Blockchain News page 42

Prosecutors allege the scheme used digital asset investments to defraud victims out of tens of millions of dollars. A business owner based in Las Vegas is facing a potential maximum sentence of 280 years in prison. The case centers on an alleged cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that prosecutors say defrauded investors of roughly $24 million.

The proposal would let smart contracts check whether a tokenized equity's underlying asset is still active, halted, or delisted. A newly published Ethereum improvement proposal, designated ERC-8391, has surfaced with a specific focus on tokenized stocks.

The asset manager's OnChain US Government Liquidity Fund will become available through HashKey Exchange as tokenized finance expands in the region. Franklin Templeton has agreed to work with HashKey Exchange to bring a tokenized money market fund to investors in Asia.

The blockchain project's plan seeks to make wallets more resilient without relying solely on a single private key. Monad has put forward a proposed upgrade to its wallet infrastructure. The plan targets two persistent vulnerabilities in blockchain security. One is the permanent loss of funds when a private key is misplaced.

The exchange now allows XRPL-based transfers for its Singapore customers, expanding regional access to the token. Gemini has switched on support for XRP deposits and withdrawals using the XRP Ledger, or XRPL, for customers in Singapore.

Blockchain analytics firm traces funds across 30 sanctioned wallets tied to the Iranian entity TRM Labs has traced $16.8 million in cryptocurrency flows connected to the Mabna Institute, an Iranian entity under U.S. sanctions. The firm's research shows the funds moved through addresses dating back to 2018.

The industry group warns that broad identification requirements could otherwise sweep in nearly every stablecoin transaction. The Blockchain Association, a Washington-based crypto industry group, has called for stablecoin identification rules to carve out peer-to-peer transfers. The group argues that requiring identity checks on wallet-to-wallet transactions would extend far beyond the intent of existing anti-money-laundering frameworks.

Both assets rallied together in August, with sources differing on whether gold's gain marks its best month since 1999 or simply its best in decades. Bitcoin traded above $81,000 this week, extending a rally that has unfolded alongside a historic surge in gold prices.

The crypto trade group says stablecoin-specific rules would fit better than generic bank-style customer checks. The Blockchain Association, a Washington-based trade group representing crypto companies, has called on the U.S. Treasury to write know-your-customer rules tailored to stablecoin issuers. The group argues that generic, bank-modeled KYC standards do not fit how stablecoins actually operate.

The mainnet upgrade targets cross-chain bridge vulnerabilities as BNB Chain continues hardening its infrastructure. BNB Chain has completed activation of the Pasteur hard fork on its mainnet. The upgrade is designed to strengthen the security of bridge infrastructure connecting the chain to other blockchain networks.

New sanctions campaign hits digital assets, gold, aviation and shipping as Iran promises retaliation Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a broad new sanctions initiative on Monday targeting Iran's use of digital assets and technology. The campaign, named Operation Economic Outcast, expands Washington's economic pressure on Tehran across several sectors at once.

CEO Brian Armstrong unveiled a Slack-based tool that settles AI micropayments in about 200 milliseconds without subscriptions. Coinbase has developed a Slack bot designed to let artificial intelligence agents pay for services instantly, according to reporting on the new tool.

The corporate Ethereum holder expanded its treasury by 32,447 ETH during a week that saw the token jump roughly 30%. BitMine Immersion Technologies has expanded its Ethereum holdings by 32,447 ETH, a purchase valued at approximately $81 million, according to figures reported this week.

A new projection points to sharply rising electricity consumption from Australian data centers, with implications for energy markets and digital infrastructure. Australia's data center electricity use is projected to climb sevenfold over the next decade, according to a report published by CryptoBriefing.

The exchange's Base network now hosts tokenized shares, positioning Coinbase in the growing race to bring equities onchain Coinbase has begun issuing tokenized stocks on Base, its Ethereum layer-2 network, according to reports from CryptoBriefing and Bankless.

Coinbase's tokenized equities go live on the Base network, relying on Chainlink's price feed infrastructure. Coinbase has begun offering tokenized versions of US stocks on Base, the layer-2 network it developed. The exchange selected Chainlink to supply price feed infrastructure supporting the new product, according to reports from CryptoBriefing, Coinfomania, and Cointelegraph.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says trade negotiations with the Trump administration have broken down entirely. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his country is now locked in an economic war with the United States.

The company's stockpile of TRX tokens has grown past 711 million as its stock price climbs, though reports differ on the exact size of the gain. Tron Inc. has grown its corporate treasury to more than 711 million TRX, according to newly reported figures.