Decentral Block Post

Kazakhstan has the potential to become a leading crypto hub in Central Asia if regulatory restrictions are eased, according to Kanysh Tuleushin, the country’s first vice minister of digital development, innovation and aerospace industry.

In a recent op-ed for the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda newspaper, Tuleushin said digital mining and smart policy shifts could position Kazakhstan as a regional leader in blockchain innovation.

“If all restrictions were lifted and digital asset trading was allowed across Kazakhstan, the impact could be significant,” he wrote.  

“Kazakhstan might become Central Asia’s crypto hub,” Tuleushin added, suggesting that broader legalization and taxation could add hundreds of billions of the country’s tenge currency to the national budget.

He called for nationwide crypto rules, transparent exchanges and legal crypto ATMs.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has pushed back its decision on a proposed spot Solana exchange-traded fund (ETF), with the cryptocurrency industry now looking to the deadlines for the Polkadot and XRP-based ETFs in June.

The SEC pushed its decision on listing Grayscale’s spot Solana (SOL) Trust ETF on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to October 2025, according to a May 13 filing by the securities regulator.

The decision came the week after the SEC delayed its ruling on Canary Capital’s Litecoin (LTC) ETF, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst James Seyffart wrote in a May 5 X post.

Spot ETFs are viewed as key drivers of liquidity and institutional adoption for digital assets. For Bitcoin (BTC), the US spot Bitcoin ETFs accounted for an estimated 75% of new investment after launching, which helped BTC recapture the $50,000 mark in February 2024, a month after the ETFs debuted for trading.

While a Solana ETF may generate only a fraction of the inflows of Bitcoin ETFs, it could increase Solana’s institutional adoption in the long term by offering investors a “regulated investment vehicle” that may still attract billions of dollars in capital, Ryan Lee, chief analyst at Bitget Research, told Cointelegraph.

High-net-worth clients across Asia are gradually pivoting away from US dollar-based investments, favoring gold, cryptocurrencies and Chinese assets instead, according to financial services giant UBS Group.

“Gold is getting very popular,” Amy Lo, the Swiss bank’s co-head of wealth management for Asia, said during Bloomberg’s New Voices event held in Hong Kong on May 13.

She cited rising geopolitical uncertainty and persistent market volatility as primary factors behind the shift. Investors, traditionally concentrated in US-centric assets, are now seeking broader exposure across alternative asset classes, including crypto, commodities and other currencies.

Lo said “volatility is definitely here to stay,” prompting clients to rebalance toward perceived safe havens and growth opportunities in new regions.

China, after years of muted interest, is also regaining traction among the ultra-wealthy. Lo noted that clients who previously avoided exposure to China are now proactively asking about investment opportunities.

Key points:

Bitcoin miners have stopped selling their BTC in what may signal the end of a lengthy distribution streak.

Over the past month, miner wallet balances have increased by around 2,700 BTC.

Hash Ribbons data shows good times continuing for both miners and BTC price strength.

Bitcoin (BTC) accumulation by miners is back as network participants swap selling for hodling at $75,000 lows.

Global bank Standard Chartered has beefed up its banking support to the cryptocurrency industry by inking a new partnership with the crypto prime broker FalconX.

Standard Chartered will provide a comprehensive suite of banking services to FalconX’s global institutional clients following the strategic partnership announced on May 14.

As part of the collaboration, FalconX will initially integrate Standard Chartered’s banking infrastructure and access to a range of diverse currency pairs for its institutional clients.

The partnership ultimately aims to include a broader range of offerings and mutual opportunities, the announcement noted.

Crypto support beyond banking

The partnership is expected to “expand beyond banking” into additional products and services designed to meet evolving crypto demand from both FalconX and Standard Chartered’s institutional clients.

Former US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler may not have been as hostile to crypto behind closed doors as he appeared to be in public, according to former US Representative Patrick McHenry.

In a May 13 appearance on the Crypto in America podcast, McHenry revealed that during private meetings with Gensler, the former regulator expressed a far more nuanced view of digital assets.

“Did he come across, or was he as anti-crypto in private as he did in public?” McHenry was asked. His response: “No… Nope.”

McHenry noted that Gensler “saw the value of digital assets” and acknowledged the potential of blockchain technology during his time at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Gerald Gallagher, general counsel at Sei Labs, also noted that Gensler played a role in developing the concept of the airdrop during his academic work, calling it a largely forgotten chapter in his background.

Decentralized settlement protocol Kima has integrated into Mastercard’s sandbox program, enabling stablecoin-powered top-ups for prepaid cards directly from self-custody wallets.

According to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, Mastercard partners can now rely on Kima’s settlement infrastructure to enable their prepaid cards to be topped up with stablecoins, including USDC (USDC) and Tether’s USDt (USDT), from self-custody wallets across more than 10 blockchains.

Kima CEO Eitan Katz said the integration shows that stablecoins can be practical for everyday use, removing friction and intermediaries from crypto-to-fiat conversions while expanding crypto usability.

“Our goal at Kima is to eliminate barriers between digital assets and traditional finance,” Katz said.

Related: Mastercard tokenized 30% of its transactions in 2024

World Network, the digital identity and crypto project of Sam Altman’s OpenAI, has alarmed privacy activists ahead of its United States launch, with observers concerned over its data collection and protection practices.

World “is the opposite of privacy. It’s a trap,” said Nick Almond, CEO of FactoryDAO, on X. While the project claims to protect user privacy in the age of proliferating AI, it’s faced a slew of regulatory concerns across the globe.

Formerly known as “Worldcoin,” the iris-scanning technology and its crypto token payout scheme are being probed by authorities in India, South Korea, Italy, Colombia, Argentina, Portugal, Kenya and Indonesia. In Spain, Hong Kong and Brazil, it’s outright banned.

World’s latest foray into the US could prove to be CEO Sam Altman’s biggest challenge yet, where privacy concerns are heightened by a patchwork of enforcement that differs state by state.

Varying privacy laws could leave World users open to discrimination

On April 30, Altman announced that World would set up in “key innovation hubs” in five states in the US: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and San Francisco. Would-be verified humans can scan their irises at these hubs, giving World unique biomedical markers. 

Crypto venture capital deals in the first quarter of 2025 saw deal values jump even as the number of deals sank from the same quarter a year ago, says PitchBook.

The venture research firm said in its May 14 Crypto VC Trends report for Q1 that 405 deals were made in the quarter, down 39.5% from the 670 deals made in Q1 2024, but slightly up from the 372 made in Q4 last year.

However, the total value of deals in Q1 more than doubled from a year ago, jumping to $6 billion compared to $2.6 billion in the first quarter of 2024 and doubling from $3 billion in Q4 2024.

PitchBook's senior crypto research analyst Robert Le said that despite macroeconomic turmoil over the quarter, “capital continued to seek crypto’s core utility rails.”

VCs poured nearly $2.55 billion across 16 deals into businesses like crypto asset managers, exchanges, and financial services at a rate that far surpassed any other segment.

Once a go-to swapper for hackers and drainers, eXch was shut down by German police in April — but continued activity suggests the story isn’t over.

Without Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, eXch wasn’t your typical crypto exchange. It acted more like an instant swapper, allowing bad actors and cybercriminals to fly under the radar for years.

Among its clients was the Lazarus Group. The North Korean state-backed hacking unit thrust eXch into the spotlight back in February, when it used the platform to funnel some of the $1.4 billion it stole from Bybit. When Bybit traced its stolen funds to eXch, it requested assistance — but the platform refused.

This led to a fierce discussion over privacy versus security, but ultimately, eXch announced it would close its doors on April 17; on April 30, German authorities made it official.

But according to security firm TRM Labs, the platform may have continued operating in stealth mode after the takedown. Here’s the rise, fall and afterlife of alleged crypto laundromat eXch.

Two former executives of the bankrupt crypto lending service Cred have pleaded guilty to wire fraud connected to the company’s collapse.

Former Cred CEO Daniel Schatt and chief financial officer Joseph Podulka admitted to wire fraud as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, according to a May 13 text filing in a California District Court.

District Judge William Alsup accepted the plea deals and set a sentencing hearing for Aug. 26. Wire fraud can carry up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for individuals and $500,00 for businesses.

Law360 reported that as part of the plea agreement, Schatt and Podulka admitted to selectively presenting positive “information [while] failing to disclose negative news” as part of a plan to “induce customers to lend their US currency and digital currencies to Cred.”

Federal prosecutors have reportedly submitted a possible sentence range of up to 72 months for Schatt and up to 62 months for Podulka. Schatt and Podulka were facing 13 charges of wire fraud and money laundering.

Bitcoin-buying medical device firm Semler Scientific has seen its share price drop after the bell as its first-quarter revenues fell and losses deepened from the year-ago quarter.

In its Q1 earnings report released May 13, Semler reported its total revenues fell 44% from the year-ago quarter to $8.8 million, with its net losses hitting $64.7 million compared to a net income of $6.1 million in the first quarter of 2024.

Shares in Semler Scientific (SMLR) closed the May 13 trading session up over 5% but fell 1.91% to $36 after the bell with its earnings announcement, according to Google Finance. Semler’s stock is down over 32% so far this year.

The company said it purchased 894 Bitcoin (BTC) over Q1 and held 3,192 BTC at a fair value of $263.5 million at the end of the quarter, which reflected a cumulative decrease of $16.9 million.

Semler added that between the end of Q1 and May 12, it purchased 616 BTC for a total cost of $59.6 million, increasing its holdings to 3,808 BTC at a fair value of $387.9 million at a purchase cost of $340 million.

Thailand’s Ministry of Finance reportedly plans to issue $150 million worth of digital investment tokens, allowing retail investors to buy government bonds.

The Bangkok Post reported on May 13 that Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira announced the initiative at a briefing after the cabinet endorsed the plan. He added that the tokens will be launched within the next two months.

The so-called “G-tokens” will be used to raise funds from the public under the current budget borrowing plan, said Patchara Anuntasilpa, director-general of the Public Debt Management Office. He added that these were not debt instruments.

“One big selling point of the token is that it allows more retail investors to become part of the digital economy,” he said, adding that for as little as $3, “they can invest in government bonds.” 

Until recently, retail investors have been limited or excluded from large investment product offerings in Thailand, which are predominantly aimed at institutional and wealthy investors.

Crypto and stock trading platform eToro has boosted the size of its initial public offering to $620 million by pricing its shares above its previously suggested range.

The platform and its backers sold over 11.92 million shares for $52 each, which are slated to start trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on May 14 under the ticker symbol ETOR, eToro said in a May 13 press release.

Initially, the firm aimed to raise $500 million by offering 10 million shares priced between $46 to $50 each.

The share offering will remain open until at least May 15 and consists of more than 5.9 million shares sold by eToro and 5.9 million shares sold by specific existing shareholders.

The Israel-based eToro will go public as a rival to Robinhood Markets Inc. (HOOD), which went public in July 2021 and whose shares are up over 67% year to date, according to Google Finance. 

A Colorado-incorporated firm has been linked to a Chinese illicit marketplace that has served scammers in Southeast Asia and has been used to channel billions of dollars worth of crypto.

The marketplace, called Xinbi Guarantee, has received $8.4 billion, primarily in Tether (USDT) stablecoin transactions to date, blockchain security firm Elliptic reported on May 13. 

Merchants on the Chinese-language, Telegram-based illicit marketplace sell technology, personal data, and money laundering services to Southeast Asian scammers who target victims using pig butchering scams. 

On its website, Xinbi describes itself as an “investment and capital guarantee group company” and claims to operate through Xinbi Co. Ltd, a Colorado-incorporated company incorporated in 2022. 

“In January 2025, the corporation was updated to ‘Delinquent’ for failing to file a periodic report,” Elliptic reported.

Disclaimer: This article contains a video that may be disturbing for some readers.

A brazen attempt to kidnap the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, the co-founder and CEO of French crypto exchange Paymium, was foiled after the daughter and passersby reportedly fought off the kidnappers.

Three masked men attacked Noizat’s daughter and a male partner on May 13 while she was walking with her son in Paris’ 11th district. The assailants tried to force Noizat’s daughter and her son into a waiting van, the French state-owned media outlet France24 reported on May 13.

The accompanying male partner was assaulted when he tried to intervene, but Noizat’s daughter resisted and managed to take one of the guns off an assailant in a scuffle and throw it away, police said.

En plein Paris, un homme a été violenté par des individus cagoulés, habillés tout en noir. Ils tentaient de l'enlever. Un homme a surgi, extincteur à la main, pour les faire fuir. →https://t.co/P0qV6PR40v pic.twitter.com/9f4r2Gi7ho

Stablecoin issuer Tether bought $458.7 million worth of Bitcoin for Twenty One Capital, a Bitcoin investment firm it backed that’s awaiting the completion of a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) merger with Cantor Equity Partners.

Tether snapped up 4,812.2 Bitcoin (BTC) at $95,319 each and transferred it to an escrow wallet on May 9, Cantor Equity Partners disclosed in a May 13 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

It brings Twenty One’s total Bitcoin holdings to 36,312 BTC, as Cantor Equity Partners holds 31,500 BTC on behalf of the firm, which will trade under the ticker XXI once the SPAC merger is complete.

Twenty One’s CEO, Jack Mallers, said on May 13 that they’re already in the approval process of the merger, but didn’t give an exact estimate on when the transaction would be complete.

Twenty One is already the third largest corporate Bitcoin holder, trailing only Strategy and Bitcoin mining firm MARA Holdings at 568,840 Bitcoin and 48,237 Bitcoin, respectively, BitcoinTreasuries.net data shows.

Key Takeaways:

Bitcoin price holds above $100,000, driven by "risk-on" sentiment after the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) dropped to 20.

The Bitcoin Bull Score Index surged to 80, and the Fear & Greed Index suggests growing optimism, with historical patterns indicating potential for further price gains.

Bitcoin (BTC) price continues to consolidate higher above $100,000 after the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) dropped to its 30-year average of 20, down from a peak of 60 earlier in 2025. This decline follows a US-China trade deal on May 12, which introduced a 90-day tariff pause and a 115% reduction on both sides.

The agreement has fueled a "risk-on" sentiment, boosting Bitcoin and equities as investors lean into higher-risk assets, according to Bitcoin network economist Timothy Peterson. The analyst said, 

Two US senators are calling on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “exercise [the department’s] authority” and change a provision affecting taxes on corporate holdings of digital assets.

In a May 12 letter, Senators Cynthia Lummis and Bernie Moreno suggested Bessent had the authority to change the definition of “adjusted financial statement income” under existing US law in a way that could reduce what digital asset companies pay in taxes. The proposed adjustment was suggested as a way to modify a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in 2022.

“Our edge in digital finance is at risk if US companies are taxed more than foreign competitors,” said Lummis in a May 13 X post.

According to the two senators, the proposed modification would provide “relief to corporations that invest in digital assets.” Lummis has been one of the most outspoken digital asset advocates in Congress, while Moreno took office in January after crypto-backed political action committees spent roughly $40 million to support his 2024 Senate race.

Related: Arizona governor kills two crypto bills, cracks down on Bitcoin ATMs