The long-awaited Clarity Act could be signed into law as early as July, according to veteran Washington insider Kristin Smith.
Solana's price is testing the pivotal $90–$100 resistance zone as uncertainty persists. ETF inflows remain strong, demonstrating continued institutional and retail interest. Continue Reading: Solana Faces Stiff Resistance as ETF Inflows Defy Price Declines The post Solana Faces Stiff Resistance as ETF Inflows Defy Price Declines appeared first on COINTURK NEWS .
Pakistan’s parliament has passed the Virtual Assets Act, 2026, which is the most comprehensive legal framework on digital assets put together in the country. The Act also establishes the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) and gives it the mandate to license, regulate, and supervise all cryptocurrency service providers operating in the country. PVARA stated that “the framework is designed to promote transparency, protect investors, and ensure the integrity and stability of the virtual assets market while enabling responsible innovation in financial technologies.” PVARA Chairman Bilal Bin Saqib, who is also the CEO of the Pakistan Crypto Council, wrote on X , “A year ago, Pakistan’s digital asset landscape was defined by uncertainty and grey areas. Today, we have the country’s first Act of Parliament establishing a regulatory body for virtual assets, building on the Presidential Ordinance introduced in 2025.” What powers does the new law give PVARA? The newly commissioned PVARA has the power to impose penalties up to PKR 50 million (approximately $179,000) and five years’ imprisonment on exchanges, custodians, wallet operators, token issuers, lending platforms, and all others that operate without a license. Unauthorized token offerings carry a separate penalty of up to PKR 25 million ($89,000) and three years in prison. Existing providers have six months to comply or cease operations. According to PVARA, the legislation also equips it “with powers to address money laundering, terrorist financing, and other illicit activities associated with virtual assets, bringing Pakistan’s regulatory approach in line with international standards.” Firms are also required to ensure that their services comply with Sharia law. How has Pakistan prepared the ground ahead of the legislation? In February 2026, PVARA formally launched a regulatory sandbox, a supervised environment allowing firms to test real-world use cases, including tokenization, stablecoins, remittances, and on- and off-ramp infrastructure under regulatory oversight. In December 2025, PVARA granted No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to Binance and HTX, two of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. In his recent post on X, Bin Saqib stated, “With NOCs already issued and banking rails being developed in coordination with the State Bank of Pakistan, we are now moving toward a comprehensive licensing framework aligned with global AML and financial integrity standards. ” Around that same period, Pakistan’s finance ministry announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Binance to explore blockchain-based tokenization of up to $2 billion in government-backed real-world assets. What does this mean for Pakistan and its neighbors? Pakistan has one of the highest cryptocurrency adoption rates in the world, with PVARA estimating that between 30 and 40 million Pakistanis are active in digital assets, and industry-wide assessments put annual digital asset trading activity linked to Pakistan at more than $300 billion. However, before the legislation, there was no framework regulating the space or looking after the millions of adopters. Bin Saqib stated that he sought to fix the ambiguity in the sector, and this act seems to do just that. The country’s passage of crypto law may add pressure on India, which leads global adoption surveys but continues to operate without an equivalent legislative framework, to speed up its own regulatory process. Get seen where it counts. Advertise in Cryptopolitan Research and reach crypto’s sharpest investors and builders.
Dogecoin is trading at approximately $0.09076, reflecting a 3.93% decline over the past 24 hours. Mild selling pressure has kept the asset under strain, with broader time-frame data confirming that bears maintain the upper hand. The current price places DOGE near critical support and resistance levels. Intraday trading showed an early push toward $0.098, but momentum failed to hold. Price retreated and has since fluctuated in a tight range between $0.093 and $0.096. That range signals a short-term consolidation phase as traders weigh the asset's next move. Chart Structure Points to Ongoing Bearish Pressure On the daily chart, Dogecoin continues to move within a broader downtrend that has developed over recent weeks. The middle Bollinger Band sits near $0.0963, and the price remains below it, a bearish signal that sellers still control trend direction. The upper Bollinger Band near $0.1036 serves as a firm resistance ceiling. The lower band around $0.0889 marks the nearest support level if selling intensifies. A reclaim of the $0.096 midline could open the path toward the $0.103 resistance zone. The Balance of Power indicator registers a slightly negative reading of -0.0025, confirming that sellers hold a marginal edge. However, the histogram shows that bearish momentum is weakening compared to previous sessions. That shift could precede a stabilization attempt, though no confirmed reversal signal has emerged yet. Futures Flows Show Short-Term Demand Despite Longer-Term Caution Recent derivatives data reflect mixed but active capital movement. Over the past 30 minutes, DOGE futures recorded approximately $22.30 million in inflows and $15.50 million in outflows, resulting in a net inflow of around $6.81 million. The one-hour window shows inflows of $28.97 million, versus outflows of $21.05 million, resulting in a $7.92 million net figure. These short-term readings indicate that traders are actively adding fresh capital to DOGE futures. The 4-hour and 8-hour windows show net inflows of $9.25 million and $9.36 million, respectively, suggesting steady participation across shorter intervals. The 24-hour data, however, tells a different story. Total inflows of $710.49 million fall just short of outflows of $714.02 million, resulting in a net outflow of $3.53 million. Over the past three days, the net outflow has expanded to $26.68 million. That divergence between short-term inflows and longer-term outflows reflects an uncertain market in which short-term traders are active but broader conviction remains low.
Bitcoin is once again moving closely in step with US stocks, at just about the worst time for crypto diehards.
The Curve Finance team told PancakeSwap that it must go through the proper licensing process to collaborate and use code created by Curve.
More on crypto stocks BTC: Grayscale's Bitcoin ETF Challenging The Major Asset Management Firms IBIT: It Makes Sense To Take A Bite Tracking Cathie Wood's ARK Invest 13F Portfolio - Q4 2025 Update Bitcoin slips below key level as investors brace for U.S. jobs data, Middle East tensions rise Bitcoin tops $73K and hits a fresh one-month high as momentum builds
President Donald Trump is rejecting any diplomatic settlement, the world’s energy markets are in disarray, and shipping lanes that transport one-fifth of the world’s gas and oil have essentially closed after just one week of the U.S.-Israeli military assault against Iran. Trump made his position clear Friday in a social media post, saying there would be no deal with Iran short of “unconditional surrender.” Trump demands Iran to surrender | Source: Truth Social He added that after Iran capitulates and new leadership is chosen, the United States and its allies would “work tirelessly” to rebuild the country’s economy and bring it back “from the brink of destruction.” A day earlier, Trump told Reuters he wants a hand in picking who leads Iran next. “IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!)” was his final statement, which has come to represent his foreign policy stance. Iran, on the other hand, is unyielding. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Thursday that Tehran is “not asking for a ceasefire” and sees “no reason” to begin negotiations. In an interview with Tom Llamas on NBC Nightly News , Araghchi said that Iran is “confident” it can confront an American ground invasion and cautioned that it “would be a big disaster for them.” Additionally, he refuted assertions of early American triumph, stating that it is “clear that the U.S. has failed to achieve its main goal, which was clean, rapid victory.” Trump has said he expects the war to last four to five weeks . Ar aghchi’s comments suggest Tehran is prepared for it to go longer. Energy markets reel as US-Iran war continues The fighting has heavily disrupted the global energy markets. Qatar’s energy minister, Saad al-Kaabi, warned Friday that rising oil prices triggered by the conflict “could bring down the economies of the world.” His caution followed QatarEnergy’s declaration of force majeure , releasing the company from contractual obligations in the event of unforeseen circumstances, regarding supplies of liquefied natural gas. The state-owned corporation was forced to stop producing LNG and related products due to a drone attack on Qatar’s energy infrastructure. “QatarEnergy has declared Force Majeure to its affected buyers,” the company said in a statement, adding that it remains in contact with customers and partners as it works through the situation. Oil markets responded immediately. Brent crude, the global benchmark, broke $90 per barrel following Trump’s post and was trading up 4.5% at $89.25 by Friday morning, a new 52-week high. In the United States, West Texas Intermediate was up 6.2% at $84.53 during early trading. Analysts say Europe is particularly vulnerable. Joachim Klement, head of strategy at Panmure Liberum, told CNBC’s “Europe Early Edition” that the continent is particularly exposed. Europe now depends heavily on Qatar for natural gas imports, and with QatarEnergy suspending shipments, supplies are tightening at the worst possible moment. “We are now facing the very risky situation where our natural gas storage is close to empty because of a cold winter, and being at the end of the winter time, and supplies from Qatar are being reduced,” Klement said. He pointed to Europe’s auto, chemicals, and industrial sectors as the most at risk. Strait of Hormuz closes as shipping grinds to a halt Compounding the energy crunch is the closure of the Strait of Hormuz . The narrow waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes, is now closed to all shipping as Iran’s threat of strikes continues. Maersk, a Danish shipping operator, said on Friday that it is temporarily stopping two services that link the Middle East to Asia and Europe. 147 container ships are presently taking refuge in the Persian Gulf because they are unable to move, according to freight analytics company Xeneta. Global supply chains are experiencing port congestion, delays, and increased freight costs as a result of the backlog. With Iran refusing to back down, Trump rejecting any agreement, and attacks on energy infrastructure, there is no indication that the confrontation will end, and the economic consequences are just getting started. If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter .
Bitcoin slipped toward $68K while Ethereum dropped below $2K, triggering broader losses across the crypto market as key resistance levels held.
BitcoinWorld DeFi Disaster: Software CFO Sentenced for Embezzling $35M in Shocking Crypto Gamble A chief financial officer’s staggering gamble with $35 million in embezzled company funds has culminated in a two-year prison sentence, marking one of the most significant corporate DeFi investment fraud cases in recent history. According to court documents and reporting by Decrypt, Nevin Shetty, formerly the CFO of a prominent software firm, systematically diverted corporate capital to personal cryptocurrency platforms, subsequently losing nearly all funds in high-yield decentralized finance protocols during the 2022 market collapse. This case, adjudicated in a federal district court, provides a sobering case study in the intersection of traditional corporate malfeasance and the volatile world of cryptocurrency investments. DeFi Investment Strategy Unravels in Court Prosecutors presented extensive evidence showing Shetty’s methodical financial deception. Over an 18-month period, he authorized numerous wire transfers from company accounts to his personal digital asset wallets. Furthermore, he then deployed these funds across multiple decentralized finance lending platforms. These protocols, which operated without traditional financial intermediaries, promised annual percentage yields exceeding 20%. Consequently, this aggressive yield-chasing strategy represented a fundamental breach of his fiduciary duty. The promised returns, while alluring, carried substantial and undisclosed risks that were inappropriate for corporate treasury management. Financial forensic experts testified that Shetty bypassed all internal accounting controls, falsifying records to conceal the massive outflow of capital. His actions, therefore, created a significant liquidity crisis for the software company, jeopardizing payroll and ongoing operations. The Catalytic Collapse of Terra and Crypto Winter The timing of Shetty’s investments proved catastrophic. A significant portion of the embezzled $35 million was allocated to protocols deeply interconnected with the Terra blockchain ecosystem. In May 2022, the algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD (UST) lost its peg to the US dollar, triggering a historic market collapse. This event, known as the Terra-Luna crisis, evaporated hundreds of billions in market value almost overnight. Subsequently, the contagion spread rapidly throughout the DeFi sector. Lending protocols faced massive insolvencies as collateral values plummeted. Shetty’s investments, largely locked in these protocols, became virtually worthless. The ensuing “crypto winter”—a prolonged bear market characterized by bankruptcies and frozen withdrawals—ensured there was no recovery path for the stolen funds. This chain of events transformed a case of embezzlement into a total loss for the victim company. Legal Precedents and Sentencing Rationale The presiding judge emphasized the need for a sentence that balanced punishment with the unique circumstances of the loss. While the prosecution sought a longer term, the defense argued that Shetty had no prior record and that the funds were lost to market forces rather than personal enrichment. However, the judge firmly noted that the initial theft and breach of trust constituted the primary crime. The two-year sentence, coupled with mandatory restitution, aligns with federal guidelines for wire fraud and embezzlement. This case also sets a notable precedent for how courts view losses stemming from speculative cryptocurrency investments in white-collar crime. Legal analysts suggest it reinforces that defendants are responsible for the full amount stolen, regardless of how those funds are subsequently lost or gambled. Broader Impact on Corporate Governance and Crypto This scandal has immediate repercussions for corporate finance and audit committees globally. Boards are now scrutinizing treasury management policies with renewed vigor. Specifically, they are implementing stricter controls on fund transfers and mandating enhanced oversight of any digital asset exposure. The case highlights several critical vulnerabilities: Internal Control Failures: How a single executive circumvented multi-layer approval systems. DeFi’s Opaque Nature: The difficulty in tracing and recovering funds sent to pseudonymous protocols. Yield-Chasing Culture: The psychological lure of high returns in a low-interest-rate environment. Regulatory bodies are likely to reference this case in future guidance. They aim to prevent the misuse of company funds for speculative crypto activities. The software company itself, though not named in initial reports, has reportedly overhauled its entire financial leadership and implemented blockchain analytics software to monitor any crypto-related transactions. Conclusion The sentencing of Nevin Shetty for embezzling $35 million for DeFi investments serves as a stark warning. It underscores the profound risks when traditional financial crime converges with the high-stakes volatility of cryptocurrency markets. This case reinforces the legal principle that embezzlement carries severe consequences, irrespective of the investment vehicle chosen for the stolen funds. For the broader industry, it is a catalyst for stronger governance, clearer regulations, and a more sober assessment of the risks inherent in decentralized finance protocols. The $35 million loss, catalyzed by the Terra collapse, remains a costly lesson in fiduciary responsibility and market speculation. FAQs Q1: What specific DeFi protocols did the CFO invest in? The court documents did not publicly name every protocol, but financial analysts cited in the case noted exposure to several major lending platforms operating on the Ethereum and Terra blockchains, which offered unsustainable yields during the 2021-2022 bull market. Q2: How was the embezzlement discovered? The fraud was uncovered during a routine external audit when discrepancies were found between reported cash balances and actual bank statements. Investigators then traced the unauthorized transfers to cryptocurrency exchange accounts registered to Shetty. Q3: Can the company recover any of the lost $35 million? Recovery prospects are extremely limited. Funds lost in DeFi protocol insolvencies are rarely recoverable. The court has ordered restitution, but collection depends on Shetty’s future assets, as the cryptocurrency itself is largely gone. Q4: Does this case affect how companies can invest in cryptocurrency? It does not prohibit corporate crypto investments outright, but it will likely lead to stricter internal policies, requiring board-level approval, clear investment mandates, and the use of regulated custodians rather than personal wallets. Q5: What is the significance of the two-year sentence? Legal experts view it as a moderate sentence that considers the defendant’s lack of prior record and the fact that he did not personally lavish the funds on luxury items. However, it firmly establishes that using stolen money for investment, regardless of the outcome, is a serious felony. This post DeFi Disaster: Software CFO Sentenced for Embezzling $35M in Shocking Crypto Gamble first appeared on BitcoinWorld .