Author: Tristan Lodenberg

US Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins faced sharp questioning from Democratic lawmakers during a House Financial Services Committee hearing, as concerns mounted over a significant drop in crypto-related enforcement actions under the current administration. SEC Crypto Enforcement Actions Drop 60% Representative Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts said enforcement actions have fallen by roughly 60% since President Donald Trump took office and appointed Atkins to lead the agency. Lynch pointed to the SEC’s decision to dismiss several high-profile lawsuits, including its case against Binance in May 2025, as evidence of a broader regulatory pullback. Lawmakers also raised concerns about foreign…

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has confirmed a new agreement to integrate LayerZero, an institutional-focused blockchain protocol, into the Cardano ecosystem. The announcement was made during a keynote address at a major industry conference in Hong Kong. LayerZero Port to Strengthen Cardano Institutional Infrastructure LayerZero, which recently secured investment from Citadel Securities, is designed to support institutional-grade blockchain markets. As part of the integration, Hoskinson revealed that USDCx will be introduced on Cardano, with a confirmed launch timeline and expected support from major wallets and exchanges. He also linked the development to the rollout of Midnight’s mainnet, positioning both launches as…

Chainlink price feeds are now live for Ondo Finance’s tokenized US equities on Ethereum, marking a significant step in bringing traditional financial assets deeper into decentralized finance. The integration enables real-time, onchain pricing for SPYon, QQQon and TSLAon, allowing these blockchain-based representations of US stocks and exchange-traded funds to be used as collateral in DeFi lending markets. Tokenized US Stocks Gain DeFi Utility The newly activated feeds provide verified market data for SPYon (tracking the SPDR S&P 500 ETF), QQQon (linked to the Invesco QQQ ETF) and TSLAon (representing Tesla shares). With reliable price references now available on Ethereum, these…

Coinbase has introduced a new crypto wallet infrastructure designed specifically for AI agents, enabling autonomous programs to spend, earn and trade digital assets without direct human intervention. The feature, called Agentic Wallets, expands the capabilities of AI-driven systems beyond advisory roles into active financial execution. Agentic Wallets Enable 24/7 AI-Driven Crypto Transactions According to Coinbase developers, the new wallet system allows AI agents to monitor decentralized finance positions, rebalance portfolios and execute trades automatically based on pre-set permissions. Users can define controls that authorize agents to manage liquidity strategies at any time, including outside normal trading hours. The wallets operate…

Ethereum accumulation addresses have seen a significant increase in inflows over the past week, even as ETH’s price dropped below $2,000. Data from CryptoQuant shows that 1.3 million ETH, valued at approximately $2.6 billion, flowed into wallets that continuously accumulate Ether without outgoing transactions. These addresses now hold a record 27 million ETH, up 20.36% in 2026 despite a 34.5% price decline. Currently, 58% of Ethereum addresses are underwater, with the ETH/USD pair trading around $1,954, well below the average cost basis of accumulation addresses at $2,580. ETF investors are also facing pressure, as Ethereum ETF holdings remain significantly below…

BlackRock is expanding its footprint in decentralized finance by enabling direct onchain trading of its tokenized Treasury product, BUIDL, through a partnership with Uniswap Labs and Securitize. The move marks a significant step in bridging regulated financial products with decentralized liquidity infrastructure. BUIDL Fund Integrates With UniswapX Infrastructure Under the new arrangement, shares of the BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) will be tradable using UniswapX, an offchain order routing system developed by Uniswap Labs. The system aggregates liquidity and settles transactions onchain, allowing eligible institutional participants to access decentralized trading infrastructure while maintaining compliance controls. Trades will be…

Bernstein analysts project an 87% upside for Robinhood (HOOD) despite a 38% year-over-year decline in cryptocurrency transaction revenue. The firm frames the drop as temporary “crypto jitters,” noting that the stock’s 24% year-to-date selloff already reflects a near-term bear-case scenario. Bernstein maintains an outperform rating and a $160 price target. Robinhood reported total net revenue of $1.28 billion in Q4 2025, a 27% increase from the prior year, driven by equities and options trading. Crypto revenue fell to $221 million, reflecting a 52% decline in trading volumes on the core app as the platform shifts toward diversified income streams, including…

Nasdaq-listed Hyperliquid Strategies Inc. (PURR) posted a net loss of $317.9 million for the six months ended Dec. 31, 2025, as declining token prices weighed heavily on its balance sheet. The loss was largely driven by $262.4 million in unrealized losses tied to its HYPE token holdings, reflecting broader volatility across digital asset markets. Financial Results and Balance Sheet Overview As of Dec. 31, the company reported total assets of $616.7 million and stockholders’ equity of $589.8 million, with no outstanding debt. In addition to token-related losses, results were impacted by a $35.6 million in-process research and development write-off linked…

XRP is facing renewed downside pressure after sliding nearly 63% from its multi-year high of $3.66 to trade around $1.40. Recent chart patterns suggest the correction may not be over, with some analysts warning that a move below $1 remains a realistic possibility in the weeks ahead. Despite technical weakness, on-chain and institutional data present a mixed picture. Spot XRP exchange-traded funds have accumulated approximately $1.23 billion in net inflows since launch, with assets under management surpassing $1 billion. Recent sessions have recorded consecutive daily inflows, suggesting continued institutional interest. Additional pressure emerged after XRP was rejected near the 200-week…

The collapse of FTX on Nov. 11, 2022, marked one of the most disruptive events in crypto history, wiping out billions in liquidity and severely damaging trust in centralized exchanges. In the weeks that followed, more than $20 billion was withdrawn from major trading platforms as users rushed to reduce exposure, according to market data at the time. The fallout forced exchanges to adopt new transparency measures. Proof-of-reserves reports became standard practice, with several leading platforms publishing attestations and Merkle Tree-based verifications of holdings. While these efforts improved visibility into exchange assets, critics noted that many reports failed to include…