What next as BTC tops $68,000 after Iran confirms Khamenei death

Bitcoin jumped to $68,000 early Sunday, recovering nearly all of Saturday’s war-driven losses within hours of Iranian state TV confirming that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. Khamenei held ultimate authority over Iran’s military, foreign policy, and nuclear program. Under Iran’s constitution, a temporary council of the president, head…

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Bitcoin is stuck in a rut but JPMorgan says new legislation could be the ultimate spark

Crypto markets have lacked conviction, as traders struggle to identify a catalyst strong enough to lift prices out of their current lull. Bitcoin has remained range-bound around mid-$60,000, while ether is trading around $2,000, and volumes across major exchanges have thinned. The digital assets market is thirsty for a solid catalyst, and JPMorgan says it…

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Here’s how bitcoin’s price rise could be fueled by job-stealing AI software

Bitcoin’s future in an artificial intelligence-driven world may depend less on code and more on central banks. In a new note, Greg Cipolaro, global head of research at financial services and infrastructure firm NYDIG, argued that artificial intelligence will affect bitcoin mainly through macroeconomic channels and its impact on the labor market. The key variables…

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Crypto community fears Iran choking oil supply and crashing markets, but that may be overblown

As tensions flare once again between Iran, Israel, and the U.S., social media, especially on crypto social media X (or Crypto Twitter), fears that Tehran could shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil chokepoint. Such a move, many worry, could send oil prices and global inflation soaring and roil financial markets, including bitcoin….

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Barclays explores blockchain platform for payments: Bloomberg

Multinational bank Barclays (BARC) is exploring the creation of a blockchain platform for payments and other processes, Bloomberg reported on Friday. The London-based financial services giant is consulting with prospective technology providers on the development of such a platform that would see it rival JPMorgan (JPM) and others in using decentralized technology for banking services….

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Vitalik Buterin reveals his bold new plan to fix the network’s scaling problem

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has published a new blog post on X outlining his latest vision for scaling the blockchain, arguing the network can boost capacity in the near term while laying the groundwork for a longer-term shift to advanced cryptography and data-heavy “blobs” that would change how Ethereum is validated. The post reflects Buterin’s…

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Citi wants to make bitcoin bankable as Wall Street builds native crypto infrastructure

Citigroup (C) plans to launch institutional bitcoin custody later this year, part of a broader push to integrate digital assets into the bank’s traditional financial infrastructure. Nisha Surendran, who heads Citi’s digital asset custody product buildout, described the initiative in a speech at the World Strategy Forum on Thursday as an effort to “make bitcoin…

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