Crypto

Lawmakers want Indiana to become a crypto leader. That may start with retirement funds

Published

4 months ago

December 5, 2025

Lawmakers want Indiana to become a crypto leader. That may start with retirement funds

Indiana lawmakers are hoping to make the state a cryptocurrency leader by allowing the state to invest in digital currencies like Bitcoin for state savings and retirement plans while prohibiting local communities from restricting crypto companies.

The legislation, House Bill 1042, comes as excitement grows over the once obscure digital assets that have made millionaires and wiped-out fortunes. Its supporters now include some of the country’s most powerful people, including President Donald Trump and initially hesitant financial institutions, while the first major piece of crypto legislation passed Congress earlier this year.

Now, Indiana is looking for a slice of the windfall. The topic was one of just a few to get an earlier-than-usual hearing as lawmakers consider redistricting, signaling it’s a major topic of interest among Republicans.

“Crypto policy will become a mainstay of this committee’s work for probably years to come,” said bill author Kyle Pierce, R-Anderson, at a House Financial Institutions Committee meeting Dec. 4.

A volatile investment?

Though the bill would allow public investment funds to delve into the world of digital currency, it stops short of allowing direct crypto investments.

Instead, the bill applies to cryptocurrency exchange traded funds, or EFTs — a safer, federally regulated fund that tracks crypto prices, either by holding the digital assets or a contract that speculates on prices in the future.

The state investment programs required to provide such options include the 529 education savings plan and certain retirement funds for teachers, public employees and lawmakers. It also allows other state investment funds to place their assets in crypto EFTs.

While less volatile than a direct investment, it’s not entirely without risk. Because there is less oversight in the underlying crypto market, the Securities and Exchange Commission has warned it’s difficult to prevent fraud and ensure fairness, even for EFT investors.

That was a tentative concern for Tony Green, deputy executive director of the Indiana Public Retirement System, at the House Financial Institutions Committee hearing Dec. 4.

Though neutral on the bill, Green said IPRS would want to ensure there were proper disclaimers about volatility. And while the agency wants to offer choices to their members, he said, those surveyed were generally uninterested.

No anti-crypto regulations

Another aspect of the bill limits how local governments and state agencies can regulate crypto, though Pierce said it’s only intended to ensure laws don’t unfairly target crypto.

Specifically, it would prohibit regulation of an individual or a business’ ability to accept digital currency as payment, including by taxing use of the payment method. It also stops local governments from denying crypto mining facilities in areas zoned for industrial use or applying noise restrictions specific to crypto.

There was some worry about a clause in the bill that bans a public agency from prohibiting a person’s ability to “use or accept digital assets as a method of payment for legal goods and services.”

The bill was welcomed by the founder of the local crypto mining business Megawatt.

Ilya Rekhter, who operates mining facilities in rural areas across the state, said the legislation would help prevent a sudden change in zoning laws after a business has already invested money in a facility, Rekhter said.

“We’re not asking for any special treatment,” he said, “just the same treatment.”

The committee won’t hold a vote on the bill until January.

Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at mmeador@gannett.com or follow her on X @marissa_meador.

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Crypto

Capital B Completes Capital Increase and Acquires 44 Additional Bitcoin, Now Holds 2,888 BTC

Published

10 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Capital B Completes Capital Increase and Acquires 44 Additional Bitcoin, Now Holds 2,888 BTC

France-based Capital B, also known as The Blockchain Group, announced the completion of an At-the-Market (ATM) capital increase and warrant issuances on March 23, 2026. This financial restructuring involves partnerships with TOBAM and UTXO Management to support the firm’s specialized focus on data intelligence and decentralized technology.

The company successfully acquired 44 bitcoin ( BTC) for $3.12 million (€2.7 million), bringing its total holdings to 2,888 BTC with an acquisition value of $309.34 million (€267.1 million). Key performance metrics reveal a year-to-date BTC yield of 0.72% and a total BTC gain of 20.4 tokens for the Paris-listed entity.

🧭 FAQs

• Where is Capital B headquartered and listed? The company is based in Puteaux, France and listed on the Euronext Growth Paris exchange.

• What is the total bitcoin holding for the group? The group and its Luxembourg subsidiary now hold a total of 2,888 BTC.

• Who participated in the recent capital raises? TOBAM and UTXO Management provided the funding through ATM contracts and share subscription warrants.

• Does this transaction require a local AMF prospectus? This specific financial transaction does not require a prospectus subject to approval by the AMF.

Crypto

Fintech Stock SoFi Technologies Just Proved That the Ultimate Cryptocurrency Has a Clear Use Case | The Motley Fool

Published

23 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Fintech Stock SoFi Technologies Just Proved That the Ultimate Cryptocurrency Has a Clear Use Case | The Motley Fool

If a company, particularly one that operates in the otherwise boring and slow-moving financial services industry, has seen its revenue soar 133% in three years, it’s clearly doing something right. That’s the best way to describe SoFi Technologies (SOFI +1.48%). The digital banking superstar ended 2025 with almost 13.7 million customers.

Product innovation has been a key pillar of SoFi’s success, and in recent months, this core competency has been on full display. This fintech stock just proved that the ultimate cryptocurrency has a clear use case.

Image source: Getty Images.

Giving its members another tool to better handle their finances

SoFi tapped Lightspark, a payments start-up founded in 2022 by former Meta Platforms executive David Marcus, to enable cross-border payments for its customers. Lightspark provides the back-end infrastructure, while SoFi Pay users can leverage this exciting capability.

This feature leans on the Bitcoin (BTC +3.99%) Lightning network, a Layer-2 protocol that allows for fast and cheap transactions to occur.

What stands out with this is that SoFi doesn’t necessarily need to be bullish on Bitcoin. The management team simply picked what it thought was the most capable technological solution that could rapidly integrate and scale up. Since it was introduced in August last year, SoFi Pay now facilitates remittances to over 30 countries.

At a high level, the person sending the money and the person receiving the money deal with their own respective local currencies. Underneath the hood, SoFi and Lightspark handle the conversion to and from Bitcoin.

Besides how easy the feature is to use, SoFi could save its customers a lot of money. In 2024, $138 billion of remittances were sent from the U.S. to India, for example. Money-transfer services charge average fees that can be well above 5% of the value being sent.

Today’s Change

(3.99%) $2717.74

Current Price

$70898.00

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$1.4T

Day’s Range

$67564.00 – $71646.00

52wk Range

$60255.56 – $126079.89

Volume

56B

Propelling the top digital asset to its next stage of development

This product introduction shows how innovative SoFi is, as the popular banking platform isn’t afraid to try new things with the top priority being to better serve its members.

Additionally, this move is a clear signal to the rest of the world that Bitcoin has a use case in the finance world. Looking ahead, it will be important to pay attention to any commentary SoFi’s leadership team provides on adoption trends. Other banks might choose to do something similar.

I believe we’re now witnessing the early innings of Bitcoin’s next evolutionary phase to becoming a medium of exchange. It has been a wonderful investment, with a trailing 10-year return of 18,000% (as of March 18). While I expect strong gains to continue, the crypto asset’s ability to transfer value around the globe is impossible to overstate and will be critical for its long-term viability.

Should Bitcoin be leaned on more for its utility value, it provides durable demand. This can support a higher price in the future.

Crypto

The Best Crypto to Buy for Long-Term Investors Right Now | The Motley Fool

Published

1 day ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

The Best Crypto to Buy for Long-Term Investors Right Now | The Motley Fool

Despite its position as a multitrillion-dollar asset class, the cryptocurrency industry is still trying to prove itself as a viable place to park capital. Volatility remains a challenge. And there is no shortage of critics who still believe these digital assets serve no purpose.

Even after considering these arguments, investors might want to test the waters for the sake of boosting the returns of their portfolios. Here’s the best cryptocurrency that long-term investors should buy.

Image source: Getty Images.

Start with the world’s prime digital asset

According to coinmarketcap.com, there are tens of millions of different cryptocurrencies out there that make up this relatively new asset class. That huge figure can distract investors who are serious about where to allocate their hard-earned savings. In this situation, simplicity is key. Stick to the proven crypto that has developed a dominant position: Bitcoin (BTC 0.57%).

Bitcoin has been around for more than 17 years, ever since its first block was mined in January 2009. This makes it the first cryptocurrency. Its market cap of $1.4 trillion (as of March 18) gives it almost 60% share of the entire industry.

And the performance is phenomenal. In the past 10 years, Bitcoin’s price has skyrocketed 18,000%. It has been one of the best assets that anyone could have owned this century.

You might be wondering what problem Bitcoin solves. It was created to be a solution to the current monetary system, which has its own issues. These center on persistent currency debasement and monumental, ever-increasing amounts of sovereign debt.

Bitcoin’s absolute scarcity, shown by its hard supply cap of 21 million units, is its most compelling feature. It’s also not controlled by a single entity, is completely decentralized, and has never been hacked.

Today’s Change

(-0.57%) $-390.91

Current Price

$68392.00

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$1.4T

Day’s Range

$67564.00 – $68885.00

52wk Range

$60255.56 – $126079.89

Volume

34B

Expect the volatility to continue, but the gains can be massive

Because Bitcoin is an emerging monetary asset, the volatility isn’t going away just yet. Over time, the price swings have gotten less extreme. However, the ups and downs are something long-term investors can’t avoid. This isn’t unique to Bitcoin. Some of the most impressive technology stocks over the past couple of decades, like Nvidia, Amazon, and Netflix, were extremely difficult to hold on to during times of intense volatility.

As was the case with those disruptive businesses, patient investors will be rewarded in this situation. Bitcoin is currently trading 41% below its record price from about five months ago. But it has historically always recovered to reach newer all-time highs. Its fundamentals, particularly around network security, transaction volume, and adoption trends, are all in strong shape.

Investors who can buy Bitcoin and hold for 10 years are setting themselves up for success.