Finance and Business News page 23

The U.S. Treasury unit reports an 18% rise in related filings as pig-butchering schemes keep expanding The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a bureau within the U.S. Treasury Department, has connected $12.7 billion in cryptocurrency transactions to investment scam networks operating out of Southeast Asia.

A hotter-than-expected payrolls report pushed Bitcoin under $79,500 and dragged broader crypto markets lower. Bitcoin slipped below the $80,000 mark on September 4, falling as low as roughly $79,500, according to multiple market reports. The decline followed the release of a US jobs report that showed stronger-than-anticipated payroll growth.

Grayscale, 21Shares and other issuers want faster timelines and a private filing process similar to traditional IPOs. Several crypto asset management firms have formally urged the Securities and Exchange Commission to shorten review timelines for exchange-traded fund applications.

Regulators plan a February 2027 rollout for a formal market covering tokenized stocks and other securities. South Korea plans to open a tokenized securities market in early 2027, according to reports citing a February target date.

The surge in fund purchases arrives alongside a historical pattern some analysts link to prior local price tops. U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds absorbed their biggest daily inflow since January, Yahoo Finance reported on September 4, 2026.

The network tied to Robinhood's tokenization push stopped recording new transactions for a short period. Robinhood Chain briefly stopped producing new blocks, according to reports from BeInCrypto and U.Today. For a short period, the network was unable to record new transactions. Both outlets described the interruption as brief, though neither offered a precise duration.

The firm's disclosure marks a first milestone in the ACQUA1 capital-raising process, with further details expected as the offering progresses. Liquid Mercury has announced the initial closing of its ACQUA1 offering. The disclosure was reported by several crypto-focused news outlets on the same day, indicating the announcement circulated widely across the industry press.

One report claims XRP ETFs doubled Bitcoin ETF returns, while another says XRP funds traded lower as Bitcoin ETFs pulled in fresh capital. Two separate reports this week offered different pictures of how altcoin exchange-traded funds performed relative to Bitcoin ETFs.

The two firms will study how physical gold reserves could support validator operations on the Solana network. Flowra and KorDA announced a memorandum of understanding on September 3, 2026, to jointly explore gold-backed infrastructure for Solana validators. The MOU signals intent to study a possible partnership rather than a finalized deal.

The derivatives regulator has asked a federal court to throw out CME Group's challenge to Kalshi's crypto perpetual futures product. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has asked a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by CME Group challenging Kalshi's Bitcoin perpetual futures product.

Plaintiffs accuse the hardware wallet maker of failing to protect customer data, leading to theft of digital assets. Ledger, the French manufacturer of hardware cryptocurrency wallets, has been sued for $500 million. The lawsuit centers on claims tied to multiple data breaches and alleged theft of crypto assets linked to those incidents, according to reports…

The agreement aims to deepen cooperation on real-world asset tokenization within Dubai's regulated virtual asset framework. VARA, the government body overseeing virtual asset activity in Dubai, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Securitize. The tokenization firm is known for issuing and managing digital securities backed by real-world assets.

AMBCrypto and CoinTurk News EN report the same $42.4M USDT freeze lawsuit against Tether but give different years for when the freeze occurred. AMBCrypto and CoinTurk News EN report the same $42.4M USDT freeze lawsuit against Tether but give different years for when the freeze occurred.

CryptoBriefing describes Coinbase's new Canadian leveraged crypto futures as a retail offering, while crypto.news and Cointelegraph say access is restricted to sophisticated or institutional investors. CryptoBriefing describes Coinbase's new Canadian leveraged crypto futures as a retail offering, while crypto.news and Cointelegraph say access is restricted to sophisticated or institutional investors.

The prediction market operator wants to list a perpetual contract tied to West Texas Intermediate crude, a product structure long associated with offshore crypto exchanges. Kalshi has filed with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to launch a perpetual futures contract tied to West Texas Intermediate crude oil, according to reports from CryptoBriefing, Coindoo and crypto.news.

Federal authorities say they intercepted digital assets bound for Hamas and assumed control of websites used to solicit donations. The Department of Justice disclosed that federal authorities have seized $560,000 in cryptocurrency connected to Hamas fundraising operations.

The cryptocurrency exchange's holding company now targets an initial public offering no earlier than the second quarter of 2027. Payward, the holding company behind cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, has moved its expected initial public offering date to the second quarter of 2027 at the earliest.

The exchange now offers futures and perpetual contracts to qualifying users in Canada under local regulatory permissions. Coinbase has opened access to crypto derivatives trading for eligible investors in Canada, expanding its product lineup beyond spot trading.