Author: Kryptonews

Argentine exchange Ripio is leaning into local currency stablecoins and tokenized bonds as CEO Sebastián Serrano braces for what he expects to be a “lateralized” or down year for crypto in 2026 — but a decade-long boom for stablecoins. Founded in 2013, Ripio has shifted from a pure retail exchange into a B2B infrastructure provider serving banks, fintechs, and big platforms like Mercado Libre (Latin America’s answer to Amazon). The exchange now offers a range of local fiat-backed stablecoins, including the Argentine peso‑pegged wARS, the Brazilian real-pegged wBRL, the Mexican peso-pegged wMXN and a tokenized version of Argentina’s most‑traded sovereign bond, AL30,…

Financial privacy is becoming the next structural battle in crypto, and neither governments nor the technology are fully prepared for mass digital surveillance or large-scale privacy.Institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies is accelerating, as more banks and payments companies test blockchain for settlements, but the technology itself exposes transaction data to the public.“What people are not comfortable with is having their transactions broadcast to the entire world,” Yaya Fanusie, head of global policy at Aleo Network and a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) economic and counterterrorism analyst, told Cointelegraph.“That is why, even though blockchain transparency is a feature and not a bug,…

Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research, is scheduled for release from federal custody after serving 440 days of a two-year sentence.According to inmate records with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Ellison is expected to be released from the Residential Reentry Management field office in New York City on Wednesday, more than a year after she reported to prison in Danbury, Connecticut. The former Alameda CEO was one of three executives linked to the defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX to serve prison time, along with former FTX CEO Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried and former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame. Caroline…

Asset manager Grayscale is seeking regulatory approval to convert its Grayscale Near Trust into a spot exchange-traded fund (ETF).The firm filed a Form S-1 registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on January 20, marking a move to expand its crypto ETF product lineup.Grayscale Moves to Convert Near Trust Into ETF With New SEC FilingFor context, the Grayscale Near Trust currently manages about $900,000 in assets and has a net asset value of $2.19 per share. The product trades on the OTCQB market under the ticker GSNR. Sponsored SponsoredUnder the proposed conversion, the ETF would be listed on…

Bitcoin (BTC) sought a $90,000 reclaim around Wednesday’s Wall Street open as US President Donald Trump pledged to sign pro-crypto legislation.Key points:US President Donald Trump breathes modest gains into BTC price action with his World Economic Forum speech.Pro-crypto legislation is back on the table in US, but Japanese bond issues temper market enthusiasm.Bitcoin setting new 2026 lows may be “good” in the long term, says analysis.Trump promises crypto legislation “very soon”Data from TradingView showed daily BTC price gains reaching 1.7% as Trump took to the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingVIew“To unleash…

Large ETH holders rotate staking profits into Ozak AI’s presale, betting its AI DePIN tools and $1 launch talk can outperform Ethereum’s low single-digit yields. Summary Big Ethereum holders are reallocating staking rewards into Ozak AI’s presale, chasing higher upside than ETH’s sub‑5% annual yields. Ozak AI blends DePIN and SegRNN-based AI to scan on-chain data, while partnerships with Hive Intel, Zeni, CertiK, and Sherlock support data and security. Analysts tout speculative 150x–950x or 700x return scenarios around a potential ~$1 launch, but outcomes hinge on listings, demand, and broader market conditions. Large Ethereum (ETH) holders are redirecting profits from…

The National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) has awarded $75.1 million to 84 projects, marking its first round of grants since President Donald Trump dismissed nearly all members of the National Council on the Humanities, the advisory body that helps set NEH funding priorities, last fall.  The funded projects span a wide range of subject matter but largely reflect the Trump administration’s emphasis on American exceptionalism. Grants exceeding $1 million were awarded primarily to universities for programming focused on civics and Greek classical philosophy. The largest awards—$10 million each—went to the University of Texas (UT) at Austin and the Foundation…

Commercial bank money is likely to become fully digital in the future, alongside central bank money, according to Fabio Panetta, the governor of Italy’s central bank, Banca d’Italia.Panetta made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing the executive committee of Italy’s banking association. According to a report by Reuters, Panetta said both digital commercial bank money and central bank money would continue to anchor the monetary system, while stablecoins would only play a complementary role. He added that the stability of stablecoins ultimately depends on their peg to traditional currencies, limiting their ability to function independently in the financial system. Panetta’s comments…

Some traders swear it’s talent. You either have “it” or you don’t. Others grind for years, convinced skill beats genetics every time. Both camps sound confident. One of them is mostly wrong.Trading can be learned. But not the way people expect. Not cleanly. Not linearly. And definitely not without friction.Talent exists. So does delusion. The problem is telling them apart while your money is on the line.Talent Gets You In. Skill Keeps You Alive.Natural talent in trading usually shows up early. Fast pattern recognition. Calm under pressure. An odd tolerance for uncertainty. Those people exist. You’ve probably seen them.They also…

Opinion by: Billy Sebell, executive director at XDC FoundationIn just over a decade, blockchain technology has rewritten the rulebook for global finance, bringing transparency, speed and access to financial markets. It has clearly established its worth in digital assets, decentralized finance (DeFi) and cross-border payments, among other effective use cases.Perhaps the greatest unrealized potential for blockchain lies in one of the world’s most vital sectors: global trade finance.Trade finance, the capital and credit that enable goods and services to move across borders, forms the backbone of the global economy. It’s a $9.7-trillion market yet remains highly inefficient, paper-based and largely…