Paul Atkins’ loosely linked RSR token rises 13% after Coinbase listing

A governance token for the Reserve Protocol stablecoin, launched by a firm previously advised by sworn-in SEC Chair Paul Atkins, has surged over 13% after crypto exchange Coinbase announced that it will list the token. 

Atkins was an early adviser for the stablecoin firm around the time it launched in 2019, according to Reserve Protocol’s CEO Nevin Freeman. He is no longer consulting at the firm.

The Reserve Rights (RSR) token is the governance token aimed at ensuring the stability of the Reserve Protocol’s stablecoin, Reserve Dollar (RSV). 

In an April 21 X post, Coinbase said it would list the RSR token on the Ethereum layer-2 network Base on April 22 at 9 am Pacific Time (4 pm UTC).

Source: Coinbase Assets
Atkins news

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Paul Atkins, nominated by Trump, has been sworn in as SEC chair

Paul Atkins has officially been sworn in as the 34th Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The April 21 announcement comes nearly two weeks after Atkins’ position was confirmed by the US Senate in a 52-44 vote on April 9.

“I am honored by the trust and confidence President Trump and the Senate have placed in me to lead the SEC,” Atkins said in a statement.

“As I return to the SEC, I am pleased to join with my fellow Commissioners and the agency’s dedicated professionals to advance its mission to facilitate capital formation; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and protect investors.”

Atkins is widely expected to lead a more crypto-friendly SEC than former chair Gary Gensler under the Biden administration.

He previously served as an SEC commissioner between 2002 and 2008.

This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

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US lawmaker targets crypto investors using Puerto Rico as a tax haven

A member of the House of Representatives has proposed legislation aimed at stopping investors from using the US territory of Puerto Rico as a crypto tax haven.

According to an April 21 Bloomberg report, New York Representative Nydia Velázquez introduced the Fair Taxation of Digital Assets in Puerto Rico Act, a bill that could change existing laws in the territory to require certain investors to pay local and federal taxes on capital gains, including from digital assets. The legislation would reportedly add text to Puerto Rico’s Internal Revenue Code, making income from cryptocurrencies subject to federal tax laws.

“This wave of crypto investors hasn’t helped Puerto Rico’s recovery or strengthened the local economy,” said Rep. Velázquez, according to Bloomberg. “Instead, it’s driven up housing costs, pushed out local residents, and added pressure to an island where nearly 40% of people live in poverty — all while costing

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Coinbase Derivatives lists XRP futures

Coinbase has listed futures contracts for the XRP token on its US derivatives exchange, the cryptocurrency platform said on April 21.

The contracts are overseen by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and offer traders “a regulated, capital-efficient way to gain exposure to one of the most liquid digital assets,” the company said in a post on the X platform.

Coinbase’s XRP (XRP) futures include standard contracts representing 10,000 XRP and retail-oriented “nano” contracts representing 500 XRP each, or approximately $1,000 as of April 21, according to regulatory filings.  

The contracts are the latest crypto futures to launch on Coinbase’s derivatives exchange, which also features Solana (SOL) and Hedera (HBAR) futures contracts, both added in February. 

Source: <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://x.com/CoinbaseInsto/status/1914375353985831225" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"

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Astra Fintech commits $100M for Solana growth in Asia

Astra Fintech, a global blockchain payments provider, has launched a $100 million fund to support the Solana ecosystem’s growth throughout Asia, according to an April 21 announcement.

Through the fund, Astra Fintech plans to deploy capital to accelerate projects and form partnerships with developers, companies, and regulators. The fund’s base of operations will be in South Korea, a country Solana’s venture arm invested in after the collapse of the Terra ecosystem in 2022.

The fund will focus on projects and developers working on PayFi solutions — a conglomeration of systems that use blockchain technology to facilitate payments. Astra’s main suite of products attempts to blend traditional finance with digital currencies.

According to data from Electric Capital, Solana and Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) blockchains are currently within the top 10 blockchains for developer activity,

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Investors sue Meteora and VC firm, alleging fraud

A group of investors has filed a class-action lawsuit against decentralized cryptocurrency exchange Meteora, alleging the firm was involved in manipulating the launch and market price of the M3M3 token.

In an amended complaint filed on April 21 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the plaintiffs allege that venture capital firm Kelsier Labs, Meteora, and four current or former executives “intentionally misrepresented” information in the M3M3 launch in December 2024.

The investors claimed that they suffered at least $69 million in losses between December 2024 and February 2025 after the parties presented “trusted leaders in the Solana ecosystem” as being behind the token launch, rather than a “blatant fraud” in which sales were manipulated to artificially inflate the price.

“This artificially-inflated valuation communicated highly misleading information to non-insider investors, who reasonably relied on Defendants’ representations that the $M3M3 launch was fully accessible to the public and

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More than 70 US crypto ETFs await SEC decision this year — Bloomberg

More than 70 cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are slated for review by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this year. According to Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas, the list includes proposed ETFs holding a range of assets, from altcoins to memecoins to derivatives instruments.

“Everything from XRP, Litecoin and Solana to Penguins, Doge and 2x Melania and everything in between,” Balchunas said in an April 21 post on the X platform. “Gonna be a wild year.”

Crypto ETFs’ SEC review schedule. Source: Eric Balchunas/Bloomberg

Related: ARK adds staked Solana to two tech ETFs

Uncertain institutional demand

The planned funds listings come as institutional investors turn increasingly bullish on crypto as an asset class. 

Upward of 80% of institutions say they plan to increase allocations to crypto in

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ARK adds staked Solana to two tech ETFs

ARK Invest has added exposure to staked Solana (SOL) to the portfolios of two of its exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the asset manager said in a client email reviewed by Cointelegraph. 

As of April 21, the two ARK funds — ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW) and ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF) — now hold shares of 3iQ’s Solana Staking ETF (SOLQ), a Canadian ETF holding staked SOL, ARK said. 

The two ARK funds are designed to offer broad exposure to emerging technologies, and comprise a mix a technology stocks — including crypto-focused companies such as Coinbase, Block, and Robinhood — and spot cryptocurrencies, according to ARK’s website.

According to ARK, adding the SOL ETF shares makes “ARKW and ARKF the first US-listed ETFs to gain exposure to Solana.”

In March, asset manager Volatility Shares launched two ETFs that offer exposure to SOL using financial

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Nasdaq-listed Upexi shares up 630% after $100M raise, SOL treasury

Upexi, a brand owner that specializes in supply chain management, is diversifying into the cryptocurrency sector. On April 21, the company announced a $100 million raise, with over 90% earmarked for building a Solana (SOL) treasury strategy.

After the announcement, shares of Upexi have skyrocketed from a $2.30 close on April 17 to $16.79 at this writing, marking a 632% jump for the day.

UPXI intraday performance on the Nasdaq. Source: Google Finance

Many “prominent” crypto venture capitalist firms participated in the $100 million raise, according to an announcement. Backers include the family office of Arthur Hayes, Delta Blockchain Fund, Delphi Ventures, Hivemind, Borderless, and White Star Capital, among others. The round was completed with a sale of around 44 million shares of common stock at a price of $2.28.

According to Upexi’s

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Price analysis 4/21: SPX, DXY, BTC, ETH, XRP, BNB, SOL, DOGE, ADA, LINK

The US Dollar Index (DXY) plunged below the 98 level on April 21, falling to a three-year low. That catapulted gold to a new all-time high, and Bitcoin (BTC) also showed strength, rising above $88,000

BitMEX co-founder and Maelstrom chief investment officer Arthur Hayes believes it may be the “last chance” to buy Bitcoin below $100,000. Hayes expects the Federal Reserve to announce US Treasury buybacks, which will act as a “Bazooka” for Bitcoin’s price trajectory.

Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360

The whales seem ready for the move higher, as they have been accumulating in March and April. According to Glassnode data, the number of wallets holding more than 1,000 Bitcoin increased from 2,037 in late February to 2,107 on April 15.

Could Bitcoin bulls sustain the higher

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