argentina

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

According to CriptoNoticias, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) is deepening its collaboration with educational institutions in Argentina. The University of Buenos Aires (UBA) established a Research Center for Cryptography and Distributed Systems in early November, which is closely linked to the Ethereum Foundation ecosystem.The Argentine software development company Lambda Class donated $1 million to the center, of which $250,000 has been allocated for undergraduate, master's, and doctoral scholarships. The center aims to integrate interdisciplinary research on blockchain and distributed systems, covering areas such as mathematics, computer science, and fintech.Additionally, Tomasz Stańczak, co-executive director of the Ethereum Foundation, confirmed that the foundation is advancing an educational project involving several universities in Argentina. Starting in 2026, students at the Estación Buenos Aires school in Buenos Aires will receive blockchain technology certificates certified by the Ethereum Foundation, with courses including the smart contract development language Solidity.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Miner Mag, Canadian Bitcoin mining company Bitfarms has signed agreements to purchase 3 acres of land in Washington State for $1.9 million and 181 acres of land in Pennsylvania for $3.5 million for potential high-performance computing (HPC) development.Meanwhile, the company has decided to close its Bitcoin mining facility in Argentina due to power supply interruptions caused by the debt restructuring of energy supplier Generacion Mediterranea S.A. (GMSA) since May 12. Bitfarms has reached an agreement with GMSA to recover $3.5 million in energy deposits in installments over 18 months starting in January 2026 and to cancel the $2.8 million asset retirement obligation related to leasing land in the country.

ChainCatcher news, according to official news, Kraken has launched local currency financing services in Argentina and Mexico. Customers in these two countries can now deposit local currency—ARS and MXN—through domestic payment methods, allowing for faster and simpler access to Kraken's crypto services.In addition, within Argentina, Kraken has now officially registered as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) with the National Securities Commission (CNV), enabling it to operate in full compliance with local regulations.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, a formal ethical investigation initiated by Argentine President Javier Milei concluded that his promotion of the cryptocurrency Libra did not violate public moral rules.The investigation found that Milei's posts came from his personal account and did not constitute official government activity or endorsement. Nevertheless, the federal criminal court is still investigating the incident, which local media have dubbed "CryptoGate." Additionally, Milei disbanded an investigative team and transferred the relevant work to the prosecutor's office.

ChainCatcher news, according to TN Argentina news website, a Russian couple running a cryptocurrency business was released after being kidnapped in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires.It was reported that the victims were kidnapped during dinner at an apartment located at 1596 Ravignani Street, invited by two Chechen men. The woman's cries for help attracted the attention of nearby restaurant staff, and the police later found the couple bound.The suspects have fled to the UAE, and an Interpol red notice has been issued. The victims paid a ransom of $43,000 in cryptocurrency through a friend. The case is currently under investigation by the Argentine Federal Police's anti-kidnapping department and Judge María Romilda Servini.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, Argentine President Milei has shut down the investigation department regarding the Libra scandal.Previously, Argentine President Milei was embroiled in the Libra scandal, with 57.6% of the Argentine public losing trust in him, while only 36% still expressed support. This crisis of confidence stemmed from the Libra meme coin incident in February, where the token's market value soared to $4.6 billion after a post by Milei on social media, but plummeted 94% within hours. Although Milei argued that he was merely "spreading information" rather than promoting it, the opposition initiated impeachment proceedings.

ChainCatcher news, according to local media reports cited by Cryptoslate, an Argentine federal judge has ordered the freezing of assets belonging to key figures of the LIBRA memecoin project. Investigators are looking into potential fraudulent activities related to the promotion of this digital token, including reviewing financial operations linked to President Javier Milei and his sister Karina Milei.The judge also authorized the lifting of bank secrecy protections for Milei and his sister, allowing investigators to examine their financial transaction history to look for signs of improper connections between them and supporters of the project.