British Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden has questioned the political donations made in Crypto. According to a Guardian report issued on July 18, 2025, McFadden, an intimate ally of British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer, said, “While democracy funding is often a controversial area, I think it’s very important to know who is providing donations.

British Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden has called for election officials to consider banning political donations made in digital currency. #crypto #UKhttps://t.co/qhoremm5hg

– cryptonews.com (@cryptones) July 18, 2025

Important discussions about crypto regulations have been cleaned up in both the UK and the US. In the US, President Donald Trump has announced that he will accept code donations. In fact, Thumzup Media Corporation, a Donald Trump JR-backed advertising technology startup, has secured board approval to hold up to $250 million in crypto. Meanwhile, the UK government is taking steps to “protect democracy.”

“Protection of democracy is one of the government’s most important duties. The increased risk that crypto donations, and crypto will be used to lead to British politics, is a clear and current danger to democratic integrity,” said Tom Brake, director of the Unlocked Democracy Campaign Group.

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Crypto companies collect user data from 2026, with large fines for false reports

The UK is implementing serial crypto reforms through HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The UK government has introduced another drastic regulatory move driven by the adoption of the Economic Co-operation and Development Organization (OECD) Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF). Starting January 1, 2026, all cryptographic companies must collect and disclose detailed user and transactional data.

“If you are offering CryptoAsset services in the UK starting January 1, 2026, you will have a new responsibility to collect and report data. HMRC” said the May 14, 2025 announcement.

All CryptoAsset service providers (both domestic and foreign platforms that serve UK clients) are required to collect and report extensive information about all users and all transactions. This includes address, country of residence, national insurance number, unique taxpayer references, and more.

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It is set to prohibit Crypto purchases with credit cards and loans

If you are using a credit card to purchase Crypto in the UK, it may be numbered on that day. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has officially proposed rules to prevent retail investors from using borrowed funds to purchase cryptocurrency. This includes credit cards, personal loans, and even loans from crypto-specific lenders. However, some crypto users are worried that the UK ban will block innovation and limit access to the market.

The move is part of a broader effort to protect consumers from acquiring debts that chase unstable digital assets. And as more people are jumping into the code with money they don’t actually have, the UK’s top financial watchdogs are ringing their alarms.

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Pakistan Minister of State for Crypto and Blockchain Bilal Bin Saqib is likely looking to collaborate with Wall Street.

A June 6 X post by the Pakistan Crypto Council shows that Saqib met with Brandon Lutnick, the chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, a global financial services firm. A separate video included in a separate post shows that he also met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who recently said he will ensure a Bitcoin bond is launched in the city. The post reads:

“New York is Lahore.”

The meeting with Lutnick follows his firm’s recently increased interest in crypto. The two reportedly discussed “tokenization, Bitcoin mining, Pakistan’s Web3 future and avenues of collaboration.”

Cantor Fitzgerald is a global financial powerhouse founded in 1945 with headquarters in New York, focused on investment banking, fixed income, equities, real estate, SPACs and financial technology. The firm’s website notes that its investment arm manages about $14.8 billion in assets.

Related: Pakistan’s crypto envoy courts Wall Street allies

Wall Street giant Cantor deepens crypto ties

The report followed news from late April that Brandon Lutnick was reportedly partnering with SoftBank, Tether and Bitfinex to create a $3 billion crypto acquisition company. In late 2024, the firm was also reported to own a 5% stake in stablecoin issuer Tether.

More recently, Cantor Fitzgerald has also partnered with Anchorage Digital and Copper, relying on them as its Bitcoin custodians and collateral managers as it launches its new digital asset financing business, targeting institutional investors.

Related: Trump-backed World Liberty Financial partners with Pakistan Crypto Council

Pakistan’s crypto friendship with the US

The announcements follow Saqib’s meeting with Robert “Bo” Hines, executive director of US President Donald Trump’s Council on Digital Assets, during a visit to the White House earlier this week. The meeting focused on cryptocurrency initiative cooperation between Pakistan and the US, including potential partnerships and future decentralized finance initiatives.

In late May, Saqib also revealed that Pakistan is moving to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve. This marked a shift in the country’s stance that crypto would never be legal.

Saqib was appointed by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in late May as his special assistant on blockchain and crypto. That announcement came shortly after Pakistan allocated 2,000 megawatts of surplus electricity exclusively for Bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence centers.

Magazine: US risks being ‘front run’ on Bitcoin reserve by other nations: Samson Mow

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/pakistans-crypto-minister-joins-nyc-mayor-wall-street-in-bitcoin-talks/feed/ 0 40439 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/czech-minister-steps-down-opposition-calls-for-govt-to-resign-over-46m-in-btc-donated-from-convicted-criminal/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/czech-minister-steps-down-opposition-calls-for-govt-to-resign-over-46m-in-btc-donated-from-convicted-criminal/#respond Mon, 02 Jun 2025 15:37:39 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/czech-minister-steps-down-opposition-calls-for-govt-to-resign-over-46m-in-btc-donated-from-convicted-criminal/

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Sead Fadilpašić

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Sead Fadilpašić

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Sead specializes in writing factual and informative articles to help the public navigate the ever-changing world of crypto. He has extensive experience in the blockchain industry, where he has served…

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June 1, 2025

The Czech Republic has been shaken by a Bitcoin scandal. On Friday, Justice Minister Pavel Blažek resigned, with the opposition set to demand the resignation of the coalition government this week as well.

The situation caught on fire at the end of last week after Blažek, a conservative politician, accepted a large donation in BTC and sold it for about $45.8 million in March, the AP reported. The opposition has raised concerns over the source of the donation.

Blažek received the coins from Tomas Jirikovsky, a convicted criminal. Jirikovsky operated the Sheep Marketplace. In 2017, he went to prison for embezzlement, drug trafficking, and illegal trading of weapons.

Jirikovsky’s lawyer reportedly approached Blažek in March 2025, saying his client would donate 30% of his BTC stash to the ministry. Police had confiscated the wallet containing this BTC and returned it to Jirikovsky after his release in 2021.

Blažek did not check the coins’ origin. “I have no way to investigate the matter, and I wasn’t interested so many years after the case,” he said at a press conference on Thursday. Jirikovsky probably wanted “to repent” through the donation, he said.

He also claimed that courts had not proven that the BTC came from criminal activity.

However, the opposition parties argue that it’s unclear why Jirikovsky gave the coins to the ministry or where the coins came from. They accused Blažek of potential money laundering.

Furthermore, they argue that the state shouldn’t use the money until these points are clear.

Meanwhile, the High Prosecutor’s Office in Olomouc is investigating the case on suspicion of abuse of official authority and laundering of proceeds of crime.

Blažek denied knowledge of wrongdoing. Nonetheless, he said he resigned so not to harm the four-party coalition government led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala. The PM said he believed that Blažek acted with goodwill.

Czech Coalition Government in Danger?

Today, Brno Daily reported that the lower house will hold an urgent session on Thursday. The opposition parties will use the occasion to demand the resignation of the coalition government, the deputy leaders of the ANO and SPD parties, Karel Havlicek and Radim Fiala, said on Sunday.

“We will want the government to find sufficient self-reflection and resign,” Havlicek said. The current cabinet could stay until the parliamentary elections in October, but it shouldn’t have the power to make major decisions.

If the coalition government doesn’t resign,

“We are very strongly considering calling a no-confidence vote in the government.”

Fiala, deputy leader of the far-right SPD, said that his party “will support an extraordinary session” and a vote of no confidence in the government.

However, lower house speaker Jan Skopecek said the opposition’s plans are just “theatre” in the campaign ahead of the elections. He added that Blažek has already resigned, so there is no reason for the cabinet to do so as well.

Moreover, Czech Fiscal Council chair Mojmir Hampl argued that this case raises numerous key technical questions. However, these will not be answered in the pre-election stage.

Meanwhile, Le Monde reported that Jirikovsky had been trying to recover about 1,500 BTC, seized by the police, since his imprisonment. During the trial, the court suspected that the coins came from Nucleus. This is a dark web marketplace that, the report claims, shut down the day after Jirikovsky’s arrest.

Furthermore, BTC market monitors noted that a portion of the Nucleus-linked BTC, dormant since 2016, moved to new wallets in March. This is after Blažek signed the agreement, reports claim.

Jirikovsky claimed that he got to keep the BTC because he had obtained it legally. Blažek claimed he hadn’t made any promises in return for the donation.

All these allegations will likely be brought up during the Thursday emergency session.