US Anti-Money Laundering fines hit $900 million in the first half of 2025 as enforcement shifted from securities cases, while Basel rules and mandatory audits reshape crypto compliance, according to CertiK. Anti-Money Laundering enforcement has overtaken securities violations as the leading regulatory threat facing crypto companies, according to CertiK, with the United States Department of Justice and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network imposing $900 million in AML-related fines during the first half of 2025. The shift marks a sharp break from the US Securities and Exchange Commission-led enforcement cycle that defined earlier years of crypto regulation. SEC crypto-specific penalties collapsed 97% in penalty value year over year, dropping from $4.9 billion in 2024 to $142 million in 2025, according to a Tuesday report by blockchain security auditor CertiK. Transaction monitoring and licensing failures are now drawing penalties that rival or exceed many earlier crypto securities cases. The DOJ's February 2025...
Veteran trader Peter Brandt and other analysts question the $250,000 Bitcoin target, warning the current bear phase may not be over. Bitcoin (BTC) is trading roughly 40% below its October 2025 record high near $126,000 despite its ongoing recovery. Still, some of the cryptocurrency's loudest bulls, including billionaire investor Tim Draper and Fundstrat’s co-founder Tom Lee, have not backed down from their $250,000 year-end prediction, a target that would require more than a threefold rally from current levels. Is that realistic, or is Bitcoin’s latest drawdown a warning that the cycle has already peaked? Read more
Crypto projects are shutting down as token funding weakens and fragmented structures leave them with limited options to restructure or recover. A wave of crypto shutdowns is unfolding across the industry this year, hitting projects from trading platforms to analytics tools. April was no exception, as decentralized email service Dmail said it is shutting down due to high infrastructure costs, failed fundraising and weak token utility. “In prior cycles, projects could extend runway through new issuance or venture support,” Roshan Dharia, a restructuring advisor and CEO of crypto holding company Echo Base, told Cointelegraph. Read more