News linked to both this project and an event.
Odaily reports: Sarah Court, Chair of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), said at a parliamentary hearing on Thursday that the agency has not yet received any applications from prediction market operators. She noted that such platforms may face gambling regulation in Australia rather than financial market regulation, and that any operating license application would face strict scrutiny.Court said that the trading mechanism of prediction markets is similar to binary options, which Australia has already banned, featuring an all-or-nothing outcome, and that the underlying assets are often unrelated to investments or financial markets. She also noted that although Australian users can directly access relevant overseas platforms, they are not protected by local financial regulation and have difficulty obtaining measures such as dispute resolution and client fund protection.In August of this year, the Australian Communications and Media Authority required internet service providers to block the Polymarket website and classified it as an illegal online gambling site. (Bloomberg)
Odaily News: Crypto asset platform operator Bitcoin Group SE announced that the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) has rejected the crypto asset service provider license application submitted by its subsidiary futurum bank AG under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). The company is evaluating alternative operating models and seeking to restore Bitcoin.de trading as soon as possible through a regulated partner.Moritz Eckert, CEO of Bitcoin Group SE, stated that the company had prepared for the rejection of its application and will now review the decision, with the option to file an objection or resubmit the application in the future. Bitcoin.de is a German crypto trading platform operated by futurum bank AG, with over 1.1 million registered users.Bitcoin.de was originally a peer-to-peer trading marketplace and switched to a broker model this year, with plans to offer over 100 cryptocurrencies, crypto asset exchange, and staking services. The platform was originally scheduled to launch the new model at the end of June, but it was delayed due to waiting for MiCA licensing, and trading has been largely suspended since June 12. (Cointelegraph)
According to Caixin, Cambodia has publicly disclosed the inner workings of the telecom fraud compound known as "Zone 8" for the first time. Dubbed a "scam city," it is Cambodia's largest fraud operation, capable of housing up to 20,000 individuals trafficked and forced to engage in online fraud. The site is operated by the Cambodian company Legend Innovation. Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic's investigation revealed that the operator is linked to Prince Group. Legend Innovation is alleged to maintain ties with the US- and UK-sanctioned Prince Group through corporate phone numbers, director activities, and related business records. Notably, the registered phone number used by Legend Innovation previously appeared in documents concerning a real estate company alleged to be part of Prince Group's network.
the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have jointly announced sanctions against a group of individuals involved in state-sponsored hacking organizations, cybercriminal groups, and their infrastructure providers. The targets are accused of causing billions of dollars in losses to global enterprises, critical infrastructure, and government agencies. Among them, the most notable is the EU's sanction against Russian cybercriminal Vitaly Nikolayevich Kovalev, also known as "Stern." The EU identified Stern as one of the core managers of the notorious Trickbot Group ransomware syndicate, which is behind high-risk ransomware variants such as Conti ransomware and Ryuk.On-chain analysis shows that wallet addresses linked to Stern have collectively received over $300 million in ransom payments, potentially making him the most prolific ransomware operator ever identified.According to the analysis, the $300 million figure represents only Stern's personal gains, while the total illicit income of the Trickbot Group could be significantly higher. On-chain fund flows indicate that Stern had transactional ties with multiple ransomware ecosystems, including Ryuk, Conti, Diavol, Karakurt, Royal, and Quantum.The investigation reveals that Stern played a role similar to a "CEO" within the Trickbot organization, responsible for budget management, personnel recruitment, infrastructure procurement, and attack planning. (Chainalysis)
The French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) announced that, effective from June 30, 2026, it will revoke the Digital Asset Service Provider (PSAN) registration of AUTOMATA France SAS (operating Vancelian.com). The regulator noted that the company engaged in crowdfunding activities without obtaining the necessary authorization, reflecting that its management and significant shareholders failed to meet integrity and competence requirements.
According to Decrypt, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has filed a lawsuit against Bitcoin ATM operator CoinFlip, accusing it of “knowingly facilitating fraudulent transactions” and seeking a $1.83 million fine as well as a ban on its operations in the state. CoinFlip responded that the lawsuit is “baseless” and urged authorities to instead investigate the actual criminals. Against this backdrop, U.S. states are intensifying regulatory crackdowns on Bitcoin ATMs—particularly targeting scams targeting elderly individuals. FBI data shows that related losses reached $389 million in 2025.
According to Cointelegraph, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has filed a lawsuit against GPD Holdings—the parent company of cryptocurrency ATM operator CoinFlip—accusing it of “intentionally facilitating fraudulent transactions and profiting from them,” with victims including elderly residents and veterans in the state. The lawsuit stems from a targeted investigation launched by Missouri in December 2025 into multiple crypto ATM companies, which alleged “deceptive fee structures” and fraudulent conduct. The Attorney General’s Office is asking the court to rule that CoinFlip violated the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, prohibit it from continuing operations in the state, impose a $1,000 fine for each violation over the past five years (capped at $1.826 million), and provide restitution to affected consumers. CoinFlip currently operates 136 crypto ATMs in Missouri and 4,229 nationwide. Notably, Bitcoin Depot—another major crypto ATM operator—filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, and regulatory pressure is intensifying across the entire industry.