Cryptocurrency exchanges are hitting back at New York Attorney General’s scathing criticism, suggesting the industry lacks fairness, integrity, and security.
Earlier this week , the office of the NY Attorney General office published a report which highlighted a number of risks cryptocurrency exchanges expose their users to, including the possibility of market manipulation.
Yesterday, Coinbase’s Chief Policy Officer, Mike Lempres, published a blog post to clarify some of the report’s findings.
The Attorney General’s report states that “Coinbase disclosed that almost 20 percent of executed volume on its platform was attributable to its own trading.”
Lempres denies the Attorney General’s trading manipulation claims.
“Coinbase does not trade for the benefit of the company on a proprietary basis.” Lempres continued. “In order to provide an easy-to-use customer experience, Coinbase Consumer quotes a price and then quickly fills the order from our exchange platform (Coinbase Markets).”
Kraken has also weighed into the conversation.
The exchange took to Twitter to clarify it does not operate in New York, and has no obligation to cooperate with the investigation as such.
It then went on to take a dig at the Attorney General office, suggesting the report actually helped the exchange get to know competitors a little better.
It’ll be interesting to see how this situation turns out – and whether cryptocurrency exchanges can dodge yet another regulatory bullet.
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Dad and daughter to serve time over mail-order cryptocurrency drug ring
A father and daughter have received a combined prison sentence of eight years after selling drugs in exchange for Bitcoin on the dark web .
Brittany Nicole Green, sentenced to five years, and her father Gregory, who will spend three years behind bars, ran a mail -order drug operation from their home in Billings (Montana).
The Greens, who sold a variety of drugs and shipped them through the mail , operated the ring between 2017 and 2018.
When authorities raided their home , they discovered carfentanil, meth , and Xanax — “a supermarket of drugs” that would appeal to various buyers, US District Court Judge Susan Watters, said at Gregory’s sentencing.
Authorities had been investigating the duo since December 2018, after Customs and Border Patrol Officers in Michigan intercepted a Canadian package containing Xanax sent to the Green’s address.
Assistant US Attorney Bryan Dake said the case stood out among many others because drug sales were done entirely through the mail , meaning the Greens never had to leave their home to run their underground drug operation.
Brittany pleaded guilty to meth possession with intent to distribute. Under a plea deal, prosecutors dropped a drug conspiracy charge. Judge Watters said Green’ s role in the operation “merits a longer sentence” than her father ‘s.
Gregory admitted both possession and conspiracy , without a plea agreement in place.
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Opera officially launches its blockchain-ready browser for the iPhone
Earlier this year, Opera launched its cryptocurrency and blockchain-ready browser for Android and PC users. Today, it’s finally launching its equivalent for iPhone, Opera Touch.
With the launch, Opera Touch for iOS provides the same Web 3.0 and cryptocurrency wallet integration as its Android and PC-based counterpart .
Opera says that it allows users to interact directly and seamlessly with Web 3 (read: decentralized) applications on the Ethereum blockchain. Typically, users would need a browser add-on, like MetaMask, to do this, but with Opera Touch, it all comes as part of the package.
“We believe that all modern browsers should integrate a crypto wallet,” said Opera‘s head of crypto, Charles Hamel. “Following a strong demand from the crypto-community, we are now making this experience available on iOS.”
According to the release, Opera Touch supports all ERC-20 tokens, stablecoins, and non-fungible (unique) tokens.
Apple iOS users can download the app from Apple’s App store starting from today, purchase some Ethereum, send it to their Opera Touch wallet, and start using it in dapps.
As with the PC and Andoird version, users will also be able to browse blockchain applications by typing their addresses directly into the URL bar, Opera said previously. There is also a built-in virtual private network (VPN) that Opera claims is designed to obscure and protect user data from prying eyes.
Indeed, Opera‘s plans for an iOS version of its crypto-browser are hardly a secret. Back in March, it teased that one was on its way and put out an invitiation for beta testers.
Sure, these features may have already been released for Android and PC, but at least now iOS users can get in on the decentralized fun.