Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

PayPal makes Venmo a standalone business unit as potential buyers circle

Enrique Lores, then-CEO of Hewlett-Packard speaks on CNBC outside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 22, 2025.　　CEO Enrique Lores has this week told managers that he is reorganizing the firm‘s reporting lines to separate Venmo, the popular mobile payments app, from the company’s other operations, CNBC has learned exclusively.　　Venmo will soon be its own standalone segment within PayPal, making it easier to track its progress or potentially sell the business to another company, said people with knowledge of the changes.　　PayPal is looking to recruit a digital banking executive to run the new Venmo segment, said the people, who werent authorized to speak publicly.　　The other two segments will be a PayPal-branded business for merchants and consumers and a payment services unit that includes its Braintree unit and crypto operations, the people said.　　Lores, who spent six years as CEO of computer maker HP before stepping in as PayPal CEO in March, is betting that a sharper corporate structure can reignite growth at a company that has lost ground to , and Stripe in the battle over e-commerce transactions. Lores replaced Alex Chriss, a former Intuit executive who struggled to revive a stock that had fallen roughly 80% from its

04-30Industry

Fed Rates Hold as Crypto Watches Powell

The Federal Reserve held Fed rates unchanged at 3.50 to 3.75% on April 29, the third consecutive pause of 2026, as Bitcoin and crypto markets focused entirely on Chair Jerome Powells 2:30 PM press conference, which marked his final FOMC appearance before his term ends on May 15.The hold was priced at 99 to 100% certainty by CME FedWatch before the meeting, making Powells language on inflation and the transition to incoming chair Kevin Warsh the only real market variable.Bitcoin has fallen after 8 of the last 9 FOMC meetings, and entered April 29 trading near $77,000 after a 21% rally, a setup that historically produces post-meeting selling pressure.No updated Summary of Economic Projections was released at this meeting, making Powells press conference tone the sole input for how markets price the path to any 2026 rate cuts.　　Fed rates stayed at 3.50 to 3.75% on April 29 as the Federal Reserve confirmed its third consecutive hold of 2026, a decision the market had already priced with near-perfect certainty. With no new dot plot or economic projections released at this meeting, all attention fell on what Powell would say about inflation, geopolitical uncertainty from the Iran conflict, and the monetary policy

04-30Industry

White House Weighs Plan to Bypass AI Restrictions Tied to Anthropic

White House drafts plan to bypass Anthropic risk flag for AI onboarding.Pentagon tensions persist despite signals of easing ties with Anthropic.Lawmakers push AI rules targeting child safety and oversight of OpenAI.　　The White House is weighing draft guidance that could allow federal agencies to move forward with onboarding new artificial intelligence systems despite an existing supply-chain risk designation tied to Anthropic.　　The proposal, still under consideration, would create a pathway for agencies to bypass the restriction and adopt models such as Mythos, Anthropics latest release. The move points to a possible shift in how the administration manages its relationship with the AI developer, following months of tension linked to defense-related concerns.　　Draft Guidance Targets Onboarding Flexibility　　According to reports, the draft executive action could provide a mechanism to de-escalate the dispute between federal authorities and Anthropic. While details remain limited, the reported approach would enable agencies to proceed with integrating advanced AI tools without being blocked by prior risk classifications.　　Anthropic declined to comment on the development, while the White House did not immediately respond to requests for clarification. However, the reported proposal comes shortly after Anthropic introduced Mythos, described as its most advanced AI system to date. Experts cited in the report noted that

04-30Industry

VerifyVASP acquires Sygna, consolidating the global Travel Rule network

SINGAPORE, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — VerifyVASP, a leading Travel Rule solution provider, today announced the acquisition of Sygna, a prominent Japan-based provider.　　This transaction represents a major step in VerifyVASPs global expansion strategy, further establishing the company as a core compliance infrastructure provider for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) across key international markets.　　Consolidating the Travel Rule Ecosystem　　The acquisition marks a defining moment in the evolution of the global Travel Rule landscape. By integrating Sygna into its network, VerifyVASP is advancing the consolidation of a fragmented market into a unified, interoperable compliance network aligned with national regulations, Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards, and global data protection requirements.　　At the centre of this strategy is VerifyVASPs Verified Network, a global compliance infrastructure designed to enable secure, real-time, and standardised data exchange between VASPs. With the addition of Sygna, this network achieves unmatched scale, depth, and geographic reach, further strengthening its network effects and regulatory compliance.　　Existing members of Sygna will continue to operate without disruption and will be progressively onboarded onto the Verified Network, tailored to local regulatory requirements. This transition will expand connectivity across key markets and significantly enhance interoperability.　　At the same time, VerifyVASPs existing members will gain access to an expanded

04-30Industry

IOTA Rolls Out Starfish Consensus on Mainnet, Targets Global Trade

IOTA has officially deployed its Starfish consensus mechanism on the mainnet, marking a major milestone in the network‘s evolution. Designed to enhance reliability under real-world conditions, Starfish strengthens IOTA’s position as a production-grade infrastructure for global trade systems. This upgrade ensures the network remains functional even during disruptions, a critical feature for enterprise and government use cases.　　The new consensus mechanism builds on IOTAs earlier Mysticeti protocol, addressing its limitations under adverse conditions. Starfish introduces a leaderless, Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) system that allows the network to progress even when some validators are disconnected or delayed. Unlike traditional blockchain structures, which may grind to a halt under such circumstances, Starfish enables lagging nodes to rejoin without disrupting the broader system.　　Why It Matters for Global Trade　　Global trade systems demand resilient infrastructure capable of operating across jurisdictions, regulatory environments, and varying network conditions. IOTAs Starfish protocol is particularly well-suited for these challenges. It powers the Trade Worldwide Information Network (TWIN), an IOTA-backed public infrastructure that supports cross-border trade documentation such as bills of lading and compliance records. By ensuring continuous uptime and consistent transaction ordering, Starfish provides the reliability required for such high-stakes applications.　　The rollout follows earlier testnet deployments and coincides with IOTAs

04-30Industry

Hong Kong flags counterfeit stablecoins tied to licensed issuers

Hong Kong regulators have warned investors about counterfeit stablecoins circulating under the names of newly approved issuers, even as the city prepares for its first regulated launches.Hong Kong Monetary Authority warns of fake “HSBC” and “HKDAP” tokens, with HSBC and Anchorpoint Financial confirming no regulated stablecoins have been issued.HSBC and Anchorpoint reiterate that official launches are yet to begin, urging users to rely on verified channels amid rising scam activity.Hong Kongs new licensing regime imposes strict reserve, AML, and governance rules, with enforcement powers including fines, suspensions, and license revocations.　　Scammers have begun promoting fake tokens linked to HSBC and Anchorpoint Financial, the two firms recently granted stablecoin licenses in the region. The activity comes before either company has released an official product.　　The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), along with both firms, issued alerts on Tuesday after tokens using the tickers “HKDAP” and “HSBC” appeared in the market without authorization.　　“As of this moment, both licensed stablecoin issuers have confirmed that they have not issued any regulated stablecoins in the market,” the HKMA said.　　Hong Kong rolled out its stablecoin licensing framework in August 2025, with the first approvals granted last month. HSBC and Anchorpoint Financial were selected as the initial participants under

04-30Industry

Pump.fun Burns $370M in PUMP Tokens to Fight Slumping Prices Amid Major Unlock

The volatile nature of memecoins and their infrastructure has been on display lately with some big financial moves. The Solana-based project, Pump.fun has changed the world of creating tokens and, sometimes, has caused division among the different users. Recently, Pump.fun announced that they will be burning $370 million worth of their native PUMP token.　　It is estimated that this accounts for around 36% of the current circulating supply and is believed to be an attempt to stabilize a project that has had difficulty with price discovery since the beginning. However, there is a major unlock event occurring this week that could cause negative momentum to build regarding this major deflationary event.　　Inside the $370M Burn and Future Revenue Plans　　In cryptocurrency, a token burn is a common method where a project takes a significant percentage of its total supply and sends it to a “dead” wallet, making those tokens permanently unusable. By reducing the amount of available supply by more than one-third, the intention of Pump.fun is to benefit the remaining holders.　　Nonetheless, this team plans on continuing with an ongoing commitment and has stated that 50% of their future Platform Revenue will be allocated to repurchase PUMP Tokens and burn them. As of

04-30Industry

Stable Sea Taps WisdomTree to Bring Tokenized Treasury Yield to Business Operating Cash

The collaboration lets non-crypto-native finance teams sweep idle dollars into WisdomTrees WTGXX alongside their stablecoin payments, with daily dividend accrual and 24/7 liquidity.　　Stable Sea on Wednesday announced a strategic partnership with WisdomTree to embed access to the asset managers tokenized funds inside its business treasury platform, opening a new distribution channel for onchain dollar yield beyond crypto-native users.　　The integration begins with the WisdomTree Treasury Money Market Digital Fund (WTGXX), which currently holds about $855 million in tokenized U.S. Treasuries and ranks as the sixth-largest tokenized money market fund tracked by RWAxyz. Eligible Stable Sea Terminal users can establish a limited-scope broker-dealer relationship with WisdomTree Securities to route orders into select WisdomTree tokenized funds directly from the Stable Sea interface.　　For users, that means daily dividend accrual, continuous yield allocation based on intra-day holdings, and daily liquidity through WTGXX, plus the option to set rules that automatically sweep idle balances into the fund and unwind back to stablecoins when liquidity is needed.　　“US businesses collectively hold more than $5 trillion in cash and cash equivalent accounts that earn minimal to no interest,” said Tanner Taddeo, CEO and co-founder of Stable Sea. “This collaboration with WisdomTree brings institutional-grade cash management and 24/7/365 yield exposure

04-30Industry

Consensus Miami 2026: Wall Street SOL Sponsors

Tech　　Consensus Miami 2026: Wall Street SOL Sponsors　　Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan like Wall Street giants are now appearing not just as speakers but as sponsors at crypto conferences; this signals a profound transformation in the sector. The Consensus Miami 2026 event is scheduled for May 5-7 to map the intersection of traditional finance and digital assets. CFTC Chairman Michael Selig, Senator Ashley Moody, and White House official Patrick Witt are attending for the first time, while Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan are among the sponsors. The conference expects over 15,000 participants; institutional participation rate has risen to about 35%, representing a total of 10 trillion dollars in assets under management.　　Keynote Speakers Highlighted at Consensus Miami 2026　　Keynote speakers include Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko, who is critical for SOL detailed analysis, MicroStrategys Michael Saylor, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, and Bullish CEO Tom Farley. On the institutional side, names like Jed Finn and Amy Oldenburg from Morgan Stanley, Michael Blaugrund from ICE, Tal Cohen from Nasdaq, and top executives from Charles Schwab, Franklin Templeton, JPMorgan, and Citi will be on stage. In addition to former sponsors like Fidelity, Mastercard, and Bridge by Stripe, fintech representatives Robinhood and MoneyGram are also on the list.Solana (SOL) effect:

04-30Industry

Securitize, Computershare open path for $70 trillion in U.S. stocks to move onchain

BlackRock-backed Securitize and Computershare are bringing parts of the $70 trillion U.S. stock market onchain via tokenized equities, in a move that pushes traditional Wall Street infrastructure closer to blockchain rails.　　The agreement allows listed firms to add tokenized equity – called Issuer-Sponsored Tokens (ISTs) – alongside existing shares, giving investors the option to hold stock through traditional systems or in a digital wallet.　　The effort is part of a broader push to make tokenized shares work within current market rules while offering new ways to hold and move assets, from wallet-based ownership to faster settlement. Transfer agents like Computershare sit at the center of that system, maintaining shareholder records and handling corporate actions.　　By integrating at that layer, the companies aim to avoid a common crypto workaround, in which tokens represent claims on shares rather than the shares themselves.　　Securitize is a blockchain-based firm that enables real-world assets, such as equities and funds, to be issued, traded, and managed in tokenized form on blockchain networks. The firm is best known for issuing asset management giant BlackRocks $2.5 billion tokenized money market fund and for helping the New York Stock Exchange build its tokenized equity platform. It also aims to go public later this

04-30Industry

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