Category: crypto

The Trump-linked crypto firm World Liberty Financial Inc. faced scrutiny in Congress as regulators defended their oversight of stablecoin rules and charter applications. Democratic lawmakers questioned the firm’s ties to Trump, foreign investors, and crypto partners. Regulators are moving ahead with proposed rules for stablecoin issuers. Fed faced questions about granting access to Kraken.

Hedge funds reduced their exposure to U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds by 39% in the first quarter, as professional investors pulled back due to a steep decline in Bitcoin prices. CoinShares reported that institutional investors cut their combined Bitcoin ETF holdings by 17% to 261,000 BTC. Regulatory progress could be a catalyst for digital asset…

Plume and Ether.fi have launched a yield-bearing real-world asset vault with a $100 million exclusive allocation from Ether.fi. The vault includes institutional assets such as credit pools, CLOs, and bond ETFs. Demand is growing for earn products with institutional-grade risk and lower DeFi exposure. Users can access tokenized real-world asset yield through the Ether.fi app.

Bybit has listed Western Union’s USDPT stablecoin for trading, transfers, and custody. The stablecoin, launched on Solana and backed by reserves at Anchorage Digital Bank, is now available on Bybit. This move comes as stablecoin adoption grows in payments and financial services, aligning with Western Union’s long-term digital payments strategy.

Bitcoin fell below $64,000 after Strategy disclosed a small BTC sale, causing concern in the crypto market. Jim Cramer criticized the move, suggesting it shook investor confidence. Additionally, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw significant outflows in May and June, adding pressure to Bitcoin. Peter Schiff also renewed his criticism of Strategy’s Bitcoin strategy.

Grayscale Research reported that Michael Saylor’s Strategy may need to sell more Bitcoin due to declining share prices, affecting its ability to raise capital. The company recently sold 32 BTC, causing concerns about its leveraged model. Despite challenges, Grayscale expects Bitcoin to recover, while Standard Chartered predicts Strategy will resume aggressive accumulation.

House Republicans, led by Rep. Bryan Steil, are proposing to extend a congressional trading ban to prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi. The legislation, H.R. 7008, would prevent lawmakers from buying individual stocks and require disclosure of intended stock sales. Lawmakers and regulators are concerned about insider trading risks and consumer protections in these markets.

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce believes that open-source blockchain code developers should not be subject to federal securities registration rules just because others use their work. She argues that responsibility for securities violations should fall on unlawful actors, not on developers who release public software. Peirce’s comments come amidst SEC scrutiny of DeFi interfaces and the…

Reform UK received $9.4 million from cryptocurrency billionaires Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo in Q1 of 2026, surpassing fundraising totals of Labour and the Conservative Party. Harborne’s financial ties to Nigel Farage are under scrutiny due to a separate $6.7 million gift. Crypto donations have strengthened Reform UK’s fundraising and policy positions.

Major U.S. banks are developing a tokenized deposit network through the Clearing House to enable instant transfers across blockchain infrastructure with 24/7 settlement support. This move aims to provide a regulated alternative to stablecoins and keep customer deposits within the banking system amid competition from crypto firms. The network is expected to launch in early…