Decrypt logo
Decrypt logo
Adrian Zmudzinski

Adrian Zmudzinski

Adrian Zmudzinski is a cryptocurrency journalist with over 4,000 articles under his belt. His bylines include Cointelegraph, Benzinga, Crypto.News, BeInCrypto, VentureBeat. He has significant holdings in Bitcoin, Solana, and Uniswap.

Stories by Adrian Zmudzinski

  • Source: Shutterstock

    Europol Seizes $26 Million in Crypto From 9 Drug Traffickers

    Europol collaborated with law enforcement authorities from six countries to bring down an international drug trafficking ring employing crypto for its financial needs. Europol said it has taken down “underground bankers who were moving and laundering the proceeds of large-scale drug trafficking and other serious crimes” in a recent announcement. When contacted by Decrypt, Europol explained that it is “not authorised to disclose any more details.” Bitcoin Still 'Most Abused' Crypto Asset Among Cr...

    NewsLaw and Order
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Image created by Decrypt using AI.

    Ethereum ETF Hot Steak Continues Amid Trump Regulatory Optimism

    Ethereum spot ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, saw a net inflow of $151 million on Tuesday, continuing an uninterrupted net positive capital flow streak that began on November 22. According to crypto market research company BRN, Ethereum ETFs added $151 million on Tuesday, while Bitcoin ETFs collectively added $494 million. Bitcoin ETFs have been hot for most of the year following their January launch in the United States, while Ethereum ETFs saw modest demand out of the gate. BRN analyst Valenti...

    NewsMarkets
    4 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Source: Nigeria Economic and Financial Crimes Commission

    Nigeria Arrests Nearly 800 Linked to Massive Crypto Romance Scam Group

    The Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested nearly 800 people nationwide in connection to crypto romance scams, the agency said. EFCC Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede recently announced that the regulator’s enforcement actions led to the arrest of 792 suspects allegedly involved in cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scams. The arrests took place on Tuesday as part of a sting operation in a purported crime den located in a seven-story building “which could be mista...

    NewsLaw and Order
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • XRP is one of the largest cryptocurrencies. Image: Shutterstock

    XRP Jumps 13% Ahead of Ripple Stablecoin Launch

    XRP saw its price jump 21% over the last seven days and 13% over the last 24 hours, trading at $2.69 as of press time—just as the Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin launches on the network. XRP was launched by the co-founders of Ripple Labs in 2012, but the company has gone to great lengths to stress that it is not the issuer of the token. Still, crypto traders know there’s a link and tend to consider good news for Ripple Labs, like its new stablecoin being approved by New York regulators, as an indi...

    NewsMarkets
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Source: Shutterstock

    Austrian Police Uncover $1.2 Million 'Rip-Deal 2.0' Crypto Fraud

    Detectives in Vienna, Austria have disrupted a $1.26 million (€1.2 million) crypto fraud operation they’re calling “Rip-Deal 2.0.” A 39-year-old suspect with a long series of past convictions was arrested in Milan, Italy, earlier this year with help from Europol, according to English-language local news outlet The International. In October, a regional court sentenced the person to three years in prison. The suspect reportedly engaged in a new variation of the Rip-Deal scam, which traditionally u...

    NewsLaw and Order
    4 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Source: Shutterstock

    How a Scammer Stole $300,000 Worth of Crypto by Impersonating Uber Drivers

    A man pretending to be an Uber driver was arrested after allegedly stealing $300,000 worth of cryptocurrency from two passengers in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Scottsdale Police Department claims that Nuruhussein Hussein onboarded the passengers in front of a local hotel by posing as the Uber they had ordered. He even went so far as to address them by name, according to a recent Fox10 Phoenix report. The report does not explain how Hussein knew the passengers’ names or that they had ordered Uber ri...

    NewsLaw and Order
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski

  • Coinbase Europe Delists USDT, Other Stablecoins Citing EU Compliance

    Coinbase Europe decided to delist multiple stablecoins, including Tether’s market-leading USDT, to comply with the European Union’s rules. In a Wednesday announcement set to its users, Coinbase wrote that "due to the new European Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, Coinbase will implement restrictions for stablecoin services that do not meet MiCA requirements.” Other than USDT, retail customers on Coinbase Europe and Coinbase Germany will see the delisting of Paxos Standard Price (PAX),...

    NewsCoins
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • LibertyX confirm three ATMs now allow Bitcoin purchases on Tesla sites. Image: Shutterstock

    How a Bitcoin ATM Operator Thinks Hackers Accessed Personal Data for 58,000 Users

    Major United States-based Bitcoin automated teller machine (BTM) company Byte Federal has suffered a major data breach. A Thursday filing with Maine’s attorney general shows that Byte Federal’s breach allowed the attacker to access the personal data of 58,000 customers, including 111 Maine residents. The company noticed the attack on Nov. 18, more than a month after it occurred on Sept. 30. Venket Naga, co-founder and CEO of security-focused data storage service Serenity, told Decrypt that the i...

    NewsLaw and Order
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Bitcoin stack. Image: Created by Decrypt using AI

    There's Now $3.6 Billion Worth of Bitcoin Deposited on Babylon Chain

    Babylon Chain, the middleware blockchain securing Cosmos-based chains with Bitcoin, just broke $3 billion worth of deposits. Babylon has seen deposits totaling over 36,100 BTC, worth more than $3.63 billion, as of press time, according to Dune data. The assets were delivered by nearly 88,000 unique depositors. And in the past week, the amount of Bitcoin being deposited jumped by nearly 51.4%. With nearly $350 million deposited on Dec. 11 and $834 million deposited on Dec. 10, Babylon Chain saw $...

    NewsMarkets
    2 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • NVIDIA is one of the world's leading graphic chip producers. Image: Shutterstock

    Supreme Court Rules Against Nvidia Motion to Dismiss Crypto Lawsuit

    The Supreme Court dismissed CPU juggernaut Nvidia’s motion to drop an investor-led class-action lawsuit based on the company's alleged understating of crypto mining-related GPU sales. The United States Supreme Court dismissed Nvidia’s motion with no explanation in a Dec. 11 ruling. The decision means that the lawsuit will continue moving forward, even though it was initially dismissed by a California district court back in March 2021. "We would have preferred a decision on the merits affirming t...

    NewsLaw and Order
    2 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski

  • Binance and Circle Partner to Boost Global USDC Adoption

    The world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance partnered with U.S.-based stablecoin issuer Circle to accelerate the adoption of the USDC stablecoin. The two companies announced their collaboration at the Abu Dhabi Finance Week on Dec. 11, and said they hope to “support the development of the global digital assets and broader financial services ecosystem.” The crypto exchange plans to extend the availability of USDC on its platform for trading, saving, and payments applications. Binance and...

    NewsMarkets
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Binance CEO Richard Teng. Image: Binance

    Still 'Too Early' to Say Whether Binance Will Return to US, Says CEO Richard Teng

    Richard Teng—the CEO of the world’s leading crypto exchange Binance—hinted at the trading platform weighing a return to the United States. Teng was asked if Binance would look for a way back into the United States or if it might consider launching its Binance USD (BUSD) stablecoin again during a recent Bloomberg interview. “Whether we re-enter the US market, I think that’s a premature discussion,” he said. Binance has not responded to a request for comment from Decrypt. The interview follows the...

    NewsMarkets
    2 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Image: ozrimoz/Shutterstock

    Radiant Capital Says DPRK Actor Posed as Ex-Contractor to Pull Off $50 Million Hack

    Hackers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)—commonly known as North Korea—are responsible for the recent Radiant Capital hack, the firm claims. In mid-October, decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Radiant Capital lost about $50 million to what the team described as “one of the most sophisticated hacks ever recorded in DeFi.” Now, in a more recent update, Radiant Capital’s contracted cybersecurity firm Mandiant “assesses with high confidence that this attack is attributable to...

    NewsDeFi
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Bitcoin and Russia. Image: Shutterstock

    How the UK Disrupted a Multi-Billion Crypto Russian Sanctions Evasion Operation

    The United Kingdom National Crime Agency (NCA) said last week it disrupted Russian money laundering operations involving cryptocurrencies. The operation so far led to 84 arrests and the seizure of over $25.5 million (£20 million) in cash and cryptocurrency, according to a recent NCA announcement. The investigation led to the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announcing sanctions against Russian-speaking people and four businesses involved in the sanction-eva...

    NewsMarkets
    2 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Pinokio. Image created by Decrypt using AI

    Bitcoin Price Unfazed as Mt. Gox Shifts Another $352 Million Worth of BTC

    An address containing a large amount of Bitcoin owned by long-defunct cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox just moved funds. About seven hours before press time, nearly 6,620 BTC worth about $352.7 million were transferred from a Mt. Gox address to an unknown wallet, according to data provided by blockchain intelligence service Arkham Intelligence. The data shows that the exchange is in a heightened level of activity after yesterday’s reports of another Bitcoin transaction worth $2.8 billion. Market...

    NewsMarkets
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Source: Shutterstock

    France Wants Bitcoin HODLers to Pay Taxes on 'Unproductive Wealth'

    Earlier this week French Senator Sylvie Vermeillet proposed classifying Bitcoin and other digital assets as “unproductive,” arguing they should be taxed like luxury items and vacant properties. The bill in question classifies cryptocurrencies as unproductive assets for the 2025 budget, meaning that taxes will be imposed on unrealized gains if they exceed €800,000. Paris-based Alice Stork, founder of Web3 public relations agency ICL, told Decrypt that a Bitcoin tax on unrealized gains is “worryin...

    NewsMarkets
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Source: Shutterstock

    South Korea Martial Law Declaration Highlighted Tron Dominance: Analyst

    Tron is up 66.5% this week, consolidating gains after South Korea's failed power grab and martial law highlighted its popularity in that market. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on live television on Dec. 3. He claimed that the opposition sympathized with North Korea and declared the activities of the National Assembly (the country’s parliament), other political activities, protests, and demonstrations illegal while also putting media under military control. This was fo...

    NewsMarkets
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Image: Shutterstock

    PancakeSwap Debuts 'All-in-One' Pump.fun Contender SpringBoard as Alts Surge

    Multichain decentralized exchange PancakeSwap launched SpringBoard, its code-free new token launch platform. SpringBoard is “an all-in-one platform that lets developers, creators, and projects easily create and launch their project’s tokens on BNB Chain PancakeSwap, with no coding,” according to a Dec. 4 announcement. “Whether you're building a meme coin, a community-driven project, or a DeFi project, SpringBoard simplifies the process with just a few clicks, from token creation to liquidity set...

    NewsCoins
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Bitcoin ETF. Image: Shutterstock

    Bitcoin ETFs Add $676 Million in One Day as Holdings Approach Satoshi’s

    U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw nearly $676 million of inflows on Tuesday—nearly double the $353.67 million reported on Monday, according to data from SoSoValue. As of press time, the total net assets held by the asset managers behind the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF contracts stand at $104.25 billion. This is equivalent to around 1,076,609.7 BTC—close to the estimated 1.1 million BTC held by wallets belonging to Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto. BlackRock’s iShares Bi...

    NewsCoins
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
  • Sandwich attacks are a growing concern for DEX's. Image: Shutterstock

    BNB Chain Hits Record-High Sandwich Attacks Exposing $1.5 billion in Trades

    On December 1, sandwich attacks infiltrated over a third of BNB Smart Chain blocks, setting a record for the exploit that preys on decentralized exchange users, data from Dune Analytics reveals. Analysis shows that 35.5% of blocks contained such attacks, with over $1.5 billion in trading volume affected across 43,400 transactions in a single day. The spike underscores growing concerns around DEX vulnerabilities. In May, reports highlighted a single bot siphoning $40 million from over 100,000 vic...

    NewsMarkets
    3 min read
    Adrian Zmudzinski
Load More