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SEC considers new rules easing security token issuance

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is considering rule changes to let companies more freely issue tokenized securities, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce said in a speech published on May 8.

The regulator is “considering a potential exemptive order” for firms using blockchain technology to “issue, trade, and settle securities” that would release them from certain registration requirements, Peirce said in the speech.

For example, decentralized exchanges (DEXs) may no longer need to register “as a broker-dealer, clearing agency, or an exchange,” Peirce said. The SEC has previously brought numerous charges against DEXs such as Uniswap for failing to register as securities exchanges.

Firms should “not have to comply with inapt regulations, which, in many cases, were developed well before the technologies being tested existed and may be obviated by attributes of that technology,” Peirce said.

Commissioner Peirce described the planned changes in a May 8 speech. Source: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/speeches-statements/peirce-iismgd-050825" rel="nofollow noopener"

Are layer 2s good for Ethereum, or are they ‘extractive?’

Layer 2s have been a great blockchain success story. They’ve reduced congestion on the Ethereum mainnet, driving down gas fees while preserving security.

But maybe they’ve become too successful, drawing chain activity and fee income from the parent that spawned them? At least that’s what some are suggesting lately, most recently at Cornell Tech’s blockchain conference in late April.

Indeed, some think Ethereum should be a little greedier, or at least fight harder for a bigger part of the revenue pie, particularly sequencing fees.

“People in the Ethereum Foundation [the nonprofit that supports the Ethereum ecosystem] will tell you that, ‘Yes, we effed up by being too ivory tower.’ I have heard that multiple times,” said David Hoffman, an owner at Bankless, during a panel discussion at the Cornell Tech event in New York City on April 25.

Hoffman, left, at Cornell Tech’s blockchain conference. Source: Andrew Singer

Elsewhere, Hoffman has <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.bankless.com/read/ethereums-strategic-pivot" rel="null"

Missouri bill ending capital gains tax heads to governor for signature

Missouri House Bill 594, a bill that would eliminate capital gains tax in the US state, has passed a vote in the state House of Representatives and now heads to Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe’s desk for signature.

According to attorney Aaron Brogan, the bill stipulates a 100% income tax deduction for any capital gains income because the Missouri tax code does not explicitly distinguish between capital gains and income tax.

Missouri House Bill 594 proposes exempting capital gains from income taxes. Source: Missouri House of Representatives

Brogan told Cointelegraph that the specific mechanism to exempt capital gains taxes outlined in HB 594 is unique and compared it to a similar income tax deduction in the federal tax code. The attorney explained:

“The most natural comparison is the state and local tax (SALT) deduction that the federal government offers — where the Internal Revenue

Bitcoin price reclaims $100K for first time since January

Bitcoin has reclaimed the $100,000 price level for the first time since January, reflecting renewed bullish sentiment among investors.

Bitcoin (BTC) reclaimed the $100,000 mark on May 8 at 3:22 pm UTC, surging 4.2% from the intraday low of $95,967, according to data from CoinGecko.

It marked the third time that BTC has broken through the six-figure level since first achieving it on Dec. 5, 2024. A second all-time high followed on Jan. 20 ahead of US President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Bitcoin price chart in the past year. Source: CoinGecko

Unlike the previous $100,000 hits, the new price spike came as Bitcoin market dominance surged above 60%, reflecting potential bearish sentiment for altcoins.

Bitcoin dominance below 60% in past $100,000 breakthroughs

Bitcoin dominance — the asset’s share of the total cryptocurrency

Ex-Celsius CEO asks to travel for a wedding after sentencing

Former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky will probably be allowed to travel for his daughter’s wedding regardless of the outcome of his May 8 sentencing hearing.

In a May 8 filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge John Koeltl approved an application for Mashinsky to travel from New York to Memphis, Tennessee, between May 26 and May 29 for his daughter’s wedding. The approval was available on the public docket as of May 8, but appeared to have been removed at the time of publication.

Alex Mashinsky’s request to travel for his daughter’s wedding. Source: PACER

Judge Koeltl will determine in a May 8 hearing whether Mashinsky serves prison time following a plea deal with prosecutors.

The former Celsius CEO appeared ready to go to trial in 2024 until his lawyers lost a motion to have his charges dismissed. In December, He pleaded

User experience could be crypto’s superpower—or its kryptonite

Opinion by Jonathan Farnell, CEO of Freedx

It’s 2025, and over 560 million people worldwide are already using cryptocurrency — roughly 17 times the population of Tokyo. That’s a vibrant community, yet for every user who’s embraced it, billions more stand on the sidelines, put off by the complicated interactions and clunky interfaces of protocols, platforms, decentralized apps (DApps), and mobile applications. Why? Blockchain technology offers game-changing potential — decentralized ownership, secure trades — but let’s face it: Most people still find it intimidating, risky, and confusing. User experience (UX) might just be the deciding factor in whether cryptocurrency achieves mass adoption or remains a niche segment.

Take complexity. A 2024 Chainalysis report pointed out that 43% of would-be crypto users shy away from the technical tangle of private keys and gas fees. Have you ever lost

Bitcoin miner Hut 8 grows hashrate 79% despite $134M quarterly loss

Cryptocurrency mining firm Hut 8 increased its hashrate by 79% during the first quarter of the year.

According to Hut8’s latest quarterly report released on May 8, the firm saw a net loss of $134.3 million despite revenue of $21.8 million. The firm’s CEO, Asher Genoot, explained that this was a result of large-scale investments.

“As reflected in our results, the first quarter was a deliberate and necessary phase of investment,” Genoot said. “We believe the returns on this work will become increasingly visible in the quarters ahead.”

Hut 8 operations reached a total energy capacity of 1,020 megawatts as of March 31, enough to power well over 800,000 average homes in the United States. The company also has the right to scale up its operation by another 2,600 MW.

Beyond digital gold, Bitcoin’s next chapter is about to be unlocked — Dan Held

Bitcoin (BTC) has long been branded as “digital gold,” a store of value for believers in scarcity, decentralization and self-sovereignty. As institutional interest grows, geopolitics shift, and new layers emerge on Bitcoin’s stack, is it time for the narrative to evolve?

In this episode of The Clear Crypto Podcast, hosts Nathan Jeffay and Gareth Jenkinson speak with longtime Bitcoiner and entrepreneur Dan Held, who argues that Bitcoin’s next chapter may unlock broader functionality, from programmable use cases to more nuanced messaging that reaches far beyond crypto-native circles.

Political shifts

With US President Donald Trump openly backing Bitcoin — and reportedly owning it himself — Held said he sees a regulatory and reputational change.

“We have the most open administration toward Bitcoin in the United States,” he said.

“It kind of feels weird… Normally in the press, Bitcoin mining is destroying the environment. It’s being used by money launderers… And instead,

Coinbase to acquire options trading platform Deribit for $2.9B

Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US by trading volume, has agreed to acquire Deribit, one of the world’s biggest crypto derivatives trading platforms.

Coinbase Global will acquire Deribit for about $2.9 billion, the exchange announced on May 8.

The acquisition will allow Coinbase to expand into the profitable crypto derivatives market and continue scaling the platform’s global growth, Greg Tusar, Coinbase’s vice president of institutional product, said in the announcement.

“With Deribit’s strong presence and professional client base, Coinbase is making its most substantial move yet to accelerate our international growth strategy,” he said.

Source: CoinbaseDeribit founders to step away

Following the deal’s success, expected later in 2025, Deribit founders John and Marius Jansen will step away from the firm. Their exit would mark the end of the joint venture that began in 2014, Deribit said

Browser-based crypto mining in 2025: Still viable or virtually dead?

Key takeawaysAfter the shutdown of Coinhive in 2019, browser mining has made a comeback with new tools like CryptoTab Browser, Pi Network and YouHolder.Mining with a browser can cost more in electricity than the crypto earned, especially for users with mid-range devices.Despite being less energy-intensive than ASIC farms, browser mining still adds up in terms of cumulative power draw and puts a strain on your device’s hardware.Browser mining is evolving with the help of WebAssembly (Wasm), improving script efficiency and creating a smoother user experience.

Browser-based crypto mining sounds like a dream: Just open a webpage, let it run, and your computer starts earning crypto in the background. No bulky ASICs, no GPU farms, no long setup tutorials — just your browser doing the heavy lifting.

The idea blew up in the late 2010s with tools like Coinhive, which let website owners mine Monero (XMR) using JavaScript. At first, it seemed like