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Suspicious arrest of crypto scam reporter, Japan’s pro-crypto PM: Asia Express

Global outcry as Cambodia arrests crypto scam investigator, Japan’s new Prime Minister supports crypto, and more: Asia Express.

Renowned Cambodian journalist Mech Dara has been arrested and charged with incitement to cause public disorder after sharing photos in a now-deleted Facebook post that reportedly depicted the destruction of stairs leading to a religious site by a quarry operation.

But human rights organizations suspect he may have been targeted over his investigative reporting on criminal crypto syndicates in Cambodia, where victims are allegedly kidnapped, detained, and coerced into working as crypto scammers targeting individuals worldwide.

These compounds reportedly function as hubs for “pig butchering” scams, where perpetrators gradually build trust with their victims, often manipulating romantic emotions in a process akin to “fattening” their targets before persuading them to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes.

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Possible Trump Pick for SEC Chair Outlines Plan To Position US as One of Global Leaders in Crypto: Report

Hamster Kombat tappers evolve with Swipe-to-Earn + Axie Pals Tamagotchis: Web3 Gamer

Hamster Kombat is “lighthearted and fun” but tap-to-earn gameplay is evolving; gamers playing 80-hrs a week to win a $100K prize: Web3 Gamer.

The fundamentals of tap-to-earn games are here to stay, but the gameplay is set to evolve a lot over the next year, according to GeeZee, the head of games at Ethereum layer-2 network Mantle.

I anticipate that we will likely see a shift toward new, simple mechanics that attempt to capture the core of tap-to-earn games accessibility while offering more varied gameplay by the end of 2025, GeeZee tells Web3 Gamer.

GeeZee predicts a rise in swipe-to-earn and jump-to-earn games, as they offer more dynamic interactions while keeping the low barrier to entry and high accessibility that made tap-to-earn games popular.

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Possible Trump Pick for SEC Chair Outlines Plan To Position US as One of Global Leaders in Crypto: Report

Lady of Crypto will be ‘all out of crypto’ by September 2025: X Hall of Flame

Crypto influencer Lady of Crypto has no intention of hodling — she plans to cash out her entire crypto portfolio next year. X Hall of Flame.


Hodling isnt the game plan for crypto influencer Lady of Crypto she plans to cash out her entire crypto portfolio next year.

I intend to be all out of crypto, maybe [by] September 100% out, Lady of Crypto tells Hall of Flame during a chat at Token2049 in Singapore.

Everybody looks at me like Im crazy, the pseudonymous personality laughs, sinking into a comfy chair 40 floors up at the fancy Westin Hotel.

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Possible Trump Pick for SEC Chair Outlines Plan To Position US as One of Global Leaders in Crypto: Report

​​Bankroll Network DeFi hacked, $50M phisher moves crypto on CoW: Crypto-Sec

Bankroll Network is reportedly drained of $230,000 through a loan exploit, while a phishing scammer used CoW protocol for laundering.

According to a Sept. 23 X post from blockchain security platform TenArmor, a hacker attacked the decentralized finance protocol Bankroll Network on Sept. 22, draining $230,000 from it.

TenArmor posted an image of the attack transactions. It shows numerous transfers of BNB from a BankrollNetworkStack contract to itself, each worth $9,679,645.51.

Two other transfers are for $9,435,877.94, one of which comes from a PancakeSwap exchange pool and is sent to an account ending in 47D7, while the other comes from the 47D7 account and is sent to the BankrollNetworkStack contract. 

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Possible Trump Pick for SEC Chair Outlines Plan To Position US as One of Global Leaders in Crypto: Report

Chinese Tether laundromat, Bhutan enjoys recent Bitcoin boost: Asia Express

Tether launderers sentenced as Bhutan’s Bitcoin hodling places it as the fourth largest among governments: Asia Express.

Our weekly roundup of news from Asia curates the industrys most important developments.

A Chinese court in the northwestern Gansu province has reportedly sentenced ten individuals involved in a Tether (USDT) laundering service scheme.

The defendants received prison sentences ranging from 10 months to one year, with authorities recovering over $168,000 (1.2 million yuan) in illicit gains, according to state-owned online news outlet The Paper.

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Possible Trump Pick for SEC Chair Outlines Plan To Position US as One of Global Leaders in Crypto: Report

VonMises bought 60 CryptoPunks in a month before the price spiked: NFT Collector

Ex TradFi guy VonMises has built up one of the best NFT collections on the planet by selling when he can, not when he has to.

When it comes to prolific NFT collectors, VonMises is in the upper echelon. His catchphrase unquestionable provenance and provable scarcity is the backbone of his conviction that NFTs are true game changers and havent even scratched the surface yet. 

Coming from a traditional finance background with strong experience in an array of collectibles, VonMises name originates from Austrian-American economist Ludwig von Mises, who wrote extensively on the societal contributions of classical liberalism.

This concept of viewing the world resonates strongly with VonMises, the NFT collector, and was a big reason the American was lured into researching and ultimately buying Bitcoin back in 2011. 

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Possible Trump Pick for SEC Chair Outlines Plan To Position US as One of Global Leaders in Crypto: Report

Pixels hosts ‘first-ever’ Web3 wedding and Immortal Rising 2 gets 400K registrations: Web3 Gamer

A popular gaming content creator shows that you can get married to the one you love in a game you love, Immortal Rising 2 racks up over 400,000 pre-registrations before its launch, and other news.

Pixels has hosted what could be the very first Web3 in-game wedding.

After meeting his partner at the 2022 Axie Infinity convention, AxieCon, popular Web3 content creator Cloudwhite decided there was no better way to tie the knot than in a Web3 game making him possibly the first to do so.

Live streaming and hosting the wedding in Pixels Online was pivotal for my family and friends participating in Wisconsin, and Lauras family and friends participating in Colombia, Cloudwhite tells Web3 Gamer.

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Possible Trump Pick for SEC Chair Outlines Plan To Position US as One of Global Leaders in Crypto: Report

China’s ‘point running’ crypto scams, pig butchers kidnap kids: Asia Express

Chinese crypto noobs are being tricked into laundering funds for ‘rewards’ — and pig butchering scammers are kidnapping kids: Asia Express.

Our weekly roundup of news from Asia curates the industrys most important developments.

A new type of cryptocurrency scam is rising in China, with locals losing money to a scheme known as point running, according to a warning posted by the Public Security Bureau on Sept. 10.

The term “point running” refers to the practice of moving crypto through various accounts. Often new to digital assets, victims are told that by transferring these cryptocurrencies, they are processing transactions and earning rewards or commissions.

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Possible Trump Pick for SEC Chair Outlines Plan To Position US as One of Global Leaders in Crypto: Report

Crypto is used for payments in Georgia, not to get rich: Tbilisi Crypto City Guide

The capital city of the country of Georgia boasts a small but vibrant crypto community that aims to put the country on the map.

The city of Tbilisi in Georgia has lots of crypto startups and crypto ATMs, and its dotted with small-time exchanges that are essentially money changers with a Binance account. Visitors from nearby Russia often use crypto for payments here, as their bank cards dont work outside Russia due to sanctions. The ease of electronic payments in the city poses competition for crypto, as does the governments digital lari CBDC plan, but at least 200 businesses accept crypto at point of sale.

City: Tbilisi
Country:
Georgia
Population:
1.2 million
Founded:
445
Most Common Languages:
Georgian, English, Russian

Jump to: Crypto culture, Projects and Companies, Financial Infrastructure, Where Can I Spend Crypto

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Possible Trump Pick for SEC Chair Outlines Plan To Position US as One of Global Leaders in Crypto: Report

Tether for treason in Taiwan, East’s crypto exchange resurgence: Asia Express

China buys military secrets from Taiwanese soldiers with Tether; Asia’s crypto license barrage; scam victim under suspicion: Asia Express

Two Taiwanese military officers have been indicted on charges of selling sensitive government information to mainland Chinese contacts in exchange for cryptocurrency payments, the Caiotou District Prosecutors Office said in a statement on Sept. 3.

According to the prosecutors, the two officers identified as Lieutenant Han and Captain Lin received 8,151 Tether (USDT) in exchange for at least seven classified military documents.

Han allegedly established online contact with individuals from mainland China and transmitted photographed documents through Telegram between December 2022 and February 2024. 

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Possible Trump Pick for SEC Chair Outlines Plan To Position US as One of Global Leaders in Crypto: Report