McAfee created WHACKD to highlight a reference to his theory that assures that Jeffrey Epstein did not commit suicide. The token went from being worth less than a penny to $ 125, then crumbled down again.

John McAfee’s passing brought more than just conspiracy theories from those who reject the theory about Epstein committing suicide. The event also brought back to life a token created by McAfee in 2019, in tribute to Jeffrey Epstein, whose death raised a lot of suspicions, especially regarding the actions of the authorities.

 WHACKD token needed just a few minutes to go from being worth less than pennies with zero trading activity to trading as high as $ 127 during its peak on the decentralized exchange Uniswap V2, where the coin faces its trading.

Data from dextools.io shows how in just a matter of a minute, WHACKD, a very famous token that reinforces the Epstein theory, was up nearly 56,000%, from $ 0.22 to $ 127. A couple of minutes earlier, it had risen more than 400%, from $ 0.044 to $ 0.22.

Just two minutes after hitting $ 127, the token crumbled down again, marking more than 98%, which is less than $ 2 in value per coin. The decline kept going on until WCHAKD returned to its previous state. At that moment, its price fell to $ 0.00129 per unit.

In tandem with WHACKD’s rise, a wave of scam attempts has invaded Uniswap. As reviewed by the site specialized in decentralized applications DappRadar, several tokens with the same name have been appearing since the passing of McAfee.

Regarding the token, The risk of suffering a scam still exists. As can be seen on Etherscan, the original token contract clearly shows that its issuance happened in mid-November 2019, coinciding with McAfee’s announcement.

WHACKD, The Token that Unleashed Many Conspiracy Theories

In late 2019, McAfee created the token based on the Ethereum ERC20 standard. The picture of the ad, which the businessman posted throughTwitter, showed the feet of a hanging person and Hillary Clinton watching the scene. The text “Epstein did not kill himself” came along with the image.

For McAfee, the passing of the magnate Jeffrey Epstein in prison was full of inconsistencies and other suspicious events. The one that John considered more suspicious was the official statement of an alleged suicide. Coincidentally, McAfee’s death this Wednesday, June 23, while imprisoned in Spain has clear parallels with that of Epstein.

Some theories aim at the possibility of an undercover murder, while McAfee was under police protection in Spain. The chairman himself had previously uploaded on Twitter a picture of his latest tattoo, which refers to the WHACKD token.

At the time, McAfee was defending the possibility of the same thing happening to him. “If I committed suicide, It was not me” was part of the message he shared in that post, alerting the public that if the authorities reported an attempt on his own life, it would have been an act of police violence.

By: Jenson Nuñez

The purpose of the financial entity is to reduce the risks related to this sector. Elliptic offered technical support for the tests through its Discovery tool.

Banco Santander completed a pilot test with Elliptic, a leading global company in blockchain analysis, to upgrade the detection features and reduce illegal activities related to digital assets.

The statement that reports on the completion of the test, issued on June 22 by the British firm, highlights that this analysis will help Santander set a considerable reduction on the risks related to crimes that might harm this type of asset.

The pilot tests came to action using Discovery, a tool created by the company to assess the bank’s indirect exposure to cryptocurrencies.  Its vital function is tracking and analyzing transactions between clients and cryptocurrency exchanges.

According to Santander, which is one of the most important banks worldwide when it comes to market capitalization, the project receives support from the KYC and AML. The two entities have not yet revealed where the tests will operate.

According to Elliptic, Discovery is a resource used by major financial firms worldwide that uses advanced blockchain analytics to assess the risks of cryptocurrency exchanges at a big scale. It also contains a complete and accurate database and a collection of profiles of the platforms that operate with cryptocurrency trading.

Simone Maini, CEO of Elliptic, stated that this test clearly shows Elliptic’s commitment to helping financial institutions understand their exposure to crypto-assets and serve as a tool to mitigate the risks of crypto-asset money laundering. Maini highlights that these companies can make life in an ecosystem that is constantly changing and evolving.

Santander Intends to Match Forces with FinTech

In January 2021, Banco Santander focused its efforts on competing against FinTech technology companies that offer financial investment services and tools, but the bank desires to do so on equal terms. For this reason, its CEO Ana Botín said at that time that the obligations imposed on banks to fight against money laundering and other criminal behaviors should apply to other companies in the sector.

During her speech at a World Economic Forum teleconference, the executive assumed that the digitization of finance is a chance for the system to evolve. However, he said that international cooperation might be helpful so those development conditions can level up more healthily and productively.

Botín also pointed out that there are three vital aspects when it comes to balancing the current situation. The president’s list includes user data management, access to information systems, and innovation.

In this sense, a study by the current partner Elliptic in May 2020 explains in detail that less than 1% of the operations carried out with bitcoin (BTC) are illegal. Although a specific amount is unclear, it could be a lot of money. This figure may revolve below the 35% reported by other studies in 2012.

By: Jenson Nuñez

McAfee had been in prison since October 2020. The businessman’s wife said that John’s physical and mental health had deteriorated to a worrying level.

The computer specialist John McAfee was found dead yesterday, June 23, in the cell in which he had been in prison for 8 months, in Barcelona, Spain.

According to the news provided by the Spanish newspaper El País, prison officials found 

McAfee’s body hanging. Police sources are handling the situation as a suicide, as there are no apparent indications of any criminal harm or behavior. Even so, the autopsy is on its way, so there would be more details revealed soon.

Hours before the discovery, it had been confirmed that the businessman would be extradited to the United States of America to face a proper trial on charges related to his tax returns between 2016 and 2018.

McAfee, the founder of the antivirus company that bears his surname, had been arrested on October 3 last year in Barcelona by order of the US justice. The reason for the arrest was for a millionaire tax evasion that guards a close relationship with profits allegedly coming from activities with cryptocurrencies.

Other charges also weighed against McAfee could have led him to serve sentences of up to 20 years in prison, in case he should have been found guilty.

Harsh Months for McAfee’s Physical and Mental Health

John McAfee’s wife, Janice, released a letter this Sunday, for Father’s Day, in which she mentioned that these eight months that John spent in prison in Spain were especially hard on his health, both physical and mental. Several tweets that the businessman wrote recalled, all in different contexts, the idea of suicide, generally discarding that possibility at all.

He tweeted days after his arrest that he was happy there in jail, he made friends. The food was ok enough, but he let Know through that tweet that if he was found hanging up as Epstein did, it would not be his fault. 

Almost a year earlier, in November, the computer scientist also posted that he had been receiving subtle messages from US officials saying in effect that they were coming after him, and many other arguments about committing suicide. He also got a tattoo, to let him know that If he killed himself, then there must be an investigation because he would not ever kill himself.

The tweet came along with a photograph with that tattoo that reads “$ WHACKD.” WHACKD is the ticker of an erc-20 token made by McAfee whose name is “Epstein Did Not Kill Himself.”

One of his latest tweets, posted a week ago, referred to his holdings of cryptocurrencies. “The United States of America thinks I hid cryptocurrencies,” he wrote. McAfee also said on the matter that he wished he had them, but they had been dissolved through all the hands of Team McAfee and all his remaining assets were currently seized.

The last message written by McAfee on the network, on June 18, says: “In a democracy, power is not given. But it still can be powerful. Love, compassion, and affection are useless. But it is fuel for greed, hostility… All power corrupts. Beware of the powers that democracy allows to exercise.”

Jenson

Sources revealed that the review by US regulators has been obstructing Robinhood’s IPO plans. The IPO could go through a reschedule to December.

The popular financial services mobile app Robinhood’s plans to activate its services on the US stock exchange are experiencing slight delays due to regulations in the country.

According to reports, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is slowing down Robinhood’s plans to go public this year due to concerns about its cryptocurrency business. Bloomberg reported the news on Friday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the topic.

One of the knowledgeable sources revealed to the medium that the company’s growing digital assets business “has attracted questions” from the regulatory agency. The source cited in the report also highlighted that Robinhood has been talking with the Commission in recent weeks.

Based in California, Robinhood brings trading in traditional market stocks, exchange-traded funds, and also cryptocurrencies. The app initially launched trading with digital currencies in 2018 and has experienced growth in its business since then.

Robinhood Delays its IPO Until  this Fall

By 2021, the company has been inflating its cryptocurrency division, adding staff, and adding new trading pairs. An increase of 6 million users in the first quarter of the year also appears to be one of the most significant changes. Robinhood currently allows the trading of seven cryptocurrencies. These cryptocurrencies are Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dogecoin, Bitcoin SV, Ethereum Classic.

Robinhood also announced plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO) that would initially take place in June this year. However, the company postponed plans until July due to the holiday season. According to the Bloomberg source, the company’s strategies could now face a delay until September-December, amid additional studies from the SEC.

The company had confidentially filed a draft IPO registration with the Commission in March this year, and the launch date is still unknown. At the time, it had stated that it would seek a public offering after the SEC scrutinizes its review process, subject to market and other conditions.

According to Bloomberg, it is not rare for companies to see the listing date slip away when their documentation is under revision. Something similar happened to cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase this year when it had to change the date of its direct listing from March to April regulatory approval.

Before the pandemic, Robinhood had raised funds at a valuation of $ 11.7 billion. According to CryptoBriefing, that company has already raised at least $ 40 billion in secondary markets. Meanwhile, Robinhood’s main rival, eToro, is also currently getting ready to go public on the Nasdaq exchange.

After years of speculation, the platform is finally taking firm action to achieve its goal of offering its services to the public. In a statement posted on March 16, eToro Group Ltd. announced their merge with FinTech Acquisition Corp. V, and (SPAC) owned by the famous banker Betsy Cohen.

By: Jenson Nuñez

In April, Africrypt customers received notifications of an alleged hack. Lawyers hired by the investors tried to contact the Cajee brothers.

The Cajee Brothers, co-founders of the South African investment platform Africrypt, suddenly disappeared. According to various reports, the Cajee brothers have suddenly dissapeared with at least 69,000 bitcoins from their investors.

The Cajee brothers reportedly notified their clients in April this year of an alleged hack. Bloomberg said that after contacting lawyers hired by the investors, the notification from Ameer, the eldest of the brothers, suggested the clients avoid filing a report of the theft to the authorities. According to the statement, that would slow down the process of taking back the affected funds.

A group of skeptical investors contacted the law firm Hanekom Attorneys, to take the case. In their investigations, the lawyers found various suspicious hints, such as the fact that Africrypt employees lost complete access to the platform’s system just a week before the alleged theft happened.

The Cajee brothers disappeared from the crypto-world

Neither of the Cajee brothers has shown their faces to the public to speak about the incident. Contact attempts by the attorneys have been unsuccessful, and calls to both their phones get redirected to voicemail.

The Cape Town-based law firm reportedly contacted an elite unit of the South African national police, known as the Falcons, to find the location of the alleged scammers.

The investigation also revealed that the funds left Africrypt wallets, and then passed through mixing services and other platforms, making it hard to track lost BTCs. Meanwhile, the platform’s website listed on Crunchbase is also down.

According to African media such as bitcoinke.io, the Cajees are famous for sharing photos of their lifestyle through social networks. In the meantime, The South African newspaper shared a photo of the two brothers at what appears to be a racing event. Other pictures linked from Instagram vanished from the platform.

One of the Biggest Bitcoin Crimes in History

The 69,000 bitcoins allegedly stolen by the Cajee brothers surpassed $ 4.4 billion in April, during the peak that took the cryptocurrency to a new all-time high in price, above $ 64,000 per unit.

This theft would be the most significant bitcoin crime in history, taking into account the stolen amounts compared with its dollar equivalent. However, the total BTC stolen from investors on the platform is well below the hundreds of thousands of bitcoins stolen during the Mt. Gox hacks in 2011and 2014.

Or the almost 120,000 BTC they stole from Bitfinex in 2016. But with bitcoin going through such a low price, the dollar figure does not reach that of Africrypt.

Between 2019 and 2020, two big thefts of BTC and other cryptocurrencies took place in China. A scam by the creators of the WoToken Ponzi would have generated the theft of about 1,100 million dollars by stealing 46,000 bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies from the company’s clients.

By: Jenson Nuñez

According to Morgan Stanley, the devaluation could occur during the first months of 2022. Bank analysts rule out that there will also be a reduction in public spending.

A private report from bank and investment company Morgan Stanley indicates that Argentina plans to devalue its national fiat currency. That could happen after the legislative elections that will take place on November 14^th.

Economists Fernando Sedano and Lucas Almeida, who signed the analysis, say that it is difficult to make this political decision. They consider that it would lead to a peak of inflation before the end of the year, a usually sensitive period from a social viewpoint.

That led the specialists to assume that the devaluation will occur early next year. The economists argue that the magnitude of the movement is difficult to predict, but something similar to 2014 may happen. They refer to the devaluation of 15% in just three days at the beginning of that year.

The Minister of Economy Denies Expectations of a Devaluation

The report adds that Morgan Stanley would like a fiscal account consolidation to accompany the decision. However, this may not happen by reducing public spending. The investment firm says that the current government is prone to further state intervention. Besides, they do not expect a relaxation in the tax burden, which is bad for investment.

In that sense, Argentine Minister of Economy, Martín Guzmán, recently said that the idea is not to have low taxes and low public spending.

However, Guzmán denied that there are expectations of a devaluation after the elections. He added that it is essential to be reliable and bring peace of mind to people. Likewise, he blamed the former president of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, for causing a problem of shortage of US dollars.

Other analysts, such as the head of the brokerage firm Bull Market Brokers, Ramiro Marra, broadly agree with Morgan Stanley. He argues that the devaluation could occur long before the November elections.

So far in June, the price of the free-market dollar (or “dólar blue”) has increased by 6%, measured in Argentine pesos (ARS). It has gone from ARS 156 per unit to USD 166 pesos per unit.

The Way to Escape Devaluation in Argentina

The national fiat currency has not allowed Argentines to save, leading them to buy US dollars to preserve their assets. Currently, government restrictions on access to foreign currencies make this practice increasingly hard.

Some Argentines see Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies as tools to store value. For example, the price of Bitcoin has increased by almost 12 times, measured in Argentine pesos, in the last two years. In that period, the cryptocurrency went from ARS 477,000 per unit to ARS 5,549,000 per unit.

Those who do not want to endure the volatility that Bitcoin usually experiences for short periods can save on stablecoins. These tokens maintain parity with another asset, generally the US dollar. The most popular stablecoins are DAI, USD Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), Binance Coin (BUSD), and Paxos Standard (PAX).

By Alexander Salazar