Top Stories of The Week
Binance claims ‘no special relationship’ with Hamas, argues to dismiss lawsuit
A federal judge has not yet issued a ruling on a motion to dismiss a lawsuit, filed by families of victims affected by the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, against cryptocurrency exchange Binance and its former CEO, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao.
On Jan. 30 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, lawyers representing Binance presented oral arguments in connection with the company’s motion to dismiss the families’ complaint filed in January 2024. According to reporting from Inner City Press, the exchange’s legal team argued crypto was “not inherently dangerous,” pushing back against allegations that Binance facilitated transactions benefiting Hamas.
“There was no special relationship between Hamas and Binance,” said a lawyer for the exchange.
Kraken restores staking services in US after 2-year hiatus
Crypto exchange Kraken has resumed staking services for US clients for the first time in nearly two years. Customers’ ability to stake had been paused since 2023, when the exchange reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission over the services.
Customers in 37 US states will now be able to access staking services for 17 digital assets, including Ether, SOL, and Cardano’s ADA.
Kraken was among the first crypto exchanges to provide staking services to customers, which it began offering in 2019. The exchange agreed to stop providing the services in February 2023 as part of a $30 million settlement with the SEC.
SBF’s parents seek pardon from President Trump: Report
The parents of former FTX CEO Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried are reportedly exploring the possibility of a presidential pardon for their son, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison last March.
According to a Jan. 30 Bloomberg report citing anonymous sources,…
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