Murtuza Merchant

Consulting Editor

Murtuza is a seasoned finance journalist with extensive experience covering cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. He has contributed to Benzinga and Cointelegraph, among other publications, reporting on emerging trends, the regulatory landscape, and more. Find him at @murtuza_merc on Twitter and mmerchant001 on Telegram. Disclosure: Murtuza holds ATOM, AKT, TIA, INJ, and OSMO.

Articles by Murtuza Merchant (462)

MARKETS

Bitcoin Breaks Above $81,000 for First Time Since Late January

Bitcoin crossed $81,000 in Asian trading on May 5, its highest price since late January, as $270 million in short liquidations amplified the move.

05/05/2026

RESEARCH

Defining RWA Tokenization And Why The 2026 Numbers Matter

RWA tokenization has crossed a threshold that few analysts predicted this early in the cycle. In May 2026, the total value of tokenized real-world assets on public blockchains surpassed $50…

05/05/2026

MARKETS

Terra Luna Classic Gains 12% as Community Burns and Staking Activity Revive the Token

Terra Luna Classic gained 12% on May 5, reaching a $543M market cap, as community-led burn programs and staking activity draw fresh attention to LUNC.

05/05/2026

MARKETS

Bitcoin Holds Above $80,000 as Macro Headwinds and Geopolitical Tensions Cap the Rally

Bitcoin held near $80,470 on May 5, 2026, posting a 0.35% 24-hour gain as Iran-Strait of Hormuz tensions and macro caution limited upside despite improved risk.

05/05/2026

LEARN

What A Solana Epoch Actually Is

If you have ever staked Solana (SOL) and wondered why your rewards did not arrive immediately, or why unstaking seemed to take longer than expected, the answer sits inside a…

05/05/2026

MARKETS

Canada Launches First Regulated Digital Dollar, CADD, Targeting 24/7 Institutional Settlement

Canada's first regulated stablecoin, CADD, launched with Shopify and National Bank of Canada as backers, targeting 24/7 institutional cross-border settlement.

05/05/2026

MARKETS

Bittensor Holds Top 40 as Decentralized AI Network Draws Sustained Speculative Interest

Bittensor's TAO token held rank 36 by market cap on May 4, 2026, as the decentralized AI network drew fresh speculative and developer interest.

05/04/2026

MARKETS

Billions Network Surges 75% as Low-Float Token Draws Heavy Speculative Volume

Billions Network's BILL token surged 75% in 24 hours to May 4, posting $183M in volume against a $93M market cap as low float amplifies price swings.

05/04/2026

MARKETS

Kraken Parent Payward Sues Custody Firm Etana Over Alleged $25 Million Fraud

Kraken parent Payward has sued custody firm Etana and its CEO, alleging a $25M Ponzi-like fraud involving commingled and concealed client cryptocurrency funds.

05/04/2026

MARKETS

Firo Trends as Privacy Coin Sector Draws Fresh Attention in May 2026

Firo gains 3.3% to trend among top cryptocurrency assets in May 2026 as privacy coin sector attention builds following recent regulatory and industry.

05/04/2026

MARKETS

Toncoin Rises 6% as Telegram’s Blockchain Network Posts Broad Activity Gains

Toncoin gained 6% to $1.43 on May 4, 2026, as The Open Network's integration with Telegram's 900 million users drives on-chain activity and token demand.

05/04/2026

MARKETS

Circle Wins French AMF Approval Under MiCA, Expanding Its European Reach

Circle received approval from France's AMF under the MiCA framework on May 4, making it one of the first major stablecoin issuers to gain EU-wide crypto.

05/04/2026

MARKETS

Binance Launches Withdrawal Lock to Protect Users From Physical Coercion Attacks

Binance is rolling out a voluntary withdrawal lock feature to protect users from "wrench attacks," physical coercion incidents where criminals force victims to.

05/04/2026

MARKETS

Kraken’s Parent Files $25 Million Fraud Lawsuit Against Custody Partner Etana

Kraken's parent company Payward filed a $25 million fraud lawsuit against custody firm Etana and its CEO, alleging client funds were misused in a Ponzi-like.

05/04/2026

MARKETS

MegaETH Posts $253M in Daily Volume as Real-Time Ethereum Layer Draws Trader Attention

MegaETH posted $253M in daily trading volume on May 4 as its real-time Ethereum Layer-2 architecture attracted speculative flows despite a 2% price decline in.

05/04/2026