The report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said that “Online gambling platforms, and especially those that are operating illegally, have emerged as among the most popular vehicles for cryptocurrency-based money launderers, particularly for those using Tether or USDT on the TRON blockchain” in the region. Source
Tether, the issuer of the ubiquitous USDT stablecoin, cemented its dominance in 2023, ballooning its market share to a staggering 71%. This explosive growth, however, comes with a chilling undercurrent: a United Nations report linking USDT to a surge in cybercrime and money laundering in Southeast Asia. Glassnode data paints a stark picture of Tether’s ascent. Its market capitalization reached a record $95 billion in January 2024, fueled by a 40% increase in USDT supply over the past year. Meanwhile, competitors like Circle’s USDC saw their market share shrink, with…
The spike in FDUSD volume, coinciding with TUSD’s de-pegging, suggests a transfer to FDUSD for participating in the FDUSD launch pool and joining the Binance Manta launchpad, Park explained. The launchpad is a popular service that rewards new tokens to investors that lock up specific assets, such as FDUSD or BNB, for a period of time. Source
Despite the increasing involvement of the USDT stablecoin in criminal activities, the UN has reported that law enforcement authorities have successfully dismantled various money laundering organizations responsible for transferring illegal funds using USDT. The United Nations (UN) has warned that Tether’s USDT stablecoin has become the preferred cryptocurrency for money laundering schemes and other illicit activities in Asia. The Financial Times reported Monday, citing a report published by the UN’s Office of Drug and Crime Unit, that nefarious actors in Southeast Asia are using the digital assets to engage in…
The top US-based crypto exchange platform is venturing into Africa after announcing that will be teaming up with Yellow Card, a leading African stablecoin exchange. In a new blog post, Coinbase says that as part of its plan to reach 20 countries on the continent, it’s partnering up with Yellow Card to provide millions of people access to prominent dollar-pegged crypto assets, such as USDC. “Through our new partnership with Yellow Card, one of Africa’s leading stablecoin exchanges and a Coinbase Ventures portfolio company, millions of users will gain access…
“We pay high attention to this batch and need also a very good understanding with you, so please seize this public hearing as an opportunity to dialogue with us so we start on the right footing,” Isabel Vaillant, EBA director of prudential regulation, said during the hearing. Another official said it was “really important” to get input from various stakeholders. Source
In an ongoing governance vote, 99.98% of the participating AAVE token holders favor integrating PYUSD into AAVE’s Ethereum-based pool. The voting on the proposal, termed temperature check, floated by Trident Digital on Dec. 18, will end later Thursday. The vote follows decentralized exchange Curve’s December decision to host PYUSD. Source
“FRAX is kind of like the on-chain liquidity for PYUSD, and the latter is the offchain fiat ramp,” Sam Kazemian, founder of Frax Finance, told CoinDesk in an interview. “Since inception, the pool has seen an average daily trading volume of $5.5 million.” Source
The 2% market depth on Binance for the USDC/USDT pair is skewed to the upside, with $26 million in orders stacked up to $1.02 and $6.1 million in orders stacked down to $0.98, according to CoinMarketCap. This means that when a trader makes a sell order larger than $6.1 million, the price would fall below $0.98. There was $6.2 million worth of volume at 12:10 UTC followed by $4.3 million at 12:21 UTC. Source
The jurisdiction’s central bank, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), and the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) are seeking feedback by Feb. 29. Fiat-referenced stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain its value on par with sovereign currencies like the U.S. or Hong Kong dollar. Source