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Company Behind Illicit $24B Telegram Marketplaces Launches Stablecoin

Huione, a Telegram-based illicit marketplace that offers personal data and money laundering services has rolled out its own stablecoin, according to report by blockchain security firm Elliptic.
The stablecoin (USDH) was created to “avoid the common freezing and transfer restrictions of traditional digital currencies.” The Huione website adds that “USDH is not restricted by traditional regulatory agencies.”
Prior to the launch of USDH, users on Huione were almost exclusively using tether (USDT). Tether froze one of Huione Pay’s accounts in July 2024 after a wallet received funds linked to a theft attributed to North Korea’s Lazarus Group.
The company also released its own chat service to make it less reliant on third-party apps like Telegram.
The report claims that Huione has facilitated $24 billion worth of transactions including a large portion of the funds used in infamous pig butchering scams. It is a Chinese-language market and has links to Huione Group, a Cambodian conglomerate.
Elliptic research found that «thousands of vendors» are offering «money laundering services, stolen personal data, technology and other items necessary to conduct online fraud on an industrial scale.» It also found electric shackles intended for use on human trafficking victims.
One of the money laundering services claims to be representing and operating from the Golden Fortune Science and Technology Park, a reported labor camp that forces Vietnamese, Malaysian and Chinese nationals to carry out cyberscams.
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UK’s FCA Seeks Views on Stablecoins, Crypto Custody to Prevent Firm Failures

The U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is seeking additional views on its upcoming stablecoins regime, it said on Wednesday.
«In support of the opportunities stablecoins present to financial services and the broader economy, the FCA will explore adding a specific focus on stablecoins to its innovation services in the coming months,» the FCA’s statement said.
The FCA’s proposed rules are meant to ensure stablecoins maintain their value and seek to reduce the likelihood of stablecoin and crypto custody companies failing.
Stablecoins have been something regulators have been watching carefully following the collapse of the algorithmic stablecoin terraUSD in 2022 that resulted in investors losing out on their life savings.
The FCA has been establishing its new crypto regime since 2023. In 2023 it published a discussion paper with proposals for a stablecoins regime. The regulator has since upped its efforts to regulate the sector by releasing a series of discussion papers for the industry and the U.K. government is working on establishing new legislation to ensure the country’s regulators have all the powers they need to launch their new regimes for the digital asset sector.
The FCA will be working with the Bank of England to regulate stablecoins.
«For those stablecoins that expect to operate at systemic scale, the Bank of England will publish a complementary consultation paper later this year, including responding to industry feedback around allowing some return on backing assets,» Sarah Breeden, deputy governor for financial stability at the Bank of England said.
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Bitcoin and Web3 Wallet Firm Ledger Brings ‘Crypto Life’ Visa Card to U.S. Users

Cryptocurrency hardware wallet firm Ledger has launched its Crypto Life (CL) Visa card in the U.S., offering users 1% cashback in bitcoin (BTC) or USDC on purchases and the ability to directly deposit paychecks into the on-chain card account via bank transfer.
Ledger’s CL Visa card is facilitated by fiat-to-on-chain card enabler Baanx, which also provides self-custody crypto cards for the likes of MetaMask, Tools for Humanity and most recently wallet firm Exodus.
Big card networks Mastercard and Visa are aligning themselves with the self-custodial crypto world and the rapid growth in areas like stablecoin payments. Data on CL card usage shows household purchases dominated crypto card usage at 63% of total transactions, with entertainment and fashion categories showing the strongest growth.
Jean-Francois Rochet, EVP of Consumer Services at Ledger, said the collaboration brings the CL card to millions of users in the U.S. with attractive cashback features for bitcoin holders. “Living the crypto life means having ownership, access and real world utility over your digital assets,” he said in a statement.
“The CL Card, designed for Ledger, is a step toward mainstream, non-custodial crypto payments—right in your pocket”, said Simon Jones, Chief Commercial Officer of Baanx.
The CL Card will be available in the U.S. (excluding New York and Vermont) on June 30, 2025.
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VivoPower Raises $121M to Launch XRP Treasury Strategy With Saudi Royal Backing

VivoPower International (VVPR), a Nasdaq-listed energy company, said on Wednesday it has secured $121 million in a private share placement to fund its pivot to digital asset treasury focusing on XRP XRP, the fourth largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
The raise was led by Saudi Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Abdulaziz Al Saud, investing $100 million, a spokesperson to the company told CoinDesk. The company sold 20 million ordinary shares priced at $6.05 per share.
Adam Traidman, a former Ripple executive who led the SBI Ripple Asia, is joining the company as chairman of the board of advisors, according to the press release. Ripple is an enterprise-focused blockchain service provider closely related to the XRP Ledger.
VivoPower shares surged as much as 26% on the news before giving back some of the gains. Recently, they were up over 11%, trading around $6.75.
The move is the latest example of public firms raising money to purchase and add digital assets to their treasuries, a playbook popularized by Michael Saylor’s Strategy (MSTR) that has become the largest corporate holder of bitcoin BTC. While BTC has been the most sought-after asset among these firms, recent newcomers like DeFi Development and SharpLink Gaming directed their focus to Solana’s SOL SOL and Ethereum’s ether ETH, respectively.
VivoPower, founded in 2014, aims to be the first publicly traded company with a crypto treasury strategy centered around XRP. It also plans to spin off its legacy business.
«After reviewing a number of listed vehicles seeking to embrace a digital asset treasury model, we selected VivoPower given its strategic focus on XRP and its objective to contribute to building out of the XRPL ecosystem,» Prince Abdulaziz said in a statement. «We have been investors in the digital asset sector for a decade and have been long-term holders of XRP.»
Read more: Dubai Unveils Real Estate Tokenization Platform on XRP Ledger Amid $16B Initiative
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