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Sky pitches ousting Maker token to complete upgrade

Decentralized finance (DeFi) lending platform Sky has pitched a proposal to finalize its upgrade from Maker by replacing its governance token and enabling staking.

The proposal, posted on May 1 to Sky’s decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) forum, would see the Sky (SKY) token take over the Maker (MKR) token as the protocol’s governance token.

If the DAO accepts, the change would be slated to take place around May 15 to May 19 and downgrading from SKY to MKR would also be disabled.

Sky co-founder Rune Christensen said in response to the proposal that it was a “huge milestone,” which he “fully supports,” and laments that allowing users to downgrade from SKY back to MKR has been a “key limiting factor preventing exchanges from adopting SKY.”

“With this change, exchanges are likely to move faster in quickly adopting SKY without concerns about fracturing liquidity,” he said.

Sky pitches ousting Maker token to complete upgrade
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Kraken details how it spotted North Korean hacker in job interview

US crypto exchange Kraken has detailed a North Korean hacker’s attempt to infiltrate the organization by applying for a job interview.

“What started as a routine hiring process for an engineering role quickly turned into an intelligence-gathering operation,” the company wrote in a May 1 blog post.

Kraken said the applicant’s red flags appeared early on in the process when they joined an interview under a name different from what they applied with and “occasionally switched between voices,” apparently being guided through the interview.

Rather than immediately rejecting the applicant, Kraken decided to advance them through its hiring process to gather information about the tactics used.

International sanctions have effectively cut North Korea off from the rest of the world, and the country’s ruling Kim family dictatorship has long targeted crypto companies and users to top up the country’s coffers. It’s stolen billions worth of crypto so far this year.

Kraken details how it spotted North Korean hacker in job interview
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Kraken finalizes NinjaTrader buy as Q1 revenue jumps 19%

Crypto exchange Kraken has completed its acquisition of the futures trading platform NinjaTrader and reported its first quarter revenues jumped 19% year-on-year to $471.7 million.

Kraken said in a May 1 report that its NinjaTrader acquisition would give its US customers access to the traditional derivatives market, aligning with its plans to expand its offerings and be the go-to platform for all types of trading.

NinjaTrader is a registered Futures Commission Merchant with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Last month, it rolled out trading for over 11,000 stocks and exchange-traded funds to certain US clients.

The deal, which Kraken dubbed the largest ever between a crypto and traditional finance firm, allows NinjaTrader to expand to the UK, continental Europe and Australian markets and comes as Kraken is preparing for an initial public offering in early 2026. The company is exploring a debt package worth between $200 million and $1 billion to facilitate that transaction.

Kraken revenue, trading volume falls on Trump’s return

Kraken’s $471.7 million revenue in Q1 marked a 19% increase from the year-ago quarter but a 6.8% fall from Q4 2024.

Kraken finalizes NinjaTrader buy as Q1 revenue jumps 19%
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Tether posts $1B in Q1 operating profit, $5.6 billion excess in reserves

Tether, the company behind the world’s largest stablecoin by market capitalization, has released its financials for the first quarter of 2025, disclosing nearly $120 billion in exposure to US Treasurys and over $1 billion in operating profit.

According to Tether’s Q1 2025 financial report, the company’s assets include $98.5 billion in direct US Treasury bills, along with over $23 billion in additional exposure through repurchase agreements and other cash-equivalent assets.

Excerpt from Tether’s Q1 2025 financial report. Source: Tether

According to the announcement, Tether holds $5.6 billion in excess of reserves for its USDt (USDT) stablecoin, down from $7.1 billion in excess from the last quarter of 2024. The stablecoin has a market capitalization of $149 billion as of May 1.

“Circulating supply of USDT grew by approximately $7 billion in Q1, with a 46 million increase in user wallets,” it said.

The company's excess capital continues to fund strategic investments, with more than $2 billion allocated in renewable energy, artificial intelligence, peer-to-peer communications, and data infrastructure. 

Tether posts $1B in Q1 operating profit, $5.6 billion excess in reserves
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Crypto ‘decoupling’ story ends as stocks follow Bitcoin’s rally

Key takeaways:

Despite weak US manufacturing data, Federal Reserve liquidity plans and strong corporate earnings keep equities and crypto afloat.

The total crypto market capitalization rose 8.5% since March.

Cryptocurrency traders have frequently zoomed in on the need for crypto to show a clear “decoupling” from the stock market, and over the past 10 days, the intraday movements of Bitcoin (BTC) and major altcoins have closely tracked those of the S&P 500, even as trade war developments have dominated market sentiment.

S&P 500 futures (left) vs. Total crypto cap, USD (right). Source: TradingView/Cointelegraph

A decoupling would validate digital assets as an independent class and address growing concerns about a potential global economic recession. This ongoing correlation has led market participants to question whether the cryptocurrency market is destined to follow the stock market’s lead indefinitely, and what conditions would be necessary for a genuine decoupling to occur.

Crypto ‘decoupling’ story ends as stocks follow Bitcoin’s rally
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The crypto trends Animoca Brands is eyeing this year — Token2049

Animoca Brands is looking at trends in real-world tokenized assets, AI projects, and the gaming sector to invest in and develop, according to Omar Elissar, the company's managing director for the Middle East and the head of Global Strategic Partnerships.

In an interview with Cointelegraph's Sam Bourgi at Token2049, Elissar said that stablecoins, real-world asset tokenization, the intersection between AI and crypto, alternative use cases such as decentralized science, and Web3 gaming were all niches the company is exploring.

Gaming is “part of our DNA,” the executive said before reflecting on the current state of the Web3 gaming industry:

“It's gone quiet for some time in terms of less PR, but there's been building in the background. Recently, there have been a few games that have come out that have been truly fun to play, which I think has been one of the main negative sentiments about Web3 gaming.”

Animoca Brands is one of the foremost crypto-native venture capital firms in the space and can serve as a barometer of hot or emerging market trends for crypto investors.

Related: VC Roundup: Funding surge targets confidentiality, tokenization and Web3 infrastructure

The crypto trends Animoca Brands is eyeing this year — Token2049
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Australian election will bring pro-crypto laws either way

Despite reports in February suggesting that 2 million pro-crypto voters could decide the outcome of this week’s Australian Federal Election, crypto has barely rated a mention during the campaign.

“I think it’s a missed opportunity,” Independent Reserve founder Adrian Przelozny told Cointelegraph. “Neither side has made crypto a headline issue because they’re wary of polarizing voters or sounding too niche.”

But the good news is that after more than a decade of inaction, both the ruling Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the opposition Liberal Party are promising to enact crypto regulations developed in consultation with the industry.

In April, Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor promised to release draft crypto regulations within the first 100 days after taking office, while the Treasury itself has draft bills on “regulating digital asset platforms” and “payments system modernization” scheduled for release this quarter.

Amy-Rose Goodey, CEO of the Digital Economy Council of Australia, said that both parties “are equally invested in getting this draft legislation across the line.”

“Irrespective of who gets in, we’re in a better position than we were about a year ago.”

Pro-crypto voters have choices in the Senate, too, with the Libertarian Party issuing a 23-page Bitcoin policy in March — calling for the creation of a national Bitcoin (BTC) Reserve and the acceptance of Bitcoin as legal tender.

Australian election will bring pro-crypto laws either way
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Mango Markets exploiter sentenced to over 4 years on child abuse material charges

Avraham Eisenberg was sentenced to more than four years in prison on child sexual abuse material charges, unrelated to his role in the 2022 exploit that drained the decentralized exchange Mango Markets of roughly $100 million.

According to reporting from Inner City Press, a judge sentenced Eisenberg to 52 months in prison at a May 1 hearing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The case was filed in April 2024 after Eisenberg’s 2023 indictment on fraud for the Mango Markets exploit.

Eisenberg was initially scheduled to be sentenced in July 2024 following his guilty plea on the child porn charge. In May 2024, the judge suggested the sentencing for both cases would occur simultaneously in a consolidated proceeding. However, as of May 1, the fraud sentencing remains pending.

The prosecution in the Mango Markets case reflects the growing probability of apprehension for hackers and cybersecurity exploiters plaguing the crypto industry with malicious attacks on platforms and users.

Related: SafeMoon boss cites DOJ’s nixed crypto unit in latest bid to toss suit

Mango Markets exploiter sentenced to over 4 years on child abuse material charges
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Strategy touts 14% YTD Bitcoin yield in Q1 earnings print, misses estimates

Update (May 1, 11:35 pm UTC): This article has been updated to add Strategy’s revenue, net loss and analyst estimates.

Michael Saylor's Bitcoin-buying firm Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, has reported earning a year-to-date yield of 13.7% on its Bitcoin holdings as it missed Wall Street's first-quarter estimates.

The company said in its May 1 earnings statement that its year-to-date Bitcoin (BTC) yield equates to a gain of more than 61,000 BTC, worth approximately $5.8 billion. Bitcoin yield and gain are unofficial accounting metrics Strategy uses to benchmark the success of its BTC buys. 

Strategy’s chief financial officer, Andrew Kang, said it would increase its Bitcoin yield target for this year to 25% and its Bitcoin gain target to $15 billion.

It comes as Strategy missed top and bottom line analyst estimates. The firm reported revenues of $111.1 million, down 3.6% from the year-ago quarter and missing analyst estimates by around 5%.

Strategy touts 14% YTD Bitcoin yield in Q1 earnings print, misses estimates
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US lawmaker proposes crypto ATMs in federal buildings

A Texas member of the US House of Representatives has proposed that government officials consider installing cryptocurrency ATMs in federal buildings across the country.

In a May 1 letter to Stephen Ehikian, the acting administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) — the entity responsible for managing the US government’s properties — Rep. Lance Gooden claimed that introducing crypto ATMs to federal buildings would serve as an “educational resource” and reflect advances in financial technology. He requested that the GSA begin exploring the necessary guidelines and regulations needed to install such ATMs in government-controlled properties across the US, citing alignment with President Donald Trump’s goals.

May 1 letter pitching crypto ATMs to GSA. Source: Rep. Lance Gooden

According to financial disclosure reports filed with the US House of Representatives, Gooden had held no investments in cryptocurrency or ATM companies since taking office in 2019. He had not yet filed any financial disclosures with the government for 2025 investments.

The GSA website stated it may provide space to ATMs from federal credit unions, but it was unclear whether the acting administrator had the authority to expand the regulations to include digital asset ATMs tied to private companies like Bitcoin Depot or CoinFlip. Cointelegraph reached out to Gooden’s office for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Related: Eric Trump: USD1 will be used for $2B MGX investment in Binance

US lawmaker proposes crypto ATMs in federal buildings
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Institutional Bitcoin buying may soon price out retail — LONGITUDE panel

Retail investors are running out of time to accumulate Bitcoin as institutional adoption accelerates, according to Sergej Kunz, co-founder of exchange aggregator 1inch.

Bitcoin (BTC) is evolving into an alternative reserve currency, propelling institutional demand and potentially pricing out retail investors, Kunz said during Cointelegraph's LONGITUDE event in Dubai. 

"Every retail user should be thinking about getting at least one Bitcoin — very soon they won’t be able to afford it,” Kunz said. 

If the United States starts buying Bitcoin for a strategic reserve, even smaller countries may soon struggle to acquire the cryptocurrency, he added. "I’m pretty sure we’ll soon see countries battling over who owns more Bitcoin. The US will start.”

Bitcoin demand has accelerated since US President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on US imports in April, setting off a global trade war.

Institutional Bitcoin buying may soon price out retail — LONGITUDE panel
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Bitcoin trader says BTC’s cycle top in $125K to $150K range if certain conditions are met

Key takeaways:

Bitcoin could reach $150,000 by August or September of this year if BTC breaks above the parabolic slope pattern.

Bitcoin (BTC) price jumped to new quarterly highs at $96,700 on May 1, a day after the US GDP contracted -0.3% for the first time since Q2 2022. Amid heightened economic concerns, the probability of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut rose to 62.8% for the June 18 Federal Reserve meeting.

Over the past 24 hours, short position liquidations exceeded $137 million, with Alphractal founder Joao Wedson observing that BTC's price momentum continues to favor bullish trends.

Bitcoin aggregated liquidation heatmap. Source: X.com

Peter Brandt predicts a $150K Bitcoin top by Q3

In a recent post on X, veteran trader Peter Brandt forecasted a Bitcoin price rally, potentially reaching $125,000 to $150,000 by August or September 2025. The trader predicted a parabolic arc pattern in Bitcoin’s price chart—a technical formation often signaling rapid rises followed by sharp corrections, as seen in the 2017 Bitcoin surge.

Bitcoin trader says BTC’s cycle top in $125K to $150K range if certain conditions are met
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Crypto to accelerate AI adoption — LONGITUDE panel

Cryptocurrency can accelerate artificial intelligence adoption by helping AI startups onboard users, according to Polygon's co-founder Sandeep Nailwal.

“You can use crypto incentives and disincentives to onboard users to onboard the ecosystem players,” Nailwal said during a panel discussion at the LONGITUDE by Cointelegraph event.

He added that projects with effective onchain incentive structures might even “build a better AI because you have this incentive engine that brings in developers,” Nailwal said on May 1.

Cointelegraph’s LONGITUDE is an event series that brings together leaders and innovators from the blockchain and Web3 space for exclusive discussions.

Joining the panel, Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of the Near Protocol, expanded on crypto's long-term synergy with AI, forecasting that crypto-native AI agents could replace traditional web application front-ends as the primary user interfaces for Web3.

Crypto to accelerate AI adoption — LONGITUDE panel
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Tether CEO defends decision to skip MiCA registration for USDT

Paolo Ardoino, CEO of stablecoin issuer Tether, addressed criticism over the company's decision not to seek registration under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, arguing that the regulations were risky for stablecoins.

Speaking to Cointelegraph at the Token2049 conference in Dubai, Ardoino reiterated that Tether had no plans to apply for its US dollar-pegged stablecoin USDt — the largest by market capitalization — to be compliant under MiCA in European countries, potentially forcing exchanges to delist the stablecoin. He added that though crypto firms had to follow regulations, there was a “fear of compliance” among companies in the EU.

“[...] MiCA license is very dangerous when it comes to stablecoins, and I believe that is even more dangerous for the small, medium banking system in Europe,” said the Tether CEO, adding that banks in the region could “go belly up” in the next few years thanks to MiCA's requirements, such as keeping 60% of stablecoins reserves in insured cash deposits in European banks. Ardoino added:

“I decided to not apply to the MiCA license because I need to protect the 400 million+ users that we have around the world. They are not as lucky as Europeans. I love Europe, but I think that unfortunately European Central Bank is more interested [in pushing] the digital euro as a way to control people and control how they spend their money.”

Related: Paolo Ardoino: Competitors and politicians intend to ‘kill Tether’

After years of planning and research, EU officials began to implement requirements under MiCA in December 2024. Tether, which is regulated and headquartered in El Salvador, is required to comply with MiCA regulatory requirements if offering products or services in EU member states.

Tether CEO defends decision to skip MiCA registration for USDT
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Coinbase suspends trading for MOVE token

Crypto exchange Coinbase has announced it will suspend trading of the Movement Network token (MOVE), the native cryptocurrency of the Movement layer-2 blockchain protocol, developed by Movement Labs, effective May 15.

The decision was shared in a May 1 X post, with Coinbase citing the token’s failure to meet its listing standards. The price of the MOVE token also declined by approximately 14.5% in the last 24 hours. Coinbase specified the details of the suspension in an announcement:

"Trading for MOVE will be suspended on Coinbase, Simple and Advanced Trade, Coinbase Exchange, and Coinbase Prime. We have moved our MOVE order books to limit-only mode. Limit orders can be placed and canceled, and matches may occur."

The suspension of the token follows a recently announced third-party review orchestrated by the Movement Network Foundation into an agreement allegedly signed by Movement Labs and a market-making firm, which is said to be behind the downfall of the MOVE token price in December 2024.

Source: Coinbase Assets

A Movement Network Foundation spokesperson recently confirmed to Cointelegraph that the third-party investigation, which commenced on April 21, is ongoing. The investigation is being conducted by Groom Lake, an independent cybersecurity and intelligence firm, and has cast a cloud over the MOVE token's price.

Related: Binance to purge 14 tokens following ‘vote to delist’ process

Coinbase suspends trading for MOVE token
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Devs introduce Ethereum R1 layer-2 scaling solution

A group of developers within the Ethereum ecosystem, operating independently of the Ethereum Foundation, have announced Ethereum R1 — a layer-2 (L2) scaling solution for the Ethereum network that does not include a native token.

According to the announcement, the project relies entirely on donations, does not have venture funding, and does not have any pre-mined token allocations or a governance token. The project's team wrote in a May 1 X post:

"General-purpose L2s should be commodities — simple, replaceable, and free from centralized dependencies or risky governance. Ethereum R1 is our answer to that call — the rollup grounded in credible neutrality, decentralization, and censorship resistance."

"Most L2s today are acting more like new L1s than an Ethereum scaling solution — private allocations, opaque governance, and centralized control," the developers continued.

The announcement points to increasing concerns within the Ethereum community regarding the current direction of many layer-2 scaling solutions, which some view as potentially misaligned with the interests of the base layer

Related: Ethereum community members propose new fee structure for the app layer

Devs introduce Ethereum R1 layer-2 scaling solution
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Federal crypto legislation could come with a ‘New York State of Mind’

Love it or leave it, New York State has been a force in crypto regulation.

Ten years ago, the state created the United States’ first comprehensive regulatory framework for firms dealing in cryptocurrencies, including key consumer protection, anti-money laundering compliance and cybersecurity guidelines.

In September 2015, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued its first BitLicense to Circle Internet Financial, enabling the company to conduct digital currency business activity in the state. Ripple Markets received the second BitLicense in 2016. Circle and Ripple went on to become giant players in the global cryptocurrency and stablecoin industry.

Today, the NYDFS regulates one of the largest pools of crypto firms in the world, and it is often cited as the gold standard for crypto regulation in the US.

It’s against that background that Ken Coghill, NYDFS’s deputy superintendent for virtual currencies, appeared at Cornell Tech’s blockchain conference on April 25 to discuss “A New Era of U.S. Innovation in Crypto.” 

Federal crypto legislation could come with a ‘New York State of Mind’
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Bitcoin bulls prep $97K resistance showdown as gold dips 8% from highs

Bitcoin (BTC) gained 3% on May 1 as a new month saw shorts struggle to keep price pinned.BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Bitcoin pressures shorts after 3% daily gains

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD reaching $96,955 on Bitstamp, its highest since Feb. 22.

Increasingly close to six figures, Bitcoin rose with US stocks at the Wall Street open as Microsoft gained 10% to become the world’s highest-valued public company.

Reacting, popular trader Daan Crypto Trades suggested that stocks may be on the cusp of a return to sustained bullish trajectory.

“Stocks trade at a key area here,” he wrote in ongoing X analysis.

Bitcoin bulls prep $97K resistance showdown as gold dips 8% from highs
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The case for enterprise-grade custody solutions

Opinion by: Vikash Singh, Principal Investor at Stillmark

The Bybit hack resulted in the largest loss of funds to cyber hackers by a cryptocurrency exchange in history. It served as a wake-up call for those complacent about the state of security threats in the digital assets space. Everyone must learn the lesson from this heist — enterprise-grade custody solutions require tech to be accompanied by transparency.

Unlike many previous incidents, this loss of funds was not due to a faulty smart contract, lost/mismanaged keys or deliberate mismanagement or rehypothecation of user funds, but rather a sophisticated social engineering attack that exploited vulnerabilities in operational security. 

This hack differs from earlier eras because it happened to a major global exchange that takes security and compliance seriously. It’s a reminder that, in crypto, there’s no such thing as “good enough” security.

The anatomy of a heist 

A technical overview of the Bybit attack is key for understanding how companies can proactively strengthen their security against such attacks. Initially, a developer machine belonging to Safe, an asset management platform offering multisig Ethereum wallets used by Bybit, was compromised. This initial breach granted the attackers unauthorized access to Safe’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) environment, including its S3 storage bucket. 

The case for enterprise-grade custody solutions
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Bitcoin to $1M by 2029 fueled by ETF and gov’t demand — Bitwise exec

Bitcoin’s expanding institutional adoption may provide the “structural” inflows necessary to surpass gold’s market capitalization and push its price beyond $1 million by 2029, according to Bitwise’s head of European research, André Dragosch.

“Our in-house prediction is $1 million by 2029. So that Bitcoin will match gold's market cap and total addressable market by 2029,” he told Cointelegraph during the Chain Reaction daily X spaces show on April 30.

Corporations are coming for your bitcoin (feat. André Dragosch, Head of Research at Bitwise) #CHAINREACTION https://t.co/5F3cRWBHzq

— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) April 30, 2025

Gold is currently the world’s largest asset, valued at over $21.7 trillion. In comparison, Bitcoin’s market capitalization sits at $1.9 trillion, making it the seventh-largest asset globally, according to CompaniesMarketCap data.

Top 10 global assets by market capitalization. Source: CompaniesMarketCap

Related: Bitcoin treasury firms driving $200T hyperbitcoinization — Adam Back

Bitcoin to $1M by 2029 fueled by ETF and gov’t demand — Bitwise exec
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Bitcoin yield demand booming as institutions seek liquidity — Solv CEO

The demand for yield-generating strategies around Bitcoin (BTC) is surging, especially from firms seeking liquidity without liquidating their BTC, according to Ryan Chow, co-founder and CEO of Solv Protocol.

During a fireside chat at the Token2049 conference in Dubai on May 1, Chow said institutional interest in Bitcoin yield products has grown exponentially over the past few years.

Initially, generating Bitcoin yield was nearly impossible. However, recent innovations like staking via proof-of-stake (PoS) protocols and delta-neutral trading strategies have made this possible.

Layer-1 and layer-2 advancements, such as Babylon, have made these strategies more viable. Babylon allows BTC holders to earn yield on their assets, which are used to provide security and liquidity for PoS networks.

“Bitcoin as the largest asset class here, you can stake your Bitcoin to secure the network […] that makes us feel like if it is the answer to really bring utility and also use case,” he said.

Bitcoin yield demand booming as institutions seek liquidity — Solv CEO
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Ethereum to simplify crosschain transactions with new token standards

Ethereum developers are working to improve blockchain interoperability with two new token standards: ERC-7930 and ERC-7828.

“There’s no standard way for wallets, apps, or protocols to interpret or display this information,” decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem development organization Wonderland wrote in a May 1 X post. Wallets, decentralized applications (DApps), block explorers and smart contracts follow different rules.

“The result? A messy, inconsistent experience that breaks cross-chain UX,“ Wonderland stated.

Wonderland is a group of developers, researchers and data scientists focused on improving the Ethereum DeFi ecosystem. The organization partnered with multiple DeFi protocols, including Optimism, Aztec, Connext and Yearn.

Wonderland’s ERC-7828 and ERC-7930 explanation post. Source: Wonderland

In the post, the organization shared what was discussed at a recent Ethereum Foundation interoperability working group call. Teddy from Wonderland explained that the current goal is to finalize both token standards within the next two weeks. He added:

Ethereum to simplify crosschain transactions with new token standards
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21Shares files for US spot Sui ETF after European launch

Major European cryptocurrency investment firm 21Shares has filed for a spot Sui exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States, marking another step in its expansion to the US market.

21Shares on April 30 submitted the Form S-1 registration for a spot Sui (SUI) ETF to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Called the 21Shares Sui ETF, the proposed ETF will issue common shares of beneficial interest by seeking to track the performance of SUI held by 21Shares’ US subsidiary.

The US filing comes a year after 21Shares started trading the 21Shares Sui Staking exchange-traded product in Europe in July 2024, with its first listings on Euronext Paris and Euronext Amsterdam.

No ticker or planned exchange yet

The 128-page filing does not specify on which US exchange the new SUI ETF is expected to debut trading. The ETF also doesn’t have a ticker symbol yet.

21Shares files for US spot Sui ETF after European launch
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$21B tokenized RWA market doubtful, institutions uninterested — Plume CEO

Amid the intensifying global race to tokenize real-world assets, the market is still too nascent for institutional adoption, according to Chris Yin, the co-founder and CEO of Galaxy-backed RWA platform Plume.

Institutional capital is yet to enter the RWA market, and it will take some time for institutions to see its value, Yin told Cointelegraph on the sidelines of Token2049 in Dubai.

“These things move incredibly slowly, you have to show value, you have to show adoption first,” Yin said, comparing RWA’s currently developing stages with the early days of Bitcoin (BTC) and stablecoins.

“Only now, 10 years later, are they beginning to think about using the stablecoin. The same thing is going to happen in tokenized assets or tokenization,” Yin said.

Tokenized RWAs are far smaller than $21 billion

Yin questioned the accuracy of existing market estimates, which suggest the RWA sector is worth more than $21 billion.

$21B tokenized RWA market doubtful, institutions uninterested —  Plume CEO
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Google subpoena scam: What it looks like and how to avoid it

What is a Google subpoena scam?

The Google subpoena scam is a type of phishing attack where fraudsters impersonate Google to create a false sense of urgency and fear. 

Typically, you will receive an email that appears to come from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., claiming to inform you of a subpoena, a formal legal request. The email will often have a subject line like “Security Alert” or “Notice of Subpoena,” making it seem urgent and legitimate. These scammers prey on your natural concern about legal matters and data privacy, hoping to trigger a reaction.

Inside the email, the scammers falsely claim that Google has been served with a subpoena requiring the company to turn over your account data, such as emails, documents or search history. The email will then urge you to click on a link to view your “case materials.” This link typically leads to a fraudulent website, often hosted on Google Sites, which is designed to look like a genuine Google support page. This added layer of legitimacy can easily trick users into believing the request is real.

The most concerning part of this scam is that attackers are skilled at spoofing Google’s email addresses and mimicking the company’s official content. By doing so, they can bypass common security checks, such as DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), which normally verifies the authenticity of an email. With this approach, the scam appears convincingly legitimate, making it easy for unsuspecting users to act impulsively — potentially exposing sensitive data or inadvertently installing malware.

Google subpoena scam: What it looks like and how to avoid it
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Morgan Stanley eyes crypto rollout for E*Trade platform: Bloomberg

Banking giant Morgan Stanley reportedly plans to list cryptocurrencies on its E*Trade investment brokerage and trading platform.

According to a May 1 Bloomberg report, the firm intends to list crypto assets on E*Trade in 2026. The plan is still in early development, and the bank is said to be exploring partnerships with established crypto firms to power the service. Internal discussions about cryptocurrency support reportedly began in late 2024.

E*Trade homepage. Source: E*Trade

This would not be Morgan Stanley’s first exposure to digital assets. The bank’s wealthiest clients have had access to crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and futures for some time, with the firm’s advisers allowed to pitch Bitcoin ETFs since August 2024.

Related: Morgan Stanley to explore crypto offerings for clients — CEO

Regulatory tailwinds push crypto forward

The news follows previous reports that Morgan Stanley was considering adding cryptocurrency trading to its E*Trade online brokerage platform in early January. The reports at the time cited the expectations of a friendlier crypto regulatory environment.

Morgan Stanley eyes crypto rollout for E*Trade platform: Bloomberg
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Bitcoin price about to ‘blast’ higher as Fed rate cut odds jump to 60%

Key takeaways:

Bitcoin holds $95,000 as Fed rate cut odds rise to 60% for June 18 and the US economy slumps.

Breaking $95,000 could push BTC’s price toward $100,000, while dropping below $93,000 may bring the $84,000 back into the picture.

Key Bitcoin levels to watch remain around the long-term holders’ cost basis.

Bitcoin (BTC) is once again attempting to break above $95,000 on May 1 as markets price in the possibility of the US Federal Reserve cutting rates sooner than expected.

Bitcoin price about to ‘blast’ higher as Fed rate cut odds jump to 60%
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MultiBank, MAG, Mavryk ink world’s largest $3B RWA tokenization deal

MultiBank Group, the world’s largest financial derivatives institution based in Dubai, has signed a landmark $3 billion real-world asset (RWA) tokenization agreement with United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based real estate giant MAG and blockchain infrastructure provider Mavryk.

The deal represents the largest RWA tokenization initiative globally to date and highlights the upcoming launch of MultiBank’s native utility token, MBG, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph.

The partnership will bring MAG’s ultra-luxury real estate projects — including The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Dubai, Creekside and the Keturah Reserve — onto the blockchain via MultiBank.io’s regulated RWA marketplace.

Once tokenized, these assets will be available to global investors and will generate daily yield for holders directly on the platform.

“$3B worth of MAG’s real estate will be tokenized as individual RWA tokens on MultiBank’s platform, each represented on the Mavryk blockchain, as the underlying layer-1 infrastructure,” Talal Moafaq Al Gaddah, senior executive vice chairman of MAG, told Cointelegraph.

MultiBank, MAG, Mavryk ink world’s largest $3B RWA tokenization deal
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Eric Trump: USD1 will be used for $2B MGX investment in Binance

Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX will use a stablecoin linked to US President Donald Trump’s family to settle a $2 billion investment in Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.

The World Liberty Financial USD (USD1) US dollar-pegged stablecoin was launched by the Trump-associated crypto platform World Liberty Financial (WLFI) in March 2025.

MGX will use the USD1 stablecoin for its $2 billion investment in the Binance exchange, according to an announcement by Eric Trump during a panel discussion at Token2049 in Dubai. Trump, the son of the president, serves as executive vice president of the Trump Organization.

Source: Cointelegraph

MGX announced its investment in Binance on March 12, marking the first institutional investment in the exchange and one of the biggest funding deals in the entire Web3 industry.

At the time, Binance declined Cointelegraph’s request to disclose what stablecoin was used in the transaction.  

Eric Trump: USD1 will be used for $2B MGX investment in Binance
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MEXC launches $300M Web3 fund, commits to ‘strategic investment’

Crypto exchange MEXC has announced a $300 million ecosystem development fund aimed at supporting Web3 projects over the next five years.

The initiative, unveiled at Token2049 in Dubai, is designed to support early-stage blockchain technologies, public chains, wallets, and decentralized tools critical to shaping the future of crypto infrastructure, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph.

Selection criteria for projects looking to participate in the initiative will be announced soon.

“We are committed to strategic investment, focusing not just on exciting ideas and talented developers, but on initiatives with clear long-term potential,” MEXC chief operating officer Tracy Jin said.

She added that the priority is to back projects capable of achieving AAA status within three to five years.

MEXC launches $300M Web3 fund, commits to ‘strategic investment’
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