Synthetix scuttles $27M Derive deal after community concerns

Decentralized finance platform Synthetix has axed its $27 million plan to acquire crypto options platform Derive after negative community feedback. A Synthetix spokesperson told Cointelegraph on May 22 that its acquisition proposal, pitched to its community and to Derive’s, “did not resonate,” and both projects agreed to “step back from the proposed acquisition.” Synthetix said …

Bitcoin continues rally to surpass $110K for the first time

Bitcoin has topped $110,000 for the first time in a recent rally that has seen it gain 3% over the past day to break through past price highs from earlier this year. Bitcoin (BTC) hit a new all-time high of $110,788.98 on Coinbase late on May 21, just before 11:30 pm UTC, according to TradingView. …

Pompliano-led crypto-focused SPAC gains 7% on Nasdaq after upsized IPO

Crypto influencer Anthony Pompliano’s fintech-focused blank-check company, ProCap Acquisition Corp (PCAPU), rose 7% on its debut Nasdaq listing after a last-minute upsizing of its initial public offering. ProCap had boosted its IPO from $200 million to $220 million on May 20, a day before its public launch, pricing its 22 million shares on offer at …

Australian regulator asks High Court to allow appeal in Block Earner case

Australia’s financial regulator will seek the High Court’s permission to appeal a lower court’s ruling favoring fintech firm Block Earner, which found the company’s crypto-linked fixed-yield earning service is not a financial product. The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) said on May 21 that it wants to ask the High Court of Australia to …

VanEck to launch Avalanche ecosystem fund

VanEck plans to launch a private digital assets fund in June targeting tokenized Web3 projects built on the Avalanche blockchain network, the asset manager said in a statement shared with Cointelegraph. The VanEck PurposeBuilt Fund, available only to accredited investors, aims to invest in liquid tokens and venture-backed projects across Web3 sectors, including gaming, financial …

US lawmaker reintroduces bill amid pushback on Trump's crypto ties

A Democratic representative in the US Congress will support a blockchain bill at a time when many left-leaning lawmakers are blocking crypto-related pieces of legislation due to concerns with President Donald Trump’s potential conflicts of interest. In a May 21 notice, Minnesota Representative Tom Emmer said he had reintroduced the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, a …

CFTC exodus: Fourth commissioner to depart 'later this year'

Kristin Johnson of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced that she plans to depart the agency before 2026. In a May 21 notice, Johnson said she planned to step down from the CFTC “later this year,” having completed her term, which ended in April. The commissioner filling a Democratic seat at the …

Solana Mobile reveals trustless architecture, token for Seeker device

Solana Mobile, a subsidiary of blockchain technology company Solana Labs, has revealed the next steps for its soon-to-be-shipped Seeker device and the overall ecosystem. The steps include a new, trustless architecture, a native token, and the Seeker ship date. According to the announcement, Solana Mobile will ship the device starting Aug. 4. Seeker is the …

Sam Altman's World raises $135M from Andreessen, Bain, to expand network

World, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s digital identification project, raised $135 million from venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Bain Capital Crypto, the company said in an announcement. The capital will be used to expand World’s network of iris-scanning orbs and infrastructure in the United States, where the company said in April it would operate in …

Jury convicts ex-SafeMoon CEO on all charges

A New York jury found Braden John Karony, the former CEO of cryptocurrency company SafeMoon, guilty of three felony charges after less than a day of deliberation. According to May 21 reporting from the courtroom, in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, a jury convicted Karony of conspiracy to defraud …