Top Stories of The Week Bitcoin is a matter of national secur
 |
Top Stories of The Week
Bitcoin is a matter of national security — Deputy CIA director
The US Central Intelligence Agency is increasingly incorporating Bitcoin as a tool in its operations, and working with the cryptocurrency is a matter of national security, Michael Ellis, the agency’s deputy director, told podcast host Anthony Pompliano.
In an appearance on the market analyst and investor’s The Pomp Podcast show, Ellis told Pompliano that the intelligence agency works with law enforcement to track BTC, and it is a point of data collection in counter-intelligence operations. Ellis added:
“Bitcoin is here to stay — cryptocurrency is here to stay. As you know, more and more institutions are adopting it, and I think that is a great trend. One that this administration has obviously been leaning forward into.”
Kraken tells how it spotted North Korean hacker in job interview
US crypto exchange Kraken has detailed a North Korean hacker’s attempt to infiltrate the organization by applying for a job interview.
“What started as a routine hiring process for an engineering role quickly turned into an intelligence-gathering operation,” the company wrote in a May 1 blog post.
Kraken said the applicant’s red flags appeared early on in the process when they joined an interview under a name different from what they applied with and “occasionally switched between voices,” apparently being guided through the interview.
Rather than immediately rejecting the applicant, Kraken decided to advance them through its hiring process to gather information about the tactics used.
EU to ban anonymous crypto accounts and privacy coins by 2027
The European Union is set to impose sweeping Anti-Money Laundering (AML) rules that will ban privacy-preserving tokens and anonymous cryptocurrency accounts from 2027.
Under the new Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR), credit institutions, financial institutions and crypto asset service providers (CASPs) will be prohibited from maintaining anonymous accounts or handling privacy-preserving cryptocurrencies, such as Monero and Zcash.
“Article 79 of the AMLR establishes strict prohibitions on anonymous accounts […]. Credit institutions, financial institutions, and crypto-asset service providers are prohibited from maintaining anonymous accounts,” according to the AML Handbook, published by the European Crypto Initiative.
Ether more ‘like a memecoin,’ says trading firm as ETH drops 45% YTD
As Ether’s price has struggled in the first quarter of 2025, a US-based investment adviser firm, Two Prime, has dropped support for ETH and adopted a Bitcoin-only strategy.
After lending $1.5 billion in loans both in Bitcoin and Ether over the past 15 months, Two Prime decided to ditch ETH to focus solely on BTC asset management and lending, the firm announced on May 1.
“ETH’s statistical trading behavior, value proposition, and community culture have failed beyond a point that is worth engaging,” Two Prime stated.
Read also
Features
‘Moral responsibility’: Can blockchain really improve trust in AI?
Features
Most DePIN projects barely even use blockchain: True or false?
The firm’s shift to a Bitcoin-only approach comes as ETH has lost 45% of its value year-to-date, with some optimists speculating that ETH is potentially close to the bottom and reversing its negative trend soon.
Movement Labs suspends co-founder following MOVE market turmoil
Movement Labs confirmed the suspension of its co-founder, Rushi Manche, following controversies over a market maker deal that he brokered.
Movement announced the suspension of Manche in a May 2 X post, explaining that the “decision was made in light of ongoing events.” The decision follows Coinbase’s recent decision to suspend the Movement Network (MOVE) trading, citing the token’s failure to meet its listing standards.
The suspension came after a recently announced third-party review requested by the Movement Network Foundation into an agreement orchestrated by Manche with Rentech — the latter helped broker an agreement with market maker Web3Port. Private intelligence firm Groom Lake is conducting the investigation.
Winners and Losers
At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $96,615, Ether (ETH) at $1,835 and XRP at $2.20. The total market cap is at $3.01 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.
Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) at 83.35%, Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) at…
cointelegraph.com