EmpowerCoin and ECoinPlus Founders Jailed in Major Crypto Fraud Case In a landmark crypto fraud case, Dwayne Golden, 57, has been sentenced to 97 months (nearly 8 years) in prison for his central role in a $40 million Ponzi scheme involving fake digital asset platforms including EmpowerCoin, ECoinPlus, and Jet-Coin. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the sentence on Friday, after a federal court in Brooklyn convicted Golden of wire fraud and money laundering. His fraudulent crypto schemes promised guaranteed returns from digital asset trading, which prosecutors say never occurred. Ponzi Scheme Disguised as Crypto Investment Platforms Operating between…
Author: Blockto Team
Ripple Ends Legal Dispute Chapter With SEC After Four Years XRP surged over 3% on Friday after Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced the company is dropping its cross-appeal in the ongoing legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Ripple expects the SEC to follow suit, potentially bringing an end to a high-profile lawsuit that began in December 2020. “Ripple is dropping our cross-appeal, and the SEC is expected to drop their appeal, as they’ve previously said,” said Garlinghouse in an official statement on X. Shortly after the announcement, XRP spiked 3.36%, reaching $2.18, according to CoinMarketCap data.…
Avalanche (AVAX) Technical Analysis Points to Continued Uptrend Avalanche’s native token AVAX has officially broken out of its recent consolidation phase, showing signs of a bullish breakout supported by strong technical indicators. Over the past 24 hours, AVAX climbed by 0.8%, while broader market sentiment remained cautious, as seen with the CoinDesk 20 index falling by 0.4%. This breakout indicates the end of an accumulation zone and hints at a potential sustained uptrend as the asset tests key resistance levels. Support and Resistance: Key Price Levels for AVAX The recent price action reveals critical market behavior: AVAX also demonstrated a…
Web3 Projects Targeted by Insider Cyber Attacks In a recent wave of cyber attacks, hackers posing as IT professionals infiltrated multiple NFT and Web3 platforms, stealing over $1 million in cryptocurrency, according to onchain investigator and security analyst ZackXBT. The attacks, which occurred over the past week, targeted several Web3-based firms including Favrr, a fan-token marketplace, as well as NFT projects Replicandy and ChainSaw. These are among several unnamed victims affected by malicious insiders exploiting remote work vulnerabilities. NFT Minting Exploited: Price Floors Collapse The attackers manipulated the minting mechanisms of these NFT platforms, creating unauthorized large quantities of NFTs,…
New York-based asset manager aims to bring exposure to the top 50 digital assets through a new ETF tracking Coinbase’s flagship index. In a move that could further mainstream digital assets on Wall Street, KraneShares has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to list a “Coinbase 50 Index ETF”—a fund designed to track the performance of the top 50 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. The filing, submitted on Friday, marks a strategic step by the New York-based firm toward expanding its alternative investment offerings to include crypto. If approved, the ETF would offer traditional investors a regulated and…
Bitvavo Gets Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) Approval In a significant move for crypto regulation and expansion, Bitvavo has officially secured a Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) license from the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). This approval allows Bitvavo to legally operate across all 30 nations within the European Economic Area (EEA). The MiCA framework, which came into effect in 2023, is designed to provide uniform regulations for crypto asset service providers (CASPs) across the European Union (EU), including Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. Its goal is to create clear rules for crypto operations, increase transparency, and protect consumer…
Regulated Derivatives Offering Marks Major Milestone in U.S. Crypto Market Coinbase is set to break new ground in the U.S. derivatives market. On July 21, 2025, the leading U.S. crypto exchange will officially launch perpetual-style futures contracts for American traders — a long-anticipated move that reflects both regulatory clarity and growing institutional demand for advanced crypto products. This offering will make Coinbase one of the first U.S.-regulated exchanges to provide a product that mirrors perpetual swaps, the most popular crypto derivatives globally but traditionally restricted for U.S. users. How Will Coinbase’s Perpetual-Style Futures Work? The contracts will first be available…
Crypto meets traditional finance as Gemini enables EU customers to trade tokenized U.S. equities around the clock. In a major push toward merging traditional equity markets with decentralized finance, Gemini has officially launched tokenized stock trading for users based in the European Union, starting with tokenized shares of MSTR (Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy). The service is powered by Arbitrum, a leading Ethereum Layer 2 network known for its scalability and low fees. Gemini plans to expand this offering to additional stocks and ETFs, and eventually across multiple blockchain networks. Why Tokenized Stocks Matter Tokenized stocks represent onchain versions of real-world equities,…
As Prediction Markets Boom, USDC Emerges as the Real Winner Behind the Scenes As crypto betting platform Polymarket races toward a reported $1 billion valuation, stablecoins — particularly Circle’s USDC — are quietly emerging as the backbone of the platform’s explosive growth, according to a new research note by Coinbase. Polymarket, a decentralized prediction market where users bet on real-world events (from elections to entertainment), has processed over $14 billion in total trading volume to date. But what powers these bets? Stablecoins, and more specifically, USDC on Polygon. Why Stablecoins Like USDC Matter for Prediction Markets Unlike DeFi lending protocols…
After nearly five years of litigation, Ripple moves to end its court battle with the SEC—here’s what it means for XRP and the broader crypto industry. In a significant development for the crypto world, Ripple Labs has officially decided to drop its cross-appeal in its long-running legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The decision, announced by Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse on June 28, 2025, effectively brings an end to a nearly five-year court saga that has loomed over XRP and the crypto markets. What Happened? Ripple’s decision follows a rejection by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres…