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☆ Bitcoin falls for a second day as investors brace for more volatility in April
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bitcoin fell for a second day to start the new month and quarter, amid rising Treasury yields and strength in the U.S. dollar. Data from CryptoQuant shows a spike in that exchange's reserves, which typically signals a boost in selling activity, that coincides with the sudden drop in bitcoin price late Monday night. Crypto exchange Coinbase fell 4%, while software provider MicroStrategy , which largely trade as a proxy for the price of bitcoin, lost nearly 7%. Investors are looking toward the bitcoin halving – which will slash the reward, and therefore revenue, of bitcoin miners – in the second half of the month. The event could hurt the performance of miners but historically has set bitcoin up for rallies of 300% or more in the months that follow.

Persons: Bitcoin, Joel Kruger, Stocks, Coinbase Organizations: Metrics, U.S ., LMAX, Marathon

☆ The US government owns $5.5 billion worth of bitcoin. Whether it holds or sells its stash could have a big impact on the token's price.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US government has seized at least $5.5 billion worth of bitcoin since 2020, according to analysts. Its stake makes it one of the world's largest crypto "whales". Whether it holds or sells its bitcoin stash could have a huge impact on the token's price. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe US government owns billions of dollars worth of bitcoin – and whether it decides to hold or sell could have a big impact on the cryptocurrency's price. Lower volatility means that whales can drive big swings all by themselves – so what the government decides to do with its $5.5 billion stash could have a major impact on bitcoin's price.

Persons: —, James Zhong, Sam Bankman Organizations: Service, Washington, Wall Street Locations: Washington, Coinbase

☆ Stablecoin Tether promotes tech chief to CEO, taking over from mysterious crypto leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Paolo Ardoino, the chief technology officer for Tether, has been promoted to CEO of the stablecoin company, in a surprise move. In a press release Friday, Tether said that Ardoino will lead Tether from December 2023, succeeding van der Velde. Ardoino will still serve as Tether's chief technology officer while taking on his additional duties as CEO, Tether said. He joined Tether as chief technology officer in 2017. The departure of van der Velde, an executive who has barely ever appeared in public, comes as Tether has faced scrutiny over transparency.

Persons: Paolo Ardoino, Ardoino, Jean, Louis van der Velde, van der Velde, Van der Velde, Bitfinex, Tether's van der Velde Organizations: U.S . Locations: Hong Kong

☆ Robinhood owns $3 billion in bitcoin, making it the 3rd-biggest holder of the token
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Robinhood has over $3 billion in bitcoin in a single wallet, a Coindesk report said. Citing data from Arkham Intelligence, the report said Robinhood is the third-largest bitcoin holder, behind Binance and Bitfinex. The trading platform's bitcoin stash is held in a single wallet. Robinhood sits just behind Binance and Bitfinex, which have $6.4 billion and $4.3 billion stored on single wallets, respectively, according to the report. Over a three-month period, per CoinDesk, Robinhood transferred around 118,000 bitcoins to the primary wallet from other smaller wallets.

Persons: Robinhood, CoinDesk, Bitcoin, bitcoin, Joe Kelly Organizations: Arkham Intelligence, Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Locations: bitcoin, Wall, Silicon

☆ US man pleads guilty to laundering crypto stolen from Bitfinex hack
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Photo illustration of Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange website taken September 27, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationWASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - A New York technology entrepreneur pleaded guilty on Thursday to laundering funds stolen from Bitfinex, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, with his wife, an online rapper, expected to follow. His wife Heather Morgan, who used the hip-hop alias "Razzklekhan" to promote her music, is expected to enter her own plea later on Thursday. Lichtenstein and Morgan had been arrested in February 2022 on charges of laundering more than 100,000 bitcoin that was stolen after a hacker attacked Bitfinex in 2016. A docket entry in late July shows that Lichtenstein and Morgan reached their plea deal with the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington.

Persons: Bitfinex, Dado Ruvic, Ilya Lichtenstein, Colleen Kollar, Heather Morgan, Lichtenstein, Morgan, Lisa Monaco, Luc Cohen, Andrea Ricci Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S, U.S . Department of Justice, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: York, Washington, United States, U.S

☆ 'Crypto couple' husband confesses to being the original Bitfinex hacker during plea hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Michelle Mark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The "crypto couple" pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracies in federal court on Thursday. The couple was accused of conspiring to launder 119,764 stolen bitcoin worth $4.5 billion. Lichtenstein pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, and Morgan pleaded guilty to one count of money-laundering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Prosecutors said Lichtenstein and Morgan conspired to launder 119,764 bitcoin stolen from Bitfinex, though the couple were not initially accused of carrying out the hack itself. The stolen bitcoin was worth $71 million at the time before skyrocketing in value in the subsequent years.

Persons: Ilya Lichtenstein, Heather Morgan, Lichtenstein, Morgan, Both Lichtenstein, Prosecutors Organizations: Morning, CNBC, Department of Justice, Authorities, Prosecutors Locations: Russian, American, United States, Manhattan, Russia

☆ ‘Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde’ plead guilty to money laundering
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A husband and wife, whose eccentricities and alleged crimes earned them the nickname “Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde,” pleaded guilty to orchestrating a $4.5 billion money-laundering scheme linked to the 2016 hack of crypto exchange Bitfinex. Until Thursday’s hearing in Washington, DC, federal court, neither Morgan nor Lichtenstein had been directly implicated in the hacking of Hong Kong-based crypto exchange Bitfinex. “Lichtenstein then took steps to cover his tracks” and enlisted his wife’s help in laundering the funds, prosecutors said. Lichtenstein pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, according to a press release from the Justice Department. Morgan pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, each of which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Persons: Bonnie, ”, Ilya Lichtenstein, Heather Morgan, “ Razzlekhan, Lichtenstein, Morgan, Colleen Kollar, Kotelly, Lichtenstein “, “ Lichtenstein, Clarissa, ” Lichtenstein Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, New Locations: Clyde, Russian, Washington , DC, Hong Kong, New York, Manhattan, Russia, United States

☆ 'Crypto couple' reach plea deal in $4.5 billion crypto heist
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email'Crypto couple' reach plea deal in $4.5 billion crypto heistA New York man admitted being the original hacker of bitcoin in the 2016 hack on Bitfinex he pleaded guilty in federal court to a conspiracy to launder the stolen cryptocurrency, which ended up being worth $4.5 billion. The guilty plea by Ilya "Dutch" Lichtenstein in Washington, D.C., came before his wife, Heather Rhiannon Morgan, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to defraud the United States government. Until the admission in court by Lichtenstein, it was not publicly known who had hacked the bitcoin from the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex.

Persons: Ilya, Dutch, Lichtenstein, Heather Rhiannon Morgan Organizations: Washington , D.C, United Locations: York, Washington ,, United States

A New York man on Thursday admitted being the original hacker of bitcoin in the 2016 hack on Bitfinex he pleaded guilty in federal court to a conspiracy to launder the stolen cryptocurrency, which ended up being worth $4.5 billion. Until Thursday's admission in court by Lichtenstein, it was not publicly known who had hacked the bitcoin from the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex. Morgan, an aspiring rapper known as "Razzlekahn" and "The Crocodile of Wall Street," was in court for her husband's plea hearing. Lichtenstein and Morgan were charged in the case with attempting to launder more than 119,000 bitcoin stolen in the 2016 hack of the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex. "In actuality, Lichtenstein and Morgan used the account to launder proceeds of thehack of" Bitfinex, the filing charges.

Persons: Ilya, Dutch, Lichtenstein, Heather Rhiannon Morgan, Morgan, Donald Trump, launder Organizations: Washington , D.C, Department of Justice, DOJ, U.S, Attorney's, District of Columbia, Prosecutors, Netflix Locations: York, Washington ,, Russian

☆ The 'crypto couple' is pleading guilty in their alleged $4.5 billion bitcoin heist. Here's how the saga unfolded.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Michelle Mark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The "crypto couple" Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan are due for a plea hearing on August 3. The couple is expected to plead guilty to orchestrating a $4.5 billion bitcoin-laundering scheme. An attorney for both Lichtenstein and Morgan did not respond to Insider's request for comment ahead of Thursday's plea hearing. Prosecutors also alleged that Lichtenstein and Morgan had been planning to flee to Russia under new identities. Lichtenstein, whom prosecutors have described as a flight risk due to his Russian citizenship, has remained incarcerated.

Persons: Ilya Lichtenstein, Heather Morgan, ensnared, Lichtenstein, Morgan, Olivier Douliery Organizations: Service, Department of Justice, IRS, Prosecutors Locations: Wall, Silicon, Manhattan, United States, Lichtenstein, Russia

☆ US couple accused of laundering crypto from Bitfinex hack reach plea deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, July 21 (Reuters) - An American couple accused of laundering $4.5 billion in cryptocurrency stolen from the 2016 hacking of virtual currency exchange Bitfinex have entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in Washington, court records showed on Friday. They are set to appear for a plea hearing on Aug. 3 before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, court records showed. A lawyer for Lichtenstein and Morgan and a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The pair was accused of conspiring to launder more than 100,000 bitcoin that was stolen, after a hacker attacked Bitfinex and initiated more than 2,0000 unauthorized transactions. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ilya Lichtenstein, Heather Morgan, Colleen Kollar, Lichtenstein, Morgan, Bitfinex, Luc Cohen, Jonathan Oatis, Marguerita Choy Organizations: YORK, U.S, Thomson Locations: American, Washington, Manhattan, New York

The New York couple charged with trying to launder $4.5 billion in bitcoin stolen in a 2016 hack of Bitfinex appear set to plead guilty in the case. An information is a type of charging document that federal prosecutors typically use when defendants have agreed to plead guilty. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on Friday ordered prosecutors and defense lawyers to provide plea paperwork to her by Thursday, the docket shows. The couple was not charged in the hack of the Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange. The bitcoin stolen in the hack was worth just $70 million at the time of the theft, but soared in value in the following years.

Persons: Ilya Lichtenstein, Heather Rhiannon Morgan, Lichtenstein, Morgan, Colleen Kollar, didn't Organizations: D.C, Attorney's, CNBC, Prosecutors, Department of Justice, Netflix Locations: York, Washington, United States, Russian, U.S, Hong Kong

And, in that same earnings call earlier this year, Novogratz said Galaxy hired some traders based in Hong Kong. Just this week, Societe General 's crypto arm received approval by France's financial regulator to offer crypto services, including crypto assets. The next month, Hong Kong implemented a new licensing regime so crypto exchanges can serve retail customers. Hong Kong, in particular, has tried to position itself as an international hub for crypto. Galaxy Chief Investment Officer Chris Ferraro echoed that sentiment in a recent "Crypto World" interview.

Persons: –, Mike Novogratz, Brian Armstrong, Novogratz, Cantor Fitzgerald's Elliot Han, Dean Sovolos, Lily King, Cobo, Owen Lau, Chris Ferraro, Kraken –, Binance, Han, we're Organizations: BlackRock, SEC, Washington, Galaxy, United, Gemini, Payment, Societe, European Union, Crypto, Assets Regulatory Authority, Financial, Oppenheimer, U.S, Coinbase, Huobi, BTC Locations: U.S, Europe, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bermuda, United Arab Emirates, Asia, Gurgaon, India, Singapore, United States, East, VARA, B2C2, Silicon, London, Berlin, China

June 6 (Reuters) - It's a tense time for bitcoin investors. The capricious cryptocurrency's been uncommonly quiet over the past four weeks, bound in the range of $28,452 and $25,800. Bitcoin's volatility index is near 64, well below the 2023 peak of 116.5 touched in January, according to CryptoCompare. "Trading volatility, buying options in the absence of a price move, that's what people might do in this market." Market positioning indicates the maximum pain level for the June 2023 options expiry for bitcoin is at around $24,000, which could act as a support or resistance level, according to analysts at Bitfinex.

Persons: CryptoCompare, Noelle Acheson, Matthew Weller, Luuk Strijers, Strijers, Thomas Kralow, Medha Singh, Lisa Pauline Mattackal, Pravin Organizations: bitcoin, BULLS, Kralow, Pravin Char, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Bengaluru

May 9 (Reuters) - Digital stablecoin tether is winning the race for the title of the crypto world's "least risky" asset. Tether is already the top performer among stablecoins -- digital tokens pegged to some fiat asset like the dollar -- and has seen its market value soar since March. Buying tether and bitcoin is really a vote against the U.S. system," says Jensen. On CoinMarketCap's database of 23,891 tokens, tether has risen to number 3 with a market cap of $82 bln and a share of 6.83%. NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWSTo be sure, tether has long been dogged by doubts about its peg being backed by dollar reserves.

☆ 'Dr. Doom' economist Nouriel Roubini says the crypto industry is a 'total criminal enterprise' riddled with market manipulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Nouriel Roubini said crypto markets are chock full of criminal activity and manipulation. The famed economist described the industry as a "criminal enterprise" in a Tuesday tweet. The famed economist said in a tweet on Tuesday the trillion-dollar industry is chock full of "constant market manipulation" and a "total criminal enterprise." Earlier this month, he celebrated the downfall of banks that cozied up to the crypto industry. After Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and Silvergate failed, Roubini ratcheted up fiery commentary with a simple message: "Good riddance."

☆ Why Silvergate’s post-FTX financial woes could spell trouble ahead for crypto
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Further, the spillover into a traditional bank and its stock price could fuel regulators' arguments that crypto poses a systemic risk. The big problem in crypto is that to buy bitcoin, you eventually have to interact with the traditional banking system. Silvergate's crypto bet worked for the bank, particularly in bull markets. A big part of Silvergate's crypto banking efforts was the Silvergate Exchange Network, better known as SEN, a platform that institutions used to move money to crypto exchanges. Custodia is a Wyoming-chartered special purpose depository institution designed to bridge the crypto and traditional banking systems.

Jan 31 (Reuters) - Big investors are dipping their toes into crypto waters again after a bumper month for bitcoin. Bitcoin was far and away the biggest draw, with funds tracking it responsible for $116 million of that. They said shorter-term investors were selling their bitcoin at a profit, while longer-term "HODlers" were still sticking with their coin and not contributing to selling pressure. Additionally, bitcoin's "dominance" or share of the total crypto market has hovered around 41% this month, levels not seen since last July. Analysts at Citi said this mimicked a similar jump in bitcoin dominance in April 2019, when a bitcoin rally marked a crypto market bottom.

☆ Celsius is weighing a crypto bankruptcy token to pay back creditors in reorganization
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Celsius is considering issuing a crypto token to repay creditors, the company said in a bankruptcy court hearing. Lawyers for the firm say reorganizing would yield more money for creditors as opposed to liquidating assets. But Celsius may be the first to issue a token to buy its way out of bankruptcy. Before filing for bankruptcy, Celsius managed $11 billion worth of assets and had around 1.7 million users. That cleared the way for Celsius to sell $18 million in stablecoin to pay its bills to stay longer in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

☆ Self-proclaimed 'Crocodile of Wall Street' gets tech job while under house arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Heather Morgan, aka "Razzlekhan," has been in house arrest facing charges in a massive crypto scheme. A D.C. federal court is now letting her leave home just to work at a tech company's NYC office. Morgan has managed to wrangle some freedoms during her house arrest so far. "While awaiting resolution of this matter, Ms. Morgan has sought to be productive," her lawyer told the court in November. Morgan wore a few hats in her past life, calling herself the "Crocodile of Wall Street," and writing columns.

☆ Binance grabbed 66% of crypto trading volumes on centralized exchanges in the 4th quarter of 2022 as the industry consolidated following the fall of FTX
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Binance captured 66.7% of all trading volume on centralized crypto exchanges in the last quarter of 2022. Trading volumes on centralized exchanges declined 46.2% last year amid a harsh macro environment and crypto bear market. Even as spot trading volumes on Binance fell 45.3% to $5.29 trillion, the rise in the exchange's market dominance continued throughout 2022. Amid a lengthy crypto bear market, trading volumes on centralized exchanges declined 46.2% in 2022. Volumes across centralized exchanges, or CEXs, stayed well above decentralized exchanges, or DEXs, according to the report.

The events of the year took many investors by surprise and made the task of predicting bitcoin's price that much harder. The crypto market was awash with pundits making feverish calls about where bitcoin was heading next. When asked about his $250,000 target earlier this month, the Draper Associates founder told CNBC $250,000 "is still my number" — but he's extending his prediction by six months. The entrepreneur says he's also done making bitcoin price predictions. Buehler said lack of risk management in the crypto industry, missing regulation and fraud have also been major factors affecting prices.

☆ 4 crypto experts break down what's next for the industry with trading volumes down 50% since the FTX collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Crypto daily trading volumes plunged 50% following FTX's collapse, per Bloomberg and Kaiko data. Insider spoke with four crypto experts about what's next for the nascent industry. The plunge in trading volumes comes at a pivotal time for the industry, which is enduring a prolonged and brutal bear market. "Many bull market retail investors have vacated the market causing significant lower trading volumes," Andreas Christensen, the founder of blockchain gaming developer SuperOne, said. Christensen added: "In such a fragile bear market, a big-time criminal act like SBF did with FTX will have a severe impact on the market sentiment and trading volumes."

☆ Factbox: Major cryptocurrency cases probed by U.S. authorities
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

BITMEX EMPLOYEESEmployees of BitMEX, including the cryptocurrency exchange's founders, pleaded guilty this year to willfully failing to establish, implement and maintain programs to prevent money laundering. The firm's cofounders pleaded guilty in federal court in New York and each agreed to pay a $10 million criminal fine. Another of the firm's employees also pleaded guilty, and agreed to a $150,000 fine. ONECOIN LTDIn 2019, U.S. authorities charged the alleged leaders of a multibillion-dolar pyramid scheme involving a fraudulent cryptocurrency called OneCoin. After a six-month court battle, Telegram agreed to pay an $18.5 million civil penalty and return $1.2 billion to investors.

Bitcoin balances on crypto exchanges - where retail investors typically transact - have fallen to around 2.3 million from its 2020 all-time high of 3.1 million, exchange Bitfinex said. "There are signs that a significant number of retail investors have been discouraged to the point of exiting crypto entirely," Bitfinex analysts said. DAVID VS GOLIATHCrypto retail investors losing money is nothing new. A study from the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), conducted between 2015 and 2022, estimated that 73% to 81% likely lost money on their investments in cryptocurrencies. Eloisa Marchesoni, a trader who said she had about $2,000 on FTX she was unable to withdraw, is sure crypto will retain its attraction for smaller investors.

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