Coindesk

MoonPay, a cryptocurrency on-ramp and payments firm with over 20 million users, has been granted a coveted BitLicense and money transmitter license by the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS).The BitLicense approval completes MoonPay’s U.S. regulatory coverage, complementing money transmission licenses in 46 other U.S. jurisdictions, as well as registrations in the UK, Australia, Canada, Italy, Ireland and Jersey, the company said in a press statement on Wednesday.Donald Trump’s crypto-friendly administration has made attaining a solid footing in the U.S. all the more desirable for firms as his administration works on federal regulations. The NYDFS BitLicense approval is widely recognized as a gold standard in the crypto industry.The NYDFS approval comes on the heels of MoonPay opening a...

Australia's anti-money laundering regulator, AUSTRAC, enacted a series of measures for crypto ATM providers to clamp down on scammers using the devices to target the elderly.AUSTRAC is putting a $5,000 limit on crypto ATM cash deposits and withdrawals, requiring operators to enhance their customer due diligence obligations, include scam warnings and monitor transactions, CEO Brendan Thomas said in a statement on Monday.The response follows data that showed the ATMs were being used for scam and fraud-related transactions, and that scammers were targeting older members of the population. The regulator obtained data from nine crypto ATM providers that revealed crypto users over the age of 50 accounted for 72% of all transactions and 60-to-70 year olds for 29% of transactions.“It is...

The Moscow Exchange has launched bitcoin BTC-linked futures contracts on Wednesday, yet the product is only available for qualified investors.The futures, seemingly tied to the value of the U.S.-listed iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT), will be quoted in U.S. dollars per lot, though settlement will be handled in Russian rubles.The exchange said it would offer quarterly futures with the first expiration in September 2025, TASS reports.The launch builds on momentum from other Russian financial players exploring crypto exposure without direct asset ownership. The Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange, TASS adds, has been testing similar cash-settled futures.The country’s largest bank Sberbank is launching bitcoin futures along with the Moscow Exchange. Sberbank’s offerings also include structure bonds that track the price of bitcoin...

A bold bet on BlackRock's spot bitcoin BTC ETF (IBIT) crossed the tape Tuesday, suggesting expectations for a "moonshot" or rapid price surge in the world's largest publicly listed fund by month-end.On Tuesday, a trader picked up 3,000 contracts of the IBIT $77 strike call option expiring on June 27, according to data source Barchart.com. The trader paid a total premium of $39,000 for the bullish exposure.A call option gives the purchaser the right, but not the obligation, to buy the underlying asset at a predetermined price on or before a later date. A call buyer is implicitly bullish on the market.The $77 strike call represents a bet that prices will cross that level before the expiry. In other words,...

Solana (SOL) saw a sharp pullback after touching a high of $163.65, shedding nearly 6% before recovering to trade above $157 by Tuesday morning. The price action reflects heightened market volatility as bulls and bears vie for control near key psychological levels.Despite the correction, institutional interest in SOL appears undeterred. Canary Capital’s recent filing for a spot Solana ETF and the launch of WalletConnect’s token on the network underscore the growing adoption of the ecosystem. On-chain data also supports this narrative, with rising daily active addresses and a 26% increase in transaction volumes.Analysts remain cautiously optimistic, with some pointing to $165 as the next resistance level to watch. Long-term projections remain bullish, bolstered by Solana’s expanding developer base and ecosystem...