Tom Robinson

A huge marketplace for online scammers, with links to the ruling family of Cambodia - check out this 90-second summary of our recent research

@HTX_Global #russia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">gov.uk/government/pub…

HTX is aware of the recent developments regarding the UK sanctions designations. The HTX exchange is committed to full compliance with all applicable laws and to cooperation with law-enforcement agencies worldwide. The UK’s designation arrived today without prior notice or any supporting evidence shared with us. To clarify, the listed entity Huobi Global S. A. is distinct from the online HTX exchange. While Huobi Global S.A. will work with relevant UK authorities to understand the basis for the action and to address any concerns promptly, the designation does not and should not have any impact on the online HTX exchange. HTX's global operations remain unaffected, and all user funds are safe. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as necessary. htx.com.ph/en-us/support/…

@myselfbitcoin @HTX_Global Clarification: #russia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">gov.uk/government/pub…

@tomrobin @HTX_Global @HTX_Global could you clarify this please

HTX has been sanctioned by the UK @HTX_Global

@myselfbitcoin @HTX_Global The designation specifies "HTX Exchange"

@tomrobin @HTX_Global Btw Htx clarified, the designation is for Huobi Global SA, and doesnt have any impact over online htx exchange x.com/HTX_Global/sta…

@swapzilla_io @HTX_Global quite a lot

@tomrobin @HTX_Global How much impact can sanctions realistically have on global crypto exchanges?

Russia-related: …arch-uk-sanctions-list.service.gov.uk/designations/R…

Vast Telegram-based guarantee marketplaces are key enablers of online scams. They rely on stablecoins for money laundering totalling hundreds of billions of dollars. In a new article for @RUSI_org (link below) I call on @telegram and @tether to step up and do more to combat this.

@durov Great job Pavel, now how about shutting down the $21B sanctioned fraud marketplace that you host? The one that enables money laundering, human trafficking and scams - and causes untold misery for millions globally. Or would that be bad for business? wired.com/story/telegram…

Group admins can assign tags to users — or embrace the chaos and let them assign their own.

@elliptic @telegram @WIRED Telegram has taken action! By banning UK @telegram users from accessing Xinbi... 😕 So probably the bare minimum they think they need to do to comply with the UK sanction, while doing nothing to address the underlying issue...

It's 3 weeks since Xinbi was sanctioned. @Elliptic data shows that the scammer's marketplace has now facilitated over $21Bn in transactions. Meanwhile @telegram, which could shut it down with the press of a button, continues to turn a blind eye... wired.com/story/telegram… @WIRED

Crypto outflows from Iran spiked 700% in the minutes following the first airstrike. Nobitex, Iran’s largest crypto exchange, also saw withdrawals surge on 16th and 30th January - days on which the U.S. announced new sanctions against regime officials. elliptic.co/blog/iranian-c…

Were seeing increased use of crypto for sanctions evasion by Iran, Russia, NK. Please DM me if you have any tips/intel relating to this topic.

New research: Iran’s Central Bank has purchased US dollar stablecoins worth at least half a billion dollars, likely used to evade sanctions and support the rial elliptic.co/blog/iran-has-…

1/8 I was taking a look at this research from @elliptic and noticed something interesting. It seems that the same entity who is selling USDT to the Central Bank of Iran 🇮🇷 is also buying USDT from groups laundering on behalf of DPRK 🇰🇵

@Pnlpal Read more about it here in this piece by @elliptic elliptic.co/blog/cyber-sca…

New crypto sanctions on the eve of the Trump/Putin talks - targeting Russian use of stablecoins for sanctions evasion. Including: A7/Old Vector (issuers of A7A5 Ruble stablecoin), Exved (cross-border payments with USDT) and Grinex (Garantex successor) elliptic.co/blog/ofac-targ…

$90 million stolen from Iranian crypto exchange Nobitex and burned by pro-Israel hacker group elliptic.co/blog/iranian-c…

In the mean time, Elliptic's data and the transparency of cryptoassets produced insights have led directly to the two largest illicit marketplaces of all time to being shut down. This is a major victory for anyone who has been targeted by online scams.

What next for online criminal markets? Xinbi and Huione thought Telegram was a safe home. This turned out not to be true, and may spur the development of decentralised, censorship-resistant comms - alongside the censorship-resistant payments of crypto. elliptic.co/blog/elliptic-…