⚖️ Japan sanctions Garantex amid ongoing crypto crackdown
Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has added Russian crypto exchange Garantex to its asset-freeze list, aligning with earlier actions by the U.S. and European Union against the platform.
The U.S. Treasury previously linked Garantex to over $100 million in illicit transactions, including ransomware proceeds. U.S. authorities seized the exchange's domain in March 2025, with Treasury noting staff had already shifted operations elsewhere following the action.
Japan's move signals continued international coordination on crypto-related sanctions, with major jurisdictions converging on enforcement against platforms accused of facilitating illicit financial flows.
⚖️ U.S. banking group sues OCC over crypto trust charters
The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) has filed a lawsuit against the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, challenging the regulator's practice of granting national trust charters to crypto firms.
The ICBA argues the charters give crypto companies a "side door into the banking system" without the regulatory safeguards — such as deposit insurance, capital requirements, and consumer protections — that apply to traditional banks. The group contends this creates an uneven playing field between chartered banks and crypto firms gaining access to the financial system through trust charters.
The lawsuit adds to growing legal and regulatory friction around crypto's integration into mainstream finance, as U.S. regulators and industry groups clash over the terms on which digital asset firms should access banking infrastructure.
Tesla's Bitcoin holdings are closing in on the $1 billion mark, driven by a recent rise in BTC price that has pushed the company's unrealized gains significantly higher.
Tesla has held Bitcoin on its balance sheet since 2021, when it made a high-profile $1.5 billion purchase. The company later sold a portion of its holdings but retained a substantial position. The current valuation milestone reflects the impact of BTC's price recovery on corporate treasuries that held through the downturn.
Tesla remains one of the most closely watched corporate Bitcoin holders alongside MicroStrategy and Block, with its treasury balance serving as a barometer for institutional-level exposure to the asset.
⚖️ Latam Cartels Expand Crypto Use Beyond Money Laundering
A new report finds that Latin American criminal organizations are moving beyond using crypto solely for money laundering — they are now actively investing in digital assets to generate profits.
Cryptocurrencies are also facilitating operational ties between local criminal groups and foreign actors, with digital assets providing liquidity and logistical support across borders.
The development reflects the broader crypto adoption trend across Latin America, which analysts say is giving criminal networks additional financial tools alongside legitimate users.
🪙 BlackRock and Ondo wrap investment portfolios into single blockchain tokens
BlackRock and Ondo Finance have partnered to tokenize entire investment strategies — stocks, bond funds, ETFs — into single blockchain tokens that investors can hold directly in a crypto wallet, marking a new step in the tokenization of traditional finance.
The initiative targets a $9.8 trillion addressable market. Rather than purchasing individual assets, investors would hold a token representing a full portfolio strategy, removing several layers of traditional intermediaries from the process.
The move builds on growing institutional momentum around real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, where on-chain representations of traditional financial instruments are increasingly seen as a core infrastructure layer for the next phase of DeFi and institutional adoption.
Bitcoin held on exchanges has dropped to its lowest level since 2023, according to on-chain data, as traders continue withdrawing the asset from trading platforms.
Declining exchange reserves typically indicate that holders are moving Bitcoin into self-custody rather than leaving it available for immediate sale, reducing the liquid supply on the market.
The trend reflects sustained demand-side pressure, with fewer coins sitting on exchanges available for active trading.
Andrew Tate has deposited 20,950 HYPE tokens — worth approximately $1.87 million — into Binance, according to on-chain data.
The move comes roughly two years after his original purchase of the token, which cost him around $550,000. That position has since gained approximately 1,317%, based on figures cited in the source.