Apple has delisted 14 crypto apps in South Korea at the request of one of the country’s regulators.

South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), an anti-money laundering agency, issued the requests.

The regulator claims the banned apps involved foreign virtual asset operators conducting “unreported business activities.”

Apple’s list of blocked apps includes the crypto exchange giants KuCoin and MEXC. Last month, Google Play delisted both of those exchanges and 15 other crypto operators at the FIU’s request.

The regulatory crackdown materializes as crypto adoption swells across South Korea. The Seoul-based news agency Yonhap, citing data released by the South Korean government, reported that as of late February of this year, 16.29 million people have opened accounts on Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax, the country’s top five domestic crypto exchanges. The country currently has an overall population of nearly 52 million.

Banks in South Korea have also reportedly been rushing to partner with crypto firms as the country’s digital asset regulations become less restrictive.

In February, South Korea’s Financial Services Commission announced that the country would launch a pilot program in the second half of 2025 that allows 3,500 corporate entities to buy crypto for investment and financial purposes. Corporate crypto transactions have been banned in the country since 2017.

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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

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The number of Android and iPhone users hit by bank malware is skyrocketing as criminals increasingly shift to mobile devices.

In a new report, the cybersecurity firm Kaspersky says the number of smartphone users who encountered banking malware in 2024 soared 258% year-on-year.

“In 2024, the number of users who encountered mobile banking Trojans grew 3.6 times compared to 2023: from 69,200 to 247,949.”

The most active mobile malware targeting bank accounts was Mamont, commanding a market share of approximately 36.7% in 2024.

“This malware first appeared at the end of 2023 and is distributed mostly in Russia and the CIS. Its distribution schemes are ranging from ages-old “Is that you in the picture?” scams to complex social engineering plots with fake stores and delivery tracking apps.”

Countries in Europe and Asia were the most heavily impacted by mobile banking malware in the last year.

As for banking malware targeting PCs (personal computers), some of the most significantly impacted countries in 2024 were in Central Asia, Kaspersky says.

“As in 2023, the highest share of banking Trojans was registered in Afghanistan, where it rose from 6% to 9% in 2024. Turkmenistan was next (as in 2023), where the figure rose from 5.2% to 8.8%, and Tajikistan was in third place (again), where the figure rose from 3.7% to 6.2%.”

Going forward, Kaspersky’s senior web content analyst Olga Svistunova, says the level of sophistication that cybercriminals employ to reach users is only going to rise.

“Looking ahead, we expect financial phishing to become even more personalized and targeted, focusing on exploiting vulnerabilities in everyday digital habits, which will demand increased vigilance and thorough approaches to protection.”

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Dan Ives, the senior equities analyst at investment banking firm Wedbush Securities, says President Trump’s tariffs will likely lead to the collapse of the US tech sector.

In a new CNBC interview, Ives says Trump’s sweeping and reciprocal tariffs are bad news for tech companies, particularly for firms relying on China for parts and labor.

Last week, Trump issued an executive order imposing a 10% tariff on all imported goods entering the US, with the stated goal of safeguarding domestic manufacturing. Trump’s executive order also details country-specific tariffs, leading to a cumulative 54% tariff on Chinese imports.

According to Ives, US tech firms like Apple are now under pressure to rethink their business model amid the potential increase in production costs.

“It’s essentially an economic armageddon if these tariffs stay in place. The reality of talking in front of the microphone in a 202 area code is a lot different than the reality of moving the supply chain. 

And I think it speaks to our point that when you look at China-exposed names, from Nvidia to Apple to any of the [semiconductor] names, this is as nervous as I’ve seen investors going back to Covid March 2020.”

Ives says he sees tech firms responding by hiking prices, leading to “demand destruction.”

“If they hold in their current form, then essentially you have 15% to 20% demand destruction across the board in terms of costs that are actually going to have to come through.”

The wealth management executive says that at the end of the day, American consumers will bear the brunt of Trump’s tariffs.

“Whoever is going to pay it? It’s the consumer, and that’s the reality. You can talk about tariffs all you want, consumers are going to pay it on the iPhones, they’re going to pay it on electronics, they’re going to pay it across the board.”

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