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In brief Microsoft backed Anthropic in court to protect billions tied to Claude and Azure. The Pentagon blacklist could ripple across the entire AI contractor ecosystem. Microsoft argued the DoD used a foreign-adversary security designation in an “unprecedented” way. Microsoft has up to $5 billion invested in Anthropic, while Anthropic has committed to buy $30 billion in Azure compute under the partnership. That context makes its decision to file an amicus curiae brief in support of Anthropic’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense look less like altruism and more like financial self-defense.The brief, filed March 10 in San Francisco,…

In brief Global banking firm Wells Fargo applied for a trademark for the wordmark “WFUSD.” The goods and service categories for use mention cryptocurrency, stablecoins, and digital assets. Other banks, like JPMorgan and Western Union have also applied for trademarks around the time of their respective digital token launches. Global banking firm Wells Fargo applied for a trademark for “WFUSD” for potential use in service categories that mention cryptocurrency and stablecoins, a new filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office shows. The firm’s filing, dated March 10, has been accepted by the USPTO but awaits assignment to an examining attorney,…

Binance returns to Iran sanctions scrutiny after its $4.3 billion U.S. pleaThe Justice Department is reportedly probing Iran’s use of Binance to evade sanctions, pulling the world’s largest crypto exchange back into a national security case less than three years after it pleaded guilty in the U.S. and agreed to a resolution worth more than $4.3 billion.The clearest fact at the outset is the contradiction. Binance already admitted to sanctions and anti-money-laundering failures in 2023.It accepted penalties, a monitor, and years of U.S. oversight. Now prosecutors are reportedly examining alleged Iran-linked activity that earlier Wall Street Journal reporting said Binance’s…

Prediction market Myriad is transitioning to World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin as its exclusive settlement asset.As part of the move, Myriad, owned by Decrypt’s parent company Dastan, is migrating its entire prediction market catalog to BNB Chain.The move will result in a “faster, simpler, and more consistent prediction environment,” according to Myriad, replacing the current fragmented multi-chain experience with a single, unified standard.Myriad’s migration to BNB is “long overdue,” said Myriad Markets co-founder and President Farokh Sarmad, adding that, “With over $5 billion in TVL and millions of active users, we needed a home that can sustain the incoming growth…

In brief Shares of Brera Holdings (SLMT) have dumped more than 19% on Wednesday. The firm announced its intentions to shift focus to a UAE-centered Solana infrastructure firm late Tuesday. One of its largest institutional shareholders, Ark Invest, began offloading small portions of its holdings on Monday. Shares of publicly traded Solana treasury firm Brera Holdings (SLMT), also known as Solmate, have plunged more than 19% so far Wednesday following a late Tuesday announcement that the company is shifting its strategic focus to being an Abu Dhabi-centered Solana infrastructure company. The proposed shift, approved by the firm’s board of directors, will…

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure The fight over US crypto legislation is turning into a direct clash between digital-asset firms and one of Washington’s oldest power centers. In an interview with Pete Rizzo, Satoshi Action Fund founder and CEO Dennis Porter said the banking industry is preparing a nine-figure lobbying push that could complicate efforts to advance both market structure legislation and stablecoin rules. Crypto’s D.C. Outlook Just Got Darker Porter said the core dispute is no longer just about whether Congress wants to regulate crypto, but on whose terms. President Donald…

In brief Foundry Digital is establishing a mining pool for Zcash, the privacy-focused cryptocurrency, which has surged more than 600% over the past year. Foundry currently operates the leading mining pool for Bitcoin, Foundry USA, which has earned around 4,150 Bitcoin over the past month. Like Bitcoin, Zcash’s security is underpinned by a proof-of-work consensus mechanism, requiring computers to crunch complex calculations to earn rewards. Foundry Digital said on Wednesday that it plans to offer a mining pool for Zcash next month, enabling people to earn the privacy-focused cryptocurrency using shared resources.The move is aimed at publicly traded companies and…

An Oil Scare Near Hormuz Showed How Fast Bitcoin Reverts to a Risk TradeWhile Bitcoin has rebounded and held above $70,000 over the last 48 hours, the acute phase of the latest oil shock showed the market’s first instinct: sell crypto when inflation fear rises, and the path to easier money gets harder.Still, why does the price of oil even matter for Bitcoin? Few Bitcoin miners use oil to power machines, so shouldn’t Bitcoin be detached from energy volatility?Well, on March 9, Bitcoin fell to a seven-day low as Brent crude surged and traders cut exposure across risk assets.You see,…

In brief Mastercard launched a Crypto Partner Program with 85+ companies including Binance, Ripple, Circle, and PayPal to advance practical digital asset use cases. Partners will collaborate with Mastercard on products merging digital asset capabilities with traditional card rails. The initiative builds on existing blockchain efforts to integrate on-chain innovation into everyday commerce. Mastercard said Wednesday that it has launched the Crypto Partner Program, a global initiative uniting over 85 crypto-native companies, payment providers, and financial institutions.The program reflects a growing recognition that digital assets are moving beyond speculation and into practical applications, it said—such as cross-border remittances, business-to-business transfers,…

Strive, Inc. said Wednesday it raised the dividend rate on its preferred equity product while adding more bitcoin and a new credit instrument to its balance sheet, moves the firm said are designed to stabilize its digital credit strategy. The Dallas-based company increased the dividend rate on its SATA preferred stock by 25 basis points to 12.75% and declared a dividend of $1.0625 per share payable April 15 to shareholders of record on April 1.  At the same time, Strive narrowed its targeted trading range for SATA to $99–$101 from the previous $95–$105 and updated guidance to avoid issuing new…

Kalshi’s first move outside the United States is not London, not Singapore, not any of the financial centers that have spent years building crypto-friendly regulatory frameworks.It is Brazil, through XP International and its brokerage arm, Clear, offering prediction markets to Brazilian investors as a “new asset class” anchored at launch to economic events such as inflation prints and interest rate decisions.The company frames the product as a federally regulated derivative rather than a bet.Brazil’s government frames what it is already dealing with as a public health emergency.Both things can be true. The tension between them is the story.What Kalshi and…

In brief A report in the Wall Street Journal alleges that the U.S. Justice Department is investigating Iran’s use of Binance to evade U.S. sanctions. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the WSJ reported that officials are contacting those with knowledge of $1 billion in transactions that allegedly flowed through Binance to Iran-backed terror groups. Binance has sued the newspaper over what it termed “false and defamatory reporting” in an earlier story. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Iran’s use of Binance to evade sanctions, according to a report published Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal.Citing sources familiar with the…