🪙 Foundry Digital to Launch U.S.-Based Zcash Mining Pool in 2026

🌐 Foundry Digital, a digital asset infrastructure provider, is set to launch a Zcash (ZEC) mining pool in April 2026. This initiative marks the company's first significant expansion beyond its Bitcoin-focused services. The new pool will be based in the United States and is tailored for institutional and publicly traded mining firms that require compliance-ready infrastructure.

🔔 The platform will utilize the same technical framework as the Foundry USA Pool, one of the largest Bitcoin mining pools by global hashrate. Foundry plans to offer features such as institutional-grade reporting tools and structured payout systems to help large-scale miners manage accounting, compliance, and performance tracking more efficiently.

🔒 Founded in 2016, Zcash is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency built on Bitcoin’s codebase but enhanced with zero-knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs). These allow users to make shielded transactions without revealing wallet addresses or transaction amounts. Mining pools enable multiple participants to combine computing power to increase the chances of discovering blocks and earning rewards, which are then distributed among contributors.

📈 Interest in ZEC surged during 2025, driven by endorsements from prominent crypto figures. This renewed attention helped drive the token’s price up nearly 600% over the past year, although it has since retraced significantly. Despite this interest, Zcash mining remains concentrated among a few dominant pools, with ViaBTC controlling 32.5% of the network’s hashrate.

💰 Mastercard Expands into Blockchain with BVNK Acquisition

🌍 Mastercard has announced its agreement to acquire BVNK, a London-based stablecoin infrastructure provider, in a deal valued at up to $1.8 billion. This move aims to deepen Mastercard's involvement in blockchain-enabled financial services. The transaction includes up to $300 million in performance-based contingent payments and is anticipated to close before the end of 2026, pending regulatory approvals.

🔗 The acquisition is part of Mastercard's strategy to integrate traditional fiat payment systems with blockchain-based assets, such as stablecoins and tokenized deposits. Jorn Lambert, Mastercard’s chief product officer, emphasized the company's commitment to supporting financial institutions and fintech firms in offering digital currency services. He stated,

We want to support them and their customers with a best-in-class, highly compliant, interoperable offering that brings the benefits of tokenized money to the real world.

🌐 BVNK, founded in 2021, offers enterprise-grade infrastructure that enables businesses to conduct payments across major blockchain networks in over 130 countries. Its platform is utilized by companies like Worldpay, Deel, and Flywire, processing billions of dollars annually. BVNK’s co-founder and CEO, Jesse Hemson-Struthers, highlighted the potential of the merger:

Together, we’re able to deliver an unprecedented infrastructure for digital currency-based financial services.

🚫 Brazil Delays Stablecoin Taxation Amid Election Preparations

🗓 As President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gears up for upcoming elections, the Brazilian government is postponing plans to tax stablecoin transactions. Recently appointed Economy Minister Dario Durigan will shift focus to less controversial issues to maintain support from lawmakers.

📌 Local media had reported that taxation on stablecoin transactions was imminent. However, new information suggests that the government is prioritizing other matters. Sources indicate that measures regarding stablecoin taxation will be delayed as the government enters full election mode and seeks to avoid contentious legislation.

It remains on the radar. But it needs to be handled carefully, because tempers are running high in Brasilia

a source emphasized.

💰 The proposed taxation plan would classify stablecoin transactions as foreign exchange operations and impose a 3.5% tax on all transactions, with exemptions for users who do not exceed 10,000 Brazilian reais (approximately $1,910) monthly. This proposal faced significant opposition from crypto organizations and lawmakers, who threatened legal action, arguing it was unconstitutional and contrary to existing cryptocurrency regulations.

💰 Coordinated Bets on U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Spark Debate in Prediction Markets

🔔 A cluster of newly created wallets is making coordinated bets on an early U.S.-Iran ceasefire, raising questions about whether these prediction markets are revealing genuine insights or are part of a more strategic play. This activity comes amid heightened tensions following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian infrastructure on February 28, which have led to increased fuel costs and supply chain disruptions globally.

💬 President Donald Trump has taken a hardline stance against a ceasefire, often calling for regime change. However, reports indicate that diplomatic channels through intermediaries like Oman and Qatar may still be active. In this context, the decentralized prediction platform Polymarket has become a real-time scoreboard for geopolitical speculation, with traders investing tens of millions in contracts related to a potential ceasefire.

🗓 These wallets were created around the same time and show little prior activity, suggesting that the positions may have been intentionally split across multiple addresses to avoid drawing attention. If the ceasefire occurs within the targeted timeframe, the group could earn over $1 million, a potential return that has attracted the interest of traders and skeptics alike.

🚫 Canada Proposes Bill to Ban Cryptocurrency Donations in Political Financing

❗️ On March 26, 2026, the Canadian government introduced the "Strong and Free Elections Act", a proposed amendment to the Canada Elections Act (CEA). This bill aims to tighten regulations on political financing methods for federal parties, third parties, candidates, and donors across Canada.

The proposal will prohibit parties and third parties from accepting donations in forms that are difficult to trace — including cryptocurrency, cash transfers, and prepaid cards,

the government stated.

🔒 The bill also requires that funding for third-party political activities comes from Canadian citizens or permanent residents, except for minimal donations. It introduces stricter measures for protecting personal data held by parties, tightens rules on foreign funding channels, and increases administrative fines for illegal financing. Proposed maximum fines are up to $25,000 for individuals and $100,000 for organizations.

🌍 Furthermore, the provisions of the bill will extend the law's reach beyond Canada and grant the Commissioner of Elections Canada enhanced powers to investigate cross-border financing and misuse of digital tools that may affect election integrity.

📌 In 2026, Canada revoked 50 financial service licenses, impacting 23 cryptocurrency companies. This move reflects the government's ongoing efforts to regulate the cryptocurrency sector amid concerns over its use in political financing.

🪙 The Influence of Russian Tax Authorities on Cryptocurrency Adoption by 2027

📈 The Russian tax authorities' efforts to increase transparency in cashless transactions may inadvertently drive some citizens towards cryptocurrency. This push for oversight could also lead to a rise in the use of cash. Past experiences suggest that the benefits of enhanced monitoring may be less than anticipated.

🔍 Starting in 2027, the Central Bank and the Federal Tax Service (FTS) will exchange data on cashless transfers made by individuals to identify unreported income and concealed entrepreneurial activities.

The trigger for this scrutiny is unreported income exceeding 2.4 million rubles per year.

The FTS will analyze the regularity of incoming payments and the network of counterparties involved. However, transfers from relatives and everyday payments will not be subject to this oversight.

💵 According to the Central Bank, the share of cashless payments in Russia reached 88% by the end of 2025. Despite this, bankers believe that cash will not disappear in the next five years. Recent events, such as widespread mobile internet outages in Russia, highlighted the continued importance of cash as a means of payment.

🚨 Georgia Proposes Stricter Regulations for Cryptocurrency ATMs

🚫 Republican representatives in Georgia, Bruce Williamson, Noel Williams Jr., and Johnny Chastain, have introduced a bill aimed at limiting the use of cryptocurrency ATMs to combat fraud. The bill defines a cryptocurrency ATM as an electronic terminal for exchanging cash for virtual currency with the possibility of subsequent transfer.

🆕 New customers are defined as users registered with the operator for less than 72 hours. They will have a daily transaction limit of $2,500, while other customers will have a limit of $10,000. The bill also allows new customers who fall victim to fraud to demand a full refund for transactions made within the first 72 hours after registration. To do so, they must contact the ATM operator and law enforcement within five days of the transaction. If these conditions are met, the operator is required to refund the amount within 72 hours of receiving the request.

🧾 Additionally, the bill proposes that operators must provide users with receipts containing detailed information about transactions and display warnings on the devices about the irreversibility of operations carried out accidentally or under the instructions of fraudsters. The bill also limits the size of fees, charges, and other payments to a maximum of 18% of the transaction amount.

🚫 In March, the authorities in Connecticut revoked the money transfer license of cryptocurrency ATM operator Bitcoin Depot, leading to the cessation of its devices' operations in the region.

👀 US government transfers seized Bitcoin linked to steroid probe

🔔 The US government moved a small amount of bitcoin on April 10 from wallets that Arkham Intelligence linked to a criminal case. The transfer involved 2.438 BTC, worth about $177,000, sent to a Coinbase Prime address.

📌 Arkham data showed two separate transactions from wallets labeled “U.S. Government: Glenn Olivio Seized Funds.” Both transfers went to the same Coinbase address, beginning with 3EMqu. Government-linked bitcoin transfers are not unusual. Federal agencies often move seized assets for custody, consolidation, or other handling during legal and administrative processes. The Block reported that the seized bitcoin appears linked to Glenn Bradford Olivio. Court records show Olivio was arrested in May 2025 with Dana Rene Light.

⚡️ Prosecutors charged the pair with five counts, including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, money laundering conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, and drug possession counts. The indictment said the case involved “a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of anabolic steroids.” The listed substances included synthetic testosterone, Trenbolone, Nandrolone, Mestanolone, Oxandrolone, Stanozolol, and Methandienone.

‼️ Court filings also included a notice of forfeiture. That step is common when the government seeks to seize property, including cryptocurrency, that it says came from alleged criminal activity.

📈 Bitcoin's Resurgence Amidst Geopolitical Tensions

🌍 Over the past weekend, peace talks between the US and Iran took place in Pakistan, but they ended without positive results. This led to sharp statements from US President Donald Trump and caused a correction in the prices of Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoins, with BTC dropping to $70,000. Despite this, Coinshares released a report indicating a inflow of $1.1 billion into cryptocurrencies last week.

There was an inflow of $1.1 billion into cryptocurrency investment products. This is the strongest inflow since January, driven by lower-than-expected inflation figures and improved geopolitical stability.

💰 The report highlighted that the majority of this inflow was concentrated in Bitcoin, which received $872 million, while Ethereum (ETH) attracted $169.5 million. Other altcoins like XRP saw an inflow of $19.3 million, and Chainlink (LINK) received $1.3 million. However, Solana (SOL) and Sui (SUI) experienced outflows of $2.5 million and $2.4 million respectively.

The total inflow into Bitcoin was $871 million, bringing the year-to-date total to just under $2 billion. However, this did not deter investors expecting a decline; $20.2 million flowed into short positions on Bitcoin investments. This was the largest weekly inflow since November 2024.

📈 Bitcoin's Market Shift: Analyst Claims End of Downtrend

🔍 Jordi Visser, a seasoned macro investor with over 30 years of experience, has analyzed recent market trends. He asserts that while artificial intelligence and commodity shortages usher in a new economic era, Bitcoin is reasserting its position by emphasizing its "scarcity" argument.

🗣 Visser notes that investor psychology and central bank policies are evolving in the digital age. He stated,

I don't think we'll see multi-year recessions or prolonged bear markets for the rest of my life. Once a crack appears in the system, they intervene by printing money and lowering interest rates.

He added that in an interconnected world, investors suffer from "amnesia," quickly forgetting negative events and focusing on new scenarios.

📉 Despite the deflationary pressure from artificial intelligence (AI), Visser warns of significant inflation risks in the short term. He argued that the AI world has reached its physical limits and is experiencing a severe shortage of processors, memory, and energy.

👀 Highlighting Elon Musk's announcement about the "Terra Fab" project, Visser predicts that this bottleneck in equipment and commodity sectors will keep inflation significantly above the Fed's 2% target, reaching 4% and beyond.

📊 Analyzing Bitcoin's recent performance from both technical and macroeconomic perspectives, Visser stated that according to Elliott wave analysis theory, Bitcoin has completed its correction phase and entered a new upward trend from the $60,000 level.

🧐 ZachXBT Raises Concerns Over MemeCoin MemeCore

🚨 Blockchain investigator ZachXBT has expressed skepticism about the meme token MemeCore (M) due to its high market capitalization and insider coin concentration. He recently warned about a potential pump-and-dump scheme involving the cryptocurrency RaveDAO (RAVE).

You've been officially recognized by me. And I'm just getting warmed up. Please provide any data explaining why your cryptocurrency's market capitalization reaches $6 billion, placing it in the top 20 digital assets by this metric, while insiders hold over 90% of the coin supply,

ZachXBT stated in response to MemeCore's announcement.

💰 MemeCore is considered overvalued because its platform for launching and promoting meme tokens does not justify a $6.2 billion market capitalization. The concentration of coins among a single group of investors increases the risk of market manipulation.

🔍 ZachXBT fears that wealthy MemeCore holders may be planning a pump-and-dump scheme. The price of the cryptocurrency surged over three times in a month but is currently correcting after a bullish trend. Typically, the dump phase follows an exponential price increase.

🚨 Crypto Chaos Unfolds as Zondacrypto Faces $100M Crisis

🚫 The crisis at Polish crypto exchange Zondacrypto has escalated following the departure of its CEO, Przemysław Kral, to Israel. His dual citizenship may complicate potential extradition amid an investigation into serious financial misconduct allegations. Users have reported inability to access their funds, with prosecutors estimating losses could exceed $100 million and hundreds of affected account holders already identified.

🔒 The operational analysis of the exchange highlights approximately 4,500 bitcoins that remain inaccessible. Allegedly, the private keys controlling these assets belong to founder Sylwester Suszek, who has been missing since 2022. Polish prosecutors suspect that Suszek may have been killed, leaving the exchange without access to a significant portion of its reserves.

Despite holding a potentially large bitcoin balance, the company stated it cannot move or liquidate funds due to internal control restrictions.

📉 Blockchain analysis indicates that balances in wallets associated with the exchange have dropped by about 99% since mid-2024, raising liquidity concerns. Polish authorities have officially launched a fraud investigation into Zondacrypto, focusing on whether the company mismanaged client assets or misled them. The investigation also examines internal management practices, including reliance on a single point of control for critical wallet access.

⚡️ Government Commission to Discuss Cryptocurrency Mining Ban in Moscow and the Moscow Region

🗓 On May 18, the Government Commission for Energy Development will consider the possibility of imposing restrictions on cryptocurrency mining in Moscow and the Moscow region. This was announced by Russian Deputy Minister of Energy Pyotr Konyushenko during the Caucasian Investment Forum, as reported by TASS.

🗣 In early April, Sergey Voropanov, the Minister of Energy for the Moscow Region, emphasized the need to ban mining in the area. He stated that cryptocurrency extraction does not benefit the regional economy and that a ban could have a positive impact in other regions. For instance, authorities in the Irkutsk region have claimed that mining restrictions have "relieved the energy system".

🔍 Following Voropanov's statement, Andrey Maximov, the Director of the Department for Energy Development at the Ministry of Energy, clarified that no requests had been received from the authorities of Moscow and the Moscow region regarding mining restrictions. He noted that for such a matter to be considered by the government commission, the regional head must submit a request.

🚫 France Abolishes Mandatory Disclosure for Self-Custodied Cryptocurrency Holdings

🔔 The French National Assembly has removed a controversial provision from an upcoming anti-fraud law that required taxpayers to disclose information about their self-custodied cryptocurrency assets valued over €5,000. This decision comes after intense debates and is seen as a victory for the French cryptocurrency sector.

📉 Adan, a French organization advocating for cryptocurrency innovation, welcomed this outcome. They had been actively lobbying against the disclosure requirement since November last year, arguing that it would create an unmanageable and risky obligation for taxpayers. The organization highlighted the dangers faced by French cryptocurrency holders, as the country has become a hotspot for "key-in-the-lock" attacks where criminals use violence to coerce individuals into transferring their assets.

🗣 Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, directly linked the rise in such attacks to the sale of cryptocurrency owner data by French officials to criminals. He warned about the risks of providing the government with more information than it already possesses. This decision to abolish the disclosure requirement is expected to help protect French cryptocurrency users from potential future attacks based on leaked tax data.

🚫 GitHub in Russia: Officially Open but Technically Restricted

📉 Access to GitHub in Russia has deteriorated significantly. Since May 5, 2026, the share of unsuccessful and blocked connections to the platform has increased from a background level of 4% to 16%, according to the OONI internet censorship monitoring service. In contrast, countries like the USA, UK, and Germany do not experience this trend.

💬 Users have reported difficulties in working with repositories and downloading files, with complaints noted on Habr and Downdetector. However, there are no global outages observed on GitHub; the issue is localized to Russia.

📌 On May 8, 2026, Roskomnadzor stated through RIA Novosti and Interfax that GitHub is not listed in the register of banned websites and is officially not blocked. While this is technically true for the domain itself, individual pages of the service have been systematically blocked for several years due to court decisions and actions by various authorities. Over 130 pages have been blocked so far, with the pace accelerating in 2026.

🔍 The situation reflects selective technical restrictions at the level of individual subnets and pages rather than a direct domain blockade. As of the publication date, there have been no official statements or press releases from GitHub regarding the situation in Russia.

🚫 Australian Crypto Investors Face Potential Tax Hikes Amid CGT Reform Plans

🔔 The Australian government is considering significant changes to the Capital Gains Tax (CGT), sparking discussions within the investment sector. During an appearance on Sky News, Treasurer Jim Chalmers stated that the proposed reforms aim to address housing affordability and "intergenerational inequity." However, critics argue that these changes could increase taxes on stocks, cryptocurrencies, and investment properties.

💰 Reports suggest that the Department of Finance is contemplating reducing the 50% CGT discount in Australia or replacing it with an inflation indexing model. Under current rules, Australians who hold assets for more than 12 months pay tax only on half of the capital gain. The remaining amount is taxed at their regular income tax rate. For instance, if a person buys a house for AUD 500,000 and sells it for AUD 700,000, they realize a profit of AUD 200,000. With the current discount, the taxable income becomes only AUD 100,000.

📉 The Treasury estimates that the CGT discount will cost the government AUD 21.8 billion in lost revenue for the 2025-26 financial year. However, the Department of Finance is now considering a return to the inflation indexing system, which could increase tax bills for long-term investors. It is worth noting that this system was used until 1999.

🚀 Analyst's Forecast: Major Breakthrough Expected in Bitcoin (BTC) and Dogecoin (DOGE)

🗣 Jordi Visser, a macro strategist with 30 years of experience, recently appeared on a program hosted by renowned financial commentator Anthony Pompliano. He discussed the challenges in global markets, rising inflation, and the latest developments in the cryptocurrency sector.

📈 Visser pointed out that he has observed a signal indicating a "major merger and breakthrough" specifically in the charts of Bitcoin (BTC) and Dogecoin (DOGE). He stated that traditional institutions or institutional capital do not have a direct influence on Dogecoin, and he uses this asset as a "warning system" to gauge individual investors' enthusiasm in the market.

Dogecoin's chart is technically on the verge of a major breakthrough,

Visser asserted. He claimed that a potential sharp rise in Dogecoin would serve as the most convincing evidence of a strong return of individual investors to the cryptocurrency market. He also mentioned that Bitcoin would experience a sustainable breakthrough if it surpasses its 200-day moving average (especially above the $82,000 level); and that the $2400-2450 range in Ethereum carries a similar signal.

🚫 Grayscale names 4 Clarity Act winners after 15-9 vote

🔔 Grayscale published a research note on May 22 identifying Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, and Canton Network as the four blockchains best placed to absorb institutional capital once the Clarity Act is signed into law. “Regulatory clarity is coming, and a rising tide will likely lift digital assets broadly,” Grayscale wrote. The four chains were selected because they lead across three key metrics: tokenized asset value, stablecoin supply and transaction volume, and DeFi total value locked. Ethereum leads in tokenized assets, followed by BNB Chain and Solana, while Canton Network rounds out the list as the leading institutional settlement network.

🔖 “$350 billion settles daily on Canton, with over $6 trillion in tokenized real-world assets and institutions like JPMorgan and DTCC building in production,” the Canton Network said recently.
Zach Pandl, Grayscale’s head of research, noted Bitcoin will also benefit from regulatory clarity as the industry’s most secure asset. Crypto news has reported on Grayscale’s December 2025 outlook predicting bipartisan legislation would unlock a new institutional era for digital assets.

⚠️ Grayscale also flagged Avalanche, Base, Arbitrum, Hyperliquid, and Tron as networks with significant on-chain finance exposure that would benefit from greater regulatory clarity. These chains sit below the primary four in tokenized asset value but have established DeFi ecosystems.