On July 14, builders of the $1.5-billion Chinese language cross-chain protocol Multichain confirmed customers’ worst fears. The protocol’s CEO, recognized solely as “Zhaojun He,” was arrested by Chinese language authorities in Kunming on Might 21 after months of repeated denials on official communication channels. Additionally allegedly arrested was Multichain’s core staff, which was working in Shanghai.
It was by no means disclosed why Zhaojun had been arrested or what the fees have been. Nonetheless, proof means that Multichain funds might have been seized as a part of an anti-money laundering operation within the context of a larger crackdown on crypto by Chinese language authorities. As well as, an alleged faux ID utilized by the CEO to register Multichain’s operations solely attracts extra questions.