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Democrats urge warnings to federal officials against insider bets on prediction markets

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More than 40 Democrats in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives sent a letter to a federal regulator and to ethics officials to ask them to warn government officials that insider trading in derivatives is illegal and that bets they make on prediction markets firms like Polymarket and Kalshi qualify under that category.

The ranking Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee (Senator Elizabeth Warren) and Senate Agriculture Committee (Cory Booker) joined dozens of their colleagues in asking Chairman Mike Selig, chief of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the leaders of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics to “circulate executive branch-wide guidance explaining that federal employees must refrain from insider trading in prediction markets.”

The request was spurred by the eruption of suspicious reports that recent event contracts on government or military action seemed to draw bets from people with special insight into the outcomes, leading many to believe that government officials — or people associated with them — may have made such bets. U.S. derivatives laws state the illegality of government officials making trades based on non-public information they got on the job. Since the CFTC has declared the contracts at such firms are regulated derivatives, the ban should hold true, the lawmakers contended.

“We ask that the CFTC and OGE issue guidance reminding federal employees of their existing legal obligation to refrain from using their insider governmental information to profit from prediction market trades,” said the letter, dated March 29

The instances of potential insider trading outlined in the letter included contracts on military actions in Venezuela and Iran, the length of a speech from President Donald Trump’s press secretary and the firing of former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The letter was also signed by the top Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee, Representative Angie Craig, and the House Financial Services Committee, Representative Maxine Waters. The agriculture panels in both chambers are the ones that directly oversee the CFTC.

Selig’s CFTC has been working on a new set of policies to govern the prediction markets. Those businesses are closely related to the crypto industry, which is a current focus of many of the lawmakers on this letter, who are also working on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act that’s been hung up in the Senate.

Also on Monday, news emerged that federal prosecutors reportedly spoke to prediction market firms about whether certain instances could trigger insider-trading cases.

Bitcoin Rebounds to $67,000 as Iran De-Escalation Hopes Lift Risk Appetite

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ETH gained 2% as BitMine extended its buying streak.

Bitcoin briefly traded above $67,000 on Monday as a relief rally rippled through crypto markets, buoyed by signals that the U.S.-Iran standoff may be approaching a diplomatic resolution.

Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at around $67,000, up less than 1% over the past 24 hours. ETH and SOL rose 2% to $2,050 and $84, respectively. Meanwhile, Ripple (XRP) was unchanged at $1.33.

BTC Chart

Total crypto market capitalization remained flat at $2.39 trillion, according to Coingecko.

The bounce came after President Donald Trump said the U.S. was in talks with a “new regime” in Iran. Trump warned the U.S. would target the country’s oil infrastructure if a deal didn’t materialize, but the reference to diplomatic progress was enough to ease some of the risk-off pressure that has weighed on crypto since hostilities began five weeks ago.

BitMine purchased 71,179 ETH last week, its largest weekly buy of 2026. The roughly $143 million purchase lifted the firm’s total holdings to more than 4.73 million ETH, or about 3.92% of the circulating supply. BitMine is now the only large corporate crypto buyer still purchasing at scale, after Strategy ended a 13-week Bitcoin buying streak.

The tentative recovery comes against a backdrop of weakening institutional flows. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $225 million in net outflows on Friday, with BlackRock’s IBIT alone losing $201.5 million.

The outflows followed a hawkish FOMC meeting on March 18, where the Fed held rates steady but raised its 2026 inflation forecast to 2.7%. Rising oil prices have further dampened expectations for rate cuts. CME FedWatch data shows a 97.4% probability that the Fed leaves rates unchanged at its next meeting.

Big Movers

The Top 100 digital assets were mixed over the last 24 hours.

MemeCore (M) and Zcash (ZEC) outperformed, rallying 7% and 5%, respectively.

SIREN and RAIN are today’s biggest losers, down around 7%.

Around 101,000 leveraged traders were liquidated for $431 million in the past 24 hours, according to CoinGlass. Bitcoin accounted for $174 million, while ETH made up $136 million.

U.S. rule change may open trillions in 401(k) funds to crypto

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The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed a rule that would make it easier for 401(k) plans to include alternative assets such as cryptocurrencies, private equity and real estate.

The proposal is in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order, released in August, which directed the Labor Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission to facilitate expanded access to alternative assets in 401(k)s.

“This proposed rule will show how plans can consider products that better reflect the investment landscape as it exists today,” Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement.

If adopted, the rule would mark a shift in how retirement plans are built. For years, most 401(k)s have focused on stocks and bonds. The new approach would allow plan providers to add a broader mix of assets, including digital tokens and private-market funds that are not traded on public exchanges.

The move builds on earlier changes. Last May, the Labor Department rescinded prior guidance that urged fiduciaries to exercise “extreme care” before adding crypto to retirement plans. Trump’s executive order went further, calling for digital assets to be treated on par with other investment options.

Still, the proposal has drawn criticism from some lawmakers and financial advisors.

“As cracks emerge in the private credit market, private equity returns fall to 16-year lows, and crypto keeps tumbling, President Trump has decided now is the time to stick all of these risky assets into Americans’ 401(k)s,” Senator Elizabeth Warren said in a statement. She warned the rule could expose workers to losses while benefiting large financial firms.

The stakes for crypto could be large. U.S. 401(k) plans hold trillions of dollars in retirement savings, and even a small shift into digital assets could send new capital into the market. If a large plan with tens of thousands of workers were to allocate just 1% of its portfolio to bitcoin, that would translate into millions of dollars flowing into crypto funds or tokens.

UAE Wealth Ecosystem Sees Surge in New Entrants and Digital Asset Focus

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In this episode, Mark Walker interviews Oscar Orellana-Hyder, co-founder of Cordell Partners, to explore the evolving landscape of Fintech talent, investment trends, and family offices in the UAE. Oscar shares insights from his decade-long experience in regional financial markets, highlighting opportunities, challenges, and future outlooks.

The UAE is experiencing a significant influx of international investment managers and family offices, driven by a maturing regulatory environment and a generational shift in asset preferences. Oscar Orellana-hyder, co-founder of Cordell Partners, explained that the region has seen a 20% increase in new entrants over the last year, with approximately 150 to 170 new investment managers setting up in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).

This wave of capital is arriving from Asia, Europe, and North America, with a particularly strong appetite for private credit, hedge funds, and virtual assets. Orellana-hyder noted that family offices now represent 30% of his firm’s workload, reflecting a desire among local and global families to institutionalise their holdings within regulated frameworks.

Regulatory Evolution and Talent Scarcity

The rapid expansion of the ecosystem is accompanied by heightened oversight, particularly regarding digital assets. Orellana-hyder highlighted that virtual asset funds and crypto firms are increasingly overseen by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), necessitating robust compliance and risk frameworks. While the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has established a dedicated regime, the nascent nature of the sector creates unique human capital challenges.

Finding experienced professionals who can navigate these new regulations remains difficult. Orellana-hyder suggested that while the local talent pool in the UAE is growing, it remains shallow compared to more established financial hubs.

“Exhaust the talent that’s on the ground first,” Orellana-hyder said, adding that hiring locally helps mitigate the flight risk associated with international searches. He explained that while global markets like the UK or Asia offer depth of expertise, they often lack the essential local knowledge required to operate effectively within the UAE’s specific cultural and regulatory landscape.

The Generational Shift in Family Offices

A primary driver of this institutionalisation is a clear generational shift within Middle Eastern family businesses. Younger generations are moving away from traditional, insular investment styles in favour of more diverse and complex asset classes.

“The younger generation wants exposure or has an appetite for virtual assets, hedge funds, private credit, and different asset classes,” Orellana-hyder explained. This shift necessitates a move into regulated entities like the ADGM or DIFC to facilitate joint ventures and co-investments.

This evolution is also changing the way families interact with the broader fintech and investment community. Rather than simply investing in tokens, there is a growing trend toward backing the underlying “plumbing” of the digital economy. Orellana-hyder pointed to the rise of gaming and virtual asset infrastructure as a key area where investors are seeking long-term value within the UAE’s expanding digital ecosystem.

Labor Department Proposal Could Open 401(k)s To Bitcoin And Alternative Assets

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The U.S. Department of Labor has unveiled a sweeping proposed rule that could significantly expand the range of investment options available in 401(k) retirement plans, marking a potential turning point for alternative assets — including crypto — within tax-advantaged retirement accounts.

Released Monday by the department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, the proposal aims to reduce regulatory uncertainty and litigation risk for fiduciaries considering alternative investments. 

The move follows an executive order from Donald Trump directing agencies to “democratize access” to non-traditional assets in retirement portfolios.

At its core, the rule reinforces that fiduciary responsibility under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act is grounded in process rather than outcomes. 

Plan managers would retain broad discretion to include a wide array of investment options — provided they follow a prudent, well-documented evaluation process assessing factors such as fees, liquidity, valuation, and performance benchmarks.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said the proposal is designed to align retirement investing with modern financial markets. “This greater diversity will drive innovation and result in a major win for American workers, retirees, and their families,” she said.

Bitcoin gets exposure

The guidance could open the door for increased exposure to digital assets like Bitcoin within 401(k) plans — a development long sought by segments of the crypto industry. While plan sponsors have technically always been permitted to consider such assets, regulatory ambiguity and prior guidance had a chilling effect.

In 2022, the Biden administration issued a compliance release cautioning fiduciaries against offering cryptocurrency in retirement plans, citing volatility and investor protection concerns. 

That stance is now being reversed, with Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling emphasizing neutrality. “The department’s days of picking winners and losers are over,” he said.

The proposal does not explicitly endorse crypto or any specific asset class. Instead, it establishes “safe harbor” frameworks designed to protect fiduciaries who undertake thorough due diligence when adding alternative investments to plan menus. 

This process-based approach could make it easier for asset managers to introduce diversified funds that include exposure to private equity, real estate, or digital assets or Bitcoin.

Assets like Bitcoin could enhance long-term returns and provide a hedge against inflation, particularly for younger savers with longer time horizons. 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Department of the Treasury both collaborated on the rulemaking, signaling a broader interagency effort to modernize retirement investing.

Square Rolls Out Auto-Enabled Bitcoin Payments for US Sellers

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Square, the payments platform of Block, has begun rolling out Bitcoin payments at its point-of-sale terminals for eligible US sellers, with the automatic feature going live today as part of a phased rollout over the coming month.

The announcement was shared Monday in a post on X by Miles Suter, Bitcoin product lead at Block, and reposted by CEO and longtime Bitcoiner Jack Dorsey.

Suter said the feature is designed to make it easier for “millions of businesses” to accept Bitcoin, adding that eligible US sellers will have payments automatically enabled and will receive US dollars by default when customers pay in Bitcoin (BTC). Merchants will also have the option to automatically “stack” Bitcoin from daily sales.

He described the move as a step toward using “Bitcoin as everyday money.” Bitcoin payment acceptance is expected to be available to all Square merchants by Nov. 10.

Source: Miles Suter

In a separate post, Square said transactions will convert instantly to cash at checkout, require no additional setup, and offer near-instant settlement. The company added that merchants do not need to hold Bitcoin and that the feature will carry zero processing fees through 2026.

According to Square’s website, the feature is currently available to US sellers that meet verification requirements, excluding businesses based in New York.

The rollout, which could lower barriers to Bitcoin payments by removing volatility and custody risk for millions of merchants, was first outlined by Block in May.

According to BitcoinTreasuries.net data, Block ranks as the 14th-largest publicly traded holder of Bitcoin, with 8,883 BTC on its balance sheet at an average cost of $32,939 per coin.

Source: BitcoinTreasuries.NET

Related: Strategy pushes pause button on Bitcoin purchases, stock sales

Bitcoin-backed lending grows across crypto and traditional finance

Beyond payments and its role as a store of value, Bitcoin is increasingly being used in lending and broader financial infrastructure.

In January, Nexo launched a zero-interest lending product allowing Bitcoin and Ether (ETH) holders to borrow against their assets through fixed-term loans with predefined repayment conditions.

The offering builds on a structured model previously limited to its private and OTC channels, which facilitated more than $140 million in borrowing in 2025, according to the company.

The same month, Coinbase reintroduced Bitcoin-backed loans in the United States, enabling users to borrow up to $100,000 in USDC against BTC held on the platform, and in February, Kraken followed with fixed-rate crypto loans for Pro users, offering borrowing against digital assets at rates of 10%–25% APR for terms of up to two years.

Traditional finance is also beginning to incorporate Bitcoin and crypto-backed credit. US mortgage lender Rate recently launched a program allowing borrowers to use verified cryptocurrency holdings to meet mortgage underwriting requirements without liquidating their assets.

Last week, Coinbase and Better Home & Finance introduced a structure that lets borrowers pledge crypto as collateral for loans used to fund down payments on Fannie Mae–compliant mortgages.

Magazine: Nobody knows if quantum secure cryptography will even work