News linked to both this project and an event.
Odaily News: A report by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) has identified stablecoins, particularly USDT, as a key liquidity channel supporting Iran's shadow banking system. Licensed Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region face heightened sanctions compliance pressure and need to strengthen wallet attribution identification and counterparty assessment.Soham Jethani, a partner at law firm Septten, stated that merchants settling crypto assets into local fiat currency does not mean they can circumvent sanctions risk. Liability may arise from providing designated persons, funds, or economic resources, as well as handling assets within the transaction chain, and may materialize before the bank completes final settlement.Jethani noted that the name of a stablecoin or its denomination currency does not determine legal ownership; specific rights depend on contractual arrangements and the actual payment process. Globally circulating stablecoins may also bring secondary sanctions risk. Indirect or historical wallet associations do not automatically constitute a violation; determination requires consideration of the applicable regime, transaction participants, and specific facts.In regulated markets such as the UAE, licensed exchange wallets are continuously monitored, and relevant funds can be frozen before consumer settlement, while merchants must also complete KYC. Regulated VASPs handling deposits and withdrawals bear responsibility for counterparty and sanctions risk assessment and corresponding controls. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: Russia has registered its first batch of cryptocurrency exchange operators and digital asset custodians under new regulations that took effect on September 1. The Bank of Russia has published the list of the first authorized operators, including 4 exchange operators and 5 custodians.Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, has been included in the custodian list alongside Atomyze, Voltari, and Cloud Infrastructure. Sberbank stated that it has applied for digital asset custodian status and plans to launch its first crypto products on December 1 through the SberBank Online, SberInvestments, and SberBusiness platforms, initially supporting Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and USDt (USDT).T-Invest Lab, Zefir, and Sistema-Crypto were included in the exchange operator list, while VTB Bank appears on both lists. The registrations are based on a cryptocurrency bill signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in August, which brings exchanges, custodians, brokers, and investors under the supervision of the Bank of Russia, and maintains the prohibition on using cryptocurrency to pay for goods and services. (Cointelegraph)
Cross-border payment platform Conduit sues Tether, accusing it of wrongfully freezing $2.76 million in USDT after misjudging its ties to a Brazilian investigation.
according to an MSX announcement, MSX has completed the handling of abnormal trades, rollbacks, and asset reconciliation for the period from 00:00 to 10:00 (UTC+8) on October 3, 2026, involving MSX/USDT spot and MSXUSDT contracts. Spot trading has resumed normal operations, and users' current balances, trading records, and profit/loss data all reflect post-handling results. Some accounts may still be temporarily restricted due to risk verification. MSX has decided to delist the MSXUSDT contract trading pair as of the date of the announcement. Profitable positions will be settled based on the profits already generated, while losing positions will be fully compensated within 7 days via USDT airdrops. The trading pair will no longer support new position opening or related trading operations. Eligible affected users will receive a 1,000 MSX airdrop and can enjoy a full rebate on trading fees during the period from 00:00 (UTC+8) on October 7, 2026, to 00:00 (UTC+8) on November 7, 2026. The relevant fees will be distributed in the form of USDT airdrops within 7 days after the rebate period ends.
cryptocurrency exchange OKX has announced the launch of OKX Money, a stablecoin savings and payment app, now available in parts of Latin America, Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, offering up to 10% annualized yield on eligible USDG balances.Users can fund their accounts with over 50 supported currencies, with funds converted into USD-backed stablecoins, and can hold, send, and spend USDG, USDC, or USDT. The app supports both virtual and physical cards, and eligible USDG balances can earn yield without staking or lock-up requirements.OKX stated that the app will roll out gradually in accordance with regional requirements, with specific legal entities and regulatory frameworks varying by jurisdiction, and the initial launch markets have not yet been disclosed. Yields and eligibility conditions vary by region and user, and users can unlock higher yield tiers by meeting a 30-day average deposit threshold, reaching a 30-day spending amount, or upgrading their exchange VIP level. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News — According to a recently published guide to European crypto trading platforms, Gate Europe has been named one of the European platforms suited for low-cost spot trading and EUR fiat on-ramp. The platform has obtained MiCA authorization from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), offers a standard spot trading fee of 0.1%, and supports EUR funding via SEPA bank transfers. In terms of user coverage, Gate Europe can accommodate the trading needs of users ranging from beginners to advanced traders, with strong suitability for spot trading users; in response to European users' asset migration needs, the platform also supports migration from USDT to USDC. BeInCrypto previously included Gate Europe in its guide to MiCA-licensed platforms, and continues to follow its regulatory progress and service capabilities in the European market.Currently, Gate Europe has taken the lead in obtaining the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) license and a Payment Institution (PI) license, continuously strengthening its compliance foundation in the European market. Meanwhile, Gate Connect, Gate Card, and related support systems have completed PCI DSS v4.0.1 Level 1 compliance assessment. Against the backdrop of the full implementation of the MiCA regulatory framework and European users' growing attention to legal entities, scope of authorization, and fiat channels, Gate Europe is leveraging its compliance credentials to provide European users with a more comprehensive digital asset trading and fund services experience. (BeInCrypto)
Odaily News: On-chain detective ZachXBT posted on X that he once posed as a client to infiltrate a criminal group suspected of laundering money for the North Korea-backed hacker organization Lazarus Group, and assisted in freezing funds related to the 2025 Bybit attack.ZachXBT stated that after Bybit suffered a $1.5 billion attack in February 2025, he discovered that more than 15 accounts in public Telegram and Discord groups were seeking help processing transactions related to the stolen funds. He subsequently contacted one of the Telegram users using the alias "Jimmy Green" and built trust through multiple transactions. According to his disclosure, on March 6, 2025, he transferred $3.497 million in USDC to an Ethereum address for a USDC-to-TRON-chain USDT exchange transaction with the counterparty. The source of gas funds for that address can be traced back to the Bybit attack funds and was publicly flagged as a Bybit attack blacklisted address.ZachXBT said that in subsequent communications, the counterparty revealed that their team had been involved in processing the stolen Bybit funds and disclosed in advance that the funds would be moved across chains including Solana. By matching transaction timing, amounts, and on-chain data, he identified a wallet cluster involving more than $12 million in Bybit attack funds, with fund paths spanning multiple networks including BTC→ETH→SOL→TRON. Approximately 442,000 USDT was frozen by Tether, and the group also attempted to launder money through Uniswap liquidity pools and low-liquidity tokens. Additionally, the counterparty disclosed having helped other clients process approximately $3 million in fraudulent proceeds, and ZachXBT traced the related funds to wallets associated with the sanctioned Huione Guarantee.ZachXBT revealed that in this investigation, he initially invested $3.497 million and bore a loss risk of approximately 5% per transaction. The intelligence ultimately obtained was provided to relevant investigative agencies and law enforcement authorities at the earliest opportunity. Since 2022, he has assisted in freezing over $75 million in funds related to North Korea-linked incidents.
Odaily News: U.S. digital asset bank Anchorage Digital has reportedly laid off approximately 17% of its workforce. The company was valued at $4.2 billion earlier this year; if its global headcount remains at around 400 as it was in February, this round of layoffs would affect roughly 68 positions. CEO Nathan McCauley informed employees of the layoff arrangements this week.In recent years, Anchorage Digital has expanded its regulated crypto business and entered stablecoin issuance, including participating in Tether's newly launched USD stablecoin USAT. The company also received a $100 million strategic investment from Tether earlier this year. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News — According to monitoring by Drift Foundation, DFX claims and redemption are now live. Users with verified losses from the April 1 incident can claim 1 DFX per 1 USDT lost. Each DFX corresponds to a claim on the Recovery Pool, which currently holds approximately 3.11 million USDT. The funding sources include a portion of Velocity's daily protocol net revenue, up to 127.5 million USDT in matching funds from Tether, up to 20 million USDT from strategic partners, and assets recovered subsequently.DFX can be redeemed for USDT at a redemption amount calculated as "Recovery Pool balance ÷ DFX outstanding supply." Redeemed DFX will be burned, and transactions are irreversible. The claims window will close on January 1, 2028, at 00:00 UTC, at which point unclaimed DFX will be burned.Yesterday, Drift Foundation released an update on fund recovery efforts related to the April 1 security incident, in which approximately $295 million in user assets were stolen. The Foundation has engaged Mandiant, zeroShadow, and SEAL 911 to conduct investigations and trace funds, with Mandiant identifying the attacker as North Korean threat group UNC6862.
Odaily News: The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts filed a civil forfeiture lawsuit on September 28, seeking the forfeiture of 110,300 USDT seized from a Binance account. The case involves phishing text messages impersonating Coinbase, which led to the theft of 33.7 bitcoins, worth approximately $900,000 at the time, from a beneficiary and their family trust held in the same Coinbase account.Investigators said that between June 5 and June 15, 2023, 11.2 of the stolen bitcoins were traced to the Binance account and were quickly converted into Monero. When the FBI requested the account be frozen, it held approximately 758.55 Monero; Binance transferred 110,300 USDT to a government-controlled wallet on August 3, 2026. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News — Gracy Chen, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Bitget, said the company is not optimistic about recovering the $388 million in crypto assets lost in last week's security incident. Citing the Bybit hack in 2025 as a reference, she noted that approximately one year after that incident, only about 3.5% of the stolen funds had been frozen, and that this does not equate to a completed recovery.Bitget has set up a bounty program offering 5% rewards for frozen funds and recovered funds respectively. The NEAR Intents team said it has intercepted over $50 million in assets related to the attack and frozen approximately $500,000. Tether and Circle have blacklisted the relevant wallets, freezing $318,000 worth of USDT and USDC.Gracy Chen stated that preliminary investigations indicate the attack may match VPN addresses used by North Korea-linked groups, but Bitget has not yet fully ruled out the possibility of an insider job. Bitget has resumed withdrawals in phases, starting with Bitcoin transactions on Monday and continuing with ETH transactions on Tuesday. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily reports: Aztec Network developer Aztec Labs has relaunched the self-custodial wallet zk.money. The wallet can conceal payment amounts, balances, and recipient information through Aztec Network, and supports transfers via readable names or links.Users can deposit DAI, USDC, or USDT from Ethereum, with USDC and USDT being converted to DAI. Deposit records remain publicly traceable, while subsequent transaction activity remains private.The early Alpha version limits individual deposits, payments, and withdrawals to under $2,500, and screens addresses in accordance with sanctions policy. The software has not yet undergone a full audit and carries security risks. (CoinDesk)
Odaily News — Stablecoin issuer Tether has announced that, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury's enforcement actions targeting Iranian sanctions evasion networks, it has assisted in freezing approximately $550 million in USDT assets linked to Iran's central bank and sanctioned networks during 2026. This includes over $344 million frozen in April based on information from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and law enforcement agencies, as well as over $130 million frozen in July.To date, Tether has established partnerships with more than 340 law enforcement agencies across 67 countries and regions worldwide, supporting over 2,800 investigations and freezing a cumulative total of more than $4.9 billion in illicit assets (of which over $2.4 billion is related to U.S. law enforcement actions). The company has also directly aligned its wallet freezing mechanism with the U.S. Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List.
According to The Wall Street Journal, an upcoming report from the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations states that the vast majority of cryptocurrency wallets sanctioned due to ties with Iran have been used to trade USDT, the U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Tether.
Odaily News: An investigation by US Senate Democrats claims that the stablecoin USDT issued by Tether has become a primary payment method for Iran. The investigation shows that among over 800 sanctioned crypto wallets, approximately 84% primarily or exclusively use USDT. The US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations previously stated that its review of blockchain records, sanctions lists, and asset seizure notices found that the sanctioned wallets were mainly distributed on the Tron and Ethereum networks and had conducted USDT transactions. (WSJ)
Odaily News: Tether has announced a partnership with Shiga to launch self-custodial financial products in Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region based on its open-source Wallet Development Kit (WDK), enabling users and institutions to hold and transfer USD₮, Bitcoin, and Tether Gold (XAU₮).Among them, ENTA targets individuals, high-net-worth users, and enterprises, while Pulse targets institutions such as banks and fintech companies, used for building digital asset payment, treasury management, and settlement services. Shiga is currently in the final stage of approval for a digital asset intermediary license in Nigeria.
Odaily News: Franklin Templeton has expanded its off-exchange collateral program to Bybit, allowing users to use their tokenized money market fund shares as collateral for crypto trading. These shares represent approximately $686 million in net assets and can be used to borrow USDT or USDC, while the underlying assets continue to generate yield.Users do not need to transfer the underlying assets to Bybit. The regulated custody platform ByCustody will hold the relevant assets off-exchange, with their value mirrored within Bybit's trading environment. Franklin Templeton has previously offered similar services to Binance and OKX users.
According to the official announcement, Huobi HTX will open JPYC/USDT spot trading and grid trading at 21:00 (UTC+8) on September 28. JPYC deposits will open at 15:00 on September 28, and withdrawals will open at 21:00 on September 29. JPYC is a Japanese yen stablecoin issued by JPYC Inc., regulated under Japan's Payment Services Act, and classified as an electronic payment instrument. It is pegged 1:1 to the Japanese yen, with reserves held in bank deposits and Japanese government bonds. Users can mint or redeem JPYC through the JPYC EX platform after completing KYC, or use it for payments, transfers, DeFi, and other scenarios on blockchains such as Ethereum and Polygon. Its design aims to provide a compliant and transparent digital yen solution.
According to official announcements, Huobi HTX will open spot trading and grid trading for the XDP/USDT pair on September 28 at 22:00 (UTC+8). XDP deposit services will open on September 28 at 18:00, and withdrawal services will open on September 29 at 22:00. Doppler Finance builds infrastructure for tokenized capital markets, covering yields, collateral utilization, and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). Its tech stack combines regulated custody, comprehensively audited reserves, and rigorously vetted strategies, aiming to achieve security, transparency, and scalability. Doppler Finance aims to help institutions and users access on-chain productive opportunities through infrastructure that meets real-world standards.
Bitget CEO Gracy Chen thanked Circle and Tether for their swift action. The Bitget Asset Recovery Bounty Program has now been launched, offering a 5% reward respectively to participants who assist in freezing the attacker's funds and recovering the assets, and calls on exchanges, security researchers, and on-chain investigators to participate.