Hashdex amends S-1 for crypto index ETF, adds seven altcoins  

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s multi-year enforcement action against Ripple is finally coming to an end, according to the company CEO.“This is it — the moment we’ve been waiting for. The SEC will drop its appeal — a resounding victory for Ripple, for crypto, every way you look at it,” Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse wrote on X on March 19.Source: Brad Garlinghouse“I’m finally able to announce that the case has ended; it’s over,” Garlinghouse said in the attached video to the X post.The end of a long-running legal battle between Ripple and the SEC comes four years after the US securities regulator sued the company over an alleged $1.3 billion unregistered securities offering in December 2020.“We’re now closing a chapter in crypto history,” Garlinghouse stated, adding that “it’s time to make the United States the crypto capital of the world.”Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView show that the crypto market responded positively to the development.XRP price shot up 10% following SEC’s backout. Source: TradingViewThis is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

The North Dakota Senate has passed a bill that regulates crypto ATMs while re-adding a provision capping daily transactions at $2,000 per user that was originally dropped by the state’s House.The state’s Senate passed House Bill 1447 in a 45-to-1 vote on March 18. The bill was introduced to the state’s legislative assembly on Jan. 15 and aims to protect residents from scams by introducing a slate of new guidelines for crypto ATMs and their operators.The latest version of the bill passed by the Senate requires crypto ATM and kiosk operators to be licensed in the state as money transmitters, limits customer withdrawals across their network of ATMs to $2,000 per day, and issues fraud warning notices.Initially, the bill limited crypto ATM customer transactions to $1,000 a day, but a House committee last month loosened the limits, with a $2,000 a day limit for the first five transactions within 30 days.Now, the Senate has capped the transaction limits at $2,000. The bill will need to be sent back to the House to vote on the changes before North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong can either veto or sign the bill into law.The bill would also require operators to use blockchain analytics to monitor for suspicious activity, such as fraud, and report it to the authorities, and to provide quarterly reports on kiosk locations, names and transaction data.The latest version of House Bill 1447 requires local crypto ATM operators to be licensed in the state as money transmitters, among other requirements. Source: North Dakota Legislative AssemblyDuring a North Dakota House Industry, Business and Labor committee hearing on Jan. 22, the bill’s primary sponsor, House Representative Steve Swiontek, said that crypto ATMs currently lack protection measures, which has “allowed criminals to exploit them for theft.”Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen had signed similar legislation into law on March 13, the Controllable Electronic Record Fraud Prevention Act, which is designed to help combat fraud.Meanwhile, US Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, who formerly chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, proposed similar federal legislation on Feb. 25.Durbin cited a story from a constituent who fell prey to a scammer claiming the authorities had issued a warrant for their arrest but could pay a fine through a $15,000 deposit at a crypto ATM to avoid jail as motivation for introducing the new law. Related: ‘Victim-blaming’ Americans can deter crypto scams reporting — RegulatorLast September, the Federal Trade Commission reported fraud losses at Bitcoin (BTC) ATMs had increased nearly tenfold from 2020 to 2023 and topped $65 million in the first half of 2024, with consumers aged 60 and older three times more likely to fall victim.Coin ATM Radar data shows that the US still has the most Bitcoin ATMs, with 29,822 machines representing 78% of the global market.The United States is the world leader in the number of Bitcoin and crypto ATMs. Source: Coin ATM RadarCanada ranks second, at 9.2% of the market and 3,486 crypto ATMs, while Australia is third with 1,613 crypto ATMs, representing 4.3% of the market. Magazine: How crypto laws are changing across the world in 2025

Minnesota state Senator Jeremy Miller has introduced the Minnesota Bitcoin Act, which he drafted after completely changing his stance on Bitcoin.“As I do more research on cryptocurrency and hear from more and more constituents, I’ve gone from being highly skeptical to learning more about it, to believing in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies,” Miller said in a March 18 statement.Miller said the bill aims to “promote prosperity” for Minnesotans by allowing the Minnesota State Board of Investment to invest state assets in Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies, just as it invests in traditional assets.Several other US states have introduced similar Bitcoin-buying bills, with 23 states having introduced legislation to create a Bitcoin reserve, according to Bitcoin Laws.A total of 39 different bills related to state investments in Bitcoin have been introduced across 23 US states. Source: Bitcoin LawsUnder Miller’s bill, Minnesota state employees would be able to add Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to their retirement accounts.It would also give residents the option to pay state taxes and fees with Bitcoin. Colorado and Utah already accept crypto for tax payments, while Louisiana allows it for state services.Investment gains from Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies would also be exempt from state income taxes. In the US, up to $10,000 paid to the state can be deducted from federal taxes under the state and local tax deduction, but any amount beyond that is subject to both state and federal tax obligations.Related: SEC could axe proposed Biden-era crypto custody rule, says acting chiefThe increasing number of US states proposing Bitcoin reserve bills follows Senator Cynthia Lummis’ July Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act, which directs the federal government to buy 200,000 Bitcoin annually over five years, totaling 1 million Bitcoin.However, on March 12, Lummis proposed a newly reintroduced BITCOIN Act, allowing the government to potentially hold more than 1 million Bitcoin as part of its newly established reserve.Bitcoin has shown significant gains compared to traditional assets in recent years. From August 2011 to January 2025, Bitcoin posted a compound annual growth rate of 102.36%, compared to the S&P 500’s 14.83%, according to Curvo data.Bitcoin’s compound annual growth rate is significantly higher than the S&P 500s. Source: CurvoMagazine: Crypto fans are obsessed with longevity and biohacking: Here’s why