Author: Max Bauer

Digital payments firm Ripple has secured Money Transmitter Licenses (MTLs) in New York and Texas, marking a strategic push to grow its U.S. operations under a regulatory environment increasingly favorable to crypto under the Trump administration. The licenses enable Ripple Payments to offer its blockchain-powered cross-border payment solutions to U.S. customers, with transactions fully managed by the company. Ripple reported strong demand from banks and crypto firms in both states for real-time global payment infrastructure. “Financial institutions and crypto businesses are eager to leverage blockchain for faster, cheaper, and 24/7 cross-border payments,” said Joanie Xie, Ripple’s Managing Director of North…

According to Fox reporter Eleanor Terrett, the U.S. President has officially signed an executive order on cryptocurrency, establishing the Presidential Working Group on Digital Asset Markets to strengthen the nation’s leadership in digital finance. The group will develop a federal regulatory framework, including stablecoin oversight and an assessment of the feasibility of a national digital assets strategic reserve. Chaired by White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks, the group will include the Secretary of the Treasury, the SEC Chair, and other relevant department heads. Additionally, the order revokes the previous administration’s executive order on digital assets and the Treasury…

Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) has been appointed Chair of the newly formed US Senate Banking Subcommittee on Digital Assets, a move signaling increased focus on cryptocurrency regulation in the 119th Congress. The announcement, made by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC), lauded Lummis’s expertise and leadership in the digital asset space. Senator Lummis, a well-known Bitcoin advocate and proponent of blockchain technology, emphasized the importance of a proactive approach to digital assets for maintaining America’s financial leadership. “Digital assets are the future, and if the US wants to remain a global leader in financial innovation, Congress urgently needs to…

Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has expressed a strong belief in Bitcoin’s potential, suggesting it could reach a price of $700,000. In recent comments, Fink positioned Bitcoin as a potential hedge against currency devaluation and geopolitical instability. Fink highlighted Bitcoin’s international nature, stating, “If you’re frightened of your debasement of your currency, or you’re frightened of your economic or political stability of your country, you can have an internationally based instrument called Bitcoin that will overcome those local fears.” He emphasized his belief in Bitcoin’s utility, stating, “I’m a big believer in the utilization of…

President Donald Trump is expected to pardon Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the now-defunct dark web marketplace Silk Road, according to sources close to the White House. This pardon would vacate Ulbricht’s current life sentence. The Post has learned from a White House source that the pardon is “incoming” and expected soon. This information is corroborated by Ulbricht’s clemency lawyer, Brandon Sample, who stated in an email on Tuesday, “We do expect President Trump to grant clemency.” Ulbricht, now 40, was arrested in San Francisco in October 2013. He was accused of operating Silk Road, a website notorious for facilitating…

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today announced the formation of a new task force dedicated to developing a comprehensive and clear regulatory framework for crypto assets. The announcement, made by SEC Acting Chairman Mark T. Uyeda, signals a potential shift in the agency’s approach to cryptocurrency regulation. The task force will be led by Commissioner Hester Peirce, a known advocate for regulatory clarity in the crypto space. Richard Gabbert, Senior Advisor to the Acting Chairman, will serve as Chief of Staff, and Taylor Asher, Senior Policy Advisor to the Acting Chairman, will act as Chief Policy Advisor. The task…

MicroStrategy shareholders have voted to increase the number of authorized Class A common stock and preferred stock, paving the way for the company to continue its aggressive bitcoin acquisition strategy. The move, approved on Monday, comes on the heels of the company’s announcement earlier this week of yet another substantial bitcoin purchase. The decision reinforces MicroStrategy’s commitment to its ambitious “21/21 plan,” unveiled last October. This plan outlines the company’s intention to raise $42 billion – $21 billion in equity and $21 billion in fixed-income securities – to bolster its bitcoin treasury reserve. As of January 20th, approximately $5.42 billion…

Melania Trump, the wife of the new President of the United States, Donald Trump, appears to have launched a memecoin of her own. In posts on X and Truth Social, Melania Trump announced the launch of a memecoin called MELANIA on the Solana network. At first it was thought that Melania Trump’s social media accounts had been hacked, but the post was retweeted by Donald Trump’s official X account. You can see the price action below. This is a developing story…

Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States, has publicly endorsed the creation of a US strategic bitcoin reserve. This endorsement came Friday in a blog post by CEO Brian Armstrong focused on “economic freedom,” shared exclusively with Axios ahead of its release. The timing is notable, coming just before President Trump’s second inauguration and Armstrong’s attendance at the World Economic Forum. Armstrong, who has become a prominent voice for the crypto industry in Washington, has taken a more assertive stance with regulators than many of his counterparts. This marks the first time Coinbase has explicitly supported the concept…

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Digital Currency Group (DCG) and its subsidiary, Genesis Global Capital, along with former Genesis CEO Michael Moro, for misleading investors about Genesis’s financial health following the collapse of Three Arrows Capital in 2022. DCG has agreed to pay a $38 million penalty, while Moro will pay $500,000. According to the SEC’s order, the charges stem from the aftermath of Three Arrows Capital’s default on a margin call in June 2022. This default resulted in approximately a $1 billion loss for Genesis, significantly impacting its financial stability. However, the SEC alleges that…