Author: NBTC

Utah resident Brian Gary Sewell has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for his role in defrauding investors out of roughly $2.9 million through an unlicensed cryptocurrency business. Summary Brian Gary Sewell was sentenced to three years in federal prison for defrauding investors and running an unlicensed cryptocurrency business. Prosecutors said he collected over $2.9 million from at least 17 victims by misrepresenting his experience and investment capabilities. A separate case found Sewell operated a cash-to-crypto service that converted over $5.4 million for third parties without proper registration. Sewell pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to…

The South Korean crypto exchange Korbit has accepted a fine of nearly $2 million. The exchange also has an official warning for widespread failures in its AML and customer verification systems. In a statement, Korbit stated, “We respectfully and humbly accept the Financial Intelligence Unit’s decision to impose a fine. […] Despite the difficult circumstances, we have made this decision to ensure transparency and the healthy development of the crypto market.” The fine shakes up Korbit’s market presence in South Korea The Financial Intelligence Unit levied the penalties after finding that the company had broken many regulations for monitoring transactions.…

Keel, an onchain capital allocator of the Sky ecosystem focusing on Solana SOL$131.44, has launched a $500 million campaign to draw real-world assets (RWAs) to the network, part of a broader effort to grow Solana’s footprint in decentralized finance. The initiative, dubbed the “Tokenization Regatta” and announced at Solana Breakpoint in Abu Dhabi, aims to appeal to tokenized asset issuers through a competitive process, Keel said in a press release shared with CoinDesk. Selected projects will receive direct funding and support for issuing RWAs such as debt, credit or funds on Solana. Cian Breathnach, a contributor to Keel, said more…

Moldova plans to introduce its first comprehensive cryptocurrency legislation by the end of 2026, aligning its rules with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework, according to the country’s finance minister, Andrian Gavrilita. Gavrilita said Wednesday in an interview on the state-owned TVR Moldova, that the government is working with regulators to develop a legal framework that would allow citizens to hold and trade cryptocurrencies, while stopping short of recognizing digital assets as a means of payment. “We have the responsibility to regulate them, and it will be the right of citizens to hold these currencies,” he said.…

Key Takeaways Lighter’s new mobile app brings full trading functionality to iOS and Android with a mobile‑only 100,000 $LIT competition kicking off Jan 15. The LIT token showed initial momentum after launch but has since pulled back and is trading near $2.10 at press time. Lighter has launched its mobile trading app on iOS and Android, giving users access to spot, perpetuals, real-world assets, and pre-markets from their phones. We are excited to launch the Lighter Mobile app! Now you can now trade on the go on iOS and Android. Every asset including perps, spot, RWAs, pre-markets, etc. are available. pic.twitter.com/zS8YDKPbY2 —…

Jeff Yan rarely speaks in public, avoids social media, and has never taken venture capital money. But in 2025, few individuals have had a bigger influence on the shape of decentralized finance (DeFi) and the crypto space itself. This feature is a part of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2025 list. Yan is the founder of Hyperliquid, a decentralized exchange (DEX) for perpetual futures that processes around $10 billion in trades per day, with DefiLlama showing $308 billion in volume in October. With more than 570,000 users and a custom-built blockchain that matches the speed and reliability of centralized platforms, Hyperliquid has quietly…

The cryptocurrency world witnessed a dramatic turn of events this week as Rushi Manche, a Movement co-founder suspended just months ago over misconduct allegations, announced a massive $100 million investment fund. This surprising development raises crucial questions about accountability, second chances, and the flow of capital in the blockchain space. Who Is The Suspended Movement Co-Founder Behind This New Fund? Rushi Manche was a key figure at Movement Labs, the team behind the MOVE token. However, his tenure there ended abruptly in May. The company suspended him pending an investigation into alleged market maker misconduct. The details of these allegations…

In a definitive move blending digital finance with public policy, the South Korean city of Cheongju has successfully converted seized cryptocurrency into public funds, setting a powerful precedent for local tax enforcement nationwide. The city of Cheongju in South Korea’s North Chungcheong Province has sold cryptocurrency seized from high-value and habitual local tax delinquents, Newsis reported. This action, finalized in late 2024, represents the first completed sale since the city initiated its seizure program in 2021, signaling a maturing approach to governing digital asset ownership. Cheongju’s Cryptocurrency Seizure and Sale Mechanism The city government collected approximately 21 million won, equivalent…

Axie Infinity’s token, AXS, has been witnessing a significant price surge in recent days, and the rally has once again attracted attention to the GameFi sector, as it has outpaced several mid-cap altcoins. Commentators have noted that unlike previous spikes characterized by lower trading volumes, this surge seems to be backed by considerable trading activity and bullish market sentiments. Axie Infinity’s AXS is up over 100% in the past week According to data from Coingecko, Axie Infinity’s token $AXS went on a run today, surging by about 64% to approximately $2.02 and topping charts as the leader in the broader…

Crypto exchange activity diverged sharply in 2025, as spot market growth slowed down while derivatives trading continued to expand at a strong pace. Total spot trading volume reached $18.6 trillion. This represented a 9% year-on-year increase, but it is a significant deceleration from the 154% growth recorded in 2024. Crypto Exchange Activity According to CryptoQuant, perpetual futures activity, in contrast, rose 29% year-on-year to $61.7 trillion, after adding $13.8 trillion in volume compared with the previous year. Spot trading remained highly concentrated among major venues. Binance recorded close to $7 trillion in volume and accounted for 41% of the top-10…