Author: James Wilson

SCRYPT is pitching a Swiss‑licensed, full‑stack “operating system” for institutional crypto, bundling trading, custody, settlement and yield into one regulated infrastructure. Summary SCRYPT says banks can “trade, settle, store, and manage digital assets” via one Swiss‑licensed stack instead of four or five separate vendors. The firm cites a dual‑entity structure, segregated custody, and an “Automated Risk Engine” as safeguards against counterparty and settlement risk. A FINMA‑regulated arm offers DeFi yield and tokenized Treasuries, with “plumbing and product” running on the same stack under one regulatory perimeter. In a recent conversation with crypto.news on the sidelines of ETHCC in Cannes last…

Coinspaid has partnered with The Residency to give early-stage founders preferential access to its stablecoin and crypto payment infrastructure, usually reserved for larger fintechs. Summary Coinspaid, one of Europe’s largest crypto payment providers, will offer Residency startups preferential access to its stablecoin processing and payout stack. The deal includes multi-chain connectivity, automated on-chain settlements, liquidity tools, and compliance-ready payment APIs typically used by larger global businesses. The Residency, backed by operators and advisors such as Sam Altman, sees the partnership as giving founders infrastructure “normally out of reach” for early-stage companies. Coinspaid, one of Europe’s largest blockchain payment infrastructure providers,…

CME Bitcoin futures open interest has fallen to a 14‑month low as the once‑crowded basis trade collapses, compressing yields and pushing leveraged institutions out. Summary CME Bitcoin futures average daily open interest fell below $8B in March and to about $7.2B in early April, the lowest since February 2024. March volume slid to $163B, nearly half January 2025’s peak, as the spot‑ETF plus short‑futures basis trade unwound and leveraged funds exited. With annualized basis near 5% versus ~4.5% risk‑free rates, funding costs and counterparty risk have erased arbitrage appeal at CME. CME Bitcoin futures activity has fallen to its weakest…

UK-led Operation Atlantic froze over $12M in crypto scam proceeds tied to “approval phishing,” identifying 20,000+ victims and $45M in suspected fraud. Summary UK, US and Canadian agencies ran Operation Atlantic, freezing more than $12M in suspected crypto scam proceeds and identifying over 20,000 victims. The crackdown targeted “approval phishing,” where victims are tricked into signing malicious on-chain authorizations that let scammers drain wallets. Binance and other private firms provided account screening and fraud intelligence support, though no funds were frozen on Binance itself. UK, US and Canadian law enforcement have frozen more than $12 million in suspected crypto scam…

Tether has released QVAC SDK, an open-source toolkit that lets developers run llama-based AI apps fully on-device across major platforms, without relying on cloud servers. Summary Stablecoin issuer Tether has launched QVAC SDK, an open-source kit for running AI applications locally on devices instead of in the cloud. Built on a llama.cpp branch called QVAC Fabric, it supports text, speech, vision and translation, using Holepunch for peer-to-peer model distribution and delegated inference. Tether plans to add decentralized training and fine-tuning, plus specialized toolkits for robotics and brain-computer interface use cases. Tether is extending its ambitions beyond stablecoins, launching an open-source…

Bitcoin has climbed back above $72,000, keeping the short‑term uptrend intact while setting up a test between bullish targets near $78,000 and critical support around $70,000. Summary BTC/USDT is trading just above $72,000 with a modest 24‑hour gain, keeping the short‑term uptrend intact as long as $70,000 support holds. A sustained push could open room toward the $78,000–$80,000 zone, but failure to defend $70,000 risks a move back toward $63,000–$65,000. Macro drivers such as rates, liquidity and U.S. regulation will likely matter more for the next big move than any single intraday breakout. Bitcoin has pushed back above $72,000, but…

The U.S. Treasury has launched a cybersecurity information-sharing program to give U.S. digital asset firms timely, actionable intel on threats targeting their customers and networks. Summary The U.S. Treasury’s OCCIP has unveiled a new initiative to strengthen cybersecurity across the digital asset industry. The program will share timely, actionable cyber threat information with eligible U.S. crypto companies and industry groups. The move implements a key recommendation from the President’s Working Group report on enhancing U.S. leadership in digital financial technology. The U.S. Treasury Department has launched a new cybersecurity information‑sharing program aimed at hardening the digital asset industry against increasingly…

Enhanced Labs raised a $1 million pre-seed led by Maximum Frequency Ventures to expand options-based yield strategies across on-chain and tokenized real-world assets. Summary Enhanced Labs secures $1 million pre-seed round led by Maximum Frequency Ventures. Backers include GSR, Selini, Flowdesk and several angel investors. Funds will expand options-based yield strategies to more on-chain and tokenized real-world assets. U.S.-based DeFi infrastructure startup Enhanced Labs has closed a $1 million pre-seed funding round to expand its options-based yield products across a wider range of on-chain assets, including tokenized real-world assets. The round was led by Maximum Frequency Ventures, with market-making and…

SEC chair Paul Atkins says “Project Crypto” means the SEC and CFTC are ready to implement the CLARITY Act as soon as Congress passes comprehensive market‑structure reforms. Summary SEC chair Paul Atkins says “Project Crypto” is designed so SEC and CFTC can implement the CLARITY Act as soon as Congress moves. Treasury Secretary Basant has urged lawmakers to advance comprehensive market‑structure safeguards to President Trump’s desk. The comments signal regulators are aligning around a post‑CLARITY operating framework, putting pressure back on Congress. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Paul Atkins has signaled that the agency considers itself operationally ready…

At TezDev 2026, Arthur Breitman reiterated his longstanding belief that crypto’s next frontier is tokenized commodities, unveiling uranium and metals tokens as the start of a broader ‘periodic‑table roadmap’. Summary At TezDev 2026, Arthur Breitman said commodities are a better blockchain fit than securities, citing clearer spot regulation. Uranium.io and Metals.io launched with xU3O8, a tokenized uranium product on Etherlink, as the first element in a broader metals pipeline. Trilitech’s Head of Commercial Applications Ben Elvidge said the periodic table will serve as Metals.io’s product roadmap as it expands into alloys and other rare‑earth assets. What if the future of…