Author: Cointelegraph By Ezra Reguerra

Bitcoin Investing Made Simple!

Samourai Wallet Co-Founder Writes From Prison as Pardon Calls Grow

Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of Bitcoin privacy tool Samourai Wallet, spent Christmas Eve documenting his first day inside a US federal prison, offering a personal account as a crypto developer now serving a five-year sentence. In a letter shared by The Rage, he described the experience of surrendering himself to the prison camp. The account detailed…
Read more

Philippines Blocks Coinbase, Gemini in Unlicensed VASP Enforcement

Internet service providers (ISPs) in the Philippines began blocking major crypto trading platforms as regulators moved to enforce local licensing rules on crypto service providers.  Users reported that as of Tuesday, access to global cryptocurrency exchanges Coinbase and Gemini was unavailable in the Philippines. Cointelegraph independently confirmed that both platforms were inaccessible across multiple local…
Read more

Metaplanet Reworks Capital Structure to Attract Institutional Investors

Metaplanet approved an overhaul of its capital structure on Monday, allowing Japan’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder to raise funds through dividend-paying preferred shares aimed at institutional investors.    Investors approved five proposals that collectively expand the Metaplanet’s ability to issue preferred shares, introduce new dividend mechanics and open participation to overseas institutional capital, said Dylan…
Read more

SEC Staff Clarifies Custody Rules for Tokenized Stocks and Bonds

The US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Trading and Markets Division on Wednesday laid out how broker-dealers can custody tokenized stocks and bonds under existing customer protection rules, signaling that blockchain-based crypto asset securities will be slotted into traditional securities safeguards rather than treated as a new category. The division said it would not object to…
Read more

Hut 8 Lands Google-Backed $7B AI Data Center Lease

Bitcoin mining company Hut 8 signed a 15-year, $7 billion lease to deliver 245 megawatts of artificial intelligence data center capacity at its River Bend campus in Louisiana, marking one of the biggest infrastructure agreements between a crypto-native company and hyperscale AI demand.  Hut 8 announced on Wednesday that infrastructure provider Fluidstack will lease the…
Read more

FCA Consults on Staking, DeFi and Exchanges in UK Crypto Push

The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched a series of consultations on proposed rules for digital asset markets, marking the next phase in the government’s effort to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for crypto assets. The proposals, published across three consultation papers, cover crypto trading platforms, intermediaries, staking, lending and borrowing, market abuse, disclosures…
Read more

SBI, Startale Signal Institutional Path for Yen Stablecoins in Japan

Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings and Web3 infrastructure company Startale Group have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a fully regulated Japanese yen-denominated stablecoin, targeting tokenized asset markets and global settlement, the companies said in a press release shared with Cointelegraph. Under the MoU, the project will be issued and redeemed by Shinsei…
Read more

UAE’s Layered Digital Asset Strategy

The United Arab Emirates is not choosing between Bitcoin and broader crypto. Instead, it is deliberately building both, in different cities and for different stages of adoption. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, has positioned itself as a hub for Bitcoin (BTC)-focused institutional infrastructure, emphasizing custody, over-the-counter (OTC) liquidity, mining and regulated capital markets.…
Read more

Norway Steps Back From CBDC Launch as Norges Bank Pauses Plans

Norges Bank, the central bank of Norway, concluded that introducing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) is “not warranted at this time,” marking a clear signal that the country is reconsidering the urgency of retail and wholesale CBDCs. The central bank said Wednesday that Norway’s existing payment system already offers secure, efficient and low-cost transactions,…
Read more

Strategy Buys Nearly $1B In BTC As Treasury Hits 660,000 Coins

Michael Saylor’s Strategy has expanded its Bitcoin treasury again, buying nearly $1 billion in BTC even as digital asset treasury inflows cool and its own stock trades sharply lower on the year. Strategy chairman Michael Saylor announced on X that the company bought 10,624 Bitcoin (BTC) for roughly $962.7 million at an average price of…
Read more