Evita Pay founder Iurii Gugnin has been accused of using sanctioned Russian banks to launder millions into the US, with the funds used in part to undermine American interests. A crypto founder has been arrested in New York for allegedly using his crypto firm, Evita Pay, to funnel around $530 million into the US from sanctioned Russian banks to help Russians access highly sensitive American technology. Iurii Gugnin was hit with a 22-count indictment and will face charges related to wire and bank fraud, money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, among others, the US Department of Justice said on Monday. If convicted, Gugnin could spend life behind bars. It’s the latest case involving the use of crypto to attempt to bypass sanctions and launder funds. Read more
Paul Atkins called the right to self-custody a “foundational American value” when addressing regulators and industry leaders discussing DeFi. US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins took aim at the previous administration’s crypto policies in the regulator’s latest roundtable event exploring digital asset regulation. In a Monday event led by the SEC’s crypto task force titled “DeFi and the American Spirit,” Atkins said the prior administration, suggesting the agency’s stance on digital assets under former chair Gary Gensler, took a heavy-handed approach through the courts. He added that the SEC’s policies on staking as a service provider needed congressional approval to have lasting authority, and touted self-custody as a “foundational American value.” “I’m in favor of affording greater flexibility to market participants to self-custody crypto assets, especially where intermediation imposes unnecessary transaction costs or restricts the ability to engage in staking and other onchain acti...