The Senate Banking Committee hearings regarding banking regulators have just begun! In her prepared testimony, Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman stated that the Fed is working to implement the GENIUS system and plans to "clarify how digital assets are handled to ensure the banking system can better support digital asset activities." Bowman said, "As a regulator, my responsibility is to encourage innovation responsibly, and we must continuously improve our regulatory capabilities to address the risks that innovation may pose to the safety and soundness of the banking industry."

ICYMI: Here's a brief news recap of today's @TheBlock__ Asia & Europe, Middle East & Africa regional conference 👇 🕵️ ZachXBT has been placed on the investigation list for alleged employee insider trading, with Axiom also implicated. 🏛️ The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is seeking public comment on a new proposal aimed at implementing the GENIUS Act. 📜 The Indiana legislature has advanced a bill that would open up cryptocurrency investment options for key public retirement and savings plans and protect individual access to digital assets. 🗳️ World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a cryptocurrency project closely associated with the Trump family, has introduced a governance proposal requiring holders to stake their unlocked WLFI tokens to participate in voting. 👀 According to Arkham data released by Lookonchain on Thursday, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has sold 17,196 ETH since early February, worth approximately $35 million. 💸 A US spot Bitcoin ETF reported a three-week high in net inflows, indicating an initial recovery in investor sentiment. 📱 Telegram Wallet (a cryptocurrency solution embedded in the Telegram instant messaging app) announced on Thursday that it will launch on-chain yield options for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT holders. 🛣️ Ethereum Foundation researchers released a draft technology roadmap projecting seven network upgrades by the end of this decade. The document aims to shorten transaction slot times and final confirmation cycles, while introducing features such as natively shielded transfers. 💰 STS Digital completed a $30 million strategic funding round led by CMT Digital, with participation from Kraken's parent company, Payward, to expand its institutional crypto derivatives platform. 🛡️ Starknet plans to launch strkBTC, a new Bitcoin-based asset that will enable balance shielding and confidential transfers while maintaining the full composability of DeFi. 🤑 Cryptocurrency disclosure company Bluperynt raised $4.25 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round from major industry players, including Coinbase Ventures and Robinhood. ⚒️ American Bitcoin reported a net loss of $153.2 million for fiscal year 2025, dragged down by unrealized accounting-related losses from its Bitcoin holdings, despite significant revenue growth and an expansion of its strategic reserves. 🦊 Consensys' popular crypto wallet MetaMask will partner with Mastercard to launch a payment card, the two companies announced on Thursday. 📉 As of February 25, assets under management at on-chain asset management firm MEV Capital have fallen by 80% to approximately $300 million, well below the peak of $1.5 billion in October 2025.

Why building a product during a bear market can actually lead to success 🛠️ @bread_ stated that before its IPO, @megaeth would lock its tokens behind key performance indicators (KPIs) and focus on developing real-world applications, creating a genuine user experience loop, and building a DeFi platform ready for fundraising.

ZachXBT specifically criticized Axiom during its investigation into alleged employee insider trading.

MetaMask and Mastercard have partnered to launch a US payment card, offering on-chain rewards.

American Bitcoin, a company associated with Trump, projects a net loss of $153 million in 2025, with more than 6,000 Bitcoins in its portfolio.

Breaking News: AXIOM has been named in an investigation by ZACHXBT for alleged insider trading by its employees.

Bluprynt has raised $4.25 million in seed funding, with investors including Coinbase Ventures and Robinhood, with the aim of streamlining cryptocurrency compliance processes.

Starknet launched strkBTC, aiming to bring "private Bitcoin" and confidential DeFi transactions to its Layer 2 network.

STS Digital has completed a $30 million strategic funding round to expand its institutional crypto derivatives platform.