Author: Vickie Helm

Update (May 7, 9:47 PM UTC): This article has been updated to include a statement from Binance.Following reports that Binance gave $1 billion in aid to companies with ties to Iran, the U.S. Treasury Department reportedly required Binance to comply with a monitoring program put in place by a 2023 agreement between authorities and the cryptocurrency exchange.The Information reported on Thursday that the Treasury Department has “informally asked” Binance to comply with a surveillance program it agreed to after reaching an agreement with U.S. authorities in 2023. The deal, which included a $4.3 billion settlement with the Treasury Department and…

The Stratum v2 Working Group today announced that ANTPOOL, Block Inc, F2Pool, Foundry, Spiderpool, MARA Foundation, and DMND have joined the Working Group to advance adoption of the Stratum v2 protocol. This working group was founded in 2022 by Brainins and Spiral to develop and maintain the Stratum v2 protocol as an open, vendor-neutral specification that can be used in the Bitcoin mining ecosystem. This protocol is an upgrade to the original Stratum mining protocol and brings significant efficiency gains, features that can be used to improve privacy, security, and overall decentralization of mining. The addition of new members, all…

UK Reform Party leader Nigel Farage has rejected a request to disclose a £5 million personal gift from cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborn, saying the payment fell outside parliamentary reporting obligations. summary Nigel Farage has said that a £5m gift from crypto investor Christopher Harbourne does not require parliamentary disclosure. Conservatives called on Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg to investigate whether the funds supported political activities. Comments Mr Farage gave to broadcasters on Tuesday said legal advice his team had concluded there was “no obligation” to declare the payment because it was an “unconditional, non-political, personal gift”. Mr Farage said the…

## Market Snapshot In the Strait of Hormuz ship transit market, current pricing is 79.5% YES for 20 vessels passing daily through May 31st. This reflects an increase from 50% just 24 hours ago. On the other hand, the market’s probability of a YES response to President Trump’s announcement of a blockade of Hormuz is 50.5%. ## Important points – The emergence of Fujairah and Khor Fakkan as a trade lifeline signals growing regional tensions. – Iranian attacks on UAE ports appear to reduce the chances of normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz. – Pricing suggests a gradual decline…

In today’s Bitcoin ETF news, Hong Kong’s Spot BTCETF has significantly compressed Bitcoin’s infamous “weekend gap,” with Asian session trading now capturing an estimated 20% of global BTC trading volume during hours when US financial institutions’ desks are dark. Since listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on April 30, 2024, products from providers such as China Asset Management and Bosera/HashKey have accumulated consistent inflows, expanding the total of HKEX’s spot crypto asset ETFs to nine stocks by August 2025. (Source: Coinglass) The central question this raises is structural rather than speculative. Is Bitcoin quietly transitioning from retail-level weekend casinos…

Ethereum and Solana saw notable exits, while Bitcoin and smaller assets helped stabilize flows in a volatile week for crypto funds. Flows into digital asset funds totaled $117.8 million, the fifth consecutive weekly increase, but the smallest weekly increase over the same period. Overall figures showed the recovery has been slow. From Monday to Thursday earlier this week, the market saw $619 million in outflows for four consecutive days. A sharp reversal occurred on Friday, with $737 million inflows in one day, and the weekly balance managed to turn positive. Friday saves the week CoinShares said this was one of…

They say journalists never really clock out. But for Christians, it’s more than just a metaphor; it’s a lifestyle. By day, he navigates the ever-changing tides of the crypto market, crafting articles like a seasoned editor and deciphering jargon for the masses. However, when the PCs go dormant, his pursuits become more mechanical (and sometimes philosophical). The journey of the Christian written word began long before the days of Bitcoin. In the hallowed halls of academia, he honed his skills as a feature writer for university papers. This early love of storytelling set me on the path to success as…

Bitcoin price has surpassed $80,000 for the first time since late January, a level that is both technically and psychologically weighty. The recovery has been rapid, with BTC posting an increase of around 0.72% in 24 hours, recovering from recent lows around $75,658, but the rally is causing more caution than celebration among professional traders. There’s something off about the structure of this movement, and when you look at the data you can clearly see the tension. The US Spot Bitcoin ETF has absorbed approximately $2.7 billion in net inflows over the past three weeks, bringing total net assets to…

Trustworthy editorial content reviewed by industry-leading experts and experienced editors. Advertising disclosure Evernorth Holdings has named Robert Kaiden, chief financial officer of the OpenAI Foundation, as a director candidate as the XRP-focused finance company moves forward with a proposed business combination with Armada Acquisition Corp. II. Evernorth appoints OpenAI CFO to XRP Finance Committee According to the latest SEC filings, Evernorth filed an amended Form S-4 in connection with the transaction, with the filing details page listing a Form S-4/A received on April 27 and filed on April 28. In another document, Kaiden signed an April 27 letter of intent…

New York Attorney General Letitia James has secured more than $5 million from the cryptocurrency platform Uphold for allegedly promoting fraudulent investment products.The settlement centers on Uphold’s promotion of CredEarn, a product offered by Cred, LLC and its CEO, Daniel Schatt. From January 2019 to October 2020, the company marketed CredEarn to users on its platform and mobile app as a safe and reliable savings product with attractive annual interest payments.However, Uphold did not tell its customers that Cred generated these profits by making small loans to low-income video game players in China, who typically lack credit history and lack…