallets, where—unlike traditional bank accounts—they earn no interest. In the last few years, cryptocurrency investors have...more
You just can’t make this stuff up – the Justice Department, displaying its growing sophistication of the cyber world, announced it recovered most of the ransom paid to criminal hackers of Colonial Pipeline Co. (Colonial)....more
In an unusual and exciting twist to the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced this week that it was able to retrieve $2.3 million of the $4.4 million paid by Colonial Pipeline to...more
Cryptocurrency, and its most-noted asset Bitcoin, has been breaking into the mainstream press. While most lawyers have heard terms like “blockchain” and probably even know a few people who have been deeply interested in the...more
Earlier this month, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the money laundering convictions of Thomas Costanzo, a bitcoin broker. According to Costanzo, the bitcoin transfers at issue, which originated from and were...more
Ransomware Attacks Predicted to Occur Every 11 Seconds in 2021 with a Cost of $20 Billion - Confirming what we are seeing in the field, cybersecurity firm Cybersecurity Ventures has predicted that, globally, businesses in...more
With the emergence of digital assets, the question has arisen whether digital assets held in “wallets” in foreign exchanges need to be reported on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign...more
ABA Tax Fraud Panel to Discuss IRS CI and Crypto Criminals - The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) has made it clear that it is focusing on the abuse of digital currencies to further tax evasion,...more
Last week, on the heels of a significant decline in Bitcoin prices, Forbes reported that China’s Central Bank is set to launch the world’s first state-backed cryptocurrency. The cryptocurrency will be made available initially...more
QuadrigaCX, one of the largest Canadian cryptocurrency exchanges, recently left users in the lurch when it took its website offline and filed for creditor protection in Nova Scotia. ...more
• On November 28, 2018, OFAC designated two Iran-based individuals who helped exchange cryptocurrency (bitcoin) into fiat currency on behalf of alleged ransomware perpetrators who targeted U.S. businesses and municipal...more
A scary scheme by hackers recently successfully lifted Bitcoin from Electrum wallet owners to the tune of approximately $750,000....more