Vladimir Smerkis, co-founding father of the crypto sport Blum and dilapidated head of Binance’s CIS division, has been arrested in Moscow on suspicion of fraud.
The Zamoskvoretsky District Court ordered his detention this week. Authorities have not disclosed the specifics of the alleged prison exercise.
Blum Distances Itself From Vladimir Smerkis
Blum rose to prominence as portion of the “tap-to-procedure” wave—games where users many occasions tap their screens to procedure digital tokens. In Blum’s case, avid gamers tapped falling snowflakes to earn in-sport forex, which the venture claimed would possibly perhaps be exchanged for exact-world money.
The arrest comes as scrutiny intensifies over tap-to-procedure platforms. In an announcement shared with its 5.3 million followers on X (Twitter), Blum clarified that Smerkis not has any role in the corporate.
“We would treasure to recount our community that Vladimir Smerkis has stepped down from his role as CMO and is not eager with the pattern of the venture or in any co-founder ability,” the group posted.
Tap-to-procedure games personal drawn world consideration following the viral success of Hamster Kombat in 2024. That sport’s giant token airdrop, the best in the crypto industry so some distance, introduced the users’ consideration to this sector.
Blum hasty adopted as one of loads of tap-to-procedure projects. Right now time, the tap-to-procedure section holds a market cap of $511 million.
