The global decentralized finance (DeFi) market size was valued at $11.78 billion in 2021. This number is expected to increase as DeFi advances, yet it is still in its infancy. Therefore, a number of banks and traditional financial institutions still tend to be unaware of DeFi’s potential. While this may be, industry experts within the crypto sector are predicting that decentralized finance will overtake traditional financial institutions in the coming years. For instance, Mike Belshe, CEO and co-founder of BitGo — a digital asset custody provider — told Cointelegraph that he believes DeFi will replace institutions in the next three …

Roughly a third of eligible voters in the United States will be “considering crypto policy positions” when choosing candidates in the 2022 midterm elections, according to a new survey. In the results of a 2,029-person survey conducted by The Harris Poll between Oct. 6-11, 57% of likely midterm voters said they would be more likely to vote for a political candidate interested in staying informed about cryptocurrencies, while 38% said they would consider positions on crypto policy when voting in the midterms. The survey, initiated by Grayscale Investments, also suggested crypto regulation was a bipartisan issue, with 87% of Democratic …

United States-based crypto exchange Coinbase has become the latest organization to stand behind Ripple Labs n its legal battle against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which could wrap up as soon as the first half of 2023. Paul Grewal, Coinbase’s chief legal officer in a series of tweets on Oct. 31 said the exchange had asked the presiding judge for permission to file an amicus brief, saying the case was a “textbook” definition of “just how critical fair notice is.” Earlier today, @coinbase asked Judge Torres for permission to file an amicus brief in the SEC case over XRP. …

The U.S. Trustee overseeing the Celsius chapter 11 bankruptcy case, William Harrington, has objected to a Celsius motion that would see 62 of its 275 employees paid a retention bonus totaling $2.96 million. The Trustee has blasted Celsius in its supporting statement for the objection filed on Oct. 27, noting: “It defies logic, not to mention the Bankruptcy Code, that a company where the majority of its functions are no longer providing services, would now propose a multi-million dollar bonus scheme.” For the “bonus motion”, as it is aptly named, to receive approval, the Trustee claims that Celsius must show …

The Bitcoin mining industry continues to face a challenging year as the price of Bitcoin (BTC) hovers below $20,000, coupled with rising energy costs in North America and Europe. Regulators have also recently started clamping down on crypto mining, as a recent report from the Bitcoin Mining Council (BMC) found that Bitcoin has seen a 41% increase in energy consumption year-on-year (YoY). As a result, a number of crypto mining companies have been forced to sell off equipment, while others have filed for bankruptcy. Yet, this hasn’t been the case for some miners, particularly those focused on clean energy solutions …

A poll conducted by the Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) has shown that a candidate’s position on crypto may impact the outcome of the United States midterm elections. Significant numbers of voters are well-disposed toward crypto and want to see it treated as a serious and valid part of the economy, and bipartisanship is strong in the crypto community. The CCI commissioned a poll of 1,208 people on Oct. 8-10 about their attitudes toward crypto and the upcoming elections. The poll found that 13% of respondents won cryptocurrency, which is in line with the 16% who owned stocks and 12% …

Nearly half of Gen Z and Millennials want to see crypto become a part of their 401(k) retirement plans, according to an October survey from United States asset manager Charles Schwab. Asking participants what they would like to see added to their 401(k) retirement products, the firm found that 46% of Gen Z and 45% of Millennials said they "wish" they could invest in cryptocurrencies as part of their retirement planning. It shouldn't come as a surprise, as the survey also found that 43% of Gen Z and 47% of Millennials are investing in cryptocurrencies outside their 401(k) already, which …

People are often skeptical about Web3, many of them influencers and digital content creators. Notably, many of those most reluctant to embrace Web3 are very successful on Web2. Since they’ve mastered monetization on popular Web2 platforms such as TikTok, Twitch and others, why bother learning the rules of a new game? The current regulatory debate around restricting TikTok in the U.S. provides a salient example of the risks associated with Web2 platforms, and why embracing Web3 can both benefit and protect influencers and their fans. The value add of Web3 is twofold — autonomy and insurance. Let’s hope this TikTok …

The United States Department of Justice has announced charges against two Chinese intelligence officers who allegedly bribed a double agent with Bitcoin. In an Oct. 24 announcement, the Justice Department said Guochun He and Zheng Wang had attempted to obstruct the prosecution of an unnamed global telecommunications company based in China, which allegedly involved paying a U.S. government employee roughly $61,000 in bribes using Bitcoin (BTC). However, the individual was a double agent working on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and did not move against authorities in the Eastern District of New York in the case against the …

Several Democratic members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives have requested information from top regulators and agencies in the country regarding crypto firms hiring government officials upon their departure. In letters dated Oct. 24 to the heads of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Treasury Department, Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 5 U.S. lawmakers asked for a response in regards to the steps the government departments and agencies were taking “to stop the revolving door” between themselves and the crypto …

The Bitcoin ATM operator RockItCoin announced the acquisition of Tao Bitcoin on Oct. 25. Tao Bitcoin is a regional ATM operator with 56 machines, mostly located in the south of the United States. According to the company, the acquisition was part of they company's strategy to find value and synergies among smaller and regional players in the Bitcoin ATM space. With the deal, the machines operated by RockItCoin came to almost 1900 across 44 U.S. states. The Bitcoin ATM industry is poised for consolidation in 2023, according to RockItCoin's president Ben Phillips, with the company likely to acquire more players …

No matter how much attention the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or Commodity Futures Trading Commission gets in the crypto industry, for individual traders and investors, it often comes down to the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) position — and how much tax one owes. Last week, the IRS last week released a draft bill featuring a well-defined digital assets section that outlines if and how taxpayers will account for the use of cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and nonfungible tokens (NFTs). Page 16 of the draft defines digital assets as any digital representations of the value recorded on a “cryptographically secured …