Adrian Zmudzinski

Decentralized AI project Swarm Network has raised $13 million, including $10 million through NFT-based agent licenses and $3 million from strategic investors.

Tokyo-based Monex Group is weighing the launch of a yen-pegged stablecoin, with its chairman, Oki Matsumoto, citing the need to keep pace in digital finance.

Trump’s firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook has sparked a legal standoff and renewed concerns over the Fed’s independence.

Citi’s Ronit Ghose warned that paying interest on stablecoin holdings could trigger bank outflows akin to the 1980s, driving up funding costs and credit prices.

Japan’s Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said crypto deserves a spot in portfolios, while pledging to build a sound trading environment for the sector.

SharpLink Gaming, the second-largest Ether corporate treasury with $3.14 billion in ETH, approved a $1.5 billion stock repurchase program.

Apple patched a zero-click vulnerability that allowed sophisticated attackers to compromise devices and could have led to cryptocurrency theft; it urged immediate updates.

AUSTRAC has ordered Binance Australia to appoint an external auditor after identifying serious shortcomings in the exchange’s Anti-Money Laundering controls.

Tether and Circle are set to meet with the CEOs of South Korea’s four largest banks this week to discuss potential partnerships.

Ming Shing Group Holdings, a Nasdaq-listed Hong Kong construction company, struck a $483 million deal to acquire 4,250 Bitcoin via share issuance.

A DeFi investor was hit with a $10.5 million tax bill after the Spanish tax agency classified a crypto-backed loan as taxable gains.

Concordium launched a mobile app using zero-knowledge proofs for anonymous age verification as UK rules fuel demand for privacy-safe solutions.

A China Merchants Bank subsidiary launched a Hong Kong-based crypto exchange for professional investors after securing a virtual asset service provider license.

A Hong Kong SFC official warned that the new local stablecoin framework has fueled fraud risks, and urged investors to remain cautious amid hype-driven speculation.

Top Win International, Taiwan’s first publicly traded corporate Bitcoin treasury, raised $10 million to kick off its BTC purchases.

The Bank for International Settlements floated a compliance score for crypto-to-fiat off-ramps, using transaction history to flag and potentially freeze “tainted” assets.

Hong Kong has introduced strict crypto custody rules, banning smart contracts for cold wallets and tightening security standards for custodians.

Military Bank, a Vietnamese state-controlled lender, has partnered with the parent company of South Korea’s Upbit exchange, Dunamu, to develop a cryptocurrency exchange.

The hacker behind the Radiant Capital $58 million October 2024 exploit now holds $103 million in Ether since the asset’s price almost doubled.

Qubic claimed it achieved 51% control of Monero’s hashrate, prompting debate over whether the resulting six-block reorganization was a successful attack.

ALT5 Sigma is raising $1.5 billion through a 200 million-share sale to fund a corporate treasury centered on Trump-backed World Liberty Financial tokens.

Tether and Rumble have offered to acquire all shares of AI infrastructure operator Northern Data in a $1.17 billion deal that would make Tether Rumble’s top shareholder.

Chinese regulators ordered local firms to halt seminars and research on stablecoins, citing concerns over potential fraud and herd-driven speculation.

Standard Chartered’s Hong Kong arm and Animoca Brands have launched a joint venture, Anchorpoint Financial, to develop a licensed Hong Kong dollar stablecoin.

Ripple has acquired Rail to offer stablecoin payment services, with plans to integrate RLUSD, banking partners and compliance tools across global markets.

The European Banking Authority completed draft rules requiring banks to assign a 1,250% risk weight to unbacked cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether.

Coinbase legal chief Paul Grewal met with Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge to explore collaboration on developer tools, cybersecurity and blockchain in governance.

UK-listed Smarter Web Company raised $21 million via Bitcoin-denominated bonds, backed by Tobam, offering a new model for crypto-aligned fundraising.

Users of Clanker, an AI-powered memecoin generator, have created over 355,000 tokens and earned over $34.4 million in fees amid rising AI agent adoption.

Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov said the Chainlink Runtime Environment could be as transformative as the Ethereum Virtual Machine.