Greetings! It’s February 22, and we’re tracking top stories to take you through the weekend: Bybit just suffered the biggest attack in crypto history, tens of thousands could be held in illegal scam compounds in Myanmar, Russia could concede $300B in frozen assets as part of Ukraine war settlement, Trump orders use of CFIUS to restrict Chinese investments in strategic areas, and much more…

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In partnership with TRM
Blockchain Investigations & Risk Management

🎯 FEATURED STORY

Bybit Hack, Crypto’s Biggest Ever, Spoils Coinbase’s SEC Victory Party. The ensuing whiplash in market prices — not to mention the moods in the crypto trading trenches – served as yet another stark reminder of the unique and ever-present risks lurking in this market. Bloomberg

🌎 TOP STORIES

Tens of thousands could be held in illegal scam compounds in Myanmar Guardian 

🎙️ Have you ever gotten one of those text messages, out of nowhere, from a number you don’t know...? DESIGNATED

Russia could concede $300B in frozen assets as part of Ukraine war settlement Reuters

How has Russian economy dodged Western sanctions? DW

Trump orders use of CFIUS to restrict Chinese investments in strategic areas Reuters 

Nigeria Sues Crypto Exchange Binance for $81.5B Following Hostage Crisis Decrypt

🎙️ Bring Tigran Home: An American Unjustly Detained in Nigeria DESIGNATED

Notorious crooks broke into a company network in 48 minutes Ars

Green Berets and Reaper Drones: Trump’s Shadow War in Mexico TNR

Mexico Plans Constitutional Reforms After US Labels Cartels as Terrorists Newsweek

FATF Global Financial Crime Watchdog Removes Philippines From 'Grey' List Reuters

Gretchen Whitmer Forges Business Deal With Iran-Linked Emirati Sheikh Implicated in Hacking Schemes Free Beacon

U.S. Sanctions Key Ally of Rwandan President Over War in Congo Bloomberg

📘 Illicit Finance: Treasury's Initial Safeguards for Allowing Access to Information on Corporate Ownership GAO

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🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

Trump is playing a dangerous game with Russian energy Semafor

China’s London mega-embassy will put security at risk Telegraph

U.S. Treasury's Bessent says Russia could win sanctions relief in war talks Reuters

Russia Is Unmoved by Trump’s Sanctions Threats and Offers on War Bloomberg

NSA emphasizes ‘strong defensive posture’ as it responds to report it hacked China Wash Times

How Norway Fed Russia's War Machine Despite EU Sanctions RFE

Russian mafia money-laundering ring broken up in Spain BBC

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Georgia's richest man said to be moving funds to avoid U.S. sanctions BBC 

South African Firm to Amass Bitcoin Hoard in First for Continent Bloomberg

DOGE Finds $2B in Taxpayer Funds Earmarked for Stacey Abrams-Linked Group Free Beacon

UK regulator fines four banks £100m over traders’ sharing of information Guardian

Synapse Executive Alerted Accountants Before $100M Missing Funds Scandal WSJ

New Delhi says it is looking into 'deeply troubling' information about USAID activities in India Reuters

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Why Influencers Say Honey Is Stealing Their Money WSJ

A huge trove of leaked Black Basta chat logs expose the ransomware gang’s key members and victims TC

Stalkerware apps Cocospy and Spyic are exposing phone data of millions of people TC

SEC's Coinbase Reversal Is Only the Latest Pro-Crypto Shift Under Trump Decrypt

SEC drops investigation into NFT marketplace OpenSea Cointelegraph

🚚 TRAFFICKING

The Case Against Designating Cartels as Terrorists WSJ

🎙️ Roughly 200 people per day, more than 75,000 Americans per year, lose their lives due to fentanyl use COERCIVE CAPITAL

Mexico reviewing request from cartel leader jailed in the US to be sent back AP

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyer steps down ahead of sex trafficking case NBC

Border Patrol sees uptick in egg smuggling on southern border amid skyrocketing prices Fox

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

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