Kalshi is adding a parent portal, selfie checks and family monitoring tools to stop minors from using its prediction market platform by bypassing age verification rules. The move comes as the company faces rising regulatory pressure and legal disputes in the US, while competition in prediction markets is also growing.

Anthropic has started asking some Claude users to verify their identity with a government ID and, in some cases, a live selfie before accessing certain features, using a third-party provider called Persona.

KuCoin’s operator, Peken Global Limited, has been banned from serving U.S. users after settling with regulators and agreeing to pay a $500,000 fine. The order makes its earlier U.S. exit permanent, following a separate criminal case where the firm paid nearly $300 million for operating without proper licences.

Leading cryptocurrency exchange OKX has deepened its partnership with Chainalysis by integrating Alterya, an AI-powered fraud detection platform designed to stop scam-linked withdrawals before funds ever leave the exchange.

A cryptocurrency trader has accused an ex-employee of Revolut of attempting to extort him by threatening to leak sensitive Know Your Customer (KYC) data — an incident that is now under investigation by law enforcement.

Bybit will launch retail banking services in February, offering users personal IBAN accounts to send, receive, and hold multiple currencies. The service will let customers deposit fiat, pay bills, receive salaries, and trade crypto, in partnership with banks including QNB and Pave Bank.

Monero reached a new all-time high this week as intensifying regulatory scrutiny of digital assets reignited debate over the role of financial privacy in the evolving crypto ecosystem.

Financial Times has alleged that Binance had continued to allow suspicious crypto transactions to flow through its platform even after agreeing to tighten controls under its landmark $4.3 billion US criminal settlement.

Binance now offers full access to Syrian users after the US lifted sanctions, removing Syria from its Prohibited Countries list. Syrians can trade over 300 tokens, joining 270 million users globally—a major shift for a region long cut off from global finance. Could this be a breakthrough for financial inclusion?

The US DOJ has seized $7.74 million laundered by North Korean operatives who used stolen US identities to secure remote blockchain jobs and bypass KYC checks. The funds were funnelled back to support the regime’s weapons programme.