Author: Tristan Lodenberg

South Korea has approved sweeping changes to its crypto licensing framework, signaling a tougher regulatory stance on digital asset platforms and their owners. The amendments strengthen oversight, expand background checks, and give regulators broader authority over who can operate in the country’s crypto market. Expanded Licensing and Shareholder Scrutiny Under the revised rules, regulators will now examine not only executives but also controlling and major shareholders of crypto exchanges. Background checks have been widened to cover serious economic crimes, tax evasion, drug-related offenses, fair-trade violations, and breaches of crypto user protection laws. Authorities are also empowered to assess a firm’s…

21Shares has expanded its European crypto investment offerings with the launch of a new exchange-traded product that blends direct Solana price exposure with liquid staking rewards. The product is designed for investors seeking yield without the technical complexity of onchain staking. The newly launched 21Shares JitoSOL ETP (JSOL) provides exchange-traded access to JitoSOL, one of the largest liquid staking tokens on the Solana network. By holding JitoSOL, investors maintain full exposure to SOL while earning two distinct yield streams: traditional staking rewards and a share of transaction-related revenue generated through Jito’s Solana infrastructure. How the JitoSOL ETP Works The structure…

The US Senate has taken a significant step toward reshaping crypto regulation, as lawmakers began the formal markup of a long-awaited crypto market structure bill. The session marks a critical moment in Congress’ effort to move away from enforcement-driven oversight and toward a clear statutory framework for digital asset markets. The proposal, developed over several months, aims to define regulatory responsibilities for cryptocurrencies, trading platforms, and intermediaries. Debate during the markup highlighted lingering divisions over ethics provisions, regulatory authority, and market oversight, signaling that negotiations are far from settled. Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ cited work done between Republicans and Democrats…

Six U.S. Senators have sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General Todd W. Blanche, seeking details regarding potential conflicts of interest in his decision to scale back the Department of Justice’s cryptocurrency enforcement. The letter raises concerns that Blanche held significant cryptocurrency holdings while directing the disbanding of the DOJ’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team. Allegations of Financial Conflict The letter claims Blanche owned Bitcoin and Ether valued between $158,000 and $470,000 when he issued the memo titled “Ending Regulation by Prosecution” in April 2025. The memo instructed prosecutors to focus on individuals committing crimes with crypto, rather than targeting platforms…

Bitcoin experienced a notable downturn during the latest trading session, briefly falling below the $85,500 USDT level before stabilizing. At the time of reporting, Bitcoin was trading around $85,963 USDT, marking a daily decline of approximately 3.7%. The move reflects renewed volatility across the digital asset market, following a period of relatively stable price action near recent highs. Market participants pointed to profit-taking and macro uncertainty as key drivers behind the sudden pullback. Elevated leverage in derivatives markets may have amplified the downward move, triggering liquidations as Bitcoin slipped through key technical support levels. Ethereum Falls to $2,850, Adding to…

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued new guidance on tokenized securities, distinguishing between issuer-sponsored and third-party models. The move clarifies that blockchain issuance does not exempt securities from federal regulations. Issuer-Sponsored Tokenized Securities Issuer-backed tokens allow companies to tokenize their own securities, either by updating ownership records directly on-chain or issuing crypto assets that trigger off-chain ledger updates. The SEC emphasized that all traditional securities laws, including registration requirements, still apply regardless of the issuance format.  Securitize said in a post to X on Wednesday; Third-Party Tokenization Third-party models involve custodial or synthetic structures. In the custodial…

Five years after the GameStop trading frenzy exposed weaknesses in traditional market infrastructure, Robinhood is advancing plans to bring tokenized stocks fully onchain. The company aims to enable 24/7 trading, faster settlement, and potential self-custody, positioning blockchain as a structural upgrade to legacy equity markets. GameStop Fallout Still Shapes Strategy Robinhood’s leadership continues to point to the 2021 trading halts as a turning point. At the time, extreme volatility combined with multi-day settlement cycles forced brokers to post significant collateral, leading to temporary restrictions on popular stocks. While U.S. equities have since moved to 24-hour settlement, residual risks remain during…

Ethereum Layer-2 solution MegaETH is preparing for its mainnet launch on February 9, following a week-long global stress test that showcased the chain’s high-speed capabilities. Stress Test Results During testing, MegaETH processed up to 35,000 transactions per second (TPS), handling 10.7 billion transactions from Web3 applications like Smasher, Crossy Fluffle, and Stomp.gg. According to testers, the apps ran smoothly with zero latency or congestion, marking a milestone in blockchain performance. MegaETH’s co-founder Lei Yang called it the fastest EVM-compatible chain ever, with the team previously hitting 47,000 TPS in controlled tests. MegaETH co-founder Lei Yang posted to X on Wednesday ; Performance Compared…

The latest U.S. unemployment claims data came in higher than market expectations, drawing attention from currency and macro investors. Initial claims rose to 209,000, exceeding the 206,000 forecast and marking an increase from the previous reading of 200,000. While the rise is modest, it provides fresh insight into labor market momentum. Weekly jobless claims are closely watched as a real-time indicator of labor market health. The uptick suggests a slight cooling in hiring conditions, though overall levels remain historically low. Importantly, the data does not yet point to a sharp deterioration, but it does reinforce signs that labor demand may…

Tokyo-listed Metaplanet has approved a large-scale overseas capital raise as part of its strategy to increase Bitcoin exposure while strengthening its balance sheet. The move reflects growing confidence in Bitcoin as a long-term treasury asset and signals continued corporate interest in digital assets. Capital Raise Structure and Size According to regulatory filings Metaplanet plans to raise up to approximately $137 million through a combination of new common shares and stock acquisition rights. The company will issue 24.5 million common shares, generating roughly ¥12.24 billion ($78 million) initially. In addition, Metaplanet approved 159,440 stock acquisition rights, which could translate into 15.9…