A $1 million Lightning transfer between SDM and Kraken was used to test whether Bitcoin’s main scaling layer could handle seven‑figure, institutional‑grade payments. Institutional trading and lending desk Secure Digital Markets (SDM) said it sent a $1 million payment to cryptocurrency exchange Kraken over the Lightning Network on Jan. 28. SDM claimed in a Thursday statement shared with Cointelegraph that it is the largest publicly reported Lightning transaction to date and a proof‑of‑concept for seven‑figure transfers between regulated counterparties. The payment cleared in 0.43 seconds and was routed via Voltage’s managed Lightning infrastructure, which provides node management, pre‑provisioned liquidity, and uptime guarantees aimed at exchanges and trading desks. Read more
Retail sales volume in Romania (excluding the trade with motor vehicles and motorcycles) fell by 1.6% in unadjusted data and by 2% when adjusted for seasonality and number of working days, in December 2025 compared to December 2024, the country’s statistical office INS said on Thursday (Feb. 5).
House Democrats probe $500 million UAE investment in Trump-linked WLFI, highlighting questions over dealings with the country's national security adviser. World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a crypto company linked to US President Donald Trump’s family, is facing scrutiny from House Democrats over a reported $500 million investment by an entity linked to an Abu Dhabi royal in the UAE. California Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat who has criticized public officials’ exposure to the crypto market, said on X on Thursday that he has launched an investigation into the UAE investment in WLFI. “This is about public trust and transparency,” Khanna said, linking to a Wall Street Journal report detailing that he urged a US attorney to probe the deal as well. Read more