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Apple has removed a fake Trezor wallet app after a researcher revealed its presence in the App Store but others may still be lurking.

An apparent malicious app purporting to be crypto hardware wallet Trezor has been taken off Apple’s App Store, though a quick search has revealed that other copycat apps are still lurking.

On June 20, Managing Partner at Crypto Lawyers, Rafael Yakobi, posted a security alert regarding Apple’s App Store. Yakobi reported that the first result in a search for “Trezor” was a malicious app designed to steal cryptocurrency.

He warned Apple users that the fake “Trezor Wallet Suite” app will “request your seed phrase, allowing its operators to steal all of your crypto.” Yakobi added:

“This app has been up for weeks, although the total number of victims is unknown, it could easily be in the hundreds or thousands.”

Cointelegraph searched the United States’ version of the App Store and could not find the malicious app referenced by Yakobi. Apple is generally quick to remove suspicious or fraudulent apps from its app store once alerted. 

However, a search for “Trezor Wallet Suite” returned another potentially nefarious application called “MyTREZŌR Suite: One Edition.” It only had two reviews — both of which were warnings that the app is a scam that will steal crypto — so it appears that Apple has not fully cleaned house as of yet.

Apple insists that apps on its official App Store have been vetted and cleared for security purposes.

The safest way to download mobile applications for crypto wallets is from the manufacturers’ official website. While there is an app available for Trezor users on iOS, it’s merely a companion app with limited functionality.

According to Apple news outlet 9to5mac.com, the world’s largest tech company isn’t too friendly when it comes to crypto apps, which are only supposed to be approved under strict circumstances. The outlet noted:

“While Apple says that the App Store ‘is a place you can trust’ and fights against sideloading, what happens in real life is that even Apple can’t keep the App Store free of scams.”

Fake wallet apps on Apple’s App Store are nothing new. In 2021, one user reportedly lost $600,000 in Bitcoin after downloading a malicious Trezor app from the App Store.

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Investment managers WisdomTree and Invesco have filed for spot Bitcoin ETFs, hot on the heels of BlackRock.

At least two investment firms have made new filings for spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETF) following investment colossus BlackRock’s move to lodge a similar application for its own spot Bitcoin ETF on June 15. 

New York-based asset management fund WisdomTree is the most recent investment firm to lodge a new filing for a spot Bitcoin ETF.

According to a June 21 filing to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), WisdomTree requested that the SEC allow it to list its “WisdomTree Bitcoin Trust” on the Cboe BZX Exchange under the ticker “BTCW.”

ItsWisdomTree has applied for a spot Bitcoin ETF twice before. Its first application was rejected by the SEC in December 2021. Its second application was rejected once again in October 2022, with the financial regulator citing similar concerns of fraud and market manipulation. At the time of publication, WisdomTree oversees approximately $83 billion in assets.

One of the key differences with BlackRock’s recent filing to the SEC is that it intends to enter into a “surveillance sharing agreement” with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) futures markets.

BlackRock’s proposal cites the SEC’s approval of a Bitcoin futures fund by investment advisory firm Teucrium. That ruling noted that the CME “comprehensively surveils futures market conditions and price movements on a real time and ongoing basis in order to detect and prevent price distortions, including price distortions caused by manipulative efforts.”

This has been echoed in WisdomTree’s filing as well, which states that it too is willing to enter into such a surveillance agreement with “an operator of a US-based spot trading platform for Bitcoin.”

Less than four hours after WisdomTree filed its application, global investment manager Invesco “reactivated” its application for a similar product.

According to the 19b-4 document — which informs the SEC of a proposed rule change — Invesco requested that the financial regulator allow its “Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF” product to be listed on the Cboe BZX exchange.

The filing notes that a spot Bitcoin ETF which uses “professional custodians and other service providers,” removes the need for investors to rely on “loosely regulated offshore vehicles” in turn, allowing for investors to more readily “protect their principal investments in Bitcoin.”

While the SEC is yet to approve a single spot Bitcoin ETF product, Bloomberg senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said that “BlackRock breathed new life into the race” in response to his own tweet concerning the WisdomTree filing.

Additionally, Balchunas said that crypto investors may have good reason to be optimistic when it comes to BlackRock’s move, sharing that the investment firm has a “575-1” record of getting ETFs approved by the regulator.

In addition to the recent activity from WisdomTree and Invesco, rumors have begun circulating that the multi-trillion-dollar fund manager Fidelity Investments may also be looking to capitalize on the newfound frenzy for spot Bitcoin ETFs.

According to a June 19 tweet from Arch Public co-founder AP_Abacus, Fidelity Investments — which manages some $4.9 trillion in assets — may look to file for its own spot Bitcoin ETF. Alternatively, Abacus notes that the investment firm could make an offer on Grasyscale’s GBTC ETF product.

Cointelegraph reached out to Fidelity for confirmation but did not receive an immediate response.

Following a third reading in the House of Lords, the Financial Services and Markets Bill will return to the lower house of the U.K. Parliament for members to consider any changes.

Lawmakers in the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom are moving forward with legislation that could help support the adoption of crypto in the country.

In a meeting of the U.K. Parliament’s House of Lords on June 19, many members advocated for the passage of the Financial Services and Markets Bill — legislation aimed at strengthening the country’s financial services industry. The bill went through a third reading in the House of Lords, one of the final stages in passage before considering any additional amendments and being signed into law.

According to lawmakers, the June 19 proceedings were part of a plan to “tidy up” the bill in an effort “to ensure it is effectual.” It will go back to the lower house of the U.K. Parliament, the House of Commons, where members can consider any changes proposed by the upper house.

“This bill delivers the outcomes of the future regulatory framework review, giving the regulators significant new rulemaking responsibilities, whilst balancing that additional responsibility with clear accountability, appropriate democratic input, and transparent oversight,” said Baroness Joanna Penn.

First introduced to the U.K. Parliament in July 2022, the Financial Services and Markets Bill was aimed at ensuring the country maintained its place in the financial world following Brexit. The original version of the bill included granting authority on digital asset regulation, while the most recent amendments from the House of Lords seemingly did not include any changes relevant to the crypto industry.

Regulation of cryptocurrencies globally seems to be impacting where firms choose to do business. United States authorities have cracked down on both Coinbase and Binance, leading to the two exchanges becoming entangled in legal filings amid their ongoing business. Some companies, including Bybit, have announced their departure from Canada as well, specifically citing regulatory developments.