Crypto
UN Palestinian aid agency's cryptocurrency wallets investigated over Hamas ties

EXCLUSIVE — An Israeli firm that helped authorities claw back $90 million worth of Hamas-owned cryptocurrency is investigating digital wallets held by the leading Palestinian aid agency for the United Nations, the Washington Examiner has learned.
Lionsgate Network, a Tel Aviv-based company staffed by blockchain analysts, specializes in cash recovery services for investors and was notably enlisted by Israel’s Ministry of Defense to intercept funds linked to Hamas after the terrorist faction’s deadly Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state. Now, Lionsgate has embarked on a new project: tracking the flow of crypto donations to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, whose since-fired employees were recently accused by Israel of participating in the Hamas-led massacre, prompting the United States and other countries to pause aid to UNRWA.
“Our company’s vision is to secure crypto transactions and eliminate financial transactions targeting communities around the world,” Lionsgate Network CEO Bezalel Raviv told the Washington Examiner. “There is a loophole in the financial system, and it’s no longer a very small group of people. It’s like 1.5% of the world’s capital — we’re talking about over $1.5 trillion U.S. dollars.”
The startup’s investigation underscores how UNRWA, which has long earned the ire of foreign policy experts and lawmakers over its ties to Hamas, is being comprehensively scrutinized by watchdogs after the Oct. 7 attack. Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced legislation on Monday that would ban U.S. funds to UNRWA. The Biden administration renewed aid in 2021 to the Palestinian aid agency just three years after former President Donald Trump cut off support to UNRWA over concerns stemming from its ties to terrorism and the hiring of antisemitic employees.
In turn, Biden’s decision has culminated in taxpayers footing the bill for at least $730 million in payments to UNRWA since 2021. The U.S. government said on Tuesday that over 99% of U.S. funds approved by Congress for the UNRWA have already been sent to it — with just $300,000 still on hold.
UNRWA formed in 1949 “to carry out direct relief and works programs for Palestinian refugees.” But critics say it unjustly relieves Hamas, which controls Gaza, of responsibilities to provide basic services to civilians. The agency, which is led by Swiss Italian Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, faces an uncertain future after Secretary of State Antony Blinken asserted that Israeli allegations about its employees participating in Oct. 7 are “highly credible.”
UNRWA has a 501(c)(3) charity in the U.S. that accepts crypto donations, such as bitcoin, a digital asset that, for federal tax purposes, is treated as “property,” according to the IRS and digital software records. The crypto option stems from the UNRWA charity’s partnership in December 2021 with the Giving Block, a fundraising platform for tax-exempt organizations.
Raviv said his company is tracking specific blockchain transactions to see where donations to the Palestinian aid agency end up and is in conversation with the U.S. State Department on certain projects.
While Lionsgate successfully worked to recover cash from Hamas, the terrorist group has become more elusive and shifted its assets around, the CEO told the Washington Examiner. Hamas and other terrorist groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, have increasingly turned to crypto in recent years because its decentralized nature affords secrecy, according to multiple reports.
After Oct. 7, the U.S. government sanctioned the Gaza-based Buy Cash, a company that saw its wallets seized in 2021 by Israel’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing “in connection to a Hamas fundraising campaign,” the U.S. Treasury Department said. Crypto coins are stored by users in what are known as digital wallets, which contain information such as private passwords and confidential data, according to Coinbase, the largest crypto exchange in the world.
Lionsgate’s investigation into UNRWA is independent and, for the time being, not on behalf of any clients, according to Raviv.
“Conversations with the State Department are becoming closer because one of the Hamas wallets is still active and over $40 million is moving in and out,” Raviv said.
The Tel Aviv-based analytics and software firm BitOK found Hamas-tied crypto wallets raked in the cash between roughly August 2021 and June 2023, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“Awareness is key,” he said. “We really want to encourage communities and people who are active in the crypto community to look at the problems and solutions.”
Aside from crypto, UNRWA’s charity in the U.S. routinely takes large sums through donor-advised funds, which allow wealthy contributors to shield their names from publicly released financial disclosures. The arrangement is often criticized by watchdogs as a “dark money” loophole.
UNRWA’s charity in the U.S., for instance, accepted $262,578 in 2022 through the Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, tax forms show.
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That year, $109,280 also flowed through the Schwab Charitable Fund to the UNRWA’s U.S. outfit.
UNRWA and the State Department did not return requests for comment.

Crypto
Bitcoin Buys a View: Trump Tower Dubai Embraces Cryptocurrency Payments via Deus X Pay

Deus X Pay, an institutional stablecoin payment solution setting new standards across the luxury sectors, is now enabling crypto payments for property purchases at the new Trump Tower Dubai, the first Trump International Hotel to be built in the Middle East.
The new $1 billion Trump Tower Dubai, unveiled through partnership with London-listed Dar Global,marks a breakthrough in global luxury real estate. Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of the Trump Organisation and son of US President Donald Trump, has recently announced that Bitcoin and other digital currencies will be accepted for condo sales.
Ziad El Chaar, CEO of Dar Global, said the Trump Tower Dubai is among the most ambitious Trump-branded residential towers globally, reflecting the project’s magnitude, stature, and symbolic significance in the region and internationally.
Trump previously told Gulf Business that Dubai is where luxury real estate and financial innovation intersect, and projects like Trump Tower Dubai are leading the way. By embracing technologies like stablecoins, buyers gain a faster, cheaper and more transparent way to secure exclusive, high-end properties while reshaping how luxury transactions are conducted.
Deus X Pay, a licensed Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) in Lithuania, offers institutional stablecoin payment solutions, enabling luxury sectors such as real estate, aviation and yachting to capitalise on this new era of finance. Deus X Pay CEO, Richard Crook, highlights that Dubai has created an environment where stablecoins can flourish as a practical, secure tool for international transactions (with Crypto Watch reporting that crypto adoption in the UAE is expected to surge 210% in 2025), giving premium buyers faster, frictionless access to high-value assets.
“Dubai’s forward-thinking stance has unlocked a whole new economy, and the gold standard for transactions of high-value assets. International buyers seek faster settlements, fewer cross-border complications and seamless access to premium developments. This project is a defining moment — not just for Deus X Pay, but for the global real estate sector. We are thrilled to deliver the regulated rails that make it possible for premium property buyers to transact instantly, compliantly and without the traditional delays or friction.”
The Trump Tower Dubai, an 80-story architectural icon, offers the highest international standards for ultra-high-net-worth travellers and long-stay residents. The exclusive building boasts 2-3 bedroom apartments and 4-bedroom penthouses valued at over AED 73 million, the highest outdoor swimming pool in the world, and has views of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
This new skyscraper is part of an expanding trend across private aviation, superyachts, and luxury collectables as high-end sectors embrace digital assets as a payment option to future-proof legacy industries.
About Deus X Pay
Deus X Pay is a regulated provider of institutional stablecoin payment solutions, revolutionising the authorisation, clearing, and settlement of cryptocurrency payments. We enhance global payment options for institutions, businesses, and corporations by seamlessly merging traditional finance with advanced digital payment infrastructure, enabling faster, more cost-effective, and secure transactions.
Fully compliant and regulated as a Virtual Asset Service Provider, Deus X Pay operates under a license in Lithuania, supervised by the Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT), the Czech Republic, supervised by the Financial Analytical Office (FAU), and in Canada, supervised by the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC).
As a part of the innovative crypto investment firm Deus X Capital, we equip organisations with state-of-the-art financial tools aimed at fostering growth and success in today’s dynamic market.
Deus X Pay, an institutional stablecoin payment solution setting new standards across the luxury sectors, is now enabling crypto payments for property purchases at the new Trump Tower Dubai, the first Trump International Hotel to be built in the Middle East.
The new $1 billion Trump Tower Dubai, unveiled through partnership with London-listed Dar Global,marks a breakthrough in global luxury real estate. Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of the Trump Organisation and son of US President Donald Trump, has recently announced that Bitcoin and other digital currencies will be accepted for condo sales.
Ziad El Chaar, CEO of Dar Global, said the Trump Tower Dubai is among the most ambitious Trump-branded residential towers globally, reflecting the project’s magnitude, stature, and symbolic significance in the region and internationally.
Trump previously told Gulf Business that Dubai is where luxury real estate and financial innovation intersect, and projects like Trump Tower Dubai are leading the way. By embracing technologies like stablecoins, buyers gain a faster, cheaper and more transparent way to secure exclusive, high-end properties while reshaping how luxury transactions are conducted.
Deus X Pay, a licensed Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) in Lithuania, offers institutional stablecoin payment solutions, enabling luxury sectors such as real estate, aviation and yachting to capitalise on this new era of finance. Deus X Pay CEO, Richard Crook, highlights that Dubai has created an environment where stablecoins can flourish as a practical, secure tool for international transactions (with Crypto Watch reporting that crypto adoption in the UAE is expected to surge 210% in 2025), giving premium buyers faster, frictionless access to high-value assets.
“Dubai’s forward-thinking stance has unlocked a whole new economy, and the gold standard for transactions of high-value assets. International buyers seek faster settlements, fewer cross-border complications and seamless access to premium developments. This project is a defining moment — not just for Deus X Pay, but for the global real estate sector. We are thrilled to deliver the regulated rails that make it possible for premium property buyers to transact instantly, compliantly and without the traditional delays or friction.”
The Trump Tower Dubai, an 80-story architectural icon, offers the highest international standards for ultra-high-net-worth travellers and long-stay residents. The exclusive building boasts 2-3 bedroom apartments and 4-bedroom penthouses valued at over AED 73 million, the highest outdoor swimming pool in the world, and has views of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
This new skyscraper is part of an expanding trend across private aviation, superyachts, and luxury collectables as high-end sectors embrace digital assets as a payment option to future-proof legacy industries.
About Deus X Pay
Deus X Pay is a regulated provider of institutional stablecoin payment solutions, revolutionising the authorisation, clearing, and settlement of cryptocurrency payments. We enhance global payment options for institutions, businesses, and corporations by seamlessly merging traditional finance with advanced digital payment infrastructure, enabling faster, more cost-effective, and secure transactions.
Fully compliant and regulated as a Virtual Asset Service Provider, Deus X Pay operates under a license in Lithuania, supervised by the Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT), the Czech Republic, supervised by the Financial Analytical Office (FAU), and in Canada, supervised by the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC).
As a part of the innovative crypto investment firm Deus X Capital, we equip organisations with state-of-the-art financial tools aimed at fostering growth and success in today’s dynamic market.
Crypto
Crypto execs increase personal security amid recent uptick in threats, kidnappings

Bitcoin Foundation Chairman Brock Pierce joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to discuss Trump’s ‘crypto strategic reserve’ plan.
Threats against high-profile names in the cryptocurrency world are rising as the value of industry holdings continues to grow.
Geno Roefaro, CEO of Florida-based SaferWatch, a security platform designed to enhance emergency response across public and private institutions, has observed a growing trend: organized crime groups are increasingly targeting individuals’ cryptocurrency holdings using “sophisticated methods.”
Jethro Pijlman, managing director of Netherlands-based Infinite Risks International, a firm that provides physical security and intelligence services to cryptocurrency holders, told FOX Business that threats against crypto executives have noticeably increased globally since 2021.
Last week, a group of men tried to attack the daughter of French crypto firm Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat on the street in Paris in broad daylight. Earlier this year, the founder of French crypto company Ledger and his wife were kidnapped. In a separate incident, the father of the head of another crypto company was also kidnapped, according to Reuters. While all of them were rescued, it provoked a sense of fear and urgency among other high-net-worth individuals in the sector.
Additionally, there has been a “particularly high concentration in Asia,” Pijlman said.
COINBASE ESTIMATES CYBERATTACK COULD COST CRYPTO EXCHANGE UP TO $400M
Jethro Pijlman, managing director of Netherlands-based Infinite Risks International, a firm that provides physical security and intelligence services to cryptocurrency holders, told FOX Business that threats against crypto executives have noticeably (iStock)
Coinbase revealed in a recent regulatory filing that it spent $6.2 million last year on personal security for CEO Brian Armstrong.
“This trend aligns with the cyclical nature of the crypto markets. Each cycle typically includes a euphoric phase marked by the rapid accumulation of wealth,” Pijlman said, noting that “it is common for individuals to publicly display their newfound prosperity through luxury vehicles, high-end real estate, expensive watches, and other status symbols, often showcased on YouTube, Instagram, and other social media platforms.”

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong speaks at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, on May 2, 2022. (David Swanson / Reuters Photos)
Last fall, for instance, crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun purchased Maurizio Cattelan’s famed banana duct-taped to a wall artwork for $6.2 million. Not only was the purchase itself noteworthy, but Sun, who founded the Tron blockchain in 2017, was then filmed eating the viral fruit during a news conference in Hong Kong. To commemorate the moment, he also posted a tongue-in-cheek comment on X about the taste of the viral fruit.
“Unfortunately, this public exposure often occurs without adequate awareness of personal security risks,” Pijlman said, adding that “many individuals unintentionally share sensitive information online.” This includes travel itineraries, attendance at industry events or meetups, photos of luxury vehicles with visible license plates, identifiable backgrounds and real-time videos from upscale restaurants, clubs or private gatherings. Even posts or tags by friends can unintentionally reveal their location, according to Pijlman.
“This kind of content provides a treasure trove of intelligence for criminal organizations. It is not uncommon for such groups to monitor a target’s digital footprint for weeks or even months before executing a robbery or abduction. The level of detail available through open-source intelligence is often staggering,” he added.
COINBASE SUES SEC, FDIC FOR INFORMATION RELATING TO CRYPTO REGULATION
Pijlman said his firm applies the same techniques used to locate individuals in threat assessments to proactively protect its clients. This includes real-time alerts when oversharing occurs and helping clients adjust their online behavior to reduce exposure. The firm’s transportation services are delivered exclusively by security-trained drivers. In most major cities throughout Europe and the United States, the firm deploys executive protection agents, often with government or military backgrounds, who specialize in minimizing personal risk during client movements. It also offers residential security solutions, including armed protection.
Roefaro told FOX Business that the rapid rise in cryptocurrency wealth has added a new layer of complexity to executive protection.

In most major cities throughout Europe and the U.S., Infinite Risks International deploys executive protection agents, often with government or military backgrounds, who specialize in minimizing personal risk during client movements. (Reuters/Benoit Tessier/Illustration/File Photo / Reuters Photos)
“As digital fortunes grow, so does the risk of targeted attacks. The hiring of personal security by crypto high-rollers is not merely a trend but a strategic necessity,” Roefaro said. “It’s a clear indication that personal security must evolve in tandem with financial innovation.”
Roefaro’s company, which created a discrete device to help executives, other employees and their families get help without drawing any attention, also has a client in the cryptocurrency space.
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These are the most attractive type of high-value targets for organized crime, according to Roefaro, as the asset they are stealing is already in the form of digital currency. It is also hard for victims to recover from the losses because they transfer them internationally, Roefaro said.
Sean Worthington, founder of CloudCoin, one of the first cloud-based digital currencies developed outside of blockchain, said that cryptocurrencies like bitcoin carry inherent risks of theft and loss due to their reliance on a single critical component known as the private key.
“This ‘golden egg’ represents a fundamental vulnerability, as there are no built-in safeguards to mitigate the risk it poses. Insiders – such as system administrators or software developers at cryptocurrency firms – can potentially siphon funds undetected, leaving businesses exposed to significant financial losses with little recourse or accountability,” he said.
Crypto
Senate to try again to advance crypto bill after Democratic opposition tanked first vote

Washington — The Senate is expected to take a key procedural vote Monday evening on a crypto regulation bill after Democratic opposition tanked an initial attempt to advance the measure earlier this month amid concern over ties between the digital asset industry and the Trump family.
The first-of-its-kind legislation, known as the GENIUS Act, would create a regulatory framework for stablecoins — a type of cryptocurrency tied to the value of an asset like the U.S. dollar. After the measure advanced out of the Senate Banking Committee with bipartisan support in March, Senate GOP leadership first brought the measure to the floor earlier this month. But the measure had lost Democratic support in the intervening weeks amid concerns about President Trump and his family’s business ventures involving cryptocurrency.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the upper chamber would try again to advance the legislation on Monday, while criticizing Democrats for blocking the measure from moving forward earlier this month, saying “this bill reflects the bipartisan consensus on this issue, and it’s had an open and bipartisan process since the very beginning.”
Thune, a South Dakota Republican, argued that Senate Democrats “inexplicably chose to block this legislation” earlier this month, while adding that “I’m hoping that the second time will be the charm.”
Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images
Since the failed vote earlier this month, negotiators returned to the table. And ahead of the procedural vote Monday, the measure saw backing from at least one Democrat as Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia advocated for the measure, calling it a “meaningful step forward,” though he added that it’s “not perfect.”
“The stablecoin market has reached nearly $250 billion and the U.S. can’t afford to keep standing on the sidelines,” Warner said in a statement. “We need clear rules of the road to protect consumers, defend national security, and support responsible innovation.”
Still, Warner pointed to concerns he said are shared among many senators about the Trump family’s “use of crypto technologies to evade oversight, hide shady financial dealings, and personally profit at the expense of everyday Americans,” after it was announced earlier this month that an Abu Dhabi-backed firm will invest billions of dollars in a Trump family-linked crypto firm, World Liberty Financial.
Warner said senators “have a duty to shine a light on these abuses,” but he argued “we cannot allow that corruption to blind us to the broader reality: blockchain technology is here to stay.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, has been among the leading voices advocating for adding anti-corruption reforms to the legislation. Warren has outlined a handful of issues with the bill, saying that it puts consumers at risk and enables corruption. In a speech Monday on the Senate floor, Warren said her concerns have not been addressed and urged her colleagues to vote against the updated version.
“While a strong stablecoin bill is the best possible outcome, this weak bill is worse than no bill at all,” Warren said. “A bill that meaningfully strengthens oversight of the stablecoin market is worth enacting. A bill that turbocharges the stablecoin market, while facilitating the president’s corruption and undermining national security, financial stability, and consumer protection is worse than no bill at all.”
Whether the measure can advance in the upper chamber this time around remains to be seen. The measure fell short of the 60 votes necessary to move forward earlier this month, with all Senate Democrats and two Republicans — Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Josh Hawley of Missouri — opposing. Paul has reservations about overregulation, while Hawley voted against the bill in part because it doesn’t prohibit big tech companies from creating their own stablecoins.
Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, who sponsored the legislation, defended the measure on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Monday. He outlined that a lack of regulatory framework, which the bill would provide, makes for uncertainty — and results in innovative technology moving offshore. The Tennessee Republicans urged that “this will fix it,” while arguing that the bill has strong bipartisan support.
“We have broad policy agreement, Democrats and Republicans,” Hagerty said. “The question is can we get past the partisan politics and allow us to actually have a victory.”
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