Author: Tristan Lodenberg

A bipartisan group of members in the US House of Representatives has introduced new legislation aimed at shielding blockchain developers from criminal liability when they do not control or custody user funds. Representatives Scott Fitzgerald, Ben Cline, and Zoe Lofgren unveiled the Promoting Innovation in Blockchain Development Act to clarify how Section 1960 of federal law should apply to digital asset activity. The statute currently governs the prohibition of illegal money transmitting businesses. The proposed bill would specify that criminal liability under Section 1960 applies only to individuals or entities that exercise custody or control over another person’s digital assets.…

Financial technology firm Block, Inc. plans to eliminate more than 4,000 roles as part of a sweeping restructuring initiative tied to artificial intelligence adoption. The move was confirmed by co-founder and chief executive Jack Dorsey, who outlined the decision in a letter to employees. Dorsey said the company is rapidly integrating AI-powered tools across teams, allowing for leaner and flatter organizational structures. According to him, the shift is fundamentally changing how the company builds products and manages operations. Rather than implementing smaller reductions over an extended period, leadership opted for a single large-scale cut to avoid repeated disruptions. Workforce Reduction…

A federal judge has ordered prosecutors to respond to a motion for a new trial filed by Sam Bankman-Fried, the former chief executive of FTX. In a filing issued in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Lewis Kaplan directed the US government to submit its response by March 11. Bankman-Fried was convicted in 2023 on seven felony counts tied to fraud and misuse of customer funds following the collapse of FTX. In March 2024, he was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. His latest motion argues that newly surfaced witness testimony could materially…

Swiss digital asset banking group Sygnum has launched a new institutional asset management solution aimed at the rapidly growing corporate crypto treasury sector, now estimated at around $100 billion. The service, branded Sygnum Select, operates as a discretionary mandate offering. It applies traditional Swiss private banking portfolio management standards to digital assets, giving the bank execution authority within a client’s predefined investment framework. At launch, the platform is already managing approximately $200 million in active client portfolios. Corporate Bitcoin Holdings Approach $100 Billion Growth in digital asset treasury companies has accelerated over the past several years. According to data from…

MetaMask has officially launched its Mastercard enabled crypto payment card in the United States, marking its first availability in New York. The rollout, announced by parent company Consensys, follows pilot programs conducted in 2024 and 2025. With this expansion, the MetaMask Card is now accessible across 49 states, excluding Vermont. The US debut adds to existing availability in markets including Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and the European Economic Area. Self-Custody Maintained Until Point of Payment Issued in partnership with Mastercard and regulated issuer Monavate, the card is backed by Cross River Bank, an FDIC-insured bank. It…

Bitcoin markets are approaching a critical $10.5 billion monthly options expiry, with current positioning suggesting that bearish traders may hold the advantage. BTC recently climbed to an eight day high near $68,800 after forming a double bottom around $62,500. However, the cryptocurrency remains 21% below levels seen a month ago, limiting bullish momentum ahead of expiry. The derivatives exchange Deribit dominates the market with a 76% share, holding $4.5 billion in call options and $3.4 billion in put options. OKX and CME Group follow with significantly smaller shares. Despite calls exceeding puts in total open interest, most bullish contracts sit…

Global crypto exchange OKX has integrated Alterya, a fraud-detection platform owned by Chainalysis, to strengthen protections against scam-related transfers. The system is designed to identify suspicious payment destinations before users complete withdrawals, reflecting a broader industry shift toward preventative compliance tools. Unlike traditional anti money laundering systems that focus on the sender through Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, Alterya concentrates on the recipient. It analyzes scam infrastructure across websites, messaging platforms, and social media, linking those signals to crypto wallet addresses and financial accounts associated with fraud networks or money mule operations. Rising Crypto Scam Losses Drive Preventative Measures Chainalysis…

Ethereum Layer 2 network Starknet is preparing to introduce strkBTC, a bitcoin-based asset designed to deliver private balances and confidential transfers while maintaining full decentralized finance (DeFi) composability. Developed by StarkWare in collaboration with the Starknet Foundation, the initiative aims to unlock new functionality for Bitcoin holders within scalable blockchain infrastructure. strkBTC will be issued deterministically against verifiable Bitcoin deposits, removing discretionary control over minting. Privacy protections are implemented at the protocol level, rather than relying on custodians or third-party services, allowing users to shield transaction amounts and counterparties without sacrificing auditability or integration with DeFi applications. Expanding Bitcoin’s Role…

American Bitcoin (ABTC), a mining company backed by members of the Donald Trump family, posted a fourth quarter loss of $59 million as falling Bitcoin prices reduced the value of its crypto holdings. The company, which went public in September, was affected by a 23% decline in Bitcoin during the reporting period. Under updated guidelines from the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), firms must mark digital asset holdings to market prices. As a result, American Bitcoin recorded a $227 million non-cash loss tied to valuation adjustments. Over 6,000 BTC Held Through Mining and Purchases Despite the quarterly setback, American Bitcoin…

A large crypto trader has lost approximately $8.2 million after attempting to build a highly leveraged long position in the ARC perpetuals market on Lighter. The position, accumulated over several days, pushed total open interest in ARC contracts to nearly $50 million, with around 600 counterparties taking the opposing side. The trade began to unravel after ARCs price declined around Roughly $2 million of the position was liquidated through the order book. The remaining exposure was transferred into Lighter’s Liquidity Provider Pool (LLP), categorized under a higher-risk strategy to manage the imbalance. Auto-Deleveraging Limits Liquidity Provider Losses To contain systemic…