UK Government Sanctions Xinbi for Aiding Scam Centers With Crypto Services in Southeast Asia

The perpetual DEX market is gaining popularity, with tokens like ASTER and APEX seeing increased volumes due to farming activity. Hyperliquid, despite facing competition, maintains dominance with over $13.1 billion in open interest.

CoinShares International Limited announced the acquisition of London-based Bastion Asset Management to enhance its actively managed offerings and expand its US growth strategy. The deal, subject to approval by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, will integrate Bastion’s quantitative strategies and expertise into CoinShares’ platform.

Gabriel Haines, a comedian and podcaster, is developing a TV pilot inspired by a meme coin crisis involving Argentine President Javier Milei. The show, titled “The Max Extractor,” will blend elements of crypto and crime, focusing on an entrepreneur's downfall in the crypto world.

An Aptos influencer known as Buzzlamic Jihad has become an advisor to the company, aiming to improve Aptos' image and establish it as a premium stablecoin network. His meme-fueled community engagement in February led to a surge in developer interest in the network.

Bitcoin's surge to over $116,000 has propelled the total cryptocurrency market capitalization to $4.09 trillion, erasing recent losses and triggering liquidations of $60 million in short positions. Experts attribute the uptick to structural demand, sustained ETF flows, and positive institutional positioning.

Bitcoin Core developers decided to reverse their decision to deprecate the user configurability of OP_RETURN's default datacarriersize just before the release of Core version 30 (v30). This change, which was merged into the master branch via GitHub, was seen as a victory for Knots node operators who opposed the deprecation.

CoinShares, a European digital asset manager, will acquire Bastion Asset Management to enhance its actively managed crypto strategies and support U.S. expansion. The deal, subject to UK regulatory approval, aims to combine passive and active management for a more complete investor suite.

Sei, a Layer-1 blockchain, has expanded into Asia by leveraging Japan's licensing regime and partnerships with global institutions. With approvals secured in Japan, Sei is listed on Binance Japan and OKX Japan, benefiting from Circle's USDC deployment and tokenization efforts by Apollo through Securitize.

Sygnum, in partnership with Starboard Digital, has introduced the BTC Alpha Fund, offering 8%-10% annual returns in Bitcoin through arbitrage strategies. The fund, domiciled in the Cayman Islands, targets professional and institutional investors seeking exposure to Bitcoin's price movements while generating yield.

Binance co-founder CZ issued an alert after the official X account for BNB Chain was compromised. A fraudulent link promising fake rewards was posted, prompting investigations by the teams. Phishing attempts aim to deceive users and steal their digital assets.