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Jesse Pollak, the creator of Coinbase’s Layer 2 network Base, has reaffirmed that the platform's primary mission is to support creators and developers rather than prioritize traders. His statement follows backlash stemming from a chaotic token minting incident that saw a content token surge and crash dramatically in value. Pollak emphasized that creative development is the foundation of the ecosystem, asserting that traders, while important, are not the main focus. His comments came in response to Pump.fun’s Alon Cohen, who argued that traders are the most crucial crypto users. Pollak rejected this stance, reaffirming his commitment to fostering a creator-first environment on Base and emphasizing the importance of onchain creativity over short-term speculation.
The controversy was further fuelled by the timing of Zora’s token launch announcement, the same protocol used in the contentious mint. Some community members speculated that Base’s campaign may have been timed to boost engagement ahead of Zora’s airdrop. However, Pollak denied any coordination, claiming Zora was unaware of the campaign until after it launched. Despite the auto-minted token dropping to a fraction of its peak value, Pollak remains focused on Base’s long-term vision of building a decentralized economy rooted in creativity and ownership. The debate highlights ongoing tension within the crypto space over whether platforms should cater to speculative traders or prioritize foundational development by creators. Source
The Supreme Court of Gibraltar has lifted a freeze on 542 million PLAY tokens—nearly two-thirds of the token’s circulating supply—citing insufficient evidence to justify the restriction. The freeze was initially imposed in February as part of a legal dispute between U.S.-based Ready Games and Gibraltar-based Ready Maker Limited, both connected to the PLAY Network, a Web3 gaming platform. Judge John Restano ruled that the freeze may have negatively impacted the token’s value and criticized the quality of evidence presented by Ready Games, particularly noting their failure to disclose that the company was undergoing administrative dissolution at the time of filing. The PLAY token has lost over 97% of its value since launch, and currently trades for a fraction of a cent.
The dispute centres on claims by Ready Games and its founder David Bennahum that Christina Macedo wrongfully took control of the PLAY Network and its token, which they assert was launched using Ready Games' intellectual property and funding. Macedo, however, has denied these claims and is listed in regulatory filings as the sole controller and ultimate beneficial owner of the Gibraltar firm. While Macedo welcomed the court’s decision as a restoration of clarity, Ready Games has filed an appeal and is seeking a new injunction to re-freeze the tokens. The legal battle continues, with each side maintaining conflicting narratives about the ownership and control of the PLAY token and the platform it powers. Source
Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy, has continued its aggressive Bitcoin acquisition strategy by purchasing 6,500 BTC last week for $556 million, bringing its total holdings to 538,000 Bitcoin valued at $47.2 billion. This latest buy was funded through two equity offerings: $548 million raised from issuing Class A shares and another $8 million from selling perpetual preferred stock. Despite broader market uncertainty, including concerns over economic fallout from U.S. trade policies, Strategy has remained committed to its Bitcoin accumulation strategy, buying on five of the last six Mondays. The average purchase price for this most recent batch was $84,800 per Bitcoin, according to its SEC filing.
Co-founder and Executive Chairman Michael Saylor emphasized that Strategy has evolved into a major vehicle for Bitcoin exposure, noting that 13,000 institutions and over 800,000 retail investor accounts hold its stock directly, with 55 million more gaining indirect exposure via ETFs, mutual funds, and pensions. While the company was added to the Nasdaq 100 in December—joining tech giants like Apple and Meta—it still falls short of S&P 500 inclusion due to inconsistent profitability. Strategy’s shares recently traded at $322, experiencing some intraday volatility, but its persistent Bitcoin accumulation continues to position the firm as a leading corporate player in the crypto investment space. Source
Paul Atkins has been confirmed as the new Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) following a narrow 52-44 Senate vote, signalling a major shift in regulatory direction under former President Trump’s renewed influence. Known for his pro-crypto stance, Atkins has pledged to foster a more rational and market-friendly approach, contrasting sharply with former Chair Gary Gensler's aggressive enforcement era. With a background in both public service and private advisory roles, including his leadership at Patomak Global Partners, Atkins has helped shape digital asset standards and holds significant crypto investments—up to $6 million personally and a reported net worth of $327 million, making him the wealthiest SEC chair in decades.
Atkins takes the helm as the SEC faces a backlog of over 70 crypto ETF applications, involving a wide range of digital assets from Solana to Dogecoin. He has vowed to address what he calls "unclear" and overly burdensome regulations from the Biden administration, which critics say stifled innovation. His appointment follows a broader deregulatory trend seen in Trump’s previous SEC picks, favouring individuals with deep Wall Street ties. While Senator Elizabeth Warren raised concerns over his ties to crypto firms, including FTX, Atkins promised to resign from Patomak and lead the SEC with a principled framework. Already, his colleagues have begun rolling back prior enforcement actions, clearing the path for a potentially transformative year in crypto regulation. Source
Mantra CEO John Patrick Mullin has initiated the process of burning 150 million OM tokens—originally allocated to him at the blockchain’s mainnet genesis—in an effort to restore trust and stabilize the token’s value following a 90% price collapse in April. The burn, set to be completed by April 29, will permanently remove these tokens from circulation, reducing the total OM supply to 1.67 billion and significantly decreasing the number of staked tokens. Mullin described the burn as the “first step” toward rebuilding confidence within the community. Mantra also revealed that it is working with key ecosystem partners to potentially burn another 150 million OM, which would bring the total reduction to 300 million tokens. As a result of the initial burn, the bonded staking ratio will drop, leading to an increase in staking rewards (APR) for remaining participants.
This burn initiative is part of a broader “OM Token support plan” that includes a buyback program, which is already in progress, as Mantra attempts to stabilize its token economy and reassure investors. Mullin originally announced the burn following OM’s sharp price drop, and held a public poll on X to gauge community feedback, though some commenters criticized the move as performative or lacking long-term commitment. To further address concerns, Mantra has also launched a tokenomics dashboard to increase transparency. Despite these efforts, OM remains significantly devalued, trading at under $0.55, a steep fall from its earlier April high of $6.30. Source
Markethive is an innovative inbound marketing and social broadcasting platform that uniquely combines business tools with a collaborative community to help entrepreneurs and professionals expand their digital presence. At the heart of its offering is “Blogcasting,” a broadcasting system that allows users to amplify their content’s reach by distributing it across numerous social media and blogging platforms, including integration with WordPress. This system is designed not only to increase visibility but also to foster community engagement, build relationships, and drive organic traffic through content syndication and curation. Markethive supports users at all skill levels, offering a full suite of tools to simplify blog creation, distribution, and promotion, while also encouraging mentorship, feedback, and cooperative growth through features like Blog Swipe and Supergroups.
Through Blogcasting and subscription-based content sharing, users can exponentially increase their blog’s exposure by leveraging the networks of their subscribers and peers. The ripple effect of content distribution, referred to as the “Blog Cloud,” can potentially reach millions and enhance SEO, brand visibility, and web traffic. Markethive further promotes a sense of collective progress by enabling curation, proofing, and group content creation, giving users versatile options to refine and extend their digital footprint. The platform encourages authenticity and collaboration, positioning itself as more than just a tool for marketing—it's a thriving ecosystem that empowers users to grow their influence, connect meaningfully, and achieve sustainable success in the online world. Source
Staking Solana (SOL) in 2025 is a beginner-friendly process that allows users to earn passive income by contributing to the security and governance of the Solana blockchain. To begin, users need a SOL-compatible wallet such as Phantom, where they can choose between native or liquid staking. Native staking involves locking your SOL with a validator and receiving rewards over time, though funds are inaccessible unless unstaked. Liquid staking, on the other hand, provides liquidity through liquid staking tokens (LSTs), which can be used in decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. Validators play a key role by processing transactions and voting on network proposals, and delegators must carefully choose them to ensure network integrity. Staking rewards are distributed every two days, and while there's no official minimum, a practical threshold of 0.01 SOL is recommended.
The guide also outlines how to unstake SOL, either through Phantom Wallet for native staking or third-party platforms like Jito for liquid staking. Unstaking methods include immediate or delayed options, each with different fees and processing times. Though staking is relatively secure, risks remain—such as validator misconduct, market volatility, and potential cyber threats. Moreover, staking rewards are subject to U.S. income and capital gains taxes. Despite these risks, Solana's fast transaction speeds and accessible entry point make it an attractive blockchain for users interested in earning passive income while supporting a growing decentralized network. Source
Farmers, particularly in Africa, are increasingly adopting stablecoins to overcome the limitations of traditional banking systems in agricultural trade. High transaction fees, long payment delays, and reliance on volatile local currencies have made it difficult for small-scale farmers to compete globally. Stablecoins address these issues by enabling faster, cheaper, and more transparent cross-border transactions, bypassing intermediaries and currency exchange losses. As a result, farmers gain quicker access to working capital and greater participation in global markets — a critical advantage in a sector where cash flow and timing are crucial.
The benefits of stablecoins extend beyond payment efficiency. They offer protection against currency devaluation and hold promise for combating widespread fraud and inefficiencies in the agricultural supply chain. Early adopters like Zimbabwe’s Parrogate are already leveraging blockchain to improve trade processes. Despite hurdles such as regulatory uncertainty, limited technological access, and educational gaps — especially in developing regions — the shift toward stablecoins appears inevitable. With agricultural markets growing and the need for financial modernization becoming urgent, stablecoins could become a foundational tool in reshaping global food trade. Source
Kraken, the U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, has expanded its services to include trading in U.S.-listed stocks, ETFs, and FX perpetual futures. Initially available in ten states as part of a phased national rollout, Kraken plans to broaden its equity trading to international markets like the UK, Europe, and Australia. Additionally, the exchange has launched EUR/USD and GBP/USD FX perpetual futures with up to 20x leverage on its derivatives platform, reflecting its growing presence in the FX spot market. These moves come as Kraken prepares for a potential IPO in early 2026 and follows progress in resolving a 2023 lawsuit with the SEC. Source
HashKey Capital has launched the XRP Tracker Fund in Asia, the first of several planned collaborations with Ripple Labs. This new fund is designed to track the performance of XRP, aiming to promote institutional adoption of the cryptocurrency in the region. Ripple, which uses XRP for transactions within its network, is serving as an anchor investor for the fund, contributing an undisclosed amount. XRP, the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has seen significant growth recently, with its value up 318% over the past year. HashKey Capital hopes that the fund will simplify access to XRP and cater to the growing demand for investment opportunities in top digital assets.
The launch of the XRP Tracker Fund comes as part of a broader trend among Asian crypto firms to attract institutional investment in digital assets, following Hong Kong regulators’ approvals of spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs in 2024. While the U.S. market for spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs has seen substantial investment, with assets under management reaching $100 billion, the Hong Kong counterparts have struggled with a lukewarm response, with just $382 million in assets under management. The XRP Tracker Fund is HashKey Capital’s third digital asset fund, following the launch of its BTC and ETH ETFs, and is expected to help drive further institutional interest in digital asset investment in Asia. Source
Canary Capital is seeking approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch the first U.S.-based ETF centered around Tron (TRX), a cryptocurrency that aims to create a decentralized internet. The proposed Canary Staked TRX ETF would offer investors exposure to Tron’s price movements, while also incorporating a staking feature, allowing them to earn additional yield by pledging their assets to the network. Canary has filed similar applications for ETFs focused on other cryptocurrencies, including XRP, Solana, Sui, and Pudgy Penguins, capitalizing on the growing interest in altcoin-focused ETFs following the success of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs.
Staking, a process that allows cryptocurrency holders to earn rewards by helping secure a network, remains a point of contention with regulators, especially regarding its inclusion in crypto ETFs. While proponents argue that staking could boost institutional adoption of digital assets, critics view it as a risk for investors. The SEC has not yet approved any crypto ETF with staking capabilities, and recently delayed a decision on Grayscale’s spot ETH ETF that includes staking. Despite these regulatory hurdles, Canary Capital hopes to capitalize on the momentum created by the success of Bitcoin ETFs, with analysts predicting that ETFs based on assets like XRP and Solana may be the next to receive approval. Source
Disclaimer: These articles are provided for informational purposes only. They are not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or any other advice.
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