Gemini to launch crypto derivatives in Europe with new license

    Gemini, the cryptocurrency exchange founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, has received regulatory approval to expand crypto derivatives trading across Europe. Gemini secured a Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II) license from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), allowing the exchange to offer crypto derivatives in the European Union, it announced on May 9. “Once…

    SEC considers new rules easing security token issuance

    The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is considering rule changes to let companies more freely issue tokenized securities, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce said in a speech published on May 8. The regulator is “considering a potential exemptive order” for firms using blockchain technology to “issue, trade, and settle securities” that would release them from…

    Ethereum price finally ‘breaking out,’ data suggests — Is $3K ETH next?

    Key takeaways: Ether breaks multimonth downtrend as traders target $3,000 ETH price. Ethereum TVL surges 41% to $52.8 billion in 30 days, with a 22% rise in daily transactions to 1.34 million, signaling strong network recovery. Technicals show ETH price faces major resistance at $2,100-$2,800. Ether is setting up for a recovery toward the $3,000…

    Coinbase to acquire options trading platform Deribit for $2.9B

    Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US by trading volume, has agreed to acquire Deribit, one of the world’s biggest crypto derivatives trading platforms. Coinbase Global will acquire Deribit for about $2.9 billion, the exchange announced on May 8. The acquisition will allow Coinbase to expand into the profitable crypto derivatives market and continue scaling the…

    Binance’s BNB Chain rebounds amid institutional, DeFi adoption

    Binance-affiliated BNB Chain has rebounded after a period of stagnation in 2023 amid accelerating institutional and decentralized finance (DeFi) adoption. During the past year, BNB Chain has benefited from multibillion-dollar inflows into DeFi, US exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and rising trading volume at affiliated centralized exchange (CEX) Binance. Consequently, the blockchain network’s native BNB token has…

    US banks can handle customer crypto assets held in custody, regulator confirms

    The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has confirmed banks under its jurisdiction can trade crypto on behalf of customers and outsource some crypto activities to third parties. Acting comptroller Rodney Hood said in a May 7 letter that banks and federal savings associations can buy and sell crypto they hold in custody at customers’ direction….

    Tether launches on Kaia, brings USDt to LINE’s 196M user ecosystem

    Tether deployed its flagship stablecoin, USDt, on the Kaia blockchain as part of a broader collaboration with Line Next, the Web3 arm of Line, Japan’s popular messaging platform with more than 196 million monthly active users. The integration means USDt will now be supported across Line’s messenger-based Mini DApp ecosystem and self-custodial wallet, enabling users…

    Tether adds Chainalysis tokenization platform for compliance, monitoring

    Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin by market cap USDt, has announced a partnership with Chainalysis that will integrate the company’s compliance and monitoring tools onto Tether’s tokenization platform. The move comes amid expanding oversight across the crypto industry. Launched in November 2024, the Hadron by Tether platform is designed for institutions, corporations…

    Bitcoin Core to unilaterally remove controversial OP-Return limit

    Bitcoin Core developers have decided to remove a limit on transaction data in the next network upgrade, enabling more data to be included in a more efficient way. “Bitcoin Core’s next release will, by default, relay and mine transactions whose OP_RETURN outputs exceed 80 bytes and allow any number of these outputs,” read the announcement on GitHub…

    OKX exec warns against hype amid real-world asset tokenization boom

    The CEO of crypto exchange OKX’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) division has called on the industry to prioritize real-world utility as interest in tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs) continues to grow. In a Cointelegraph interview at the Token20249 event in Dubai, OKX MENA CEO Rifad Mahasneh warned that while tokenization is promising, projects must…