Author: John Smith

Polymarket has clarified that it is not introducing mandatory Know Your Customer checks across its main prediction market platform despite renewed scrutiny over compliance and restricted-jurisdiction access. Summary Polymarket said KYC checks are limited to a new beta product and will not apply to its main prediction market platform. The clarification followed reports that regulators have increased pressure over sanctions compliance, restricted market access and anonymous trading activity. Brazil and Spain have already moved against Polymarket operations as U.S. regulators continue examining insider trading and market integrity risks tied to prediction markets. In a post on X, Polymarket vice president…

Ethereum traded below the $2,000 level as on-chain activity weakened and short-term technical indicators stayed under pressure. Summary Ethereum exchange withdrawals fell to 16.05 million ETH, their lowest level since June 2024. Failed transactions and exchange inflows have increased slightly as ETH trades below $2,000 support. RSI near 29.69 places Ethereum close to oversold levels, but sellers still control momentum. The move came as exchange withdrawal data dropped to its lowest level since June 2024, while failed transactions and exchange inflows showed fresh signs of network and market stress. Ethereum withdrawals fall to June 2024 low Data from the Ethereum…

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has moved to scrap its $5 million settlement with crypto exchange Gemini after concluding that the enforcement case should not have been filed under the agency’s current standards. Summary The CFTC has asked a federal court to vacate its $5 million settlement with Gemini after concluding the case should not have been filed. Regulators said the original complaint relied heavily on a whistleblower account that lacked credibility. Gemini had settled the case in January 2025 over allegations tied to statements made during the approval process for a Bitcoin futures contract. In a joint motion…

Bitdeer names ex-Corsair finance chief Michael Potter as CFO, effective Tuesday, replacing Jianchun Liu. Summary Michael Potter takes over as Bitdeer CFO effective Tuesday, with outgoing CFO Jianchun Liu staying through June 30. Potter led Corsair Gaming’s 2020 IPO and held earlier CFO roles at Canadian Solar, Lattice Semiconductor, and STATS ChipPAC. The appointment lands as Bitdeer scales AI cloud revenue and converts mining sites for high-performance computing workloads. Bitdeer names ex-Corsair finance chief Michael Potter as CFO, effective Tuesday, replacing Jianchun Liu. Liu will remain through June 30. The Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin miner disclosed the change in a Form 6-K…

HTX denies UK sanctions allegations after the Foreign Office accused affiliate Huobi Global S.A. of funnelling $1.5 billion to Russia. Summary HTX says UK sanctions apply only to Huobi Global S.A. and do not affect its operating exchange. The Foreign Office accuses the affiliate of funnelling $1.5 billion to Russia through A7 and Garantex. Global Ledger separately traced more than $7.6 billion in Russia-linked flows through the exchange since 2021. HTX denies UK sanctions allegations after the Foreign Office accused affiliate Huobi Global S.A. of funnelling $1.5 billion to Russia. New data flags $7.6 billion in linked flows. The UK…

BIS tokenization work has cleared its atomic settlement prototype phase and will graduate to real-value cross-border payment trials. Summary Project Agora demonstrated tokenised cross-border settlement across seven central banks and more than 40 financial institutions. The Bank of Canada joined Wednesday, with real-value transactions set as the next testing milestone. The prototype preserves correspondent banking, sanctions screening, and SWIFT compatibility rather than replacing them. BIS tokenization work has cleared its atomic settlement prototype phase and will graduate to real-value cross-border payment trials. The Bank for International Settlements confirmed the move Wednesday. Project Agora, a public-private collaboration with seven central banks…

Aztec Labs has acquired ZKPassport but will keep the privacy-focused passport-scanning app fully open source. Summary Aztec Labs acquired ZKPassport but will keep the iOS app and Noir circuits open source. The privacy app proves identity attributes from government IDs without revealing personal data. ZKPassport already ran sanctions checks on Aztec’s December 2025 token sale, validating the tech in production. Aztec Labs has acquired ZKPassport but will keep the privacy-focused passport-scanning app fully open source. The deal preserves the iOS NFC scanner and Noir circuits. The Ethereum layer-2 privacy network confirmed the acquisition on Wednesday. ZKPassport, built on Aztec’s Noir…

Apple is being re-rated as an AI winner on the back of “agentic” iPhone and Mac ecosystems rather than frontier models, and the next question is whether on-device agents eventually plug into tokenized payments and assets. Summary Bank of America’s Wamsi Mohan argues Apple’s end-to-end ecosystem gives it an “agentic AI moat” despite a late start in models He lifted his Apple price target to $380 from $330, implying roughly 20% upside from the current $312.69 share price Apple’s control over identity, payments and trust could naturally extend to tokenized assets as AI agents automate commerce and finance Apple’s perceived…

Russian officials have moved closer to a long-term shutdown of crypto mining in Moscow and nearby regions as lawmakers have advanced a separate bill to jail unregistered miners. Summary A Russian power-industry commission has backed a proposal to ban crypto mining in Moscow, Moscow Oblast, and parts of Kursk until at least 2032. Kommersant reported that the government is also weighing a wider mining ban across 19 regions within Moscow’s power distribution zone. The State Duma has advanced a bill to criminalize illegal mining, with fines of up to 2.5 million rubles and prison terms of up to 5 years.…

A Bank for International Settlements-led trial has shown that tokenized central bank money and bank deposits can complete cross-border payments in a single atomic step across currencies. Summary Project Agorá has shown that tokenized central bank reserves and bank deposits can settle cross-border payments atomically across currencies. More than 40 private institutions and seven central banks have joined the BIS effort, which has now moved toward real-value transaction tests. Separately, the BIS has warned that stablecoins and crypto exchange “earn” products can expose users to unsecured repayment risk. According to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Project Agorá has tested…