Here are some of the major cryptocurrency news highlights from the past week:
Policy and Regulation
New York Proposes Investor Protections: A bill introduced in New York aims to safeguard crypto investors from memecoin scams, reflecting growing regulatory attention on digital assets.cointelegraph.com SEC and Binance Seek Pause in Lawsuit: In a notable shift, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Binance have jointly requested a pause in their ongoing lawsuit, indicating potenti
North Carolina Digital Assets Bill Passes House, Moves to Senate for Debate
As Trump embraces crypto nationally, U.S. states are pushing for their own digital asset legislation politicians warms to the idea.
North Carolina's House of Representatives passed a bill that would authorize the state to invest in digital assets, part of a push among states to adopt crypto.
The measure now moves to the Senate for further debate.
Dubbed the "Digital Assets Investment Act," HB92 was introduced on February 10 and passed its third reading in the House on Wednesday.
Primarily sponsored by Republican House Speaker Destin Hall, the bill will allow the State Treasurer to invest in qualified digital assets and consider incorporating them into state employee retirement plans.
Visa launches stablecoin payments in Latin America in major advance for crypto
Credit card giant Visa announced on Wednesday the launch of a new product that will let consumers pay with stablecoins in six countries, including Mexico and Argentina. The offering, which Visa developed along with the Stripe-owned startup Bridge, is a significant step toward making cryptocurrency part of mainstream commerce for both merchants and consumers.
The launch, which Visa intends to expand to other countries, comes as stablecoins—blockchain-based assets that are pegged to a fiat currency like the dollar—are rapidly gaining popularity among traditional financial outlets because of how easily they can be transferred between accounts and across borders.
One of the biggest red flags is when the project requires an initial investment. Legitimate projects will never request one.
2. Secure Your Wallet
We always advise using a dedicated wallet to receive airdrops. This ensures your main holdings are safe in case of a potential theft or fraud.
3. Verify Airdrop Requirements
Never rely on external sources to verify whether you meet the airdrop requirements. Instead, visit the project’s official website to find out all the details yourself.
. Complete Tasks Carefully
As mentioned above, some creators may ask you to complete certain tasks. For instance, you might be asked to follow their social media channels or remain active on their forums.
5. Claim and Manage Your Tokens
Sometimes, the tokens are not automatically added to your wallet once the airdrop ends, and you have to claim them yourself. You might be able to see new tokens in your wallet or will be asked to enter the token's contract address manually.
SEC Delays Altcoin ETFs Until June: There’s Still Time to Buy SOL, XRP, and DOGE:
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently delayed its decisions on several altcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These ETFs involve cryptocurrencies like XRP, Dogecoin (DOGE), and Solana (SOL). The delays move the following review dates to mid-June 2025, with final decisions expected by October 2025. This gives investors more time to consider their options in these digital assets. The SEC often delays decisions as part of its regular process, which does not mean the ETFs will be denied. Let’s explore what’s happening.
An ETF is a simple way to invest in assets without owning them directly. Think of it as a basket that holds things like stocks or cryptocurrencies. For altcoins like XRP, Dogecoin, and Solana, ETFs let people invest without buying the coins themselves. This can make crypto more appealing to everyday investors, potentially boosting their popularity and prices.
US President Donald Trump has celebrated the 100th day of his second term in office with a campaign-style speech, touting his achievements and targeting political foes.
Hailing what he called a "revolution of common sense", he told a crowd of supporters in Michigan that he was using his presidency to deliver "profound change".
The Republican mocked his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, and aimed fresh criticism at the US Federal Reserve's chairman, while dismissing polls that show his own popularity slipping.
Trump has delivered a dramatic fall in the number of migrants crossing illegally into the US, but the economy is a potential political vulnerability as he wages a global trade war.
There are several types of crypto airdrops, each with its own set of requirements and goals.
Standard Airdrop: Participants interested in receiving an airdrop simply express their interest in order to receive the airdrop. The individual must provide a valid wallet address, and some airdrops require no additional information beyond this.
Bounty Airdrop: Bounty crypto airdrops occur when users perform certain tasks. These tasks often entail raising awareness of a project through various channels.
Holder Airdrop: This type of airdrop requires participants to hold a certain amount of the existing coins or tokens in their wallets to qualify for the tokens. The amount of tokens received may depend on the amount and duration of holding the existing coins or tokens.
Exclusive Airdrop: This type of airdrop requires participants to be selected or invited by the project team or partners to receive the tokens. The selection criteria may be based on reputation, influence, expertise, contribution, etc.
A Vanishing $212M Bitcoin Order Caused Chaos for Traders. Is Spoofing Back in Crypto?
Despite increased scrutiny, spoofing remains a challenge in crypto, highlighting the need for better surveillance and stricter regulations.
A large sell order for 2,500 bitcoin on Binance was removed abruptly on April 14, causing market volatility and raising suspicions of spoofing.
Spoofing, an illegal trading tactic, involves placing and then canceling large orders to manipulate market prices.
Despite increased regulatory scrutiny, spoofing remains a challenge in the crypto market, highlighting the need for better surveillance and stricter regulations.
Abu Dhabi institutional giants team up for dirham stablecoin
If it gets the nod from United Arab Emirates regulators, the dirham-pegged and central bank-regulated stablecoin will operate on the ADI blockchain.
A trio of major Abu Dhabi institutions, including the Emirate’s sovereign wealth fund, have teamed up to launch a new dirham-pegged stablecoin.
Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund ADQ, the United Arab Emirates’ largest bank, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), and the massive conglomerate the International Holding Company, have partnered to launch the stablecoin, pending regulatory approval, the three companies said on April 28.
The trio said the stablecoin would be regulated by the UAE’s central bank and backed by the country’s currency, the dirham. It will also support use cases such as machine-to-machine and artificial intelligence.
Arizona state approves first ever US Bitcoin reserve, set to invest 10% of $31.5B state assets:
Arizona state lawmakers have passed a bill allowing the state to invest up to 10% of public funds in digital assets, including Bitcoin. The legislation also establishes a Digital Assets Strategic Reserve Fund, utilizing seized crypto assets and future appropriations. The Senate bills 1025 and 1373 now await final confirmation from state Governor Katie Hobbs. The state of Arizona took a major step toward public Bitcoin adoption in the US as lawmakers passed two bills enabling direct investment of public funds in digital assets.
Market observers suggest that BlackRock remains focused on maximizing profits from its Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, with little immediate activity expected in the XRP ETF market. While the success of its existing products indicates potential interest in XRP, weaker demand has prompted the firm to hold off for now. Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan notes that although interest in XRP is growing, it has not reached a level that would compel BlackRock to act.
Trump floats income tax cut to ease tariff impact:
President Trump floated a new income tax cut on Sunday as a way to mitigate the impact of his sweeping tariffs, which polls show Americans increasingly believe will lead to higher prices.
“When Tariffs cut in, many people’s Income Taxes will be substantially reduced, maybe even completely eliminated,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.
“Focus will be on people making less than $200,000 a year,” he continued.
Trump defended the strategy behind his steep tariffs in his post, maintaining “massive numbers of jobs are already being created, with new plants and factories currently being built or planned. It will be a BONANZA FOR AMERICA!!! THE EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE IS HAPPENING!!!”
Airdrop Farming Guide: What Is It & How to Get Free Tokens?
Airdrops have become a popular way for cryptocurrency projects to distribute tokens to early adopters and build a community. While they can be a lucrative opportunity, understanding how they work and where to find them is crucial.
What Is Airdrop Farming? Crypto airdrops have continued at full speed into 2024, handing out roughly $4 billion in value so far — with a few major airdrops still to come. It’s never late to join airdrop hunters and master airdrop farming techniques!
Airdrop farming is the strategic process of actively seeking and participating in airdrops to maximize token rewards. Unlike passively waiting for airdrops, farming involves intentional actions to increase your eligibility and potential earnings. By engaging with multiple projects, completing tasks, and understanding the airdrop landscape, farmers aim to accumulate a substantial amount of free cryptocurrencies.
Roland Sun-Linked Wallet Transfers 1998 ETH to Binance: Trading Loss and Remaining Holdings Analysis
Wallet suspected to belong to Distributed Capital's legal counsel Roland Sun transferred 1998 ETH (approximately $3.61 million) to Binance in the past 17 hours. If sold at current market prices, this would result in a realized loss of $842,000. The same address previously withdrew 4600 ETH from Bybit at an average price of $2229 about two months ago. As of now, the wallet still holds 4129 ETH, valued at $7.49 million. This activity may signal increased selling pressure on Ethereum if additional holdings are moved to exchanges.
Bitcoin on the Rise as China Tariff Exemptions Give Stocks Relief
Bitcoin hit a two-month peak Friday as investors mulled Donald Trump's purported progress on trade negotiations with China.
The price of Bitcoin jumped above $95,000 on Friday—for the first time since February—as investors assessed whether U.S. President Donald Trump was making progress on trade negotiations with China, after he appeared to soften his rhetoric toward the nation earlier this week.
The leading cryptocurrency was recently changing hands at $95,310, a nearly 2% increase over the past day, according to data. Altcoins were mixed, with Ethereum rising 2% to $1,800, while XRP fell 0.7% to $2.20.
Cardano’s Charles Hoskinson predicts Ethereum will be dead within 15 years:
According to him:
“I don’t think Ethereum will survive more than ten to fifteen years. The layer twos will continue to suckle out all of the alpha, and people will start fighting, and it’ll get harder and harder for Vitalik to be able to hold it together through sheer force of will. And users will gradually migrate to other places.”
2025 is shaping up as the make-or-break year for Ethereum’s dominance of RWAs, with tokenized assets surging 57% to $21 billion since the US election set the stage for new crypto legislation that clarifies the rules.
But some warn that Ethereum might watch it all slip away if it doesn’t play its cards right.
Sam Kazemian, founder of stablecoin project Frax Finance, believes Ethereum really is the best place for institutions to issue RWAs — but that doesn’t mean it’s going to win.
“I think that the complacency of like, ‘It’s just gonna happen because Ethereum is so good,’ that’s not true,” he says, arguing that unless Ethereum maxis start positioning the blockchain as the only acceptable source of truth for tokenized assets, its advantages will slip away.
Kazemian says the fact that BlackRock’s BUIDL is available on seven different blockchains undermines Ethereum’s security advantages.
Dave Portnoy: Memecoins are ‘Legalized Ponzi Schemes’
They call him “El Presidente.” But unlike the other President, Dave Portnoy draws a line at launching a memecoin. He worries his followers will lose their shirts.
“I got involved in memecoins because I wanted to launch a Barstool memecoin, but I didn’t want my fans and followers to lose money,” he said in an interview with CoinDesk. Memecoins are “legalized Ponzi schemes,” he said, “there’s no value to it, so you gotta get in and get out before it crashes.”