UAE-based crypto market maker CLS Global faced SEC enforcement action after regulators determined that 98% of its trading volume consisted of wash trades designed to create artificial market activity. The regulatory investigation concluded with CLS Global agreeing to a $425K penalty and market exclusion without admitting or denying the allegations. The post SEC Sting Bars UAE Crypto Market Maker CLS Global for 98% Wash Trades, $425K Fine appeared first on Cryptonews.

The DeFi broker rule saga is behind us. It only took 3+ years.

Spot trading volume across the top ten centralized exchanges (CEXs) hit $5.4 trillion in Q1 2025, a 16.3% decline from the previous quarter, as crypto market momentum cooled following a euphoric end to 2024. Top Crypto Exchanges See 16% Volume Dip in Q1 2025 Crypto trading cooled off sharply in the first quarter of 2025.

The European Central Bank (ECB) cut interest rates by another 25 basis points today, but the crypto market has hardly noticed. This highlights the European market's declining influence over the crypto sector compared to the US.

The Wyoming Stable Token Commission, a body authorized by the US state to issue a stablecoin, has suggested that it may clarify its language to better comply with potential guidelines from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).In an April 17 meeting in the extension of the Wyoming Capitol building, Commissioner Joel Revill suggested the body could reduce the risk of the state's proposed WYST stablecoin qualifying as a security under SEC rules. The discussion among the commissioners and Executive Director Anthony Apollo followed the SEC issuing guidelines that certain “covered stablecoins” were considered” non-securities” and largely not subject to reporting requirements.

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has laid off hundreds of employees in the past several months across all areas of its business to streamline its operations ahead of its planned IPO, Coindesk reported on Thursday.

Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov took his country a step closer to issuing its own central bank digital currency Thursday, signing legislation that gives the "digital som" legal status.

Crypto exchange giant Kraken has laid off hundreds of staffers across all areas of the business over the past several months, as the firm continues to streamline its operations ahead of a potential public listing in the U.S., according to two people familiar with the situation.

Slovenia authorities are looking to bring a 25% tax proposal targeting personal crypto profits into effect in 2026 if adopted into law.

Growing crypto adoption and a favorable regulatory outlook have VCs on the hunt for liquidity events. New figures from DefiLlama show crypto startups raised more than $4.90 billion in the first quarter of this year, up from $3.62 billion in Q4 2024.

During a recent conversation on "The Journeyman" podcast with financial expert Raoul Pal, Digital Currency Group founder Barry Silbert stated that 99.99% of cryptocurrency tokens are worthless.

In the past seven days, the tokenized U.S. Treasury bond market expanded by $450 million, with Blackrock's BUIDL capturing 67.33% of that increase. Tokenized Treasuries Jump $450 million In 2025, tokenized Treasury bonds have seen extraordinary expansion, driven by substantial institutional issuances—most notably the Blackrock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) and several peers.

VanEck's NODE ETF received approval for a May 14 launch, featuring 30-60 carefully selected crypto infrastructure companies. The actively managed fund implemented a Cayman Islands structure to bypass SEC restrictions, allowing 25% exposure to digital assets. The strategy provided equity exposure without direct cryptocurrency ownership. The post VanEck's NODE ETF Debuts May 14—30‑Stock Crypto Infrastructure Play With Cayman Tax Twist appeared first on Cryptonews.

Slovenia's proposed crypto tax could level the playing field for investors, enhance fiscal transparency, and boost government revenue. The post Slovenia floats 25% tax on personal crypto profits appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Circle announced the launch of its Refund Protocol on April 17, introducing a non-custodial smart contract system to enable dispute resolution for stablecoin transactions without relying on centralized intermediaries. The initiative addresses what it labels as a key shortcoming of using stablecoins, which is the lack of a built-in mechanism for refunds or chargebacks.

A widely followed analyst says that the crypto markets may be on the verge of an explosive breakout due to one key factor.

Crypto's most notorious criminals share a common link: They rely on a small clique of underground Chinese bankers to survive, new research shows.

Despite Bitcoin's resilience, broader crypto markets show cracks amid weak funding and bearish indicators.

As crypto matures and global adoption grows, focus is shifting away from hype and toward real utility. Inflation, outdated remittance systems, and a rising demand for decentralized services are pushing people to rethink the value in crypto.

The following article is adapted from The Block's newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.

Zhejiang province became the latest testing ground for China's digital yuan as authorities rolled out a retail-focused pilot program. The central bank's digital currency underwent real-world testing across various commercial settings, positioning China ahead in the global CBDC race while officials gathered critical data before deciding on nationwide implementation. The post China's Zhejiang Launches Retail Digital Yuan Pilot—Nationwide Rollout Next? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Richard Kim, founder of Zero Edge, a defunct “crypto casino,” was arrested and subsequently released on bail in a federal securities fraud case. After an arrest on Tuesday, Kim posted a $250,000 bond using $100,000 in cash as collateral.

Former Wall Street executive Richard Kim has been arrested and charged with wire fraud and securities fraud for allegedly misappropriating over $4 million from investors in a blockchain-based online casino startup called ZeroEdge.

Velora will leverage the Across Protocol to enable users to swap assets across major chains with a single transaction.

In 2025, the crypto universe looks like a movie scene where the same actors return, despite expectations of a new script. According to CoinGecko, AI tokens and memecoins still capture 62.8% of investors' attention in the first quarter.

TL;DR Circle Research launched Refund Protocol, a smart contract that adds escrow and onchain dispute resolution for ERC‑20 stablecoin payments. Funds are locked with pay(to, amount, refundTo); the recipient can use refundByRecipient and the arbiter refundByArbiter if a dispute arises.

Self-custody provider Safe laid off 14 staff members as part of a strategic overhaul following a $1.43B Bybit theft linked to their compromised systems. The company divided operations into three units: a revenue-focused product company, R&D lab, and ecosystem foundation to address complexity issues. The post Safe Axes 14 Staff as $1.43B Bybit Hack Fallout Triggers Radical Reorg appeared first on Cryptonews.

The world's sixth-largest crypto exchange by daily trading volume is now accessible to the American market. In a statement, OKX says that it is accelerating its expansion in the US with the official launch of its centralized exchange and web3 wallet in the country.

The steep decline in crypto valuations and a breakdown of key technical indicators may signal the start of a new bear market for digital assets, according to a new report from Coinbase.

Richard Kim, the founder of crypto casino Zero Edge, was arrested on Tuesday following allegations that he had gambled away investors' funds.

We're coming up on 14 years since Satoshi Nakamoto's last-known correspondence — an email to early Bitcoin developer Mike Hearn saying that he'd “moved on to other things.”

A recently released DOJ memo marks a significant policy change and could have ramifications for cryptocurrency cases, sources say.

MEXC Ventures partnered with Korea University to create the $30M IgniteX Fund, which will support Web3 talent through scholarships, hackathons and development programs. The five-year initiative focused on decentralized infrastructure, AI-blockchain integration, stablecoins, and fintech solutions while building a sustainable blockchain ecosystem. The post MEXC Unveils $30M IgniteX Fund: 5-Year Web3 Talent Rush with Korea University appeared first on Cryptonews.

The hackers deploy stealthy info stealing malware during the recruitment process.

What if the first entry point into Web3 didn't require a wallet, a white paper, or even prior knowledge of crypto? That's the bet behind Startup Warriors, a new reality show launched by XFounders, which merges startup acceleration with mass entertainment.

WalletConnect's $WCT token experienced price volatility following its April 15 launch, climbing from $0.40 to $0.63 before dropping over 30%. Founder Pedro Gomes defended the token as essential for the protocol's growth while technical analysis revealed a bearish head and shoulders pattern, with support levels around $0.35-$0.36. The post $WCT Peaks at $0.63, Slides 30%—Is Web3's “Visa” Token in Trouble? appeared first on Cryptonews.

Opinion by: Alexander Guseff, founder and CEO of Tectum Crypto companies have spent years pushing digital wallets and exchange apps, convinced they'll bring financial inclusion to the world. Here's the reality: 1.4 billion people remain unbanked, and crypto adoption has barely exceeded 8%.

A viral Base token soared to millions, then crashed in minutes, triggering confusion across Coinbase's Layer 2.

The security of crypto self-custody remains a pressing concern, especially with increasing cases of lost funds and compromised wallets. While traditional hardware wallets rely on seed phrases, frequent firmware updates, and hardware interfaces like screens and buttons, Tangem proposes a fundamentally different approach: fixed firmware, no seed phrases, and minimalistic hardware.

Blocksquare and Vera Capital are launching a $1 billion effort to bring U.S. real estate on-chain.

AERGO price has fallen 63% in the past 24 hours following a series of controversial actions by the Binance exchange. The significant drop comes after AERGO recorded a 248.1% gain over the past 14 days, a period during which it was one of the market's top performers.

VanEck is bringing an actively-managed exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracking digital asset stocks to the market after receiving approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Cryptocurrency and equities markets entered a “new phase of the trade war, amid ongoing tariff escalations between the United States and China. Global trade war concerns intensified on April 15 after the White House published a fact sheet announcing that Chinese imports would be hit with tariffs of up to 245%.

Documentary creators collected nearly $2M in cryptocurrency within days for 'Vitalik: An Ethereum Story,' while thriller 'Cold Wallet' received backing through democratic funding platforms. These crypto funded films established direct connections with audiences through NFTs and token-based communities, generating revenue streams previously unavailable to independent creators. The post Indie Filmmakers Raise $2M in 72 Hours — How Crypto is Revolutionizing Hollywood appeared first on Cryptonews.

A new survey by Ramp Network, a crypto on-ramp provider, has once again confirmed that security and transparency concerns are the chief obstacles to mainstream cryptocurrency adoption.

In the last 24 hours, the crypto COMBO has recorded one of the best performances in the crypto market, marking an increase of over 70%, reaching the price of 0.03572 dollars. Making this rally even more interesting is the impressive jump in trading volumes: an increase of 581.66%, with a daily volume reaching 8.32 million dollars.

MEXC Ventures, an investment arm of crypto exchange MEXC, launches a $30 million initiative under its CSR program “IgniteX” to support Web3 talents and drive innovation across the crypto ecosystem. Announced on Wednesday, the five-year commitment is part of the company's broader CSR strategy and will support blockchain education, developer training, and startup acceleration.

South Korean traders slowed down their activity in Q1, switching to BTC and KRW as safer assets.