Opinion by: Zachary Kelman No, the GENIUS Act doesn’t remove all government control over money. It doesn’t make Bitcoin tax-free. It doesn’t “legalize” decentralized finance (DeFi). And no — it’s not a Trojan horse for a Mark-of-the-Beast-style CBDC, especially with the anti-CBDC provisions passed alongside it. What the GENIUS Act does — and what we…
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Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital closed a $1.4 billion secured term loan facility to accelerate the development of its Helios artificial intelligence datacenter campus in Texas. On Friday, the company announced that the loan will cover about 80% of the construction costs for the first phase of the project, with Galaxy Digital contributing $350 million in…
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Key points: BlackRock’s Bitcoin and Ether ETFs bought over $1 billion on Thursday while prices tanked 5% or more. Institutions are interested in “buying the dip” on both assets, a reaction says. Bitcoin has almost filled its latest CME futures gap with a trip to near $17,200. Bitcoin (BTC) hovered at $119,000 into Friday’s Wall…
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The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has proposed a provenance-based risk score system for crypto-to-fiat off-ramps. In its Wednesday BIS Bulletin, the institution outlined “an approach to anti-money laundering compliance for cryptoassets,” recommending that a compliance score be assigned to crypto holdings before they are exchanged for fiat currency. “An AML compliance score based on…
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Key takeaways: Peace talks can shift Bitcoin’s price through energy costs, inflation and interest rates. In 2022, Bitcoin fell sharply, then rallied 27% above pre-invasion levels within a month. Spot Bitcoin ETFs now act as a direct channel for macro sentiment. Three likely peace talk outcomes carry distinct risks and opportunities for BTC. Fresh headlines…
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Czech police have reportedly arrested darknet marketplace founder Tomas Jirikovsky in connection with a $45 million Bitcoin donation that prompted the resignation of former Justice Minister Pavel Blazek earlier this year. Czech police intervened in the Bitcoin (BTC) donation case that led to Blazek’s resignation on Thursday. According to Chief State Prosecutor Radim Dragoun, authorities…
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Bitcoin mining companies and artificial intelligence data centers are increasingly competing for access to cheap, sustainable energy, which could trigger renewed institutional investment in the mining sector over the next decade. AI data centers with deep capital reserves are beginning to outbid miners for power infrastructure, with more Bitcoin (BTC) miners getting “priced out” or…
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The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) issued immediately effective guidance on cryptocurrency custody standards, introducing sweeping security requirements and a ban on smart contracts in cold wallet implementations. In a circular released on Friday, the regulator outlined prescriptive controls for licensed custodians of virtual assets. They include requiring a certified hardware security module,…
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The US state of New York may tax the sales and transfers of crypto and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), under a bill submitted in the state’s Assembly. Assembly Bill 8966, introduced on Wednesday by Democratic Assemblymember Phil Steck, would add a 0.2% excise tax on “digital asset transactions, including the sale or transfer of digital assets.”…
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Cryptocurrency exchange Garantex Europe, which was sanctioned on Thursday, may already have a contingency plan allowing it to skirt the impact of the US actions, blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs said. On Thursday, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Garantex a second time, along with its successor, Grinex. However, TRM Labs…
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