Iranians were able to access more than 1,500 Binance accounts last year, and $1.7 billion was transferred from two of them to terrorist proxies, The New York Times reported Monday.
Crypto
CME CF Cryptocurrency benchmarks: frequently asked questions – CME Group
Cryptocurrency
REFERENCE RATE
TICKER SYMBOL
CALCULATION WINDOW
Bitcoin
CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate*
BRR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Bitcoin Real-Time Index
BRTI
Every Second
CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate New York Variant*
BRRNY
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. NY time
CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate APAC Variant
BRRAP
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Hong Kong/Singapore time
CME CF Bitcoin-Euro Reference Rate*
BTCEUR_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Bitcoin-Euro Real-Time Index
BTCEUR_RTI
Every Second
Ether
CME CF Ether-Dollar Reference Rate*
ETHUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Ether-Dollar Real-Time Index
ETHUSD_RTI
Every Second
CME CF Ether-Dollar Reference Rate New York Variant
ETHUSD_NY
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. NY time
CME CF Ether-Dollar Reference Rate APAC Variant
ETHUSD_AP
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Hong Kong/Singapore time
CME CF Ether-Euro Reference Rate*
ETHEUR_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Ether-Euro Real-Time Index
ETHEUR_RTI
Every Second
Solana
CME CF Solana-Dollar Reference Rate*
SOLUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Solana-Dollar Real-Time Index
SOLUSD_RTI
Every Second
CME CF Solana-Dollar Reference Rate New York Variant
SOLUSD_NY
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. NY time
CME CF Solana-Dollar Reference Rate APAC Variant
SOLUSD_AP
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Hong Kong/Singapore time
Algorand
CME CF Algorand-Dollar Reference Rate
ALGOUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Algorand-Dollar Real-Time Index
ALGOUSD_RTI
Every Second
ARB
CME CF Arbitrum-Dollar Reference Rate
ARBUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Arbitrum-Dollar Real-Time Index
ARBUSD_RTI
Every Second
Avalanche
CME CF Avalanche-Dollar Reference Rate
AVAXUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Avalanche-Dollar Real-Time Index
AVAXUSD_RTI
Every Second
Bitcoin Cash
CME CF Bitcoin Cash-Dollar Reference Rate
BCHUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Bitcoin Cash-Dollar Real-Time Index
BCHUSD_RTI
Every Second
Cardano
CME CF Cardano-Dollar Reference Rate
ADAUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Cardano-Dollar Real-Time Index
ADAUSD_RTI
Every Second
CME CF Cardano-Dollar Reference Rate APAC Variant
ADAUSD_AP
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Hong Kong/Singapore time
Chainlink
CME CF Chainlink-Dollar Reference Rate
LINKUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Chainlnk-Dollar Real-Time Index
LINKUSD_RTI
Every Second
CME CF Chainlink-Dollar Reference Rate New York Variant
LINKUSD_NY
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. NY time
CME CF Chainlink-Dollar Reference Rate APAC Variant
LINKUSD_AP
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Hong Kong/Singapore time
Cosmos
CME CF Cosmos-Dollar Reference Rate
ATOMUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Cosmos-Dollar Real-Time Index
ATOMUSD_RTI
Every Second
Ether/Bitcoin Ratio
CME CF ETHBTC_USD Reference Rate
ETHBTC_USDRR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF ETHBTC_USD Real-Time Index
ETHBTC_USDRTI
Every Second
Filecoin
CME CF Filecoin-Dollar Reference Rate
FILUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Filecoin-Dollar Real-Time Index
FILUSD_RTI
Every Second
Internet Computer
CME CF Internet Computer-Dollar Reference Rate
ICPUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Internet Computer-Dollar Real Time Index
ICPUSD_RTI
Every Second
Litecoin
CME CF Litecoin-Dollar Reference Rate
LTCUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Litecoin-Dollar Real-Time Index
LTCUSD_RTI
Every Second
CME CF Litecoin-Dollar Reference Rate New York Variant
LTCUSD_NY
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. NY time
CME CF Litecoin-Dollar Reference Rate APAC Variant
LTCUSD_AP
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Hong Kong/Singapore time
NEAR
CME CF NEAR-Dollar Reference Rate
NEARUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF NEAR-Dollar Real-Time Index
NEARUSD_RTI
Every Second
Ondo
CME CF Ondo-Dollar Reference Rate
ONDOUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Ondo-Dollar Real-Time Index
ONDOUSD_RTI
Every Second
CME CF Ondo-Dollar Reference Rate – New York Variant
ONDOUSD_NY
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. NY time
DOT
CME CF Polkadot-Dollar Reference Rate
DOTUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Polkadot-Dollar Real-Time Index
DOTUSD_RTI
Every Second
CME CF Polkadot-Dollar Reference Rate New York Variant
DOTUSD_NY
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. NY time
CME CF Polkadot-Dollar Reference Rate – APAC Variant
DOTUSD_AP
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Hong Kong/Singapore time
Polygon
CME CF Polygon-Dollar Reference Rate
POLUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Polygon-Dollar Real-Time Index
POLUSD_RTI
Every Second
CME CF Polygon-Dollar Reference Rate New York Variant
POLUSD_NY
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. NY time
Stellar Lumens
CME CF Stellar Lumens-Dollar Reference Rate
XLMUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Stellar Lumens-Dollar Real-Time Index
XLMUSD_RTI
Every Second
Sui
CME CF Sui-Dollar Reference Rate
SUIUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Sui-Dollar Real-Time Index
SUIUSD_RTI
Every Second
CME CF Sui-Dollar Reference Rate – New York Variant
SUIUSD_NY
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. NY time
Tezos
CME CF Tezos-Dollar Reference Rate
XTZUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF Tezos-Dollar Real-Time Index
XTZUSD_RTI
Every Second
XRP
CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate
XRPUSD_RR
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. London time
CME CF XRP-Dollar Real-Time Index
XRPUSD_RTI
Every Second
CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate New York Variant
XRPUSD_NY
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. NY time
CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate APAC Variant
XRPUSD_AP
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Hong Kong/Singapore time
Crypto
Cryptocurrency Investment Fraud: Bizman loses Rs 2.6 cr to crypto, investment fraud | Hyderabad News – The Times of India
Hyderabad: A 69-year-old businessman from Somajiguda lost 2.65 crore allegedly in a cryptocurrency and stock investment fraud. Based on his complaint, Hyderabad Cyber Crime police have registered a case.The complainant was first contacted by a fraudster posing as Ramya Krishnan on Aug 30, 2025 through Facebook. She persuaded the victim to invest in a cryptocurrency and stock trading platform, Polyus Finance PFP Gold, hosted at the domain pfpgoldfx.vip, promising high returns to finance his proposed resort and apparel ventures.Fraudsters provided the victim a contact number for daily communication and sent screenshots showing notional profits credited in his wallet in USDT cryptocurrency. To build trust, the fraudster even allowed the victim a token withdrawal of 4,300 on Sept 12, 2025.Encouraged, the victim transferred over 2.65 crore in 10 transactions between Sept 10 and Dec 39, 2025 to various current accounts provided by the accused.When he attempted to withdraw his ‘earnings’, the accused demanded an additional 15% conversion commission. After he refused, the website became inaccessible and calls to the fraudsters went unanswered.Realising that he was duped, the victim filed an online report on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) before approaching the Cyber Crime police on Feb 25.Based on his complaint, a case was registered under Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act and Sections 111(2)(b) (Organised crime), 318(4) (Cheating), 319(2) (Cheating by personation), 336(3) (Forgery for purpose of cheating), 338 (Forgery of valuable security, will, etc.) and 340(2) (Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on Wednesday. Police were analysing financial transactions to identify and arrest the accused.
That was a potential violation of global sanctions, the report said, citing company records and documents collected by internal investigators.
The cryptocurrency exchange site reportedly fired or suspended at least four employees cited in the internal investigation. The company blamed “violations of company protocol” relating to its clients’ data, the Times reported.
The report came days after The Jerusalem Post spoke with experts from blockchain intelligence platform NOMINIS.io about how the Iranian regime was evading Western sanctions through cryptocurrencies.
The regime maintains a steady income using cryptocurrency through oil sales to Russia and China, NOMINIS CEO Snir Levi said at the time.
Regarding the latest scandal, he told the Post this week: “The latest allegations about Binance come months after the lawsuit by the victims’ families of October 7 – the ongoing Balva [versus] Binance case.
The majority of the allegations can be easily confirmed by on-chain data. There are thousands of cases where money has been sent and received to and from wallets that have clear connections to Iran.”
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao is being sued by the families of American victims and hostages of the October 7 massacre. He has been accused of knowingly enabling Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to transfer more than $1b. through its platform, including more than $50 million after the October 7 massacre.
Zhao pleaded guilty to anti-money-laundering violations in connection with Binance in 2023. US President Donald Trump pardoned him last October.
“They say what he did was not even a crime,” Trump told reporters last October. “It wasn’t a crime. That he was persecuted by the Biden administration, and so I gave him a pardon at the request of a lot of very good people.”
Binance representative Rachel Conlan said the accounts linked to the $1.7b. in Iranian transactions have been removed and the relevant authorities were informed.
“Any suggestion that Binance knowingly allowed sanctionable activity to continue unchecked is incorrect and defamatory,” she said, despite Zhao’s earlier admission of anti-money-laundering violations.
More than half a dozen compliance officials have left Binance, including a sanctions manager and the leader of the enterprise compliance team, over the past few months, the Times reported.
“No investigator was dismissed for raising compliance concerns or for reporting potential sanctions issues,” Conlan said in a statement to The Guardian.
Democrat senator opens inquiry into cryptocurrency company
While Conlan insisted there was no wrongdoing, US Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) opened an inquiry into Binance on Tuesday, seeking records of the company’s dealings in Hong Kong , where funds have previously been transferred in a network against sanctions.
“Binance appears to have ignored warnings and recommendations to prevent Iranian money-laundering schemes on its cryptocurrency exchange,” Blumenthal wrote in a letter to Binance co-chief executive Richard Teng.
“According to documents obtained by the Times and the Journal, Binance was even warned that Hexa Whale was financing terrorist organizations such as the Yemeni Houthis, and internal investigators found cryptocurrency transfers to wallets associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and payments to crew members of Russia’s sanctions-evading shadow fleet of oil tankers,” he wrote.
“Instead of actually preventing illicit use, Binance has sought to evade accountability and influence the White House through lobbying and a financial partnership with World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the cryptocurrency firm owned by the sons of President Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff… This influence campaign has worked: In May 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it was dismissing a lawsuit against Binance for lying to regulators and mishandling funds, followed in October by the stunning Presidential pardon of founder Changpeng Zhao.”
“The scale of the newly revealed illicit transfers – uncaught until nearly $2 billion flowed to sanctioned entities – and the unexplained firing of internal investigators call into question Binance’s compliance with American sanctions and banking laws, and its 2023 agreement to resolve the previous federal investigation,” Blumenthal wrote.
Crypto
1 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock With More Potential Than Any Cryptocurrency | The Motley Fool
Crypto is stumbling while AI is advancing.
We’re in one of those times when market players are shunning crypto investments. Factors such as persistent inflation, a declining likelihood of interest rate cuts (typically a major catalyst for crypto price pops), and outflows from once-hotly popular crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have put the hurt on even the most prominent digital coins and tokens.
Given that, it’s worthwhile to consider another high-potential technology — artificial intelligence (AI). Despite huge growth opportunities ahead, AI has also taken it on the chin lately as well. It still has a bright future, and I believe investors can still hop on this train with a company that’s not a pure play, but one deeply — albeit not exclusively — involved in the technology.
Read on to see what AI giant I believe can outpace even the most popular cryptocurrencies.
Image source: Alphabet.
Alphabet is advancing AI
That company is none other than Google owner Alphabet (GOOG +0.68%)(GOOGL +0.68%). Although it’s still known, with some justification, as a search engine operator, the company has been neck-deep in AI for years. It’s developed both hardware and the large language models (LLMs) powered by it, and it clearly aims to be a top name in this technology.
I have no doubt it can succeed. Google’s AI component Gemini is now fused into the company’s search and many other features (like Google Mail). This makes it a convenient option for web searchers querying for more than basic information on a subject. Its functionalities are also integrated into offerings like Google Docs, where users can harness AI to help with their writing. The Gemini platform itself is a hot item, with a monthly active user count now topping 750 million.
On the hardware front, Alphabet is not only actively developing and deploying Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) — chips designed to power AI functionality — it invented them. Originally designed to bolster the company’s AI capabilities, the processors are now being sold to external customers, opening another revenue stream.
Today’s Change
(0.68%) $2.11
Current Price $313.03
Market Cap
$3.8T
Day’s Range
$309.36 – $313.66 52wk Range
$142.66 – $350.15
Volume
20M
Avg Vol 23M
Gross Margin
59.68%
Dividend Yield
0.27%
Key Data Points
AI is a growth catalyst for Alphabet
Alphabet doesn’t break out the revenue it derives from AI hardware and services, so we can’t put a precise number on how much the technology is bringing in for the company.
Still, it’s clearly foundational these days — the phrase “AI” was mentioned 94 times during management’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings conference call. And the tech giant stated in the accompanying earnings release that “We’re seeing our AI investments and infrastructure drive revenue and growth across the board.”
Alphabet’s two main revenue buckets, Google Services and Google Cloud — both of which feature AI-enhanced products — have seen robust increases. The former’s revenue grew 14% year over year during the quarter to almost $96 billion, while the latter’s skyrocketed 48% to just under $18 billion.
The numbers don’t lie. Even if the economy slows or inflation remains stubborn, demand for Alphabet’s impressively large suite of AI products and services will remain strong. I’d feel much more confident parking my money in this AI stock than gambling it on a wobbly cryptocurrency.
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