Nigeria and the USA Forms Alliance to Fight Cryptocurrency Crimes

Nigeria and the USA are forming an alliance to fight cyber crimes related to cryptocurrencies. The Government of Nigeria has partnered with the United States Department of Justice to pursue cybercrimes and prosecutions related to cryptocurrency trading and investments. A Bilateral Liaison Group was launched in October 2024 to combat illicit finance and cryptocurrencies. Nigeria hopes to prevent unregistered crypto companies from harming the economy of the African nation.

Cybersecurity measures are being enforced by the US on a global scale, in an attempt to stop the misuse of digital assets. Many crypto investors in Nigeria are putting their money behind digital tokens to increase their earnings. The newly formed alliance between the US and Nigerian authorities is an important step towards the growth of cryptocurrencies.

Tigran Gambaryan released from Nigerian prison

Tigran Gambaryan is a Binance executive from the US. The Nigerian government arrested Tigran Gambaryan in February 2024 for allegedly transferring digital tokens worth $35.4 million. He was accused of money laundering using Binance, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges available on the internet. The crypto company, Binance, also faced charges of tax evasion that were denied.

Ekele Ihenacho, a lawyer representing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated that “We have withdrawn the money laundering charges against Tigran Gambaryan to allow him to get medical treatment outside the country”. Tigran Gambaryan was denied bail twice by the High Court judge as he was considered a potential risk to travel by flight.

The 40-year-old executive had joined Binance in 2021. Tigran Gambaryan had worked as a criminal investigator and researched crimes related to cryptocurrencies in the US federal government. He had helped track down crypto transactions involving 650,000 Bitcoins (BTC) that went missing.

Pneumonia, malaria, and tonsillitis, were a few of the medical conditions that had affected Tigran Gambaryan during his time in prison. After several months of detention in Nigeria, criminal charges against Tigran Gambaryan were dropped and he was released to return to the US to seek out medical attention.   

Bitcoin crosses the $71,000 mark

Bitcoin is leading the crypto industry by crossing the $71,000 mark again in November 2024. The price of Bitcoin soared during the first few days of November, despite the fall of the Nigerian Naira. The decline of Nigerian Naira as a global currency is attributed to new regulations issued by the CBN.

The recent rise in Bitcoin prices has led African communities on Telegram to grow by over 180%. Groups on Telegram have acquired more than 3 million users in Africa in the last year. A whopping 56% of the population in Africa is under the age of 25, urging the youth to earn money by trading crypto and playing online games like slot machines to receive digital tokens into their wallets.

Crypto companies like Mega Dice are offering Africans a secure method of obtaining cryptocurrencies. Mega Dice is an innovative crypto casino platform with a licensed Telegram bot to help Nigerians explore a wide range of casino games. Slot machines, crazy time, roulette, and blackjack are a few of the casino games that can be played on Mega Dice.

Welcome bonuses for new users on Mega Dice include 200% deposit and up to 1 Bitcoin. Nigerians can also bet cryptocurrencies on sports tournaments for soccer, tennis, and basketball to win prizes.  First-time users on Mega Dice can unlock up to 50 free spins by using the mobile app to access casino games and sports betting.  

Nigerians are advised to gamble responsibly on digital platforms. People can limit the spending of crypto assets and take regular breaks between gambling sessions to maximize their potential to receive rewards. Africans can use a single account to deposit and withdraw cryptocurrencies while gambling to reduce the risk of cyberattacks online.

The SEC is regulating crypto companies in Nigeria

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Nigeria is actively regulating crypto businesses to prevent fraud and financial crimes. Crypto companies in the African country can be registered under any of the categories that include Virtual Assets Service Providers (VASPs), Digital Asset Offering Platforms (DAOPs), Digital Asset Custodians (DACs), and Digital Asset Exchanges (DAXs).

Additionally, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had issued fresh guidelines for VASPs under a new administration to regulate crypto companies. In December 2023, the CBN lifted its ban on facilitating crypto transactions for businesses after imposing restrictions for 2 years. Following the new guidelines released for VASPs, the SEC had proposed an amendment to the Digital Assets Rules that would include the term crypto in virtual or digital assets.

The amendment suggested by the SEC can help crypto companies to operate in Nigeria. However, the CBN and SEC have worked together to remove the Nigerian Naira from crypto trading platforms to avoid the manipulation of its value. Digital platforms like Binance have delisted the Naira from their services to comply with SEC regulations to reduce the impact of crypto trading on foreign exchange (forex).  

FinTech companies in Nigeria have to provide a disclaimer that they are licensed by the CBN. These financial organizations can be closed for violating the rules. In April 2024, the law enforcement agency, EFCC, froze 105 accounts across various FinTech companies operating in Africa that were suspected of disrupting the forex market through crypto trading exchanges.