Magic Eden acquires crypto trading app Slingshot to move beyond NFTs

Solana non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Magic Eden has acquired crypto trading app Slingshot as part of a strategy to expand beyond NFTs as other marketplaces fold amid a prolonged market downturn. The move expands Magic Eden’s support to more than 8 million tokens across almost every major blockchain, the firm said in an April 9 …

SafeMoon boss cites DOJ’s nixed crypto unit in latest bid to toss suit

Braden John Karony, the CEO of crypto firm SafeMoon, has cited the US Department of Justice’s directive to no longer pursue some crypto charges in an effort to get the case against him and his firm dismissed.  In an April 9 letter to New York federal court judge Eric Komitee, Karony’s attorney, Nicholas Smith, said …

Bitcoin inflows to Binance see ‘strong acceleration’ ahead of March CPI print

Bitcoin inflows into crypto exchange Binance have surged over the past two weeks amid uncertainty over US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the upcoming US Consumer Price Index (CPI) results, says an analyst. However, another analyst argued that while it could signal an impending sell-off, it might also indicate a bullish trend. Investors are “actively …

Ukraine floats 23% tax on some crypto income, exemptions for stablecoins

Ukraine’s financial regulator has proposed taxing certain crypto transactions as personal income at a rate of up to 23% but excluding crypto-to-crypto transactions and stablecoins.   Crypto transactions would be taxed at 18% with a 5% military levy on top as part of the proposed framework, released on April 8 by Ukraine’s National Securities and Stock …

21Shares files for spot Dogecoin ETF in the US

Digital asset manager 21Shares has filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to launch a spot Dogecoin exchange-traded fund, following similar filings from rivals Bitwise and Grayscale. The 21Shares Dogecoin ETF would seek to track the price of the memecoin Dogecoin (DOGE), according to the firm’s April 9 Form S-1 registration statement. The Dogecoin …

US Senate confirms Paul Atkins to lead SEC under Trump

The US Senate has confirmed US President Donald Trump pick Paul Atkins as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission in a 51-45 vote, with lawmakers largely voting along party lines. His appointment comes several months after Trump named Atkins to lead the commission late last year. Atkins previously served as an SEC commissioner between …

Ethereum Researcher Virgil Griffith released from prison

Ethereum researcher Virgil Griffith was released from prison custody on April 9, the Bureau of Prison (BOP) officials confirmed to Cointelegraph. According to crypto developer Brantly Millegan, Griffith will remain in a halfway house for several weeks while waiting to complete the next steps in his parole process. Griffith was arrested in 2019 for giving …

AAVE soars 13% as buyback proposal passes among tokenholders

Aave’s tokenholders approved a governance proposal to start buying back the decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol’s governance token, AAVE, as part of a broader tokenomics overhaul, Aave said on April 9.  The proposal — which was approved by more than 99% of AAVE tokenholders — permits the protocol to purchase $4 million in AAVE (AAVE) tokens, …

Bitcoin price soars to $83.5K — Have pro BTC traders turned bullish?

US equities and crypto markets shifted dramatically on April 9 after  US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on his reciprocal tariffs, except for China. Bitcoin (BTC) price responded by surging by 5% in less than an hour, reclaiming the $83,000 level which was last seen on April 6. While the S&P 500 gained …

SEC approves options on spot Ether ETFs

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved options trading for multiple spot Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs), a move that may broaden the investment appeal of Ether among institutional traders. The SEC issued the approval on April 9 after reviewing a proposed rule change submitted by BlackRock for its iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) …