Author: Kryptonews

The investigation into Zcash, launched with an SEC subpoena over a “matter of certain crypto asset offerings,” ended this week, according to the foundation.The foundation behind Zcash (ZEC) said that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will not pursue an enforcement action into the privacy coin after the end of an investigation launched in 2023.In a Wednesday notice, the Zcash Foundation said the SEC “concluded its review” over a “matter of certain crypto asset offerings” and would not recommend enforcement actions or changes. According to the foundation, the regulatory probe started in August 2023 after it received a subpoena…

In a crypto market currently veiled in skepticism and hesitation, one of the largest institutional investors in Bitcoin, known only as Strategy, has made headlines with a major move. The firm recently executed a massive $1.25 billion purchase of Bitcoin — its most significant acquisition since July 2025. This is no ordinary buy; it’s a clear expression of high-conviction belief in Bitcoin’s future stability and growth potential, even as short-term sentiment remains subdued.Surprisingly, the market response to this colossal investment was muted. Bitcoin’s price didn’t immediately skyrocket, nor did it crash. In fact, the transaction seemingly went unnoticed by much…

Figure Technology Solutions, a blockchain-focused financial technology company, is pushing stock lending on-chain with a new system that allows investors to lend shares directly to one another without relying on traditional securities intermediaries.Bloomberg reported Wednesday that the company has launched the On-Chain Public Equity Network, known as OPEN, which allows companies to issue real equity directly on Figure’s Provenance blockchain.Unlike other tokenized stock offerings, which typically mirror existing shares through synthetic instruments, the equity issued on OPEN represents actual ownership. Those shares can be lent or pledged directly on the blockchain, bypassing intermediaries such as custodians, exchanges and brokers, according…

What are decentralized stablecoins? A decentralized stablecoin aims to maintain a stable value while being issued and managed onchain, without relying on a single company to mint or redeem dollars.Stablecoins are already central to decentralized finance (DeFi). Because fiat money is not native to blockchains, stablecoins perform the day-to-day role of moving value between protocols and acting as collateral.Regulators have made a similar point. Stablecoins are considered essential to DeFi’s operations, serving as instruments for transfers, deposits and collateral.That dependence is why Vitalik Buterin’s latest warning is of particular interest. In a January 11, 2026, post, he argued that crypto…

The outline of the largest Roman villa ever known in Wales has come to light three feet underground, and the experts behind the find are calling it a possible equivalent to Pompeii.  “My eyes nearly popped out of my skull,” project lead Alex Langlands, co-director of Swansea University’s Centre for Heritage Research and Training, told the BBC of the moment that ground-penetrating radar revealed the “huge structure” beneath a historical deer park. It measures over 6,000 square feet. The villa’s remains may be especially well preserved because they lie under a historical site that has not been built upon.  Related…

Standard Chartered has set a new long-range target of $40,000 for Ethereum (ETH) by end-2030, while cutting its end-2026 forecast sharply, arguing that Ethereum’s relative setup is improving even as Bitcoin-led weakness has weighed on absolute crypto price targets. In a research note, the bank’s digital assets analyst Geoff Kendrick framed 2026 as a potential inflection point for Ethereum versus bitcoin, despite revising down its medium-term ETH-USD path. “We think ETH’s prospects have improved. We therefore expect the cross to gradually return to its 2021 highs,” Kendrick wrote, pointing to a rebound in the ETH/BTC relationship as the core expression…

Polygon Labs says it has signed definitive agreements to acquire a pair of US-regulated crypto payments firms. Polygon says it’s buying the digital asset payments platform Coinme and wallet infrastructure provider Sequence for more than $250 million. The deal aims to build the Polygon Open Money Stack to enable compliant stablecoin payments at global scale. Coinme, founded in 2014, operates fiat-to-crypto services across 48 U.S. states with money-transmitter licenses, a network of over 50,000 retail locations and enterprise APIs. It serves more than one million users and major partners. Sequence, founded in 2017, provides smart wallets, a 1-click cross-chain engine…

Chicago-based crypto exchange Bitnomial has launched monthly futures contracts tied to the Layer-1 blockchain Aptos’ native token, expanding the availability of APT derivatives on regulated US markets.The contracts will be available to institutional clients through Bitnomial’s clearing members, with retail access expected in the coming weeks via the company’s Botanical platform. According to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, the contracts feature monthly expirations and settle in either US dollars or Aptos’ native APT (APT) token, depending on the position. Monthly futures are standardized derivatives that allow traders to gain price exposure over a defined period without holding the underlying asset.Michael…

Introduction: The Rise of Cloud Mining in 2026By 2026, cryptocurrency mining will no longer be limited to professionals or large-scale data centers. Cloud mining enables anyone to rent computing power remotely and earn Dogecoin and Bitcoin daily—without the need for costly hardware or high electricity expenses.With increasingly strict regulations and greater transparency, legal and compliant mining services are replacing the risky and opaque practices of the past. The platforms listed below represent the most trustworthy, safe, and legitimate ways to mine cryptocurrencies in 2026.What is Cloud Mining?Cloud mining allows users to rent computing power from remote data centers. Service providers…

Update Jan. 14, 2:20 pm UTC: This article has been updated to add comments from Manta CEO John Patrick Mullin.Mantra, a blockchain project focused on real-world assets (RWAs), is restructuring its operations after what its leadership described as the most difficult year in the company’s history, marked by a sharp token collapse and prolonged market pressure.On Wednesday, Manta CEO John Patrick Mullin announced that the company would transition to a leaner and more capital-efficient structure following a period of expansion. The changes include job cuts across multiple teams and a streamlining of operations to better match near-term market conditions.“I take…