Author: Tristan Lodenberg

A Texas federal court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Michael Lewellen, a developer behind the crypto-based software Pharos, which is designed to facilitate donations to charitable crowdfunding campaigns. Lewellen had sought a declaratory judgment confirming that his software would not be prosecuted under U.S. money transmitter laws. Chief U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor dismissed the case on Wednesday, ruling that Lewellen failed to demonstrate a credible and immediate threat of prosecution. The decision cited a Department of Justice memo stating authorities would no longer target virtual currency exchanges, mixing services, or offline wallet providers for the actions of their…

Bitcoin Depot has appointed Alex Holmes as its new chief executive officer and chair after Scott Buchanan stepped down from the position he assumed on Jan. 1, serving less than three months. The company clarified that his resignation was not linked to any internal disagreement. Holmes, who previously served on the board, brings 16 years of experience at MoneyGram, where he held senior roles including chief financial officer and chief executive officer, with a strong focus on regulatory compliance and operational controls. Company founder Brandon Mintz will transition from executive chair to a non-executive board position while continuing to support…

The House Financial Services Committee, led by Chairman French Hill, held a hearing to examine the growing role of tokenized securities and the need for clear regulatory standards. Lawmakers broadly agreed that securities traded through blockchain technology should follow the same regulatory safeguards as traditional stock trading. Paul Atkins, head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has indicated the agency is preparing a formal rule proposal to address tokenization policies. Hill stated the financial system is approaching a major technological shift but emphasized maintaining market integrity and oversight. Lawmakers Raise Risks Around Oversight and Market Behavior Concerns were raised…

Institutional Ethereum Staking Platform Targets Growing Demand Bitmine Immersion Technologies has introduced MAVAN (Made in America Validator Network), a new institutional-grade staking platform designed to operate validator infrastructure for both company holdings and external clients. The rollout builds on Bitmine’s position as one of the largest public holders of Ethereum, with more than 3.1 million ETH already staked. The platform was initially developed to support Bitmine’s internal treasury but is now being opened to custodians, exchanges, and institutional investors expected to add more ETH to the network. Over the past week alone, the company staked 101,776 ETH and plans to…

War Risks Challenge the Petrodollar System Strategists at Deutsche Bank warn that escalating conflict involving Iran could weaken the long-standing dominance of the U.S. dollar in global oil markets. The bank noted that disruption to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s reported requirement for oil payments in Chinese currency may accelerate the emergence of a “petro-yuan.” Mallika Sachdeva, a strategist at Deutsche Bank, said the conflict could act as a catalyst for erosion of the petrodollar system, which has underpinned global trade for decades. China, already the largest buyer of Iranian oil, has expanded efforts to promote the…

A UK government commissioned review led by Philip Rycroft, a former senior civil servant, has recommended a temporary moratorium on political donations made using crypto. The recommendation, published Wednesday, proposes including the pause in the Representation of the People Bill until stronger safeguards and statutory guidance are introduced. The review warned that crypto assets could create pathways for foreign funds to enter UK politics due to incomplete regulation and the difficulty of identifying ultimate ownership. It also highlighted that donations below 500 British pounds ($669) fall outside standard permissibility tests, raising concerns about fragmented transfers. Additional Security Reviews and Political…

Shares of Cipher Digital (CIFR) climbed about 9% in pre-market trading after the company announced a 15-year lease agreement with an investment-grade hyperscale tenant. The agreement covers the development of the firm’s third high-performance computing data center campus, marking a significant step in its transition toward large-scale computing infrastructure. The new facility will be built at an existing site and is designed to support artificial intelligence and cloud workloads, sectors experiencing rapid demand growth. The company recently rebranded from Cipher Mining to Cipher Digital, reflecting a strategic shift away from **Bitcoin mining toward industrial-scale data center development. $200 Million Credit…

Coinbase has begun pushing its exchange market data directly onchain using Chainlink’s DataLink bridge, marking the first time its order book and derivatives information will be streamed to blockchain based applications. The integration enables onchain protocols to access trading data from Coinbase International Exchange and Coinbase Derivatives Exchange, including futures, perpetual contracts, equities, and commodities feeds. Expanding Onchain Use Cases for DeFi and Tokenized Assets The move is expected to support new onchain financial products by providing verified institutional grade benchmarks. Coinbase Markets Vice President Liz Martin said the data feeds will help developers build stronger applications across derivatives and…

Recent Bitcoin exchange data shows sustained outflows, suggesting investors are accumulating the cryptocurrency rather than preparing to sell. According to analysis from CryptoQuant, March has been dominated by negative Bitcoin netflows, indicating more coins leaving exchanges than entering them. Bitcoin (BTC) traded near $70,904, with a notable inflow spike recorded just before the asset reached a six-week high of $76,000 on March 17. However, most of the month has shown consistent outflows, reinforcing the view that investors are transferring Bitcoin into private storage for long-term holding. Long-Term Bitcoin Accumulation Reduces Selling Pressure An analyst known as Darkfost explained that persistent…

European Central Bank Executive Board member Piero Cipollone said the ECB expects to finalize technical standards for a potential digital euro by summer 2026. This aims to give banks, merchants, and payment providers time to prepare systems and integrate the standards into terminals and payment apps ahead of EU legislation, expected later in 2026. Pilot Program and Potential Launch Cipollone confirmed a 12-month pilot will start in the second half of 2027, testing person-to-person and point-of-sale payments in a controlled environment. If approved by lawmakers, the digital euro could be issued around 2029. ECB analysis estimated banks could spend €4–6…