Crypto Today: Treasury Rule Puts AML/CTF Role on Payment Stablecoin Issuers

Payment stablecoin issuers in the United States are about to get a major compliance overhaul. The US Treasury Department just dropped a proposed rule that would force them to implement full anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CFT) programs. This is part of the GENIUS Act, signed into law in July 2025.

The new framework, proposed by FinCEN and OFAC, would treat stablecoin issuers like financial institutions under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). That means they'll need to maintain sanctions compliance and have the power to "block, freeze, and reject" suspicious transactions.

The New York Times just published a bombshell investigation pointing to Adam Back—the British cryptographer who invented Hashcash—as the most likely person behind the Satoshi Nakamoto pseudonym. The report comes from John Carreyrou, the journalist who exposed the Theranos fraud.

Back immediately denied it, telling Cointelegraph to refer to his X post where he states: "I am not Satoshi." He explained his early focus was on "the positive societal implications of cryptography, online privacy and electronic cash."

The NYT's case is circumstantial but detailed: Back was cited in the Bitcoin white paper, actively discussed electronic cash for years, vanished just as Bitcoin emerged, and reappeared after Satoshi disappeared. The investigation also used stylometric analysis, noting similarities in writing style, formatting habits, and technical language between Back and Satoshi.

Bitcoin just surged past $72,000 for the first time in 20 days, following news that the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. President Donald Trump announced the suspension of bombing and attacks on Iran, hours before his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council confirmed it accepted the ceasefire. Bitcoin jumped 2.6% in the hour after the announcement, hitting $72,339 at the time of publication. Crypto traders have historically viewed geopolitical tensions as a headwind, so any easing tends to trigger quick relief rallies.