The US has imposed sanctions on multiple Iranian cryptocurrency exchanges, alleging they facilitate terror financing and money laundering. The sanctions are part of broader economic pressure on Iran. Cryptocurrencies have become a key channel for sanctions evasion due to their decentralized nature, prompting regulators worldwide to tighten monitoring.
FalconX Confidentially Files for US Stock Market Listing Cryptocurrency trading firm FalconX has confidentially filed for an initial public offering with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), hiring investment bankers to advance the listing process. This makes it another major crypto trading platform seeking to go public on US exchanges, following in the footsteps of Coinbase and Kraken. According to CoinDesk, FalconX primarily serves institutional investors, providing crypto market-making, lending, and over-the-counter trading services. The company has experienced rapid business growth in recent years, benefiting from the massive influx of institutional capital into the cryptocurrency market. ...
OKX and the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) are partnering to bring “never-expiring” oil futures contracts to 120 million crypto users. The partnership draws on the success of Hyperliquid’s oli perpetual oil futures, which have seen over $1 billion in trading volume.
Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT) has moved another $205 million in bitcoin, swelling its unrealized cryptocurrency losses to $455 million. The president’s publicly traded company continues to face pressure on its bitcoin strategy. DJT now sits on hundreds of millions in unrealized crypto losses, raising investor concerns about its financial health. The figure underscores the market volatility risk of corporations holding bitcoin as a reserve asset. While bitcoin trades near $77,000, DJT’s entry cost is clearly far above current market prices. ...
The Federal Reserve has proposed granting limited master account access to crypto firms that have long sought such privileges. This move is seen as a significant signal of shifting US regulatory stance toward the crypto industry. Master accounts allow institutions to directly use the Fed’s payment clearing system, and gaining this access would substantially improve crypto firms’ operational efficiency and fund liquidity. The proposal is currently in the public comment period. ...
Strategy Makes $2 Billion Bitcoin Purchase Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) has made a massive bitcoin purchase worth approximately $2 billion last week, according to CoinDesk. The move further solidifies Strategy’s position as the largest publicly traded bitcoin holder. The company’s continued accumulation comes as bitcoin recently dipped below $77,000. Source: CoinDesk
Harvard’s endowment has recently liquidated its ether ETF positions, while Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala continues to accumulate shares in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, adding over $90 million to its already substantial position. Institutional allocation strategies in crypto are showing clear divergence: academic institutions reducing ethereum exposure while Middle Eastern sovereign funds remain bullish on bitcoin. Source: The Block
Taiwan News Anchor Indicted for Allegedly Taking Crypto Payments from China to Produce Propaganda
The U.S. Treasury Department has demanded that Binance comply with government-specified monitoring guidelines, marking an escalation in regulatory pressure on the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. According to reports, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is intensifying enforcement actions, requiring Binance to fully implement compliance monitoring requirements. This move is seen as a key part of the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to clean up the cryptocurrency industry. Binance, as the world’s largest crypto trading platform, has long faced intense scrutiny from regulators worldwide. Previously, Binance agreed to pay $4.3 billion in fines to resolve the U.S. Department of Justice investigation and committed to strengthening its compliance framework. ...
BNY Mellon partners with Finstreet and ADI Foundation to build digital asset infrastructure in Abu Dhabi, marking a major institutional crypto push in the Middle East