Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

Spains Bit2Me launches crypto seizure and forensic unit Bit2Shield

Spains largest cryptocurrency exchange Bit2Me has launched a separate company to help courts, police and financial institutions trace, seize, store and liquidate cryptocurrency linked to investigations.　　SummaryBit2Me has launched Bit2Shield to help courts, police and financial institutions trace, seize, store and sell cryptocurrency.Bit2Me processed €1.5 million in seized crypto for Interpol, Europol and Spanish police during 2025.Seized assets will be held in multisignature cold wallets, with sales arranged when ordered by the relevant authorities.Crypto to euro conversions will be handled by Bitcoinforme, Bit2Mes entity authorized under MiCA in Spain.　　According to a statement from Bit2Me, the new unit, Bit2Shield, has been legally registered as CryptoShield S.L. and will provide forensic and operational services covering digital assets from the point they are identified during an investigation through their eventual sale when ordered by authorities.　　The company will assist investigators during searches and seizures by extracting information from wallets, locating cryptocurrency and preparing digitally signed forensic reports that can be submitted in court. Its work will extend to fraud investigations, source-of-funds certification and training for police officers, judges and financial institutions.　　Bit2Shield formalizes services that Bit2Me had already been providing to government agencies. During 2025, the exchange processed €1.5 million ($1.74 million) in seized cryptocurrency for

09-08Industry

Ethereum Foundation Targets Quantum-Resistant L1 for 2029

In a new roadmap published on Sept. 7, the Ethereum Foundations Protocol Cluster said it is targeting a fully quantum-resistant Ethereum layer 1 by December 2029.　　The goal covers all three major parts of Ethereums base layer: execution, consensus, and data.　　The Foundation is preparing for the possibility that sufficiently powerful quantum computers could appear as early as 2030. However, at this point, it seems to be more likely that such a breakthrough will occur further into the future.　　Ethereum developers do not want to wait until the threat becomes imminent.　　“Q-day cannot be scheduled, so we have assigned ourselves a self-imposed deadline,” the Protocol Cluster said.　　The December 2029 target will remain effectively non-negotiable until at least January 2027 (when the Foundation plans to reassess developments).　　Why quantum computers matter　　A sufficiently advanced quantum computer could theoretically break some of the cryptographic schemes that blockchains currently rely on.　　The Foundation is now trying to replace vulnerable systems well before such machines become practical.　　Its roadmap includes post-quantum signature schemes and changes across Ethereums transaction, consensus and data-availability systems.　　Ethereums upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade is currently targeted for December 2026. Under one version of the roadmap, full post-quantum readiness would arrive five hard forks later.　　Another path would bring Ethereum to the

09-08Industry

U.S. court orders seizure of $212K crypto tied to North Korean IT workers

A U.S. federal court has ordered the forfeiture of roughly $212,700 in stablecoins linked to wages earned by North Korean IT workers, giving the Justice Department a partial victory in its attempt to seize more than $7.74 million in digital assets tied to an alleged sanctions evasion network.　　NK News reported on Sept. 7 that U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras ruled that funds seized from a crypto wallet beginning with “0x81c4” should be forfeited to the U.S. government. The Sept. 3 ruling granted part of the Justice Departments request for default judgment while rejecting its attempt to immediately take control of other assets included in the case.　　Prosecutors said the wallet received approximately 158,123 USDC from at least 10 addresses used to receive payments for North Korean IT workers and another 54,574 USDT from at least four worker payment addresses. The two dollar-pegged stablecoins had a combined face value of roughly $212,700.　　The government argued that the funds were proceeds of a scheme in which North Korean workers obtained overseas IT jobs, concealed their identities and locations, and routed their earnings through cryptocurrency before money was ultimately sent toward North Korea.　　U.S. court approves $212,700 North Korea crypto forfeiture　　Contreras found that prosecutors had provided

09-08Industry

British man recovers £3.3M in Bitcoin lost for over a decade

A British Bitcoin investor has recovered 61 BTC worth roughly £3.3 million after losing access to the coins for more than 12 years following the collapse of early UK exchange Intersango.　　LBC reported that the investor, identified only as Chris, regained control of the Bitcoin this year after lawyers gathered documents proving that the assets held through the defunct exchange belonged to him.　　Chris originally invested £1,500 in Bitcoin in 2011 after a friend persuaded him to consider the cryptocurrency, which traded at £2.94 per coin when he made his first purchases. His holdings had risen to roughly £4,000 by the time he lost access.　　The recovery returned all 61 BTC to Chris, according to CEL Solicitors, which handled the claim. The firm said he instructed its lawyers in January and the case was settled on May 28, roughly four months later.　　Crypto.news previously reported that the recovered holdings were valued at approximately $4.5 million, turning an investment made during Bitcoins early years into a multimillion-dollar holding.　　Intersango collapse left Bitcoin inaccessible for years　　Chris bought the cryptocurrency through Britcoin, one of the earliest Bitcoin exchanges serving UK customers. The platform later became Intersango and attracted thousands of users during the early years of the cryptocurrency

09-08Industry

Germanys Bitcoin tax fight heats up after AfD election victory

Germany‘s debate over Bitcoin taxation has gained a new political dimension after the Alternative for Germany won nearly 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, months after the party opposed plans to remove the country’s one-year crypto tax exemption.　　Reuters reported that the AfD secured 39 of the 83 seats in the state parliament, leaving the party three seats short of an outright majority but well ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merzs Christian Democratic Union.　　The AfD received 43.8% of party-list votes and 44.3% of first votes across 2,661 polling districts. The CDU fell to 17.2% of party-list votes, almost 20 percentage points below its result in the 2021 election, while voter turnout reached 77.8%, up 17.5 percentage points.　　The state election does not give the AfD additional seats in the Bundestag or allow Saxony-Anhalt to change Germanys federal crypto tax rules. It does, however, give the party another political platform while the federal government prepares legislation that could change how long-term cryptocurrency gains are taxed from 2027.　　AfD win strengthens a vocal opponent of Germanys Bitcoin tax plan　　Merz ruled out cooperation with the AfD after the result, telling reporters that the election had shaken the CDU “to its very foundation,” Reuters reported.　　AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla

09-08Industry

Zcash rally draws criticism from F2Pool co-founder

F2Pool co-founder Chun Wang criticized Zcash on Sept. 8 as ZEC traded near $1,130 following a rally that carried the privacy coin into the cryptocurrency markets top ten.　　Wang, who posts under the name Chun at @satofishi, called the move a “narrative bid.” He argued that Zcashs funding history, optional privacy model, governance disputes and recently disclosed Orchard vulnerability did not justify its valuation.　　His comments are opinions rather than evidence of wrongdoing. Several underlying events are documented, but some of Wang‘s conclusions omit later changes to Zcash’s funding and privacy systems.　　ZEC was trading around $1,130 when this report was prepared, down nearly 7% over 24 hours. CoinMarketCap placed its capitalization near $19 billion and ranked it tenth, while CoinGecko placed it ninth. Rankings can differ because platforms use different supply and asset-classification methods.　　The token remained more than 2,300% higher than one year earlier, according to market data cited in coverage of Zcashs move above $1,000. Its rally accelerated after Grayscale converted its Zcash Trust into a U.S.-listed spot exchange-traded fund in August.　　Six years ago, a Zcash team member wrote me and kept confusing EST and EDT. Communication went nowhere, I banned their entire company.　　Six years later, this is still one of

09-08Industry

Sweden orders six crypto firms to pay $56M in additional taxes

Swedens tax authority has ordered six crypto companies operating in Boden to pay nearly 540 million Swedish kronor (approx. $56 million) in additional taxes after finding that the firms used business structures to obtain tax benefits they were not entitled to.　　SummarySweden has ordered six crypto firms operating in Boden to pay nearly SEK 540 million in additional taxes.The tax agency said some companies concealed crypto mining activity to claim tax benefits they were not entitled to.Nine crypto companies have received tax adjustments totaling more than SEK 500 million between 2024 and 2026.Bikupan Datacenter has challenged its tax assessment and taken the dispute to Swedens Supreme Administrative Court.　　Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported on Sept. 3 that the six companies accounted for most of the latest tax adjustments imposed on crypto businesses following a review by Skatteverket, the Swedish Tax Agency. The authority said some companies had structured their operations in ways that concealed crypto mining activity.　　Patrik Lillqvist, head of intelligence at Skatteverket, said the arrangements were designed to secure tax advantages that would not have been available if the businesses had been classified as crypto miners.　　“The companies that we have inspected often have a special arrangement to conceal that they are

09-08Industry

South Koreas KRW1 stablecoin taps LayerZero for cross-chain expansion

BDACS has selected LayerZeros Omnichain Fungible Token standard for its KRW1 stablecoin, giving the won-backed asset a unified cross-chain system as the company seeks to expand its use outside South Korea.　　LayerZero said BDACS, South Koreas largest digital asset custodian by assets under custody, chose its OFT standard after reviewing options for making KRW1 natively interoperable across multiple blockchains.　　@BDACSKorea has selected LayerZeros OFT standard to take KRW1, the first on-shore Korean won-backed stablecoin, cross-chain.　　KRW1 is now the first Korean won-backed stablecoin natively transferrable across major DeFi ecosystems https://t.co/sSErebmg31 pic.twitter.com/LM4LDD8axF　　— LayerZero (@LayerZero_Core) September 8, 2026　　KRW1 already operates across several networks, including Ethereum, Avalanche and Circles Arc. BDACS said the separate deployments created friction when moving the stablecoin between networks, limiting its distribution and utility.　　The new setup is designed to maintain one KRW1 supply across connected chains. When tokens move between networks, KRW1 will be debited on the source chain and credited on the destination chain, while LayerZeros Stargate application will handle transfers for users.　　LayerZero gives KRW1 a unified cross-chain supply　　LayerZero‘s OFT standard is already used for stablecoins including Tether’s USDT0, PayPal USD and Paxos-issued USDG.　　The company said OFT currently facilitates 87% of cross-chain transfer volume and has processed $280 billion in lifetime

09-08Industry

Australia tightens crypto oversight with 45 removals

Australias financial intelligence regulator said on Sept. 7 that it canceled, suspended or refused to renew 45 crypto and remittance registrations during the past year.　　The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre said the AUSTRAC registration actions removed affected businesses from its official registers. The agency did not identify all 45 companies or disclose how many were virtual asset service providers rather than remittance businesses.　　According to its statement, AUSTRAC targeted businesses that were inactive, insolvent or unable to begin or continue operating. Other cases involved incorrect registrations, failures to report material changes or elevated money laundering and terrorism financing risks.　　AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas said companies with canceled registrations can no longer provide the relevant services. The regulator also referred people associated with some businesses to Australian and overseas law enforcement or regulatory partners.　　“The rapid movement of money across borders can create some of the highest ML/TF risks,” Thomas said.　　The action represents an administrative and supervisory response rather than a finding that all 45 businesses committed financial crimes. AUSTRACs stated reasons cover conditions ranging from inactivity and insolvency to alleged financial crime exposure.　　AUSTRAC canceled GetCoins after customer complaints　　AUSTRAC identified BA Digital Ventures, which traded as GetCoins, as one company affected by the

09-08Industry

Abraxas Capital buys $32M ETH to hedge $353M Hyperliquid short

Abraxas Capital has bought another 13,000 ETH worth $32.39 million in the spot market to hedge part of a 141,180 ETH short position on Hyperliquid valued at $353.27 million.　　Lookonchain said on Sept. 8 that Abraxas Capital purchased the additional Ether while keeping its much larger short position open on the decentralized derivatives platform. The blockchain analytics account described the transaction as another spot purchase made specifically to hedge the short.　　Abraxas Capital bought another 13,000 $ETH ($32.39M) spot to hedge its 141,180 $ETH ($353.27M) short on Hyperliquid.https://t.co/qwAXChjYvp pic.twitter.com/q5fIew30RS　　— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) September 8, 2026　　At the values provided by Lookonchain, the latest purchase was made at an implied price of roughly $2,491 per ETH. The 13,000 ETH position equals just over 9% of the firms 141,180 ETH short when measured by the number of tokens.　　Abraxas therefore remains heavily net short based solely on the positions disclosed by Lookonchain. Subtracting the latest 13,000 ETH spot hedge from the 141,180 ETH short leaves 128,180 ETH of net short exposure before considering any other holdings or positions controlled by the firm.　　Abraxas Capital keeps $353 million ETH short open　　Lookonchain valued the Hyperliquid short at approximately $353.27 million at the time of its post, compared with $32.39 million

09-08Industry

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