Everything web3, crypto, defi, degen
In brief World Liberty Financial is an Ethereum-based DeFi project co-founded by U.S. President Donald Trump and his sons. The platform, which aims to “keep the dollar digital” and provide “loans for institutions and everyday users,” has launched a stablecoin called USD1. The Trump family’s involvement in World Liberty Financial and other crypto projects has…
By Arjun Sethi, Kraken co-CEO The illusion of liquidity It happened in September 2019 when overnight repo rates spiked to 10%. It happened in March 2020 when Treasury markets seized and the world’s benchmark “risk free” asset had no bid. It happened again in March 2023 when regional banks failed and the Fed had to…
In brief Circuit breakers prevent panic selling on Wall Street, but some experts feel they are impractical, and potentially dangerous, in decentralized finance. DeFi protocols will always be open, even if “front ends” implement restrictions, Amanda Tuminelli of the DeFi Education Fund said. They could cause price dislocations to become worse, Gregory Xethalis of Multicoin…
In brief Stablecoin behemoth Tether donated $250,000 to OpenSats this week, prompting Jack Dorsey to criticize the amount of the gift. Dorsey highlighted his own $21 million donation and drew mixed reactions from the Bitcoin community. Udi Wertheimer later called out Dorsey over his investment in Ocean, a Bitcoin mining pool that has attracted controversy.…
In brief Stripe’s blockchain project Tempo has reportedly raised $500 million at a $5 billion valuation, in a Series A round co-led by Greenoaks and Thrive Capital. Tempo also hired Dankrad Feist, a leading Ethereum Foundation researcher, sparking debate across the crypto community. While Vitalik Buterin supported Feist’s move, others criticized it as a blow…
In brief MrBeast filed a trademark for MrBeast Financial, a planned app offering crypto exchange, payment processing, banking, and insurance services. The YouTuber would need FinCEN registration, state money transmitter licenses, and SEC/CFTC approval to launch such a platform—none filed yet. This joins 52 trademarks owned by his company, though not all have become actual…
In brief Experts believe that some crypto traders are selling as they are following the classic four-year cycle rulebook. Historically, Bitcoin has followed a four-year cycle (with altcoins following suit), and believers are fearful a crash is looming. However, many analysts believe that the classic four-year cycle will be broken due to institutional adoption and…
In brief Market makers Wintermute and LO:TECH momentarily stopped trading amid last week’s $19 billion liquidation cascade. The pause came because their predefined trading rules were broken and they were forced to regroup, the market makers said. Wintermute told Decrypt that if the firm can “make markets in a safe, delta neutral way,” it will—but…
In brief OpenSea will launch SEA in Q1 2026 after unveiling token plans this February. The marketplace has set aside 50% of the total supply for users, both new and old. Trading volume on the platform has jumped to more than $2.6 billion this month, mostly from fungible tokens—not NFTs. OpenSea’s highly anticipated SEA token…
In brief Mt. Gox’s 2011 hack caused Bitcoin’s worst crash ever, plummeting 99.9% after hackers dumped stolen BTC for pennies. Major crashes stemmed from China bans, COVID-19 panic, and crypto platform collapses like Celsius and FTX. Trump’s October 2025 China tariff threat triggered a 13% drop and $19 billion in liquidated positions—but didn’t make the…
