Former Paxful CEO Says He Cannot ‘Vouch for Anything Happening There Now’ — Platform Tells Users It Is Back Online

The former CEO of Paxful, Ray Youssef, has told users of the peer-to-peer bitcoin marketplace that he is no longer in control and therefore cannot vouch for “anything that is happening there now.” Youssef also told a user who claimed to…

Latam Insights: Bolivia Sells Gold for Dollars, Argentina Bans Fintech Crypto, Fitch Upgrades El Salvador’s Credit Rating

Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of the most relevant crypto and economic development news from Latin America during the last week. In this issue, Bolivia passes a law to sell gold for dollars, the Central Bank of Argentina bans fintech…

Binance Reportedly Removes Restrictions on Russian Users

The world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, has lifted certain restrictions on Russian users, local crypto media unveiled. According to multiple reports, Russians can once again use their bank cards to make deposits and the trading platform has canceled a limit on…

Liquid Staking Protocols See Increase in Monthly ETH Deposits Despite Withdrawals Post-Shapella Hard Fork

Following the Shapella hard fork on April 12, 2023, approximately 332,368 ether, valued at around $699 million, has been withdrawn. Despite these withdrawals, liquid staking protocols like Lido, Rocketpool, and others have experienced an increase in ether deposits over the last…

Crypto Exchange Bitrue Suffers $23 Million Hack

Singapore-based crypto exchange Bitrue has lost millions of U.S. dollars’ worth of ether and other coins in a hack. The trading platform suspended withdrawals until early next week to conduct additional security checks and promised to compensate the affected users. Bitrue…

US Bank Lending Drops by Record $105 Billion in Two Weeks, Trillions Moving to Money Market Accounts, Elon Musk Warns ‘Trend Will Accelerate’

The banking industry in the United States is still struggling after the collapse of three major banks. According to statistics, bank lending in the U.S. has dropped by close to $105 billion in the last two weeks of March, which is…

Law Firm’s White Paper Claims US Bank Regulators Are Waging a ‘Clandestine Financial War’ Against Crypto Businesses

According to a recent white paper published by four members of the law firm Cooper & Kirk, PLLC, U.S. bank regulators are attempting to “drive crypto businesses out of the financial system.” The paper, titled “Operation Chokepoint 2.0,” claims that after…

Head of Venezuelan Crypto Watchdog Sunacrip Arrested on Alleged Corruption Charges; Institution to Face Restructuring

Joselit Ramirez, head of the Venezuelan cryptocurrency authority Sunacrip, was arrested on March 18, according to reports from local media. Ramirez, who led the institution from its creation in 2018, was arrested for being allegedly involved in corruption schemes, including the…

FBI Says Crypto Investment Fraud Rose 183% to $2.57 Billion in 2022

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says cryptocurrency investment fraud rose 183% from $907 million in 2021 to $2.57 billion in 2022, based on data from its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The FBI also warned the public of “a spike…

Goldman Sachs Now Expects No Rate Hike in March Due to Stress in US Banking System

Goldman Sachs has revised its U.S. interest rate forecast due to “stress in the banking system.” The global investment bank no longer expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates at its Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in March after…