The price of Toncoin (TON) jumped over 6% following the release of Telegram founder Pavel Durov from France, where he had been compelled to remain since his arrest in August 2024.

According to CoinMarketCap, the price of TON has rallied by roughly 18% in the last 24 hours and over 13% in the last seven days.

Following the news of the Telegram founder’s arrest in France on Aug. 24, 2024, the price of TON plummeted by over 35%, from roughly $6.88 to $4.44 by September 2024.

The digital asset reached a high of $7.20 on December 4, 2024, amid a historic rally in the crypto markets in response to the re-election of President Donald Trump in the United States.

However, TON’s price collapsed by roughly 67% after the post-election rally, reaching a low of $2.36 on March 11, 2025.

Toncoin is the cryptocurrency of The Open Network, which is separate from the Telegram platform, but has become a staple for users of the messaging application.

French prosecutors accused Durov of running a platform that allegedly enables illegal activities, according to charges announced on Aug. 28, 2024.

Durov being granted approval to leave France was applauded by Telegram and TON users as a win for freedom of speech, while the debate between online security and freedom of expression continues to foment.

Related: Wallet in Telegram to list 50 tokens and launch yield program

Pavel Durov finally allowed to leave France after months

The Telegram founder reportedly secured permission to leave France on March 13 to travel to Dubai.

According to the AFP news agency, unnamed sources confirmed Durov’s departure from the European country this morning, and other sources claimed that the Telegram founder was allowed to leave France for “several weeks.”

At this point, it is unclear whether the case has been settled in French courts or if Durov has only been granted temporary travel time while the case is arbitrated in the legal system.

French law enforcement officials have accused Telegram of facilitating illegal activities by failing to censor the messaging platform and also pressed charges against Durov — forcing him to remain in France as part of a bail agreement.

The Telegram founder later characterized the arrest as unnecessary and said that the company maintains a representative in the European Union to handle legal requests.

Durov emphasized that he and the company would have gladly cooperated with French authorities if an appropriate legal request for help was submitted.

Magazine: Did Telegram’s Pavel Durov commit a crime? Crypto lawyers weigh in

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The following is a guest post from Vincent Maliepaard, Marketing Director at IntoTheBlock. DeFi has emerged as one of the most successful niches in the cryptocurrency industry, pioneering innovative economic tools and significantly driving value across the crypto ecosystem. In this article, we’ll provide a comprehensive overview of DeFi’s historical development, current market landscape, and […]

The post A data-driven look at the state of DeFi appeared first on CryptoSlate.

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Opinion by: Sasha Shilina, PhD, founder of Episteme and researcher at Paradigm Research Institute

Science has always been about pushing boundaries, yet today, many of those boundaries are artificial — walled-off journals, slow-moving institutions and research funding locked behind bureaucratic doors. The system is designed for gatekeepers, not explorers. But what if we could tear down those walls? What if science could be set free?

Over the past few years, we’ve watched decentralized science (DeSci) morph from a radical experiment into one of crypto’s most electrifying frontiers. Once dismissed as a niche idea, DeSci is now a billion-dollar movement. As of early 2025, the top DeSci tokens collectively boast a market capitalization of around $1 billion. Momentum is undeniable: Half of the top 10 projects in the space launched just last year, according to Messari. What started as a whisper is now a roar, echoing across the halls of academia, biotech labs and decentralized autonomous organizations alike.

Raw energy isn’t enough. DeSci still faces formidable challenges: scalability, quality control, reproducibility and real-world adoption. It’s a vision in motion, not a finished revolution. And that’s where artificial intelligence steps in — not just as a tool but as the missing puzzle that could propel DeSci from a bold experiment to an unstoppable force.

AI is already reshaping the traditional science (TradSci) landscape: sifts through massive data sets, spots hidden patterns, cracks problems that once took decades to solve, ventures into longevity research, and accelerates drug development, materials science and computational biology. Yet, for all its promise, access to AI remains tightly controlled and monopolized by a handful of corporations, elite universities and government-backed institutions. AI’s vast potential is shackled by centralization.

What if these two forces — the decentralized infrastructure of DeSci and the power of AI — merged into one system? A system where science is decentralized, intelligent, autonomous and radically open?

Let’s call it DeScAI. 

Science, but unstoppable

Imagine a world where every experiment, every data set and every discovery isn’t buried in paywalled journals or trapped in proprietary vaults but flows seamlessly across a decentralized, living network. This is the vision of DeScAI, where blockchain and AI unite to build an open, intelligent and self-sustaining ecosystem. Knowledge isn’t just stored — it breathes, evolves and connects. AI curators scour vast data sets, linking research across disciplines, uncovering hidden insights and transforming isolated findings into a shared intellectual bloodstream.

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For too long, independent researchers have struggled to access the AI tools they need for research and massive data analysis. DeScAI could rewrite this equation by turning the world into a vast, decentralized supercomputer. Every idle processor, every surplus server and every untapped resource can contribute to a global grid where computing power is not a commodity but a shared asset. Need to map the human brain or train a biodiversity model? There is no need to beg a tech giant — just tap into the collective machine. Smart incentives ensure fairness; AI optimizes distribution; and science advances at a speed never seen before.

What about funding? Today’s grant system is a labyrinth of delays, favoritism and opaque decision-making. DeScAI could replace this outdated model with a marketplace of ideas where anyone — researchers, enthusiasts even curious citizens — can directly support groundbreaking projects. No elite panels, no endless bureaucracy. AI-assisted platforms analyze proposals, suggest collaborations, and help communities vote with their resources. If an idea has merit, it gets the backing it deserves — whether from one person or 10,000.

Peer review, once the bedrock of scientific integrity, has become a bottleneck. Papers languish in submission queues for months, sometimes years, subjected to a process that is as unpredictable as it is biased. DeScAI can potentially turn peer review into a dynamic, real-time process. Research is uploaded to an immutable ledger, where AI immediately verifies data integrity and flags potential conflicts of interest. Expert reviewers — who are no longer anonymous gatekeepers but active, rewarded participants — provide transparent, constructive and traceable feedback. Reputations are built on contributions, not credentials. Science becomes an ongoing conversation, not a waiting game.

Perhaps the most revolutionary aspect of DeScAI is its ability to turn isolated curiosity into collective intelligence. What if an AI could help a marine biologist in Argentina and a quantum physicist in Germany stumble upon a connection neither would have made alone? What if an engineer working on renewable energy models could instantly access simulations run by climate scientists in a different hemisphere? DeScAI makes these moments of serendipity not just possible but inevitable.

What about the raw material of modern science — data Today, data is hoarded, exploited and sold without the consent of those who generate it. DeScAI shifts power back to the people. Data contributors retain ownership and are compensated when their information is used to train AI or develop new models. Blockchain solutions ensure privacy; smart contracts enforce fairness; and the age of data colonialism ends.

Science should be borderless, but for too long, geography, institutions and economics have dictated who gets to participate. DeScAI erases those barriers. A young coder in Nairobi can collaborate with a neuroscientist in Seoul, not because an institution promotes it but because the infrastructure allows it. AI-driven translation tools dissolve language barriers, decentralized data sharing enables seamless collaboration, and research teams form organically around ideas, not affiliations.

The resistance will be fierce

Academic publishers, government agencies and corporate research labs have built their influence on exclusivity. They will not willingly embrace an open system where knowledge flows freely, research is verifiable in real-time and funding no longer depends on institutional decisions. 

Some projects in this space will stumble, giving critics ammunition to dismiss the movement as they may argue that decentralized oversight cannot maintain the same level of quality control, and it is unrealistic to expect cohesive governance from a patchwork of tokenholders and autonomous agents. Yet the success of DeScAI does not hinge on dismantling the existing research order outright — it hinges on demonstrating superior efficiency, fairness and innovation. Ultimately, it offers a parallel ecosystem that anyone can join, building trust through open ledgers, cryptographic proofs and AI-verified methodologies. The direction is clear: Just as DeFi forced the banking sector to acknowledge new economic models, DeScAI will force research institutions to do the same.

This is not a slow evolution — it is a shift in scientific power. The old system, built on secrecy and hierarchy, collides with an emerging model of openness and decentralization. The question for those still embedded in traditional academia is whether they will adapt or be left behind as knowledge production moves into a future they can no longer control.

Opinion by: Sasha Shilina, PhD, founder of Episteme and researcher at Paradigm Research Institute.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

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Bitcoin (BTC) failed to sustain levels above $85,000 on March 14, despite a 1.9% gain in the S&P 500 index. More importantly, it has been over a week since Bitcoin last traded at $90,000, prompting traders to question whether the bull market is truly over and how long selling pressure will persist.

Bitcoin basis rate rebounds from bearish levels

From a derivatives perspective, Bitcoin metrics have shown resilience despite a 30% drop from its all-time high of $109,354 on Jan. 20. The Bitcoin basis rate, which measures the premium of monthly contracts over spot markets, has recovered to healthy levels after briefly signaling bearish sentiment on March 13.

Traders typically demand a 5% to 10% annualized premium to compensate for longer settlement periods. A basis rate below this threshold signals weak demand from leveraged buyers. While the current 5% rate is lower than the 8% recorded two weeks ago, it remains within neutral territory.

Central banks will eventually boost BTC price

Bitcoin price action has closely tracked the S&P 500, suggesting that factors driving investor risk aversion may not be directly tied to the top cryptocurrency.

However, this also challenges the idea of Bitcoin as a non-correlated asset, as its price behavior has aligned more closely with traditional markets, at least in the short term.

If Bitcoin’s price remains heavily dependent on the stock market, which is under pressure due to fears of an economic recession, investors are likely to keep reducing exposure to risk-on assets and shift toward short-term bonds for safety.

However, central banks are expected to implement stimulus measures to avoid a recession, and scarce assets like Bitcoin are likely to outperform as a result.

According to the CME FedWatch tool, the markets are pricing less than 40% odds for interest rates in the US below 3.75% from the current 4.25% baseline ahead of the July 30 FOMC meeting.

Nevertheless, Bitcoin should reclaim the $90,000 level as soon as the S&P 500 pares some of its recent 10% losses. But in a worst-case scenario, panic selling of risk-on assets could continue.

Under such conditions, BTC would likely keep underperforming over the next few months, especially if spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) continue to experience significant and sustained net outflows.

Bitcoin derivatives show no signs of stress

Professional traders are not actively using Bitcoin options for hedging presently, as shown by the 25% delta skew metric. This implies that few market participants expect the BTC price to retest the $76,900 level anytime soon.

Bullish sentiment typically leads to put (sell) options trading at a 6% or higher discount. In contrast, bearish periods cause the indicator to rise to a 6% premium, as seen briefly on March 10 and March 12. However, the 25% delta skew has recently stayed within the neutral range, reflecting a healthy derivatives market.

To better gauge trader sentiment, examining BTC margin markets is important. Unlike derivatives contracts, which are always balanced between longs (buyers) and shorts (sellers), margin markets let traders borrow stablecoins to buy spot Bitcoin. Similarly, bearish traders can borrow BTC to open short positions, betting on a price drop.

The Bitcoin long-to-short margin ratio at OKX shows longs outweighing shorts by 18 times. Historically, excessive confidence has pushed this ratio above 40 times, while levels below five times favoring longs are seen as bearish. The current ratio mirrors sentiment on Jan. 30, when Bitcoin traded above $100,000.

There are no signs of stress or bearishness in Bitcoin derivatives and margin markets, which is reassuring, especially after over $920 million in leveraged long futures contracts were liquidated in the seven days ending March 13.

Therefore, as recession risks ease, Bitcoin price is likely to reclaim the $90,000 level in the coming weeks, given the resilience in investor sentiment.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

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