The future of DeFi isn’t about choosing between privacy and compliance—it’s about designing resilient privacy frameworks.

Privacy (may) prevent the next Mantra crash | Opinion

Fifteen years after Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 bitcoin for two Papa John’s 
pizzas worth $41, that transaction is now valued at $1.1 billion as the global 
crypto community celebrates Bitcoin Pizza Day on May 22. From $41 to $1.1B: 
Bitcoin Pizza Day Marks 15th Anniversary of Historic Crypto Transaction On May 
22, 2010, Florida-based programmer […]

The $1.1 Billion Pizza: Bitcoin’s First Purchase Reaches New High

Private and public blockchains converge with R3 leveraging Solana as its 
consensus layer.

R3 taps into Solana to bring institutions and RWAs to the blockchain

The Bitcoin price is flying high at the moment, having rallied to a new all- 
time high (ATH) of $111,800 on May 22. Now, crypto analyst Tony Severino has 
predicted that this rally is likely to sustain, with BTC reaching $120,000 at 
some point. Bitcoin Price To Reach $120,000 Following This Range Breakout In 
an X post, Tony Severino predicted that the Bitcoin price could reach between 
$116,000 and $120,000 following the breakout from the $106,000 range. This 
prediction came just before BTC surged past its previous ATH of $109,100 on 
May 21. The analyst asserted that the flagship crypto could witness a “long, 
white candlestick” leading to the rally to this range. Related Reading: 
Bitcoin At $118,000 Before June? Trader Reveals When As Weekly MACD Turns 
Bullish He had also warned that failure to break above the $106,000 range 
could lead to a retracement as lower timeframe momentum begins to wane. In 
another post, Severino explained why the range breakout was significant, 
noting that these breakouts in the Bitcoin price tend to offer a sustainable 
short-term trend to ride higher. He added that a valid range breakout should 
be supported by the RSI above 70 on the 3-day timeframe. The Bitcoin price 
currently boasts an ultra-bullish outlook, having rallied above the $110,000 
mark and reached a new ATH of $111,800. Commenting on the surge to a new ATH, 
Severino admitted he was wrong about the bear thesis, stating that the macro 
fundamentals led over the technicals on this rally. The crypto analyst is 
confident that the Bitcoin price can go way higher. In his latest analysis, he 
revealed that BTC’s quarterly just triggered a perfected TD9 Sell Setup. He 
added that the only other time this happened was in Q4 2017, which was the 
most bullish quarter in crypto history. Bitcoin eventually rose by over 350% 
above the candlestick open. If history were to repeat itself, Severino 
predicts that the move will be “fast, violent, and over” sooner than anyone 
can imagine. He noted that up appears to be the chosen direction, which is a 
positive for the Bitcoin price. A Golden Cross Is Incoming For BTC In an X 
post, crypto analyst Titan of Crypto stated that a golden cross is incoming 
for the Bitcoin price. He remarked that BTC is repeating the same pattern, 
with a Death Cross happening before the Golden Cross. The analyst added that 
the last time this happened, it triggered a major rally. Related Reading: 
Bitcoin Macro Trend Oscillator Shows When To Expect The Price Top In another 
post, Titan of Crypto predicted that the Bitcoin price could rally to as high 
as $135,000. He affirmed that the target is still play, with BTC likely to 
reach this price level this year. Meanwhile, veteran analyst Peter Brandt 
suggested that Bitcoin could rally to between $125,000 and $150,000 by August. 
At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $111,300, up 
over 3% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured 
image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

Crypto Analyst Puts Bitcoin Price At $120,000 If This Range Breakout Happens

As the question of stablecoin regulation heats up in the US Senate, so has the 
issue of which members are personally invested in cryptocurrencies and 
cryptocurrency firms.
On May 19, the Senate voted to invoke cloture and move ahead with the GENIUS 
Act, which would provide a regulatory framework for stablecoins. The measure 
passed 66-32, with 16 Democrats supporting the bill.
Democratic concerns over corruption and politicians&#8217; ties to cryptocurrency 
firms made the bipartisan move controversial. After the vote was finished, 
Colorado Senator Michael Bennet introduced the STABLE GENIUS Act. The bill 
would prevent members of Congress from issuing or investing in digital 
currency and require them to put their crypto in a blind trust while in 
office.
Bills to prevent members of Congress from investing in companies they regulate 
have had little success. However, lawmakers are still required to disclose 
rough estimations of their, their spouse&#8217;s and their children&#8217;s investments. 
Here are 11 US senators who have invested in crypto firms.
## Montana
**Tim Sheehy, Republican**
Tim Sheehy is a newcomer to the Senate, first securing his election in the 
2024 cycle. In his campaign, Sheehy contrasted himself against his opponent, 
former Senator Jon Tester, stating, &#8220;Crypto represents the future of finance 
and the internet, and thousands of jobs for America.&#8221;
_Source:__US Senate_ 
**Investments:** According to a June 2024 filing, Sheehy has an investment 
between $1,001 and $15,000 in Intercontinental Exchange, which offers futures 
contracts on cryptocurrencies.
**Steve Daines, Republican**
Steve Daines has been in the US Senate for 10 years, assuming office in 2015. 
In recent years, he has become a proponent of the crypto industry, rubbing 
elbows with industry bigwigs like Bitcoin (BTC) evangelist and Strategy CEO 
Michael Saylor and receiving a Digital Future Award from the Crypto Council 
for Innovation.
_Daines (right) receives a crypto industry award. Source:__Steve Daines_
**Investments:** In a November 2024 filing, Daines reported selling shares in 
cryptocurrency-related exchange-traded funds (ETFs). 
They included Valkyrie Bitcoin and Ether Strategy ETF, Vaneck Bitcoin Strategy 
ETF, Proshares Bitcoin Strategy ETF, Bitwise Crypto Industry Innovators ETF 
and Proshares Bitcoin Strategy ETF.
## Nevada
**Jackey Rosen, Democrat**
Senator Jacky Rosen is currently serving her second term in office, first 
getting elected to the Senate in the 2018 midterm elections. Her platform 
states that blockchain and crypto are &#8220;ushering in a new era for the digital 
economy,&#8221; stating that Washington needs to develop solid legal frameworks to 
keep up. 
_Source:__US Senate_
**Investments:** According to a July 24 filing, Rosen has an investment in 
PayPal. The payments giant first launched its stablecoin in April 2023.
## Alaska
**Dan Sullivan, Republican**
Senator Dan Sullivan is currently in his second term, first taking office in 
January 2015. While not as outspoken as his colleagues about cryptocurrencies 
and blockchain technology, he co-sponsored the GENIUS Act and supported a 
joint resolution with the House of Representatives to change accounting 
standards for crypto companies.
_Source:__US Senate_
**Investments:** According to an August 2024 filing, Sullivan owns shares in 
BlackRock, which offers crypto-centered ETFs.
## Oklahoma
**Markwayne Mullin, Republican**
Senator Markwayne Mullin took office in January 2023 after winning a special 
election against Democrat Kendra Horn in 2022. Before assuming office, Mullin 
lauded crypto as a potential retirement investment and said his state could 
offer Bitcoin miners favorable terms. While in the Senate, he has supported 
GENIUS and the repeal of Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) No. 121.
_Source:__US Senate_
**Investments:** As of an August 2024 filing, Mullin owns shares in 
Intercontinental Exchange and BlackRock, while his wife owns shares of PayPal.
## Alabama
**Tommy Tuberville, Republican**
Senator Tommy Tuberville is currently serving his first term in the US Senate, 
first getting elected in 2020. While in office, Tuberville has come out in 
support of crypto. In April 2025, he introduced a bill letting Americans put 
crypto in their retirement funds. He has also vocally supported the 
establishment of a Bitcoin reserve.
_Source:__Tommy Tuberville_
**Investments:** According to a July 2024 filing, Tuberville has investments 
in PayPal.
**Katie Britt, Republican**
Senator Katie Britt was first elected to the Senate during the 2022 midterms. 
While campaigning, she accepted donations in cryptocurrency from donors. In 
2024, she advocated to &#8220;Get Gensler Out&#8221; of the Securities and Exchange 
Commission, saying that the Biden administration was stifling innovation.
_Source:__US Senate_
**Investments:** Britt&#8217;s husband has common stock in crypto-friendly payments 
firm Block, according to a July 2024 filing.
## Ohio
**Bernie Moreno, Republican**
Bernie Moreno is new to the Senate, securing his seat in the 2024 federal 
elections. While on the campaign trail and in the Senate, Moreno called for 
more favorable regulations for the industry. In January, he supported 
President Donald Trump&#8217;s &#8220;day-one&#8221; nomination of Paul Atkins to head the SEC.
_Source:__US Senate_
**Investments:** According to an August 2024 filing, Moreno owns between 
$500,000 and $1 million in shares in online trading platform eToro, which 
offers crypto trading services.
## West Virginia
**Shelley Capito, Republican**
Senator Shelley Capito has served in the Senate since 2015. During her tenure, 
she raised concerns about how cryptocurrencies could be used for terrorism 
financing. Her voting record is crypto-friendly; she supported both the GENIUS 
Act and the joint resolution to repeal SAB 121.
_Source:__US Congress_
**Investments:** According to a May 2024 filing, her husband had between 
$15,001 and $50,000 invested in BlackRock.
## Pennsylvania
**Dave McCormick, Republican**
Senator Dave McCormick, who previously served as under secretary of the 
treasury for international affairs under President George W. Bush, is a first- 
term senator, getting elected in 2024. While campaigning, McCormick boosted 
his state&#8217;s Bitcoin mining industry. Industry figures like Coinbase CEO Brian 
Armstrong have also spoken out in favor of his position on crypto.
_Source:__US Congress_
**Investments:** A March 2025 filing shows a number of purchases in the 
Bitwise Bitcoin ETF.
## Rhode Island
**Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat**
Sheldon Whitehouse is the senior senator of his state, serving in Congress 
since 2011. In the last several years, he has raised concerns over the energy 
consumption of Bitcoin mining, as well as the potential for Russia to use 
crypto to evade US sanctions. He has voted against the GENIUS Act and co- 
sponsored the Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2023, which Stand 
With Crypto rated as &#8220;very anti-crypto.&#8221;
_Source:__US Congress_
**Investments:** According to an August 2024 filing, Whitehouse has 
investments in Tesla, Block and PayPal. All investments are between $1,001 and 
$15,000.
This list is not exhaustive; there are plenty of companies in which lawmakers 
invest that are affected by cryptocurrency price movements and market effects. 
It also does not include any members of the House of Representatives, where 
crypto regulation is similarly in the works.
Lawmakers will likely become more interested in investing in crypto as it 
becomes more mainstream and potential obstacles to congressional investments 
flounder and fail to move forward.

Which senators invest in crypto? 11 lawmakers have blockchain-related investments

Cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) can help investors protect 
their eroding purchasing power during the era of exponential currency 
debasement, according to analysts and industry leaders.
Investing in digital assets is becoming increasingly important in the &#8220;world 
of the exponential age and currency debasement,&#8221; according to Raoul Pal, 
founder and CEO of Global Macro Investor.
&#8220;You don&#8217;t own enough crypto. When you do, you don&#8217;t own enough NFT&#8217;s, as art 
is upstream of wealth. Both will never be this cheap again,&#8221; Pal said.
NFTs are &#8220;the single best long term store of wealth I know and you get to buy 
it before network effects kick in,&#8221; he added in another response.
_Source:__Raoul Pal_
&#8220;There is some validity to the statement that NFTs, and in extension art, 
become a vehicle for the wealthy once a certain level of wealth is reached,&#8221; 
wrote Nicolai Sondergaard, research analyst at Nansen, calling it a &#8220;natural 
move&#8221; for asset diversification.
&#8220;For traders and investors, further down the wealth curve, NFTs are partially 
about speculating on future returns,&#8221; he told Cointelegraph, adding that NFTs 
also benefit from the allure of strong communities, beyond just wealth 
creation.
_**Related:**__**German gov &#8216;t missed out on $2.3B profit after selling 
Bitcoin at $57K**_
Art NFTs may see a resurgence as &#8220;digital ownership gains acceptance among 
younger, tech-savvy cohorts,&#8221; if collections manage to move past the 
&#8220;speculative fervor,&#8221; according to Anndy Lian, author and intergovernmental 
blockchain expert.
Still, Lian said broader adoption depends on blockchain networks improving 
scalability and security to &#8220;instill confidence.&#8221; He added that art NFTs &#8220;must 
transcend hype, anchoring value in cultural significance or utility.&#8221;
_Beeple &#8216;s &#8220;Everydays: The First 5000 Days.&#8221; Source: __Christies_
Some digital artists made millions of dollars through NFTs. Digital artist 
Mike Winkelmann, also known as Beeple, auctioned his &#8220;Everydays: The First 
5000 Days,&#8221; NFT artwork for a record-breaking $69 million in March 2021.
Meanwhile, the largest NFT collections continue to lack upside momentum, 
unable to recover toward their 2021 highs.
_CryptoPunks floor price, all-time chart. Source: NFTpricefloor_
CryptoPunks, the largest NFT collection by market capitalization, is currently 
trading at a floor price of 46 Ether (ETH), 59% down from its peak of 113.9 
ETH, recorded on Oct. 9, 2021, NFTpricefloor data shows.
_**Related:**__**GENIUS Act &#8216;legitimizes&#8217; stablecoins for global institutional 
adoption**_
## NFT market set for recovery in early 2026, after Bitcoin cycle top
Despite the temporary lack of interest, NFTs could be poised to see more 
momentum after the profits from Bitcoin&#8217;s (BTC) cycle top start rotating into 
other digital assets.
&#8220;That likely puts the peak of the NFT market in Q1 2026, but don&#8217;t expect a 
repeat of the 21/22 euphoria that we saw in NFTs,&#8221; according to Yehudah 
Petscher, strategist at CryptoSlam NFT data platform and SlamAI.
&#8220;We&#8217;re likely an entire cycle away from NFTs having a parabolic run,&#8221; Petscher 
told Cointelegraph, adding:
&gt; &#8220;There is a perfect storm brewing for 2030: BTC at $1 million, a matured 
&gt; metaverse, AI reshaping labor economics (whether through universal basic 
&gt; income or universal high income, falling production costs, etc), AR/VR 
&gt; adoption, and NFT ownership equaling ownership of a brand.&#8221;
However, the previous NFT bull market was driven largely by metaverse 
speculation and wealthy traders, Petscher noted &#8212; factors that are mostly 
absent in the current cycle.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every 
investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their 
own research when making a decision.
_**Magazine:**__**Crypto wanted to overthrow banks, now it &#8216;s becoming them in 
stablecoin fight**_