Police in Hong Kong dismantle a crypto-fueled laundering ring tied to $15 million in fraud (1:02). A blockchain deal involving a Trump-connected firm and Pakistan sets off geopolitical alarms in India (2:36). Meme coin mania reaches new lows, with rug pulls becoming the norm (4:11). And while the US fights over rules, Canada becomes a surprise leader in crypto innovation (6:00).

This is your essential update on the forces shaping what's next in money.

More on stories and articles mentioned or referenced in this episode:

Hong Kong Police Dismantle Money Laundering Syndicate Using Cryptocurrency. Mikhail Vnuchkov. Traders Union.

https://tradersunion.com/news/cryptocurrency-news/show/267357-hong-kong-police-dismantle-money/

Secret Crypto Deal with Links to Trump, Asim Munir in Pakistan Under Scrutiny, Claims Report. Anurag Roushan (editor). India TV News.

https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/secret-crypto-deal-with-links-to-trump-and-asim-munir-in-pakistan-under-scrutiny-amd-indo-pak-tensions-claims-report-2025-05-16-990550

Get Rich Quick Crypto 'Gurus' Are Targeting Teens and Fleecing Them through 'Rug Pulling'. Michael Kaplan. New York Post.

https://nypost.com/2025/05/17/world-news/get-rich-quick-crypto-gurus-are-targeting-teens/

The U.S. Has Struggled for Crypto Clarity. Canada May Have the Answer. MacKenzie Sigalos and Jordan Smith. CNBC.

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/05/15/us-crypto-regulation-canada.html

The music in this episode was composed by Liborio Conti, and you can find more of his fantastic work at his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/liborioconti

Coinbase confirms a major data breach affecting sensitive user information—and reveals it refused a $20 million ransom (0:57). We also break down a renewed SEC investigation into its past user metrics (2:36). Plus: New Hampshire delays a bill to shield crypto miners from regulation (3:58), and Mastercard pushes deeper into stablecoin payments through a new partnership with MoonPay (5:28).

This is your essential update on the forces shaping what's next in money.

More on stories and articles mentioned or referenced in this episode:

Coinbase says customers' personal information stolen in data breach. Zach Whittaker. Tech Crunch.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/15/coinbase-says-customers-personal-information-stolen-in-data-breach/

Item 1.05 Material Cybersecurity Incident. Form 8-K. Coinbase Global, Inc. U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission.

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1679788/000167978825000094/coin-20250514.htm?7194ef805fa2d04b0f7e8c9521f97343

S.E.C. Investigating Whether Coinbase Misstated Its User Numbers. David Yaffe-Bellany and Matthew Goldstein. New York Times (soft paywall, free registration required).

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/technology/coinbase-sec-investigation.html

New Hampshire Senate Halts Cryptocurrency Deregulation Bill, Hoping to Return to It Next Year. William Skipworth. New Hampshire Bulletin.

https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2025/05/15/new-hampshire-senate-halts-cryptocurrency-deregulation-bill-hoping-to-return-to-it-next-year/

New Hampshire House Bill 639:

https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2025&id=722&txtFormat=html

Mastercard Taps Into 100 million Crypto Users with MoonPay Partnership. Nabaparna Bhattacharya. Benzinga.

https://www.benzinga.com/trading-ideas/movers/25/05/45446885/mastercard-taps-into-100-million-crypto-users-with-moonpay-partnership

Mastercard and MoonPay Team Up to Mainstream Stablecoin Payments. Press Release. Mastercard.

https://www.mastercard.com/news/press/2025/may/mastercard-and-moonpay-team-up-to-mainstream-stablecoin-payments/

The music in this episode was composed by Liborio Conti, and you can find more of his fantastic work at his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/liborioconti

France moves to protect crypto executives after another violent incident in Paris (0:53). JPMorgan pushes beyond its private blockchain with a public settlement involving Chainlink and Ondo (2:10). A tiny AI avatar company with ties to China and TikTok unveils a bold plan to buy Trump-themed crypto (3:47). And Howard Lutnick's deep ties to Tether and Rumble raise new conflict-of-interest questions as he performs his duties in the Trump cabinet (5:13).

This is your essential update on the forces shaping what's next in money.

More on stories and articles mentioned or referenced in this episode:

France Summons Cryptocurrency Businesses after Kidnappings. Agence France-Presse.

https://www.courthousenews.com/france-summons-cryptocurrency-businesses-after-kidnappings/

JPMorgan Chase steps beyond 'walled garden' to settle transaction on public blockchain. Ben Weiss. Fortune.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jpmorgan-chase-steps-beyond-walled-130000080.html

Small China-Linked Firm Plans to Snap Up Trump's Crypto Token. Patricia Kowsmann and Angus Berwick. Wall Street Journal (paid subscription required).

https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/small-china-linked-firm-plans-to-snap-up-trumps-crypto-token-f213d2b5

Trump cabinet member's links to El Salvador crypto firm under scrutiny. Jason Wilson. The Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/14/lutnick-el-salvador-crypto-immigration

The music in this episode was composed by Liborio Conti, and you can find more of his fantastic work at his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/liborioconti

A botched kidnapping in Paris highlights the rising physical risks facing crypto executives and their families (0:50). We cover what happened—and how it fits into a troubling trend. Also in this episode: Princeton researchers reveal a major flaw in AI-based crypto agents (2:26), London opens its first regulated crypto derivatives venue (4:12), and Robinhood spends $250 million to buy its way into the Canadian crypto market (5:35).

This is your essential update on the forces shaping what's next in money.

More on stories and articles mentioned or referenced in this episode:

Cryptocurrency Boss's Daughter Escapes Kidnap Gang in Paris Street. Paul Kirby and Ruth Comerford. BBC News.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20qee5030do.amp

Crypto CEO's daughter, toddler horrifically assaulted in kidnap attempt on Paris streets — just steps away from Kim Kardashian. Ronny Reyes. New York Post.

https://nypost.com/2025/05/13/world-news/crypto-ceos-daughter-toddler-horrifically-assaulted-in-kidnap-attempt-on-paris-streets/

New attack can steal cryptocurrency by planting false memories in AI chatbots. Dan Goodin. Ars Technica.

https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/05/ai-agents-that-autonomously-trade-cryptocurrency-arent-ready-for-prime-time/

Cryptocurrency to get first derivative trading platform in London. Ben Martin. The Times.

https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/cryptocurrency-to-get-first-derivative-trading-platform-in-london-0ng0swv8q

Robinhood to buy Canadian cryptocurrency company WonderFi. Paige Smith. Bloomberg News.

https://financialpost.com/fp-finance/cryptocurrency/robinhood-buy-canadian-cryptocurrency-company-wonderfi

The music in this episode was composed by Liborio Conti, and you can find more of his fantastic work at his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/liborioconti

Coinbase joins the S&P 500 (0:48), Trump's sons launch a bitcoin miner onto Nasdaq (2:03), and the new SEC Chair lays out a roadmap for U.S. crypto regulation (3:29). Plus: Dubai makes crypto payments for public services a reality (4:41).

This is your essential update on the forces shaping what's next in money.

More on stories and articles mentioned or referenced in this episode:

Coinbase Global Set to Join S&P 500. S&P Dow Jones Indices (PDF).

https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/documents/indexnews/announcements/20250512-1478052/1478052_dfs5.pdf

Coinbase's Stock Pops as the Crypto Exchange Will Join the S&P 500 Index Next Monday. Claudia Assis. MarketWatch (paid subscription required).

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-wait-is-over-coinbase-is-finally-joining-the-s-p-500-index-e004630b

Eric Trump's American Bitcoin Going Public in Latest Crypto Move by President's Family. MacKenzie Sigalos. CNBC.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/12/eric-trump-american-bitcoin-public.html

Eric Trump-Backed American Bitcoin to Go Public through All-Stock Merger. Ateev Bhandari. Reuters.

https://www.reuters.com/business/eric-trump-backed-american-bitcoin-go-public-through-all-stock-merger-2025-05-12/

SEC Chair Outlines Plans for Cryptocurrency Policy Overhaul. Louis Juricic (editor). Investing.com.

https://www.investing.com/news/cryptocurrency-news/sec-chair-outlines-plans-for-cryptocurrency-policy-overhaul-93CH-4039712

SEC Chair Paul Atkins Reaffirms Crypto as Top Priority Under His Administration. Michael Ebiekutan. FXStreet.

https://www.fxstreet.com/cryptocurrencies/news/sec-chair-paul-atkins-reaffirms-crypto-as-top-priority-under-his-administration-202505122225

Keynote Address at the Crypto Task Force Roundtable on Tokenization. Paul S. Atkins, Chairman, SEC.

https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/speeches-statements/atkins-remarks-crypto-roundtable-tokenization-051225

Dubai Finance Signs MoU with Crypto.com. Government of Dubai Media Office.

https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2025/may/12-05/dubai-finance-signs-mou-with-cryptocom

The music in this episode was composed by Liborio Conti, and you can find more of his fantastic work at his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/liborioconti

Vice President JD Vance is set to make crypto history with a keynote at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas — the first time a sitting VP has spoken at a major Bitcoin event (0:44). Also in today's episode: a disturbing crypto kidnapping in Nevada (2:08), a dormant Bitcoin whale resurfaces after more than a decade (3:33), and Germany shutters a shady exchange tied to international cybercrime (4:53).

This is your essential update on the forces shaping what's next in money.

More on stories and articles mentioned or referenced in this episode:

VP Vance Set to Speak at Bitcoin 2025 Conference in Las Vegas. Jenelle Vannoy. News 3 Las Vegas.

https://news3lv.com/news/local/vp-vance-set-to-speak-at-bitcoin-2025-conference

US VP JD Vance to Speak at Bitcoin 2025 Conference in Las Vegas. Tech Observer.

https://techobserver.in/news/business/us-vp-jd-vance-to-speak-at-bitcoin-2025-conference-in-las-vegas-313719/

Florida Teens Kidnap Las Vegas Man, Drive Him to Arizona Desert, Steal $4M in Cryptocurrency: Police. David Charns. 8 News Now.

https://www.8newsnow.com/investigators/florida-teens-kidnap-las-vegas-man-drive-him-to-arizona-desert-steal-4m-in-cryptocurrency-police/

Decade-Old Bitcoin Whale Emerges, Transfers $207.51 Million BTC With Nearly 112,000% Profit. Bibhu Pattnaik. Benzinga.

https://in.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/25/05/45335892/decade-old-bitcoin-whale-emerges-transfers-207-51-million-btc-with-nearly-112000-profit

Germany Shuts Down eXch Over $1.9B Laundering, Seizes €34M in Crypto and 8TB of Data. Ravie Lakshmanan The Hacker News.

https://thehackernews.com/2025/05/germany-shuts-down-exch-over-19b.html

The music in this episode was composed by Liborio Conti, and you can find more of his fantastic work at his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/liborioconti

The U.S. Senate stalls stablecoin regulation (0:56), Coinbase snaps up Deribit for nearly $3 billion (2:28), Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky is sentenced for fraud (3:59), and Meta cautiously re-enters the crypto space (5:39).

This is your essential update on the forces shaping what's next in money.

More on stories and articles mentioned or referenced in this episode:

Stablecoin Bill Fails to Clear Key Hurdle in U.S. Senate. Hannah Lang, Reuters.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/stablecoin-bill-fails-clear-key-hurdle-us-senate-2025-05-08/

Coinbase Strikes $2.9 Billion Deal for Major Crypto Options Platform. Lauren Thomas, Wall Street Journal (paid subscription required).

https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/coinbase-strikes-2-9-billion-deal-for-major-crypto-options-platform-a87ca4b3

Coinbase to Acquire Deribit: Becoming the Most Comprehensive Global Crypto Derivatives Platform. Greg Tusar, Coinbase.

https://www.coinbase.com/blog/coinbase-to-acquire-deribit-becoming-the-most-comprehensive-global-crypto-derivatives-platform

Founder of Celsius Sentenced to 12 Years for Fraud and Market Manipulation. U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/founder-celsius-sentenced-12-years-fraud-and-market-manipulation

Alex Mashinsky of Cryptocurrency Firm Celsius Network Sentenced to 12 Years. The Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/08/cryptocurrency-alex-mashinsky-sentenced#:~:text=Alex%20Mashinsky%2C%20the%20founder%20and,securities%20fraud%20and%20commodities%20fraud

Exclusive: Meta in talks to deploy stablecoins three years after giving up on landmark crypto project. Leo Schwartz, Ben Weiss, Fortune.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/exclusive-meta-talks-deploy-stablecoins-190632676.html

The music in this episode was composed by Liborio Conti, and you can find more of his fantastic work at his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/liborioconti

A violent twist in a $243 million Bitcoin theft puts a spotlight on cybercriminal gangs that blur the line between virtual and real-world crime (1:01). On another front, Melania Trump's meme coin triggers a frenzy — and a near $100 million payday for some lucky traders (2:55). Plus: Stripe makes its biggest crypto play yet, unveiling stablecoin accounts and AI-powered payments (4:24), while Revolut joins the Lightning Network to speed up Bitcoin transactions (5:51).

This is your essential update on the forces shaping what's next in money.

More on stories and articles mentioned or referenced in this episode:

New and Youthful Criminal Organizations Sprout Around Cryptocurrency. Kit Yona, reviewed by Joseph Fawbush, FindLaw.

https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/law-and-life/new-and-youthful-criminal-organizations-sprout-around-cryptocurrency/

A Group of Anonymous Traders Scored a $100 Million Payday by Buying Melania Trump's Memecoin Just Before It Launched Publicly. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune (soft paywall).

https://fortune.com/2025/05/07/melania-trump-memecoin-anonymous-traders-100-million-payday/

Stripe Unveils AI Foundation Model for Payments. Maria Nikolova, FX News Group.

https://fxnewsgroup.com/forex-news/payments/stripe-unveils-ai-foundation-model-for-payments/

Revolut to Enable Bitcoin Lightning Payments in Europe in Collaboration with Lightspark. Jared Kirui, Finance Magnates.

https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/revolut-to-enable-bitcoin-lightning-payments-in-europe-in-collaboration-with-lightspark/amp/

The music in this episode was composed by Liborio Conti, and you can find more of his fantastic work at his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/liborioconti

New Hampshire takes the lead with America's first Bitcoin Reserve Fund (1:07), while Florida shelves its crypto investment plans (2:34). Across the pond, the UK says no to holding Bitcoin but eyes blockchain for government bonds (4:08). And in Washington, Senator Chris Murphy targets meme coins with legislation aimed at blocking politicians from profiting off crypto (5:56).

From state innovations to global policy shifts, we break it all down — fast, clear, and right to the point.

More on stories and articles mentioned or referenced in this episode:

New Hampshire Becomes First State in the U.S. to Pass "Strategic Bitcoin Reserve" Legislation, PANews.

https://www.panewslab.com/en/sqarticledetails/rs8m4hbi.html

Florida Legislature Shelves Bitcoin Investment Proposals Amid Mounting Concerns, Arabian Post.

https://thearabianpost.com/florida-legislature-shelves-bitcoin-investment-proposals-amid-mounting-concerns/

UK Has a Shocking Response to Bitcoin Reserves, by Anushka Basu, The Street.

https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/uk-has-a-shocking-response-to-bitcoin-reserves

Sens. Murphy, Blumenthal launch legislation and inquiries into Trump 'meme coin', by Jennifer Glatz, Fox 61.

https://www.fox61.com/article/money/connecticut-senator-murphy-blumenthal-trump-meme-coin-cryptocurrency/520-2e89019a-cbf2-4a0c-bb55-79e525b6e25d

The music in this episode was composed by Liborio Conti, and you can find more of his fantastic work at his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/liborioconti

Trump's $2B crypto deal draws Senate scrutiny amid ethics and foreign influence concerns (1:29). House Democrats revolt over Trump-linked crypto policy talks (2:54). Meme coin misfire: viral star Haliey Welch opens up but leaves lingering doubts(4:32). Texas towns push back as the world's biggest Bitcoin mine sparks noise, drought fears, and lawsuits (5:57).

This is your essential update on the forces shaping what's next in money.

More on stories and articles mentioned or referenced in this episode:

Democrats Call for Investigation into Trump Family Crypto Deal over Potential Foreign Influence, by Julia Shapero, The Hill.

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5283961-democrats-call-for-investigation-into-trump-family-crypto-deal-over-potential-foreign-influence/

Waters Plans to Block House GOP Crypto Hearing, by Jasper Goodman, Politico.

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/05/05/congress/waters-house-gop-crypto-hearing-00327722

Haliey Welch, a.k.a. Hawk Tuah, Tries to Explain Herself, by Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair.

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/haliey-welch-aka-hawk-tuah-tries-to-explain-herself

The Crypto Racket, by Candice Bernd, Texas Observer.

https://www.texasobserver.org/the-crypto-racket/

The music in this episode was composed by Liborio Conti, and you can find more of his fantastic work at his YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/liborioconti