NewsBriefs - Ripple CEO predicts rising demand for yen stablecoins in Japan

Sep 8, 5:58 AM Cointelegraph

Ripple CEO predicts rising demand for yen stablecoins in Japan

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse foresees strong demand for yen stablecoins in Japan, citing the country's regulatory clarity on crypto and stablecoins. He notes Japan's thriving entrepreneurship and investment environment. Ripple plans to launch a US dollar stablecoin first before considering a yen stablecoin. Garlinghouse aims to partner with US regulators before going live with Ripple's stablecoin, emphasizing global opportunities. Ripple recently began testing its RLUSD on XRP Ledger and Ethereum mainnets.

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• Apr 21, 3:54 PM Cointelegraph

  Consensys, Solana, and Uniswap CEO donate to Trump's $239M inauguration fund

  New Federal Election Commission filings disclose significant contributions from crypto firms and executives to President Donald Trump's 2024 inauguration fund. Uniswap CEO Hayden Adams donated over $245,000, Solana Labs contributed $1 million, and Consensys gave $100,000. Since Trump's inauguration and the appointment of Mark Uyeda as acting SEC chair, the agency has ceased multiple enforcement actions against crypto firms that donated to Trump's campaign and inauguration fund.

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• Apr 21, 1:37 PM The Block

  GSR leads $100 million investment to establish Upexi's Solana treasury

  GSR led a $100 million PIPE investment into Upexi to develop a Solana treasury, aiming to bolster the company's crypto holdings and stake in Solana. This move illustrates the increasing market demand for secure, efficient access to prominent crypto assets like Solana, which is praised for its speed, scalability, and strong developer community. Upexi joins other firms, including Janover, in building a Solana treasury to support long-term growth through high-quality crypto assets.

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• Apr 21, 10:50 AM The Business Times

  Singapore Exchange to launch Bitcoin perpetual futures targeting professional investors

  Singapore Exchange (SGX) plans to launch Bitcoin perpetual futures in the second half of 2025, aiming to attract institutional and professional investors. This initiative, reflecting a broader trend of traditional exchanges entering the crypto derivatives market, is expected to keep SGX competitive as crypto gains recognition as an investment asset. Perpetual futures, unlike traditional futures, do not expire and allow trading based on cryptocurrency price movements. Positive feedback from both decentralized and traditional finance sectors has been noted. Industry leaders view this move as enhancing Bitcoin's image as an investment-grade asset and validating cryptocurrencies within regulated markets.

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• Apr 21, 10:33 AM The Wall Street Journal

  Coinbase, Circle, and BitGo consider applying for bank charters: WSJ

  Following President Trump's pledge to make the US a bitcoin superpower, crypto firms including Circle, BitGo, Coinbase, and Paxos are planning to secure bank charters or licenses to operate more like traditional banks. This comes as Congress advances bills for stablecoin regulation and the Trump administration aims to incorporate crypto into mainstream finance. Meanwhile, major banks are reconsidering their previous stance of distancing from crypto, amid changing regulatory environments.

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• Apr 21, 4:59 AM The Block

  Metaplanet purchases additional 330 BTC amid market uncertainty

  Japanese investment firm Metaplanet has acquired an additional 330 bitcoins, valued at $28.2 million, despite ongoing market uncertainties due to US tariff measures. This purchase aligns with a rallying bitcoin price, recently exceeding $87,000. Metaplanet now holds 4,855 BTC, maintaining its position as the largest corporate bitcoin holder in Asia and tenth globally. The company continues its strategy to reach a 10,000 BTC portfolio by year-end, adhering closely to the investment footsteps of strategy influencer Michael Saylor's Strategy.

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• Apr 18, 7:16 PM Kraken

  Kraken launches forex perpetual futures

  Kraken Derivatives has introduced FX perpetual futures (FX perps), offering contracts for major currency pairs like EUR/USD and GBP/USD with 20x leverage. These contracts, available on the Kraken Pro platform, provide opportunities for clients to trade without an expiry date, reflecting the underlying forex market conditions in real time. Alexia Theodorou, Head of Derivatives at Kraken, noted that this expansion leverages their established presence in the FX market to enhance trading capabilities for their clients.

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• Apr 18, 3:17 PM The Block

  Oregon attorney general to file lawsuit against Coinbase

  Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield is planning to initiate a securities enforcement lawsuit against Coinbase, reflecting previous federal charges dismissed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this year. The legal action, disclosed by Coinbase's Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal, underscores ongoing regulatory challenges for crypto exchanges in the US amid changing federal approaches and pending national legislation.

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• Apr 18, 12:52 PM Bitcoin Sistemi

  Arizona advances in crypto legislation with SB 1373 clearing House committee

  Arizona's Strategic Digital Assets Reserve Bill, SB 1373, which aims to establish a state-managed strategic reserve fund for digital assets, has progressed through a House committee. The bill proposes the creation of a fund that integrates crypto seized by law enforcement and managed by the state treasurer using secure custody solutions. Investment is capped at 10% per financial year and encompasses a broad definition of digital assets, including Bitcoin, stablecoins, and NFTs. The bill now awaits a third reading and approval from Governor Katie Hobbs amid growing legislative focus on integrating crypto into public finance.

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• Apr 18, 2:57 AM Bitcoin Talk

  eXch to shut down operations after Bybit hack, commits 50 BTC to privacy development

  eXch has announced it will cease operations amid pressures from a transatlantic operation aiming to shut down the project on accusations of enabling illicit activities. Despite demonstrating effective privacy features and rejecting labels as a 'mixer,' the platform faced external misunderstanding and misinterpretation of its goals. As part of its closure, eXch is donating 50 BTC to support open-source projects that enhance crypto privacy solutions, including Bitcoin, Thorchain, and Ethereum privacy-preserving tools. The decision follows challenges from state intelligence and regulatory bodies misjudging the platform's intentions.

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• Apr 18, 1:28 AM CoinDesk

  Crypto project founder gambles with investor bags, gets rekt and faces arrest

  Richard Kim, ex-executive of Galaxy, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan, was arrested on securities and wire fraud charges for misappropriating nearly all of the $7 million raised from investors in his crypto casino venture, Zero Edge. The FBI revealed that Kim had induced investments under false pretenses and gambled away significant sums through high-risk crypto trades. Following significant losses and a failed attempt to manage his debts through further trading and fund-raising, Kim has admitted to the missteps and surrendered himself to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

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• Apr 17, 5:55 PM The Block

  Coinbase boosts Solana support to improve transaction speeds and reliability

  Coinbase has significantly enhanced its support capabilities for the Solana ecosystem addressing user concerns and improving transaction processing speeds and reliability. The infrastructure updates include five times faster block processing throughput, four-fold improvements in RPC, augmented failover mechanisms for better system resilience, and operational optimizations. This move follows previously reported transaction delays in the Solana network and aims to cater to increasing transaction volumes as Solana grows.

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• Apr 17, 4:02 PM The Block

  DOJ memo indicates policy shift, potentially easing crypto firm prosecutions

  A recent US Justice Department memo suggests a shift in policy regarding crypto enforcement, indicating a more lenient approach under the Trump administration compared to the Biden administration. The memo, authored by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, clarifies that the DOJ aims to focus on crimes causing direct harm, such as investor fraud and terrorism linked to crypto, rather than overall regulatory actions against crypto firms. This adjustment leads to the dissolution of the Department's National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, established in 2022, and a broader implication for ongoing and future crypto cases.

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• Apr 17, 2:58 PM Circle

  Circle introduces Refund Protocol for decentralized dispute resolution in USDC transactions

  Circle has launched Refund Protocol, a new smart contract designed to enable non-custodial escrow and onchain dispute resolution for stablecoin payments, particularly focusing on ERC-20 tokens like USDC. This protocol offers mediated resolutions, lockups, and non-custodial refunds, enhancing the safety and flexibility of stablecoin transactions by minimizing dependency on centralized third parties. Aimed at developers, Refund Protocol supports features like arbiter-mediated refunds, lockup periods, and early withdrawals based on offchain agreements, facilitating clearer, more dependable commerce on the blockchain.

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• Apr 17, 10:02 AM Bitcoin Sistemi

  Binance provides crypto advisory services to governments despite past legal issues

  Following a guilty plea for money laundering and sanctions violations in the US, Binance is now advising multiple governments on crypto regulation and developing national digital asset strategies. CEO Richard Teng highlighted Binance's consultancy role, influenced by a more proactive US approach to crypto under President Donald Trump. Despite Binance's legal troubles, which included a large fine and compliance monitoring, Teng noted an organizational shift towards enhanced regulatory compliance, with 25% of its workforce dedicated to these efforts. Countries like Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan are engaging with Binance's services, demonstrating continued trust in their expertise.

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• Apr 17, 9:39 AM Cointelegraph

  CoinGecko report highlights dominance of AI tokens and meme coins in Q1 2025

  In the first quarter of 2025, artificial intelligence tokens and meme coins dominated the crypto market, capturing 62.8% of investor interest according to CoinGecko. AI tokens accounted for 35.7% while meme coins, boosted by events such as the launch of Trump-associated tokens on the Solana network, held 27.1%. The quarter also witnessed concerns about meme coins drawing capital away from utility tokens like Solana, which saw a significant price drop.

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