Cryptocurrency industry

The operator of Bitcoin Fog, a cryptocurrency mixing service, has lost his appeal against his money laundering conviction. Roman Sterlingov was found guilty of running the service, which prosecutors said laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in bitcoin, including funds linked to dark web markets. The upheld conviction is being watched closely as a test case for how far criminal liability extends to crypto privacy tools.

Efforts to pass the Clarity Act, a bill to establish clear regulatory rules for the cryptocurrency industry, have stalled amid political tensions tied to the Trump family's crypto business ventures. Lawmakers' concerns over potential conflicts of interest surrounding those ventures have complicated negotiations, leaving the industry without the regulatory framework the legislation was meant to provide.

Cryptocurrency regulation has grown murky, and efforts are underway to restore clear rules for the industry. According to reporting by PYMNTS, both industry players and government bodies are working to rebuild regulatory clarity, defining how digital assets should be governed and overseen. The discussion centers on how policymakers and crypto firms can align on frameworks that give businesses certainty while protecting consumers and markets.

Brazil has introduced new rules targeting self-custody cryptocurrency: transfers of $10,000 or more would need to be reported, and such transfers could face a 24-hour delay. The measures are aimed at tightening oversight of crypto held outside exchanges, and are drawing attention from investors and industry watchers concerned about privacy and the practical impact on moving funds.

A jury has been told that a cybersecurity professional stole $53 million in the hack of Uranium Finance, the cryptocurrency exchange that suffered a major exploit. Prosecutors presented the case against the defendant, whose technical background is central to allegations that he orchestrated the theft of digital assets. The trial is drawing attention within the crypto industry, where Uranium Finance's loss remains one of the notable exchange breaches.

Hunter Biden, son of former US President Joe Biden, has publicly predicted that Bitcoin will reach $220,000 by 2028. He also sharply criticized Senator Elizabeth Warren's stance on cryptocurrency, calling her views 'so wrong'. The comments add a political dimension to the ongoing debate over crypto regulation in Washington, where Warren has been one of the industry's most prominent critics.

Fortune argues that cryptocurrency, once a rebellious outsider movement of hackers and free-market idealists, has become institutionalized, with major exchanges, stablecoin issuers and lobbying groups now operating like established financial powers aligned with regulators and governments. The piece asks what happens next for an industry that has traded its pirate roots for mainstream power, and what that shift means for its original ethos and users.

MicroStrategy executive chairman Michael Saylor urged US policymakers to recognize Bitcoin rights at a policy summit in Washington, DC. His remarks add to an ongoing debate in the United States over how digital assets should be regulated and what protections holders should receive. The appeal has drawn attention across the cryptocurrency community, with observers weighing its implications for future US crypto legislation and the industry's growing presence in policy discussions.

A new analysis argues that Donald Trump's financial gains from cryptocurrency ventures have backfired on the industry, making it harder to win the looser regulation crypto firms hoped a second Trump term would deliver. The report suggests that Trump's personal crypto profits have drawn scrutiny and complicated efforts in Washington to pass friendly legislation, leaving the industry worse off on the regulatory front.

The artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency industries are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising campaigns across the United States. The money aims to shape American public opinion on the two technologies and to elect allies to Congress and key state offices ahead of the midterm elections. The effort reflects how deeply both sectors now invest in politics as regulation of AI and digital assets becomes a live issue in Washington.

The US Treasury has withdrawn its proposed rule targeting cryptocurrency mixing services, amid concerns that the measure could interfere with legitimate activity. The proposal, aimed at curbing money laundering through mixing tools, had drawn criticism from the crypto industry. News of the retraction is being reported by Japanese crypto media such as CoinPost, drawing attention from Japan's active digital asset community.

Hester Peirce, the SEC commissioner long known as a defender of the cryptocurrency industry, is leaving the agency after years of internal resistance to what she called its punitive regulatory approach to crypto. Her departure does not stop the SEC's regulatory work, but commentators say it marks the end of an era for Bitcoin and the broader digital asset sector, which saw her as one of its few allies inside the regulator.

A CNBC analysis finds Republican megadonors are dominating fundraising for the 2026 US midterm elections, with money from the cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence industries surging. The report highlights the growing influence of wealthy individual donors and tech-sector cash in shaping the upcoming congressional contests, as both parties begin building war chests well ahead of election day.

A CNBC analysis finds Republican megadonors dominating early fundraising for the 2026 midterm elections, with money from cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence interests surging. The report highlights how wealthy donors and emerging tech industries are shaping the contest for Congress, underscoring growing concern about the influence of big money in American elections.

Fast Company outlines the three developments it expects to define fintech, cryptocurrency, and blockchain in 2026. The piece is being shared in banking-focused discussions as industry watchers look ahead to which technologies will drive finance next year.

Crypto protocol Frax has applied to ICANN to operate .frax, which would make it the first top-level domain application from a cryptocurrency company. If approved, the move would place a crypto-native organization among the operators that control internet domain extensions, a space historically dominated by large companies and registries.

The Wall Street Journal has published an opinion piece examining the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's new rules for cryptocurrency markets. The article assesses what the regulatory changes mean for crypto firms and investors as Washington tightens its oversight of digital assets. It is drawing attention among finance and crypto policy watchers tracking how US agencies shape the industry's rules.

A discussion piece on Binance is drawing attention by examining how billionaires, authoritarian politics, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence intersect. The argument links the world's largest crypto exchange to broader questions about concentrated wealth, political influence and emerging technology, prompting debate among users about the political role of the crypto industry.

Crypto industry lobbying reached $8 million this week, with attention centering on Donald Trump, Bitcoin prices, and the Securities and Exchange Commission's stance on digital assets. The spending reflects the industry's push to shape regulation in Washington as policymakers weigh how to treat cryptocurrencies, making regulatory direction the dominant topic in crypto news coverage this week.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has put forward new federal rules to oversee cryptocurrency markets in the United States. The proposal, reported by Reuters and picked up by other outlets, would expand the agency's authority over digital asset trading. The move is drawing attention as US lawmakers and regulators continue to argue over which agencies should police the crypto industry.

Law firm Lowenstein Sandler has issued a new edition of its Crypto Brief, a regular legal update covering developments in cryptocurrency regulation and digital assets. The publication offers law firm analysis of the latest regulatory and legal issues facing the crypto industry. Beyond the firm's own summary, there is little detail available about specific rulings or cases covered in this edition.

A new profile examines how Changpeng Zhao, the founder of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, has been living since his release from prison. Zhao served a short sentence after pleading guilty to US violations of anti-money-laundering rules at Binance. The piece draws fresh attention to his current activities and standing in the crypto industry.

The US Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has withdrawn two regulatory proposals: a 2020 rule targeting unhosted crypto wallets and a 2023 rule on cryptocurrency mixing transactions. The moves, announced simultaneously and without detailed explanation, would ease planned reporting requirements on the crypto sector. Observers are weighing the implications for US anti-money-laundering policy.

New alerts are circulating that artificial intelligence may accelerate the breaking of elliptic curve cryptography, the public-private key system securing most of the cryptocurrency industry. The warnings claim such a break could happen well before quantum computers become capable of it, raising concerns about the vulnerability of digital assets and existing encryption standards.

A newly published case study examines a major crypto hack and argues that it has exposed the limits of the industry's permissionless idealism — the principle that anyone can interact with blockchain systems without gatekeepers. The piece explores how the absence of centralized controls made the exploit possible and what it means for debates over security versus decentralization in cryptocurrency.

A broad-ranging US cryptocurrency market bill, the Clarity Act, has collapsed after a procedural vote to advance it failed. The defeat came despite years of political pressure, at least $8 million in lobbying, and hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign funding for pro-crypto politicians. Observers are treating it as a major setback for the crypto industry's legislative push in Washington.

Politico reports that cryptocurrency industry megadonors are taking a cautious approach in US House races, holding back rather than spending aggressively this cycle. The piece suggests major crypto-aligned donors are being selective about where they put their money, a shift from their high-spending posture in previous election cycles.