Exclusive

Exclusive

Finance

Team Behind Celsius Bidder NovaWulf Starts New Firm Called Valinor

Former NovaWulf employees Connor Dougherty and Lily Yarborough are spearheading Valinor, with the continued support and collaboration of two former NovaWulf partners.

(Mustang Joe/Flickr)

Finance

BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF Might Have Trading Support of Heavyweights Like Jane Street, Jump and Virtu: Source

Amid the crypto crackdown, a BTC ETF, if approved, would open a new pathway for U.S.-based firms to get a piece of the crypto action – in a way that plays to their conventional strengths.

BlackRock headquarters (Shutterstock)

Policy

Coinbase-Backed Advocacy Group Enlists Crypto Masses, Raises $2M From 80,000

Stand With Crypto, the campaign that's meant to bombard lawmakers with crypto supporters in their own backyards, says it's off to a fast start (with a lot of help from Coinbase).

Just a couple of months after Coinbase launched a U.S. advocacy group for crypto enthusiasts, organizers say it's brought in $2 million and sent 16,000 messages to U.S. lawmakers. (Nikhilesh De/CoinDesk)

Finance

Mastercard Plans Web3 Collaborations With Self-Custody Wallet Firms

The payments processor is working with MetaMask and Ledger among others, according to a Web3 Workshop presentation.

close up of Mastercard logo and hologram on a payment card

Finance

Nomura-Backed Komainu Joins Crypto Custodian Copper’s ClearLoop Network

Komainu clients will be able to benefit from the firm’s on-chain custody while gaining access to off-exchange settlement over ClearLoop.

head and shoulders photo of Komainu CEO Nicolas Bertrand

Tech

Floki Developers Propose Staking and Utility Token Plans

The move could help amp up investor interest in FLOKI tokens, which form part of the Floki DAO ecosystem.

A Shiba inu, the dog breed that inspired both DOGE and SHIB, is getting a ride in cryptocurrency markets. (Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Finance

Crypto Bank Xapo Snags European Broker License, Will Offer Stocks Like Apple

The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) license will soon allow the firm to offer S&P 500 stocks. In addition, Xapo, which has always been bitcoin-only, plans to add Ethereum’s ETH.

Xapo CEO Seamus Rocca (Xapo)

Finance

Bitstamp Courts European Banks as Region's Incoming Crypto Rules Boost Confidence

The longest-running crypto exchange says three European banks are in talks about offering crypto services – a stark contrast to the U.S., where firms are wary amid a regulatory crackdown.

Bitstamp USA CEO Robert Zagotta (Bitstamp)

Finance

Galaxy's Head of Mining Amanda Fabiano Departed to Start Consulting Company

Fabiano’s new company will work with bitcoin mining companies including Compass Mining and Giga Energy.

Galaxy's former head of mining, Amanda Fabiano (Amanda Fabiano, modified by CoinDesk))

Policy

Chia Network Lays Off Third of Its Staff as Loss of Banker Delayed Going Public

Chia fired 26 of its 70 employees as it continues its pitch to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on going public and is weighing first-ever sales of some of its tokens.

Job cut.