The Block

The Block

Benzinga Contributor

After Start of SEC's 'War on DeFi' UNI and Others Struggle to Recover
It has now been over a month since it was revealed that Uniswap Labs (CRYPTO: UNI) had received a Wells Notice, indicating the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission intends to bring charges against the developers of the largest decentralized exchange.
Macro Continues to be a Key Driver for Crypto: Coinbase
The macro environment continues to be a key driver for crypto performance, according to a Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) report.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Appears to Endorse Notcoin Following Launch on TON Blockchain
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov appeared to endorse the web3 game Notcoin on Friday, which launched its NOT token on The Open Network (CRYPTO: TON) blockchain yesterday.
FTX Creditors are Taking What's Theirs, Which is Good News for FTT
It was a good week for FTX creditors, words not many thought would be written at the end of 2022 after the crypto exchange filed for bankruptcy. But the tides have turned for the defunct entity. For one, crypto asset prices were essentially at their lowest when FTX went under, and its crypto holdings are worth a lot more now than they were before.
Notcoin Goes Live on TON Blockchain, Airdrops Over 80 Billion Tokens
Viral web3 clicker game Notcoin has issued its cryptocurrency on the The Open Network (CRYPTO: TON) blockchain — airdropping more than 80 billion NOT tokens to participants as it opens for trading on crypto exchanges.
PancakeSwap Offers to Pay Off Interface Fees for Uniswap Users
Decentralized exchange PancakeSwap (CRYPTO: CAKE) plans to pay for up to $8 million in fees traders have incurred on competitor Uniswap. Crypto traders who match their Uniswap v3 volume 1:1 on PancakeSwap v3 between May 16 and Aug. 15 will receive a full refund of their Uniswap interface fees.
Mastercard Picks Five Startups for Program on Blockchain Use-Case Development
Five startups have been chosen to join Mastercard's (NYSE: MA) Start Path blockchain and digital assets program to develop blockchain use cases and user experiences.
Web3 Digital Identity Startup Humanity Protocol Raises $30 Million at a $1 Billion Valuation
The web3 digital identity firm Humanity Protocol raised $30 million in funding, bringing the startup to a $1 billion valuation.  The venture firm Kingsway Capital led the round, which had additional support from Animoca Brands, Blockchain.com and Shima Capital, Bloomberg reports, adding that Humanity Protocol also raised $1.5 million from "influential crypto figures."
Tornado Cash Developer Alexey Pertsev Sentenced to 64 Months: Report
Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev was convicted on money laundering charges. A Dutch court convicted Pertsev, 31, of laundering $1.2 billion in crypto through the Tornado Cash mixer between July 9, 2019, and Aug. 10, 2022, DL News reported.
Galaxy Digital Holdings' Revenue, Profit Grow, Buoyed by Record Mining Revenue
Galaxy Digital Holdings (OTC: BRPHF) revenue and profits jumped during the first quarter, bolstered by its mining operation's record performance amid the run-up in cryptocurrency prices.
Polymarket Raises $45 Million from Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, Vitalik Buterin and Others
Polymarket Labs has raised a $45 million Series B funding round led by Peter Thiel's Founders Fund and existing investors 1confirmation and ParaFi, with participation from Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin, Dragonfly (NASDAQ:
Bernstein Argues Bitcoin's 'Flattish' Price Action is Great for Public Miners
Analysts at research and brokerage firm Bernstein aren't worried about the "flattish" price action of Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), arguing that it can be great for miners — when economics are driven by competitive hash-rate wars.
MoonPay Donates $1 Million to Coinbase-Initiated Stand With Crypto PAC
Crypto payments infrastructure firm MoonPay contributed $1 million to Stand With Crypto, an advocacy group with a political action committee initiated by the crypto exchange Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN). A MoonPay representative confirmed the amount to The Block.
Bitcoin Mining Firm Bitfarms Fires CEO Amid $27 Million Damages Lawsuit
Toronto-based Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) mining firm Bitfarms (NASDAQ: BITF) fired CEO Geoffrey Morphy on Monday, effective immediately, after he filed a lawsuit against the company claiming $27 million in damages for breac
Uniswap Frontend is Feeling the Pressure Since Fee Hike
In mid-April, Uniswap Labs (CRYPTO: UNI) increased the fee to swap on its interface from 0.15% to 0.25%. The fee applies to most, but not all, swaps that are executed using the Uniswap web interface and wallet. Using the Uniswap Labs interface is not the only way to use Uniswap.
Eclipse CEO Steps Back Amid Harassment Allegations
Eclipse CEO Neel Somani said Thursday he is stepping back from the Layer 2 project shortly after a flurry of sexual harassment allegations against him resurfaced. Somani denied any misconduct in a post on X, adding that the role reduction is temporary. The announcement came roughly a day after allegations of the Layer 2 founder's sexual misconduct swirled on X.
White House Set to Nominate CFTC Commissioner Johnson to Treasury Role: Bloomberg
The White House is set to nominate Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Kristin Johnson to a top position at the U.S. Treasury Department, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
SEC Chair Gary Gensler Says Investors Lack Needed Crypto Disclosures Following Multiple Wells Notices
Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler says investors are not getting vital crypto disclosures after the agency handed out notices to multiple crypto entities that it plans to bring enforcement actions against. Gensler was asked Tuesday morning on CNBC Squawk Box about the agency's recent move to file a Wells Notice against Robinhood (NASDAQ:
ZKM Raises $5 Million Ahead of Bitcoin-Based Layer 2 Launch
Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) scaling solution ZKM has raised $5 million in an early-stage funding round as it prepares to launch its Bitcoin-based (CRYPTO: BTC) Layer 2 network.
Solana DePIN Ambient Raises Funds Ahead of Token Launch, Acquires PlanetWatch
Ambient, a Solana-based (CRYPTO: SOL) decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) focused on collecting environmental data, has raised $2 million in a seed funding round. Borderless Capital led the round, with Solana Ventures, Parami Investors, Sonic Boom Ventures, Primal Capital and others parti