The latest in digital assets, markets and regulation.
Binance.US seeks $100M funding at a $1B valuation, down from $4.5B in 2022. The raise aims to regain market share post-2023 US settlement. World Liberty Financial was informed but will not participate in the round.
Grayscale reports Bitcoin’s volatility fell to 43%, lower than 19% of S&P 500 stocks. This maturity, driven by ETF inflows and liquidity, shifts the focus from risk avoidance to precise portfolio sizing.
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink warns that halting U.S. data center construction would cause a recession, dismissing local backlash over grid strain as misinformation. His comments highlight the tension between massive AI capital expenditure projections and rising political opposition ahead of midterms.
Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan argues Bitcoin wins in all AI scenarios: superabundance boosts scarce assets, while a bubble burst triggers bailouts favoring crypto. He cites near-certain government intervention and ongoing institutional adoption as key drivers.
Chainalysis reports the U.S. became a net Bitcoin importer in 2026, driven by institutional buying, while exporting dollar-pegged stablecoins globally. This shift follows the 2024 spot ETF approvals, which boosted America's share of global crypto activity despite a 2.2% contraction in the total U.S. crypto economy.
Mastercard and BVNK launched the Global Money Platform, integrating fiat and stablecoins via a single API following the $1.8 billion acquisition. Initial partners include Nuvei and Marqeta, with plans to support agentic commerce and expand currency coverage to 200+ countries by 2027.
Google DeepMind reports no significant acceleration in AI research despite models writing over 75% of code. Capability growth remains linear at 0.1 points monthly, contradicting fears of rapid recursive self-improvement. Human oversight still steers 88% of code changes, limiting autonomous R&D risks.
Sweden’s Riksbank urges parliament to prepare legislation for a potential digital krona, citing the ECB’s 2027 pilot and rising stablecoin use. This reverses a prior decision that deemed a CBDC unnecessary.
Former Trump crypto adviser Bo Hines reportedly kept a stake in Nxum while pushing for the GENIUS Act, as the firm received $6.3 million from Tether. Hines later joined Tether as CEO of its US arm, raising conflict-of-interest concerns amid ongoing legislative scrutiny.
Ethereum, XRP, and Solana suffered outsized drawdowns exceeding Bitcoin's decline as macro pressures mounted. Rising U.S. inflation data and potential interest rate hikes triggered aggressive hedging and liquidity withdrawal, impacting high-beta altcoins most severely.
Bitcoin dropped below $80,000 amid hot inflation data, causing $948.22 million in liquidations. Long positions accounted for 90.6% of losses as BTC traded 2% below the average cost basis of U.S. spot ETF holders.
Tron filed for a $200 million ATM share offering to fund its TRX treasury. Shares will be sold through Clear Street, which retains up to 3% commission. The move aims to expand the Nasdaq-listed company's existing digital asset holdings.