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 …

Europol helps dismantle $23M ‘mafia crypto bank’

European law enforcement in January arrested 17 suspects of a “mafia crypto bank” who are said to have laundered over 21 million euros ($23.5 million) in crypto for criminal entities in China and the Middle East. The money laundering services were allegedly carried out on behalf of other criminal networks engaged in migrant smuggling and …

Dems seek suspicious activity reports linked to Trump crypto ventures

US Democrat lawmakers have sent a letter to the US Treasury demanding access to suspicious activity reports (SARs) on several Trump-backed crypto projects as part of the latest probe into the president’s digital ventures.  Penned by representatives Gerald Connolly, Joseph Morelle, and Jamie Raskin, the May 14 letter asks Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for all …

eToro jumps 30% on Nasdaq debut after upsized IPO

Crypto and stock trading platform eToro has seen its share price gain nearly 30% during its debut on the Nasdaq after the company made a last-minute boost to its initial public offering. Shares in eToro Group Ltd (ETOR) closed May 14 trading at $67, up 28.9% from its initial offering price of $52, according to …

Crypto startups scaring away VCs with 80x valuations: 10T Holdings

Too many crypto startups are pricing themselves out of venture capital funding by chasing valuations far exceeding their revenues, according to Dan Tapeiro, the CEO of crypto-focused venture capital firm 10T Holdings. “For some reason, founders and CEOs think that they should be raising capital at 50 to 80 times revenue. So that makes it …

Google search volume for Bitcoin flat as BTC nears new highs — Where are retail investors?

Key takeaways: Google search data and app rankings show retail Bitcoin investor demand near 6-month lows. Retail investor interest typically peaks 1 week after BTC breaks all-time highs. Bitcoin (BTC) retail traders are known for entering the market during periods of euphoria, typically after strong monthly gains or a new all-time high. This time is …

Dogecoin active addresses surge by 528% — Will DOGE price follow?

Key Takeaways: Dogecoin’s active addresses surged 528% to 469,477. DOGE’s futures open interest rose 70% to $1.65 billion, indicating strong speculative interest. On May 13, Dogecoin (DOGE) witnessed a staggering 528% increase in active addresses, soaring from 74,640 to 469,477, signaling robust network activity and growing investor interest. This surge followed an update to 21Shares’ …

3 reasons why Ethereum price could rally to $5,000 in 2025

Key takeaways: A longer-term ETH price rally is dependent on SEC approval of in-kind ETF creation and staking to attract more investors. AI adoption and Ethereum layer-2 growth must drive onchain activity to restore the network’s deflationary burn mechanism. Ether (ETH) surged 43.6% between May 7 and May 14, but its current price of $2,600 …