Last weekend marked a significant change in Syria as the Assad regime collapsed after over five decades in power and a lengthy civil war. This shift was driven by a swift offensive from opposition groups, especially Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), leading to the fleeing of former President Bashar al-Assad to Russia. The takeover has crucial ...
A Canadian financial firm has been identified as a key payment processor for many Russian cryptocurrency exchanges and cybercrime services targeting Russian-speaking users. An investigation revealed that this business operates from a Vancouver address shared by numerous other foreign currency dealers and money transfer services, raising concerns about legitimacy. Blockchain analyst Richard Sanders, who formerly ...
A Russian lawmaker, Anton Tkachev, has proposed the establishment of a national Bitcoin reserve aimed at protecting the country against sanctions and geopolitical challenges. According to Tkachev, cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin, can serve as essential tools for international trade, especially for countries facing similar sanctions. He highlighted the vulnerabilities of traditional foreign exchange reserves to economic ...
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has uncovered a significant money laundering operation linked to UK drug gangs during the pandemic. This complex scheme involved a Russian-speaking network based in Moscow that exchanged dirty cash for untraceable cryptocurrency. They facilitated the laundering of drug profits while also supporting Russian state espionage efforts. The operation has resulted ...
Russian President Vladimir Putin is questioning the importance of holding foreign currency reserves, suggesting that cryptocurrencies like bitcoin could be more reliable alternatives. His comments come amid ongoing tensions with Western nations, which have frozen approximately $300 billion of Russia’s foreign assets since the Ukraine conflict began. Putin argues that this freeze damages the US ...
BRICS, a group of fast-growing economies including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, seeks to challenge the dominance of the US dollar in global trade. They are motivated by a desire to reduce reliance on a currency that grants the United States significant economic and geopolitical power, including the ability to impose sanctions. The ...
BRICS, a group of rapidly growing economies including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, aims to challenge the dominance of the US dollar, which currently controls about 80% of global trade. The leaders of these nations want to reduce their reliance on the dollar, as it gives the US significant economic and geopolitical advantages, ...
A US appeals court has determined that the US Treasury Department overstepped its authority by sanctioning the cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash in 2022. The Treasury accused Tornado Cash of laundering over $7 billion linked to hackers, particularly from North Korea. This ruling favored six users of Tornado Cash who, with help from Coinbase, challenged the ...
 "India’s oil minister vows to purchase low-cost Russian oil, navigating sanctions while aiming to boost energy independence and gas usage.")
India is poised to continue purchasing oil from Russian suppliers due to favorable prices, as confirmed by Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. With Western sanctions on Russia limiting oil prices, India is determined to buy from the cheapest sources, highlighting that they are not alone in this approach, as countries like Japan and various European ...
 "China claims a breakthrough in homegrown chip technology, challenging US sanctions and aiming to compete with ASML’s dominance.")
China has made significant strides in developing its own chipmaking equipment, aiming to overcome U.S. sanctions that hinder its semiconductor goals. The country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently announced a new laser-based immersion lithography machine capable of producing chips with resolutions of 65 nanometers or better. This marks a notable advancement from previous ...
