DeFi News Daily Official TheBitTimes.com

$10 trillion asset manager BlackRock has officially registered as a crypto asset firm in the UK, according to the Financial Conduct Authority. It joins a list that includes the likes of Coinbase, PayPal, and Revolut to register as such in the UK. This allows BlackRock to operate its new European Bitcoin exchange-traded product as a UK entity. JUST IN: BlackRock officially registers as a crypto asset firm in the UK. — Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) April 1, 2025 “We have rejected submissions that didn’t include key components necessary for us to carry out an assessment, or the poor quality of key components meant the submission was invalid,” the FCA says on its website. Also Read: BRICS President Eyes Increased De-Dollarization as US Trade War Lingers BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETP was listed on the Euronext stock markets in Paris and Amsterdam last week. It launched with a fee waiver of 10 basis points. This reduces its expense ratio to 0.15% until the end of the year. “It reflects...

The UK has banned memecoin platform Pump Fun after the country’s financial watchdog added it to its warning list. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published the warning on December 3, saying, “[Pump Fun] may be providing or promoting financial services or products without our permission. You should avoid dealing with this firm and beware of scams.” Trying to access Pump Fun from the UK now brings up a notice that states, “In accordance with the laws and regulations of the United Kingdom, this site is currently unavailable to users in the United Kingdom.”  Users with coins deposited in the “privy wallet” are given a link to withdraw their coins .  The Pump Fun UK notice. Read more: Hacked X and Insta accounts used for Pump Fun rug pulls The FCA’s warning means that if you lose money to Pump Fun as a UK resident in any way that warrants a complaint, i.e through criminal means or the business collapsing, you will not be able to access the UK’...

Reports that the former CEO of nChain, Christen Ager-Hanssen, was sentenced to 10 months for the leaking of documents exposing Craig Wright have been confirmed.  According to What The Finance (WTF), a judgment hearing took place on May 3 in the High Court as part of nChain Holding AG’s case against Ager-Hanssen.   During the hearing, the judge established that Ager-Hanssen had broken multiple court orders requiring him to remove leaked documents from the public domain, reveal who received his documents, and give up various devices.    The leaked document was reportedly the Fairway Brief , a collection of confidential information relating to Craig Wright ’s false claims to be Satoshi. The document also alleged Calvin Ayre, Marco Bianchi, and the Fairway Family Office AG conducted a ‘criminal conspiracy’ that would allow Ayre to take over nChain ’s IP for a cheaper rate.    nChain reportedly acquired court orders to remove the information from the public domain before fil...

A former Chinese takeaway worker living in the UK has been accused of laundering bitcoin from a $6.3 billion China-based fraud by converting it into property and luxury goods. As reported by the Financial Times, 42-year-old Jian Wen has been charged with three counts of money laundering. She is accused of converting bitcoin on behalf of Yadi Zhang, real name Zhimin Qian, who allegedly stole $6.3 billion worth of funds through investment fraud. Zhang allegedly stole from 128,000 investors in China between 2014 and 2017 before authorities began pursuing her. It’s reported that she fled the country in 2017, converted the funds into bitcoin, flew to London, and adopted a false identity. She subsequently fled the UK and remains at large. Prosecutors claim Wen kept Zhang out of focus by acting as her “front person,” helping convert bitcoin into various luxury items, cash, and property “to disguise the true source of the funds.” Wen denies the charges, claiming she was Zhang’s car...

Snapchat finds itself in the crosshairs of the UK’s data privacy watchdog over its AI chatbot, “My AI,” which has raised concerns about its failure to adequately address privacy risks. The social media behemoth, Snapchat, is now facing a stern warning from the United Kingdom’s data regulatory body regarding its recent foray into artificial intelligence (AI). Specifically, the warning pertains to “My AI,” a chatbot developed by Snapchat, as disclosed in an official update from the regulatory authority. On October 6th, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK issued a preliminary notice to Snap Inc. and its subsidiary, Snap Group, which collectively oversee Snapchat ’s operations. This notice centers on their alleged negligence in conducting a thorough assessment of the privacy risks associated with “My AI.” This preliminary notice stems from an ongoing investigation conducted by the ICO, which has highlighted t...

According to reports, U.K. regulators have blocked Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The deal worth $69 billion was dismissed following a months-long investigation by UK’s Competition and Markets Authority [CMA]. JUST IN: UK blocks Microsoft's $69 billion deal to acquire Activision. — Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) April 26, 2023 In January 2022, Microsoft revealed its plan to purchase Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. It was one of the largest deal agreements in the video game industry. The latest move follows previous worries about how the acquisition would have an unfair effect on archrival PlayStation. The CMA’s concern over the deal’s potential impact on the cloud gaming industry as a whole led to today’s conclusion. Activision Blizzard’s ownership by Microsoft, according to the CMA’s final assessment released today, might “stifle competition in this growing market.” The regulator reportedly found evidence that showed Microsoft would find it com...