Startups

SEC Chair Paul Atkins said Monday the agency will move forward with a proposal addressing crypto fundraising and startup exemption issues, signaling regulatory clarification is coming.

Kenyan industry leaders warn draft licensing rules requiring substantial paid-up capital would shut out startups, consolidate the market around well-funded firms, and push users toward offshore platforms.

Washington startup Starcloud says it will deploy the first Bitcoin-mining satellite into low Earth orbit, pitching orbit as a new frontier for computing and crypto mining. The plan raises technical and regulatory questions even as it promises novel efficiency gains.

Dutch lawmakers advanced a proposal on Feb 13 to impose a 36% tax on certain assets, exempting startup equity and non-investment property. Cryptocurrencies were not listed as exempt, prompting industry concern and calls for clarity.

MP Raghav Chadha warns that India's heavy crypto taxes, applied without a clear regulatory framework, are driving capital, startups, and users abroad. Lawmakers are renewing calls to legalize virtual digital assets to arrest the outflow.

Ripple and UC Berkeley today unveiled UDAX, an accelerator for projects building on the XRP Ledger; nine startups completed the pilot and received technical mentorship and VC introductions. The program aims to deepen developer activity and drive real-world use cases for XRP Ledger technology.

Coinbase is rolling out a white-label program that lets partners issue their own stablecoins backed by USDC and other collateral types, aiming to lower the technical and compliance burden for startups. The move could expand tokenized payments and asset issuance while drawing regulatory attention.

Poland's president vetoed a wide-ranging crypto bill on Dec. 2, warning it could push startups abroad and prompting a sharp clash with government leaders. The move raises immediate questions about the future of crypto policy and business confidence in Poland.

Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Warner Music Group have licensed their catalogs to AI-driven streaming startup Klay, Bloomberg reported, allowing users to remake songs with artificial intelligence. The deals signal major labels' willingness to experiment with AI-based music distribution and new revenue models.