Author: Vickie Helm

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris share a significant point of alignment in their political agendas despite being on opposite ends of the spectrum on many issues, including tariffs and abortion. Both leaders advocate for the growing world of cryptocurrencies.Once skeptical of digital currencies, with Trump labeling them as “like a scam,” he has since pivoted his stance. If returned to office, he aims to establish the U.S. as the “crypto capital of the planet” and transform it into a “Bitcoin superpower.” Trump has also pledged to dismiss Gary Gensler, the current chair of the Securities and…

It seems strange to discuss the US presidential election based on attitudes towards cryptocurrencies, but as I blogged previously, Donald Trump is very pro-cryptocurrency. His attitude changed with the NFT of his image. There is no such thing as narcissism. At the time, I was blogging about Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden and how Biden looked like the loser. We currently have Donald Trump vs. Kamala Harris, and after this week’s presidential debate, it looks like Harris is rising and Trump is falling. After all, something is wrong when you rely on the argument that immigrants are eating local dogs…

Recent advances in smart contract technology include increased automation and expanded use cases. Experts highlight the potential while warning of cybersecurity and regulatory challenges. Smart contracts are self-executing contracts with terms and conditions written directly into the code, and are revolutionizing various industries by automating processes and reducing the need for intermediaries. These digital contracts are primarily built on the Ethereum blockchain, which promises increased efficiency and transparency. Latest advances and use cases The integration of advanced automation tools into smart contracts is one of the most important recent advances. The mainnet launch of the Ava protocol on Ethereum exemplifies…

10101.art, a ground-breaking art technology platform, celebrated its official launch this week at Monada Art Gallery in Dubai. Bringing the power of distributed ledgers to the global art market, 10101.art leverages blockchain technology to enable collective ownership of iconic works by Banksy, Warhol, Picasso, Dali, and more. Alina Krot, CEO of 10101.art, discussed the launch of the platform with Philip Hoey, Director of CoinJournal. Philip Hoey: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with CoinJournal, Alina. Let’s start with a quick overview of your platform – can you walk us through the journey you and your team…

The founders of Samourai Wallet were charged with money laundering and operating an unauthorized business. One of the co-founders, Keon Rodriguez, was released on $1 million bail after pleading not guilty in a New York City court. This legal proceeding raises concerns about the future of non-custodial crypto services in the US During an appearance Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Samurai Wallet co-founder Keon Rodriguez entered a not guilty plea to the charges brought against him and his colleague William Hill. He and an assistant U.S. attorney agreed to a not guilty…

London, UK, April 29, 2024, Chainwire An exciting new meme coin, $ROCKY, recently debuted on the Base network. Skel.eth, the founder of MetaWin, launched the coin over the weekend. Interestingly, this coin is named after his Pomeranian named Rocky. Within just 30 hours of its release, $ROCKY achieved an impressive market cap of $4.6 million. The MetaWin team looks forward to further growth with the enthusiastic support of the MetaWin community. “We launched the $MWIN token as an experiment before selling it,” said Skel.eth, founder of MetaWin and creative force behind $ROCKY. “It’s going pretty well so far! We’ve learned…

Imposing a crypto tax this year would be terrible.For the past decade, the IRS has treated virtual currencies as property rather than currency, and all sales and exchanges as taxable events. However, despite blockchain being a public ledger, tax compliance rates have always been low. The discrepancy between the taxes the IRS expects and the taxes crypto users actually pay has continued to widen over the years.That gap is about to narrow significantly.We are entering the “enforcement era” of virtual currency taxesThis change did not happen overnight. In 2021, the IRS launched “Operation Hidden Treasure” aimed at intentionally concealing crypto…

Opinion, a blockchain-based prediction market platform, has announced that it has raised $20 million in a pre-Series A round, highlighting how parts of the crypto economy can still raise significant amounts of money even when the overall market is down.The round included support from Hack VC, Jump Crypto, Primitive Ventures, Decasonic and others, according to an emailed announcement Wednesday.Opinion operates more like Polymarket, where markets are settled on-chain, than a centralized exchange like Kalshi. “Our payments occur entirely on-chain,” the Opinion team told CoinDesk via email.Dune Analytics said it handles about a third of the global prediction market trading volume…

Nearly a year ago, we published an open letter reflecting the views of crypto law regulators and outlining practical and achievable steps the next administration could take to make the United States the crypto capital of the world. The goal was not to promote cryptocurrencies as an ideology, but to convey the perspective of lawyers working in the field about how thoughtful regulatory policies can unleash innovation and ensure that the next generation of financial and internet infrastructure is built on American soil.On the anniversary of this letter, and with the Market Structure Bill in jeopardy, it is worth reflecting…

A lot has happened this year in crypto-related policy. This year, Congress passed the first major encryption bill in U.S. history, and the president signed it. Federal regulators have significantly scaled back enforcement actions against crypto companies while announcing further rulemaking efforts aimed at revitalizing the industry. Companies themselves also feel more aggressive in launching new products and services in the United States.You’re reading State of Crypto, a CoinDesk newsletter that examines the intersection of cryptocurrencies and government. Click here to sign up for future editions.storyLast year, CoinDesk’s policy team explained what we want in 2025. Here’s how we explained…