Today’s edition of the weekly recap covers Strategy’s continued Bitcoin purchases, Kraken’s expansion into traditional financial products, and another SEC investigation closure.

Strategy acquires additional 3,459 Bitcoin

• The company formerly known as Strategy purchased approximately 3,450 Bitcoin (BTC) worth $292 million last week.
• This third consecutive Monday announcement brings Strategy’s total holdings to 531,644 Bitcoin, currently valued at $45.07 billion.
• The company paid a price of $82,618 per BTC in this latest purchase.

Kraken expands to stocks and forex trading

• Kraken has started to offer commission-free stock and ETF trading in certain U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
• Kraken also launched two foreign exchange perpetual futures contracts, GBP/USD and EUR/USD, on its Derivatives platform with up to 20x leverage.

SEC closes CyberKongz investigation

• CyberKongz announced on Tuesday on X that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has closed its investigation into the project.
• The NFT collection also revealed plans for a “rebrand” following the regulatory closure.

Healthcare firm files to fund Bitcoin purchases

• Nasdaq-listed Semler Scientific (SMLR) submitted a registration statement with the SEC to offer $500 million in securities, with proceeds intended to fund Bitcoin acquisition and other purposes.
• The Tuesday S-3 filing shows the company plans to sell securities up to an aggregate value of $500 million across multiple offerings.

OKX announces US market entry

• The Seychelles-based cryptocurrency exchange revealed plans to launch both a centralized trading platform and its OKX wallet in the United States.
• As part of this expansion, the company established regional headquarters in San Jose, California, and appointed former Morgan Stanley and Barclays executive Roshan Robert as U.S. CEO.

Chinese local governments selling seized cryptocurrencies

• Local authorities in China have been liquidating confiscated cryptocurrency assets through private companies despite the country’s ongoing crypto trading ban, according to Reuters.
• The practice involves converting seized crypto from illicit activities into cash to supplement public finances amid a slowing economy.

Mantra CEO pledges token burn after price crash

• John Patrick Mullin, co-founder and CEO of Mantra (OM), announced Tuesday he would burn all his allocated team tokens scheduled to begin vesting in April 2027.
• This decision follows a 90% crash in the project’s OM token value within a single hour.

DWF Labs purchases $25 million in World Liberty tokens

• The market maker and investment firm acquired WLFI tokens through a “strategic private transaction” with World Liberty Financial, the crypto project backed by President Donald Trump and his family.
• Dubai-based DWF Labs tied the purchase to its expansion into New York City and announced plans to provide liquidity for World Liberty Financial’s upcoming stablecoin, USD1.

Binance advising governments on crypto regulations

• Binance is providing guidance to multiple governments on developing regulatory frameworks and creating national Bitcoin reserves as per a Financial Times report.

North Korean hackers expand crypto targeting methods

• Manta Network co-founder Kenny Li reported being “targeted” in a Zoom phishing attempt by the Lazarus Group, as revealed in his Thursday tweet.
• The North Korean hacking collective has allegedly increased its cryptocurrency infiltration activities using tactics including fake Zoom calls, stolen identities, and malware.

eXch exchange announces shutdown amid hack allegations

• The privacy-focused cryptocurrency exchange announced Thursday it will cease operations on May 1 following alleged connections to the $1.4 billion Bybit hack and an “active transatlantic operation.”
• eXch faces accusations of complicity in allowing money laundering by North Korea’s Lazarus hacking group.

Canary Capital files for Tron staking ETF

• The institutional crypto trading and management firm submitted a registration statement to the SEC on Friday for the Canary Staked TRX (TRX) ETF.
• According to the filing, BitGo Trust Company would serve as the ETF’s custodian, adding to the growing range of cryptocurrency ETF applications.