Federal banking regulators have greenlit national banks to engage in crypto activities. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released new guidance confirming that digital asset operations are permitted if conducted safely and fairly. Interpretive Letters 1183 and 1184 now pave the way for broader crypto adoption across traditional financial institutions.

OCC Acting Comptroller Rodney E. Hood highlighted that over 50 million Americans already hold cryptocurrency. Digital assets now represent hundreds of billions in financial activity across the economy. Hood emphasized that this is not a passing trend but a major financial transformation.

This move signals strong government support for blockchain innovation within the banking sector. With clearer regulations in place the US banking system is set to play a key role in shaping the future of digital finance.

An OP_RETURN debate flared up in the Bitcoin industry in recent weeks and has by now invaded most conversation spaces within the industry. The topic is rich and complex, and many people have strong opinions on the matter.

OP_RETURN is an opcode in Bitcoin’s scripting language used to store meta data or arbitrary data that is not relevant for bitcoin transaction validation, as such can be pruned by node runners without much issue, enabling more efficient management of spam while also giving developers a controlled environment to anchor data on chain. 

Taking a harm reduction approach to the problem of spam, the OP_RETURN controversy was recently triggered by a pull request…

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Japanese public company Metaplanet announced Monday it will issue $15 million in zero-interest bonds to fund additional Bitcoin purchases, marking its latest move to expandBitcoin holdings amid rising institutional adoption.

According to regulatory filings, the company’s 15th Series of Ordinary Bonds will be issued exclusively to EVO FUND, with each bond carrying a face value of $375,000. The bonds will mature on November 12, 2025, and investors will receive full principal repayment without interest.

The latest bond issuance follows Metaplanet’s recent acquisition of 1,241 Bitcoin valued at $126.7 million, bringing its total holdings to 6,796 BTC (approximately $705…

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In my prior article on the mempool, I laid out a simple conceptual framework to reason about the basic functionality of the mempool, and how it was used by different kinds of users of the Bitcoin network. In this piece I will be looking at the differences between relay policy and consensus rules, and why by default Bitcoin nodes do not relay some types of bitcoin transactions despite being consensus valid. 

First and foremost, regardless of the peer-to-peer network refusing to relay certain kinds of consensus valid transactions, if those transactions were to find up in a miner’s mempool and be selected for inclusion in a block, they will be received and downloaded by nodes when…

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On May 19, 2025, Coinbase ($COIN) will officially join the S&P 500—widely regarded as the most trusted, most tracked equity index in the world. With over $5 trillion in assets benchmarked to it, the S&P 500 isn’t just a measure of corporate strength—it’s a gravitational center of global capital allocation.

And starting next week, it will include a Bitcoin treasury company.

Coinbase currently holds 9,267 BTC on its balance sheet, valued at $963.8 million at today’s price of $104,000 per Bitcoin, making it the 9th largest public corporate Bitcoin holder globally.

This marks a quiet turning point for Bitcoin in capital markets—one that reframes the treasury conversation and…

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Metaplanet is making bold moves to expand its Bitcoin holdings by issuing $15 million in 0% interest bonds. These bonds are set to mature on November 12 and each is valued at $375,000. The company is aggressively working toward its goal of owning 10,000 BTC by the end of 2025.

The latest bond offering follows Metaplanet’s recent acquisition of 1,241 BTC. This brings its total holdings to 6,796 BTC. The new funds from the bond issuance are expected to drive continued accumulation as part of the company’s long term Bitcoin strategy.

Bitcoin remains a top asset for major corporations despite market fluctuations. Firms like Strategy formerly known as MicroStrategy are leading the charge in institutional Bitcoin buying. Metaplanet is now joining the ranks of top crypto-forward companies betting on Bitcoin as a key financial reserve.

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Nasdaq-listed GD Culture Group has announced a major move into crypto by signing a stock purchase agreement worth up to $300 million with an investor based in the British Virgin Islands. The company plans to use a large part of the funds to buy and hold digital assets including Bitcoin and the Official Trump memecoin as part of its new treasury strategy.

The digital human and e-commerce firm aims to strengthen its balance sheet by integrating crypto into its core financial operations. Chairman and CEO Xiaojian Wang said the decision aligns with current market trends and builds on the company’s digital technology expertise. This follows a growing wave of companies backing crypto assets amid rising support for digital currencies in the US.

Despite reporting a $14.1 million loss in 2024 and facing Nasdaq compliance issues GD Culture remains focused on innovation. Its operations include AI-driven digital humans and livestream e-commerce mainly through subsidiaries in China. The company is following a bold path as crypto continues gaining ground in mainstream business strategies.

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Tether (USDT) supply has reached an all-time high surpassing $150 billion according to the company’s recent update on its Transparency page. CEO Paolo Ardoino confirmed the milestone on social media platform X highlighting continued growth and widespread adoption. The increase signals rising confidence in the crypto sector as USDT maintains its leading position among stablecoins.

Profits have surged significantly for Tether boosted by substantial investments in U.S. Treasurys. The company reported over $1 billion in operating profit last quarter driven by its strategic holdings. Short-term U.S. government debt represents the majority of Tether’s reserves with nearly $120 billion in total exposure making USDT a secure and reliable crypto asset for investors.

Another notable achievement for Tether is the dominance of its stablecoin on the Tron blockchain. For the first time USDT tokens issued on Tron exceeded those on Ethereum surpassing $73 billion in circulation. Competitors remain far behind as Circle’s USDC supply stands around $60 billion and other stablecoins have not yet reached $10 billion.

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