News linked to both this project and an event.
Odaily Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky has filed a motion with a New York court, seeking to overturn his 12-year sentence for fraud and market manipulation.Court documents show that Mashinsky chose to proceed pro se after his lawyers withdrew, claiming they 'stopped communicating' with him, forcing him to file documents personally with the court. He argues that his previous defense constituted 'ineffective assistance of counsel' and invokes the 'fruit of the poisonous tree' doctrine, challenging the legality of certain evidence in the case.In his filings, Mashinsky also accused Sam Bankman-Fried of intending to 'destroy Celsius' and attributed market manipulation related to the CEL token to FTX. Additionally, he publicly disclosed text messages with former Celsius Chief Revenue Officer Roni Cohen-Pavon, alleging that Cohen-Pavon attempted a 'hostile takeover' of the company.In 2025, Mashinsky pleaded guilty to commodities fraud and securities fraud, was ordered to forfeit $48 million, and must also pay a $10 million settlement to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Cohen-Pavon, who previously testified as a cooperating witness for the prosecution, has been sentenced to 'time served' and ordered to pay over $1 million in fines. (Cointelegraph)
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)