Tag: Crypto

Iran imposes Strait of Hormuz tolls via banks, crypto despite US sanctions

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Iran has reasserted a toll system in the Strait of Hormuz, payable via Iranian banks or cryptocurrencies, defying U.S. sanctions. The odds for a Kharg Island oil terminal attack by April 30 sit at 6.5% YES, down from 8% yesterday. Market reaction The Kharg Island market, which resolves if the terminal is hit by the end of April, has seen odds fall despite the toll announcement. Volume is at $1,529 in daily USDC traded, with $2,278 required to move the price 5 points. The largest recent move was a 3-point…

Why Australia’s $17B Crypto Opportunity Depends on Regulation

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Key takeaways Australia could generate A$24 billion, or about $17 billion, annually from digital assets and tokenized finance. But that opportunity depends on whether policymakers establish clear and supportive regulatory frameworks. Tokenization could transform financial markets by improving liquidity, automating settlement processes and expanding investor access to assets such as foreign exchange, equities, government debt and investment funds. Tokenized money, including CBDCs and stablecoins, could significantly reduce the cost and time of cross-border payments by minimizing reliance on traditional banking networks. Regulatory uncertainty remains the biggest barrier to growth, as…

Crypto Protocols Almost Never Disclose Market-Maker Terms, Study Finds

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A review of more than 150 major crypto protocols shows that disclosure of market-making arrangements is almost nonexistent, despite their central role in token trading. The research, conducted by crypto advisory company Novora, found that fewer than 1% of protocols disclose any terms related to market makers. Across the full dataset, only one protocol, decentralized liquidity platform Meteora, was found to have publicly disclosed details of its market-making arrangements, citing the project’s 2025 Annual Token Holder Report. The study covered leading sectors, including decentralized exchanges, lending platforms, perpetual futures, layer-1…

Crypto PAC Fellowship Discloses $11M from Cantor Fitzgerald and Anchorage

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The committee, led by Tether’s head of government affairs, reported spending $3 million on advertising through a company co-founded by Tether US CEO Bo Hines. The latest filing by the crypto-aligned political action committee (PAC) headed by stablecoin issuer Tether’s head of government affairs shows $11 million in contributions from financial institutions. In a Wednesday filing with the US Federal Election Commission (FEC), the Fellowship PAC revealed it had received $10 million from financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald and $1 million from Anchor Labs, the company behind the crypto bank…

US Midterm Election Mirrors 2024 with Crypto Moving into Ohio Races

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Another political action committee (PAC) aligned with the cryptocurrency industry announced its endorsement for a candidate in Ohio’s Senate race, signaling a move that could mirror the 2024 US election. In a Wednesday notice, Sentinel Action Fund, a group that claims to be the “only conservative Super PAC advancing pro-crypto candidates and supporting pro-crypto innovation,” said it would be supporting Republican Jon Husted in this year’s race to represent Ohio in the US Senate.  Husted was appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine in January 2025 to replace JD Vance, who…

UK FCA Consults on Crypto Rules Ahead of 2027 Implementation

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The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said Wednesday it is consulting on guidance for the country’s future crypto regime, in the latest step toward a broader framework that is expected to take effect on Oct. 25, 2027. In a statement, the FCA said it is seeking industry feedback on the guidance to help companies understand how they might be affected by the regime. The full consultation text is available on the FCA website, with the feedback window closing on June 3, 2026. The regulator said the guidance will clarify…

End of ‘Mini Crypto Winter,’ as Bitmine Posts $3.8B Quarterly Loss

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Bitmine Immersion Technologies chairman Tom Lee said Wednesday that the recent crypto slump was a “mini crypto winter” that may already be ending, in comments that came shortly after the company disclosed a multibillion-dollar quarterly loss tied largely to unrealized markdowns on the company’s Ether holdings. During a keynote speech at Paris Blockchain Week 2026, Lee said that equity markets have bottomed due to the US-Israel war with Iran, and that Ether (ETH) will emerge from its “massive consolidation,” driven by tokenization and agentic artificial intelligence initiatives tied to the…

Only 4% of Danish Citizens Hold Crypto Despite Global Growth: Survey

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Only 4% of Danish citizens own cryptocurrencies, a figure that has remained unchanged since 2023 despite the global growth of the sector across Europe and other jurisdictions, according to a new staff paper from the country’s central bank published Wednesday. The Danmarks Nationalbank staff paper, based on a survey conducted by Epinion, revealed that among those who do hold crypto, most maintain relatively small positions. The majority reported holdings below 10,000 Danish kroner (around $1,570), with total national holdings estimated between $317 million and $847 million. The survey is based…

OKX debuts X-Perps crypto derivatives platform for retail and institutional traders in Europe

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Global fintech firm OKX has launched X-Perps, a regulated crypto derivatives product for retail and institutional traders across the European Economic Area (EEA). X-Perps operates under the EU’s MiFID II framework, offers up to 10x leverage, and launches with ten trading pairs covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and several others, including Dogecoin and Pepe. According to OKX, the product allows capital-efficient trading of crypto markets by combining leveraged exposure with a funding rate mechanism that anchors pricing to underlying spot markets. This structure enables arbitrage opportunities while maintaining a regulated framework…

Virginia Updates Crypto Custody Law, Mandates In-Kind Holding

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Virginia signed a law bringing digital assets into unclaimed property rules, requiring in-kind transfer and limiting how quickly the state can sell them. The US state of Virginia has approved changes to its unclaimed property framework, bringing digital assets under state custody rules while limiting how soon those assets can be sold. On Monday, Governor Abigail Spanberger signed House Bill 798 into law. The measure amends the state’s Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act, requiring custodians of unclaimed crypto to transfer those assets in-kind, meaning in their original form, rather than…