News linked to both this project and an event.
Visa is closing a checkout loophole supported by crypto payment infrastructure company Crossmint. The loophole previously allowed users purchasing Meme coins with credit cards to have transactions classified under a merchant category code intended for digital media such as e-books, movies, and music.Visa has notified payment processors, including Checkout.com, that it will no longer accept that code for Meme coin transactions, giving processors a grace period to stop the practice, which is expected to end next week. Thereafter, Meme coin purchases must be processed as cryptocurrency transactions and are subject to Visa's corresponding rules.Chase had disputed a Visa transaction that was not flagged as a cryptocurrency transaction, arguing that its merchant category code was incorrect and that it should not have earned credit card rewards. The New York State Attorney General's Office is also aware of and reviewing the matter. (Decrypt)
According to Decrypt, UAE and Swedish police jointly arrested seven suspected members, successfully dismantling a transnational cryptocurrency money laundering network. The network processed approximately 70 million Swedish kronor (about $7.1 million) in illicit funds over a 10-month period, using cryptocurrencies to transfer and conceal assets. The network's ringleader was a Swedish fugitive with an Interpol Red Notice who was apprehended in the UAE, while six other members were simultaneously arrested in Sweden. By tracking on-chain transaction records, investigators further uncovered the network's ties to organized crime and contract killings.
Odaily News: The U.S. House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday advanced the American Reserve Modernization Act (H.R. 8957) by a vote of 28 to 21. All 28 votes in favor came from Republicans, while all 21 votes against came from Democrats.The bill requires the Treasury Department to establish a Bitcoin strategic reserve and a digital asset reserve within 180 days, and mandates that federal agencies declare their asset holdings within 60 days. Bitcoin included in the reserve may not be sold, exchanged, auctioned, or pledged as collateral for 20 years.The revised text removes provisions to purchase additional Bitcoin using Federal Reserve funds, gold certificate revaluation, and tariff revenues, and changes the frequency of proof-of-reserve reports from quarterly to annual. The bill does not authorize the purchase of Bitcoin; it only requires the Treasury Department and the Commerce Department to study acquisition plans that impose no cost on taxpayers. (Decrypt)
Odaily reports: Earlier this month, the verified Reddit account of streaming service HBO Max was hijacked by hackers, who deployed 108 malicious ads over approximately 48 hours, tricking Mac and Windows users into executing commands to install infostealer malware.The malware can steal browser credentials, Telegram data, Apple Notes, saved passwords, and crypto wallet recovery phrases, and may also alter wallet addresses in the clipboard. Reddit has suspended the relevant ads and launched a security investigation. The number of infections and crypto asset losses have not yet been confirmed. (Decrypt)
Odaily News: The UK government has announced that it will invest £500 million over the next three years in a new anti-money laundering and asset recovery strategy, and will recruit 500 additional personnel across police forces, the National Crime Agency (NCA), and the Crown Prosecution Service to track down and seize criminal funds.The funding comes from an economic crime levy imposed on regulated businesses. The UK Home Office stated that the NCA estimates more than £100 billion is laundered through the UK or UK corporate structures each year, with the development of fintech, cryptocurrency, and AI increasing related risks.The additional personnel will support "Operation Destabilise," which targets Russian-speaking networks that convert street cash into cryptocurrency. To date, the operation has arrested 119 suspected money launderers and seized over £25 million in cash and crypto assets in less than a year. (Decrypt)
Odaily News: The Albuquerque City Council in New Mexico, USA, has passed an ordinance prohibiting the use of cryptocurrency ATMs and counter-assisted virtual currency transactions within city limits. The city government will notify known operators and retailers hosting the devices, and the relevant equipment must be removed within 45 days.Albuquerque City Councilor Stephanie Telles stated that 90% of cryptocurrency ATM transactions in the city are related to scams, and noted that high fees discourage legitimate users from using such devices. Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn pointed out that these transactions are instant, anonymous, and irreversible, characteristics that could be exploited by scam groups, organized crime, and human traffickers.The City Council stated that residents can still hold, mine, and transfer cryptocurrencies through online trading platforms and personal wallets. Indiana, Tennessee, and Minnesota have already banned such devices statewide; North America's former largest operator, Bitcoin Depot, filed for bankruptcy in May and took approximately 9,700 devices offline. (Decrypt)
: Mexico's federal prosecutor's office, Navy, and Puebla State Police seized approximately 300 cryptocurrency mining machines in the mountainous northern area of Huauchinango, Puebla State. During the operation, transformers, medium-voltage cable terminals, and functional satellite internet antennas were also confiscated. Electricity at the site is suspected to have been illegally drawn from federal hydroelectric facilities powered by the Nuevo Necaxa Dam.Crypto mining itself is legal in Mexico, but prosecutors are preparing to file charges of electricity theft. Puebla State Security Secretary Francisco Sánchez stated that investigators traced local illegal mining leads due to the site's proximity to the Nuevo Necaxa Dam and discovered a large-scale power connection at the location.Suspicions of money laundering have not been ruled out. Forensic accountants are currently tracing the source of funds used to purchase the mining machines, and state authorities are also examining whether the mined output was used to launder criminal proceeds. Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission has joined the investigation. From January to July 2024, non-technical losses caused by electricity theft, meter tampering, and illegal connections amounted to approximately 6.346 billion kilowatt-hours, valued at around 1.38 billion pesos. (Decrypt)
According to Decrypt, Mexican federal prosecutors, along with the Navy and Puebla state police, raided a property in the remote mountainous area of Tlaola City, Puebla State. Approximately 300 cryptocurrency mining rigs were seized on-site, along with equipment such as transformers, medium-voltage terminals, and satellite internet antennas. The investigation revealed that the mining farm was illegally connected to the grid of the Nuevo Necaxa hydroelectric power plant, and authorities have filed charges for "theft of electricity." Forensic accountants are currently tracing the funding sources for the hardware, and money laundering suspicions have not been ruled out. Data from the Mexican Federal Electricity Commission shows that non-technical electricity losses reached as high as 6,346 gigawatt-hours between January and July 2024, valued at approximately 13.8 billion pesos (about $817 million).
Odaily News: Brazil's cryptocurrency market recorded a trading volume of 505.5 billion reais in 2025, approximately $98.7 billion, representing a more than fivefold increase from 94.9 billion reais in 2020. Corporate-related transactions totaled 497 billion reais, accounting for 98.3% of the total tracked by Brazil's Federal Revenue Service, with individual investors accounting for the remainder.Itaú, Brazil's largest bank by assets under management, now offers 15 crypto assets through its investment app, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the USD-pegged stablecoin USDC. Fintech company Nubank lists 28 crypto assets, while Banco do Brasil has seen trading volume exceed 11 million reais since opening direct trading in Bitcoin and Ethereum in January.Filings with the Central Bank of Brazil through March 2026 show that Brazilian banks hold no proprietary virtual asset positions, but may custody and process crypto assets on behalf of clients. Since 2025, Itaú, Bradesco, Santander, Banco do Brasil, and Nubank have all expanded their crypto asset service offerings.Brazil passed the Virtual Asset Legal Framework in 2022 and issued three regulatory resolutions in November 2025, requiring institutions providing crypto asset trading, custody, or transfer services to obtain licenses, meet minimum capital requirements, and maintain segregated client accounts, with a compliance deadline of October 30, 2026. Banco Safra issued the USD-pegged stablecoin Safra Dólar in September 2025, with the bank providing self-custody. (Decrypt)
Odaily News - Prediction market platform Polymarket launched its perpetual contract product, Polymarket Perps, on September 3. The initial offering covers 10 contracts including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, HYPE, Gold, Silver, WTI Crude Oil, S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and a contract tracking SpaceX stock, expanding to 67 markets within hours.The product has no expiration date, with contract prices continuously tracking the underlying assets. It maintains anchoring to spot prices through funding rates settled hourly, with funding rate caps at 4% per hour in both directions. Cryptocurrencies, the S&P 500, crude oil, gold, and silver support up to 20x leverage, while individual stocks and other real-world assets support up to 10x.U.S. traders are unable to place Perps orders and will be directed to Polymarket US, which is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). This arrangement stems from Polymarket's 2022 settlement with the CFTC, in which the company was fined $1.4 million for operating an unregistered swap execution facility and was required to cease related non-compliant contracts. (Decrypt)
Odaily News: Blockchain-native fintech startup OpenReserve received preliminary conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on September 2 to establish a full-service national bank in Salt Lake City, Utah. The approval process took less than five months, with OpenReserve submitting its application on April 13.OpenReserve must raise at least $210 million in initial paid-in capital within 12 months and maintain a minimum Tier 1 leverage ratio of 12% for three years after opening. It must also commence operations within 18 months, or the approval will lapse. The relevant deadlines are September 2027 and March 2028, respectively.OpenReserve plans to offer tokenized deposits, treasury management, foreign correspondent banking, and Banking-as-a-Service for institutional clients. The full-service national bank charter, upon final approval, would allow it to accept deposits and conduct lending activities.OpenReserve previously completed a $25 million seed funding round led by a16z crypto, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Jump Capital, and Wintermute Ventures, among others. The company plans to establish a wholly-owned subsidiary to issue and redeem dollar-denominated, reserve-backed stablecoins, but that subsidiary has not yet filed an application with the OCC. (Decrypt)
According to Decrypt, Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina has issued a preliminary injunction against prediction market platform Kalshi, ordering it to stop offering sports betting-related contracts to Michigan residents. The court determined that Kalshi's relevant operations are essentially "sports betting disguised as investment opportunities."
Odaily News: The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has seized approximately $560,000 in cryptocurrency and taken control of the domain and servers of a fundraising website linked to Hamas. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that these funds were allegedly intended for use by Hamas's military wing, Al Qassam Brigades.Investigators tracked and confiscated the relevant crypto assets based on three seizure warrants issued on March 25, June 25, and October 10, 2025. Court documents show that the assets involved include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Wrapped Ethereum, Tether (USDT), and TRON (TRX), distributed across 18 addresses controlled by Tether and 3 Binance accounts.According to court documents, encrypted chat groups had directed supporters to visit AlQassam.ps and solicited donations via rotating wallet addresses. After the FBI took over the relevant domain and servers, it obtained information on thousands of individuals who had contacted Hamas to inquire about making donations. (Decrypt)
Odaily News Crypto enterprises, asset managers, market makers, and consumer advocacy groups have submitted comments to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in response to its request for input on the regulatory framework for "novel ETFs," covering exchange-traded products such as crypto assets, private assets, event contracts, and leveraged strategies.Crypto industry organization Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) recommended extending certain regulatory accommodations applicable to ETFs to non-ETF exchange-traded products. Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (A16z) stated that the SEC should assess products based on their underlying assets and risk profiles, rather than treating all novel ETFs as a single category.Grayscale opposed adding new portfolio restrictions for mature digital asset products, while Chainalysis suggested leveraging public blockchains to enable real-time monitoring and verifiable disclosures. Kalshi expressed support for including event contracts in registered funds, whereas consumer advocacy group Public Citizen opposed offering event contract ETFs to retail investors. The SEC will evaluate whether to adopt a unified regulatory framework or craft separate rules based on product structure and risk. (Decrypt)
According to Decrypt, Build American AI, an advocacy group under the super PAC "Leading the Future" backed by Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and OpenAI President Greg Brockman, has announced it will invest millions of dollars in advertising across Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin to strongly support data center construction. However, a recent poll from the Annenberg Public Policy Center shows that 61% of U.S. respondents oppose building new data centers locally, a significant rise from 49% earlier this year. A majority opposed the projects across all major political affiliations, with Democrats at 69%, Republicans at 54%, and Independents at 53%. President Trump commented on the matter, stating that communities resisting data centers would be "backward and poor," and warned that China is eager to see this backlash. Currently, New York has imposed a moratorium on hyperscale data centers, Texas has halted approvals, and multiple cities have followed with bans. According to Data Center Watch, approximately $130 billion in projects faced obstacles or delays in the first quarter of 2026.
Odaily Odaily News The prediction market exchange Kalshi has suspended North Carolina Republican House candidate Laurie Buckhout from trading for three years due to her trading of contracts related to her own congressional election. The settlement took effect on Friday, and she is also required to pay a fine of $2,589.96.During her campaign against Democratic Rep. Don Davis for North Carolina's 1st Congressional District, Buckhout purchased related contracts worth less than $1,000. Under Kalshi's rules, candidates are considered persons with direct decision-making influence over outcomes and are prohibited from trading related contracts.Kalshi has previously suspended Minnesota Senator Matt Klein, former Texas congressional candidate Ezekiel Enriquez, and Virginia Senate candidate Mark Moran for five years each over candidates betting on their own elections. Former Rep. George Santos was permanently banned for trading contracts related to his own attendance at the State of the Union address and was fined $71,356.Buckhout won the Republican primary in March of this year and will face Don Davis again in the election; she previously lost by less than two percentage points in 2024. Kalshi is regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and has processed tens of billions of dollars in trading volume over the past year. (Decrypt)
Odaily News – The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency in South Korea arrested 4 Uzbek nationals in April under the Prohibition of Funding for Terrorist Acts Act. Among them, the principal suspect has been indicted, detained, and is standing trial, while the other 3 are under investigation without detention; one individual has been placed on an Interpol Red Notice.Police allege that between August 2024 and April 2025, the principal suspect transferred 4,267 USDT in 7 separate transactions to Katibat Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ), a Syria-based organization. Founded in 2014, KTJ is primarily composed of Central Asian militants and has been designated as a terrorist organization by both the United Nations and the United States.The investigation shows that the principal suspect also received cryptocurrency from KTJ and used it to purchase 11 used cars and 2 excavators, with a total value of 170 million KRW (approximately $121,000), and shipped the vehicles to Syria. The other 3 individuals are suspected of assisting with the procurement and export.Police stated that this case, which involves receiving cryptocurrency from a terrorist organization, purchasing and supplying vehicles, is the first of its kind in South Korea. The investigation also revealed that the principal suspect used 3 personal wallets and deposited vehicle payments into an account under his spouse's name. The case remains under investigation. (Decrypt)
According to Decrypt, the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) froze approximately $13.6 million (around £10.02 million) in Barclays' account for the Premier League under the Proceeds of Crime Act. This amount represents the initial sponsorship payment made by crypto fantasy football card game Sorare to the Premier League, stemming from a four-year sponsorship agreement worth roughly $163 million (£120 million) signed by both parties in January 2023. The NCA stated that the freeze was implemented to prevent the transfer of funds while investigating its link to "potential third-party criminal activity," with the Premier League itself facing no allegations of misconduct. Concurrently, Sorare is confronting a separate prosecution from the UK Gambling Commission, which alleges it provided gambling services without a valid operating license. The trial has been postponed until June 2027. Sorare denies that its product falls under gambling regulations, firmly asserting that gameplay is centered on skill rather than chance.
Odaily News The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has frozen over $13.6 million in funds held in Barclays bank accounts belonging to The Football Association Premier League Limited, the operating entity of the Premier League. The agency obtained a court order from Westminster Magistrates' Court in January 2025, freezing the funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act.The funds represent the first installment of a four-year sponsorship agreement with Sorare, announced in January 2023, which allowed Sorare to issue digital player cards for the 20 Premier League clubs. Sorare's partnership with the Premier League has concluded as of the 2025-26 season.Sorare also faces prosecution by the UK Gambling Commission, accused of offering gambling facilities without an operating license. The company has entered three not-guilty pleas, with the trial scheduled for June 2027. Sorare maintains that its game rewards skill rather than chance and denies that it constitutes a gambling product under UK law. (Decrypt)
Odaily News The prediction market platform Kalshi has permanently banned former U.S. Representative George Santos and fined him $71,400. Kalshi determined that he manipulated markets related to whether he would attend the State of the Union address, profiting $17,800 from the scheme.In a disciplinary notice issued on August 28, Kalshi's compliance department stated that Santos made multiple large trades in the relevant markets between February 2 and 25. Since he could influence the market outcome, platform rules prohibited him from trading in that market; he subsequently made false or misleading statements regarding his attendance plans in an attempt to influence the prices of the "Yes" and "No" contracts.Kalshi determined that the statements were intended to manipulate prices and did cause price movements, resulting in violations of rules against market manipulation, trading on event outcomes, and fraudulent manipulation. He was also penalized for failing to cooperate with the investigation. This penalty marks the first time Kalshi has issued a lifetime ban against a former member of Congress. (Decrypt)