Stay tuned for fresh updates from StealthEX and CryptoDaily. Each week, we highlight the stories that matter most in the fast-moving crypto world. Curious about the biggest shifts on the market? We’ve put together a clean and easy recap that guides you through the latest moves and trends. So, let’s get started!
Coinbase just made one of its most ambitious moves of the year. The company agreed to buy Echo, an on-chain fundraising platform, in a deal worth around $375 million. The goal is simple. Coinbase wants users to fund early projects directly on-chain without old-school bottlenecks. Echo has already built tools that help startups raise money from their communities. Now, Coinbase wants to bring those tools to millions more.
The exchange said it sees a clear problem in the market. Founders struggle to raise early capital, while retail users rarely get a chance to join private sales. Echo offers two ways for projects to raise funds: private deals for their supporters and public token sales through its Sonar product. Coinbase plans to merge those features into its platform and let everyday users bring new ideas from day one.
Echo helped raise more than $200 million across hundreds of deals. Its founder, Jordan Fish, known widely as Cobie, pushed hard for open access in early investing. Coinbase now wants to expand that vision by adding future support for tokenized securities and real-world assets.
The acquisition comes during a strong period for the company. Crypto markets surged under the new US administration, and Coinbase has been closing deals at a rapid pace. The company believes this new chapter will bring more people into startup investing, fully on-chain and without middlemen.
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A social media account linked to Sam Bankman-Fried has sparked fresh controversy after sharing a document that insists FTX never went insolvent. The post points to a 14-page write-up said to be prepared by the former CEO and his team. It argues the exchange collapsed because lawyers took control at the wrong moment, not because customer funds disappeared.
The document claims FTX had more than $25 billion in assets and $16 billion in equity against $13 billion in liabilities. It states the platform faced a temporary liquidity gap but could have closed it by the end of the month. Bankman-Fried had made similar claims in an interview, saying all customers could have been paid.
The write-up also says that if FTX held on to its investments, the combined value of FTX and Alameda Research would be around $136 billion today. It lists stakes in Robinhood, Anthropic, Ripple, and the mining firm Genesis Digital Assets. It even argues that the FTT token would have reached a valuation in the tens of billions.
The FTX Recovery Trust disagrees and has filed new claims to claw back funds, including over $1 billion tied to Genesis Digital Assets. Meanwhile, political chatter grows louder as activists claim there is a push to persuade President Trump to grant Bankman-Fried a pardon. The situation remains volatile, and many questions still hang over the failed exchange.
Binance.US has pushed back against accusations that it listed the USD1 stablecoin as a reward for President Trump’s recent pardon of former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao. The criticism came from Senator Chris Murphy, who said the listing looked like political payback. Binance.US responded quickly and dismissed the claim as false.
The exchange stated that USD1 and the WLFI token already trade on more than 20 American platforms. Kraken, Coinbase, and Robinhood all support them. Binance.US said its own listing committee reviewed the assets long before the pardon and that nothing about the process involved politics. The company said it performs strict legal and compliance checks for every listing, whether it is a stablecoin or a meme token.
Critics have targeted President Trump for his family’s ties to World Liberty Financial, the company linked to USD1. They argue the president promotes crypto projects connected to him, creating ethical concerns. The pardon of Zhao only added fuel to the debate. Lawmakers such as Maxine Waters called the clemency a result of lobbying, pointing to the large sums that flowed into Trump-linked ventures.
Zhao served time after failing to implement proper anti-money laundering controls at Binance. He thanked Trump after receiving the pardon, promising to support innovation in the United States. Binance.US argues its listing decision had nothing to do with politics and says it continues to follow its standard procedures despite the growing noise.
Mastercard is preparing for another major leap into digital assets. The payments giant is in advanced negotiations to buy Zerohash, a crypto infrastructure company, in a deal valued between $1.5 and $2 billion. If the agreement closes, Mastercard will gain direct control of settlement rails that link fiat and crypto, an area that is becoming central to global payments.
Zerohash offers APIs that let fintech apps add features such as custody, conversions, and stablecoin payouts. Many companies rely on its backend tools instead of building their own crypto stack. Mastercard wants to integrate this infrastructure and speed up stablecoin settlement for merchants, marketplaces, and corporate flows.
The move comes during a period of intense competition. Stripe recently acquired Bridge, another stablecoin infrastructure startup, for roughly $1 billion. Coinbase is also close to completing its purchase of BVNK, creating one of the largest stablecoin-focused deals in the industry. Large payment firms are racing to secure the best infrastructure before stablecoins become part of mainstream payment systems.
Zerohash has backing from major financial players and has built a reputation as a white-label solution for regulated firms. A Mastercard acquisition would shorten integration times for businesses already using its network. The company wants to offer programmable payouts, faster settlements, and easier onboarding for corporate clients. With banks also testing tokenized deposits, the deal could redefine how money moves in real time.
The T3 Financial Crime Unit has reached a major milestone in its first year of operations. The team, created by Tether, TRON, and TRM Labs, froze $300 million in digital assets tied to criminal activity. The unit was formed to clean up the TRON network, which processes most USDT transactions, and to give law enforcement a direct line to exchanges and blockchain firms.
T3 assisted in cases around the world. One of its biggest wins came in Brazil, where police seized billions of reais and froze millions of USDT from a large laundering scheme. The Brazilian Federal Police credited the task force for its help. In the United States, T3 supported dozens of federal investigations, leading to more than $80 million frozen across 37 cases. The unit also helped stop funds linked to North Korean hacking groups.
T3’s reports show shifting trends in crypto crime. Most cases involve illegal goods or services. Scams such as romance fraud remain common. Hacks and state-linked exploits continue to grow. The unit also flagged an increase in physical “wrench attacks,” where criminals force victims to hand over their crypto.
The program expanded its global network through the T3+ Collaborator Program. Tether’s CEO said the company now works with hundreds of agencies worldwide. The unit’s success shows how coordinated efforts between industry and law enforcement can raise the security bar across the entire blockchain sector.
FUNToken has rolled out a new on-chain reward system designed to pay users based on the token’s growth. The contract runs on Ethereum and uses a transparent, audited model that releases rewards automatically as $FUN crosses price milestones. The program features a $5 million pool reserved for active stakers.
The system rewards early participants the most. Anyone can join, but those who stake sooner lock in a larger share of each reward tier. When the token hits a new price level, the contract unlocks a portion of the pool and sends it directly to stakers. No middlemen handle the process, and users can withdraw their rewards at any time.
If the token does not reach enough milestones before the program ends, every participant still receives an extra $FUN paid as interest. This ensures no one walks away empty-handed. The project completed a full security audit with CredShields and opened the contract for public review.
The team said the system turns traditional staking into an interactive, community-driven experience. The contract works across the FUN ecosystem, including FT Games and the new FUN100x Foundation. With rewards already prepared and testing finished, the program aims to attract long-term supporters who want their tokens to earn more over time.
This article is not supposed to provide financial advice. Digital assets are risky. Be sure to do your own research and consult your financial advisor before investing.
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