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Signal weighs exit from Canada amid lawful access bill

Privacy-focused messaging app Signal has signaled it could exit Canada if forced to comply with the government’s proposed lawful access framework. The legislation, Bill C-22, would require electronic service providers to enable surveillance capabilities and retain user metadata for up to a year, part of a broader effort to aid law enforcement in investigating crimes such as terrorism and child exploitation. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Signal’s vice president of strategy and global affairs, Udbhav Tiwari, argued that the bill could threaten end-to-end encryption and leave private messaging services vulnerable to cyberattacks. He said Signal would rather pull out of Canada than compromise on the privacy commitments it has made to users. Key takeaways Bill C-22 would compel tech and messaging providers to build surveillance mechanisms and retain certain user metadata for up to a year to assist law enforcement. Signal warns the legislation could undermine encryption and expose...
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Kraken Leaves LayerZero, Adopts Chainlink CCIP for Cross-Chain Ops

Kraken has decided to migrate its cross-chain infrastructure from LayerZero to Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), designating CCIP as the exclusive cross-chain backbone for Kraken Wrapped Bitcoin (kBTC) and all future wrapped assets. The move places Kraken among a growing group of protocols re-evaluating their cross-chain security posture in the wake of a major DeFi incident earlier this spring. The exchange said the transition to CCIP reflects a preference for what it describes as enterprise-grade security and risk management. Kraken highlighted CCIP’s certifications, secure-by-default design, 16 independent nodes, and native rate limits as core advantages in reducing cross-chain risk for the firm’s wrapped assets. The shift comes amid heightened scrutiny of LayerZero following the Kelp DAO exploit in April, in which roughly $292 million in liquid restaking tokens were siphoned by actors suspected to be linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group. LayerZero subsequent...

Signal Considers Exiting Canada Over Lawful Access Bill

Canada’s privacy-focused messaging app Signal has signaled it may exit the Canadian market if compelled to comply with Bill C-22, the government’s proposed lawful access legislation. The draft bill would require electronic service providers to build surveillance capabilities and retain certain user metadata for up to a year, underscoring a key policy tension between national security objectives and strong end-to-end encryption. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Signal’s vice president of strategy and global affairs, Udbhav Tiwari, warned that the bill could threaten encryption and leave private messaging services more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Bill C-22 was introduced in March as part of a broader regulatory package intended to aid law enforcement investigations into crimes such as terrorism and child exploitation. The debate has drawn criticism from privacy advocates and mirrors wider concerns within the European Union around encryption and compelled access. Critics point to ...

Gemini's Financial Services Expansion Drives 42% Revenue Growth

Gemini’s first-quarter 2026 results underscore a pivotal shift for the crypto platform as it continues diversifying from a pure digital-asset exchange into a broader financial services company. The Winklevoss twins’ firm posted a 42% year-over-year revenue increase to $50.3 million in Q1, driven by a surge in non-crypto revenue, even as crypto trading activity cooled and overall trading volume contracted. Key takeaways Total revenue rose 42% year over year to $50.3 million, signaling meaningful diversification beyond core exchange fees. Crypto exchange revenue declined 27% YoY to $17.2 million amid softer spot trading and lower market volumes, with total trading volume dropping to $6.3 billion from $13.5 billion a year earlier. Credit card revenue surged nearly 300% to $14.7 million as Gemini’s consumer finance products gained traction, reflecting the company’s ongoing push into broader financial services. Total operating expenses jumped 73% to $144.5 million, driven by hiring,...

Strive climbs 5.8% on Q1 debt clearance, unveils daily dividends

Strive Inc., the Bitcoin-focused company founded by Vivek Ramaswamy, has unveiled a bold shift toward a “Daily Dividend Company” model while reporting a debt-free quarter. In a GlobeNewswire release outlining its first-quarter 2026 results, Strive said its Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Preferred Stock, ticker SATA, will begin paying dividends every business day starting June 16, at an annualized rate of 13%. The payouts will be funded by income generated from the company’s Bitcoin treasury strategy, marking a notable departure from traditional buy-and-hold stances. CEO Matt Cole framed the move as a milestone in a focused push to reward shareholders while leveraging Bitcoin holdings. He described a balance sheet that is no longer burdened by debt or margin requirements, positioned to weather the volatility inherent in a Bitcoin-centric strategy. The decision to deploy daily dividends follows a path similar to approaches popularized by Strategy, Michael Saylor’s venture that has used...

Dartmouth Endowment Adopts Solana ETF, Reaches $14M Crypto Exposure

Dartmouth College's $9 billion endowment has quietly expanded its exposure to digital assets, reporting new crypto-related holdings in a recent SEC filing. In a Form 13F covering the quarter ended March 31, 2026, the trustees disclosed positions across three cryptocurrency-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs): about $3.3 million in the Bitwise Solana Staking ETF, roughly $3.5 million in the Grayscale Ethereum Staking ETF, and approximately $7.7 million in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF. The figures mark a shift from January, when the endowment’s crypto footprint was skewed toward larger holdings in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF (over $10 million) and the Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust (about $5 million). The newer disclosures show a more diversified but still modest stake in regulated crypto vehicles within Dartmouth’s multi-billion-dollar investment program. These details come as U.S. universities increasingly experiment with regulated access to digital assets. Dartmouth’s move follows ...

Farage Uses $6.7M Crypto Gift to Buy $1.8M UK Home

In a developing thread at the intersection of politics and crypto money, United Kingdom politician Nigel Farage and his Reform Party are under scrutiny after Farage received a 5 million pound gift from crypto financier Christopher Harborne. Less than two months later, Farage closed on a 1.4 million pound property—purchased in May 2024, before public campaigning for the general election intensified, Sky News reported. The arrangement has since triggered a parliamentary probe into whether the gift should have been declared and registered after Farage took office. The Reform Party contends that the gift, received prior to Farage entering parliament, falls outside the reporting requirements now being debated in political circles. Farage himself has said the transfer was completed before he assumed office, and therefore not subject to the stricter post-office disclosure rules that govern political donations in the UK. The party has signaled it will contest attempts to curb crypto-driven pol...