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According to an official announcement, the digital asset trading platform Websea has reached an investment agreement with a strategic investor and will officially resume withdrawals at 16:00 (UTC+8) on May 18, simultaneously releasing the specific withdrawal arrangements. The strategic investment is reported to come from a Middle Eastern family fund. The two parties conducted multiple rounds of in-depth discussions on core topics including the platform’s asset status, business structure optimization, recovery roadmap design, and long-term development planning, ultimately reaching a consensus on cooperation. Currently, the investor is proceeding with fund injection per the established process, while concurrently conducting legal due diligence, signing agreements, and finalizing equity arrangements.
According to The New York Times, OpenAI opened its first lobbying office—named “Workshop”—in Washington, D.C., this week, just a few blocks from the White House, aiming to advance policies supporting data center expansion and unrestricted use of copyrighted content. In Q1 2026, OpenAI’s federal lobbying expenditures reached $1 million, doubling year-on-year. Its competitor Anthropic also opened an office in Washington, D.C., in April this year; its lobbying spending last year surged tenfold to $3 million. Meanwhile, Meta, Nvidia, and Alphabet collectively spent $47.8 million on lobbying last year—a 22% increase year-on-year. According to the citizen watchdog group Public Citizen, one-quarter of all federal lobbyists in Washington, D.C. are now engaged in AI-related issues, a sharp rise from 11% in 2023.
According to Cointelegraph, Bitfinex has obtained a digital asset service provider license in El Salvador, expanding its regulated business footprint in Latin America.
According to Cointelegraph, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, supporting Kalshi’s appeal in its litigation against Ohio and asserting that prediction markets fall under the CFTC’s regulatory jurisdiction. The CFTC stated that Ohio’s prior demand that Kalshi cease offering sports-event contracts constituted “jurisdictional overreach.” The CFTC warned that if states were permitted to restrict sports-event contracts traded on designated contract markets (DCMs), the CFTC’s long-standing regulatory authority over event contracts, swaps, and binary options markets could be undermined. The outcome of this case will also impact prediction market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket.
BlackRock has submitted an application to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a new tokenized fund structure, once again choosing Securitize to provide infrastructure support.BlackRock's first tokenized fund, BUIDL, launched in 2024, has since grown to approximately $2.3 billion in assets under management. The new filing outlines a model that integrates blockchain-based ownership records with regulated transfer agents and investor access systems.
according to a leaked list obtained by POLITICO, members of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee have submitted over 100 amendments to the crypto market structure bill scheduled for review on Thursday. These amendments primarily focus on stablecoin yield, software developer protection, and ethics provisions.Among them, Democratic Senators Jack Reed and Tina Smith have proposed strengthening the prohibition on interest payments for stablecoins; Chris Van Hollen suggested banning the President, members of Congress, and their families from holding or being associated with cryptocurrencies; Catherine Cortez Masto proposed establishing a safe harbor for software developers to shield them from criminal liability. Additionally, Andy Kim proposed rebuilding the Department of Justice's National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team. The bill aims to clarify regulatory jurisdiction over cryptocurrencies.
According to CoinPost, Japanese blockchain infrastructure company Nihon Blockchain Kiban has officially decided to issue the trust-based JPY-pegged stablecoin EJPY. The stablecoin is planned to be deployed on Japan Open Chain (JOC) and Ethereum, with the goal of launching issuance and circulation on JOC within fiscal year 2026. The announcement states that the trust-based architecture required for EJPY has achieved phased progress. The company noted that EJPY will primarily serve inter-corporate settlements, digital asset payments, fund transfers, and various Web3 payment use cases, and that it will advance a multi-chain strategy centered on JOC. Specific details—including the actual launch date, issuance terms, partner institutions, and supported blockchains—will be announced separately after consultations with regulatory authorities and relevant organizations and completion of necessary procedures.
YZi Labs has announced the list of 25 graduating teams for Season 3 of its flagship incubation program, EASY Residency. The selected projects span areas including onchain financial market infrastructure, AI agents, verifiable intelligence, real-world asset tokenization, prediction markets, privacy-compliance solutions, and onchain financial consumer entry points.
According to Times Brasil, Brazil’s Central Bank’s Administrative Sanctions Procedure Decision Committee has fined Banco Topázio approximately USD 3.15 million and banned it from conducting over-the-counter foreign exchange operations for virtual asset transactions for the next two years. Regulators stated that between October 2020 and September 2021, Banco Topázio processed around USD 1.7 billion in related transactions while failing to adequately verify customer eligibility, maintain proper customer records, and implement anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) controls—and further failed to report suspicious transactions to COAF. Officials from Brazil’s Central Bank indicated that similar restrictions could also be applied in the future to other institutions engaged in cryptocurrency-related activities.
Cryptocurrency journalist Eleanor Terrett revealed that U.S. Senator Jack Reed submitted an amendment ahead of Thursday’s stablecoin bill markup, proposing to explicitly prohibit cryptocurrencies from being used as legal tender—including banning the payment of taxes in crypto assets. Senator Elizabeth Warren also submitted over 40 amendments, one of which aims to prevent the Federal Reserve from granting master accounts to cryptocurrency firms. Another amendment, jointly submitted by Senators Reed and Smith, seeks to codify banks’ restrictions on stablecoin yield offerings into the bill.
According to The Block, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held oral arguments in the appeal filed by Roman Sterlingov, the alleged operator of Bitcoin Fog. The court focused on whether prosecutors presented sufficient evidence that Bitcoin Fog operated in Washington, D.C., and whether U.S. unlicensed money transmission laws apply to global cryptocurrency service platforms serving U.S. users. Judges also questioned the reliability of FBI evidence linking Sterlingov to Bitcoin Fog based on “IP address overlap” analysis. Sterlingov was previously convicted in 2024 of conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmission business. The outcome of this case may influence the scope of U.S. enforcement actions—under Section 1960—against developers and service providers of cryptocurrency privacy tools.
According to Cointelegraph, the Government of Bermuda has announced plans to migrate certain payment and financial services activities onto the Stellar network as part of its initiative to build a “fully on-chain national economy.” Bermuda’s Premier, David Burt, stated that, following a completed risk assessment, the government may accept and invest in digital assets, and advance the migration of select financial services onto the blockchain to address high transaction fees. Premier Burt previously revealed that the Bermuda government has established partnerships with Circle and Coinbase. Since enacting the Digital Asset Business Act in 2018, Bermuda has consistently advanced a regulatory framework friendly to the cryptocurrency industry.
According to Decrypt, Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence team disclosed that attackers had injected malicious code into Mistral AI packages distributed via the PyPI platform. This malicious code automatically executes when developers use the packages on Linux systems, downloading and running a malicious file named <code>transformers.pyz</code> in the background—the filename deliberately mimics the widely used Hugging Face Transformers library to evade detection. Microsoft noted that the malware primarily steals developers’ login credentials and access tokens. It avoids execution on Russian-language systems and includes logic that can randomly delete files on devices located in Israel or Iran. This attack is linked to the “Shai-Hulud” supply-chain campaign launched in September. In response, Mistral stated that its investigation found the attack originated from compromised developer devices, and its corporate infrastructure was not breached.
JPMorgan Chase has filed an application to launch a tokenized money market fund, JLTXX, on the Ethereum blockchain. Officially named the JPMorgan OnChain Liquidity-Token Money Market Fund, this fund will invest exclusively in US Treasuries and overnight repurchase agreements fully collateralized by US Treasuries or cash. It is designed to meet the eligible reserve asset requirements for stablecoin issuers under the GENIUS Act.Last year, JPMorgan launched its first tokenized money market fund, MONY, on Ethereum.
Odaily Odaily Odaily Odaily Odaily The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, supporting prediction market platform Kalshi and pushing back against a lawsuit previously filed by the state of Ohio.Ohio argues that Kalshi's prediction market operations constitute unlicensed sports betting, while the CFTC contends that these markets fall under federal regulatory authority and that states have no right to overstep those boundaries.CFTC Chairman Michael Selig stated that the Ohio district court's previous interpretation of the CFTC's jurisdiction was "too narrow" and hopes the appellate court will correct this.Over the past few months, the CFTC has sued states including Wisconsin, Illinois, Arizona, Connecticut, and New York to defend its regulatory authority over prediction markets. As platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket gain increasing popularity, the dispute over the regulatory boundary between federal and state governments continues to widen.
Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan stated that privacy is becoming a core infrastructure direction for the next phase of the crypto industry. Recently, three institutional-grade blockchains focused on stablecoins and asset tokenization—Arc, Canton, and Tempo—have accumulated over $1 billion in total funding, indicating a rapidly growing demand from institutions for "privacy-friendly on-chain financial systems."Among them, stablecoin issuer Circle contributed $222 million in funding for Arc, giving it a valuation of approximately $3 billion; Digital Asset’s Canton blockchain is reportedly seeking $300 million in funding at a $2 billion valuation; and Tempo, backed by Stripe and Paradigm, has previously completed $500 million in funding at a valuation of $5 billion.Hougan noted that this funding wave reflects three major trends: the gradual clarification of the U.S. regulatory framework, increased institutional demand for on-chain privacy, and intensified competition among new blockchain networks supported by large enterprises. Current public blockchains still face structural trade-offs between speed, cost, security, and privacy. However, scenarios involving stablecoins and RWA tokenization require systems that simultaneously offer high performance, compliance, and privacy, making “verifiable privacy” a critical prerequisite for institutional adoption of on-chain finance.Hougan further stated that, for enterprises, “all transactions being publicly broadcast” is not an advantage but a potential flaw. In the future, users and institutions may find it increasingly difficult to accept a fully transparent on-chain financial environment. He believes that privacy capabilities could become the “killer app” driving the crypto industry into its next phase of mainstream adoption. Additionally, following the passage of the U.S. Genius Act in 2025, regulatory certainty has significantly increased, providing a clearer policy foundation for institutional funds to enter the crypto infrastructure space. (CoinDesk)
Trump Media & Technology Group is significantly adjusting its strategy for the prediction market product "Truth Predict." The project, originally planned to launch full trading functionality in partnership with Crypto.com, may now only materialize as a marketing and promotional collaboration, with a notable contraction in the scale of its features.According to the latest regulatory filings, the project is still under development. However, the initial phase will be limited to a promotional partnership with prediction market platform OG.com, rather than embedding trading functions directly within Truth Social. The market's initial vision of an integrated "social + prediction market trading" model appears to be diminished.Earlier plans indicated that Truth Predict intended to allow users to convert platform credits into crypto assets and participate in trading events related to sports, inflation, and elections. However, the newly disclosed structure leans more towards an "external platform traffic-redirecting partnership," with specific commercial mechanisms yet to be clarified. Meanwhile, the prediction market industry is experiencing rapid expansion alongside regulatory conflicts. Platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket continue to expand their sports and event contract businesses, but are also facing jurisdictional disputes between state-level gambling regulators and federal authorities.Analysts suggest that the strategic downsizing of Truth Predict reflects the increasing uncertainty surrounding compliance structures, product forms, and regulatory boundaries for prediction markets. Particularly against the backdrop of an as-yet-unified U.S. regulatory system, related products are trending towards "asset-light cooperation" models rather than direct financial integration into social platforms. (Wired)
the U.S. Congress and multiple state attorney general offices are investigating Sam Altman's personal investments, focusing on potential conflicts of interest and "self-dealing" while managing OpenAI. U.S. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has sent a letter to Altman requesting disclosure of potential conflicts of interest, specifically mentioning that Altman promoted OpenAI's investment in Helion Energy, a company in which he has a significant personal stake.It is reported that Sam Altman's personal investment in Helion amounts to at least $375 million, while OpenAI has considered investing approximately $500 million in the company, raising internal concerns about potential self-dealing. Additionally, attorneys general from states including Florida, Montana, and Nebraska have sent a letter to the U.S. SEC requesting an examination of Sam Altman's investment structure, describing it as "presenting serious conflicts of interest and self-dealing risks."
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asset management giant BlackRock has filed a new tokenized fund structure application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), again selecting Securitize as the provider of underlying technology and issuance infrastructure. According to the filing, the fund will record ownership on the blockchain and integrate with regulated transfer agents and investor access systems. Specifically, Securitize Transfer Agent, LLC will be responsible for maintaining the official registry and ownership records of fund shares across multiple public blockchains, achieving the integration of on-chain assets with traditional compliance systems.This application represents a further expansion built on the success of its first tokenized fund, BUIDL. Since its launch in 2024, the product's scale has grown to approximately $2.3 billion. Market data shows that the total market size for real-world asset (RWA) tokenization has now surpassed $30 billion, with institutional capital accelerating its shift from experimental phases towards compliant, scaled on-chain financial infrastructure development.