Tornado Cash Developer Roman Shtorm’s Trial Postponed Until April

The upcoming criminal trial of Tornado Cash developer Roman Shtorm has been postponed until April instead of its previously scheduled December start date, a New York judge ruled Friday.

The four-month delay will give the parties time to resolve a disagreement over the disclosure of expert witnesses that began last month when Judge Catherine Polk Failla of the Southern District of New York (SDNY) ordered the parties to exchange information about expert witnesses they could call to testify in the upcoming trial.

 

Tether to Launch Dirham Stablecoin on TON

Stablecoin issuer Tether has announced that its stablecoin pegged to the United Arab Emirates dirham will launch on The Open Network (TON) blockchain.

At the TON Gateway event in Dubai, Alessandro Giori, Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships at Tether, announced that its stablecoins, announced earlier this year, will be launched on the TON blockchain.

Tether Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships Alessandro Giori at the TON Gateway event in Dubai. Source: The Open Network

On August 21, Tether announced that it was working with the UAE-based Phoenix Group and Green Acorn Investments to launch a dirham-backed stablecoin. The collaboration aims to create a digital representation of the UAE dirham, fully backed by the UAE’s liquid reserves.

In a press release, Tether said it would ensure that each token representing the dirham would be “pegged to the value of the AED,” providing stability and certainty in its value.

 

Sheetz 750 US Stores Launch Cryptocurrency Payments

US convenience store chain Sheetz has expanded its partnership with crypto payments firm Flexa to enable digital currency payments at more than 750 locations in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, and Maryland.

This makes Sheetz one of the first major convenience store and restaurant chains in the US to support cryptocurrency payments in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and USDC.

A Flexa spokesperson emphasized that the benefits of their technology provide a seamless and efficient checkout process for customers interested in alternative payment methods.

To highlight the event, both organisations are running a promotion with a $20 discount on one purchase for Flexa customers. Additionally, Sheetz’s My Sheetz Rewardz loyalty program is integrated with Flexa payments, allowing customers to earn rewards for digital currency purchases, further incentivizing the use of digital assets on the Sheetz network.

 

MetaWin Online Casino Hacked for $4 Million

On November 3, the MetaWin online casino platform was hacked, leaving the platform with approximately $4 million in funds that the CEO said were “siphoned off” following the attack.

According to MetaWin’s CEO, the attacker compromised the platform’s hot wallets through the platform’s seamless withdrawal system, prompting the platform to freeze withdrawals. However, the CEO also said that withdrawals had been restored for 95% of the platform’s customers at the time of writing.

On-chain detective ZackXBT also reported that the attacker transferred the stolen funds to KuCoin and its nested service HitBTC. The detective also identified over 115 addresses associated with the attacker. At this time, the identity of the hacker and the motivation behind the exploit are unknown.

 

Bitcoin Reaches Third All-Time High Amid Fed Rate Decision

The price of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency reached a new all-time high on the night of November 6, reaching $75,000. This is according to Coinmarketcap data.

As of the morning, one Bitcoin cost $74,909. The rate then fell slightly, after which it continued to grow.

On the Binance crypto exchange, the Bitcoin rate reached exactly $75,000, but then fell.

Note that Bitcoin strengthened against the backdrop of the US presidential election.

 

A Million Bitcoins May Become Part of the US National Reserve

Donald Trump won the presidential election, shortly after which Senator Cynthia Loomis announced her support for the idea of ​​​​creating a strategic reserve in Bitcoin. Capitol Hill's "crypto queen" BITCOIN Act of 2024 proposes purchasing 1 million bitcoins over five years and creating secure bitcoin vaults managed by the state treasury.