The co-founder of NiceHash, the well-known cryptocurrency hash power broker, has reportedly been arrested in Germany .

Matjaz Skorjanc’s arrest was made over US charges that he, along with several other hackers , is responsible for stealing million s of dollars .

Skorjanc was reportedly detained on Monday, reports 24URom, a Slovenian news site.

He is wanted in the US for setting up and operating Darkode, a black marketplace that operated between 2008 and 2013. d Europol once described it as “the most prolific English-speaking cybercriminal forum to date.”

Skorjanc is also wanted for creating and deploying Mariposa , one of the largest known botnets . Discovered in 2008, the botnet was mostly involved in cyberscamming and denial-of-service attacks. Prior to its dismantlement in December 2009, it managed to infect one million computers, effectively turning them into “zombies.”

Back in June, Hard Fork reported how the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) was chasing hackers – including Skorjanec – over an alleged plot to create and distribute malware through Darkode.

At the time, American Thomas McCormack, Spaniard Florencio Carro Ruiz, Slovenes Mentor Leniqi and Matjaz Skorjanc, were each charged with racketeering conspiracy, as well as conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud.

Each racketeering conspiracy charge included extortion, identify theft , and access device fraud, a Department of Justice ( DoJ ) press release confirmed.

Skorjanc has already served almost five years in prison for creating the Mariposa botnet . He was released in late 2017 – bet someone’s regretting that right about now.

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eToro adds 5 Ethereum tokens to its cryptocurrency wallet – plans to add 115 more

eToroX, the specialized blockchain division of social trading platform eToro , has announced the launch of the first five of 120 ERC-20 tokens that will be added to its on-chain wallet.

ERC-20 tokens are designed and used solely on the Ethereum platform and can be shared, exchanged for other tokens, or transferred to a cryptocurrency wallet.

The new tokens include two eToro stablecoins: eToro EuroX (EURX) and eToro US DollarX (USDX). They also feature three crypto assets: Maker (MKR), Basic Attention Token (BAT), and OmiseGO (OMG).

“Adding 120 ERC-20 tokens to the eToro wallet is further evidence of our belief that one day all investable assets will be tokenized,” said Doro Rosenblum, managing director of eToroX.

“One of the main barriers to mass adoption of crypto assets is lack of access. Making these first 5 tokens available enables more people to transfer and hold them into a secure and regulated wallet. The next step will be adding more ERC-20 tokens to our exchange, which we plan to do in the near future,” he added.

eToro’s multi-signature wallet is available on Google Play and the App Store.

Founded in 2007, eToro seeks to open up the global markets to give customers a chance to trade and invest in a “simple and transparent way.”

The company made headlines after eToroX revealed the launch of a new cryptocurrency-only exchange desk for professional traders back in April.

At the time, eToro said the new platform would support trading in six cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ripple, and Dash.

Additionally, eToro also added support for trading in eight fiat-backed stablecoins pegged to currencies including the Euro and US dollar.

Iran further solidifies stance on cryptocurrency mining, but says trading is ‘unlawful’

Iran ‘s government has put an end to months of speculation by ratifying a bill that acknowledges cryptocurrency mining is a legitimate industry .

While legalizing mining is seemingly a positive move, it’s important to note there are several caveats that clarify the country’s stance with regards to the wider cryptocurrency industry.

The bill, ratified by the Iranian Cabinet and released on Sunday, highlighted the government would not recognize cryptocurrency trading as lawful.

It also said the government and the country ‘s banking system do not perceive cryptocurrencies to be legal tender and that the Central Bank of Iran would not guarantee their value , reports Al Jazeera .

Mining, however, will be allowed inside Iran but only under certain conditions: if miners get the green light from the country ‘s industry ministry, don’t mine coins within a 30-kilometer radius of all provincial centers except for the capital Tehran and the central city of Esfahan.

Al Jazeera says cryptocurrency mining operators will obtain the necessary electricity from the nationwide grid or through new power plants operating outside the grid.

The electricity price offered to miners will be the same as the average rial price at which Iran exports its electricity resources to other countries, or to 70 percent of the average rial price at which the country exports its natural gas , the publication adds.

The news comes after numerous reports which stated that Iran had legalized cryptocurrency mining.

Last September, Iran ’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace said cryptocurrency mining would be officially recognized as an industry – at least within its borders.

At the time, Secretary Abolhassan Firouzabadi said the country would declare full terms of regulation and policy for cryptocurrencies and mining by the end of the month.

But in June this year, Iranian authorities confiscated roughly 1,000 Bitcoin mining machines from two former factories.

It’s actually worth noting that this isn’t the first time Iran has said it’s legalizing cryptocurrency mining. Just last month, news reports said Iran was officially recognizing cryptocurrency mining as an industry within its borders.