Hey there, PoI readers! 💫

It's your favorite crypto connoisseur, Mochi, back with another serving of tantalizing tech and web3 news. From the UK giving Coinbase's ads the boot and merchants embracing crypto at checkout, to OpenAI dropping a scientist's dream tool and a federal contractor's son allegedly making off with $40M in government crypto—we've got quite the lineup today. So grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and get ready for a wild ride through the wonderland of digital assets!

INTEL BRIEF

🟧 The UK's advertising watchdog banned multiple Coinbase ads for trivializing crypto risks while positioning the exchange as a solution to the country's cost-of-living crisis.

🟧 A PayPal survey reveals that nearly 40% of US merchants now accept crypto payments, with 84% believing crypto will go mainstream within five years.

🟧 OpenAI launched Prism, a free AI-powered workspace for scientists that integrates GPT-5.2 to help with writing, research assessment, and scientific paper formatting.

🟧 The US Marshals Service confirmed an investigation into claims that a federal contractor's son stole over $40 million in government-seized cryptocurrency.

UK Bans Coinbase Ads for Making Crypto Look Like the Answer to Everything

Coinbase's attempt at satirical social commentary didn't land quite as smoothly as a perfectly stacked Bitcoin block in the UK. The country's Advertising Standards Authority just dropped the banhammer on not one, but multiple Coinbase advertisements, claiming they made crypto investing look like the answer to Britain's economic woes without, you know, mentioning that pesky little thing called risk.

The crown jewel of this controversy? A two-minute musical extravaganza that depicted the UK as a literal dumpster fire—complete with crumbling homes, dancing rats (yes, really), trash-filled streets, and workers getting the axe while singing "everything is just fine." The ad was meant to be cheeky, but the ASA wasn't laughing. They called it "irresponsible" for using humor to reference serious financial concerns while pushing high-risk crypto products as an "easy or obvious response."

The video was already blacklisted from TV back in August by Clearcast, which approves television ads, but Coinbase kept it running online. Meanwhile, three companion posters plastered across high-traffic spots like the London Underground featured gems like "home ownership out of reach" and "eggs now out of budget," all paired with the slogan "If everything's fine, don't change anything" next to Coinbase's logo.

Here's the kicker: none of these ads included risk warnings, which is kind of a big deal since the UK's Financial Conduct Authority requires crypto ads to have prominent risk disclosures. Whoops.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong defended the campaign, arguing that "there must be a kernel of truth in it" if it got banned, and claimed the traditional financial system isn't working for many people. He even welcomed the attacks, saying censorship would just help the message spread. Bold move, Brian. Bold move.

The UK's ASA banned multiple Coinbase ads for trivializing crypto risks while presenting the exchange as a solution to cost-of-living issues

The satirical musical ad showed a dystopian UK with rats, trash, and economic struggles—already rejected for TV but ran online

None of the ads included mandatory risk warnings required by UK financial regulators

Nearly 40% of US Merchants Now Accept Crypto Payments at Checkout

According to a fresh PayPal survey, nearly 40% of US merchants are now accepting cryptocurrency at the register, and it's not just some weird experimental phase anymore. This is the real deal, and it's being driven by actual customer demand.

Here's where it gets spicy: almost nine in ten US merchants reported receiving customer inquiries about paying with crypto. That's right—shoppers are literally asking "Can I pay with Bitcoin?" while grabbing their morning coffee. The survey, conducted in October with 619 payment-strategy decision-makers, shows that crypto is moving from the "maybe someday" pile to the "let's do this now" category.

PayPal's VP May Zabaneh put it perfectly: businesses are seeing "real value" once they start accepting crypto. And get this—among merchants who already accept digital currencies, crypto payments make up a whopping 26% of their total sales. That's not pocket change (pun absolutely intended).

The hospitality and travel, digital goods, and gaming industries are leading the charge, which makes sense when you think about it. Big names like Starbucks, Walmart, and Home Depot are already in the game, accepting crypto from eager customers. Meanwhile, Millennials and Gen Z are proving to be the most crypto-savvy shoppers, likely because they grew up thinking "blockchain" was just as normal as "Bluetooth."

Looking ahead, 84% of merchants believe crypto payments will become mainstream within the next five years. The main barrier? Infrastructure complexity. A staggering 90% of merchants said they'd try accepting crypto if it were as simple as swiping a credit card. As the National Cryptocurrency Association's Stu Alderoty noted, "interest in crypto isn't the problem; understanding is."

PayPal launched its crypto checkout tool in July, supporting over 100 cryptocurrencies, making it easier for merchants to hop on the digital asset train.

Nearly 40% of US merchants now accept crypto, with 89% receiving customer inquiries about crypto payments

Crypto represents 26% of total sales among merchants who already accept it, driven by Millennials and Gen Z

84% of merchants believe crypto will go mainstream in five years, but 90% want simpler infrastructure before diving in

OpenAI Launches Prism to Give Scientists Their Own AI Playground

OpenAI just dropped Prism, a shiny new AI-enhanced workspace that's free for anyone with a ChatGPT account. Think of it as a supercharged word processor meets research assistant, all wrapped up in a GPT-5.2-powered package designed specifically for the lab coat crowd.

So what makes Prism special? It's deeply integrated with GPT-5.2, meaning it can assess scientific claims, polish your prose until it sparkles, and dig through mountains of prior research faster than you can say "peer review." OpenAI VP Kevin Weil boldly predicted that "2026 will be for AI and science what 2025 was for AI and software engineering." That's a pretty big statement, but considering how AI tools revolutionized coding, scientists might want to buckle up.

Here's the thing: Prism isn't designed to go rogue and conduct research on its own (we've all seen those sci-fi movies). Instead, it's meant to accelerate human scientists' work, similar to how coding tools like Cursor and Windsurf help developers. The tool comes at a perfect time—ChatGPT is already receiving an average of 8.4 million messages weekly on advanced hard science topics, though it's unclear how many are from actual researchers versus curious procrastinators.

The integration with LaTeX—the formatting system scientists love to hate—is a game-changer. Prism goes beyond typical LaTeX tools and even uses GPT-5.2's visual capabilities to turn whiteboard doodles into proper diagrams. Anyone who's wrestled with LaTeX knows this is basically magic.

The real power move? When you open ChatGPT through Prism, it can access your entire research project's context, making responses way more relevant and intelligent. AI-assisted research is already making waves—AI models have helped prove long-standing Erdos problems in mathematics, and a December statistics paper used GPT-5.2 Pro to establish new proofs with humans just prompting and verifying.

OpenAI believes this is the future of human-AI collaboration in research, especially in fields with solid theoretical foundations.

OpenAI launched Prism, a free AI workspace integrating GPT-5.2 for scientific writing, research assessment, and paper formatting

ChatGPT receives 8.4 million weekly messages on advanced science topics; Prism offers deep LaTeX integration and visual diagram creation

AI models are already proving mathematical theorems and statistical axioms, signaling a shift toward human-AI research collaboration

Federal Contractor's Son Allegedly Steals $40M in Government Seized Crypto

The US Marshals Service just confirmed they're investigating claims that John Daghita, son of a federal contractor tasked with protecting seized digital assets, may have helped himself to more than $40 million in cryptocurrency. And yes, this is as wild as it sounds.

Here's the tea: John's dad, Dean Daghita, is the president of Command Services & Support (CMDSS), a company that scored a contract with the US Marshals Service in 2024 to custody seized crypto. According to blockchain detective extraordinaire ZachXBT, John allegedly gained unauthorized access to wallets managed under the federal asset protection program. Talk about a breach of trust—and possibly the most expensive "take your kid to work day" ever.

ZachXBT traced a wallet linked to Daghita holding about $23 million in crypto, connected to as much as $90 million in assets believed to have been seized by the government in 2024 and 2025. He later reported another wallet containing 12,540 Ether (worth roughly $36 million at the time) also tied to Daghita. The blockchain sleuth even revealed that Daghita sent him 0.6767 ETH ($1,900) from the allegedly stolen government funds—which ZachXBT promptly said he'd return to a US government seizure address. Classy move.

The US Marshals Service spokesperson confirmed to Cointelegraph that "the matter is under investigation" but declined to share details. Meanwhile, Patrick Witt, director of the White House Crypto Council, chimed in on X saying he was "on it" after seeing ZachXBT's claims. No pressure, Patrick.

For context, the US government is believed to hold approximately 328,372 Bitcoin—worth around $30 billion—through various seizures, including assets from the infamous Bitfinex hack. With that much crypto under management, you'd think security would be tighter than a cold wallet in a safe deposit box.

The US Marshals Service is investigating claims that 
https://x.com/zachxbt/status/2014685263327351116?s=20John Daghita stole $40M+ in seized crypto his contractor father's company was supposed to protect

Crypto detective ZachXBT traced wallets holding $23M and 12,540 ETH allegedly linked to Daghita, who even sent ZachXBT $1,900 of the stolen funds

The US government is believed to hold 328,372 Bitcoin worth ~$30 billion through various seizures

And that's a wrap, my lovely PoI readers! 🎯 I hope this edition left you feeling informed, entertained, and maybe even a little bit richer (in knowledge, of course). From advertising bans to crypto adoption milestones, AI breakthroughs to alleged government heists—today's stories prove the crypto and tech world never sleeps. Remember to stay curious, stay informed, and keep spreading the love. Until next time, this is Mochi, signing off with a virtual high-five!

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