U.S. authorities have announced new sanctions targeting an Iranian crypto exchange known as BitBank, accusing it of helping move Bitcoin payments tied to maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. Treasury says the exchange was used to transfer funds received through a Hormuz-related payments authority to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In a press release issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the government described BitBank as part of an alleged sanctions-evasion “infrastructure” associated with Iranian financier Babak Zanjani. OFAC’s action forms part of a broader effort to restrict Iran’s access to the global financial system, including through targeting digital asset service providers. Key takeaways OFAC sanctioned Iranian crypto exchange BitBank, alleging it processed Bitcoin payments connected to ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The Treasury alleges BitBank transferred funds received by the Ho...

S&P Global has agreed to acquire OpenZeppelin, the blockchain security firm known for its open-source smart contract tooling and professional security reviews. The move is designed to strengthen S&P Global’s digital asset capabilities—particularly around risk assessment and onchain technology analysis—at a time when financial institutions are increasingly looking to tokenized markets. The acquisition was announced on Thursday in a press release by S&P Global. Financial terms were not disclosed, and the transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions. Key takeaways S&P Global’s planned purchase of OpenZeppelin targets expanded onchain smart contract and technology risk assessment capabilities. OpenZeppelin’s open-source contracts library is expected to remain free and publicly maintained on GitHub after the deal. The transaction is structured so OpenZeppelin will operate as a separate S&P Global business unit. Deal completion depends on closing co...

Limassol, Cyprus – Mark your calendars for WIKIEXPO CYPRUS 2026 , taking place on November 6, 2026 at the prestigious Parklane, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa . As one of Europe’s most influential gatherings for the foreign exchange and fintech services industry, the event is set to welcome over 5,000 professionals, 50+ distinguished speakers, and 50+ exhibitors from more than 30 countries. This year’s expo places a strategic focus on the core pillars that drive today’s financial markets, with dedicated tracks on: Foreign Exchange & Liquidity Solutions – Institutional FX, prime brokerage, liquidity aggregation, and risk management Regulatory & Compliance Frameworks – Navigating MiCA, CySEC regulations, AML/KYC, and cross‑border licensing Next‑Generation Payments – Cross‑border remittance, digital wallets, instant settlement, and merchant services Platform Building & Brokerage Technology – Trading platforms (MT4/5, cTrader, proprietary), white‑label s...

Zcash spiked sharply in the past day, with the privacy-focused cryptocurrency rising by roughly 20% over 24 hours after Paradigm co-founder Matt Huang disclosed that the firm made an unspecified purchase of ZEC. The move follows a broader month-long rally in which Zcash has vastly outpaced Bitcoin, according to CoinGecko price data. ZEC was trading around $1,338 at last look on Thursday, as the token built on gains that would bring its one-month increase to about 160%, compared with Bitcoin’s 18.2% over the same period, per CoinGecko. Key takeaways Zcash’s surge followed Matt Huang’s disclosure that Paradigm is both a ZODL investor and a ZEC token holder. ZEC is up about 160% over 30 days, versus Bitcoin’s 18.2%, based on CoinGecko’s data. Zcash’s architecture uses zero-knowledge proofs to support shielded transactions that hide addresses and transaction amounts. Privacy coins have generally been outperforming the broader crypto market, with Glassnode data pointing to a large r...

U.S. prosecutors have charged two former Robinhood engineers with fraud allegations tied to cryptocurrency token listings, accusing them of using confidential internal information to profit from perpetual futures trades on Hyperliquid. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Hefu Chai and Huaisong “Jerry” Xiang bought perpetual contracts connected to tokens shortly before those assets debuted on Robinhood Crypto. The DOJ alleges each defendant earned more than $50,000 from the trades between 2025 and 2026. Key takeaways The DOJ alleges Robinhood engineers accessed nonpublic listing plans via a private Slack channel and traded perpetual futures on Hyperliquid ahead of announcements. Prosecutors say the alleged strategy relied on opening long positions before tokens listed and closing after their value rose following debut. The charges extend insider-trading-style conduct into decentralized derivatives markets, rather than spot token purchases alone. Prosecutors argue ...

Tether’s USDt appears to have played a central role in a Venezuelan crude oil deal that went badly wrong for Poland’s largest energy company. According to the Financial Times, the stablecoin was used in a failed transaction tied to state energy firm PDVSA, leaving Orlen—via its trading arm—out of an advance payment totaling $230 million in late 2023. The episode highlights both the promise and the fragility of stablecoin rails in high-risk international settlement scenarios, especially where traditional banking routes are constrained by sanctions. It also raises fresh questions about where value went once funds entered crypto intermediaries. Key takeaways Financial Times reports that a $230 million advance in a Venezuelan oil contract was largely paid using Tether USDt (USDT), before Orlen received only a small portion of the cargo value. The FT says PDVSA began requesting partial payments in USDT as a workaround to US financial sanctions. Reported payment trails involved multipl...

Already confirmed and growing: over 850 speakers through a coordinated programme of 85+ events, including 12 signature forums, held over 14 stages, making Dubai Future Finance Week the region’s largest gathering for the global finance industry The inaugural Dubai Future Finance Week, led by DIFC, is being held between 2 and 6 November 2026 Held under a central theme of “Finance Reimagined: Where Innovation Meets Policy and Purpose,” the programme spans six defining verticals including FinTech, Tokenisation, Islamic Finance, Family Wealth, Sustainable Finance and Private Capital Dubai, UAE; 8 September 2026 : Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, has confirmed the programme for the inaugural edition of the Dubai Future Finance Week, a strategic platform being held from 2 to 6 November 2026, examining financial trends and economic opportunity within the global financial ecosystem...

Former Silvergate Bank CEO Alan Lane says the lender’s 2023 voluntary wind-down was driven less by solvency concerns and more by political pressure tied to the Biden administration. In an inaugural Substack post published Tuesday, Lane argues that Silvergate could have continued operating after meeting large withdrawal demands in late 2022—contradicting the thrust of multiple regulator reviews that pointed to funding, governance, and compliance failures. The dispute matters beyond Silvergate’s collapse because it sits at the center of a broader, ongoing debate: whether US regulators effectively squeezed crypto-focused banks through risk management scrutiny and supervisory actions, or whether the failures were primarily internal. Lane’s account adds a firsthand perspective to a record that includes Federal Reserve and SEC enforcement actions, as well as official reviews highlighting weaknesses in how the bank managed its concentrated deposit base and compliance obligations. Key takeaway...

Ninth edition proceeds as planned, bringing the industry together as the sector moves through a period of rapid platform and technology change. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Dubai's business calendar picks up pace after the summer lull, and this September, the global trading and fintech community comes together at Forex Expo Dubai, taking place 22-23 September 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre, Halls 1-5. What Attendees Can Expect Across the five halls, the event brings together more than 250 exhibitors and 150 speakers, traders, introducing brokers, investors, brokerages, liquidity providers, payment providers and trading-technology firms — building on an edition that already holds a Guinness World Record for attendance at a forex exhibition. "Preparations for this year's event are on track, and the dates and venue remain unchanged," said Niyaz Mohammed, Commercial Director at HQMENA. "Sponsors and exhibitors who've been with us before are back this year, an...

Robinhood has agreed to take equity stakes in Crypto.com and its newly spun-off prediction markets platform, OG.com, in a multi-year arrangement designed to bolster Robinhood’s event-contract infrastructure in the United States. The move links Robinhood’s expanding prediction markets business to OG.com’s CFTC-regulated derivatives exchange and clearinghouse. As part of the deal, Robinhood will route retail event contracts through OG.com’s infrastructure. A rollout is set to begin Tuesday for eligible US customers, according to Robinhood’s announcement carried by PR Newswire. Key takeaways Robinhood will use OG.com’s CFTC-regulated derivatives exchange and clearinghouse to process retail event contracts. Robinhood is taking equity stakes in both Crypto.com and OG.com, but the companies did not disclose the size or value of the holdings. The equity stakes are priced using valuations established by an earlier Citadel Securities investment in the platforms. The agreement arrives sh...

Bitmine Immersion Technologies said it has added another tranche of Ether, tightening the gap between its current holdings and a long-stated corporate target to accumulate 5% of Ethereum’s total supply. The new purchase extends a streak of periodic ETH buys led by chairman Tom Lee, as the company positions its treasury around staking-linked yield. In an announcement released Tuesday via PR Newswire, Bitmine reported acquiring 28,086 ETH last week. At the time of the filing, the company said the purchase is worth roughly $69.5 million, taking its total Ether holdings to 5.93 million tokens acquired at an average price of $2,495 per ETH. Key takeaways Bitmine purchased 28,086 ETH last week, lifting total holdings to 5.93 million ETH. The company says its average acquisition cost is $2,495 per ETH and that the new stake-related positioning supports annualized staking revenue expectations. Bitmine reported it has completed 97% of its goal to reach 5% of Ethereum’s total supply within...

South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) has outlined a three-phase plan to build the legal and technical foundation for issuing tokenized securities covering assets such as stocks, bonds, and funds. The roadmap is designed to bring tokenization into the country’s existing capital markets framework rather than treating it as a separate, unregulated activity. In a press release published Friday, the FSC said tokenized securities will gain formal legal recognition as digitized forms of securities once an update to the Act on Electronic Registration of Stocks and Bonds takes effect on Feb. 4, 2027 . The implementation schedule is closely tied to a broader roll-out of amended capital markets and electronic securities laws. Key takeaways Legal status begins Feb. 4, 2027 , when an amendment to the Act on Electronic Registration of Stocks and Bonds takes effect for tokenized securities. Phase 1 (from recognition) covers institutional money market funds, bonds, unlisted stocks, a...

South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) has laid out a three-phase plan to build the legal and technical groundwork for issuing tokenized securities—an effort that, if executed on schedule, would clarify how onchain securities could fit within the country’s existing capital markets framework. In a press release issued Friday, the FSC said tokenized securities are expected to gain formal legal recognition starting Feb. 4, 2027 , following an update to the Act on Electronic Registration of Stocks and Bonds . The initiative also points toward a later phase connecting tokenized issuance and payments with stablecoins . Key takeaways The FSC plans to recognize tokenized securities legally from Feb. 4, 2027 via amendments to the Act on Electronic Registration of Stocks and Bonds . Phase one covers legal recognition for tokenized versions of selected instruments, including certain funds and bonds, along with unlisted stocks and fractional investment securities. Phase two wou...

Michigan has escalated its efforts to rein in Kalshi, a prediction markets platform, by securing a preliminary injunction that blocks the company from offering event contracts to residents. The state’s attorney general said the order is meant to stop what officials described as “sports betting” operating under the guise of an investment product. In a notice dated Wednesday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the Circuit Court for the 30th Judicial Circuit in Ingham County approved the injunction after earlier court action. Nessel also noted that Kalshi could face penalties of up to $500,000 per day if it violates the order. Key takeaways Michigan’s court issued a preliminary injunction barring Kalshi from offering event contracts to state residents. Attorney General Dana Nessel framed the case as “sports betting” disguised as an investment opportunity, with daily fines possible. The injunction follows a June temporary restraining order and comes amid an ongoing dispute ov...

On December 1–2, Blockchain Life 2026 will once again bring the global crypto industry together in Dubai: 15,000+ attendees from 130+ countries, 200+ speakers, and 200+ sponsors. 3 months to the biggest crypto event of the year. The countdown has begun. Blockchain Life brings crypto industry leaders from around the world to Dubai, attracting founders and executives from key projects. The concentration of top industry players makes the forum one of the top destinations for high-value and effective networking . Blockchain Life will kick off one of the biggest tech and business weeks of 2026 , bringing together leading experts in Web3, digital finance, investment, AI, and future technologies in Dubai. 🔹 3 stages and 200+ high-profile speakers: founders and top executives of major projects, influential investors, representatives of Tier 1 funds, global experts, and legendary traders –the people shaping the future of the industry. 🔹 A major expo featuring 200+ sponsors: leading proje...