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FBI Seizes $200,000 in Crypto From Hamas-Linked Wallets, Accounts

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The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized more than $200,000 in cryptocurrency from several wallets and exchange accounts linked to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, according to a Thursday announcement.

According to the FBI, more than $1.5 million in crypto — largely in the form of donations from Hamas supporters around the world — has flowed through the seized wallets and exchange accounts since last October. The wallet addresses were allegedly promoted in a group chat claiming to be associated with Hamas, a U.S. and European Union-designated terrorist organization, and donations were subsequently laundered through a series of crypto exchanges and transactions.

“These seizures show that this office will search high and low for every cent of money going to fund Hamas, wherever it is found, and in whatever form of currency,” U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. of the District of Columbia said in a statement. “Hamas is responsible for the death of many U.S. and Israeli nationals, and we will stop at nothing to stop their campaign of terror and murder.”

Approximately $90,000 in crypto was seized from an undisclosed number of wallets, and another $112,000 was taken from three exchange accounts, according to the FBI’s release, and the accounts were registered to Palestinian individuals living in Turkey “and elsewhere.”

The U.S. Treasury Department and other foreign governments have previously sanctioned Hamas-linked financial networks and facilitators of crypto transfers, seized Hamas-linked crypto accounts. In April 2023, Israel’s Defense Ministry’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF) seized nearly 200 cryptocurrency accounts tied to Palestinian currency exchanges. According to a report from blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs, the NBCTF has seized “tens of millions” of dollars in crypto from Hamas-linked accounts over the last few years.

According to the U.S. Treasury, Hamas has been using cryptocurrency to move some of its money since at least 2020, in order to mitigate the risks of physically transporting cash and to evade financial monitoring.

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President Trump to Order ‘Reciprocal Tariffs’ to Begin at Midnight

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In a Rose Garden ceremony on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he intends to immediately sign an order for «reciprocal tariffs» to be levied against U.S. trading partners.

«Our country and its taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years but it’s not going to happen anymore,» said Trump, adding that the tariffs will begin at midnight.

The first specific tariff announced at the ceremony was a 25% levy on all foreign-made autos.

Among country-specific tariffs: China will see a rate of 34%, Vietnam 46%, Taiwan 32% South Korea 25%, Switzerland 31%.

The price of bitcoin (BTC) initially rose in the ceremony’s early stages, but began to give ground as the tariffs were detailed. The price has retreated to $86,000, down about 1% from prior to the announcements.

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Hbar Foundation Teams Up With OnlyFans Founder for TikTok Bid: Reuters

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The HBAR Foundation has teamed up with the founder of internet subscription site OnlyFans, Tim Stokely, in a bid to acquire Chinese social media app TikTok, according to a new Reuters report.

Stokely and the HBAR Foundation submitted a bid last week to the White House through the former’s new family-friendly crowdfunding company, Zoop, Reuters said.

«Our bid for TikTok isn’t just about changing ownership, it’s about creating a new paradigm where both creators and their communities benefit directly from the value they generate,» Zoop co-founder RJ Phillips told Reuters.

The HBAR Foundation is the entity behind Hedera (HBAR), a proof-of-stake smart contract platform that launched in 2018. With a market capitalization of $7.2 billion, HBAR is the 22nd-largest cryptocurrency in existence as of press time. The coin only reacted mildly to the news and is up 1.5% in the last 24 hours.

The duo’s bid for TikTok isn’t the only one on the market. Online retailing giant Amazon (AMZN) is also looking to acquire the platform, according to The New York Times.

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Wall Street Giant DTCC Unveils Tokenized Collateral Platform in Crypto Push

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The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), the world’s largest securities settlement system, is pushing deeper into crypto with introducing a blockchain-based platform for tokenized collateral management.

Collateral is a fundamental part of risk management in financial markets, ensuring stability amid market fluctuations. However, traditional systems often suffer from inefficiencies due to fragmented infrastructure and lagging settlements.

DTCC said its new platform seeks to address these challenges by tokenizing collateral on blockchain rails, allowing for real-time transfers and automation through smart contracts, according to a Wednesday press release. The platform runs within DTCC’s AppChain ecosystem, which was developed on top of LF Decentralized Trust’s Besu blockchain.

Read more: Why Asset Tokenization Is Inevitable

«Collateral mobility is the ‘killer app’ for institutional use of blockchain,» Dan Doney, chief technology officer of DTCC Digital Assets, said in a statement. «By using smart contracts to automate the full range of collateral operations, we enable complex trade execution across markets in real-time at any time, even in volatile conditions.»

«This platform is unique in that we’ve created something that’s more open, flexible, dynamic, and comprehensive than any previous digital collateral initiative,» said Nadine Chakar, global head of DTCC Digital Assets.

The initiative comes as tokenization of traditional financial instruments such as bonds, funds and other traditional investments has become one of the hottest use cases for blockchain technology. Multiple financial heavyweights like BlackRock, CME Group and Fidelity have thrown their hat in the ring pursuing benefits such as operational efficiencies, speedier settlements and increased transparency compared to using traditional financial plumbing.

DTCC will showcase the platform’s capabilities at the «The Great Collateral Experiment» event on April 23, where industry participants will test how tokenized assets can be mobilized across markets. The company said it also plans to engage with regulators and industry leaders to establish global standards for tokenized collateral.

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