Trump Officials Face Crypto Probe as Russia Rigs Elections With Crypto
Welcome to another edition of your favorite weekly news roundup….. From Coinigy
First off, while U.S. senators are pointing fingers at Trump's crew, which makes you wonder if Crypto money and Arab money will ever team up without making a fuss somehow, Russia's been out playing Game of Thrones using crypto as leverage to swing elections in the kingdom of the world's largest wine cellars.
Meanwhile, Vietnam just became the cool kid, inviting all the major exchanges to hang out… Imagine what could be if we got Netflix to make a show about this week in crypto. 😂
Here are the highlights:
- Russia Reportedly Uses Crypto To Influence Eastern European Elections
- Democratic Senators Demand Investigation Into Trump Officials Over UAE Crypto Deal
- Binance and Bybit CEOs Meet With Vietnam’s Deputy PM For Expansion Plans
- Elon Musk's xAI Sues OpenAI Again, This Time Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft
Russia Reportedly Uses Crypto To Influence Eastern European Elections
A new report details on-chain data and leaked texts from A7, a firm that specializes in sanctions evasion. Apparently, the company interfered in Moldovan elections to Russia’s benefit. These leaks do not contain a direct smoking gun connecting the Kremlin to A7, but tokens fund polling, activist networks, politicians, and more. It seems impossible that the government has no knowledge or involvement in these activities. A7 has become something of a notorious name in the crypto community, launching the ruble-backed stablecoin that became a major vehicle for sanctions evasion.
Democratic Senators Demand Investigation Into Trump Officials Over UAE Crypto Deal
Two Democratic senators want federal investigators to look into potential ethics violations by top Trump administration officials. The probe centers on a $2 billion cryptocurrency deal with the United Arab Emirates that happened just weeks before the U.S. approved major technology exports to that country. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Elissa Slotkin sent a letter on September 23, 2025, asking three federal oversight agencies to investigate possible conflicts of interest. The letter targets David Sacks, who serves as the White House AI and Crypto Czar, and Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East.
Binance and Bybit CEOs Meet With Vietnam’s Deputy PM For Expansion Plans
Nguyen Hoa Binh, Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, recently met with Binance CEO Richard Teng in the UAE. The country wants Binance to establish a local headquarters to advance crypto ecosystem development. Nguyen also met with Ben Zhou, co-founder of CEO and Bybit, to discuss regulatory concerns. The nation aims to become a new regional crypto hub and is preparing ambitious measures to achieve this goal. Vietnam has been aiming to be a new crypto hub for a while, preparing friendlier regulations and encouraging new exchange infrastructure.
Elon Musk's xAI Sues OpenAI Again, This Time Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft
Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday against OpenAI, accusing its rival of orchestrating a "coordinated, unfair, and unlawful campaign" to steal proprietary technology through targeted employee poaching. The complaint, filed in California, alleges OpenAI "by hook or by crook" induced former xAI employees to misappropriate the company's entire source code, training methods, and data center deployment strategies.
Other Highlights Worth Mentioning
Ethereum dips below $4,000 sparking $183 million losses for traders - Binance
Bitcoin sinks below $109k wiping $170 billion from crypto market - Cryptoslate
Canada Fines KuCoin $14M for Anti-Money Laundering Violations - CoinCentral
Hwang Jung‑eum Gets Suspended Sentence Over $3 Million Crypto Case - 99Bitcoins
COINIGY FACT OF THE DAY
On This Day in 2017, The SEC Charged Operators of Two Fraudulent ICOs
The SEC issued a press release on 29 September 2017 charging individuals/companies for defrauding investors in two ICOs allegedly backed by real estate and diamonds — a clear enforcement milestone on that date.