08 September Bitfinex Securities approaches $250 million tokenized securities milestone and sets up plans to acquire a full Astana International Finance Center license

Astana, Kazakhstan – September 8, 2025 – Bitfinex Securities, a regulated platform that allows entities to raise capital through a list of tokenized securities, has submitted an application to migrate from the Astana International Finance Center (AIFC) Fintechlab to confirm that it will be an accredited investment exchange.

Bitfinex Securities joined AIFC’s Fintech Lab in September 2021, a regulatory sandbox that supports the development of the local financial industry. Since then, it has issued $206 million worth of tokenization securities at AIFC Fintechlab, which includes Mikro Kapital’s regular tokenization bond program. Bitfinex Securities has been licensed separately from El Salvador since April 2023.

The Bitfinex Securities licensing expansion plan in Astana is of course, as the platform has shown significant momentum to assert Bitfinex Securities’ growth, as it confirms that it reaches $250 million tokenized assets across the platform. This year we have already seen many highlights, including:

• The direct list of Titan1 and Titan2, the first tokenized share issuance of Bitfinex Securities, amounts to a total of 143 million Gbp.
• Full redemption of Mikro Kapital’s first tokenized bond paid USDT 630,000.
• The direct list of Blockstream Mining Note 2 (BMN2) allows for secondary market trading opportunities of just under $9, based on fair value.

“We’re looking forward to seeing you in the process of doing things,” said Paolo Ardoino, CTO at Bitfinex Securities. “We continue to thank the support we have received from AIFC, a proven innovator in regulating digital assets. We confirm that we apply the upgrade to a full license in Astana after a successful initial license period. A regulatory environment to attract and nurture companies such as Bitfinex Securities.”

“We’ve seen the best of our customers,” said Jesse Knutson, operations manager of Bitfinex Securities. “To approach $250 million with tokenized assets on the platform is a significant milestone and a marker of trust we built together with the issuer. Given that all listings are supported by the liquid network, the Bitcoin ecosystem emphasizes that it plays a significant financial role. It continues to grow. We look forward to expanding our listings to make Bitfinex securities an outstanding platform for the full range of tokenized assets.”

Bitfinex securities are also regulated in El Salvador and were the world’s first international digital asset platform licensed under the country’s digital asset issuance law.

About Bitfinex Securities

Founded in 2021, Bitfinex Securities is looking to transform global capital markets by leveraging technological advances in the digital asset industry. With real-time payments, 24/7 trading capabilities, access to global liquidity and self-support, Bitfinex Securities aims to create more efficient, cost-effective, and seamless interactions between investors and issuers. Bitfinex Securities is licensed and regulated at the Astana International Financial Centre in Kazakhstan and El Salvador.

Bitfinex Securities Media Contact Information

(Email protection)

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PayPal has launched a new initiative, “Pay with Crypto,” aimed at streamlining global commerce and significantly reducing the cost of cross-border transactions, according to a July 28 statement.

According to the company, the service offers merchants a 90% reduction in international transaction fees compared to traditional credit card processors.

Pay with crypto

This is made possible by instant conversions from crypto into fiat or PayPal USD (PYUSD), its native stablecoin. The platform supports over 100 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, and is compatible with major wallets like Coinbase and MetaMask.

PayPal estimates that this move opens access to over 650 million crypto users worldwide, allowing merchants to tap into a rapidly growing digital asset economy.

Alex Chriss, PayPal’s President and CEO, emphasized the program’s potential to eliminate long-standing barriers in international commerce.

He said:

“Imagine a shopper in Guatemala buying a special gift from a merchant in Oklahoma City. Using PayPal’s open platform, the business can accept crypto for payments, increase their profit margins, pay lower transaction fees, get near instant access to proceeds, and grow funds stored as PYUSD at 4% when held on PayPal.”

“Pay with Crypto” consolidates fiat and crypto payments into a single interface, giving consumers flexible payment options while empowering merchants to reach global markets. It also aligns with PayPal’s broader efforts to expand stablecoin usage and drive financial efficiency.

The initiative follows recent developments, including PayPal’s partnership with Fiserv to promote global stablecoin adoption.

PayPal World

Meanwhile, the company recently launched “PayPal World,” a new platform designed to connect major digital wallets and simplify cross-border commerce.

The initiative will debut with interoperability between five key players, including PayPal, Venmo, Tenpay Global, NPCI International (UPI), and Mercado Pago.

According to the firm, this reinforces its commitment to simplified, low-cost digital commerce. Chriss said:

“These innovations don’t just simplify payments—they drive merchant growth, expand consumer choice, and reduce costs. This is the future of inclusive, borderless commerce, and we’re proud to lead it.”

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A scammer pleaded guilty after participating in a scheme that convinced the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to pay out $10 million in fraudulent refunds.

Brooklyn resident Xerxes Shevar, 57, was part of a prolific international conspiracy ring involving scammers in the United States, Ghana, Nigeria and Ireland, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

The US Attorney says the conspirators obtained stolen identity info on the internet and then submitted fraudulent federal tax returns under the names of those identities. The alleged scammers also opened bank accounts in those names to receive the returns from the IRS.

One of Shevar’s co-conspirators alleges the scam ring attempted to secure around $38 million from the IRS between the tax years 2010 and 2013 and ended up receiving more than $10 million.

The scammers allegedly used stolen identities to open 3,493 bank accounts and obtain 4,563 credit cards across 443 financial institutions. In all, the scam ring allegedly victimized 11,468 individuals.

Shevar was arrested in February 2024 when he returned to the United States from Ghana. The Brooklyn resident was convicted of wire fraud conspiracy, and US District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter sentenced him earlier this month to three years of probation. The judge also ordered him to pay $290,000 in restitution.

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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

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Amber International announced on July 3 that it will deploy new capital into Sui, XRP, and BNB as the next phase of its $100 million Crypto Ecosystem Reserve, expanding its treasury, which already holds Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.

The company funded the expansion with a $25.5 million private placement, pricing American Depositary Shares at $10.45, a 5% discount to the three-day volume-weighted average.

Amber International issued 12,200,915 Class A ordinary shares, equal to 2,440,183 ADSs, to investors that include Pantera Capital, CMAG Funds, Mile Green, Choco Up, and Kingkey Financial International. 

Management stated that the proceeds will be allocated entirely to the reserve, which supports on-chain liquidity, structured products, and grants tied to the six target networks.

Placement mechanics and reserve mandate

CEO Wayne Huo said the reserve allows Amber Premium, the firm’s operating brand, to align with developers and liquidity venues on each blockchain while offering institutional clients broader hedging tools.

The program will publish periodic on-chain attestations that detail wallet balances and transfer history. 

Amber already trades and lends Bitcoin and Ethereum on OTC desks. The additional assets extend those services to participants seeking diversification beyond the two largest digital assets.

Management expects the reserve to reach full deployment over several quarters, with allocation decisions based on network activity metrics and client demand patterns.

Market reaction

Amber International’s AMBR shares closed 6.7% lower at $8.60 on Nasdaq the same day the placement terms were released, leaving the company with roughly $779 million in equity value.

The share move occurred as digital asset equities, such as Riot Platforms’ and Coinbase’s, fell broadly and did not demonstrate a direct link to the reserve announcement.

Yet, the decline in Amber shares was sharp, crashing 15% within 30 minutes after opening and one hour after the announcement that it would add other altcoins to the treasury by diluting equity.

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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced that five men have pleaded guilty to a Cambodian-based crypto investment scam that conned victims out of $36.9 million.

In a new press release, the DOJ says the international crime ring operated by misleading victims to invest in false digital asset scams.

The DOJ says Joseph Wong, Yicheng Zhang, Jose Somarriba, Shengsheng He and Jingliang Su were part of an international criminal network that tricked American victims into believing they were investing in digital assets, but instead funneled money through US shell companies, international bank accounts and crypto wallets.

Through texts, phone calls, social media and dating apps, the perpetrators contacted victims and gained their trust. They would then convince victims to invest in fraudulent crypto projects, telling the victims all the while that their investments were increasing in value.

Instead of investing their capital, however, the men transferred $36.9 million in victim funds to a single account at Deltec Bank in the Bahamas under the name of “Axis Digital Limited.”

The funds were then funneled to USDT wallets controlled by individuals in Cambodia.

Aside from the five men pleading guilty, eight other co-conspirators have also confessed, so far.

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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

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An Iranian man is pleading guilty to being the mastermind behind the Robbinhood ransomware scam.

According to a recent press release by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), 37-year-old Sina Gholinejad of Iran has pleaded guilty to participating in a hack of multiple cities across the US, causing widespread disruption and tens of millions of dollars in losses.

Authorities say that in January 2019, Gholinejad and his co-conspirators gained and maintained illegal access to the victims’ computers, stealing sensitive data and uploading the Robbinhood malware, which in turn would take over a victim’s PC, encrypt its files, and attempt to extort crypto assets out of them in exchange for the release of the data.

Gholinejad and his team would then attempt to launder the stolen funds through crypto mixing services and chain-hopping and hide their identities using advanced methods.

As stated by Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, in the press release,

“The ransomware attack against the City of Baltimore forced the city to take hundreds of computers offline and prevented the city from performing basic functions for months.

Gholinejad’s conviction reflects the Criminal Division’s commitment to bringing cybercriminals who target our cities, healthcare system, and businesses to justice no matter where they are located. There will be no impunity for these destructive attacks.”

Other cities affected included Greenville, North Carolina, as well as Yonkers, New York, and Gresham, Oregon.

Gholinejad is scheduled to be sentenced in August and could face a maximum penalty of up to 30 years behind bars.

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May 9th, 2025 – Vilnius, Lithuania

The International Crypto Trading Cup (ICTC-2025) has officially launched — the world’s first global crypto trading tournament held live and on stage.

Over the next two days, May 9 to May 10, viewers around the world will witness a groundbreaking event: two 6-hour live trading sessions on crypto futures, streamed in real time with full transparency. Expect expert commentary, live strategy breakdowns, market insights, and professional discussions that bring crypto trading to life like never before.

Key Features:

• Global Participation: Top traders from around the world competing live on one stage.
• A new standard for the industry: This is more than a tournament — it’s a step forward in making crypto trading both competitive and educational.
• Educational Focus: Part trading competition, part masterclass — viewers can learn, engage, and compare their own strategies with the pros.
• Interactive Engagement: Viewers can observe trading activity live, vote in outcome-based categories, and compare strategies. Voting is linked to task completion and account registration.

Participation Options at ICTC-2025

Competing in the Tournament

Interested participants may enter ICTC-2025 either individually or as part of a team. Registration can be completed via the official competition landing page by selecting either “Compete Solo” or “Choose Squad.” Existing users of the exchange must confirm the creation of a subaccount and link it to their TradingView account to participate.

Trading will take place on May 9 and May 10, from 13:00 to 19:00 UTC, utilizing WhiteBIT futures pairs through the TradingView platform.

Engagement for Observers

Audience members who are not participating in trading can still engage through a voting mechanism across five prediction-based categories. A total of 6,500 USDT will be distributed among participants whose predictions closely align with actual outcomes.

To access the voting feature, users must complete several platform tasks such as registering an account or completing identity verification procedures (KYC), which contribute to point accumulation required for participation.

ICTC-2025 is designed to accommodate both active traders and observers seeking to engage with the event in a structured and transparent format.

Backed by Industry Leaders

ICTC 2025 is powered by a lineup of Tier 1 partners committed to innovation. TradingView joins as the official technological partner, while Tether is a title sponsor, contributing to the prize pool. 

Further strengthening the championship, XTraveler, Anda Seat, and Renty.ae come on board as official event partners and prize contributors. XTraveler serves as the official travel partner. Anda Seat will equip the stage with high-performance chairs for participating traders. Renty.ae enhances the prize pool with an exclusive 52-foot yacht experience.

About WhiteBIT

WhiteBIT is the largest European cryptocurrency exchange by traffic, offering over 780 trading pairs, 330+ assets, and supporting 9 fiat currencies. Founded in 2018, the platform is a part of WhiteBIT Group which serves more than 35 million customers globally. WhiteBIT collaborates with Visa, FACEIT, FC Barcelona, Trabzonspor and the Ukrainian national football team. The company is dedicated to driving the widespread adoption of blockchain technology worldwide.

This material does not pertain solely to the company’s European transactions but applies to the activities of all WhiteBIT Group companies globally.

Contact

WhiteBIT PR Service
pr@whitebit.com

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) says that the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) on blockchains will develop stronger links between crypto and traditional finance (TradFi).

In a new paper on the financial stability risks of crypto, BIS analysts say that RWAs – or the tokenization of traditional assets on distributed ledgers – are creating an increased connection between TradFi and decentralized finance (DeFi).

If the trend continues, the BIS says that more and more assets will be traded in the DeFi ecosystem, to the point that “the self-referential nature of DeFi will become a characteristic of the past.”

Such a development would likely make DeFi infrastructure much more mainstream than it is today, says BIS.

“A much larger set of institutions could start participating and a number of infrastructures that are currently specific to DeFi, such as DEXs (decentralized exchanges), will become part of the mainstream.

As a result of these changes, not only will the existing connections grow in size, but they will evolve in ways that are difficult to predict. There may already be connections in areas that are not immediately obvious. For instance, the drivers of the March 2023 banking stress are difficult to pinpoint exactly. But the indirect exposure of US banks to depositors with large stakes in crypto markets was a contributing factor which took many policymakers and supervisors by surprise.”

The international financial institution calls for more research and a deeper look into the regulation of the connection between DeFi and TradFi in order to quell potential stability risks in the event of “spillovers.”

“As the DeFi ecosystem continues to evolve, several areas warrant deeper exploration. First, the interaction between DeFi and TradFi needs more attention, especially as tokenization of real-world assets, the use of smart contracts in TradFi and new forms of digital intermediation emerge.

Research could focus on understanding the potential systemic risks if DeFi becomes more integrated with TradFi, particularly in critical sectors like banking and insurance. Second, the role of stablecoins in supporting DeFi’s growth and the risks posed by their instability require further analysis, spanning both the stability of the DeFi ecosystem itself and its potential spillovers with TradFi.”

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