Mostly Bitcoin — Daily Digest
Last 24 hours of mainstream crypto coverage
May 20, 2026
Trump issues EO to revisit Fed master accounts for fintechs — americanbanker.com
The White House issued an executive order Tuesday requesting that the Federal Reserve review access to payment accounts for fintechs and digital asset firms.
Mikeeysmind, The Billion-Stream TikTok Breakout, Opens Up — villagevoice.com
On an unusually warm April morning in Gothenburg, Sweden, Mikael Daghighi — known online as mikeeysmind — is hunched over a half-eaten croissant in a quiet café, staring at his phone like it belongs to someone else. iShowSpeed, one of the world’s most
US targets Iran’s $7.7 billion crypto network tied to regime operations — foxbusiness.com
U.S. efforts to crack down on Iran’s growing use of cryptocurrency are intensifying as officials work to cut off financial channels tied to the regime as tensions rise in the Middle East. BESSENT SAYS US SEIZED NEARLY $500M IN IRANIAN CRYPTO AS OPERATION
Bitcoin Grows More Dependent on Michael Saylor’s Buying Machine — bloomberg.com
For most of its history, Bitcoin’s price was driven by a sprawling cast of buyers: idealists, speculators, early adopters, and, more recently, institutional investors looking for a new portfolio hedge. Demand was fragmented and hard to predict. In 2026, it
Top Republican pumps brakes on prediction markets regulation — semafor.com
The News House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., poured cold water on Congress moving to regulate prediction markets anytime soon. During an interview at Semafor’s Banking on the Future Forum Wednesday, Hill said his committee is
‘Of course not’: Rep. Waters expects Trump to dodge Democratic oversight — semafor.com
The News The Trump administration is not likely to comply with House Democrats’ oversight attempts if they win the House in November, a senior caucus lawmaker told Semafor on Wednesday. Speaking at the Banking on the Future Forum, Rep. Maxine Waters,
Data Centers Use Less Water Than Almond Farms—and Do More Good — reason.com
Opposition to data centers is all the rage among populists of all stripes. On the left, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.) has proposed a national moratorium on new data center construction; on the right, Tucker Carlson describes them as "dystopian" and
Variational raises $50 million Series A to bring liquidity from traditional markets to blockchain rails — fortune.com
The crypto industry has long defined itself in opposition to traditional finance but, in recent years, the two worlds are on a path to convergence. The latest example is Variational, a startup that has built a protocol for decentralized derivatives
Tether Buys Out SoftBank Stake in Bitcoin Treasury Firm — bloomberg.com
Tether has bought out SoftBank Group Inc.’s ownership in the digital-asset treasury company Twenty One Capital Inc., adding to its control over the Bitcoin accumulator as it seeks to merge the firm with two other businesses.
Crypto’s corrupt American dream — codastory.com
The United States is inching closer to passing a gigantic piece of legislation to put cryptocurrencies on a secure footing, with the bill emerging unscathed from the Senate’s banking committee. Opinions differ as to what this means: crypto people are
Before You Invest in Crypto, Watch This Film — motherjones.com
A version of the below article first appeared in David Corn’s newsletter, Our Land. The newsletter comes out twice a week (most of the time) and provides behind-the-scenes stories and articles about politics, media, and culture. Subscribing costs just $5 a
White House ballroom is turning into a symbol of Trump’s failures — salon.com
The surest sign that a MAGA leader knows they screwed up? When they try to pass off the stupid thing they said as a “joke.” But the right-wing podcaster Eric Metaxas was not joking at Sunday’s Rededicate 250 event on the National Mall when he said, “It’s
Hong Kong minister touts gold as ‘bridge between conventional and new finance’ — scmp.com
Gold can serve as a “potential bridge” between conventional and new forms of finance, Hong Kong’s treasury minister has said, highlighting the need for the city to provide more opportunities for the digital asset market to grow. Secretary for Financial
Trump Moves to Tighten Banking Access for Non-Citizens — time.com
—Getty Images President Donald Trump is moving to tighten access to financial systems for non-citizens in the U.S. amid his Administration’s broader crackdown on immigration. On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order, titled “Restoring Integrity to
Farage’s Financial Foul-Up Should Not Frighten Reform — theamericanconservative.com
UK Special Coverage Farage’s Financial Foul-Up Should Not Frighten Reform Populism is not going to rise or fall on the particulars of a £5 million donation. UK Special Coverage (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) Will the scandal over an undeclared
Trump's revenge spree stuns Senate Republicans — axios.com
Senate Majority Leader John Thune — and most of the GOP conference — was reeling Tuesday from President Trump's snap endorsement of Ken Paxton in the Texas GOP Senate runoff. Why it matters: Thune (R-S.D.) called it Trump's "decision." But it's Thune's
Heads, Trump Wins — theatlantic.com
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Yesterday, the Department of Justice announced plans to
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