In partnership with

Good Morning Crypto Enthusiasts!

Glad to have you back for another edition of the UseTheBitcoin.com newsletter.

1. XRPL Explores Native Staking: RippleX and David Schwartz are debating whether XRP should gain native staking as the network expands into DeFi and tokenization.

2. Coinbase Expands DeFi in Brazil: Coinbase has launched its “DeFi Mullet” DEX trading in Brazil, letting users access 10,000+ tokens through the standard app while Base handles decentralized execution.

3. Samourai CTO Gets 4-Year Sentence: Samourai Wallet CTO William Hill received 48 months in prison for running an unlicensed money-transmitting business tied to Bitcoin mixers.

4. 💡Feature of the Day - Kraken Files for US IPO: Kraken quietly filed a confidential S-1 with the SEC, signaling an approaching IPO after years of speculation and a recent $20B valuation.

   
   All this and more in today’s headlines!

Best Price. Every Trade.

Built for active crypto traders. CoW Swap always searches across every major DEX and delivers the best execution price on every swap you make. Smarter routes. Better trades. No wasted value. Find your best price today. So why trade on any one DEX when you can use them all?

Find your best price today

📰 News Highlights:

XRPL Native Staking [Source][Source][Source][Source]

RippleX and outgoing CTO David Schwartz have opened a major discussion about potentially adding native XRP staking to the XRP Ledger as the network expands deeper into DeFi, tokenization, and institutional markets.

This shift would require rethinking its long-standing Proof of Association model, where fees are burned rather than redistributed. RippleX engineering lead J. Ayo Akinyele emphasized that staking could align incentives like other networks but would require creating new reward sources and a fair distribution design.

Schwartz contributed two highly technical but long-term concepts, including a two-layer consensus model and fee-funded zero-knowledge proofs to enable advanced smart contract execution without compromising XRPL’s stability.

Both leaders stressed they aren’t advocating for immediate changes, only exploring design trade-offs as XRPL evolves. The community debate centers on protecting the network’s decade-long reputation for reliability, ensuring that adding financial incentives never introduces validator conflict or undermines the ledger’s trusted governance model.

Coinbase Brazil Expansion [Source][Source][Source]

Coinbase has launched its “DeFi Mullet” DEX trading in Brazil, allowing users to trade over 10,000 tokens through the familiar Coinbase app while relying on Base, Coinbase’s L2, for decentralization. This expansion aims to make DeFi feel seamless by combining a regulated interface with decentralized backend execution, all tied to a self-custody wallet for full user control.

The move follows Coinbase’s broader push toward becoming an “everything app” with tokenized stocks, early-stage token launches, and lighting-fast infrastructure improvements like Flashblocks.

Brazil's rollout happens amid a wave of strict new crypto regulations classifying stablecoin and self-custody transfers as foreign exchange operations, signaling deeper integration of digital assets into traditional finance rules.

Coinbase enters one of the world’s largest economies just as compliance requirements intensify, including potential taxes on cross-border crypto activity. With over 215 million people and a growing crypto market, Brazil represents both massive opportunity and increasingly complex regulatory terrain for Coinbase’s global expansion strategy.

Samourai CTO Sentenced [Source][Source][Source]

Samourai Wallet CTO William Lonergan Hill has been sentenced to 48 months in federal prison for conspiring to run an unlicensed money-transmitting business tied to Bitcoin mixing services like Whirlpool and Ricochet.

Hill and co-founder Keonne Rodriguez processed over $2 billion through the tools and were accused of marketing them on darknet forums as ways to launder criminal proceeds. Hill’s recent autism diagnosis prompted the judge to reduce the sentence from the prosecution’s requested 60 months but was not accepted as a defense for his actions.

The case has sparked major controversy across the crypto ecosystem as developers fear it sets a precedent that open-source coders could be held criminally liable for how users misuse their software.

Rodriguez, who received a five-year sentence earlier, has begun pushing for public petitions for pardons. Hill, now 67, is set to report to prison on January 2nd, leaving the industry grappling with where innovation ends and legal liability begins.

💡 Feature of the Day: 

Kraken US IPO Filing [Source][Source][Source]

Kraken has taken a major step toward going public by submitting a confidential Form S-1 to the U.S. SEC, signaling an upcoming IPO after years of speculation.

The move arrives shortly after Grayscale made a similar filing, marking a broader shift as major crypto firms pursue traditional capital markets. Kraken’s pivot comes despite prior comments suggesting no urgency to go public and follows a strong $20 billion valuation achieved through two funding rounds in 2025.

The filing positions Kraken among Coinbase, Gemini, and other exchanges pursuing public listings as the crypto industry seeks greater legitimacy and long-term regulatory clarity.

While competitors move ahead, Ripple has signaled no timeline for an IPO despite resolving much of its SEC legal battle. Kraken’s confidential filing allows private review with regulators as it prepares for what could be one of the most significant crypto IPOs since Coinbase’s 2021 debut.

😂 Crypto Meme of the Day: 

Meme of the day provided by @BitMartExchange

And that’s it for this today.

See you all tomorrow’s edition!

Jonathan Gibson
UseTheBitcoin.com