Author: John Smith

The U.S. Department of Justice has sentenced a former rugby player to 30 months in prison for defrauding investors out of $900,000 in a crypto mining Ponzi scheme. Shane Donovan Moore, a 37-year-old semi-professional rugby player from Seattle, operated a fraudulent company called Quantum Donovan LLC between January 2021 and October 2022, a July 17 DOJ statement alleged.  Moore used his ties within the rugby community to build trust and recruit victims across several states, including Washington, Utah, Oregon, Connecticut, and New Jersey. According to federal prosecutors, Moore told investors their money would be used to purchase and operate cryptocurrency…

Traders on X celebrate as Ethereum bounces back to the $3,650 threshold and beyond. The rally is believed to be fueled by mounting institutional demand as ETH is likened to ‘digital oil.’ On July 18 at around 6:30 AM UTC, data from crypto.news showed that the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap is soaring high above $3,650. It managed to reach a peak at $3,669, barely touching the $3,800 level. At press time, it is trading hands at $3,651. In the past 24 hours, the token has risen by 7.79% and even more than that in the past month. In the…

Key Takeaways  The GENIUS bill passed with 308 votes in favour, following strong bipartisan backing The House approved the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act in a 294-134 vote and the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act by a narrower 219-210 margin.  In a significant developemnt, the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed the GENIUS Act, officially sending the first-ever federal crypto law to the president for final approval. The bill passed with 308 votes in favor, following strong bipartisan backing. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law without delay. Despite the delay, lawmakers returned to session…

Curve DAO is back at the $1 mark as the bull market leads to almost $4 million in short liquidations. During the recent bull rally, Curve DAO (CRV) emerged as one of the top performers. On Thursday, July 17, CRV was trading at $1, registering a 25% price increase in the last 24 hours. What’s more, trading volume doubled over the same period, reaching $860 million, suggesting significant retail engagement. This surge in CRV’s price and volume came amid significant short liquidations. Curve DAO’s rally came amid broader bullish momentum, especially for altcoins. Positive news on the legislative front in…

Tether’s flagship stablecoin USDT is expanding at a record pace, even as new U.S. legislation threatens to complicate its future in the world’s largest financial market. Its market cap recently reached an all-time high of $160 billion, driven largely by soaring activity on the TRON (TRX) blockchain and growing demand from decentralized users across the globe. USDT’s supply on TRON has now topped $80 billion, surpassing the amount issued on Ethereum (ETH) by $6 billion, per an analysis published on July 18 by CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost. More than $22 billion worth of Tether (USDT) has been issued on TRON alone…

Strategy and other publicly traded BTC holders now have serious competition. With a Cantor-backed SPAC, a $1.5 billion PIPE, and a founding team led by Bitcoin pioneer Adam Back, BSTR is entering the corporate Bitcoin game with a balance sheet most crypto firms can only dream of. According to a press release dated July 17, Bitcoin Standard Treasury (BSTR) has entered a definitive agreement to go public via a merger with Cantor Equity Partners I, a SPAC affiliated with Cantor Fitzgerald. The deal will launch BSTR with 30,021 Bitcoins (BTC) on its balance sheet, positioning it as the fourth-largest public…

Ripple’s cryptocurrency XRP is up nearly 10% in 24 hours as a surge in daily volume and open interest sees bulls close in on a new all-time high. XRP (XRP) is rallying amid a shift in crypto regulation in the U.S., as well as macroeconomic conditions favoring risk assets that have equities trending at all-time highs. Ripple is also riding a wave of optimism as anticipation around spot exchange-traded funds mounts, with XRP ETFs among those seen as having a strong chance of approval by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Other developments, like major partnerships, broader adoption and licenses…

Solayer has launched a travel booking platform on Solana exclusive for Emerald Card holders. The platform lets crypto users to book stays at more than 1 million hotels across the globe. According to the recently published press release, the travel platform provides crypto holders with competitive rates that are usually only accessible through credit card reward programs on mainstream travel sites like Booking.com, Expedia, and Travala. The Solana (SOL)-based platform boasts more than 1 million hotels locates in various countries worldwide and offers saving deals of up to 60% compared to mainstream travel booking sites. The platform, dubbed Solayer Travel,…

Backpack, the crypto exchange founded by former FTX insiders, has launched a new portal to help FTX creditors sell their debt claims directly to interested third-party buyers.  The announcement was made on July 18 via a post on Backpack’s Chinese X account, where the company described the initiative as a “non-profit, neutral” service aimed at supporting the wider crypto community impacted by the 2022 FTX collapse. The new platform offers a one-stop process for claim holders, including identity verification, claim validation, offer confirmation, and final settlement, all completed within the Backpack interface. Backpack stated that it will not charge any…

The crypto market is still climbing, and Ethereum is not relinquishing its spot as a top gainer. According to crypto.news data on July 18, 2025, Ethereum (ETH) has pushed back into the $3,600 zone for the first time since dropping below that level in January. Trading at $3,642 at the time of writing, the reclaim comes as the second-largest crypto asset continues its meteoric rise, riding on a 9% gain in the past 24 hours.  Ethereum’s price chart | Source: crypto.news So far this week, ETH is up about 22% and nearly 43% over the past month, marking a sharp…