Coindesk

Having served as the first chief of the SEC’s crypto unit from 2017 to 2019, I’m often asked what kind of crypto enforcement we should expect to see from the new administration. My first answer is that I do not know. My second answer is that I believe it will be different, but it will not disappear.To anticipate the future of crypto enforcement, we should begin by reviewing the past.The beginningThe SEC’s crypto enforcement unit was formed in 2017 during the first Trump Administration. The early focus was on one, fraud, and two, core capital raising events. Regulation of capital raising is the principal purpose of the Securities Act of 1933. When an investor gives money to an entrepreneur who...

Former U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), who retired in January, has joined Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) as a senior advisor.McHenry announced his new role at the Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm in a Wednesday X post. McHenry was the acting Speaker of the House for a few weeks in 2023 after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted.“For too long, D.C. has created barriers for startups and emerging companies. It’s time to level the playing field and ensure that Little Tech – the next generation of builders – gets a fair shot. As a policy maker, I promoted solutions that removed bureaucratic barriers for American entrepreneurs. At I am eager to continue that work and ensure policymakers understand why...

While spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds yesterday registered their largest-ever daily outflow as investors pulled out nearly $1 billion, spot gold ETFs continue to see large inflows, a potential boon for gold-backed cryptocurrencies.Physically-backed gold ETFs last week saw their largest weekly inflow since March 2022, according to data from the World Gold Council, which showed inflows of 52.4 tons, or roughly $4.9 billion, with most of the added demand coming from North America.In all, gold ETF holdings are at 3,326 tons worth roughly $314 billion, according to the group.Despite some declines over the past few days, gold is higher by just shy of 11% so far in 2025, 43% year-over-year and currently trading at $2,910 per ounce. Among the reasons noted...

CoinDesk Indices presents its daily market update, highlighting the performance of leaders and laggards in the CoinDesk 20 Index.The CoinDesk 20 is currently trading at 2814.47, down 1.6% (-46.85) since 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.Ten of 20 assets are trading higher.Leaders: LTC (+7.9%) and ICP (+2.2%). Laggards: SOL (-5.6%) and UNI (-4.3%).The CoinDesk 20 is a broad-based index traded on multiple platforms in several regions globally.Source link

Tokenized real-world assert (RWA) issuer Ondo Finance has joined the Mastercard network that connects financial institutions with businesses to improve cross-border payments.Ondo's Short-Term U.S. Government Treasuries Fund (OUSG) investment product will be available to businesses on Mastercard's Multi-Token Network (MTN), giving them access to yield via tokenized assets, according to an emailed announcement on Wednesday.The majority of OUSG's assets are invested in BlackRock's USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL), the largest blockchain-based money market fund, which is backed by short-term U.S. government bonds.Mastercard's MTN incorporates API-enabled blockchain tools to allow banks to streamline domestic and cross-border transactions.Traditional financial (TradFi) giants like Mastercard developing blockchain-based networks means that other financial institutions and corporates are able to access cryptocurrency and other digital...