Paulo Vidal, a Dogecoin Foundation developer, has created a new protocol that transforms DOGE addresses into International Bank Account Numbers (IBANs). This development could make it easier to link Dogecoin with conventional financial systems, offering a new level of usability for both crypto enthusiasts and mainstream players. While the protocol is still in its early stages, Vidal has shared updates on its developments and insights into its core features. 

Dogecoin Dev Introduces Banking IBAN For DOGE

Dogecoin could be taking a step closer to mainstream financial integration as Vidal unveils an innovative protocol that allows addresses tied to the meme coin to function like bank-validated IBANs. Announced on X this week, the Dogecoin developer explained that his effort to simplify Dogecoin addresses has evolved into a D-IBAN system fully compliant with ISO 13616-1:2020 Standard. 

Vidal has explained that the D-IBAN protocol allows Dogecoin addresses to be formatted in a way that banking systems can easily validate, effectively bridging the gap between cryptocurrency and traditional finance. He explained that the system supports multiple address types, including P2PKH, P2SH, P2WPKH, and time-locked addresses, automatically detecting the type from the address prefix. Additionally, it automatically detects the address type and uses the same MOD-97-10 Checksum algorithm used by banks worldwide. 

The Dogecoin developer notes that the D-IBAN encoding is fully reversible, allowing users to convert back and forth without losing any data. The protocol also formats the IBAN into standard four-character groups for readability, making DOGE addresses more user-friendly and appearing bank-compliant. 

Beyond the core D-IBAN functionality, Vidal has also introduced playful and practical extensions of the system. The DogeMoji protocol converts addresses into memorable, visually appealing emoji sequences—ideal for social media or QR codes. 

The second DogeWords protocol encodes addresses into short, positive word sequences that are easy to read and remember, while maintaining complete reversibility and ensuring accuracy through validation. Both D-IBAN features are designed to make Dogecoin easier to share and interact with in creative ways. 

Community Reacts To D-IBAN Invention

Members of the crypto community who read about Vidal’s new D-IBAN protocol responded with a mix of enthusiasm, curiosity, and caution. Crypto analyst Astro noted that sending fiat to a crypto address via IBAN would require compliance with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) rules, KYC verification, and potentially obtaining a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license. 

Astro warned that integration with traditional banks could undermine the decentralized narrative of blockchain technology, contending that banks and crypto have inherently conflicting interests. A community member also highlighted that creating a mathematically valid IBAN from a Dogecoin address does not guarantee that banks will process actual transactions. He stated that only IBANs issued by authorized institutions are recognized for fund transfers. 

Vidal addressed these concerns by emphasizing that the D-IBAN protocol is intended to provide optional banking integration rather than enforce it. He argued that banks could handle Dogecoin in a familiar format while users retain full control of their wallets, preserving self-custody and upholding the core principles of decentralization.

The British government is weighing plans to ban cryptocurrency donations to political parties, a development that could hit Nigel Farage’s Reform UK just months after it became the first party in the country to accept digital assets.

The proposal, now under active discussion inside Whitehall, is being considered as part of the forthcoming Elections Bill, according to multiple people familiar with the talks.

Although the government did not confirm the plan outright, it said more details would be set out when the bill is published.

Calls Grow to Restrict Digital Asset Contributions to UK Political Parties

The possibility of a prohibition comes as Reform UK continues to position itself as the most crypto-friendly political force in the country.

Earlier this year, Farage opened the door to digital asset contributions and launched a dedicated donations portal.

He has described the move as part of a broader “crypto revolution” in Britain and has repeatedly told industry audiences that he is the “only hope” for UK crypto businesses.

In October, he told Reuters the party had already received “a couple” of crypto donations after notifying the Electoral Commission, showing the first time such a contribution had ever been recorded in British politics.

For now, the value of those donations has not been disclosed. The debate over crypto political financing has also grown more intense as Reform surges in national polls and the Labour government faces mounting questions about foreign interference.

Transparency experts have warned that digital assets, while publicly traceable on-chain, can mask the true origin of funds when moved through multiple wallets.

Tom Keatinge, director at RUSI, noted that crypto transfers allow money to cross borders into the UK “much easier” than through traditional banking, raising concerns about illicit financing, especially under a system that already bans foreign political donations in almost all circumstances.

Calls for stricter oversight have come from multiple quarters, including former Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden, Business Select Committee Chair Liam Byrne, and Phil Brickell, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption and Fair Tax.

UK Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden has called for election officials to consider banning political donations made in digital currencies. #Crypto #UKhttps://t.co/qhoReMm5hG

— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) July 18, 2025

Lawmakers have argued that existing regulations are insufficient to prevent misuse of cryptocurrency in political donations, noting the potential for anonymity and the difficulty in tracing the original source of funds.

High-Profile MEP Case Sparks Calls for Tighter Electoral Finance Rules in UK

Their warnings have been amplified by recent national security concerns, particularly after former Reform Wales leader Nathan Gill was jailed for more than ten years for accepting payments to make pro-Russian statements while serving as an MEP.

Farage has distanced himself from Gill, calling him a “bad apple,” but the case has intensified calls for tougher rules on political funding.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, responsible for the Elections Bill, stated that the political finance system inherited by the U.K. had left democracy vulnerable to foreign influence.

Officials emphasized that new rules, including those potentially targeting crypto donations, would aim to protect electoral integrity while allowing parties to fund their campaigns responsibly.

The Elections Bill is expected to include new requirements for parties and donors, including restrictions on shell-company contributions and mandatory risk assessments for donations that could expose campaigns to foreign interference.

The UK’s caution stands in sharp contrast to the United States, where digital asset donations have become a major force in federal elections.

American crypto-backed PACs poured more than $190 million into the 2024 cycle, aided by clear reporting rules under the Federal Election Commission.

A cryptocurrency-backed super PAC, Fairshake, is heading into the upcoming midterm elections with more than $140 million in the bank.#Fairshake #PAChttps://t.co/7AE1JZjV2Y

— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) July 15, 2025

In Britain, crypto’s political footprint remains minimal. No major party mentioned digital assets in its manifesto during the 2024 general election, and the total number of reported crypto donations remains close to zero.

The post UK Eyes Crypto Political Donation Ban, Threatening Farage’s Reform War Chest appeared first on Cryptonews.

Europol announced the seizure of Cryptomixer’s official website, as well as 25 million euros and 12 terabytes of data from the mixer's service.

The pathway to acquiring Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has often been perceived as complex, involving multiple steps. However, a monumental shift is now underway as Apple Pay has integrated into leading crypto platforms, and getting a major upgrade is becoming as seamless and intuitive as any other digital transaction. This integration removes one of the biggest barriers to entry by replacing traditional transactions.

Why Apple’s Entry Signals A Turning Point For Global Crypto Payments

Apple Pay is now directly integrated with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. A crypto site, CryptosRus, has revealed on X that Apple users can now purchase BTC and other cryptocurrencies directly within Trust Wallet using Apple Pay. This integration will make buying crypto as easy as buying Apps from the App Store, dramatically lowering friction for newcomers with no more clunky bank transfers, complex onboarding forms, and steep learning curves.

With a few simple taps via Apple Pay, the crypto will be in your Trust Wallet. In short, Apple is helping to replace fear and friction with just tap-and-own simplicity. This Apple Pay and crypto is the kind that will seamlessly onramp.

Bitcoin and crypto adoption are sharply gaining traction globally. In a surprising turn for one of the world’s most tightly controlled economies, Turkmenistan has officially legalized Bitcoin and broader cryptocurrency trading. CryptosRus stated that President Serdar Berdimuhamedov has signed a new Sweeping bill that sets the stage for a fully regulated crypto market to begin in 2026.

The new law establishes a dedicated state Commission that will oversee licensing, Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) protocols, cold-storage rules, mining registration, and even the power to halt or require refunds for token issuances. According to CryptoRus, this is a sign that even the most controlled states are being pushed into crypto adoption as the global regulation accelerates.

Bitcoin Decentralized Rails More Resilient Than TradFi Hardware?

An author and ideologist, Shanaka Anslem Perera, pointed out that the day $13.4 billion in Bitcoin options expired, the traditional financial system nearly collapsed. At the crucial hour of 03:00 GMT, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) froze, a cooling failure originating from a single data center. The failure led to 90% of global derivatives trading being halted. 

Meanwhile, a larger sum of $15 billion in crypto options was settled on time, with each block confirmed and every trade seamlessly executed. The machines that price the world stopped working because they were overheated, and the decentralized alternative rails ran exactly as designed. “This isn’t a coincidence, it’s a stress test, and only one system passed the test,” Shanaka noted.

Samourai Wallet founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill were sentenced to 4 and 5 years for laundering $237M via their crypto mixer.

Irish authorities seized $7.1 million in cryptocurrency in a raid targeting money laundering and darknet sales. Three individuals were arrested, with one remaining in custody. “The arrests of the three individuals and the assets seized are the result of a highly complex investigation into criminal darknet marketplace activities by specialist investigators attached to the Garda […]

A 29-year-old man suspected of laundering the proceeds of drug trafficking was arrested in Neufs (France).

According to the information provided, the defendant created a cryptocurrency mixer at the request of a drug dealer “Drugsource” who made a profit by selling drugs through the “dark web”. It is known that Drugsource has fulfilled more than 3000 orders worth more than USD 1.5 million during its operation.

The investigation into the drug trafficker’s activities began in early September 2020. Law enforcement agencies made a control purchase and were able to obtain the address of the trafficker’s wallet. After analyzing the blockchain, the police came across a 29-year-old man whose account had been used for 14 transactions by the drug dealer. The police were able to find and arrest the accused in September 2022.

The hearing in the case of the 29-year-old defendant was scheduled for January 2023. The defendant claimed responsibility for creating the bitcoin tumbler for Drugsource, but he denied any involvement in drug sales. The court nevertheless acquitted him of drug trafficking charges, but he was facing imprisonment for money laundering on a large scale.

USD 500,000 was confiscated from the offender’s cryptocurrency and bank accounts, and his apartment in Dubai was also seized. The defendant is awaiting sentencing in February 2023 on charges of money laundering obtained from the sale of drugs.

Undercover Austrian "controlled data buy" leads to Amsterdam arrest and ongoing investigation. Suspect is said to steal and sell all sorts of data, including medical records.

Cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato, better known to the Russian-speaking segment of the market, has been taken down as part of an “international cryptocurrency enforcement action,” the U.S. Justice Department announced. The Russian owner of the platform has been arrested for his role in the alleged transmission of illicit money. Bitzlato claimed it was hacked.

US, France Hit Cryptocurrency Exchange Bitzlato, Russian Co-founder Detained in Miami

U.S. authorities have apprehended Anatoly Legkodymov, a resident of China, on charges that his Hong Kong-registered crypto trading platform, Bitzlato, processed illicit funds worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The Russian, a co-founder and majority owner of the exchange, was arrested by the FBI in Miami on Tuesday, a high-ranking official from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed.

Speaking during a press conference, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said that Justice Department agents and prosecutors, working with the U.S. Treasury Department and French law enforcement, have “disrupted Bitzlato, a China-based cryptocurrency exchange, notorious for laundering criminal proceeds from the darknet” and ransomware attacks. She also stated:

Today, the Department of Justice has dealt a significant blow to the crypto crime ecosystem.

Legkodymov is accused of operating the exchange as a “high-tech financial hub that, in his own words, catered to ‘known crooks’,” Monaco explained. She went on to allege that Bitzlato was a “crucial financial resource” for Hydra, the largest darknet market, with Russian roots, which was shut down in April, last year, by the German police with the support of U.S. agencies.

According to the DOJ, Hydra buyers funded illicit purchases from crypto accounts hosted at Bitzlato while sellers of drugs, stolen financial information and hacking tools sent criminal proceeds to accounts at the exchange, collectively amounting to $700 million in direct and indirect transfers between 2018 and 2022.

The deputy attorney general also said that the participants in the operation have engaged in a “coordinated campaign of disruption.” This included law enforcement actions in a number of European countries and the seizure of Bitzlato’s servers. By midday Wednesday, Bitzlato’s website was replaced by a notice saying that the service had been seized by French authorities, Reuters reported.

Crypto Exchange Bitzlato Claims It Was Hacked, Halts Withdrawals

Also on Wednesday, the operators of Bitzlato announced on Telegram, that the exchange had suffered a hacking attack. They told users that withdrawals had been suspended indefinitely and asked them to refrain from sending coins to the platform until the issue is resolved.

“Our service was hacked, part of the funds was withdrawn from the service,” the exchange said, noting that the attackers were able to steal a small portion of the funds without specifying the amount. It also sought to assure customers in a second message that their assets were not lost, stating:

For all victims, we guarantee a refund.

“As a security measure, we have disabled the service, we ask you not to replenish the wallets of our service until the work is restored,” Bitzlato reiterated, adding that its team was working on the problem. At the time of writing, the platform is still offline.

The hack presumably took place after on Tuesday the exchange announced maintenance scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 19, “aimed at improving the operation of the service and its security.” The notice informed users it will halt transactions between 5 and 9 a.m. Moscow time.

“We strongly recommend that you organize your work activities taking into account the amendments in order to avoid unpleasant situations,” the platform advised customers, informing them that it plans to disable deposits, withdrawals and trading.

Bitzlato launched in 2016 under the name Changebot and later became a cryptocurrency exchange offering peer-to-peer (P2P) trading services. It lists pairs of the Russian ruble with BTC, ETH, USDT, and other digital coins which can be bought and sold with a variety of payment methods.

Online crypto exchangers like Bitzlato are popular in Russia and the former Soviet space but as crypto assets are yet to be fully regulated in the region, they are often targeted by authorities across the Commonwealth of Independent States. A report recently revealed that the Belarusian judiciary has imposed a hefty fine on the operator of one such platform.

Do you expect other similar operations against crypto trading platforms in the near future? Share your thoughts on the subject in the comments section below.