Coinbase Shares Wells Response, Challenges SEC’s Change in Attitude Towards Its Core Businesses

On April 27, Coinbase, the crypto exchange based in San Francisco, made public the disclosure of its response to the Wells notice it had received from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) back in March. The company maintained that the regulatory body’s enforcement actions were in direct contrast to the agency’s previous approval of … Read more

Federal Judge Rules NBA Top Shot NFTs May Be Considered Unregistered Securities

A federal judge, Victor Marrero, ruled on Wednesday that the NBA Top Shot non-fungible tokens (NFTs) issued by Dapper Labs may meet the requirements to be considered an unregistered security. The case arose in 2021 when an NBA Top Shot collector sued Dapper Labs, claiming that the NBA Top Shot NFTs, known as “Moments” issued … Read more

BUSD Redemptions Soar Near $290 Million in 8 Hours After NYDFS Consumer Alert

Before Paxos published a press release at 6 a.m. Eastern time Monday, the stablecoin BUSD had approximately 16.16 billion tokens in circulation. In the past eight hours, nearly $290 million has been redeemed, bringing the number of BUSD in circulation to 15.87 billion. Stablecoin BUSD Sees Increased Redemption Activity During Regulatory Scrutiny The stablecoin BUSD … Read more

Massachusetts-Based Bankprov to End Loan Offerings Secured by Cryptocurrency Mining Rigs

The Amesbury, Massachusetts-based Bankprov, a subsidiary of Provident Bancorp, has announced that it will no longer provide loans secured by cryptocurrency mining rigs. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EX-99.1), Bankprov stated that revenue from its digital asset loan portfolio will continue to decrease as the company has discontinued new loan … Read more

Report Claims U.S. Prosecutors Investigate Hedge Funds in Connection with Binance Dealings 

Federal prosecutors are reportedly investigating U.S.-based hedge funds that have dealt with the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, according to two people familiar with the matter. The hedge funds were allegedly issued subpoenas by the U.S. attorney’s office for the Western District of Washington. Sources Say U.S. Department of Justice Probes American Hedge Funds in Cryptocurrency Investigation … Read more

Crypto Tax Compliance Startup Taxbit Raises $100 Million, Targets International Expansion

U.S. crypto tax compliance startup Taxbit has raised $100 million in a Series A funding round led by investment firms Paradigm and Tiger Global. Paypal Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, and others including Bill Ackman, Ryan Smith, and Anthony Pompliano also joined the round. Taxbit chief executive officer Austin Woodward said the funds will be invested in … Read more

Crypto Industry’s Favorite Messaging App Telegram Surpasses 500 Million Active Users

Telegram, a popular messaging app within the cryptocurrency space, surpassed 500 million monthly active users during the first week of January, according to Telegram chief executive officer Pavel Durov. In the last 72 hours, said Durov, the app has seen a massive surge in new users, with an additional 25 million people signing up to … Read more

Ripple Is Selling 33% of Its Stake in Moneygram

Ripple Labs Inc. is selling 4 million of its shares in Moneygram, or about a third of its total shareholding in the company. The decision seems in part to be motivated by the surging Moneygram share price and Ripple’s desire to cash out after buying the shares at a premium of $4.10 in 2019. At … Read more

SEC Looking to Buy a Blockchain Forensics Tool That Analyzes Smart Contracts

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is looking for a blockchain forensics tool to help it analyze smart contracts. In a call for bids to software companies on July 30, the regulator said that the tool must be able to “analyze and detail code within blockchains and other distributed ledgers.” It is also looking … Read more

Wilshire Phoenix Files Publicly-Traded Bitcoin Trust to Challenge Grayscale’s $3.4 Billion Dominance

Wilshire Phoenix has filed to launch a publicly-traded trust called Bitcoin Commodity Trust (BCT) – putting the firm in direct competition with Grayscale Investments’ $3.4 billion bitcoin trust (GBTC). According to the June 12 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the New York-based investment company will offer up to 80,000 shares at … Read more