Blockchain & Digital Assets

May 18, 2026 @ 9:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Circle (NYSE:CRCL) has indicated that as artificial intelligence agents evolve into independent economic participants, traditional API designs face a fundamental shift. Conventional APIs rely on human-managed API keys and manual approvals, but agents require seamless discovery, pricing transparency, instant payment, and frictionless access to resources…. Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 4:56 pm By JD Alois  |  

Bitcoin proxy firm Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) (NASDAQ:MSTR) has bought more Bitcoin. Bitcoin recently traded above $80,000 but has since retreated slightly. Currently, Bitcoin is around $77,000 after topping $82,000 in the past month. Strategy filed an 8-K today indicating that a previously announced share offering… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 4:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The team at VerifiedX noted that Bitcoin (BTC), the flagship cryptocurrency, continues to gain traction as a cornerstone institutional asset, prompting innovators to explore expansions in its functionality. One view holds that the cryptocurrency’s future development will emphasize enhanced programmability alongside strong privacy protections. VerifiedX… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 3:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The prolonged crypto downturn shows little sign of easing as ongoing political uncertainties and macroeconomic headwinds continue to weigh on the sector. Major players are streamlining operations in response, with notable adjustments at leading platforms. Investment platform Kraken‘s parent company, Payward Inc., recently eliminated around… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 11:05 am By JD Alois  |  

Iran has announced it intends to offer insurance for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz using Bitcoin. Fars News Agency and Iran’s Ministry of Economy state that the system provides cryptographically verifiable insurance policies. By using Bitcoin, Iran aims to circumvent the many sanctions imposed… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 10:53 am By JD Alois  |  

Tether has announced an investment in LemFi, a Fintech that enables cross-border transfers. LemFi (formerly known as Lemonade Finance) supports users living in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe to send payments and transfers to more than 30 countries. As Tether is the issuer of USD₮,… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 10:39 am By JD Alois  |  

Tokenization is quickly becoming commonplace, and it is vital that regulators and policymakers work in concert with both current industry participants and future firms that will eventually incorporate digital assets, including tokenized securities. The Bank of England and the UK Financial Conduct Authority issued a… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 9:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Anchorage Digital and Grupo Salinas have unveiled a strategic collaboration aimed at transforming international settlements. The alliance leverages regulated stablecoins to enable faster, more efficient, and transparent cross-border transactions, marking a step forward in the integration of digital assets into traditional banking systems. Anchorage Digital,… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 8:48 am By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have issued a joint statement on tokenization and the wholesale market. The comment is described as a “shared vision” that has the potential to streamline markets while benefitting from additional functionality. The discussion is driven… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 7:46 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A decentralized finance project called Verus is grappling with a serious security incident involving its cross-chain connection to Ethereum. Blockchain monitoring experts have confirmed that malicious actors have extracted roughly $11.58 million in cryptocurrency assets from the bridge so far, sparking immediate concerns across the… Read More

May 18, 2026 @ 5:53 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The cryptocurrency and digital tokens market witnessed a rally in HYPE tokens on news of a significant collaboration involving Hyperliquid, Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN),  and Circle (NYSE:CRCL). HYPE climbed to an impressive peak of $46.93, reflecting strong investor enthusiasm for the latest developments in decentralized finance infrastructure…. Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 11:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Asset managers VanEck and Grayscale Investments have taken fresh steps to advance their proposals for spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking BNB, the native token of the BNB Chain ecosystem. On May 15, 2026, both firms submitted updated registration statements to the US Securities and Exchange… Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 3:36 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Digital asset traders and investors focused on the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector are increasingly favoring high-return strategies while sidelining protective measures, leaving substantial capital exposed to sophisticated attacks. This behavior persists despite warnings from leading blockchain analytics providers and evolving regulatory scrutiny from US authorities…. Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 3:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Harvard University’s endowment is said to have significantly scaled back its cryptocurrency exposure, while Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company has steadily expanded its commitment to Bitcoin. Recent 13F filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) highlight these shifts among major institutional players navigating… Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 2:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The $293 million breach at KelpDAO represents a watershed event in decentralized finance, illustrating how threats have evolved beyond traditional code exploits. Attackers bypassed smart contract defenses entirely by targeting RPC nodes and a centralized verification setup, exposing critical gaps in the operational backbone of… Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 11:41 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The stablecoin sector continues to evolve with various financial institutions and regulators advancing infrastructure that blends traditional finance with blockchain capabilities. French banking provider Societe Generale is expanding its tokenized finance initiatives by integrating its CoinVertible stablecoins into the Canton Network. Through its digital assets… Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 10:42 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The non-fungible token (NFT) industry, which endured a prolonged slump, could be entering a phase of renewed interest, according to leadership at Yuga Labs. The company’s recently appointed CEO, Michael Figge, has suggested that NFT prices dropped excessively during the bear market, becoming disconnected from… Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 9:14 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The T3 Financial Crime Unit has announced the freezing of more than $450 million in illicit funds worldwide. Launched as a collaborative effort between Tether, TRON, and blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs, the unit continues to expand its role in disrupting illegal financial activities across… Read More

May 17, 2026 @ 8:28 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Dune Analytics has indicated that traditional asset managers are now actively shaping lending markets on Solana. Recently this month, crypto-native issuer Ethena deployed $200 million of its USDG stablecoin into two isolated lending pools—one on Kamino Finance, curated by Sentora, and the other on Jupiter… Read More

May 16, 2026 @ 7:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

TRM Labs noted that on May 15, 2026, a sophisticated attacker exploited vulnerabilities in THORChain, siphoning more than $11 million in digital assets from the cross-chain liquidity protocol. The incident impacted at least nine separate networks, marking another significant setback for the platform known for… Read More