Из жизни альткоинов

Криптоаналитик Бенджамин Коуэн (Benjamin Cowen) считает, что в ближайшие месяцы не стоит покупать альткоины в парах против биткоина, поскольку первая криптовалюта продолжит увеличивать доминирование. Однако, поздней осенью альткоины могут отвоевать свои позиции.

По данным аналитической платформы Arkham Intelligence, 4 июля неизвестный биткоин-кит переместил около $8,6 млрд в BTC на новые криптоадреса, что стало крупнейшим перемещением цифровых активов в истории флагманской криптовалюты.

A court in Belgium has issued 12-year prison sentences to three individuals involved in the December 2024 kidnapping of the wife of a local cryptocurrency entrepreneur.

The case, which has drawn attention within both legal and crypto communities, centers on a ransom demand made in digital assets, highlighting the growing concerns about the intersection of financial technology and physical security.

Court Ruling and Ongoing Investigations

The Brussels Criminal Court found the trio guilty of hostage-taking after abducting the victim outside her residence and forcing her into a van. The kidnappers reportedly demanded a crypto ransom in exchange for her release.

Authorities acted swiftly after the woman’s husband, Stéphane Winkel, a known figure in the local crypto education scene, alerted law enforcement. Police intercepted the vehicle and executed a high-risk maneuver to halt it, freeing the victim and apprehending the suspects.

In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered the convicted individuals to pay a civil compensation of at least €1 million (approximately $1.2 million) to the victim. While the sentences mark the legal conclusion for the three kidnappers, the case remains open in some respects.

The court acknowledged that the principal figures behind the orchestration of the crime are still unknown. The defendants’ claims that they were acting under duress, allegedly threatened with death if they did not carry out the kidnapping, were dismissed by the court.

The case also involves a minor, whose role is being addressed separately through Belgium’s juvenile justice system. According to reports from La Dernière Heure, the court emphasized the seriousness of the offense and the need to maintain deterrence, particularly in criminal activities intersecting with emerging financial sectors like crypto.

The victim and her family have not been named in detail in court documents to protect their privacy, but the psychological toll has reportedly been substantial.

The Effect on Winkel Family and Crypto Community

Stéphane Winkel is known for his educational efforts within the cryptocurrency space. He runs platforms such as Crypto Académie and Crypto Sun, which aim to make digital asset investing more accessible to the public.

His YouTube channel, which has roughly over 39,000 subscribers, typically featured tutorials, giveaways, and wallet walkthroughs. However, the traumatic incident has prompted a shift in both his personal and public life.

In a post on X  published shortly after the incident, Winkel stated, “I consider myself a defender of freedom, but I now realize that safety must become an absolute priority for me and those around me.”

He also pledged to avoid public wallet demonstrations or promotional giveaways going forward, instead focusing his content on market analysis and education.

After several months of silence, Winkel returned to YouTube in June 2025, opting for voice-only narration in his videos rather than appearing on camera, a move that aligns with his new emphasis on privacy and security.

Featured image created with DALL-E, Chart from TradingView

Фонд FTX Recovery Trust подал ходатайство в Суд по делам о банкротстве в штате Делавэр с просьбой о приостановке распределения криптовалюты среди кредиторов из стран, где действуют законодательные ограничения на совершение операций с цифровыми активами.

Oregon’s Attorney General (AG) has filed a motion to keep the lawsuit against Coinbase in state court, following the crypto exchange’s efforts to move the litigation to federal court.

Oregon Says Coinbase Case Must Stay In State Courts

On July 2, Oregon’s Attorney General, Dan Rayfield, filed a motion to remand its lawsuit against Coinbase back to the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for Multnomah County. The motion follows the crypto exchange’s attempt to move the case to federal court.

In early June, Coinbase filed a notice of removal, seeking to take the action from the Oregon courts to federal court, arguing that the case raises a federal question. The exchange argues that Oregon’s state law (OSL) claims “arise under” the federal law because the state’s courts use the federal Securities Act of 1993, and the federal Howey Test, for guidance to define what constitutes an “investment contract.”

However, Oregon’s motion explains that “almost 50 years ago, the Supreme Court of Oregon, sitting en banc, broke stride with Howey in its interpretation of an ‘investment contract’ under the OSL, deciding the term should be ‘modified’ to encompass a broader range of investment schemes. Pratt v. Kross, 276, Or. 483, 497 (1976).”

Since then, Oregon courts have followed the Pratt Test, which applies a broader definition of investment contract. The AG noted that “because Oregon does not strictly follow the Howey test, the State’s claims here do not turn on the Howey test.”

The motion claims that the lawsuit isn’t a “regulatory land grab,” as Coinbase called it. Instead, it is a “quintessential state law action” that seeks redress on behalf of Oregonians under the state’s law. Therefore, it should be “adjudicated by the state court in which the Attorney General filed it.”

Oregon’s ‘Gensler-Era’ Lawsuit

On April 18, Oregon’s AG filed a complaint in Multnomah County Circuit Court against Coinbase, alleging the crypto exchange had violated the Oregon securities law by facilitating the sale of unregistered cryptocurrencies to the state’s residents.

As reported by Bitcoinist, the lawsuit states that the exchange “has continuously and repeatedly violated the Oregon Securities Law, which ascribes liability to persons ´who [s]ell[] or successfully solicit[] the sale of a security … in violation of the Oregon Securities Law’ (ORS 59.115(1)(a)), as well as to persons who ‘participate[] or materially aid[] in the sale’ (ORS 59.115(3)).”

Following the news, Coinbase’s CLO, Paul Grewal, affirmed that Rayfield is “literally picking up where the Gary Gensler SEC left off,” adding that the lawsuit is a “copycat case” attempting to “resurrect” the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) long-criticized regulatory approach under the previous administration.

The SEC sued Coinbase in June 2023, affirming that the platform operated as an unregistered broker-dealer and illegally sold unregistered securities through its staking program. However, the lawsuit was dismissed in February 2025 following the establishment of the agency’s Crypto Task Force.

Oregon’s lawsuit now claims that Coinbase sold high-risk investments without properly vetting to protect consumers, which has caused significant losses for Oregonians. Notably, the case covers significantly more tokens than the SEC originally named in its case, which listed 13 tokens. The lawsuit claims that the crypto exchange offered and sold 31 cryptocurrencies as investment contracts.

In a Wednesday post, Grewal called out Rayfield for attempting to send his “Gensler-era copycat” lawsuit back to state courts, affirming that it goes against the US’s recent progress developing a clear and unified framework for the industry.

In most places, it’s 2025. But the Oregon AG still thinks it’s 2023 with his Gensler-era @secgov copycat suit. Yesterday, he asked the federal court to send the case back to his home state court. This pursuit of a patchwork of state regulation – especially against the historic progress towards a unified federal framework – only helps politicians and harms consumers.