Key Takeaways
- • Bitcoin fell below $80,000 (BTC at $80,148.45, down 1.60%) as Samsung-driven tech weakness and a hawkish Fed hold triggered a broad risk-off move, with crypto futures seeing $356 million in liquidations.
- • Utah has charged predictions platform Kalshi with illegal gambling, a state-level enforcement action against a prediction market operator.
- • JPMorgan, Coca-Cola, and Dell have publicly declined to participate in the OKX-ICE tokenized stock trading plan, while a mystery Wall Street Journal ad has reopened the debate over tokenized stocks.
- • Bitcoin treasury firm Datavault AI plunged 50% after an accounting correction that cuts reported assets by $92.2 million at the end of 2025, after bitcoin held on Biconomy could not be withdrawn.
- • Ripple received final approval to launch its own U.S. national trust bank, and DTCC is moving $30 trillion in securities closer to blockchain with major banks.
Summary
Bitcoin dipped below $80,000 on the CoinDesk homepage's lead story, which attributes the decline to Samsung-led technology weakness and a hawkish Federal Reserve hold on interest rates. Crypto futures recorded $356 million in liquidations. Ether was trading at $2,319.81 (down 2.14%), XRP at $1.29 (down 2.83%), and Solana at $100.22 (down 2.54%). A separate CoinDesk market item notes Bitcoin had traded just above $81,000 earlier as the Fed delivered its hold.
In regulatory news, the Utah government has charged predictions platform Kalshi with illegal gambling. CFTC Chairman commentary on policing AI, which called it a road to "autonomous trading," also featured in policy coverage. Brazil's largest lender became the first bank to formalize crypto brokerage under new rules.
Tokenization remains contested. JPMorgan, Coca-Cola, and Dell have each said no to the OKX-ICE tokenized stock trading plan, and a Wall Street Journal advertisement has sparked a new fight over tokenized equities. Separately, DTCC is bringing $30 trillion in securities closer to blockchain infrastructure alongside major banks.
At the company level, Datavault AI shares fell 50% after the firm said it could not access its bitcoin, forcing an accounting correction that reduces reported assets by $92.2 million at year-end 2025. Ripple received a final go-ahead to launch a U.S. national trust bank, and former Swift CEO joined stablecoin firm OpenTrade as chairman.
Technology headlines included an AI-discovered method to crash bitcoin nodes on Windows and Macs, which has since been made public, and a security failure at Indian certificate firm that has affected Ethereum as developers rush out fixes.
In regulatory news, the Utah government has charged predictions platform Kalshi with illegal gambling. CFTC Chairman commentary on policing AI, which called it a road to "autonomous trading," also featured in policy coverage. Brazil's largest lender became the first bank to formalize crypto brokerage under new rules.
Tokenization remains contested. JPMorgan, Coca-Cola, and Dell have each said no to the OKX-ICE tokenized stock trading plan, and a Wall Street Journal advertisement has sparked a new fight over tokenized equities. Separately, DTCC is bringing $30 trillion in securities closer to blockchain infrastructure alongside major banks.
At the company level, Datavault AI shares fell 50% after the firm said it could not access its bitcoin, forcing an accounting correction that reduces reported assets by $92.2 million at year-end 2025. Ripple received a final go-ahead to launch a U.S. national trust bank, and former Swift CEO joined stablecoin firm OpenTrade as chairman.
Technology headlines included an AI-discovered method to crash bitcoin nodes on Windows and Macs, which has since been made public, and a security failure at Indian certificate firm that has affected Ethereum as developers rush out fixes.
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