Category: Bitcoin News

Galaxy Warns Senate Crypto Bill Expands Treasury Surveillance Powers

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Galaxy Digital warned that a draft crypto market structure bill released by the US Senate Banking Committee would hand the Treasury Department sweeping new surveillance and enforcement tools, describing it as the biggest expansion of financial oversight authority since the US Patriot Act. In a research note published Tuesday, Galaxy said the Senate proposal goes far beyond the House-passed CLARITY Act, particularly on illicit finance provisions. At the center of Galaxy’s warning is a new crypto-specific “special measures” authority. The authority would allow the Treasury to designate foreign jurisdictions, financial…

Ripple Receives Luxembourg Green Light For EMI License

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Ripple is expanding its regulatory footprint in Europe after receiving what it described as a preliminary e-money authorization from Luxembourg’s financial regulators. The blockchain payments company said in a Wednesday announcement shared with Cointelegraph that it had received preliminary approval for its Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license from Luxembourg’s Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF). Ripple said the step moves it closer to a full authorization, which would allow the company to provide regulated payment services in stablecoins and other digital assets across the European Union under passporting rules,…

UK Scraps Mandatory Digital ID Plans as Crypto Privacy Tech Gains Ground

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The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has dropped plans to make a centralized digital ID mandatory for workers, softening a flagship policy that would have required every employee to prove their right to work via a government‑issued credential rather than traditional documents like passports.  The move follows months of backlash from critics, including UK Member of Parliament Rupert Lowe, Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage and other cross‑party politicians, civil liberties groups and campaigners.  Opponents warned it risked building an “Orwellian nightmare,” centralizing sensitive data in a honeypot vulnerable…

Pakistan Explores World Liberty Stablecoin Deal for Cross-Border Payments

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Pakistan has reportedly signed an agreement with a company connected to World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture linked to the family of US President Donald Trump, to explore the use of its dollar-pegged stablecoin for cross-border payments. The agreement involves SC Financial Technologies, a little-known company linked to World Liberty Financial, and marks one of the first publicly known partnerships between Trump-linked crypto ventures and a sovereign state, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a source familiar with the matter. Under the arrangement, World Liberty Financial will collaborate with Pakistan’s central…

BitMine Stakes 186K More ETH, Total Reaches 1.5M Worth $5.13B

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Ethereum digital asset treasury (DAT) BitMine has just staked another huge batch of Ether, bringing its total amount staked to over 1.5 million ETH.  Tom Lee-chaired BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) added 186,560 ETH (worth around $625 million) to the “Beacon Depositor” address, reported Lookonchain on Wednesday. This brings the total amount staked by the world’s largest Ethereum (ETH) DAT to 1,530,784 ETH, worth a whopping $5.13 billion, equating to 4% of the total 36 million ETH staked on the Beacon Chain. This share could still increase as the company holds…

Corporate Bitcoin Holdings Outpace Mining Supply By 3x

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Corporate digital asset treasuries (DATs) added a net 260,000 Bitcoin to their balance sheets over the past six months, far outpacing the estimated 82,000 coins mined over the same period.  Over the past six months, Bitcoin (BTC) treasuries held by public and private companies have increased from approximately 854,000 BTC to 1.11 million BTC, on-chain analytics provider Glassnode reported on Tuesday. This equates to an expansion of around 260,000 BTC, worth roughly $25 billion at current market prices, or 43,000 BTC per month. The growth in treasuries highlights “the steady…

Senate Agriculture Committee Set Jan 27 For Crypto Bill Markup

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The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry has set Jan. 27 for its markup hearing for its crypto market structure bill, which is touted to bring “clarity and certainty” to the market.  In an announcement on Monday, the committee — which oversees the Commodities Futures Trading Commission —  confirmed that its final markup will take place six days after the release of the legislative text on Jan. 21.  “This schedule ensures transparency and allows for thorough review as the committee moves forward with legislation to provide clarity and certainty…

Senator Seeks World Liberty’s Bank Charter Bid Delay

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US Senator Elizabeth Warren is pressuring the country’s banking regulator to hold off on considering World Liberty Financial’s bid for a bank charter until US President Donald Trump divests his interest in the crypto platform.  In a letter on Tuesday, Warren asked Comptroller of the Currency, Jonathan Gould, to delay reviewing World Liberty’s application for a national trust bank until Trump “eliminates all financial conflicts of interest involving himself or his family and the company.” “We have never seen financial conflicts or corruption of this magnitude,” Warren said. “The United…

Revolut Stablecoin Payment Volumes Increased 156% Last Year

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Stablecoin adoption on fintech Revolut’s banking platform showed “exponential growth” in 2025, with stablecoin payment volumes increasing 156% to $10.5 billion as stablecoins carve out their place in global payments. While Revolut hasn’t published official payment volume data for 2025, crypto researcher Alex Obchakevich estimated that the share of stablecoin volume on Revolut relative to total payment volumes has nearly doubled to 0.583% compared with 2024. “Despite the small absolute share, the dynamics are impressive,” Obchakevich said, citing data from Dune Analytics. Revolut’s stablecoin payment volume and estimated total payment…

Strive Shares Fall 12% After Semler Deal To Expand Bitcoin Treasury

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Strive’s stock fell about 12% on Tuesday after the asset manager announced an all-stock deal to acquire Semler Scientific, a transaction that will significantly expand its Bitcoin holdings. The company, co-founded by Vivek Ramaswamy, said on Tuesday that it has secured shareholder approval for the acquisition, which would add Semler Scientific’s 5,048.1 Bitcoin to Strive’s existing treasury. Following the transaction, Strive’s total Bitcoin holdings would rise to 12,797.9 BTC. Strive is already the 11th largest publicly traded Bitcoin holding company, according to BitcoinTreasuries.NET data. The company also disclosed the purchase…