Hey folks! This week in the crypto space has been eventful, with major regulatory updates, market shifts, and institutional developments shaping the landscape. From high-profile partnerships to legal battles and token listings, here’s a recap of the key highlights that garnered attention.
As part of its ongoing crackdown on unauthorized trading platforms, the Thai SEC filed a complaint against OKX for unlicensed operations, while South Korea blocked 17 crypto exchange apps from Google Play. The U.S. SEC dropped several cases of top crypto firms, including Kraken and Crypto.com, while President Trump issued a pardon for BitMEX’s co-founders and an ex-employee. Further, the regulatory agency dropped Welch’s $HAWK token case. Apart from these incidents, the agency announced plans to hold four more crypto roundtables over the next three months.
Coinbase urged Brazil to reconsider its restrictions on stablecoins, after its prohibition on withdrawing digital assets to self-custody wallets. On the other hand, Japan gave a nod to USDC following the Circle-SBI partnership, signaling broader institutional acceptance of stablecoins. The now-defunct exchange, Mt.Gox, transferred over $1B worth of Bitcoin to a hot wallet and 10,608 BTC to a new cold wallet as part of its ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.
On the market side, Bitcoin and Ethereum witnessed notable losses in the first quarter of 2025. Following the failure in Holesky, Ethereum announced shifting to the Hoodi testnet from September. AVAX faced key resistance levels amid a surge, while SHIB showed strong investor confidence, with 76% of its supply held by long-term holders. Vitalik Buterin also made a notable move, transferring $500,000 worth of ETH to Railgun amid shifting market conditions.
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Taking a bold move, BlackRock made waves by launching its first Bitcoin exchange-traded product (ETP) in the European market, while the Trump Media Group partnered with Crypto.com to facilitate the launch of crypto-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) globally. Hong Kong also entered the tokenized asset space with the launch of its first tokenized money market ETFs.
Binance had an active week, announcing the results of its ‘Vote to List’ campaign, adding four new tokens to its platform. Additionally, the exchange introduced the GUNZ blockchain, aimed at revolutionizing AAA gaming experiences. However, Binance also faced setbacks, delisting VITE and LINA and taking disciplinary action against an employee for violating trading policies.
Increasing its Bitcoin holdings, Metaplanet purchased 150 BTC, bringing its total to 3,350 BTC. GCash integrated with Circle, providing 100 million users with direct access to digital dollars, while Polymarket, the prediction platform, integrated Solana deposits to enhance efficiency and reduce transaction costs. Sony also entered the Web3 space, launching an NFT collection based on the popular anime series Seven Deadly Sins.
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Meanwhile, giving a final update on the Ripple-SEC lawsuit, Stuart Alderoty stated that the legal tangle closed with a $50M settlement. Notably, Ripple teamed with Chipper Cash to revolutionize cross-border payments in Africa. Meanwhile, Upbit won the legal battle with the FIU ban temporarily suspended. Further, the exchange keeps HIFI Coin under review after identifying risks linked to the project. With regulatory bodies tightening their grip, institutions are making bold investments. Yet, market conditions remain volatile and the crypto industry continues to evolve rapidly, shaping the financial landscape of the future.
