Australian Senate Panel Backs Framework to Regulate Crypto Platforms

A Bitcoin wallet address linked to Nancy Guthrie's disappearance saw new activity this week, with a fresh ransom demand emerging. Despite a small transaction and a third ransom note, authorities have not confirmed the sender's identity or motives.

Paxful, the peer-to-peer Bitcoin exchange, was sentenced to pay $4 million in fines after admitting to transferring funds involved in money laundering, fraud, and prostitution schemes. The company facilitated $3 billion in trades between 2017 and 2019, collecting nearly $30 million in revenue.

Bitcoin's price dropped 2% to $67,500 following a strong U.S. jobs report, with altcoins like Ethereum and Solana experiencing steeper declines. The Federal Reserve's unlikely rate cut in March is indicated by traders' reduced expectations, impacting various asset classes.

Coinbase's stock has dropped 34% this year, with analysts downgrading price estimates due to lower trading volumes and market drawdown. JPMorgan analysts cited growing competition as a concern, leading to reduced price targets from various firms like Cantor Fitzgerald and Citi.

Democratic lawmakers criticized SEC Chair Paul Atkins for allegedly ignoring crypto scams linked to President Donald Trump, damaging the industry's credibility. Rep. Stephen Lynch expressed concern over the SEC's dismissal of lawsuits against Binance and Justin Sun, questioning the regulator's actions.

BlockFills has temporarily suspended deposits and withdrawals on its platform due to recent market conditions, aiming to protect clients and the firm. The company is actively working to resolve the issue and restore liquidity, while allowing clients to trade spot and derivative positions.

Uniswap's governance token surged after announcing an integration with BlackRock's tokenized money market fund, BUIDL. The integration allows trading via UniswapX, with professional traders providing the best prices automatically.

According to Galaxy CEO Mike Novogratz, the crypto market is transitioning from speculation to real-world asset usage for banking and financial services. Novogratz launched a $100 million crypto hedge fund to balance crypto exposure with equities, aiming to invest in both crypto tokens and financial services stocks.

Uniswap Labs successfully had a patent lawsuit dismissed by a judge ruling that Bancor's patents claimed abstract ideas ineligible under U.S. law. The court granted Uniswap's request to dismiss the case due to lack of valid claims.

Solana ETFs saw a surge in net inflows on February 10, breaking a two-day outflow streak with $8.43 million. Bitwise's BSOL led with $7.70 million in new capital, contributing to a total of $700.21 million in assets under management for spot Solana ETFs.