Report | Crypto

The DPRK has turned to third-country IT workers to pass job interviews, after which, the positions are usually taken over by North Korean operatives. North Korea (DPRK) is now using remote workers from third countries, including Iran and Lebanon, to aid its efforts to infiltrate US companies and obtain money to fund its weapons programs, NBC reported on Friday. An alert issued in July by the US government and several foreign agencies said North Korean IT workers “seek out contracts with the intent of remitting their salaries to their parent North Korean agencies. They also pose an insider threat to companies and are involved in data exfiltration, cryptocurrency theft, and theft of sensitive information.” As the US and other governments have moved to counter North Korea’s efforts, the DPRK has turned increasingly to third-country IT workers to pass job interviews, the report said. After work contracts are obtained, the positions are usually taken over by North Korean operatives. Read more

The Italian bank is reportedly seeking assistance in launching access to crypto trading, custody and tokenized investment products. UniCredit Bank is seeking a technology provider that would allow it to build infrastructure for digital asset trading, custody and access to tokenized investment products. The Italian bank’s discussions are still in the early stages, with areas of interest including crypto custody and brokerage capabilities, tokenized investment products and stablecoin-based fixed-income securities, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Friday. Cointelegraph has approached UniCredit for comment on what technology provider might fill this infrastructure gap. Read more

Bankman-Fried’s lawyers challenged the exclusion of evidence about customer losses and argued that his $11 billion forfeiture was excessive. Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried reportedly asked the US Supreme Court to overturn his 2023 fraud conviction. He sought a new trial and the reversal of an $11 billion forfeiture order, according to a Thursday court filing seen by CNN. His lawyers argued that the trial judge excluded evidence that his investments were sound and would have covered FTX customers’ losses. They also argued that the $11 billion forfeiture violated the Eighth Amendment’s ban on excessive fines. Read more

Nasdaq invested $100 million in Payward as part of its push toward tokenized stock products with round-the-clock trading. Nasdaq has invested $100 million in Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, as part of the New York electronic bourse’s expansion into tokenized assets. Nasdaq’s venture arm made a $100 million investment in Payward, the exchange operator revealed in a Thursday announcement. As part of the deal, Kraken will offer tokenized versions of Nasdaq-listed stocks on its own platform. The investment builds on Nasdaq’s partnership with Payward announced in March. The investment valued Kraken’s parent company at $21 billion, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Thursday. Cointelegraph approached Nasdaq for comment on the matter but did not receive a reply before publishing time. Read more

The German Ministry of Finance is reportedly seeking to impose a 25% tax on cryptocurrencies, departing from current laws that make crypto gains tax-free after one year of holding. The German Federal Ministry of Finance reportedly issued a draft proposal to transition cryptocurrency trading profits to the standard 25% flat-rate tax starting in 2028. The ministry’s proposal would apply to all crypto assets acquired after Jan. 1, 2027, according to a draft proposal seen by local news outlet Die Welt on Wednesday. The draft also proposes grandfathering protections, meaning that digital assets bought before this deadline may be treated under the old taxation rules. Read more

Exporters can now fund imports with overseas earnings without first selling their foreign currency at official rates, the Financial Times reported. Iran’s central bank has reportedly eased foreign currency controls to encourage businesses to bring overseas earnings home, including through cryptocurrency, amid tightening US sanctions. This includes using Tether’s USDt (USDT) and Bitcoin (BTC) to settle cross-border transactions through Iranian cryptocurrency exchanges, the Financial Times reported Wednesday. Exporters can also use their earnings to finance imports directly without first selling their foreign currency through the government’s exchange platform at official rates, the report said. Read more

Companies offering binary options for retail investors have been barred from selling, marketing and distributing products in the UK since 2019 following a directive from the FCA. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) reportedly has reached out to prediction market companies as part of discussions over whether the regulator would loosen a ban for retail investors, in place since 2019. According to a Friday report from The Times, the FCA is weighing lifting a ban on prediction market platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi for UK-based retail investors. Because prediction markets offer binary options on event contracts, such as for sports, politics and the weather, they fall under an April 2019 ban imposed by the FCA, in which companies were “prohibited from selling, marketing or distributing binary options to retail consumers.” “Binary options are gambling products dressed up as financial instruments,” said the FCA’s executive director of strategy and competition, Christopher Woolard, at the time of the ban....

Kalshi reportedly plans to file for approval of a WTI crude oil perpetual futures contract that would trade around the clock five days a week without an expiration date. Prediction market operator Kalshi will reportedly seek regulatory approval for a West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil perpetual futures contract that never expires. The contract could be filed with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as soon as next week, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. It would trade 24 hours a day, five days a week, according to Reuters. If approved, it would be the first oil-linked perpetual futures product to trade on a regulated US platform. Read more

Donald Trump Jr.-linked 1789 Capital will reportedly lead a $1 billion investment round into Polymarket, which would value the platform at $21 billion, just below Kalshi’s $22 billion valuation. Donald Trump Jr.-linked investment firm 1789 Capital is reportedly investing about $300 million in Polymarket, a blockchain-based prediction market. 1789 Capital, where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, will make the $300 million investment as part of a $1 billion round that would value Polymarket at $21 billion, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal on Monday.  The investment would bring 1789 Capital’s total investment in Polymarket to about $500 million and make it one of the platform’s largest backers. Read more

Regulated cryptocurrency exchanges may see more than $46 billion in crypto trading volume during the first year after legalization, according to estimates from the country’s largest bank. Cryptocurrency trading in Russia is expected to bring 4 trillion rubles ($46.4 billion) in trading volume for regulated domestic exchanges in the first year after legalization, according to estimates from Sber, the country’s largest bank. Domestic crypto trading volumes on regulated exchanges could grow to about 7.5 trillion rubles by 2029, Sber’s Deputy Chairman, Anatoly Popov, told Tass in a Saturday report.  Popov attributed the conservative forecast to the fact that a large share of crypto transactions will continue to be conducted through cryptocurrency exchanges that are not regulated in Russia, bypassing trading on organized platforms. Read more

Bithumb reportedly won first-instance rulings in two suits seeking proceeds from users who sold Bitcoin credited in its $40 billion error. South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb has reportedly won first-instance rulings in two lawsuits against its users to recover proceeds from Bitcoin it mistakenly credited to their accounts. The Seoul Central District Court ruled for Bithumb on Wednesday and Thursday in two of four lawsuits against users who sold Bitcoin mistakenly credited to their accounts, according to a Chosun Biz report. Thursday’s ruling concerned a claim for 194 million won ($140,000), while Wednesday’s covered a claim for 5 million won ($3,600). Two other lawsuits seeking about 14.8 million won ($10,700) and 500 million won ($362,000) remain pending. Read more

Strategy’s biggest risk may not be a Bitcoin crash, but losing access to the capital markets that help it service $1.76 billion in annual obligations. Strategy’s Bitcoin treasury may be less vulnerable to a crypto market crash than to a prolonged loss of capital-market access, a risk that could threaten its ability to fund roughly $1.76 billion in annual obligations without selling Bitcoin, according to a recent analysis from Regime Intelligence. According to the report, Strategy’s 840,447 BTC stash sits behind roughly $22 billion in debt and preferred claims, meaning the company’s Bitcoin accumulation model depends on its ability to continually raise fresh capital to meet obligations. Contrary to popular belief, Strategy’s (MSTR) biggest vulnerability isn’t a Bitcoin-driven price drop or liquidity event, but its continued dependence on access to capital markets. The report noted that Strategy’s debt does not function like a conventional Bitcoin-backed margin loan, with no BTC-linked margin call that would fo...

India plans to test tokenized corporate bonds in a September pilot, with state-controlled REC issuing the debt and select investors using wholesale CBDC payments. India reportedly plans to launch its first tokenized corporate bonds in September as part of a pilot involving blockchain-based transactions settled using a central bank digital currency (CBDC). REC Limited, a state-controlled Indian power infrastructure finance company, plans to issue less than 5 billion Indian rupees ($57 million) in tokenized bonds, Reuters reported on Monday, citing three sources with direct knowledge of the plans. The pilot will initially be open only to a select group of investors and could be unveiled at an annual financial technology event in Mumbai in September. “India’s central bank digital currency will be used to buy the tokenized bonds,” Reuters reported, citing one of the sources. Investors will need two digital accounts to participate: a wholesale CBDC wallet provided by a bank and a new electronic securities wallet. ...

Przemysław Kral reportedly faces a fraud charge and is cooperating with Polish prosecutors as estimated customer losses reach $650 million. Przemysław Kral, the head of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto, has reportedly been charged with participating in an alleged large-scale fraud and has begun cooperating with Polish prosecutors. Kral is seeking a reduced sentence in exchange for testimony that could include details about Zondacrypto’s funding of right-wing politicians, Polish outlet Onet reported Monday. According to Onet, prosecutors estimate Zondacrypto customers lost at least 2.4 billion Polish zlotys ($650 million). Investigators said the exchange used only part of customer funds to buy crypto, while the rest was transferred to private accounts controlled by Zondacrypto managers. Read more

Binance’s UK arm has been barred from offering regulated activities in the country since June 2021, but the company will reportedly move to secure licensing under new crypto rules. Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is reportedly planning to apply for a license with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in a move expected to relaunch certain services for residents in 2027.  According to a Saturday report from The Telegraph, Binance will apply for the UK license as new digital asset laws are set to take effect in the country. The FCA said in June 2021 that Binance’s UK arm, Binance Markets Limited, was “not permitted to undertake any regulated activity in the UK,” and the exchange announced in 2023 that it would halt onboarding of new users in response to the UK watchdog’s rules on financial promotions. A Binance spokesperson told Cointelegraph that the exchange “does not comment on speculation surrounding potential licence applications.” The company did not respond to questions on its existing operations in...

Reuters reported that Binance supplied transaction records and identity documents later used in a terrorism-financing case against Yuri Belenkiy. Binance reportedly provided Russian authorities with transaction records and personal information belonging to a customer accused of financing terrorism via cryptocurrency donations to Ukrainian fundraising campaigns. Russian investigators used information supplied by Binance as evidence against IT specialist Yuri Belenkiy, who was detained in September 2025 and is awaiting trial in Russia, according to law enforcement documents reviewed by Reuters. Russia’s Investigative Committee alleged Belenkiy sent more than $700 in crypto between January 2023 and March 2024 to the Ukrainian military and a banned organization that Reuters identified as the group known at different times as the Azov Brigade and the Azov Regiment. Read more

RedotPay’s US IPO has reportedly been delayed as it seeks regulatory approvals, while the company says it secured a US money transmitter license. RedotPay’s plans for a US stock market debut have reportedly been delayed as the stablecoin payment company prepares to expand into the country. The company delayed plans for a US initial public offering (IPO) while it seeks regulatory approvals and contends with legal disputes involving Binance, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. A RedotPay representative declined to comment on the timing of an IPO to Cointelegraph. The representative instead pointed to the company’s US expansion, saying RedotPay obtained a money transmitter license in the US this week and is preparing to launch its product in the country. Read more

JPMorgan Chase reportedly cut banking ties with Polymarket in October 2025 over regulatory concerns but remains open to an underwriting role if the platform goes public. JPMorgan Chase ended a banking relationship with Polymarket over regulatory concerns, according to the Financial Times. JPMorgan notified the prediction market platform in October 2025 that it needed to find a new bank, the Financial Times reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Polymarket now works with an unidentified lender. Still, JPMorgan has maintained other ties with Polymarket. The bank is allegedly keen on a potential underwriting role should Polymarket attempt to go public. Polymarket reportedly said that it continues to have a “close, active relationship” with JPMorgan. Read more

Wintermute will reportedly invest $1 billion in AI infrastructure and high-frequency trading as part of its expansion into traditional finance. Crypto market maker Wintermute reportedly plans to invest up to $1 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) data center infrastructure and high-frequency trading over the next five years. The plans include scaling up Wintermute’s non-crypto market activity to account for over 50% of its business by the end of 2027, up from the current 10%, Wintermute CEO Evgeny Gaevoy told Bloomberg. Wednesday’s report said that as part of the plans, Wintermute will also double the staff in its 17-person New York office next year and expand its global headcount by about 40%. Cointelegraph has approached Wintermute for more details surrounding its expansion plans. Read more

Anthropic reportedly struck a $9 billion deal with Riot for 191 megawatts of capacity from the Bitcoin miner’s Rockdale campus in Texas. Bitcoin miner Riot Platforms said it secured a 20-year agreement to supply 191 megawatts of capacity from its Rockdale, Texas, campus to a “leading frontier AI” company, according to a Monday press release. The customer is Anthropic and the deal is valued at about $9 billion, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. Cointelegraph has approached Anthropic and Riot for comment. Read more