Update (April 4, 1:45 pm UTC: This article has been updated to add a comment from an OKX spokesperson. Cryptocurrency exchange OKX is under regulatory scrutiny in Europe after Maltese authorities issued a fine for violations of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws in the past. Malta’s Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) fined Okcoin Europe — OKX’s Europe-based arm — 1.1 million euros ($1.2 million) after detecting multiple AML failures on the platform in 2023, the authority announced on April 3. While […]
Opinion by: Andrey Sergeenkov, researcher, analyst and writer Crypto founders love big promises: decentralized finance, banking the unbanked and freedom from intermediaries. Then hacks happen. In some cases, billions vanish overnight. On Feb. 21, 2025, the North Korean Lazarus Group stole $1.46 billion from Bybit. They sent phishing emails to staff with cold wallet access. After compromising these accounts, they accessed Bybit’s interface and replaced the multisignature wallet contract with their malicious version. When Bybit attempted a routine transfer, the […]
Japan’s finance regulator is planning to change the country’s laws to classify cryptocurrencies as financial products as early as 2026, according to the local outlet Nikkei. The Financial Services Agency (FSA) plans to submit a bill to parliament to revise the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act as early as next year after having considered the changes through internal study groups, Nikkei reported on March 30 without citing a source. The outlet reported that the details are still being finalized, but […]
A Californian lawmaker has just added Bitcoin and crypto investor protections to a February-introduced money transmission bill aimed at securing crypto self-custody rights for the US state’s nearly 40 million residents. California’s Assembly Bill 1052 was introduced as the Money Transmission Act on Feb. 20, 2025, but was amended by Democrat and Banking and Finance Committee chair Avelino Valencia on March 28 to include several Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto-related investor protections. The amendments remove the term “Money Transmission Act,” renaming […]
Concerns over a global trade war continue to pressure traditional and cryptocurrency markets as investors brace for a potential tariff announcement from US President Donald Trump on April 2 — a move that could set the tone for Bitcoin’s price trajectory throughout the month. Trump first announced import tariffs on Chinese goods on Jan. 20, the day of his inauguration as president. Global tariff fears have led to heightened inflation concerns, limiting appetite for risk assets among investors. Bitcoin (BTC) […]
United States cryptocurrency regulations need more clarity on stablecoins and banking relationships before lawmakers prioritize tax reform, according to industry leaders and legal experts. “In my view, tax isn’t necessarily the priority for upgrading US crypto regulation,” according to Mattan Erder, general counsel at layer-3 decentralized blockchain network Orbs. A “tailored regulatory approach” for areas including securities laws and removing “obstacles in banking” is a priority for US lawmakers with “more upside” for the industry, Erder told Cointelegraph. “The new […]
The market for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) is growing by the day, but contrary to belief, the biggest hurdle to broader adoption isn’t regulation, but a lack of dedicated secondary markets for buying and selling tokenized securities, according to Prometheum founder and co-CEO Aaron Kaplan. In an interview with Cointelegraph, Kaplan drew attention to ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood’s recent appearance at the Digital Asset Summit in New York, where she said that a lack of regulatory clarity is preventing […]
Michael Saylor’s Strategy bought nearly $2 billion of Bitcoin, taking advantage of a recent price dip despite growing market concerns tied to US President Donald Trump’s upcoming tariff announcement. Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, acquired 22,048 Bitcoin (BTC) for $1.92 billion at an average price of $86,969 per Bitcoin. The company now holds over 528,000 Bitcoin acquired for $35.63 billion at an average price of $67,458 per BTC, announced Saylor, the co-founder of Strategy, in a March 31 X post. Source: Michael […]
Cryptocurrency investors are increasingly moving capital into stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) in a bid to avoid volatility ahead of US President Donald Trump’s widely anticipated tariff announcement on April 2. Increasingly, more capital is flowing into stablecoins and the real-world asset (RWA) tokenization sector, which refers to financial products and tangible assets such as real estate and fine art minted on the blockchain. “Stablecoins and RWAs continue to see steady inflows of capital as safe havens in the […]
Key takeaways US crypto investors must file their 2024 tax returns by April 15, 2025, ensuring all crypto transactions are accurately reported to the IRS. Crypto held for less than a year is taxed as ordinary income (10%-37%), while holdings over a year qualify for lower capital gains rates (0%, 15%, or 20%). Selling, trading, or spending crypto triggers taxes, while holding or transferring between wallets does not. Mining, staking, airdrops, and crypto payments are taxed as income at applicable […]