Author: James Wilson

Article written by James Wilson

BitMEX founders Hayes, Delo, and Reed receive President Trump’s pardon

March 29, 2025 1 min read

On Thursday, President Donald Trump granted presidential pardons to the co-founders of BitMEX: Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed. BitMEX, established in 2014, is a prominent platform for crypto derivatives trading, focusing on perpetual contracts and futures. Hayes served as the CEO of the Seychelles-based company. In October 2020, U.S. authorities indicted the trio for violating the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). They were accused of not implementing sufficient anti-money

Celo officially moves from a standalone Layer-1 to an Ethereum Layer-2

March 27, 2025 2 mins read

Celo has transitioned from a standalone Layer-1 blockchain to an Ethereum Layer-2 network using Optimism’s OP Stack. This change, finalized after 20 months of testing, enhances speed, security, and developer access while maintaining low transaction costs. The migration began at block height 31,056,500, with validators pausing block production to initiate the switch. Celo L2 went live shortly after, resuming block production in under two hours. The move was proposed by

Decentralized social media Farcaster launches its mainnet

March 24, 2025 1 min read

Farcaster has introduced a new protocol called Snapchain, which is similar to blockchain technology. This announcement came alongside the launch of their “Airdrop Offers” program. This program rewards users for actively engaging with the decentralized social media platform. Co-founder Varun Srinivasan revealed that Snapchain can process over 10,000 transactions per second. The development of Snapchain took only six months, moving quickly from concept to a functioning product. This new system

Fidelity launches an Ethereum-based share class called “OnChain”

March 24, 2025 1 min read

Fidelity Investments is introducing a new share class called ‘OnChain’ for its Treasury money market fund. This initiative is based on the Ethereum blockchain and was announced in a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Fidelity, which manages about $5.9 trillion in assets, will issue shares of its Fidelity Treasury Digital Fund (FYHXX) that will be recorded on the Ethereum blockchain. The OnChain share class aims

The SEC officially acknowledges the 21Shares spot Polkadot ETF filing

March 22, 2025 1 min read

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has recognized the filing for a 21Shares Spot Polkadot (DOT) ETF. This is an important step in the world of crypto investments. If the ETF is approved, it will let investors access Polkadot (DOT) directly without needing to own the cryptocurrency. 21Shares is a prominent crypto asset manager that aims to create regulated investment products for cryptocurrencies. The filing for the Polkadot ETF

Kentucky lawmakers secure Bitcoin self-custody rights

March 19, 2025 2 mins read

Kentucky lawmakers have passed HB 701, a bill that enhances Bitcoin self-custody rights and protects crypto mining operations. The bill received unanimous support and is now awaiting the governor’s signature. If enacted, it could strengthen Kentucky’s image as a pro-crypto state. Representatives Adam Bowling and T.J. Roberts introduced the bill. It allows individuals to manage their digital assets without interference. It also protects Bitcoin miners from unfair zoning regulations that

Pavel Durov to leave France for Dubai under modified judicial terms

March 16, 2025 1 min read

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has received permission to leave France for Dubai after changes to his judicial supervision terms. He departed from Le Bourget Airport near Paris with the approval of authorities. Durov was arrested at the same airport last August and placed under formal investigation. He was released on a €5 million bail but was not allowed to leave France while the investigation was ongoing. French authorities

Alameda Research unstakes Solana tokens and transfers them to FTX-linked wallets

March 13, 2025 1 min read

Alameda Research has recently unstaked a significant number of Solana tokens and transferred them to various addresses associated with FTX. Despite this large movement, the price and demand for Solana have remained stable. The overall bearish sentiment in the crypto market seems to overshadow any potential effects from these token transfers. On-chain data indicates that Alameda distributed the unstaked tokens across 38 wallets linked to FTX. This pattern is consistent

The OCC’s new guidelines allow U.S. banks to offer crypto and stablecoin services

March 9, 2025 2 mins read

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has introduced new guidelines that allow national banks and federal savings associations to offer cryptocurrency custody and stablecoin services without needing prior approval. This change is significant for the cryptocurrency industry as it eases previous restrictions and allows banks to incorporate digital assets more easily. The new directive, called Interpretive Letter 1183, enables banks to operate under existing banking laws without

Mt. Gox transfers 12,000 Bitcoin valued over $1 billion after months of silence

March 6, 2025 1 min read

A wallet linked to Mt. Gox, a now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange, recently transferred 12,000 Bitcoin, valued at over $1 billion, to an unknown address. This transfer occurred as Bitcoin’s price rose to around $90,000. Earlier, the same wallet moved 166,505 Bitcoin, worth about $15 million, to a cold wallet. These transactions ended a long period of inactivity, following a significant transfer of $172 million in Bitcoin last December. The wallet still

The SEC closes its investigation into Yuga Labs

March 4, 2025 1 min read

The SEC has finished its investigation into Yuga Labs. This investigation looked into whether the company’s Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFTs and ApeCoin broke federal securities laws. The probe began in October 2022. It aimed to find out if Yuga Labs’ NFTs and ApeCoin should be considered securities under U.S. law. The SEC used the Howey Test for this. The Howey Test comes from a Supreme Court case from

The SEC decides to stop regulating meme coins

March 2, 2025 1 min read

The SEC has decided to stop regulating meme coins as securities, classifying them instead as collectibles. This is a major change in how U.S. regulators view meme coins. While the SEC will not enforce securities laws on these coins, other agencies like the CFTC may still act against fraud related to them. This decision could lead to more innovation in the meme coin market but raises concerns about potential scams.