Crypto Comes of Age: Regulated Infrastructure for Mainstream Finance

Public markets are re-pricing crypto away from token hype toward boring-but-valuable infrastructure—custody, payments, stablecoins and compliance—valued for recurring revenue, predictable margins and regulatory durability. VCs and IPOs now favor firms with real revenue and compliance roadmaps (think BitGo, Ledger), producing steadier listings, lower volatility and institutional investor appetite. The result: crypto growth is being remapped around durability and integration with legacy finance—read the full post to see how capital, products and regulation are changing the game.

White House Crypto Summit Aims to Restart Legislation Amid Bank-Industry Tensions

The White House crypto council is convening a summit to reboot stalled crypto legislation by confronting the flashpoint that sank talks — stablecoin rewards — and the banking-versus-crypto split that prompted Coinbase’s exit. Lawmakers will wrestle with reserves, custody, permissible yield, disclosure and supervision as they try to bridge banks’ fears of deposit flight with crypto firms’ product designs; a clarified statute could cut regulatory uncertainty and unlock institutional adoption, while fixes like fixed-price, time-locked tokens (e.g., 4TEEN) are already being pitched as safer alternatives.

Alabama Advances House Bill 303 to Curb Crypto Scams

Alabama lawmakers have launched HB303 after a spike in crypto scams — including a Huntsville woman’s $300,000 loss — proposing transaction caps, escrow-like holds and mandatory refund paths to freeze and reclaim illicit transfers. Backed by the Alabama Securities Commission and the BBB, the bill aims to slow and trace suspect crypto flows and make large-scale fraud harder as it moves through committee.

OKX and Mastercard Launch Stablecoin Card in Europe With Up to 20% Rewards

OKX and Mastercard have launched an EEA crypto card that lets you pay worldwide with stablecoins—tokens stay in your wallet until an instant point-of-sale conversion to euros—advertised as fee-free but subject to a 0.4% market spread. Combining on-chain self-custody, instant execution and Mastercard fiat settlement, the card offers up to 20% instant crypto rewards for a limited time and raises compelling questions about liquidity, compliance and whether users stick around once the promo ends.

ASA Bans Coinbase Ads Claiming Crypto Eases Cost of Living

UK ad watchdog has banned Coinbase’s cheeky new campaign for implying crypto could solve household money woes — the ASA ruled the video and posters trivialised high risks and lacked clear warnings. Coinbase says it was sparking debate, but regulators pointed to the firm’s political ties and warned that financial ads mustn’t exploit cost‑of‑living anxiety.

Bitcoin Eyes $250,000 as Demand Surges and Supply Tightens

Could Bitcoin hit $250,000 in 2026? A potent mix of rising institutional demand, shrinking effective supply (from halving cycles to government and long-term custody) and maturing financial plumbing like spot ETFs makes a 177% rally from today’s ~$90k level plausible. Still, liquidity, leverage and regulatory risks mean outsized upside comes with outsized volatility — read on for the mechanics, history and strategies behind the thesis.

Vermont Tightens Crypto Kiosk Rules to Shield Seniors From Scams

After a wave of scams hitting seniors, Vermont is moving to rein in crypto kiosks — imposing a moratorium, requiring refunds for verified fraud, and backing AARP’s push to let banks freeze suspicious transfers and notify trusted contacts. The changes could force kiosk operators to add liquidity, beef up ID checks and slow rollouts, while raising privacy and liability trade-offs. If it works, Vermont’s blend of enforcement and education could become a national model.

Crypto Goes Mainstream: Banks, Regulators Embrace Digital Assets

Crypto’s quiet takeover of financial plumbing: stablecoin volume hit $18 trillion in 2025—outpacing card networks—as clearer rules (MiCA, US proposals) and bank-grade offerings from Goldman, Visa and others turn crypto into regulated, bankable rails. Exchanges like Bybit are following capital and clarity, platforms are hardening security, and adoption is splitting between regulated productization in advanced markets and rapid on‑chain use in emerging ones. The net effect: crypto is plugging into traditional finance, reshaping liquidity, custody and settlement—and the industry’s shift from niche to mainstream is already underway.

SEC Scales Back Crypto Enforcement in 2025 Under Atkins

SEC’s crypto enforcement sharply dialed back in 2025 under Chair Paul Atkins — new actions fell 60%, penalties plunged to $142M (under 3% of 2024), and the docket shifted to fraud-focused cases — a move that could lower short-term regulatory costs while increasing moral hazard and litigation uncertainty. Read the full post to learn how firms should recalibrate compliance, budgets, product launches, and which enforcement signals to watch next.

Moose Lake's Crypto Facility Sparks Noise and Power Concerns

A proposed 10‑MW crypto computing facility by Revolve Labs on the edge of Moose Lake — a demand more than four times the town’s current electricity use — has neighbors worried about constant fan noise and environmental impacts even as proponents promise tax revenue and easy access to a nearby substation. The clash pits air‑cooling tradeoffs, utility interconnection studies, and noise‑mitigation pledges against questions about quality of life, grid resilience, and whether fiscal gains justify long‑term local costs.