Craig Wrigh
Cryptocurrency

Craig Wright, the litigious Australian branded an ‘accomplished liar’ by a UK judge for claiming to be Bitcoin’s inventor, is suing Block

- November 6, 2024 2 MIN READ

Australian computer scientist and debunked Bitcoin ‘inventor’ Craig Wright has been accused of contempt of court after filing a $1.79 billion lawsuit against payments firm Block. Despite a storied early career in Australia’s IT industry, Wright is most known for his unwavering and controversial claim of having invented leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. The… Read more »

bitcoin
Business

Ex-CEO of failed crypto exchange Mine Digital charged with fraud over $2.2 million in missing bitcoin

- October 22, 2024 2 MIN READ

The former CEO of the company behind defunct Queensland digital asset exchange Mine Digital has been charged with criminal fraud in the wake of an investigation by corporate regulator the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC). Grant Colthup, who was CEO of ACCE Australia Pty Ltd, appeared in Ipswich Magistrates Court on Monday charged with… Read more »

Caroline Ellison
Cryptocurrency

Caroline Ellison, who ran the FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s trading firm, handed 2-year sentence over the crypto fraud

- October 1, 2024 3 MIN READ

 Caroline Ellison, the ex-girlfriend of crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried who turned star witness against him, has been sentenced to two years in prison over her role in the $16 billion FTX cryptocurrency scam. Ellison was the CEO of Alameda Research, the trading branch of Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency exchange FTX. Alameda was found to have taken funds… Read more »

Cryptocurrency

Can Australian gaming startup Illuvium overcome the online community’s war on crypto?

- August 30, 2024 6 MIN READ

While well-regarded and lauded within the crypto community, Australian-founded ‘Pokemon-like’ Illuvium knows it’s in for a fight to win over a broader market. “They f-cking hate us,” says Illuvium CEO Kieran Warwick. He’s speaking, of course, about the online gaming community. Which is inconvenient given he’s just launched the open beta of a new video… Read more »

Business

Corporate regular ASIC wins its compliance fight with crypto exchange Kraken

- August 23, 2024 3 MIN READ

A margin trading product offered by cryptocurrency exchange Kraken failed to meet its legal obligations under Australia’s Corporations Act, a Federal Court judge has ruled. The judgment hands a rare win to corporate regulator the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) amid an ongoing focus on regulatory compliance in the crypto sector. Justice John Nicholas… Read more »

bitcoin
Cryptocurrency

DigitalX is launching a Bitcoin ETF on the ASX

- July 9, 2024 < 1 MIN READ

Digital asset funds management firm DigitalX  has received Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) approval for the listing of its DigitalX Bitcoin ETF. The company (ASX:DCC) will now offer one of the first listed spot Bitcoin ETFs, providing direct exposure to digital assets on the exchange. CEO Lisa Wade said the DigitalX Bitcoin ETF (ASX:BTXX) will provide… Read more »

Amy-Rose Goodey
Cryptocurrency

Blockchain Australia rebrands as Digital Economy Council of Australia amid refocus

- June 13, 2024 2 MIN READ

A decade and three bitcoin halvings later, industry association Blockchain Australia has rebranded to the Digital Economy Council of Australia (DECA). ​The change comes amid a restructure of DECA, with CEO Simon Callaghan departing and former chief operating officer Amy-Rose Goodey taking the lead as managing director. Speaking at the annual Blockchain Week gathering in… Read more »

Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency has a massive carbon emissions problem – and green alternatives have their own risks

- June 7, 2024 3 MIN READ

As the urgency of climate change ramps up, focus is increasing on digital currencies to address their environmental impact. According to industry forecasts, the global cryptocurrency market is expected to surge to US$4.94 billion by 2030. But the process of mining digital currencies such as Bitcoin requires immense computational power – causing a significant drain… Read more »

Bitcoin
Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin BS: UK judge says Craig Wright, the Australian who claims to be the cryptocurrency’s inventor lied ‘extensively and repeatedly’

- May 23, 2024 3 MIN READ

A UK judge has ruled Australian businessman Craig Wright forged documents and lied repeatedly to support his long-running claim of being Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor of Bitcoin. Wright has notoriously professed the pseudonymous title under a years-long claim of having created leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin – fuelling tenuous conflicts among the crypto community as he launched lawsuit after… Read more »

Cryptocurrency

Finder just had a big win against the corporate cop, ASIC, over its crypto wallet

- March 14, 2024 2 MIN READ

Finder’s crypto product, Earn, complied with the financial law, the Federal Court has found, dismissing legal action launched by the corporate regular against the fintech. It was a comprehensive win against the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) for Finder, with Justice Brigitte Markovic also awarding costs against the regulator. ASIC sued Finder Wallet for… Read more »

Binance
Cryptocurrency

Binance CEO departs after guilty plea over money laundering as US authorities belt the crypto exchange with a $6.6bn fine

- November 22, 2023 3 MIN READ

Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao has resigned from the cryptocurrency exchange he founder as past part of a guilty plea deal with US authorities over money laundering and US sanctions violations, that involved funded terrorist groups such as Hamas. Zhao was hit with a US$50 million fine while his company will pay US$4.3 billion (A$6.6bn)… Read more »

FTX Sam Bankman-Fried
Cryptocurrency

Sam Bankman-Fried’s conviction for fraud at FTX is a reminder of the risk of crypto trading

- November 6, 2023 3 MIN READ

It is not just crypto tokens that have spectacular downfalls. So can crypto personalities. Sam Bankman-Fried founded FTX, one of the world’s largest exchanges for so-called cryptocurrencies, which collapsed last year owing billions of dollars. Now he has gone from being hailed as potentially the world’s first trillionaire to a lengthy term in prison. After… Read more »

dogecoin, cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency

The Australian government wants crypto exchanges to have a financial services licence

- October 17, 2023 3 MIN READ

Cryptocurrency exchanges will need to need to hold an Australian financial services licence (AFSL) under plans to regulate the sector from the federal government. A proposal paper on regulating the sector has been released by Treasury for feedback by December 1. The government wants to use existing financial services laws with threshold triggers, including an… Read more »