DL News

Calling from his mega-yacht off the coast of New Zealand via Starlink, Alexis Sirkia said it’s just a matter of time before Bitcoin returns to smoother waters. In the meantime, the cofounder of GSR and founder of Yellow said investors are getting a stunning deal on the $1.6 trillion cryptocurrency. “The value of Bitcoin is still the same,” he told DL News. “It’s still $100,000, now there’s just a 20% discount because of risk and uncertainty" due to Trump's aggressive tariff regime.

XRP whales have acquired $464 million worth of the Ripple-linked cryptocurrency this week, data from crypto analytics platform Santiment shows. It’s the second biggest wave of XRP buying activity this month after whales piled over $700 million earlier in March. The buying spree didn’t trigger an XRP surge, but market observers say price catalysts are on the horizon. “If the SEC drops its appeal against Ripple and an XRP ETF is approved, prices may revisit previous highs or even reach new levels,” Osama Bari, chief technology officer at business payment provider D24 Fintech Group, said. https://lnkd.in/g6YD5Cs3

The Bank of France governor, François Villeroy, had some choice words for the Trump administration's embrace of crypto. “Financial crises often originate in the United States and spread to the rest of the world,” Villeroy said on Sunday. “By encouraging cryptocurrencies and non-bank finance, the US administration is sowing the seeds of future upheavals.” He added that America's move to deregulate large portions of the American economy is "erring on the side of negligence." Meanwhile, the president's aggressive tariff regime has whipsawed crypto markets despite the administration's pro-crypto pivot.

They pistol-whipped her, demanded her crypto, and fled under gunfire. Now, four teens are facing felony charges for their failed home invasion of popular Twitch and Kick streamer Amouranth. https://lnkd.in/gkHURZuq

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is free to temporarily leave France after being under investigation since August. Telegram’s Toncoin also saw a 20% price surge following the news. https://lnkd.in/gMYJsc-7

Canada’s next PM race is a 50-50 toss-up — one backs Bitcoin while the other favours CBDCs. There is nearly $12 million on the line in a Polymarket betting pool. https://lnkd.in/gBpd7n6z

Bitcoin’s drop has some traders on edge, but Arthur Hayes says the real move is still ahead. He’s betting on a $250,000 surge once liquidity returns — ‘When the floodgates open, it’s go time.’ https://lnkd.in/g_FfQsWE

a16z is in an unusual spot — it’s flush with cash but struggling to deploy billions of “dry powder” in promising crypto startups. Why though? Find out in my latest: https://lnkd.in/eiFkHFWR

Solana's staking rewards narrowly avoided getting slashed in the SIMD-0228 vote. Here's why it was so close: Many in the Solana community say the 4.6% annual staking rewards — which equates to $3.5 billion worth of new SOL annually — is needlessly high. They argue that the network is overpaying validators and stakers who would still do their jobs if rewards were lower. On the other hand, those against the cuts say they would mean small validators existing on razor thin margins would no longer be able to profit. This would force them to shut down, which would harm Solana’s decentralisation. Read the full story, and find out why even those who supported the reward cuts are celebrating, in my latest for DL News: https://lnkd.in/eC3anTZW

Stablecoin legislation in the US just cleared a "critical" hurdle on Thursday. The Genius Act, which will finally provide regulations for dollar-pegged stablecoins, is now advancing to the full US Senate after a bipartisan vote in the chamber’s banking committee. Republican Senator Bill Hagerty, one of the bill’s authors, celebrated the win on X and called it a “critical first step” in making the US “the world capital of crypto.” Some Democrats had less choice words, including Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren. “Under this bill, stablecoin issuers can invest in risky assets, including the very assets that were bailed out in 2008 and again in 2020,” she said. Catch the latest on stablecoins in America from Aleksandar Gilbert 👇