Kraken Introduces US-Regulated Futures Platform as Congress Moves On Landmark Crypto Bills

The total value of all cryptocurrencies topped $4 trillion for the first time, driven by Bitcoin and Ethereum. Regulatory victories in the U.S. and investor demand fueled this milestone, with Bitcoin hitting $120,336 and Ethereum reaching $3,647.

Shane Donovan Moore, a former semi-pro rugby player, has been sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison for defrauding over 40 investors of more than $900,000 through a fake crypto mining business. Moore used investor funds for personal expenses, perpetuating a Ponzi scheme that targeted fellow rugby players.

Recent crypto price surges are attributed to positive developments in Washington, D.C., with XRP leading the top 20 cryptos, up nearly 20% in a day and over 43% in a week. The House of Representatives passed three crypto bills, including the GENIUS Act, awaiting Senate approval.

Nasdaq has requested a rules change to allow BlackRock's Ethereum Trust to incorporate staking, enabling the fund to earn yield by validating transactions on the Ethereum blockchain. Other issuers like Fidelity and Grayscale are also seeking approval for staking in their funds.

The GENIUS Act, a federal framework for stablecoins, passed the House with bipartisan support and heads to President Trump for signing. The CLARITY Act, regulating other crypto assets, also passed, with a surprising number of Democrats voting in favor. CLARITY now heads to the Senate.

Chris Larsen, Ripple co-founder, transferred $26 million in XRP to Coinbase in multiple batches. XRP's value surged by 34% in a week, reaching its highest price since January. The cryptocurrency's open interest for futures hit a new record of over $8.8 billion on Wednesday.

Myriad Markets allow users to predict real-world events like XRP's next move, Ethereum's price spike, and Pump.fun's token airdrop. The recent surge in XRP has led to optimistic predictions for its future price movement.

Jarett Dunn, a former Pump.fun senior developer, is in a London prison for violating bail conditions. Dunn awaits a hearing for his attack on the Solana meme coin launchpad, which has generated over $770 million in revenue.

BitMine Immersion, backed by Peter Thiel, now holds over $1 billion in Ethereum after purchasing an additional $500 million this week, bringing their total ETH holdings to 300,657. The company shifted focus from Bitcoin mining to building an ETH treasury less than a month ago.