According to Cointelegraph, the United States Justice Department has authorized the seizure of over $2.8 million in cryptocurrency, alongside cash and other assets, as part of a criminal investigation into an alleged ransomware operator. The department announced on Thursday that it had unsealed six warrants permitting the confiscation of $2.8 million in cryptocurrency from a wallet managed by Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko. Additionally, $70,000 in cash and a luxury vehicle were seized. Antropenko faces charges of conspiring to commit computer fraud and abuse, computer fraud and abuse, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The unsealed warrants allege that the seized cryptocurrency and other assets are proceeds from ransomware activities or were involved in laundering such proceeds. The Justice Department highlighted that these assets were laundered through various methods, including the use of the cryptocurrency mixing service ChipMixer, which was dismantled in a coordinated international operation in 2023. Antropenko reportedly laundered cryptocurrency by converting it to cash and making structured cash deposits. This seizure represents the latest action by the U.S. government involving cryptocurrency, potentially contributing to its national stockpile established by an executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump in March. Earlier this week, the Justice Department announced the seizure of approximately $1 million in cryptocurrency from the ransomware group BlackSuit. Federal officials are also pursuing claims to $2.4 million in Bitcoin seized by the Dallas FBI in April. The U.S. government's holdings of Bitcoin have been a topic of discussion, particularly after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the government would not be purchasing Bitcoin as part of its crypto stockpile strategy. This announcement came shortly before Bitcoin's price dropped below $119,000. Bessent later clarified on social media that the department would explore budget-neutral methods to acquire Bitcoin. As of Thursday, the U.S. government's Bitcoin stockpile, comprising assets seized in criminal cases after victim compensation, totaled approximately $20 billion. With Bitcoin priced at $117,387 at the time of publication, estimates suggest a U.S. stockpile of 198,012 BTC, valued at over $23 billion.

Myriad traders are bullish on XRP, placing the odds at nearly 64% that the Ripple-linked token shoots for the moon. Do the charts agree? source: https://decrypt.co/335510/moon-doom-where-xrp-price-next

Aave reached multiple all-time highs this week, fueled by the heated crypto market. The money market protocol reached $3 trillion in cumulative deposits on Aug. 15, while surpassing $29 billion in active loans on August 13, according to Token Terminal data source: https://cryptoslate.com/aave-reaches-multiple-all-time-highs-as-protocol-hits-3-trillion-deposits/

The Federal Reserve officially terminated its Novel Activities Supervision Program, shifting crypto oversight to standard processes as Treasury rules out new Bitcoin purchases for strategic reserves. source: https://www.coinspeaker.com/fed-ends-crypto-oversight-program-as-treasury-rules-out-new-bitcoin-buys/

Cryptocurrency markets are trading largely sideways on Friday, showing a mild negative bias after recent volatility. source: https://www.benzinga.com/crypto/cryptocurrency/25/08/47166841/bitcoin-ethereum-xrp-dogecoin-trade-sideways-ahead-of-trump-putin-summit?utm_source=cryptopanic.com&utm_campaign=partner_feed&utm_medium=partner_feed&utm_content=site

Solana's first staking platform adopts a new tokenomics strategy to drive value back to its $MNDE token. source: https://solanafloor.com/news/marinade-dao-proposes-to-buyback-and-burn-up-to-500m-mnde-redirects-100-of-protocol-fees-to-community-treasury

Bitcoin falls below $117,000 again, raising worries about the upcoming “ghost month. ” Are traders bracing for more losses or buying the dips? source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-traders-absorb-the-dips-but-ghost-month-could-extend-woes?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Ether-focused BitMine Immersion saw its daily trading volumes surge this week source: https://blockworks.co/news/eth-treasury-companies-growth

Digital Currency Group (DCG) has reportedly filed a lawsuit against its bankrupt subsidiary, Genesis Global Capital LLC, seeking over $105 million plus interest in relation to a $1. 1 billion promissory note issued in 2022. DCG filed its complaint on Thursday in the U. S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York. In the lawsuit, […] source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/dcg-drags-genesis-global-capital-to-court/

Stablecoins are taking the payment sector by storm. A joint report from crypto market maker Keyrock and crypto exchange Bitso predicts that stablecoin payment volumes will exceed $1 trillion annually by the end of this decade. This will likely be the case, as leading stablecoins have seen impressive growth recently. Tether’s USDT stablecoin reached a market […] source: https://cryptonews.com/news/how-lower-on-ramping-fees-and-accessibility-will-drive-stablecoin-adoption/

Moo Deng the hippo turned one, sparking a four-day festival at a Thai zoo and renewed interest in her memecoin. The MOODENG token surged over 17% on her birthday, driven by fan hype, whale activity, and Solana’s growing memecoin market.

A cryptocurrency investor turned $1,331 into $3.4 million in just 15 days by buying Moo Deng tokens, raising questions about potential insider trading. The surge in value contrasts with a more conservative approach, where some investors focus on holding established assets for long-term gains.