Organized crime groups across Southeast Asia have scaled their operations by exploiting cryptocurrency and launching their own coins, exchanges and blockchain networks to launder billions of dollars, according to a new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The report said criminal syndicates are no longer just using existing crypto infrastructure. … Read more
Cryptocurrency firms and exchanges are increasingly moving into Wall Street territory, launching more traditional investment offerings and showcasing the increasing connection between crypto and traditional finance (TradFi). “There’s a growing synergy between traditional financial investments and the emerging crypto space,” according to Gracy Chen, the CEO of Bitget, the world’s sixth-largest crypto exchange. “Crypto players … Read more
The cryptocurrency market has witnessed a surge in the adoption of automated trading solutions, with trading bots gaining prominence for their ability to analyze vast data sets and execute trades with precision. Cointelegraph has dissected historical bot revenues and token price rollercoasters and backtested strategy returns against the buy-and-hold yardstick to decode what bots shine … Read more
Cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs) showed signs of recovery last week with minor inflows, after shedding more than $1 billion in outflows in the previous two weeks. Crypto investment products saw inflows of $6 million during the week of April 14–18, reflecting mixed investor sentiment, CoinShares reported on April 22. “While the week began with minor … Read more
A Solana address with over 1 million tokens is sitting on more than $153 million in profit after a four-year staking play on the crypto asset. Blockchain analytics firm Lookonchain flagged the wallet address of a whale that staked nearly 1 million Solana (SOL) tokens in 2021. At the time of the staking, Solana tokens … Read more
XRP (XRP) has been trapped within a tight range over the last eight days. The altcoin was trading just above its $2.00 support after a marketwide recovery over the weekend. Onchain and technical data now show that the XRP/USD pair is well-positioned for a breakout toward $3.00. XRP/USD daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView XRP whale accumulation … Read more
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield’s lawsuit against Coinbase argues that XRP and other digital assets are unregistered securities. Rayield sued US-based, publicly traded crypto exchange Coinbase for allegedly violating Oregon’s securities law. In an April 18 announcement, the Oregon Department of Justice said the suit was part of an effort to fill what it described … Read more
US-based publicly traded crypto exchange Coinbase confirmed that it is considering applying for a US federal bank charter. In a statement sent to Cointelegraph, Coinbase said it is considering pursuing a US federal bank charter, according to a company spokesperson. “This is something Coinbase is actively considering but has not made any formal decisions yet,” … Read more
Amid gold reaching new highs above $3,500, Peter Schiff — a prominent gold advocate and Bitcoin critic — argued that the precious metal is money, fueling backlash from the crypto community. “Gold is not just any commodity, it’s money,” Schiff wrote in an X post on April 22 after gold prices briefly broke above $3,500. … Read more
The European Central Bank (ECB) has raised alarm over the potential fallout from the United States’ aggressive support for the crypto industry, warning that a surge in dollar-backed stablecoins could destabilize Europe’s financial system. According to a policy paper seen by POLITICO, the ECB has asked for a revision of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation … Read more
Polygon-based non-fungible tokens (NFTs) took the top spot in digital collectible sales after surging 20% in the last seven days. On April 22, NFT data tracker CryptoSlam showed that Polygon NFTs overtook Ethereum, reaching a $22.3 million volume in the past week. This represented 24% of last week’s overall NFT sales volume, which reached $92.9 … Read more
Bitcoin is decoupling from the US stock market and starting to trade more like precious metals, in another signal of Bitcoin’s growing role as a safe-haven asset against global economic disruption. Bitcoin’s (BTC) price is showcasing its growing maturity as a global asset, becoming “less Nasdaq — more gold” over the past two weeks, according … Read more
Bitcoin (BTC) traders see a BTC price reversal beginning as classic resistance stops bulls in their tracks. BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView 200-day moving average keeps BTC price pinned Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows BTC/USD cooling after hitting new April highs of $88,874. Having found strength at the start of the week, … Read more
A US judge has granted Binance’s motion to transfer a case involving allegations it facilitated money laundering to the Southern District of Florida due to a similar case that had already been before the courts there. The case, filed in August 2024 in Washington, focused on the same core issue as a suit filed in … Read more
US-based Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) had their largest day of net inflows since late January, as crypto markets remained buoyant over the Easter weekend. The 11 Bitcoin (BTC)-tracking funds saw a joint net inflow of $381.3 million on April 21, largely carried by a $116.1 million inflow into the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB), according … Read more
A planned settlement between the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission and crypto exchange KuCoin will likely be delayed after a policy shift at the CFTC to deprioritize cases against crypto companies under the Trump administration. CFTC attorney John Murphy submitted a letter on April 21 to District Judge Valerie Caproni, asking for more time to … Read more
Crypto law firm Burwick Law has called out Solana-based non-fungible token platform Metaplex’s plan to sweep unclaimed Solana (SOL) into its treasury instead of returning it to investors, suggesting it could be at risk of litigation if it follows through with the plan. Last year, Metaplex, an NFT protocol, discovered a way to reduce the … Read more
The Supreme Court of Gibraltar has reversed its decision to freeze 542 million PLAY tokens in a court battle between two companies tied to the Web3 game-creation platform PLAY Network. In an April 17 judgment, Gibraltar Supreme Court Judge John Restano undid his earlier February freeze of the tokens, finding it could have hurt the … Read more
Crypto markets avoided the fallout caused by US President Donald Trump’s latest salvo against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, which saw the US stock market slump and the dollar continue to weaken over uncertainty. Stock markets across the United States ended April 21 in the red, with the S&P 500 dropping 2.4%, the tech-heavy Nasdaq … Read more
Indian crypto exchange WazirX, which was hacked for $234 million last July, says it is on track to restart its operations pending a May 13 court decision on its restructuring proposal and user compensation plan. If Singapore’s High Court gives the nod, WazirX parent company Zettai PTE Ltd can restart the exchange and begin its … Read more
Key takeaways Staking Solana allows you to earn passive income through staking rewards while participating in network governance. There is no minimum requirement for staking Solana, but the practical minimum is around 0.01 SOL. All you need to start staking Solana is a SOL-compatible wallet. Staking is considered one of the safer ways to participate … Read more
Mantra founder and CEO John Patrick Mullin has started unstaking 150 million of his Mantra (OM) tokens in preparation for sending them to a burn address in an attempt to restore the token’s value by tightening supply. Mantra announced on April 21 that the unstaking process had begun, and would be completed by April 29, … Read more
A governance token for the Reserve Protocol stablecoin, launched by a firm previously advised by sworn-in SEC Chair Paul Atkins, has surged over 13% after crypto exchange Coinbase announced that it will list the token. Atkins was an early adviser for the stablecoin firm around the time it launched in 2019, according to Reserve Protocol’s … Read more
Update: April 22 at 12:35am UTC: This story has been updated to include more details of Paul Atkins being sworn in as the SEC’s chair. Paul Atkins has officially been sworn in as the 34th chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The April 21 announcement comes nearly two weeks after Atkins’ position was … Read more
A member of the House of Representatives has proposed legislation aimed at stopping investors from using the US territory of Puerto Rico as a crypto tax haven. According to an April 21 Bloomberg report, New York Representative Nydia Velázquez introduced the Fair Taxation of Digital Assets in Puerto Rico Act, a bill that could change … Read more
Coinbase has listed futures contracts for the XRP token on its US derivatives exchange, the cryptocurrency platform said on April 21. The contracts are overseen by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and offer traders “a regulated, capital-efficient way to gain exposure to one of the most liquid digital assets,” the company said in … Read more
Astra Fintech, a global blockchain payments provider, has launched a $100 million fund to support the Solana ecosystem’s growth throughout Asia, according to an April 21 announcement. Through the fund, Astra Fintech plans to deploy capital to accelerate projects and form partnerships with developers, companies, and regulators. The fund’s base of operations will be in … Read more
A group of investors has filed a class-action lawsuit against decentralized cryptocurrency exchange Meteora, alleging the firm was involved in manipulating the launch and market price of the M3M3 token. In an amended complaint filed on April 21 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the plaintiffs allege that venture … Read more
More than 70 cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are slated for review by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this year. According to Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas, the list includes proposed ETFs holding a range of assets, from altcoins to memecoins to derivatives instruments. “Everything from XRP, Litecoin and Solana to Penguins, Doge and 2x … Read more
ARK Invest has added exposure to staked Solana (SOL) to the portfolios of two of its exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the asset manager said in a client email reviewed by Cointelegraph. As of April 21, the two ARK funds — ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW) and ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF) — now hold shares … Read more