Author: Tristan Lodenberg

A federal judge has temporarily stopped the state of Arizona from bringing criminal charges against prediction market operator Kalshi, delivering a short-term legal win for the company and federal regulators. Michael Liburdi, serving in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, issued a temporary restraining order preventing Arizona officials from proceeding with an arraignment scheduled for April 13. The state had previously announced plans to file 20 criminal charges against Kalshi, alleging that its event-based contracts violated state gambling laws. CFTC Argues Federal Authority Overrides State Laws The restraining order followed a motion from the Commodity Futures Trading…

CoreWeave has secured a multi year agreement with artificial intelligence developer Anthropic to run workloads for its Claude AI models. The partnership will be introduced in phases, with the possibility of expanding as demand for computing power increases. Following the announcement, CoreWeave shares jumped more than 12%, trading near $102.73. The deal also strengthens the company’s role in supporting major AI developers, as it reported serving nine of the ten largest builders of large language models. $8.5 Billion Funding Boost Signals Shift From Crypto Mining The agreement comes after CoreWeave raised $8.5 billion in financing led by Meta Platforms. Unlike…

Users on prediction platforms are closely tracking the return of the Artemis II, the first crewed Moon mission in more than 50 years led by NASA. The 10-day mission is scheduled to conclude with the splashdown of the Orion spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean at approximately 12:07 am UTC on Saturday. Traders on prediction platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket have created event contracts tied not only to the splashdown outcome but also to the statements expected during NASA’s post-mission press conference. Event Contracts Focus on Keywords and Mission Outcomes With more than $4,000 in trading volume recorded, participants anticipate…

Iran is reportedly facing difficulties fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz after failing to locate all the naval mines it deployed in the waterway. The situation has left shipping traffic heavily restricted, raising concerns across global energy markets. Naval mines, once placed, can drift due to ocean currents or shift from their original coordinates, making them extremely difficult to track. Experts warn that mine warfare often creates long-term hazards, even for the side that deployed the explosives. In this case, the inability to identify and safely remove all mines has complicated Iran’s efforts to restore normal maritime movement. Global Oil…

The crypto sector is closely watching reports that Iran may accept Bitcoin payments from oil tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane that carries nearly 20% of global oil supply. The discussion began after a report from Financial Times claimed Iranian authorities were considering Bitcoin payments to bypass sanctions imposed by the United States. Conflicting Reports on Bitcoin, Stablecoins, and Yuan Payments Alex Thorn, head of firmwide research at Galaxy Digital, noted that conflicting information suggests tolls might also be payable in stablecoins or Chinese yuan. Thorn said his team is monitoring blockchain activity for signs of…

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has announced the first members of its Innovation Task Force, a new initiative designed to provide clearer regulatory guidance for the digital asset sector. The task force was launched on March 24 by CFTC Chairman Mike Selig, who appointed Michael Passalacqua to lead the group. According to the agency, the task force aims to deliver clearer “rules of the road” for innovators operating within the U.S. crypto and technology markets. Task Force Includes Legal and Crypto Industry Experts Passalacqua will work alongside five founding members with backgrounds in law, blockchain, and financial regulation. These include…

The Bank of France is urging tighter controls on stablecoin usage across Europe, particularly for non-euro-pegged assets. Denis Beau, First Deputy Governor of the central bank, made the call during remarks delivered at the EUROFI High Level Seminar, emphasizing the need to strengthen the European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation framework. Beau warned that existing rules only partially address risks tied to the growing use of non European stablecoins. He highlighted that US dollar pegged stablecoins currently dominate the sector, accounting for roughly 98% of the global stablecoin market. The official also pointed to ongoing tokenization initiatives such as…

Recent gains in Bitcoin and Ethereum were driven primarily by new long positions in perpetual futures rather than short liquidations, according to analytics firm CryptoQuant. Bitcoin climbed about 4%, while Ether advanced roughly 6% within 24 hours following Donald Trump announcing a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, marking the strongest single-day price move in more than a month and reversing a recent bearish trend. Open Interest Surge Signals Fresh Bullish Positioning Julio Moreno reported that open interest in Bitcoin perpetual futures increased by $2.1 billion, while Ether perpetual futures rose by $2.2 billion within the same 24-hour…

The White House warned staff against misusing confidential information following suspicious oil futures trades linked to policy developments involving Iran. According to reports, the internal email was sent on March 24, one day after Donald Trump ordered a five-day delay in planned attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure. The warning followed a roughly $500 million bet placed on Brent crude oil and West Texas Intermediate crude futures in a one minute burst shortly before the March 23 announcement. Oil prices later fell about 15% after the policy shift, raising concerns that traders may have acted on privileged information. Existing Laws and…

Bitcoin briefly reached the $73,000 level following the release of March U.S. inflation data that came in slightly below market expectations. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed overall inflation rising 3.3% over the past 12 months, matching recent projections but still indicating persistent price pressures. Market data showed Bitcoin attempting to set new multi-week highs as traders reacted to the inflation report, which was widely seen as the most important macroeconomic release of the week. Record Gasoline Price Surge Drives Energy Inflation Energy costs played a major role in the latest inflation figures. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,…