hodler

5 May 2026, 15:12

Crypto's value is from being outside regulatory apparatus, says Arthur Hayes

All that matters for bitcoin’s value proposition is fiat liquidity, said Arthur Hayes, CIO of Maelstrom, at Consensus Miami 2026.

5 May 2026, 14:51

GoMining Launches GoBTC to Bring Native Instant Payments to Bitcoin

BitcoinWorld GoMining Launches GoBTC to Bring Native Instant Payments to Bitcoin Miami, FL, USA GoBTC is a protocol that lets consumers make native and instant payments on Bitcoin’s base layer. GoMining launches its own mining pool to prioritize GoBTC transaction confirmation, targeting a 12-hour final on-chain settlement by the end of 2026. The launch marks a strategic expansion for GoMining, a platform with 5 million users. GoBTC extends this ecosystem into everyday payments. GoMining today launches GoBTC , a Bitcoin payment protocol that delivers on what the 2008 whitepaper promised: peer-to-peer electronic payments. GoBTC enables free and instant Bitcoin payments on the core Bitcoin layer. This makes it practical to use Bitcoin at the point of sale for everyday purchases. Payments are free for end-users and merchants pay a small acquiring fee that undercuts traditional card processing. GoBTC is designed as an open infrastructure. GoMining operates the reference implementation, but any wallet provider — from Ledger to Trust Wallet to MetaMask — can integrate the protocol to offer instant Bitcoin payments to their users. Why this matters Bitcoin is the dominant cryptocurrency with a market cap above $1.5 trillion. Over 150 public companies hold BTC on their balance sheets. Spot Bitcoin ETFs, which didn’t exist two years ago, now manage roughly $100 billion in assets across a dozen funds. The U.S. government holds approximately 328,000 BTC. But Bitcoin still can’t process a retail transaction quickly and reliably. The Lightning Network, introduced in 2018 to solve this problem, took seven years to reach $1 billion in monthly volume and its average transaction of $223 mostly reflects exchange-to-exchange flows, not someone paying for groceries. In the US, about 22% of adults own Bitcoin, yet there are only 2,300 U.S. businesses that accept Bitcoin directly, and the gap between how many people own Bitcoin and how many places accept it is widening. “The first line of the Bitcoin whitepaper describes a peer-to-peer electronic cash system. Bitcoin was designed to be money, not just an asset. That promise is still unfulfilled, and we intend to deliver on it,” said Mark Zalan, CEO of GoMining. “We already serve millions of users, and run data centers on three continents. All of this provides us a unique position to enable native Bitcoin payments with GoBTC.” Mining-powered confirmation GoBTC enables free and instant payments in Bitcoin, using GoMining’s own mining infrastructure to confirm the transactions. It uses a 2-of-3 multi-signature architecture shared between the user, GoMining, and a regulated third-party custodian. GoMining serves 5 million users globally. The company has created a dedicated mining pool for processing GoBTC transactions, aiming for a 12-hour on-chain settlement by the end of 2026. Where most payment companies depend on third-party pools for confirmation, GoMining mines the blocks itself. The pool also serves GoMining’s “digital miners” — users who own tokenized hashrate through GoMining’s app. A portion of GoBTC transaction fees flows back to these miners as additional BTC yield: consumers pay with BTC, merchants earn BTC, miners earn a share of payment fees, and GoMining’s pool processes the transactions. Any wallet provider, whether hardware, software, or custodial, can connect to the GoBTC network and enable instant Bitcoin payments for their users. Bitcoin payments for Merchants For merchants, GoBTC is a Bitcoin-native acquiring network that undercuts every major card processor on cost. Its acquiring fee of 0.2% is substantially lower than traditional card processing, which range from 1.5% to 3.5% in the US. On a $100 sale, the merchant keeps $99.80. GoMining distributes the entire fee back into the ecosystem: half goes to the miners who confirm transactions, and half goes to the wallet provider that initiated the payment. GoMining retains nothing on third-party transactions to incentivize wallet integrations and accelerate adoption. Merchants can receive BTC directly to their own wallet, or use GoMining’s custodial merchant solution, which offers yield on their BTC balance — including during the settlement window — and an off-ramp to fiat. GoBTC will ship with a dedicated PoS terminal, a web merchant dashboard, a developer SDK, and plugins for Shopify and WooCommerce in the coming months. The launch coincides with GoMining’s major expansion in the United States. The company is building combined data centers for Bitcoin mining and AI workloads, with a target of securing 1 GW of compute capacity in 2026. GoBTC launches today at Consensus Miami 2026 (May 5–7, Miami Beach Convention Center). About GoMining GoMining is an all-in-one Bitcoin ecosystem that makes it simple and secure to mine, earn, and use Bitcoin every day. GoMining serves 5 million users and ranks among the top-10 Bitcoin miners by hashrate globally, with data centers in the U.S. and internationally. The company makes Bitcoin accessible through tokenized hashrate, daily BTC rewards, and an expanding suite of payment and earning products. For more information, please visit https://gomining.com/ This post GoMining Launches GoBTC to Bring Native Instant Payments to Bitcoin first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

5 May 2026, 14:30

Himachal Pradesh court denies bail to promoter in Rs 2,000 crore crypto-MLM fraud

Last week, the Himachal Pradesh High Court rejected the bail plea of Abhishek Sharma, one of the key promoters in a crypto multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme that allegedly defrauded over 80,000 investors across India. Currently, total losses are estimated at Rs 500 crore, about $3.6 million. It was Justice Sushil Kukreja who delivered the judgment on April 30. “Economic offenses are considered grave offenses as they affect the economy of the country as a whole, and such offenses having a deep-rooted conspiracy and involving huge loss of public funds are to be viewed seriously,” the court stated. Indian Ponzi scheme operators land in legal trouble Sharma and his associates allegedly conducted the scheme through connected platforms, including Korvio, Voscrow, DGT, Hypenext, and A-Global. The scheme itself followed a familiar pattern: Users bought virtual tokens with real money after promises that their returns would double. Early payouts even built credibility and drew in more users. By December 25, 2021, all distributions stopped. The promoters then moved their operations to Hypenext, where they briefly paid partial returns before releasing a video blaming “technical issues” and asking for five more months of patience. Eventually, users were directed to move their funds to a third platform called A-Global, which never paid any returns. Mastermind fled to Dubai as ED launched raids Shortly after the incident, Subhash Sharma, the headliner for the crypto Ponzi scheme, fled India in 2023. Several other accused members had already relocated to Dubai before police even filed First Information Reports, leading the authorities to issue lookout circulars. By December 2025, the Enforcement Directorate had raided eight locations across Himachal Pradesh and Punjab under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. One of the accused was also intercepted at Delhi’s IGI Airport as well. According to local reports , the agency froze three bank lockers and deposits amounting to Rs 1.2 crore, around $126,000, and seized documents concerning real estate investments, including benami (proxy-owned) properties acquired with fraud proceeds. Investigators also discovered that token prices were manipulated and money was laundered through real estate developers, shell companies, and family bank accounts. Why was Abhishek Sharma denied bail? Sharma’s lawyers argued he had been detained too long. While the court acknowledged constitutional protections against indefinite detention, it also insisted that the scale of the offense and Sharma’s active role in it justified keeping him in custody. Additionally, the court stated that the fact that some co-accused individuals had received bail did not entitle Sharma to the same courtesy, given his position in the conspiracy. Evidence across backend data analysis, payout records, and witness statements all pointed to his substantial participation across multiple platforms. Asian crypto fraudsters face reckoning The ruling comes as courts and regulators across the region tighten their grip on crypto fraud masterminds. Cryptopolitan previously reported on Cambodia’s extradition of Chen Zhi, the Prince Group chairman accused by U.S. authorities of running forced-labor scam compounds that stole billions in cryptocurrency. The U.S. Treasury confiscated approximately $14 billion in Bitcoin linked to his operations. The U.S. Treasury even sanctioned a sitting Cambodian senator and 28 entities in April for running crypto fraud compounds, per Cryptopolitan . Over in Hong Kong, 10 defendants in the JPEX cryptocurrency fraud, which trapped over HK$1.6 billion and more than 2,700 victims, were remanded in custody in March 2026. A Special Investigation Team was also established in India in 2023 to specifically probe cryptocurrency-related frauds in the Himachal Pradesh region. The court stated that MLM and Ponzi schemes have repeatedly used the promise of profits to target people in smaller Indian cities where financial literacy around cryptocurrency remains limited. If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter .

5 May 2026, 13:33

Canada approves CAD stablecoin in push for on-chain payments, settlements

A new CAD stablecoin has officially entered the Canadian financial system following regulatory approval in Alberta. Tetra Trust Company unveiled CADD, a one-to-one Canadian dollar-backed token delivered under a governed financial system. CADD is now live on Base, Ethereum, and Tempo network systems, with plans aiming to extend to Solana. CAD stablecoin brings regulated settlement infrastructure The CAD stablecoin allows Canadian dollars to settle on-chain with near-instant finality. This adds to a new branch to Canada’s legacy payment systems, which processes about $424B in daily transactions through a standard system created decades ago. The introduction of ongoing payment networks allows financial flows to function without traditional time limitations. Tetra Digital Group assured that all funds minted to CADD are held in trust and can be redeemed only. Consequently, the stablecoin enables regulated involvement by banks, fintech companies, and payment providers that must comply with the stablecoin from its inception. The launch, as highlighted in the blog post , marks a partnership between regulators, industry participants, and government authorities. The approval was granted by Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, enabling the token to be introduced into a financial services framework. This makes the CADD the first stablecoin in Canada issued by a licensed trust company. Institutional backing and market position The CAD stablecoin enters the market with backing from a group of Canadian financial institutions and technology firms. These include National Bank of Canada and Shopify, alongside other participants such as Wealthsimple, ATB Financial, and Purpose Unlimited. This support focuses on early institutional engagement with domestic digital asset infrastructure. In December 2025, CADD completed a test phase that included a transaction between the National Bank of Canada and Wealthsimple. This marked the first reported transfer of a Canadian stablecoin between two financial institutions. The test verified the token’s ability to support real-world settlement within a regulated environment. This follows a previous report by Cryptopolitan that Canada had already moved to accelerate stablecoin regulations ahead of federal budget documents presented by François-Philippe Champagne on November 4. At the time, John Ruffolo had called for faster action, urging authorities to introduce clear rules for Canadian dollar stablecoins. CAD stablecoin targets market gap with real-time payment use cases The CAD stablecoin targets use cases that existing Canadian payment systems have struggled to support. These include 24/7 cross-border settlement, real-time treasury operations, and programmable payments for digital platforms. It also enables direct transactions between financial institutions without relying on correspondent banking networks. Despite high global growth in stablecoins, Canada has had limited domestic offerings. Competing projects such as QCAD and CADC remain either in development or have seen limited adoption. This has left Canadian businesses dependent on foreign-denominated stablecoins for blockchain-based payments. CADD enters a market currently valued at approximately $320 billion, where U.S. dollar-backed tokens dominate. By introducing a regulated Canadian-dollar option, the CAD stablecoin serves as a localized settlement mechanism governed under Canadian law. Your bank is using your money. You’re getting the scraps. Watch our free video on becoming your own bank

5 May 2026, 13:30

Institutional Crypto Momentum Grows As Standard Chartered Invests In GSR

Before Standard Chartered’s investment arm took a stake in GSR, the crypto market maker had already made a move of its own. GSR invested in Libeara last month — a tokenization platform backed by SC Ventures — designed to help financial institutions issue tokenized assets. That prior transaction set the stage for what came next: SC Ventures formally becoming GSR’s first external shareholder in the company’s 13-year history. The investment was announced Monday. GSR confirmed that SC Ventures had secured a strategic stake in the firm, ending more than a decade of the company operating without outside shareholders. Financial terms were not disclosed. Tokenization At The Center Of The Deal GSR CEO Xin Song said the partnership brings together capital markets expertise and banking infrastructure, describing tokenization as “a key starting point.” SC Ventures CEO Alex Manson echoed that framing, saying the investment strengthens the firm’s focus on building institutional ecosystems capable of supporting deeper liquidity and more stable market activity. This marks an important milestone for GSR as our first external strategic shareholder since our founding. We look forward to building alongside SC Ventures and Standard Chartered as long-term partners in shaping this next phase of digital asset adoption. https://t.co/aU7sqPMeZH — Xin Song (@xinsong86) May 4, 2026 GSR added that the deal is part of a broader effort to help traditional finance access crypto markets and expand the reach of tokenized assets. The two companies appear to be building something together, not simply exchanging capital. Standard Chartered has been active on this front for some time. The bank has also backed Ripple, the crypto infrastructure company. Other major financial institutions have taken similar paths — JPMorgan Chase built its own blockchain division, and BNY Mellon now offers crypto custody services. A Shift Long In The Making GSR was founded in 2013. For over a decade, it operated as a crypto market maker without bringing in outside investors. That changed with SC Ventures’ entry , which the firm called its first-ever external strategic shareholder. The timing tracks with a wider push by large banks to move deeper into digital assets. Reports indicate that major financial institutions have been testing blockchain technology as a possible replacement for parts of the existing financial infrastructure, driven in part by growing interest in tokenized assets. For GSR, the deal brings not just capital but a direct connection to a global bank with reach across traditional finance. For Standard Chartered, it adds a foothold in crypto market-making through a firm that has been operating in the space since the early days of the industry. Featured image from MetaAI, chart from TradingView

5 May 2026, 13:25

10 Common Mistakes Investors Make in Gold-Backed DeFi

Gold-backed DeFi has scaled to multi-billion-dollar TVL across PAXG, XAUT, Kinesis, and newer protocols like Ayni Gold. The category has matured, but reader confusion has scaled alongside it. This piece walks through ten common mistakes investors make when allocating to gold-backed DeFi positions, with the underlying logic that explains why each one costs returns or creates unexpected risk. Why These Mistakes Matter More in 2026 The category has more variety than ever. Vault-backed tokens, production-linked yield, fee-share platforms, and other newer structures all live under the gold-backed umbrella. Treating them all the same way produces real allocation errors. Investors who treated PAXG and XAUT as similar in 2024 could often get away with it. The same approach in 2026 misses real differences in mechanics, verification, and portfolio fit. 1. Confusing Price Exposure with Yield Most tokenized gold is vault-backed. PAXG, XAUT, Comtech, and Meld give holders gold price exposure with no native yield. Buying these expecting steady returns produces a surprise: returns only happen when the gold price rises. The yield-paying alternatives are different. Kinesis pays from platform activity. Ayni Gold pays quarterly PAXG distributions from gold mining. Gold-token investors should know which type they're buying. 2. Treating Gold-Backed DeFi as a Static Category The category has expanded fast. New protocols, new yield models, and new verification approaches have all appeared since 2024. Information from older sources may describe products that have since changed structure or no longer reflect current best practices. Investors using two-year-old reviews to make 2026 allocation decisions miss the structural changes that have reshaped the category in the meantime. 3. Missing the Structural Difference Between Vault-Backed and Production-Linked Tokens Vault-backed tokens (PAXG, XAUT) and production-linked tokens (Ayni Gold) tokenize fundamentally different things. Vault-backed tokens represent stored bullion. Production-linked tokens represent operating mining capacity. Same underlying commodity, different exposure model. Comparing them as alternatives misses the structural distinction. They serve different portfolio roles, and treating them as complements is closer to the honest framing. 4. Focusing on APY Without Counting Total Return A token's headline APY isn't the full return picture. Some yield-paying tokens have an inflationary supply that dilutes returns over time. Others pay yield in the same asset that drives the underlying exposure, which can compound differently than yield paid in a separate asset. Total return accounting includes APY, supply changes, exposure to the underlying asset's price, and any token-burning mechanics that affect circulating supply. Looking only at APY misses several of these. 5. Treating All "Gold-Backed" Claims as Equally Verified "Gold-backed" means different things across the category. PAXG attestations come from BDO Italia. XAUT also uses BDO Italia. Kinesis uses LBMA-certified vaults. Ayni Gold uses CertiK and PeckShield for smart contracts, TurnKey for custody, and Kangari Consulting for geological assessments. Each verification setup matches what the protocol does. Assuming any "audited" claim is automatically equivalent misses the structural differences in what each protocol needs to verify. 6. Assuming Custody Models Work the Same Across All Tokens Custody varies meaningfully across the category. PAXG holders trust Paxos to custody the underlying gold. XAUT holders trust Tether and its Swiss vault custodian. Ayni's smart wallet uses TurnKey infrastructure with email OTP signing for user transactions. Each model has different failure modes. A PAXG investor's main custody concern is Paxos's regulatory standing. An Ayni investor's main custody concern is smart contract integrity plus their own wallet practices. 7. Skipping the Operational Due Diligence Behind Production-Linked Tokens For production-linked tokens, smart contract audits are necessary but not sufficient. The mining concession, geological assessment, jurisdictional structure, and operational variables also need due diligence. Ayni Gold publishes the concession registration (INGEMMET No. 070011405), the legal entity (Minerales SH San Hilario S.C.R.L.), and the geological scoping study (9 to 10.7 tonnes conceptual recoverable). For production-linked positions, that operational documentation is the production-linked yield equivalent of vault attestations for PAXG. 8. Underestimating Regulatory Differences Across Issuers Issuer regulatory profiles vary substantially. Paxos operates under NYDFS supervision. Tether operates offshore through TG Commodities Limited. Ayni separates its physical mining (Peruvian jurisdiction via Minerales SH) from its token issuance (BVI jurisdiction via AYNI TOKEN INC.). These structures have different implications for what protections users have, where disputes get resolved, and which regulatory changes affect each protocol. Lumping them together misses material differences. 9. Overweighting Liquidity Over Backing Quality XAUT has the deepest derivatives liquidity in the gold-token category. PAXG has wide exchange listings. Newer or smaller tokens carry less liquidity by definition. Liquidity matters when frequent trading is part of the strategy. For long-term allocation positions, backing quality and yield mechanics often matter more than how easily the token trades on a given day. Investors who chose tokens solely for liquidity sometimes missed that other tokens fit their actual portfolio role better. 10. Ignoring Portfolio Fit and Correlation Adding gold-backed DeFi to a portfolio that already holds vault-backed gold ETFs or physical gold creates redundant exposure. Both move with the gold price. Adding Ayni Gold's quarterly PAXG yield to that same portfolio adds something the existing positions don't deliver: a yield component from a different cash flow source. DeFi yield diversification is most useful when the new position adds something the portfolio doesn't already have, which often means yield-paying gold instead of additional price-tracking gold. Where This Leaves Gold-Backed DeFi Investors in 2026 The ten mistakes share one underlying pattern. Treating gold-backed DeFi as a single category misses the structural variety that has emerged since 2024. Vault-backed, production-linked, and platform-fee tokens carry different return profiles, different risks, and different portfolio roles. Investors who understand the structural distinctions allocate more deliberately. They capture the right kind of gold exposure for their goals instead of treating gold as yield generating asset as a single product. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.