Major United Kingdom and Ireland-based auction house Wilsons Auctions is putting $125,000 worth of Bitcoin (BTC) under the hammer later this month. In an announcement on March 6, Wilsons revealed the auction will be hosted by Wilsons Auctions Dublin on March 24. The Bitcoin is being sold on behalf of the Belgian Federal government, which seized the cryptocurrency in criminal cases and is now cooperating with Wilsons’ Asset Recovery Department to dispose of the Bitcoin. The auction will be unreserved, i.e. without a minimum price set for the winning bid. First public online auction in Ireland While Wilsons has previously …

Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) has updated its blacklist of cryptocurrency-related websites associated with fraudulent activity. The FSMA made the update following a number of complaints from Belgium-based users who dealt with fraudulent offers of investment in digital currencies, according to a Feb. 21 announcement. After the latest revision, the FSMA’s list now includes a total of 141 websites offering cryptocurrency-related services. Raising awareness of crypto-related risks The FSMA further warned that the list is based on customer reports and the agency’s own findings, meaning that it does not include all the crypto-related businesses that might be illegally …

Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) has made an additional update to its blacklist of cryptocurrency-related websites associated with fraud. On Oct. 29, Belgium’s financial watchdog updated its list of cryptocurrency trading platforms for which it has detected indications of fraud, by adding nine new suspect sites, bringing the total of suspected crypto scams to 131. The financial authority said that it continued to receive new complaints from consumers who made crypto investments on those trading platforms, adding that cryptocurrency fraud continues to find new victims in Belgium, despite prior warnings. The FSMA has issued previous warnings to Belgian …

Bernard Arnault, the world’s third richest man, has denied his involvement in setting up a new Belgian crypto trading company Abesix Belgique. Arnault was reported to be a co-founder of Abesix by Belgian business publication De Tijd on Aug. 28. Subsequently after the publication of the article, De Tijd posted an update that Arnault has formally denied the report. According to De Tijd, Abesix would trade in six major cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ether (ETH), XRP, Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Litecoin (LTC) and Dogecoin (DOGE). According to information acquired by De Tijd, young Brussels entrepreneur Emmanuel Wouters is also involved in the …

Eliyahu Gigi, a 31-year-old from Tel Aviv, has been charged with stealing over $1.7 billion in a variety of cryptocurrencies. Gigi allegedly stole Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Dash (DASH) from users in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Lawyer Yeela Harel of the cyber department in the State Attorney's Office filed charges against Gigi on July 17, according to a report published the same day by Israeli business outlet Globes. Gigi has reportedly been charged with crimes including theft, fraud, and money laundering, among others. According to the report, Harel’s indictment claims that Gigi set up a network of scam …

Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) has updated a blacklist of crypto-related websites associated with fraud, according to an official statement on April 4. Following a previous crypto-related scam blacklist update in December 2018, the FSMA has added seven new crypto trading platforms where it has found signs of fraud. The blacklist now includes a total of 120 websites. In the statement, the financial authority noted that it continued to receive new complaints of consumers who invested in cryptocurrencies on those trading platforms, adding that crypto fraud is still taking place in Belgium. Similar to the previous update, the …

United Kingdom and Ireland-based auction house Wilsons Auctions will host its first Bitcoin (BTC) auction in late February as per a contract with the Belgian Federal Government. The news was announced in a blog post from the firm on Feb. 18. The auction is set to sell off a total amount of about $430,000 in cryptocurrencies, which had previously been seized by the Belgium’s police as a result of a drug trafficking case involving the use of Darknet. The 24-hour online auction starts on Feb. 28 at 12 p.m. GMT and will finish on March 1. According to the press …

Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) has updated its crypto-related fraud blacklist to include a new total of 113 sites, in a fresh alert posted Dec. 18. The authority states that “despite” its prior warnings, it continues to receive complaints from defrauded investors. The newly added platforms are all allegedly run by “fraudsters [...] who are using cryptocurrencies to swindle consumers,” with the FSMA starkly reiterating: “The principle remains the same: they offer you an investment they claim is secure, easy and very lucrative [...] They claim to have specialists who will manage your investments for you. You are …

Cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp has been acquired by Belgium-based investment firm NXMH in an “all cash deal,” Reuters reports today, Oct. 29. Nejc Kodrič, CEO of the Luxembourg-registered exchange, reportedly revealed the deal had been closed Oct. 25, but declined to share the full terms. The CEO told Reuters that in 2016 Bitstamp was valued at $60 million, up from $39 million in 2014. NXMH is a family investment holding firm — operating as a subsidiary of Barclays — which has over 2 billion euros in assets under management and makes European consumer and tech investments. As per its LinkedIn profile, …

A U.K.-based industry body for the responsible finance sector revealed plans to introduce a blockchain tool to monitor firms’ sustainable commitments, Reuters reports Wednesday, Oct. 17. The Responsible Finance & Investment (RFI) Foundation is developing a blockchain-powered tool to track companies’ sustainable commitments and to detect those entities who do not comply with their ethical credentials. The new system is expected to enable the industry group to reduce so-called “greenwashing,” a practice that implies firms claiming that they are more ethical or ecologically friendly than they are in fact. The RFI Foundation’s initiative comes as a part of a plan …

A subsidiary of the major U.A.E. seaport operator Abu Dhabi Ports has launched an international blockchain pilot with the Port of Antwerp, global shipping news agency Hellenic Shipping News reports Oct. 15. Following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Abu Dhabi Ports subsidiary Maqta Gateway and the Port of Antwerp, the companies will run a pilot of a blockchain project called Silsal. According to the project, both entities will handle international trade documentation by deploying distributed ledger technology (DLT). The Silsal project is expected to provide full cargo visibility, as well as to improve trade flow and supply chains …

A report from a Belgian think tank that will reportedly be distributed to European Union (E.U.) ministers calls for unified legislation on cryptocurrencies and more scrutiny on how they are distributed to investors, Reuters reported September 5. The report, ostensibly released by Brussels-based think tank Bruegel, comes ahead of an informal meeting of economic and financial affairs ministers from the E.U. on cryptocurrency investments and taxation of the digital economy. The meeting will take place in Austria from September 7-8. According to Reuters, the report urges the regulation of cryptocurrency exchanges and Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) at the E.U. level …