Charlene Lensburg | FinTelegram News

Author: Charlene Lensburg

February 12, 2025

Didier Reynders And The Affair That’s Staggering Belgium!

Former EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders is under investigation for alleged money laundering through the Belgian National Lottery. The case, which has been ongoing since 2023, involves suspicious transactions spanning several years, potentially extending into 2024. It's "the affair that's staggering Belgium," wrote the daily La Libre Belgique on January 30.

February 11, 2025

Jan Marsalek: From Wirecard COO to Russian Spy—The Fugitive Who Outsmarted Europe!

Jan Marsalek, born on March 15, 1980, in Vienna, Austria, served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Wirecard from 2010 until its collapse in 2020. An Austrian citizen, Marsalek was instrumental in expanding Wirecard's operations, particularly in Asia. However, his tenure ended in scandal when it was revealed that approximately €1.9 billion were missing from the company's accounts, leading to its insolvency.

February 8, 2025

USAID in Chaos: Trump and Musk’s DOGE Unleash Digital Warfare on ‘Marxist Viper’s Nest’

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) finds itself at the center of a political firestorm as the Trump administration and tech billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) launch an unprecedented attack on the agency. This developing scandal has sent shockwaves through Washington and beyond, raising questions about the future of American foreign aid.

February 7, 2025

Attention: What You Should Know About Crypto-Based ETNs Under MiCA Regulation!

Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs) in the cryptocurrency sector have gained popularity in Europe, offering investors exposure to digital assets through regulated exchanges. With the implementation of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR), which entered into force in June 2023, the regulatory landscape for crypto-based financial products is evolving.

February 2, 2025

Wall Street’s $7 Million ‘Investment’ in Janet Yellen: Bribery or Business as Usual? Musk’s DOGE Sniffs Out Treasury Scandal!

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen finds herself at the center of a brewing controversy. Accusations of bribery have surfaced on X (formerly Twitter), linking her lucrative speaking fees to alleged corruption. The explosive claims suggest that Yellen's $7.2 million in speaking engagements from Wall Street firms and large corporations between 2018 and 2020 may have been more than just compensation for her expertise.

Auditors

January 31, 2025

DWS Picks EY as Auditor—Despite Suing It Over Wirecard Scandal

In a controversial move, Deutsche Bank’s asset manager DWS has appointed EY as its new group auditor—despite suing the firm for its role in the Wirecard scandal. This marks a high-profile win for EY after a two-year ban from acquiring new listed clients in Germany due to its audit failures in the Wirecard collapse.

January 30, 2025

Germany’s Financial Watchdog Orders Increased Capital for PAYONE Over Money Laundering Deficiencies!

Germany’s financial watchdog, BaFin, has identified serious money laundering prevention deficiencies at PAYONE GmbH, a German EMI backed by Worldline and the DWS Group. Following special audits, regulators found systemic failures in AML controls, IT systems, and outsourcing processes. In response, BaFin has twice ordered increased capital requirements—first in October 2024 and again in January 2025.

January 27, 2025

Nasdaq Proposes Rule Change for BlackRock Bitcoin ETF: A Game-Changer for Crypto Investors?

The U.S. crypto sector is moving fast under the presidency of Donald Trump, a declared crypto supporter. The Nasdaq has filed an interesting proposal with the SEC to allow in-kind redemptions for BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF. This move could revolutionize investor access to Bitcoin while streamlining costs and boosting liquidity.

January 27, 2025

The Fall of René Benko: From Tyrolean Luxury to a Nine-Square-Meter Cell as Investigators Uncover Millions in Hidden Assets!

Austrian property tycoon René Benko, founder of the now-insolvent Signa Holding, was arrested on January 23, 2025, in Innsbruck, Austria. The arrest was executed by the Federal Criminal Police Office's Soko Signa unit, following concerns from the Vienna Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office (WKStA) about potential evidence tampering and the risk of further offenses.

January 23, 2025

The Arrest of René Benko: Austria’s Former Real Estate Titan Falls!

In a dramatic turn of events, Austrian real estate tycoon René Benko, once hailed as the mastermind behind the sprawling Signa Group empire, was arrested Thursday morning at his opulent Tyrolean villa. The Austrian Office of the Public Prosecutor for Economic Affairs and Corruption (WKStA) executed the arrest, citing risks of evidence tampering and the potential for further crimes.

January 20, 2025

The Billionaire Era: How Wealth Supremacy and Oligarchs are Dismantling Democracy in 2025!

In 2024, the world witnessed an unprecedented surge in billionaire wealth, with fortunes swelling by a staggering $2 trillion—an increase occurring at a rate three times faster than the previous year. This translates to an astonishing $5.7 billion amassed daily. Simultaneously, the global poverty rate has remained virtually unchanged since 1990.

January 17, 2025

Portrait of Hindenburg Research: A Constructive and Critical Analysis of a Transforming Short-Seller!

With the announcement by founder Nate Anderson that Hindenburg Research is winding up its operations, this report serves as a reflection—an obituary of sorts—on the firm’s impactful yet polarizing journey. Over seven years, Hindenburg transformed the landscape of activist short-selling, exposing corporate misconduct and reshaping market narratives.

DeFi Decoded: Smart Contracts – The Code Behind the DeFi Revolution

Smart contracts are the invisible architects of decentralized finance. These self-executing lines of code run everything from token swaps to lending platforms without middlemen. But while they offer autonomy, they also introduce new risks—bugs, exploits, and irreversible mistakes. In this fourth installment of our FinTelegram DeFi Series, we explain what smart contracts are.

CFTC

Despite New Crypto Friendlyness: No Settlement Between U.S. CFTC And KuCoin?

A planned settlement between the U.S.CFTC and crypto exchange KuCoin is now in limbo due to a reported policy shift within the CFTC. This change is attributed to the Trump administration’s new approach, which deprioritizes enforcement actions against crypto companies. As a result, a CFTC attorney said that it is "unlikely that such authorization will be granted in the near term" regarding the settlement approval.

SEC’s New Era: Paul Atkins Sworn In—Will Crypto Finally Get the Regulatory Clarity It Deserves?

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has entered a new chapter with the swearing-in of Paul S. Atkins as its 34th Chairman, a move widely anticipated to mark a dramatic pivot in how the agency approaches crypto and DeFi regulation. For years, the financial industry—especially the burgeoning digital asset sector—has bristled under the SEC’s “Regulation by Enforcement” strategy.

Crypto Mogul Changpeng Zhao – Fallen, Rich, and Rising Again?

As spring 2025 blooms and Easter’s themes of rebirth fill the air, Changpeng Zhao emerges as one of the most controversial figures of startup mythology: a man who fell spectacularly, paid a price—then rose again, wealthier and louder than ever. Once the almighty architect of Binance, CZ now resides in Dubai with a net worth that Forbes estimates at $63 billion.

Prison Update: Sam Bankman-Fried Transferred to Low-Security Federal Prison in Los Angeles!

Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the founder of the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Terminal Island in Los Angeles, California. This low-security facility is known for housing non-violent offenders and has previously held notable inmates such as Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, former COO of Theranos.