US District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin refused BiT Global’s request for a temporary restraining order to block Coinbase from delisting a wrapped BTC product created by BiT Global for trading on decentralized exchanges, saying the company’s evidence of “irreparable harm” was mostly speculative. BiT Global filed its motion for a restraining order on the same day it filed an antitrust lawsuit against Coinbase claiming that it delisted BiT Global's product after creating a competing knockoff. BiT Global is seeking over $1 billion in damages for the claimed loss of the value of its wrapped BTC product, called wBTC.

US District Judge Michael Shea sentenced Dylan Meissner, a former executive of crypto research firm Delphi Digital, to four years in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling nearly $5 million from the firm for his personal use. Judge Shea also ordered Meissner to pay restitution of $4.6 million, which includes the money he stole from his employer and the loan he failed to repay. DOJ said Meissner stole approximately $4.4 million from Delphi Digital while serving as its vice president of finance in 2022.

The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) granted a BitLicense to Anchorage Digital, allowing the crypto platform to offer regulated crypto trading to New York-based clients and giving it the ability to custody and settle trades. Anchorage Digital said in a statement that the license will allow the company "to work with more New York-based institutions, including registered investment advisors (RIAs) and large institutional asset managers. The new approval means the most trusted brand in crypto can offer regulated crypto trading to NY Clients, and the ability to custody and settle trades through a clear-cut qualified custodian in the form of Anchorage Digital Bank N.A."

Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek met with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago to discuss appointments related to the crypto industry, Congress and the incoming administration, and a BTC reserve. A Crypto.com spokesperson said in a statement to Bloomberg that the company looks "forward to working with the new administration to develop and advance clear regulations for the crypto industry so the US can become a global leader in digital assets and innovation." Marszalek's visit comes after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong held a phone discussion with Trump last month.

In an interview with CNBC, President-elect Trump said his administration would do some “great” things with crypto, emphasizing the need to stay ahead of China and other competitors. Trump also highlighted the importance of staying ahead on AI. Other topics of focus included dividend and capital gains taxes, natural gas, and the stock market.

Former CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintenz, who is currently head of policy at a16z crypto, is reportedly emerging as a top contender to lead the CFTC under President-elect Trump. Bloomberg reports that Quintenz has been interviewed for the position, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. The people added that Trump's team has concluded interviews for the chair of the agency, and an announcement of the selection is anticipated in the coming days. Bloomberg previously reported that current Republican CFTC Commissioners Summer Mersinger and Caroline Pham were under consideration for the role, along with lawyers and former CFTC officials Joshua Sterling and Neal Kumar.

Federal prosecutors are recommending that Frank Richard Ahlgren III, the first person ever criminally charged for failing to report gains from the sale of crypto by filing false returns, should be sentenced to 27 months in prison after he admitted underreporting $4 million in BTC proceeds. Prosecutors also argued that Ahlgren should be ordered to pay roughly $1 million in restitution to the government for the lost tax dollars. Ahlgren is scheduled for sentencing on Thursday. He was indicted in February and accused of making false returns for 2017 through 2019 and violating structuring laws.

US Bankruptcy Judge John Dorsey approved a deal to settle clawback claims by FTX against former Alameda Research executive John Trabucco. Trabucco agreed to hand over two San Francisco apartments purchased in 2021 for $8.7 million and a yacht bought in 2022 for $2.5 million. Under the settlement, Trabucco will also drop his customer claims against FTX for about $70 million, while FTX will drop its clawback claims against Trabucco once it receives title to the residences and yacht.

President-elect Trump tapped venture capitalist David Sacks to serve as the “White House AI & Crypto Czar,” a new position that is expected to oversee federal action on crypto deregulation and government AI adoption. Sacks is a South African investor who has close ties to Elon Musk. He has been a vocal supporter of crypto and digital assets for over a decade and is expected to push hard for a deregulatory approach to the sector. Several lawmakers, including Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), praised the decision in X posts. The position will not require Senate confirmation.