NewsBriefs - BlackRock's IBIT spot Bitcoin ETF reaches 500,000 BTC milestone

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• Jun 15, 4:45 PM Europe 1

  TikTok trader with 40,000 followers kidnapped for crypto ransom in France

  A crypto trader with 40,000 TikTok followers was kidnapped in Juvisy-sur-Orge, France, by four individuals. The captors, who forced the trader into a stolen car, demanded a ransom of €50,000 in crypto. Upon finding his account balance insufficient, they released him. The trader received a six-day medical leave, and the case has been escalated to the Organized and Specialized Crime Division.

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• Jun 14, 3:22 AM New York Post

  Trump reports over $57M from World Liberty Financial crypto venture

  President Trump declared an income exceeding $57 million from World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture involving his family. This income, disclosed in his financial documentation released by the Office of Government Ethics, marks one of his most substantial earnings. World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance platform, was co-founded by his three sons and others, consolidating its status as a major income source.

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• Jun 13, 10:07 PM The Block

  Franklin Templeton, Galaxy Digital, VanEck, and Fidelity submit updated filings for Solana ETFs

  Franklin Templeton, Galaxy Digital, VanEck, and Fidelity have submitted updated S-1 filings for US Securities and Exchange Commission approval to list spot Solana ETFs. The updates come after the SEC, which has approved Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs, requested adjustments in filings related to in-kind redemptions and staking. The move suggests increased likelihood of approval for Solana ETFs, potentially within two to four months.

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• Jun 13, 12:10 PM Globe Newswire

  SharpLink Gaming becomes world's largest publicly traded ETH holder with $463 million acquisition

  SharpLink Gaming has acquired 176,271 ETH for a total of $463 million, making it the world's largest publicly traded holder of ETH, surpassing even the Ethereum Foundation. This acquisition is part of SharpLink's strategic initiative to use ETH as its primary treasury reserve asset, aiming to provide significant economic exposure to ETH for its investors and advocate for blockchain's transformative potential in various industries.

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• Jun 13, 2:30 AM Cointelegraph

  ASIC bans Australian financial adviser for 10 years over $9.6M crypto scam

  The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has imposed a 10-year ban on Glenda Maree Rogan, a financial adviser, for allegedly redirecting AUD 14.8 million ($9.6 million) from clients, family, and friends into a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment with Financial Centre, an unlicensed platform flagged as untrustworthy. Rogan reportedly misled investors about the investment's nature and risks from March 2022 to June 2023, and is currently under ongoing investigation by ASIC.

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• Jun 12, 7:57 PM The Block

  Coinbase to launch American Express-powered card offering up to 4% BTC rewards

  Coinbase announced the introduction of a new crypto rewards credit card for Coinbase One subscribers, offering up to 4% in Bitcoin rewards. The card, powered by American Express, will launch this fall and offers rewards based on the user's digital asset holdings.

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• Jun 12, 11:29 AM Tether

  Tether acquires significant stake in Elemental Altus to bolster gold and asset-backed strategies

  Tether Investments, affiliated with Tether, has purchased a significant ownership in Elemental Altus, a Canadian gold royalty company. The acquisition of approximately 31.9% of Elemental's shares from La Mancha Investments is a key component of Tether's strategy to incorporate stable assets like gold and Bitcoin into its financial ecosystem. This investment aims to develop a robust, decentralized infrastructure for the digital economy, enhancing both stability and transparency. Additionally, Tether has an option to acquire further shares from AlphaStream, subject to certain conditions.

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• Jun 11, 6:48 PM The Block

  US Senate advances GENIUS Act to regulate stablecoins

  The US Senate has voted 68 to 30 to advance the GENIUS Act, aiming for imminent finalization. The act, set to regulate stablecoins, mandates they be fully backed by US dollars or equivalent assets and requires annual audits for issuers with over $50 billion in market capitalization. President Trump's administration has supported the bill, anticipating his signature before August. Despite partial dissent from some Democrats, the Senate moves forward amid continued discussions and varying stablecoin regulation proposals in the House.

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• Jun 11, 12:31 PM Bureau of Labor Statistics

  US May CPI comes in at 2.4% as inflation cools slightly

  In May 2025, the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded a mild increase of 0.1 percent from the previous month, following a 0.2 percent rise in April. The annual inflation rate reached 2.4 percent, slightly under the anticipated 2.5 percent but up from 2.3 percent the preceding year. Key contributors to the month's CPI rise included shelters and food indices, both up by 0.3 percent, while the energy index fell by 1.0 percent, led by a decline in gasoline prices. Over the same 12-month period, food price inflation climbed to 2.9 percent, and energy prices contracted by 3.5 percent.

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• Jun 11, 2:39 AM FT

  CoinDesk's parent company Bullish files for US IPO amid rising investor interest in crypto

  Crypto exchange Bullish, backed by Peter Thiel, has confidentially filed for a US initial public offering (IPO), positioning itself amidst strong investor demand and industry-friendly policies under Trump's administration. The company had previously attempted a public launch through a SPAC deal in 2021, which failed. Jefferies is the lead underwriter for the new IPO effort, leveraging a renewed enthusiasm for crypto assets, evidenced by Circle Internet's recent successful IPO and other exchanges like Gemini planning US listings.

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• Jun 11, 1:39 AM The Block

  IREN plans $450 million convertible notes offering to fund expansions and investor strategies

  IREN, a Nasdaq-listed bitcoin mining and AI company, announced a private offering of convertible senior notes aimed at raising $450 million, potentially increasing by $50 million for early buyers. The funds will support capped call transactions to reduce equity dilution, a prepaid forward share repurchase up to $100 million for price stabilization, and general corporate needs. IREN operates extensive data centers in the US and Canada, focusing on bitcoin mining and AI technologies.

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• Jun 10, 5:18 AM The Block

  South Korean lawmaker introduces new crypto bill focusing on stablecoin licensing

  South Korean lawmaker Min Byeong-deok proposed the Digital Asset Basic Act, aimed at establishing a structured regulatory framework for the digital asset ecosystem in South Korea. This bill introduces a new licensing regime specifically for stablecoin issuers, requiring them to have a minimum of 500 million Korean won in owner's capital. This regulation aligns with President Lee Jae-myung's objectives to support a local Korean won-based stablecoin market and prevent the outward flow of capital.

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• Jun 9, 7:24 PM PhoenixNews

  Canary Capital registers staked Injective INJ ETF in Delaware

  Canary has registered a staked INJ exchange-traded fund (ETF) in Delaware, marking a significant expansion in its crypto offerings.

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• Jun 9, 6:51 PM GOV.UK

  UK names first dedicated crypto specialist to help recover online assets like Bitcoin

  The Insolvency Service has appointed its first dedicated crypto intelligence specialist, Andrew Small, to enhance the tracing and recovery of crypto in bankruptcy and criminal cases in the UK. This initiative is in response to a substantial increase in insolvency cases involving crypto assets, growing by 420% over the past five years. Small will provide deep insight into the crypto market, helping the agency recover more funds owed to creditors. In the last year, over £500,000 in crypto assets were identified in insolvency proceedings, significantly higher than the figures from five years ago.

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• Jun 9, 3:19 PM Chainlink

  Chainlink powers cross-border CBDC and stablecoin exchange in Hong Kong pilot

  Chainlink is driving the secure exchange between a Hong Kong CBDC and an Australian dollar stablecoin in Phase 2 of the e-HKD+ Pilot Program. This initiative, involving prominent participants like Visa, ANZ, China AMC, and Fidelity International, aims to transform cross-border payments.

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