Month: April 2026

Business Politics Style Travel

Coinbase drops 7% on customer breach, SEC probe into user numbers

Coinbase experienced a significant stock decline following revelations of a data breach and an ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation. On May 15th, COIN stock dropped 7%, closing at $244 in after-hours trading, according to Google Finance. This downturn reflects investor concerns stemming from a double blow of negative news. The SEC investigation centers […]

Business Politics Style Travel

Grok 'white genocide' rant due to unauthorized prompt change: xAI

xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, experienced a significant incident involving its Grok chatbot. On May 14th, an unauthorized modification to Grok’s prompt resulted in the AI generating responses referencing political and racial tensions in South Africa, specifically mentioning a “white genocide” conspiracy theory. This occurred even when users posed entirely unrelated questions on topics […]

Business Politics Style Travel

Crypto's lack of 'frothy use case' a good sign: WisdomTree exec

Despite the absence of the typical hype associated with previous crypto bull runs, Jason Guthrie, WisdomTree’s head of product, expresses optimism about the market’s current state. Unlike prior cycles driven by speculative frenzies surrounding Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), or DeFi lending, this cycle shows sustained growth in asset value and innovation within […]

Business Politics Style Travel

AI scammers are now impersonating US government bigwigs, says FBI

Deepfake technology is being weaponized in sophisticated phishing campaigns targeting US federal and state officials and cryptocurrency founders. The FBI issued a warning on May 15th detailing a campaign active since April, where hackers use deepfake voice and text messages to impersonate senior government officials. This deception establishes trust, enabling access to victims’ accounts via […]

Business Politics Style Travel

Brazil fintech gets approval to become a Bitcoin treasury company

Méliuz, a Brazilian fintech company, has become the first publicly traded Bitcoin treasury company in Brazil after its shareholders approved a plan to significantly increase its Bitcoin holdings. The company purchased 274.52 Bitcoin (BTC) for an average price of $103,604, adding to its existing 45.73 BTC acquired on March 6th. This latest acquisition brings Méliuz’s […]

Business Politics Style Travel

Wisconsin Investment Board sold off its Bitcoin ETF stash

The Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB), manager of Wisconsin’s retirement funds, fully liquidated its holdings in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) during the first quarter of 2025. This involved the sale of over 6 million IBIT shares, valued at approximately $355.6 million at the time of sale. This divestment marks a significant reversal for SWIB, […]

Business Politics Style Travel

Trump’s crypto ties ‘add a certain level of challenge’ to passing bills — Coinbase exec

Coinbase’s chief legal officer, Paul Grewal, recently commented on the complexities surrounding the GENIUS Act and the influence of President Trump’s crypto ventures. Speaking at the Consensus conference in Toronto, Grewal acknowledged “hiccups” in Congress following the Senate Banking Committee’s advancement of the bill in March. He noted disagreements over key issues within the legislation, […]

Business Politics Style Travel

Legacy forex, payments platforms ‘hate’ stablecoin adoption — Kevin O’Leary

Kevin O’Leary, speaking at Consensus 2025, highlighted the disruptive potential of stablecoins for the multi-trillion dollar foreign exchange (FX) and payments market. He argued that regulated stablecoins offer a cheaper, faster alternative to traditional cross-border transfers, posing a significant threat to established players who profit from high fees and inefficiencies. O’Leary predicted that the approval […]