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Will the Treasury Reimpose Sanctions Against Tornado Cash?

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The US Treasury recently lifted its sanctions on Tornado Cash, the controversial cryptocurrency mixer blocked over allegations of facilitating North Korean money laundering.

While this reversal marked a significant development, Coinbase’s Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal warns that the move does not guarantee long-term freedom for Tornado Cash. Based on his opinion as a legal expert, the US Treasury left the door open for imposing similar restrictions in the future.

Paul Grewal Says Future Sanctions Still a Possibility

The decision to delist Tornado Cash follows months of legal battles and criticism from the crypto community. The Treasury’s original sanctions accused the mixing service of enabling illicit transactions, particularly those tied to North Korea’s hacking groups.

However, legal challenges led to increased scrutiny of the Treasury’s actions, ultimately prompting it to remove the restrictions. Despite this, Grewal argues that the Treasury’s actions attempt to bypass the court’s authority rather than a genuine acknowledgment of wrongdoing.

He believes the reversal does not prevent the government from re-imposing sanctions whenever it sees fit.

“Power does not recede voluntarily. It gasps and it gasps until it no longer can,” Grewal wrote.

Grewal contends that the Treasury’s withdrawal does not legally nullify existing claims. He cites the voluntary cessation doctrine—a defendant’s decision to end a challenged practice does not necessarily moot a case unless it is proven that the practice will not be reinstated.

The Coinbase exchange executive referenced past legal cases, including Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Environmental Services (TOC), Inc. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that a voluntary withdrawal does not eliminate the possibility of future enforcement.

Grewal also cited FBI v. Fikre, where the court held that the FBI’s removal of a plaintiff from the No Fly List did not moot a case. As it happened, there was no assurance the plaintiff would not be relisted.

These legal precedents demonstrate why the Treasury’s move to lift Tornado Cash sanctions does not guarantee lasting protection.

“Here, Treasury has likewise removed the Tornado Cash entities from the SDN, but has provided no assurance that it will not re-list Tornado Cash again,” Grewal argued.

 Push for a clear judicial ruling in the Tornado Cash case
Push for a clear judicial ruling in the Tornado Cash case. Source: Court filing

Coinbase CLO Calls for a Final Court Ruling

Based on this, Grewal is urging the district court to take decisive action to prevent potential Treasury overreach. He insists that the court must grant the plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment, which means formally invalidating the Treasury’s designation of Tornado Cash as a sanctioned entity.

“The US Treasury’s response to the unambiguous mandate of the Fifth Circuit on Tornado Cash has been a study in chaos. It is time for the district court to do what was ordered months ago. Plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment on Count 1 must be granted, and TC’s designation must be held unlawful and set aside,” Grewal articulated.

The removal of sanctions is a positive step for Tornado Cash users and the broader crypto community. However, the risk of renewed regulatory action looms large. The legal battle may not be over yet, and the case outcome could set a significant precedent for decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms and privacy-focused technologies.

Grewal and other industry advocates continue to push for a clear judicial ruling. The core objective is to prevent the Treasury from arbitrarily sanctioning Tornado Cash again. Until such a ruling is secured, Tornado Cash remains uncertain legal territory.

“Yes we see this often with the 2a [Second Amendment litigation], they either drop the case or try to settle it so they don’t get a precedent they don’t want set,” Badbrothers, a popular account on X, added.

Badbrothers on X suggests a pattern where government agencies strategically avoid judicial rulings that could limit their authority.

Disclaimer

In adherence to the Trust Project guidelines, BeInCrypto is committed to unbiased, transparent reporting. This news article aims to provide accurate, timely information. However, readers are advised to verify facts independently and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content. Please note that our Terms and ConditionsPrivacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.



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GameStop To Buy Bitcoin After Disappointing Q4 Earnings Report

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GameStop announced today that it will invest in Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset. This statement came shortly after GameStop’s Q4 2024 earnings report, which showed declining sales volume.

Despite this worrying financial report, the Bitcoin announcement boosted the firm’s stock value by around 6%. Limited crypto exposure is expected to strengthen the company’s financial position in 2025.

Will GameStop Follow MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin Plan?

GameStop, an American video game and electronics retailer, has dabbled in crypto and Web3 on several occasions. After a Reddit-driven stock squeeze in 2021, the firm has been open to new financial ecosystems, even if they don’t always pan out.

In that trend, GameStop’s latest press release states that the company will begin purchasing Bitcoin:

“GameStop today announced that its board has unanimously approved an update to its investment policy to add Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset,” the press release claimed.

Rumors about GameStop’s possible Bitcoin investment have been circulating since last month. The firm’s CEO, Ryan Cohen, was photographed with Michael Saylor, who led his company to become a major Bitcoin holder.

The community began speculating that Saylor’s actions could serve as a blueprint for GameStop, and this was evidently well-founded.

GameStop’s board unanimously voted to buy Bitcoin on the same day the firm released its Q4 2024 earnings report. The results were significantly underwhelming. Its Q4 YoY net sales were down over half a billion dollars, and it sold nearly $1.5 billion less of merchandise in 2024 than in 2023.

Expenses were down, and net income was higher, but these are serious losses.

In other words, GameStop may be taking a much-needed gamble with this Bitcoin investment. Although its earnings trends were worrying, the company hasn’t festered into a full-blown crisis yet.

Meanwhile, since the announcement, GameStop’s after-hours stock price has jumped as high as 6%.

gamestop stock
GameStop Stock Price. Source: Google Finance

Since Bitcoin’s incremental annual growth rate, this bet may pay off for GameStop. Like MicroStrategy, controlled Bitcoin exposure could help drive the company’s annual revenue in a bullish market. Overall, the retailer may be able to use Bitcoin to buoy its stock value while continuing its normal business operations.

Disclaimer

In adherence to the Trust Project guidelines, BeInCrypto is committed to unbiased, transparent reporting. This news article aims to provide accurate, timely information. However, readers are advised to verify facts independently and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content. Please note that our Terms and ConditionsPrivacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.



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SEC Will Return $75 Million to Ripple in the XRP Lawsuit

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Ripple’s Chief Legal Officer announced today that its XRP lawsuit with the SEC is approaching the final legal phase. The SEC will keep $50 million from the previous $125 million fine and return the rest to Ripple.

Most importantly, Ripple will likely be able to offer XRP tokens to institutional investors, which could impact market liquidity and ETF approval odds.

A Final Chapter to Ripple Vs SEC

The Ripple vs SEC lawsuit was one of the most important crypto enforcement actions of Gary Gensler’s time as Chair, and the last questions are being answered.

Last week, the Commission officially dropped its lawsuit, marking the end of an era. Now, Ripple’s Chief Legal Officer is giving “what should be [his] last update ever” on the case.

“Last week, the SEC agreed to drop its appeal without conditions. Ripple has now agreed to drop its cross-appeal. The SEC will keep $50 million of the $125 million fine (already in an interest-bearing escrow in cash), with the balance returned to Ripple. The agency will also ask the Court to lift the standard injunction that was imposed earlier at the SEC’s request,” he said.

Specifically, this cross-appeal contains two crucial components. First, it involves the $125 million fine. The initial community expectation was that the Commission would forfeit the entirety of this fine. However, it seems that both parties have reached an agreement on this matter.

Another critical ruling in the 2024 decision was that Ripple could not sell XRP to institutional investors. The firm had reportedly been negotiating with the SEC to drop this mandate for weeks.

According to reports, this ruling is also being overturned as part of the agreement. In the long run, the lifted restrictions may have a much larger impact. Now that the SEC will let Ripple sell XRP to institutional investors, it could bring significant liquidity, partnership opportunities, and more.

In particular, this decision may also impact XRP’s status as a security or commodity. The SEC was already considering Ripple’s arguments to declare XRP a commodity, and this move may add further weight to the argument. This would also likely improve XRP ETF approval odds.

Meanwhile, XRP was largely priced in. The altcoin remains nearly 10% up in the past week, but still struggling to breach $2.50.

xrp price chart
XRP Weekly Price Chart. Source: BeInCrypto

Over the past week, the XRP community has expressed some concerns regarding the extremely low DEX trading volume on the network. Yet, Ripple’s new progress with the SEC may create plenty of opportunities to foster bullish sentiment in the long-term.

Disclaimer

In adherence to the Trust Project guidelines, BeInCrypto is committed to unbiased, transparent reporting. This news article aims to provide accurate, timely information. However, readers are advised to verify facts independently and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content. Please note that our Terms and ConditionsPrivacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.



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Top 3 PumpFun Meme Coins to Watch Before March Ends

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Pump.Fun meme coins are heating up at the end of March, with FARTCOIN, Alchemist AI (ALCH), and DOGEAI drawing strong attention. FARTCOIN leads the pack with a $574 million market cap, while ALCH rides a 43% weekly surge tied to its no-code AI platform.

DOGEAI is gaining traction by combining meme culture, AI hype, and political buzz around Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. With PumpSwap launching and “Liberation Day” approaching, these three tokens are worth watching for potential breakouts – or sharp reversals.

FARTCOIN

FARTCOIN is the biggest meme coin ever launched on PumpFun, currently holding a market cap of $574 million. While it’s down 13% in the past 24 hours, it’s still up more than 110% over the last seven days, showing strong momentum despite short-term volatility.

FARTCOIN Price Analysis.
FARTCOIN Price Analysis. Source: TradingView.

With PumpFun gaining attention through the launch of PumpSwap, meme coins tied to its ecosystem could see another wave of demand. As the largest PumpFun meme coin, FARTCOIN is well-positioned to benefit from increased exposure and potential new capital flowing into the platform.

If an uptrend returns, FARTCOIN could climb to $0.72 and $0.90, with $1.29 as a higher target. But if the correction continues, key support lies at $0.40—losing that level could push it further down to $0.30 or even $0.209.

Alchemist AI (ALCH)

Alchemist AI is a no-code development platform that allows users to build applications using natural language and simple prompts.

Its native token, ALCH, runs on the Solana blockchain and has gained significant attention lately. Over the past week, ALCH has surged more than 43%, pushing its market cap to nearly $82 million.

ALCH Price Analysis.
ALCH Price Analysis. Source: TradingView.

If the current momentum holds, ALCH could soon test resistance at $0.11. A breakout above that level may open the door for a move toward $0.18.

On the downside, if sentiment weakens, ALCH risks falling below its key support at $0.073. Losing that level could lead to a deeper correction toward $0.040, with the potential for a drop to $0.019 if the sell-off intensifies.

DOGEai (DOGEAI)

DOGEAI positions itself at the intersection of multiple hot narratives—meme culture through Dogecoin, the rising attention around the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk, and the booming artificial intelligence sector.

The project brands itself as an autonomous AI agent focused on spotting waste in government spending and policy decisions, tapping into both tech enthusiasm and political commentary.

$DOGEAI Price Analysis.
$DOGEAI Price Analysis. Source: TradingView.

Over the past week, DOGEAI has climbed nearly 10%. The token is currently holding support around $0.026, but if that level breaks, it could slide down to $0.015.

On the flip side, continued hype—especially as Trump’s “Liberation Day” approaches—could push DOGEAI to test resistance at $0.033. A breakout above that could open the path toward $0.049 and even $0.076 if strong momentum kicks in.

Disclaimer

In line with the Trust Project guidelines, this price analysis article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial or investment advice. BeInCrypto is committed to accurate, unbiased reporting, but market conditions are subject to change without notice. Always conduct your own research and consult with a professional before making any financial decisions. Please note that our Terms and ConditionsPrivacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.



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