Key Takeaways
- The U.S. Treasury and its OFAC division have redesignated the sanctioned coin mixer Twister Money.
- The Treasury associated the brand new sanctions to its broader efforts to defund North Korea’s WMD packages.
- Twister Money was first sanctioned in August, whereas a September replace clarified the scope of the sanctions.
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The U.S. Treasury has imposed new sanctions on Twister Money, alleging its use by the North Korean authorities.
Twister Money Re-Sanctioned
Ethereum’s high mixing protocol has been sanctioned as soon as once more.
In a press release, the usTreasury Division introduced right this moment that it was amending sanctions regarding Twister Money, noting that the service had been used to supply monetary, materials, and technological help to the North Korean authorities.
The Treasury redesignated the venture on the grounds that it has supported illicit “cyber-enabled exercise originating from… outdoors the US.” Particularly, the Treasury said that Lazarus Group used Twister Money in March to maneuver $455 million of stolen cryptocurrency.
The Treasury additionally sanctioned two people related to Air Koryo, North Korea’s state-owned airline. Although circuitously associated, each actions are a part of its efforts to defund North Korea’s weapons packages.
Right now’s redesignation supersedes the sanctions imposed on Twister Money this summer time. Right now’s replace reads: “The August 8, 2022 designation of Twister Money is now not operative and is wholly changed.”
The Treasury’s FAQ web page also indicates that Twister Money builders, founders, DAO members, and customers should not designated underneath its sanctions—a coverage consistent with a September replace. As an alternative, the sanctions forestall people from utilizing Twister Money by blacklisting the venture’s crypto addresses and web site.
Sanctions in opposition to the venture are unpopular with most people, and efforts to problem the coverage are underway. Coin Heart, with monetary backing from Coinbase, has filed a lawsuit in opposition to the Treasury to that finish.
Twister Money remains to be operational and has about $200 million in complete worth locked. As a result of the coin mixer is a decentralized software, authorities can’t immediately block transactions.
Disclosure: On the time of writing, the creator of this piece owned BTC, ETH, and different digital belongings.
