hodler

14 May 2026, 02:30

Bitcoin firms dump holdings as treasury losses reach $30B – What’s next?

KULR Technology Group sold 300 BTC, worth $24.36 million as losses hit $18.25 million.

14 May 2026, 01:10

US CLARITY Act Secures 13 Republican Votes to Pass Senate Banking Committee

BitcoinWorld US CLARITY Act Secures 13 Republican Votes to Pass Senate Banking Committee The U.S. CLARITY Act has secured the 13 Republican votes required to pass the Senate Banking Committee, marking a significant milestone in the push for federal cryptocurrency regulation. Senator John Kennedy, who had been viewed as the only potential holdout among Republican members, has confirmed he will vote in favor, guaranteeing the bill’s advancement regardless of Democratic support. What the CLARITY Act Proposes The CLARITY Act — formally titled the “Cryptoasset Legal Accountability and Regulatory Integrity Transparency Act” — aims to establish a clear regulatory framework for digital assets in the United States. The legislation seeks to define whether cryptocurrencies are securities or commodities, a question that has created uncertainty for businesses and investors since the emergence of Bitcoin. The bill also proposes jurisdictional boundaries between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), addressing long-standing confusion over which agency oversees digital asset markets. Why Kennedy’s Support Matters Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana had expressed reservations about the bill in recent weeks, raising concerns about consumer protections and potential regulatory gaps. His decision to support the legislation removes the last major obstacle within the Republican caucus on the committee. With all 13 Republican votes locked in, the bill can advance even if every Democratic member votes against it. This procedural certainty allows the committee to schedule a markup session and formal vote in the coming weeks. Broader Implications for Crypto Regulation The CLARITY Act represents one of the most concrete efforts by Congress to address the regulatory vacuum surrounding digital assets. Currently, crypto firms face a patchwork of state-level regulations and conflicting guidance from federal agencies. The bill’s passage out of committee would send a strong signal that legislative action on crypto is gaining momentum, potentially influencing how the SEC and CFTC approach enforcement actions in the interim. Market participants have long called for regulatory clarity, arguing that uncertainty stifles innovation and drives crypto businesses overseas. What Comes Next Once the Senate Banking Committee votes to advance the CLARITY Act, the bill will move to the full Senate floor for debate and a vote. The timeline remains uncertain, as the Senate calendar is crowded with budget negotiations and other priorities. However, the bipartisan interest in crypto regulation suggests the bill could receive floor time before the end of the current session. If passed by the Senate, the legislation would then need to be reconciled with any companion bill in the House of Representatives before reaching the President’s desk. Conclusion The CLARITY Act’s assured passage through the Senate Banking Committee marks a pivotal step in U.S. cryptocurrency policy. By securing all 13 Republican votes, the bill has overcome its first major hurdle and now moves toward a full Senate vote. For crypto investors, businesses, and regulators, this development signals that federal legislative action on digital assets is no longer hypothetical — it is actively progressing through Congress. FAQs Q1: What is the CLARITY Act? The CLARITY Act is a proposed U.S. federal law that aims to establish a clear regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, defining whether digital assets are securities or commodities and clarifying the roles of the SEC and CFTC. Q2: Why is Senator John Kennedy’s vote important? Senator Kennedy was seen as the only potential Republican holdout on the Senate Banking Committee. His support ensures the bill has all 13 Republican votes needed to pass out of committee regardless of Democratic opposition. Q3: What happens after the committee vote? If the committee votes to advance the bill, it moves to the full Senate floor for debate and a vote. If passed, it must be reconciled with any House version before being sent to the President for signature. This post US CLARITY Act Secures 13 Republican Votes to Pass Senate Banking Committee first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

14 May 2026, 00:55

TAC Suffers $2.8M Cross-Chain Exploit, Vows Full User Compensation

BitcoinWorld TAC Suffers $2.8M Cross-Chain Exploit, Vows Full User Compensation The TON Application Chain (TAC) project has been compromised in a security incident that led to the theft of approximately $2.8 million in digital assets. The exploit targeted TAC’s cross-chain bridge on the TON network, draining funds in USDT, BLUM, and tsTON before the team could intervene. What Happened and What Was Affected According to an official announcement posted on X, the attack specifically impacted the project’s cross-chain infrastructure. The stolen assets include roughly $2.8 million worth of USDT, BLUM, and tsTON. TAC clarified that its native TAC tokens and ERC-20 tokens bridged from TON and Ethereum remain unaffected. The bridge has been temporarily suspended while the team conducts a forensic investigation to determine the root cause of the exploit. A detailed post-mortem report is expected within 48 hours. TAC is working closely with law enforcement agencies, the security response team SEAL 911, and other security partners to trace and potentially recover the stolen funds. Compensation Plan and Community Response In a move aimed at restoring user confidence, TAC stated that its foundation will sell its holdings of TAC tokens, following all applicable legal procedures, to fully compensate all affected users. This commitment to full restitution is notable in an industry where victims of exploits often face lengthy recovery processes or no compensation at all. The announcement has drawn mixed reactions from the crypto community. Some users praised the proactive compensation pledge, while others raised questions about the potential market impact of a large token sale and the long-term security of the platform. Why This Matters for the TON Ecosystem This incident is the latest in a series of security challenges facing cross-chain bridges, which have historically been a prime target for attackers due to the complexity of their architecture. TAC is designed to bring Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility to the TON network, making it a critical piece of infrastructure for the growing TON ecosystem. A breach of this nature raises broader concerns about the security posture of cross-chain solutions and the risks associated with bridging assets between different blockchain networks. For users and investors, the key takeaway is the importance of due diligence when using cross-chain services. While TAC’s swift response and compensation plan are positive signals, the incident underscores the persistent vulnerability of bridge protocols. Conclusion The TAC exploit serves as a reminder that security remains a paramount concern in decentralized finance. As the investigation unfolds, the project’s ability to deliver on its compensation promise and implement robust security upgrades will be critical to rebuilding trust. The next 48 hours will be pivotal as the community awaits the post-mortem report and further details on the recovery plan. FAQs Q1: How much was stolen in the TAC exploit? The total stolen amount is approximately $2.8 million, comprising USDT, BLUM, and tsTON tokens. Q2: Are my TAC tokens or other assets safe? Yes. TAC confirmed that native TAC tokens and ERC-20 tokens bridged from TON and Ethereum were not affected by the exploit. Q3: How will TAC compensate affected users? The TAC foundation plans to sell its holdings of TAC tokens, following legal procedures, to fully compensate all users who lost funds in the incident. This post TAC Suffers $2.8M Cross-Chain Exploit, Vows Full User Compensation first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

14 May 2026, 00:46

DEF Warns ‘Anti‑DeFi’ Amendments To CLARITY Act Could Threaten Users, Developer Protections

A DeFi advocacy group has warned about a list of proposed amendments to the long-awaited crypto market structure bill that threaten the sector’s developers and hinder innovation in the US. Related Reading: Bitcoin Rally At Risk: This Critical Resistance Could End BTC’s Bullish Run CLARITY Act Amendments Could Harm The DeFi Sector On Wednesday, the DeFi Education Fund (DEF) shared a list of 16 “anti-DeFi amendments” to the Senate Banking Committee’s crypto market structure bill, known as the CLARITY Act, ahead of its highly anticipated Thursday markup session. In an X post, the advocacy group warned that some of the recent amendments submitted for consideration could harm DeFi technology, users, and developers if they are implemented in the final text of the legislation. These amendments came from Democratic Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, Andy Kim, Chris Van Hollen, Elizabeth Warren, and Jack Reed, who collectively targeted core DeFi protections in the bill. Some of the most notable “anti-DeFi” proposals include amendments by Senators Cortez Masto and Reed targeting the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), which exempts non-controlling developers and providers from federal money transfer requirements. According to DEF’s assessment of the text, Cortez Masto’s amendments “re-write the BRCA to turn it from a shield to a sword against developers,” and “strike protections for non-controlling developers” in Sections 301 and 302. Meanwhile, Reed’s amendments reportedly include a “direct attack on Van Loon – 5th Circuit federal court decision by subjecting smart contracts to sanctions ‘without regard to whether such contracts operate autonomously, can be modified, or are owned.’” In addition, he proposed eliminating the BRCS from the CLARITY Act. Other related amendments also target DeFi front ends, tokenization provisions, and expand BSA/AML obligations for developers and digital asset businesses. DEF Urges Community Action The DeFi Advocacy group called for action against the potential changes, urging X users to contact Senators’ offices to oppose them. However, it noted that Thursday’s markup will not consider every amendment. This gives the community a timely opportunity to press Senators to dismiss the proposals that would affect the industry. Responding to DEF’s post, Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Semenov also slammed the Senators for targeting the DeFi sector, affirming that they “are trying to push last-minute amendments into Clarity Act that would defeat its entire purpose” and urging community members to act. Moreover, Justin Slaughter, VP of Regulatory Affairs at Paradigm, highlighted DEF’s “anti-DeFi” list, affirming that they are “basically the key amendments to watch,” alongside those affecting stablecoin rewards, the use of digital assets for tax payments, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) crypto guidelines and rules, and DeFi ability to operate. Related Reading: Crypto Funds Extend Six-Week Streak With $858M Inflows On CLARITY Act Progress It’s worth noting that Senators submitted over 100 amendments to the CLARITY Act’s text ahead of the markup vote, with roughly 40 of them coming from anti-crypto Senator Elizabeth Warren. As journalist Eleanor Terret reported on X, one of these proposals would prevent the Federal Reserve from issuing master accounts to crypto firms, resulting in heavy criticism from the crypto community and White House Crypto Advisor Patrick Witt. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

14 May 2026, 00:39

OpenAI advocates for AI governance body globally

OpenAI says AI needs the same regulation as nuclear energy and wants the US to initiate the creation of a global regulator to handle it. As reported by Cryptopolitan , this comes as President Trump traveled to Beijing for the first US–China state visit in nine years, during which AI policy was expected to be on the agenda. According to Chris Lehane, the vice president of global affairs at OpenAI, Trump and Xi in the same room is a rare opportunity for the two nations to build something lasting for AI. “AI, in some level, transcends a lot of the prevailing or traditional trade type of issues. There is an opportunity to really start to build something up globally, and have countries around the world, including China, potentially participate,” Chris Lehane said during a briefing. What is OpenAI, and why is its opinion about global policy a big deal? OpenAI is the American company that developed ChatGPT , a popular AI assistant/chatbot used by hundreds of millions of people every day. The company has always participated in every major debate about powerful AI systems. Its CEO, Sam Altman, usually meets with heads of state to discuss AI and even testifies before Congress, giving the company significant influence over global AI policy. OpenAI is also in a separate legal fight after Tesla CEO Elon Musk sued the company in 2024. Musk is one of OpenAI’s original founders, and he says that Sam Altman and other executives went against the company’s nonprofit mission and made it a for-profit organization. The trial is still running, but the bigger story this week is happening in Beijing. What did OpenAI propose, and what is the IAEA comparison? Vice President of Global Affairs at OpenA, Chris Lehane, proposed linking two things to create something new. He wants the US Commerce Department’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation and AI safety institutes to come together and build a global network. He used the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as an example of how countries connected their nuclear regulators into one overal body. The US Commerce Department’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation is a government office that creates technical standards for AI systems. At the same time, countries are establishing AI institutes worldwide. For example, the UK has one, the EU is developing frameworks, and several Asian governments are also working on similar bodies. Lehane said a unified body for AI will help build safer, more resilient systems that are less susceptible to attacks. He also wants the US government to make it mandatory for the country’s researchers to test the most powerful AI models before deploying them. What is the Mythos model, and why does it rattle both Washington and Beijing? Mythos is a new, powerful AI model that found “thousands” of major vulnerabilities in operating systems and other software. Anthropic (the AI safety company backed by Google and Amazon) developed Mythos. The scale of what Mythos can do shocked the world as banks and governments scrambled to fix their security defenses after the announcement. White House officials even acknowledged that models like Mythos made communication with China more important than ever before. China was locked out of early access to a Mythos preview, raising concerns about the ability of the country’s developers and government to defend themselves against attacks that use the AI model. Market intelligence firm IDC China even warned that leaving China out of Mythos could create a “generational gap” in AI defense capabilities between China and the West. According to researchers , attackers could use advanced AI to design bioweapons, trigger financial shocks, or act autonomously without human control. The scariest part is that AI just needs to be powerful, fast, and pointed in the wrong direction to do all these things. What happened at the Trump-Xi meeting, and what did they discuss? The US delegation to China included Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and top White House technology policy advisor Michael Kratsios. Their presence on the trip made the meeting a priority and an urgent issue, as both sides came prepared to discuss AI issues directly. China proposed a formal dialogue on AI issues, led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Finance Minister Liao Min. But expectations for the channel are low because neither agency specializes in AI. The US also planned to raise concerns that Chinese developers were using outputs from advanced AI models to build systems at a fraction of the cost, but with fewer safety guardrails. Both sides also discussed the possibility of establishing a no-blame hotline to report suspected AI-driven incidents, similar to military hotlines. Analysts even suggested that both governments could commit to guardrails for frontier AI models, similar to the 2015 US-China Cybersecurity Agreement . Finally, the discussions could also touch on the MATCH Ac t, a proposed US law that aims to limit China’s access to semiconductor supply chains. Sun Chenghao of Tsinghua University participated in the US-China AI talks and said the US should draw a clear line between managing AI safety risks and simply trying to block China’s technological development. “China likely hopes the US will appropriately distinguish between AI governance and technological containment,” Sun Chenghao said. If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter .

13 May 2026, 23:36

Is XRP Security Status Protected by the CLARITY Act Section 105?

XRP security status has returned to the center of the U.S. crypto policy debate as supporters point to Section 105 of the latest CLARITY Act draft and say it could strengthen the legal position of XRP secondary market sales. The debate grew after XRP-focused accounts cited pages 110 to 112 of the draft, arguing that Section 105 includes language tied to prior court rulings. Their view is that if a court has already ruled that a digital asset transaction was not a security before the bill becomes law, that transaction should not later be reclassified as a security under the same framework. XRP supporters immediately connected that language to the 2023 ruling by Judge Analisa Torres, which found that XRP secondary market sales were not securities transactions. They argue that Section 105 could create a federal legal shield around that part of the Ripple case if the bill passes in its current form. The claim remains tied to draft legislation, not enacted law. The CLARITY Act still has to pass through committee, survive amendments, move through the Senate, and possibly be reconciled with other legislation before becoming law. Section 105 Brings XRP Security Status Back Into Focus Section 105 is drawing attention because it introduces a decentralization test and language around “network tokens.” XRP supporters say this category could fit XRP because the XRP Ledger operates independently of Ripple and is used for payments, settlement, and utility-based transactions. The argument from XRP advocates is that XRP’s value is linked to network usage rather than direct claims on Ripple’s profits. They also say the XRP Ledger continues to run even if Ripple is not directly involved, which they believe supports the case for XRP being treated differently from a company-issued security. Critics may still challenge that reading. The draft language would need legal interpretation, and regulators could still examine specific transactions, issuer conduct, or market activity depending on how the final bill is written. For XRP holders, the main point is whether the CLARITY Act can reduce the risk of future SEC action over secondary market trading. Supporters say Section 105 may help prevent a future administration or SEC chair from reopening the same security classification fight. Ripple Executives Back CLARITY Act Progress Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has praised the Senate Banking Committee for advancing the CLARITY Act and said millions of Americans already participate in crypto markets. He said Ripple supports the bill because crypto users deserve rules and protections similar to other asset classes. Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty also cited data from the National Crypto Association’s 2026 State of Crypto Holders Report, which said 67 million Americans hold cryptocurrency. According to the report, California leads with 9.5 million holders, followed by Texas with 5.94 million and Florida with 4.71 million. Ripple’s support for the bill comes as the company and XRP remain tied to broader U.S. digital asset regulation. Clearer rules around token classification, exchange oversight, and market structure could affect XRP, Solana, Litecoin, Hedera, Dogecoin, Chainlink, and other major tokens. The Senate Banking Committee markup is expected to be closely watched by crypto firms, banks, investors, and policy groups. Senator Warren Amendments Add New Uncertainty Senator Elizabeth Warren has submitted more than 40 amendments to the CLARITY Act, according to reports cited by crypto market observers. One reported amendment would strike language described by supporters as a grandfather clause, which could affect tokens with prior court rulings or established trading status. Warren has argued that the bill puts investors, national security, and the financial system at risk. She has also criticized the lack of conflict-of-interest provisions tied to President Donald Trump and his family’s crypto ventures. Source: X Another Warren amendment would block the Federal Reserve from granting master accounts to crypto firms. Companies linked to the debate include Ripple, Anchorage Digital, Circle, and Custodia Bank, while Kraken has reportedly received a Fed master account. Other Democratic proposals from Senators Jack Reed and Tina Smith reportedly address stablecoin yield restrictions and the use of crypto assets such as Bitcoin and XRP for tax payments. Consequently, tomorrow’s markup may therefore become a test of how much support remains for the CLARITY Act in its current form.