Author: Isabella Taylor

Latin American users have increased their reliance on stablecoins, with dollar-pegged tokens now accounting for a larger share of crypto purchases than Bitcoin. Summary Stablecoins accounted for 40% of crypto purchases on Bitso in 2025, overtaking Bitcoin at 18% for the first time. Bitso said nearly 10 million users are increasingly using dollar-pegged tokens to store value and send payments in inflation-hit economies. Bitcoin remained in 52% of portfolios in 2025, with Bitso describing it as the region’s primary long term store of value. According to Bitso’s 2025 crypto adoption report, 40% of purchases on its platform involved U.S. dollar-linked…

The U.S. Senate has approved a resolution banning senators and Senate staff from using prediction markets. Summary Senate approved a rule banning members and staff from using prediction markets, with the change taking effect immediately. Lawmakers cited risks of insider information misuse, with Senator Bernie Moreno saying the ban protects public trust. According to Senate proceedings, the resolution passed by unanimous consent on Thursday changed the chamber’s standing rules and took immediate effect. Lawmakers tied the ban to the risk that officials exposed to sensitive information could profit from event contracts.  “Engaging in any way in a prediction market or…

Visa added Base, Polygon, Canton, Arc, and Tempo to its global stablecoin settlement pilot on April 29, bringing the total to nine supported blockchains and reaching a $7 billion annualized settlement run rate, up 50% from last quarter. Summary The five new additions join Avalanche, Ethereum, Solana, and Stellar, giving Visa’s issuers and acquirers nine blockchain options for settling transactions outside traditional banking rails. Visa is operating as a validator node on Tempo alongside Stripe and Standard Chartered’s Zodia Custody, making it one of the first major payment companies to run blockchain validation infrastructure directly. Visa now operates more than…

President Trump will receive a military briefing today from CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper on new Iran options, including a “short and powerful” wave of infrastructure strikes, a Strait of Hormuz ground operation, and a special forces mission to secure Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, as Bitcoin opened at its lowest level since April 13. Summary The Iran briefing signals Trump is seriously considering resuming major combat operations to break the stalled nuclear negotiations, according to two sources who spoke to Axios. CENTCOM has also prepared an option for US forces to physically seize part of the Strait of Hormuz to…

Ripple-backed XRP treasury company Evernorth has named OpenAI Foundation CFO Robert Kaiden and Antalpha COO Derar Islim as independent directors in its second SEC S-4 amendment, bringing AI and institutional finance expertise onto the board of the company aiming to list on Nasdaq under ticker XRPN. Summary The Evernorth XRP board now includes Robert Kaiden (OpenAI Foundation CFO), Derar Islim (Antalpha COO), Ted Janus, and Ripple CLO Stuart Alderoty, creating a governance structure that bridges AI, crypto, and traditional finance. Evernorth has raised over $1 billion in gross proceeds from investors including Ripple, SBI Holdings, Pantera Capital, Kraken, and Arrington…

CFTC Chairman Michael Selig confirmed the agency is deploying AI tools to review crypto registration applications and monitor trading data, the first major US financial regulator to use artificial intelligence to compensate for a workforce cut of more than 20% under the Trump administration’s federal staffing reductions. Summary CFTC AI tools will flag incomplete applications, reject blank filings, and send inadequate submissions to the back of the queue without human review, with staff trained on Microsoft Copilot and in-house surveillance tools under development. The CFTC’s Chicago enforcement office has no active lawyers left following a string of departures and retirements,…

Bitcoin has failed to sustain a move above $78,000 in the 24 hours following Wednesday’s FOMC decision, with three straight sessions of Bitcoin ETF outflows totalling over $490 million signalling that institutional allocators are pausing rather than adding exposure as uncertainty over the Fed’s direction deepens. Summary Bitcoin ETF products logged $137.77 million in net outflows on April 29, ending a nine-day inflow streak worth $2.1 billion, with every active issuer printing negative for the first time in the streak — including IBIT at $54.73 million and FBTC at $36.13 million. Glassnode data show Bitcoin is “trapped” below its True…

XRP Las Vegas 2026 opened today, April 30, as Ripple covered the Las Vegas Strip with “Raise the Standard” billboards and Steven Zeiler of Yellow Network posted live from the floor calling XRP “only a step on the trajectory to becoming a global reserve currency. Summary XRP Las Vegas 2026 runs April 30 to May 1 and draws Ripple executives, regulators, and institutional investors, coinciding with the listing of Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin on OKX and a formal Ripple-OKX partnership announced April 29. White House advisor Patrick Witt hinted at major new developments for the national Bitcoin strategic reserve in the…

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed on April 29 that the United States has seized almost $500 million in Iranian crypto assets under Operation Economic Fury, including a $344 million Tether freeze on two Tron addresses, while saying Iran’s currency has fallen 60 to 70% against the dollar and the country is in the middle of a currency crisis. Summary Bessent said Operation Economic Fury has seized roughly $350 million in crypto assets plus an additional $100 million seized separately, bringing the total close to $500 million as part of a broader campaign targeting Iranian bank accounts, retirement funds, and overseas…

Jerome Powell announced at his final FOMC press conference on April 29 that he will remain on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors past May 15, saying Trump’s legal attacks on the institution had “left me no choice” but to stay until the investigation is resolved. Summary Powell cited the DOJ’s criminal investigation into the Fed’s headquarters renovation and DC Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s public warning that she would “not hesitate to restart” the probe as his reasons for staying on the board. The FOMC meeting produced four dissents, the most divided Fed vote since October 1992, with three members wanting…