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Crypto Insight
5 hours ago
- Business
- Crypto Insight
Crystal Intelligence shares top insights from the frontlines of the battle against crypto scams
Ensuring top-notch cybersecurity is an essential necessity for businesses to set up shop in the modern business world, and the crypto industry is no exception. Similar to their Web2 counterparts, the crypto landscape fights its own battle against the ever-increasing scams and other security risks. Straightforward scams have transformed into complex, multi-layered operations that pose significant challenges to organizations. As illicit activities become more difficult to crack, the business world dealing with cryptocurrencies is increasingly seeking advanced intelligence and analytics. Crystal Intelligence, a blockchain analytics firm, addresses this need by uncovering hidden patterns in blockchain transactions. The company provides tools that help businesses detect and prevent illicit activities, identify high-risk entities and comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations. By enhancing transparency and security, Crystal Intelligence aims to keep institutions ahead of evolving crypto threats. Leveraging a team of analysts fluent in many regional languages across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia-Pacific, Crystal Intelligence offers insights that are both globally comprehensive and locally precise. This regional expertise helps clients understand on-the-ground risks and regulatory frameworks, enabling them to operate in complex jurisdictions and effectively mitigate region-specific threats. In this interview, Crysta Intelligencel's lead investigator Andrii Sovershyenni and senior investigator Federico Paesano share key insights into the tricky landscape that crypto businesses must navigate and how to be better prepared against crypto scams and frauds. Cointelegraph: Can you tell us about Crystal Intelligence and its mission in the blockchain and crypto space? Federico Paesano: Crystal Intelligence helps organizations understand and manage cryptocurrency through advanced blockchain analytics and compliance solutions. Our tools allow for real-time tracking, risk assessment, and detailed analysis of crypto transactions. This makes us an essential partner for compliance professionals, regulators, and investigators in the crypto field. We also provide training programs. These programs teach clients best practices in the crypto world and equip law enforcement and private sector teams with the skills they need to trace crypto assets. CT: Crypto scams have evolved significantly over the years. What trends or types of scams have you seen rise the most recently? FP: The way criminals use cryptocurrency has changed a lot over the years. They have become more skilled and now use new technologies to avoid being caught. Let's look at the latest changes in this area and see how they have developed. In the past, scammers used simple tactics to hide their activities. They sent Bitcoin (BTC) through multiple addresses to cash out anonymously via exchanges like BTC-e. However, as regulations became stricter and investigators improved their skills, these basic methods became less effective. The rise of KYC policies and the growing cooperation between centralized exchanges and law enforcement made it much harder for bad actors to cash out without leaving a trace. In response, crypto criminals are changing their tactics. They are using more complex methods that take advantage of new products and services in the blockchain space. Swaps, token bridges and decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols have become the tools of choice for criminals seeking to cover their tracks. Scammers and thieves use these technologies to exchange tokens across different blockchains without going through centralized platforms that require identity checks or interaction with authorities. They take advantage of decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and smart contracts to move funds across multiple blockchains quickly, without the oversight that regular exchanges offer. This makes it harder to track illegal activities. Every day we work with law enforcement agencies around the world. They focus on staying updated on new developments, adjusting to changes, and using the latest tools to track and reveal hidden activities. CT: Can you walk us through a scenario where your technology helped identify or prevent a scam? FP: Acting quickly is crucial in every financial investigation. This is especially so when dealing with cryptocurrencies. The difference between stopping a scam and losing money may be mere minutes. This is where Crysta Intelligence's real-time blockchain analytics can help. Our technology tracks and analyzes crypto transactions as they occur, allowing you to spot illegal activity before it's too late. Big news! Crystal is highly commended at the 2024 Regulation Asia Awards for Best #Blockchain Analytics & Investigations Solution! 🎉 Discover how we're advancing blockchain #compliance & #frauddetection: — Crystal Intelligence (@CrystalPlatform) November 5, 2024 We can quickly label suspicious addresses and entities. Our intelligence team identifies addresses linked to crimes like theft, scams, and hacks, and categorizes them within minutes. This fast response is very important. For example, if stolen funds are sent to a cryptocurrency exchange to be cashed out or exchanged for other tokens, our advanced monitoring tools alert the exchange's compliance team as soon as the funds arrive. They can then take action against the illegal source of the funds. In some cases, this alert can help slow down the flow of stolen funds and may even stop criminals from accessing or laundering the money further. We have many cases where we have been asked to help with investigations. When criminals tried to move funds through multiple digital wallets, our expert investigators noticed unusual patterns. They traced the funds and sent out immediate warnings. Often the exchanges involved will work with us to freeze the funds, and block criminals from cashing out, allowing law enforcement to follow the trail of the stolen assets. CT: How does Crystal Intelligence help law enforcement in crypto-related investigations? Are there any notable cases where your team played a key role? FP: When law enforcement investigates crime proceeds in blockchains, several key factors can determine the success of their work. First, it is essential that the tools are easy to use. A powerful tool is not helpful if it confuses investigators with too much complexity or information. Crystal Intelligence has spent a lot of time improving its user interface to ensure even advanced features are easy to navigate. The graphs and visualizations help investigators see complex crypto transaction patterns clearly without being hard to read. This clarity is crucial in fast-paced situations where every moment matters. Second, attribution data is vital to connecting crypto addresses to individuals or organizations. Crystal Intelligence helps law enforcement establish these links by showing relationships between addresses, transactions, and known entities. This then lets investigators follow the money and contact relevant institutions or people. Compliance teams also benefit from this data, as it helps them assess risks in customer transactions and spot potential criminal activity. Finally, the reliability of the data is critical. Crystal's Intelligence Team works very hard to verify data and gather evidence for accurate attribution and risk scores. This is important as law enforcement agencies must be able to trust the data to act effectively, whether it's freezing assets or pursuing further investigations. CT: Blockchain technology is often praised for its transparency, but scams still occur. What are the challenges in identifying and preventing fraudulent transactions on the blockchain? Andrii Sovershennyi: The largest issue we face is speed. Collecting information about fraud is quite straightforward, but doing it quickly can be challenging. Blockchain payments are faster than traditional payments. With quick confirmation times, an attacker can receive payment and convert funds very quickly, leaving little time for anyone to act proactively. At Crystal Intelligence, we are constantly working to speed up how we collect and use labels in our system to help our clients. This challenge gets harder with fraud, as victims often only realize they have been defrauded much later, and they may never get their money back. That's why it is important to raise awareness about common types of fraud and support trustworthy businesses. CT: Looking ahead, what do you think the future holds for blockchain security? Are there any emerging threats on the horizon that we should be aware of? AS: Blockchain security can be very challenging. Many people, including myself, believe that keeping your own crypto instead of relying on exchanges is safer. However, it can be risky if you lose your private key or if it gets stolen. It's difficult to comment on emerging threats. But the general rule is that criminals innovate constantly. Attackers are becoming more skilled and have pulled off impressive heists against well-protected targets. Many of these attacks use social engineering, like impersonating customer service, and modern AI tools can help them create convincing fake voices, images, and videos. I think the focus on security will shift from technology to laws and regulations. Services will need to prove that they take security seriously, and there may be specific rules about how they handle custody. CT: Finally, what advice would you give to crypto investors or businesses to better protect themselves from falling victim to scams? AS: Many factors are involved when businesses want to work with cryptocurrency. To start, they should follow the recommendations in open standards like the Cryptocurrency Security Standard (CCSS). This standard offers good policies and guidance. There are also many firms that can help businesses create and apply the necessary security measures. For consumers, it's best to choose a licensed and regulated cryptocurrency exchange. Instead of just looking for the 'best cryptocurrency exchange near me', check the list of authorized firms from national financial regulators. While this doesn't guarantee safety, being regulated means these firms must follow certain rules. Additionally, you can visit the International Organisation of Security Commissions (IOSCO) to find information on investor protection. They have a list of services that warn about potential issues. Their site also has many valuable free resources for learning about investments, which can help you assess the opportunities you come across. Crystal Intelligence's website provides a wide range of resources for victims of cryptocurrency scams and helps businesses improve their security through education and awareness. Source:
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How PepsiCo Stays Ahead in Snacks and Beverages
PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) is one of the Best Wide Moat Dividend Stocks to Invest in. A close up of a glass of a refreshing carbonated beverage illustrating the company's different beverages. After years of weak growth caused by operational missteps and limited investment, PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)'s management has successfully turned things around, delivering steady gains in revenue and profits. However, the company still has more room to grow, supported by strong long-term trends in the snack industry, expansion into high-growth beverage segments like energy drinks, and increasing demand in emerging markets such as Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Its integrated business model also helps it bring products to market more efficiently. PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) stays ahead of health and wellness trends by introducing zero-sugar and functional beverages and exploring unique flavors, including through its recent acquisition of Poppi. The company owns popular brands like Pepsi, Quaker Oats, and Aquafina, which are staples in grocery stores. Its sales generally remain steady even during economic downturns, giving it a solid advantage in navigating recessions. PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) also holds a strong dividend policy. The company has been rewarding shareholders with growing dividends for the past 53 consecutive years. Currently, it offers a quarterly dividend of $1.4225 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.34%, as of June 24. While we acknowledge the potential of PEP as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure. None. Sign in to access your portfolio
Globe and Mail
15 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Lucintel Forecasts the Global Aircraft Evacuation System Market to Reach $3.1 billion by 2030
"According to a market report by Lucintel, the future of the global aircraft evacuation system market looks promising with opportunities in the civil and commercial & military markets. The global aircraft evacuation system market is expected to reach an estimated $3.1 billion by 2030 from $2.2 billion in 2024, at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2024 to 2030" According to a market report by Lucintel, the future of the global aircraft evacuation system market looks promising with opportunities in the civil and commercial & military markets. The global aircraft evacuation system market is expected to reach an estimated $3.1 billion by 2030 from $2.2 billion in 2024, at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2024 to 2030 According to a market report by Lucintel, the future of the global aircraft evacuation system market looks promising with opportunities in the civil and commercial & military markets. The global aircraft evacuation system market is expected to reach an estimated $3.1 billion by 2030 from $2.2 billion in 2024, at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2024 to 2030. The major drivers for this market are increase in demand for advanced emergency response system and increasing number of air passenger. A more than 150-page report to understand trends, opportunity and forecast in aircraft evacuation system market to 2030 by product type (life vest, escape slide, evacuation raft, ejection seat, and inflatable floatation), application (civil, commercial & military, and others), and region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World). Lucintel forecasts that escape slide will remain the largest segment over the forecast period. Within this market, civil is expected to witness the higher growth over the forecast period. Download sample by clicking on aircraft evacuation system market North America will remain the largest region over the forecast period. UTC Aerospace Systems, EAM Worldwide, United Technologies, Safran, Survitec, Switlik Parachute, Martin Baker Aircraft, Survival Equipment Services, Tulmar Safety Systems, The MEL Group are the major suppliers in the aircraft evacuation system market. This unique research report will enable you to make confident business decisions in this globally competitive marketplace. For a detailed table of contents, contact Lucintel at +1-972-636-5056 or write us at helpdesk@ To get access of more than 1000 reports at fraction of cost visit Lucintel's Analytics Dashboard. About Lucintel At Lucintel, we offer solutions for you growth through game changer ideas and robust market & unmet needs analysis. We are based in Dallas, TX and have been a trusted advisor for 1,000+ clients for over 20 years. We are quoted in several publications like the Wall Street Journal, ZACKS, and the Financial Times. Contact: Roy Almaguer Lucintel Dallas, Texas, USA Email: Tel. +1-972-636-5056 Explore Our Latest Publications AI Live Chat Software Market AI Price Optimization Market AI Robot Toy for Kid Market AI Robotic Lawn Mower Market AI Roleplay Chatbot Market AI Text Creation Tool Market Media Contact Company Name: Lucintel Contact Person: Roy Almaguer Email: Send Email Phone: 972.636.5056 Address: 8951 Cypress Waters Blvd., Suite 160 City: Dallas State: TEXAS Country: United States Website:
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
White House's thinly-veiled threat to Albanese over defense spending
Australia should boost its defense spending in line with NATO partners, according to a new diktat from the White House which sets Anthony Albanese on a collision course with Donald Trump , who he is yet to meet. Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - which Australia is not a part of - agreed to lift their defense spending to 5 percent of GDP over 10 years during a summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, this week. The move was triggered by pressure from the US President who had has long called for European allies to boost their defense spending. It was a win for Trump who had his ego massaged at the meeting of world leaders when Nato Chief Mark Rutte referred to him as 'daddy'. But now the US Commander-in-Chief has indicated he expects his allies in the Asia-Pacific - including Australia - to also increase their defense funding. 'Yeah, look, if our allies in Europe and our NATO allies can do that, I think our allies and our friends in the Asia Pacific region can do it as well,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday. Ms Leavitt said she would leave the 'specific relations and discussions' for individual countries to Trump. This means that Albanese may be pressured to increase defense spending if he hopes to secure a carve-out from the punishing tariffs imposed by the US on imports, including a 50 percent levy on steel and aluminum. He will also be hoping to shore up the $368bn AUKUS submarine deal, which is currently under threat from a 30-day review by the Pentagon. But Albanese rebuffed the call to increase defense spending on Friday morning, insisting his government would not deviate from the levels they outlined in the March budget, which aims to reach 2.3 per cent over the next ten years. 'We continue to invest in whatever capabilities Australia needs – we'll continue to do that,' Albanese told reporters. 'My job is to look after Australia's national interest, which includes our defense and security interests, and that's precisely what we are doing.' Spain was the only NATO member not to agree to lift its defense spending above 2.1 percent of GDP, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arguing it was 'incompatible with our welfare state and our vision of the world'. This triggered Trump's ire, with the US President vowing to hit Spain with higher tariffs. 'They want a little bit of a free ride, but they'll have to pay it back to us on trade, because I'm not going to let that happen,' Trump said. Albanese's planned meeting with Trump at the G7 summit in Canada failed to eventuate when the US President had to dash back to Washington to deal with the Israel-Iran crisis. Many had expected him to go in Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles place to the NATO summit this week to secure a meeting but instead he stayed in Australian. Marles risked Trump's ire by insisting Australia would not follow NATO members by lifting its defense spending to five percent of GDP. 'Look, obviously, a very significant decision has been made here in relation to European defense spending, and that is fundamentally a matter for NATO,' Marles said. 'We've gone through our own process of assessing our strategic landscape, assessing the threats that exist there, and the kind of defense force we need to build in order to meet those threats, to meet the strategic moment, and then to resource that. Marles did not speak directly with Mr Trump, nor US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, despite intensive efforts by government officials to tee up a first face-to-face meeting of an Australian minister with the US President.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
1 Safe-and-Steady Stock with Impressive Fundamentals and 2 to Turn Down
Stability is great, but low-volatility stocks may struggle to deliver market-beating returns over time as they sometimes underperform during bull markets. Choosing the wrong investments can cause you to fall behind, which is why we started StockStory - to separate the winners from the losers. That said, here is one low-volatility stock that could offer consistent gains and two that may not keep up. Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.52 Known for its transparent, customer-centric approach and wide selection of vehicles, Carmax (NYSE:KMX) is the largest automotive retailer in the United States. Why Should You Dump KMX? Weak same-store sales trends over the past two years suggest there may be few opportunities in its core markets to open new locations Gross margin of 10.8% is below its competitors, leaving less money for marketing and promotions 16× net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio shows it's overleveraged and increases the probability of shareholder dilution if things turn unexpectedly CarMax's stock price of $66.80 implies a valuation ratio of 17x forward P/E. Dive into our free research report to see why there are better opportunities than KMX. Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.64 With approximately 350,000 route miles of fiber optic cable spanning North America and the Asia Pacific, Lumen Technologies (NYSE:LUMN) operates a vast fiber optic network that provides communications, cloud connectivity, security, and IT solutions to businesses and consumers. Why Do We Steer Clear of LUMN? Products and services are facing significant end-market challenges during this cycle as sales have declined by 9.4% annually over the last five years Free cash flow margin shrank by 7.5 percentage points over the last five years, suggesting the company is consuming more capital to stay competitive Shrinking returns on capital from an already weak position reveal that neither previous nor ongoing investments are yielding the desired results Lumen is trading at $4.33 per share, or 1.3x forward EV-to-EBITDA. Read our free research report to see why you should think twice about including LUMN in your portfolio, it's free. Rolling One-Year Beta: 0.79 Spun out of Post Holdings in 2019, Bellring Brands (NYSE:BRBR) offers protein shakes, nutrition bars, and other products under the PowerBar, Premier Protein, and Dymatize brands. Why Do We Love BRBR? Unit sales were phenomenal over the past two years, showing demand is robust and retailers can't stock enough of its products Earnings per share grew by 28% annually over the last three years, massively outpacing its peers Market-beating returns on capital illustrate that management has a knack for investing in profitable ventures At $57.26 per share, BellRing Brands trades at 24x forward P/E. Is now a good time to buy? Find out in our full research report, it's free. Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election sent major indices to all-time highs, but stocks have retraced as investors debate the health of the economy and the potential impact of tariffs. While this leaves much uncertainty around 2025, a few companies are poised for long-term gains regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate, like our Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Exlservice (+354% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free. Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Find your next big winner with StockStory today Sign in to access your portfolio
