President-elect Donald Trump has kept one of his key campaign promises and granted a full pardon to Ross Ulbircht, the founder of the now-defunct Silk Road darknet marketplace, who has spent more than a decade in prison.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) acting Chair Mark Uyeda has announced the formation of a dedicated crypto task force aiming to establish a “comprehensive and clear regulatory framework for crypto assets.”

Prominent decentralized cryptocurrency Uniswap is set to launch the version of its platform this week for developers to test new features, with the full launch of the platform being expected next week.

Top stories in the Crypto Roundup today:

• Trump Pardons Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht
• SEC Forms Crypto Task Force to Establish Clear Regulatory Framework
• Uniswap V4 to Begin Rolling Out This Week

Trump Pardons Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht

President-elect Donald Trump has kept one of his key campaign promises and granted a full pardon to Ross Ulbircht, the founder of the now-defunct Silk Road darknet marketplace, who has spent more than a decade in prison.

Ross was arrested in 2013 and sentenced in 2015 for creating the darknet marketplace, which allowed its users to buy and sell illicit goods using bitcoin. His charges included money laundering and drug trafficking.

Trump said in a Truth Social post that he called the mother of Ross Ulbricht to “let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross.”

The President called his sentence of 40 years plus two life sentences “ridiculous.” Ulbircht was defended among the cryptocurrency and libertarian communities, who argued that he did not sell drugs or any other illegal items, but instead operated the darknet marketplace allowing for these transactions.

The Silk Road was launched when the price of bitcoin was at just $0.50 and is seen as one of the catalysts for the cryptocurrency’s wider adoption as it was one of the first marketplaces to accept it as a payment method back in 2011.

SEC Forms Crypto Task Force to Establish Clear Regulatory Framework

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) acting Chair Mark Uyeda has announced the formation of a dedicated crypto task force aiming to establish a “comprehensive and clear regulatory framework for crypto assets.”

The task force will be headed by Commissioner Hester Peirce, a vocal proponent of the cryptocurrency industry, and will closely collaborate with industry stakeholders in the development of regulations for it. It will also provide “technical assistance” to Congress as lawmakers work to craft legislation for the sector.

The announcement’s tone and substance point to a radical shift in the SEC’s approach to crypto regulation under the new Trump administration. In it, the agency acknowledged its past reliance on enforcement actions, often applied retroactively and based on what it described as “novel and untested legal interpretations.”

The crypto task force is also set to coordinate with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), suggesting greater interagency cooperation.

Uniswap V4 to Begin Rolling Out This Week

Prominent decentralized cryptocurrency Uniswap is set to launch the version of its platform this week for developers to test new features, with the full launch of the platform being expected next week.

Uniswap v4 is set to benefit from capital efficiencies found on its predecessor v3, while introducing several architectural improvements designed to enhance the user experience and expand gas fee savings.

One of the most significant changes is the implementation of a “singleton” liquidity architecture, which consolidates liquidity via a single smart contract. Uniswap anticipates this will result in faster transaction speeds and reduce gas fees.

Further enhancing the platform’s flexibility is the introduction of “hooks,” which are customizable contracts built on top of the exchange to empower developers to tailor the functionality of liquidity pools. The new version also introduces “flash accounting,” which could further lead to gas fee savings.

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