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Cryptocurrency won’t go mainstream until US solves its problems, says Chainalysis CEO

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Cryptocurrency won’t go mainstream until US solves its problems, says Chainalysis CEO

Cryptocurrency may not become a fully mainstream financial instrument until concrete regulations for the highly volatile industry are drawn up and enforced by authorities in the US, the chief executive of blockchain company Chainalysis has said.

While acknowledging that current cryptocurrency frameworks are “actually pretty good and functional”, the $2.33 trillion industry’s other issues need to be addressed, especially when it comes to protecting investors and consumers, Michael Gronager told The National.

The US, the world’s biggest economy that is also considered the most important financial market as the Federal Reserve sets the global tone for interest rates – should take the lead on this, he said.

“In finance, everyone looks towards to the US first trying to figure out what’s going on, and then whether the regulation has already been created in other places first … it’ll be changed to adapt the US framework once it’s figured out,” Mr Gronager said.

“We’ve seen that in the past; we’ll see that again with crypto. So, we are kind of waiting for the US to solve some of these things and that’s where things stand today.”

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The US granted the cryptocurrency sector a major victory in January when it finally approved the country’s first spot Bitcoin ETFs, clearing the way for trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the Cboe Global Markets and the Nasdaq Composite, and making Bitcoin more accessible to retail traders.

ETFs “definitely boosted the sentiment of crypto”, Mr Gronager said.

In addition, US authorities have been vigilant in clamping down on the sector, running after irregularities and illicit activity within the ranks.

Their actions have claimed some of the biggest names, including Sam Bankman-Fried, the former chief executive of FTX who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud, and former Binance chief executive Changpeng Zhao, who in November pled guilty to charges related to money laundering and was handed a four-month prison sentence on April 30.

“The FTX case was so unique; it was less tied to crypto and more tied to a traditional fall because everything happened behind closed doors, and was related to how that company was run by the people behind it,” Mr Gronager said.

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“The lesson learned by the industry and regulators is that if it’s a non-regulated business in your jurisdiction and you don’t have any ways to think that your funds would be good, they’re probably not good,” he added, also noting the collapses of Three Arrows and Celsius Network in 2022.

The fates of those companies, coupled with job losses at the time, triggered the so-called cryptocurrency winter, a period in which the sector cooled down, dragging Bitcoin to below its key $20,000 psychological level in June 2022 and wiping out about $2 trillion from the digital asset industry’s market capitalisation.

“Celsius and Three Arrows were the symptoms of a way too hot finance market. And the newest kids in finance were the crypto exchanges and some crypto projects – they were definitely the ones who overleveraged completely,” Mr Gronager said.

“And some of them did it in an illegal way. And that was basically what we saw there. We also saw established venture capital firms over-leveraging their investments and getting in big trouble, but most of them actually survived it.”

For the broader finance industry, Mr Gronager believes there is a “solid and pretty good framework” that tackles money laundering and terrorist financing.

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Applied to the cryptocurrency sector, the $4.3 billion settlement between Binance and the US Department of Justice last November is an indication that authorities have taken a stance and this is being taken very seriously.

“We had all the big banks … each getting billion-dollar fines; now you’re seeing the same in the crypto space and that raises the bar, ensures compliance will be high priority, and a good understanding and responsibility of the industry,” Mr Gronager said.

Among the most notable fines imposed on financial institutions for compliance failures are JP Morgan Chase’s $2.6 billion settlement in the aftermath of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme in 2014 and Credit Suisse’s $5.28 billion payment in 2017 for misconduct on sales of residential mortgage-backed securities.

“There’s now a price on not doing compliance or making mistakes.”

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Regulations are key to establishing trust in the cryptocurrency industry, and governments should play an active role in ensuring this, said Mr Gronager, who counts the UAE as among “the top three to five in terms of the global landscape” of finance and cryptocurrency, as well.

He said the Emirates has had “a good way of working with the [crypto] industry, ensuring that there’s adequate regulation”, at par with other global financial centres such as New York, London and Singapore.

The total value of cryptocurrency transactions in the UAE from the first quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024 hit $39.2 billion, data provided by Chainalysis to The National shows.

Institutional investors, those who invest more than $1 million, made up the biggest chunk of UAE transactions with 59 per cent, while professional investors ($10,000 to $1 million) were at 39 per cent and retail investors (up to $10,000) were at 2 per cent, the data showed.

“The UAE, in general, is very advanced and sophisticated in [cryptocurrency] use cases and is probably one of the few markets where decentralised finance is more relevant than centralised exchanges, demonstrating that the level of sophistication is pretty high,” Mr Gronager said.

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Updated: May 16, 2024, 3:00 AM

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GameStop to invest corporate cash in bitcoin, following in footsteps of MicroStrategy

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GameStop to invest corporate cash in bitcoin, following in footsteps of MicroStrategy

Video game retailer GameStop announced Tuesday its board has unanimously approved a plan to buy bitcoin with its corporate cash, echoing a move made famous by MicroStrategy.

The meme stock jumped more than 6% in extended trading Tuesday following the news. The announcement confirmed CNBC’s reporting in February of GameStop’s intention to add bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to its balance sheet.

The video game retailer said a portion of its cash or future debt and equity issuances may be invested in bitcoin and U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoins. As of Feb. 1, GameStop held nearly $4.8 billion in cash. The firm also said it has not set a ceiling on the amount of bitcoin it may purchase.

GameStop will be following in the footsteps of software company MicroStrategy, now known as Strategy, which bought billions of dollars worth of bitcoin in recent years to become the largest corporate holder of the flagship cryptocurrency. That decision prompted a rapid, albeit volatile, rise for Strategy’s stock.

GameStop’s foray into cryptocurrencies marks the latest effort by CEO Ryan Cohen to revive the struggling brick-and-mortar business. Under Cohen’s leadership, GameStop has focused on cutting costs and streamlining operations to ensure the business is profitable.

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The company said the move could expose it to volatility associated with cryptocurrency prices.

“Bitcoin, for example, is a highly volatile asset and has experienced significant price fluctuations over time. Our Bitcoin strategy has not been tested and may prove unsuccessful,” GameStop said in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, has ridden a roller coaster since President Donald Trump won reelection. After shooting up and piercing the $100,000 milestone, bitcoin has declined about 18% from its record high to a recent price of approximately $88,000.

In tandem with the cryptocurrency announcement, investors also cheered a rise in GameStop’s fourth-quarter results. The firm reported net income of $131.3 million, more than double the $63.1 million earned in the same quarter last year.

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FYBN Token Kickstarts the Future of Gas Station Financing with Impressive Growth

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FYBN Token Kickstarts the Future of Gas Station Financing with Impressive Growth

Atlanta, Georgia, March 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FYBN Token, a Solana-based cryptocurrency, announced a 395% increase over the past 30 days. Despite the adverse market trends, FYBN reached $0.0031, showcasing an increasing popularity across the broader crypto community. The FYBN Token aims to revolutionize real estate and gas station crypto payments. You can buy FYBNAPP tokens on Coinbase Wallet or Phantom Wallet.

FYBN is a token built on the Solana blockchain. It caters primarily to gas station businesses, providing them with a more efficient, cost-effective, and globally accessible source of liquidity. These businesses can leverage FYBN for property acquisition and operational funding, thus accessing new ways to grow and prosper.

A recent FYBN use case example is the first-ever gas station purchase using cryptocurrency. The $500,000 Atlanta transaction, which saved over $30,000 in commissions, settled instantly and without hefty fees. More importantly, it showed that such transactions can occur via blockchain technology, thus eliminating traditional banking delays.

The FYBN Token comes with a comprehensive suite of utilities and benefits for real-world businesses. For example, using FYBN helps investors streamline gas station and real estate purchases. It also saves them costs by eliminating broker fees. Moreover, FYBN harnesses the power of the Solana blockchain and smart contracts to reduce the legal costs generally involved with such transactions.

FYBN Token also ensures nearly instant transactions, with settlements occurring within minutes. Lastly, gas stations using FYBN can reduce credit card fees and attract tech-savvy customers. All these benefits help reshape gas stations’ financial landscape, enabling them to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment. With the acceptance of the FYBN token in the gas station and Cstore community the price is expected to rise and technical indicators suggest that price would cross $1 by end of this year. 

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About FYBN Token

FYBN is a rapidly developing enterprise, with over $817 million in executed deals and 300+ gas stations sold in the last 6 years. The project aims to redefine business operations by merging blockchain innovations with real-world applications.

Behind the FYBN token is an expert team with diverse technology, finance, and social impact backgrounds. Its goal is to push the boundaries in business and transform the world with the power of blockchain. Besides helping gas station businesses reinvent themselves, FYBN empowers charitable donations with traceable transactions. This way, it gives back by making philanthropy transparent and efficient.

You can learn more about FYBN Token at these links: Website | (X) Twitter | Telegram | LinkedIn | Coinbase

You can email FYBN at support@fybn.app or call them at +1 (408) 856-5031.

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities.

Dilip Mooparakath

di (at) fybn.app

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Boosted by cryptocurrency trading growth, eToro files for initial public offering – SiliconANGLE

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Boosted by cryptocurrency trading growth, eToro files for initial public offering – SiliconANGLE

Social trading and investment marketplace company eToro Group Ltd. has officially filed its paperwork for an initial public offering just over two months after it first reported that it had done so confidentially.

According to the company’s IPO filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, eToro had $12.6 billion in revenue in 2024, with net income coming in at $192 million. The figures were way up from $3.89 billion in revenue and $15.3 million in net income in 2023.

How eToro managed to multiply its revenue and net income figures over the course of the year does not come as a complete surprise: cryptocurrency. As Bloomberg pointed out, 96% of eToro’s revenue was from crypto assets last year, much of it driven by the election of President Donald Trump, who is more friendly toward cryptocurrency than his predecessor.

The decision by eToro to go public follows a failed attempt by the company to trade on public markets through a merger with special-purpose acquisition company FinTech Acquisition Corp. V. Announced in March 2021, the plans for the SPAC merger were terminated in July 2022, officially because of conditions between the two companies not being satisfied, but more likely market conditions were a dominant factor.

The proposed size of the IPO and price guidance were not disclosed in the filing, although previous reports have suggested that eToro could be valued at $5 billion, less than half of the $10.4 billion valuation the company would have had if it had gone public in 2022. Though a decline, if the IPO does value eToro at $5 billion, it would value eToro as being worth more than when it raised $250 million on a $3.5 billion valuation in 2023.

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EToro follows in the footsteps of artificial intelligence cloud platform company CoreWeave Inc., which filed for its own IPO last week. CoreWeave is seeking to sell 49 million shares at $47 to $55 on a valuation of $26 billion to $35 billion, likely late this week.

Companies that have gone public so far this year include identity security company SailPoint Technologies Inc., which successfully raised $1.38 billion at $23 per share on Feb. 13.

Image: 30478819@N08/Flickr

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