Crypto

The co-founder of Telegram-based crypto project Blum, Vladimir Smerkis, is in custody in Moscow over accusations that he committed large-scale fraud, TASS reports. Vladimir Smerkis, a co-founder of the Telegram-based crypto project Blum, has reportedly been arrested in Moscow, Russia, on fraud allegations, amid Blum confirming he is no longer affiliated with the project. The Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow approved a request from investigators to keep Smerkis in custody while he is being investigated, Russian state-owned news outlet TASS reported on May 18. Smerkis — who previously ran operations for Binance in Russia — is suspected of committing fraud on a “large scale,” pursuant to Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, violations of which can result in imprisonment ranging from two to 12 years. Read more

Bitcoin nears record high as ETF inflows, macro uncertainty, and trade-driven inflation risks draw investor interest.

Social media platform Telegram founder Pavel Durov said he “flatly refused” the request of a Western European government to censor conservative political content. In a Telegram post on May 18, Durove wrote: “Telegram will not restrict the freedoms of Romanian users or block their political channels.” The demand for censorship came ahead of today’s scheduled […] The post Telegram founder ‘flatly refused’ to censor political content ahead of Romanian election appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin’s weekend breakout above $105,000 has bulls hopeful for new all-time highs at some point this week. Which altcoins will follow? Key points: Bitcoin’s rally to $105,980 has traders predicting new all-time highs this week. Traders lift their end-of-year Bitcoin price targets to $200,000 based on technical factors and institutional investor adoption.  Read more

New Russian Central Bank crypto regulations could effectively outlaw Tether (USDT) trading in the country, experts have explained. The post New Central Bank Crypto Rules ‘Will Ban USDT Trading in Russia’ appeared first on Cryptonews.

Amid a recent surge in physical threats to crypto investors with substantial holdings, firms that offer personal security services are seeing increasing demand. Amsterdam-based physical security and intelligence services provider Infinite Risks International’s managing director, Jethro Pijlman, told Bloomberg: “We’ve had more inquiries, more long-term clients, and more proactive requests from crypto investors who don’t […] The post Crypto investors are ramping up personal security as physical attacks surge: Report appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm's defense cited the same set of FinCEN documents used by the Samourai Wallet developers' legal team. Attorneys for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm filed a motion asking the court to reconsider the motion to dismiss the case due to the prosecution withholding exculpatory evidence in the form of communications with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) dating back to 2023. According to a May 16 letter from Storm's attorneys to Judge Katherine Polk Failla, the FinCEN documents show that non-custodial crypto mixers do not fall under the legal definition of a "money transmitting business" and that prosecutors have known this since at least 2023. Despite having knowledge of the FinCEN guidance on crypto mixers, state prosecutors still proceeded with cases against the Samourai Wallet developers and Tornado Cash, the attorneys alleged. Read more

It was another busy week for crypto games, with the big MapleStory N launch on Avalanche, Solana's Nyan Heroes closing up shop, and more.

An investment mastermind club founder says keep an eye on Q2 earnings reports in early August. High-flying Bitcoin stock, Strategy, could qualify for the S&P 500.

Durov did not name the EU country that asked him to censor "conservative voices" on the platform but hinted at it with a baguette emoji. Telegram founder Pavel Durov said he rejected pressure from a European Union (EU) country to censor political content on the social media platform ahead of the May 18 presidential elections in Romania. According to Durov, a Western European government, which he hinted at with a baguette emoji, approached the platform and requested it censor conservative voices, which he flatly denied. Durov wrote in a May 18 Telegram post: The Telegram founder is an ardent defender of free speech, who is highly regarded in the crypto community for his stances on freedom of expression, autonomy, privacy, and individual liberty. Read more

Pixels is offering token rewards to players that can flirt the best with an AI agent. Do you have enough rizz to earn an airdrop?

BTC tapped a new multi-month peak but only to be rejected immediately.

Bitcoin has surged to $104K, driven largely by spot market demand as derivatives activity declines, per Glassnode.

From gold to real estate, tokenized real-world assets are tying physical assets to blockchain, creating value in the volatile crypto space.

BTC nears golden cross, as Moody's downgrade validates bond markets' concerns about the sustainability of the U.S. fiscal debt.

Bodyguard security firms are experiencing increased demand from cryptocurrency executives in response to a disturbing rise in kidnappings. Crypto industry executives are beefing up personal security and demanding more bodyguard services in response to a recent string of kidnapping and ransom attempts worldwide — particularly in France — targeting investors and professionals in the sector. According to a Bloomberg report, Infinite Risks International, a private security firm based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, is seeing more inquiries into bodyguard services and more long-term clients signing up for a private security detail. Additionally, French law enforcement officials recently announced enhanced security measures for crypto entrepreneurs and investors, following at least three separate kidnapping incidents so far in 2025. Read more

Bitcoin is now just 3% away from its all-time high mark following the latest leg up, while Dogecoin, XRP, and Ethereum gain.

Ripple has reached a decisive price range of $2.3-$2.5, with an impending breakout determining the upcoming trend. A bullish breakout will pave the way for a sustained rally toward the $3.1 range. XRP Analysis The Daily Chart XRP’s recent bullish trend has been halted at the upper boundary of a prolonged descending wedge near the […]

Ethereum has experienced a strong upward rally over the past two weeks, pushing from the $1,500s to above $2,600. However, signs of exhaustion are beginning to surface. While higher timeframes remain bullish for now, short-term caution is warranted. Technical Analysis By ShayanMarkets The Daily Chart ETH has hit a technical ceiling just under the $2,900 […]

Bitcoin has continued consolidating below the critical $108K resistance range, signaling a state of equilibrium between buyers and sellers. Nevertheless, the price is likely to initiate a fresh rally once the current corrective consolidation phase concludes. Technical Analysis The Daily Chart Bitcoin remains in a consolidation phase after failing to reclaim the key $108K resistance […]