Franklin Templeton launches tokenized money fund on Base  

US President Donald Trump on April 10 signed a joint Congressional resolution overturning a Biden-era rule that requires decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols to report to the country’s tax authority, the Internal Revenue Service.The rule would have required DeFi platforms, such as decentralized exchanges, to file their gross proceeds from crypto sales and include information on those involved in the transactions.Trump was widely expected to sign the bill, as White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks said in March that the president would support killing the measure.This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has dismissed a lawsuit against Nova Labs, developer of decentralized wireless network Helium, for allegedly issuing unregistered securities, Helium stated in an April 10 blog post. Filed in January 2025, the lawsuit was among the SEC’s final enforcement actions against a cryptocurrency developer under former Chair Gary Gensler, who stepped down from his post on Jan. 20 after US President Donald Trump took office. The dismissal with prejudice means the blockchain developer cannot be charged with similar violations again for issuing in 2019 its native token Helium (HNT), the company said. “[W]e can now definitively say that all compatible Helium Hotspots and the distribution of HNT, IOT, and MOBILE tokens through the Helium Network are not securities,” Helium said. “[T]he outcome establishes that selling hardware and distributing tokens for network growth does not automatically make them securities in the eyes of the SEC [and] that the SEC cannot bring these charges against Helium again,” it added.Source: HeliumThe SEC’s Helium reversal came the same day Trump-nominee Paul Atkins formally replaced Gensler as SEC Chair after a lengthy confirmation process in the Senate. Helium is a blockchain network designed to let “anyone build and own massive wireless networks,” according to its website. The protocol reports having roughly 375,000 active hotspots. According to CoinGecko, HNT has a market capitalization of approximately $480 million as of April 10 — down from highs of more than $5 billion in November 2021. HNT’s price since 2019. Source: CoinGeckoRelated: SEC will drop its appeal against Ripple, CEO Garlinghouse saysChanging policy stanceUnder Gensler, the SEC brought upward of 100 charges against Web3 developers for various alleged securities violations. Since Trump took office, the SEC has sharply reversed course, dropping numerous charges against crypto firms, including Coinbase, Kraken, Ripple and Uniswap. Trump has positioned himself as a pro-crypto President, promising to make America the “world’s crypto capital,” appointing industry-friendly leaders to key regulatory posts, and ordering the federal government to create a national Bitcoin (BTC) reserve.For some crypto executives, Trump’s policies — such as announcing sweeping tariffs on US imports in April — threaten to stymie crypto’s progress.Magazine: 3 reasons Ethereum could turn a corner: Kain Warwick, X Hall of Flame

North Carolina (NC) representative Neal Jackson introduced the North Carolina Digital Asset Freedom Act on April 10. The bill proposes that qualifying “digital assets” be accepted as a legally recognized form of payment and for taxes.Although the language of the bill does not specifically mention Bitcoin (BTC), there are several provisions laid out that make BTC uniquely qualified under the bill’s definition of a “digital asset.”These stipulations include a minimum market capitalization of $750 billion and a daily trading volume of over $10 billion, a market history of 10 years or more, proven censorship resistance, proof-of-work consensus, lack of a central authority, 99.98% or more network uptime, and a maximum supply cap. The bill read:”The General Assembly further finds that decentralized digital assets, which are not governed by any central entity or foundation, align with the economic principles of limited, noninflationary money and are capable of ensuring the security and integrity of transactions.”Jackson’s bill is merely the latest in state-led Bitcoin strategic reserve legislation in the United States amid inflation concerns, high US federal debt and a depreciating currency.NC Digital Asset Freedom Act. Source: North Carolina LegislatureRelated: North Carolina bills would add crypto to state’s retirement systemNorth Carolina takes a firm stance against CBDCsFormer North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a bill banning a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in July 2024. At the time, Cooper characterized the bill as “premature, vague, and reactionary” to threats that have not yet materialized.In August 2024, the North Carolina House of Representatives overrode Cooper’s veto in a definitive and bipartisan 73-41 vote.The North Carolina Senate followed suit by overriding Cooper’s veto in a 27-17 vote and passed the anti-CBDC legislation into law in September 2024.North Carolina’s anti-CBDC legislation. Source: North Carolina Legislature Dan Spuller, the head of industry affairs at crypto advocacy organization the Blockchain Association, applauded the action taken by NC lawmakers to push back against the tide of CBDCs.”This bill should have never been vetoed, and Governor Cooper blew an opportunity to send a strong message to the Federal Reserve that NC stands united against CBDCs,” Spuller wrote in a Sept. 9 X post.Magazine: Bitcoiner sex trap extortion? BTS firm’s blockchain disaster: Asia Express