Ledn Seeks California Expansion Amid Growing Institutional Interest in Bitcoin

Cryptocurrency lender Ledn has applied to expand its services in California, capitalizing on rising Bitcoin adoption and institutional investment. The move aligns with increasing competition from traditional finance (TradFi) firms entering the crypto space.

Ledn Eyes California Expansion as TradFi Prepares to Deploy Big Dollars

Ledn, a crypto lender operating in over 130 countries, has submitted an application to expand its services in California. The move comes as Wall Street competitors increasingly enter the crypto space. Ledn co-founder and CEO Adam Reeds cited the increasing Bitcoin price and ownership as factors that will justify the compliance costs of opening up in new regions. Established in 2018, Ledn is among the largest centralized crypto lenders left standing after a series of high-profile collapses reshaped the sector in 2022.

Discovering Satoshi Correspondence: A Living History Segment

We’re approaching 14 years since Satoshi Nakamoto’s last-known correspondence. The existing compendiums of Satoshi’s writings may never be complete, with private emails and direct messages still potentially undiscovered. The most recent unreleased Satoshi texts were provided last year as evidence in a legal case. This segment is from the Supply Shock newsletter.

$90K Bitcoin Price Breakout Could Trigger $7B Short Squeeze

Bitcoin (BTC) price traded NEAR $84,500 on April 17, with bulls reclaiming momentum after last week’s volatility. Traders are bracing for a potential $90,000 breakout, which could liquidate over $7 billion in short positions. BTC has rebounded after briefly dipping to $80,000 in early April. As of recent data, BTC is up 3.41% weekly and 0.53% over the past 24 hours. Bitcoin’s recent rally has coincided with a shift in trader sentiment, with social media activity flipping into “bullish territory” for the first time in weeks according to Santiment.

Binance Advises Countries on Creating Bitcoin Reserves

Binance, the crypto exchange platform, is actively advising several governments on establishing strategic bitcoin reserves and developing regulatory frameworks. Richard Teng, CEO of Binance, confirmed in an interview with the Financial Times that the platform has received requests from countries and sovereign funds for such assistance. This trend is accelerating as many countries follow the American example, with a Trump decree creating a strategic Bitcoin reserve setting the precedent. Binance is at the heart of several countries’ national Bitcoin strategies.

Slovenia Proposes 25% Tax on Personal Crypto Profits

Slovenia authorities are looking to bring a 25% tax proposal targeting personal crypto profits into effect in 2026 if adopted into law. On April 17, the Slovenian finance ministry submitted for public discussion and feedback a proposal that seeks to impose a 25% capital gains tax on crypto assets. The bill aims to align the taxation of cryptocurrencies in the country with existing tax laws, meaning those who gain from the disposal of crypto assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) will be taxed. Currently, there is a loophole in Slovenia’s tax system that taxes residents for business income related to crypto trading, but with this new crypto tax bill, the exemption enjoyed by those who buy and sell cryptocurrencies will be removed.