The New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) said the fine was due to a lack of anti-money laundering oversight. Update Aug. 7, 21:06 UTC: This article has been updated to add a response from Paxos. The New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) reached a $48.5 million settlement with crypto infrastructure company Paxos over its partnership with Binance and alleged failure to uphold sufficient anti-money laundering provisions. Paxos agreed to pay New York state a $26.5 million penalty and will spend an additional $22 million to overhaul its compliance program, according to Thursday’s announcement. Read more
In 2025, cloud mining and crypto staking offer distinct passive income paths. In 2025, cloud mining and crypto staking are often mentioned in the same sentence when talking about passive crypto income, yet they represent two very different paths to earning. Cloud mining involves renting remote Bitcoin mining hardware, while staking means locking tokens to validate proof‑of‑stake networks. On trusted platforms like ECOS or MiningToken, cloud mining ROI in 2025 averages 5%-10% APR, though riskier schemes (especially XRP‑linked) still dangle unrealistic promises of 100%-800% APR. Read more
Fifty-one days in and Spencer’s attempts to engineer a turnaround for Moonbirds has already seen the floor price quadruple to 2.36 ETH. Moonbirds are back. The once maligned project that still ranks in the top 10 for all-time trade volume at 356,000 ETH has skyrocketed back up the NFT charts to 2.36 ETH, quadrupling its floor price in the past month. But its definitely spent some time in the wilderness due to multiple ownership changes, directionless plans and waning community sentiment. The NFT project had one of the most highly anticipated mints ever in April 2022, and with prices once again soaring and momentum building, much of the renewed optimism centers around one name: Spencer. Known simply as Spencer on X, the new owner of Moonbirds is no stranger to NFTs hes a prolific collector and head of Spencer Ventures, an institutional-grade NFT fund. Read more
Ripple has acquired Rail to offer stablecoin payment services, with plans to integrate RLUSD, banking partners and compliance tools across global markets. Ripple announced Thursday that it will acquire stablecoin-powered payments platform Rail for $200 million, with the deal expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025. The company said the move aims to expand its enterprise-grade digital asset infrastructure and “deliver the most comprehensive stablecoin payments solution available in the market.” Ripple expects the acquisition to enable it to offer stablecoin on- and off-ramps without requiring customers to hold cryptocurrency, and to facilitate customers in managing multiple payment types on behalf of themselves and their internal treasury flows. Read more
The latest “Clear Crypto Podcast” unpacks how blockchain helps solve critical challenges in agriculture, from supply chain transparency to land ownership and food waste. Blockchain and agriculture might seem like strange bedfellows, but as Yana Leonova explains on Episode 19 of “The Clear Crypto Podcast,” the pairing has the potential to address some of humanity’s most pressing challenges — from food waste to land disputes. “Agriculture can be a great example of how blockchain can benefit the planet, sustainability and each and every one of us,” Leonova said, and she’s not speaking hypothetically. Her PhD in agricultural economics and her work in Dubai’s innovation ecosystem place her at the intersection of blockchain and real-world impact. Read more
Ether outpaces Solana and Bitcoin in capital inflows and futures dominance, with $4,000 retest in the cards. Key takeaways: Capital rotation favors Ether as “Hot Capital Ratio” hits a yearly low for Solana. ETH futures dominance grows with open interest hitting $58 billion. Read more
The European Banking Authority completed draft rules requiring banks to assign a 1,250% risk weight to unbacked cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether. The European Banking Authority (EBA) has finalized draft rules requiring banks to hold significantly more capital against so-called “unbacked” cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether. In its final draft of regulatory technical standards released on Tuesday, the EBA said the rules aim to “address implementation aspects and will ensure harmonisation of the capital requirements on crypto-asset exposures by institutions across the EU.” The framework applies to European Union-based banks holding crypto assets on their balance sheets. Once the final draft goes to the European Commission, Brussels will have up to three months to decide whether to endorse it as is or with amendments, or send it back for redrafting. After endorsement, the bill would become a delegated regulation and be forwarded to the European Parliament and the Council, with a three-month objection ...
Bitcoin DeFi is seeing more venture capital interest as institutional investors flock to Bitcoin and its increasing yield-bearing capabilities. Bitcoin’s decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem is experiencing renewed venture capital (VC) interest, signaling more demand for the world’s first cryptocurrency as it gains utility as a yield-bearing asset. Bitcoin DeFi, or BTCFi, is a technological paradigm that seeks to bring decentralized finance capabilities to Bitcoin’s base layer. According to a new report from Bitcoin DeFi infrastructure provider Maestro, shared with Cointelegraph, the BTCFi ecosystem received $175 million worth of VC funding across 32 rounds in the first half of 2025, with increasingly more capital flowing into consumer apps and demand-driven products. Read more