Discord Wants Your Face, Here’s Why You Should Say No

“Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it.” – Milton Friedman

Discord’s move to require age verification through facial recognition and ID scans arrives wrapped in the language of protection. But it’s actually a blueprint for something more troubling: normalizing surveillance in the name of safety.

There’s no real way to know how many Bitcoin-focused Discord groups there are, but there’s no doubt that Discord is an often-reached-for tool in our ecosystem’s toolbox. 

The rationales presented by Discord are, by now, familiar. But while KYC (Know Your Customer) requirements, as stated, serve noble purposes, they are…

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Bitcoin Holds $68,000 As Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin Rally On Institutional Inflows

Bitcoin extended its advance and held above $68,000 overnight as ETF inflows accelerated and market sentiment improved; liquidations stand at $600.40 million over the past 24 hours. 

Bitcoin ETFs saw $506.5 million in net inflows on Wednesday, while Ethereum ETFs reported $157.1 million in net inflows.  

The meme coin sector climbed 6.9% to $35.2 billion, reflecting broader strength across risk assets.

Trader Commentary:

CryptosBatman said Bitcoin is showing signs of a potential double bottom after breaking and closing above its bearish trendline. While confirmation is still pending, he called it an early signal that a new rally phase could be forming.

Ted Pillows noted that BTC’s latest…

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Michael Saylor Unveils ‘Digital Credit’ Vision, Signals Expansion Beyond Bitcoin To Solana – Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR)

Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR) Executive Chair Michael Saylor shared his vision Wednesday for the future of “digital credit,” emphasizing its potential beyond Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) on networks like Solana (CRYPTO: SOL).

Future Of ‘Digital Credit’

He emphasized the programmability of digital credit, explaining that it could be transformed into various forms such as tokens, private funds, exchange-traded funds and so on.

Digital Credit On Blockchains, Exchanges?

The very idea of launching a “digital credit” instrument on Solana excited the SOL community. Solana’s official X account amplified Saylor’s clip from the event.

Note that Saylor still frames Bitcoin and Strategy’s…

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Circle CEO Says Company’s Stablecoin Infrastructure Has Benefitted Prediction Markets: Here’s How – Circle Internet Group (NYSE:CRCL)

USDC Helps People Move Quickly, Says CEO

During Circle’s fourth-quarter earnings call, Allaire was asked about the company’s collaboration with platforms like Polymarket.

“What something like USDC does, and our infrastructure does for prediction markets like Polymarket, is that people want to be able to move quickly,” the CEO responded.

Allaire pointed out that prediction markets are driven by information, and stablecoins give end users and participants the ability to offer collateral and settle transactions at the “speed of the Internet.”

He added that bets can be executed from various wallets and from anywhere in the world, sidestepping currency exchange issues and banking…

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Elizabeth Warren Says Crypto Scammer Sam Bankman-Fried Endorsing Clarity Act Should ‘Set Off Alarm Bells’

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) expressed concern on Wednesday over jailed fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried’s endorsement of a cryptocurrency market structure bill.

Warren Questions SBF’s Endorsement

Warren said in an X post that a person like Bankman-Fried endorsing the legislation—aka the CLARITY Act—from prison should “set off alarm bells.”

“Any crypto market structure bill must protect investors, our financial system, and American taxpayers,” the senior lawmaker added.

Bankman-Fried, currently serving a 25-year prison term for the FTX fraud, hailed the legislation as a “huge milestone” for crypto and a “huge achievement” for President Donald Trump.

“I was…

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Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin Surge With Stocks, But Analyst Warns This Might Just Be A ‘Relief Rally’ – Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) (ARCA:BTC)

Leading cryptocurrencies jumped on Wednesday, though analysts view the uptick as a relief bounce rather than a momentum shift.

Crypto Market Rebounds

Bitcoin enjoyed a relief bounce, nearing reclaiming $70,000, while trading volume jumped 34% over the last 24 hours.

Ethereum also broke past the $2,000 resistance, accompanied by a 47% jump in 24-hour volumes, while XRP and Dogecoin were up 5.16% and 8.95%.

Over $580 million was liquidated from the market in the last 24 hours, according to Coinglass, predominantly wiping out bearish short positions.

Bitcoin’s open interest rose 3.44% over the past 24 hours, although whale sentiment across key exchanges, including OKX, Bybit and Binance,…

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Visa, Mastercard Aren’t The Real Casualties In Citrini’s AI-Stablecoin Scenario – American Express (NYSE:AXP), Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF)

But a CEO building payment infrastructure for AI agents says the the piece got the direction right while misidentifying the primary casualties.

Citrini’s Scenario Rattled Markets

Citrini Research’s over 7,000-word Substack post, titled “The 2028 Global Intelligence Crisis” and explicitly framed as “a scenario, not a prediction,” modeled a speculative future where AI agents autonomously reroute transactions away from card networks toward stablecoin rails, wiping out interchange economics in the process.

By Monday’s open, the S&P 500 turned red and closed down more than 1%. Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and DoorDash Inc. (NYSE:DASH) each fell between 4% and 6%.

Issuers,… Read more on Benzinga

5 Signs Bitcoin Adoption Is On The Rise As BTC Tries To Find A Bottom

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) remains roughly 50% below its all-time high, but adoption across institutions, corporations and governments continues to expand,

According to Bitcoin service provider River, this suggests a bear market in price, not necessarily in fundamentals.

Institutional Accumulation at Record Levels

In 2025, institutions accumulated an estimated 829,000 BTC, distributing exposure to millions of investors through ETFs, retirement accounts and corporate balance sheets.

Selling pressure has largely come from long-term holders and whales, while individuals still control roughly two-thirds of total supply, indicating decentralization remains intact despite institutional growth.

RIAs Are… Read more on Benzinga

We Want To Have Bitcoin Trading And Custody

Morgan Stanley wants to expand its digital asset offerings, including a native custody and exchange solution for crypto, the firm said during a conversation at Strategy World.

Phong Le, President and CEO of Strategy, spoke with Amy Oldenburg, Head of Digital Asset Strategy at Morgan Stanley, about the firm’s upcoming products. 

Morgan Stanley will first allow clients on its E-Trade platform to buy and sell spot cryptocurrencies through a partnership. Last year, the bank said it was pursuing a spot Bitcoin ETF and planning to enable direct trading for clients via E*Trade.

Over the next year, the bank intends to develop a fully integrated custody and exchange…

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