Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has begun serving his sentence at a low-security federal prison in Lompoc, California.
CNBC confirmed the news through Zhao’s legal team at Latham and Watkins.
The crypto community has shown support for Zhao during this time. A Reddit user highlighted that Zhao’s prison sentence could safeguard Binance from potential risks.
User Ilsemprelaziale commented:
“If FTX downfall hit Crypto hard, just imagine what would happen if Binance collapsed. He pleaded guilty and stepped down as CEO.”
Zhao has revealed his plans following his four-month sentence.
He intends to resume his involvement in the cryptocurrency sector, maintaining his holdings and focusing on passive investing, demonstrating his unwavering confidence in digital assets.
He emphasized this period as “a new stage for the crypto industry,” highlighting the critical need for adherence to regulations and compliance.
In April, Zhao, also known as “CZ,” was sentenced by Judge Richard Jones in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
The charges were related to money laundering at Binance, resulting in a four-month prison term and a $50 million fine.
This sentence is notably less severe than the three years federal prosecutors initially sought.
Despite sentencing guidelines recommending 12 to 18 months in prison, Zhao’s lawyers advocated for five months of probation.
Before his sentencing, Zhao apologized and reflected on his actions, accepting responsibility for Binance’s inadequate Anti-Money Laundering (AML) program.
Following Judge Jones’ decision, Zhao stated he would report to prison on a date to be determined.
In November, Zhao reached an agreement with the U.S. government to resolve a multiyear investigation into Binance.
As part of the settlement, he resigned as CEO of Binance.
The U.S. government also imposed a $4.3 billion fine for “civil regulatory enforcement actions,” of which Zhao agreed to pay $50 million.
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Devil Biden (DEVBIDEN), a new Solana memecoin that was launched today, is poised to explode over 14,000% in price in the coming days.
Currently, Devil Biden can only be purchased via Solana decentralized exchanges, like Jupiter and Raydium, and early investors stand to make huge returns in the coming days.
Early investors in SHIB and DOGE made astronomical returns, and Devil Biden could become the next viral memecoin.
In fact, many early Shiba Inu and Dogecoin investors have been pouring funds into this new Solana memecoin.
Devil Biden launched with over $6,000 of locked liquidity, giving it a unique advantage over the majority of other new memecoins, and early investors could make huge gains.
To buy Devil Biden on Raydium or Jupiter ahead of the KuCoin listing, users need to connect their Solflare, MetaMask or Phantom wallet, and swap Solana for Devil Biden by entering its contract address – Hu1cFazfpaEFyJ3ETdotpTSBModCC4pJoCvVyLNiTKm7 – in the receiving field.
In fact, early investors could make returns similar to those who invested in Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Dogecoin (DOGE) before these memecoins went viral and exploded in price.
If this happens, a new wave of memecoin millionaires could be created in a matter of weeks – or potentially even sooner.
The Solana memecoin craze continues amid larger memecoins, like Shiba Inu (SHIB), Dogecoin (DOGE) and DogWifHat (WIF) trading sideways in recent weeks and losing momentum.
This is why many SHIB, DOGE and WIF investors are instead investing in new Solana memecoins, like DEVBIDEN.
Apple has denied being a “monopolist” and insisted it faces “fierce competition” in the tech industry, according to a letter previewing its defense against a U.S. antitrust lawsuit.
In a letter dated May 21 to New Jersey federal judge Julien Neals, Apple’s attorneys requested a conference before filing a motion to dismiss the case.
They refuted U.S. allegations that Apple engaged in anticompetitive practices by restricting third-party access to its platform and designing products to “lock in” users to purchasing iPhones.
The company argued that its purported anticompetitive behavior merely involved making independent decisions regarding the terms and conditions for third-party access to its proprietary platform.
In March, the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, accusing the firm of holding a smartphone monopoly.
The suit claimed Apple restricted features of digital wallets and payments and enforced App Store rules that stifled competition.
Apple’s restrictions on fiat-only payments have also impacted the use of cryptocurrencies in iOS apps, making it financially unfeasible for crypto apps to offer in-app purchases due to a 30% fee known as the “Apple Tax.”
“Apple has opted to offer users a curated, secure, and reliable experience, in contrast to its competitors’ more open platforms,” the company stated.
Apple contended that the government did not “properly define the relevant market or establish that Apple has monopoly power in it,” and any alleged anticompetitive behavior occurred in different markets, such as digital wallets.
READ MORE: Bitcoin Hovers Near $67,000 as Traders Eye Key Resistance and Support Levels
“These products all exist in their own separate markets with their own competitive dynamics, and the Government’s failure to define the proper market for those products is fatal,” Apple asserted.
Apple further argued that the U.S. claims were invalid, citing the Supreme Court’s stance that a company’s decisions regarding third-party dealings do not constitute exclusionary conduct.
The company also countered the DOJ’s claim of a smartphone monopoly, asserting it faces strong competition from Google and Samsung, noting Google has the most-used mobile OS and Samsung leads in global smartphone sales.
The U.S. failed to provide a factual link demonstrating that Apple’s design decisions corner smartphone buyers, Apple claimed.
“Someone unhappy with Apple’s limitations has every incentive to switch to competitor platforms that ostensibly do not have those limitations,” the company stated.
Following the DOJ’s March filing, an Apple spokesperson told Cointelegraph that the lawsuit could “set a dangerous precedent” and potentially allow the government to heavily influence the design of technology.
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Hong Kong’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) has concluded that the Worldcoin project violated the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO) in Hong Kong.
On May 22, Privacy Commissioner Ada Chung Lai-ling issued an enforcement notice to Worldcoin, ordering an immediate halt to all operations in Hong Kong involving the scanning and collecting of iris and facial images using iris scanning devices.
The PCPD launched its investigation into Worldcoin in January 2024 to assess whether its identity verification methods posed significant risks to personal data privacy and contravened the PDPO.
Between December 2023 and January 2024, the PCPD conducted ten covert visits to six premises involved in the Worldcoin project.
The PCPD found that collecting face images was unnecessary for verifying the humanness of participants since operators could perform this verification in person at the locations.
Thus, the collection of face images was deemed an unnecessary step.
Moreover, the PCPD highlighted that Worldcoin failed to provide adequate information, preventing participants from making informed decisions and giving genuine consent.
The privacy notice was not available in Chinese, leaving non-English speaking participants unaware of the project’s policies, practices, terms, and conditions.
READ MORE: Kraken Affirms No Plans to Delist Tether in Europe Amid MiCA Compliance Review
The PCPD stated:
“[…] the iris scanning device operators at the operating locations also did not offer any explanation or confirmed the participants’ understanding of the aforesaid documents.
They also did not inform the participants the possible risks pertaining to their disclosure of biometric data, nor answered their questions.”
The PCPD determined that under these conditions, the collection of face and iris images was unfair and unlawful, violating data protection principles.
Furthermore, Worldcoin’s retention of sensitive biometric data for up to 10 years solely for AI model training, including face and iris images, was deemed unjustified.
Worldcoin confirmed that 8,302 individuals had their faces and irises scanned for verification during its operation in Hong Kong.
The project, announced in 2021, saw over two million people sign up before its official launch in July 2023.
Worldcoin has faced regulatory scrutiny in many countries over privacy concerns, leading to the suspension of services in Kenya and the halting of iris scans in India.
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U.S. prosecutors are seeking a five to seven-year prison sentence for former FTX executive Ryan Salame, who was allegedly a key accomplice to FTX co-founder Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried, in connection with the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange.
On May 21, federal prosecutors submitted a sentencing memo to a Manhattan federal court, calling for a strict sentence for Salame, who has pleaded guilty to serious crimes related to the misuse of FTX investors’ funds.
According to a court filing viewed by Bloomberg, the prosecutors are advocating for a “just punishment” that reflects the severity of Salame’s crimes, contrary to his lawyers’ recommendation of no more than 18 months in prison.
“The campaign finance offense is one of the largest-ever in American history, and the unlicensed money transmitting business exchanged more than $1 billion without proper supervision,” said the prosecutors.
Salame’s sentencing, for aiding SBF in misappropriating $10 billion of users’ funds, is scheduled for May 28.
The prosecutors emphasized, “Only a meaningful period of incarceration could adequately deter the defendant and others and promote respect for the law.”
READ MORE: Bitcoin Hovers Near $67,000 as Traders Eye Key Resistance and Support Levels
On April 1, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York sentenced SBF to 25 years in prison after he was convicted on seven felony charges.
Salame is set to be the first of SBF’s accomplices to be sentenced.
Salame joined Alameda Research in Hong Kong in 2019 and eventually became the CEO of FTX Digital Markets, the Bahamas-based subsidiary of FTX.
Other notable figures involved in the FTX scheme, including Caroline Ellison, Nishad Singh, and Gary Wang, have yet to be sentenced.
Meanwhile, several U.S. lawmakers are backing a bill intended to clarify the roles of financial regulators in the oversight of digital assets, aiming to prevent future incidents similar to FTX.
North Carolina Representative Wiley Nickel has called for the passage of the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century (FIT21) Act, which would define how the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulate cryptocurrencies.
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The newly-approved spot Ether (ETH) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) could launch as early as mid-June if the United States securities regulator follows a timeline similar to its spot Bitcoin ETF process.
Spot Ether ETFs received approval for their 19b-4 filings, allowing the funds to be listed on their respective exchanges.
However, applicants must first obtain approved S-1 registration statements to begin trading.
Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart has suggested that S-1 approvals could come in a “couple of weeks,” though he also noted that the process could take longer, typically up to five months.
Fellow Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas responded that “mid-June is certainly poss[ible].”
Balchunas expects there will only be one round of comments on the S-1 amendments, similar to the SEC’s feedback process for spot Bitcoin ETF applicants.
He noted that this process took about two weeks, which is why he estimates mid-June as a possible launch date. “Just a guess tho.
“We will see,” Balchunas added.
VanEck filed its amended S-1 shortly after having its 19b-4 approved, and other applicants are expected to follow suit soon.
However, Delphi Labs general counsel Gabriel Shapiro noted the SEC’s approval was made by its Division of Trading and Markets unit on a “delegated authority,” claiming that one of the five SEC Commissioners could challenge the decision within the next 10 days.
Digital asset lawyer Joe Carlasare told Cointelegraph that such a challenge could theoretically happen—“but it won’t.”
READ MORE: Bitcoin Battles to Hold $69,000 as Analysts Eye Potential Retracement
“They wouldn’t have passed it through trading and markets without knowing that no Commissioner opposed it.”
Seyffart disagrees, noting that making decisions with delegated authority “is the norm” as requiring an official vote for every decision and document “would be insane.”
He added that asking for a review likely “wouldn’t change anything” about the approvals.
If the S-1s are approved, Seyffart expects the spot Ether ETFs will see 20% of the flows that spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen, while Balchunas estimates a smaller range of 10-15%.
According to Farside Investors, spot Bitcoin ETFs have tallied $13.3 billion in net inflow since their launch roughly four and a half months ago.
Capturing 20% of that would mean spot Ether ETFs could tally a combined $2.66 billion over the same timeframe.
Some worry that the spot Ether ETF market could see significant outflows from the converted Grayscale Ethereum Trust into spot ETF form, similar to outflows seen with the firm’s converted Bitcoin investment product.
More than $11.3 billion is locked in the Grayscale Ethereum Trust, according to Arkham Intelligence.
On May 23, eight applicants received regulatory approval: VanEck, BlackRock, Fidelity, Grayscale, Franklin Templeton, ARK 21Shares, Bitwise, and Invesco Galaxy.
Hashdex was the only ETF issuer that did not receive approval.
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Bitcoin maintained upward pressure on liquidity on May 17 as analysts noted a potential golden cross on lower timeframes.
Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC price action hovering near its highest levels since mid-April.
Liquidity at $67,000 and above continued to act as a barrier, with around $75 million at stake at the time of writing, according to monitoring resource CoinGlass.
Although still below its all-time highs of 2024 and 2021, Bitcoin sparked enthusiasm among market observers. Popular pseudonymous trader Moustache highlighted two significant trendlines.
“Golden Cross (12h-Chart) of $BTC is imminent,” he informed his followers in one of his recent posts on X (formerly Twitter).
A golden cross happens when a shorter-term moving average crosses above a longer-term one, with the last occurrence in October of the previous year — just before Bitcoin saw significant gains.
“The last bullish cross was over six months ago. Bitcoin has risen by over 170% since then,” Moustache noted.
Another trader, Titan of Crypto, suggested that the Ichimoku Cloud indicator might follow a similar trend.
READ MORE: Oobit Mobile Payment App Integrates with Tether’s USDT and XAUt on TON for Streamlined Transactions
“BTC seems to be repeating the same pattern from early 2024,” a part of an X post on May 16 read, adding that BTC/USD saw an upside of more than 60% the last time Ichimoku requirements were met.
Titan of Crypto also pointed out a transfer of $60,000 from resistance to support.
As reported by Cointelegraph, this area includes various bull market trendlines, all converging in one place.
Among these are the short-term holder realized price and the 100-day moving average, the latter rising quickly and now above $62,000.
“BTC is perfectly flipping previous resistance into support,” Titan of Crypto summarized, sharing an Ichimoku chart.
Overall, Bitcoin’s current trajectory and technical indicators suggest a potentially bullish outlook, with significant levels being tested and possibly transformed into new support zones.
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The crypto market is constantly evolving, with new opportunities emerging for savvy investors. As the bull run of 2024 picks up pace, select cryptocurrencies priced below $1 are gaining attention. These tokens offer potential for growth and present an accessible entry point for those looking to diversify their portfolio or step into the burgeoning market. This article highlights five such cryptocurrencies poised for attention in May, each with unique features that could make them stand out in this competitive space.
BlastUP Presale Hits $6 Million, Investors Hurry to Buy $BLP Before May Ends
The ongoing BlastUP presale is close to completion, as it has already passed the important threshold: over $6 million have been raised so far. More than 15,000 savvy investors have already bought BlastUP tokens before their value skyrockets.
The presale runs until the end of May, so there is some time to boost your crypto holdings with BlastUP, the asset poised for explosive returns of up to 1000%. Currently sold at a few US cents, BlastUP tokens are projected to reach $10 by the end of this year.
Holders of BlastUP tokens may benefit from a number of privileges including participation in an Airdrop , exclusive loyalty rewards for participating in IDOs, and the ability to earn interest through staking.
BlastUP stands out from the crowd in the crypto world. Backed by Blast, the sixth largest blockchain by TVL, it offers genuine utility as a launchpad for DApp ventures. With its motto Grow faster, earn more, BlastUP is dedicated to propelling the success of blockchain startups. Those who join BlastUP now become part of a project poised to become the next big thing in this bull run.
>> Time is Ticking – Buy $BLP Before May Ends! <<
Understanding Polygon (MATIC) Market Movements
The current price of Polygon (MATIC) is moving within a range of $0.63 to $0.74. Over the past week, it has dropped by 1.01%. It also decreased by 3.24% in the last month, and looking back six months, it fell by 18.70%. This suggests that the price movement is in a corrective phase. The RSI at 72.70 indicates the coin may be overbought. With prices below the first resistance of $0.82 and above the nearest support of $0.59, MATIC’s immediate future will likely depend on whether it can maintain its position above this support level.
Ondo Crypto Market Continues Impressive Growth
The Ondo token (ONDO) has shown significant growth over six months, skyrocketing by 2716.63%, with its price moving between $0.73 and $0.87 recently. Despite a 1 Week Price Change increase of 6.23%, it faced a dip of 6.41% over the past month. Currently, Ondo is trading close to its 10-day and 100-day average prices of $0.81 and $0.78, respectively. With a high RSI of 81.58 and Stochastic at 94.06, the coin’s price appears to be in an impulsive move, suggesting strong buying activity. If Ondo can overcome the nearest resistance at $0.95, the next target lies at $1.09, while support levels are at $0.68 and $0.54, respectively.
XRP Price Movement Analysis and Predictions
The XRP coin is trading between $0.47 and $0.55. In the last week, its price fell slightly by 1.09%. However, over the past month, it rose by 3.30%. Comparing now to six months ago, it’s down by 15.09%. The coin faces its next resistance at $0.60 and has support at $0.44. Its price moves are currently showing rapid increases, which could mean it’s in an impulsive phase. With a high RSI of 76.77 and Stochastic at 95.60, caution is advised as these levels often suggest the coin might be overbought. The MACD is positive, hinting at potential further growth.
Conclusion
The cryptocurrencies under $1 worth keeping an eye on in May include MATIC, ONDO, and XRP, though these may offer limited short-term gains. However, BlastUP stands out with the most significant potential. This project is attractive due to its innovative concept and its integration within the well-established Blast ecosystem. Investors looking for promising opportunities might find BlastUP particularly interesting.
Site: https://blastup.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Blastup_io
Discord: https://discord.gg/5Kc3nDhqVW
Telegram: https://t.me/blastup_io
In a confidential report by the United Nations (UN), it was revealed that North Korean entities, particularly the Lazarus Group, utilized the cryptocurrency privacy tool Tornado Cash to launder approximately $150 million in stolen cryptocurrency assets.
The report, which was accessed by Reuters, highlights a significant breach involving dormant crypto assets linked to the group, traced back to North Korea in March 2023.
The illicit activity commenced when North Korean hackers infiltrated HTX, a cryptocurrency exchange owned by Tron founder Justin Sun, extracting $147.5 million in cryptocurrencies.
This amount was covertly transferred into North Korea over the course of a year using Tornado Cash, a service that anonymizes crypto transactions making them untraceable and is popular among cybercriminals.
The Reuters coverage also pointed out ongoing investigations by the UN into 97 cyberattacks orchestrated by North Korea between 2017 and 2024, which altogether siphoned around $3.6 billion in cryptocurrencies.
In 2024 alone, these investigations have so far included 11 cryptocurrency thefts totaling $54.7 million, allegedly involving North Korean IT workers employed by various small crypto-related companies.
The United States had previously imposed sanctions on Tornado Cash in 2022, accusing it of facilitating North Korea in bypassing international sanctions on cross-border remittances.
Despite these allegations, the founders of Tornado Cash have consistently denied any wrongdoing over the past two years.
The situation escalated when Alexey Pertsev, the developer behind Tornado Cash, was convicted of money laundering charges on May 14, having allegedly laundered $1.2 billion in illicit funds through the platform.
Pertsev was sentenced to five years and four months in prison, with a 14-day period granted to his attorneys for filing an appeal.
This conviction has raised significant concerns about the broader implications for developers of open-source software.
Moreover, on the same day, blockchain analytics firm PeckShield reported that approximately $53 million worth of Ether, stolen from Poloniex during a $100 million hack, was transferred to Tornado Cash.
This incident underscores the prevalent use of Tornado Cash among global cybercriminals.
According to PeckShield, over 17,800 ETH was consolidated from six different wallets into one Tornado Cash address, demonstrating the sophisticated methods employed by hackers to obscure the origins of stolen funds.
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Mastercard has partnered with leading U.S. banks such as Citigroup, Visa, and JPMorgan to explore distributed ledger technology for banking settlements through tokenization.
This initiative, dubbed the Regulated Settlement Network (RSN), aims to unify the settlement processes of diverse financial assets like Treasurys and investment-grade debt on a single platform.
By tokenizing these assets, RSN intends to streamline settlements on a shared ledger, enhancing efficiency across the system.
The testing phase, which follows a 12-week pilot that began in late 2022, originally concentrated on managing cross-border and domestic dollar transactions between banks.
The current focus has shifted to simulating settlements in U.S. dollars, looking to optimize the efficiency of cross-border transactions while minimizing risks like fraud and errors.
READ MORE: Grayscale Halts Four-Month Outflow Streak with Positive Inflows into Bitcoin ETF
Mastercard’s Raj Dhamodharan emphasized the potential of this technology, stating, “application of shared ledger technology to dollar settlements could unlock the next generation of market infrastructures — where programmable settlements are 24/7 and frictionless.”
As part of the ongoing proof-of-concept trials, the RSN has welcomed new participants, including the USDF Consortium directly, and Tassat Group as a contributor.
Consulting firm Deloitte has also joined to provide advisory services, with the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association serving as the program manager.
In total, ten major banking institutions are involved in this pioneering effort, including Citi, JPMorgan, Mastercard, Swift, TD Bank N.A., U.S. Bank, USDF, Wells Fargo, Visa, and Zions Bancorp.
Additionally, six other entities such as the MITRE Corporation, BNY Mellon, Broadridge, the DTCC, ISDA, and Tassat Group will contribute their specialized knowledge to the project, aiming to reshape how financial transactions and settlements are conducted in the banking sector.
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