South Korea’s Jeonbuk Bank has launched the country’s first Bitcoin-backed loans for businesses, using regulated third-party custodians. New rules allow the bank to recover unpaid loans through court-ordered Bitcoin sales.
WeatherlyVisa has received approval to prepare for entering China’s $144 trillion payments market. It must complete preparations within a year before applying for an operating licence.
AnaisThe US arrested two Americans accused of helping North Korean IT workers use stolen identities to secure jobs at more than 70 US companies, generating at least $3 million. The FBI seized 187 devices from more than 40 suspected laptop farms in Texas as authorities investigate fraud, identity theft and overseas money transfers.
WeatherlyOpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan was arrested for allegedly hiding an encrypted recorder behind a TV in an executive conference room, wrapped in toilet paper and plugged into a USB port. CCTV footage and a second recording device found in his bag allegedly helped investigators link him to the case, while OpenAI said its AI models also helped identify him.
AnaisApex Accelerator and Stone Venture reportedly face a Singapore police report over claims they pressured attendees to install remote-access software at a TOKEN2049 security event. Dominion Market’s co-founder also linked Apex to the protocol’s September exploit, while Apex’s official X account appears to have been taken down.
WeatherlyCoins.ph faces possible sanctions over alleged links to offshore gambling operators, as Philippine regulators restrict peso deposits. The exchange denies knowingly serving gambling firms, says customer funds are safe and expects affected services to be restored soon.
AnaisLedger has suspended hardware wallet sales across six Southeast Asian countries and Hong Kong after tampered devices linked to Malaysian reseller CryptoBilis were found to contain implants capable of stealing users’ 24-word recovery phrases.
WeatherlyPolygon Labs has completed its acquisition of Coinme, giving its Open Money Stack payments platform US regulatory coverage across 48 states through 37 money transmitter licences and 11 exemptions. The platform connects stablecoins with bank accounts and local currency payments, with Tazapay, Mesh, Toku and Kira among its first customers.
AnaisDeveloper Brandon Thomas has released three free, AI-built alternatives to Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The open-source apps cover most core features but remain in early development, with 50% to 60% readiness for real-world use.
WeatherlyBritish software engineer Lewis Barber is suing BitMEX operator HDR Global Trading for the return of 324.8 BTC worth about $27.2 million, arguing that the exchange offered derivatives in the UK without FCA authorisation. The claim challenges 1,053 losing trades made between 2018 and 2022 and could open the door to further compensation claims from other UK traders.
Anais