Blockchain & Digital Assets

May 11, 2025 @ 4:30 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

More than 130 countries and currency unions are currently exploring the potential of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) outlines five key factors for ensuring its success and unlocking its full impact on the global financial ecosystem. More than half of all countries… Read More

May 11, 2025 @ 4:27 pm By Michael Wong  |  

German police have shut down the cryptocurrency platform eXch, confiscating €34 million ($38 million) in digital assets, authorities said, marking one of the country’s largest crypto-related seizures to date. The operation, conducted by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Frankfurt public prosecutor’s office,… Read More

May 11, 2025 @ 4:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Ethereum blockchain underwent a transformative upgrade with the Pectra hard fork, introducing Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP-7702). Fireblocks has shared key insights after this update. This proposal, combined with Multi-Party Computation (MPC) technology, aims to enhance institutional wallet security and user experience. Fireblocks highlights this… Read More

May 10, 2025 @ 12:22 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Cryptocurrency exchange HTX and TRON founder Justin Sun have launched the Mars Program: Special Edition, a $6 million campaign offering one user a fully funded space voyage, Business News Asia reported. The campaign, which runs from May 7 to May 13 (UTC), invites all HTX… Read More

May 10, 2025 @ 10:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

SOL Strategies Inc., a Canadian company building infrastructure for the Solana ecosystem, announced that it signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Superstate, a technology firm focused on modernizing capital markets through blockchain infrastructure. Pursuant to the MoU, the company and Superstate will explore… Read More

May 10, 2025 @ 4:07 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has recently unveiled a series of transformative updates aimed at strengthening bank supervision and embracing technological innovation, particularly in the realm of cryptocurrency. These changes, detailed in Bulletin 2025-9 and News Releases NR-OCC-2025-43 and NR-OCC-2025-44, reflect… Read More

May 10, 2025 @ 3:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Meta (NASDAQ:META) is reportedly considering a bold reentry by exploring stablecoin payment integration across its platforms, according to a recent report citing sources claiming to be familiar the matter. This move could mark a significant shift for the tech firm, which has been cautious about… Read More

May 9, 2025 @ 2:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has stated that the pending enforcement action with Ripple, Brad Garlinghouse, and Christian Larsen has been resolved. The SEC noted that it would ask the court to dissolve the injunction against Ripple from the final judgment revealed in August 2024. An… Read More

May 9, 2025 @ 11:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital assets firm Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN), founded in 2012 by Brian Armstrong, has solidified its position as a leading cryptocurrency exchange in the United States, with operations spanning jurisdictions like the UK and India. Its recent announcement to acquire Deribit, a Dubai-based crypto derivatives platform,… Read More

May 9, 2025 @ 9:32 am By JD Alois  |  

Alex Mashinsky, the founder and former CEO of Celsius, was once the toast of the crypto town. At one point, Celsius claimed they were adding nearly $1 billion a month in new assets. Mashinsky’s mantra was that banks were not friends while claiming to be… Read More

May 9, 2025 @ 8:50 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis has announced a significant milestone in its strategic partnership with Tether, one of the world’s largest stablecoin issuers. Chainalysis’ compliance and monitoring tools have reportedly been integrated into Hadron by Tether, which is a platform designed to tokenize real-world assets (RWAs)…. Read More

May 9, 2025 @ 8:00 am By Omar Faridi  |  

  In February, a finance worker at a multinational firm in Hong Kong was tricked by a deepfake video call into transferring over $25 million to scammers. Weeks later, a French woman lost her inheritance to a deepfake dating scam. And the list keeps growing…. Read More

May 9, 2025 @ 7:56 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Ethereum (ETH) blockchain is poised for a transformative leap with the Pectra upgrade, activated on the mainnet on May 7, 2025. This update, combining the Prague and Electra upgrades, introduces a suite of Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) aimed at enhancing scalability, usability, and user… Read More

May 9, 2025 @ 7:55 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Alex Mashinsky, the former CEO of Celsius Network, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on May 8, 2025, for orchestrating a massive fraud scheme that defrauded investors of billions. The sentencing, handed down by U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl in Manhattan’s Southern District,… Read More

May 8, 2025 @ 5:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Stablecoin and digital assets firm Circle has announced major updates to its Paymaster service, aligning with the recent Ethereum Pectra upgrade. On May 7, 2025, Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle, shared on X that Circle Paymaster now supports nearly any Web3 wallet across seven blockchain… Read More

May 8, 2025 @ 5:45 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The United States under the Trump Administration making significant strides in shaping the future of digital assets, with recent legislative and regulatory developments signaling a decisive and transformative shift in how cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies are integrated into the financial system. From state-level initiatives to… Read More

May 8, 2025 @ 5:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Stripe announced new products designed to help businesses harness AI and stablecoins to accelerate their growth. Last year, businesses on Stripe processed “$1.4 trillion in total payment volume—up 38% from 2023 and equivalent to around 1.3% of global GDP.” In aggregate, the revenue that businesses… Read More

May 8, 2025 @ 4:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Senate Stablecoin Bill, the Genius Act, or The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (S 1582), failed to get enough votes to gain cloture in the Senate. In effect, a cloture motion can quickly end debate and thus allow for a vote on… Read More

May 8, 2025 @ 3:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

Tokenization firm Savea has raised $2.5 million in pre-seed funding, according to the company. The platform aims to tokenize “high-value assets” in a regulated environment. The funding came from angel investors and venture firm EmergentX. Savea says it will utilize blockchain technology to improve liquidity… Read More

May 8, 2025 @ 7:10 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The centralized cryptocurrency exchange (CEX) landscape continues to evolve, with Binance maintaining its dominance despite a notable decline in trading volume, while Gate.io and Bitget make significant strides, according to a recent CoinGecko report analyzing spot trading volumes from October 2024 to April 2025. The… Read More