This week’s crypto stories spanned enforcement, mining, regulation, adoption, and institutional flows. Chainalysis traced Iran-linked stablecoin routing behind a major USDT freeze, while Riot continued its steady BTC sales to NYDIG. France dropped a proposed self-custody reporting rule, Binance argued crypto’s next wave of users will come through payments and utility, and Canada’s AIMCo disclosed…
Key Takeaways: The Hangzhou Court ruled that replacing Zhou with an AI model didn’t justify his forced termination. This decision sets a vital precedent in China, the 2nd top AI nation, in dealing with AI-driven layoffs. Xinhua’s Wang Tianyu noted future laws must prioritize 1 goal: managing AI substitution properly. Chinese Worker Wins Case Against…
This Week in Crypto Law The opinion editorial below was written by Alex Forehand and Michael Handelsman for Kelman.Law. The final week of April highlighted a pivotal shift in crypto law: the migration of core crypto products and infrastructure into regulated frameworks—paired with expanding enforcement into previously overlooked corners of the market. From anticipated U.S….
Key Takeaways: Academy Board bans AI for the 99th Oscars, requiring human-only billing for acting and writing by March 2027. Tyler Perry halted an $800M studio expansion in 2024 to protest AI threats to editors and sound specialists. Starting in 2026, Cannes and Venice winners bypass committees, allowing 1 country multiple nominations. The Industry’s Response…
Modernizing Global Settlement Bakkt Inc. has finalized its acquisition of Distributed Technologies Research (DTR), a developer of agentic payments and stablecoin infrastructure, about three months after formally agreeing to the purchase. The move follows a transformative third quarter in which the company reported $402.2 million in GAAP revenue—a 27% year-over-year increase—and completed a major structural…
Key Takeaways: Stablecoins face disruption as OCC rules may expand yield limits to third-party partners. Consensys argues proposal misclassifies DeFi activity and independent distribution arrangements. Regulatory outcomes could determine whether stablecoin markets expand broadly or consolidate. OCC Stablecoin Rules Raise Distribution Concerns On May 1, 2026, Consensys Software Inc. sent a comment letter to the…
Key Takeaways: Seoul’s court halted Bithumb’s 6-month FIU suspension on April 30, allowing the exchange to continue full operations. The FIU fined Bithumb 36.8 billion won ($24.6M) for 6.65 million AML and KYC violations in March 2026. Upbit, Coinone, and Korbit face similar FIU sanctions, with Coinone’s first court hearing set for May 12. Court…
Key Takeaways: WLFI sold 5.9 billion tokens privately without disclosing buyers, sending the token to an all-time low. Early investors who bought WLFI at $0.05 remain locked out of 80% of their holdings as of May 2026. WLFI is pushing a 62 billion token unlock vote, raising concerns it benefits insiders over early backers. Private…
Key Takeaways: Paradigm’s Dan Robinson proposed PACTs on May 1, 2026, offering bitcoin holders a free, private way to timestamp address control before quantum threats arrive. Over 1.1 million BTC worth roughly $75 billion in Satoshi-linked wallets face exposure if cryptographically relevant quantum computers emerge. PACTs require no Bitcoin fork today but need future STARK…
Key Takeaways: ZachXBT named Gerstein Harrow LLP for filing fake DPRK claims to seize $71M in frozen KelpDAO funds. Lazarus Group has stolen over $6 billion since 2017 and caused 76% of all 2026 crypto hack losses. ZachXBT has proposed a community DAO to counter the firm legally, as recovery for actual victims remains blocked….
