Interpol operation exposes $122M crypto wallet tied to romance scam laundering
A crypto wallet linked to a suspected romance-scam money launderer processed more than $122.5 million in 10 months, according to Interpol.
Interpol said that Thai authorities arrested two suspects and uncovered a money-laundering network that funneled proceeds from romance scams into cryptocurrencies, using cross-chain token swaps to obscure the trail.
The investigation was part of Operation First Light 2026, an Interpol-coordinated campaign targeting social engineering scams and the financial infrastructure used to launder their proceeds.
The operation involved authorities in 97 countries and territories, resulting in 5,811 arrests and the seizure of $293 million in illicit assets tied to fraud and money laundering.
Romance scams, also known as pig-butchering scams, often involve criminals building trust with victims through social media or online dating platforms before steering them toward fraudulent investment schemes.
Authorities carried out raids on scam centers. Source: Interpol
Hyundai completes USDT treasury settlement pilot between US and Mexico
Hyundai Motor’s US and Mexican units completed a pilot cross-border treasury transfer using Tether’s USDT stablecoin, settling a $20,000 payment in about seven minutes on the Avalanche blockchain.
Hyundai Motor America converted the funds into USDT, transferred the stablecoin to Hyundai Motor Mexico and converted it back into US dollars. The transfer and verification process took about seven minutes, compared with three to four hours or more for a traditional cross-border bank transfer.
Tether said the pilot used Axiym’s settlement infrastructure, while Hyundai Card designed the remittance structure and oversaw the regulatory, compliance, accounting and operational requirements needed to support the proof of concept.
Japan’s SBI to launch yen stablecoin lending with 3% yield
Tokyo-based SBI VC Trade will begin accepting applications Thursday for a Japanese yen-denominated stablecoin lending service offering an initial annualized rate of 3% on JPYSC lent for 12 weeks.
Customers will lend JPYSC to the SBI Holdings subsidiary from Thursday and receive the tokens back with a lending fee at maturity, the company said in a Monday press release. At the advertised rate, the gross return over the 12-week term would be about 0.69%, before tax.
The company said the product pays more than the 0.325% to 1% annual rate SBI cited for ordinary yen deposits. Still, it is not a bank deposit, is not covered by deposit insurance and generally cannot be canceled early.
Japanese lender launches Bitcoin-backed loans of up to $6.2M
Japanese lender CRYL has launched Bitcoin-backed loans of up to 1 billion yen ($6.2 million), allowing individuals and businesses to raise fiat currency without selling their BTC.
On Thursday, the company announced that borrowers can access between $6,200 and $6.2 million at annual rates of 3.5% to 7%. The loans carry collateral ratios of 40% to 60%. They run for one year and can be used for expenses, including taxes, business funding and property purchases.
The launch expands Japan’s small market for regulated crypto-backed financing. In 2020, Fintertech, a Daiwa Securities Group and Credit Saison joint venture, launched a similar service and currently lends up to $3 million against Bitcoin or Ether. However, CRYL’s service advertises a higher ceiling and a lower minimum, while limiting collateral to BTC.
Metaplanet explores Bitcoin-backed digital credit with JPYC in Japan
Japanese Bitcoin treasury company Metaplanet has teamed up with stablecoin issuer JPYC and tokenization infrastructure provider Progmat to study Bitcoin-backed digital credit products in Japan.
The investigation will examine whether Bitcoin can be used as collateral or credit enhancement for digital corporate bonds and other credit instruments, with 24/7 accessibility, settlement and daily interest accrual for holders, issued on the blockchain ledger. No product has been launched yet as part of the experiment.
The news suggests Metaplanet is looking beyond its role as a Bitcoin treasury company and testing how Bitcoin could be used as a productive balance sheet asset.
Digital credit instruments have been an important part of Strategy’s playbook. The world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder has relied on “digital credit” instruments such as the STRC preferred stock as a primary vehicle for raising capital to acquire more Bitcoin.
Joint Study in the Digital Credit Domain Utilizing Bitcoin, JPYC, and Security Tokens. Source: Metaplanet
Japan stablecoin payments advance with Lawson trial, Netstars launch
Japanese convenience-store operator Lawson plans to test yen-denominated stablecoin payments at a Tokyo location in August, examining whether stablecoin payments can work inside a standard convenience store checkout flow.
On Monday, blockchain company HashPort said it had signed an agreement…
cointelegraph.com