Author: Tristan Lodenberg

Yuga Labs, creator of the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), has reached a settlement with artists Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen, who were accused of producing and selling NFTs that closely resembled BAYC’s iconic cartoon ape collection. Court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California confirm that the parties have agreed to resolve the dispute. As part of the settlement, Ripps and Cahen are permanently prohibited from using Yuga Labs’ imagery and trademarks. They are required to transfer control of smart contracts, domains, and any remaining NFTs linked to their RR/BAYC project to Yuga…

Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy (MSTR), stated that Bitcoin likely reached its bottom near $60,000 in early February, following a period of forced selling that cleared weaker hands from the market. Speaking at a Mizuho event, Saylor emphasized that market bottoms are driven less by valuation metrics and more by exhaustion among sellers, with trend reversals influenced by capital structure and liquidity conditions. According to Saylor, selling pressure is now limited, as ETF inflows continue to absorb daily Bitcoin supply and corporate treasuries increasingly allocate funds to the cryptocurrency. He highlighted that these factors provide a foundation for renewed…

Minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) March meeting indicate that U.S. Federal Reserve officials are divided on the potential for further interest rate cuts in 2026, partly due to ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The March 17-18 meeting concluded with an 11-1 vote to maintain the federal funds rate at 3.5% to 3.75%, reflecting caution over economic impacts from the Iran conflict. According to the minutes, several participants noted that lowering rates could become appropriate later in the year if inflation declines in line with expectations. At the same time, others warned that rates might need…

President Signals Continued Presence in Persian Gulf Amid Ceasefire Disputes U.S. President Donald Trump stated on April 8 that American military ships, aircraft, and personnel will remain stationed in and around Iran to enforce compliance with a previously agreed ceasefire. Speaking on Truth Social, Trump warned that if Iran fails to fully comply with the deal, the U.S. will escalate military action. “If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the ‘Shootin’ Starts,’ bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before,” he said. Disagreements Over Nuclear Program and Strait of Hormuz The announcement…

Unauthorized Access Leads to 50.9 BTC Theft From Corporate Wallets Bitcoin ATM operator Bitcoin Depot has disclosed a cybersecurity incident that resulted in the loss of approximately $3.7 million worth of Bitcoin from its company controlled wallets. The Nasdaq listed firm confirmed that unauthorized access to its internal IT systems was detected on March 23 according to details shared in a regulatory filing. Investigators determined that the attacker gained control of login credentials connected to the company’s crypto settlement accounts. Following the breach, a total of 50.9 Bitcoin, valued at roughly $3.66 million at the time, was transferred out of…

Bitcoin remained near the $71,000 level on April 9 as cryptocurrency markets pulled back following renewed uncertainty around the recently announced ceasefire between Iran and the United States. The two-week truce, which initially fueled a strong rally across global markets, began showing signs of strain less than 48 hours after its announcement. Bitcoin traded around $70,781, slipping about 0.6% over the past 24 hours but still holding a weekly gain of approximately 6.1%. The digital asset continues to move within a multi-month trading range between $65,000 and $73,000, with current price action testing the upper half of that zone. Iranian…

A network of North Korean IT workers has been exposed after reportedly earning more than $3.5 million in cryptocurrency by posing as freelance developers and software engineers. The operation was uncovered after a counterhacker gained access to one of the workers’ devices, revealing internal data later shared publicly by blockchain investigator ZachXBT. According to the leaked information, one worker identified as “Jerry” was part of a team of about 140 members. The group was generating close to $1 million per month, with earnings accumulated since late November. Many of the individuals reportedly secured remote jobs by using falsified identities and…

Visa has introduced a new platform called Intelligent Commerce Connect, designed to support the next phase of digital payments driven by autonomous AI agents. The system functions as a network, protocol, and token vault-agnostic on-ramp that allows merchants and AI developers to connect to agentic commerce through a single integration. Through the Visa Acceptance Platform, Intelligent Commerce Connect enables secure payment initiation, tokenization, authentication, spend controls, and compliance with PCI security standards. The platform also makes merchant product catalogs discoverable inside AI environments, allowing AI agents acting on behalf of consumers to browse, select, and complete purchases automatically. Visa stated…

Morgan Stanley’s MSBT Bitcoin ETF delivered a strong market debut, recording $34 million in trading volume on its first day. The performance exceeded expectations and highlighted renewed investor interest in spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds amid improving market sentiment. MSBT Bitcoin ETF Launch Surpasses Analyst Expectations According to market data, the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT) traded 1,658,176 shares on launch day and closed at $20.47 per share. The total trading volume surpassed the $30 million forecast previously estimated by Bloomberg Senior Analyst Eric Balchunas, signaling stronger-than-expected demand for the new fund. The ETF was launched with a 0.14% sponsor fee,…

The US Treasury Department is moving forward with new regulations under the GENIUS Act, focusing on preventing illicit financial activity linked to payment stablecoins. The proposal introduces strict compliance requirements that could significantly reshape how stablecoin issuers operate within the United States financial system. GENIUS Act Requires AML and Sanctions Compliance Programs Under the proposed framework, payment stablecoin issuers must establish anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) programs. The rules also mandate the creation of sanctions compliance systems capable of identifying suspicious activity. Issuers will be required to block, freeze, and reject certain transactions when necessary.…