⚡️Brazilian police arrest heads of cryptocurrency laundering scheme used by drug cartel⚡️

Civil police in Brazil’s Sao Paulo have cracked down on a money laundering operation leveraging cryptocurrencies, run by the Primeiro Comando da Capital, a notorious drug gang.📍

According to CNN, the PCC gang operated a cryptocurrency exchange that facilitated their money laundering efforts amounting to more than $88.6 million USD, approximately 500 million Brazilian reais.🔺

The firm was registered in the name of a 23-year-old woman, who was not named but was reportedly the daughter of a city council candidate for Mogi das Cruzes.☔

During the raid, 55 million reais worth of checks were also seized from the company’s headquarters.🚗

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Why is Donald Trump calling on the government not to sell Bitcoin?💯

During a podcast with Adin Ross, he mentioned the recent sale of Bitcoin by the U.S. government and asked Trump if he would support crypto if he won the November 2024 election. 💡

Trump then turned his attention to extolling the virtues of Bitcoin. He called the cryptocurrency “very modern” and compared it to artificial intelligence.👾

He added that if the U.S. will not innovate in the field of digital assets, other countries will, including China — the most significant geopolitical rival — which is already making progress in the cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence sectors.🛒

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💲Tether’s USDT achieves $115B market cap milestone💲

According to a somewhat cryptic X post by CEO Paolo Ardoino, Tether’s stablecoin USDT hhas reached a significant milestone, surpassing $115 billion in market capitalization. This achievement underscores USDT’s dominance in the stablecoin market, where it has accounted for over 70% of the market for nearly a year.⭐

Recent data indicates that USDT’s market cap grew by over $1 billion in the past week, coinciding with a rebound in Bitcoin’s current price of $60,200. 🛡

Tether surpassing $115 billion in market cap is significant because it demonstrates how mainstream USDT has become in crypto. A market cap of this size means that a large number of people trust and use Tether’s stablecoin, which is designed to maintain a stable value, unlike more volatile cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.🔝

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🚀Ripple begins testing RLUSD stablecoin on Ethereum and XRP🚀

Ripple has begun work on a fiat-pegged token called the Ripple USD, or RLUSD, as the company eyes a $160 billion stablecoin market currently dominated by Tether. The digital payment titan said private beta testing started on XRP’s ledger and the Ethereum mainnet, crypto’s second-largest blockchain by market cap.⛈

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💎New level of confrontation: The US, Russia step up the crypto race💎

Mining has been officially legalized in Russia, while the U.S. is preparing to become the crypto capital of the world. What’s going on between the two countries in the crypto arena?🌟

On Aug. 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing the legalization of crypto mining. Except for specific paragraphs, the document will come into force on Nov. 1. In addition, the president signed a law allowing foreign trade settlements and exchange trading in crypto as experimental legal regimes from Sep. 1.✅

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Andrena, $18 million🚀

In the biggest funding round last week, U.S. internet service provider Andrena raised $18 million through a series A funding led by Dragonfly Capital.🛡

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🥃Santa Monica ‘Bitcoin Office’ webpage goes live🥃

The city of Santa Monica, California officially added a “Bitcoin Office” section on its website to bolster industry partnerships and increase employment opportunities.🛡

The move comes about a month after the Santa Monica City Council unanimously approved a pilot program for the Santa Monica Bitcoin Office⭐

The city’s administration is reportedly collaborating with the Proof of Workforce Foundation to educate Santa Monica-based residents and businesses about BTC and its transformative potential in the modern economy.⭐

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🪩Tether commits $3m to expand USDT in the Middle East🪩

Tether Operations Limited has announced a $3 million strategic investment in Kem, a financial management app that aims to improve financial inclusion across the Middle East.🌟

Tether’s $3 million investment comes as the company aims to promote the adoption of Tether’s stablecoin and provide more accessible financial services in the region.🛡

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❌Venezuelans cut off from Binance: How is this related to elections?❌

Venezuelan authorities have also blocked the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance.❌

Amid protests following the presidential elections, the Venezuelan government restricted access to Binance and several other online services.🗽

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🌟Bitget surpasses MetaMask to become most downloaded wallet in July🌟

Non-custodial wallet Bitget has surpassed Metamask to become the most downloaded web3 wallet in July.🎄

According to a press release shared with crypto.news, Bitget Wallet surpassed 30 million users globally in July, marking a 150% surge in users compared to last year.📈

CryptoRank data suggests the wallet saw over 1.6 million downloads in July across both Google and Apple’s app stores, eclipsing Metamask’s 1.5 million downloads.❤️‍🔥

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🍾Crypto firm Cumberland deployed $1b Tether in 8 days🍾

Market maker Cumberland may have bought the dip as data showed the firm moving millions in Tether stablecoins to centralized exchanges.🛩

Since Aug. 6, Cumberland has sent over $1 billion in Tether USDT
to CEX platforms like Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken, according to LookOnChain data.🪅

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👋Spot Bitcoin ETFs witness inflows of $11.11m, Ether ETFs break 3-day inflow streak👋

Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the United States saw positive flows again, in contrast to spot Ethereum ETFs, which saw substantial outflows, ending their three-day run of gains.👑

Data from SoSoValue reveals that on Aug. 15, the twelve U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs registered a collective inflow of $11.11 million, ending their short-lived negative flow witnessed the previous day.💎

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🌈Bitcache founder Kim Dotcom vows to fight extradition to US🌈

Bitcache and Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, is determined to resist extradition to the U.S., claiming political persecution and vowing to stay in New Zealand.🗓

German-Finnish internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, known for his controversial political views, now faces a new challenge as New Zealand’s justice minister, Paul Goldsmith, has signed an order for his extradition to the United States.🎶

The move has reignited a legal battle that has spanned more than ten years, with Dotcom and his legal team vowing to fight the decision tooth and nail, per a reportfrom The New Zealand Herald. Dotcom has been living in New Zealand since 2010, and has faced the threat of extradition since 2012 following a dramatic global sting operation that led to his arrest.🎉

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😍Kamala Harris surges ahead on Polymarket, Trump falters as traders bet big😍

Kamala Harris has seen a significant boost in her chances of winning the 2024 U.S. presidential election on Polymarket, while Donald Trump’s odds have tumbled.😮

As the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaches, the decentralized prediction market Polymarket has become a hotspot for traders speculating on the outcome.🎼

Looking at the latest data from the platform, the chances of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris winning the election have jumped to 54%, while those of her Republican opponent Donald Trump have dropped dramatically from 72% to 44%.💬

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🌩Dormant Bitcoin wallet from 2014 moves BTC worth $10.2m🌩

A Bitcoin wallet that has been dormant since 2014 suddenly woke up and moved over 174 bitcoins worth more than $102 million.💬

Blockchain data showed that the Bitcoin Bitcoin (📈btc +1.31%📈) Bitcoin wallet that received 174.88 BTC on Jan. 8, 2014, moved funds for the first time on Aug. 16, 2024.🤪

The transfer comes after a decade, during which Bitcoin’s price soared to highs of $73,000 before retreating to current levels.⏱

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😘Flexa introduces toolkit to simplify digital payments😘

Flexa has launched Flexa Components, a new suite of mobile tools designed to streamline digital payments within wallet applications.🌈

The toolkit is designed to address the long-standing fragmentation in the digital payments industry, where disparate systems and high transaction fees have created barriers for merchants and developers alike.⚡️

Its interface supports wallets using Bitcoin , Ethereum, Litecoin , Polygon, Zcash, and more.🔔

This news comes as Apple is set to open its iPhone payment chip to third-party developers. This change will allow developers, including those in the crypto industry, to access the iPhone’s Near-Field Communication technology for in-store payments, transit fares, and other uses. 🔔

The announcement and similar developments, such as Flexa’s new toolkit, could make crypto more mainstream and enhance its adoption.👑

This follows a developing trend as financial regulators explore the reshaping of digital payments by merging blockchain and AI. This shift is leading to tokenized value exchange and the rise of bots as new consumers. As a result, transparency and efficiency are becoming paramount for traditional financial practices to adapt.💎

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🎉Donald Trump announces pro-crypto transition team🎉

More crypto parallels between a potential Donald Trump and Kamala Harris administration emerged after assessing their advisors.⚡

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump named several pro-crypto figures to his transition team ahead of a possible second White House term. While it’s procedural to name key staff members ahead of an election, Trump’s pro-crypto team may have bolstered his appeal to the community.💵

Trump announced that Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick and America First Policy Institute chair Linda McMahon would be team co-chairs. 💎

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💵TON Society launches new program to support early TON developers💵

TON, the blockchain network for the web3 ecosystem in Telegram, has unveiled a new program as it looks to support new projects.✅

Powered by Toncoin as the native cryptocurrency for governance, staking, and transaction fees, TON is one of the crypto industry’s fastest-growing blockchains.🔺

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🕺KENNEDY meme coin falls 22% after RFK Jr. running mate hints at Trump support🕺

The price of the KENNEDY meme coin tanked nearly 22% late Tuesday after Robert F Kennedy Jr’s running mate said that RFK Jr. is considering abandoning his campaign.👀

On late Tuesday, Aug. 20, the Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-themed meme coin KENNEDY plunged sharply after his running mate suggested in a podcast interview that RFK Jr. might withdraw from the presidential race to support former President Donald J. Trump.🫵

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😱Spot Bitcoin ETFs net $88m in inflows, spot Ether ETFs outflows see slowdown😱

Spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen their second consecutive inflow day this week, while spot Ether ETFs logged a drop in outflows in its 4-day negative flow streak.💃

According to data from SoSoValue, the 12 spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded $88.06 million in inflows on Aug. 21, representing a 42% increase compared to the net inflows seen on Aug. 20.❤

BlackRock’s IBIT recorded the highest inflows with $55.4 million, bringing its total inflow since launch to $20.53 billion. It was the only fund to record a second consecutive day of inflows. ARK 21Shares’s ARKB followed with inflows of $51.9 million following a day of no activity.🕯

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