Interpol links $123M crypto wallet to romance scam ring after global crackdown

The post Phantom and Hyperliquid Seek CFTC Clarity on DeFi Infrastructure appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Crypto wallet provider Phantom and the Hyperliquid Policy Center have urged the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to exempt blockchain protocol developers and non-custodial wallet providers from regulations designed for traditional financial intermediaries. In response to a CFTC request for information on regulations affecting fintech firms, the companies asked the agency to confirm that blockchain protocol developers do not have to register solely for creating onchain software, issue guidance allowing regulated derivatives firms to use blockchain infrastructure, and codify exemptions preventing non-custodial wallet providers from being treated as introducing brokers. The companies argued that existing CFTC regulations were designed for custodial financial intermediaries that hold customer assets and process trades, while onchain protocols allow users to transact

The post Legal clarity for blockchain developers, INTERPOL’s crypto fraud crackdown, and more appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Since making a low of $57,800 on July 1, Bitcoin [BTC] has been up 8.58%. It was trading just below $63k at the time of writing. For three consecutive trading days, the Bitcoin spot ETF flows had been positive, showing some confidence among market participants. These inflows have been interrupted, and data showed $84.9 million in outflows on July 8. Elsewhere, a U.S. Senator argued in favor of a provision in the Clarity Act that would protect blockchain software developers. An INTERPOL-led global crackdown on crypto fraud has intercepted $293 million in illicit assets. Here’s what happened in crypto today. Senate leaders called on to protect BRCA in future versions of the broader Clarity Act In a letter sent earlier this week to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden asked that Section 604 b

The post Privy Launches Global Fiat Onramps With Stripe in US, EU appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Privy pairs Stripe’s Crypto Onramp for the US and EU with its own aggregator covering more than 100 other countries, all funneling into a single wallet. Privy, the crypto wallet infrastructure provider Stripe acquired in 2025, launched global fiat onramps that let developers add card-based crypto purchases to their apps in a single integration, the company said in a post on its official X account Tuesday. In the US and EU, Stripe’s own Crypto Onramp product handles payment processing, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and ACH transactions, identity verification and compliance, according to Privy’s announcement. Outside those two regions, Privy’s own aggregator routes users through “the best available provider” across more than 100 additional countries, with funds landing in the same destination wallet regardless of which rail processed the purchase. Stripe corroborated the integration on it

Privy pairs Stripe's Crypto Onramp for the US and EU with its own aggregator covering more than 100 other countries, all funneling into a single wallet.

The post INTERPOL-Led Global Fraud Crackdown Nets 5,800 Arrests appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. INTERPOL operation across 97 countries leads to 5,811 arrests and $293M in seized illicit assets. Operation First Light 2026 uncovers 142,000 victims of global fraud and social engineering scams. Authorities disrupt crypto laundering, impersonation schemes, BEC scams, and other cyber-enabled crimes. An INTERPOL-led anti-fraud operation spanning 97 countries and territories led to the arrest of 5,811 people and the interception of $293 million in illicit assets.  Operation First Light 2026 ran from January 15 to April 30. It targeted social engineering scams and the money laundering networks that support them. Investigators focused on business email compromise (BEC), romance scams, investment fraud, impersonation schemes, and sextortion. After an intelligence-gathering phase, law enforcement agencies carried out more than three months of coordinated action. Authorities conducted raids, m

The post Interpol Ties $122.5M Crypto Wallet to Romance Scam Ring appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Thai police made two arrests as Interpol’s 97-country sweep logged 5,811 arrests and $293 million in intercepted assets. A 20-year-old’s cryptocurrency wallet processed more than $122.5 million in suspected romance-scam proceeds over 10 months, Interpol said, after Thai police made two arrests tied to a cross-chain laundering scheme uncovered during a global crackdown. The case surfaced from Operation First Light 2026, a sweep coordinated by Interpol that led to 5,811 arrests and the interception of $293 million in illicit assets across 97 countries and territories, the organization said in a statement posted to its official X account Thursday. The operation identified more than 142,000 victims worldwide, blocked 31,014 bank accounts, analyzed 152,808 cases and issued 99 Interpol Notices and Diffusions, using its Global Rapid Intervention of Payments mechanism to freeze both fiat and

Thai police made two arrests as Interpol's 97-country sweep logged 5,811 arrests and $293 million in intercepted assets.

The post INTERPOL seizes $293 million, arrests 5,811 in global scam crackdown appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. INTERPOL revealed in a statement that was shared on Thursday, July 9, that a four-month operation spanning 97 countries and territories arrested 5,811 people and froze $293 million in illicit money.  This sweep also reached some crypto holders as the investigators traced romance-scam profits laundered through cross-chain token swaps.  The operation, called First Light 2026, ran from January 15 to April 30, according to INTERPOL’s statement. Its focus was social engineering, the practice of exploiting a person’s trust to extract money or account details. That category covers business email compromise, sextortion, romance, impersonation, and investment scams, along with the laundering networks that move the proceeds. INTERPOL counted more than 142,000 victims over the four months. Alongside the arrests, police blocked 31,014 bank accounts, solved 23,715 cases, identified ano