CoinDesk Crypto

I didn’t really have anything prepared to write about this week, but the Department of Justice is on it. Prosecutors told the judge overseeing Sam Bankman-Fried’s criminal trial that they intend to fold campaign-finance allegations into a wire fraud charge, after anno

If you go by a handful of headlines and chatter on Crypto Twitter, you might think that the largest publicly-traded crypto exchange Coinbase now thinks bitcoin is about as valuable as a Beanie Baby. And forsooth, good man, woman or human! It is a comparison the exchange drew, in

Money doesn't make the world go round; credit does. Credit predates any known form of currency and was in use at least as far back as the ancient civilization of Sumer around the year 3500 B.C.E. In Sumer, citizens could get loans for agricultural purposes, later paying these bac

Binance’s options in Europe seem to be narrowing as evidenced by a recent string of withdrawals and rejections from local regulators.With the EU’s crypto regulation MiCA set to take effect in the next year or so, the firm only needs to be licensed in one member nation

A Barbie doll is like a virtual reality (VR) headset. Both are made of plastic. Both are mass-produced retail products. And both have had the absolute crap marketed out of them in the name of consumerism. But also, both are gateways through which humans have found the capacity to

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve JobsOn August 7, 2023, PayPal announced that they were launching PYUSD. In five years, we will look back at this exact moment and realize this was the beginning of the turn in history. Why do I

The news this week that PayPal (PYPL) will issue a U.S. dollar stablecoin on the Ethereum network has understandably lit up the crypto world, even setting off a minor rally in other tokens. Optimists see it as a watershed moment of validation for blockchain and smart contracts fr

Since the start of the year, I’ve been pre-occupied by a question I can’t seem to get decent answers to. I’ve asked it at conferences, on live panels, on podcasts, and to smart friends over zoom. It’s pretty simple: “If you couldn’t get rich of

Exploiting DeFi protocols has long become crypto’s most popular type of crime, while traditional exchange hacks have become far less frequent. But cybercriminals haven’t lost all interest in the good old digital robbery.The recent hack of a crypto payment processor Co

Here’s some confirmation that crypto isn’t entirely toxic: In the hours after internet payments pioneer PayPal announced a stablecoin on Ethereum, the company’s stock rallied 2%. That may seem a tiny rally for anyone used to triple-digit gains on s**tcoins, but

In September 2021, El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as its second legally-recognized national currency alongside the U.S. dollar. It is the first nation to adopt the “Bitcoin Standard,” serving as a testing ground for other countries looking to adopt the digital currency a

In September 2021, El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as its second legally-recognized national currency alongside the U.S. dollar. It is the first nation to adopt the “Bitcoin Standard,” serving as a testing ground for other countries looking to adopt the digital currency a

So much for pausing development. On Monday morning, it was announced that global payments giant PayPal (PYPL) is launching PayPal USD (PYUSD), a U.S. dollar stablecoin fully backed by U.S. dollar deposits, short-term U.S. Treasuries and similar cash equivalents.There are so many

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Armstrong claimed that, as part of its battle with the SEC, the agency ordered it to essentially shut down all business activities outside of bitcoin.

The issuance of crypto tax documents – like traditional 1099 forms – was finally required in the law two years ago, but the delay in proposing it may mean it slips another year.The new infrastructure could be difficult for the industry, though it could finally relieve

The blockchain industry has attracted more than its fair share of scammers and fraudsters. The past two years have been especially painful as the collapses of Luna, Three Arrows Capital and FTX have brought the industry to its knees.Thankfully those of us with a long-term vision

I’ve seen a couple articles in the past few days about the death and decay of decentralized finance (DeFi).The impetus has been the recent issues in DeFi caused by an exploit and crypto founder who is a horrible risk manager. In short: The founder of a prominent automated m

Whenever the U.S. credit rating comes into view – as it did with Fitch’s surprise downgrade this week – it’s an opportunity to discuss the connection between money, debt and power and to explore how Bitcoin and crypto could upend those relationships.To sta

Telegram has become the home of a new generation of trading bots that toe the line between convenience and chaos. 

“Just a sec. I gotta make sure I win this digital auction for a super expensive, priceless piece of digital art that I'm hanging in my virtual beach house,” Adam DeVine says at the start of a new crypto ad. “Done! Got it,” he declares before launching into