Category: Web3

Crypto Hesitation: Only 30% of Institutional Traders Eye Investments

As the survey from JP Morgan shows, 71% of institutional traders refrain from crypto in 2025, though 30% are open but very skeptical.



A new survey from JP Morgan shows that institutional traders remain conservative when it comes to crypto. Though digital assets are attracting attention, 71% of traders said they would not be looking to trade crypto this year, this year, up only a notch from 78% last year-it is a telling indication that there is strong skepticism about crypto among institutions.

On the other hand, 30% of traders show some interest in engaging with crypto, a small but consistent uptick in interest. Very clearly, however, traditional finance is not yet embracing crypto in any big way.

A survey by JP Morgan among traders showed that the greater portion is still not on board. High volatility in the crypto market, along with a constantly changing environment of regulation, stands out as the major reason for such caution. Some firms experiment with Bitcoin ETFs and investments in blockchain, but now, big players are kept away from the game by concerns over regulation, security, and overall market stability.

Crypto remains a high-risk bet for institutional traders, and it takes more than hype to get them into the pool.

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Law Firms Take Legal Action Against Pump.fun for Misusing Memecoins and Logos

Two major U.S. law firms are suing Pump.fun for allowing shady memecoins that misuse their names, logos, and employees’ images.


Two of the most prominent law firms in the United States, Burwick Law and Wolf Popper LLP, are taking action against Pump.fun, a wild memecoin platform on Solana. They fired off a cease-and-desist letter demanding the removal of more than 200 tokens allegedly ripping off their names, logos-even employees’ faces.

One token, humorously named “Dog Shit Going NoWhere” (DOGSHIT2), is receiving serious heat over allegedly copying the firms’ names and creating legal and financial chaos. The lawyers say these aren’t just joke coins; they are part of a bigger scam to confuse investors, tamper with litigation, and threaten people.

This drama dates back to Jan 30, this year, when the firms sued Pump.fun for pushing risky, unregistered securities and running pump-and-dump schemes. They claim the platform, run by UK-based Baton Corporation, made nearly $500M from sketchy tactics.

Pump.fun, which just hit $3.3B in trading volume thanks to Trump-themed memecoins, hasn’t responded yet. But if they don’t clean up, legal trouble could wreck them. The lawyers warn that any more IP violations will bring more lawsuits, hinting this could turn into a long, ugly legal battle.

Also Read: Ohio Wants a Bitcoin Stash—New Bill Pushes for Crypto Reserve

Ohio Wants a Bitcoin Stash—New Bill Pushes for Crypto Reserve

Ohio might be stacking sats soon! State Senator Sandra O’Brien just dropped a bill that could make Ohio the first U.S. state with its own Bitcoin reserve fund. If passed, Senate Bill 57 will let the state treasurer invest public funds exclusively in Bitcoin and hold onto them for at least five years.

O’Brien is all in on crypto, saying Ohio needs to be ahead of the curve—especially with Trump’s crypto team exploring a “national digital asset stockpile.” If Bitcoin is the future, Ohio wants a front-row seat.

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The bill also forces state agencies to accept crypto for taxes, fines, and fees, instantly converting payments into Bitcoin for the reserve. And it’s not just government funds—residents and universities can also donate BTC to the stash, earning some recognition for their contributions.

Ohio isn’t alone in the crypto game. In December, Rep. Derek Merrin introduced another bill (HB 703) pushing for even more Bitcoin investment flexibility. Meanwhile, Utah and Arizona are also working on crypto-friendly legislation.

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Bottom line? Ohio is making some big moves toward becoming a Bitcoin powerhouse, and if this bill passes, it could set the stage for other states to follow suit.

Helium Mobile Unveils First-Ever Free 5G Phone Plan in the U.S.

Helium Mobile drops the first free U.S. 5G plan, cutting out big telecoms with a community-powered network and epic rewards system.



Helium Mobile just dropped the first-ever free 5G phone plan in the U.S. — the “Zero Plan.” This plan gives users 3GB of data, 300 texts, and 100 minutes of call time each month for absolutely no cost. No contracts, no hidden fees, and definitely no surprises. How? Helium’s community-owned 5G network is replacing the big telecom companies, allowing them to offer this unheard-of deal. But there’s a catch: it’s invite-only, so if you want in, you’ll have to join a waitlist.

Alongside the free Zero Plan, Helium also offers paid options: the $15/month Air Plan with 10GB of data, and the $30/month Infinity Plan for unlimited everything. Whether you’re on a budget or need more data, Helium’s got your back.

What makes them even cooler is their Cloud Points system, which gave people points not only for checking in but for sharing location data, inviting friends, and taking surveys that can be changed for rewards such as Amazon gift cards, Uber rides, or food delivery places such as Starbucks and Nike.

Helium’s also got a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy, letting you keep your phone and number, plus live Concierge Service to help with the switch. It’s all about affordable, community-powered connectivity.

Also Read: Banks Should Be Allowed to Offer Crypto, Says Coinbase

MetaMask Drops New “Gas Station” to Fix Failed Swaps

MetaMask just made life way easier with its new “Gas Station” feature—no more failed transactions just because you ran out of ETH. This upgrade lets users cover gas fees directly within their swaps, meaning no more scrambling to top up ETH just to complete a trade.

Right now, the feature is live for users who’ve enabled Smart Transactions on the Ethereum mainnet via the MetaMask Extension, with a mobile version dropping soon. Instead of manually buying ETH just to pay gas fees, the total cost now gets baked into the swap itself.

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Through that, MetaMask keeps competitiveness because the access is opened for the highest class of DEX aggregators and liquidity providers, giving the best rates and the lowest fees possible. Furthermore, the Gas Station supports multitable tokens for the gas payment: USDT, USDC, DAI, ETH, wETH, wBTC, wstETH, and wSOL-just in case the swap amount covers the fees.

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All MetaMask really did was make crypto transactions way smoother-no extra steps or stressing out about network fees; just swap and go.

Pi Network Hits 10M Migrations—Is the Open Mainnet Finally Dropping?

Pi Network recently reached a critical milestone with the migration of 10 million users to Mainnet; many are very optimistic that the highly expected launch of Open Mainnet will materialize earlier this year.

Pi Network is moving with big leaps: it has so far migrated more than 10 million accounts to its Mainnet-a big step toward full decentralization. This is a huge deal for users who have been mining Pi for years in wait for a full-fledged blockchain launch. However, the Pi Core Team made it clear that users have to finish the KYC and migrate their accounts to Mainnet or else they lose their Pi.

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To help stragglers, Pi Network has extended the Grace Period deadline to end of February this year. That means there’s still time for those who haven’t verified their identity to get their coins transferred. But the big question remains—when is Open Mainnet launching?Although not an official date has been confirmed, reaching 10 million migrations may mark the beginning of the big reveal.

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But, in fact, many in the Pi community consider that Open Mainnet might happen as early as Q1 of this year, where finally one will be allowed to trade, from a closed ecosystem to basically a full cryptocurrency network in actual operation. The next big piece of news everybody waits for concerns Pi Network:.

El Salvador Bolsters Bitcoin Reserves with 20 BTC Purchase This Week

El Salvador is stacking BTC fast, grabbing 21 more last week, pushing holdings to 6,068 BTC, worth $592M, despite IMF pressure.

El Salvador, the first country to make Bitcoin legal tender, is going all in on BTC again. Over the past week, it stacked 21 more BTC, bringing its total stash to 6,068 BTC—worth around $592 million. The country’s National Bitcoin Office (ONBTC) confirmed the latest buy, showing that El Salvador isn’t slowing down its Bitcoin strategy.

On Feb 4, 2025, the country copped 12 BTC in two separate buys—11 BTC at an average of $101,816 each and another 1 BTC at $99,114. This adds up to a solid 60 BTC purchase in just the last month. Originally, El Salvador planned to buy 1 BTC daily, but now it’s grabbing larger chunks, likely taking advantage of U.S. government Bitcoin auctions selling seized BTC for cheap.

The aggressive Bitcoin accumulation follows its $1.4B deal with the IMF, in which El Salvador loosened some Bitcoin policies; among them, the rule for mandatory BTC acceptance was lifted. Still, the country is doubling down on its Bitcoin future.

El Salvador’s moves are making waves around the world, with countries such as the United States, Brazil, the Czech Republic, and Poland watching intently, considering whether to start stacking BTC themselves.

Also Read: Canadian Hacker on the Run After $65M Crypto Heist

Canadian Hacker on the Run After $65M Crypto Heist

Summary: A Canadian-Andean, Medjedovic, has been accused of stealing cryptocurrency from two platforms, worth $65 million, and laundering that amount. On the run for 4 years now, he has still kept his hand in the crypto space, including trying to manipulate projects for his benefit.

Medjedovic, a former University of Waterloo master’s student, was accused of hacking Indexed Finance and KyberSwap, draining $49 million from the former and $16 million from the latter. Using his advanced math skills, he allegedly exploited smart contract vulnerabilities to manipulate token prices and make massive profits at the expense of investors. Even after being charged, he reportedly tried to negotiate control of KyberSwap in exchange for returning some stolen funds.

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A lawsuit filed in Canada and an Interpol warrant out for alleged financial crimes did not deter Medjedovic, who continued to be involved with crypto. His web presence indicated he considers himself some sort of “pirate” operating in the legal gray areas. The U.S. has taken over the prosecution, with the case led by the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team, NCET. According to Acting U.S. Attorney John Durham, criminals leveraging new technology to steal from investors will be brought to book, no matter where they have been hiding.

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Banks Should Be Allowed to Offer Crypto, Says Coinbase

Summary: Coinbase is telling U.S. regulators to chill out and let the banks offer crypto services. The exchange sent letters to the OCC, Federal Reserve, and FDIC to ask them to make crystal clear that banks can legally hold, trade, and partner with crypto companies.Right now, there’s too much red tape, and Coinbase says it’s unfair.

Coinbase is particularly calling out an OCC rule that acts like a secret approval process for banks wanting to get into crypto. They want it gone. The exchange also wants the Fed and FDIC to confirm that state-chartered banks can legally trade and custody crypto for customers. Their chief policy officer, Faryar Shirzad, argues that banks should be able to work with third-party providers to offer crypto services just like they do with traditional finance.

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Legal heavyweights back Coinbase on this. Three major law firms—Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, Cleary Gottlieb, and WilmerHale—say banks already have the right to offer crypto services, but regulators are being vague. Meanwhile, Congress is looking into “Operation Choke Point 2.0,” where regulators allegedly pressured banks to cut off crypto firms. Coinbase claims the FDIC even told banks to “pause” crypto-related activities behind closed doors.

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With Trump back in office, Coinbase is betting big on friendlier policies. Executives will testify before Congress this week, hoping lawmakers will step in and give banks the green light to fully embrace digital assets.

Trivago Teams Up with Travala to Enable Crypto Payments for Travel

Trivago partners with Travala, letting users book hotels with crypto. Crypto travel demand is booming, making blockchain adoption more mainstream!

Big news for travel and crypto lovers—Trivago just partnered with Travala, bringing crypto payments to hotel bookings! This means millions of Trivago users can now find, compare, and book over 2.2 million Travala properties worldwide and pay with 100+ cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and AVA.


Timo Itterbeck, Trivago’s Head of Account Management, made it clear that their mission has always been to give travelers the most choice, and adding crypto with Travala.com definitely does that. The NASDAQ-listed Trivaga operates in more than 190 countries with upwards of 3 million monthly active users who would now be directly exposed to cryptocurrencies.

Meanwhile, Travala is killing it: sales last year reached $100M, doubling from last year, while a full 78% of its bookings were paid in Bitcoin-a clear indicator that crypto travel is trending.

Travala CEO Juan Otero sees this as a huge step toward mainstream crypto adoption. He says real-world use cases like travel legitimize crypto and make it more practical for everyday transactions.

Experts agree—mass adoption needs real-world blockchain applications. The Open Network Foundation’s Justin Hyun believes user-friendly apps like Telegram Mini Apps could be the Trojan Horse that brings in the next 500M crypto users.

Also Read: WLFI and Crypto Holdings Plunge as Market Crash Hits, Despite Trump’s Backing

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