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Stablecoin giant Tether's new QVAC AI platform takes aim at Big Tech and lets agents run independently, transacting in Bitcoin and USDT.
The meeting highlights the urgent need for enhanced security measures in the crypto industry to prevent further criminal targeting. The post France’s minister to meet crypto firms after violent kidnapping attempt in Paris appeared first on Crypto Briefing .
U.S. stock markets closed mixed on Wednesday as investors extended a rally sparked by easing trade tensions between the U.S. and China. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1%, the Nasdaq rose 0.57%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.21%. Technology stocks drove the gains. Nvidia climbed over 3% after announcing it would send 18,000 AI chips to Saudi Arabia. AMD gained more than 4% following a $6 billion share buyback. The Nasdaq is now up more than 6% this week, while the S&P 500 and Dow have gained 4% and 1%, respectively. You might also like: XRP takes real step into DeFi with Flare’s FAssets upgrade Positive China news Markets continued to respond positively to a weekend agreement between the U.S. and China to reduce tariffs temporarily. The U.S. lowered tariffs on Chinese goods to 30%, while China reduced duties on U.S. imports to 10%. The S&P 500, which had been in negative territory for the year, has now turned positive and is up more than 21% from its April low. However, analysts caution that the rally may pause without further policy action. “The next leg higher will have to wait for policy initiatives that could provide tailwinds into 2026,” said Daniel Skelly of Morgan Stanley, according to CNBC In individual movers, eToro jumped nearly 29% in its Nasdaq debut. Super Micro Computer surged 17%, building on earlier gains tied to a $20 billion Saudi data center deal. Boeing shares rose 2% after announcing a $96 billion aircraft sale to Qatar Airways. Meanwhile, Tesla’s recent rally showed signs of overheating. S3 Partners flagged technical indicators suggesting near-term price pressure. You might also like: Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital gets upgraded buy rating ahead of Nasdaq listing
Crypto founders are heading to Washington, DC, to meet with lawmakers ahead of another expected vote on a stablecoin bill that initially failed in the Senate, according to Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. In a May 14 X post from the US Capitol rotunda, Armstrong said as many as “60 [crypto] founders” had gathered in DC to support the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins, or GENIUS Act, being considered in the Senate and a draft of the market structure bill moving through the House of Representatives. The Coinbase CEO said the Senate could consider another vote on the GENIUS Act “hopefully tomorrow” after it failed to get enough support from Democrats on May 8. “Like any good negotiation, there’s a lot of details to work out at the last minute, but we’ve been stressing the urgency of this,” said Armstrong. Many Democratic lawmakers have said they will not support any crypto-related legislation without a specific carve-out for President Donald Trump profiting from his digital asset ventures, like his TRUMP memecoin and his family-backed company World Liberty Financial. Cointelegraph reached out to Coinbase for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication. Related: What are the next steps for the US stablecoin bill? This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.
Qatar Airways signed a deal on Wednesday, May 14, to buy jets from U.S. manufacturer Boeing during President Trump’s visit to Qatar. Trump described the agreement as one of the largest in the history of American aviation, worth about $200 billion. Trump revealed that the deal will include 160 jets costing over $200 billion, describing it as “fantastic.” The U.S. president continued to praise the size of the deal and confirmed the two countries’ firm economic partnership. Boeing and GE Aerospace revealed the agreement’s finer details later, including up to 210 aircraft, including the 787 Dreamliner and 777x jets. Record deal signed in Doha in the presence of Trump and Emir Sheikh Boeing CEO Kelly Orberg, who signed the agreement with Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, was praised by Trump, saying it was the largest deal in Boeing’s history. Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Trump witnessed the signing ceremony in Doha on Tuesday. Wow, the Emir of Qatar has just signed a $200 billion agreement to purchase 160 Boeing airplanes from the United States. This is all possible through the leadership of Donald J Trump .peace through strength. pic.twitter.com/aD9ftiDSQ8 — kooQue (@Overreport369) May 14, 2025 CEO Kelly argued that the deal shows Boeing’s efforts toward economic recovery since the pandemic era. The White House has confirmed that the agreement will create 154,000 U.S jobs yearly and over 1 million total local jobs throughout the production and delivery period. Boeing stock is up 1% today, just after the Qatar Airways deal announcement, reaching its highest since February. According to NYSE data , the stock is up by 19.4% YTD. The deal came just after recent reports of negotiations over a proposed gift to the U.S. president of a $400 million luxury plane. Trump revealed that the gift could be used as Air Force One transport, raising ethical and security concerns among Americans. Trump visited the Gulf states for the second tour, striking several deals with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Elon Musk joined him on the Gulf tour today and met with the Governor of Qatar Central Bank and the chairman of the board of directors of the Qatar Investment Authority. They discussed global financial and investment developments. Musk spoke about his previous business exploits and the philosophy of “curiosity” on stage with Saudi Arabian Minister Abdullah Aswaha. Aircraft models and other terms of the deal are still unclear The overall value and quantity of the agreement were highlighted during the ceremony, leaving out key details. Boeing and Qatar Airways have not contacted the public about the breakdown of the aircraft types to be ordered. Contractual obligations and firm deposit requirements are among the questions that are still unanswered. According to recent publications from Boeing, 777X jets are the most expensive, although the company no longer issues public catalog prices. Aviation analysts estimate a deal for 160 long-range aircraft worth around $70 billion. They revealed that airlines typically get huge discounts for bulk deals. The Qatar government served as a key mediator in negotiations between the U.S and Hamas during the Gaza War. Trump believes the country to be the central player in American diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. Trump also has business dealings in Qatar, including the recent announcement of a luxury golf resort north of Doha. Qatar has ties with Iran, which the American government has viewed as an opportunity for back-channel communications with Tehran. Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick as attorney general, was initially a foreign lobbyist for the Qatari government. Trump’s decision to visit Doha has been viewed as an acknowledgment of Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s role in the U.S. President Trump announced the decision to lift sanctions on Syria. The decision was met with joy from displaced Syrians who believe that they can return to their homes after more than 14 years in refugee camps. Your crypto news deserves attention - KEY Difference Wire puts you on 250+ top sites
Welcome to The Protocol, CoinDesk's weekly wrap-up of the most important stories in cryptocurrency tech development. This is Margaux Nijkerk and Sam Kessler, CoinDesk’s Tech team. In this issue: Hacking Attempt on Lido Results in 1.4 Ether Lost From Oracle Provider Bitcoin DeFi Security Improves as Rootstock Boosts Hashrate Share Ethereum’s Next Upgrade ‘Fusaka’ Could Cut Layer-2 and Validator Costs Telegram Cracks Down on $8 billion Crypto Crime Marketplace Unknown block type "divider", specify a component for it in the `components.types` option Network News LIDO AVOIDS MAJOR SECURITY BREACH: Lido, Ethereum’s largest liquid staking protocol, avoided a major security incident after one of its nine oracle keys was compromised in what appears to be a low-impact but serious breach involving validator operator Chorus One. Lido secures over 25% of all ether (ETH) staked on Ethereum, making it one of the most systemically important protocols in the Ethereum ecosystem. The compromised key was tied to a hot wallet used for oracle reporting, leading to the theft of just 1.46 ETH ($4,200) in gas fees. No user funds were affected, and no broader compromise was detected, per X posts from both Lido and Chorus One. — Tim Craig Read more . BITCOIN DEFI BLOSSOMING: Decentralized finance (DeFi) on the Bitcoin blockchain may still be in its infancy relative to Ethereum, but Bitcoin DeFi (BTCFi) is becoming safer and cheaper, crypto analytics firm Messari said in a new report. A central participant is Rootstock, one of the oldest Bitcoin layer-2 projects , crypto analytics firm Messari said in its "State of Rootstock" report. Rootstock is now secured by 81% of Bitcoin's total hashrate, meaning miners that account for amount the hashrate are also approving transactions on the layer 2. The figure was just 56% before the the onboarding of Foundry and Spiderpool, the world's largest and sixth-largest mining pools, respectively, in February. — Jamie Crawley Read more . FUSAKA PLANNING BEGINS: After the successful deployment last week of Pectra, Ethereum's biggest upgrade in more than a year, the network's core developers are already shifting focus to the next major chain upgrade: Fusaka. Pectra, the biggest code change to Ethereum since the Merge in 2022, introduced key changes aimed at making staking easier for institutions, improving wallet accessibility, and boosting transaction efficiency. Developers have already begun planning for Fusaka, the network’s next upgrade, and have thus far agreed to include an Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) called "PeerDAS" that could help the network support larger "blobs" of transaction data. — Margaux Nijkerk Read more . TELEGRAM CRACKS DOWN ON CRYPTO CRIME MARKETPLACE: Messaging app Telegram has closed thousands of channels belonging to suspected Chinese crypto-crime marketplaces after new research shed light on the situation, according to Elliptic. The closure follows a report published by the blockchain analytics firm on Tuesday into the fast-growing Telegram-based marketplace called Xinbi Guarantee. The Colorado-incorporated marketplace has processed over $8.4 billion worth of transactions using Tether’s USDT stablecoin since 2022. It facilitates services relating to money laundering, operating crypto scam compounds and other illicit services, such as intimidation and sex trafficking, according to Elliptic. — Tim Craig Read more . Unknown block type "divider", specify a component for it in the `components.types` option In Other News Robinhood Markets (HOOD) , the California-based financial services company, said it agreed to buy Canadian crypto firm WonderFi (WNDR) for $178.98 million. The all-cash acquisition values WonderFi at 36 Canadian cents per share, a 41% premium over its closing price prior to the announcement. — Omkar Godbole Read more . Stock and crypto trading platform eToro (ETOR) debuted at $52 a share on the Nasdaq exchange. The company raised about $312 million from investors by selling 6 million shares at a price of $52 a piece. The listing values the company at $4.2 billion. EToro became the first U.S. crypto company to go public following the market uncertainty wrought by President Donald Trump's tariff actions. — Helene Braun Read more . Unknown block type "divider", specify a component for it in the `components.types` option Regulatory and policy The Gibraltar government said it plans to establish the world's first rules for the clearing and settlement of crypto derivatives, creating a regulatory framework to improve market integrity and reduce key risks. Working with the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC) and crypto exchange Bullish (whose owner, Bullish Group, is also the parent of CoinDesk), the government has built a framework over the past six months that tailors traditional financial clearing regulations to the virtual asset market. — Jamie Crawley Read more . Unknown block type "divider", specify a component for it in the `components.types` option Calendar May 14-16: Consensus , Toronto May 19-23: Solana Accelerate , New York City May 20-22: Avalanche Summit , London May 27-29: Bitcoin 2025 , Las Vegas May 27-29: ETHPrague , Prague June 8-22: Berlin Blockchain Week , Berlin June 30-July 3: EthCC , Cannes July 16-18: Web3 Summit , Berlin Sept. 22-28: Korea Blockchain Week , Seoul Oct. 1-2: Token2049 , Singapore Dec. 11-13: Solana Breakpoint , Abu Dhabi
New OCC guidance allows banks to give accounts to crypto companies, opening doors to new crypto money transmitters in the U.S.
Solana’s DeFi is experiencing a notable resurgence, driven by innovative private DEXs reshaping the landscape and attracting institutional interest. Private DEXs dominate Solana’s DeFi, reshaping efficiency with vault-based execution. Institutional