Michael Lewellen has asked a Texas federal court to determine that his crypto startup is within the law and to block the Department of Justice from prosecuting him.

South Korea has cracked down on a pump-and-dump scheme, accusing a suspect of rapid price manipulation under the country's new crypto regulatory framework.

Earlier this week, a three-judge bench in the Third Circuit ruled in favor of Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN) in the case filed by the U.S. SEC. The U.S. SEC accused Coinbase of operating as an unregistered national securities exchange, broker, and clearing agency.

Grayscale's Zach Pandl is seeing more crypto interest from pension and endowment fund managers, who largely ignored the industry over the last decade.

Lummis cited whistleblower claims the FDIC destroyed documents and silenced staff during a crypto oversight probe, sparking industry outrage.

Scott Vessant, considered a leading candidate for Treasury Secretary under President-elect Donald Trump, has expressed opposition to the idea of the U.S. adopting a central bank digital currency (CBDC). According to CoinTelegraph on January 17, Vessant articulated his stance during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on January 16.

Scott Bessent told the Senate he saw 'no reason' for the U.S. to pursue a central bank digital currency, aligning with Trump's past comments.

In a significant development for the ongoing discourse surrounding the digital asset sector, US Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) has raised serious allegations against the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). In a letter directed to FDIC Chair Marty Gruenberg, Lummis claims whistleblowers from within the agency have reported efforts to destroy documentation related to the FDIC's digital asset activities.

Phantom Technologies raised $150 million in a funding round led by Sequoia Capital and Paradigm, bringing its valuation to $3 billion.

The new December ruling from the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau impacts payment apps and digital wallets offered by large non-bank companies.

On Jan. 13, the Bank of Namibia announced provisional authorization for two entities, Mindex Virtual Asset Exchange and Landifa Bitcoin Trade, to operate as virtual asset service providers. Provisional Authorization First Step in Two-Step Licensing Process The Namibian central bank announced on Jan.

A South Korean woman has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a “friend's” $481,000 crypto holdings to pay off her debts. The post South Korean Woman ‘Stole Friend's $481k Crypto Stash' to Pay Off Debt appeared first on Cryptonews.

Bitcoin price has surged past $102,000 after news broke that President-elect Donald Trump plans to designate cryptocurrency as a national priority. According to multiple reports, the incoming administration is preparing executive orders aimed at boosting the cryptocurrency sector, including new policies to support industry growth and streamline regulations.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump intends to issue an executive order to list crypto as a national policy priority, according to Bloomberg.

President-elect Donald Trump plans an executive order naming cryptocurrency a national priority.

Blockchain developer Michael Lewellen has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Justice (DOJ), accusing the President Joe Biden administration of stifling innovation in the crypto sector through overly broad interpretations of federal money-transmission laws. Lewellen's lawsuit centers on his work with Pharos, a non-custodial protocol that facilitates trustless and transparent crowdfunding campaigns.

The executive order would instruct regulatory agencies to work with the industry and create a crypto council to represent the industry, according to people familiar with the plans.

Phantom said the $150 million funding round accelerates Phantom's mission to become the world's biggest consumer finance platform.

Coinbase announced a partnership with money market Morpho on Jan. 16 to offer on-chain USD Coin (USDC) loans backed by Bitcoin (BTC), according to a Jan. 16 release. The service will allow Coinbase users to borrow USDC by pledging Bitcoin as collateral.

In traditional finance, assets under management (AUM) are often the most important metric for evaluating investment products. However, Bitwise's 2025 benchmark survey revealed a departure from this convention in the crypto market — financial advisors prioritize brand reputation and specialized expertise over AUM when selecting crypto investment vehicles.

Trump prioritizes crypto as national policy, proposing an advisory council and executive order to shift from prior regulations. The post Trump to make crypto a key national priority appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Most retail traders are focused on BTC, ETH and AI tokens, per recent report.

Venture capital firms Sequoia Capital and Paradigm led the $150 million Seriec C funding round.

BitMEX, the cryptocurrency trading platform, has incurred a substantial $100 million penalty for contravening US anti-money laundering (AML) requirements. This penalty arises from the company's noncompliance with the US Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), which permitted unlawful transactions on its platform for multiple years.

The total trade activity on centralized exchanges reached an all-time high of $11.3 trillion, up 7.58%, according to the report by CCData. Record Numbers for Spot and Derivatives Trading The overall spot and derivative trading volume for centralized crypto exchanges (cexes) hit a record high of $11.3 trillion in Dec. 2024.

The plaintiff is seeking a declaratory judgment protecting his forthcoming crypto crowdfunding project from being prosecuted for unlicensed money transmitting.

A South Korean individual has been suspected of manipulating virtual asset prices through rapid buy orders, creating false market activity, and profiting.

Senator Cynthia Lummis, set to lead the Senate Banking Committee's digital assets panel, went after the sale of U.S. bitcoin holdings and FDIC debanking.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is under fire after Senator Cynthia Lummis accused the agency of trying to bury evidence of its involvement in what the crypto community has dubbed “Operation Chokepoint 2.0.

The yield-bearing solution was spun up through a partnership with crypto-native fund Maven 11's credit unit and a prominent prime broker.

“With the backing of incredible investors like Framework and Volt Capital, this funding propels us closer to redefining the gaming landscape,” said Lucas Fulks, CEO and Co-Founder of Hyve Labs.

According to S&P Global, tokenization can eliminate many investment barriers in the private credit market.

Trump's Treasury nominee, Scott Bessent, opposes a US CBDC, arguing it's unnecessary given existing secure US assets. The post Trump Treasury nominee Scott Bessent rejects need for US CBDC appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Meme-Coins sind Kryptowährungen, die einen Bezug zu bekannten Memes haben und in der Regel keinen wirklichen Use Case mit sich bringen. Durch starke Communitys haben einige von ihnen hohe Marktkapitalisierungen erreicht.

Aurora Labs introduces a groundbreaking self-serve platform, Aurora Cloud Console, eliminating technical barriers and upfront costs in blockchain deployment through EVM protocols.

Members of the crypto law bar lay out practical ways the new Trump administration can create the best environment for crypto development.

Institutional involvement in the crypto market is rising as more people worldwide adopt digital assets as a financial instrument. Last year, this growth was represented by the United States' approval of two crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and Europe's adoption of the MiCA framework.

As tax season approaches, millions of Americans are gearing up to prepare their 2024 tax returns. However, for those involved in cryptocurrency transactions, a significant shift is on the horizon.

Sen. Lummis is threatening criminal repercussions over allegations that the FDIC is destroying digital asset related materials.

The president-elect cannot officially nominate anyone until after he is inaugurated on Jan. 20, but the US Senate has been holding hearings to question his potential picks.

Scott Bessent, who is immersed in the Senate confirmation process as President-elect Donald Trump's Treasury secretary nominee, only addressed crypto briefly.

The crypto market has gone absolutely wild, and it's all because of one man: Donald Trump. As his inauguration draws near, investors are betting big on small-cap cryptocurrencies, driving up prices.

In today's rapidly evolving cryptocurrency market, the need for fast, secure, and anonymous crypto exchanges is more prominent than ever.

An employee of a diamond mining company in Russia was reportedly sentenced to seven years in prison for providing financial assistance to the military forces of Ukraine.

In response to evolving EU regulations, Binance Poland has announced updated procedures for cryptocurrency transactions. Users must provide detailed sender and beneficiary information for deposits and withdrawals. The new measures aim to enhance compliance and transparency in crypto operations. The post Binance Poland to Adjust Deposit and Withdrawal Procedures for EU Compliance appeared first on Cryptonews.

An Ethereum (ETH)-competitor is printing gains after receiving support from the world's largest crypto exchange by volume. In a new announcement, Binance says it will be adding support for Sonic (S), formerly known as Fantom (FTM), to many of its programs.

BitMEX is said to have knowingly bypassed U.S. AML rules, allowing traders access with minimal KYC, leading to fines and legal consequences.