Treasury | Crypto

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Congress he has no authority to bail out Bitcoin. The exchange came during a Senate Banking Committee hearing, when Senator Brad Sherman asked whether the Treasury could intervene to support cryptocurrency prices. Bessent's answer was direct: he cannot use taxpayer dollars to buy Bitcoin, and the question falls outside his […] The post Bitcoin faces a brutal irony as the Treasury refuses to save BTC from its own political success appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury is scrutinizing crypto platforms, not just wallets, for enabling Iran’s sanctions evasion, according to TRM Labs’ Ari Redbord.

The NYSE-listed BTYB allocates most of its assets to US Treasurys while using options strategies to provide weekly income and Bitcoin-linked exposure. VistaShares has launched BTYB, an actively managed exchange-traded fund (ETF) listed on the New York Stock Exchange that allocates most of its assets to US Treasurys while using options strategies to provide weekly income and Bitcoin-linked price exposure. According to the Tuesday announcement, the fund allocates about 80% of its portfolio to US Treasury securities and related instruments, with the remaining 20% tied to Bitcoin (BTC) price movements through a synthetic covered call strategy. Holdings data shows the fund’s Bitcoin-linked exposure comes from call options on BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT). In this particular context, a synthetic covered call strategy uses derivatives to create Bitcoin price exposure and sells call (buy) options against that exposure to generate income, rather than holding Bitcoin directly. As a result, BTYB does not trac...

The US Treasury has sanctioned two UK-registered crypto exchanges tied to Iran’s financial system, marking the first time Washington has targeted digital asset platforms. The United States Treasury has sanctioned two cryptocurrency exchanges linked to Iran’s financial system, marking the first time Washington has directly targeted digital asset platforms as part of its Iran sanctions program. In a statement on Friday, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said the sanctions are part of a wider move against Iranian officials and networks accused of violently suppressing people at home while using alternative financial channels to get around international sanctions. Among those sanctioned was Eskandar Momeni Kalagari, Iran’s minister of the interior, who oversees the country’s Law Enforcement Forces. “Treasury will continue to target Iranian networks and corrupt elites that enrich themselves at the expense of the Iranian people,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. Read more

Tokenized US Treasuries crossed $10 billion in total value this week, a milestone that confirms the category has moved from proof-of-concept to operational infrastructure. Yet, something happening underneath this achievement is just as important: Circle's USYC has edged past BlackRock's BUIDL as the largest tokenized Treasury product, signaling that distribution rails and collateral mechanics now […] The post How BlackRock just lost control of the $10B tokenized Treasury market to Circle for one simple, mechanical reason appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Institutional compliance costs and higher Treasury yields are reshaping stablecoin issuance as growth shifts from rapid expansion to balance-sheet discipline. After a period of rapid expansion, the global stablecoin market has largely stalled, signaling a consolidation phase as new regulation, liquidity constraints and higher real-world yields weigh on new issuance, according to Jimmy Xue, co-founder of quantitative yield protocol Axis. In a note shared with Cointelegraph, Xue said that while stablecoin regulation has advanced, tighter frameworks in the United States and Europe have forced institutional issuers to hold higher-quality reserves and absorb rising compliance costs, slowing the pace of net issuance. At the same time, elevated real yields on US Treasurys have increased the opportunity cost of holding stablecoins that offer no direct yield. That dynamic has dampened speculative minting and reinforced stablecoins’ role as infrastructure for payments, settlement and short-duration liquidity, rather th...

F/m Investments seeks SEC relief to record ownership of its $6 billion Treasury ETF on a permissioned blockchain as tokenization spreads on Wall Street. F/m Investments asked the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to allow it to tokenize shares of its flagship Treasury exchange-traded fund (ETF). The $18 billion asset manager filed Wednesday for exemptive relief to let the F/m US Treasury 3 Month Bill ETF (TBIL) record ownership of its roughly $6 billion in shares on a permissioned blockchain, while remaining a standard 1940 Act exchange‑traded fund. In its press release, F/m describes the filing as the “first of its kind” from an ETF issuer seeking US regulatory relief specifically for tokenized shares of a registered investment company. Read more

DTCC’s move to bring US Treasurys onchain highlights growing institutional momentum behind tokenized real-world assets. Canton Coin has climbed about 27% over the past week, Cointelegraph data shows, outpacing the broader cryptocurrency market as traders reacted to fresh signals of institutional adoption. The gains follow a Dec. 17 announcement from the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) outlining plans to tokenize a portion of US Treasury securities held at its Depository Trust Company subsidiary on the Canton Network. DTCC operates post-trade infrastructure for US securities markets, with its subsidiaries processing about $3.7 quadrillion in securities transactions last year. Read more

The BRICS bloc now counts 11 members, and several of the largest holders have trimmed their US Treasury positions over the past year. China cut its stake by $71.5 billion between September 2024 and September 2025, dropping from $772 billion to $700.5 billion. India reduced holdings by $44.5 billion, Brazil by $61.9 billion, and Saudi […] The post China’s $71 billion Treasury dump exposes a critical gap between Bitcoin’s narrative and central bank reality appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Crypto majors are trading in the red after an overnight dip, with Bitcoin (BTC) down 1% at $104,800, Ethereum (ETH) down 1% at $3,550, Binance Coin (BNB) down 2% at $978, and Solana (SOL) down 3% at $163. Among top movers, Uniswap (UNI) surged 20% and Aerodrome (AERO) gained 16%, while Zcash (ZEC) tumbled 25% to $474 but remains up 16% on the week. The US Treasury and IRS issued new guidance making it easier for ETFs to stake crypto tokens and distribute rewards to investors. Uniswap also announced a major governance proposal to activate its fee switch, conduct an initial 100 million UNI token burn, and introduce several other changes, helping boost UNI by 20%. Meanwhile, the US Senate released its first draft of a crypto market structure bill, marking a significant step toward advancing regulatory clarity. In corporate news, Jack Dorsey’s Square revealed support for Bitcoin payments across its 4 million merchants, while Gemini’s stock dropped 12% after reporting a $159.5 million net loss for Q3.

The IRS and Treasury said trusts can now generate staking rewards for crypto ETF investors without fear of tax or regulatory repercussions.

Coinbase insists that the US Treasury cannot override Congress’s intent on the GENIUS Act, but banks continue to press for a blanket ban on stablecoin interest. The US Department of the Treasury is facing conflicting feedback from crypto companies and traditional banking groups over how to implement the GENIUS Act, the law that regulates stablecoin payments in the US. In a letter on Tuesday, Coinbase urged the Treasury to limit a ban on stablecoin interest payments exclusively to stablecoin issuers, while allowing it for non-issuers, such as crypto exchanges. Coinbase said its proposal aligns with Congress’s intent when passing the legislation. At the same time, several banking groups, led by the Bank Policy Institute (BPI), have pressed the Treasury to extend the prohibition to non-issuers, advocating for a blanket ban on stablecoin interest payments. Read more

As the Treasury’s Under Secretary for Domestic Finance, Jonathan McKernan can influence policies on banking and a US digital dollar. A majority of lawmakers in the US Senate voted to confirm Jonathan McKernan as Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the Department of the Treasury. In a Tuesday vote of 51 to 47, the Senate confirmed McKernan to the US Treasury, serving under Secretary Scott Bessent. Though the US government has been shut down since lawmakers failed to pass a bill extending funding beyond Sept. 30, Congress can essentially continue to operate. McKernan, nominated to the Treasury by US President Donald Trump in June, has previously suggested opposition to debanking policies in the government, but did not explicitly tie the alleged practice to any association with digital assets. In a December X post, he cited an article from economist Tyler Cowen questioning whether the US banking system could “integrate with crypto.” Read more

The bill to establish rules for payment stablecoins was signed into law by US President Donald Trump in July and awaits final regulations before implementation. The US Department of the Treasury on Thursday opened a second period of public comment on the implementation of the GENIUS Act, legislation aimed at regulating stablecoin payments in the US that was signed into law by US President Donald Trump. In a Thursday notice, the Treasury said that, though the advance notice of proposed rulemaking was not required to implement the GENIUS Act, it invited the public to comment on the stablecoin law, saying it would build upon its work. The Treasury officially opened up comment in August, giving the public until Oct. 17 to submit concerns or feedback related to illicit activity. The Thursday notice provides a 31-day window for comments. Read more

The U.S. Treasury Department launched a formal process to transform the newly enacted GENIUS Act into a framework of regulations for stablecoins, inviting the public and crypto industry to weigh in on key compliance issues. The department opened an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on Sept. 18, the first step in gathering feedback before drafting […] The post Treasury opens comment period to shape GENIUS Act into stablecoin regulation appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Following a $110M investment from its top shareholder, Nasdaq-listed Tron Inc. has doubled its treasury, cementing its corporate strategy to build its Tron Inc. TRX holdings and emulate MicroStrategy. The post Tron’s Biggest Backer Fuels $110M TRX Buy, Doubling Company’s Treasury to $220M appeared first on Cryptonews.

Critics warn the US Treasury’s push to embed ID checks into DeFi smart contracts could erode privacy and hollow out permissionless finance. The US Treasury is exploring whether identity checks should be built directly into decentralized finance (DeFi) smart contracts, a move critics warn could rewrite the very foundations of permissionless finance. Last week, the agency opened a consultation under the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act), which was signed into law in July. The Act directs the Treasury to evaluate new compliance tools to fight illicit finance in crypto markets. One idea was embedding identity credentials directly into smart contracts. In practice, this would mean a DeFi protocol could automatically verify a user’s government ID, biometric credential, or digital wallet certificate before allowing a transaction to proceed. Read more

Macro conditions suggest Bitcoin (BTC) might face a multi-week performance slowdown if global M2 money supply peaks in September, according to a recent report by Delphi Digital. The BTC-M2 relationship using a 10-week offset shows M2 data already rolling over roughly 8% from projected September highs.  Bitcoin has historically followed M2 peaks with performance lags, […] The post How the US Treasury’s cash rebuild could cap Bitcoin enthusiasm through fall appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The comments, due by Oct. 17, will focus on “innovative methods to detect illicit activity involving digital assets,” as required by the GENIUS Act. The US Treasury Department has issued a call for comments related to the passage of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in July. In a Monday notice, the Treasury said “interested individuals and organizations” could provide feedback to the government department on “innovative or novel methods, techniques, or strategies to detect and mitigate illicit finance risks involving digital assets.” Treasury officials said the call for comments by Oct. 17 was part of the requirements under the GENIUS Act. In a Monday X post, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the move “essential” for implementing the law to “[secure] American leadership in digital assets.” After receiving comments from the public, the Treasury will research the methods proposed and submit reports to the Senate Bank...

The Treasury is considering embedding digital identity checks into DeFi smart contracts as part of its GENIUS Act consultation on crypto compliance tools. The US Department of the Treasury is seeking public feedback on how digital identity tools and other emerging technologies could be used to fight illicit finance in crypto markets, with one option being embedding identity checks into decentralized finance (DeFi) smart contracts. The consultation, published this week, stems from the newly enacted Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act), signed into law in July. The Act, which sets out a regulatory framework for payment stablecoin issuers, directs the Treasury to explore new compliance technologies, including application programming interfaces (APIs), artificial intelligence, digital identity verification and blockchain monitoring. Read more