Crypto Kingpin Falls: Celsius CEO Gets 12 Years for Massive Fraud

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📈 Preview On Today’s News:

1. - Crypto Kingpin Falls: Celsius CEO Gets 12 Years for Massive Fraud

2. - Coinbase Strikes Power Play in Crypto Derivatives Market

3. - Bitcoin’s Meteoric Rise Forces Banks to Rethink Limits

Keep reading below for more!

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Today’s News:

1)

Crypto Kingpin Falls: Celsius CEO Gets 12 Years for Massive Fraud

Alex Mashinsky, founder and former CEO of Celsius Network, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for orchestrating a large-scale crypto fraud that misled hundreds of thousands of investors. Promising high returns on digital-asset deposits, Mashinsky pleaded guilty to fraud, conspiracy, and market manipulation after federal prosecutors revealed he used customer funds to inflate the company’s value and its native token. The sentencing, handed down by Judge John Koeltl, follows Celsius's 2022 bankruptcy amidst a broader market collapse that also brought down major players like FTX and Voyager Digital. Prosecutors stressed that Mashinsky's actions were not mistakes, but deliberate efforts to deceive for personal gain.

• Alex Mashinsky was sentenced to 12 years in prison for deceiving investors and manipulating the Celsius platform and token for personal enrichment.

• Celsius’s 2022 bankruptcy was part of a wider crypto market crash, exposing fraudulent practices by several firms and intensifying regulatory scrutiny.

2)

Coinbase Strikes Power Play in Crypto Derivatives Market

Coinbase is poised to acquire Deribit, the world’s largest Bitcoin and Ethereum options trading platform, in a $2.9 billion deal that signals a strategic leap into the booming crypto derivatives space. This move, reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes amid a pro-crypto regulatory shift under the new U.S. administration, which has spurred a wave of consolidation across the industry. The acquisition positions Coinbase to dominate the options market while reinforcing the United States' ambition to become a global digital asset leader. With institutional expansion and global growth at the forefront, Coinbase’s entry into derivatives follows similar moves by other major players, indicating a new era of aggressive growth in the crypto sector.

• Coinbase will acquire Deribit for $2.9B, securing its place as a dominant player in Bitcoin and Ethereum options trading and expanding its footprint in the crypto derivatives market.

• The deal reflects the impact of the U.S.’s recent pro-crypto policy shift, accelerating acquisition activity and reinforcing the country’s position as an emerging digital asset powerhouse.

3)

Bitcoin’s Meteoric Rise Forces Banks to Rethink Limits

Standard Chartered Bank has revised its outlook on Bitcoin after a remarkable 23% surge in just 30 days brought the cryptocurrency close to the $100,000 mark. The bank’s head of digital assets, Geoffrey Kendrick, has walked back a previous forecast of $120,000, admitting the target “may be too low.” Kendrick now sees the potential for Bitcoin to hit $200,000 by the end of 2025, citing factors such as major “whale” accumulation and a shift in strategic investments away from U.S. assets. The apology and revision underscore growing institutional confidence in Bitcoin’s long-term trajectory.

• Standard Chartered revised its Bitcoin forecast after a 23% surge, with its analyst admitting the prior $120,000 target may significantly underestimate future performance.

• A year-end projection of $200,000 is now on the table, driven by large-scale accumulation and global capital shifts away from U.S. markets.

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