SEC Crypto Rules: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposed a new framework for crypto assets, aiming to carve out clearer paths for token issuance and fundraising under federal securities law, with disclosure requirements and a safe harbor tied to whether a token is treated like an investment contract. Trump Banking & Stablecoins: World Liberty Financial won preliminary approval to start a federally chartered trust bank that would manage dollar-backed stablecoin operations, drawing fresh conflict-of-interest criticism. CLARITY Act Stalls: Regulators are moving to fill the gap while the CLARITY Act remains stuck in the Senate, leaving the industry in a patchwork of interim rules. Scam Recovery in Georgia: Georgia authorities returned cryptocurrency to elderly fraud victims after tracing kiosk-driven scam funds through multiple wallets and securing a court-ordered return. Kastelo Under Scrutiny (South Africa): The South African Reserve Bank is investigating Mark Burke’s Kastelo over alleged exchange-control violations involving about R4 billion in crypto arbitrage flows. Hardware Wallet Security: BitBox released a firmware update after internal AI audits found severe BitBox02 vulnerabilities that could require phishing plus device unlocking, though it says no funds were stolen. Prediction Markets Hit Backlash: South Korea blocked Polymarket, citing gambling-law violations, joining 30+ jurisdictions restricting access. Market Pulse: Bitcoin pushed past $64K amid mixed signals, while XRP wallet activity stayed withdrawal-heavy and ETF flows remained a key driver. Tokenized Finance: Securitize launched a tokenized high-yield fixed-income fund (HINC) across Avalanche, Ethereum, Solana, and Sui. Ransomware Tactics: Ransom Busters claimed it hacks ransomware servers and offers “recovery” in exchange for $20K–$60K.