Court Hands CFTC Rare Win Over Precious-Metals Broker A federal appeals court just handed the CFTC a clear win, ruling that a California precious-metals dealer must face fraud charges under the Commodity Exchange Act. The decision expands the agency’s reach over leveraged retail contracts and signals that “look, no futures” defenses will not shield firms…
CFTC Loses Key Appeal Over Crypto Derivatives The D.C. Circuit just reversed a CFTC enforcement order against trader Trevor Kitchen, ruling that the agency overstepped its authority when it tried to punish him for trading crypto-linked futures contracts on an unregistered platform. The decision chips away at the CFTC’s expanding reach into crypto markets and…
Hunter Biden’s $LAPTOP memecoin blames bots and thin liquidity after a near-total debut crash Hunter Biden’s politically themed memecoin, $LAPTOP, suffered an abrupt collapse shortly after it began trading, with reports describing a drawdown of roughly 96% to 99% within the first hour of launch. According to disclosures cited in coverage of the debut, LAPTOP…
Cronos Erased Two Hours of Transactions to Reverse $111 Million DeFi Exploit Cronos erased two hours of blockchain transactions in an effort to reverse a decentralized finance exploit that resulted in $111 million in losses. The rollback removed activity recorded during the affected period, effectively undoing the transactions associated with the exploit. Rather than allowing…
CFTC Wins Big—Court Says Crypto Derivatives Count as Commodities The Ninth Circuit just handed the CFTC a decisive victory over serial fraudster James Devlin Crombie, ruling that his Bitcoin and Litecoin futures operation fell squarely under the agency’s authority. The court affirmed a $1.1 million penalty and trading ban, sending a clear signal that digital-asset…
Court Seizes 24 Crypto Wallets in IRS Tax Raid Federal agents just grabbed twenty-four cryptocurrency accounts in the District of Columbia, and the ruling shows the IRS can treat digital assets like cash when it comes to tax collection. The decision matters because it gives the government a fast, ex-parte way to freeze crypto without…
SEC SLAMS BINANCE WITH NEW CHARGES AS JUDGE GREENLIGHTS CASE TO PROCEED The Securities and Exchange Commission just cleared a major procedural hurdle in its case against Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange. A federal judge in Washington, D.C. denied Binance’s motion to dismiss the SEC’s lawsuit, allowing the case to move forward and signaling…
While Bitcoin Devs Debate Next Moves, IonQ Unveils Superion 256 Quantum Computer IonQ has unveiled the Superion 256 quantum computer as Bitcoin developers continue discussions about the network’s next steps. The announcement places advances in quantum computing alongside ongoing debate within the Bitcoin development community. The two developments are connected by broader questions about the…
COURT STRIKES PLAINTIFFS’ CRYPTO-TECH CLAIMS IN DELAWARE Delaware’s Superior Court just tossed out most of Diamond Fortress Technologies’ claims against unnamed defendants, slamming the door on a lawsuit that tried to turn a disputed blockchain prototype into a multimillion-dollar damages case. The ruling matters because it signals how state courts will treat crypto-related contract fights…
COURT DELIVERS BITCOIN ETF SHOCK TO SEC The D.C. Circuit just torched the SEC’s blanket refusal to let Grayscale turn its Bitcoin trust into an ETF, ruling the agency treated spot products worse than futures without any good reason. The decision cracks open a regulatory door that the Commission had slammed shut for years, putting…
Court Says CFTC Can Reach Crypto “Futures” Sold to U.S. Buyers Even When the Platform Sits Abroad In a unanimous decision released last week, the Seventh Circuit ruled that U.S. commodities law applies to any trading platform—foreign or domestic—that offers futures-style contracts on digital assets to American customers. The CFTC had sued James Donelson, the…
Bitget Wallet Launches Assetback Rewards in Bitcoin and Tokenized Assets Bitget Wallet has launched Assetback Rewards, a program focused on Bitcoin and tokenized assets. The initiative expands the wallet’s offering into reward products linked to digital assets and blockchain-based representations of real-world assets. The launch highlights the growing use of tokenization, which brings assets or…
Coinbase Wins—Appeals Court Orders SEC to Explain Itself The Third Circuit just forced the Securities and Exchange Commission to stop dodging and start answering Coinbase’s questions about which digital assets the agency actually considers securities. In a single stroke, the ruling hands the crypto exchange a rare procedural win and signals that federal courts may…
Iran eases currency controls to let traders bring earnings home in crypto: FT Iran has eased currency controls to allow some traders to bring their overseas earnings back into the country using cryptocurrency, the Financial Times reported. The move appears aimed at giving traders an alternative channel for repatriating funds amid restrictions on conventional currency…
BIS chief warns AI capex arms race relies on opaque debt, posing systemic risks The head of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Pablo Hernández de Cos, warned on Thursday that the breakneck surge in artificial intelligence investment could become a financial-stability risk if the expected returns fail to materialize. In remarks tied to the…
TRM Labs Doubles Valuation as Crypto Intelligence Demand Surges Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs has reportedly doubled its valuation to $2 billion in a Series C expansion. The company says its annual recurring revenue has quadrupled over the past three years, signaling stronger demand for tools that help investigate crypto activity. The funding comes as…
Kalshi election data goes live on DoubleZero ahead of U.S. midterms Election data from Kalshi is now live on DoubleZero ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, bringing information from the prediction-market platform onto DoubleZero’s network. The integration connects Kalshi’s election-related data with DoubleZero as attention turns to the midterms. It gives the data a presence…
US Bank Tests Proprietary Stablecoin Across Stellar Network A US bank has tested its proprietary stablecoin, USBDC, in a cross-border transfer between its North American and European entities. The pilot used the public Stellar blockchain, highlighting how traditional financial institutions are exploring faster settlement without giving up control over their own digital currencies. The transaction…
Live updates: Treasury yields climb further as Brent crude tops $102 and tech futures slip Treasury yields moved higher as Brent crude rose above $102 a barrel, while technology-focused equity futures declined. The moves point to a cautious tone across major financial markets. Higher government bond yields can affect the broader pricing of risk assets,…
Tether and Fasanara Target $3 Billion Credit Expansion Tether and Fasanara Capital have launched a $400 million evergreen private credit fund aimed at expanding asset-backed lending through fintech platforms in more than 60 countries. The initiative puts USDT infrastructure at the center of a global credit strategy, linking stablecoin rails with real-world lending demand. The…
