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14 Apr 2026, 11:00

UK Urges FCA Probe Into Farage’s Bitcoin Company Ties

The request was made due to potential market rule breaches tied to his financial stake and promotional involvement in Stack BTC, which recently disclosed a 37 Bitcoin purchase. Meanwhile, in South Korea, regulators have fined Coinone 5.2 billion won (about $3.5 million) and imposed a three-month partial suspension after the Financial Intelligence Unit found widespread anti-money laundering violations, including failures in user identity verification and unauthorized transactions with unregistered foreign exchanges. Farage Faces FCA Scrutiny The United Kingdom’s political and financial landscape is facing scrutiny after the Liberal Democrats called on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to investigate Reform UK leader Nigel Farage over his ties to Bitcoin treasury firm Stack BTC. The request follows the company’s recent disclosure that it bought 37 Bitcoin, valued at approximately $2.7 million. In a formal letter to the regulator, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest. She urged the FCA to examine whether Farage may have breached market rules by appearing in promotional content for a company in which he holds a financial stake. Cooper argued that such actions could amount to market abuse, and warned that political figures should not be allowed to leverage financial markets for personal gain. The controversy stems partly from Farage’s growing involvement with Stack BTC. Earlier this year, he disclosed a $286,000 investment in the company, which secured him a 6.31% ownership stake through his media entity. The firm is chaired by former UK Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng. It is considered a Bitcoin treasury company, and holds more than 68 BTC at an average purchase price of around $72,400 per coin. Concerns intensified due to Farage’s appearance in a video linked to the company’s latest Bitcoin acquisition, where he explained that a Bitcoin treasury company must hold Bitcoin to operate effectively. Critics argue that such statements, when made by a political leader with a direct financial interest, could influence market sentiment and potentially benefit his investment. The issue also intersects with debates around cryptocurrency’s role in UK politics. Cooper’s letter pointed out a £9 million donation to Reform UK from crypto investor Christopher Harborne, as well as Farage’s advocacy for crypto-friendly policies. She suggested that these elements collectively raise questions about whether political promotion of digital assets could be tied to personal or party financial interests. The FCA has acknowledged that it received the letter and stated that it will review the concerns and respond directly. South Korea Cracks Down on Coinone Regulation is also taking center stage in South Korea. The country’s crypto sector is once again under regulatory pressure as Coinone, the country’s third-largest digital asset exchange, faces a big fine and a partial suspension of its operations over alleged anti-money laundering (AML) failures. The action comes after an investigation by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), which operates under the Financial Services Commission. According to local reports , regulators found that Coinone failed to properly verify user identities in approximately 70,000 cases, which is a serious breach of AML requirements designed to prevent illicit financial activity. In addition to these shortcomings, the FIU alleged that the exchange facilitated more than 10,000 transactions involving 16 foreign crypto platforms that were not registered with South Korean authorities. These transactions reportedly continued despite repeated warnings from regulators, which raised serious concerns about the exchange’s internal controls and willingness to adhere to compliance guidelines. Further violations include failures in customer due diligence procedures. Regulators claim that Coinone marked verification processes as complete even when key user information was missing, and did not adequately restrict trading activity for customers whose identity checks had not been finalized. As a result, the FIU imposed a fine of 5.2 billion won, equivalent to roughly $3.5 million, and issued a three-month partial business suspension. During this period, the platform will be restricted from allowing new customers to deposit or withdraw funds. The exchange’s CEO, Cha Myung-hoon, has also received an official reprimand, though the measure is administrative rather than criminal in nature. Coinone has been given 10 days to respond to the FIU’s findings and contest the penalties before they are finalized.

14 Apr 2026, 10:58

Pi Network News and PI Token Price Moves: April 14

Pi Network’s team announced the completion of the latest update, which moved the protocol to version 21 and brought it even closer to the promised smart contract capabilities. They also published a few key clarifications and a new Testnet feature, but the native token continues to struggle and has failed to join the market-wide rally today. The Latest Our last overall update on Pi Network’s ecosystem informed that the protocol had already moved off the previous versions 19.6, 19.9, and even 20.2. The last one was anticipated the most since it laid out the foundations for smart contract functions. The next one, v21, was supposed to be introduced by April 6. Although the team didn’t confirm the completion by that date, they did it in a subsequent post a few days later and doubled down yesterday. As with the previous ones, node operators were advised to make sure their systems are up to date. The team also promised that the v22 upgrade is in the making. The Pi Mainnet has successfully upgraded to Protocol 21. Node operators, please ensure your systems are up to date and stay tuned for instructions regarding the upcoming v22 upgrade. — Pi Network (@PiCoreTeam) April 14, 2026 The other big development was focused on an RPC server for Pi Testnet. It was introduced a few weeks ago, but the team clarified earlier this week that it supports development, testing, and future deployment of smart contracts within the broader ecosystem. It also enables devs to “build responsive applications, test contract behavior, and integrate services using real-time blockchain data.” Third-party services and node operators are able to run their own RPC servers as well, the team explained . Pi Token’s Price Moves The project’s native token experienced its most significant revival in months in March ahead of a major listing announcement on Kraken. As the hype took over, the asset flew by nearly 100% in days and tapped $0.30 for the first time this year. However, once trading began on March 13, the ‘sell-the-news’ event was instant, and PI plummeted to under $0.20 in less than 48 hours. The landscape worsened as the war in Iran progressed, and it dipped below the crucial support at $0.18, which has now turned into resistance. CryptoPotato reported yesterday that it kept sliding, reaching a 7-week low of under $0.165. What’s even more concerning is that it has failed to rally in the past day, even though most of the market is well in the green , with BTC jumping by 5% and ETH soaring by 9%. PI is still slightly in the red on a daily scale and continues to fight for $0.165. The next few days will see massive token unlocks, which could lead to even more profound losses. The post Pi Network News and PI Token Price Moves: April 14 appeared first on CryptoPotato .

14 Apr 2026, 10:55

Bitcoin Nears $75K As Risk-on Sentiment, Geopolitical Landscape Improves

Bitcoin’s push towards $75K comes amid declining bearish options flow and spot buying, with analysts leaning slightly bullish.

14 Apr 2026, 10:38

Worldcoin jumps 10%: can WLD break $0.45 as traders pile in?

Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP) are all in the green as the broader cryptocurrency market recovered from Sunday’s dump. Bitcoin is now approaching the $75,000 level, while Ether is targeting $2,500 after a 9% surge in the last 24 hours. WLD, the native coin of the Worldcoin ecosystem, is one of the best performers among the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market cap. The coin is up 10% in the last 24 hours, outperforming Bitcoin and Ether in the process. Worldcoin (WLD) extended gains above $0.3200 at press time on Tuesday after a roughly 8% rise the previous day. The recovery aligns with the broader market's rising risk appetite linked to the US-Iran peace negotiations, prompting traders to turn to WLD derivatives. Technical indicators also suggest that Worldcoin’s price could rally higher in the near term, with a medium-term target of the $0.4500 psychological level. Worldcoin surges as the broader market recovers WLD is currently showing signs of a steady recovery since the announcement of US-Iran peace talks on April 7, resulting in 15% gains last week. Derivatives data suggest that more traders are entering the Worldcoin ecosystem. Data obtained from CoinGlass reveals a 23% rise in WLD futures Open Interest (OI) over the last 24 hours, suggesting a positional buildup amid growing anticipation among traders. The OI now reads $250.73 million, its highest in over a month. The OI-weighted funding rate turns positive to 0.0047%, from -0.0017% the previous day, suggesting near-term buy-side inclination. The increasing OI and the OI-weighted funding rate turning positive indicate that fresh capital is entering the Worldcoin ecosystem. With retail traders opening more long positions, WLD’s price could increase in the near term. Worldcoin price forecast: WLD targets breakout to $0.4500 The WLD/USD 4-hour chart is bullish and efficient as Worldcoin has been one of the best performers in recent days. The coin currently holds a near-term bullish bias, with the buyers looking to push its price higher. WLD is now approaching the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at $0.3259. Surpassing the 50-day EMA would pave the way for further rally in the near term, with the $0.4036 March 16 high the next target. A daily candle close above this level would allow WLD to extend its rally towards the $0.4500 psychological point. The Relative Strength Index around 73 and a positive, rising Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) histogram hint that short-term upside could push WLD higher and break the downward structure. However, if the breakout fails, WLD could encounter further selloff in the near term. Initial support is seen near the prior trendline break area around $0.3151. A daily candle close below this level would expose the recent swing low zone anchored by the 0.0% Fibonacci level at $0.2389. Similar to other major cryptocurrencies, WLD’s performance could be affected by the negotiations between the United States and Iran. The post Worldcoin jumps 10%: can WLD break $0.45 as traders pile in? appeared first on Invezz

14 Apr 2026, 10:36

Bitcoin Casino with Instant Withdrawals: Flush.com Processes Payouts in Under 2 Minutes Across Nine Cryptocurrencies in 2026

Flush.com delivers Bitcoin casino withdrawals processed and on-chain in under 2 minutes: no manual review, no queue, no exceptions at any hour. Flush.com is a Bitcoin casino and crypto sportsbook that has posted verified withdrawal times, putting it among the fastest crypto casino platforms operating in 2026. Across nine supported cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, USDT, TRX, Continue reading "Bitcoin Casino with Instant Withdrawals: Flush.com Processes Payouts in Under 2 Minutes Across Nine Cryptocurrencies in 2026"

14 Apr 2026, 10:32

Moscow prepares fines and prison terms for illegal crypto transactions

The authorities in Russia intend to severely punish any cryptocurrency operations conducted outside the framework of the country’s upcoming regulations. The penalties approved by the executive power in Moscow include prison sentences of up to seven years as well as stiff fines that can reach a million rubles. Russian government approves measures to combat illegal crypto turnover A bill introducing criminal liability for illegal circulation of digital currency in Russia has been given the nod by the Russian cabinet of ministers. The government’s legislative commission approved it at a meeting on Monday, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting a knowledgeable source. The draft law adds a new article to Russia’s Criminal Code, introducing financial and criminal penalties for such offenses as part of the comprehensive regulation of the market. Persons implicated in smaller crimes will be fined between 100,000 and 300,000 rubles (nearly $4,000), or an amount equal to their income for up to two years. Penalties in these cases may also include forced labor or imprisonment for up to four years, the source familiar with the legal document detailed. Punishment will be much harsher for participants in organized crime groups that have inflicted large-scale financial damage or generated significant illicit income. Convicted individuals may get up to seven years in prison, five years of forced labor, and fines can be as high as 1 million rubles (over $13,000), according to the legislation. Alternatively, the financial penalty may be equal to the total amount of the person’s wages or other income from a period of up to five years, the law further stipulates. The amendment defines anything above 3.5 million rubles as major financial damage or income and amounts exceeding 13.5 million rubles as especially large damage or income. Preliminary investigations of criminal cases under the new article will be carried out by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation and the Federal Security Service (FSB). Moscow moves to regulate crypto transactions in Russia’s economy The bill has been drafted by the Ministry of Finance as part of a government plan to bring a number of sectors, including the crypto market, out of the shadow economy. It defines criminal liability for cryptocurrency operations as “liability for organizing digital currency circulation without registration or a license from the Bank of Russia.” “Illegal cryptocurrency circulation refers to the activity of organizing the circulation of digital currency in violation of Russian law,” explained Vladimir Gruzdev, chairman of the Board of the Association of Russian Lawyers, who commented for the business news portal RBC. This particular piece of legislation comes after the government recently submitted a set of draft laws designed to comprehensively regulate crypto transactions in the country. The legislative package includes the bill on “On Digital Currency and Digital Rights,” which introduces licensing for crypto exchanges and depositories and regulates coin trading and investment, expanding access to include non-qualified investors. These laws are expected to be adopted and enforced by July 1, 2026, while the changes made with the latest bill should come into force on July 1, 2027. While the long-awaited legislation marks a turning point for Russia’s attitude towards decentralized digital assets, critics say it will drop an iron curtain on the crypto market. Besides indications that Moscow is preparing to restrict access to global exchanges, it also plans to obligate Russians to report their foreign crypto wallets to Russia’s Federal Tax Service (FNS). Failure to do the latter will also result in fines, according to a recent article by local crypto news outlet Bits.media. A survey revealed last week that about a third of Russians believe cryptocurrency should be recognized as property and regulated like other assets such as real estate and bank deposits. However, almost as many respondents fear the new regulations will bring excessive government control, too. Nevertheless, 36% of those polled said they were willing to invest in crypto. If you want a calmer entry point into DeFi crypto without the usual hype, start with this free video.