BlackRock’s Crypto ETF Assets Surge 63% but Remain Far Below 2025 Peak Assets held in BlackRock’s crypto exchange-traded funds have increased 63%, marking a significant recovery in investor holdings. Despite the rise, total assets remain well below their peak reached in 2025. The figures point to renewed demand for BlackRock’s crypto ETF products, while also…
Australia’s financial watchdog seeks stiffer rules for crypto exchanges ahead of licensing deadline Australia’s financial watchdog is seeking tougher rules for crypto exchanges as the country approaches a licensing deadline for the sector. The proposed tightening would place greater regulatory expectations on platforms operating in Australia. The move comes as authorities work to establish a…
AI agents made 138 million crypto payments in a year — and most were for pennies Crypto payments made by autonomous AI software are starting to show up at scale on-chain, even if the dollar amounts remain small. Activity routed through x402, a payments protocol developed by Coinbase, surpassed 138 million transactions on the Base…
Standard Chartered to Custody Ripple’s RLUSD in Dubai, With Plan for “Mirrored” Collateral Trading on LMAX Standard Chartered’s Dubai branch has begun offering regulated institutional custody for Ripple’s U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin, RLUSD, which runs on the XRP Ledger. The move expands the bank’s digital asset custody business in the UAE and positions RLUSD as a…
Fifth Circuit Slams SEC’s Crypto Power Grab A federal appeals court just clipped the SEC’s wings in a landmark crypto case, ruling the agency overreached when it tried to treat digital assets as securities without proving they meet traditional investment-contract standards. The decision signals that regulators can’t simply label tokens as securities to expand their…
JUDGES HALT BLOCKCHAIN MANDAMUS AS CASE GOES NOWHERE Texas appeals court just slammed the brakes on Envy Blockchain’s attempt to force a lower-court ruling in its favor. The Eighth District’s one-page order simply denies the mandamus petition without explanation, leaving the company’s legal fight stalled where it began. For crypto operators hoping courts would fast-track…
‘Leave’: Crypto Backlash Over French Proposal to Report Wallets Over $112K A proposed change to France’s tax rules is drawing sharp criticism from some crypto holders after lawmakers backed an amendment that would require people to declare large crypto holdings kept in self-custody wallets. The French National Assembly’s Finance Committee adopted an amendment on Friday—identified…
Bitwise, SVRN Bet on NEAR as AI Infrastructure Thesis Takes Shape Bitwise and SVRN are identified as backing NEAR in connection with an emerging thesis around blockchain-based artificial intelligence infrastructure. No further details were provided on the nature of the investment, the structure of the relationship, or how NEAR is expected to support AI infrastructure….
Coinbase Beats SEC In Landmark Appeals Court Ruling A federal appeals court just handed Coinbase a major procedural win against the SEC, ruling that the agency must answer public petitions before rushing into enforcement. The Third Circuit’s decision forces regulators to treat crypto-industry requests with the same seriousness as formal complaints, potentially slowing the SEC’s…
UK Freezes $12 Million London Penthouse Linked to Alleged Prince Group Finance Chief UK authorities have frozen a London penthouse valued at approximately $12 million that is linked to an alleged finance chief of Prince Group. The action places restrictions on the property while authorities examine its ownership and connection to the individual. The designation…
SEC Wins Fresh Round Against Bilzerian’s Crypto Pivot The SEC secured a new judicial block this week when Judge Royce Lamberth barred Paul Bilzerian—already under a 2001 permanent injunction—from using digital assets to skirt his long-standing securities ban. The ruling keeps the 22-year-old enforcement order alive and signals that courts will still treat crypto as…
Meta’s New Muse Wonder Finally Puts Zuckerberg in the Frontier AI Race Meta’s new “Muse Wonder” project is presented as a major step in Mark Zuckerberg’s effort to compete in frontier artificial intelligence. However, no additional details were provided about the project, including its capabilities, release plans, development status, or how it compares with rival…
Bitcoin climbs toward $84,000 after Fed’s Williams sees no rate hikes in 2027 Bitcoin moved closer to $84,000 in Wednesday’s Asian trading session, rising about 1.5% to nearly $83,900, after comments from New York Federal Reserve President John Williams eased concerns about a prolonged period of tighter U.S. monetary policy. Williams said he still considers…
SEC Suffers Fresh Setback as Fifth Circuit Slaps Down “Control” Theory in Crypto Case A three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit has just handed the SEC another loss—this time by rejecting the agency’s attempt to stretch its enforcement reach through a novel “control-person” theory. The ruling blocks the Commission from treating senior executives as automatic…
Bitcoin Shakes Off Spooky Season Jitters: Can Bulls Keep It Going? Bitcoin has moved past a period of heightened market unease associated with the so-called “spooky season,” showing signs of resilience after recent jitters. The shift matters because it puts the focus back on whether bullish momentum can hold. While the latest move has improved…
BNY Expands Regulated Crypto Custody Across the European Union Under MiCA BNY is expanding its regulated cryptocurrency custody services across the European Union under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, known as MiCA. The move places the bank’s digital-asset custody offering within the EU’s harmonized regulatory framework for crypto-asset services. MiCA is designed to establish common…
SEC Defeats Crypto “Not Securities” Claim in Federal Court A federal appeals court has just ruled that digital tokens sold by a prominent blockchain startup qualify as investment contracts under the Howey test, giving the SEC fresh legal ammunition to pursue unregistered offerings. The decision overturns a lower-court finding that the tokens’ “utility” features shielded…
MEXC Brings AI, TradFi and the Future of Trading to Life at TOKEN2049 Singapore MEXC took part in TOKEN2049 Singapore, highlighting the intersection of artificial intelligence, traditional finance and the future of digital-asset trading. The event placed these themes within the broader crypto industry conversation, as market participants continue to examine how emerging technologies and…
CFTC WINS APPEAL, CRYPTO FUTURES OVERSIGHT TIGHTENS Trevor Kitchen lost his bid to curb the CFTC’s reach. The D.C. Circuit upheld the agency’s right to police certain crypto-linked derivatives, handing regulators a clear win that could reshape how exchanges and DeFi projects structure futures contracts. Kitchen challenged a CFTC enforcement order that fined him for…
Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana ETFs All in the Red for October Crypto-linked exchange-traded funds (ETFs) started October under pressure after a sharp bout of selling at the end of September. On September 30, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana ETFs recorded a combined $219 million in net outflows, a move widely attributed to quarter-end portfolio rebalancing rather…
