Washington | Crypto

Citigroup cuts Bitcoin and Ethereum targets as slower US policy timeline trims the upside case Citigroup has cut its 12-month targets for Bitcoin and Ethereum, lowering its Bitcoin forecast to $112,000 from $143,000 and its Ethereum forecast to $3,175 from $4,304. The March 17 revision marks a sharp step down from the bank’s December view […] The post Citi slashes Bitcoin target by $31,000 despite rising prices as Washington delays stall crypto breakout appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Polymarket and Kalshi are trying to raise money at valuations that put them in the top tier of consumer-fintech names, even as Washington moves closer to writing new rules for the product they sell. Both companies are reportedly in early fundraising talks that could value each at around $20 billion. That fundraising chatter is taking […] The post $700M in Iran war bets and $1.2M in suspicious profits push Washington toward prediction-market crackdown appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Washington is getting ready to potentially make life easier for the biggest US banks. That can sound pretty abstract if you don't strip it down to the mechanics. Regulators decide how much capital banks must keep to absorb losses and how much liquidity they need if funding starts to disappear. More capital and more liquidity […] The post Washington prepares $175B break for big banks — weakening protections against financial crisis appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Yield-bearing stablecoins are growing faster than the broader market as US lawmakers remain divided over how crypto yield should be regulated. Yield-bearing stablecoins are growing faster than the broader stablecoin market, according to Messari, as Washington remains divided over how crypto-linked yield should be treated under US law. Yield-bearing stablecoins have outpaced the growth of the broader stablecoin market 15-fold over the past six months, according to a Messari research report published on Thursday. The increase was driven by a 198% rise in the market cap of Circle’s USYC (USYC), a 169% increase in Paxos’ Global Dollar (USDG), a 114% rise in the value of the Tron DAO-linked Decentralized USD (USDD), and a 91% rise in Ondo Finance’s Ondo US Dollar Yield (USDY). The overall stablecoin market capitalization rose 9%. Read more

Washington sent two messages about crypto privacy in the same week. Treasury told Congress that lawful users of digital assets may leverage mixers to protect personal wealth, business payments, charitable donations, and consumer spending habits from public view on transparent blockchains. Days later, SDNY prosecutors filed a letter proposing to retry Tornado Cash co-founder Roman […] The post Prosecutors push to retry Tornado Cash founder even after Washington said crypto mixers have legal uses appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Messari said weekly stablecoin inflows rose 414% to $1.7 billion as debate over yield-bearing stablecoins continued to stall US crypto market structure talks. Weekly net stablecoin inflows rebounded last week as onchain activity picked up even while US lawmakers and banking groups sparred over whether third parties should be allowed to pay stablecoin yield, according to a new report from Messari. Weekly net stablecoin inflows accelerated to $1.7 billion, a 414.5% increase week-on-week, according to the report published on Wednesday. The recovery also flipped the 30-day average to a positive $162.5 million in daily inflows. Transaction volumes also rose 6.3%, while average transaction size continued to decline, reflecting renewed stablecoin issuance demand and “strengthened” onchain activity amid retail investors, the report said. Read more

Social media giant Meta is quietly plotting a return to stablecoins. This time, however, the primary beneficiary may not be Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse, but the US Treasury market. On Feb. 24, Coindesk reported that Meta was exploring stablecoin-based payments for a possible rollout in the second half of 2026, likely through a third-party provider rather […] The post Meta’s digital dollar comeback could unlock a $1 trillion Treasury shift Washington is not ready for appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Fairshake and its affiliate super PACs announced they have more than $193 million in cash on hand heading into the 2026 midterms. The amount includes $74 million raised since July from three contributors: $25 million from Coinbase, $25 million from Ripple, and $24 million from a16z. The network, consisting of Fairshake plus Protect Progress (Democratic-oriented) […] The post Furious crypto lobbyists aim $193M war chest at Washington chokepoints for 2026 midterms appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Washington is about to take a serious swing at crypto’s most stubborn problem: who, exactly, is supposed to police the market when a token trades like a commodity, is sold like a security, and moves through software that insists it isn’t a company at all. The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 (better known […] The post Washington’s new crypto bill would strip states of power – legally bans oversight that catches front-end manipulation appeared first on CryptoSlate.

U.S. crypto regulation entered a new phase this week, marked by a convergence with leadership changes, and a visible retreat from the enforcement-heavy posture that defined the previous regulatory cycle. The post Weekly Regulation Roundup: Pardons, Pullbacks, and a Pro-Crypto Reset in Washington appeared first on Cryptonews.

Next year's first quarter could prove kinder to Bitcoin than late 2025, not because bank-run stablecoins arrive overnight, but because the pipes feeding retail and advisors just widened. Vanguard reversed its crypto ban, opening spot ETF access to roughly 50 million clients. Bank of America advisors can now recommend crypto allocations of 1% to 4% […] The post Washington has started the clock on bank-issued crypto dollars, and the timeline contains a 2026 Bitcoin surprise appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin rose 290% in the five months after the end of the last major US government shutdown. That 2019 move, from roughly $3,500 in late January to nearly $14,000 by June, now circulates as a template for what comes next. The Senate advanced a deal to end the current 40-day shutdown, the longest on record, […] The post The $413k Bitcoin question: What happens to BTC when Washington reopens? appeared first on CryptoSlate.

In an interview with Cointelegraph, economist Peter Schiff warns that Bitcoin’s gains are built on political and Wall Street support that may not last. In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, veteran economist and gold advocate Peter Schiff issued one of his starkest warnings yet about Bitcoin’s future, and the powerful forces he believes have inflated it. Schiff argues that the latest Bitcoin (BTC) bull market isn’t organic, but rather propped up by political influence in Washington, DC and Wall Street’s self-interest. Despite being proven wrong multiple times in the past, Schiff is doubling down on his statement that Bitcoin is a “bubble” and will eventually “go to zero.” The economist challenges the mainstream narrative that Bitcoin protects investors from inflation or dollar weakness, warning instead that the same institutions Bitcoin was meant to disrupt are now the ones keeping it alive. Read more

Following a presidential pardon that sparked debate over influence and access, crypto companies and PACs are ramping up political spending as the sector matures into a Washington power player. Crypto’s relationship with Washington is rapidly evolving as the industry takes a more assertive role in US politics, signaling a shift from outsider status to growing influence across the federal landscape. This week on Byte-Sized Insight, we examine how lobbying, political spending and access are reshaping crypto’s presence in the Capitol and what that may mean for decentralization, market competition and future policy. The recent presidential pardon of Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao catalyzed the conversation, prompting scrutiny into whether crypto’s expanding political footprint is driving outcomes. While some industry figures framed the case as government overreach, critics pointed to lobbying pressure and high-level connections as evidence of swelling influence. Against that backdrop, crypto advocacy in Washing...

For the first time, a sitting U.S. Treasury Secretary has described Bitcoin as more than just a speculative frenzy. Scott Bessent’s post didn’t just set Crypto Twitter on fire; it marked a monumental shift in how policymakers view the number-one crypto. It’s a far cry from the days when Bitcoin lurked in the margins, constantly […] The post Washington does a 180 as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dubs Bitcoin ‘more resilient than ever’ appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Anonymous donors said they pooled funds to recognize Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday with a 14-foot-tall statue.

CZ’s pardon by Trump followed a lobbying push that included $450,000 to Trump-linked lobbyists and $290,000 to former SEC chair contender Teresa Goody Guillén. Former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao’s pardon by US President Donald Trump came after an extensive and expensive lobbying campaign in Washington. Zhao, who served a four-month prison sentence last year for violating US Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws, benefited from a months-long effort by Binance and its legal team to win over key figures in Trump’s orbit, according to a Sunday report by Politico. In late September, Binance hired Ches McDowell, a close associate of Donald Trump Jr., and his North Carolina-based firm Checkmate Government Relations to lobby the White House and Treasury Department on “executive relief,” the report claimed. Read more

As the US Senate advances the GENIUS Act and lawmakers reintroduce the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, Washington is finally stepping up to the plate on crypto. In this week’s episode of Byte-Sized Insight, on Decentralize with Cointelegraph, we break down a pivotal moment for US crypto legislation.  In a 66–32 procedural vote on May 19, the US Senate advanced the GENIUS Act, a landmark bill aimed at establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework for stablecoins. Meanwhile, across the Capitol, Representative Tom Emmer reintroduced the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, backed by bipartisan support. The GENIUS Act — short for “Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act” — seeks to answer foundational questions around stablecoin issuance and oversight. Read more