TREE NEWS reports: Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg is considering leaving California if the state passes a proposed 5% billionaire tax. The measure would levy the tax on the state’s wealthiest residents. No further details on the proposal’s legislative status or Zuckerberg’s specific plans were provided.
TREE NEWS update: Kazakhstan’s Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) regulator will serve injunctions against Coinbase, HTX and four other unlicensed platforms to Apple and Google after a court declined to order the tech companies directly. The injunctions were won against the six platforms for operating without a license. The regulator is now turning to the app store operators to enforce the orders.
TREE NEWS update: The U.S. Department of Justice has restrained $938 million in a nationwide crackdown on crypto scams, Attorney General Todd Blanche said, describing an initiative that deploys dozens of prosecutors across all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. President Donald Trump touted the enforcement push. The figure covers funds restrained under the scam prosecution effort.
TREE NEWS update: US President Donald Trump did not use the word “crypto” once during a White House roundtable on cybercrime, detailing numerous schemes defrauding Americans but referring only to “cybercurrency” in connection with scams. The remarks came at an event focused on online fraud. The material did not specify the date of the roundtable or which other participants attended.
TREE NEWS reports: UN experts said Meta Platforms appears to have “disproportionately restricted” accounts tied to one side of Brazil’s presidential election, in an apparent reference to President Lula’s campaign. The experts did not name Lula or his right-wing rival Bolsonaro, but cited incidents closely matching complaints from Lula’s side, including restricted Instagram posts, differences in audience reach and AI image generation, and political content that could benefit another candidate. Meta shares were up 1.3% at $703.31.
TREE NEWS update: Decentralized perpetuals exchange Lighter plans to file for a derivatives license with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in November 2026, founder Vladimir Novakovski said on the platform’s Q3 investor call, aiming to become the first CFTC-approved on-chain perpetuals DEX. The team has been in talks with regulators for about 11 months. Lighter already offers perpetuals trading on Robinhood Chain and has more than 1 million Lighter Core accounts. LIT rose 22.26% in 24 hours to $3.89.
TREE NEWS update: The UK Financial Conduct Authority published two consultation papers clarifying how DeFi and crypto rules apply. DeFi guidance GC26/7 helps regulated firms using DeFi meet operational resilience, financial crime and anti-money-laundering requirements, clarifying existing rules rather than creating new policy. Crypto perimeter guidance CP26/36 sets out exemptions under the new regime, including temporary settlement arrangements and holding UK qualifying stablecoins for payments. Both consultations close November 18, with final guidance due January 2027 and the new regime effective October 25, 2027.
TREE NEWS update: The American Bankers Association accused the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency of undermining Congress after the top banking regulator declined to weigh in on third-party stablecoin rewards. The dispute reignites the fight between banks and crypto over how stablecoin incentives are treated under federal rules. The OCC’s final rule on stablecoin rewards is at the center of the clash.
TREE NEWS update: The Cardano Foundation is urging the European Union not to expand MiCA rules to cover DeFi and staking, calling for regulation based on financial risks rather than technology. The foundation warned that overlapping rules could create uncertainty for crypto businesses across the EU.
TREE NEWS update: A New Mexico judge on Wednesday ordered Meta to pay the state $25 billion in penalties, with all proceeds going to the state’s school system under state law. A jury on Sept. 25 found Meta and its management misled consumers on user data privacy, with more than 43 million violations of the state Consumer Protection Act, which carries a maximum $5,000 fine per violation. Meta had asked the court to cap the penalty at $3.45 billion.
TREE NEWS update: The U.S. Treasury Department on Oct. 21 imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran, targeting law firms based in Panama and Greece that it said have for years supported Iranian illicit shipping activity and indirectly helped Tehran raise revenue for its military, weapons and nuclear programs. The action also sanctioned shipping agencies based in Singapore and the UAE for directly assisting Iran’s “shadow fleet” operations, and targeted cargo vessels generating revenue for Iran.
TREE NEWS update: Gyorgy Matolcsy, former governor of the Hungarian National Bank, was detained on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a network of foundations set up by the central bank during his tenure. Prosecutors allege the arrangements caused “particularly significant” financial losses. Since early 2025, prosecutors and police have been investigating how more than 266 billion forints (about $817 million) in central bank funds moved through these entities, following a state audit office report questioning the investments of Optima Investment Ltd.
TREE NEWS update: The UK Financial Conduct Authority has opened consultations on guidance for decentralized finance and its crypto regulatory framework, the regulator said. The consultations came just weeks after the agency began accepting applications from companies under its new crypto regime. The move marks a further step in Britain’s effort to formalize oversight of crypto and DeFi activity.
TREE NEWS update: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington will pursue and sanction anyone supporting the Iranian regime, whether they are running illicit oil transfers at sea or sitting in a law firm’s executive office. In remarks carried in the material, Bessent said Iran’s enablers must choose between siding with the US or opposing it, adding that Washington knows who they are and what they have done and will keep taking action.
TREE NEWS update: A New Mexico judge ordered Meta Platforms to pay a $25 billion fine after a jury found the company misled consumers on privacy matters. The ruling, issued in the US state, follows the jury’s finding that Meta deceived users over how their data was handled.
TREE NEWS update: Polymarket US has sued Ohio to block the state’s demand that it immediately halt sports contracts and confirm compliance in writing by Oct. 16. The exchange is seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions against the crackdown.
TREE NEWS update: CME Group has shelved plans for a round-the-clock crude oil futures contract after commercial customers said they did not want to staff trading desks on weekends, CEO Terry Duffy said. The exchange scrapped the planned launch earlier this month after the CFTC blocked its application in July. Duffy warned that the absence of such markets is pushing participants toward illegal offshore trading venues.
TREE NEWS update: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has finalized rules governing stablecoin reserves and redemptions, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, likening the GENIUS Act to the Lincoln-era banking reforms. Bessent called the legislation a “watershed moment for American finance.” The rules set federal requirements for how stablecoin issuers hold reserves and process redemptions.
TREE NEWS update: The UK Financial Conduct Authority has proposed guidance on when decentralized finance interfaces require authorization in the UK, alongside a separate paper on how regulated firms must manage DeFi risks. Both consultations close on Nov. 18. The proposals clarify the regulatory perimeter for DeFi front-ends and set risk-management expectations for authorized firms involved in DeFi.
TREE NEWS update: US senators have asked Google to explain the cognitive effects of artificial intelligence on school-age children, following an earlier probe into the matter. The lawmakers are pressing the company for details as part of that inquiry. No further specifics of the request or Google’s response were disclosed.