The European Commission announced a package of crypto-related sanctions against Russia in response to the country’s military actions against Ukraine. In a Thursday notice, the commission said the sanctions targeted Russia’s energy and financial sectors, including a “total sectorial ban on carrying out exchanges with any Russian crypto asset service provider as well as any decentralised platforms enabling crypto trading” that could be used to circumvent the measures. The EC, composed of 27 member states in the European Union, also prohibited the use of stablecoins pegged to the Russian ruble…
Category: Exchanges
Polish Crypto Exchange Zondacrypto CEO Flees to Israel as $97M Fraud Probe Deepens
Key Takeaways: Polish prosecutors launched a fraud investigation into Zondacrypto, identifying losses of at least 350 million PLN ($97M) affecting up to 30,000 users. CEO Przemysław Kral is reportedly in Israel, where his citizenship may prevent extradition as Israel does not extradite its own citizens. Kral’s last public communication confirmed 4,500 BTC in an inaccessible cold wallet before he went silent. A $97M Black Hole and a CEO Out of Reach Zondacrypto was among Poland’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges before a sequence of disclosures revealed deep reserve and governance problems at…
XRP Eyes 30% Gains as Exchange Outflows Hit 35M Tokens in a Day
XRP (XRP) has rallied more than 30% in the last three months, and fresh technical and on-chain signals suggest the XRP/USD pair may have more upside ahead. XRP/USD daily chart. Source: TradingView Key takeaways: Exchange outflows, positive whale flows and strong ETF demand raise XRP’s bullish outlook. A wedge setup sees the price rising roughly 30% by June. Nearly 35 million XRP in exchange outflows boost upside case As of Saturday, XRP Ledger (XRPL) had recorded nearly 35 million XRP in exchange outflows in the last 24 hours, logging its…
Singapore Police and Crypto Exchanges Launch Joint Operation Against Scam-Linked Accounts
Key Takeaways: Singapore Police Force expanded crypto crackdown on scam-related crypto activity. Coinbase, Gemini, Upbit, and Coinhako among the firms that backed enforcement action. Chainalysis and TRM Labs tools helped detect victims and reduce scam losses. Singapore Crypto Crackdown Targets Scam-Linked Accounts Singapore authorities escalated their push against crypto-linked crime after a coordinated enforcement action involving police and cryptocurrency exchanges. The operation underscored deeper cooperation between law enforcement and digital asset platforms as officials move to disrupt scam-related digital asset flows and cybercrime risks. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said…
Poland’s Largest Exchange Faces $350M Swindling Allegations
Key Takeaways: Zondacrypto CEO Kral revealed the exchange lost access to a wallet holding 4,503 BTC. This revelation sparked huge withdrawals, draining 99% of Zondacrypto’s BTC reserves. The 2022 disappearance probe of Suszek continues as Kral hopes for a key transfer. Zondacrypto Faces Misappropriation Allegations Amid 4,503 BTC Misunderstanding Zondacrypto, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in Poland, has put itself in a rough spot after it was known that it had lost access to a wallet containing over $350 million in bitcoin. Recently, Zondacrypto CEO Przemysław Kral published the…
Bitcoin enters disbelief phase as USDC exchange reserves push above $7.5B
A negative Bitcoin funding rate and $7.5 billion in USDC reserves suggest traders may start positioning against the bearish trend. Will BTC price keep rising? Bitcoin (BTC) has rallied 30% since its 2026 low of $60,000, and stablecoin balances on exchanges suggest the market has entered a disbelief phase, with roughly $7.5 billion in USDC on Binance highlighting readily deployable capital that traders could start positioning soon. Data show that derivatives market positioning has not kept pace with the bullish price trend. Crypto analyst Darkfost tracked the 30-day cumulative funding…
TMX Moves to Acquire Cboe’s Canada and Australia Exchanges in $300 Million Deal
TMX Group has agreed to acquire the Australia and Canada exchange businesses of Cboe Global Markets in a US$300 million deal. The transaction covers Cboe Australia and Cboe Canada and is subject to regulatory approvals in both countries. The two businesses are expected to close in separate transactions once approvals are completed. Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don’t!). The deal reverses Cboe’s earlier expansion into Canadian equities market infrastructure. The company built its presence through acquisitions including NEO and MATCHNow, positioning itself…
Kalshi and Polymarket Move Into Perpetual Futures, Taking On Offshore Exchanges
Kalshi and Polymarket are simultaneously entering the perpetual futures market — a move that takes both platforms well beyond event contracts and into direct competition with the offshore crypto exchanges that currently dominate this space. Bloomberg reported that Kalshi plans to launch crypto perpetual futures in the coming weeks, citing a person familiar with the matter. Within hours, Polymarket announced its own offering. The near-simultaneous timing turned what might have been a quiet product launch into a visible race for market share in the most traded crypto derivative. We price…
Gold and Oil Drive Record TradFi Volumes Across Crypto Exchanges
Gold has taken over retail futures trading on crypto exchanges in 2026, and fresh quarterly data from MEXC shows the flow has only become more concentrated. The Seychelles-based exchange said its tokenized gold product XAUT alone accounted for 71% of combined volume among its top 10 TradFi Futures in the first quarter, with silver adding another 22%. Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don’t!) Together, the two instruments absorbed 93% of top 10 activity between January and March, according to the company’s Q1…
Largest Bank of Russia Prepared to Offer Cryptocurrency Trading Services
Key Takeaways: Sberbank readies crypto trading for its 110M clients, awaiting upcoming Bank of Russia regulations next. Following a December loan to Intelion, Sberbank plans to expand crypto-backed lending to more firms next. A December Bank of Russia draft caps retail buys at $4,000 yearly, paving the way for future market access. Sberbank Ready To Offer Crypto Services As Soon As Regulation Arises Cryptocurrencies are poised to make inroads into the Russian banking system as soon as a regulatory framework for these assets is established. Sberbank, one of the largest…