The HackerNoon Newsletter: AI - Should we Be Afraid? 3 Years Later (12/29/2025)

Prior to Donald Trump’s influence, cryptocurrency companies primarily encountered the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) through legal battles. Under the leadership of former SEC Chair Gary Gensler, the lack of clear guidance from the commission bred a climate of apprehension, leaving businesses in a perplexed state.Continue Reading:Trump’s Tactics Reignite Crypto’s SEC Dialogue

The post Ex-FTX Exec’s Plea Deal Still at the Center of Court Case appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Nearly three years after the collapse of crypto exchange FTX, courtroom battles tied to its executives and their associates are still unfolding. This week, Michelle Bond, spouse of former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame, will return to court for an evidentiary hearing in her criminal case. In a Sunday filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), Bond’s legal team requested that a federal judge allow her to testify despite prosecutors’ objections. Prosecutors had argued Friday that it was unlikely Bond could offer testimony relevant to Salame’s plea agreement involving allegations of campaign finance fraud. He’s currently serving time in prison for charges related to his role in the company’s downfall. Salame’s plea deal sits at the heart of Bond’s case over alleged campaign finance violations. Prosecutors alleged that Salame ordered $400,000 in funds tied to FTX sent to her campaign. Bond was charged with conspiracy to cause unlawful campaign contributions, causing and accepting excessive campaign contributions, causing and receiving an unlawful corporate contribution, and causing and receiving a conduit contribution in August 2024. She pleaded not guilty to all charges. “The government has no grounds to pre-emptively bar Ms. Bond from testifying because her testimony is neither redundant nor irrelevant,” said her attorneys. “Ms. Bond’s and her husband’s state of mind in entering into the plea agreement are directly relevant to the issues before the Court […]” Sunday filing by Michelle Bond’s lawyers. Source: Courtlistener As one of five defendants included in the indictment of former FTX and Alameda Research executives, Salame pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make unlawful political contributions and defraud the Federal Election Commission and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business. He was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison, where he reported in October 2024.  After Salame’s guilty plea,…

The post SEC New Standards to Simplify Crypto ETF Listings appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved a new standard for crypto ETF listings on Wednesday. The standard is created to simplify the working of exchanges in terms of the process followed for crypto ETP listings. This makes it possible to to avoid the cumbersome route of case-by-case approval being followed so far. With this change, exchanges can bypass the 19(b) rule filing process. It is a review that can stretch up to 240 days and demands direct SEC approval before an ETF can launch. Instead of going through the tedious and lengthy review process, the SEC has set up a system that allows exchanges to act more quickly. Now, when an ETF issuer presents a product idea to exchanges like Nasdaq, NYSE, or CBOE, the exchange can move ahead as long as the proposal meets the generic listing standard. This means that strategies based on a single token or a basket of tokens can be listed without waiting for individual approval. New Standards Will Ease Crypto ETF Listings: SEC Chairman According to the Chairman of the SEC, Paul Atkins, this move is aimed at making it easier for investors to access digital asset products through regulated U.S. markets. He noted that by approving generic listing standards, the agency is helping U.S. capital markets remain a global leader in digital asset innovation. At the same time, the SEC approved the Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund, a fund made up of Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Cardano and Solana. Furthermore, the SEC also approved a new type of options linked to the Cboe Bitcoin U.S. ETF Index and its mini version. This step further expands the range of crypto-linked derivatives available in regulated U.S. markets. How Will SEC General Listing Standard Impact Altcoin Crypto ETF Market? The SEC’s updated listing standards could clear…