BNB Chain’s Fermi upgrade, which goes live Wednesday, will cut BNB Smart Chain (BSC) block times from 0.75 seconds to 0.45 seconds and push transaction finality to “around one second,” positioning the network as one of the fastest major Ethereum Virtual Machine chains. The hard fork completes the final phase of BNB Chain’s “short block … Read more
21Shares, a major global exchange-traded product (ETP) provider, has expanded access to its investment product that combines exposure to Bitcoin and gold. The 21Shares Bitcoin Gold ETP (BOLD), which tracks both Bitcoin (BTC) and gold, debuted trading on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on Tuesday, according to an announcement. “Now that retail investors in the … Read more
Major US cryptocurrency exchange Kraken is backing a new special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that plans to go public through a Kraken-affiliated sponsor. KrakAcquisition, a new blank check company backed by Kraken, Tribe Capital and Natural Capital, on Monday filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to raise up to $250 million in an … Read more
Nigeria is rolling out a new approach to cryptocurrency oversight that relies on tax and identity systems rather than blockchain surveillance, as part of a sweeping reform of its tax regime. Under its newly implemented tax reforms, crypto service providers are required to link transactions to Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) and, where applicable, National Identification … Read more
Italy’s securities regulator, the Commissione Nazionale per le Societa e la Borsa (CONSOB), has amplified a new factsheet from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), warning social media finance influencers, or “finfluencers,” that European Union rules on investment recommendations and advertising apply fully to crypto and “get rich quick” content. In a Monday communication, … Read more
The Solana Policy Institute, a nonprofit focused on blockchain policy, urged the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to distinguish between centralized crypto exchanges and non-custodial decentralized finance (DeFi) software, arguing that developers should not be regulated as intermediaries. The Friday letter urges the SEC to protect the developers of DeFi apps by recognizing … Read more
A new US Senate CLARITY Act draft allows crypto companies to offer activity-based rewards to stablecoin users. The proposal, titled the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, reveals that certain rewards and incentives tied to the use of stablecoins would be permitted. Still, the provision notes that offering rewards does not cause a stablecoin to be … Read more
US Securities and Exchange Commission chair Paul Atkins says he is confident that the crypto market structure bill will make it onto US President Donald Trump’s desk this year. In an interview with Fox Business on Monday, Atkins discussed the regulatory outlook for crypto this year. Atkins praised the passing of the GENIUS act in … Read more
A Tennessee federal judge has temporarily stopped state regulators from taking action against the prediction markets platform Kalshi, which had sued the state after being ordered to cease offering sports event contracts. In an order on Monday, Judge Aleta Trauger supported Kalshi’s earlier motion for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order against the Tennessee … Read more
Global investment management firm VanEck is confident that the first three months of the year will be a risk-on environment for investors, citing clarity around fiscal policy, monetary direction, and major investment themes. “As we move into 2026, markets are operating in an environment with something investors have not had in years: visibility,” stated VanEck … Read more