Altcoin
Bulletproof No More? Russian Zservers Sanctioned For Alleged LockBit Crypto Crimes
International authorities are ramping up their efforts to stop groups and individuals using the LockBit ransomware to target unsuspecting users. The latest was the crackdown on the Russia-based Zservers, a bulletproof hosting service provider that allegedly had links with the LockBit cryptocurrency ransomware group.
In a media statement, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) shared that they have worked with the US and the UK to freeze the assets that belong to Zservers and its affiliate company, XHOST Internet Solutions LP, and ban international travel for six persons.
According to the AFP report, over 200 crypto accounts allegedly owned by the group have been frozen by the authorities, cutting the group’s source of funding and profits.
Zservers Hit With Sanctions
Zservers, a bulletproof hosting (BPH) service provider based in Russia, is now facing sanctions for its links with the LockBit gang. LockBit is a Russian group known for deploying one of the most dangerous ransomware attacks in recent years.
🚨 SANCTIONED: Russian cyber entity ZSERVERS, the launchpad for crippling ransomware attacks, and their UK front, XHOST Internet Solutions LP.
The UK is cracking down on the Russian cybercrime supply chain and the predatory ransomware activity it feeds. pic.twitter.com/AzE80qrxMT
— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) February 11, 2025
In November 2023, the group targeted the Industrial Commercial Bank of China. Multiple reports show that China’s biggest lender paid ransom after the hacking. The hackers were successful, and the bank’s corporate emails stopped working, forcing employees to use Gmail.
A Bulletproof hosting (BPH) service provider, like Zservers, offers access to specialised servers and infrastructure designed to cloak operators, evade detection, and skirt the law.
According to the US Treasury Department, this type of company often sells tools for bad actors that can hide identities, locations, and online identities. Bradley Smith of the US Treasury explained that companies like Zservers enable criminals to attack the US and other countries’ online infrastructure.
What Is The LockBit Ransomware And How Does It Work?
LockBit works as a “ransomware-as-a-service” product, which means that any individual or group, even without tech skills, can buy and use its ready-made ransomware program and target unsuspecting users.
Ransomware is a malicious software that can attack devices and networks and encrypt files and data, making them worthless.
Traditionally, hackers and cybercriminals use ransomware to demand payments from victims in exchange for recovering lost or encrypted data. Often, victims will pay the ransom in cryptocurrency.
Crypto Addresses Owned By Zservers Administrators Now Sanctioned
As part of the authorities’ crackdown, the assets of Zservers’ administrators are currently on hold. According to reports, six individuals were targeted, including two Zserver administrators, Aleksandr Sergeyevich Bolshakov and Alexander Igorevich Mishin, who are involved in LockBit’s crypto transactions.
According to Chainanalysis, a crypto address associated with Minchin and three other wallets owned by the company are now under the control of the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), meaning they’re subject to sanctions.
The office also shared that the group have laundered around $7 billion worth of crypto using 44 Tordano Cash addresses.
Featured image from Gemini Imagen, chart from TradingView
Crypto expert PiMigrate recently predicted that the Pi Network price could reach a new all-time high (ATH) of $5. This comes amid recent whale movements, with these investors moving 41 million Pi Coins off exchanges.
Expert Predicts Pi Network To Reach $5
In an X post, PiMigrate stated that Pi Network’s journey to $5 has just begun. He remarked that the altcoin has very strong support at $0.6. As such, the expert believes that this $5 price target is a “very possible valuation.” PiMigrate added that good utilities will push the altcoin to this target.
Another expert, Moon Jeff, also predicted that the Pi Coin price can reach this $5 target. In an X post, the expert concluded that the altcoin can reach this price target following his analysis.
He alluded to his accompanying chart, which he described as being bullish, indicating that the Pi Network price can indeed reach this $5 target. The chart also showed that the altcoin has formed a strong support level at its current price.
Crypto analyst Xia also recently claimed that the Pi Coin’s momentum is building fast after it surged past the $0.63 mark with strong volume. She also noted that the RSI and MACD are turning bullish for the altcoin.
This bullish outlook for the Pi Coin comes amid recent huge whale accumulation. A Pi community page revealed that these investors moved a whopping 41 million coins (around $27 million) off exchanges in 48 hours. Specifically, these whales moved over 13 million Pi Coins from OKX to several wallets. This presents a bullish outlook for the coin since exchange supply is declining.
Pi Needs To Reclaim This Symmetrical Triangle
While analyzing the Pi Network’s price on the higher timeframe, analyst Alpha Crypto stated that the altcoin needs to reclaim its symmetrical triangle to resume its upward move.
The analyst remarked that once Pi reclaims this structure, market participants can look for a potential long setup. He added that on the flipside, if the price falls outside the triangle, it could open up a short opportunity. Alpha Crypto urged traders to wait for confirmation rather than rushing.
From a fundamentals perspective, top exchange listings could send the Pi Coin price higher. CoinGape recently reported that top exchange HTX had fueled listing speculations with a cryptic post on its X platform. Meanwhile, Pi community members remain hopeful that Binance will soon list the altcoin.
These community members will have their eyes on the Consensus 2025 conference, where Pi Network founder Nicolas Kokkalis will allegedly join an exclusive list of industry players to speak at the event.
Expert Dr. Altcoin described the event as a pivotal moment for Pi Network, as it will provide an opportunity for the Pi team to promote the network’s ecosystem.
At the time of writing, the Pi Coin price is trading at around $0.63, down almost 3% in the last 24 hours. Trading volume is also down over 36%, with $96.34 million traded during this period.
Boluwatife Adeyemi
Boluwatife Adeyemi is a well-experienced crypto news writer and editor who has covered topics that cut across several topics and niches. Boluwatife has a knack for simplifying the most technical concepts and making it easy for crypto newbies to understand. Away from writing, He is an avid basketball lover, a traveler and a part-time degen.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
Dogecoin investors have high faith in the future of the meme currency despite its recent price fall, market data showed, Tuesday.
Dogecoin fell to $0.153 as of April 16 after its price reached a high of $0.168 on April 13, down by 3% in the last 24 hours. This is after the recent price hike following US President Trump’s tariff halt declaration on certain countries on April 10.
Long Positions Dominate Market Activity
The mood among traders on Binance is firmly bullish for the future prospects of Dogecoin. Data from Coinglass show that over 74% of trading accounts have long positions in the cryptocurrency, while only 25% going short. This places the long-to-short account ratio at 2.90, proving widespread optimism among traders.
Long positions increased quickly on April 12, which shows that investors expect Dogecoin to bounce back from its present correction period. They are willing to pay premiums to maintain their positions, as evidenced by positive OI-weighted funding rate signals that have remained above zero since April 7.
Long|Short DOGE by accounts. Source: Coinglass
Holder Patterns Indicate Diversified Strategies
IntoTheBlock statistics reveal substantial shifts in the manner by which people are holding Dogecoin. Investors holding DOGE for over a year increased by marginally 0.13%. These types of “hodlers” as they are called within cryptocurrency forums constitute a solid support base for the currency.
Source: IntoTheBlock
In the meantime, mid-term holders (holders of DOGE for one to 12 months) decreased by 2.50%. Short-term traders experienced the largest increase, with addresses holding for less than 30 days rising by 109%. This new trader surge reflects increasing demand for quick profit from Dogecoin price action.
Technical Analysis Points To Future Price Directions
One TradingView account, FuaCompany, has plotted Dogecoin’s movement in what analysts call a rising channel. On the basis of this trend, two general scenarios for Dogecoin’s future price are on offer.
The first scenario shows Dogecoin rebounding from the lower edge of this channel and continuing to trend upwards. This would comply with what occurred before when the price rebounded back from $0.05 to higher levels.
The second scenario entails a temporary drop below the bottom line of the channel, plunging to around $0.08 before surging higher, both scenarios ultimately carrying long term bullish signals, with some projections estimating Dogecoin to even reach $0.70.
Weekly Performance Still Positive Despite Slump
Despite the recent slump, Dogecoin is still positive overall on the week. In fact, the cryptocurrency has shown quite a hefty rise-on-week for about 7.40% during the past week in spite of that dip.
DOGE price up in the last week. Source: CoinMarketCap
The price started off in early April with an initial volatility before strengthening with the Presidential Tariff declaration by Trump. Following the monthly peak on April 13, reaching 0.168, Dogecoin encountered what traders know to be a consolidation phase, where prices continue to trend sideways while forming in preparation for another move.
According to market observers, this pattern of gains and then consolidation is typical in cryptocurrency markets. The strong level of long positions shows most traders view the current price drop as just a temporary hiccup and not the start of a larger bearish trend.
Featured image from CoinFlip, chart from TradingView
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New statistics released by crypto platform Bitso shows that XRP, as a payment option, is gaining traction with Latin American consumers. XRP currently accounts for 9% of all purchases on the platform and is gaining on much older crypto options like Ethereum and Solana. This marks a huge turnaround from 2023 when the token barely registered in an average customer portfolio in Latin America.
Mexican Users Drive XRP Adoption Throughout The Region
Interest in XRP among the Latin American nations was propelled by Mexican cryptocurrency traders. In Bitso’s report, Mexican users applied 10% of all cryptocurrency buying activity towards stocking up on XRP. This pattern occurred as total platform activity slowed, but XRP buying increased significantly against other cryptocurrencies.
Mexican popularity of XRP is noteworthy because Bitso processed substantial volumes of cross-border payments there. According to their reported volumes, Ripple processed $3.3 billion in remittances through their channel with Bitso in 2022 from the United States into Mexico.
Source: Bitso
Portfolio Composition Reflects Drastic Spike In XRP Holdings
In such a context, the report by Bitso brings out the most impressive discovery: the pace with which XRP came to the portfolios of Latin American cryptos. As of 2023, XRP was non-existent in the typical portfolio composition of Latin American Bitso clients. In 2024, that number had risen to 13%, reflecting a seismic change in local investment patterns.
Source: Bitso
This rapid adoption means portfolios of users in the region now include a significant XRP component, despite the token not registering in portfolio stats just a year earlier. The change signals growing confidence in XRP among Latin American cryptocurrency investors.
Bitcoin And Stablecoins Still Dominate Trading Activity
Though XRP demonstrated impressive growth, Bitcoin and stablecoins are still the leading options among Latin American crypto users. Based on the Bitso report, Bitcoin represented 22% of the total purchases on the platform in 2024, a decrease from nearly 30% during the first half of the year.
Stablecoins led all cryptocurrency categories with almost 40% of purchases attributed to these dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies. Stablecoin appeal is probably due to their application as a local currency inflation hedge and entry point for other crypto investments.
Political Changes And Price Performance Drive Interest
XRP’s 230% price appreciation in 2024 – its best since 2021 – also likely helped to make it so popular. The majority of the rally, as per the report, occurred in the fourth quarter of the year.
The hope for XRP seems linked to US political events. The report indicates Donald Trump’s presidential win and SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s resignation spurred new interest in XRP. These triggered expectations of possible regulatory clarity that could favor XRP and its parent company Ripple, which has faced legal battles with US regulators.
Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView
Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.
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