GM everyone, and welcome to today’s edition of The DeFi Defender! Markets may be volatile, but the regulatory and political landscape is shifting fast—and largely in favor of crypto. Let’s break down the biggest stories of the week.
🔥 Trump’s Crypto Play Sends Markets Flying (and Crashing)
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump shook the crypto world with a post on Truth Social announcing his plan for a U.S. crypto strategic holding, prioritizing American-made tokens like Cardano, Solana, and XRP.
However, when Bitcoin and Ethereum were conspicuously absent from the list, backlash was swift. In classic Trumpian fashion, he followed up with another post reaffirming his "love" for Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The result? Bitcoin saw its largest single-day green candle ever. But, as is tradition, the FOMO didn’t last—by Monday, reality set in, and the market retraced all its gains.
📜 SEC Lawsuit Against Hex Dismissed
In a major legal win for crypto, a U.S. court dismissed the SEC’s lawsuit against Richard Heart, the founder of Hex, PulseChain, and PulseX.
The SEC had accused Heart of offering unregistered securities and misappropriating funds.
The defense successfully argued that Heart’s residency in Finland meant the U.S. courts lacked jurisdiction.
The court agreed, ruling that Heart’s ties to the U.S. were insufficient to justify the SEC’s claims.
🏛️ Trump to Host First White House Crypto Summit
On March 7, Trump will host the first-ever White House Crypto Summit. Speculation is rampant on what’s on the agenda, but possible topics include:
Stablecoin oversight
Bitcoin’s role in the financial system
A U.S. crypto strategic asset initiative
(Wild rumor alert): Some even speculate that capital gains on crypto could be eliminated. While that remains to be seen, one thing is certain: Crypto is now a White House-level issue.
🚀 SEC Drops Investigation into Yuga Labs
The SEC has officially closed its investigation into Yuga Labs, the creators of the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT ecosystem. No charges were filed—a significant win for NFTs and digital creators.
This decision raises serious questions about why other NFT projects, like Stoner Cats, were forced to settle while Yuga Labs walked free. If nothing else, it’s proof that the SEC’s approach to crypto enforcement is inconsistent and flawed.
🕵️ Coinbase Wants Answers: How Much Did the SEC’s Crypto War Cost?
Coinbase has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to uncover how much taxpayer money the SEC has spent on its relentless crackdown on crypto between 2021 and 2025.
The exchange wants to know:
How many investigations and enforcement actions were launched?
What third-party contractors were used?
How much settlement money was actually recovered—and where did it go?
Given that most SEC cases against crypto firms are getting dismissed or withdrawn, this could expose a major waste of resources.
⚖️ Kraken Wins: SEC Lawsuit Dropped
And finally, another huge legal win: The SEC is dropping its investigation and lawsuit against Kraken. This adds to the growing trend of the SEC backing off from its high-profile crypto enforcement cases.
🌪️ Final Thoughts
Despite market volatility, crypto is in its strongest legal and political position in years. With key cases getting dismissed and a White House summit dedicated to crypto, momentum is shifting in favor of the sector.
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