Coindesk

Ripple said on Thursday that it had received approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) to provide regulated crypto payments and services in the UAE, becoming the first blockchain-enabled payments provider licensed by the agency.“We are entering an unprecedented period of growth for the crypto industry, driven by greater regulatory clarity around the world and increasing institutional adoption,” said Brad Garlinghouse, chief executive officer of Ripple, in a release. “Thanks to its early leadership in creating a supportive environment for tech and crypto innovation, the UAE is exceptionally well-placed to benefit.”Ripple said it has seen increasing demand across the Middle East from crypto-native firms and traditional financial institutions, and has around 20% of its global customer base already operating...

The crypto market appears to have stabilized however traders are proceeding with caution while dealing with altcoins, like XRP, while continuing to rotate money into market leader bitcoin (BTC).Payments-focused XRP, which Ripple uses to facilitate cross-border payments, has risen over 3% to $2.24 in the past 24 hours primarily on hopes that the legal battle between blockchain company Ripple and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could conclude soon.Amid the price rise, cumulative open interest in perpetual futures listed across major exchanges has stabilized near 1.35 billion XRP, with annualized funding rates and cumulative volume delta printing negative, according to data source Velo.Negative funding rates mean shorts are paying fees to counterparties to keep their bearish bets open. It shows the...

Imagine a world where your digital identity is truly your own, where every post, connection, and interaction isn’t locked within the walls of a corporate platform but exists as an extension of your personal autonomy. This isn’t a utopian vision, it’s the necessary evolution of social media in an era where digital sovereignty is a fundamental right.For decades, we have unknowingly traded our digital independence for the convenience of centralized platforms. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, these platforms have shaped our digital lives, yet they function more like gilded cages. Every post we create, every relationship we cultivate, every conversation we engage in is ultimately controlled by corporations that can modify, monetize, or erase our digital existence with a single policy change...

Attendees clapped and cheered when Paolo Ardoino, the public face of perhaps most influential company in crypto, entered the stage at the Cantor Fitzgerald Global Technology Conference in New York on Wednesday.Ardoino stood out from the crowd, not for his wealth but for his choice of attire. While others dressed to impress, he opted for a laid-back look — a light blue Ralph Lauren polo and gray khakis — despite likely having the deepest pockets in the room.“This is my first trip to America,” he started off saying. “It’s beautiful. I feel very welcomed.”Ardoino indeed avoided the country for a long time. The Italy-born computer scientist until recently mainly focused Tether’s operations on developing regions, with financial freedom as the...

The crypto sector was mostly flat for the day, as a short rally following better than hoped U.S. inflation data quickly lost steam.Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $82,800, down 0.5% in the last 24 hours. The CoinDesk 20 — an index of the top 20 cryptocurrencies excluding exchange coins, stablecoins and memecoins — is lower by 0.8% in the same period of time.Pulling that broader gauge lower was ether (ETH) is the worst performing asset in the index and currently off 3.5% to roughly $1,880. At 0.022, the ETH/BTC ratio is now at the same level as it was in April 2020, right before DeFi summer brought projects such as Uniswap and MakerDao into the spotlight. The ETH/BTC ratio has...