BBC chair and crypto investor Richard Sharp has asked the BBC board to review any possible conflicts of interest in his current role, stemming from claims that he helped to secure former prime minister Boris Johnson an £800,000 loan guarantor right before he appointed Sharp as chair. 

The former prime minister told Sky News this morning that Sharp “knows absolutely nothing about my personal finances — I can tell you that for one hundred percent ding dang sure.” However, Johnson doesn’t deny that discussions about the loan took place. Sharp, a former Goldman Sachs banker, maintains that he was fairly appointed.

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Banks in the US are under increasing pressure to sever ties with cryptocurrency firms, as unfavorable media scrutiny, public sentiment, and regulatory measures against the industry grow. Not a single US regulatory body, like the Federal Reserve or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), looks at the crypto industry favorably today, according to a banking exec at a crypto-friendly American bank.

In an exclusive talk with Protos, the banking exec spoke on-background about the regulatory hurdles facing the industry and what it means for crypto’s future in America.

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Since Justin Sun of Tron (TRX) fame became a Huobi Global Advisory Board member, the exchange has been embroiled in a number of controversies. Among them is the fact that, for months, Huobi refused to say exactly how Sun was involved in its acquisition by the opaquely-named About Capital Management.

As you’d expect, rumors swirled that Sun backed the acquisition, which would have explained his quick appointment to Huobi’s Global Advisory Board. Huobi remained quiet about the situation until a statement issued on January 19, 2022, confirmed that he had indeed assumed a leadership role in the company.

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Late Thursday night, Genesis Global announced it voluntarily filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, along with its crypto lending arm Genesis Global Capital and lending unit Genesis Asia Pacific. In a press release, Genesis used every buzzword it could think of to frame the move in a positive light.

Genesis initiates process to achieve global resolution to maximise value for all clients and stakeholders and strengthen its business for the future, the headline to announce its bankruptcy reads.

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Yuga Labs, the company behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT collection, is struggling with an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a hack of its Mailchimp account, and a flurry of lawsuits flying back and forth.

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The Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) system is suddenly finding itself bailing out numerous cryptocurrency-friendly banks, such as Silvergate and Signature. Estimates suggest they received over $15 billion in advances from the network combined.

FHLBs were established in the wake of the great depression, designed to provide funds to any residential housing finance member, or to “any community financial system” for small businesses and farms. FHLBs don’t receive taxpayer funding, are privately owned, and don’t follow the majority of their initial guidelines.

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On Tuesday, Binance was named as one of the three largest counterparties for crypto exchange Bitzlato, in a US Treasury order that prevents any covered financial institution from sending funds to the relatively unknown firm.

Bitlatzo’s majority owner, Anatoly Legkodymov or “Gandalf”, was arrested and indicted by the Department of Justice (DoJ) on Tuesday in the Eastern District of New York. He’s charged with operating an unlicensed money transmission business.

The Treasury has indicated that he’s a “primary money laundering concern” with connections to Russian illicit finance.

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Bitcoiners might be able to program long-term savings vaults into code, on-chain — an exciting development for Bitcoiners who keep the cryptocurrency as a long-term investment, known as ‘hodling’ (holding on for dear life).

Despite the roller coaster-like swings in bitcoin’s value, many people believe Bitcoin is a durable store of value. So, as the Bitcoin community increasingly seeks programmability regarding long-term investment practices, Bitcoin Core developers are now considering the addition of hard-coded “vaults” into Bitcoin’s software through a soft fork.

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Crypto miners involved in dubious crypto startup Green say they’re easier targets for hackers, after their personal data was unintentionally leaked by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The commission, which has increasingly enforced regulations on crypto firms as industry scandals continue to erupt, reportedly leaked 650 names and emails of Green users earlier this month.

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Heather Morgan, AKA Razzlekhan, AKA The Crocodile of Wall Street has reportedly found a new job despite still being under house arrest for her alleged role in 2016’s $4.5 billion Bitfinex hack.

As reported by the New York Post, the world’s foremost crypto rapper will be working three days a week as a ‘growth marketing and business development specialist’ for an unnamed tech company in New York City. A judge has agreed to modify the terms of her house arrest to allow her to base herself at the company’s office.

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