RBB Lab, a technology development firm based in the Republic of San Marino, has utilized nonfungible token (NFT) technology to issue a court summons to a former employee and a contractor. RBB Lab CEO Enrico Rubboli told Cointelegraph that it summoned the two individuals to the Judiciary of Italy on claims of attempted extortion and aggravated defamation of the firm. The summons was “an order restriction that we are asking them to stop this campaign against us,” said Rubboli. This is the first time that an NFT has been used to deliver a court summons in Italy. If this technology …

The United States Trustee handling FTX’s bankruptcy proceedings has referred to the now-defunct exchange as the "fastest big corporate failure in American history," and is calling for an independent probe to look into its downfall. In a Dec. 1 motion, U.S. Trustee Andrew Vara noted that over the course of eight days in November, debtors "suffered a virtually unprecedented decline in value" from a market high of $32 billion earlier in the year to a several liquidity crisis after a "proverbial 'run on the bank.'" "The result is what is likely the fastest big corporate failure in American history, resulting …

One of the leading figures convicted of being behind the $100 million crypto “Ponzi” scheme, EmpiresX, has just been handed an over four-year jail sentence by a United States court. The sentencing was handed to Joshua David Nicholas, the “head trader” of purported crypto platform EmpiresX, who is nowset to serve a 51-month prison sentence along with three years of supervised release for his role in the fraudulent scheme. It follows a Sept. 8 guilty plea from Nicholas for conspiracy to commit securities fraud. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), over a two-year period, Nicholas made claims the platform …

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has been called to a Feb. 2 hearing by the Texan securities regulator as part of an investigation into whether he and FTX US have violated Texas securities laws. In a Notice of Hearing signed off by Texas State Securities Board’s (SSB’s) director of enforcement Joe Rotunda and served to Bankman Fried on Nov. 29, the regulator alleges that FTX US offered unregistered securities to Texans through its “EARN” accounts. The investigation was first announced on Oct. 14, before the dramatic collapse and bankruptcy of FTX’s global operations. The regulator announced at the time it …

Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX has announced it will be “resuming ordinary” cash payments, salaries and benefits to its remaining employees around the world. The announcement came from new FTX CEO John Ray III on Nov. 28, as the insolvency professional looks to help FTX and its approximated 101 affiliated companies (FTX Debtors) navigate their way through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. "With the Court's approval of our First Day motions and the work being done on global cash management, I am pleased that the FTX group is resuming ordinary course cash payments of salaries and benefits to our remaining …

Newly-bankrupt crypto lending platform BlockFi has filed a lawsuit against Sam Bankman-Fried’s holding company Emergent Fidelity Technologies seeking his shares in Robinhood that were pledged as collateral earlier in November. The suit was filed on Nov. 28 in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey just hours after BlockFi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the same court. As per the filing, BlockFi is demanding Emergent turnover collateral as part of a Nov. 9 pledge agreement that saw Emergent agree to a payment schedule with BlockFi that it has allegedly failed to pay. BlockFi names the …

The CEO of fintech firm Block Earner has lashed out over the “lack of clarity” in Australia’s financial licensing regime after his company was sued by the country’s financial services regulator for providing unlicensed crypto-based investment products. The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) announced on Nov. 23 local time that it started civil legal proceedings against the company because it offered three crypto-linked fixed-yield earning products without an Australian Financial Services (AFS) license. ASIC stated that the products should have been licensed as they were “managed investment schemes” where investors contribute money that is pooled together for an interest …

Detained Tornado Cash developer Alexsey Pertsev will spend another three months in custody in the Netherlands, according to a court hearing held on Nov. 22. Cointelegraph attended a preliminary court hearing at the Palace of Justice in s'Hertogenbosch, which outlined the basis of the case against Pertsev after 103 days in custody. The prosecution outlined a broad overview of its investigation, painting Pertsev as a central figure in Tornado Cash's operation before Advocate WK Cheng delivered his first defensive argument. Cheng highlighted several points outlining Tornado Cash's use cases and misconceptions around its functionality. "I'm disappointed about the decision from …

The Supreme Court of Bahamas issued an order in favor of the Securities Commission on November 21, ordering the troubled crypto exchange to pay reimbursement fees to the regulator for holding its digital assets post its bankruptcy filing on Nov. 11. The Supreme Court placed FTX’s digital assets under the supervision of the Securities Commission on Nov. 12. The commission in its public notice acknowledged the judgment and noted that all reimbursements would be done after approval from the Supreme Court. The official statement obtained by Cointelegraph read: “The Order secured today confirms the Commission is entitled to be indemnified …

Paul, Weiss, the law firm backing FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) amid bankruptcy, renounced representing the entrepreneur, citing a conflict of interest. The decision to withdraw from representation after SBF’s tweets were found to disrupt the law firm’s reorganization efforts. Starting Nov. 14, SBF published a series of tweets that amassed extensive attention across Crypto Twitter. The move, however, sparked speculations that the cryptic tweets were used to distract bots from noticing concurrently deleted tweets. While no ill-intent could be concluded, Paul, Weiss attorney Martin Flumenbaum believed that SBF’s “incessant and disruptive tweeting” was negatively impacting the reorganization efforts: “We …

While crypto exchange FTX stole the limelight from other fallen ecosystems, South Korean authorities continue their efforts to bring closure to the victims of the year’s first crypto crash — Terraform Labs. Nearly six months after the Terra (LUNA) blockchain was officially halted, South Korean authorities froze approximately $104.4 million (140 billion won) from co-founder Shin Hyun-seong based on suspicion of unfair profits. The decision to freeze Shin’s asset worth over $104 million was approved by the Seoul Southern District Court, which was based on a request from the prosecutors. The claim related to Shin’s involvement in selling pre-issued Terra …

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried received a $1 billion personal loan from one of four silo companies deeply involved in the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange. A formal declaration in ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings from FTX’s new CEO John Ray III has revealed further misappropriation of funds by Bankman Fried. According to the filing, Alameda Research had loaned $1 billion directly to Bankman-Fried, while FTX director of engineering Nishad Singh had also received a $543 million loan from the company. Ray III, the man responsible for picking up the pieces after the infamous collapse of Enron, was scathing …