Eu Financial News

Forty crypto companies cosigned an open letter to the European Parliament, European Commission and other principal E.U. institutions with a call to ensure common-sense regulation, standardized compliance procedures, and an innovation-friendly business environment. 

Many Ukraine-based businesses have had to shutter or suspend operations following the outbreak of the conflict with Russia on Feb. 24, but some in the cryptocurrency space have been able to keep running, albeit with many staff in bomb shelters, scattered across the world and facing an uncertain future. 

The European Parliament committee charged with investigating Pegasus spyware activities began its work on Tuesday, looking into numerous cases, including accusations of spying against Hungary, Poland, and Greece.

A major review into how UK banks structure their operations in the EU after Brexit could end in an anticlimax, those with an eye on proceedings predict, as the finish line on the European Central Bank's investigation nears.

Cointelegraph reporter Joseph Hall sat down with Nicolas Cary, the co-founder and president of Blockchain.com at the Paris Blockchain Week Summit, or PBWS, last week. Cary's other roles include founding the Blockchain Commission for Sustainable Development and co-authoring a white paper called "The Future is Decentralised" for the United Nations Development Programme. 

Ukraine has rejected allegations from Serbia that the country's secret service is behind a series of hoax bomb threats on Air Serbia flights to Russia.

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In less than two weeks that passed since the European Commission opened its "Digital euro for the EU" initiative up to public consultation, more than 11,000 individuals and organizations left their feedback on the website. The feedback section will be open until June 14.

A major review into how UK banks structure their operations in the EU after Brexit could end in an anticlimax, those with an eye on proceedings predict, as the finish line on the European Central Bank's investigation nears.

Bosses and unions in Germany have joined forces to oppose a possible EU ban on Russian gas, saying it would grind industry to a halt.

Last week was the Paris Blockchain Week, and the epicenter of crypto policy and regulatory conversation moved to the French capital accordingly. Cointelegraph reported extensively from the ground and ran a series of interviews with some of the crypto industry’s captains who shared their thoughts on the state of regulatory affairs. For one, Binance’s Changpeng Zhao said that he was excited to see regulators embracing financial innovation and introducing crypto-friendly policies, calling it a major trend of 2022. Bertrand Perez, chief operating officer of the Web3 Foundation, opined that many policymakers, including some in the European Union, still tend to act too fast on crypto regulation without getting properly educated on the subject first. Ripple’s Brad Garlinghouse even filled in the Blockchain Week crowd on the latest developments in the company’s court struggle against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, which indeed saw some upside for the issuer of Ripple’s XRP.

EU ministers have been discussing a potential sixth round of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, but an embargo on oil or gas to stop financing Putin's war machine continues to divide the bloc.

Bitcoin (BTC) dipped below $40,000 support on April 18, and the two-week 15% correction was enough to prompt predictions of $30,000 prices in the near term. 

Marine Le Pen's comments in an interview in early February this year were particularly forthright: "I do not believe AT ALL that Russia wishes to invade Ukraine," she said.

Binance, the global blockchain ecosystem behind the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, said it has promoted Chagri Poyraz to Global Head of Sanctions. At present, Poyraz, who joined Binance in January 2022, is Director of Sanctions Compliance. In his current position, Poyraz is responsible for ensuring all Binance meets and maintains full sanctions compliance globally and building sanctions control frameworks similar to traditional banks, Binance said in a press release.

Mariupol, the last stronghold of Ukrainian troops in the south-east of the country, is very close to falling.

The diplomatic chasm between Russia and the West deepened further Saturday, as Moscow barred British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and a dozen other top UK officials from entering the country in response to British sanctions.

EU ministers have been discussing a potential sixth round of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, but an embargo on oil or gas to stop financing Putin's war machine continues to divide the bloc.

The flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva, lies at the bottom of the sea.

On Friday, Tornado Cash announced that it was using oracle contracts from Chainalysis to block wallet addresses sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC. The move comes after the U.S. Department of the Treasury linked North Korean cybercriminal Lazarus Group as an alleged perpetrator for the recent $600 million+ Ronin Bridge exploit. As told by blockchain analytics firm Elliptic, the hackers have sent approximately $80.3 million worth of Ether (ETH) through Tornado Cash. "Maintaining financial privacy is essential to preserving our freedom; however, it should not come at the cost of non-compliance," said the Tornado Cash team. 

While the cruelty toward Ukrainian civilians projected through photographs and news segments bewilders the world, the ongoing siege of Mariupol continues to be the most shocking in its levels of destruction and absolute disregard for human life.