The leaders of a Brazilian crypto Ponzi scheme have reportedly been handed a combined sentence of over 170 years behind bars. According to a new report, the three leaders of Braiscompany, which perpetrated the scheme, were sentenced for defrauding investors out of nearly $190 million, or $1.1 billion Brazilian Reals.

Today commemorates the 13th anniversary of the first altcoin, the crypto asset Namecoin (NMC), whose network debuted on April 18, 2011. Although the token has dimmed over time, the network remains under active development and its proof-of-work (PoW) hashrate ranks among the highest in the crypto ecosystem.

The meme coin market is experiencing a surge in investor interest, helping certain tokens recover from their all-time lows (ATLs). Memecoin (MEME) is one such token that has avoided a new ATL and also posted a significant 73% rise.

eXch plans to shut down operations but refutes allegations of its role in laundering funds from February's Bybit hack.

Ivan Soto-Wright, CEO of cryptocurrency payment firm MoonPay, is calling on US lawmakers to leave a path open to state-level regulators when passing legislation on stablecoins.In an April 18 X post, Soto-Wright said he wanted Congress to “keep state-regulated issuers in the game” when it comes to stablecoin regulation, referencing efforts in the House of Representatives and Senate to create a federal regulatory framework. Lawmakers are considering whether to pass the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins, or GENIUS Act, in the Senate and the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy, or STABLE Act, in the House.

Vietnam's Ministry of Finance is partnering with Bybit to launch a pilot regulated crypto trading platform, aiming to enhance transparency, investor protection, and risk management in one of the world's most active digital asset markets. The post Bybit Backs Vietnam's Crypto Trading Pilot with Tech and Risk Support appeared first on Cryptonews.

Tokenized stocks are on track to exceed $1 trillion in market capitalization in the coming years as adoption accelerates, two industry executives said at the TokenizeThis conference in New York. The total addressable market for tokenized stocks — a type of tokenized real-world asset (RWA) — is difficult to project but is “definitely a bigger trillion-dollar market,” Arnab Naskar, STOKR's CEO, said during an April 16 panel at the event.

Kyrgyzstan has officially authorized the development of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) following the passage of new legislation signed by President Sadyr Zhaparov, granting legal tender status to a future “digital som.

GBP/USD and EUR/USD perpetual futures will be available on Kraken Pro, the exchange's product offering more technical tools for advanced traders launched in 2022.

Arizona's push to develop state-run cryptocurrency reserves gained momentum this week. One bill cleared a crucial hurdle when the Strategic Digital Assets Reserve Bill (SB 1373) moved through the upper chamber of the House Committee of the Whole on April 17.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has greenlit a new crypto-related exchange-traded fund (ETF) from the financial giant VanEck. Matthew Sigel, VanEck's head of digital assets research, will manage the new “Onchain Economy ETF,” which he says will hold 30-60 stocks tied to the crypto sector.

The US Federal Reserve under Jerome Powell has developed a reputation for dragging its feet on implementing important policy changes. However, a top central banker has assured that the Fed is “absolutely” ready to do whatever it takes to avoid a financial crisis, whether triggered by the US-led trade war or other adverse developments.Although the long-awaited “Fed pivot” could still be months away, policymakers appear poised to gradually ease financial conditions, beginning last month when they reduced the redemption cap on Treasurys by 80%.

A widely followed crypto analyst says that investors should continue hanging on as we are nowhere near the start of the next crypto bear market. In a new video update, Guy Turner, the host of Coin Bureau, tells his 2.

Sperm Racing is exactly what it sounds like, and the founders are betting that people will want to wager on the microscopic competition.

At the TokenizeThis conference in New York this week, I had the pleasure of moderating a conversation with executives from Dinari and STOKR on the potential for tokenized stocks.

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken introduced foreign exchange (forex) perpetual futures contracts to its Kraken Pro platform on April 18, giving traders further exposure to global currency markets.The first two perpetual forex futures available on the platform will be the euro-US dollar (EUR-USD) and the British pound-US dollar (GBP-USD) contracts, according to a company announcement. Both contracts feature 20x leverage and no expiry date, meaning they do not have to be rolled or settled by a deadline, unlike traditional futures contracts, which have an expiry date.

MoonPay co‑founder Ivan Soto‑Wright has urged U.S. lawmakers to amend the STABLE and GENIUS Acts so state‑regulated payment stablecoin issuers stand on the same legal ground as federally chartered rivals, arguing that dual oversight has protected consumers and nurtured crypto innovation for decades. The post MoonPay CEO's Letter to Congress: Stablecoin Bill Risks Creating National Monopoly appeared first on Cryptonews.

Slovenia's 25% crypto tax plan may either cement regulatory maturity or push investors and innovation out.

The Ponzi scheme's founders were also sentenced to decades in prison last year, though they currently await extradition in Argentina.

The passage of the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy (STABLE) Act would substantially benefit major regulated players in the US financial and crypto sectors, according to a Nansen report.

The Eastern European country of Belarus is reportedly set to roll out a central bank digital currency (CBDC) by next year.

The state Attorney General of Oregon is suing the top US-based crypto exchange. According to a release from Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, Oregon is leading the charge to fill the void left in crypto regulation enforcement by the Trump administration. Rayfield alleges that Coinbase promoted and sold high-risk investments to residents of Oregon.

The crypto exchange giant called the filing “meritless” and said it would do “whatever is required to beat it.”

Coinbase faces fresh legal action in Oregon as the Attorney General revives allegations dropped by the SEC, reigniting debates over crypto regulation and state vs. federal enforcement.  The post Coinbase Faces Déjà Vu: Oregon AG ‘Revives' SEC Allegations in High‑Stakes State Suit appeared first on Cryptonews.

Binance says the United States Treasury supply will hit a record $31 trillion in 2025, a scenario that could have an impact on the macro environment and cryptocurrencies. According to a Binance Research report on April 18, U.S.

Lorenzo Protocol's native token, BANK, has recorded a 150% price surge within six hours of its official launch.

Coinbase is pushing back against a fresh legal challenge from Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, according to an April 18 statement. In a post on social media platform X, Paul Grewal, Coinbase's chief legal officer, called it a “copycat case” that mimics the US Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) now-dismissed lawsuit against the exchange.

Kraken has introduced a new asset class to its derivatives platform in an effort to expand past crypto. The exchange announced the launch of forex perpetual futures (FX perps) with initial support for EUR/USD and GBP/USD trading pairs.

TL;DR Kraken has launched FX perpetual futures to trade 24/7 with popular currency pairs like EUR/USD and GBP/USD on its Pro platform, without an expiration date. FX perpetual futures allow traders to keep positions open indefinitely, a feature already known in crypto futures.

After announcing an advisory relationship with Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the Kyrgyz Republic has approved a law granting legal status to its proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC). The announcement is in line with the country's strategy to embrace digital finance systems.

Arizona is one step away from becoming the first US state to hold Bitcoin and other digital assets in its Treasury, but a political standoff with Governor Katie Hobbs threatens to derail the effort before it reaches her desk.

This Friday, while stock markets close for "Good Friday," the crypto market remains tense. Over $2.2 billion worth of options on Bitcoin and Ethereum are expiring: a massive volume that captures traders' attention.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield is dragging Coinbase back into the same legal brawl the SEC already walked away from. Dan, a Democrat, officially told the exchange that his office is filing charges that accuse Coinbase of running an unlicensed securities exchange and broker-dealer.

Stablecoins make major gains on market cap and transaction volumes as altcoin shrinks.

A federal judge has approved a motion to suspend the lawsuit filed by a group of state attorneys general and the advocacy group DeFi Education Fund against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The Arizona House passes a bill to create a digital asset reserve fund, now pending governor's approval.

Europe's central bank is pushing for the digital Euro, hoping to implement it by October this year.

TL;DR The U.S. Treasury plans to issue $31 trillion in debt during 2025, which could divert capital from the crypto market toward traditional assets. Higher yields on short-term bonds may reduce the appeal of cryptocurrencies as a high-risk investment option. Treasury debt tokenization has reached $5.

US Treasury plans to issue over $31 trillion in bonds this year—around 109% of GDP and 144% of M2. This would be the highest recorded level of bond issuance in history.

The DeFi Education Fund is asking the SEC to establish a “safe harbor” for token issuers, allowing them a limited registration exemption while they develop decentralized networks. It's an idea Commissioner Hester Peirce first floated five years ago.

Coinbase is facing a new legal challenge as Oregon's Attorney General prepares to file a securities enforcement action against the cryptocurrency exchange. According to a blog post from Coinbase, the state is asserting “the same stale, repeatedly refuted theories” that the SEC previously dismissed with prejudice when it dropped its case against the company.

Crypto exchange Kraken has launched FX perpetual futures, expanding into traditional markets with round-the-clock trading for major forex pairs, the company said in a blog post Friday.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield is planning a lawsuit against crypto exchange Coinbase, alleging the company is selling unregistered securities to residents of the US state, after the United States Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) dropped its federal case against the exchange. According to Coinbase's chief legal officer, Paul Grewal, the lawsuit is an exact "copycat case" of SEC's 2023 lawsuit against the exchange, which the federal agency agreed to drop in February.

Kraken made the "difficult decision to eliminate certain roles and consolidate teams where redundancies exist," a spokeperson told Decrypt.

Coinbase researchers suggest that crypto prices may find their floor in mid-2025 before a wider recovery. The Bitcoin (BTC) price trades below the 200-day moving average, signaling a bearish trend that puts traders on high alert.

South Korea kicked off 2025 with political chaos, regulatory heat and a crypto market finally brought to heel — or at least forced to grow up.The nation closed 2024 in disarray following then-President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law stunt in December. In the aftermath, authorities spent the first quarter drawing lines in the sand as financial watchdogs slapped cryptocurrency exchanges with probes and lifted the ban on corporate trading accounts.

Oregon's Attorney General plans to lodge a lawsuit against Coinbase similar to federal charges that were dropped a few months ago.

TL;DR Binance shortened the funding rate settlement frequency from eight to two hours for selected perpetual contracts. It will also launch the EPTUSDT contract on April 21, with leverage of up to 20x and funding rates settled every four hours.