Author: driver789

Prediction markets overtook onchain gambling for the first time in the opening quarter of 2026, recording $36.6 billion in volume compared with gambling’s $14 billion, according to TRM Labs.In a Wednesday report, the blockchain intelligence company said the shift followed a rapid expansion in both sectors. Onchain gambling reached $51 billion in 2025, while prediction markets climbed to $54 billion, putting the two categories at comparable scale heading into 2026. Still, onchain gambling remained near record levels. Quarterly gambling volume reached an all-time high of $15 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025, then held at $14 billion in Q1 2026.Neither…

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a $55.9 billion budget bill into law on Tuesday, attaching a new 0.2% “privilege tax” on crypto transactions. The provision applies broadly to digital asset activity and adds new registration and reporting obligations for digital asset brokers operating in the state. Crypto industry groups urged the governor to veto the measure. In a letter sent ahead of the signing, the Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) called for a line-item veto, arguing the tax would create a “new and unprecedented” regime that singles out digital asset users and could push innovation out of Illinois. Key takeaways…

Large financial institutions are turning to tokenization to improve capital efficiency and liquidity, according to representatives from Franklin Templeton and BNP Paribas.Speaking at a panel at the WAIB Summit 2026 in Monaco, industry executives discussed how tokenized assets and stablecoins could modernize Europe’s capital markets by streamlining settlement, improving collateral mobility and creating new opportunities for cross-border financial activity.Tokenization offers institutions more “optionality and flexibility,” a development that is driving interest from banks and large corporations to launch their own offerings, said Rafael Mastroberardino, head of digital assets partnership development at investment manager  Franklin Templeton.Julien Clausse, the head of BNP…

Ripple is taking a deeper bet on Africa’s cross-border payments market by buying an equity stake in Flutterwave, according to Bloomberg. The investment positions Ripple as a shareholder in one of Africa’s best-known fintechs while also setting up closer integration between Flutterwave’s payment rails and Ripple’s stablecoin and blockchain infrastructure. Flutterwave CEO Olugbenga Agboola said the undisclosed round values the company at $3.3 billion, as reported by Bloomberg. While the financial terms were not fully detailed, the strategic direction is clear: Flutterwave will embed Ripple’s RLUSD ($1.00 · Live) stablecoin, Ripple Payments, and the XRP ($1.21 · Live) Ledger to…

South Korean tech giant LG Electronics is working with the Ethereum layer-2 network Arbitrum to build a blockchain-based advertising network aimed at serving the digital ad industry. Arbitrum would give advertisers and publishers a shared database of ad inventory and track how customers interact with advertisements, with the company exploring how to bring the service to market this year, Fortune reported on Thursday.“We are evaluating whether this approach can deliver meaningful value to advertisers, publishers and audiences,” said Samuel Byungsun Park, the head of LG Electronics’ blockchain research lab. LG Group’s headquarters is in Seoul, South Korea. Source: Seoul InstituteDigital ad spend…

BitRss delivers the latest Top Crypto News from established and trusted voices across blockchain, bitcoin, stablecoins, altcoins, and the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem. Since 2015, our Mission has been simple: to share timely news and insights that reflect the global crypto landscape in an ethical and transparent way. BitRss acts as a 24/7 reference point where information from many sources comes together in one place. You can stay up to date through our Original Crypto Summary and Curated Topics, designed to highlight key developments, emerging trends, and shifts in market sentiment. BitRss is intentionally clean, fast, and mobile-friendly. Articles are listed…

TRM Labs warned that crypto scammers are targeting FIFA World Cup fans through fake ticketing sites, fixed-match betting schemes and event-themed crypto promotions. The blockchain intelligence company said it identified several World Cup-related scam operations, including two fake-ticketing sites and one fixed-match betting pitch tied to four crypto addresses.“Criminals always look to exploit major events and cultural moments and they don’t wait until kickoff,” Ari Redbord, global head of policy at TRM Labs, told Cointelegraph. “Scammers build and position their infrastructure weeks in advance, then scale it the moment public attention peaks.”Redbord told Cointelegraph that the onchain nature of crypto payments…

Binance says a key step in its EU Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) licensing process has moved forward, even as Reuters reported that regulators are preparing to reject the exchange’s bid—an outcome that could limit Binance’s ability to serve customers in the bloc. In a Tuesday blog update, Binance stated that Greece’s Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC)—a MiCA regulator involved in reviewing the company’s application—has completed its assessment and “considered it compliant with MiCA requirements,” while noting that the matter still requires review by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). Key takeaways Binance claims HCMC has completed its MiCA…

Ethereum price has rebounded toward $1,800 after buyers stepped in near a multi-year support trendline while easing geopolitical tensions triggered a sharp recovery across risk assets. Summary Ethereum price surged more than 10% after the reported U.S.-Iran peace deal eased inflation concerns and pushed oil prices lower. ETH has rebounded from a key multi-year support trendline, with resistance levels at $1,873 and $2,000 now in focus. CoinGlass data shows large short liquidation clusters above current prices, raising the possibility of a squeeze toward higher levels. According to crypto.news market data, Ethereum (ETH) price surged more than 10% on June 15,…

Standard Chartered expects assets locked in decentralized finance (DeFi) to grow 37-fold to $2.7 trillion by the end of 2030.The expansion would be driven by both tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) and crypto-native assets moving through onchain protocols, Geoff Kendrick, head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered, said in a research note on Monday. “I think the next opportunity for generational wealth in digital assets is going to come via the DeFi protocols,” Kendrick said. “I estimate that the amount of tokenized assets active in DeFi will 37x by the end of 2030.”According to Kendrick, only 3% of stablecoins and 10%…