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DeFi Dev Corp. launches partnership with dogwifhat, coin surges

DeFi Development Corp., which aims to be the “Strategy of solana,” has announced a “strategic validator partnership with the dogwifhat community,” a meme coin on the Solana blockchain.

Dogwifhat, with an $869 million market cap, is one of the top gainers in the past 24 hours, up over 22%.

Under the partnership, DeFi Development Corp. will provide technical operations and infrastructure, while both parties “will jointly promote the validator and collaborate to secure delegated stake,” the press release says.

This partnership follows a similar one DeFi Dev made with meme coin Bonk in May, which “established a new model for how institutional infrastructure and community tokens can align to advance decentralized networks,” according to a May 16 press release.

Dan Kang, DeFi Dev’s head of investor relations, told Sherwood News that the partnership was the “next natural step” after the BONK validator launch, and that WIF was “more than a meme coin.”

“It’s a cultural force with massive community reach, and we believe aligning with projects that shape the solana narrative is a smart, long-term move. After our BONK validator launch, this was a natural next step. We’re committed to supporting the ecosystem’s most iconic communities,” he said.

When asked whether DeFi Dev is considering additional solana meme coin partnerships, Kang said the company is always exploring new ways to engage with the solana ecosystem and support aligned partners.

“But we don’t have any additional validator partnerships to announce at this time,” he added. 

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Payward, parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, puts plans for IPO on hold

Payward, crypto exchange Kraken’s parent company, has paused its plans for an initial public offering until market conditions improve, according to a report from CoinDesk that cited two people with knowledge of the matter. 

Since the firm announced in November its preparation for an IPO of its common stock, the total market capitalization of the crypto industry has shed around $652.2 billion, from $3.2 trillion to $2.5 trillion as of Wednesday, data from CoinGecko shows. 

The news comes two weeks after Kraken received approval for a master account from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, allowing the crypto exchange to connect to the Fed’s payment infrastructure used by traditional banks and credit unions. 

Last year, Kraken raised $800 million at a $20 billion valuation from institutional investors such as Jane Street and Citadel Securities.

The news comes two weeks after Kraken received approval for a master account from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, allowing the crypto exchange to connect to the Fed’s payment infrastructure used by traditional banks and credit unions. 

Last year, Kraken raised $800 million at a $20 billion valuation from institutional investors such as Jane Street and Citadel Securities.

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SEC and CFTC issue new guidance on how securities laws apply to crypto assets

On Tuesday, the US Securities and Exchange Commission, together with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, issued an interpretation clarifying how federal securities law applies to crypto assets, a first step toward developing a clearer regulatory framework. 

The interpretive guidance introduces a token taxonomy for different types of cryptocurrencies, with SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins adding that “most crypto assets are not themselves securities.”

Examples of a digital commodity, “a crypto asset that is intrinsically linked to and derives its value from the programmatic operation of a crypto system that is ‘functional,’” include:

The guidance also includes definitions of digital collectibles (such as NFTs), stablecoins, digital tools, and digital securities (such as tokenized real-world assets and stocks).

This is a monumental step in the mainstream adoption of the industry and clears a hurdle in how crypto can operate going forward, according to David Pakman, head of venture investments at CoinFund. “This will allow new token designs with the confidence that their existence does not require registration with the SEC, etc.,” Pakman told Sherwood News.

Despite the clarification efforts from the two organizations, the market capitalization of the crypto industry has dropped about 2% in the last 24 hours as each of the tokens mentioned in the guidance are trading lower in the period, data from CoinGecko shows.

The joint agency action also complements congressional efforts to turn a crypto market structure framework into law. With the goal of providing regulations on the offer and sale of digital commodities, the CLARITY Act passed the House of Representatives last year and is now sitting in the Senate.

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