Coinbase’s x402: Crypto payments over HTTP for AI and APIs

What is HTTP 402, and why does it matter? The web was not really built with payments in mind, especially not for autonomous agents or machines. But with the rise of AI and decentralized finance (DeFi), the need for seamless, native digital payments has never been more urgent.  Coinbase x402 announced a new open protocol …

Nasdaq-listed BTCS to boost ETH holdings with $57.8M raise

Publicly traded company BTCS announced a $57.8 million financing agreement led by investment firm ATW Partners to purchase Ether as it expands its blockchain infrastructure strategy.  The Rockville, Maryland-based company announced the deal on May 14, saying that the move will allow it to expand validator node operations and build recurring revenue from Ether (ETH) …

The value of virtual: Economies are powered by ownership of the intangible

Opinion by: Yat Siu, executive chairman and co-founder, Animoca Brands A discussion on digital property rights, copyright, intellectual property, the open metaverse, AI and value without physical form. When I attend conferences and similar public events, someone almost always approaches me to ask how cryptographic tokens (fungible or non-fungible) can have value even though tokens …

Bitcoin looks 'ridiculous' as bulls attempt $2T market cap flip — Analyst

Key points: Bitcoin has a fight for a $100,000 price and a $2 trillion market cap on its hands this month. Dips below six figures are “easily possible,” analyst filbfilb says, but the odds are stacked in bulls’ favor. ETH/BTC needs to hit the 0.03 inflection point as part of an altcoin comeback. Bitcoin (BTC) …

NFT founder stole millions from Bitcoin project, investors allege

Several investors in a non-fungible token (NFT) project, Hashling NFT, have accused its founder of misappropriating millions of dollars in profits from the project and a closely tied Bitcoin mining operation. According to the May 14 court filing in Illinois, the plaintiffs allege that their former business partner, Jonathan Mills, lied about transferring assets from …

Sonic Labs wins judgment for Multichain Foundation to wind up

A Singapore High Court has ruled in favor of Sonic Labs’ motion to force the Multichain Foundation to wind up in an effort to recover funds stolen during a 2023 hack. In the May 9 judgment in the Singapore Supreme Court, Justice Kwek Mean Luck granted a request from Sonic Labs, formerly the Fantom Foundation, …

Stablecoin bill won’t target Trump as Senate aims to pass it next week

The US Senate could pass a key bipartisan stablecoin bill as soon as next week after removing language targeting President Donald Trump and his family’s sprawling crypto interests. Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis said onstage at an event by Coinbase’s lobbying arm, Stand With Crypto, that she thinks it’s a “fair target” to have the Guiding …

Telegram shuts the ‘largest darknet marketplace to have ever existed’

A major Chinese darknet marketplace suspected of facilitating crypto scams and cybercrime has been shut down by the Telegram messaging service, upon which it operated. The internet’s largest illicit marketplace, Haowang Guarantee, formerly Huione Guarantee, said it will shut down following Telegram’s ban of thousands of associated accounts on May 13.  “Since all our NFTs, …

Chainalysis CEO offers a clue into the recent spate of Paris crypto attacks

Some criminal organizations are yet to receive the memo — crypto is traceable — and could explain the recent string of crypto-related kidnappings, says Chainalysis CEO Jonathan Levin.  Law enforcement has been increasingly successful at tracing stolen funds and crypto ransom payments, resulting in a “lot of arrests,” Levin said during the 2025 Consensus crypto …

Coinbase CEO looking at more acquisitions after $2.9B Deribit buy

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong says his firm will continue to look for merger and acquisition opportunities after acquiring crypto derivatives platform Deribit. “We are always looking at M&A opportunities,” said Armstrong on Bloomberg Television on May 14. He added that the firm has a large balance sheet that can be put to use. The firm …