TODAY 🚨: The Commission issued an interpretation that clarifies the application of federal securities laws to crypto assets.
This is a major step to provide greater clarity regarding the Commission’s treatment of crypto assets.
Read the release here: https://t.co/DDykVLHZQI
1/ Big news: @phantom has received first-of-its-kind no action relief from the @CFTC. We can now connect users to regulated derivatives markets and event contracts without registering as an introducing broker.
https://t.co/p5hBz3JBjA
SCOOP 🚨: Berachain gave its co-lead investor a refund right that is valid for up to a year after BERA's TGE, according to documents obtained by @Unchained_pod.
Unchained has published those documents, along with the full story (by me), at the link below.
The refund right was granted to Nova Digital — a fund within Brevan Howard Digital — which invested $25M in Berachain's Series B. Now Nova Digital has until February 6, 2026 to require that Berachain return part or all of the money. Nova Digital is also currently being spun out from Brevan Howard, per a source familiar.
Four lawyers we spoke to said it was unusual for an investor to be granted a post-TGE refund right. Unlike a typical VC investment, the Brevan fund that backed Berachain wasn't taking on any risk — either BERA would pump, or Nova could ask for its money back.
Two other Series B investors who declined to be named said they were not informed that Nova Digital had received a refund right.
Now, as the refund right expiration date draws near, BERA is trading at well below the $1.5B FDV at which Nova Digital invested.
Perhaps no investor has more at stake in BERA's fate than Framework Ventures, which co-led the Series B with Nova Digital. Unchained has learned that by the end of the second quarter of 2025, Framework had purchased roughly $72.4 million of BERA tokens at an average price of $3.42, meaning Framework would be down more than $50 million on that stash of BERA at current prices.
The full story and the documents can be found at the link below.
The Bullish regulatory momentum for crypto just keeps coming! Yesterday we got the @WhiteHouse's Digital Asset Report providing a blueprint for global domination by the US crypto industry, and today Chairman @PaulAtkinsETH gave a historic "Project Crypto" Speech. Let's dive in:
We just acquired @SlingshotCrypto!
8M+ tokens. Every chain (Bitcoin soon). No bridges. No CEXs. This is another major step towards our vision of providing the best platform to trade all assets, on all chains.
Oh, and Emmy likes green.
The first substantive crypto EO was issued by @realDonaldTrump yesterday and it's an incredibly bullish step forward for the industry, complete with teeth on delivering regulatory clarity. It also opens the door to exciting future initiatives like Stablecoin Legislation and a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Let me break it down for you, anon:
The EO emphasizes:
(1) “Open public blockchain networks”, but also mentions “permissionless blockchains” as a priority. ➡️ Key management and "sufficient decentralization" may still be very hot-button topics.
(2) The development and growth of dollar-backed stable coins + totally rescinds a prior EO promoting US CBDC. It also prohibits CBDCs within the US ➡️I read this as a shot against China’s CBDC efforts, and cynically read it as a switcheroo in branding from a CBDC to a USD stablecoin with special gov access (tbd).
(3) Protecting and promoting fair and open access to banking services ➡️ Say goodbye to Chokepoint 2.0! Banks are already starting to publicly go on the defensive re: their involvement. Love to see it.
How it defines “blockchain” is interesting / raises eyebrows. It seems to limit the EO to chains with:
(1) Public ledgers ➡️ Bad signal for anon chains like monero, dash, etc., no surprise there
(2) that automatically reach consensus ➡️ Bad signal for chains with off-chain components
(3) publicly available source code ➡️ Love this. Folks with proprietary protocols beware. Will be interesting to see whether Uniswap and others with license structures are penalized
Establishes the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets
Chaired by @DavidSacks (he appoints an Executive Director 👀), with 11 representatives from nearly all elements of the US government, including SEC and CFTC chairs, Treasury Secretary and Attorney General.
The EO charges the WG with specific deliverables to provide regulatory clarity:
(1) Audit all existing crypto regulations, guidances and orders and recommend what to do with them within 60 days! ➡️ Much needed. This is already starting with SAB 121 rescinded, a huge win for tradfi custodying crypto
(2) Develop reg + legislative proposals for the President within 180 days that cover issuing and operating digital assets and stable coins (market structure, oversight, consumer protection and risk management) ➡️ Expect major legal shifts over the coming months! These will clash with or compliment the precedent being set in court right now in Ripple, Coinbase, Binance, etc. This may very well set the foundation for the future of crypto markets in American and the world. A lot to watch here
(3) Evaluate the “potential creation” of a national digital asset stockpile, potentially with crypto seized by law enforcement ➡️ Sexy, but speculative. An SBR definitely isn't confirmed ...yet. I think it happens and includes seized crypto as a starting point, PLUS crypto purchased by the US. This is supported by @SenLummis being appointed Chair of Senate Banking Subcommittee on Digital Assets - an excellent appointment. She's been a champion for the industry for a long time and is incredibly well-versed on the issues.
(4) Hold public hearings and engage with leaders and experts in the space ➡️ What a sea change! Parts of the former administration were famous for inviting people in and putting an arrow in their back as they walked out the door. The entire industry is looking forward to a collaborative approach!
Looking forward to what's to come
[🌲] Fed's Powell: Bitcoin is just like gold, except it's digital. Bitcoin is used as a speculative asset; it's a competitor with gold, not the US dollar.
BREAKING: Democrat politicians have written a letter to the DNC, asking the party to pivot away from the anti-bitcoin policies of Elizabeth Warren.
This is likely in response to polling data, the GOP pro-bitcoin policies, and President Trump speaking at @TheBitcoinConf