Securitize, Mantle launch institutional crypto fund
Tokenization platform Securitize has partnered with decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Mantle to launch an institutional fund designed to earn yield on a diverse basket of cryptocurrencies, the companies said. Similar to how a traditional index fund tracks a mix of stocks, the Mantle Index Four (MI4) Fund aims to offer investors exposure to cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and Solana (SOL), as well as stablecoins tracking the US dollar, Securitize said in an April 24 announcement. The fund also integrates liquid staking tokens — including Mantle’s mETH, Bybit’s bbSOL, and Ethena’s USDe — in a bid to enhance returns with onchain yield, according to the announcement.The launch comes as retail and institutions alike increase exposure to cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin, as a hedge amid escalating macroeconomic uncertainty. Mantle’s mETH yields 3.78%. Source: DeFILlama‘S&P 500 of crypto’The market capitalization-weighted index fund aspires to “become the de facto SPX or S&P 500 of crypto,” Timothy Chen, Mantle’s global head of strategy, said in a statement. The company offers institutions a way to generate yield from digital assets. One of its liquid staking products, Mantle Staked Ether (mETH), yields holders approximately 3.78% APR as of April 24, according to data from DefiLlama. The protocol has more than $680 million in total value locked (TVL). Securitize is the most popular institutional tokenization platform. Source: RWA.xyzSecuritize is one of the most popular platforms for tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs) for institutions, with approximately 71% of market share as of April 24, according to data from RWA.xyz. Its largest affiliated fund — BlackRock Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUILD) — has more than $2.5 billion in net assets.In March, Securitize co-founder and CEO Carlos Domingo told Cointelegraph that demand for tokenized funds is accelerating as “[i]nstitutional investors, private equity firms, and credit managers [turn] to tokenization to enhance efficiency, reduce operational friction, and improve liquidity.”Magazine: What are native rollups? Full guide to Ethereum’s latest innovation
Bitcoin 'short squeeze' or $87K dip next? BTC price predictions vary
Key points:Bitcoin is setting up a showdown with leveraged shorts immediately above its yearly open price.That key level near $93,500 is the main target for traders hoping that BTC/USD will cement its latest breakout.The next support retest could involve $87,000, analysis suggests.Bitcoin (BTC) consolidated below a key resistance target on April 24 as a BTC price forecast brought sub-$90,000 levels into play.BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewAnalyst: BTC price correction “fairly normal”Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD retesting $92,000 as support overnight.The pair broadly maintained six-week highs while global markets remained at a loss over the trajectory of the ongoing US trade war.“The market is now up over +1% on the day on no news at all,” trading resource The Kobeissi Letter summarized alongside a chart of the S&P 500 in part of its latest analysis on X.“As we have seen multiple times this year, it almost feels like someone is front-running something right now. We expect to see some sort of bullish announcement soon.”S&P 500 4-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewBitcoin continued to brush off news events, leaving volatility to equities, while gold attempted to stabilize after slipping from record highs earlier in the week.“Fairly normal to have a slight correction here on Bitcoin as it’s just had a massive breakout,” crypto trader, analyst and entrepreneur Michaël van de Poppe told X followers on the day.“Buyers likely going to step in and then we’ll be continuing our path towards a new ATH.”BTC/USDT 12-hour chart with RSI data. Source: Michaël van de Poppe/XOthers increasingly entertained the idea of a deeper correction following brisk gains for BTC/USD, potentially taking the market back below the $90,000 mark.“A dip to 88k would be lovely,” popular trader Inmortal argued. A dip to 88k would be lovely.If the market gives it, I will probably play one of these two setups, or both.$BTC pic.twitter.com/ysqiheds7X— Inmortal (@inmortalcrypto) April 24, 2025Trader and analyst Rekt Capital had a similar conception of the potential support retest move.BTC price action, he observed, was closely copying behavior from the middle of its previous bull market in 2021.“Part of Bitcoin continuing to repeat mid-2021 price tendencies relative to the Bull Market EMAs would be a dip into the $87000 (green EMA) level for a post-breakout retest, if at all needed,” he commented on a weekly chart showing two exponential moving averages (EMAs).“Depends on how BTC Weekly Closes relative to $93500.”BTC/USD 1-week chart. Source: Rekt Capital/XBitcoin bulls seek leveraged shorts wipeoutThe main target for bulls thus remained the yearly open level just above $93,000, one which remained intact as resistance at the time of writing.Related: Bitcoin exchange outflows mimic 2023 as whales buy retail ‘panic’This coincided with a block of potential liquidation levels on exchange order books, providing fertile conditions for a “short squeeze” should price attack them.$BTC Liquidation heatmap shows that liquidity of leveraged positions is building up on both sides. Leveraged longs mainly around $91,400.Leveraged shorts around $93,500-$94,500. pic.twitter.com/d2jCyO2FdC— chad. (@chad_ventures) April 24, 2025The latest data from monitoring resource CoinGlass showed the largest concentration of liquidation leverage centered around $93,600.Earlier, Cointelegraph reported on a large trading entity dubbed “Spoofy the Whale” removing a wall of asks at $90,000.BTC liquidation leverage data. Source: CoinGlassThis article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
BlackRock Bitcoin fund wins best new ETF on $643M inflow day
BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund has been named the best new ETF product by etf.com, as it recorded its highest inflows since Jan. 21. On April 23, BlackRock’s iShare Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) was awarded the “Best New ETF” at the annual etf.com ETF awards. In an X post shortly after, Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said it “feels right to me.”IBIT clocks highest inflows in three months“I’m pretty sure this is how I voted. Both of them did things no one has seen [before],” Balchunas said, also referencing the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) winning the “ETF of the Year” award. Over the past 5 years, VOO is up 89%, according to Google Finance data.IBIT was also the recipient of the Crypto ETP of the year. IBIT’s two awards came on the same day IBIT recorded $643.2 million in inflows, according to Farside data. It was the highest inflow day since Jan. 21, when it saw $661.9 million, just a day after US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, when Bitcoin’s spot price hit an all-time high of $109,000.Bitcoin is trading at $93,290 at the time of publication. Source: CoinMarketCapBitcoin commentator Vivek said this “is massive,” while Apollo Sats co-founder Thomas Fahrer said, “Huge inflow.”The IBIT fund, which launched in January 2024 alongside 10 other US-based spot Bitcoin ETFs, has net assets of approximately $53.77 billion, according to BlackRock data. Over the past 30 days, it has traded, on average, 45.02 million shares per day. At the time of publication, a single IBIT share is trading at $53.20, as per Google Finance data.The iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF is up 6.02% over the past month. Source: Google FinanceMeanwhile, VanEck Bitcoin ETF (HODL) received the award for “Best new ETF ticker.”Related: Bitcoiners should be cautious over rally as stablecoin indicator lags: AnalystIBIT’s large inflow on April 23 made up most of the $917 million seen across all 11 spot Bitcoin ETFs that day. It was the second day in a row with over $900 million in inflows amid most of the month posting outflow days due to macro uncertainty.On April 23, Glassnode pointed out that the $912 million ETF inflows the day prior equaled more than 500 times the 2025 daily average.Magazine: Former Love Island star’s tips on how to go viral in crypto: Van00sa, X Hall of FlameThis article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
Bitcoin is the ‘cleanest shirt in the dirty laundry’ — Bitfinex
Bitcoin has shown resilience compared to the broader financial market amid macroeconomic uncertainty, but analysts caution it’s still too early to know whether the trend will last.“We’re not quite there yet, but if Bitcoin holds strength through the upcoming CPI, as well as ongoing Powell-related and equity earnings volatility, the decoupling narrative could evolve from “temporary divergence” to “regime change,” Bitfinex analysts said in an April 23 markets note viewed by Cointelegraph.Bitcoin’s relative strength yet to be proven as structuralThe analysts said that while Bitcoin’s (BTC) relative strength against US equities “appears real,” it is yet to be confirmed as structural. The analysts warned that Bitcoin has previously seen short periods of outperformance, only to eventually fall back in line with the broader market.Cointelegraph recently reported that Bitcoin is increasingly abandoning its stock correlation to copy gold’s upside. At the time of publication, Bitcoin’s price has posted gains of 7.68% over the past 30 days. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq are down 6.79% and 8.14%, respectively, as per Google Finance data.Bitcoin is trading at $93,290 at the time of publication. Source: CoinMarketCapOver the same period, Nvidia (NVDA), which has outperformed Bitcoin over the past decade, fell 15.4%. The analysts attributed the decline to the “effective ban on advanced chip exports to China and tariff-driven volatility.” In May 2024, Swan Bitcoin CEO Cory Klippsten said there is a “near zero chance of Nvidia outperforming Bitcoin over the next 10 years.”The Bitfinex analysts described the current crypto market as a “hybrid state,” with rising macroeconomic risk on one side and an uptick in spot Bitcoin ETF inflows on the other. April 22 alone saw $913 million in spot Bitcoin ETF inflows, the largest since late January.“This backdrop favors Bitcoin as the “cleanest shirt in the dirty laundry.”They added that this reinforces Bitcoin’s position as a strong store of value, with Bitcoin dominance rising to levels not seen since late 2021. At the time of publication, Bitcoin’s dominance was 64.39%, according to TradingView data.Related: Bitcoin holders back in profit as new capital enters the market — Is $100K BTC price next?Crypto market participants will be closely watching April’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), published on May 13, after March data showed a cooling trend that some saw as a short-term bearish signal for Bitcoin.March’s CPI came in at 2.4% year-over-year, down from 2.8% in February, the lowest level since February 2023, according to the US Bureau of Statistics.Meanwhile, some crypto analysts caution that other indicators suggest Bitcoin’s rally may not last.10x Research head of research Markus Thielen said, “Given that our stablecoin minting indicator has yet to return to high-activity levels, we remain cautious about the sustainability of the current Bitcoin rally.” Magazine: Former Love Island star’s tips on how to go viral in crypto: Van00sa, X Hall of FlameThis article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
ZKsync recovers $5M of stolen tokens after hacker accepts bounty offer
The ZKsync Association has confirmed the recovery of $5 million worth of stolen tokens from an April 15 ZKsync security incident involving its airdrop distribution contract.The hacker agreed to accept a 10% bounty and return 90% of the remaining stolen tokens, transferring the ZKsync Security Council almost $5.7 million across three transfers on April 23.“We’re pleased to share that the hacker has cooperated and returned the funds within the safe harbor deadline,” ZKsync Association posted to X on April 23, which was later reposted by ZKsync’s X account.Matter Labs, the company behind the ZKsync protocol, also reposted the news shared on X.The ZKsync X account previously confirmed that no user funds were compromised.Source: ZKsync AssociationThe hacker sent two transfers on the ZKsync Era blockchain, consisting of $2.47 million worth of ZKsync (ZK) tokens and $1.83 million worth of Ether (ETH) to the ZKsync Security Council’s ZKsync Era address.Another 776 ETH worth nearly $1.4 million was also sent to their security council’s Ethereum address, Etherscan data shows.The first transfer was made on April 23 at 2:39:57 pm UTC on and the last transfer was made roughly 13 minutes later — all within the 72-hour window that ZK Sync had initially set.ZKsync Association said the company would publish a final report revealing more details from the security incident.How the hack happenedThe hacker breached ZKsync’s admin account, allowing them to exploit the airdrop distribution contract’s sweepUnclaimed() function to mint 111 million unclaimed ZK tokens, worth approximately $5 million at the time of the April 15 attack.The hack occurred while ZKsync was in the process of airdropping 17.5% of ZK’s token supply to ecosystem participants.The recovered amount — almost $5.7 million — exceeded the $5 million originally stolen due to a rise in the market value of the stolen tokens, with ZK and ETH increasing 16.6% and 8.8% respectively since the April 15 attack, according to CoinGecko data.Despite the asset recovery, the ZK token failed to rise substantially on the news and is currently down 0.2% over the last 24 hours.ZKsync Era is an Ethereum layer 2 solution that uses zero-knowledge rollups to batch and process transactions offchain. It has nearly $59 million in total value locked on its chain and has over $2 billion in real-world assets onchain, according to DefiLlama and RWA.xyz.Magazine: Ethereum maxis should become ‘assholes’ to win TradFi tokenization race
‘I’m sick’ — Scammers use AI, fake ID of crypto influencer to steal $4M
The host of The Wolf Of All Streets podcast, Scott Melker, says he’s received word that his face and name are being impersonated by scammers, with at least one victim duped out of $4 million. On April 23, the crypto investor said, “I’m sick,” reporting that he’d been contacted by a private investigator revealing that a client of his was scammed for $4 million by a Nigerian group using his name and face as bait. “They’ve apparently scammed a number of people,” Melker said, adding, “They sent him a fake driver’s license to prove it was me,” and used his X avatar as the photo.The scammers used AI to generate the fake ID and used a fake but convincing-looking email account. “They do zoom calls with AI,” which are “apparently sophisticated,” said Melker, who added that the scammers have also spoofed accounts of his wife and kids to support identity confirmation. Fake driver’s license used by scammers. Source: Scott Melker Technical analysts “TheChartGuys” reported something similar, with a person getting scammed for $5,000 after the scammers replicated their voice using AI deepfakes. Fake ID is easy to spot, says traderCrypto adviser and trader “Nebraskan Gooner” said a quick Google search easily reveals that the ID is fake. He pointed out that there were a few subtle discrepancies in the address and date formats. He said that it it sucks that these scammers are getting so sophisticated, but was “surprised how badly this was with how sophisticated of an operation these seems to be.” Cointelegraph reached out to Melker for further comments but did not receive an immediate response. Related: ‘Victim-blaming’ Americans can deter crypto scams reporting — RegulatorAI-generated scams are surging as the technology evolves. In March, California’s Department of Justice warned that it had discovered seven new types of crypto scams that involved AI. In February, Chainalysis said that 2025 will be a big year for AI scams, stating that generative AI is making scams “more scalable and affordable for bad actors to conduct.”In a recent report, software giant Microsoft said that bad actors were using AI to “supercharge their scams.” “AI tools can scan and scrape the web for company information, helping cyberattackers build detailed profiles of employees or other targets to create highly convincing social engineering lures,” it stated. “It’s going to get exponentially worse, I would imagine,” lamented Melker. Magazine: Your AI ‘digital twin’ can take meetings and comfort your loved ones
Traders pour into leveraged ETFs, gold in bid to weather volatility — Bloomberg
Traders are embracing diametrically opposed exchange-traded fund (ETF) strategies in a bid to navigate one of the most unpredictable financial markets in recent history, according to data from Bloomberg Intelligence. The year-to-date has seen record inflows to ETFs providing leveraged long exposure to volatile assets such as stocks and cryptocurrencies, as well as funds holding risk-off assets such as cash and gold, the data shows. “[T]here’s basically record flows going into leveraged long ETFs but also cash and gold ETFs as people buy the dip and hedge the dip at the same time. May the best degen win!,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Eric Balchunas said in an April 23 post on the X platform.Leveraged ETFs are funds that aim to multiply the daily performance of assets like stocks or crypto, often by two or three times.In 2025, leveraged long ETFs attracted net inflows of roughly $6 billion, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Meanwhile, inflows into cash and gold funds approached roughly $4 billion. Net inflows into leveraged long ETFs and cash and fold ETFs. Source: Bloomberg IntelligenceDigital gold?The record fund flows come amid a spike in market turbulence after US President Donald Trump announced plans for sweeping tariffs on US imports on April 2.Since then, the S&P 500, an index of large US stocks, has shed roughly 5% of its value, according to data from Google Finance. Bitcoin (BTC), meanwhile, has been comparatively resilient. On April 22, the cryptocurrency’s spot price reclaimed $90,000 per coin for the first time in six weeks, with Bitcoin ETFs clocking nearly $1 billion in net inflows. The cryptocurrency trades above $93,000 as of April 23, according to data from Google Finance. “Even in the wake of recent tariff announcements, BTC has shown some signs of resilience, holding steady or rebounding on days when traditional risk assets faltered,” Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, said in an April research report. Bitcoin has often been referred to as “digital gold” but the cryptocurrency still has a weak correlation to the safe haven asset and trades more in line with equities, Binance said. Its correlation with gold has averaged around 0.12 over the past 90 days, versus 0.32 for equities. “The key question is whether BTC can return to its long-term pattern of low correlation with equities,” noted the report, adding that gold is still a preferred safe-haven asset for most investors.Meanwhile, cryptocurrency exchanges are profiting off of rising volatility by doubling down on financial derivatives, such as futures. In April, net open interest in Bitcoin futures increased by upward of 30%, to approximately $28 billion, according to data from Coinalyze. Magazine: What are native rollups? Full guide to Ethereum’s latest innovation
Bitcoin holders back in profit as new capital enters the market — Is $100K BTC price next?
Key Takeaways:Bitcoin short-term holders are back in profit, increasing chances for a rally to $100,000.Long-term holders added 363,000 BTC since February, with new buyers injecting capital in April.Bitcoin sell pressure risk exists at $97,000, where 392,000 BTC could be sold. Bitcoin’s (BTC) surge above $91,700 on April 22 pushed its value above the short-term realized price or cost basis. This implies that a majority of short-term holders (STHs) are currently back in profit.STHs returning to profit after unrealized losses signal a bullish outlook, paving the way for a potential $100,000 retest.Bitcoin short-term onchain cost basis bands. Source: GlassnodeHistorically, during the early phase of a rally, STHs in profit provided upward momentum by holding firm and drawing in new investors. Bitcoin’s supply mapping indicated “strong activity” in April from first-time buyers, indicating fresh capital injections in the market at higher prices. Long-term holders (those holding for more than 155 days) increased their allocation by 363,000 BTC since February, while Bitcoin whales and sharks have absorbed 300% of the yearly issuance. Despite this week’s price breakout, Bitcoin researcher Axel Adler Jr. noted that the last strong resistance remains at $96,100. In an X post, the analyst said, “At the $96K level, there will be the final resistance from the cohort holding coins for 3-6 months, after which the next target of $100K opens up.”Bitcoin realized price analysis. Source: X.comRelated: Why is Bitcoin price up today?392,000 Bitcoin at $97K could trigger a sell-offAccording to Bitcoin’s cost basis distribution data, investors hold approximately 392,000 BTC at an average cost basis of $97,000, creating a potential resistance zone. This concentration suggests many investors may sell at break-even, potentially stalling Bitcoin’s upward momentum.Bitcoin cost basis distribution chart. Source: X.comHowever, anonymous trader Ezy Bitcoin emphasized Bitcoin’s price action in the Wyckoff reaccumulation phase is “playing out beautifully”. The chart indicated continued strength, with three price targets: $131,500 (target 1), $144,900 (target 2), and $166,700 (target 3). This Wyckoff pattern points to possible accumulation by large players, signaling an upward trend for Bitcoin, as the market absorbs supply and prepares for an uptrend.Bitcoin Wyckoff pattern analysis by Ezy Bitcoin. Source: X.comRelated: Bitcoin price prepares for ‘70% to 80%’ gain as onchain metrics and spot BTC ETF inflows spikeThis article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
Here’s how HEX’s Richard Heart beat SEC fraud charges
Richard Heart, the controversial founder of HEX, is claiming total victory over the US SEC after years of court battles.On April 21, the SEC said that it would not amend and refile its fraud case against the former child actor and crypto evangelist. A court had dismissed the SEC’s fraud charges against Heart on Feb. 28.Heart announced on X that HEX had obtained a victory very few crypto projects could boast: “Richard Heart, PulseChain, PulseX, and HEX have defeated the SEC completely and have achieved regulatory clarity that nearly no other coins have.”HEX may be out of hot water with American securities regulators (for now), but Heart still faces charges in Europe, where he is wanted both for alleged tax fraud and for alleged assault on a minor. Richard Heart, real name Richard James Schueler, is still on Interpol’s wanted list. Source: InterpolSEC claimed Heart used HEX to defraud investorsIn July 2023, the SEC filed a complaint against Heart, whose real name is Richard James Schueler, along with HEX, HEX’s layer-1 blockchain project, PulseChain, and the decentralized exchange (DEX) for the PulseChain network, PulseX. The SEC made a number of allegations, including securities fraud and securities registration violations. It asked the court to bar Heart and his projects from participating in any sort of crypto asset security offering and to give up “all ill-gotten gains received as a result of the violations alleged.”The complaint noted Heart’s repeated claims that HEX could offer incredible rewards to make investors rich. It also wrote that Heart spent over $12 million of proceeds from HEX offerings on luxury goods such as watches, sports cars and a 555-carat diamond ring.Indeed, Heart is no stranger to the finer things in life. His celebrity is in part due to his frequent displays of wealth. In one video on X, he flaunted Louis Vuitton cases filled with dozens of luxury watches that he said were worth 9 million euros. Richard Heart wears four Rolex watches. Source: Luxury BazaarHeart’s court case came down to jurisdiction. Last year, his legal team filed a motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that the SEC failed to show that any activities had occurred within the United States. The SEC protested the motion. Ultimately, US District Judge Carol Bagley Amon agreed with Heart (the HEX founder does not live in the US), and she ruled that the statements regarding HEX’s price were targeted to a global audience — not US investors.“The alleged misappropriation occurred through digital wallets and crypto asset platforms, none of which were alleged to have any connection with the United States,” Amon stated.Finnish authorities want Heart on tax and assault chargesHeart claims that this legal victory provides new ground on which the crypto industry can thrive, creating a legal precedent that supposedly makes HEX safer to work with than any other crypto project.Heart and HEX may not face American securities regulators, but he is still in hot water with Finnish authorities over alleged tax evasion and assault.In September 2024, Finnish media wrote that Heart, who was reportedly residing in Helsinki, was remanded into custody in absentia. Finnish investigators, at the request of the country’s tax authorities, were investigating Heart and reportedly found that Heart’s income reporting did not match the tax service’s estimates.Helsinki police detective Harri Saaristol said, “Based on the very considerable amount of money in question and the long-term and planned nature of the activity, there are grounds to suspect gross tax evasion.”Related: Interpol issues ‘Red Notice’ for Hex founder Richard HeartIn the course of their investigation, Finnish police seized millions of euros worth of luxury watches from a residence in the city of Espoo near Helsinki. Europol also stated that Heart (referred to as Schueler in the report) is wanted for assaulting a minor. “Schueler physically assaulted a 16-year-old victim by grabbing their hair, dragging them into the stairwell and knocking them to the ground.”The allegations together have earned him a profile on Europol and Interpol’s most wanted criminal lists. Investigations are ongoing. How long can HEX keep it up?It seems Heart dodged US regulation because the SEC lacked jurisdiction rather than evidence. So, how long can he keep HEX going?Industry observers and analysts have long claimed that HEX was a new form of Ponzi scheme, namely due to the promises of a whopping 38% annual percentage yield, larger profits for onboarding new users and the fact that Heart owned some 90% of HEX tokens.Despite a number of committed acolytes on social media, the token seems all but dead. HEX’s price pumped briefly on news of the SEC dismissal. Zooming out, it’s barely moved since Heart’s legal troubles with the SEC began.At publishing time, HEX’s price is $0.002253; 24-hour transaction volumes barely top $250,000. HEX’s price spiked in 2021 before nearly falling off by early 2023. Source: CoinMarketCapMagazine: Former Love Island star’s tips on how to go viral in crypto: Van00sa, X Hall of Flame
New SEC chair ‘will be good for Bitcoin’ — Michael Saylor
Michael Saylor, the CEO of top corporate Bitcoin holder Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), expressed support for newly appointed US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins.In an April 23 X post, Saylor wrote that “SEC Chairman Paul Atkins will be good for Bitcoin.” The statement follows Atkins’ swearing-in as the 34th chairman of the SEC on April 21.Source: Michael SaylorBlue Macellari, the head of digital assets at investment firm T. Rowe Price, also commented positively on Atkins’ swearing in during a recent Bloomberg interview. She seemed hopeful and recognized a change in how the SEC has acted under the new administration, particularly with crypto-related information, including “close to six or seven roundtables” with industry professionals. She said:“I think that that’s gonna feed into the ability to make thoughtful and considerate policies.”Vincent Liu , chief investment officer at crypto investment firm Kronos Research, told Cointelegraph that “under Chair Atkins, finalizing custody rules for digital assets is expected to provide the investor protections that institutions demand.” Other issues expected to be resolved are clarification on whether some digital assets are securities or commodities:“Together, these two moves will help establish clear custody standards and bring much-needed clarity paving the way for the next wave of crypto product innovation.”Related: SEC and feds charge man over $200M crypto trading schemeWho is Atkins, and what does he mean for crypto?Accolades from representatives of the crypto industry readily followed Atkins’ appointment by US President Trump in late 2024. Bitwise Asset Management general counsel Katherine Dowling said at the time that he is a “great choice,” and Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse said that he “will bring common sense back to the agency.”Not everyone was happy with the choice. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said during Atkins’s nomination hearing that he had had “staggeringly bad judgment” in his role as a SEC commissioner leading up to the 2008 financial crisis. Atkins served at the agency from 2002 to 2008.She also raised an issue with his consulting firm, Patomak Global Partners, which had advised the crypto exchange FTX before its 2022 collapse. Warren said:“Your clients pay you north of $1,200 an hour for advice on how to influence regulators like the SEC, and if you’re confirmed, you will be in a prime spot to deliver for all those clients who’ve been paying you millions of dollars for years.”Liu said that “to maintain public trust and avoid even the perception of regulatory conflict of interest, it’s essential to implement clear guardrails.” Such a guardrail would include mandatory disclosures of prior industry ties, ethics oversight, and transparent public comment periods for all crypto rules.Related: SEC says it won’t re-file fraud case against Hex’s Richard HeartAtkins accused of biasWarren also sent a letter to Atkins in late March, stating that he should expect questions about his potential role at the agency due to his ties to the crypto industry through Patomak. Before being appointed, Atkins revealed a personal and family financial portfolio worth more than $327 million, according to a public ethics filing released ahead of his Senate confirmation hearing. Similarly, Trump’s artificial intelligence and crypto czar, David Sacks, filed a notice in early March suggesting that his venture capital firm sold more than $200 million in crypto and related stocks ahead of assuming his role.Magazine: Your AI ‘digital twin’ can take meetings and comfort your loved ones