The Shib and Tell

Crypto entrepreneur Jeremy Cahen, known online as “Pauly0x,” has been added to San Juan, Puerto Rico’s updated "Most Wanted" list for aggravated assault, authorities confirm. Local news outlet Metro Puerto Rico reports that, according to police, fugitives on the list, including Cahen, are considered armed and highly dangerous, with active arrest warrants issued for them. Cahen’s bail is set at $75...

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley has proposed a new bill that seeks to block the import and export of artificial intelligence technologies between the U.S. and China, citing national security threats.   The bill, titled the "Decoupling America's Artificial Intelligence Capabilities from China Act," does not specifically reference the Chinese AI company DeepSeek. Instead, it emphasized the broader goa...

In a notice issued on February 4, Caroline Pham, the acting chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), announced that the CFTC is realigning its Division of Enforcement priorities to concentrate on combating fraud. The commission plans to establish two specialized task forces: one dedicated to complex fraud and the other focused on retail fraud, ensuring a targeted approach to...

Politico staff have been experiencing delays in their bi-weekly direct deposits this week, sparking speculation that Elon Musk’s efforts to curb government spending may have contributed to the issue.   An employee reportedly shared that management did not address the issue until 9 a.m., attributing the delay to a “technical error.” The Politico employee further stated that as staff members gr...

An AI-powered bot named Daisy is giving scammers a hard time by annoying them with persistent, frustrating conversations. Designed as a virtual grandma, Daisy has become an unexpected tool in the fight against fraudsters, turning the tables by wasting their time and disrupting their schemes.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has announced plans to revise its policies, allowing U.S. banks to manage cryptocurrency assets and offer tokenized deposits without prior regulatory approval.   During a Senate hearing, Acting FDIC Chairman Travis Hill confirmed that the agency is revising its stance on cryptocurrency. He explained that the FDIC is re-evaluating its previous p...

FTX creditor Sunil Kavuri revealed in a February 4 post on X that FTX Digital Markets will begin issuing payments to “convenience class” creditors. The notice indicated that users with claims under $50,000 would receive full reimbursement, plus 9% annual interest accrued since the exchange's collapse in November 2022. The distribution is set to start on February 18.

Phantom and Trust Wallet users have been vulnerable to an exploit, resulting in unauthorized fund withdrawals when accessing adult websites through their wallet browsers.   The exploit reportedly leverages weaknesses in the wallet’s browser functionality. When users access specific adult websites, malicious scripts are activated, allowing cybercriminals to gain control over the wallet.

Kaspersky Labs has revealed that malicious software development kits found in apps on both Google Play and Apple’s App Store are being used to steal cryptocurrency. The malware in app stores reportedly scans user photos for wallet recovery phrases, allowing hackers to access and empty crypto funds.

China has quickly retaliated against the newly imposed trade tariffs by the United States, announcing its own set of tariffs on various American goods just moments after the U.S. measures took effect.   On Tuesday, a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports to the United States was activated, as announced by President Donald Trump. In response, China’s Ministry of Finance outlined new measures, incl...

Union Groups have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Treasury, alleging that the latter violated federal laws by allowing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access Americans' sensitive financial and personal information. According to a February 3 filing, the Alliance for Retired Americans, the American Federation of Government Employees, and the Service Employees International Union f...

India is reconsidering its crypto policy in light of shifting global attitudes, particularly after U.S. President Donald Trump’s digital assets executive order, which has sparked regulatory discussions in several countries.

David Sacks, appointed by President Donald Trump as the White House AI and Crypto Czar, is set to hold a press conference with key Republican policymakers to discuss the government's US digital asset policy plan. The press conference, set for Tuesday, February 4, will focus on how Congress and President Trump’s cabinet plan to “secure America as a leader in the digital asset ecosystem.”

Popular cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has faced backlash after a series of social engineering scams over the past two months led to users losing millions, raising concerns over security vulnerabilities and fraud prevention measures.

Russia Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev has proposed using surplus electricity in the Far East for cryptocurrency mining, instructing both new and idle power plants to support Bitcoin mining rigs.

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order (EO) mandating the establishment of a sovereign wealth fund. Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis is speculating that this could pave the way for the U.S. government to acquire Bitcoin.

The MuskIt team has officially unveiled the long-awaited Musk Tower, a groundbreaking development that will center around the Musk Institute. The goal is to drive innovations in technology, renewable energy, and blockchain.

Asset management firm 21Shares has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for approval of a spot Polkadot exchange-traded fund (ETF), which, if approved, would be listed on the Cboe BZX Exchange. In a filing on January 31, the firm proposed the 21Shares Polkadot Trust, with cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase serving as the custodian for the DOT holdings.

The cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has announced plans to delist Tether’s USDT and four other stablecoins in Europe. This is in compliance with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), following a phased approach to minimize market disruptions. 

Chinese tech giant Alibaba has introduced its latest AI model, Qwen 2.5-Max, with the goal to make waves in the rapidly evolving AI space. Launched on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Alibaba asserts that its enhanced model surpasses competitors like ChatGPT, Meta’s Llama, and DeepSeek in a majority of performance benchmarks.

Jeff Park, Head of Alpha Strategies at BitWise, has predicted that President Donald Trump’s tariffs could drive Bitcoin (BTC) prices significantly higher over time, citing the potential weakening of the U.S. dollar and lower yields on U.S. government bonds. In a recent post on X, Park explained that the purpose of the tariffs is to strategically weaken the U.S. dollar in international trade. This...

This week, OpenAI and other major U.S. tech companies faced a significant challenge with the unexpected debut of DeepSeek, a Chinese app that mimics the capabilities of ChatGPT but at a fraction of the cost. Microsoft, OpenAI's largest investor, is reportedly investigating whether data from the AI firm's technology infrastructure was improperly accessed by a group linked to the Chinese AI startup.

Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht has faced a $12 million loss on Pump.fun after attempting to liquidate ROSS tokens. Arkham Intelligence reported that Ulbricht, or whoever has access to his wallet, attempted to liquidate the ROSS meme coin, which led to a significant drop in its value and resulted in substantial financial losses.

Grayscale Investments, the cryptocurrency asset manager, has introduced the Grayscale Bitcoin Miners ETF (MNRS) on NYSE Arca, offering investors a new way to invest in Bitcoin mining companies. The fund targets companies listed on the Indxx Bitcoin Miners Index, which includes firms primarily generating revenue from Bitcoin mining, as well as related hardware, software, services, and other initiat...

Gemini CEO Tyler Winklevoss has announced that the company will not hire graduates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as long as the university maintains an affiliation with former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Gary Gensler.