Blockchain
From Covid Bounce Back Loan Fraud to Cryptoassets
- 2023’s Top Trends In Corporate Crime And Financial Investigations
LONDON – The Investigations and Resolutions team at leading Chambers 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square predicts key trends.
1. Public inquiries
The Public Inquiries team at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square has long been associated with high profile and sensitive Public Inquiries. Ramya Nagesh, a barrister who has worked on some of the largest inquiries and inquests of the last decade, including the Undercover Policing Inquiry, the Grenfell Inquiry, the Post Office Inquiry and the Hillsborough Inquests, is clear this area isn’t likely to slow down next year:
“In 2010, the number of simultaneously open public inquiries reached its peak at 16 concurrent open inquiries. Over ten years later, it would be fair to say that the appetite for inquiries has not significantly diminished. In the last few years alone, we have seen the Grenfell Inquiry, the Undercover Policing Inquiry, the Infected Blood Inquiry, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and we are soon to see the start of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.”
2. Cryptoassets go mainstream
Rowena Wisniewska Sethi, a barrister specialising in financial regulation, predicts increased regulation on crypto will bring a real need for better understanding of blockchain and DLT (blockchain-based registration system).
She says: “Over the next year, the focus in crypto is likely to be not only on the virtual assets themselves but on the clever ways we can use DLT; for example, as a ‘block’ storage mechanism for digital records across a network, and bulk storing smart contracts (such as travel insurance). HM Treasury announced in April that it will bring stable coins into the UK regulatory perimeter; we will also see an increasing focus on the regulation of some cryptoassets in financial services. Ultimately, this means that cryptoassets are likely to become more mainstream as a form of payment and so it will be important for advisors to have a deep understanding of blockchain and the uses of DLT as well as how cryptoassets are stored and regulated.”
3. Billions in Covid bounce back loan fraud
One area likely to be under scrutiny is fraud emerging from the Government’s Covid-19 financial support packages.
White-collar crime expert barrister Raoul Colvile, says:
“Around £47 billion of loans were issued, and it is estimated that around 11% (£4.9 billion) were potentially fraudulently obtained. From a legal perspective, there are various routes that may be open to enforcement agencies, in both the criminal and civil spheres. There is obvious scope for fraud charges, and there are examples of Account Freezing Orders being obtained. Outside the criminal sphere, director disqualifications, bankruptcy restrictions, and winding up petitions have all been pursued.”
A barrister specialising in investigations, Max Shephard, says: “The government recently announced that it will be closing down the Taxpayer Protection Taskforce, a unit charged with the recovery of stolen money from Covid support schemes, in March next year. Given the ongoing cost of living crisis, and the highly political nature of preserving public funds, it will be interesting to see what lies ahead in a counter-fraud landscape.”
4. Non-financial misconduct
In the aftermath of both MeToo and 2020’s racial justice protests, there will continue to be scrutiny on non-financial forms of misconduct, including sexual misconduct, racism and bullying or harassment.
Public and regulatory law expert Thomas Francis, says: “In recent years the FCA has opened several investigations into alleged non-financial misconduct, of which some high-profile examples include the financial penalty imposed on the former CEO of Barclays in relation to attempts to unmask a whistle-blower and the prohibitions sought and obtained against three IFAs convicted in 2018 of serious sexual offences. This heightened focus, carrying with it the possibility of enforcement action, has had an industry-wide effect – and will continue to do so over the coming years.”
5. The battle against money laundering in offshore jurisdictions
Nikesh Pandit, a barrister specialising in financial services, says: “Our barristers are regularly instructed by offshore clients, including offshore financial regulators. A key area of instructions in this regard is anti-money laundering (AML) and combating terrorist financing (CTF) investigations. This reflects an increasing drive in offshore jurisdictions to counter money laundering and the financing of terrorism through the implementation of international standards and enhanced resources for national authorities to take action.”
Regulatory specialist Iulia Şaran, says: “Whilst challenges remain, recent MONEYVAL (Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism) reports have highlighted improvements. For example, the application of corrective sanctions for infringements of legislation in Gibraltar, Estonia, Jersey and Malta, which aim to make sanctions for violations of anti-money laundering standards more effective and dissuasive. Jersey has been recognised for introducing a digital register which leverages AI technology and third-party KYC (Know Your Client) data for improved vetting of beneficial ownership and control.”
— ENDS–
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Kathryn Adamson, [email protected], Mobile (+44) 0771 713 3595
NOTES TO EDITORS
4-5 Gray’s Inn Square is a leading public and commercial law chambers. The core areas of law are public, commercial, planning & property, dispute resolution, international, regulatory & disciplinary and sports. The Investigations & Resolutions team has considerable expertise in different regimes and sectors. In particular, our business crime and financial regulation specialists have significant first-hand experience of working with prosecutors and regulators at every stage. In addition, 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square’s public inquiries team have been involved in some of the most notable cases in recent times.
Source: RealWire
Last year, P2 Ventures emerged as a distinct entity from Polygon Labs, with a focus on blockchain investments. Now, it’s earmarking funds and providing mentorship to bolster project founders, particularly those concentrated on the Polygon blockchain ecosystem. A contributor from Hadron FC remarked that the community offered the perfect blend of “capital and vibes.”
P2 Ventures, a venture capital firm with a blockchain emphasis, was established late last year as a separate entity from developer Polygon Labs. It has pledged $50 million to support startup founders, potentially igniting fresh initiatives within the Polygon ecosystem.
The investment from P2 Ventures will be channeled to founders via Hadron FC, a program tailored for founders with hubs in Dubai and New York, according to a press release. This program encompasses mentorship, legal and regulatory guidance, networking opportunities, and “comprehensive assistance in navigating the complexities of startup development and fundraising,” the release stated. Among the initial 36 projects onboarded, several participated in a week of collaborative efforts at the Dubai facility. Shreyansh Singh, head of investments at P2 Ventures, expressed confidence in Hadron Club’s unparalleled capacity to nurture the aspirations of forward-thinking founders within the Polygon ecosystem.
Ajit Tripathi, a core contributor at Hadron FC, noted that the community provided the ideal mix of “support, capital, and ambiance.”
Initially part of Polygon Labs, the principal developer of various Polygon layer-2 networks built on Ethereum, P2 Ventures transitioned into an independent unit with its own 10-person team late last year, rebranding itself as P2 Ventures.
Source: coindesk.com
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Blockchain investigator ZachXBT uncovered the purported perpetrator behind the PrismaFi breach, which resulted in the protocol losing $11.1 million worth of cryptocurrency. Through a series of posts, ZachXBT disclosed that the individual behind the attack, identified as 0x77 (or Trung), may be connected to several other breaches.
The Prisma team initially detected a sequence of transactions on the MigrateTroveZap contract in March, ultimately resulting in a loss of 3,257 ETH (equivalent to $11.1 million at the time). Initially, the attacker communicated with the Prisma deployer, claiming the attack was a white-hat initiative. However, all funds were subsequently transferred to Tornado Cash, a sanctioned cryptocurrency mixer.
The attacker then made audacious demands, including a $3.8 million (34%) white-hat bounty, significantly higher than the industry standard of 10%, as noted by ZachXBT, who highlighted that this demand was essentially extortion, given the insufficient assets in the treasury to reimburse users.
Further investigation revealed that the attacker’s address received funds via FixedFloat and was subsequently traced to Arbitrum, a layer-2 solution on Ethereum. By analyzing timing, ZachXBT determined that the attacker’s address was linked to withdrawals on TRON, including those from the Bybit cryptocurrency exchange.
The investigation also unveiled connections to prior breaches, such as the Arcade_xyz breach from March 2023 and the Pine Protocol breach from February of the current year. The attacker, utilizing the alias 0x77 on Telegram, remained active and had ties to the deployer of @modulusprotocol, further solidifying the connection between each incident.
Furthermore, the investigator disclosed conducting an analysis of the attacker’s personal information, including phone numbers and emails, which indicated a proficient technical background. All collected personal data has been forwarded to the Prisma team, who are pursuing legal action against the hacker in Vietnam and Australia, ZachXBT added.
Source: crypto.news
The post Blockchain sleuth uncovers identity of PrismaFi’s hacker, who stole $11m appeared first on HIPTHER Alerts.
Blockchain
Bybit CEO: “Institutions Driving Today’s Crypto Bull Market” – At Blockchain Life 2024 Dubai
During a discussion among industry leaders at the Blockchain Life conference in Dubai, Bybit CEO Ben Zhou emphasized the preparedness and sophistication of contemporary cryptocurrency exchanges (CEXs). Zhou, who co-founded Bybit in 2018, now stands at the helm of one of the world’s top three exchanges by trading volume.
At the event, Zhou shed light on various facets that underscore the current era of crypto maturity. “From Bybit’s standpoint, this ongoing bull market has been primarily propelled by institutional involvement… Our collaboration with third-party custodians like Copper and Fireblocks led to a 186% increase in institutional capital flows last year,” Zhou noted. He highlighted the pivotal role of enhanced infrastructure and the approval of Bitcoin spot ETFs in facilitating institutional participation in the crypto market.
Zhou has overseen meticulous upgrades to Bybit since the previous crypto bull run in 2021, enabling institutional investors to deploy larger capital pools. “Bybit boasts a highly versatile trading system that accommodates trading of any token against any other,” Zhou remarked during his live address on the main stage. “This affords our institutional clients a plethora of tools, enabling them to engage in spread trades, arbitrage funding rates, and various sophisticated trading strategies. This capability has facilitated the influx of new capital into the crypto space.”
Furthermore, Zhou highlighted the evolution of service reliability amidst market volatility. “Our risk management and system resilience have undergone continuous enhancements,” he affirmed. “Even during turbulent market conditions, Bybit maintains its stability.” This stability serves as a testament to the advanced infrastructure supporting both institutional investors and the exchange’s 25 million retail users.
Zhou also emphasized Bybit’s efforts to empower retail clients with access to products that simplify sophisticated trading strategies. “We offer a unique product known as perpetual protect, which utilizes options contracts to safeguard perpetual positions from losses,” Zhou explained. “Additionally, our advanced Unified Trading Account (UTA) design provides traders with a competitive edge in the market.” These initiatives aim to demystify derivatives and options, making complex financial instruments more accessible and comprehensible to a broader audience.
As the crypto market continues to mature, Bybit remains at the forefront, spearheading innovations that align with evolving market trends and regulatory standards. This proactive stance not only signifies a significant milestone for Bybit but also underscores the overall advancement of the crypto exchange industry.
Source: prnewswire.com
The post Bybit CEO: “Institutions Driving Today’s Crypto Bull Market” – At Blockchain Life 2024 Dubai appeared first on HIPTHER Alerts.
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