Author: John Smith

Block, Inc., the financial services company led by Jack Dorsey, will pay a $40 million penalty to the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) over failures in its anti-money laundering and virtual currency compliance program, regulators announced Thursday. The settlement follows an NYDFS investigation that found Block’s Cash App platform had critical deficiencies in customer due diligence, risk-based controls, and transaction monitoring.  These gaps, regulators said, left the platform vulnerable to criminal exploitation, particularly through largely anonymous Bitcoin (BTC) transactions that evaded proper scrutiny. “Compliance functions must keep pace with company growth or expansion,” NYDFS Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris…

Ethereum price pulled back and erased some of the gains made earlier on Thursday as concerns about trade remained.  Ethereum (ETH), the second top cryptocurrency, dropped to $1,560, down from the intraday high of $1,700. Other top altcoins like Zcash (ZEC), Tezos (XTZ), and EOS (EOS) also pulled back from their highest levels during the day. Bitcoin dropped from $82,000 to $80,000. Ethereum and these altcoins dropped alongside the broader stock market, with the Dow Jones and Nasdaq 100 indices falling by 950 and 650 points, respectively. The primary driver of this retreat is growing concern that the US may…

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only. As panic hits the crypto market, Lightchain AI is quietly turning turmoil into traction, raising nearly $19m by building where others break. As the broader crypto market reels from volatility and investor uncertainty, a surprising shift is unfolding beneath the surface. While many altcoins experience panic-driven sell-offs, Lightchain AI is gaining momentum at an accelerated pace. With $18.9 million raised during its ongoing presale at a token price of $0.00712, the project is drawing serious attention from those looking…

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only. As XRP inches toward a potential breakout, savvy investors are turning their attention to Yeti Ouro — a gem combining meme power with gaming utility. As we get deeper into 2025, the crypto market is buzzing again. XRP is back in the spotlight with its recent move and the optimism around regulatory clarity.  But while the spotlight is back on XRP, a new contender is also gaining traction fast; Yeti Ouro (YETIO), the memecoin with gaming utility.  With investor…

Hermetica has teamed up with Velar to provide a 5% annual yield for traders on the Bitcoin-backed stablecoin USDh through Velar’s futures exchange on Stacks. Hermetica, the issuer of the Bitcoin-backed stablecoin USDh, has partnered with Velar to offer a 5% annual yield to traders using Velar’s perpetual futures exchange on the Bitcoin Layer 2 network, Stacks (STX), according to a release shared with crypto.news.  The new feature allows users to earn yield on USDh while trading leveraged Bitcoin (BTC) positions. Active collateral  This marks a shift in how traders can use their collateral. Typically, when traders deposit stablecoins to…

U.S. stocks opened sharply lower after a dramatic surge that had seen the Dow Jones Industrial Average jump 3,000 points and the S&P 500 soar 12% on news of a 90-day tariffs pause. The S&P 500 opened 2% lower on Thursday, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 715 points, or -1.76%, following futures that signaled a slight pullback. The negative open reflected investor sentiment as markets digested the evolving tariff environment—jitters around the U.S.–China trade war and its broader economic impact dominated premarket trading. Although the historic rally for U.S. indexes had extended into broader risk asset markets, the…

Bitcoin’s layer-2 ecosystem is growing, with institutions interested in BTC-denominated yields. For this reason, Hex Trust added stacks and sBTC to its offering. Bitcoin’s (BTC) DeFi ecosystem is expanding, and institutions are taking notice. On Thursday, April 10, digital asset custodian Hex Trust added Stacks (STX) and sBTC to its crypto offering. This means that investors will be able to gain exposure to the growing Bitcoin layer-2 ecosystem. Investors will be able to earn staking yields in Bitcoin terms through sBTC, which runs on the Stacks Bitcoin layer-2 network. According to Giorgia Pellizzari, Head of Custody at Hex Trust, institutions…

Crypto prices bounced back on Thursday as the mood in the financial market shifted from extreme fear to euphoria within hours. Bitcoin (BTC) price was up 5% over the past 24 hours, trading above $81,000, while Solana (SOL) rose to $115. Some of the top-performing altcoins were Fartcoin (FARTCOIN), Flare (FLR), Bittensor (TAO), and Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR), which soared by over 15%. Crypto prices rose for four main reasons. First, the primary catalyst was Donald Trump’s decision to pause his ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on over 70 countries, easing worries that the U.S. was heading toward a major recession, given that it…

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only. As DOGE and SHIB lose steam, Codename:Pepe is rising with AI-powered precision to lead the next memecoin wave. As hype around memecoins evolves, the once-celebrated DOGE and SHIB are seeing a shift in the spotlight. A new contender is rising, promising to blend humor with opportunity: Codename:Pepe crypto. This project aims to shake up the crypto scene by harnessing real artificial intelligence for lucrative gains. Built on the ambition of its successful predecessors, Codename:Pepe crypto is gaining attention with…

As Islamic finance nears $12.5 billion, Shariah-compliant crypto projects aim to serve two billion Muslims — yet supply lags behind growing demand. A new report by INPUT touches on the growing demand for Shariah-compliant crypto products, even as the market struggles to meet the expectations of the world’s two billion Muslims seeking ethical, interest-free financial services. The Islamic finance sector, currently valued at $8 billion, is projected to reach $12.45 billion by 2028, growing at a rate of 11.7% annually, according to the report and a note shared with crypto.news. This rising interest is creating momentum for platforms that align…