Metaplanet Added $398M in BTC to Holdings in Q1 to Become Third Largest Bitcoin Treasury

Pump.fun's token quickly rose to the top 65 tokens by market cap after a $600 million ICO that sold out in 12 minutes. Despite this, it remains below BONK, a meme coin rival on Solana's launchpad market share.

SharpLink Gaming disclosed acquiring $225 million worth of Ethereum, increasing its holdings to 280,000 Ethereum valued at $846 million. The company's stock price surged 160% in the past month as Ethereum's price exceeded $3,000, reflecting gains seen by other Ethereum treasury firms.

The crypto sector, backed by companies like Coinbase, is gearing up for significant spending in the upcoming U.S. congressional elections. Fairshake, a political action committee, has already amassed over $141 million to support pro-crypto candidates and influence key races across the country.

The U.S. Department of Justice and Commodity Futures Trading Commission have concluded investigations into Polymarket, a crypto prediction platform, for allegedly allowing U.S. citizens to use its services without proper registration. Polymarket had previously reached an agreement with the CFTC in 2022.

Standard Chartered, a "too big to fail" bank, has ventured into Bitcoin and Ethereum trading for institutional clients, integrating digital assets into existing treasury systems for seamless trading. This move is seen as a validation of the increasing demand for regulated crypto trading solutions in traditional finance.

Hungary has updated its Criminal Code to penalize individuals using unauthorized crypto exchanges with up to five years in prison, based on the value of trades. The laws also target unauthorized crypto service providers, who could face up to eight years in prison.

Standard Chartered claims to be the "first global systemically important bank" to offer spot trading in Bitcoin and Ethereum for institutional clients. The offering is available through its UK branches during Asia and Europe trading hours, and is integrated into its existing trading platforms.

Prosecutors allege Julia DeLuney staged her mother's death to cover up financial crimes related to a crypto exit scam. DeLuney's alleged crypto trading addiction played a central role in the homicide, with financial records showing significant deficits and elaborate scams.

Federal prosecutors in California have charged and secured guilty pleas from Los Angeles deputies involved in a civil rights conspiracy linked to a jailed crypto entrepreneur known as “The Godfather.” The scheme involved illicit payments to law enforcement officers and staged armed confrontations to extort rivals.

Stress in global bond markets is causing ripples in risk assets, with Japan's bond rout signaling broader fiscal strain. Unrealized losses on Japanese bonds are mounting, erasing an estimated 45% of their value since 2019. The flight to hard assets like Bitcoin is driven by low global government bond market liquidity.