News linked to this event type.
According to Bitcoin.com, Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office announced Wednesday that eight individuals suspected of using cryptocurrency to launder money for drug trafficking organizations have been arrested in coordination with U.S. intelligence agencies. Police and military forces carried out synchronized operations across four locations: Cali, Medellín, Barranquilla, and Bogotá. Among those detained were seven members, including the gang’s leader, Guillermo Carpio Cardenas (alias “Gallo”). The U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico alleged that the syndicate obscured the origins of drug proceeds and evaded financial intelligence oversight through deposit networks, encrypted tokens, and smurfing. Another suspect, Nassim Orfale Vasquez, was apprehended in Barranquilla and has been indicted by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), he processed over $42 million in suspicious cryptocurrency transactions since 2018, and authorities are currently investigating whether a larger money-laundering network operates along Colombia’s coastline.
According to Crypto Briefing, Thailand's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stated that it has not yet received any formal applications for spot cryptocurrency ETFs, though multiple asset management firms have already submitted inquiries regarding spot Bitcoin and Ethereum products. The regulator declined to disclose potential issuers or establish a listing timeline, noting that it cannot confirm whether the inaugural Thai crypto ETFs will launch in 2026. On October 8, Thailand's SEC finalized 11 related notices, establishing a new regulatory framework that took effect on October 16. Under the rules, licensed asset management firms may create passive ETFs tracking a single eligible asset—currently restricted to Bitcoin and Ethereum—maintaining an annual average net exposure of no less than 80%. These products may only be listed and traded on the Stock Exchange of Thailand and must utilize SEC-approved digital asset custodians. Investors are required to complete risk education and formally acknowledge associated risks prior to purchase, while brokerages are barred from offering margin trading or securities lending for these funds. Thai mutual funds and private funds may allocate to domestic crypto ETFs within their existing investment limits. Previously, access to such exposure was only possible through overseas ETFs and was strictly limited to institutional and ultra-high-net-worth investors.
According to reports from Korean media outlet EDaily, the Korea Financial Services Commission stated that it will study options for allowing cryptocurrency exchanges to participate in the security token offering (STO) market, addressing issues such as market environment, investor protection, licensing system integration, and cross-business licensing. Lee Eok-won, Chairman of the Korea Financial Services Commission, expressed support for proposals to develop the STO market using existing exchange technology and trading infrastructure, emphasizing the need to integrate existing exchange technology and trading infrastructure into the security token market.
According to PR Newswire, J.P. Morgan Asset Management announced on October 22 that its tokenized money market funds MONY and JLTXX are now live on the Solana blockchain and available to eligible U.S. investors. Eligible investors can subscribe and redeem through its institutional trading platform, Morgan Money, and receive their token balances at their own blockchain addresses. MONY is a private fund established under Rule 506(c), launched in December 2025. At that time, J.P. Morgan became the first global systemically important bank to launch a tokenized money market fund on a public blockchain. JLTXX is a U.S.-registered government money market fund, with an investment approach designed to support stablecoin issuers under the framework of the GENIUS Act.
According to an official press release from FORT Robotics, physical AI security platform FORT Robotics announced on October 22 that it secured approximately $20 million in new investment commitments from existing investors. Tiger Global led approximately $10 million of the financing round, with Mark Cuban Companies participating, and the closing is expected to take place within this week. Tiger Global also committed an additional $10 million to the PIPE (private investment in public equity) transaction scheduled to close concurrently with the merger. Including previously announced PIPE commitments, the total committed capital for FORT’s proposed business combination with Newbury Street II Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: NTWO) has exceeded $50 million. Following the completion of the merger, the company will be renamed FORT Robotics Holdings, Inc., and plans to list on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol “FROB,” pending regulatory approval.
According to CoinPost, the "Proposal for Fundamental Strengthening of Cybersecurity Countermeasures" compiled by the Japan Liberal Democratic Party National Cybersecurity Strategy Headquarters (Chairperson: Masaaki Hirai) was approved by the Party-Government-Administrative Coordination Council on October 22. The proposal characterizes the current landscape as the "eve of a cyber crisis," centering on the establishment of a "Cyber Response Headquarters (provisional)" led by the Prime Minister's Secretariat. The proposal directs the National Police Agency to lead participation in international joint investigations with agencies such as the FBI and Europol, dismantle criminal infrastructure including command-and-control servers, and actively track illicitly acquired crypto assets. It also mandates the National Cyber Coordination Office to accelerate migration to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Referencing the migration schedules for high-impact systems in major Western nations around 2030–2031, the proposal sets an earlier deadline for critical government systems. The article notes that electronic signatures for Bitcoin (BTC) are equally vulnerable to future quantum computing threats.
The South Korean government and central bank are pushing to amend the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, planning to bring stablecoins under regulation as payment instruments. South Korea is currently drafting the Basic Act on Digital Assets, which will establish a licensing system for cryptocurrency exchanges and set rules for stablecoin issuance.
According to The New York Post, which cited sources familiar with the situation, prediction market platform Polymarket has terminated its Chief Marketing Officer, Matthew Modabber. He is a high school classmate and close ally of CEO Shayne Coplan, and has served in the role since January 2024. Prior to this, the company conducted an internal investigation into multiple controversies involving Modabber. In one instance, as reported by The Wall Street Journal in June, his team allegedly created fraudulent websites to promote staged videos claiming users had profited from fake trades. This incident prompted an investigation by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), though no violations have been confirmed to date. Separately, Politico reported that he allegedly used a personal PayPal account to pay influencers for promotional content without disclosing the business relationship. Sources stated that Coplan was initially frustrated with the legal team driving the dismissal decision, but later came to agree that terminating Modabber was in the best interest of the company. Board members believe Modabber hindered efforts to distance the company from its grassroots startup image amid preparations for a potential initial public offering (IPO). Both parties are currently finalizing the terms of his departure agreement, and Polymarket has declined to comment.
According to The Block, JPMorgan analysts including Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou stated in Wednesday's report that recent actions by U.S. regulators are partially offsetting the adverse impact of the Senate's failure to advance the Clarity Act, but until a crypto market structure bill is enacted, the political and legal risk premium will persist. Analysts note that regulator-driven measures could encourage institutional participation in the short term, but only legislation can ensure a more durable regulatory framework. If the Democratic Party wins the White House, existing regulatory measures could be overturned within as little as two years. The bill is unlikely to pass this year and may instead be put back on the agenda in 2027.
According to Bloomberg, the Commodity Markets Council, representing derivatives exchanges such as CME Group and commodity traders, has informed the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that perpetual futures pose significant risks to market integrity, urging regulators not to approve the perpetual oil futures contract proposed by prediction market platform Kalshi. The organization also called on the CFTC to plug regulatory loopholes to prevent retail investors from accessing offshore trading platforms through this channel.
Odaily Report: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has banned personnel at the Pentagon and defense agencies from using non-public information to place bets on upcoming military operations, including trading on prediction market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket.In a memo sent Tuesday to senior officials at the Department of Defense and related defense agencies, Pete Hegseth stated that the ban covers both classified and unclassified information, and noted that betting on prediction markets could expose military operations and affect operational security and personnel judgment.The directive follows allegations that US Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke was charged in April with using classified information about the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to bet on related outcomes on Polymarket and earn more than $400,000. Prosecutors said he participated in planning and executing the operation, and Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty to all charges.In February of this year, Israeli authorities arrested and charged a military reservist and a civilian on suspicion of using classified information to bet on Polymarket regarding the outcome of an Israeli military strike on Iran. (Cointelegraph)
Trump called Musk on Wednesday to request the removal of speed restrictions on the Ukrainian military's Starlink service, and system performance improved following the call. U.S. senators have launched an investigation into the Pentagon's reliance on SpaceX for critical communication services.
Richard Blumenthal, the ranking Democratic member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a letter to Tether and Nxum Group demanding clarification on the arrangement under which Tether made payments to Nxum Group. Nxum Group was co-founded by Bo Hines, CEO of Tether's U.S. subsidiary, and provided consulting services to Tether and received substantial payments during the period when Bo Hines served as a White House crypto adviser and participated in shaping crypto policy. Blumenthal said the terms and nature of the business relationship between the two parties raise serious ethical and legal concerns. A Tether spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Odaily reports: Banking group HSBC has launched the stablecoin RedCoin, which will be available to over 3.3 million PayMe users for payments to 100,000 merchants before the weekend. Maggie Ng, CEO of HSBC Hong Kong and General Manager of Retail Banking and Wealth Management, stated that funds, assets, and information are shifting from traditional infrastructure to always-on, data-rich, and increasingly programmable digital networks.Li Guankang, Head of Retail Banking Products at HSBC and CEO of PayMe, stated that RedCoin will match the existing PayMe wallet in terms of transaction speed and other aspects, while offering additional benefits for merchant payments. To celebrate the launch of RedCoin, users can receive transaction coupons and "reward money" and other rewards.John O'Neill, Managing Director of Digital Assets and Currencies at HSBC, stated that within the year, a stablecoin wallet function will be added to the HSBC Hong Kong mobile banking app, and users will be able to subscribe to tokenized investment products using RedCoin, including the HSBC Hong Kong Dollar Money Market Fund, with a minimum subscription amount of HKD 100.Over the past months, HSBC has worked with regulators and potential users to advance the launch of RedCoin, with nearly 100 employees participating in the pilot, testing the complete process from minting to wallet activation to actual transfers. HSBC will subsequently expand use cases for corporate and institutional clients and launch more products. (HK01 NFT)
Odaily reports: The cryptocurrency ATM and counter-assisted cryptocurrency transaction ban in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA has taken effect. Relevant businesses must immediately cease operations and remove their equipment by December 5.Albuquerque's virtual currency ordinance prohibits merchants, landlords, property owners, and retailers from operating or providing space for cryptocurrency ATMs; violators may face fines of $500 per day, have their business licenses revoked, and the entire business may be shut down.The ordinance does not restrict residents from legally holding, mining, or privately transferring cryptocurrency through internet exchanges and personal digital wallets. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) stated that reported cryptocurrency ATM fraud losses in 2025 have exceeded $388 million. (Bitcoin.com News)
a16z co-founder and crypto business lead Chris Dixon announced that a16z Crypto will be renamed a16z Frontier, expanding its investment scope from crypto startups to a broader range of frontier technology sectors, with a focus on supporting companies developing new technologies, creating new markets, and potentially facing longer commercialization cycles. Dixon stated that this adjustment represents business expansion rather than an exit from the crypto space; the fund will continue to invest in crypto and related projects and promote sound crypto regulatory policies. The new fund will also focus on AI and the new products and markets it spawns, including autonomous machines, hardware-software integrated startups, and new types of networks connecting humans and agents.Dixon believes that blockchain will play an important role in this round of technological transformation, that stablecoins are becoming a common tool for fintech companies and traditional institutions, and that blockchain is also expected to support machine-to-machine transactions and provide native economic capabilities for new types of networks. The fund will be jointly led by Dixon, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, along with Eddy Lazzarin and Guy Wuollet.
Odaily reports: Yuyuantantian stated in a post that on October 16, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology publicly solicited opinions on the revision of the Catalog of Technologies Prohibited or Restricted from Export in China (hereinafter referred to as the Catalog). Among them, there are 23 AI-related technologies, including large models, agents, computing clusters, information processing, and more. After the Catalog was released, some people raised questions: China emphasizes technological openness, so why suddenly impose "export restrictions" on AI? Is this a signal of a policy shift? It is reported that since the policy was announced, two leading companies, DeepSeek and MiniMax, have smoothly completed registration procedures and finished open-sourcing and overseas authorized use. In relevant Q&A, the Ministry of Commerce clearly gave more and more specific explanations of "what is not regulated" than of "what is regulated." This also shows that the core of the Catalog is to delineate boundaries, rather than simply restricting the external export of AI technology.
Odaily reports: S&P Global Ratings released a report on Thursday, assigning UK digital bank Revolut a BBB+ investment-grade rating for the first time, and expects the company to issue senior unsecured bonds in 2027 to build a debt buffer capable of absorbing potential losses and meeting regulatory requirements. The report noted that Revolut's balance sheet has exceeded £40 billion (approximately $53.5 billion); should the bank fail, the Bank of England could push for a restructuring in which investors would bear corresponding losses.S&P expects that as Revolut expands its unsecured retail lending business and launches mortgage products, its loan portfolio will double in 2027 and double again in 2028. S&P believes that Revolut has a strong consumer brand, a scalable technology platform, and increasingly diversified products, but its share of primary banking relationships remains lower than that of traditional banks, and rapid global expansion could also exacerbate operational complexity and compliance risks. BBB+ is among the lower tiers of S&P's investment-grade ratings. (Bloomberg)
The Blockchain Association has written to U.S. congressional leadership urging Congress to advance bipartisan digital asset tax legislation and launched a website to encourage the public to share their views with lawmakers. The association stated that approximately 67 million Americans hold or use digital assets, and existing tax rules have fallen short of meeting industry needs, thereby increasing compliance burdens for taxpayers. Its five proposed policy principles include: establishing a reasonable de minimis transaction exemption threshold; imposing taxes upon the disposition of assets derived from mining and staking rewards; protecting taxpayer privacy; levying taxes based on economic substance rather than technical form; and implementing well-calibrated wash sale rules that prevent abuse without penalizing the daily transactions of ordinary users.
Onchain Lens posted on X questioning CoinDCX's so-called hack incident, stating that CoinDCX may have undisclosed fund anomalies—user deposits had flowed into a wallet that was not included in the relevant fund accounting, after which nearly equivalent funds were transferred out; some funds were also moved through less common cross-chain bridge entry points and services, indicating abnormal pathways.Onchain Lens further pointed out that some funds suspected to be related to CoinDCX hot wallets flowed through over-the-counter (OTC) services and mixing platforms, and questioned that the CoinDCX team still denied the occurrence of a security incident even after multiple researchers and on-chain investigators presented relevant evidence.