Mariana Gospodinova: From Card Payments to Crypto.com’s Ranks
Mariana Gospodinova is Executive Vice President of Global Operations and General Manager for Europe at Crypto.com, having previously served as COO of Binance Europe.
Articles by Darlene Lleno
Bitcoin TikTok Shop Debut: Fold Launches $25-$500 Cards
Bitcoin TikTok Shop purchases are now live through Fold's Bitcoin Gift Card, sold in denominations from $25 to $500. The launch gives TikTok Shop's largely Gen Z and Millennial shoppers a new mainstream way to buy Bitcoin.
by Darlene Lleno
XRP Whales Buy 70M Tokens as Reserves Hit 5-Month Low
XRP whale buying reached 70 million tokens this week as Binance's XRP reserves fell to a five-month low. The rise in XRP whale demand comes alongside a new $800,000 RLUSD reward campaign from Binance running through Aug. 14.
by Darlene Lleno
Larry Fink Bitcoin Outlook Turns Bullish Amid Record
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said Bitcoin has grown considerably more stable as leveraged positions wash out of the market, and repeated that he is very ...
by Darlene Lleno
How to Buy Bitcoin Safely in 2026: A Step-by-Step Guide
A laptop screen shows an illuminated warning icon while a Bitcoin coin rests on the keyboard.
by Darlene Lleno
Tuur Demeester: The Economist Who Bet on Bitcoin at $5
Tuur Demeester is a Belgian economist who told newsletter readers to buy bitcoin at $5 in 2012. He later sold his hedge fund, Adamant Capital, to Blockstream and now runs Adamant Research.
by Darlene Lleno
Brian Armstrong: The Airbnb Engineer Who Built Coinbase
Brian Armstrong is the co-founder and CEO of Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States. Forbes places his real-time net worth at $7.7 billion as of July 2026, tied almost entirely to his roughly 19% stake in the company.
by Darlene Lleno
Heka Funds Loses $49M Claim Against Circle Over USDC Ban
Circle Heka Funds is the 2023 account ban that led Tether-backed fund Heka Funds to lose a $49 million arbitration claim against USDC issuer Circle.
by Darlene Lleno
XRP Crypto News: Ripple Wins Full EU MiCA License
XRP trades near $1.09 after Ripple secured full EU MiCA approval from Luxembourg regulators, even as the token has yet to break out despite $1.48 billion in cumulative ETF inflows. Traders are now watching whether XRP can reclaim $1.10 support or slide back toward its 2026 low near $1.04.
by Darlene Lleno
Julian Zehetmayr: Reviving LimeWire’s Legacy for the AI Era
Julian Zehetmayr is the co-founder and co-CEO of LimeWire, the once-defunct file-sharing brand he rebuilt as an AI and Web3 content platform. He previously built and sold two other companies, APILayer and eversign, before turning LimeWire into a generative AI and NFT business
by Darlene Lleno
Chamath Palihapitiya: From Facebook Executive to SPAC King
Chamath Palihapitiya is the founder and CEO of Social Capital, the venture firm behind early SPAC deals like Virgin Galactic and SoFi. Known as Silicon Valley's "SPAC King," he scored a major payday when Nvidia's $20 billion Groq deal closed in December 2025.
by Darlene Lleno
Binance Asia Licenses: More Approvals Coming, Teng Says
Binance now operates across six Asian markets, including a newly reentered Philippines, with more license approvals still coming, Co-CEO Richard Teng confirmed on July 9, 2026. But in the Philippines, peso transfers remain off-limits since Binance lacks the required license.
by Darlene Lleno
Aave Stable Vaults Launch Targets Fintech Yield Demand
Aave launched Stable Vaults on July 9, 2026, letting fintech apps, wallets, and exchanges offer fixed-rate stablecoin yield without building their own DeFi infrastructure. The product enters a market where rival Morpho already has a head start, with vaults on Coinbase and Robinhood already holding real deposits.
by Darlene Lleno
Arthur Breitman: From Wall Street Quant to Blockchain Founder
Arthur Breitman co-founded Tezos and remains its CTO nearly a decade after the project's $232 million ICO, one of 2017's largest crypto fundraises. Now he's turning heads with blunt warnings about Bitcoin's social and market vulnerabilities, from quantum computing risks to corporate treasury strategies.
by Darlene Lleno
Emilie Choi: The Dealmaker Who Runs Coinbase
Emilie Choi is Coinbase's President and COO, having risen from LinkedIn dealmaker to one of crypto's most senior executives.
