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on April 22, 2025 at 12:55 pm

Local police have described the incident as a "terror attack", with fears there are several casualties.

by Tom Crowley on April 22, 2025 at 12:38 pm

The third leaders debate saw both Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese pulled up for using "talking points" in a clash which came after hundreds of thousands of Australians had already cast their ballots.

by Andrew Greene and Jane Norman on April 22, 2025 at 12:35 pm

Peter Dutton will pledge to better prepare Australia for future geostrategic threats by spending an additional $21 billion between now and 2030, which would be almost double Labor's planned increase to the defence budget.

by Cointelegraph by Elaine Hu on April 22, 2025 at 12:17 pm

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 brightest — and when — so you can pick the perfect bot to match your style and stomach for risk.We have examined three types of trading bots: Telegram bots trading on decentralized exchanges (DEX), non-Telegram bots trading on DEXs and on centralized exchanges (CEXs), and the recently evolving AI agent bots.Choosing the right trading bot depends on the user’s goals, risk tolerance and experience. At a glance:Telegram bots are ideal for fast, opportunistic trading like token launches and memecoins.AI agent bots, such as ai16z or Virtuals, suit users who want hands-off automation and are comfortable with experimental strategies.CEX bots offer the most control and are best for structured strategies like dollar-cost averaging (DCA), grid or signal-based trading.Bot trading strategies and performanceTrading bots are sophisticated automated systems that use algorithms to analyze cryptocurrency market data and autonomously execute trades on centralized exchanges or decentralized platforms. These bots typically operate continuously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, requiring minimal human oversight. Their core function involves the analysis of extensive amounts of real-time and historical market data, including price fluctuations, trading volumes and order book information. There are numerous potential advantages to employing AI agent trading bots. Their continuous operation ensures that no trading opportunities are missed, as they can monitor markets around the clock, accommodating global market movements. Some platforms offering these bots also provide backtesting capabilities, enabling users to evaluate the potential effectiveness of different trading strategies using historical data before deploying them with real capital.Telegram DEX bots Telegram bots operate via Telegram, leveraging its accessibility and real-time communication to execute trades directly on DEXs. They often focus on speed and sniping new tokens, appealing to users in fast-moving ecosystems like Solana. The recently launched protocols also included additional features that are often available in CEX trading bots, such as grid trading, DCA and limit orders.Telegram bots such as Maestro and Unibot first appeared around 2020–2021. In 2022, many of these bots were already offering advanced features like copy trading and arbitrage.By the end of 2023, Solana-based bots like BONKBot and Trojan Bot gained prominence for their speed in trading memecoins on DEXs. The biggest advantage of Telegram bots is their ability to trade on mobile devices without the need for a web browser extension to connect to a wallet. It hugely improves the usability of mobile trading, monitoring and integration with social networks.The top five Telegram bots by historical trading volume across all blockchains are Trojan, BonkBot, Maestro, Banana Gun and Sol Trading Bot. The majority of the trading volumes in the past 90 days happened on Solana, where all of the top five Telegram bots operate.DEX trading bot wars. Source: Dune AnalyticsThe functionalities offered by the Telegram bots are very similar, with the exception that some of them (i.e., Maestro and Banana Gun) focus on multichain operations, whereas the rest focus on Solana.The main use case for Telegram bots is to automatically identify profitable entry and exit points and execute trades quickly; it’s very difficult to track the profits or losses made by individual users from each trade. Since some of the Telegram bots, such as Banana Gun and BonkBot, offer a revenue-sharing model tied to their own tokens in the form of purchasing back their tokens with the 1% fee they charge, the token price and revenue (fees received) are used as an approximation of the performance of Telegram bots.Daily revenue in USD among Telegram bots. Source: Dune DashboardDaily revenue out of total revenue. Source: Dune DashboardLooking at the total revenue in the past six months, Trojan has received the most nominal amount in fees (around $109 million), whereas Sol Trading Bot has the highest median daily revenue when normalizing the daily revenue in terms of the total revenue.They all saw a peak around January 2025 during the memecoin season but are now facing a low-revenue period due to the broader bearish market conditions.Daily token price percentage change. Source: Dune AnalyticsThe two Telegram bots that share revenue through their tokens are Banana Gun and BonkBot. Looking at the price evolution in the past six months, the performance of the remaining parts is very similar, except for the significant rise in BONK’s price in November 2024. They both experienced significant price drops during the recent bearish market conditions.Related: The whale, the hack and the psychological earthquake that hit HEXAI agent bots AI agent trading bots are sophisticated automated systems that leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) algorithms to analyze cryptocurrency market data and autonomously execute trades.The term “agent” suggests these bots possess a degree of independence and decision-making capability that extends beyond the fixed rules of traditional automated trading systems. The most well-known AI agent frameworks that exist today are Virtuals and ai16z.Virtuals Protocol, launched in October 2024 on the Ethereum layer-2 network Base, is an AI agent generator platform designed to simplify the creation and deployment of AI agents on the blockchain. While Virtuals is not solely focused on trading, the platform enables the development of AI agents that could potentially be designed for trading purposes. For instance, Aixbt, an experimental AI agent on the platform, tracks discussions on X to identify potential market insights, suggesting a strategy that could inform trading decisions.Since Virtuals Protocol focuses on a launchpad model where agents are tokenized individually (e.g., LUNA and AIXBT) and operate across different areas such as gaming, trading and entertainment, we’ll only look into the performance of AIXBT, the token of the trading agent with the largest market capitalization on Virtuals.AIXBT price history. Source: CoinMarketCapAi16z is an AI-powered trading fund operating on the Solana blockchain. Launched in October 2024, ai16z utilizes sophisticated AI agents, powered by the Eliza framework, to autonomously analyze market data, including price movements, social media sentiment and onchain analytics, and execute trades.The fund functions as an AI investment decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), allowing holders of its native token to participate in governance by voting on key decisions and influencing trading strategies through a “virtual marketplace of trust.” AI Marc, a virtual fund manager built using the Eliza framework, oversees the fund’s trading activities. AI16Z tokens represent ownership in the fund and grant governance rights, with the agent’s actions driving token value. AI16Z price history. Source: CoinMarketCapComparing the trading volumes from these two agents, they both reached a peak in January 2025, with AI16Z reaching $501 million and AIXBT reaching $682 million. AI16Z’s price hit its peak slightly earlier than its volume high, whereas for AIXBT, the price and volume peaks coincided around the same time.AI16Z and AIXBT price and volume comparison. Source: CoinMarketCapAIXBT’s price performance is more impressive than AI16Z. At the peak, the token price was almost 4,000x the initial price in November 2024, whereas for AI16Z, this was around 111x. Even after the recent downturn and the broader market trending down, the latest price record at the end of March 2025 is still 478x the initial price for AIXBT and 6.8x for AI16Z.DEX/CEX bots These platforms are web-based and operate outside Telegram. You can trade directly on DEXs through wallet connection or connect to a CEX via APIs or a simple login option as part of their integrated exchange solutions.These web-based platforms offer a wide range of strategies and broader market access; they cater to users preferring both CEX liquidity and reliability as well as DEX’s decentralized, non-custodial nature. Some of these platforms also offer a quick switch between DEX and CEX with one click, making the discovery of price discrepancies between CEX and DEX (or CEX-DEX arbitrage) much easier.The most common strategies available on these platforms are grid, DCA and signal bot. A DCA bot invests a fixed amount of money into a cryptocurrency at regular intervals — regardless of the asset’s price. The idea is to spread out your entry points over time, which helps reduce the impact of market volatility. This type of strategy tends to perform well during price-trending periods.A grid bot is built for active trading — buying low and selling high in a structured way to profit from price fluctuations. A grid bot places a series of buy and sell limit orders at preset intervals above and below a set price range. This creates a “grid” of orders, and the bot profits from each completed buy-low/sell-high cycle. Grid bot works best in sideways markets with high volatility.A signal bot executes trades based on external signals — these usually come from technical indicators, market analysis or third-party services. These signals can be relative strength index (RSI), exponential moving averages (EMA), Bollinger Bands, etc.The following table shows the historical performance for the token pairs BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT and SOL/USDT for the three trading strategies. The parameter selection for the grid bot utilizes the 3Commas AI optimization built-in functionality to select the best parameters, whereas for DCA, the most popular classic trading strategy from their users is selected. For the signal bot, Dash2Trade provides strategy presets where the top strategy for each token is selected. These strategies are backtested on a proprietary system used to trade on live markets but are only available for the 120 days before Jan. 26, 2025.Due to a lack of consistent availability of data on the platforms, three backtesting periods were used for each of the three strategies. The table below shows the simple price change during the corresponding period, which is also the return for the simple benchmark buy-and-hold strategy.The available data suggests that performance can vary widely based on the specific bot, the trading strategy employed and the prevailing market conditions at the time the backtests were run. BTC and ETH price. Source: CoinMarketCapDuring the 120-day period from Sept. 26, 2024, to Jan. 26, 2025, when the signal bots were backtested, the market prices for Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Solana (SOL) were all upward trending with a buy-and-hold return of 58%, 23% and 55%, respectively. The signal bots’ strategies were performing in line with the buy-and-hold strategy (in some cases slightly worse) for BTC (58.15%), ETH (16.79%) and SOL (48.68%). Comparing the same 120-day period but from Dec. 4, 2024, to April 4, 2025, when grid bots were backtested, the market prices for BTC, ETH and SOL were all experiencing a downward trend, with a buy-and-hold return of -16%, -53% and -49%, respectively, which is completely different from the previous 120-day backtesting period. The grid bots’ strategies were performing much better than the buy-and-hold strategy during the downward-trending, high-volatility market conditions, giving positive returns for BTC (9.6%), ETH (10.4%) and SOL (21.88%).BTC and SOL price. Source: CoinMarketCapFor the longest 180-day backtesting period from Oct. 4, 2024, to April 4, 2025, when the DCA bots were backtested, the buy-and-hold returns for BTC, ETH and SOL were 34%, -25% and -18%, respectively. The signal bots’ strategies were performing very differently for the three tokens compared to the buy-and-hold strategy. For BTC, a 17.75% return is generated from the DCA bots, which is worse than the buy-and-hold strategy. However, for ETH (58.12%) and SOL (80.92%), the DCA returns are much better than the buy-and-hold returns. This might be due to the fact that ETH and SOL experienced much higher volatility during the period compared to BTC, and the DCA strategy was able to spread out entry prices to reduce exposure to bad timing.Related: Market maker deals are quietly killing crypto projectsTrading bot performance comparisonTelegram DEX bots like Trojan and Sol Trading Bot dominated in revenue over the past six months, with Trojan earning about $109 million in fees. Sol Trading Bot stood out for consistent daily earnings relative to its size.However, all bots saw revenue peak during the January 2025 memecoin hype and have since slowed due to bearish market sentiment. Token-linked bots (BANANA, BONK) followed a similar pattern — brief surges (notably BONK in November 2024) followed by steep drops tied to broader market trends.AI agent bots showed explosive growth during the same period. AIXBT reached a peak price 4,000x its initial value, far outperforming AI16Z (111x). Even post-correction, AIXBT held strong at 478x vs. AI16Z’s 6.8x. Volume-wise, both peaked in January 2025, but AIXBT’s token price closely tracked its volume rise, suggesting strong speculative momentum.CEX/DEX signals, grid and DCA bots showed the importance of market conditions, and the performance results vary quite a lot compared to the buy-and-hold strategy.Signal bots performed close to the buy-and-hold strategy during the uptrend market condition (backtesting period September 2024–January 2025), with marginally lower or similar returns.Grid bots excelled during a downtrend and high volatility environment (backtesting period December 2024–April 2025), beating the buy-and-hold strategy by wide margins, flipping negative market returns into double-digit gains.DCA bots over a 180-day backtesting period (October 2024–April 2025) had mixed results; they underperformed the buy-and-hold strategy for BTC but dramatically outperformed ETH and SOL, most likely due to their ability to absorb and capitalize on volatility.Key takeawaysWe have dived into the wild world of AI-powered crypto trading bots, pitting Telegram DEX bots, AI agent bots and CEX/DEX bots against each other — each a unique tool tailored to different traders and market conditions.Telegram DEX bots are designed for ease of use, with a simple interface embedded in the Telegram app. These bots focus on trading memecoins or participating in token launches onchain. They appeal to mobile-savvy traders and memecoin enthusiasts who prioritize quick trades and social integration, with features such as copy trade and revenue-sharing through tokens.Telegram DEX bots generated significant revenue in the past six months, peaking in January 2025’s memecoin season. But not all of them share revenue with the users. The only two who did (BANANA, BONK) faltered in the recent bearish market, with token prices dropping sharply. AI agent bots use natural language interfaces and AI decision-making to lower the barrier to entry for users interested in governance (e.g., AI16Z’s DAO model) or sentiment-driven strategies (e.g., AIXBT’s X analysis). Their primary strength lies in abstracting complex trading strategies through conversational interfaces.Although AI agent bots’ token price exhibited explosive growth, the recent market downtrend has led to less trading activity and lower token prices. AI agent bots stand out as a more experimental category. They remain under development and are best suited for users who are tech-curious or seeking a hybrid between simplicity and automation.Bots operating on DEXs or CEXs directly offer web-based platforms with diverse strategies, suiting more experienced traders who need high-speed execution, multi-exchange access, deep liquidity and complex configurability. The backtesting results show signal bots give similar returns to the bullish buy-and-hold strategy, whereas grid bots thrive in volatile downturn markets, and DCA bots outperform the buy-and-hold strategy for more volatile assets.Magazine: Your AI ‘digital twin’ can take meetings and comfort your loved ones

by Cointelegraph by Helen Partz on April 22, 2025 at 12:00 pm

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 inflows, stronger-than-expected US retail sales figures mid-week likely triggered outflows of $146 million,” CoinShares’ head of research James Butterfill wrote.Weekly crypto ETP flows since late 2024. Source: CoinSharesTotal assets under management (AUM) in crypto ETPs edged up 1.4% from $129 billion as of April 11 to $131 billion on April 18.All US Bitcoin ETFs are red in April so farAccording to the report, BlackRock’s iShares exchange-traded funds saw the biggest inflows last week at $182 million, while major issuers like Fidelity saw $123 million of outflows from the issuer’s crypto ETPs.Bitwise was among a few of the US issuers that saw inflows in its crypto ETPs, totaling $24 million, while the European issuer 21Shares saw bigger inflows at $37 million.Flows by issuer (in millions of US dollars). Source: CoinSharesEven with minor inflows, all US crypto ETP issuers are currently in the red month-to-date. European-based 21Shares was the only issuer that had maintained $28 million of inflows in April.Related: BlackRock reports $3B in digital asset inflows during Q1Year-to-date, BlackRock’s iShares ETFs are solid with more than $3 billion of inflows, with the majority of issuers being in red, except for Proshares with $340 million of inflows and Cathie Wood’s ARK with $19 million YTD.XRP stood out with $37.7 million inflowsAsset-wise, Ether (ETH) saw the largest ETP outflows among other cryptocurrencies last week, totaling $26.7 million.XRP (XRP) saw significant inflows of $37.7 million, standing out as the biggest gainer among other crypto ETPs.Flows by asset (in millions of US dollars). Source: CoinSharesBitcoin saw minor outflows of $6 million, extending April outflows to $894 million. The asset still has $541 million of ETP inflows YTD, the biggest inflows before Ether and XRP, totaling $215 million and $214 million YTD, respectively.Magazine: Altcoin season to hit in Q2? Mantra’s plan to win trust: Hodler’s Digest, April 13 – 19

by Cointelegraph by Ezra Reguerra on April 22, 2025 at 11:33 am

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 were worth around $27, which means the trader spent about $27 million to execute the play. Four years later, the whale’s total staked Solana holdings have reached 1.29 million. With Solana appreciating to about $140, the whale’s holdings have increased in value to about $180 million. On April 22, the whale started offloading a portion of the token stash to cash out on the gains. Lookonchain reported that the whale had unstaked 100,000 SOL tokens (about $14 million) and sent them to Binance. Sending tokens to crypto exchanges often indicates an intent to sell. Lookonchain said the whale still has 1.19 million Solana, worth around $166 million. Since the trader spent $27 million on the play, the total unrealized profit for the address is about $153 million. Source: LookonchainSolana whales turn $37 million to $200 million in four-year playThe Solana whale’s unstaking and token offloading follow another Solana staking play that involved hundreds of millions earlier in April. On April 4, Arkham Intelligence data showed four wallets that staked $37 million in tokens in 2021 had their tokens unlocked, meaning they can unstake and sell them. The blockchain intelligence platform called the event “the largest single-day unlock of staked SOL.”During the unlock, the tokens were worth over $206 million. After the tokens were unlocked, about $50 million in tokens were sold. Related: Babylon total value locked drops 32% as wallets unstake $1.2B in BitcoinSolana briefly flips Ethereum in staking market capAs many whales have turned to Solana for staking plays, the network briefly flipped Ethereum in the staking market cap. On April 20, the blockchain overtook Ethereum in staked token value after reaching over $53 billion. Still, the event was short-lived as Ethereum recovered the top spot. While the event may seem bullish, community members were split on whether Solana overtaking Ethereum was bullish or bearish for the network. Magazine: Uni students crypto ‘grooming’ scandal, 67K scammed by fake women: Asia Express

by Cointelegraph by Nancy Lubale on April 22, 2025 at 11:05 am

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/TradingViewXRP whale accumulation is backXRP’s price has been consolidating between $2.03 and $2.13 since April 14. The daily relative strength index (RSI) remained flat at around 49 over the same period, signaling market indecision.Despite this sideways price action, whale activity paints a promising picture, with onchain data showing large investors took advantage of the drop to $1.61.Related: Coinbase Derivatives lists XRP futuresXRP whale addresses holding between 10 million and 100 million XRP (black line) have increased sharply since April 1, according to data from Santiment. Similarly, addresses holding more than 1 billion XRP (red line) have steadily increased as well. This whale cohort currently accounts for 39.4% of the total XRP supply, compared to 37.7% toward the end of March. This possibly underscores the confidence of these large investors in XRP price rising despite growing macroeconomic risks and uncertainties. XRP supply distribution. Source: SantimentAdditionally, XRP experienced a significant drop in exchange reserves. XRP balance on exchanges peaked at 3.27 billion XRP in November 2024. Today, around 2.7 million XRP are held on exchanges. The metric has also dropped by 10% over the last 30 days despite the market turbulence experienced since the beginning of April.XRP balance on exchanges. Source: CryptoQuantCan XRP price rise to $3?XRP’s price action between April 7 and April 22 has led to the formation of a bull flag pattern on the daily chart. The price is retesting the upper trendline of the flag at $2.10, suggesting that a possible breakout is in play.Note that the price has unsuccessfully tried to rise above this trendline two or three times in the last 10 days, with each retest leading to new buyers accumulating around this region.A decisive close above this trendline could see XRP recover from the current level. It may break out toward the flag’s technical target at $2.93 or the $3.00 psychological level if backed by strong volume.XRP/USD daily chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewSeveral analysts echoed this bullish outlook, citing XRP’s consolidation as a precursor to a significant move upward.Citing a chart showing XRP price consolidating above $2.00 in the weekly timeframe, trader Dark Defender said the altcoin was retesting a key multimonth resistance line.If this resistance is broken, the price will break out, with Wave 5 playing out toward $4.00.“The XRP is bullish, and the crypto is more bullish than ever before.”XRP/USD daily chart. Source: Dark DefenderThe key levels to watch are the $2.22 and $2.75 on the upside and the $1.80 and $1.61 on the downside, according to the analyst. Meanwhile, fellow trader CasiTrades said that the rejection at $2.24 implied that the price is likely to sweep major support levels around $1.90 or $1.55 before “XRP is ready to break out.”As earlier reported by Cointelegraph, Wyckoff reaccumulation and falling wedge patterns are painting a bullish target for XRP above $3.50.This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

by Cointelegraph by Adrian Zmudzinski on April 22, 2025 at 11:03 am

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 as a regulatory vacuum left by federal agencies under the Trump administration:“States must fill enforcement vacuum being left by federal regulators who are abandoning these cases under Trump administration,“ the department said.Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal voiced his frustration over the lawsuit in an April 21 X post. Justin Slaughter, the vice president of regulatory affairs at crypto investment firm Paradigm, pointed out that the lawsuit claims a long list of digital assets, including XRP (XRP), are unregistered securities.Source: Paul GrewalYarden Noy, partner at crypto legal firm DLT Law, told Cointelegraph that if the court ruled these assets are securities, it “would mostly create more confusion in this regard.” It would not be a binding precedent in other cases, not even within Oregon, he added.Still, Noy explained that the court decision could be used by regulators and potential plaintiffs to build and make their cases. He said:“Just like the decision in the Ripple case which the complaint seems to be ignoring entirely, did not make all tokens immediately listable on US platforms, I don’t expect the opposite to happen here.”Related: Court grants 60-day pause of SEC, Ripple appeals caseA long list of crypto assetsParadigm’s vice president of regulatory affairs Justin Slaughter called the action a “kitchen sink lawsuit.” The list of tokens cited includes high-profile altcoins such as Aave (AAVE), Avalanche (AVAX), Uniswap (UNI) and Near Protocol (NEAR), as well as the wrapped version of Terra’s collapsed token, wLUNA — but not LUNA itself.The complaint does not explain why certain wrapped assets were included while others were excluded. It states:“Coinbase—through the Coinbase Platform and Prime—has made available for trading in Oregon crypto assets that are offered and sold as investment contracts, and thus as securities. This includes, but is not limited to, the units of each of the crypto securities further described below.“Related: Circle, BitGo about to apply for bank charters, others may follow: WSJXRP in the legal crosshairs once againRipple Labs, the firm behind XRP, has already faced a years-long legal battle with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Ripple was hit with a lawsuit by the SEC in late 2020, calling XRP a “$1.3 billion unregistered securities offering.”The same lawsuit was dropped by the SEC in late March, but it provided little legal certainty for the crypto industry. Oregon’s complaint comes amid growing concern among state officials that federal regulators are pulling back from crypto enforcement. The suit appears to be part of a broader trend of state-level authorities stepping in.Before Oregon’s action, XRP’s legal standing was being viewed as increasingly clear. Coinbase — a crypto exchange known for its relatively cautious stance on regulatory matters — added XRP futures to its derivatives trading platform on April 21.Magazine: XRP win leaves Ripple and industry with no crypto legal precedent set

by Cointelegraph by Adrian Zmudzinski on April 22, 2025 at 11:02 am

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,” the spokesperson told Cointelegraph. Coinbase in-office photo. Source: CoinbaseThe comments follow recent reports suggesting that Coinbase and multiple other major crypto firms were planning to apply for US banking licenses. Coinbase, stablecoin issuers Circle and Paxos, and crypto custodian BitGo were the other firms mentioned.Coinbase did not clarify to Cointelegraph why it is considering pursuing a bank charter. Still, a license could potentially allow crypto firms to operate like traditional lenders, taking deposits and making loans. Cointelegraph also reached out to the other firms reportedly considering applying for a charter.Still, firms that obtain banking charters are subject to stricter reporting and regulatory oversight. One example is Anchorage Digital, a crypto firm holding a federal bank charter.Despite the firm obtaining the license, recent reports indicate that the US Department of Homeland Security’s El Dorado Task Force has launched an investigation into Anchorage Digital Bank.Related: Crypto companies seeking bank charters under Trump admin — ReportMany crypto firms are likely to applyThe reports also follow the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granting a preliminary conditional approval for a US bank charter to Paxos back in 2021. Firms may now be considering applying as US regulators take a softer stance on crypto regulation and integrating stablecoins in the broader financial system.The change in stance is visible at multiple levels of the US federal government. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell recently said that as digital assets gain mainstream adoption, establishing a legal framework for stablecoins is a “good idea.” He also recognized that the crypto space delivered a consumer use case that “could have wide appeal.”Related: ECB flags risk of financial contagion from US crypto pushEvolving US stablecoin regulationThe US House Financial Services Committee passed a Republican-backed stablecoin framework bill earlier in April — the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy (STABLE) Act.Another bill that is moving through the US legislative process is the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act. The STABLE and GENIUS bills differ in how they regulate the stablecoin industry in their current form.The GENIUS Act was introduced first and passed the US Senate Banking Committee in mid-March. The STABLE Act, on the other hand, emphasizes federal oversight, while the GENIUS Act seeks a more flexible path that considers both state and federal regulations.The STABLE Act would enforce a two-year moratorium on issuing collateralized stablecoins that are backed by self-issued digital assets. The bill would also require that stablecoin reserves be held separate from business funds.The GENIUS Act would establish a legal framework for stablecoin payments and leverage US-based stablecoin issuers in an attempt to reinforce the dollar’s global dominance. The bill would also enhance Anti-Money Laundering (AML) safeguards, reserve and liquidity standards and sanctions checks. It classifies stablecoin issuers as financial institutions.Magazine: Coinbase and Base: Is crypto just becoming traditional finance 2.0?

by Cointelegraph by Helen Partz on April 22, 2025 at 10:43 am

As gold reached 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.While praising gold, Schiff sounded the alarm about the state of the economy, emphasizing that gold’s abnormal rally in the past few weeks holds negative implications for the US dollar.Source: Peter Schiff“This is the end of the US dollar’s dominance. Life in America is about to change in ways few can imagine,” he stated.Gold is up 31% YTD, USD is down 9%Schiff’s comments came amid gold futures surging to a record-breaking $3,500 on April 22, while spot gold has yet to touch the milestone after reaching $3,498 on Tuesday, according to TradingView.Since the beginning of 2025, spot gold has gained as much as 31.6% of value, while its one-year price is up more than 44%.Spot gold (XAU) price chart since Jan. 1, 2025. Source: TradingViewThe US dollar has seen a notable decline year-to-date, with the US Dollar Index (DXY) tumbling more than 9% in 2025, based on TradingView data.Community questions gold as “money”Schiff’s observations on the state of the US dollar in the context of gold’s rally have received some traction on social media, but many commentators have questioned whether the term “money” corresponds to gold.Some crypto community members specifically highlighted that gold fails to serve as a viable payment method, one of the four foundational functions of money.“I shaved a bit off my gold bar at Starbucks this morning. They accepted it as payment. First time in a while,” cryptocurrency advocate Mike Alfred responded in Schiff’s X thread, referring to gold being rarely used as a method of payment.Related: Jack Dorsey pushes Signal to adopt Bitcoin paymentsUnlike gold, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) are able to serve the payment use case, many posters stressed.“I paid for my haircut last week in Bitcoin,” one commentator said, adding:“Merchants won't accept gold because how do they test if it's real?”Amid the ongoing gold rally, the narrative of gold versus “digital gold” Bitcoin has been on the rise. According to Cathie Wood, a major Bitcoin bull and ARK Invest founder, Bitcoin is a “much bigger idea than gold,” and has a potential to gain from gold’s $23 trillion market.Others believe that gold and Bitcoin should not be seen as competitors because the assets are different in their nature and have different missions.Magazine: Altcoin season to hit in Q2? Mantra’s plan to win trust: Hodler’s Digest, April 13 – 19

by Cointelegraph by Amin Haqshanas on April 22, 2025 at 9:51 am

The European Central Bank (ECB) raised an alarm over potential fallout from aggressive US 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 (MiCA) regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies just months after it came into effect.The concern is that US reforms backed by President Donald Trump could flood European markets with dollar-denominated stablecoins.The ECB fears this could trigger a flight of European capital into US assets, undermining EU financial sovereignty and exposing banks to liquidity risks.ECB and European Commission clash over MiCA rulesWhile the ECB calls for tighter controls, the European Commission dismissed the warnings as exaggerated, per the report.The report, citing two diplomats and one EU official, said that the existing MiCA framework is robust enough to manage stablecoin risks despite potential US policies like the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy (STABLE) and the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS), two bills aimed at expanding America’s crypto footprint.“The Commission was quite clear that they had different views on this topic,” and “not very many (countries) supported the idea that we should now jump the gun and start making quick changes in (the rules) based on this alone,” one of the diplomats reportedly told Politico.The stablecoin sector now commands a valuation of $234 billion, according to data from CoinMarketCap.The ECB warned that European issuers could face redemption pressures from EU and foreign holders without stricter limits, potentially sparking a financial “run” and harming exposed institutions.“The worry is warranted,” Mikko Ohtamaa, co-founder and CEO at Trading Strategy, said in a post on X. “However, the EU had the first mover advantage with the regulation and they screwed it up.”Ohtamaa said no EU stablecoin is globally competitive due to MiCA’s restrictive rules, which are influenced by bank and legacy finance lobbying.Source: Mikko OhtamaaRelated: US regulator,s FDIC and CFTC, ease crypto restrictions for banks, derivativesTether remains a major critic of MiCA​Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin, USDt (USDT), has long been a critic of the EU’s MiCA regulation.Last year, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino argued that MiCA’s requirements, particularly the mandate for stablecoin issuers to hold at least 60% of reserves in EU bank accounts, could introduce systemic risks to both stablecoins and the broader banking system.Due to noncompliance with MiCA, USDT has faced delistings from major European exchanges, including Coinbase, Crypto.com and Kraken.Magazine: Altcoin season to hit in Q2? Mantra’s plan to win trust: Hodler’s Digest

on April 22, 2025 at 9:36 am

From Italy to Mexico, large crowds gathered around the world, to mourn the death of the pontiff.

by Cointelegraph by Ezra Reguerra on April 22, 2025 at 9:27 am

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 million. The network also had over 39,000 NFT buyers for the week, an 81% increase over the previous week. Ethereum remained second in sales, with a $19.2 million NFT sales volume for the week. Mythos Chain followed with $14.3 million, while Bitcoin-based collections ranked fourth with $14.1 million for the week. Top blockchains by seven-day NFT sales volume. Source: CryptoSlamRWA NFT collection drives Polygon surgeThe Polygon NFT surge was driven by a single real-world asset (RWA) NFT collection, highlighting that the RWA narrative has reached the NFT space.RWA tokenization refers to tangible assets minted on the blockchain to increase accessibility and trading opportunities for the assets. Simply put, it’s transforming real-world assets like art, property or even stocks into digital tokens on a blockchain that can be bought, held or traded.CryptoSlam data shows that increased sales from Courtyard NFTs caused the Polygon NFT surge. The collection reached a sales volume of $20.7 million, eclipsing the performances of other popular NFT projects for the week. Courtyard NFT collection tops digital collectible sales volume list. Source: CryptoSlamRelated: Bybit shuts down four more Web3 services after axing NFT marketplaceCourtyard is an RWA marketplace for graded physical card collections. This includes the Pokémon, basketball and baseball cards that are popular among collectors. The platform operates by storing and insuring tokenized cards in a vault operated by a security company. This means that NFTs are physically backed. After purchasing NFTs, users can opt to redeem the physical card. When this happens, the NFT is burned and will no longer be traded in the marketplace. Onchain RWAs have been a strong narrative in the first quarter of 2025. Data from RWA.xyz shows that tokenized assets have reached $21.2 billion, with total asset holders of more than 97,000. This excludes the value of stablecoins, which is already at $227 billion. Magazine: Your AI’ digital twin’ can take meetings and comfort your loved ones

by Cointelegraph by Zoltan Vardai on April 22, 2025 at 9:09 am

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 to Alex Svanevik, co-founder and CEO of the Nansen crypto intelligence platform.Bitcoin staged a 12% recovery in the two weeks leading up to April 22, despite ongoing tariff escalation between the world’s largest trading nations. The US increased reciprocal tariffs on China to 125% as of April 9, while China raised import tariffs from 84% to 125% effective April 12.Source: Alex SvanevikBitcoin was “surprisingly resilient” amid the trade war compared to altcoins and indexes like the S&P 500, but remains vulnerable to economic recession concerns, Svanevik told Cointelegraph, adding:“We expect gold to be more resilient, although gold holdings could be net sold in case investors panic and want to cover margin call. This was seen one to two days at the worst of the trade war earlier this month."Still, Bitcoin will continue benefiting from regulatory development and the US Bitcoin Reserve-related news, particularly with more developments on how the “Treasury is looking for ways to swap reserves into BTC,” added Svanevik.Related: Bitcoin rally above $100K may follow US Treasury buybacks — Arthur HayesWhile the US Bitcoin reserve will initially hold BTC forfeited in government criminal cases, President Donald Trump’s executive order instructed the government to develop “budget-neutral strategies” to buy more Bitcoin. LATEST: Executive Director of Digital Assets Bo Hines said the US government may buy Bitcoin using tariff revenue. pic.twitter.com/Gfc2HiEJoL— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) April 15, 2025The US is looking at “many creative ways” to fund its Bitcoin investments, including from tariff revenue and by reevaluating the Treasury’s gold certificates, creating a paper surplus to fund the BTC reserve without selling gold, Bo Hines of the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets said in an interview on April 14.Related: Bitcoin up 33% since 2024 halving as institutions disrupt cycleUS recession odds rise to 60%, says JPMorganDespite Bitcoin’s resilience against tariff concerns, a potential US recession may slash investor demand for risk assets.The probability of a US recession in 2025 has risen from 40% to 60%, according to an April 15 research report from JPMorgan, which wrote: “The latest unwinding of the Liberation Day tariffs reduces the shock to the global trading order, but the remaining universal 10% tariff is still a material threat to growth and the 145% tariff on China keeps the probability of a recession at 60%.”Global Recession Outlook. Source: JPMorgan Global EconomicsJPMorgan expects the Fed to “start easing in September, with further cuts at every meeting thereafter through January 2026 — reaching a 3% policy rate by June 2026,” added the report. Magazine: Altcoin season to hit in Q2? Mantra’s plan to win trust: Hodler’s Digest, April 13 – 19

by Isabella Tolhurst on April 22, 2025 at 9:07 am

Voters in the small remote community of Pirlangimpi on the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin, have become some of the first to cast their votes for the federal election.

by Simon Smale on April 22, 2025 at 9:01 am

Alexa Leary twice swam under her previous world record time in the S9 100m freestyle at the Australian Open Swimming Championships in Brisbane.

by Alysia Thomas-Sam on April 22, 2025 at 9:00 am

From 1945 to 2022 Kooyong was Liberal heartland. Now it's a battleground as the Coalition try to reclaim it with allegations of dirty tricks from both sides being aired.

on April 22, 2025 at 8:58 am

Hawthorn midfielder Conor Nash is sent straight to the AFL Tribunal after being reported for striking Geelong forward Gryan Miers.

by Samantha Dick on April 22, 2025 at 8:45 am

Santos's offshore Barossa gas project off the coast of the Northern Territory has won final approvals from the national offshore gas regulator. 

by Charlotte Gore and Harry Frost on April 22, 2025 at 8:37 am

For Deb Stevens Burrangiri aged care respite facility in Canberra's south was a "lifeline" as her mother's dementia progressed, but the ACT's Health Minister says it's unlikely the facility will be the recipient of a promised $10 million federal funding boost should an Albanese government be re-elected.

on April 22, 2025 at 8:24 am

New Zealand's populist party has introduced a bill to parliament to define women and men by their biology, preventing trans people from being recognised by law. 

by Brittany Carter on April 22, 2025 at 7:01 am

The Super Netball trophy is modelled off Romelda Aiken-George's on-court battles across her 18-year career in Australia, but the league dropped the ball when it came to celebrating her record-breaking appearance.

on April 22, 2025 at 6:42 am

The Wests Tigers recall Lachlan Galvin a week after dumping the five-eighth to reserve grade.

by Brett Worthington on April 22, 2025 at 6:31 am

Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese both paid tribute to the late Pope Francis today, semi-suspending their campaigns before the third leaders' debate tonight. 

by Mya Kordic, Dunja Karagic, and Esse Deves on April 22, 2025 at 6:09 am

A 38-year-old man appears in Derby Magistrate's Court charged with murder after the death of a woman in the state's Kimberley region.

by Cointelegraph by William Suberg on April 22, 2025 at 6:08 am

Bitcoin (BTC) traders see a BTC price reversal beginning as classic resistance stops bulls in their tracks.BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView200-day moving average keeps BTC price pinnedData 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, Bitcoin raised hopes of a gold copycat move as the latter set multiple all-time highs.Those highs continued on April 22, while BTC price action conversely saw rejection at the key 200-day simple moving average (SMA).“Interesting spot. Broke above the Daily 200EMA (Blue) and diagonal resistance. So far, saw a sharp rejection from the Daily 200MA (Purple),” trader Daan Crypto Trades said in a post on X alongside an explanatory chart. “Fun won't start until we get some daily closes back above the previous range low at ~$90K. Important to hold ~$85K below I'd say.”BTC/USD 1-day chart. Source: Daan Crypto Trades/XThe 200-day SMA traditionally forms support during Bitcoin bull markets, but was lost in March as crypto faced sell-side pressure when the US trade war began.Since then, BTC/USD has seen five-month lows under $75,000, and despite a healthy rebound, some market participants are keen to call time on the latest episode of price upside.Among them is fellow trader Roman, who referenced stochastic relative strength index (RSI) values in “overbought” territory.“As we approach horizontal resistance, I wanted to show that the last 4 times stoch RSI has been overbought, we’ve seen a 10-15% correction,” he noted, adding that such a move “would make perfect sense” given downward momentum on the S&P 500.Daily stochastic RSI was at the top of its 0-100 scale on April 22.BTC/USD 1-day chart with 200 SMA, stoch RSI data. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewBitcoin “reversal has started,” says traderAs Cointelegraph continues to report, other bullish market commentary focuses on the confluence of macroeconomic factors that traditionally fuel BTC price gains.Related: US dollar goes ‘no-bid’ — 5 things to know in Bitcoin this weekThese include rapidly weakening US dollar strength, all-time highs in the global M2 money supply and a delayed reaction to gold’s breakout.“In the past few weeks, I’m looking at different onchain data and global events, which makes me believe that BTC reversal has started,” trader Cas Abbe concluded in a dedicated X thread on the topic.Abbe rejected the idea that the current BTC rebound will end up as a “bull trap,” pointing to whale accumulation and the reemerging Coinbase premium in addition to macroeconomic factors.“I believe that $74K-$75K zone was the bottom for $BTC. Most alts have also bottomed out and we could see a sustained rally,” he added.BTC/USD vs. XAU/USD chart. Source: Cas Abbe/XThis article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

by Jamie Tram on April 22, 2025 at 6:02 am

Sinners is the first entirely original film written and directed by Ryan Coogler, and it thrums with the unruly spirit of someone finally bursting free of the franchise blockbuster death spiral.

by Cointelegraph by Stephen Katte on April 22, 2025 at 6:00 am

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 June 2023 in Florida, accusing Binance of allowing cybercriminals to use the platform for money laundering, US District Judge Barbara Rothstein said in an April 21 order. “Although the two complaints describe the proposed classes in slightly different terms, both encompass the same proposed class of individuals whose cryptocurrency was stolen and transferred to a Binance.com account during the relevant period,” Judge Rothstein said.“Therefore, this Court concludes that the classes of plaintiffs are sufficiently similar to warrant application of the first-to-file rule.”US District Judge Barbara Rothstein said transferring the Washington lawsuit to Florida was appropriate given the similarity to a case already being heard there. Source: Law360The first-to-file rule allows a court to decline a ruling on a matter when a complaint involving the same parties and issues has already been filed in another district. Generally, the court that first hears the case usually retains jurisdiction, according to legal resource LSD Law.Plaintiffs say the lawsuits differ in key areas Lawyers acting for the plaintiffs in the Washington case argued that it differed from the Florida suit because it added other accusations not present in the Florida lawsuit and named former CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao as a defendant. They also argued that transferring the case could postpone both court actions to the “detriment of all plaintiffs.”Jude Rothstein said in her ruling that it’s not apparent transferring the suit would delay resolution in either case, and would promote efficiency by “avoiding duplicative litigation,” which is one of the “first-to-file rule’s purposes.”“To allow two parallel class actions to proceed in separate districts would be duplicative and inefficient,” she said. Related: Binance to face class action after US Supreme Court denies petition for reviewThree crypto investors launched a suit in August 2024 against Binance and CZ in Washington, alleging their crypto was stolen and the funds were sent to Binance by the thieves to launder the funds.A year before, Michael Osterer filed his lawsuit in Florida in June 2023, alleging Binance aided the conversion of stolen crypto. A Florida court ordered the case to arbitration in July 2024.Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered

by Cointelegraph by Jesse Coghlan on April 22, 2025 at 5:56 am

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 to CoinGlass data.It's the largest inflow day for the ETFs since the funds had a $588.1 million joint net inflow on Jan. 30, days after Bitcoin hit a peak and was trading with a six-figure price tag.Total Bitcoin ETF flows since their launch in January 2024. Source: CoinGlassThe ETFs have struggled to maintain inflows over the past few weeks amid US President Donald Trump’s trade war threats. CoinGecko shows Bitcoin fell below $100,000 in early February and hit a 2025 low of $74,773 on April 7, days after Trump placed tariffs on every country, which also caused a stock market slump.The Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) saw the second-largest inflow for April 21, with $87.6 million, while the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) and the company’s Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (BTC) saw joint net inflows of $69.1 million.The Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF (BTCO) and the WisdomTree Bitcoin Fund (BTCW) saw no inflows or outflows on April 21. Source: CoinGlassBlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT), the largest of the group by assets under management, saw net inflows reach $41.6 million, about half of the inflows it saw before the weekend trading break on April 17.Crypto stays afloat over long weekendUS markets had shut down on April 18 in observance of Good Friday, and trading on Monday, April 21, saw them close in the red, with the S&P 500 down 2.4%, while the Nasdaq and the Dow Jones each dropped 2.5%.Related: Bitcoin rally above $100K may follow US Treasury buybacks — Arthur HayesThe crypto markets, meanwhile, were able to hold onto gains made over the long weekend, with the total crypto market capitalization climbing by $800 billion over the three-day break to hold at $2.84 trillion.Bitcoin has boosted that total, having climbed above a market value of $1.75 trillion for the first time since March 22 as its price struck above $88,500, a four-week high.Magazine: Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It’s time to dream big again

by Jade Toomey and Coquohalla Connor on April 22, 2025 at 5:49 am

The late Pope Francis is remembered as "charitable" leader by members of the Catholic Church in Canberra.

by Cointelegraph by Martin Young on April 22, 2025 at 5:45 am

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 secure approval for a deal negotiated under the Biden administration, reported Law360.“It appears unlikely that such authorization will be granted in the near term,” he said, referencing a recent statement by acting CFTC Chair Caroline Pham that the agency’s enforcement division was to deprioritize cases against crypto companies.The CFTC charged KuCoin with “multiple violations of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and CFTC regulations” in March 2024.According to the Justice Department, which also filed charges against KuCoin and two founders for violating Anti-Money Laundering laws, the exchange received more than $5 billion and sent more than $4 billion in “suspicious and criminal funds.” KuCoin, trading under Mek Global Limited, reached a $297 million settlement with the Department of Justice in January and agreed to exit the US market for at least two years. In December, the CFTC and KuCoin informed the court that they reached an agreement in principle to settle the case, however terms and details of the proposed deal were not disclosed. In March, KuCoin asked the judge for a 14-day stay to address further negotiations in line with President Trump’s executive order curtailing enforcement actions against the digital asset industry. However, this request was denied, with the judge pressing for negotiation status updates. No majority at CFTCWhen Pham announced in February that the Commission would wind down its practice of regulation by enforcement, she also noted that terminating active cases would be more difficult to deal with.The CFTC needs a majority to dismiss a case or authorize its settlement, and there is currently no majority, with two members from each party sitting on its governing body.This could change if the Senate confirms the appointment of Trump nominee Brian Quintenz to lead the financial regulator.Both parties have requested an additional 60 days or until the Commission provides “definitive direction” on the matter. Related: US regulators FDIC and CFTC ease crypto restrictions for banks, derivativesOn April 21, the CFTC’s Divisions of Market Oversight issued a request for comment to better inform them on the potential uses, benefits, and risks of perpetual contracts in derivatives markets.“Innovation and new technology have created a renaissance in markets that presents new opportunities that are accessible to more people, as well as risks,” said Pham. Magazine: Altcoin season to hit in Q2? Mantra’s plan to win trust: Hodler’s Digest

by Ian Verrender on April 22, 2025 at 5:33 am

US President Donald Trump has again rattled global investment markets, this time with his threats to interfere with the independence of America's central bank. 

by Cointelegraph by Brayden Lindrea on April 22, 2025 at 5:17 am

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 amount of onchain storage required for certain NFTs. By resizing the NFTs, Solana NFT holders can claim a small amount of SOL. In October, Metaplex said that Metaplex Token Metadata (TM) NFT holders will be able to execute a “resize optimization” for all TM accounts with a deadline of April 25. Those who didn’t do it voluntarily by the deadline would have their excess SOL transferred to the Metaplex DAO automatically, with how they’re to be used yet to be determined. However, Burwick criticized the firm’s plan to sweep unclaimed funds to its DAO treasury instead of returning them to NFT holders.“Many minters never received clear notice that these lamports could be swept, let alone diverted to a treasury they do not control,” Burwick said in an April 22 open letter to Metaplex and the broader Solana community.Burwick said over 54,000 SOL tokens are at risk, and according to Metaplex’s website, only 7,043 SOL have been claimed. At current market prices, more than $6.5 million remains unclaimed.Burwick said many of the NFT collectors it represents have shared “deep concerns” about the plan.Burwick added that Metaplex’s plan “erodes trust” and “violates the spirit of crypto.”“‘Code is law’ only works when the rules are clear and immutable. If a protocol can rewrite yesterday’s deal tomorrow, the promise of decentralised permanence rings hollow.”Source: Burwick LawBurwick said such a move could entitle victims to restitution should a court find the sweep constituted unjust enrichment or violates consumer protection laws.Metaplex hasn’t responded to Burwick’s X post. Cointelegraph reached out to Metaplex but didn’t receive an immediate response.Metaplex said the unclaimed SOL may be used for the DAO to vote on airdrops, distribute grants to ecosystem builders, or other initiatives. Source: MetaplexBurwick pitches what Metaplex should do insteadThe crypto lawyers advised Metaplex to pause the plan and refund rent directly to current NFT holders while retaining a “modest” network-maintenance bounty of 10%.“A 90 / 10 split protects users, preserves DAO funding, and proves that the Solana ecosystem can self‑regulate—without a courtroom.”Related: Coinbase distances Base from highly criticized memecoin that dumped $15MBurwick noted that other DeFi protocols have resolved similar issues this way.The lawyers said there is still plenty of time for Metaplex to execute such a strategy and avoid litigation where funds could be frozen.“The ball is in the DAO’s court. Let’s show the world that Web3 corrects its own course and lives up to its founding principles of transparency, immutability, and fair dealing.”Magazine: Meet lawyer Max Burwick — ‘The ambulance chaser of crypto’

by David Weber on April 22, 2025 at 5:13 am

A man accused of murdering Cassius Turvey is a "liar" who had no justification in striking the Perth teenager with a trolley pole, a prosecutor tells the WA Supreme Court.

by Janel Shorthouse and Owen Jacques on April 22, 2025 at 5:05 am

Former Australian Test cricketer and television host Michael Slater has been sentenced to four years in prison yet has walked free after already serving more than a year in custody.

on April 22, 2025 at 5:04 am

About 200 people gathered in Melbourne's west to call for greater mental health supports after the police shooting death of Abdifatah Ahmed.

by James Oaten on April 22, 2025 at 4:59 am

In Japan, it's called "shokunin", and it might be the reason why Tokyo is now the world's culinary capital.

by Andrew West on April 22, 2025 at 4:51 am

In the hours after his death, it has become commonplace to posit Francis as a “progressive” Pope disavowing the conservatism of his predecessors but in reality he was in line with Catholic social teaching.

by Cointelegraph by Jesse Coghlan on April 22, 2025 at 4:25 am

Update (April 22, 5:50 am UTC): This article has been updated to include a statement from Christina Macedo.Update (April 22, 11:14 am UTC): A correction has been made reflecting that Ready Maker (Gibraltar) Limited is not a subsidiary of US-based Ready Games. 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 value of the tokens and that the evidence filed was insufficient to continue the freeze.“Whilst there may be many reasons for the drop in value of the tokens, the evidence before the court suggests that these proceedings are a factor in that regard,” he wrote.US-based Ready Makers, which operates as Ready Games, and its founder, David Bennahum, have filed a legal dispute against Ready Maker (Gibraltar) Limited, and its CEO, Christina Macedo. The suit claims she took over the firm and its PLAY token that is used as a reward on the PLAY Network.Ready Games won a freeze of the tokens in February, with the Gibraltar-based Ready Maker, operating as PLAY Network, handing them over to a court-appointed custodian.The 542 million PLAY tokens are nearly two-thirds of its current circulating supply and are worth around $2.6 million. The token’s price has plummeted by over 97% since it launched in December, according to CoinGecko.PLAY has sunk over the past three months to trade for fractions of a cent. Source: CoinGeckoJudge Restano said the evidence filed by Ready Games for the freeze was “far from impressive, and raises more questions than it answers.”He added he did “not consider that this is a case where the order should be re-granted in any event,” and cited Ready Games’ failure to disclose that it was in administrative dissolution at the time of filing for the token freeze, which he called “a significant omission.”Macedo said in a statement that she saw “months of false and misleading statements made during the dispute,” and the judgment “restores clarity for our community and partners.”Ready Games’ Bennahum told Cointelegraph that it has filed to lodge an appeal alongside “an urgent application with the Gibraltar Court of Appeal asking them to either stay the discharge of the original injunction or grant a new injunction” so the tokens could again be frozen pending the appeal's outcome.He added that his company disagreed with the court’s decision to lift the token freeze, saying that the Gibraltar-based firm was in an “alarming state.”Ready Maker is just a “token launch vehicle” — Ready Games founderBennahum reiterated an earlier claim that the US-based Ready Games created Ready Maker in Gibraltar with the US company’s intellectual property and funding “specifically to serve as our token launch vehicle.”“We maintain that Ms. Macedo and associated parties have wrongfully seized control of this entity and its assets,” he said. Judge Restano said in his judgment that Macedo disputed Bennahum’s claim, and regulatory filings purportedly show she is the sole controller and ultimate beneficial owner of the Gibraltar-based firm.Related: Crypto gaming has mixed Q1 as deals jump, investment totals dip: DappRadar Ready Games had said in a February statement that its court action was to “recover control” of the Gibraltar company.It added that a Delaware business court issued a temporary restraining order that required Ready Gibraltar to restore Ready Games’ access to the firm’s tech stack, such as “GitHub repositories, cloud systems, and domain accounts.”Web3 Gamer: Riskiest, most ‘addictive’ crypto game of 2025, PIXEL goes multi-game 

by Amy Sheehan on April 22, 2025 at 3:55 am

If you’ve got an unexpected bill to pay or large expense and you don’t have the money to cover it, here’s what you can do. 

on April 22, 2025 at 3:52 am

In-form world number five Hannah Green will lead a seven-strong Australian challenge at women's golf's first major of the year, the Chevron Championship in Texas.

by Cointelegraph by Martin Young on April 22, 2025 at 3:35 am

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 slipping 2.5%, and the Dow Jones losing 2.5%, or nearly 1,000 points, according to Google Finance. The S&P 500 has now declined by more than 12% since the beginning of the year, and the Nasdaq is down almost 18% in the US tech stock exodus. US stock heatmap. Source: TradingViewThe stock slide follows escalating tension between Donald Trump and Jerome Powell and growing concern over the impact of trade tariffs. “‘Preemptive Cuts’ in Interest Rates are being called for by many,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on April 21. “With Energy Costs way down, food prices substantially lower, and most other ‘things’ trending down, there is virtually No Inflation,” he added. Trump has reiterated his call for lowering interest rates, which Powell, who has been labelled as “Mr. Too Late” and a “major loser” by the POTUS, has kept high at 4.5%. Source: Donald TrumpLast week, Powell took a swipe at Trump’s trade tariffs, saying they could lead to a dangerous economic mix of rising prices and slowing growth, or “stagflation.”Trump responded with a call to fire the central bank chair, stating at the time that his “termination cannot come fast enough.”  The Fed is expected to maintain its wait-and-see policy approach at its May 7 meeting, with interest rate markets predicting just a 13% chance of a rate cut, according to CME Fed Watch. US dollar devaluation continues The US Dollar Index (DXY) — a measure of the strength of the greenback against a basket of leading currencies — has also slipped more than 10% so far this year. This week it fell to a three-year low below 98 on April 21, according to TradingView. “Everyone needs and wants a weaker dollar to service their dollar debts,” commented Real Vision founder and CEO Raoul Pal on April 22. “This is the purest form of global liquidity and is the largest driver of global M2 [money supply] currently,” he added.  Related: US dollar goes 'no-bid' — 5 things to know in Bitcoin this week Meanwhile, crypto markets have held on to weekend gains with total capitalization remaining at $2.83 trillion at the time of writing. Bitcoin (BTC) is keeping digital asset markets buoyed, hitting a four-week high of $88,500 on April 22. “Amid one of the most turbulent periods for global markets in years, Bitcoin is showing impressive resilience,” commented Bitfinex analysts in a recent market update. Magazine: Altcoin season to hit in Q2? Mantra’s plan to win trust: Hodler’s Digest

by Cointelegraph by Stephen Katte on April 22, 2025 at 2:49 am

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 compensation scheme for affected users within 10 business days, WazirX said in an April 21 update to X.WazirX lost $234 million of crypto from a Safe Multisig wallet mid-July 2024 in an attack since attributed to North Korean hackers, forcing them to temporarily pause all crypto and Indian rupee withdrawals on the platform.Source: WazirX“Zettai has completed all prior required steps, and the next key step is the sanction hearing, which the Singapore High Court has scheduled for May 13, 2025,” the firm said.“This hearing is essential for the Scheme to become legally effective. While we’ve worked to stay aligned with the previously shared timelines, court proceedings operate independently, and we respect that process.”On April 7, more than 90% of the voting creditors voted in favor of the platform’s post-hack restructuring plan, which involved the issuance of recovery tokens.The tokens would be repurchased using net profits from the exchange and could yield 75% to 80% of users’ account balances at the time of the cyberattack.WazirX had warned that repayments from the $235 million hack could be delayed until 2030 if creditors didn’t approve its proposed restructuring plan. Singapore’s High Court gave Zettai permission to convene a creditors’ meeting to propose a possible remedy for users and a plan to get the exchange back online in January.Related: Bybit CEO: Two-thirds of Lazarus-hacked funds remain traceable“We understand the eagerness around the platform restart and truly appreciate your continued patience,” WazirX said."Since the beginning, we have communicated that the first distribution and restart would occur within the April-May 2025 window.”Supreme Court of India dismisses WazirX users petition A separate April 16 court judgment from the Supreme Court of India dismissed a petition filed by 54 victims of the hack, who sought legal action against WazirX, Shetty, Binance and custody provider Liminal. Petitioners also asked the court to audit WazirX’s accounts.  Justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine Masih rejected the petition, saying the court could not rule on the case because it was a matter of crypto policy, which the court doesn't have the authority to rule on. Gavai and Masih advised the petitioners to approach a regulatory body or other relevant authority to hear the matter instead.Magazine: Uni students crypto ‘grooming’ scandal, 67K scammed by fake women: Asia Express

by Cointelegraph by Max Moeller on April 22, 2025 at 2:21 am

Key takeawaysStaking 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 in crypto ecosystems.Solana is a blockchain network known for its fast transaction speeds and extensive ecosystem of decentralized applications (DApps). It also combines the proof-of-stake (PoS) and proof-of-history (PoH) consensus mechanisms, allowing you to stake its native currency, SOL (SOL), to earn rewards. This Solana staking guide walks you through the Solana staking process and explains why staking could be a smart move, especially if you’ve been wondering how to earn passive income with SOL.What is Solana staking?Solana staking consists of locking SOL into a cryptocurrency wallet. The process rewards you in the following ways:Staking rewards: You earn rewards for staking SOL — a percentage based on how much you’ve staked, Solana’s current inflation rate (which fluctuates and is set to decrease every year), the total amount of SOL staked on the network, and how long you’ve been staking overall.Governance: Staking gives you a say in governance, allowing you to vote on proposals that shape the Solana network. This approach prioritizes those with the largest investments, assuming they’ll act in the network’s best interest.Network security: Staking increases security to create a stable investment environment. By staking, you’re directly contributing to Solana’s health and longevity. That said, if a few wallets stake large amounts, one could argue they’re centralizing the network.If you earn rewards staking SOL, they’re paid out every two days — a period known as an epoch. When staking SOL, you’re delegating funds to a Solana representative (a validator.) Validators process transactions, produce blocks, and vote on network proposals. It’s essential to choose a validator that aligns with your vision for Solana, as they’ll be voting in your stead, much like an elected official in traditional governments.Validator votes are stake-weighted. The more stake a validator has, the more weight their vote carries. Solana validator vs. delegator: By delegating funds to a validator, you become a delegator. The validator’s job is to vote in the network’s best interest. It’s your job to choose reputable validators that keep the network safe. Did you know? Solana is one of the fastest blockchains in terms of transactions per second (TPS). It currently averages around 1,128 TPS, with a theoretical max of 65,000 TPS. Staking Solana for beginnersThere are a few things to consider as you prepare to stake Solana.Understanding staking methodsOn the surface, staking is quite simple; however, there are actually two staking methods — each affects your SOL liquidity.Liquid staking: Earn rewards while retaining control of your SOL’s liquidity. When you liquid stake, you receive liquid staking tokens (LSTs) equivalent to the amount of SOL you stake. You can use those LSTs in Solana’s decentralized finance (DeFi) applications as you would if you weren’t staking funds.Native staking: Native staking is the original method that locks your funds away, allowing you to earn rewards and participate in governance. However, you cannot use your funds without pulling them out via the unstaking process. This process is beginner-friendly but limits what you can do with your SOL.The difference between the two is flexibility. Native staking is less flexible but easier for beginners, while liquid staking retains your liquidity for use in DeFi and other applications.Solana staking tax 2025In the United States, Solana staking rewards are subject to income and capital gains tax.Income tax: You’re required to pay income tax on the value of SOL at the moment you unstake it. You also pay income tax on staking rewards when you gain the ability to withdraw them.Capital gains tax: You’re required to pay capital gains tax once you sell or convert that SOL.How to stake SolanaNow, let’s get into the Solana staking tutorial. Choose a Solana walletFirst, you need a wallet to store and stake your SOL. Most Solana wallets have built-in staking capabilities. This guide uses the Phantom Wallet for demonstration purposes.Download Phantom Wallet from its official website by clicking the “Download” button.Next, click “Create a new wallet.”You’ll be asked to continue with an email or a seed phrase wallet. Click “Create a seed phrase wallet.”Enter a password, and proceed to the recovery phrase screen. Write down your recovery seed phrase on piece of paper, check the confirmation box, and click “Continue.”Create a username, click “Continue,” and you’ll have created a Solana wallet. Fund the walletFund Phantom with SOL by either transferring SOL from another wallet or buying it with a debit/credit card via the “Buy” button.Phantom partners with companies such as Robinhood or Topper to facilitate card payments, allowing you to buy from within the wallet interface.After funding your wallet, it’s time to start staking.Stake your SolanaOpen your token list and click on “Solana.”Select “Start earning SOL.”Now, choose between “Liquid Staking” or “Native Staking.”Liquid staking is typically done via a third-party provider. Phantom integrates with Jito’s liquid staking platform, enabling you to receive JitoSOL LSTs when you liquid stake.If you choose to liquid stake, Phantom will detail your estimated annual percentage yield (APY) and how much JitoSOL you’ll receive in return for staking.JitoSOL will appear in your token list.JitoSOL will appear in your token list.If you choose native staking, you must commit to a validator. Phantom will list validators in order of how much SOL is staked to them and their estimated APY.Select a validator, enter how much SOL you’d like to stake, and click “Stake.” The network will create your staking account, and you’ll start earning rewards in a few days.Congratulations, you’re successfully staking SOL.Did you know? Validators who act out of turn or experience significant downtime will have their rewards slashed, also reducing the rewards of those who stake with the validator. How to unstake SolanaWhether you choose liquid or native staking, here’s how to unstake your funds. You might unstake if:You want to convert SOL: If you want to swap or sell your SOL, you must unstake the funds first.You want to stake elsewhere: If another network catches your eye, you’ll have to unstake your Solana funds to transfer them for staking on another network.Validators act up: If your validator acts outside the network’s best interest, you may want to unstake and delegate to another validator.Unstake natively staked tokensTo unstake natively staked tokens, click on “Solana” in your token list.Next, click on “Your stake.”Select the validator you want to unstake from and click “Unstake.” Then, select “Withdraw Stake” to pull the funds back into your wallet. The validator will show “Inactive” once you’ve unstaked.Unstake LSTsTo unstake your LSTs, select them in your token list.Click “More” in the options list, then select “Unstake.”If you’re using Jito as your LST provider, clicking unstake will take you to Jito’s platform. Here, you have two options: unstake immediately or delayed unstaking.Unstake immediately: Immediate unstaking costs a small fee, based on the amount you are unstaking. You can pay additional fees to prioritize your transaction or tip validators. Finally, you can adjust your slippage tolerance.Delayed unstaking: Delayed unstaking can range from one day to a week, depending on network congestion, but you pay a much lower fee. You also don’t have to account for slippage, as the network won’t prioritize your transaction.Choose whichever option works best for you, and click “Unstake SOL.” The funds will appear in your wallet.Did you know? You can stake Solana with as little as 0.01 SOL, making it one of the most accessible PoS blockchain networks.Is Solana wallet staking safe?Staking Solana is relatively safe, but even if you know how Solana staking works, there are risks to be aware of:Market volatility: Solana is subject to market volatility as much as any other cryptocurrency. The value of your staked SOL can fluctuate based on market conditions.Validator behavior: Validators can act out of favor with the network and may experience “slashing.” Slashing penalizes the validator’s rewards, which affects your rewards as well. Your initial investment remains safe, however.Cyberthreats: Blockchain networks are exposed to bad actors 24/7, meaning they can be vulnerable to hacks at any time, putting your funds at risk.Past downtime: Solana has had various outages over the years, often due to congestion. While this doesn’t necessarily mean your funds are at risk, bad actors could target the network during its weak moments.So, while staking on Solana offers potential rewards, it’s important to understand that staking always carries risk. As with any investment, there’s a possibility of loss, so it’s crucial to evaluate your risk tolerance and take necessary precautions.This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

by Cointelegraph by Jody McDonald on April 22, 2025 at 2:09 am

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, at which point Mullin's Mantra (OM) tokens will be sent to the burn address and permanently removed from circulating supply.Source: John Patrick MullinMullin said it was a “first step in rebuilding trust with the community, but far from the last.” Mantra said it was also in talks with “key ecosystem partners” about burning a further 150 million OM to bring the total burn amount to 300 million.With 150 million fewer OM, Mantra’s total supply will decline to 1.67 billion, and its number of staked tokens will drop by over 26% from 571.8 million OM to 421.8 million OM. Returns will also be boosted: “This strategic burn will lower the bonded ratio from 31.47% to 25.30%, resulting in an increase in staking APR,” Mantra said.Token burn initiative follows OM price collapseTwo days after Mantra’s rapid 90% price collapse on April 13, Mullins posted to X that he intended to burn all of the staked tokens he was allocated at the blockchain’s mainnet genesis in October. These vested “team tokens” were due to be unlocked starting in 2027.He also ran a poll on X about the proposed burn of his tokens, with alternate options such as extended vesting or unlocking tokens at milestones — as a “temperature check of people’s thoughts.”The poll had attracted almost 9,000 votes at the time of writing, and a number of commenters criticized it as an attempt to reverse course on the burn commitment. Source: John Patrick MullinThe burn is connected to an “OM Token support plan” Mantra announced following the price crash, which will also feature a token buyback. Mullin said the buyback program was also “well underway.”Related: How Mantra’s OM token collapsed in 24 hours of chaosMantra also released a tokenomics dashboard to increase transparency as it seeks to regain the trust of the community. At the time of writing, the OM price remains down around 90% from its value of $6.30 earlier in April, trading at below $0.55.Magazine: Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It’s time to dream big again

by Cointelegraph by Brayden Lindrea on April 22, 2025 at 1:53 am

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 CEO Nevin Freeman. He is no longer consulting at the firm.The Reserve Rights (RSR) token is the governance token aimed at ensuring the stability of the Reserve Protocol’s stablecoin, Reserve Dollar (RSV). In an April 21 X post, Coinbase said it would list the RSR token on the Ethereum layer-2 network Base on April 22 at 9 am Pacific Time (4 pm UTC). Source: Coinbase AssetsAtkins news bumps up RSR’s price even furtherThe Coinbase listing, combined with the news of Atkins officially being sworn in as SEC chair on April 21, pushed the token up 13.6% to a near two-month high of $0.00835 on April 22, CoinGecko data shows. Prior to Atkins being sworn in, RSR had already risen double digits to around $0.0081.It is currently the 143rd largest coin by market capitalization at $464 million.Atkins said he will be focused on ensuring the US is the “best and most secure place in the world to invest and do business,” while ensuring sufficient consumer protection measures are in place.It comes two weeks after the Senate confirmed Atkins as SEC chair in a 52-44 vote on April 9. Related: Crypto in a bear market, rebound likely in Q3 — CoinbaseAtkins takes over from Mark Uyeda, who has been the SEC’s acting chair since Jan. 20, when former chair Gary Gensler stepped down.Since US President Donald Trump returned to office, the SEC created a Crypto Task Force to consult with the industry on regulation and dropped several crypto-related investigations and enforcement actions undertaken by the Gensler-led SEC.Atkins is expected to take a more crypto-friendly approach, telling a Senate confirmation hearing in March that a priority of his at the SEC would be to provide a firm regulatory foundation for crypto assets through a “rational, coherent and principled approach.” Magazine: Memecoin degeneracy is funding groundbreaking anti-aging research

by Cointelegraph by Brayden Lindrea on April 21, 2025 at 11:53 pm

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 confirmed by the US Senate in a 52-44 vote on April 9.“I am honored by the trust and confidence President Trump and the Senate have placed in me to lead the SEC,” said Atkins, who served as an SEC commissioner between 2002 and 2008.“As I return to the SEC, I am pleased to join with my fellow Commissioners and the agency’s dedicated professionals to advance its mission to facilitate capital formation; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and protect investors.””Together we will work to ensure that the U.S. is the best and most secure place in the world to invest and do business.”Atkins is widely expected to lead a more crypto-friendly SEC than former chair Gary Gensler under the Biden administration.Source: CointelegraphHis confirmation was reportedly delayed due to several financial disclosures that he needed to file as a result of marrying into a billionaire family. Some of those financial disclosures reportedly included up to $6 million worth of crypto-related investments, including crypto custody platform Anchorage Digital and blockchain tokenization platform Securitize.Atkins has taken over from acting chair Mark Uyeda, who helped the SEC establish a Crypto Task Force in January, aimed at strengthening rapport between the commission and industry players.The SEC has also dismissed several crypto probes and enforcement actions undertaken by the Gensler-led SEC in recent months, including cases involving Coinbase, Consensys, Gemini and Uniswap.Related: Crypto industry is not experiencing regulatory capture — AttorneyThe Atkins-led SEC currently has over 70 crypto-related exchange-traded fund applications to decide on this year, Bloomberg reported on April 21.“Everything from XRP, Litecoin and Solana to Penguins, Doge and 2x Melania and everything in between,” Bloomberg ETF analyst James Balchunas said in an X post. “Gonna be a wild year.”The recent surge in crypto ETF filings reflects a “spaghetti cannon approach” from issuers testing which products the new SEC leadership might approve, fellow Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart said in February.“Issuers will try to launch many many different things and see what sticks,” Seyffart said.Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered

by Cointelegraph by Turner Wright on April 21, 2025 at 10:20 pm

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 existing laws in the territory to require certain investors to pay local and federal taxes on capital gains, including from digital assets. The legislation would reportedly add text to Puerto Rico’s Internal Revenue Code, making income from cryptocurrencies subject to federal tax laws.“This wave of crypto investors hasn’t helped Puerto Rico’s recovery or strengthened the local economy,” said Rep. Velázquez, according to Bloomberg. “Instead, it’s driven up housing costs, pushed out local residents, and added pressure to an island where nearly 40% of people live in poverty — all while costing the federal government billions in lost tax revenue.”Puerto Rico is well known as a tax haven for many people in the crypto industry since the territory began allowing exemptions in 2012 under Act 20 and Act 22 of the Tax Incentives Code — later consolidated as Act 60. The island has attracted investors, including Pantera Capital founder Dan Morehead, venture capitalist Brock Pierce, and online influencer Logan Paul.Related: NFT trader faces prison for $13M tax fraud on CryptoPunk profitsMissing out on crypto tax revenueRep. Velazquez’s office reportedly said Puerto Rico could lose roughly $4.5 billion in revenue from 2020 to 2026 due to the tax incentives in place. In contrast, Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González-Colón proposed extending Act 60, set to expire in 2035, to the end of 2055, but requiring applicants to be subject to a 4% capital gains tax rate, smaller than the typical range up to 37% in the US.It’s unclear whether the legislation proposed by Rep. Velazquez, a Democrat, would have enough political support to pass in the Republican-controlled House or Senate. Both chambers will likely consider floor votes for stablecoin legislation and a crypto regulatory framework in the coming months. Magazine: XRP win leaves Ripple and industry with no crypto legal precedent set

by Sundance on April 21, 2025 at 10:13 pm

President Trump and First Lady Melania participate in an annual tradition at the White House, the Easter Egg Roll. . *Travel day tonight.  See you in the morning. :)) /SD   Posted in Christian Values, Melania Trump, President Trump The post President Trump and First Lady Melania Participate in Easter Egg Roll at White House appeared first on The Last Refuge.

by Cointelegraph by Cointelegraph on April 21, 2025 at 9:50 pm

Today in crypto, Paul Atkins has been officially sworn in as SEC chief, taking over for acting chair Mark Uyeda. New filings reveal crypto companies among donors to US President Donald Trump's inauguration and the Ethereum Foundation is entering a new phase as Vitalik Buterin steps back to focus on research.Paul Atkins, nominated by Trump, sworn in as SEC chairPaul 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 confirmed by the US Senate in a 52-44 vote on April 9.Source: US House Committee on Financial Services Republicans“I am honored by the trust and confidence President Trump and the Senate have placed in me to lead the SEC,” said Atkins, who served as an SEC commissioner between 2002 and 2008.Atkins is widely expected to lead a more crypto-friendly SEC than former chair Gary Gensler under the Biden administration.Consensys, Solana, Uniswap CEO donated to Trump's $239M inauguration fundNew filings from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) reveal that several cryptocurrency firms and their executives made significant contributions to US President Donald Trump’s inauguration fund after the results of the 2024 election. According to FEC filings made public on April 20 by the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, Uniswap CEO Hayden Adams donated more than $245,000, Solana Labs donated $1 million, and software firm Consensys sent $100,000 in January to support the then-president-elect’s inauguration. Many major crypto firms had previously announced their support of Trump through donations to the inaugural fund, including Coinbase, Ripple Labs, Kraken, Ondo Finance, and Robinhood.Altogether, the fund reported more than $239 million in net donations between Nov. 15 and April 20 from companies and individuals. These included $1 million from McDonald’s, $1 million from Meta, $1 million from Apple CEO Tim Cook, $1 million from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and various contributions from Delta Air Lines, ExxonMobil, FedEx, Nvidia, PayPal, Target, and Coca-Cola. Jan. 9 contribution from Uniswap CEO Hayden Adams to Trump-Vance inauguration fund. Source: FECSince Trump took office on Jan. 20 and appointed Mark Uyeda as acting chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the agency has dropped multiple investigations and enforcement actions against crypto firms, including those that donated to the president’s 2024 campaign or inauguration fund. In February, Uniswap reported that the SEC had dropped its probe into the firm, and Consensys founder Joseph Lubin said the agency had agreed to end a separate lawsuit. Ethereum Foundation shifts focus to user experience, layer-1 scalingThe Ethereum Foundation, the nonprofit organization developing the Ethereum ecosystem, is shifting its focus to user experience and layer-1 scaling challenges following its March leadership reshuffle. On April 21, the Ethereum Foundation co-executive director Tomasz Stańczak shared an X post detailing how the organization has changed since its change in leadership structure.Stańczak said the change aims to give Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin more time for research and exploration rather than dealing with day-to-day tasks and crisis management.“Each time Vitalik shares insights or communicates a direction, he accelerates major long‑term breakthroughs,” he wrote.Stańczak added that Buterin’s recent posts had advanced promising avenues and helped realign the community around the organization’s core values.On April 20, Buterin proposed a change in the Ethereum Virtual Machine’s (EVM) contract language to improve the efficiency and speed of the blockchain’s execution layer. Stańczak said that while Buterin’s proposals will “always carry weight,” they are supposed to start conversations and encourage progress in different research areas. The executive said the community can either refine or reject the ideas.