Coindesk

Sony's blockchain division is bringing Japanese social media giant LINE into the web3 world, with plans to adapt several popular mini-apps onto Sony's Soeneium network, the company announced Wednesday.LINE reports approximately 200 million active users across its platform, and the agreement will bring four LINE-based games, or "mini-apps," to Soneium: Sleepagotchi, Farm Frens, Puffy Match, and Pocket Mob. The integration is meant to facilitate features like in-game rewards and purchases.Soneium is mainly managed by Sony Block Solutions Labs, a joint program between Sony and Singapore-based Startale Labs. SBSL envisions the partnership as a way to "transcend boundaries, allowing users to experience the benefits of web3 without friction," according to a statement shared with CoinDesk."LINE has built a strong presence and...

A majority of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives voted to overturn an IRS rule treating crypto entities as brokers and requiring them to collect certain taxpayer and transaction information, including decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms. With a 292-132 vote, a bipartisan majority in the House joined the U.S. Senate in advancing the Congressional Review Act resolution overturning the rule finalized in the closing days of former President Joe Biden's administration. Missouri Republican Jason Smith, urging his fellow lawmakers to vote for the resolution earlier in the day, said the IRS rule risked harming U.S. businesses and disincentivized innovation."There are real questions that the rule can ever even be administered," he said. "DeFi exchanges are not the same as centralized...

Crypto payments firm Mesh announced on Tuesday it has raised $82 million to expand its stablecoin-based payments settlement network globally.The series B round was led by Paradigm, with ConsenSys, QuantumLight, Yolo Investments, Evolution VC, Hike Ventures, Opportuna and AltaIR Capital participating.Most of the capital raise was settled in PayPal's PYUSD stablecoin, according to the press release.Mesh develops a payments network on blockchain rails, connecting crypto wallets with exchanges payment service providers for merchants. With Mesh, users can pay with crypto assets such as bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH) and Solana's SOL, while merchants settle the payment in stablecoins of their choice including Circle's USDC, Paypal's PYUSD and Ripple's RLUSD."Regulatory clarity is taking shape, institutions are leaning in, and stablecoins are booming,...

What was shaping up to be another down day in markets has reversed in Tuesday afternoon U.S. trading after Ukraine agreed to a Trump administration proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in its war with Russia.Russia has yet to weigh in, but the agreement will hinge on that country's acceptance, according to a joint statement of Ukraine and the U.S. after a meeting of their delegations in Saudi Arabia.As part of the agreement, the U.S. will immediately lift a pause on intelligence sharing and military assistance to Ukraine, the statement continued.Adding to yesterday's major losses, markets were again sharply lower prior to the news, but the Nasdaq has moved into the green by 1.25% and the S&P 500 by 0.4%.Crypto markets...

ATME, a digital assets exchange licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), said on Tuesday it has completed its first tokenized real-world asset (RWA) issuance starting with gold-backed tokens.The tokens, available to accredited investors, each represent one kilogram of gold stored in custody, according to the press release. Investors can trade these digital assets on ATME’s secondary market or redeem them for physical gold. The initiative aims to modernize gold ownership by eliminating storage and transportation concerns while leveraging blockchain for efficiency and security.Read more: Tokenization Allows More Efficient Collateral Transfers, Digital Asset, Euroclear and World Gold Council Found in Pilot Project“By combining the timeless value of gold with blockchain technology, we are unlocking new ways for investors to...