Tags: Sanctions

Wally Adeyemo cited a recent settlement with crypto exchange Binance and sanctions against crypto mixer Sinbad in calling for an expansion of the U.S. Treasury’s authority.

The government department has previously imposed sanctions on crypto mixers Blender and Tornado Cash despite many in the space pushing back on actions against software tools.

The six individuals, supported by crypto exchange Coinbase, have taken a case involving the U.S. Treasury sanctioning Tornado Cash to federal appellate court.

The confirmation comes as tensions between the United States and China continue to rise.

The department previously targeted individuals connected to Tornado Cash, but its reported actions on mixers followed concerns suggesting Hamas was financed in part by crypto.

According to the U.S. Treasury, terrorist groups including Hamas, ISIS, and an al-Qaeda affiliate used the Buy Cash Money and Money Transfer Company to transfer funds.

According to Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, the sanctioned wallets "received millions of USD funds over hundreds of deposits" used for illicit drugs.

An ETH wallet tied to Mexican national Mario Alberto Jimenez Castro was allegedly used for illicit fentanyl sales in the United States.

Chinese scientists are reportedly considering constructing massive facilities to manufacture the technology necessary to create AI semiconductor chips locally.

Binance VP Eastern Europe Gleb Kostarev and CIS Director Vladimir Smerkis have announced they have quit the company.

Binance Delists Banco de Venezuela From P2P Payment Service: What’s Going On?

Banco de Venezuela, one of the largest financial institutions in the country, was acquired by the sanctioned government in 2009.

A Binance spokesperson reportedly said the global cryptocurrency exchange was considering all options in regards to Russia, “including a full exit”.

Tinkoff Bank and Sberbank are no longer available on the list of P2P transactions on Bybit and OKX.

The crypto exchange removed its “yellow” and “green” codewords from its list of payment methods, which previously referred to sanctioned Russian banks.

Despite the U.S. DOJ investigating Binance for violation of U.S. sanctions with its services in Russia, the firm has continued to promote its platform in the country.

Roman Semenov was placed on OFAC‘s sanctioned persons list and Roman Storm was arrested as the United States continued its crackdown on the crypto mixer.

Competing motions for summary judgment saw a federal judge rule the U.S. Treasury was within its authority to declare Tornado Cash a sanctioned entity.

Report says sources close to the situation have said U.S. officials plan to restrict Chinese companies’ access to cloud computing services as a security measure.

Stolen loot crypto from Atomic wallets has started passing through sanctioned Russian-based exchange Garantex, according to Elliptic.

The crypto industry advocacy group has placed its support behind Coin Center and its lawsuit against the U.S. Treasury over its Tornado Cash sanctions.

The National Bank of Georgia will launch mandatory supervision of virtual asset service providers starting from Sept. 1, 2023.

Russia will continue to create new crypto platforms in response to sanctions, State Duma official Anatoly Aksakov said.