Author: NBTC
M.G. Siegler: Anthropic’s Pentagon deal collapsed over ethical AI concerns, urgency in military AI integration, and the deep ties of AI in defense operations
Key takeaways Anthropic’s deal with the Pentagon collapsed due to ethical concerns over AI’s use in mass surveillance. The Pentagon’s urgency in AI negotiations is tied to military preparations, highlighting strategic priorities. AI tools from Anthropic are already deeply embedded in US military operations. Trust and validation are critical when integrating new AI technologies into government operations. The government may have used the situation with Anthropics as leverage in negotiations. A significant culture clash exists between Anthropics’ leadership and the Department of War. Anthropic’s leadership sought to limit the Department of War’s access to public databases due to surveillance concerns.…
A sudden withdrawal from Hyperliquid’s HLP pool just before a sharp $XPL crash has sent shockwaves through DeFi markets. Arkham reported that a single Ethereum wallet pulled out funds right as seven other accounts carried out a coordinated price manipulation. Arkham highlighted the timing in a post, questioning whether the wallet reacted too early to on-chain activity. While no coordination has been confirmed, the sequence of events has fueled speculation about how quickly traders can respond to changes in liquidity. Wallet Activity Signals Strategic Positioning On-chain data shows the wallet remained active across multiple DeFi platforms before the move. It…
The finance ministry in Moscow has made it clear it may soon obligate Russian companies to convert their cryptocurrency revenues into local fiat. The department also announced that the long-awaited legislation to regulate the country’s crypto market will be filed with the parliament next week. The bill must be passed by the summer, with Russia’s first legal cryptocurrency transactions expected to take place as early as this year. Minfin eyes return of Russian crypto earnings from abroad The Russian Ministry of Finance is considering ways to repatriate cryptocurrency received by firms engaged in foreign economic activities. It has just supported…
The US state of Alabama has become the second US jurisdiction after Wyoming to grant decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) legal status under the DUNA Act. The Decentralized Unincorporated Nonprofit Association (DUNA) Act (Senate Bill 277) was introduced in February by Republican Senator Lance Bell. The House passed it 82-7 with 16 abstentions on March 17, and has now been signed by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, according to a16z Crypto. Speaking about the bill’s passage, a16z Crypto’s head of policy and general counsel, Miles Jennings, said on Wednesday that “Decentralized governance is essential to crypto’s future—it’s one of the core constructs…
YZi Labs has announced a strategic additional investment in prediction market platform Predict.fun following the second season of its EASY Residency program, according to an official update from the firm. The follow‑on round brings in Susquehanna Crypto, the digital asset trading arm of global quantitative trading firm Susquehanna International Group, signaling growing institutional interest in on‑chain prediction markets. The Predict.fun team graduated from YZi Labs’ EASY Residency Season 2 cohort, unveiled during Binance Blockchain Week, where the incubator highlighted the protocol’s blend of DeFi yield, self‑custody and gasless UX as the basis for “mainstream prediction markets.” YZi Labs described Predict.fun…
A solo Bitcoin miner secured a roughly $210,000 block reward on Thursday, proving that the so-called “mining lottery” is still paying out even if industrial operators dominate the network. The miner, connected to CKPool’s solo service, found block 943,411 and earned 3.139 $BTC in subsidy and transaction fees, according to data from block explorer mempool.space. Solo mining remains rare. Statistics compiled by Bennet’s tracker show that solo mining pools have found just 20 Bitcoin ($BTC) blocks over the last 12 months, paying out a total of 62.96 $BTC, roughly one win every 18.7 days on average. The longest “drought” between…
FOMO Model Tokens have officially launched on AerodromeFi. This is one of the biggest advancements in the convergence of artificial intelligence and decentralized finance. The tokenization of AI models is a major milestone which provides additional liquidity and wider access to an already fast-growing asset category. FOMO’s Model Tokens have now landed on @AerodromeFi 🛬This upgrade brings deeper liquidity and open access to Model Tokens. It also paves the way for permissionless FOMO, allowing users to launch Model Tokens directly on Aerodrome for AI models hosted on the FLock API Platform.… pic.twitter.com/VAhgDxDmKh — FLock.io (@flock_io) April 3, 2026 The announcement,…
Crypto exchange Coinbase Global has launched a mortgage structure with Better Home & Finance that lets qualified borrowers pledge digital assets held in Coinbase accounts to fund down payments on standard conforming mortgages designed in accordance with Fannie Mae guidelines. According to Coinbase, the structure enables borrowers to pledge digital assets such as Bitcoin ($BTC) or $USDC ($USDC) as collateral for a separate loan used to fund the down payment, while the primary mortgage remains a standard, Fannie Mae–backed loan. Better will originate and service the mortgages. When rolled out, the new development could mark a shift in how crypto…
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced sweeping restrictions on gambling advertising across television, radio, online platforms, and sporting venues on April 2. The new rules take effect from January 2027 and aim to reduce children’s exposure to betting promotions during live sports broadcasts and everyday media. Australia’s Per-Capita Gambling Losses Drive Reform Australia has the highest per capita gambling losses globally. In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, Australians lost $31.5 billion on gambling, averaging roughly $1,527 per person. The country holds less than 0.5% of the world’s population, yet accounts for nearly 20% of its poker machines. Under the new measures,…
Global payments leader Mastercard has launched its Crypto Partner Program, signaling a major step into blockchain-based payments. The initiative focuses on connecting traditional financial systems with crypto infrastructure, marking a shift from experimentation to long-term integration. This move shows that large institutions are actively preparing for a future where digital assets play a central role in global finance. LATEST: Mastercard launches its Crypto Partner Program with Aptos as a founding partner, pushing onchain payments into the mainstream pic.twitter.com/ccydueF9Jb — crypto.news (@cryptodotnews) April 2, 2026 Aptos Takes Center Stage A key highlight of the program is the inclusion of Aptos as…