Bitcoin Community Divided: Scaling Challenges Trigger Intense Debate as Mempool Overflows

This week, the Bitcoin community has been abuzz with discussions about the network’s scaling challenges. As the blockchain’s transfer fees continue to surge, the backlog of transactions stuck in the mempool has hit an unprecedented high. Crypto enthusiasts have been sharing…

Bitcoin Network Overwhelmed by 390,000 Unconfirmed Transactions and Surging Fees

In just under two weeks, the number of unconfirmed transactions on the Bitcoin network has skyrocketed from 134,000 to over 390,000, causing a bottleneck in the mempool. This surge in unconfirmed transactions has resulted in a staggering 343% increase in transaction…

US Court Sentences Russian Crypto Ransom Launderer to Probation and Fine

A Russian crypto entrepreneur, charged with laundering money from ransomware attacks, has been sentenced to probation and fined in the U.S. after pleading guilty. Founder of two coin trading platforms, Denis Dubnikov, was arrested in the Netherlands and extradited to the…

Police in Kosovo Seize Crypto Mining Rigs From Serbs

Kosovo police have seized dozens of crypto mining devices from residents of a majority Serb region in the north of the country. Authorities in Pristina and Belgrade exchanged accusations over the move, which has the potential to raise tensions in the…

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 Treasury Report Warns of Defi’s Threat to National Security, Authors Conclude Fiat Is Used in Illicit Finance More Than Crypto

The U.S. Treasury has released a 42-page report assessing the risks of decentralized finance (defi). The report states that specific nation-state adversaries, cybercriminals, ransomware attackers, thieves, and scammers are using defi to “transfer and launder their illicit proceeds.” The Treasury’s report…

South African Professor Accuses US Regulators of Attempting to ‘Assassinate Crypto’

The United States’ attempts to “assassinate crypto” are illegal and unlikely to succeed because “crypto is global,” Steven Boykey Sidley, a South African professor and author, has argued. According to Sidley, many formerly U.S.-based companies and innovators have fled the country…

Rogue Validator Exploits MEV Bots on Ethereum, Resulting in $25.3M in Crypto Losses

On April 3, 2023, at Ethereum block height 16,964,664, a group of MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) bots were exploited for $25.3 million. An analysis of the exploit revealed that a renegade validator switched the MEV bots’ transactions and seized various crypto…

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…

Russian Court Sends 3 Crypto Robbers to Strict-Regime Prison

Three Russians are going to spend time in high-security prison for stealing over a million U.S. dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency from another man. In addition, the court has also ordered them to fully compensate the victim for the damages, prosecutors announced….