Bitcoin DeFi Expansion Faces Fork Dilemma as Developers Explore ZK Proofs

Bitcoin developers looking to expand the blockchain’s decentralized finance (DeFi) capabilities are likely to be considering zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs, functionality that’s not currently available and which require a so-called soft fork, or new version of the software, to introduce them. That’s a problem, according Edan Yago, a Bitcoin veteran of over a decade and core … Read more

TON Jumps as Foundation Says VC Firms Invested $400M in the Token

Toncoin (TON), the native token of the Telegram-adjacent TON blockchain, spiked on Thursday as ecosystem organization The Open Network Foundation said several venture capital firms invested $400 million in the token. Investors include Sequoia Capital, Ribbit, Benchmark and Kingsway, according to a press release shared with CoinDesk. Vy Capital, Draper Associates and Libertus Capital, CoinFund, … Read more

Trump says US will be 'Bitcoin superpower' as BTC price breaks 4-month downtrend

Bitcoin (BTC) sought to reinforce higher support at the March 20 Wall Street open as bulls broke out of a key downtrend. BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView Trump pledges to make US “Bitcoin superpower” Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD returning above $86,000. Now circling the daily open, Bitcoin continued to build … Read more

As Congress Talks Up Its Earth-Shaking Crypto Bill, Regulators Are Already at Work

While the crypto sector’s eyes are drawn to the policy fireworks in the White House and Congress, the financial agencies have been taking consequential bites out of the Biden Administration’s digital assets stance. One move at a time, the stand-in chiefs of the banking and securities regulators are cutting away policies and significant enforcement work … Read more

TON-based XDAO protocol grants legal status to 367k DAOs

XDAO, a protocol based on The Open Network (TON), has enabled over 367,000 decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to achieve legal status through its initiative that automates legal recognition for such organizations.  In an announcement, XDAO said it had streamlined the DAO creation process to allow DAOs to achieve legal status. An XDAO spokesperson told Cointelegraph … Read more

Russia civic chamber proposes dedicated fund for confiscated crypto assets

Amid the growing adoption of cryptocurrency reserves in countries like the United States, legal activists in Russia are pushing to create a potential crypto fund. Evgeny Masharov, a member of the Russian Civic Chamber, has proposed creating a government cryptocurrency fund that would include assets confiscated from criminal proceedings. The projected cryptocurrency fund would aim … Read more

Solana futures ETF to grow institutional adoption, despite limited inflows

The crypto industry is set to debut the first Solana futures exchange-traded fund (ETF), a significant development that may pave the way for the first Solana spot ETF, as the “next logical step” for crypto-based trading products, according to industry watchers. Volatility Shares is launching two Solana (SOL) futures ETFs, the Volatility Shares Solana ETF … Read more

Ripple celebrates SEC’s dropped appeal, but crypto rules still not set

Ripple is celebrating the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) decision not to pursue a court case against the firm, but it provides little legal certainty for the crypto industry.  The US financial regulator has apparently dropped an appeal against Ripple, the issuing firm of crypto asset XRP. The industry saw the case as … Read more

CoinDesk 20 Performance Update: Avalanche (AVAX) Drops 4.5%, Leading Index Lower

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 2712.19, down 1.0% (-26.22) since 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Three of 20 assets are trading higher. Leaders: BCH (+1.0%) and LINK (+0.6%). Laggards: AVAX (-4.5%) and DOT (-3.7%). … Read more

Tether’s US treasury holdings surpass Canada, Taiwan, ranks 7th globally

Tether, the $143 billion stablecoin giant, was the world’s seventh-largest buyer of United States Treasurys, surpassing some of the world’s largest countries. Tether, the issuer of USDt (USDT), the world’s largest stablecoin, was the world’s seventh-largest US Treasury buyer, surpassing Canada, Taiwan, Mexico, Norway, Hong Kong, and numerous other countries. The stablecoin issuer acquired over … Read more

Copper, Once Positively Correlated to Bitcoin, Nears Record High. Will BTC Follow Suit?

Copper, recognized as a reliable economic indicator for decades, is nearing record highs. Seasoned crypto traders may recall periods when bitcoin (BTC) and copper exhibited a strong positive correlation and may quickly draw bullish conclusions from the recent rally in the red metal. If that’s not enough, BTC’s best years have been characterized by a … Read more

Spot crypto scams early: California’s new tracker tool, explained

What is California’s crypto scam tracker tool? On Feb. 16, 2023, the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) in California launched the crypto scam tracker tool to help residents spot and avoid crypto scams. The tracker details crypto scams identified through a review of complaints submitted by the public. California’s DFPI crypto scam tracker … Read more

Crypto Exchange Bithumb Raided by South Korean Prosecutors Over Embezzlement Allegations: Report

Prosecutors in South Korea have launched an investigation into Bithumb, one of the country’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, over claims that company funds were improperly used to assist a former executive in purchasing an apartment. Officials from the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office raided Bithumb’s headquarters in Yeoksam-dong and other locations on Wednesday., according to local … Read more

Uranium Digital Raises $6.1M to Speed Debut of Crypto-Powered Spot Market

Alex Dolesky thought his startup’s push to “financialize” the sleepy uranium spot market would be a hit as nuclear energy stages a global comeback. All that tokenized yellowcake’s looking more like gold. Months after netting its first $1.7 million from venture investors, Uranium Digital raised another $6.1 million in a seed round led by Framework … Read more

Uniswap Passes $165M Funding Plan After DAO Vote

The Uniswap community has greenlit two governance proposals to propel the growth of the Unichain network and Uniswap V4 protocol. The initiatives, dubbed “Uniswap Unleashed,” introduced a new grants program and liquidity incentives while hinting at initial steps for a “fee switch,” a long-contested protocol vote that would pay out a portion of trading fees … Read more

Crypto Daybook Americas: Bitcoin ETFs, Frog-Themed Tokens See Renewed Interest

By Omkar Godbole (All times ET unless indicated otherwise) Bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH) and the broader crypto market are facing renewed pressure, reversing some of gains made after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell downplayed concerns about tariff-driven inflation . President Donald Trump is reportedly scheduled to speak at Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit in New York … Read more