Google to enforce MiCA rules for crypto ads in Europe starting April 23  

Coinbase has listed futures contracts for the XRP token on its US derivatives exchange, the cryptocurrency platform said on April 21.The contracts are overseen by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and offer traders “a regulated, capital-efficient way to gain exposure to one of the most liquid digital assets,” the company said in a post on the X platform.Coinbase’s XRP (XRP) futures include standard contracts representing 10,000 XRP and retail-oriented “nano” contracts representing 500 XRP each, or approximately $1,000 as of April 21, according to regulatory filings.  The contracts are the latest crypto futures to launch on Coinbase’s derivatives exchange, which also features Solana (SOL) and Hedera (HBAR) futures contracts, both added in February. Source: CoinbaseRelated: Coinbase in talks to buy derivatives exchange Deribit: ReportBurgeoning market segmentSince 2024, US exchanges — including Coinbase, Robinhood and Chicago Mercantile Exchange — have been expanding crypto futures offerings in response to strong demand from retail and institutional investors. Futures contracts are standardized agreements to buy or sell an underlying asset at a future date. They are popular for hedging and speculation because they let traders take long and short positions, often with leverage. Coinbase lists derivatives tied to some 92 different assets on its international exchange and approximately two dozen in the US, according to its website. Its US-traded products include contracts tied to memecoins, such as Dogecoin (DOGE), and commodities, such as oil and gold. Coinbase’s stock performance vs. the S&P 500. Source: JPMorganIn December, Coinbase said derivatives trading volumes soared roughly 10,950% in 2024. The exchange is reportedly in talks to buy Deribit in a bid to expand its derivatives footprint.Coinbase launched its US derivatives exchange in 2022, bringing cryptocurrency futures — including retail-oriented “nano” contracts — to tens of millions of US users.Launched in 2012, XRP Ledger is among the oldest blockchain networks and specializes in payments and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications for institutions. As of April 21, XRP’s market capitalization stands at approximately $120 billion, according to CoinMarketCap. In March, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dropped a years-long lawsuit against XRP Ledger’s developer, Ripple, for alleged securities law violations.Magazine: Crypto ‘more taboo than OnlyFans,’ says Violetta Zironi, who sold song for 1 BTC

A member of the House of Representatives has proposed legislation aimed at stopping investors from using the US territory of Puerto Rico as a crypto tax haven.According to an April 21 Bloomberg report, New York Representative Nydia Velázquez introduced the Fair Taxation of Digital Assets in Puerto Rico Act, a bill that could change existing laws in the territory to require certain investors to pay local and federal taxes on capital gains, including from digital assets. The legislation would reportedly add text to Puerto Rico’s Internal Revenue Code, making income from cryptocurrencies subject to federal tax laws.“This wave of crypto investors hasn’t helped Puerto Rico’s recovery or strengthened the local economy,” said Rep. Velázquez, according to Bloomberg. “Instead, it’s driven up housing costs, pushed out local residents, and added pressure to an island where nearly 40% of people live in poverty — all while costing the federal government billions in lost tax revenue.”Puerto Rico is well known as a tax haven for many people in the crypto industry since the territory began allowing exemptions in 2012 under Act 20 and Act 22 of the Tax Incentives Code — later consolidated as Act 60. The island has attracted investors, including Pantera Capital founder Dan Morehead, venture capitalist Brock Pierce, and online influencer Logan Paul.Related: NFT trader faces prison for $13M tax fraud on CryptoPunk profitsMissing out on crypto tax revenueRep. Velazquez’s office reportedly said Puerto Rico could lose roughly $4.5 billion in revenue from 2020 to 2026 due to the tax incentives in place. In contrast, Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González-Colón proposed extending Act 60, set to expire in 2035, to the end of 2055, but requiring applicants to be subject to a 4% capital gains tax rate, smaller than the typical range up to 37% in the US.It’s unclear whether the legislation proposed by Rep. Velazquez, a Democrat, would have enough political support to pass in the Republican-controlled House or Senate. Both chambers will likely consider floor votes for stablecoin legislation and a crypto regulatory framework in the coming months. Magazine: XRP win leaves Ripple and industry with no crypto legal precedent set

A group of investors has filed a class-action lawsuit against decentralized cryptocurrency exchange Meteora, alleging the firm was involved in manipulating the launch and market price of the M3M3 token.In an amended complaint filed on April 21 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the plaintiffs allege that venture capital firm Kelsier Labs, Meteora, and four current or former executives “intentionally misrepresented” information in the M3M3 launch in December 2024. The investors claimed that they suffered at least $69 million in losses between December 2024 and February 2025 after the parties presented “trusted leaders in the Solana ecosystem” as being behind the token launch, rather than a “blatant fraud” in which sales were manipulated to artificially inflate the price.“This artificially-inflated valuation communicated highly misleading information to non-insider investors, who reasonably relied on Defendants’ representations that the $M3M3 launch was fully accessible to the public and conducted in a transparent manner fair to non-insider investors, and thus reasonably relied on $M3M3 market price as a meaningful measure of its value,” the complaint reads. “The post-launch price spike also served to corroborate Defendants’ aggressively-marketed, but misleading, assertions that $M3M3 had intrinsic value and a comparatively low risk profile.”Class-action lawsuit against Meteora, Kelsier Labs, and current and former executives. Source: PACERThe lawsuit is one of many involving different crypto firms that have alleged fraud through violations of US securities laws. Though the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), under acting chair Mark Uyeda since US President Donald Trump took office, has scaled back or dismissed many enforcement actions involving digital assets, the agency said in February it still intended to pursue cases against fraudulent token projects.The investors added:“Together, Defendants designed the $M3M3 Token and planned its launch on Meteora in a manner intended to illicitly enrich themselves at the expense of the unsuspecting investing public.”Related: Meteora says co-founder’s X account hacked after ‘parasitic’ memecoin postMemecoins in the Solana ecosystemMeteora has been tied to the launch of several high-profile yet controversial tokens, including those for Trump (TRUMP), his wife Melania (MELANIA), Libra (LIBRA), and online influencer Haliey Welch (HAWK). According to the lawsuit, the firm “purported to offer a comprehensive solution to the problems in the memecoin investment market” with the launch of M3M3. The defendants in the case allegedly attempted to distinguish the token from other notable memecoins by highlighting the “legitimacy and trustworthiness” through the involvement of Meteora co-founder Ben Chow and the platform.Kelsier Ventures, KIP Protocol, and Meteora face a similar class-action lawsuit filed in New York in March over LIBRA allegedly being launched in a “deceptive, manipulative and fundamentally unfair” manner. Argentine President Javier Milei briefly promoted the token over social media after his sister reportedly received payments from the project.Magazine: Memecoin degeneracy is funding groundbreaking anti-aging research