ZkSNACKs, developer of privacy-sensitive Bitcoin wallet Wasabi Wallet, announced that access to its product and platform will be blocked for users in the United States until further notice. This move has sparked some interesting discussion and speculation in the cryptocurrency community, with many claiming it is related to the recent arrest of the founder of Samourai Wallet.
Why has Wasabi Wallet blocked US users?
On Saturday, April 27th, zkSNACK was released via: blog post US citizens and residents are banned indefinitely from visiting the website and using Wasabi Wallet. Software companies also disable other services and products such as APIs and RPC interfaces.
The statement is as follows:
“US” means “United States” and includes the states and associated territories of the United States. If you are a U.S. citizen or resident of the United States, you may not visit the aforementioned sites, download Wasabi Wallet, or use the Wasabi Wallet CoinJoin feature. This includes if you are a U.S. permanent resident or an individual holding a U.S. passport.
In a blog post, zkSNACKs highlighted “recent announcements” from US authorities as the main reason for this decision. It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact announcement the company was referring to, but it is believed it has pulled out of the US market following the recent arrest of its privacy-focused Samourai Wallet founder.
like Bitcoinist ReportsSamourai Wallet co-founders, Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill was arrested by U.S. law enforcement on charges of operating an unlicensed money transfer business and conspiring to commit money laundering. The two were accused of laundering more than $100 million in criminal proceeds, including funds obtained from Silk Road and Hydra Markets.
Consensys, the creator of the MetaMask wallet, also faced it. regulatory investigation This is what the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced in recent weeks. The financial watchdog appears to be targeting specific wallet features of MetaMask, such as swap and staking features.
Phoenix Wallet is leaving the US market.
ACINQ’s Phoenix Wallet also recently announced plans to exit the U.S. market by next month. The wallet provider instructed US users to remove their assets and empty their wallets before May 3, 2023.
ACINQ wrote: post to:
Recent announcements from U.S. authorities have raised doubts about whether self-managed wallet providers, Lightning service providers, and even Lightning nodes can be considered financial services businesses and subject to regulation.
Source: Phoenix Wallet/X
The exodus of self-custodial cryptocurrency wallets and projects will intensify in the United States. Emphasis on regulatory issues and instability Information surrounding the cryptocurrency industry and privacy-enhancing technologies.
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