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ECB Picks Open European Standards for Digital Euro, Sidelining Visa and Mastercard

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The European Central Bank (ECB) signed agreements with three European standard-setting bodies to build the digital euro on open, non-proprietary infrastructure, directly challenging the dominance of Visa and Mastercard across the eurozone. The deals with the European Card Payment Cooperation (ECPC), nexo standards, and the Berlin Group give the digital euro a free, shared technical … Read more

Bitcoin Has 1 Week to Secure Its Best April Since 2020

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Bitcoin (BTC) is heading into the final week of April 2026 with a +13.71% gain so far. That leaves holders just half a percentage point short of the strongest April performance for the asset in five years. Only a few days remain before the monthly close. BTC must add roughly 0.5% to surpass April 2025’s … Read more

Federal Agency Sues New York Over Prediction Market Ban

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The Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued New York to block the state from enforcing its gambling laws against federally registered prediction market exchanges. The complaint filed in the Southern District of New York seeks a declaratory judgment confirming federal preemption, plus a permanent injunction barring state action against CFTC-registered designated contract markets. Fourth State in … Read more

Rep. Luna Accuses Nancy Pelosi of Insider Trading After 17,000% Gains

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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna accused former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of insider trading on Thursday, arguing that her reported 17,000% portfolio return since entering Congress is statistically impossible without access to nonpublic government information. The Florida Republican posted the allegation on X, contrasting Pelosi’s stock market gains with the federal prosecution of a Special Forces … Read more

US Consumer Sentiment Hits Record Low Amid Iran War

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US consumer sentiment has hit a record low, collapsing to 47.6 in April. That reading is the lowest in the University of Michigan’s 74-year survey history, deeper than pessimism recorded during the 2008 crisis or COVID pandemic shutdowns. Economists blame the ongoing war with Iran, surging energy costs, and persistent inflation for the historic drop. … Read more

Goldman Sachs Says AI Cost US Economy 16,000 Jobs Per Month

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AI has trimmed US monthly payroll growth by roughly 16,000 jobs over the past year, according to new research from Goldman Sachs economists, nudging the unemployment rate up by 0.1 percentage point. The analysis separates jobs at risk of being replaced by AI from those where the technology augments human workers. That distinction reveals a … Read more

New Quantum Break Claim Sparks Bitcoin Security Debate

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A researcher has made a small but notable step toward breaking the cryptography that secures Bitcoin, but the claim has already sparked pushback over how meaningful the result really is. Project Eleven said it awarded a 1 BTC “Q-Day Prize” to Giancarlo Lelli for deriving a private key from a public key using a quantum … Read more

BitGo Outlines Four Controls as AI Agents Move Into Institutional Finance

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Agentic finance is gaining serious traction. AI agents are no longer just drafting reports or surfacing ideas. They are placing trades, settling payments, and transacting on behalf of users and enterprises. The pace has accelerated sharply in 2026. As adoption scales, Jody Mettler, COO of BitGo, says that from an institutional standpoint, four controls must … Read more

China Orders Three AI Giants to Reject US Investment

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Three top Chinese AI firms have been told to reject US-origin capital without government approval. The directive reshapes how Washington money reaches Beijing’s strategic technology champions. The instructions were issued by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in recent weeks. Bloomberg first reported the guidance on Friday. Beijing Cuts Off US Capital For Its … Read more