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According to CriptoNoticias, the Argentine government submitted a bill to Congress through the Ministry of Health aimed at preventing gambling addiction and regulating online gambling, which for the first time explicitly includes virtual asset service providers within the regulatory scope. The bill stipulates that banks, fintech companies, cryptocurrency exchanges, and wallet providers are prohibited from providing services or facilitating transactions for gambling platforms operating without a license in Argentina.The bill also proposes amendments to the criminal code, imposing a prison sentence of 2 to 4 years on individuals or companies that provide financial, technical, or digital asset services to these illegal platforms. Exchanges and cryptocurrency asset providers will be required to implement stricter due diligence, transaction monitoring, and KYC policies. The Central Bank of Argentina, the National Securities Commission, the National Communications Commission, and NIC Argentina will enhance inter-agency coordination to effectively block technical access and the flow of funds.

According to DL News, Argentine police arrested a Chinese national (abbreviated as DZ) at Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport. The suspect arrived from Paris holding a forged Paraguayan passport and has been listed as a wanted suspect by Interpol.A Nigerian court has accused him of orchestrating a cryptocurrency scam locally, attracting investors with the promise of "high returns," but victims were later unable to withdraw funds or access the platform, with the amount involved approximately $49.4 million. Argentine authorities stated they would cooperate with Nigeria to initiate extradition procedures.

According to News.Bitcoin, the Argentine Securities Commission (CNV) has now recognized cryptocurrencies as assets that can be counted towards an individual's net worth, thus qualifying individuals as investors. It is reported that the Argentine Securities Commission (CNV) issued General Resolution No. 1125/2026, which stipulates that virtual assets will be considered part of an individual's net worth for determining qualified investor status in the country. The resolution defines virtual assets as "any digital representation of value that can be traded and/or transferred digitally and is used for payment or investment," meaning that cryptocurrencies, tokenized assets, and even stablecoins can be used as such assets.Despite Argentina's progress in this area, financial institutions are still unable to offer cryptocurrency services to clients, as the central bank issued a resolution in 2022 aimed at "mitigating the risks that trading such assets may pose to financial service users and the entire financial system." However, with President Milei's government taking an open stance towards cryptocurrencies, there are reports that related restrictions will be lifted in the short term, and some Argentine banks have already begun testing blockchain-based internal settlement systems.

Some banks in Argentina have begun testing JPM Coin, a deposit token designed by JPMorgan specifically for institutional users. Currently, Banco CMF is one of the confirmed participants, and this financial institution expects to use JPM Coin for backend settlement workflows to improve settlement speed and efficiency.

According to The New York Times, Argentine President Milei had seven phone call records with project-related entrepreneur Mauricio Novelli on the night of February 14, 2025, when LIBRA went live, covering the time around his promotional post on X.The report states that newly discovered mobile forensic information also includes suspected payment recordings and draft funding arrangement documents, further raising doubts about Milei's previous claim of "no connection to the project." Milei has not yet been formally charged but has been listed as a key subject of the investigation.

BTCC Exchange announced a strategic partnership with the Argentine Football Association (AFA), officially becoming the regional partner of the Argentine national team. This cooperation will cover the entire cycle of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.BTCC stated that through this partnership, it will deepen its global layout, improve the trading ecosystem, and strengthen user trust, while launching a series of activities for users, including signed jersey giveaways and trading competitions. Founded in 2011, BTCC is one of the oldest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.

According to CriptoNoticias, a court in Buenos Aires, Argentina has ordered a complete blockade of the prediction market platform Polymarket, to be enforced by the national communications regulatory agency ENACOM, and has requested Google and Apple to remove its applications from local app stores.The blockade was initiated due to a complaint from the Buenos Aires Lottery Bureau (LOTBA), which determined that Polymarket was essentially operating an unauthorized online gambling business under the guise of a "prediction market," and that the platform did not require identity and age verification, posing significant risks to users. As a result, Argentina has become the second country in Latin America, after Colombia, to fully restrict this platform.

According to market news, the Buenos Aires court in Argentina ordered a complete blockade of the prediction market platform Polymarket on March 16, 2026, to be enforced by the national communications regulatory agency ENACOM, and requested Google and Apple to remove its applications from local app stores.The blockade was initiated due to a complaint from the Buenos Aires Lottery Bureau (LOTBA), which determined that Polymarket was essentially operating an unauthorized online gambling business under the guise of a "prediction market," and that the platform did not require identity and age verification, posing significant risks to users. As a result, Argentina has become the second country in Latin America to impose a complete restriction on the platform, following Colombia.

According to Argentine media El Destape, forensic experts extracted an unpublished document from intermediary Mauricio Novelli's phone, detailing the payment agreement for the Libra token scam, totaling 5 million dollars, primarily pointing to Argentine President Milei.The document shows that the agreement is divided into three payments: an initial payment of 1.5 million dollars in tokens or cash as an advance; a second payment of 1.5 million dollars, contingent on Milei announcing Hayden Davis (CEO of Kelsier Ventures) as his advisor on Twitter; and a final payment of 2 million dollars, contingent on Milei signing a contract regarding blockchain/AI government consulting in person with his sister Karina. The document was created on February 11, 2025, just three days before Milei posted the relevant tweet and the Libra token went live.Call records have also drawn attention. The forensic report shows that Milei had multiple calls with Novelli within minutes before and after the tweet was posted, and his sister Karina was also in frequent contact; after the token price plummeted that night, Milei's advisor Santiago Caputo joined the call circle late at night, with call records indicating that all parties continued to coordinate in response to the crisis.

The Venezuelan police arrested Rosa María González, a suspect in the Generación Zoe fraud case, in San Cristóbal. This fraud case has led to investor losses of at least $120 million. Leonardo Cositorto, the head of Generación Zoe, previously stated that Rosa María González fled with 611 bitcoins after the project's collapse, which were worth about $56 million at the time.Investigations show that Generación Zoe attracted investors by promising returns of up to 7.5%, but it was actually a Ponzi scheme. Rosa María González had claimed that the trading algorithm she developed had quantum-safe features, with monthly returns of up to 70%. During her time on the run, she allegedly planned new fraud projects, promising investments starting at $1,000 with a monthly return of 5%. Currently, diplomatic relations between Argentina and Venezuela are tense, making the extradition process difficult.

The Argentina-based fintech company Pomelo has completed a $55 million Series C funding round, led by Kaszek and Insight Partners, aimed at deepening its presence in the Latin American market and expanding its global business.The funds will be used to expand its credit card payment processing operations in Mexico and Brazil, and to launch a global credit card settled in the stablecoin USDC. Pomelo also plans to develop a real-time and smart agent payment system that can operate across borders, serving traditional banks and large international clients, with current partners including Visa, Mastercard, Binance, and Western Union.

According to Cointelegraph, the Argentine cryptocurrency exchange Lemon has launched a Bitcoin-backed Visa credit card, allowing users to lock Bitcoin as collateral to obtain credit in pesos without having to sell their crypto assets.Users only need to lock 0.01 Bitcoin (approximately $960) as collateral to receive an initial credit limit of 1 million pesos. Lemon plans to expand the product's features in the future, allowing users to adjust collateral and credit limits, and ultimately settle dollar-denominated purchases directly using stablecoins pegged to the dollar, such as USDC or USDT.

According to CriptoNoticias, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has decided to suspend its local services in Argentina. The company notified users on December 31, 2025, that it will stop supporting the purchase and sale of the USDC stablecoin using the Argentine peso starting January 31, 2026.Coinbase stated that this move is a "strategic pause" rather than a permanent exit, aimed at reassessing and strengthening its market strategy. During the pause, other cryptocurrency operations (including sending and receiving) will continue to operate normally.

According to a report by News.Bitcoin.com, blockchain data company Chainalysis pointed out in its latest report that the cryptocurrency adoption rate in Argentina has approached 20% and is on a continuous upward trend. This means that 8.6 million Argentinians own or are using some form of cryptocurrency, placing the country among those with the highest rates of digital asset adoption.The report also stated that stablecoins were initially used to combat inflation, and now Argentinians are utilizing stablecoins to generate profits and effectively manage their assets.

According to CriptoNoticias, Argentine authorities have successfully dismantled a large-scale fraud and money laundering case involving cryptocurrency, with an amount exceeding 1.8 trillion Argentine pesos (approximately 1.2 billion USD), primarily affecting agricultural enterprises.The criminal organization opened bank accounts using forged documents, obtained loans, and then immediately transferred the funds to cryptocurrency trading platforms, subsequently converting them into virtual assets and transferring them to digital wallets. To cover their tracks, the organization used third-party individuals to simulate cryptocurrency arbitrage trading. Investigations revealed that the individuals involved were not registered in the virtual asset service provider registration system required by the Argentine National Securities Commission.The operation was jointly executed by the Argentine Ministry of Security and the Federal Police, involving 8 searches, the arrest of 3 men, and notifications to 2 others. Cash, mobile phones, storage devices, laptops, and related documents were seized during the operation. The case began with a judicial investigation in October 2025.

According to CoinDesk, asset management platform Nexo has acquired Argentine crypto investment platform Buenbit, with the specific transaction amount undisclosed.The deal aims to deepen Nexo's presence in Latin America, allowing it to operate under Argentina's regulatory framework and reach Buenbit's user base in the country and Peru.After the transaction is completed, Buenos Aires will serve as Nexo's Latin American headquarters, supporting its expansion into Mexico and Peru. Nexo operates in over 150 jurisdictions, managing assets of approximately $11 billion. Buenbit is registered with the Argentine National Securities Commission (CNV) and offers fiat-to-crypto asset services.Additionally, the Central Bank of Argentina is drafting new regulations, planning to allow banks to provide cryptocurrency-related services to customers in the first half of next year.

The Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) is considering lifting the long-standing ban on traditional financial institutions providing cryptocurrency trading and custody services. This policy shift represents a significant regulatory adjustment from outright prohibition to managed integration.Currently, BCRA regulations prohibit banks from offering or facilitating cryptocurrency trading, but President Javier Milei's government is evaluating regulatory reforms to allow banks to formally enter the market under a strict new framework. This move is a pragmatic response to the reality that Argentinians have become some of the most active cryptocurrency adopters globally, relying on Bitcoin and stablecoins for value preservation due to long-standing inflation and currency volatility.

The Argentine cryptocurrency platform Lemon Cash confirmed on December 4 that some users' names and email addresses were leaked due to a hacking incident at its external analytics service provider Mixpanel on November 9. Lemon Cash emphasized that its own platform was not attacked, and sensitive information such as users' private keys, recovery phrases, funds, and account balances were not affected.The company has sent emails to affected users, warning them to be vigilant against potential phishing attacks. Notably, OpenAI is also a client of Mixpanel and has terminated its partnership with the service provider following this incident.