Welcome to Latam Insights Encore, a deep dive into Latin America's most relevant economic and crypto news from the past week. This edition examines how the Brazilian government's proposed ruleset that would outlaw stablecoin self-custody is pointless, as Brazilians will find a way to sidestep it.

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has scrapped the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET). This decision follows recent moves by the Trump administration to loosen tough restrictions on the industry.

Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal has been granted final court approval to settle a class-action lawsuit for $11 million with Astrals non-fungible token (NFT) buyers.Florida federal court judge Federico Moreno granted approval of the settlement between O'Neal and the class group led by Daniel Harper in an April 1 order made available on April 8. The deal created a fund of up to $11 million for eligible class members and awarded $2.9 million in attorney fees and costs.

The regulator's next roundtable on April 11 will address the proper way to regulate crypto trading. It is being organized by its newly-formed Crypto Task Force and will serve as the second instalment in a series of meetings.

Many Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) struggle with low voter turnout and engagement despite managing multi-million-dollar treasuries. A promising solution has emerged – DAO incentive programs, where members receive financial or token-based rewards to participate in governance actively.

The U.S. Department of Justice is scaling back its efforts to regulate the cryptocurrency industry and shutting down its National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team.

Changpeng Zhao (CZ), former CEO of Binance, has been appointed as a strategic advisor to the newly formed Pakistan Crypto Council, given the task of helping the nation adopt blockchain technology and embrace innovation. Pakistan's Finance Ministry confirmed the appointment.

April 9, 2025 02:26:06 UTC Why is Crypto Down? Bitcoin dropped sharply below $75,000, losing 6% in a day as Asian and global stock markets fell due to new U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports. Japan's Nikkei 225, Australia, South Korea, and others saw big losses. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also dropped.

A significant change is affecting crypto markets as Binance removes 14 tokens in its first community-driven delisting, marking a shift toward user-influenced oversight.

Malicious actors are attempting to steal crypto with malware embedded in fake Microsoft Office extensions uploaded to the software hosting site SourceForge, according to cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.One of the malicious listings, called “officepackage,” has real Microsoft Office add-ins but hides a malware called ClipBanker that replaces a coped crypto wallet address on a computer's clipboard with the attacker's address, Kaspersky's Anti-Malware Research Team said in an April 8 report. “Users of crypto wallets typically copy addresses instead of typing them.

Octane has secured $6.7 million from Winklevoss Capital and others to tackle rising crypto hacks using AI-powered code auditing.

Stablecoins are gaining significant traction across Asia as regulators and financial institutions embrace these blockchain-based assets, industry leaders said at Hong Kong's Web3 Festival this week.

The FBI secretly funded and directly engaged with drug traffickers and hackers, including members of the notorious Scattered Spider cybercrime group, as part of an undercover crypto money laundering sting, according to new details reported Tuesday by 404 Media, citing court documents.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is launching a new set of regulatory changes to encourage the formation of new banks, improve cryptocurrency oversight.

The Russian tax agency, the Federal Tax Service (FTS), has unveiled a tax calculator tool for crypto miners operating in the nation. The post Moscow Releases Tax Calculator for Russian Crypto Miners appeared first on Cryptonews.

The White House confirmed that 104% tariffs against China will go live at midnight tonight, much to the woe of the crypto market. After a brief recovery to $79,000, Bitcoin fell to $76,000 amid $300 million in total crypto liquidations.

BeInCrypto had the opportunity to sit down with Laura K. Inamedinova, Chief Ecosystem Officer at Gate.io, during the Next Block Expo, The Blockchain Festival of Europe 2025.

Binance CEO Richard Teng believes Donald Trump's latest tariff policies could push investors to explore crypto as an alternative to government-controlled assets, especially amid rising economic volatility. The post Trump's Tariff Policies May Accelerate Interest In Crypto, Binance CEO Says appeared first on Cryptonews.

Stablecoin activity increased in the last 24 hours after the market rout caused by trade wars between the US and other countries. IntoTheBlock data shows daily active addresses hit 300,000, while on-chain stablecoin volume also hit $72 billion.

The SEC intends to host a round table with Coinbase and other crypto legal rivals, and Ripple plans to acquire Hidden Road for $1.25 billion.

Hong Kong's SFC will greenlight trading platforms with licensed virtual asset trading platforms to offer staking services.

Galaxy's possible US listing in the coming weeks would end a years-long process and keep up the momentum around more crypto firms going public.

Dubai Land Department and VARA integrate blockchain into real estate, enabling tokenized property ownership to boost liquidity, expand investment access, and align with Dubai's ambitious economic and innovation strategies. The post Dubai Agencies Collaborate to Link Real Estate Registry with Property Tokenization appeared first on Cryptonews.

Binance CEO Richard Teng shared his belief that growing macro instability and U.S. protectionism may ultimately strengthen the case for Bitcoin and other digital assets.

Blackrock is turbocharging its crypto strategy by tapping Anchorage Digital's federally regulated infrastructure to power secure custody, staking, settlement, and on-chain governance at scale.

US equities and cryptocurrencies stalled Tuesday afternoon, reversing earlier gains after the White House dashed hopes that international tariff negotiations were on the table.

The US DOJ just published a new directive claiming it will stop investigating and criminally charging crypto exchanges, mixers, and offline wallets.

Ripple will buy Hidden Road in a 10-digit deal, as crypto becomes more entwined with TradFi.

A commissioner's disapproval of the SEC's statement that stablecoins are not securities could pose a challenge to bills, TD Cowen said.

On today's episode of CNBC Crypto World, ether falls along with the broader market as stock indexes gave up much of their early gains amid a multi-day plunge spurred by President Trump's tariff announcement. And, the DOJ issues a memo directing prosecutors to narrow down crypto investigations to crimes involving investor fraud, terrorism, human trafficking, cartel operations and cybercrime.

The European Securities and Markets Authority is sounding a fresh caution at the potential risks crypto could pose to financial markets.

The DOJ just killed its crypto crimes unit in a sweeping shift that signals America is going all-in on digital asset freedom and growth. Feds Kill off DOJ's Crypto Team—Trump Resets Battlefield for Bitcoin Dominance The U.S.

The number of active developers in the Web3 sphere has declined by nearly 40% in a year, according to analytics platform Artemis Terminal.

The crypto market is facing massive volatility today, and amid this noise, some meme coins are able to pick up pace on recovery. One such coin is said to have ties with Tesla founder and US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk.

Asset manager BlackRock is partnering with Anchorage Digital for crypto custody services, a move aimed at addressing the rising demand for digital assets from retail and institutional investors.According to an April 8 announcement, BlackRock is the world's largest investment firm, with $11.6 trillion in assets under management. The company ranks among the largest providers of crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs), with holdings totaling $45.3 billion in Bitcoin (BTC) and $1.7 billion in Ether (ETH), according to data from Arkham.

The U.S. Justice Department will reportedly limit its cryptocurrency enforcement efforts to the use of digital assets in crimes related to things like terrorism, drug cartels and fraud.

The total value of borrowings on large DeFi platforms like Aave and Morpho has sharply dropped from the mid-December peak, as investors scrambled to reduce outstanding debt or got liquidated.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is formalizing a more permissive and transparent framework for US banks engaging with crypto, including the use of public, permissionless blockchains. In remarks delivered at the American Bankers Association Washington Summit on April 8, FDIC Acting Chairman Travis Hill addressed the agency's evolving stance on crypto-related activities.

Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has greenlit staking services for licensed digital asset exchanges. On Monday, the regulator issued regulatory guidance for the new services, noting that staking comes with potential benefits, such as enhancing the security of blockchain protocols while enabling users to earn yields for their participation.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is scrapping a unit within the federal agency that focused exclusively on crypto-related investigations. In a new memo released Monday, the DOJ says it plans to eliminate the so-called National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Unit (NCET), which was established during the Biden Administration to prosecute crypto-related enterprises. U.S.

A local media report claims that Q1 2025's four worst-performing ETFs in the UK were all related to crypto and blockchain. These products track more nebulous market indicators, not specific tokens.

Market sentiment has now become cautious, with investors reacting to the tariff announcements in classic 'risk-off' behavior as they expect more volatility

A cryptocurrency lawyer has filed a case against the US Department of Homeland Security in an effort to uncover who actually invented Bitcoin. James Murphy, also referred to online as ‘MetaLawMan,' is requesting that the government hand over information regarding Satoshi Nakamoto, the enigmatic figure behind the largest cryptocurrency in the world.

The trade war between the United States (US) and China is heating up, which is threatening to tumble the global markets, including the crypto market. Specifically, the US has announced that a 104% tariff rate on China will begin on April 9, while the Asian country is already making moves to retaliate.

The lawsuit targets DHS for documents about a 2019 meeting with Bitcoin creators.

DOJ disbands National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) under Trump administration. DOJ will now focus on prosecuting scams, fraud, and market manipulation.

Singapore is emerging as a leader in cryptocurrency adoption, with digital currencies becoming increasingly practical for payments, especially among tech-savvy youth. Growing transaction volumes and a supportive regulatory environment are driving this trend. The post 52% of Crypto Holders in Singapore Use It for Payments of Goods and Services: Reports appeared first on Cryptonews.

Anchorage Digital has announced that it will offer investment giant BlackRock its array of institutional cryptocurrency custody solutions. The custody service provider will extend its services to a range of BlackRock's spot crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as part of the deal.