Israel-Hamas War

A U.S. lawsuit accuses Binance and its founder of allowing millions of dollars in cryptocurrency to be sent to Hamas and other terrorist groups before the October 7 attacks. The complaint claims the exchange failed to monitor transactions properly, letting banned organisations move funds undetected.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his mediator role in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The US DOJ intercepted encrypted channels, seizing over $200,000 in crypto and identifying key organisers. While Telegram-based terror financing is limited, new donation channels continually emerge, complicating enforcement.

Israel and Hamas has just agreed on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release agreement following 15 months of war. The news was announced by Qatar and the United States, who has been the two mediators of the negotiation.

During the summit, Putin president Putin shocked the world by saying that "the middle East is on the brink of a full-scale war after a sharp rise in tension between Israel and Iran."

Israel's economy minister said Iran must be attacked, including its nuclear capabilities, and Iran warned that Tehran might change its nuclear policy if its nuclear infrastructure was attacked. Gold hit a short-term high of $2,646, and Bitcoin tried to regain the unexpected loss of US CPI.

Saudi Arabia, a major player in the global oil market, has once again increased oil prices for Asian buyers

The United States has approved an $8.7 billion military aid package for Israel, bolstering the country’s defense capabilities amid escalating conflict in the Middle East.

The evolving landscape of crypto crime in 2024 was one of the focuses at TOKEN2049 Singapore. Although illicit activities have declined, challenges such as ransomware, scams, and sanctions evasion persist. Combating crypto crime in the future will depend on strengthening global collaboration and leveraging blockchain technology for better security and transparency.

Binance has been accused of freezing the assets of Palestinian users at the request of Israel, raising concerns about the independence of cryptocurrency exchanges and user privacy.