Coindesk

Nasdaq has filed a proposed rule change to allow in-kind creation and redemption for the BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), according to a Friday filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).The process allows large institutional investors, called authorized participants (APs), to buy and redeem shares of the fund directly to bitcoin (BTC). It is considered to be more efficient as it allows APs closely monitor the demand for the ETF and to act fast by buying or selling shares of the fund without cash being involved in the process. Retail investors are not eligible to participate.When the SEC first approved spot bitcoin ETFs including IBIT last January, the agency allowed to launch the funds with cash redemption, instead...

Solana (SOL), the layer-1 blockchain designed for high-speed and low-cost transactions, has been at the center of a trading frenzy with Donald Trump's memecoin driving stablecoin supply on the network to a fresh record-high.The total stablecoin supply on Solana has surged to $10.5 billion, doubling since the start of January, according to data source Artemis. Circle's USDC led the increase surpassing $8 billion in total circulation on Solana, adding more than $4 billion this month, while Tether's USDT grew to $2 billion from $917 million, per Artemis. Stablecoins are a key piece of infrastructure in the crypto economy, serving as a popular source of liquidity for crypto trading.Solana and its ecosystem of in-built protocols built have become a bustling hub...

It was a big week for crypto following the inauguration of Donald Trump to a second term Monday.The White House issued an executive order on digital assets, calling for a friendly approach to crypto across the administration and the creation of a "digital asset stockpile" (which may, or may not be, a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve). Regulatory editors Nik De and Jesse Hamilton were all over the news, as usual.The SEC withdrew a controversial crypto accounting rule, started a crypto taskforce headed by Hester Peirce (aka “Crypto Mom”), and named crypto-friendly Commissioner Mark Uyeda as acting chair.Senator Cynthia Lummis, arguably crypto's most loyal friend in Congress, was named to head the Senate Banking Committee's new digital assets panel, Hamilton also reported.We...

The DePIN revolution is coming to a fast food franchise near you. The movement that started with Helium and has spread to numerous categories, including mapping and car data, this year is now spreading to hospitality. The initiative shows how quickly DePINs — or decentralized networks of physical infrastructure — are becoming mainstream.The fast food and hospitality industry, often associated with consistency and efficiency, is quietly upgrading as decentralized technologies make their way into the mainstream. The adoption of DePIN by major franchises like Taco Bell and KFC signals a shift in how these businesses operate and engage with technology.At the core of this transformation is the integration of DePIN devices — sensors, routers, and other physical infrastructure — powered...

Many participants in industry hackathons are just looking to make some quick prize money and move on to the next contest — Dominic Kwok calls them “bounty hunters.”But EasyA, the start-up for developers that he and his brother Phil started four years ago, is looking for a different type of competitor — those who are looking to build companies that can have a significant impact on Web3. It’s an approach that has proved fruitful, with the companies coming out of EasyA’s app community and monthly in-person hackathons having raised money at a collective valuation of over $3 billion from top VC firms such as a16z crypto and CMT Digital. And EasyA’s mobile app, which helps developers easily start building their...