Charles Schwab Plans to Introduce Prediction Markets With Cboe for Wagering on the S&P 500's Performance: WSJ

Standard Chartered PLC is considering merging Zodia Custody Ltd.'s crypto custody business with one of its digital asset divisions. The bank has not confirmed if it has approached Zodia's minority shareholders, including Northern Trust Corp. and Emirates NBD Bank PJSC.

The SEC's annual report rejects past actions against crypto firms, redirecting resources towards addressing fraud, market manipulation, and trust abuses. Enforcement actions decreased by 22% in fiscal year 2025, with a shift towards collaborative oversight and creating safe harbors for decentralization.

The Solana meme coin, inspired by the viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng, has seen a 6.5% increase in the last 24 hours following news of a man being fined for intruding on the animal's enclosure. The incident has prompted increased security measures at the zoo to prevent future intrusions.

Following a two-week ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, Iranian leaders have introduced a Bitcoin-based plan to regulate the Strait of Hormuz. Ships passing through will be required to pay a $1 fee per barrel in Bitcoin to Iranian authorities for approval.

JPMorgan reported a significant slowdown in capital inflows into digital assets in the first quarter of 2026, totaling around $11 billion. The decline in inflows was attributed to macroeconomic and geopolitical pressures, resulting in a 20% drop in total crypto market capitalization.

The Nicholas Bitcoin and Treasuries AfterDark ETF aims to provide investors with exposure to Bitcoin during non-U.S. trading hours by allocating to Bitcoin futures, options, and other ETFs in the evening. XFunds, in partnership with Tidal Investments, introduced this unique ETF structure to capture overnight market movements.

The White House economists' analysis suggests that banning stablecoin rewards would minimally impact community banks, increasing lending by just 0.026%. Despite warnings of catastrophic losses, the Council of Economic Advisers' modeling indicates a net welfare cost of $800 million.

A consortium of six major Swiss banks, including UBS and PostFinance, partnered with Swiss Stablecoin AG to trial a Swiss franc-pegged stablecoin. The project aims to test blockchain-based payments in Switzerland's financial system through 2026 in a controlled environment.

A crypto whale named Loracle made a significant profit by shorting $5 million in crude oil futures on Hyperliquid, capitalizing on the U.S.-Iran ceasefire news that caused oil prices to plummet. This successful trade added $2 million to Loracle's crypto holdings, showcasing the lucrative opportunities available on decentralized platforms like Hyperliquid.

Headlines suggest quantum computing could threaten Bitcoin's security, but academic research reveals limitations in potential attacks. Grover's algorithm could speed up mining, but the energy required makes it physically impossible. Factoring breakthroughs in quantum computing have been exaggerated, with most demonstrations using rigged numbers.