Decentral Block Post

More than two-and-a-half years after filing for bankruptcy, cryptocurrency exchange FTX is moving forward with repaying users who have not had access to their funds.

In a May 15 notice, the FTX Recovery Trust announced that it would begin disbursing funds to the second group of parties eligible under the exchange’s reorganization plan. Starting on May 30, FTX will send more than $5 billion to creditors “within 1 to 3 business days” through crypto firms BitGo and Kraken. 

In accordance with the reorganization plan, FTX said five groups of “convenience classes” would receive between 54% and 120% distribution of assets. The repayment schedule for the next class of creditors will be “announced in due course,” and the debtors were expected to pay up to $16 billion if all claims were filed.

FTX began its first round of reimbursements on Feb. 18, which was estimated to repay roughly $1.2 billion to creditors. Though former FTX users will likely be seeing their funds for the first time since the exchange collapsed in November 2022, many have criticized the reorganization plan for basing disbursement on the prices of cryptocurrencies at the time of bankruptcy.

Related: FTX EU creditors can now withdraw money from Backpack exchange

Stablecoin regulation is “the next catalyst” for the crypto industry and could lead to unprecedented “appetite from institutional investors,” according to Ash Pampati, head of ecosystem at the Aptos Foundation.

In an interview with Cointelegraph at Consensus 2025 in Toronto, Pampati said that “the whole world outside of the United States […] has already jumped onto this [stablecoins],” adding that “the US is [...] at the doorstep.”

“I really think about new use cases that can emerge because of the borderless nature of stablecoins, because of the efficiency of the dollar onchain,” he said. “If you're trying to send money to your friend in Nigeria, why do you have to go through a bunch of hoops?”

Stablecoins are often used to transfer money across borders, as they are easier and cheaper to transfer than traditional finance methods such as wire transfers. They are also used to hedge against fiat currency, which, in emerging markets, can devalue significantly in a short period of time.

Related: Pareto launches synthetic dollar backed by private credit

Key Takeaways:

Solana formed a megaphone chart pattern with a potential $210 price target.

Solana’s ecosystem growth highlights renewed investor interest with a $4 billion realized cap increase and 731 million transactions.

Solana (SOL) price tested its key resistance at $180 earlier this week, but the altcoin failed to establish a position above the level. Over the past few days, SOL has consolidated above the $170 mark, but prices have dropped 5.65% since May 14.

Including the recent minor dip, Solana has formed a megaphone pattern on the 4-hour chart, a classic technical setup indicating increasing volatility.

The slow adoption of stablecoins in Canada has some local crypto industry observers concerned that the country is falling behind.

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) classified stablecoins as “securities and/or derivatives” in December 2022 after the FTX debacle that shook markets and turned many lawmakers against the crypto industry.

Regulating stablecoins as a security has seen few local stablecoin issuers arise, but in the United States and the European Union, softening regulations have seen significant growth in the stablecoin market. This makes Canada, observers say, less competitive with other jurisdictions. 

Of particular concern is the perceived gap in peer-to-peer (P2P) payments in Canada, which stablecoins are uniquely qualified to fill. 

Local law constrains stablecoin growth and threatens dollar

In 2022, as the crypto market reeled from the collapse of FTX and the implosion of the Terra stablecoin system, regulators worldwide began to look more critically at the crypto space. 

Coinbase has reportedly fired a group of customer support agents following their alleged involvement in social engineering attacks on users. The contracted agents were based in India.

According to a May 15 Fortune interview, Coinbase's chief security officer, Philip Martin, said the company flagged customer support contractors who allowed scammers access to user data, suggesting they could be Indian nationals. The CSO’s comments came after some crypto users reeled from attempted phishing attacks using their Coinbase data, which the exchange estimated could cost them between $180 million and $400 million in remediation and reimbursement.

Qiao Wang, a core contributor to Alliance DAO, said in a May 15 X post that he may have been a victim of one of these attacks. He said a scammer notified him his Coinbase account had been compromised, asked him to verify his personal information, to which the criminals likely had access through the compromised agents, and requested he withdraw all his funds to a “Coinbase self-custodial wallet.”

“I called them out at the end of the call telling them they need to step up their game [...],” said Wang on X. “They told me that had made $7m that day.”

Related: $330M Bitcoin social engineering theft victim is elderly US citizen

Key takeaways:

Spot Bitcoin ETF inflows dropped over 90% from $3 billion to $228 million in four weeks.

While strong ETF inflows often drive Bitcoin rallies, recent data shows price movements can occur independently.

Despite short-term selling pressure, long-term BTC whale buying suggests a potential continuation of the BTC uptrend.

The Bitcoin (BTC) market posted a 90+% drop in spot BTC exchange-traded fund (ETF) inflows, falling from $3 billion in the last week of April to just $228 million this week.

Opinion by: Jennifer Dodgson, co-founder of KIP Protocol and Eigenform AI

The puppet show is ending.

The Brookings Institution found that generative artificial intelligence may disrupt at least 50% of tasks performed by more than 30% of all workers. The same study also estimates that genAI may affect at least 10% of tasks performed by approximately 85% of the human workforce. The TL;DR from these stats? AI’s effects are likely to be both broad and deep.

If AI doesn’t already scare you, self-learning AI agents that autonomously achieve goals may fix that. Forget your sanitized ChatGPT conversations and bland AI assistants. Superior agents are AI that autonomously achieve human-set objectives by any means necessary. While OpenAI’s valuation of $300 billion benefits the few rather than the many, superior agents operate like a new asset class that anyone can use to earn money passively.

Not your grandmother’s AI

Your grandma’s AI helps with writing emails and generates cute pictures. Self-learning AI writes its own code, develops its own strategies, generates profit, and continually evolves by evaluating itself against ungameable metrics. Benchmarking in accordance with information from the real world — like follower count on X or dollars earned — is how superior agents self-evaluate without manipulation.

Wintermute, a London-based algorithmic crypto trading and market-making firm, has opened an office in New York as part of its expansion into the US.

Wintermute announced the opening of its New York office on May 15, citing improved regulatory conditions in the world’s largest economy.

“As the US takes a friendlier stance on digital assets and institutional adoption accelerates, we moved quickly to establish roots in New York City,” the company wrote in a May 15 X post, adding that the local presence will help them in “contributing to the future regulatory framework.”

“We’re eager to continue our growth and play an integral role in the U.S. market,” according to Evgeny Gaevoy, CEO of Wintermute. “As a neutral player with deep expertise in all areas of digital assets, we believe we are well-positioned to lend our expertise on Capitol Hill.”

As part of the firm’s expansion, Wintermute has appointed Ron Hammond as its new head of policy and advocacy, who brings “ten years of experience shaping crypto policy on Capitol Hill,” the company also announced. 

Update (May 15 at 3:10 pm UTC): This article has been updated to include comments from Tether.

A lag in Tether’s wallet blacklisting process allowed over $78 million in illicit funds to be moved before enforcement actions took effect, according to a new report from blockchain compliance company AMLBot.

Tether’s address blacklisting becomes effective only after a considerable delay from when the process is initiated on Ethereum and Tron, according the report published May 15.

“This delay originates from Tether’s multisignature contract setup on both Tron and Ethereum, transforming what should be an immediate compliance action into a window of opportunity for illicit actors,“ the report reads.

Tether’s blacklisting procedure is a multi-step process with a first transaction effectively warning of the upcoming blacklisting. First, a Tether administrator multisignature transaction submits a pending call to “addBlackList” on the USDT-TRC20 contract.

After the 2024 halving, Bitcoin mining entered its fifth epoch and block rewards were reduced from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC. This forced miners to rethink their operations, optimize efficiency, cut energy costs and upgrade hardware to remain profitable. Cointelegraph Research, with insights from industry experts at Uminers, examines this transformation in its latest report. The analysis covers ASIC efficiency improvements, corporate performance, geographical expansion and new revenue models. As miners adapt, Bitcoin moves into a new era where institutional momentum and sovereign adoption could redefine its role in the global financial system.

Download the full report to uncover how miners are navigating this shift and what the future holds for Bitcoin’s mining industry.

The mining industry’s response to rising hashrate and shrinking margins

Despite the adverse financial impact of the halving, Bitcoin’s network hashrate has continued to climb. As of May 1, 2025, the total computational power of the network reached 831 EH/s. Earlier in the month, hashrate peaked at 921 EH/s, marking a 77% increase from the 2024 low of 519 EH/s. This rapid recovery underscores the industry's relentless drive for efficiency as larger mining firms reinvest in fleet upgrades and energy optimization to maintain profitability.

The mining arms race has always revolved around power efficiency. With energy costs rising, the latest ASIC models from Bitmain, MicroBT and Canaan are further optimizing the energy required per hash. Bitmain’s Antminer S21+ delivers 216 TH/s at 16.5 J/TH, while MicroBT’s WhatsMiner M66S+ pushes immersion-cooled performance to 17 J/TH. Meanwhile,  semiconductor giants TSMC and Samsung are driving the next wave of innovation, with 3-nm chips already in use and 2-nm technology on the horizon. 

Download the full report to uncover how miners are navigating this shift and what the future holds for Bitcoin’s mining industry.

Stablecoin issuer Tether minted another 1 billion USDt tokens on Tron, pushing the network’s authorized USDT supply to surpass Ethereum’s.

On May 15, blockchain data showed that Tether’s treasury minted $1 billion of its dollar-pegged stablecoin, USDt (USDT), into the Tron network. 

As of May 14, Tether’s stablecoin transparency page shows that Tron’s authorized USDT totals $73.7 billion, while Ethereum has $74.5 billion in authorized USDT tokens. If the newly minted tokens are added to the number of authorized USDT assets, Tron’s supply surpasses Ethereum’s. 

In terms of circulating supply, Tron also has the lead with $73.6 billion USDT on the network, while Ethereum only has $71.8 billion. 

Tether’s USDT mints replenish the company’s token inventory

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino previously said on X that some of the company’s blockchain-based USDT mints are used to replenish their USDT inventory on blockchain networks. This means the tokens will be used for the next batch of issuance requests and chain swaps. 

As more and more businesses are impacted by tariff volatility, some executives, like Ridhima Kahn, vice president of business development at Dapper Labs, are viewing the assault on the cost of physical goods as another use case for digital markets powered by blockchain to shine.

“I’m seeing a lot of brands rethinking where revenue and fan engagement come from,” Kahn said during an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph. “A lot of franchises, like the ones we work with — NBA, NFL, Disney — have already had years of success with digital collection, and we’re seeing a lot of brands express interest in digital collectibles as a way to engage with fan bases at a time when physical costs are riskier and unknown.”

Propelling brands to take a deeper look at digital merch is the desire to better understand fandom. Flow now has tradable highlights like a “LeBron Dunk” or a “Steph Curry 3-Pointer” that live inside the NBA app and has commemorative NFTs tied to NFL game highlights in NFL All Day.

But with Super Bowl ticket stubs and other digital mementos powered by blockchain, digital goods are proving they can unlock deeper in real life (IRL) fan experiences, courtside or on the field.

“When you look at the amount of time folks are spending online or in digital environments, it’s only increasing,” Kahn said. “That’s really motivating brands to identify where their fans are spending time and where they can reach them where they’re at. It’s also a great way to engage a more global fan base simultaneously, versus in a more limiting, geo-targeted way, which caters more toward the global fan bases that want to engage with these brands.”

Bitcoin’s (BTC) next evolution isn’t just about price. It’s about potential. 

On this week’s episode of The Clear Crypto Podcast, hosts Nathan Jeffay and Gareth Jenkinson sit down with Isabel Foxen Duke, general partner at Unbroken Chain and longtime Bitcoin advocate, to unpack what she calls “Bitcoin Season 2.”

Bitcoin beyond money

“Bitcoin Season 2 is really about seeing what we can do with Bitcoin outside of just being money,” said Duke.

New developments like ordinals, runes, and decentralized financial (DeFi) tools are pushing Bitcoin beyond its traditional identity as a digital store of value.

One key innovation under discussion is trustless lending — allowing users to borrow against their Bitcoin without involving third-party intermediaries. “We don’t have the ability to lend against our Bitcoin in a trustless way without third-party intermediaries,” Duke said.

Key takeaways:

Bitcoin’s price is retracing, but strong ETF inflows, high network activity and whale accumulation suggest BTC is on track to $140,000.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $2.9 billion in net inflows in two weeks, mirroring past rallies.

Declining exchange balances and a rising transaction volume Z-score suggest increasing overall demand.

Bitcoin (BTC) price was down 1.4% over the last 24 hours. It traded 6% below its all-time high of $109,000, reached on Jan. 20. Nevertheless, several fundamental, onchain and technical metrics suggest that Bitcoin’s upside is not over.

A Bahrain-based, listed catering company with a $24.2 million market cap has adopted a Bitcoin treasury strategy in partnership with investment firm 10X Capital.

According to a May 15 announcement, AlAbraaj Restaurants Group partnered with 10X Capital to adopt a Bitcoin (BTC) treasury strategy similar to top corporate BTC holder Strategy (previously known as MicroStrategy). The firm also aims to explore Sharia-compliant access to Bitcoin for the Islamic world.

“Our initiative to become a Bitcoin treasury company reflects our forward-looking approach and our commitment to enhancing shareholder value,” said Abdullah Isa, head of AlAbraaj’s Bitcoin Treasury Committee.

Isa added that the company believes “Bitcoin will play a central role in the future of finance.” He cited Strategy’s legacy as an inspiration:

Related: Strive to become Bitcoin treasury company

Key points:

US Treasurys and foreign capital “repatriation” make a recipe for $1 million BTC, says Arthur Hayes.

Europeans face tightening capital controls, inviting a recommendation to take back control of personal funds.

Seven-figure BTC price targets are already gaining traction.

Bitcoin (BTC) will shoot to $1 million in just three years, thanks to global macroeconomic shifts, Arthur Hayes forecasts.

Prominent short-seller Jim Chanos, once a vocal critic of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, revealed a new trading play that involves shorting shares of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) and buying Bitcoin.

At the Sohn Investment Conference in New York, Chanos told CNBC he’s “selling MicroStrategy stock and buying Bitcoin.” The investor described the move as buying something for $1 and selling something for $2.50, referring to what he sees as a significant price mismatch.

Chanos argued that Strategy is selling the idea of buying Bitcoin (BTC) in a corporate structure, and that other companies are following suit in hopes of receiving a similar market premium.

Chanos said this was “ridiculous.” He described his trade as “a good barometer of not only just the arbitrage itself, but I think of retail speculation.”

Selling Strategy stock to buy Bitcoin

Chanos’ recent move assumes investors overpay for Bitcoin exposure through corporate wrappers like Strategy and other firms that follow its Bitcoin accumulation blueprint. The investor’s move reflects a stance that purchasing Bitcoin directly would be better than purchasing Strategy’s stocks for indirect Bitcoin exposure. 

Cryptocurrencies and stablecoins are gaining recognition in the traditional finance (TradFi) space for their ability to streamline payments and increase efficiency in existing financial systems

In finance, collateral management refers to the process of managing the underlying collateral securing other financial transactions, such as loans or derivatives, to mitigate credit risks and ensure smooth transactions.

Digital assets like stablecoins are the “perfect” financial instrument for real-time collateral management, according to a recent pilot by DTCC Digital Assets, which suggests that digital assets, particularly stablecoins, could modernize and simplify this critical function.

“Digital assets really are the perfect use case for collateral management, whether it be uncleared derivatives, clear derivatives, central counterparties, repo, or any other type of collateral,” said Joseph Spiro, product director at DTCC Digital Assets, during a panel at Consensus 2025.

Collateral management requires complicated manual processes due to stringent requirements for locked-up collateral that can only be released to the appropriate parties at pre-set intervals.

Coinbase, the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency exchange, was hit by a $20 million extortion attempt after cybercriminals recruited overseas support agents to leak user data, the company said.

According to a May 15 blog post, Coinbase said a group of external actors bribed and coordinated with several customer support contractors to access internal systems and steal limited user account data.

“These insiders abused their access to customer support systems to steal the account data for a small subset of customers,” Coinbase said, adding that no passwords, private keys, funds or Coinbase Prime accounts were affected.

Less than 1% of Coinbase’s monthly transacting users’ data was affected by the attack, the company said.

After stealing the data, the attackers attempted to extort $20 million worth of Bitcoin (BTC) from Coinbase in exchange for not disclosing the breach. Coinbase refused the demand.