South Carolina dismisses its staking lawsuit against Coinbase, joining Vermont

Published

3 months ago

March 28, 2025

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South Carolina dismisses its staking lawsuit against Coinbase, joining Vermont

South Carolina has become the latest US state to dismiss its lawsuit against crypto exchange Coinbase over its staking services, which had accused the crypto exchange of offering unregistered securities.

The lawsuit was officially dismissed in a joint stipulation between the crypto exchange and the South Carolina Attorney General’s securities division on March 27.

“South Carolina just joined Vermont to dismiss its unfounded staking lawsuit against Coinbase,” the firm’s chief legal officer, Paul Grewal, said in a March 27 X post.

“This is not just a victory for us, but for American consumers and we hope it’s a sign of things to come in the few states left that restrict staking.”

South Carolina and Vermont were two of 10 US states that took legal action against Coinbase’s staking services on June 6, 2023 — the same day that the federal securities regulator filed its lawsuit against the crypto exchange.

The Securities and Exchange Commission officially dismissed that lawsuit on Feb. 27, 2025.

The other eight US states that filed enforcement action similar to South Carolina were Alabama, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Washington and Wisconsin.

Grewal said he hoped to see other states follow suit, and that South Carolina residents lost an estimated $2 million in staking rewards as a result of the lawsuit.

“The 52 million Americans who own crypto deserve commonsense consumer protections and clear rules,” he said. “We applaud South Carolina for standing up for justice and hope the remaining states with bans on staking will take notice.”

South Carolina introduces Bitcoin reserve bill

Meanwhile, a state lawmaker has just introduced the “Strategic Digital Assets Reserve Act of South Carolina” on March 27, which could see the state treasurer allocate up to 10% of certain state funds to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC).

Unlike most US state crypto reserve bills, North Carolina’s House Bill 4256, introduced by Rep. Jordan Pace, mentioned Bitcoin on several occasions for the Strategic Digital Assets Reserve that the bill seeks to establish.

The bill allows South Carolina’s treasurer, currently Curtis Loftis, to establish a Bitcoin reserve that exceeds no more than 1 million Bitcoin — a high ceiling that the US federal government is also looking to reach or exceed with its recently established Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

The treasurer would be able to add Bitcoin to South Carolina’s General Fund, the Budget Stabilization Reserve Fund any other investment fund that they manage.

While no mention of stablecoins, non-fungible tokens, Ether (ETH) or any other crypto tokens was made, the House bill said the Strategic Digital Assets Reserve wouldn’t be limited to Bitcoin.

According to Bitcoin Law, 42 Bitcoin reserve bills have been introduced at the state level in 19 states, and 36 of those 42 bills remain live.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a Digital Asset Stockpile, both of which will initially use cryptocurrency forfeited in government criminal cases.

Magazine: Comeback 2025: Is Ethereum poised to catch up with Bitcoin and Solana?

Politics

UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria

Published

3 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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The UK has re-established diplomatic ties with Syria, David Lammy has said, as he made the first visit to the country by a British minister for 14 years.

The foreign secretary visited Damascus and met with interim president Ahmed al Sharaa, also the leader of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and foreign minister Asaad al Shaibani.

It marks the latest diplomatic move since Bashar al Assad’s regime was toppled by rebel groups led by HTS in December.

In a statement, Mr Lammy said a “stable Syria is in the UK’s interests” and added: “I’ve seen first-hand the remarkable progress Syrians have made in rebuilding their lives and their country.

“After over a decade of conflict, there is renewed hope for the Syrian people.

“The UK is re-establishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also announced a £94.5m support package for urgent humanitarian aid and to support the country’s long-term recovery, after a number of British sanctions against the country were lifted in April.

While HTS is still classified as a proscribed terror group, Sir Keir Starmer said last year that it could be removed from the list.

The Syrian president’s office also said on Saturday that the president and Mr Lammy discussed co-operation, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East.

Since Assad fled Syria in December, a transitional government headed by Mr al Sharaa was announced in March and a number of western countries have restored ties.

In May, US President Donald Trump said the United States would lift long-standing sanctions on Syria and normalise relations during a speech at the US-Saudi investment conference.

He said he wanted to give the country “a chance at peace” and added: “There is a new government that will hopefully succeed.

“I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”

Politics

Secret Service seizes $400M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

Published

5 hours ago

July 6, 2025

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Secret Service seizes 0M in crypto, cold wallet among world’s largest

Secret Service quietly amasses one of the world’s largest crypto cold wallets with $400 million seized, exposing scams through blockchain sleuthing and VPN missteps.