The former head of payments and settlements at the Bank of Japan (BOJ) says Facebook’s Libra galvanized central banks globally to look seriously into digital currency issuance. A Jan. 22 Reuters report cited remarks by Hiromi Yamaoka, who reportedly oversaw the BOJ’s research into digital currencies as part of his erstwhile role and continues to communicate closely with international central bank policymakers. He is presently a board member at IT consultancy firm Future Corp. The private-public debate As reported yesterday, the central banks of Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, European Union, Sweden and Switzerland have just announced their creation of …

The lawyers for Alexander Vinnik, the alleged operator of defunct crypto exchange BTC-e, have filed a complaint alleging violation of Vinnik’s rights. Written on behalf of Vinnik’s young children, the complaint has been filed with a Greek court to prevent the allegedly approaching criminal’s extradition to France and the United States. Vinnik’s extradition from Greece was allegedly scheduled for last weekend Timofey Musatov, the head of Vinnik’s legal representation alleges that Vinnik’s extradition had been scheduled for last weekend, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported Jan. 17. Musatov suggested that Vinnik’s extradition had been planned for this past weekend based …

A militant group with ties to the Iranian regime and Hamas — the de facto ruling authority of the Gaza Strip in Palestine — is allegedly upping its Bitcoin (BTC) fundraising activities. The spur for the increase is reportedly a slump in resources, compounded by Iran’s recent rejection of the group’s request for financial support. An analysis of the group’s activities was detailed in a cyber desk report from the IDC’s International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), as reported by the Jerusalem Post on Jan. 19. “Irregular increase” in wallet activities The ICD-ICT cyber desk report claims there has been an …

Lawmakers in the New Hampshire state legislature have killed a bill that would have allowed state agencies to accept cryptocurrencies as payment for taxes. On Jan. 8, the New Hampshire House of Representatives announced a decision to retract the bill, following a motion from the General Court’s Executive Departments and Administration Committee to deem the initiative as “inexpedient to legislate.” Bitcoin’s volatility was too high for state budgets According to public records, authorities considered the bill ineffective due to the high volatility of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC). If the bill was adopted, expenditures of the Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) …

J. Christopher Giancarlo, former chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), plans to promote the blockchain-based United States dollar with a new think tank. Giancarlo, who earned the “Crypto Dad” moniker for advocating a “do no harm” approach to blockchain regulation, is now setting up a think tank called the Digital Dollar Foundation to promote the idea of digitizing the U.S. dollar. Giancarlo’s digital dollar is based on technology behind Bitcoin According to a Jan. 16 report by The Wall Street Journal, the ex-CFTC chairman is establishing the non-profit foundation to study prospects for converting the dollar into a …

United States lawmakers have appealed to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to hold telecoms providers to account for failing to protect consumers against SIM swap attacks. SIM-swapping — alternatively known as a port-out scam — involves the theft of a cell phone number in order to hijack online financial and social media accounts, enabled by the fact that many firms use automated messages or phone calls to handle customer authentication. On Jan. 9, six Democrats from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate sent a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, requesting that the agency impose more robust requirements on …

Kik Interactive Inc. requested the formal definition of a trial date for its lawsuit with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as revealed by a Jan. 9 court document. The company was charged by the SEC in June 2019 for conducting an unregistered security issuance with its $100 million initial coin offering (ICO). Kik Interactive is the Canadian developer of the Kik messenger app. It launched a successful ICO in 2017, releasing the Kin token. Though it was presented as a utility token for accessing some features of the Kik messenger, the SEC placed the company under scrutiny …

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York has filed an indictment against Ethereum Foundation researcher Virgil Griffith on Jan. 7. According to a court filing on Jan. 7, a federal grand jury charged Griffith with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The act was introduced in 1977 and is a U.S. federal law authorizing the president to regulate international commerce in case of a national emergency coming from outside the country. Griffith is accused of knowingly and willfully having conspired to violate the measures taken against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea …

Digital currency mining firm Riot Blockchain has begun deploying around 3,000 new units of S17 Pro Antminers as part of the full upgrade of its Oklahoma City mining facility. Per a Jan. 8 press release, Riot now operates nearly 3,000 more S17 Pro Antminers it purchased from Chinese mining giant Bitmain. The new mining machines are set up at Riot’s Oklahoma City mining facility, with the company employing additional staff to exploit the new miners and accelerate the upgrade process. Full upgrade In mid-December of 2019, Riot announced a purchase of an additional 1,000 S17 Pro Antminers from Bitmain, which …

Former Bakkt CEO and Georgia's new Senator Kelly Loeffler will help oversee major financial regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Sworn into the United States Senate on Jan. 6, the crypto-friendly businesswoman has joined the Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees the CFTC. The news was first reported by farm and policy publication Agri-Pulse on Jan. 6, while the official announcement was released on Jan. 7. Potential conflict of interest: CFTC regulates ICE’s markets Loeffler’s appointment to the agriculture committee is potentially setting up a conflict of interest as the new Senator is spouse of Jeffrey Sprecher, founder and CEO …

The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is having trouble locating Benjamin Reynolds, who is allegedly responsible for a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme worth over $140 million. Financial news outlet FinanceFeeds reported on Jan. 6 that the CFTC has filed a motion with the New York Southern District Court. More precisely, the regulator filed for the service of process on Reynolds by publication on The Daily Telegraph and extending for sixty days the time limit by which the service must be effected on him and his firm. A major Bitcoin ponzi scheme In mid-June, the CFTC launched action against the …

The operator of what is set to become the world’s largest Bitcoin (BTC) mining facility has reportedly signed a deal with Japanese financial services giant SBI and internet provider GMO. A Jan. 7 BNN Bloomberg report claims that the two Japanese mega-firms have agreed in principle to process cryptocurrency transactions at a new mining facility — of unprecedented scale — now being developed in Rockdale, Texas. The facility will be operated by Whinstone Inc., a subsidiary of the Frankfurt-based Northern Bitcoin AG. Whinstone — which has been operating since 2014 and has its own mining sites across the Netherlands, Sweden …