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Adrian Zmudzinski

Adrian Zmudzinski

Adrian Zmudzinski is a cryptocurrency journalist with over 4,000 articles under his belt. His bylines include Cointelegraph, Benzinga, Crypto.News, BeInCrypto, VentureBeat. He has significant holdings in Bitcoin, Solana, and Uniswap.

Stories by Adrian Zmudzinski

  • Tether coins. Source: Shutterstock

    Thai Police Seize $2.5 Million USDT from Alleged Scam Operation

    A Thai and Chinese police collaboration led to two arrests and the seizure of $2.5 million worth of Tether’s USDT stablecoin, the investigators said. The stablecoin holdings were obtained through a large-scale scam operation, according to a recent report by local English-language news outlet Khaosod English. The arrests were carried out on Feb. 5, with the two Chinese nationals having reportedly resisted arrest and attempting to delete data of their phones. The suspects, 29-year-old Ye Wanyou an...

    NewsLaw and Order
    2 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • The malware uses the Bitcoin blockchain to control a network of bots. Image: Shutterstock

    Researchers Flag Crypto-Stealing Malware in Google and Apple Apps

    Kaspersky researchers have detailed a cross‐platform malware campaign that targets cryptocurrency wallet recovery phrases through malicious mobile apps. According to a recent report, the “SparkCat” campaign uses a malicious software development kit (SDK) embedded in modified messaging apps and other applications to scan users’ image galleries for sensitive recovery data. This technique was first observed in March 2023. At the time, cybersecurity researchers observed malware features within messa...

    NewsTechnology
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Arbitrum. Image: Shutterstock

    Why Ethereum L2 Arbitrum Just Saw a DAO Voting Shakeup

    Lobby Finance — a decentralized organization priding itself on “binging lobbyism to DAO governance” — just became the top Arbitrum (ARB) delegate. In what Arbitrum delegate Paulo Fonseca described on X, formerly Twitter, as “the biggest governance move to date,” Lobby Finance suddenly became the top delegate in Arbitrum’s decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). With a single on-chain transaction, Lobby Finance gained control over the voting power of 20.54 million ARB tokens. Arbitrum’s gove...

    NewsDeFi
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Bitcoin and El Salvador. Image: Ink Drop/Shutterstock

    El Salvador Adds 11 Bitcoin to Its Reserves—Despite IMF Pressure to Back Off BTC

    El Salvador just added 11 Bitcoin to its reserves shortly after promising to limit its adoption. El Salvador’s Bitcoin Office announced in a Jan. 20 Twitter post that it just added another 11 BTC to its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. As of press time, 11 BTC are worth more than $1 million. The announcement follows El Salvador promising the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it would scale back its BTC adoptionin exchange for a $1.4 billion loan back in December 2024. Discussions around the deal...

    NewsCoins
    2 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Source: Shutterstock

    Google Pulls Huione App from Play Store Amid Money Laundering Allegations

    Huione Guarantee, a Telegram-based marketplace well known for its use by criminal organizations in Southeast Asia, has had its mobile app delisted from the Google Play store after activity on the platform ballooned. Huione Guarantee, described by the crypto compliance firm Elliptic as “the largest online illicit marketplace to have ever operated,” has increased its monthly inflows by 51% over six months. This growth coincides with the September launch of its own USD stablecoin, USDH. Elliptic’s...

    NewsLaw and Order
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Source: Shutterstock

    Ex-Takeout Driver Ordered to Repay $3.8 Million After Bitcoin Money Laundering Conviction

    Jian Wen, a former U.K. takeaway worker convicted of money laundering Bitcoin, must pay over $3.78 million (£3.1 million) or risk serving an additional seven years in prison. The order comes as part of a Confiscation Order following a money laundering conviction. Wen, 42, was previously sentenced to six years and eight months in prison at Southwark Crown Court after being linked to a cryptocurrency wallet containing 150 Bitcoin—worth nearly $15 million at today’s prices. “Prosecutors told the co...

    NewsLaw and Order
    2 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Source: Shutterstock

    SEC Won't Postpone Ripple Lawsuit Appeal Until After Gensler's Departure

    Party leadership at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is expected to change on Jan. 20, but that won't change the regulotor's plans to move forward with its enforcement cases. Ripple chief legal officer Stuart Alderoty tweeted on Jan. 14 that the SEC has refused to postpone the hearing on its appeal to a favorable sentence. Despite the saber rattling from the SEC, investors in Ripple-linked XRP have been undeterred. The XRP price has been on a tear and surged to $2.99 (or above $...

    NewsLaw and Order
    2 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Coinbase and Circle launched the USDC stablecoin. Image: Shutterstock

    USDC Circulation Grew 78% in 2024, But Still Lags Behind Tether: Circle

    Circle’s USD Coin (USDC) saw a major increase in circulation over the last year amid an evolving regulatory landscape. According to a report shared with Decrypt by Circle, USDC circulation grew 78% year-over-year, reaching more than 500 million end-users worldwide. Monthly transaction volume surpassed $1 trillion in November 2024, with total all-time transaction volume exceeding $20 trillion. Circle highlighted its compliance with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation a...

    NewsCoins
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Image: JOCA_PH / Shutterstock.com

    MicroStrategy Buys $243 Million More Bitcoin

    Top corporate Bitcoin (BTC) holder MicroStrategy acquired another $243 million worth of Bitcoin on Jan. 13. MicroStrategy’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) show that the company paid an average price of approximately $95,972 for the latest addition to its Bitcoin reserves. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is has climbed back up above $91,000 after having dipped below $90,000 earlier this morning. It's lost 3.4% since this time yesterday and is trading 10% lower than...

    NewsCoins
    2 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Authorities around the globe have been cracking down on crypto. Image: Shutterstock.

    Russian Nationals Indicted Over Blender and Sinbad Bitcoin Mixers

    Four Russian nationals behind cryptocurrency mixing services Blender.io and Sinbad.io were charged with money laundering and operating unlicensed money transmission businesses. The news follows sanctioned crypto mixer Blender.io relaunching as Sinbad.io in late November 2023. The move was quickly followed by United States authorities going after the new entity as well. The Jan. 10 indictment charges Alexander Evgenievich Oleynik, Roman Vitalyevich Ostapenko, and Anton Vyachlavovich Tarasov for o...

    NewsCoins
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Source: Shutterstock

    Finnish Police Seize Luxury Watches Worth $2.6 Million From Hex Founder Richard Heart

    Finnish police seized over $2.6 million worth of luxury watches from Hex founder Richard Shueler (also known as Richard Heart.) Finland’s national broadcaster Yleisradio Oy (Yle) reported yesterday that local law enforcement seized 20 luxury watches (most of which were Rolexes) from Shueler, who is wanted for tax evasion nationwide. The goods—worth a total of $2.68 million—were left in a residence in Espoo, according to a translated copy of the report. Schueler founded Hex, a cryptocurrency mark...

    NewsLaw and Order
    2 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Source: Shutterstock

    Pakistani Trader Kidnapped, Forced to Hand Over $340,000 in Crypto

    A Pakistani cryptocurrency trader, Mohammed Arsalan, was kidnapped in a scheme that involved local law enforcement officers and released after paying his captors $340,000 in crypto. Investigation into the case led to seven arrests so far, according to a recent report by local English-language news outlet Dawn. Per the report, a suspected policeman is still at large and an officer of the Pakistani Counter-Terrorism Department was among the arrested. The kidnappers reportedly forced the 30-year-ol...

    NewsLaw and Order
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Romance scams are a growing concern. Image: Shutterstock

    Hong Kong Deepfake Scam Group Caught Pretending to Be Rich Single Women

    Hong Kong police have intercepted over HK$34 million (US$3.37 million) in scam proceeds as part of an elaborate operation targeting victims through the use of artificial intelligence. According to a report by the South China Morning Post on Saturday, the investigation also shed light on some of the novel strategies employed by local romance scam operators.  Some revolved around pretending to be wealthy single women, with conversational prompts including learning Japanese, playing golf, and tasti...

  • Going mobile with Bitcoin. Photo: Shutterstock

    Why This Exec Says Bitcoin Is the ‘Most Reliable Monetary System’

    There's a strong case to be made for claiming that Bitcoin is the "most reliable monetary system," according to Riot Platforms executive Pierre Rochard. In a Jan. 5 tweet, Rochard, vice president of research at the crypto mining firm, claimed that “Bitcoin is engineered to be the most reliable monetary system in the world for savings and payments.” His statement is backed by Bitcoin's uptime of almost 99.99% since its launch on Jan. 3, 2009. So far, Bitcoin has reported only two downtime events:...

    NewsMarkets
    4 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • BlackRock, a Bitcoin ETF issuer, is the world's largest asset manager. Image: Shutterstock

    BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Sees Record-High Outflow Thanks to Profit Taking

    BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) just saw record-high outflows on Jan. 2. Farside Investors data shows that on Jan. 2 IBIT saw $333 million worth of outflows—the highest ever reported for the Bitcoin ETF. Founder of Obchakevich Research Alex Obchakevich told Decrypt that “the main reason for the outflow is profit-taking by investors in early 2025.” “At the end of the year, investors and funds often review their investment portfolios, which can lead...

    NewsMarkets
    2 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Bitcoin is booming. Image: Created by Decrypt using AI

    Bitcoin Price Regains Ground After Tax Harvesting Selloffs

    The Bitcoin price has recovered from its tax harvesting year-end drop. BTC is trading right around $97,000 after gaining over 3.4% over the last 24 hours before press time. Keep in mind that Bitcoin hasn't been able to regain the $100,000 since it slipped below six figures on Dec. 19. Isaac Joshua—the CEO of token launch platform Gems—told Decrypt there’s little doubt The downturn “can largely be attributed to end-of-year tax-loss harvesting by investors,” he explained. “Many have liquidated bot...

    NewsMarkets
    2 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Richard Heart in the documentary film "The Highest of Stakes." Photo: Muse Storytelling

    Hex Crypto Founder Richard Heart Hit With Interpol Red Notice

    Interpol, the world’s largest international law enforcement organization, issued an arrest request for Hex cryptocurrency founder Richard Schueler over tax fraud and assault accusations. Interpol issued its red notice for Schueler, better known in crypto circles as Richard Heart, as a “request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.” Still, it is just a request, with the organization explaining that “a red...

    NewsLaw and Order
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • North Korea Flag featuring hackers. Image: Shutterstock

    North Korean Hackers Stole $1.3 Billion in 2024

    The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea—often referred to as North Korea—is reportedly responsible for 61% of crypto stolen this year, according to Chainalysis. “In 2023, North Korea-affiliated hackers stole approximately $660.50 million across 20 incidents; in 2024, this number increased to $1.34 billion stolen across 47 incidents—a 102.88% increase in value stolen,” reads a recent report from major crypto forensics firm Chainalysis. This is the highest amount siphoned in by North Korean hack...

    NewsLaw and Order
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Bitcoin logo. Image created by Decrypt using AI

    Bitcoin ETFs See Record-High Outflows of $672 Million

    Yesterday, Bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw record-high net outflows of $671.9 million—the highest ever reported since they launched in January. The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) lost the most capital with $208.6 million, followed by the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF losing $108.4 million, according to Farside Investors data. This outflow aligned with a downturn in Bitcoin’s price, which is trading at under $93,000 at the time of writing after losing 9.2% over the 24 hours to press time...

    NewsMarkets
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Coin-mixing service Tornado Cash is used to send and receive Ethereum anonymously. Source: Shutterstock

    Tornado Cash Dev Wants Charges Dropped Because Sanctions Deemed Illegal

    Roman Storm, co-founder of crypto-mixing platform Tornado Cash, hopes to have charges against him dropped after sanctions against his software were dropped. In Storm’s Dec. 18 motion to dismiss, he cites the recent Fifth Circuit ruling that the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) overstepped by sanctioning Tornado Cash’s immutable smart contracts. The ruling recognized that autonomous software that no one controls cannot be classified as property. The ruling, the document reads, “...

    NewsLaw and Order
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
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