The Thai Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will block five cryptocurrency exchanges, including Bybit and OKX, from operating in the country. According to a May 29 announcement, Bybit, 1000X, CoinEx, OKX and XT.COM will be blocked in the country on June 28. The SEC said the measure aims “to protect investors and crack down on…
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Kazakhstan plans to launch a pilot zone called “CryptoCity,” where cryptocurrencies can be used to pay for goods and services, according to a May 29 announcement on the official website of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Speaking at the Astana International Forum 2025, Tokayev said that Kazakhstan will create a CryptoCity pilot zone to explore cryptocurrency adoption…
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The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has requested public feedback on proposed regulations for stablecoins and cryptocurrency custody. In a May 28 request for comment, the United Kingdom’s financial regulator announced that its regulatory proposals are “the latest milestone on the road to crypto regulation.” The draft rules are based on prior roundtables and…
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Ripple, the blockchain company behind XRP, argued that fungible cryptocurrencies are not securities when transferred in secondary transactions in a recent letter sent to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In its May 27 letter, Ripple cited US attorney and crypto law thought leader Lewis Cohen to support its claim. In his widely cited…
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Luxembourg classified virtual asset service providers (VASPs) as high-risk entities for money laundering in its 2025 National Risk Assessment (NRA), highlighting concerns over the crypto industry’s exposure to financial crime. According to the report, the inherent risk level of VASPs is deemed “High,” driven by factors including transaction volume, client reach, distribution channels, legal structures…
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Bitlayer’s Bitcoin smart-contract system is being implemented by mining pools behind 31.5% of the network’s hashrate, a development that will help ensure that its system will operate on the Bitcoin blockchain, the company said. According to a May 27 announcement shared with Cointelegraph, Bitlayer’s BitVM implementation will be supported by major Bitcoin (BTC) mining pools…
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Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed Pakistan Crypto Council CEO Bilal Bin Saqib as his special assistant on blockchain and crypto. Saqib’s appointment takes effect immediately under Rule 4(6) of the Rules of Business, 1973. He has been granted the status of minister of state and will serve without salary or official benefits, according to…
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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a civil forfeiture complaint to seize more than $24 million in cryptocurrency from Rustam Rafailevich Gallyamov, a Russian national accused of developing the Qakbot malware. According to a May 22 announcement, the DOJ unsealed charges against the 48-year-old Moscovite with a federal indictment. Gallyamov is allegedly the malware developer behind…
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Singapore-based artificial intelligence firm Genius Group has added more Bitcoin to its corporate treasury after being temporarily banned from doing so. In a May 22 announcement, Genius Group explained that it has resumed accumulating Bitcoin (BTC) following a favorable ruling by the US Court of Appeals. It follows Genius Group being temporarily barred from expanding…
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Hyperliquid, a decentralized perpetuals exchange operating on its own layer-1 blockchain, has submitted formal comments on 24/7 derivatives trading to the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). In a May 23 X post, Hyperliquid Labs announced that it has “submitted two comment letters to the [CFTC] in response to its recent Requests for Comment…
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