Tag: Crypto

EU Adviser Says MiCA 2 Likely as Crypto Market Matures

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A European Commission adviser said the European Union’s landmark MiCA crypto regime is likely to evolve as digital asset markets develop beyond the conditions the law was originally designed to address. Speaking at the Paris Blockchain Week (PBW) 2026, Peter Kerstens, an adviser on technological innovation, digital transformation and cybersecurity at the European Commission’s financial services department, said the Commission will review the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and launch a public consultation to assess whether the rules are working for market participants and supporting business development. The remarks suggest…

OKX Launches Regulated Crypto Derivatives in Europe

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OKX said Wednesday it is rolling out a Europe-specific crypto derivatives product called X-Perps, extending its regulated offering across the European Economic Area (EEA) through its Malta-based MiFID business. The company said the new derivatives product is available to retail and institutional traders across all 30 EEA countries. OKX said the platform is purpose-built in compliance with the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), a European Union regulatory framework governing financial instruments such as securities and derivatives. The launch follows OKX’s March 2025 announcement that it had acquired a MiFID-licensed…

North Korea Used AI to Hack Zerion in Second Crypto Attack

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Crypto wallet Zerion revealed that North Korean-affiliated hackers used AI in a long-term social engineering attack to steal about $100,000 from the company’s hot wallets last week.  The Zerion team released a post-mortem on Wednesday, where it confirmed that no user funds, Zerion apps or infrastructure were affected and that it had proactively disabled the web app as a precaution.  While the amount was relatively small in crypto hacking terms, it is another incident of a crypto worker being targeted for an “AI-enabled social engineering attack linked to a DPRK…

Crypto Valley Captured 47% of Europe’s Blockchain Funding in 2025

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Switzerland’s Crypto Valley captured 47% of European blockchain venture funding in 2025, raising $728 million across 31 deals, according to an annual report released Wednesday by venture firm CV VC. Globally, blockchain venture funding rose 30% to $15.5 billion across 986 deals last year, while Crypto Valley’s total climbed 37% from $531 million in 2024, the report said. One deal did much of the heavy lifting. The Open Network (TON) accounted for $400 million of Crypto Valley’s 2025 funding haul, followed by Sygnum Bank at $58 million, stablecoin platform M0…

Crypto, Banks Clash Continues With New Proposal Concerns

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Bank and crypto lobbyists have both relayed concerns over the latest proposal to end the stalemate on stablecoin yields in the Senate’s crypto market structure bill, legislation that has been in limbo since the House passed the CLARITY Act in July. Senator Thom Tillis told Politico on Monday that he plans to publicly release a draft agreement this week that aims to end a fight over a provision in the Senate’s crypto policing bill that would ban third parties, such as crypto exchanges, from offering stablecoin yield payments. The draft…

Elon Musk’s X launches Smart Cashtags for crypto and stock tracking, adds one-tap trading access through Wealthsimple

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Elon Musk’s X has rolled out Smart Cashtags, a new feature that lets users view real-time stock and crypto data without leaving their timeline, according to head of product Nikita Bier. Cashtags, first introduced in January, is available for iPhone users in the US and Canada. The tool links stock and crypto tickers to live price charts and related posts within the app. The update allows users to tag specific assets or smart contracts, reducing confusion between similarly named crypto, stocks, and other instruments. When users search or post a…

Nick Forster: The evolution of crypto derivatives to perpetuals, Deribit’s role in enhancing options liquidity, and the shift towards on-chain options

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Key takeaways The evolution of crypto derivatives has moved from spot trading to more complex products like perpetuals and futures. Perpetual contracts have gained significant traction in the crypto derivatives market. Deribit has enhanced liquidity in the crypto options market with its unique pricing mechanism. Centralization of risk and margin allowance by Deribit has reduced hedging costs in crypto options. The crypto options market is expected to grow significantly in the near future. The maturity of the crypto options market is evident in its significant trading volume. Network effects in…

Coinbase, Binance seek Anthropic Mythos access as crypto firms brace for AI security threats

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Coinbase and Binance are seeking access to Anthropic’s Mythos model as crypto exchanges and custodians move to prepare for a new wave of AI driven cyber threats, according to a report from The Information. The report said Coinbase is in close communication with Anthropic about Mythos, with Coinbase CSO Philip Martin saying the model will accelerate digital threats as well as defense, while Binance and Fireblocks are also taking steps to understand how far it could reshape cyber offense and defense tools. The push comes just one week after Anthropic…

Paxos Labs Raises $12M to Launch Crypto Yield and Lending Platform

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Paxos Labs has raised $12 million in a strategic funding round led by Blockchain Capital to expand its Amplify platform, a suite of tools that lets companies offer crypto yield, lending and stablecoin issuance through a single integration. The Amplify suite includes three modules — Earn, Borrow and Mint — allowing platforms to generate yield on digital assets, enable crypto-backed loans and issue branded stablecoins with a single integration designed to unlock additional features over time. According to Tuesday’s announcement, the platform provides a single SDK with configurable controls, while…

Fed Chair Nominee Discloses Holdings in Crypto and AI

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Kevin Warsh, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Reserve to replace Chair Jerome Powell, has reported millions of dollars in assets ahead of his confirmation hearing, including investments in crypto and AI companies. In a filing with the US Office of Government Ethics, Warsh reported Excepted Investment Funds (EIFs) in Compound, Dapper Labs, Kinetic, as well as AI companies Delphi, Conversion, Factory, Glue and others ahead of his confirmation hearing in the Senate. While the prospective Fed chair’s assets amounted to more than $100 million, none of…