In a recent email sent out to registered attendees, NFT.NYC said that they will be expecting almost 20% of the NFT world’s biggest event to be speakers.

On top of the seven stages at four different venues being booked for the event, New York’s biggest crypto-conference is due to turn even more heads than last year, as they claim to be dumping as much as $6 million into the event with Times Square Billboards, extensive merchandise, and food and drink options.

The company also claims that their premium sponsorships,  which cost $100k a piece, are fifty percent sold out. NFT.NYC doesn’t publicize the cap they put on sponsorships. Their expectations are that all sponsorships will be sold out my next month.

Among all of the speakers at the event, deBanked‘s Editor-in-Chief Sean Murray will be at the podium to discuss how NFTs can be integrated with commercial lending. deBanked and deCashed will both be at the event in a reporting capacity.

The event is expecting around 6,000 people, and is being held from June 20-23 in Manhattan.

Italian car maker Alfa Romeo announced they are utilizing blockchain technology in their new electric vehicles, verifying service records done by Alfa Romeo technicians with NFTs. This incorporation of blockchain technology is validating whether or not work done to a vehicle was done by an Alfa Romeo technician. 

The NFTs will be exclusive to the Alfa Romeo Tonale, a plug-in hybrid SUV that is set to launch at the end of 2022. 

“Digitalization is a key enabler of our metamorphosis,” Francesco Calcara, Head of Marketing at Alfa Romeo, said in a briefing about the company’s new models. “[The NFTs] will sustain the residual values of our models as we are the first in the market to adopt this next-generation technology.”

Residual values are what the car manufactures determine their cars will be worth on the used car market in years to come. When leasing, this is the optional-buyout price of the car after the lease is complete. If a solid record of Alfa Romeo service can be held on the blockchain, customers will be more likely to pay more for a used Alfa Romeo, thus making their residual values higher and their predictions more accurate.

The innovation provides a solution in the auto industry to the long time problem of manufacturers dealing with work done by outside mechanics. When things aren’t covered by warranty, customers will quickly turn to local or third party mechanics to get the work done at a cheaper rate. When this is done on vehicles that are leased or financed with the intention of trading in, car manufacturers are taking in vehicles that have a misleading service history. 

The NFTs will create a database of exactly when, where, and what type of work was to be done on particular Alfa Romeo vehicles. If a customer or potential buyer wants to verify work done on the car was done by an Alfa Romeo certified technician, they can ask to see the NFTs associated with the work. 

The announcement is a great marketing move, as crypto and auto communities haven’t found a reason to mesh as of yet. After announcing that the company will shift to all electric cars by 2027, Alfa Romeo may be trying to make a name for themselves as the ‘crypto car’ down the road. 

Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, married and 34 and 31 respectively, were nabbed by federal agents on Tuesday in Manhattan for their involvement in a Bitfinex hack from 2016. The two were due in court on the afternoon of their arrest, as investigators have their work cut out for them in regards to how this operation was conducted. 

“Today’s arrests, and the department’s largest financial seizure ever, show that cryptocurrency is not a safe haven for criminals,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “In a futile effort to maintain digital anonymity, the defendants laundered stolen funds through a labyrinth of cryptocurrency transactions. Thanks to the meticulous work of law enforcement, the department once again showed how it can and will follow the money, no matter what form it takes.”

“Today, federal law enforcement demonstrates once again that we can follow money through the blockchain, and that we will not allow cryptocurrency to be a safe haven for money laundering or a zone of lawlessness within our financial system,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The arrests today show that we will take a firm stand against those who allegedly try to use virtual currencies for criminal purposes.”

A release from the DOJ reads “Lichtenstein and Morgan allegedly conspired to launder the proceeds of 119,754 bitcoin that were stolen from Bitfinex’s platform after a hacker breached Bitfinex’s systems and initiated more than 2,000 unauthorized transactions.”

Those unauthorized transactions sent the stolen bitcoin to a digital wallet under Lichtenstein’s control,” it continues. “Over the last five years, approximately 25,000 of those stolen bitcoin were transferred out of Lichtenstein’s wallet via a complicated money laundering process that ended with some of the stolen funds being deposited into financial accounts controlled by Lichtenstein and Morgan.”

According to the DOJ, there is approximately $900M dollars still unaccounted for. 

“In a methodical and calculated scheme, the defendants allegedly laundered and disguised their vast fortune,” said Chief Jim Lee of IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). “IRS-CI Cyber Crimes Unit special agents have once again unraveled a sophisticated laundering technique, enabling them to trace, access and seize the stolen funds, which has amounted to the largest cryptocurrency seizure to date, valued at more than $3.6 billion.”

“Criminals always leave tracks, and today’s case is a reminder that the FBI has the tools to follow the digital trail, wherever it may lead,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul M. Abbate. “Thanks to the persistent and dedicated work of our FBI Investigative teams and law enforcement partners, we’re able to uncover the source of even the most sophisticated schemes and bring justice to those who try to exploit the security of our financial infrastructure.”

DriveWealth, the mobile finance management platform which prides itself on being the number one virtual brokerage infrastructure, has acquired DriveLiquidity and DriveDigital in newly unveiled plans to offer cryptocurrencies to individuals at both partner and retail investing levels. The move comes after the company completed its acquisition of Crypto Systems, a mobile trading platform exclusive to digital assets.

“This next stage of growth for DriveWealth represents an additional milestone in support of our core mission, expanding access to notional investing,” said Bob Cortright, Founder and CEO at DriveWealth.

“No other asset class translates to notional investing the way cryptocurrencies do,” Cortright continued. “Creating DriveWealth’s crypto vertical strengthens our ability to empower retail investors to enter these markets, while also equipping our partners with the end-to-end technology they need to power the investing experience as we move into the virtual asset space.”

According to a press release, DriveWealth’s acquisition of DriveLiquidity will provide DriveWealth with the capability to trade cryptocurrencies on a proprietary basis. DriveLiquidity will act as a liquidity provider in both DriveWealth and to other cryptocurrency venues. DriveWealth also launched DriveDigital as its cryptocurrency exchange platform, as part of the company’s overall game plan to start dabbling in digital assets.

DriveDigital’s platform will offer Ethereum and Bitcoin as part of its initial launch. The move will undoubtedly draw eyes from companies like Coinbase, whose fee structure has resulted in scrutiny, even making the company hint at turning into a subscription platform in a recent earnings call.

Marc Anthony, former Chief Strategy Officer at DriveWealth and now CEO of DriveDigital, spoke about the importance of digital assets entering the portfolios of traditional traders, allowing both his company and customers a chance to learn and grow simultaneously.

“Crypto is the most requested asset class from our partners and their customers – DriveDigital and DriveLiquidity will provide that capability,” said Anthony. “Expanding DriveWealth’s business model into the digital asset space will give our partners access to the crypto markets while also enabling us to scale our businesses – together.”