It’s been over a 12 months since El Salvador codified bitcoin as authorized tender within the Latin American nation, and by popping the ‘orange capsule,’ the nation was propelled into the worldwide highlight. On the finish of September, the 41-year-old Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele penned an opinion editorial that takes purpose on the detractors who suppose it was the fallacious determination, those that suppose it was a very good determination however for the fallacious causes, and opponents who “are afraid of our determination.”
In keeping with Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele, if the bitcoin experiment his nation is taking part in succeeds, a large number of different nations worldwide will comply with within the Latin American nation’s footsteps. Bukele mentioned this in a just lately penned opinion editorial referred to as “Cease Ingesting the Elite’s Kool-Support,” which was printed on September 30, 2022, in English and Spanish. Within the editorial, Bukele criticized three camps of detractors and he believes that almost all of them are merely afraid of El Salvador’s progressive choices.
“Probably the most vocal detractors, those who’re afraid and pressuring us to reverse our determination, are the world’s highly effective elites and the individuals who work for or profit from them,” Bukele explains in his article. “They used to personal all the pieces, and in a manner they nonetheless do; the media, the banks, the NGOs, the worldwide organizations, and virtually all of the governments and firms on the planet.”
Bukele additionally denies the various headlines printed by media retailers equivalent to “Bloomberg, Forbes, Fortune, Monetary Occasions, Deutsche Welle, BBC, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, The New York Occasions, and The Washington Submit” that declare the “entire nation’s economic system was destroyed by a $50 million loss.” The Salvadoran president says the claims are baloney and principally as a result of the nation has not bought a single bitcoin because it began buying a stash of BTC.
“So the argument that we have now misplaced $50 million value of bitcoin is fake, as a result of we merely haven’t bought any bitcoin,” Bukele’s editorial insists. “And even when we have been to just accept that argument as true, then it could be ridiculous to conclude that an economic system of $28 billion per 12 months will go bankrupt or into default due to a 0.2% ‘loss’ in a single 12 months, when in 2021 our economic system grew 10.3%, or by $4 billion. That is utilizing the IMF’s personal numbers.”
Bukele’s opinion piece additional provides:
In 2021, our GDP rose 10.3%, revenue from tourism rose 52%, employment went up 7%, new companies up 12%, exports up 17%, power technology up 19%, power exports went up 3,291%, and inner income went up 37%, all with out elevating any taxes. And this 12 months, the crime and homicide charge have gone down 95%.
The Salvadoran bureaucrat particulars that he understands that bitcoin is a really massive experiment and he believes it’s absurd to say that the nation has already failed. His current statements are just like Bitcoin’s inventor, when Satoshi mentioned: “I’m positive that in 20 years there’ll both be very massive transaction quantity or no quantity.” Equally, El Salvador has joined the grand experiment and time will inform if the Latin American nation’s guess succeeds or fails. If it does succeed, Bukele’s editorial asserts that many nations will comply with El Salvador’s lead.
“El Salvador is the epicenter of Bitcoin adoption, and thus, financial freedom, monetary sovereignty, censorship resistance, unconfiscatable wealth, and the top of the kingmakers, their printing, devaluating, and reassigning the wealth of the majorities to pursuits teams, the elites, the oligarchs, and those within the shadows behind them, pulling their strings,” Bukele’s article concludes. “If El Salvador succeeds, many nations will comply with. If El Salvador in some way fails, which we refuse to, no nations will comply with.”
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Donald Trump is making news once more, but this time it’s not for political reasons; it’s about cryptocurrency. As he prepares to return as the 47th President of the United States, Trump will become the first sitting president to own meme currencies, a decision that has stirred both enthusiasm and skepticism in the crypto community.
Recent sources claim that Trump’s crypto wallet consists largely of meme coins and is valued roughly $8 million. Among the assets are $1.5 million in a meme currency with Trump-themed design and $5.5 million in TROG tokens.
In addition, he has about 1.3 billion GUA coins, which amounts to nearly $400,000, and $167,000 in TRUMPIUS tokens. This is a first of its kind, where Trump becomes an oddity in the world of politics and cryptocurrency, considering his earlier reluctance towards digital assets.
DONALD J. TRUMP WILL BE THE FIRST SITTING US PRESIDENT TO HOLD MEMECOINS pic.twitter.com/ODlNXDaKIT
— Arkham (@arkham) January 10, 2025
Trump’s journey into the crypto world is notable. He had been a strong critic of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, calling them scams. But that all changed in 2024 when he started publicly endorsing Bitcoin and speaking out for the right to own it. That’s a broader trend among politicians, who are increasingly recognizing the potential of cryptocurrencies and their growing popularity among voters.
Trump’s financial success in the digital sphere was also aided by his venture into non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on Ethereum. Trump reportedly made a good living from these endeavors, and he currently owns roughly 496.77 ETH, which is worth about $1.6 million.
Many people are eager to see how Trump’s administration will regulate cryptocurrencies now that he is back in office. A possible change toward a more advantageous regulatory climate for digital assets is hinted at by the nomination of important individuals like David Sacks as “Crypto Czar” and Paul Atkins as SEC chair. This could result in more precise rules for investors and businesses involved in the cryptocurrency industry.
Donald Trump. Image: Ronda Churchill/Reuters
The policies by Trump are already changing market dynamics as everybody is anxiously awaiting them. During this time when Bitcoin hit a record high of $108k, while meme coins surged, analysts still feel that Trump could make the year 2025 a major turning point in cryptocurrencies.
The rise of Trump-owned meme coins is indicative of a broader cultural shift among younger investors who are fed up with established financial institutions. This combination of the political influence of Trump and the speculative nature of meme coins puts a scenario under which political events could significantly affect cryptocurrency markets. Thus, while the investors go about this, they are not ignorant of the volatility that is usually associated with meme coins.
Featured image from Fortanix, chart from TradingView
Scammers stole millions of dollars in cryptocurrency from remote job seekers in an elaborate scheme. New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit to recover over $2 million that she said was stolen from New Yorkers and others nationwide.
Scammers used unsolicited text messages to lure victims with promises of flexible, well-paying remote work opportunities. They claimed the job involved reviewing products online to generate market data. However, victims were told to open cryptocurrency accounts and maintain balances matching the price of products they were reviewing.
While victims believed they would receive their investments plus commissions, the funds were instead transferred into the scammers’ crypto wallets. The fake product reviews took place on a fraudulent website created as part of the scheme.
The lawsuit details seven people who were scammed. One victim, a New Yorker, lost over $100,000 while another victim from Florida lost over $300,000. These cases show the significant financial and emotional impact on the victims.
James’ office, working with Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and her cryptocurrency unit, traced the stolen funds to specific digital wallets. Over $2 million in cryptocurrency has been frozen, ensuring it can be returned to victims.
“Deceiving individuals seeking remote work is cruel and unacceptable,” said James. “We’re committed to holding scammers accountable and recovering stolen funds.”
A federal grand jury in Georgia recently indicted three Russian nationals for their involvement in running illegal cryptocurrency mixer services that helped criminals launder money. The indictment, announced on January 7, 2025, involves Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko, Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik, and Anton Vyachslavovich Tarasov. These individuals are accused of operating two online services called Blender.io and Sinbad.io, which helped criminals hide the source of their illegal funds.
A cryptocurrency mixer is a tool used to mix cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, making it harder for authorities to trace the origin of digital money. These services are attractive to criminals involved in activities such as ransomware attacks and fraud, as they allow them to send funds anonymously.
Ostapenko and Oleynik were arrested in December 2024, while Tarasov is still on the run. The three men face serious charges related to money laundering and operating unlicensed financial businesses. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison for laundering money and up to five years for running an unlicensed business. The indictment follows the earlier shutdown of the Sinbad.io service after it was seized by law enforcement in 2023.
Blender.io and Sinbad.io were both cryptocurrency mixers, meaning they offered a way to send digital money anonymously. For a fee, these services allowed criminals to send their funds without revealing where the money came from. This feature made these mixers attractive to those who wanted to hide stolen funds or profits from illegal activities, such as ransomware attacks, fraud, and even theft of virtual currencies.
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Blender.io operated from 2018 to 2022 and was known for its promise of anonymity. It advertised a “No Logs Policy,” meaning it claimed to have no records of transactions. The site also reassured users that no personal details were needed to use the service. This allowed criminals to send and receive Bitcoin without leaving a trace of their identity.
After Blender.io was shut down in 2022, the defendants launched Sinbad.io, which offered similar services. This service continued until law enforcement authorities took it down in November 2023, marking a significant victory in the fight against cybercrime. The shutdowns of both services were the result of coordinated efforts by authorities from several countries, including the U.S., the Netherlands, Finland, and Australia.
Both Blender.io and Sinbad.io were not only used by ordinary criminals but were also linked to state-sponsored hacking groups. For instance, Blender.io was used by North Korean hackers to launder funds stolen through cyberattacks. Similarly, Sinbad.io had connections to cybercriminals who targeted businesses and individuals. These cryptocurrency mixers served as a vital tool in helping these criminals profit from their illegal activities, making it harder for authorities to trace the stolen money back to its original source.
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The investigation into Blender.io and Sinbad.io showcases the power of international cooperation in tackling cybercrime. The indictment was made possible by the joint efforts of law enforcement agencies from different countries, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the Netherlands’ Financial Intelligence Service, and Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation. Their collaboration helped track down the operators of these illegal services and ultimately led to their takedown.
In addition to the U.S. authorities, international agencies like the Australian Federal Police and Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation played key roles in the investigation. Their contributions were essential in identifying the people responsible for running these cryptocurrency mixers and disrupting their illegal activities.
The importance of international cooperation cannot be overstated. Cybercrime often crosses national borders, and without the efforts of multiple countries working together, it would be much harder to stop these crimes. The arrests of Ostapenko and Oleynik, along with the ongoing search for Tarasov, send a strong message to cybercriminals around the world: law enforcement agencies are committed to identifying and holding accountable those who operate illicit financial networks.
This case highlights how dangerous these cryptocurrency mixers can be in enabling serious criminal activities. By breaking down these networks, authorities are making it harder for criminals to profit from their wrongdoing, while also protecting public safety and national security.
To read the original order please visit DOJ website
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