Spanish Police End Crypto Scam Ring That Used AI to Swipe $21 Million From Investors

Spanish cops have arrested six people as part of a two-year operation to cripple a crypto investment scam ring that used artificial intelligence to con 208 people out of over €19 million ($21.5 million) in total.  The operation started two years ago when a man from the city of Granada went to the police after having lost €624,000 (over $700,000), the Spanish National Police said.  Authorities said that the alleged criminals used realistic celebrity videos, powered by AI, to convince would-be inv...

Spanish cops have arrested six people as part of a two-year operation to cripple a crypto investment scam ring that used artificial intelligence to con 208 people out of over €19 million ($21.5 million) in total.  The operation started two years ago when a man from the city of Granada went to the police after having lost €624,000 (over $700,000), the Spanish National Police said.  Authorities said that the alleged criminals used realistic celebrity videos, powered by AI, to convince would-be inv...

Will Trump's Solana Meme Coin Pump or Dump After 40 Million Tokens Are Unlocked?

U.S. President Donald Trump’s Solana-based meme coin is fast approaching its first token unlock, with the project’s team set to receive around 40 million Official Trump (TRUMP) next Friday. Based on TRUMP’s current price, around $320 million worth of tokens will hit the market on April 18, according to crypto analytics platform Tokenomist. From that point on, around $4 million worth of TRUMP will be unlocked per day until the project’s next unlock event in July. How will this first unlock impact...

U.S. President Donald Trump’s Solana-based meme coin is fast approaching its first token unlock, with the project’s team set to receive around 40 million Official Trump (TRUMP) next Friday. Based on TRUMP’s current price, around $320 million worth of tokens will hit the market on April 18, according to crypto analytics platform Tokenomist. From that point on, around $4 million worth of TRUMP will be unlocked per day until the project’s next unlock event in July. How will this first unlock impact...

Kevin Rose's Digg Reboot Comes With Crypto Tools, Wallet Plans

The upcoming revival of tech entrepreneur and investor Kevin Rose’s social news site Digg has a crypto connection, as the social news platform is using embedded wallet platform Privy as an account authenticator for its revamped launch. Privy is currently utilized in other popular Web3 applications like NFT marketplace OpenSea and token launchpad Pump.fun, allowing users to create a crypto wallet with just an email. That abstracts away technical complexities like seed phrases that have been barri...

The upcoming revival of tech entrepreneur and investor Kevin Rose’s social news site Digg has a crypto connection, as the social news platform is using embedded wallet platform Privy as an account authenticator for its revamped launch. Privy is currently utilized in other popular Web3 applications like NFT marketplace OpenSea and token launchpad Pump.fun, allowing users to create a crypto wallet with just an email. That abstracts away technical complexities like seed phrases that have been barri...

New 'Black Mirror' Episode Focuses on Pump.fun-Like Livestream Stunts

A desperate man commits an act of self-inflicted violence on a livestreaming site in the hopes of collecting a windfall of digital money from strangers. Sound familiar?  No, we’re not talking about outrageous exploits related to meme coin trading sensation Pump.fun. Or well, not explicitly. We’re outlining the plot of an episode in the latest season of “Black Mirror.” The first installment of the hit Netflix sci-fi series’ latest season, which debuted Thursday, centers on a plot that appears rip...

A desperate man commits an act of self-inflicted violence on a livestreaming site in the hopes of collecting a windfall of digital money from strangers. Sound familiar?  No, we’re not talking about outrageous exploits related to meme coin trading sensation Pump.fun. Or well, not explicitly. We’re outlining the plot of an episode in the latest season of “Black Mirror.” The first installment of the hit Netflix sci-fi series’ latest season, which debuted Thursday, centers on a plot that appears rip...

BlackRock Crypto Asset Holdings Down $5 Billion as Bitcoin, Ethereum Prices Fall

BlackRock’s spot digital asset-focused funds generated net inflows for a fifth consecutive quarter, but the value of those assets tumbled by 9% as the price of Bitcoin and Ethereum slumped, the company said in its latest earnings release. As of March 31, the world’s largest asset manager held $50.3 billion worth in ETF digital assets, about $5 billion less than in the previous quarter, according to the release. Still, among asset managers, BlackRock remained the leader in inflows with the iShare...

BlackRock’s spot digital asset-focused funds generated net inflows for a fifth consecutive quarter, but the value of those assets tumbled by 9% as the price of Bitcoin and Ethereum slumped, the company said in its latest earnings release. As of March 31, the world’s largest asset manager held $50.3 billion worth in ETF digital assets, about $5 billion less than in the previous quarter, according to the release. Still, among asset managers, BlackRock remained the leader in inflows with the iShare...

Does Bitcoin Supporter Pierre Poilievre Still Have a Shot at Winning Canada's Election?

Canadians go to the polls to choose a new prime minister this month—but will they elect the Bitcoin advocate?  Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is running for Prime Minister against incumbent Mark Carney—who called a snap election after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned.  Back in January, when Bitcoin was flirting with $100,000 after having previously breached the milestone, Tesla CEO Elon Musk endorsed the crypto-enthusiastic candidate.  But prediction market participants are no...

Canadians go to the polls to choose a new prime minister this month—but will they elect the Bitcoin advocate?  Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is running for Prime Minister against incumbent Mark Carney—who called a snap election after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned.  Back in January, when Bitcoin was flirting with $100,000 after having previously breached the milestone, Tesla CEO Elon Musk endorsed the crypto-enthusiastic candidate.  But prediction market participants are no...

Ripple, SEC File to Suspend Appeals Pending ‘Negotiated Resolution’ of Case

Ripple Labs and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission have jointly filed a request to suspend their respective appeals as they “pursue a negotiated resolution” of their long-running case. As detailed in a filing submitted yesterday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the two parties have already reached an agreement-in-principle, with Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse revealing last month that the SEC would be dropping its appeal. Yesterday’s application represents the first of...

Ripple Labs and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission have jointly filed a request to suspend their respective appeals as they “pursue a negotiated resolution” of their long-running case. As detailed in a filing submitted yesterday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the two parties have already reached an agreement-in-principle, with Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse revealing last month that the SEC would be dropping its appeal. Yesterday’s application represents the first of...

Coinbase CLO Slams FDIC for 'Absurd' Delays in Crypto Debanking Records Lawsuit

In a court filing on Thursday, Coinbase opposed a 16-day extension request by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to delay its response in a public records lawsuit over documents tied to the alleged debanking of crypto firms.  The case centers on internal communications that Coinbase believes show the agency engaged in a covert campaign, dubbed “Operation Chokepoint 2.0,” to isolate crypto from the U.S. financial system. Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal pushed back on treati...

In a court filing on Thursday, Coinbase opposed a 16-day extension request by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to delay its response in a public records lawsuit over documents tied to the alleged debanking of crypto firms.  The case centers on internal communications that Coinbase believes show the agency engaged in a covert campaign, dubbed “Operation Chokepoint 2.0,” to isolate crypto from the U.S. financial system. Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal pushed back on treati...

Crypto Competitors Grayscale and Osprey Settle Two-Year Tussle Over Bitcoin ETFs

Digital asset managers Grayscale Investments and Osprey Funds have reached a settlement agreement after their long-drawn legal dispute over marketing practices. A motion filed with the Connecticut Appellate Court on April 9 shows the parties are looking at 45 days to finalize settlement documentation after Osprey appealed a February decision favoring Grayscale. "Soon after this appeal was filed, the parties reached a settlement of this case," a copy of the motion first uploaded by Law360 reads....

Digital asset managers Grayscale Investments and Osprey Funds have reached a settlement agreement after their long-drawn legal dispute over marketing practices. A motion filed with the Connecticut Appellate Court on April 9 shows the parties are looking at 45 days to finalize settlement documentation after Osprey appealed a February decision favoring Grayscale. "Soon after this appeal was filed, the parties reached a settlement of this case," a copy of the motion first uploaded by Law360 reads....

Arizona's Bitcoin Mining Bill Advances to Governor's Desk

Arizona is one step closer to locking in legal protections for crypto miners and blockchain node operators. On Thursday, the state legislature passed HB 2342, a bill that protects individuals who mine Bitcoin or operate blockchain nodes at home from zoning and usage restrictions imposed by cities or counties.  WATCH: Arizona Senate PASSES Bitcoin mining rights bill, by a vote of 17-12 https://t.co/S8YjYoTp3C pic.twitter.com/w8E00DXnkI — Bitcoin Laws (@Bitcoin_Laws) April 10, 2025 The bill clea...

Arizona is one step closer to locking in legal protections for crypto miners and blockchain node operators. On Thursday, the state legislature passed HB 2342, a bill that protects individuals who mine Bitcoin or operate blockchain nodes at home from zoning and usage restrictions imposed by cities or counties.  WATCH: Arizona Senate PASSES Bitcoin mining rights bill, by a vote of 17-12 https://t.co/S8YjYoTp3C pic.twitter.com/w8E00DXnkI — Bitcoin Laws (@Bitcoin_Laws) April 10, 2025 The bill clea...

Startup CEO Charged After 'AI' Turns Out to Be Humans in the Philippines

A tech founder who raised over $40 million pitching a cutting-edge AI shopping app has been charged in the U.S. with fraud after it was revealed the AI powering the app was a call center full of human workers in the Philippines. Albert Saniger, 35, founder and former CEO of “nate,” allegedly misled investors by claiming the company’s e-commerce app used proprietary AI to automate online purchases.  “Albert Saniger misled investors by exploiting the promise and allure of AI technology to build a...

A tech founder who raised over $40 million pitching a cutting-edge AI shopping app has been charged in the U.S. with fraud after it was revealed the AI powering the app was a call center full of human workers in the Philippines. Albert Saniger, 35, founder and former CEO of “nate,” allegedly misled investors by claiming the company’s e-commerce app used proprietary AI to automate online purchases.  “Albert Saniger misled investors by exploiting the promise and allure of AI technology to build a...

Ross Ulbricht to Speak at Bitcoin Conference in First Public Appearance Since Trump Pardon

Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, will make his first public appearance since his release from prison earlier this year, speaking at the Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas from May 27 to 29. The news, announced by Ulbricht on X on April 10, follows a presidential pardon by Donald Trump in January that saw the end of his incarceration.  Trump granted Ulbricht a “full and unconditional pardon,” citing support from the Libertarian movement and calling the sentence “ridiculous.” From 2011 to 201...

Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, will make his first public appearance since his release from prison earlier this year, speaking at the Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas from May 27 to 29. The news, announced by Ulbricht on X on April 10, follows a presidential pardon by Donald Trump in January that saw the end of his incarceration.  Trump granted Ulbricht a “full and unconditional pardon,” citing support from the Libertarian movement and calling the sentence “ridiculous.” From 2011 to 201...

SBF Ends Up in 'Victimville', One of the Most Violent Prisons in California

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has moved Sam Bankman-Fried to a Southern California prison known for its brutality. The fallen founder of the FTX exchange has been incarcerated at a medium security facility in Victorville, California, about two hours northeast of Los Angeles, as of Wednesday, according to a BOP inmate locator. Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in November 2023 for defrauding users, in what was considered one of the most significant U.S. financial crimes in the country's nea...

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has moved Sam Bankman-Fried to a Southern California prison known for its brutality. The fallen founder of the FTX exchange has been incarcerated at a medium security facility in Victorville, California, about two hours northeast of Los Angeles, as of Wednesday, according to a BOP inmate locator. Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in November 2023 for defrauding users, in what was considered one of the most significant U.S. financial crimes in the country's nea...

SEC Dismisses Helium Case, Ending Gary Gensler's Final Act

The SEC has dismissed its lawsuit against Nova Labs, the company behind Helium Network, establishing that the project's tokens and hotspot devices connected to its blockchain aren't securities. With the dismissal, the SEC establishes that "selling hardware and distributing tokens for network growth does not automatically make them securities," Helium wrote Thursday The SEC's decision sets a precedent and potentially removes legal uncertainty over how regulators consider and study similar decentr...

The SEC has dismissed its lawsuit against Nova Labs, the company behind Helium Network, establishing that the project's tokens and hotspot devices connected to its blockchain aren't securities. With the dismissal, the SEC establishes that "selling hardware and distributing tokens for network growth does not automatically make them securities," Helium wrote Thursday The SEC's decision sets a precedent and potentially removes legal uncertainty over how regulators consider and study similar decentr...

Trump Becomes First President to Sign Crypto Bill Into Law, Ending Anti-DeFi IRS Rule

President Donald Trump signed his first crypto-related bill into law Thursday, formally eliminating a Biden-era IRS rule that would have required decentralized finance platforms to collect and report the same taxpayer information as traditional brokers.  The bill is, in fact, not just the first crypto-related bill made law by Trump, but also the first crypto-related bill signed by any U.S. president.  The resolution knocks down the IRS’s so-called DeFi broker rule, which was first proposed by th...

President Donald Trump signed his first crypto-related bill into law Thursday, formally eliminating a Biden-era IRS rule that would have required decentralized finance platforms to collect and report the same taxpayer information as traditional brokers.  The bill is, in fact, not just the first crypto-related bill made law by Trump, but also the first crypto-related bill signed by any U.S. president.  The resolution knocks down the IRS’s so-called DeFi broker rule, which was first proposed by th...

CryptoPunks NFT Sells for $6 Million in Ethereum—At a $10 Million Loss

A CryptoPunks owner sold their NFT for $6 million worth of Ethereum on Thursday, netting a $10 million loss in the process.  CryptoPunk #3100, one of nine Alien Punks in the 10,000-piece collection and the only one with a headband, sold for 4,000 ETH or about $6,076,840 at current prices via a private offer on the CryptoPunks marketplace. The deal was allegedly brokered by crypto art brokerage Fountain.  The anonymous seller had initially purchased the #3100 in March 2024 for 4,500 ETH, or aroun...

A CryptoPunks owner sold their NFT for $6 million worth of Ethereum on Thursday, netting a $10 million loss in the process.  CryptoPunk #3100, one of nine Alien Punks in the 10,000-piece collection and the only one with a headband, sold for 4,000 ETH or about $6,076,840 at current prices via a private offer on the CryptoPunks marketplace. The deal was allegedly brokered by crypto art brokerage Fountain.  The anonymous seller had initially purchased the #3100 in March 2024 for 4,500 ETH, or aroun...

Nasdaq Files for Rule Change to List VanEck Avalanche ETF

Nasdaq has applied for a rule change with the SEC that would allow the exchange to list shares of a proposed exchange-traded fund tracking the spot price of Avalanche, according to a filing Thursday. The 19b-4 filing comes a month after the fund giant submitted an application for a VanEck Avalanche ETF, and a little over two weeks after Nasdaq submitted an application for a rules change to list shares of a Grayscale Avalanche fund. These filings and a slew of others tracking top altcoins have de...

Nasdaq has applied for a rule change with the SEC that would allow the exchange to list shares of a proposed exchange-traded fund tracking the spot price of Avalanche, according to a filing Thursday. The 19b-4 filing comes a month after the fund giant submitted an application for a VanEck Avalanche ETF, and a little over two weeks after Nasdaq submitted an application for a rules change to list shares of a Grayscale Avalanche fund. These filings and a slew of others tracking top altcoins have de...

New Hampshire House Passes State Bitcoin Reserve Bill

A bill proposing the creation of a state Bitcoin reserve was passed by the New Hampshire House of Representatives on Thursday.  The House’s vote on New Hampshire Bill HB302, which if passed would allow the state’s treasury to invest in precious metals and digital assets, held a difference of just 13 votes, with 192 representatives voting for the bill and 179 voting against.  The bill will now move on to the New Hampshire Senate.  “We’re tied to the U.S. dollar, whether we like it or not, but thi...

A bill proposing the creation of a state Bitcoin reserve was passed by the New Hampshire House of Representatives on Thursday.  The House’s vote on New Hampshire Bill HB302, which if passed would allow the state’s treasury to invest in precious metals and digital assets, held a difference of just 13 votes, with 192 representatives voting for the bill and 179 voting against.  The bill will now move on to the New Hampshire Senate.  “We’re tied to the U.S. dollar, whether we like it or not, but thi...

How the Basis Trade Unwind Could Affect Bitcoin and Crypto

Investors remain wary that the $29-trillion U.S. Treasury market is flashing a warning sign, which may force the Federal Reserve to intervene. But that might buoy Bitcoin if prices rise as the central bank introduces more liquidity into markets, says one analyst.  Benchmark yields have trended upward since Treasuries were hit with a selloff on Monday. Ten-year yields were hovering around 4.36% on Thursday, despite a small surge on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to pause most...

Investors remain wary that the $29-trillion U.S. Treasury market is flashing a warning sign, which may force the Federal Reserve to intervene. But that might buoy Bitcoin if prices rise as the central bank introduces more liquidity into markets, says one analyst.  Benchmark yields have trended upward since Treasuries were hit with a selloff on Monday. Ten-year yields were hovering around 4.36% on Thursday, despite a small surge on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to pause most...

Bitcoin Wavers as ‘Confusing Environment’ on Wall Street Sets In

The price of Bitcoin fell to $79,500 on Thursday, erasing much of the prior day’s gains after jumping to $83,300, as jubilation over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff pause faded. BTC was recently down about 3.1% over the past 24 hours. The president lowered tariffs on most nations to 10% yesterday, sparking a furious rally within the cryptosphere and broader markets, as investors contemplated how the U.S. had avoided a trade war with 180 nations caught up in Trump’s “Liberation Day” announce...

The price of Bitcoin fell to $79,500 on Thursday, erasing much of the prior day’s gains after jumping to $83,300, as jubilation over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff pause faded. BTC was recently down about 3.1% over the past 24 hours. The president lowered tariffs on most nations to 10% yesterday, sparking a furious rally within the cryptosphere and broader markets, as investors contemplated how the U.S. had avoided a trade war with 180 nations caught up in Trump’s “Liberation Day” announce...