Crypto Vesting

Crypto exchange Coinbase’s total revenue fell 10% quarter-over-quarter to $2 billion in Q1, missing industry estimates by 4.1% as trading activity slowed across the market.

Coinbase’s net income was sliced by 95% from a near-company record $1.29 billion in Q4 to $66 million, in a large part due to Coinbase marking a $596 million paper loss on its crypto holdings.

The firm’s earnings per share of $1.94, however, managed to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.85 for the quarter.

Coinbase’s May 8 results also showed that transaction revenue fell 18.9% quarter-on-quarter to $1.26 billion, as did trading volumes, which dipped 10.5% to $393 billion as crypto market cap dropped by double digits over the quarter, partly attributed to the Trump administration’s tariffs. 

In contrast, US President Donald Trump’s election win in November was considered one of the

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Tech company Meta is reportedly exploring integrating stablecoin payments into its platforms after a three-year hiatus from cryptocurrencies, Fortune reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The Facebook parent held talks with several crypto infrastructure firms in consultation but has not chosen a decisive course of action, according to the report.

One source said the company may take a multi-token approach and integrate support for popular stablecoins such as Tether’s USDt (USDT), Circle’s USD Coin (USDC) and others.

Meta is the latest tech firm to integrate or explore the use of stablecoins for payments, as they increasingly attract institutional interest and investment, causing the stablecoin market capitalization to soar past $230 billion.

An overview of the stablecoin market. Source: RWA.XYZ

Related: US Stablecoin bill blocked as Democrats withdraw support

Stablecoins

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Wellgistics Health, a healthcare infrastructure company, will integrate XRP (XRP) and related technologies into its payment network to streamline transactions between pharmacies, medical suppliers and prescription medication manufacturers, the company said in an announcement on May 8.

Wellgistics cited the finality time of XRP transactions and reduced transaction costs, which are fractions of a penny, compared to legacy financial architecture like automated clearinghouse (ACH) payments or wire transfers, as reasons for using XRP. Brian Norton, CEO of Wellgistics Health, said in the announcement:

“I believe that the future winners in healthcare will not be the companies with the biggest buildings, they will be those with the fastest rails, cleanest data, and most efficient platforms. We are betting on infrastructure — not inertia.”

The integration of XRP will reduce cross-border friction and

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Key takeaways:

97% of the $8.3 billion in Bitcoin put options expire worthless at a $102,000 BTC price.

Short covering above $105,000 could trigger a Bitcoin price rally to new highs.

Bitcoin (BTC) soared above $101,000 on May 8, reaching its highest level in over three months. The 4.6% daily BTC price gain triggered $205 million in liquidations of bearish futures positions and eroded the value of nearly every put (sell) option. Traders now question whether Bitcoin is poised to break its $109,354 all-time high in the near term.

Bitcoin put (sell) options open interest for May-June-July, USD notional. Source: Laevitas.ch

The aggregate Bitcoin put (sell) option open interest for the next three months stands at $8.3 billion, but 97% of those have been placed below $101,000 and will likely expire worthless. Still, this does not mean every put options trader was betting on Bitcoin’s downside, as some may have

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Michelle Bond, the wife of former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame, who faces federal campaign finance charges, is pushing for dismissal on the grounds that US prosecutors deceived her husband in a plea deal.

In a May 7 filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Bond’s lawyers reiterated some of the claims Salame made in opposing his plea deal with the government, which ultimately still led to him serving time in prison. She claimed that prosecutors obtained a deal with Salame through “stealth and deception” by allegedly agreeing they would not file charges against Bond. 

“Mr. Salame and Ms. Bond’s attorneys were advised that the agreement to cease investigating Ms. Bond could not be placed within the four corners of the Salame plea or other written agreement, but the government still offered it as an inducement to induce the plea,”

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The US federal court for the Southern District of New York has sentenced former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky to 12 years in prison for fraud.

Mashinsky’s legal team sought a light sentence. They highlighted his spotless record before the Celsius incident, along with his military service and willingness to plead guilty. But US prosecutors were less inclined to leniency, suggesting on April 28 that the judge deliver a 20-year sentence for his actions.

Betting markets predicted a light sentence ahead of the May 8 hearing. Polymarket showed only 11% odds for a 20-year sentence or higher.

Source: Polymarket

President Donald Trump began his second term with high-profile pardons of crypto executives, signalling that his administration may bring leniency to crypto fraudsters like Mashinsky. His sentencing today, however, suggests otherwise.

Trump’s DOJ wants Mashinsky sentence to serve as a warning

Crypto-related

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Key takeaways:

Bitcoin rallies to $101,707 against a backdrop of strong fundamentals in the regulatory and traditional finance space.

Traders are confident that $100,000 will hold as support.

Bitcoin (BTC) price rallied above $100,000 on the heels of US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a “trade deal” with the UK, which could possibly include the removal of the blanket 10% tariff on all imports. 

Frequent social posts from President Trump and public comments from White House cabinet members have hinted at a handful of trade deals in negotiation with various countries, and markets have responded positively to the messaging. In addition to the UK trade deal, the US is set to meet with Chinese officials in Switzerland on May 10.

The Dow gained 500 points following the White House announcement, while the S&P 500 rose 1.47%, and Bitcoin trades near $101,600 at the time of writing. 

In a Truth Social

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The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins of 2025 Act, known as the GENIUS Act, failed to pass cloture in the United States Senate on May 8, dealing a slight blow to cryptocurrency regulation in the country.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Bill Hagerty and co-sponsored by Senators Tim Scott, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cynthia Lummis and Angela Alsobrooks, received last-minute pushback from Democrats, who took aim at the bill and raised concerns about US President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency ventures.

To address the concerns of Senate Democrats, the bill had already been amended to include stricter requirements for stablecoin issuers for further provisions for Anti-Money Laundering.

The GENIUS Act was seen as a bipartisan effort to increase regulatory clarity for digital assets in the United States. The focus of the bill, stablecoins used for payments, was looked at as extending dollar dominance internationally and straying away from more

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US President Donald Trump was reportedly manipulated by a lobbyist tied to Ripple Labs into announcing the XRP token would be part of his plans for a national cryptocurrency reserve.

According to a May 8 Politico report, an employee of pro-Trump lobbyist Brian Ballard gave the president the text to a social media post she recommended he write announcing a US strategic crypto reserve that would include XRP, Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA). After he posted the message to his social media platform on March 2, Trump learned Ripple was one of Ballard’s clients, infuriating the president, who felt like he’d been used, Politico reported, citing two people familiar with the incident.

“He is not welcome in anything anymore,” said Trump, referencing Ballard, according to the report.

March 2

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