gmoney’s anguish over ‘buying the top’ of CryptoPunks: NFT Collector   

A crypto lawyer has sued the US Department of Homeland Security, alleging the agency may know who created Bitcoin — compelling the department to share what it knows. The Freedom of Information Act lawsuit was filed by James Murphy, who based his accusations on claims made by DHS Special Agent Rana Saoud at a conference in April 2019, where she said a few of her colleagues had previously met with four people involved in creating Bitcoin.“My FOIA lawsuit simply asks for the notes, email and other documents relating to that alleged interview,” Murphy posted to X after announcing the April 7 suit.  “IF the interview really happened as the DHS Agent claimed, there should be documentation of the substance of that meeting,” added Murphy, who goes by MetaLawMan on X.Source: James MurphySpeaking at the OffshoreAlert Conference North America in Miami in April 2019, Saoud said DHS agents met with the four people it believed to have created Bitcoin, asking what their motives were and what the “end game” is for Bitcoin.“The agents flew to California and they realized that he wasn’t alone in creating this, there were three other people, they sat down and talked with them to find out how this actually works and what the reason for it was,” Saoud said in the presentation, which is available on YouTube.If the DHS resists disclosure, Murphy said he will “pursue the case to conclusion” to solve the mystery.Murphy, however, noted that it is possible that Saoud and the other DHS agents were mistaken and did not interview the real Satoshi Nakamoto. Related: Satoshi Nakamoto turns 50 as Bitcoin becomes US reserve assetMurphy is being assisted by former Assistant US Attorney Brian Field, who specializes in Freedom of Information Act litigation.The purpose of the Freedom of Information Act is to promote transparency and accountability by granting the public access to information held by the government.Efforts to identify Satoshi Nakamoto have failedThe lawsuit follows a wave of recent efforts attempting to uncover Satoshi’s identity.Last October, a controversial HBO documentary claimed that Peter Todd, a Bitcoin cypherpunk, invented Bitcoin. Todd refuted that conclusion, and most industry pundits said HBO’s evidence was weak.Nick Szabo, Adam Back and Hal Finney have also had their names tied to Satoshi’s identity. Szabo and Back regularly refute claims they’re Satoshi, as did Finney before he died in 2013.Meanwhile, members of the Bitcoin community are split on whether unveiling Satoshi’s identity would be a net positive for Bitcoin.Some worry that revealing Satoshi’s identity could compromise Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos and put Satoshi’s safety at risk, while others want to be reassured that Bitcoin wasn’t created by the US government.Magazine: 10 crypto theories that missed as badly as ‘Peter Todd is Satoshi’

Former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao has been appointed as an adviser to Pakistan’s Crypto Council, a newly formed regulatory body tasked with overseeing the country’s embrace of blockchain technology and digital assets. The appointment was confirmed by Pakistan’s finance ministry and reported by Bloomberg on April 7. Zhao will advise the regulatory body on cryptocurrency regulation, infrastructure and adoption, Bloomberg reported.CZ is seen signing documents during his appointment by Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance. Source: Business RecorderZhao is one of the most recognizable names in crypto, having served as CEO of Binance between 2017 and 2023. He resigned as CEO of the exchange in November 2023 after pleading guilty to charges related to violating US money laundering laws. He was later sentenced to four months in prison. For Pakistan, Zhao is a high-profile appointment that could potentially help the country lure foreign investment in an industry that has taken on new strategic importance.In March, the CEO of Pakistan’s Crypto Council, Bilal bin Saqib, told Bloomberg that the country plans to develop a clear regulatory framework for digital assets.“Pakistan is done sitting on the sidelines,” Saqib said. “We want to attract international investment because Pakistan is a low-cost high-growth market with […] a Web3 native workforce ready to build.”Related: Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao to advise Kyrgyzstan on blockchain techCrypto in Pakistan: Adoption and pain-pointsPakistan has long been considered a potential hub for crypto adoption due to its growing population, large diaspora and thriving black market for foreign exchange trades. The value of cash sent to Pakistan through formal remittance channels surged at the end of last year amid a countrywide crackdown on black market dollar trades.“This increase might be because remittances that had previously been sent using the black market are now being sent via official channels,” John Ashbourne, an economist at Fitch Solutions, told Bloomberg. Pakistan ranked highly in Chainalysis’ 2024 crypto adoption index, largely due to strong retail adoption and transactions at centralized services.In 2024, Pakistan ranked ninth among Central and Southern Asia and Oceania (CSAO) countries. Source: ChainalysisStablecoins have emerged as one of crypto’s most prominent use cases in regions with high demand for US dollars due to currency depreciation.Although data on stablecoin usage in Pakistan is slim, a 2023 KuCoin survey revealed that 33% of local crypto investors use digital assets to hedge against the rupee’s devaluation. A more recent survey conducted by Bitget found that 46% of respondents in South Asia — a region that includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and others — use digital assets for speed and accessibility of transactions. Magazine: How crypto laws are changing across the world in 2025

The Mantra blockchain network has launched a $108,888,888 ecosystem fund aimed at accelerating the growth of startups focused on real-world asset (RWA) tokenization and decentralized finance (DeFi), amid rising demand for stable, asset-backed digital products.Mantra, a layer-1 (L1) blockchain built for tokenized RWAs, launched the Mantra Ecosystem Fund (MEF) to accelerate the growth and adoption of projects and startups building on its network, according to an April 7 announcement shared with Cointelegraph.Mantra said it will deploy the capital over the next four years among “high-potential blockchain projects” worldwide, with investment opportunities sourced through Mantra’s network of partners. The fund’s backers include a wide range of institutional partners including Laser Digital, Shorooq, Brevan Howard Digital, Valor Capital, Three Point Capital and Amber Group.Related: 0G Foundation launches $88M fund for AI-powered DeFi agentsMantra CEO John Patrick Mullin said the fund will operate an “open-arms policy, welcoming projects at any developmental stage globally with a particular focus on RWA’s and DeFi.” Mullin told Cointelegraph:“The MEF thesis is to invest in top-tier teams building RWA and DeFi applications, as well as complimentary infrastructure, that will both directly and indirectly support the broader ecosystem.”Mantra aims to become the underlying infrastructure layer for tokenized asset issues worldwide, Mullin said.Source: MantraThe launch of the fund comes a month after Mantra became the first DeFi platform to obtain a virtual asset service provider (VASP) license under Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA).Related: Stablecoin rules needed in US before crypto tax reform, experts sayInvestor demand grows for RWAsThe timing of the fund’s launch aligns with growing institutional interest in RWAs, which are seen by some as a hedge against crypto market volatility and broader economic uncertainty.Global fears and uncertainty around US President Donald Trump’s tariffs have impacted investor sentiment across markets.Despite a broader market slump triggered by US tariff-related concerns, the value of tokenized RWAs recently surged to a record high. According to data from RWA.xyz, total RWA market capitalization reached more than $19.6 billion as of early April, up from $17 billion in early February.RWA global market dashboard. Source: RWA.xyzIndustry watchers previously told Cointelegraph that Bitcoin’s lack of upside momentum may drive RWAs to a $50 billion all-time high before the end of 2025.The world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock, has also signaled support for the RWA space.BlackRock BUIDL capital deployed by chain. Source: Token Terminal, Leon WaidmannBlackRock’s USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) saw an over three-fold increase in the three weeks leading up to March 26, from $615 million to $1.87 billion.Magazine: Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It’s time to dream big again