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first_img Bit2Me established Bit2Shield to assist law enforcement in tracking cryptocurrency assets

Spain's largest cryptocurrency exchange Bit2Me announced the establishment of an independent company Bit2Shield (registered name CryptoShield S.L) to assist courts, police, and financial institutions in tracking, seizing, storing, and selling cryptocurrency assets. This department will support investigators in extracting wallet data, locating cryptocurrency assets, and issuing digital signature forensic reports that can be used in court, while also being responsible for fraud investigations, source of funds verification, and providing training for police, judges, and banks.This move formalizes the work Bit2Me previously conducted for public institutions. In 2025, Bit2Me handled seized cryptocurrency assets worth 1.5 million euros (approximately 1.74 million dollars) for Interpol, Europol, and the Spanish police, using blockchain analysis company Chainalysis to track the assets. Bit2Shield will store seized assets in cold wallets that require multiple signatures and arrange for their sale when ordered by authorities, with proceeds transferred to government bank accounts in euros.Bit2Shield is part of Bit2Me's expansion from retail trading to banking and public institution infrastructure, with investors including Bankinter, Unicaja, Cecabank, Telefónica, and Tether. Since Bit2Shield focuses on investigations, forensics, and training, it is not considered a cryptocurrency service provider under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA); any operations involving the exchange of cryptocurrency for euros will be handled by Bitcoinforme S.L., an entity authorized by the Spanish securities regulator MiCA under Bit2Me.

first_img AUSTRAC in Australia revoked the registrations of 45 cryptocurrency and remittance institutions within a year

Australia's financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC has canceled, suspended, or refused to renew the registrations of 45 cryptocurrency and remittance service providers in the past year to strengthen the scrutiny of high-risk payment businesses. The involved institutions faced issues such as inactivity, insolvency, or lack of operational capability, as well as failure to report significant changes, incorrect registration information, and significant money laundering or terrorism financing risks. AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas stated that businesses whose registrations have been canceled are not allowed to continue operations, and some related individuals have been referred to domestic and international law enforcement or regulatory agencies. AUSTRAC specifically mentioned BA Digital Ventures operating under the name GetCoins, whose virtual asset registration was canceled in June due to customer complaints, allegedly because the platform was exploited by organized cryptocurrency investment scams, with related actions conducted in cooperation with the national anti-fraud center. The public VASP registration list also included recent disposals of institutions such as Cryptolink, Self Custody, Jam Xchange, and Coinsec Australia. Additionally, AUSTRAC has launched an investigation into Western Union and suspended the cryptocurrency ATM network of Cryptolink.

first_img Brazilian Bank Expands Cryptocurrency Services, Regulatory Framework Takes Shape

Brazilian banks are expanding their cryptocurrency services for customers. According to Folha de S.Paulo, Brazil's largest asset management bank, Itaú, now offers 15 types of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the US dollar stablecoin USDC, through its investment app. Brazil's largest fintech company, Nubank, has listed 28 types, and Banco do Brasil, the most profitable state-owned bank in Brazil, has seen transaction volumes exceed 11 million reais (approximately 2.1 million USD) since launching direct purchase services for Bitcoin and Ethereum in January of this year.However, customer cryptocurrency transactions have not entered the banks' balance sheets. A document from the central bank dated March 2026 shows that Brazilian banks hold zero virtual assets on their books. Over the past year, Itaú, Bradesco, Santander, Banco do Brasil, and Nubank have all expanded their cryptocurrency product lines, while the Brazilian cryptocurrency market has also reached record sizes. According to data from the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service, Receita Federal, Brazilians transferred 505.5 billion reais (approximately 98.7 billion USD) through cryptocurrencies in 2025, more than five times that of 2020, with corporate transactions accounting for 98.3%.This move by banks coincides with the implementation of regulations. In 2022, Brazil passed the "Virtual Asset Legal Framework," granting regulatory authority to the central bank. Three resolutions issued in November 2025 require any institution allowing customers to trade, hold, or send cryptocurrencies to obtain a license, meet minimum capital requirements, and segregate customer accounts, with a compliance deadline of October 30, 2026.

first_img The cryptocurrency trading volume in the Middle East and North Africa reached 350 billion USD, doubling compared to 2022

The latest report from the Bitcoin Policy Institute shows that due to the Iran conflict, the annual blockchain transaction volume in the Middle East and North Africa is expected to reach $350 billion in 2025-2026, more than three times the approximately $100 billion in 2022. The report points out that regional conflicts typically accelerate capital outflows, but the Iran conflict presents a different dynamic: an increasing amount of capital is shifting towards digital assets, highlighting the growing role of cryptocurrencies (especially Bitcoin) as a hedge against economic and geopolitical uncertainty.The report states that after the outbreak of the conflict, Bitcoin initially fell in sync with other risk assets, but then investors shifted from higher-risk cryptocurrencies to Bitcoin, raising its market capitalization share to a one-month high of 64.8%. In countries like Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, and Iran, due to currency devaluation, more people are increasingly using Bitcoin and dollar-pegged stablecoins to preserve value. Meanwhile, Gulf countries like the UAE and Bahrain are attracting crypto firms and institutional investors by establishing regulatory frameworks.Chainalysis data also shows that after the US-Israel airstrikes from February 28 to March 2, approximately $10.3 million left Iranian crypto exchanges. The report believes that in countries suffering from sanctions, conflict, or currency instability, cryptocurrencies have become tools for preserving and transferring value outside the traditional financial system, while regulated Gulf markets continue to attract institutional capital.

first_img Ukrainian police dismantle cryptocurrency scam, with monthly thefts reaching 1 million USD

The Ukrainian police and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) recently dismantled a scam network that used a fake investment platform to steal cryptocurrency. This network disguised itself as an investment platform website, luring users to connect their main cryptocurrency wallets and approve a small test transaction when withdrawing funds. Subsequently, it used a "wallet stealer" hidden within the website to automatically transfer user funds to wallets controlled by the operators, kicking victims off the platform. Investigators have currently confirmed 62 victims, with over 46 Ukrainian citizens involved, and the network could steal up to $1 million per month.The police stated that the false profits displayed on the platform are part of the scam, with operators manually creating transactions and adjusting user account balances to create the illusion of investment growth. In addition to cryptocurrency, the platform also collected victims' passport information, phone numbers, email addresses, login credentials, and photos during the registration and identity verification process. The main organizer of the network is a 25-year-old IT expert who recruited over 46 Ukrainian citizens and operated multiple offices in Kyiv and surrounding areas, with members responsible for building and maintaining fake websites, contacting potential victims, and providing security.Victims come from multiple countries, including Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Israel. The police traced the gang's server equipment located in the Netherlands and obtained a database stored there, which included a list of victims, cryptocurrency wallet addresses, suspected stolen amounts, internal communications, and platform operation information. The Ukrainian police and SBU subsequently executed 34 searches in Kyiv and surrounding areas, seizing over 100 computers, more than 100 mobile phones, 79 SIM cards, documents, cash, and 15 vehicles.
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