Author: James Wilson

Donald Trump-linked meme coin Official Trump posted double-digit gains on Friday after the team announced a second exclusive event where top holders will get the chance to attend a luncheon with the president at Mar-a-Lago. Summary The Official Trump meme coin rose after the project announced a second exclusive Mar-a-Lago luncheon for the top 297 token holders. Eligibility is based on time-weighted holdings between March 12 and April 10, with the top 29 holders qualifying for a private reception with Donald Trump. According to the official announcement, the top 297 Official Trump (TRUMP) holders will get a chance to attend…

A Singapore court has sentenced a man to two years in jail for his involvement in a crypto theft that resulted in the loss of assets valued at more than $6.9 million. Summary A Singapore man was sentenced to two years in jail for his role in a cryptocurrency theft case. The scheme involved unauthorised access to a crypto wallet, resulting in the theft of about US$6.9M in digital assets. Authorities recovered some of the stolen cryptocurrency and seized electronic devices during the investigation. Man sentenced to 2 years in jail over $8.8M crypto theft linked to hacked wallet The…

A user attempting to swap $50 million worth of USDT for AAVE through the interface of the decentralized finance protocol Aave ended up receiving only 324 AAVE after accepting a quote with an extreme price impact, prompting the platform to review safeguards and refund a portion of the transaction fees. Summary A trader swapping $50M USDT on Aave received only 324 AAVE after accepting a quote with roughly 99% price impact. Aave says warnings were shown and manually confirmed before the trade executed. The protocol plans to refund about $600K in fees and review additional user-protection safeguards. One checkbox, $50…

The crypto market rose 2.4% to $2.51 trillion on Friday primarily due to a shift in global risk sentiment following signals of potential de-escalation in the Middle East. Summary Crypto prices rebounded on Friday after crude oil prices retreated following multi-year highs. A wave of short liquidations across leveraged markets and back-to-back inflows into major crypto ETFs also supported the recovery. Bitcoin (BTC), the leading crypto asset by market cap, rallied nearly 4%, hitting close to the $72,000 mark. Ethereum (ETH) was up 4.3% over the past day, trading at $2,100 when writing. Other major crypto assets, such as BNB…

BlackRock’s newly launched staked Ethereum exchange-traded fund posted a strong first trading day, drawing roughly $15.5 million in volume as institutional interest in Ether investment products continues to grow. Summary BlackRock’s staked Ethereum ETF (ETHB) recorded $15.5M in day-one trading volume. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffart called the debut “very, very solid” for a new ETF. Ethereum is trading around $2,110 at press time, hovering near the key $2K level amid market volatility. BlackRock’s staked Ethereum ETF posts strong debut with $15.5M in trading Bloomberg Intelligence ETF analyst James Seyffart said the debut performance of BlackRock’s staked Ethereum ETF, trading under…

Banking giants HSBC and Standard Chartered are expected to be among the first institutions to receive stablecoin issuer licenses in Hong Kong, marking a major step in the city’s effort to build a regulated digital-asset ecosystem. Summary HSBC and Standard Chartered are expected to receive Hong Kong’s first stablecoin issuer licenses. The approvals would fall under the HKMA’s new stablecoin regulatory framework introduced in 2025. The move is part of Hong Kong’s strategy to become a global digital-asset hub while regulating stablecoin issuance. Hong Kong poised to grant first stablecoin licenses to HSBC, Standard Chartered The approvals, which could come…

Three Democratic senators have said they will oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into crypto exchange Binance over possible violations of U.S. sanctions tied to Iran-linked transactions. Summary Three Democratic senators said they will oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into whether Binance was used to facilitate transactions linked to Iran and evade U.S. sanctions. The inquiry follows a Wall Street Journal report that federal investigators are examining more than $1 billion in crypto transfers that may have moved through the exchange. In a joint statement released Thursday, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen, and Ruben Gallego vowed to conduct oversight of…

The price of Pi Network surged more than 30% on March 13 after a fresh exchange listing and growing anticipation around the project’s upcoming Pi Day event. Summary Pi Network’s token surged more than 30% after being listed on Kraken. A mainnet protocol upgrade and Pi Day hype are adding to bullish sentiment. Technically, $0.30 is the next resistance, while $0.25 acts as key support. According to data, the token climbed roughly 31% in a single day, driven primarily by the listing of PI on Kraken, one of the largest global crypto exchanges. The listing significantly expanded trading access to…

The price of Bitcoin climbed to a weekly high on March 13, defying geopolitical concerns tied to rising tensions between the United States and Iran. Summary Bitcoin price reached a weekly high near $72,000, holding above the $70K level. Negative funding rates on Binance suggest many traders are still shorting the rally. A potential short squeeze could push BTC toward $75K if the rebound continues. Bitcoin (BTC) was trading around $71,400, up about 1.2% on the day, according to the chart data, after briefly touching an intraday high near $72,000. The move pushed the world’s largest cryptocurrency back above the…

The Bitcoin Policy Institute said it plans to review and respond to an upcoming proposal from the Federal Reserve that could shape how U.S. banks treat Bitcoin under international banking standards. Summary The Bitcoin Policy Institute plans to review and comment on an upcoming Federal Reserve proposal on Basel rules. The proposal will open a 90-day public comment period for industry feedback. Current Basel guidance assigns Bitcoin a 1250% risk weighting, discouraging banks from holding or servicing the asset. Bitcoin Policy Institute to weigh in as Fed prepares Basel proposal for banks According to Conner Brown, the Federal Reserve is…