How DeFi is changing the financial landscape for Latin Americans

For decades, Latin Americans have lived with financial constraints that citizens of more developed economies rarely think about: periodic currency devaluations, inflation shocks, limited access to credit and banking systems that often fail to reward savers. A new layer of innovation is now reshaping the region’s financial landscape. Decentralized finance — DeFi — is quietly … Read more

SEC chair Paul Atkins signals rule changes for onchain markets and AI-driven finance

SEC Chair Paul Atkins said Friday the agency is considering changes to how securities regulations apply to blockchain-based financial markets and AI-powered financial applications, as digital asset firms increasingly move trading and settlement activity onchain. Speaking at the AI+ Expo in Washington, Atkins said the SEC is considering formal rulemaking around onchain trading systems, blockchain … Read more

AI agents fueled a frenzy of startup building at the Consensus Miami EasyA hackathon

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — At the EasyA Hackathon tucked inside Consensus Miami 2026, the energy felt less like a traditional crypto developer event and more like a live audition for the next generation of the intersection of blockchain and AI-native startups. Nearly 1,000 developers competed at the venue, some from established crypto ecosystems like Base … Read more

Judge clears path for Aave to move $71 million in ETH linked to North Korea hack

A Manhattan federal judge has cleared the way for Aave’s recovery effort to move forward after last month’s North Korea-linked rsETH exploit, allowing $71 million in frozen ether to be transferred out of Arbitrum while preserving North Korean terrorism victims’ legal claim on the funds. In a two-page order published late Friday U.S. time, Judge … Read more

What Does Bitcoin “Power Projection” Mean To The U.S. Military?

On April 21st and 22nd 2026, during a Senate Armed Services Committee, Admiral Samuel Paparo of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command made comments on Bitcoin’s utility in cybersecurity for the country’s military, calling it a “valuable computer science tool as power projection,” and disclosing that INCOPACOM is running a Bitcoin node in their experiments with the protocol.   … Read more

Coinbase (COIN) bounces 10%, Solana, LINK, SUI outperform as bitcoin (BTC) holds $80K

With bitcoin holding above $80,000 and stocks pushing to fresh record highs, risk appetite spilled deeper into crypto markets Friday, lifting altcoins and blockchain infrastructure plays. Solana (SOL), Chainlink LINK$10.30, SUI$1.0217 and DOT$1.3762 rose around 5%, while Near Protocol (NEAR) and Uniswap (UNI) gained roughly 7%. Internet Computer Protocol’s ICP jumped nearly 12%, leading majors … Read more

Kraken parent goes for the OCC charter in bid to become a federal crypto bank

Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, has applied for a national trust company charter with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), according to a Friday announcement shared with CoinDesk, as the company looks to expand its regulated digital-asset custody business. If approved, the charter would establish Payward National Trust … Read more

Ripple-linked XRP pushes toward $1.40 as tightening range lowers breakout chances

XRP keeps grinding toward the top of its recent range, and the move is starting to matter more because liquidity has thinned out while price keeps compressing underneath resistance. That combination tends to make breakouts sharper once the market finally picks a direction. News Background • Analysts continue pointing to longer-term bull flag and falling … Read more

Hiring slowdown could be great for bitcoin (BTC) — unless wages spoil the party

Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report could inject volatility into the crypto market. Economists expect April job growth to slow sharply, with payrolls forecast to rise by just 62,000 compared with March’s 172,000, while the unemployment rate is seen holding steady around 4.3%, according to Reuters. At first glance, weaker hiring data appears supportive for bitcoin … Read more