Crypto Vesting – Page 161 – Just another WordPress site

From digital identity to outer space: Projects push crypto use cases

As the crypto space developed, blockchain use cases expanded from simple digital currencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to more complex areas such as digital identity verification and telecommunications.

Ahead of the Token2049 event in Dubai, Cointelegraph spoke with Spacecoin CEO Stuart Gardner, Spacecoin founder Tae Oh, and Humanity Protocol founder Terrence Kwok to explore how they use blockchain to improve certain industries.

From addressing challenges like verification in the artificial intelligence era to bringing internet connectivity to developing countries, projects are integrating blockchain to solve problems in different industries.

Digital identity verification to combat the AI threat

As artificial intelligence developed, the technology brought improvements that people could benefit from. However, the technology was also adopted by malicious actors who used the tech to perform AI-assisted hack research and deepfake scams.

Kwok told Cointelegraph that just two years ago, the idea of having to prove you’re human seemed “crazy.” However,

Stablecoins: Depegging, fraudsters and decentralization

Opinion by: Merav Ozair, PhD

Lately, stablecoins are everywhere — this time around, headed by “traditional” financial institutions. Bank of America and Standard Chartered are considering launching their own stablecoin, joining JPMorgan, which launched its stablecoin, JPM Coin — rebranded as Kinexys Digital Payments — to facilitate transactions with their institutional clients on their blockchain platform, Kinexys (formerly Onyx).

Mastercard plans to bring stablecoins to the mainstream, joining Bleap Finance, a crypto startup. The aim is to enable stablecoins to be spent directly onchain — without conversions or intermediaries — seamlessly integrating blockchain assets with Mastercard’s global payment rails.

In early April 2025, Visa joined the Global Dollar Network (USDG) stablecoin consortium. The company will become the first traditional finance player to join the consortium. In late March 2025, NYSE parent Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) announced that it is investigating applications for using USDC (USDC) stablecoin and US Yield

Artificial general intelligence (AGI): Can it really think like a human?

What is AGI?

When the lines blur between man and machine, you’re looking at artificial general intelligence (AGI). Unlike its counterpart, artificial narrow intelligence (ANI), which is the use of AI for solving individual problem statements, AGI represents artificial intelligence that can understand, learn and apply knowledge in a way that is indistinguishable from human cognition.

AGI is still theoretical, but the prospect of artificial intelligence being able to holistically replace human input and judgment has naturally attracted plenty of interest, with researchers, technologists and academics alike seeking to bring the concept of AGI to reality.

Yet another strand of prevailing research seeks to explore the feasibility and implications of AGI vs. ANI in a world increasingly shaped by AI capabilities.

Indeed, while ANI has already transformed various industries, AGI’s potential goes far beyond. Imagine a world where machines can not only assist humans in

Read More at https://cointelegraph.com/explained/artificial-general-intelligence-agi-can-it-really-think-like-a-human?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Crypto in ‘gamble mindset’ as memecoin mentions hit YTD high: Santiment

Online discussions about memecoins have hit a year-to-date high, gaining considerable attention after sentiment cooled earlier in the year, according to onchain analytics platform Santiment.

Two weeks ago, discussions around Bitcoin (BTC) and layer-1 protocols peaked during the market volatility brought on by the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs. However, that’s since shifted to high market cap memecoins, Santiment marketing director Brian Quinlivan said in a May 1 blog post.

“Online discussions about these high-risk tokens have proliferated as traders embrace a gamble mindset, rather than a calculated investment approach,” he said.

“This is a telltale sign that traders are increasingly investing based solely on speculation and short-term gains,” Quinlivan added.

Online discussions about memecoins have hit a 2025 high, surpassing discussions about Bitcoin. Source: Santiment

Quinlivan said the overall crypto market rose 10% in the

US Treasury wants to cut off Huione over ties to crypto crime

The US Treasury Department wants to block the Cambodia-based Huione Group from accessing the US banking system, accusing it of helping North Korea’s state-backed Lazarus Group to launder its crypto.

The Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) proposed on May 1 to prohibit US financial institutions from opening or maintaining correspondent or payable-through accounts for or on behalf of the Huione Group.

Huione Group has established itself as the “marketplace of choice for malicious cyber actors” like the Lazarus Group, who have “stolen billions of dollars from everyday Americans,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a May 1 statement.

“Today’s proposed action will sever Huione Group’s access to correspondent banking, degrading these groups’ ability to launder their ill-gotten gains.”

Huione Group has set up a network of businesses, which includes payment service platform Huione Pay PLC, the crypto

SEC files to drop crypto promo case against YouTuber Ian Balina

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has filed to drop another of its crypto lawsuits, this time its unregistered securities sales case against crypto influencer and YouTuber Ian Balina.

The SEC said in a May 1 joint stipulation with Balina to an Austin federal court that it “believes the dismissal of this case is appropriate,” citing the work of the agency’s Crypto Task Force.

The agency didn’t give a reason for wanting to dismiss its case, but said its decision “does not necessarily reflect the Commission’s position on any other case.”

Balina told Cointelegraph in March that the SEC had informed him it would recommend the court dismiss the case and claimed the agency’s actions were based on a shift in the agency’s priorities.

“Obviously, the new administration is pro-crypto,” Balina said. The SEC has seen a change in leadership under US President Donald Trump, who appointed former crypto

Sky pitches ousting Maker token, enabling staking, to complete upgrade

Decentralized finance (DeFi) lending platform Sky has pitched a proposal to finalize its upgrade from Maker by replacing its governance token and enabling staking.

The proposal, posted on May 1 to Sky’s decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) forum, would see the Sky (SKY) token take over the Maker (MKR) token as the protocol’s governance token.

If the DAO accepts, the change would be slated to take place around May 15 to May 19 and downgrading from SKY to MKR would also be disabled.

Sky co-founder Rune Christensen said in response to the proposal that it was a “huge milestone,” which he “fully supports,” and laments that allowing users to downgrade from SKY back to MKR has been a “key limiting factor preventing exchanges from adopting SKY.”

“With this change, exchanges are likely to move faster in quickly adopting SKY without

Kraken details how it spotted North Korean hacker in job interview

US crypto exchange Kraken has detailed a North Korean hacker’s attempt to infiltrate the organization by applying for a job interview.

“What started as a routine hiring process for an engineering role quickly turned into an intelligence-gathering operation,” the company wrote in a May 1 blog post.

Kraken said the applicant’s red flags appeared early on in the process when they joined an interview under a name different from what they applied with and “occasionally switched between voices,” apparently being guided through the interview.

Rather than immediately rejecting the applicant, Kraken decided to advance them through its hiring process to gather information about the tactics used.

International sanctions have effectively cut North Korea off from the rest of the world, and the country’s ruling Kim family dictatorship has long targeted crypto companies and users to top up the country’s coffers. It’s stolen billions worth of crypto so far this

Kraken finalizes NinjaTrader buy as Q1 revenue jumps 19%

Crypto exchange Kraken has completed its acquisition of the futures trading platform NinjaTrader and reported its first quarter revenues jumped 19% year-on-year to $471.7 million.

Kraken said in a May 1 report that its NinjaTrader acquisition would give its US customers access to the traditional derivatives market, aligning with its plans to expand its offerings and be the go-to platform for all types of trading.

NinjaTrader is a registered Futures Commission Merchant with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Last month, it rolled out trading for over 11,000 stocks and exchange-traded funds to certain US clients.

The deal, which Kraken dubbed the largest ever between a crypto and traditional finance firm, allows NinjaTrader to expand to the UK, continental Europe and Australian markets and comes as Kraken is preparing for an <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-exchange-kraken-exploring-1-billion-raise-report"

Tether posts $1B in Q1 operating profit, $5.6 billion excess in reserves

Tether, the company behind the world’s largest stablecoin by market capitalization, has released its financials for the first quarter of 2025, disclosing nearly $120 billion in exposure to US Treasurys and over $1 billion in operating profit.

According to Tether’s Q1 2025 financial report, the company’s assets include $98.5 billion in direct US Treasury bills, along with over $23 billion in additional exposure through repurchase agreements and other cash-equivalent assets.

Excerpt from Tether’s Q1 2025 financial report. Source: Tether

According to the announcement, Tether holds $5.6 billion in excess of reserves for its USDt (USDT) stablecoin, down from $7.1 billion in excess from the last quarter of 2024. The stablecoin has a market capitalization of $149 billion as of May 1.

“Circulating supply of USDT grew by approximately $7 billion in Q1,