CoinDesk

Countries targeted by U.S. government sanctions have surged in illicit crypto activity, receiving nearly $16 billion in digital assets last year — about 39% of illicit token transactions — according to a report from Chainalysis released on Wednesday. 2024 was a year in which those nations — especially Iran — surged over individuals in sanctions-related … Read more

By Francisco Rodrigues (All times ET unless indicated otherwise) Cryptocurrency investors seem to be adopting a “wait-and-see” approach to the plethora of conflicting headlines appearing. As a result, the BTC Volatility Index (DVOL) on popular options exchange Deribit has been dropping since Jan. 20, falling from a high of 72 to around 50.8. The drop … Read more

HONG KONG – Decentralized finance (DeFi) platform MANTRA said it secured a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). The license allows the platform to operate as a virtual asset exchange and offer broker-dealer and investment management services in the region. It positions MANTRA, which focuses on the Middle … Read more

HONG KONG – Investors in Europe can now get direct exposure to the CoinDesk 20, an index representing the largest crypto assets, thanks to a new exchange-traded product (ETP) from WisdomTree launched at Consensus Hong Kong. “The launch of the first CoinDesk 20 ETP with WisdomTree is a defining moment for digital asset investing in … Read more

U.S. president Donald Trump shared an XRP-related article on social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday, stoking excitement and speculation among the XRP community. The article, published by CoinDesk in January, revealed how Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse experienced an uptick in U.S. deals and hiring efforts following Trump’s election victory in November. The post generated … Read more

HONG KONG — World Liberty Financial, the Donald Trump-backed crypto project, owes much of its early success to Justin Sun, the Chinese-born crypto billionaire who became an official advisor to the project after purchasing $30 million worth of its token, WLFI, said World Liberty co-founder Zak Folkman. Folkman remarked that, “the goal of the project … Read more

The latest frenzy that started with U.S. President Donald Trump’s TRUMP memecoin launch and saw traders making and losing millions within minutes, might have finally come crashing down with the LIBRA token fiasco. LIBRA, a Solana-based project that President of Argentina Javier Milei tweeted about on Feb. 14, saw its market cap rise as high … Read more

The crypto ecosystem has come a long way since the implosion of Sam Bankman Fried’s FTX destroyed billions in investor wealth in 2023. However, the industry as a whole needs to more to become bullet proof, said TradFi experts at the “Views From Wall Street to Crypto” event held at Consensus Hong Kong on Wednesday. … Read more

HONG KONG – Quant-driven digital assets trading firm TDX Strategies has teamed up with CoinDesk Indices for its latest offering: structured products linked to the CoinDesk 20 Index (CD 20), the company announced at Consensus Hong Kong. The collaboration will provide investors with a sophisticated solution to prioritize both growth and risk management while navigating … Read more

HONG KONG – Australian digital assets market maker Zerocap has partnered with CoinDesk Indices to offer Australia’s first options-based structured products on the CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20), the company said at Consensus Hong Kong. The partnership introduces sophisticated and tailored investment strategies usually found in traditional markets, a significant advancement for the cryptocurrency industry. It … Read more

A key player behind the Libra token bragged about buying access to Argentine President Javier Milei’s inner circle months before the memecoin’s scandalous launch and crash. In text messages reviewed by CoinDesk, Hayden Davis, CEO of Kelsier Ventures, claimed he could “control” Milei because of payments he had been making to Karina Milei, a powerful … Read more

The desultory price action in crypto continued on Tuesday, helping to drag bitcoin (BTC) closer to its lowest level in several months. In early afternoon trading hours, bitcoin was trading at $93,600, lower by 2% over the past 24 hours and off 10% over the past week. The broader crypto market as defined by the … Read more

Creditors of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX with claims below $50,000 have started receiving their payouts, which include 9% annual interest accrued since November 2022. Multiple users on the FTX subreddit have reported receiving funds on accounts at crypto exchange Kraken with the added interest on top. Creditors are scheduled to receive roughly 119% of … Read more

Blockaid, a cybersecurity firm specializing in blockchain security, said it raised $50 million in a Series B funding round to help expand research, engineering and product development. Ribbit Capital led the round, with backing from GV and existing investors including Variant and Cyberstarts, the company said. The funding comes as demand for blockchain security rises, … Read more

Traditional finance firms that have adopted crypto are moving past the experimentation phase and are actively working on real-world solutions, Mastercard’s head of crypto and blockchain, Raj Dhamodharan, told CoinDesk. “Many of us in the industry are moving beyond experimentation; it’s actually real solutions,” he said, noting that Mastercard has already enabled stablecoin payments for … Read more

The second-largest publicly traded corporate bitcoin holder, MARA Holdings (MARA), has announced the completion of the acquisition of a wind farm in Texas, adding 114 megawatts of nameplate wind capacity and 240 megawatts of interconnection capacity to its operations. The Florida-based company plans to use the wind farm to power bitcoin mining operations using last-generation … Read more

CoinDesk Indices presents its daily market update, highlighting the performance of leaders and laggards in the CoinDesk 20 Index. The CoinDesk 20 is currently trading at 3183.11, down 1.4% (-46.75) since 4 p.m ET on Monday. Two of 20 assets are trading higher. Leaders: LTC (+4.9%) and BTC (+0.3%). Laggards: APT (-5.6%) and SOL (-5.1%). … Read more

Asset manager Grayscale Investments, known for its bitcoin and ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs), said on Tuesday it has launched the Grayscale Pyth Trust, giving investors exposure to PYTH, the governance token of the Pyth network. Pyth provides price feeds that help decentralized applications function efficiently. The network sources pricing information from institutional traders and market … Read more

At least two unnamed companies have been taken in by an alleged shapeshifting fraudster selling millions of dollars in fake FTX liquidation claims by apparently using artificial intelligence to help mask his appearance in video calls with buyers, according to an investigation conducted by data firm Inca Digital. A thief (or thieves) is said to … Read more

Tether, the crypto firm behind the $140 billion dollar USDT stablecoin, made an “unsolicited” proposal to acquire a majority stake in Latin American agricultural commodities producer firm Agrodeco (AGRO). Submitted on Feb. 14, the $12.41 per share offer was to bring to Tether’s stake in the company from the current 19.4% to 51%, according to … Read more

Following a rocketing higher in its stock price since beginning to add bitcoin to its balance sheet less than a year ago. Metaplanet has announced a 10-to-1 stock split set to take effect on April 1. The Tokyo-based firm first started buying bitcoin in April 2024 and since has accumulated 2,031 tokens worth nearly $200 … Read more

The total hashrate of the U.S.-listed bitcoin (BTC) miners tracked by JPMorgan (JPM) has almost doubled from a year ago and now accounts for about 29% of the global network, the bank said in a report on Tuesday. The combined hashrate of the 14 companies “has increased ~95% y/y to 244 EH/s, versus a 45% … Read more

Trading platform Robinhood (HOOD) plans to introduce crypto products in Singapore this year pending the completion of its purchase of crypto exchange Bitstamp, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. Robinhood agreed to buy Bitstamp in June and the $200 million acquisition is expected to close in the first half of the year. The launch of Robinhood’s crypto … Read more

By Francisco Rodrigues (All times ET unless indicated otherwise) While bitcoin (BTC) is little changed over the past 24 hours, down just 0.7%, the broader market is in a bearish mood following the Libra token debacle, which has led to accusations of fraud and calls for the impeachment of Argentina’s President Javier Milei. The CoinDesk … Read more

U.S.-based art collective Kanbas made the largest non-fungible token (NFT) purchase in three years last week, scooping up a 1-of-1 artwork by Sam Spratt for $3 million. The artwork is called “X.Masquerade” and is the sixth chapter in the “Story of Luci.” It ties into into an upcoming invite-only event that allows supporters to participate … Read more

Kelsier CEO Hayden Davis, the brains behind the controversial LIBRA memecoin, said he also launched the MELANIA memecoin and that his team sniped both tokens as soon as the contract addresses went live. LIBRA was released on Friday, sparking a now-deleted tweet of support from Argentina’s President Javier Milei saying it would support small and … Read more

If you believed that ether’s (ETH) early-month price crash to $2,000 on some exchanges would drive investors away, think again. Activity in the U.S.-listed spot ETFs indicates that traders have strongly pivoted to ether from bitcoin (BTC). This month, the nine ether spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) listed in the U.S. have recorded a cumulative net … Read more

Cult loyalists of XRP and other tokens are rejoicing as the Elon Musk-fronted Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E) apparently set eyes on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday. “DOGE is seeking help from the public,” a newly-created X account related to D.O.G.E said late Monday. “Please DM this account with insights on … Read more

Bitcoin (BTC) is known to be a volatile asset, but as of late, this is not the case; bitcoin has been trading in a very tight range since the end of November, between $91,000 and $109,000. In other words, bitcoin’s volatility has compressed enormously. According to Glassnode data, the 2-week realized volatility, which provides of … Read more