Report | Crypto

The reported cuts come as Anchorage expands its institutional footprint, including stablecoin issuance and a $100 million investment from Tether. Anchorage Digital, a federally chartered US digital asset bank valued at $4.2 billion earlier this year, has reportedly cut 17% of its workforce, suggesting that the prolonged crypto market downturn is weighing on the company even as it expands its institutional footprint. Citing people familiar with the matter, The Information reported Friday that CEO Nathan McCauley informed employees of the cuts this week. Anchorage had about 400 employees globally as of February, according to McCauley’s congressional testimony at the time, meaning a 17% reduction would amount to roughly 68 jobs if its headcount remained around that level. Cointelegraph reached out to a public relations contact representing Anchorage for confirmation but did not receive an immediate response. Read more

EU regulators are reportedly examining Binance’s use of a MiCA exemption to serve customers as ESMA seeks stronger enforcement powers. European regulators are reportedly scrutinizing Binance’s use of a legal exemption to continue serving customers in the European Union without authorization under the bloc’s crypto rules. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and regulators in France, Germany and Greece are examining Binance’s use of reverse solicitation under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), the Financial Times reported on Thursday. Binance withdrew its Greek MiCA application in June and said it would seek authorization in another EU member state. Read more

OpenAI is reportedly seeking another $30 billion from investors as the ChatGPT developer pushes its long-awaited public market debut into 2027. ChatGPT developer OpenAI is reportedly eyeing another $30 billion raise that could value it at $1.4 trillion, making it one of the world’s most valuable companies even before it goes public. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported Tuesday that OpenAI is in the early stages of discussions for the new funding round, with investor demand driving the talks. The proposed valuation would be roughly 64% higher than OpenAI’s $852 billion valuation in March, when it raised $122 billion. Read more

The crypto company is seeking a valuation of up to $6 billion, well below its 2022 peak, as recently listed crypto stocks struggle to hold their gains. Blockchain.com, a crypto exchange and wallet provider, is reportedly looking to raise about $500 million in an initial public offering (IPO) this year, more than four years after the company reached a $14 billion valuation at the height of the previous crypto boom. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported Monday that Blockchain.com was seeking an IPO valuation of between $4 billion and $6 billion. The company was also open to a smaller offering if needed to complete a public listing. As Cointelegraph reported, Blockchain.com confidentially filed draft registration documents with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in May, paving the way for a potential IPO. At the time, the company didn’t disclose how many shares it planned to offer or a potential price range. Read more

A rogue OpenAI research agent bypassed blocks on the Australian government health-data portal, accessing non-public files in June. The CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic have reportedly been summoned to appear at an Australian Senate inquiry into AI, just days after news broke that a rogue OpenAI bot had hacked the country’s health data. The Australian Medicare breach is one of the highest-profile incidents of AI agents accessing external systems outside the US, according to a Sunday Business World report. OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei were asked to appear at the inquiry in Canberra on Thursday, the report said. Read more

US President Donald Trump previously tapped David Sacks as his AI and crypto czar before Sacks stepped down from the role earlier this year after reaching his service limit as a special government employee. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is reportedly being considered as US President Donald Trump’s next artificial intelligence czar, days after Trump announced plans for an “AI Force” amid mounting concerns about the technology’s risks. Bessent is a frontrunner for the position, three sources familiar with the matter told Semafor. Other candidates include the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor, a former managing partner of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross. However, White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Semafor that “any reporting about personnel decisions that have not been officially announced by the administration should be regarded as baseless speculat...

The five-year digital bond reportedly shortened settlement from three to five business days to the same day using Euroclear’s blockchain infrastructure. South Korea’s Hana Bank has reportedly issued a five-year, $100 million digital bond using Euroclear’s blockchain-based platform.  On Monday, Yonhap News Agency reported that the bank used Euroclear’s Digital Financial Market Infrastructure to issue the foreign-currency bond. The report described the transaction as the first digital bond issuance in South Korea to directly use Euroclear’s blockchain infrastructure.  According to Yonhap, the bond’s issuance, registration and settlement were processed on a distributed ledger network. Using the technology for bond allocation and payment settlement reportedly shortened the process from three to five business days to the same day.  Read more

Former banking official gets four years in prison over false letters of credit and accepting $470,000 in cryptocurrency bribes. A former bank official in Hong Kong who falsely authenticated letters of credit for more than $1.6 billion was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to make restitution of more than $470,000 he received in cryptocurrency bribes. Lam Chun-yin, 32, who was a customer relationship manager at China Construction Bank (Asia), had previously pleaded guilty in District Court, The Standard reported on Saturday. Judge Ernest Lin Kam-hung said deterrent sentences are necessary even for first-time offenders, especially in light of the grave nature of the crime and its impact on society. HashKey begins beta distribution of Hong Kong-regulated HKDAP stablecoin Read more

South Korean police reportedly referred 18 Polymarket users to prosecutors in a gambling probe involving 26 people and $12.7 million in bets. South Korean police have reportedly referred 18 Polymarket users to prosecutors in an illegal gambling investigation involving 26 people who collectively wagered about 17.6 billion won (worth $12.7 million).  According to Asia Economy, data submitted by the National Police Agency to the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Kun-young showed that the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency had placed 26 people under investigation as of Tuesday and sent 18 of them to prosecutors. The report said the largest amount wagered by a single user was about 5.7 billion won ($4.1 million). Police identified users by analyzing publicly available blockchain transactions, the report said. Polymarket lets users buy and sell contracts tied to the outcomes of real-world events and operates on a noncustodial, peer-to-peer structure with automated settlement. It does not maintain a conventiona...

Bitcoin miners generated 35% of the state-owned power producer’s revenue last year, but declining reservoir inflows led the utility to prioritize households and manufacturers. Ethiopia has reportedly reduced electricity delivered to Bitcoin miners to 23% of contracted levels as lower water inflows strain the country’s hydroelectric reservoirs. On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that El Niño intensified dry conditions in the east African country, reducing water inflows into its reservoirs by 20%. Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) CEO Ashebir Balcha said the company cut power to miners to prioritize households and manufacturers. Balcha said EEP initially reduced deliveries to 75% of contracted levels, easing to 50% and then 23%. The company will reassess conditions in October and could impose further reductions or even restrict electricity exports to neighboring countries, according to the report. Read more

The DPRK has turned to third-country IT workers to pass job interviews, after which, the positions are usually taken over by North Korean operatives. North Korea (DPRK) is now using remote workers from third countries, including Iran and Lebanon, to aid its efforts to infiltrate US companies and obtain money to fund its weapons programs, NBC reported on Friday. An alert issued in July by the US government and several foreign agencies said North Korean IT workers “seek out contracts with the intent of remitting their salaries to their parent North Korean agencies. They also pose an insider threat to companies and are involved in data exfiltration, cryptocurrency theft, and theft of sensitive information.” As the US and other governments have moved to counter North Korea’s efforts, the DPRK has turned increasingly to third-country IT workers to pass job interviews, the report said. After work contracts are obtained, the positions are usually taken over by North Korean operatives. Read more

The Italian bank is reportedly seeking assistance in launching access to crypto trading, custody and tokenized investment products. UniCredit Bank is seeking a technology provider that would allow it to build infrastructure for digital asset trading, custody and access to tokenized investment products. The Italian bank’s discussions are still in the early stages, with areas of interest including crypto custody and brokerage capabilities, tokenized investment products and stablecoin-based fixed-income securities, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Friday. Cointelegraph has approached UniCredit for comment on what technology provider might fill this infrastructure gap. Read more

Bankman-Fried’s lawyers challenged the exclusion of evidence about customer losses and argued that his $11 billion forfeiture was excessive. Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried reportedly asked the US Supreme Court to overturn his 2023 fraud conviction. He sought a new trial and the reversal of an $11 billion forfeiture order, according to a Thursday court filing seen by CNN. His lawyers argued that the trial judge excluded evidence that his investments were sound and would have covered FTX customers’ losses. They also argued that the $11 billion forfeiture violated the Eighth Amendment’s ban on excessive fines. Read more

Nasdaq invested $100 million in Payward as part of its push toward tokenized stock products with round-the-clock trading. Nasdaq has invested $100 million in Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, as part of the New York electronic bourse’s expansion into tokenized assets. Nasdaq’s venture arm made a $100 million investment in Payward, the exchange operator revealed in a Thursday announcement. As part of the deal, Kraken will offer tokenized versions of Nasdaq-listed stocks on its own platform. The investment builds on Nasdaq’s partnership with Payward announced in March. The investment valued Kraken’s parent company at $21 billion, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Thursday. Cointelegraph approached Nasdaq for comment on the matter but did not receive a reply before publishing time. Read more

The German Ministry of Finance is reportedly seeking to impose a 25% tax on cryptocurrencies, departing from current laws that make crypto gains tax-free after one year of holding. The German Federal Ministry of Finance reportedly issued a draft proposal to transition cryptocurrency trading profits to the standard 25% flat-rate tax starting in 2028. The ministry’s proposal would apply to all crypto assets acquired after Jan. 1, 2027, according to a draft proposal seen by local news outlet Die Welt on Wednesday. The draft also proposes grandfathering protections, meaning that digital assets bought before this deadline may be treated under the old taxation rules. Read more

Exporters can now fund imports with overseas earnings without first selling their foreign currency at official rates, the Financial Times reported. Iran’s central bank has reportedly eased foreign currency controls to encourage businesses to bring overseas earnings home, including through cryptocurrency, amid tightening US sanctions. This includes using Tether’s USDt (USDT) and Bitcoin (BTC) to settle cross-border transactions through Iranian cryptocurrency exchanges, the Financial Times reported Wednesday. Exporters can also use their earnings to finance imports directly without first selling their foreign currency through the government’s exchange platform at official rates, the report said. Read more

Companies offering binary options for retail investors have been barred from selling, marketing and distributing products in the UK since 2019 following a directive from the FCA. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) reportedly has reached out to prediction market companies as part of discussions over whether the regulator would loosen a ban for retail investors, in place since 2019. According to a Friday report from The Times, the FCA is weighing lifting a ban on prediction market platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi for UK-based retail investors. Because prediction markets offer binary options on event contracts, such as for sports, politics and the weather, they fall under an April 2019 ban imposed by the FCA, in which companies were “prohibited from selling, marketing or distributing binary options to retail consumers.” “Binary options are gambling products dressed up as financial instruments,” said the FCA’s executive director of strategy and competition, Christopher Woolard, at the time of the ban....

Kalshi reportedly plans to file for approval of a WTI crude oil perpetual futures contract that would trade around the clock five days a week without an expiration date. Prediction market operator Kalshi will reportedly seek regulatory approval for a West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil perpetual futures contract that never expires. The contract could be filed with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as soon as next week, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. It would trade 24 hours a day, five days a week, according to Reuters. If approved, it would be the first oil-linked perpetual futures product to trade on a regulated US platform. Read more

Donald Trump Jr.-linked 1789 Capital will reportedly lead a $1 billion investment round into Polymarket, which would value the platform at $21 billion, just below Kalshi’s $22 billion valuation. Donald Trump Jr.-linked investment firm 1789 Capital is reportedly investing about $300 million in Polymarket, a blockchain-based prediction market. 1789 Capital, where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, will make the $300 million investment as part of a $1 billion round that would value Polymarket at $21 billion, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal on Monday.  The investment would bring 1789 Capital’s total investment in Polymarket to about $500 million and make it one of the platform’s largest backers. Read more

Regulated cryptocurrency exchanges may see more than $46 billion in crypto trading volume during the first year after legalization, according to estimates from the country’s largest bank. Cryptocurrency trading in Russia is expected to bring 4 trillion rubles ($46.4 billion) in trading volume for regulated domestic exchanges in the first year after legalization, according to estimates from Sber, the country’s largest bank. Domestic crypto trading volumes on regulated exchanges could grow to about 7.5 trillion rubles by 2029, Sber’s Deputy Chairman, Anatoly Popov, told Tass in a Saturday report.  Popov attributed the conservative forecast to the fact that a large share of crypto transactions will continue to be conducted through cryptocurrency exchanges that are not regulated in Russia, bypassing trading on organized platforms. Read more