News linked to this event type.
According to Bloomberg, U.S. President Trump said he would launch an investigation into federal employees’ betting activities on event prediction platforms, expressing concern that some individuals might be profiting from government classified information in prediction markets. Previously, federal authorities arrested a soldier involved in the operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro; the soldier had successfully bet on Maduro’s ouster and earned approximately $400,000.
Trump commented on insider betting and federal employees wagering on prediction markets, stating that an investigation will be conducted. Regarding insider trading related to wars, he said, "The world is a bit like a casino," and added that he has never been a strong supporter of these betting platforms. Trump also noted that he conceptually dislikes gambling.
ABC News, citing sources, said that US federal authorities arrested a Special Forces soldier on Thursday involved in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The soldier allegedly made over $400,000 by betting on Maduro's ouster. Sources said federal investigators believe the soldier placed over $33,000 in bets on the prediction market Polymarket just hours before President Trump announced Maduro's capture in January. The series of bets yielded over $409,000 in profit, immediately triggering scrutiny within the prediction market and launching a months-long insider trading investigation.
: Quantitative trading firm Jane Street has filed a motion with the court to dismiss the insider trading and market manipulation lawsuit filed by Terraform Labs, which accuses the firm of causing the collapse of the UST/LUNA algorithmic stablecoin.In its filing submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Jane Street stated that the lawsuit is "baseless" and represents an attempt by Terraform's bankruptcy estate to shift responsibility for the collapse of a multi-billion dollar ecosystem onto a third party.The firm has requested the court to dismiss the entire case "with prejudice," meaning the plaintiff cannot refile the same claims.Jane Street further pointed out that the fraudulent conduct associated with Terraform has already been prosecuted, adjudicated, and penalized, and that it was not involved. Do Kwon has previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud charges and is currently serving a 15-year sentence. A jury has also found Terraform and Kwon liable for securities fraud.
the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced sanctions against Cambodian Senator Kok An, accusing him of controlling "fraud compounds" across the country that defrauded U.S. victims through crypto investment scams.According to an OFAC statement released on Thursday, in addition to Kok An, 28 other individuals and entities have been added to the sanctions list, all believed to be linked to his fraud network. The network allegedly lured victims into sending crypto assets by promising "high-return investments."This action follows a raid by Cambodian police on two fraud centers in the border town of Poipet. Kok An had previously been accused of operating fraud hubs in that area.OFAC stated that fraudsters typically gain victims' trust by establishing "friendships" or "romantic relationships," then guide them to participate in so-called crypto investment platforms to defraud funds, with total losses reaching millions of dollars.Notably, some individuals involved in the fraudulent activities are themselves victims of human trafficking, forced to engage in illegal acts under threats of violence. OFAC pointed out that these fraud centers are often located in casinos or repurposed office parks, serving not only as hubs for money laundering but also as bases for committing fraud and human rights abuses against U.S. citizens.Additionally, regulators have simultaneously seized over 500 domain names of fake websites used for crypto investment scams, indicating that the U.S. is further intensifying its crackdown on related criminal activities.
MoonPay, a cryptocurrency payment network, announced that its Iron platform has officially launched virtual account services in New York State, enabling fintech companies, crypto platforms, neobanks, and financial institutions to integrate compliant fiat-to-stablecoin infrastructure. This launch follows MoonPay’s 2025 acquisition of Iron, an enterprise-grade stablecoin infrastructure platform. Users can receive funds via ACH, wire transfer, SWIFT, and other channels, with automatic conversion into stablecoins settled directly into non-custodial wallets. In the same year, MoonPay obtained New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) licenses—including a BitLicense, a money transmitter license, and a limited-purpose trust charter.
Polymarket, a crypto prediction market platform, has become embroiled in an insider trading controversy due to predictive trading centered on US President Donald Trump's related policies and statements. Data shows that from April 5th to April 8th alone, markets related to the situation in Iran generated approximately 413 million predictions, involving funds exceeding $100 million.Analysts point out that Trump's highly unpredictable decision-making style has significantly boosted activity in the prediction market. Topics such as whether he will take military action against Iran or push for a ceasefire have become high-frequency trading targets. Related trading volumes surged rapidly following his social media posts.Notably, Donald Trump Jr. was revealed to hold shares in Polymarket while also serving as an advisor to another prediction platform, Kalshi, sparking external questions about potential conflicts of interest and insider trading. Industry data indicates that political predictions have become the second-largest category in prediction markets, trailing only sports. Despite the escalating controversy, the overall attitude of US regulators remains relatively lenient, driving the continuous expansion of this sector. (Fortune)
the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has released a report stating that crypto exchanges are increasingly offering banking-like services, such as lending and yield-bearing products (Earn), but lack the regulatory oversight and deposit protection found in traditional financial systems, posing systemic risks.The report states that these high-yield products are essentially more akin to "unsecured loans." User assets are often used by platforms for high-risk operations such as lending, trading, or market making, while users only hold a claim against the platform. If the platform encounters problems, users are directly exposed to solvency risks.The BIS also noted that major crypto platforms have evolved from simple exchanges into "multi-functional intermediaries," integrating the functions of banks, brokerages, and exchanges, but with insufficient transparency and risk isolation mechanisms. The collapses of Celsius Network and FTX are typical examples of this structural risk. Additionally, the report mentions the crypto market flash crash in October 2025, which triggered approximately $19 billion in forced liquidations, highlighting the risk of cascading effects under high leverage and opaque structures. (CoinDesk)
According to Decrypt, U.S. Representatives Thomas Massie and Lauren Boebert jointly introduced the AI surveillance bill titled the “Surveillance Accountability Act,” which would require U.S. federal agencies to obtain a judicial warrant before using artificial intelligence for data analysis and surveillance. The bill aims to close a loophole in the “third-party doctrine”—a legal framework originating from 1970s court rulings that permits the U.S. government to access users’ data held by third-party platforms (e.g., banks and telecommunications providers) without a warrant. The bill’s sponsors argue that, in the internet and AI era, this doctrine has been excessively expanded, thereby weakening protections for citizens’ privacy.
, Anthropic and OpenAI have experienced security incidents in succession, drawing market attention to the security of AI models themselves. Currently, Anthropic is investigating a possible case of unauthorized user access to its Claude Mythos model. Almost simultaneously, OpenAI was also reported to have accidentally opened access to several unreleased models within its Codex application.Analysts believe that such incidents highlight that even AI model providers focused on cybersecurity capabilities still face significant security challenges. While AI is increasingly used for cyber defense, platform security and access control are becoming critical risk points.Industry insiders point out that these vulnerability incidents have intensified scrutiny over the security governance capabilities of AI companies, and also reflect that the security systems of current AI technology still need improvement amid rapid development. (The Information)
PrimePiper has launched an enterprise-grade prime broker platform for AI agents, designed to address challenges including fragmented account management, inadequate risk control, inability to reconcile across venues, and insufficient compliance auditing in AI-driven automated trading. According to the company, its infrastructure supports unified connectivity to multiple trading venues—including Hyperliquid, OKX, Tiger Brokers, and Interactive Brokers (IBKR). For risk control, PrimePiper offers enterprise-grade API key management, spending limits, and circuit-breaker mechanisms to constrain AI agent trading behavior. At the execution layer, it enables automated strategy execution via SDK or the Model Context Protocol (MCP). For compliance and auditing, it provides audit-grade reporting capabilities tailored for funds and traders. PrimePiper has been selected for the latest cohort of Founders Inc’s accelerator program; its product is currently in the Alpha stage. Team members hail from Galois Capital, Kraken, DRW, and AWS.
the crypto advocacy groups Blockchain Association and CCI, together with over 120 industry institutions including Coinbase, Ripple, Kraken, and Circle, have sent a joint letter to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, urging an accelerated review process for the CLARITY Act. The industry parties stated that the United States needs to establish a unified regulatory framework for digital asset markets, clarify regulatory responsibilities, and strengthen investor protection. They emphasized that relying solely on enforcement-based regulation cannot create a long-term stable environment. The institutions warned that prolonged policy ambiguity will lead to an outflow of capital, talent, and technology, weakening America's strategic advantages. They also called for the development of tailored federal unified regulatory rules for stablecoins, tokenized assets, and decentralized technologies.
Fold Holdings, a Nasdaq-listed bitcoin financial services company, has announced the launch of the "Bitcoin Bonus Program", providing enterprises with a simple employee reward tool. This tool enables employers to deliver recurring bitcoin bonuses to employees through existing payroll systems without the need to modify payroll systems or assume custody or compliance responsibilities. It is reported that the Bitcoin Bonus Program will incorporate a "vesting structure," allowing employees to track, hold, and grow their assets over time. Its first partner is Steak 'n Shake. (Globenewswire)
According to The Wall Street Journal, Bitcoin financial services company Fold has announced the launch of its Bitcoin Bonus Program, enabling employers to issue recurring Bitcoin bonuses to employees—including vesting schedules—without modifying their existing payroll systems and without assuming custody or compliance responsibilities. This program is Fold Business’s first offering. Fold disclosed that Steak ’n Shake has joined as the flagship partner, extending the program to thousands of hourly employees.
According to Cointelegraph, Flying Tulip—a decentralized finance platform founded by Andre Cronje—has implemented a withdrawal circuit breaker mechanism. This mechanism delays or queues withdrawals during abnormal capital outflows, thereby limiting potential losses and buying time for the team to investigate. The mechanism operates differently across products: for the Perpetual PUT product, withdrawals may be reverted, requiring users to retry later; for ftUSD, withdrawals are queued and can be claimed after a delay. Flying Tulip states that this mechanism follows a “fail-open” design—meaning transactions continue to execute even if the safety mechanism fails.
According to CoinDesk, over 100 U.S. crypto companies and industry organizations sent a letter to the Senate Banking Committee urging advancement of the Clarity Act’s consideration to establish a federal regulatory framework for digital asset markets. Signatories include Coinbase, Ripple, Kraken, Andreessen Horowitz, Paradigm, and Consensys. Their core demands include clarifying the regulatory division of responsibilities between the SEC and the CFTC, protecting developers of non-custodial tools, simplifying disclosure requirements, and preventing fragmentation across state-level regulatory standards. The signatories warn that without a comprehensive crypto regulatory framework in the U.S., investment, jobs, and development activity may shift overseas.
According to an official announcement, Robinhood has received in-principle approval (IPA) from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to launch brokerage services in Singapore, covering securities trading, exchange-traded derivatives, custody, product financing, and collective investment schemes. Robinhood stated that Singapore will serve as its Asia-Pacific headquarters to support its international expansion. Its subsidiary, Bitstamp Asia Pte. Ltd., already holds a Major Payment Institution (MPI) license issued by the MAS. Note that in-principle approval is not equivalent to a formal license; Robinhood Singapore Pte. Ltd. must still meet relevant conditions before receiving final approval to commence operations.
According to CoinDesk, OpenAI has hired six senior marketing executives from Coinbase over the past year and a half, including former Chief Marketing Officer Kate Rouch. The report also states that, in addition to marketing staff, talent from Coinbase’s policy, product design, and data science teams has also joined OpenAI. Sources familiar with the matter said Kate Rouch played a key role in facilitating the move of several former Coinbase colleagues to OpenAI. A Coinbase spokesperson responded that its marketing team comprises more than 150 people, and such personnel movements are normal.
According to a disclosure by Kalshi, the prediction market platform Kalshi has fined and banned three congressional candidates from accessing the platform for five years for betting on their own election outcomes. The candidates involved include Mark Moran, Matt Klein, and Ezekiel Enriquez.Virginia State Senate candidate Mark Moran was fined $6,229 and required to return profits from related market trades; Minnesota House of Representatives candidate Matt Klein was fined $540; and Texas Republican primary candidate Ezekiel Enriquez was fined $784.Mark Moran posted on X (formerly Twitter) stating that his approximately $100 bet on Kalshi was intended to draw attention to expose potential manipulation and corruption issues on the platform. Matt Klein posted on X, explaining that he placed the bet out of curiosity and, upon learning it violated the rules, paid the fine and accepted the ban. Kalshi's legal counsel, Bobby DeNault, stated that the candidates' actions violated internal trading control rules and that penalties would be imposed regardless of the transaction amount.
According to Natalie Newson, Senior Blockchain Investigator at CertiK, real-time deepfakes, phishing attacks, supply-chain compromises, and cross-chain vulnerabilities will be the primary drivers of cryptocurrency hacks in 2026. So far this year, the industry has lost over $600 million to hacking incidents—including the $293 million Kelp DAO exploit and the $280 million theft from Drift Protocol in April—both linked to a North Korean hacker group. Newson warns that the accelerated advancement of AI will make attack methods increasingly sophisticated, including more realistic deepfakes, autonomous attack agents, and “agent AIs” capable of automatically scanning smart contracts for vulnerabilities. However, AI can also serve as a defensive tool. CertiK advises investors to verify URL authenticity and store assets in cold wallets to mitigate risk.