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In brief Connecticut has suspended Bitcoin Depot’s state money transfer license, without which it cannot run its kiosks. Regulators said some users were overcharged, while those that fell to scams weren’t fully refunded. Observers said the order could mark a tougher compliance test for the wider Bitcoin ATM industry. Bitcoin Depot, the world’s largest Bitcoin ATM operator, has had its money-transmission licence summarily suspended by Connecticut regulators over alleged violations tied to kiosk fees, disclosures, and fraud-related refunds.State regulators said Bitcoin Depot charged some kiosk users fees above the state’s 15% cap, failed to give some fraud victims full refunds,…

Starbucks has disclosed that it suffered a security incident that potentially impacted 889 individuals. In a notice of data breach sent to customers on March 10th, the world’s largest coffeehouse chain says that on or about February 6th, it discovered a potential unauthorized access to certain Starbucks Partner Central accounts. The malicious actor managed to access some of the accounts after obtaining login credentials through phishing websites that impersonate Partner Central, the company’s centralized HR and workplace platform that employees use to manage work-related tasks.  The company says that based on the types of information viewable within those accounts, the…

In brief The joint committee called crypto donations an “unnecessary and unacceptably high risk” and wants a binding moratorium written into the Representation of the People Bill. The report demands a new national Political Finance Enforcement Unit inside the National Crime Agency and tighter rules on overseas donors. An expert told Decrypt that KYC-based bans would create “a massive honeypot” for adversaries by forcing parties to centralize donor data. A UK parliamentary committee has urged an immediate ban on crypto donations to political parties, but at least one industry expert warns the move could backfire, creating new cybersecurity risks even…

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure On-chain data shows the total number of non-empty XRP addresses has set a new all-time high alongside a 5-week high in network activity. XRP Total Amount Of Holders Is Sitting At A Fresh Record As pointed out by on-chain analytics firm Santiment in a new post on X, XRP has set a new record in Total Amount Of Holders. This indicator measures, as its name suggests, the total number of addresses present on the network that are carrying a non-zero balance. When the value of this metric…

In brief Democratic senators are warning real-time facial identification could expose individuals to stalking, harassment, and targeted intimidation. Prior reporting this month shows Meta contractors reviewed sensitive footage captured by smart glasses, including intimate scenes. A letter from the lawmakers is asking whether Meta will link captured faces to Facebook or Instagram profiles and how biometric data will be handled. A group of Democratic senators is pressing Meta over reported plans to add facial recognition to its smart glasses, citing mounting concerns that the technology could enable real-time identification of individuals without their consent.In a letter to Chief Executive Mark…

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure While its price action has been trending sideways over the past few weeks, Ethereum has been seeing robust network performance and adoption. Recent updates are showing that the ETH network is now at the forefront of tokenized assets as the sector experiences substantial growth. Tokenized Asset Boom On The Ethereum Network Tokenized assets are becoming the order of the day in the ever-evolving blockchain sector, with the Ethereum network turning up at the center of the development. As the market for tokenized assets keeps growing, Ethereum has…

In brief The Iran conflict is impacting on a wide range of commodities including fertilizers, with a third of global seaborne trade typically passing through the shuttered Strait of Hormuz. Prediction market Myriad is tracking whether urea, which makes up two-thirds of fertilizer traffic through the Strait, will be above $610 on March 25. Urea prices have surged by more than 34% over the past month, to reach $601 per ton. While headlines have focused on soaring oil prices as a result of the Iran conflict, the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic is impacting a…

In brief The CFTC’s Market Participants Division issued no-action relief to Phantom Technologies, letting it connect users to regulated futures markets without registering as an introducing broker. The decision does not extend to DeFi derivatives or tokenized prediction markets. The CFTC said it may issue formal rulemaking that supersedes the letter. In a move that could shape how self-custodial cryptocurrency wallets interact with regulated markets in the United States, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has allowed Phantom Technologies to offer derivatives access without registering as an intermediary.The CFTC’s Market Participants Division issued the “no-action” letter on Tuesday, effectively promising…

Citigroup cuts Bitcoin and Ethereum targets as slower US policy timeline trims the upside caseCitigroup has cut its 12-month targets for Bitcoin and Ethereum, lowering its Bitcoin forecast to $112,000 from $143,000 and its Ethereum forecast to $3,175 from $4,304.The March 17 revision marks a sharp step down from the bank’s December view and ties that reset to slower US legislative progress, a delay that Citi said is weighing on the policy support it had expected to help drive ETF demand and wider adoption.The cuts are large enough to change the shape of the one-year crypto outlook without turning Citi…

In brief DLSS 5 introduces full neural rendering, shifting from performance enhancement to AI-driven image generation layered over game assets. Early demos impressed developers but triggered backlash online, with players criticizing altered character faces and “uncanny” visuals. Viral “DLSS OFF vs ON” memes captured concerns that the tech changes artistic intent rather than simply improving performance. Jensen Huang called it the “GPT moment for graphics.” The internet called it a “yassification filter” with a $1,500 GPU requirement.At GTC 2026 this week, NVIDIA unveiled DLSS 5—its most technically ambitious graphics feature to date, and almost certainly its most memed.Unlike previous DLSS…

In brief Bitrefill was hit by a March 1 cyberattack that escalated from a compromised laptop to database and wallet access, with evidence pointing to North Korean hacking groups Lazarus and Bluenoroff. About 18,500 purchase records were partially exposed; no full database exfiltration occurred, and affected users were notified directly. Most operations have been restored, losses will be covered by operational capital, and Bitrefill is tightening security measures going forward. Bitrefill, a platform that lets users exchange cryptocurrency for gift cards and phone service credit, disclosed Tuesday that it was targeted in a March 1 cyberattack.According to the firm, it…

In brief Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed criminal charges against Kalshi, alleging the platform is an “illegal gambling operation.” The 20 criminal counts include 16 related to betting and wagering, and 4 counts regarding violations of election wagering. Kalshi preemptively sued the state last week, a tactic it has utilized in other states as well. Prediction market platform Kalshi was hit with criminal charges in the state of Arizona for allegedly operating an illegal gambling service and allowing unlicensed election wagering, the state’s attorney general announced. Arizona AG Kris Mayes filed the charges, which includes 20 criminal counts against KalshiEx…

In brief Tim Scott said a compromise on stablecoin yield—key to the stalled crypto market structure bill—could emerge by the end of the week. The dispute centers on whether firms like Coinbase can offer yield on stablecoins, a major sticking point between crypto companies and banks. Lawmakers warn time is running out to pass the bill before the 2026 midterms, with several other unresolved issues still in play. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), chair of the powerful Senate Banking Committee, said Tuesday he expects to have a potential compromise on the thorny issue of stablecoin yield, which has long delayed crypto’s…

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure Crypto pundit Nick has explained that XRP holders are too focused on price rather than on the massive adoption the altcoin is seeing. He noted that these adoptions are stacking and would, at some point, serve as catalysts to send the altcoin to new highs.  Pundit Says XRP Holders Are Missing The Adoption Wave In an X post, Nick said that the majority of XRP holders are missing the adoption wave the altcoin is seeing and are focusing so much on the price. He noted that no…

Jack Mallers has been officially confirmed as a speaker at Bitcoin 2026, returning to the stage where he made Bitcoin history to share his perspective on Bitcoin’s expanding role in payments, capital markets, and global finance. As Co-Founder and CEO of Twenty One Capital (NYSE: XXI) and Founder and CEO of Strike, Mallers now sits at the intersection of two consequential Bitcoin companies operating today, one reshaping how people spend and save Bitcoin, the other redefining what a publicly traded Bitcoin company can be. Twenty One Capital launched on the New York Stock Exchange in December 2025, debuting with a…

Bitcoin is heading toward its first real recession-era test as a mature institutional asset after Moody’s recession model rose to 48.6%, a level that, in that historical series, has not previously been reached without a recession following within 12 months.The historical ‘point of no return’ signal arrives as US growth slows, the labor market weakens, oil trades above $100, and Bitcoin has started to post gains over the past week and month.That combination sets up a clearer test than the brief COVID downturn: whether Bitcoin trades like a risk asset when the economy softens the slow way, or holds up…

In brief Senator Warren sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding answers over Grok’s Pentagon access Security agencies have warned about Grok’s risks, but the Pentagon appears to be pushing ahead anyway. Grok’s history includes lurid deepfake images of minors, antisemitic outputs, and leaked conversations. Senator Elizabeth Warren wants to know how a chatbot that allegedly generated millions of deepfake images—including compromising images depicting minors—ended up with keys to the Pentagon’s most classified systems.On Sunday, Warren sent a four-page letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding answers about the Department of Defense’s decision to give Elon Musk’s xAI…