Author: James Wilson
US voters ranked crypto last among election priorities in an April poll of 1,000 registered Americans. Summary Just 1% of registered US voters named crypto their top concern; only 3% called it the single most important 2026 midterm issue. Majorities of independents, Democrat-leaning voters, and base Democrats all held unfavorable views of cryptocurrency in the poll. Despite low priority rankings, 22% said crypto is an important issue and 40% would vote for a candidate aligned on digital assets. Public Opinion Strategies conducted the poll in late April on behalf of CoinDesk, surveying 1,000 randomly selected registered US voters with a…
ZeroStack CEO Daniel Reis-Faria says the CLARITY Act stablecoin deal reduces investor uncertainty but has not resolved institutional hesitation yet. Summary Senators Tillis and Alsobrooks reached a CLARITY Act yield compromise on May 1, banning passive stablecoin yield and preserving activity-based rewards. Polymarket odds of the CLARITY Act passing in 2026 jumped from 46% to 64% hours after the stablecoin deal landed. Reis-Faria says larger investors will still hold back until implementation rules are fully in place, not just agreed in principle. The stablecoin deal was finalised on May 1 by Senators Thom Tillis and Angela Alsobrooks, drawing a clear…
Chainlink price rose 3% on May 4, its biggest single-day gain in two weeks, as Consensus 2026 opened. Summary LINK climbed alongside Bitcoin’s return above $80,000, with the broader risk-on session lifting infrastructure tokens across the board on May 4. Chainlink’s CCIP cross-chain protocol averaged $90 million in weekly token transfers in recent months, providing a fundamental backdrop for the price move. LINK had been trading in a tight range between $8.70 and $9.58 for most of April, making May 4’s move its most decisive session in two weeks. LINK rose alongside Bitcoin’s $80,000 reclaim and the Consensus 2026 conference…
Pi Network co-founder Dr. Chengdiao Fan is set to speak at Consensus 2026 in Miami on May 6, delivering a session titled “Aligning Web3, AI, and Blockchain for Utility” at the Convergence Stage, six days before Protocol 23 brings full smart contracts to the Pi blockchain on May 11. Summary Fan’s session argues that verified human identity is the competitive advantage that AI cannot replicate, directly connecting Pi’s 18 million verified users to the AI era’s core governance problem. Pi Network has completed over 526 million human KYC validation tasks and runs 421,000 active Mainnet nodes entering Consensus week. Protocol…
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only. Crypto payments gain mainstream traction as trust and infrastructure become central to industry growth. Summary Crypto payments are mainstream, with trust and security now critical as infrastructure maturity defines industry credibility. The CoinsPaid incident shows strong security lies in response, protecting funds, restoring services, and transparent communication. Upgrades like CCSS Level 3 for CryptoProcessing by CoinPaid highlight ongoing security improvements shaping trust in crypto payments. Crypto payments are joining credit cards and bank payments as mainstream payment methods. In…
Summary Kraken’s parent company, Payward, has filed a second amended complaint in Colorado federal court accusing former custody partner Etana Custody and its CEO of misappropriating more than $25 million in client funds. The suit alleges Etana ran a “Ponzi scheme” by commingling custodial assets with its own, funding expenses and risky bets, and papering over a growing hole with falsified account statements. Colorado regulators have already hit Etana with a cease-and-desist order; the firm entered liquidation in November 2025 and is now controlled by a court‑appointed receiver. In a second amended complaint submitted to the U.S. District Court for…
Applied Digital closed a Goldman-led $300M senior secured bridge loan to accelerate its next 150 MW AI data center, layering it on top of $2.15B in notes and a $7.5B hyperscaler lease. Summary Applied Digital has completed a $300 million senior secured bridge loan, led by Goldman Sachs, to help fund construction of a new AI data center campus. The facility is secured by project assets, carries standard market terms, and can be repaid early without penalty as the company lines up longer-term capital. The bridge comes on top of a previously priced $2.15 billion senior secured notes offering to…
Nasdaq-listed DeFi Development Corp has launched a $200M at-the-market equity program, pledging to issue stock only when it boosts “SOL per share” and fuels its Solana reserve strategy. Summary Nasdaq-listed Solana treasury vehicle DeFi Development Corp has launched a $200 million at-the-market (ATM) equity program to fund further SOL accumulation. The company says proceeds will primarily support its Solana reserve strategy and that it will only issue shares when doing so is “accretive” to the value of each shareholder’s SOL holdings. DeFi Development has previously used equity raises to scale its SOL treasury toward a long-term target of one SOL…
Bitmine Immersion Technologies said its Ethereum holdings reached 5,180,131 ETH as of May 3. Summary Bitmine added 101,745 ETH last week, pushing total Ethereum holdings to 5.18 million tokens now. Staked ETH reached 4.36 million tokens, giving Bitmine about $10.2 billion in staked assets. Ethereum Foundation sales added context as Bitmine moved closer to its 5% ETH supply target. The company valued the position at $2,336 per ETH and said the holdings equal about 4.29% of the total ETH supply. The company said its crypto, cash, and other listed holdings totaled $13.1 billion. That figure included 5.18 million ETH, 200…
Western Union launches USDPT, a dollar-backed Solana stablecoin to replace SWIFT-era settlement, cutting cross-border remittance costs and running 24/7 on-chain. Summary Western Union has launched USDPT, a US dollar-backed stablecoin on the Solana blockchain, issued by Anchorage Digital Bank and backed 1:1 with dollars. USDPT will be embedded into Western Union’s global payment infrastructure as an on-chain settlement layer for agents, partners, and future consumer apps. The token is designed to replace parts of the firm’s SWIFT-based settlement, enabling faster, cheaper cross-border transfers across its 360,000-plus cash pickup locations. Western Union has confirmed the launch of its USDPT stablecoin on…