Coindesk

The U.S. Department of Justice is sending a message with its recent effort to seize $225 million in crypto tied to pig butchering scams: these funds were stolen from victims.At least, that's the takeaway from Phil Selden, a member at Cole Schotz PC and former acting US Attorney for the District of Maryland.The DOJ moved to seize these funds last month through a forfeiture motion, although it has yet to publicly identify any individuals accused of stealing the funds.But that's the point, Selden said."This is a tone-setting case," said Selden, who's now a member at law firm Cole Schotz PC. "We have victims on American streets, and the Department made clear they didn't want to wait for an arrest to...

As Asia opens the Wednesday trading day, bitcoin (BTC) is changing hands above $105.5K, a slight correction from $107K, where it sat during the U.S. business day.Despite the geopolitical upheaval of the last few weeks – with the U.S. strike on Iran, an event that surprised both geopolitical scholars and Polymarket bettors – BTC has proven itself once again to be a resilient store of value. CoinDesk market data shows that the asset class has been fairly stable over the last month, up 1%.But this return to a price point that looks inches away from BTC's all-time high of $111K, which it hit in May, feels more disciplined than euphoric, according to market observers.Unlike the December 2024 breakout above $100K,...

The European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council has approved research efforts that will use central bank money to settle distributed ledger technology (DLT) transactions, as the body looks to make its payment systems more efficient.One short term approach is called "Pontes" which will link DLT platforms with Eurosystem TARGET services that ensure the flow of cash and securities across Europe. A pilot will be launched by the third quarter of 2026. A more long term solution called "Appia" will facilitate global operations and analyze DLT-based solutions, the post said on Tuesday. "The decision is in line with the Eurosystem’s commitment to supporting innovation without compromising on safety and efficiency in financial market infrastructures," the release said. The ECB has been...

The Ether (ETH) price came under renewed pressure on July 1, falling to $2,418.39 after a day of steady losses, according to CoinDesk Research's technical analysis model. Ether's price drop came amid a broader crypto market selloff. CoinGecko data shows total market capitalization declined 4.1% over the past 24 hours, driven largely by renewed political volatility in the U.S.The downturn follows a high-profile dispute between Elon Musk and Donald Trump over the former president’s sweeping tax-and-spending plan, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Musk called the legislation “utterly insane,” warning it would deepen the national debt by $5 trillion, reverse clean energy incentives, and harm employment. He also threatened to campaign against Republican senators who support it.Trump responded by lashing...

Solana (SOL) declined 7.84% over the past 24 hours, trading at $145.08 as of 20:03 UTC on July 1, 2025, according to CoinDesk Research's technical analysis model; during the same period, the broader crypto market, as indexed by the CoinDesk 20, went down only 0.24%.SOL's sharp drop comes just one day before a major milestone for the ecosystem: the launch of the REX-Osprey SOL + Staking ETF.Set to debut on July 2, 2025, the REX-Osprey SOL + Staking ETF (ticker: SSK) is the first U.S.-listed exchange-traded fund to provide direct exposure to Solana’s native token while also offering access to staking rewards. Unlike traditional crypto ETFs that only track price, this fund enables holders to passively benefit from Solana’s...