Nikhilesh De

Nikhilesh De is CoinDesk's managing editor for global policy and regulation, covering regulators, lawmakers and institutions. He owns < $50 in BTC and < $20 in ETH. He won a Gerald Loeb award in the beat reporting category as part of CoinDesk's blockbuster FTX coverage in 2023, and was named the Association of Cryptocurrency Journalists and Researchers' Journalist of the Year in 2020.

Nikhilesh De

Latest from Nikhilesh De


Policy

The Federal Reserve Is Experimenting With a Digital Dollar

The Federal Reserve is actively investigating the potential impact of a digital dollar, though it has no plans to issue one anytime soon.

Federal Reserve Board Governor Lael Brainard

Policy

US Prosecutors Seize Bitcoin Allegedly Tied to Al Qaeda, ISIS, Hamas

The U.S. Department of Justice is trying to seize bitcoin from 155 addresses it alleges were used by Al Qaeda to fund terrorism.

(Shutterstock)

Policy

Following OCC Letter, Some US Banks Appear Open to Providing Crypto Services

Nationally regulated banks want the OCC to clarify just how and when they can provide cryptocurrency services, hinting traditional financial institutions are paying close attention to the space.

National banks are looking for more clarity around crypto, they told a federal regulator last week. (Steven Bornholtz/Wikimedia Commons, modified with PhotoMosh)

Finance

Social Engineering: A Plague on Crypto and Twitter, Unlikely to Stop

The SIM swapping community entered the spotlight after helping the Twitter hacker breach the social media platform, but these threat actors have been going after the crypto community for years.

Joseph O’Conner was accused of participating in a Twitter cryptocurrency scam.

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Policy

US Lawmakers Don't Want Proof-of-Stake Networks to Get Overtaxed

Four U.S. congressmen have asked the IRS to clarify how block rewards from proof-of-stake networks are taxed, to prevent taxpayers from owing more than they should.

Rep. David Schweikert of Arizona and other members of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus are asking the IRS to ensure “tax policy does not indirectly dissuade U.S. taxpayers from participating” in crypto staking networks. (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)

Policy

CFTC Chair: 'A Large Part' of Financial System Could End Up in Blockchain Format

Perfection shouldn’t be the enemy of good when it comes to regulating the cryptocurrency space, said Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Heath Tarbert.

YEAR ONE: In his first year CFTC Chairman Heath Tarbert declared ether a commodity, allowed ether-based futures products to enter the market and approved actual delivery guidance. (CoinDesk archives)

Policy

Banks Won't Rush to Hold Crypto – But OCC's Regulatory Approval Makes It Harder to Ignore

Regulatory approval doesn't mean banks are about to begin providing crypto custody, but it is accelerating a conversation about financial institutions safeguarding bitcoin.

OCC

Markets

Twitter Hackers Saw DMs From 36 Accounts, Including CoinDesk's

The attackers who compromised Twitter in a massive breach last week might have accessed direct messages from up to 36 accounts, including CoinDesk's.

The attackers were managed to access direct messages from 36 accounts, including CoinDesk's. (Ravi Sharma/Unsplash)

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Policy

Senate Hearing Sees Digital Dollar as a Tool for Economic Supremacy

The digital dollar again appeared during a Senate hearing. However, it wasn't the focus of the hearing but just another tool that can be used to maintain U.S. hegemony.

Senator Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee ecnomic subcommittee, said U.S. dollar supremacy helps it maintain its sanctions regime while asking about the potential benefits of a digital dollar. (Michael Vadon/Flickr)

Policy

Banks in US Can Now Offer Crypto Custody Services, Regulator Says

U.S. regulators have cleared the way for national banks to provide cryptocurrency custody services on behalf of customers.

Bank vault (State Library of New South Wales, modified by CoinDesk using PhotoMosh)