Category: crypto

President Donald Trump stated that he will review the case of Samourai Wallet developer Keonne Rodriguez, who was convicted for involvement with a crypto mixing protocol. Rodriguez, along with co-founder William Lonergan Hill, pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Rodriguez hopes for a potential pardon from Trump.

On December 15, the Bitwise Solana ETF experienced a $4.6 million outflow, ending a streak of inflows. Despite this, cumulative inflows for the ETF remain strong. The outflow coincided with a wider crypto market pullback. Overall, U.S. Solana ETF activity remained positive, with Fidelity’s FSOL ETF seeing strong inflows.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee has delayed the markup on crypto market structure legislation to early 2026, affecting the oversight of digital asset rules by the SEC and CFTC. This delay could slow down U.S. crypto innovation due to the lack of clear federal rules for exchanges, brokers, and token issuers.

A whale sold AI agent tokens at up to 99% losses, causing a crash in Virtuals-linked markets due to low liquidity. The sale highlighted risks in the AI narrative, with prices dropping 8%-50% across multiple tokens. This shows the challenges of exiting illiquid markets for large holders.

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority is consulting on new rules to regulate the crypto industry by 2027. Proposed regulations cover asset listings, capital requirements, staking services, and preventing insider trading. The FCA aims to adapt existing financial market frameworks for cryptocurrencies and protect consumers while promoting innovation. Consultation open until Feb. 12.

Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, is testing DeFi, tokenization, and Ethereum-based products in response to increasing client demand for crypto trading and digital asset holdings. The bank sees DeFi as complementary to traditional services and is exploring how decentralized protocols can support trading, asset management, and settlement functions.

Aster has introduced Shield Mode, a new trading feature offering private BTC and ETH perp trading with leverage up to 1001x. Trades execute instantly with zero slippage, no public order book, and isolated margin for risk control. Fees are waived until Dec. 31, with new pricing models planned later.

SBI Holdings and Startale are collaborating to develop a yen-denominated stablecoin under Japan’s regulatory framework, set to launch in Q2 2026. The stablecoin aims to support cross-border payments and tokenized assets, providing a regulated digital yen for global use. Startale will handle technical implementation, while SBI Holdings will manage market distribution and compliance.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission softened its approach to crypto cases after Trump’s re-election, dropping or pausing over 60% of ongoing cases. Critics suggest political ties influenced the decisions, despite the SEC claiming it was a regulatory shift. Meanwhile, the SEC is reviewing Nasdaq’s proposal to list tokenized securities.

Visa is launching a Stablecoins Advisory Practice to help businesses integrate stablecoins into their operations. With the stablecoin market booming, Visa aims to provide strategic insights and recommendations for clients to capitalize on the benefits of stablecoins. The service will assist firms in navigating regulatory standards and staying ahead in the digital payment ecosystem.