Category: crypto

The Bitcoin Policy Institute has joined the U.S. State Department’s Freedom Tech Excellence Program as a founding partner. BPI staff will support State Department assignments focused on digital freedom worldwide, alongside other founding partners Palantir, Anduril, and a human rights foundation. The program aims to bring private-sector specialists into the department for limited assignments related…

LMAX Group has enlisted Morgan Stanley and KBW to explore options for a sale or public listing, valuing the company at up to $5 billion. A Nasdaq IPO is preferred, but other options include a sale, SPAC merger, or European listing. LMAX’s foreign exchange business allows it to wait for better market conditions.

Coinbase is replacing or reassigning four senior leaders after cutting 14% of its workforce. Dominique Baillet is expected to succeed Lawrence Brock as chief people officer. Stocks and prediction markets are growing as weak crypto conditions pressure COIN. Coinbase’s expansion includes crypto, stocks, derivatives, and prediction markets, with a focus on efficiency and new asset…

India’s cybercrime authority ordered GitHub to remove three Bitchat repositories within three hours due to surveillance risks. Digital rights groups challenged the order’s legality, citing constitutional concerns. The notice cited IT laws and warned of legal consequences for noncompliance. The action was criticized as unconstitutional and authoritarian by Internet Freedom Foundation.

Nvidia, Meta, and Microsoft are among the companies opposing U.S. restrictions on open-weight AI models. They argue for targeted enforcement against misuse rather than sweeping controls that could hinder American competitiveness with China. The companies highlight the importance of open models in advancing AI technology and supporting innovation.

Memecoin.Fun has raised $3.5 million in strategic funding led by Becker Ventures for its token launch platform on Robinhood Chain. The funding will support infrastructure development for launchpad, cross-chain bridges, and a multichain memecoin platform. Robinhood Chain’s decentralized exchanges have reached $9 billion in cumulative trading volume, increasing competition among token issuance platforms.

Strategy’s STRC preferred stock is now the largest holding in three major U.S. preferred stock ETFs with $756 million invested. Institutional ownership of STRC has risen, while retail ownership has fallen. Strategy plans to issue more STRC and buy Bitcoin once the stock returns to its $100 par value.

The US House of Representatives passed the Stop Insider Trading Act by a 232-198 vote, sending the bill to the Senate. The legislation prohibits members of Congress from buying securities from publicly traded companies but allows them to retain existing stocks. Elizabeth Warren criticized the bill for leaving loopholes allowing lawmakers to sell stocks.

Strive’s SATA preferred shares have risen nearly 16% from their June low to about $97. CEO Samson Mow predicts the rebound will help Strategy’s STRC return to its $100 par value. ETFs hold $756 million worth of STRC. Improved balance sheets and support for preferred shares are rebuilding confidence in Bitcoin-linked securities.

Five Sifang payment platform operators in China were sentenced to three to six years in prison for processing over $428 million through USDT, bank cards, and third-party payment accounts. The operation linked gambling sites to payment channels and involved unlicensed payment settlement activities. Investigators used Tether wallet data and OKX records for tracing crypto transactions.