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Gemini’s Q1: $50M in revenue, but the business is clearly moving beyond spot trading Gemini reported $50.3 million in revenue for Q1 2026 — up 42% year‑over‑year — but the source of that growth underscores a strategic shift away from its original crypto-exchange model. What moved the needle - Total revenue: $50.3M, +42% YoY - Transaction revenue: roughly flat at $24.1M - Exchange (spot) revenue: $17.2M, down 27% as spot trading cooled - Total trading volume: $6.3B vs $13.5B in Q1 2025 Where growth came from - Credit card business: revenue jumped nearly 300% YoY to $14.7M. Gemini said this was driven by user expansion — about 13,100 new card sign-ups in Q1 and roughly 123,700 cumulative new cardholders over the last four quarters. - Services and interest income: up 122% to $24.5M, now representing 49% of total revenue (vs 31% in Q1 2025). This includes credit card income, interest, custody and advisory services. Costs and profitability - Operating expenses: $144.5M, up 73% YoY, attributed to higher compensation, marketing and credit-card related costs tied to the company’s expansion. - Net loss: $109M, an improvement from a $149.3M loss a year earlier. - Adjusted EBITDA: loss of $59.9M, slightly better than the $61.6M loss in Q1 2025. Regulatory and product progress Gemini is also advancing regulated market infrastructure. Its Olympus unit received a Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) license from the CFTC in April, enabling in‑house clearing for futures, options, perpetual contracts and prediction markets. That follows December 2025 approval of Gemini Titan as a Designated Contract Market. Gemini says its prediction-markets product has traded more than 100 million contracts across over 20,000 traders since launching in December. Leadership and funding President Cameron Winklevoss framed the results as evidence the firm’s revenue diversification is gaining momentum. The update coincided with a $100 million private placement from Winklevoss Capital, funded in Bitcoin. Remaining headwinds The numbers arrive after a rocky public-market period: layoffs, executive departures, a post‑IPO stock slide and a shareholder lawsuit alleging IPO filings misled investors about Gemini’s strategy pivot toward prediction markets. Investors now have a clearer picture of the new model: rising revenue from services and credit cards, weaker exchange trading, and ongoing losses as Gemini builds a broader financial marketplace. Bottom line Q1 shows Gemini transitioning from a pure crypto exchange into a multi-product financial marketplace, powered by cards, services and new regulated trading infrastructure — but growth is coming with higher costs and continued negative EBITDA as the company scales. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Signal has put Canada on notice: if proposed changes in the federal Lawful Access Act force the messaging app to weaken its privacy protections, the company may pull out of the country. Udbhav Tiwari, Signal’s vice president of strategy and global affairs, said the company “would rather pull out of the country” than break promises to users. He also warned that Bill C-22 “could potentially allow hackers” to exploit deliberate weaknesses in electronic systems — a scenario that privacy advocates and some tech firms say would undermine security for everyone. What’s in Bill C-22 - Officially titled the Lawful Access Act, 2026, Bill C-22 aims to modernize Canada’s rules for accessing digital data to help law enforcement and national security agencies. - The bill is currently under review by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security after a second reading on April 20. - Public Safety Canada says Part 2 wouldn’t create new interception powers but would make it possible for electronic service providers to comply with existing legal orders. Tech industry pushback Signal isn’t alone in raising alarms. Apple and Meta have publicly opposed elements of the bill, warning it may force companies to weaken encryption. Meta said Part 2 “may require companies to build systems that weaken encryption or allow outside surveillance tools,” and urged stronger safeguards and clearer processes for challenging government orders. Public Safety Canada maintains the law would not compel companies to create a “systemic vulnerability.” VPNs and privacy groups weigh in Canadian VPN provider Windscribe said it could follow Signal out of the country if C-22 becomes law in its current form, arguing the proposal may force VPNs to log identifying user data. The Electronic Frontier Foundation also criticized the bill, noting it may require services to retain metadata for one year — data that can reveal who users contact, when they communicate, and where they go. Why this matters for crypto and privacy communities For the crypto sector, the stakes are familiar: secure, private communications and uncensorable access are core to developer and user communities. Forced weakening of encryption or expanded metadata retention could make it harder for privacy-first projects to operate safely in Canada, raise operational burdens for services that support crypto users, and chill innovation that depends on strong privacy guarantees. Where the bill goes from here Bill C-22 still needs committee review, further House stages, Senate approval and royal assent before it becomes law. Signal’s statement has moved encryption and service-provider obligations to the center of the debate — a flashpoint that could reshape how privacy tools, VPNs and crypto-related services operate in Canada if the bill advances unchanged. We’ll continue to follow developments as the committee review progresses and report on any changes or wider industry responses. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Nigel Farage is again under the spotlight for his financial links to the crypto world after reports connected a £1.4 million property purchase to a multimillion-pound payment from crypto investor Christopher Harborne. What happened - Sky News says Farage bought the property in May 2024 — just weeks before he announced his candidacy in the UK general election — after receiving what has been described as a $6.7 million personal gift from Harborne. - Critics argue the payment should have been declared when Farage returned to Parliament, prompting calls for a formal probe. Conservative officials have asked Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg to examine whether any of the funds indirectly supported political activity. - Farage and Reform UK deny any rules were broken. Farage says the gift arrived before he was an MP and therefore fell outside parliamentary disclosure requirements. His team also says legal advice concluded the transfer was an “unconditional, non-political, personal gift” requiring no declaration. Reform UK has repeated that the payment was received prior to Farage standing as their candidate for Clacton. Why the crypto angle matters - The donor, Christopher Harborne, is an early crypto investor and owns a reported 12% stake in stablecoin issuer Tether. Public records and prior reporting show he has given roughly £12 million to Reform UK, including a £9 million contribution that was widely reported as one of the largest single donations by a living individual in UK politics. - Scrutiny of Farage’s crypto ties has been mounting separately: in April the Liberal Democrats asked the Financial Conduct Authority to investigate his role with crypto treasury firm Stack BTC, arguing his appearance in promotional material could raise concerns about market abuse and conflicts of interest. - Public filings show Farage invested about $286,000 into Stack BTC via his media vehicle Thorn In The Side, a holding that gave him roughly 6.31% of the company. Stack BTC — chaired by former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng — disclosed it had expanded its Bitcoin treasury to 68 BTC after buying 37 BTC for about $2.7 million, and released promotional material featuring Farage, who argued treasury firms should hold the asset. Political and regulatory fallout - Labour chair Anna Turley has accused Farage of appearing to “break the rules again,” and Conservatives have pushed for a parliamentary review. Separately, Liberal Democrats have urged regulator scrutiny of potential conflicts tied to his commercial activity in crypto. - Pressure over crypto-linked political financing is broader: Matt Western, chair of Parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, has urged a temporary ban on crypto donations to political parties, warning that foreign actors could exploit digital assets to influence UK politics amid deteriorating security conditions in Europe. - Following recommendations from the Rycroft Review and ongoing parliamentary debate, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has moved to impose temporary limits on crypto political donations while the government develops a fuller regulatory framework. A final note: neither Harborne’s donations to Reform UK nor the personal payments to Farage have been reported as crypto transfers — the transactions cited in reporting appear to be in fiat. The matter is now the subject of political and regulatory scrutiny, with a parliamentary referral and calls for FCA interest still active. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Australia’s proposed overhaul of capital gains tax (CGT) rules could wipe out a key tax advantage for long-term crypto holders — and leave many paying more tax when markets soar. What’s changing From July 1, 2027, Canberra wants to replace the current 50% CGT discount for individuals who hold assets more than 12 months with an inflation-indexed model. Under the proposal, an asset’s cost base would be adjusted for inflation and only the “real” gain taxed — subject to a new 30% minimum tax on net capital gains. Why crypto holders care That matters for crypto because digital assets frequently appreciate far faster than inflation during bull runs. Under the existing rules, an individual halves a taxable gain after a year of holding; the new approach could leave many long-term crypto (and share) investors with higher tax bills than they pay today. Industry voices warn of consequences Robin Singh, CEO of Koinly, warned that lower-income crypto investors may be hit hardest — saying the change could “nearly triple” the tax bill for a lower earner when comparing outcomes on a $20,000 discounted gain under the old and proposed systems. Singh also suggested removing the 50% discount would reduce the tax incentive to hold for the long term and could push some investors toward more frequent trading. Jonathon Miller, Kraken Australia’s general manager, echoed that concern: with crypto markets running 24/7 and prices moving quickly, weaker long-term tax benefits could make patient investing less appealing. Why this matters now The debate comes as crypto firms increasingly court Australian long-term investors. Coinbase Australia recently added support for self-managed super funds (SMSFs), offering trustees a local route to add crypto to retirement portfolios. Australian SMSFs held about AU$1.06 trillion in assets at the end of 2025, and Coinbase’s push follows its Australian Financial Services Licence approval; other exchanges are also targeting the SMSF market. Not law yet — timeline and exemptions The CGT proposal still needs parliamentary approval before it can take effect. Transitional rules would apply only to gains arising on or after July 1, 2027 — gains realised before that date would remain eligible for the current 50% discount, BDO noted. The proposed 30% minimum tax would not apply to income support recipients, including Age Pension recipients. Bottom line If passed, the reform could materially change the tax calculus for Australian crypto investors, reducing the reward for long-term holding and potentially altering trading behaviour — just as more crypto products look to lock in long-term capital from local retirement funds. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Zcash’s rally has become one of crypto’s most dramatic stories this year. The privacy-focused token ZEC has surged more than 1,200% year-to-date, vastly outperforming major coins — while Cardano (ADA) has retraced roughly 66% over the same period. The divergence was so sharp that ZEC briefly overtook ADA in market capitalization on May 10, making Zcash the 11th-largest crypto by market cap and prompting at least one market analyst to suggest a lasting “flip” could be possible. Why investors are piling into Zcash Analyst Alex Carchidi points to concentrated accumulation and rising on-chain privacy use as key drivers. Institutional and crypto-native players have been building positions: Multicoin Capital disclosed in early May that it started accumulating ZEC in February, and Cypherpunk Technologies recently added about 295,000 ZEC — roughly 1.7% of the circulating supply. On the network side, privacy activity appears to be rising in step with price. About 30% of Zcash’s circulating supply is now held in “shielded” addresses, which use zero-knowledge cryptography to hide transaction details. That share has nearly quadrupled in two years, suggesting growing adoption of Zcash’s privacy features rather than purely speculative demand. Cardano’s growth story falters By contrast, Cardano continues to struggle to gain traction as a smart-contract platform. Carchidi describes ADA as stuck in an “awkward valley”: it’s targeting DeFi and app infrastructure but hasn’t built the ecosystem scale to compete with fast, high-throughput chains like Solana. Compared with Ethereum, Cardano may be cheaper in some respects, but it remains slightly slower and far smaller in developer and user activity. The metrics back up that view. As of May 12, Cardano’s total value locked (TVL) was about $137 million, ranking it 26th among blockchains and down sharply from roughly $410 million a year earlier. That decline underscores weak DeFi traction and a lack of near-term catalysts to restore confidence. What institutional investors want — and what might change Carchidi says institutional capital favors narratives that survive scrutiny. He believes Zcash currently offers a clearer investment story — privacy demand plus signs of accumulation — whereas Cardano has been essentially a “wait for better times” pitch without a concrete roadmap to drive renewed adoption. The clearest potential catalyst for ADA might be approval of a spot Cardano ETF, which Carchidi suggests could arrive in the second half of 2026. Even so, he is skeptical investors would buy ADA via an ETF without a stronger investment thesis for why to hold at current levels. Bottom line from the analyst Carchidi’s takeaway is straightforward: investors who lack a clear reason to hold Cardano may consider selling, while Zcash could be attractive for portfolios seeking privacy-coin exposure or a scarce store of value tied to growing on-chain privacy usage. Market snapshot At the time of writing, ZEC traded around $545 after gaining roughly 63% in two weeks, while ADA was near $0.27, up about 9% over the same period. (Analysis and quotes attributed to market expert Alex Carchidi; data points and institutional disclosures as noted.) Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Solana (SOL) bounced off a $90 floor but is struggling to mount a sustained rally, consolidating below $94 as traders eye a decisive breakout or renewed downside. Price action and context - SOL staged a modest recovery from the $90 support zone, climbing above $91 and briefly topping $91.50 as markets broadly echoed Bitcoin and Ethereum’s partial rebounds. - The move cleared the 50% Fibonacci retracement of the decline from the $95.92 swing high to the $89.89 low, but upside momentum stalled under $94. - On the hourly chart of SOL/USD (Kraken data) SOL is trading below the 100-hour simple moving average and is capped by a bearish trendline with immediate resistance near $92.90. What to watch on the upside - Clearing the $92.90 trendline resistance and closing above the $94 zone would likely open the door for a steadier advance. - Key upside hurdles after $94 are $96 and then $98. The 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level sits near $93.60 and is another important resistance to overcome. Downside risks - If SOL fails to break the $92.90–$94 area, downside could resume. Initial support sits around $91.30, with the more important floor at $90. - A break below $90 would target $88, and a decisive close under $88 could drive the price toward the $84 area in the near term. Technical read - Hourly MACD remains in the bearish zone. - Hourly RSI is trading below 50, signaling limited bullish conviction. - Major support levels: $91.30 and $90.00. Major resistance levels: $92.90 and $94.00. Bottom line SOL’s near-term direction hinges on the $92.90–$94 zone. Bulls need a clear break and close above that range to regain control, while failure to do so would leave the path open to test the $90 support and lower. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

On-chain metrics show Ethereum investors booked the biggest realized gains in three weeks even as ETH’s price slipped, according to analytics firm Santiment. Santiment’s Network Realized Profit/Loss — a metric that aggregates the net profit or loss from token sales by comparing each coin’s prior purchase price to its sale price — recently spiked to about $74.58 million. Over the past month the indicator has mostly sat below zero, implying that sellers have generally been cutting losses, but a handful of profit-taking events have punctuated that trend. Notably, the latest uptick in realized profits didn’t coincide with Ethereum’s local high earlier in the week; it came after a price dip. Santiment suggests the sellers were likely buyers from the depressed February–March period, when ETH traded under $2,000. Those wallets remain in profit despite the mid-May decline, and some holders apparently chose to exit while they still could lock in gains. Since that profit-taking occurred, ETH has slipped further, and the distribution may have added downward pressure. Whether the Network Realized Profit/Loss holds positive in the coming days or reverts to loss-taking remains an open question for traders watching on-chain signals. Price check: Ethereum is trading around $2,250 at the time of writing, down roughly 2.6% over the last seven days. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Headline: JPMorgan says Ethereum upgrades may not be enough to lift Ether as institutions favor Bitcoin Ethereum’s native token is struggling to keep pace with Bitcoin during the latest crypto rebound, and a fresh JPMorgan report suggests upcoming network upgrades may not be enough to change that dynamic. Why Ether is lagging - Institutional demand has tilted decisively toward Bitcoin, the bank’s team led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou finds. After market turbulence tied to the Iran conflict, Bitcoin has rebounded far more quickly than Ethereum. - Spot Bitcoin ETFs have recovered nearly two-thirds of the outflows seen during the selloff, JPMorgan says. Spot Ether ETFs, by contrast, have only reclaimed roughly one-third of their prior withdrawals—signaling weaker investor appetite for ETH. - CME futures positioning echoes the same pattern: institutions have almost fully rebuilt Bitcoin exposure, while Ether positioning remains well below earlier levels. Momentum players still cautious - Momentum-driven investors—commodity trading advisors and crypto quant funds—also appear slightly underweight on both Bitcoin and Ether after the deleveraging event last October, limiting further upside pressure on prices. Why upgrades might not be enough - Attention is focused on Ethereum’s upcoming base-layer upgrades, Glamsterdam and Hegota, which aim to boost throughput and lower transaction costs. JPMorgan questions whether lower fees alone can generate the sustained demand growth Ethereum needs to close the gap with Bitcoin. - The bank notes a historical paradox: major Ethereum upgrades over the last three years have reduced transaction costs (especially on Layer 2), but haven’t translated into stronger mainnet usage. Lower fees also mean fewer tokens are being burned under EIP-1559’s mechanism, accelerating net supply growth and eroding a source of long-term price support for Ether. Macro headwinds for altcoins - JPMorgan also paints a broader picture of weakness across the altcoin market since 2023: thinner liquidity, slowing DeFi activity, and repeated security breaches have made investors more cautious. Hacks and operational failures have deterred fresh capital from flowing into smaller tokens, leaving Bitcoin as the preferred institutional-safe crypto asset. Bottom line JPMorgan’s read: Ethereum’s protocol improvements could help user experience and costs, but they may not be sufficient on their own to revive network activity or restore investor confidence. Until burn dynamics, usage metrics, and broader market liquidity improve, institutions appear likely to keep leaning toward Bitcoin. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

A BitGo fechou uma parceria com a Moon Inc., listada em Hong Kong, para trazer produtos de cartão respaldados por Bitcoin para a Ásia, utilizando a BitGo Singapore — uma subsidiária regulada pela Autoridade Monetária de Cingapura — como a camada de infraestrutura e custódia. O primeiro produto a ser lançado serão cartões-presente de Bitcoin pré-pagos, que a Moon afirma que estarão disponíveis nas prateleiras de varejo de Hong Kong e em sua loja online ainda este mês. O BusinessWire relata que o programa já movimentou várias transações em atacado desde seu lançamento. A Moon, com quase 30 anos de experiência em distribuição pré-paga — de cartões SIM a cartões de pagamento com valor armazenado em toda a Ásia — construiu uma reserva de Bitcoin e agora visa escalar a distribuição de cartões em mercados como Japão, Tailândia, Coreia do Sul, Taiwan e outros centros regionais. A Moon avaliou parceiros de custódia com base na arquitetura de segurança, profundidade da API e escalabilidade. "A infraestrutura multi-assinatura biométrica da BitGo, as capacidades de transações em lote e a segurança de bilhões em ativos digitais tornaram-nos a escolha clara", disse Russ Jacobsen, COO da Moon, sublinhando a ênfase na segurança de nível institucional. Abel Seow, chefe da APAC da BitGo, descreveu o acordo como parte da integração de ativos digitais nas finanças do consumidor em toda a Ásia, observando que a infraestrutura da BitGo é projetada para apoiar instituições à medida que crescem. A parceria também mostra a BitGo se expandindo além da custódia para trilhas de consumo e pagamentos em um momento de rápido crescimento da empresa. A BitGo relatou uma receita de $3,77 bilhões no primeiro trimestre, um aumento de 112,6% em relação ao ano anterior, embora sua perda líquida tenha aumentado para $60,7 milhões em meio a marcas de tesouraria de Bitcoin e custos de compensação pós-IPO. A empresa está expandindo suas fontes de receita: a receita de Stablecoin-as-a-Service aumentou 43,6% em relação ao trimestre anterior, totalizando $38,2 milhões, e a BitGo lançou serviços de derivativos durante o Q1. A parceria Moon-BitGo é parte de um aumento mais amplo na infraestrutura de pagamento cripto focada na Ásia. Separadamente, a Payward, controladora da Kraken, concordou em adquirir a Reap Technologies, baseada em Hong Kong, por até $600 milhões para adicionar emissão de cartões e pagamentos em stablecoin à sua plataforma. A BitGo, por sua vez, continua a conquistar mandatos institucionais: a OKX integrou recentemente a plataforma de Liquidação Off-Exchange da BitGo para clientes institucionais dos EUA, permitindo negociações enquanto mantém os ativos na custódia fria da BitGo. Por que isso é importante: o acordo combina o alcance de distribuição de varejo da Moon com a custódia e infraestrutura reguladas da BitGo, acelerando a introdução de produtos de pagamento em Bitcoin nos mercados consumidores asiáticos. Para empresas de cripto e instituições financeiras, é mais um sinal de que trilhas regulamentadas e focadas em custódia estão se tornando a rota preferida para escalar pagamentos cripto na região. Leia mais notícias geradas por IA em: undefined/news

B2C2 secures MiCA license in Luxembourg, clears path for EU-wide OTC trading B2C2, a leading digital-asset liquidity provider, has received a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) license from Luxembourg’s financial regulator, opening the door for the firm to offer regulated over-the-counter (OTC) spot crypto trading across the entire European Union. The approval from the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) allows B2C2 to passport its services to all 27 EU member states and three European Economic Area countries under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. The company says the authorization makes it the first global OTC liquidity provider to secure a CASP license under MiCA. B2C2 — which already registered as a virtual asset service provider in Luxembourg in 2024 — called the new license a major step in strengthening its regulated presence in Europe ahead of MiCA’s transition deadline in July 2026. “Obtaining MiCA authorisation is a significant accomplishment for B2C2,” CEO Thomas Restout said, adding that the approval underscores the firm’s regulatory, operational and governance standards and its emphasis on compliance. Why it matters - Passporting under MiCA gives B2C2 a single regulatory route to serve institutional clients across the bloc, reducing the need for separate national approvals and simplifying cross-border operations. - As an OTC liquidity provider, B2C2 plays a crucial role supplying large trades and price discovery to institutional desks, market-makers and exchanges; formal MiCA authorization should boost institutional confidence and market access. - The move is part of a broader industry migration toward MiCA compliance since the rules were proposed in 2020, adopted in 2023 and made fully applicable in December 2024. Where this fits in the wider market B2C2 joins an expanding list of crypto firms that have secured MiCA approvals. Coinbase obtained its Luxembourg license in June 2025 and later named the country its primary European hub. Bitpanda’s MiCA license went live in March 2026 as it scaled multi-asset trading and white-label services, and exchanges like Kraken have pursued licensing in other EU jurisdictions such as Ireland. Together, these moves reflect a trend: major crypto firms are seeking unified regulatory cover to operate across Europe as oversight tightens. For market participants, B2C2’s authorization highlights growing regulatory clarity in Europe — a development likely to encourage more institutional trading and deeper liquidity in European crypto markets. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Hyperbridge launches up to $50,000 bug bounty after April bridge exploit Hyperbridge has opened a public bug bounty on HackenProof, offering payouts of up to $50,000 to independent security researchers who identify critical flaws in its protocol. The move aims to harden the protocol after an April exploit that allowed an attacker to mint about 1 billion fake DOT-equivalent tokens on Ethereum and siphon roughly $237,000 in ether. Bounty details and scope - The HackenProof listing shows the Hyperbridge program is live and covers the entire Hyperbridge protocol repository. - Rewards start at $200 for low-severity issues, $2,000–$5,000 for medium findings, $5,000–$15,000 for high-severity bugs, and up to $50,000 for critical vulnerabilities. - Eligible reports include logic flaws, access-control problems, reentrancy, cross-chain message spoofing, state manipulation, and any issue that could compromise message or fund integrity. - Researchers must submit proof-of-concept (PoC) reports and follow rules that bar service disruption, personal-data access, spam, DDoS testing, social engineering, third-party exploits and reports based only on theory. Testing is limited to local forks; attacks on live infrastructure are out of scope, and public disclosure requires Hyperbridge approval. Why this matters The bounty follows an April incident in which an attacker gained admin control via a forged cross-chain message and created a large supply of fake DOT tokens on Ethereum through Hyperbridge’s gateway. While Polkadot’s native network remained technically unaffected, the incident highlighted a common risk in cross-chain bridges: when message verification is weak, forged messages can propagate false state and value across networks. Context and next steps Hyperbridge’s launch on HackenProof arrives as the protocol seeks broader scrutiny. The project had appeared in earlier coverage — for example, in May 2025 Enjin Blockchain used Hyperbridge on testnet to enable cross-chain stablecoin movement of USDC and USDT between Ethereum and BNB Chain — underscoring why bridge security is critical when locked tokens on one chain are represented on another. By opening its codebase to a wider community of security researchers, Hyperbridge intends to reduce the chances of repeat failures and strengthen its cross-chain verification model. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Título: XRP e Dogecoin disparam com Bitcoin acima de US$ 81 mil após aprovação do Clarity Act pelo Comitê Bancário do Senado. Os mercados de criptomoedas subiram na sexta-feira, apesar do cenário macroeconômico desafiador, com o Bitcoin recuperando o patamar de US$ 81 mil após a aprovação do Clarity Act pelo Comitê Bancário do Senado dos EUA em uma votação bipartidária de 15 a 9 na noite de quinta-feira. Movimentos do mercado: - O Bitcoin era negociado em torno de US$ 81.055 durante o horário asiático, com alta de cerca de 2,3% nas últimas 24 horas e 1,9% na última semana, segundo dados da CoinDesk. O movimento recuperou os níveis perdidos após a divulgação do índice de preços ao produtor na quarta-feira. - O XRP liderou as principais criptomoedas, subindo aproximadamente 4,5% para US$ 1,49 e ampliando o ganho de sete dias para cerca de 7,6%, o melhor desempenho da semana. - O Dogecoin subiu cerca de 3% para US$ 0,1159 e acumula alta de 8,9% na última semana. O BNB subiu 2% para US$ 681 e o Solana ganhou 2% para US$ 91. Por que a alta: Progresso da Lei da Clareza A votação do Comitê Bancário do Senado marcou o primeiro grande passo bipartidário em meses na legislação sobre a estrutura do mercado de criptomoedas. O presidente Tim Scott articulou uma manobra processual de última hora para readmitir emendas que havia rejeitado anteriormente, conquistando dois votos democratas e resultando na margem de 15 a 9 após horas de debate partidário. "Este processo foi um dos mais informativos e desafiadores pelos quais passei como senador dos Estados Unidos", disse Scott após a votação, segundo o CoinDesk. A senadora democrata Elizabeth Warren, membro de maior hierarquia do comitê, criticou a mudança processual, afirmando que ela resultou em um acordo que ela não apoiava. Próximos passos para o projeto de lei A versão do Comitê Bancário será agora fundida com um projeto de lei semelhante, aprovado anteriormente pelo Comitê de Agricultura do Senado em uma votação partidária. A legislação combinada será então submetida à apreciação do Senado e à votação na Câmara. Questões substantivas importantes permanecem sem solução, incluindo preocupações com a aplicação da lei e uma disposição ética que alguns democratas dizem ser uma condição para um apoio mais amplo. O alívio regulatório ajuda o XRP O desempenho superior do XRP está diretamente ligado à clareza regulatória que o projeto de lei visa proporcionar. A Ripple e seu token têm estado no centro das atenções nos EUA.A incerteza jurídica nos EUA desde o caso da SEC contra a Ripple Labs; regras mais claras sobre a estrutura de mercado removeriam um grande obstáculo estrutural para a questão da liquidez do XRP. Renna Ba, chefe de ecossistema da rede Layer-2 Morph, afirmou que a distinção feita pela Lei da Clareza entre stablecoins de pagamento e ativos de investimento oferece ao setor global de pagamentos “a base jurídica necessária para construir com confiança”. Uma visão mais ampla para o bitcoin e os fluxos institucionais: CK Zheng, cofundador e CIO da ZX Squared Capital, argumentou que o impulso regulatório reforça a visão de que a mínima do mercado de baixa do bitcoin provavelmente foi atingida no primeiro trimestre. A queda de aproximadamente 50% em relação aos valores máximos é “notavelmente menor do que o declínio de ~78% observado durante o ciclo de 2022”, disse ele, sugerindo que o bitcoin está se tornando um ativo mais maduro e menos volátil. Zheng também destacou o lançamento de ações preferenciais (STRC da Strategy) que atraiu US$ 8,5 bilhões em interesse institucional com um rendimento de dividendos de 11,5%, ressaltando o apetite institucional contínuo por estratégias vinculadas a criptomoedas. Apesar dos ventos contrários macroeconômicos, os ganhos das criptomoedas ocorreram mesmo com diversos fatores de apetite ao risco. O comentário do presidente Trump de que os EUA não precisam reabrir o Estreito de Ormuz impulsionou o preço do petróleo Brent, alimentando preocupações com a inflação. O índice de ações da Ásia-Pacífico da MSCI caiu 1,1%, os futuros de ações dos EUA recuaram cerca de 0,2% e o rendimento dos títulos do Tesouro americano de 10 anos subiu quatro pontos-base, para 4,52%. O rendimento dos títulos japoneses de 10 anos saltou até sete pontos-base, após os preços ao produtor doméstico subirem no ritmo anual mais rápido desde 2023. O dólar também estendeu sua sequência de cinco dias de ganhos, impulsionado pela busca por ativos de refúgio. Conclusão: O avanço do projeto de lei Clarity Act pelo comitê injetou um novo impulso regulatório nos mercados de criptomoedas, ajudando o bitcoin e diversas outras altcoins importantes a recuperarem o terreno perdido, mesmo com a persistência de preocupações macroeconômicas. O projeto ainda enfrenta diversos obstáculos legislativos e negociações substanciais, mas a votação no comitê representa o movimento bipartidário mais significativo sobre a política de criptomoedas em meses — um movimento que traders e instituições parecem estar precificando nos preços dos ativos.Leia mais notícias geradas por IA em: undefined/news

Victims of Iranian-linked terrorism have asked a Manhattan federal judge to order Tether to turn over more than $344 million in frozen USDT, marking the latest attempt by attorney Charles Gerstein to collect decades-old terrorism judgments using crypto rails. The filing, submitted Thursday in the Southern District of New York, seeks control of 344,149,759 USDT that Tether froze after the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated two Tron wallet addresses as linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Plaintiffs — holders of billions in unpaid U.S. court judgments against Iran, including survivors and families of victims of the 1997 Hamas suicide bombing in Jerusalem — ask the court to order Tether to freeze the tokens and reissue an equivalent amount to a wallet controlled by their counsel. Central to the motion is a technical and legal distinction between different kinds of crypto. Unlike bitcoin or ether, which are decentralized and generally immutable, Tether’s USDT is issued centrally and includes administrative controls that allow the company to freeze wallets, blacklist addresses, zero balances and reissue tokens elsewhere. Gerstein argues that because Tether already immobilized the funds in response to OFAC’s action, the company has the practical ability to transfer them to judgment creditors. The filing expands a strategy Gerstein has pursued in prior cases targeting crypto platforms with the power to control assets. He led litigation in the Arbitrum case tied to the KelpDAO hack — a dispute involving North Korea-linked Lazarus Group and contested ownership of frozen restaked ether (rsETH) — and has sued privacy protocol Railgun DAO. Those fights exposed complicated questions about whether stolen crypto can be treated as property subject to seizure. In the Arbitrum matter, for example, protocol Aave argued that attackers never legally owned stolen funds, creating a messy title battle. By contrast, the plaintiffs say the legal path here is cleaner: OFAC’s designation already identifies the Tron wallets as IRGC property, making the frozen USDT blocked property of a state sponsor of terrorism and therefore potentially subject to execution under federal law. Gerstein’s broader theory, reflected in his filings, is that if crypto infrastructure can freeze sanctioned assets, courts may eventually authorize using those same systems to send funds to victims who hold enforceable judgments. If the court accepts that reasoning, the decision could set a precedent with broad implications for how judgment creditors, sanctions enforcers and crypto issuers interact when centralized token issuers hold the technical keys to frozen assets. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Headline: U.S. Stocks Near Dot‑Com Valuations — What That Means for Bitcoin and Crypto U.S. equities are trading at levels that bring back memories of the late‑1990s tech boom. The cyclically adjusted P/E ratio (Shiller P/E)—a long‑run valuation gauge that smooths short‑term earnings swings—recently climbed to 42.18, just under the 44.19 peak seen at the height of the dot‑com bubble. That earlier bubble ended with the S&P 500 collapsing roughly 50% between March 2000 and October 2002 and not reclaiming its prior high until 2007. Why it matters: the Shiller P/E’s rise indicates U.S. stocks, driven largely by mega‑cap tech names benefiting from the AI narrative, are trading at their richest valuations in more than 25 years. Several market observers have flagged stretched valuations: Vanguard’s analysis found equity prices at the end of Q1 remained elevated versus historical norms, especially in growth‑heavy pockets. And those pockets haven’t cooled—since that Q1 snapshot, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 have climbed another roughly 14% and 24%, respectively. Where crypto fits in: valuation frameworks like the Shiller P/E don’t apply to bitcoin or most cryptocurrencies, because they don’t produce cash flows. From a pure price perspective, though, bitcoin currently looks far cheaper than U.S. stocks—trading well below last year’s record high near $126,000—while major equity indexes sit at record levels. Potential market dynamics for crypto: - Diversification flows: If equities face volatility or valuation compression, some capital could rotate toward relatively inexpensive crypto assets—supporters see that as a plausible upside for bitcoin. - Correlation risk: Bitcoin’s growing institutionalization means it’s more tightly linked to Wall Street sentiment than before; sharp equity stress could spill over into crypto markets rather than provide a safe haven. - Tail risk: A high Shiller P/E reading doesn’t guarantee an immediate crash, but it does narrow the margin for disappointment. Even modest negative surprises on earnings or economic data could trigger outsized downside moves in richly priced assets. Bottom line for crypto readers: U.S. stock valuations are close to dot‑com extremes, which could create both opportunities and risks for digital assets. Bitcoin’s lower price relative to equities gives bulls an argument for inflows during equity weakness, but stronger market linkages today mean crypto is not immune if sentiment reverses. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

MicroStrategy’s STRC preferred shares explode to record $1.53B volume, bankroll ~11,700 BTC buy MicroStrategy’s perpetual preferred stock, STRC, saw a blockbuster session Thursday, recording roughly $1.53 billion in trading volume — the largest single-day total on record for the security. According to BitcoinQuant, that liquidity surge helped fund the company’s latest bitcoin acquisition: approximately 11,707 BTC bought through MicroStrategy’s at-the-market (ATM) program, which lets the firm issue and sell new shares to raise cash for additional bitcoin purchases. Key details - Total STRC volume Thursday: ~$1.53 billion (more than four times the 30‑day average of ~$331 million). - Bitcoin purchased via ATM: ~11,707 BTC. - Most STRC trades occurred at or above the $100 par value. - STRC dividend: 11.5% annual, paid monthly in cash. - Ex-dividend mechanics: Friday was STRC’s ex-dividend date, and the preferred shares slid to about $99.12 in pre-market trade (down nearly 1%), a normal move as shares typically drop roughly by the payout amount when they start trading ex-dividend. - Market reaction: Bitcoin traded around $80.5k, and MicroStrategy (MSTR) common stock slipped about 2% in pre-market trading. Why this matters MicroStrategy has increasingly used equity issuance through instruments like STRC to fund its bitcoin accumulation. The spike in STRC trading — concentrated at or above par — signals strong demand from investors wanting exposure to MicroStrategy’s bitcoin strategy and its attractive monthly cash dividend. Volume often peaks the day before an ex-dividend date as investors buy to capture the upcoming payout, which helps explain the timing and magnitude of Thursday’s activity. Disclosure: The author of this story owns shares in MicroStrategy (MSTR). Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

A IREN fecha um negócio de notas conversíveis de quase $3 bilhões enquanto dobra sua aposta em infraestrutura de IA. A operadora de mineradores de Bitcoin transformada em infraestrutura de IA, IREN, completou uma oferta de notas seniores conversíveis que arrecadou aproximadamente $2,96 bilhões — cerca de $3 bilhões — marcando uma das maiores captações do tipo entre mineradores de cripto que estão mudando para infraestrutura de IA. O negócio foi ágil, ocorrendo em três dias, após a IREN anunciar pela primeira vez em 11 de maio sua intenção de levantar $2 bilhões em notas seniores conversíveis com vencimento em 2033. A forte demanda dos investidores fez a oferta subir para $2,6 bilhões em 12 de maio, com uma opção greenshoe adicional de $400 milhões que foi totalmente exercida até 14 de maio, totalizando aproximadamente $2,96 bilhões. As notas têm um cupom de 1% e foram precificadas com um prêmio de conversão de 32,5%, implicando um preço inicial de conversão de cerca de $73,07 por ação — em comparação com o preço de fechamento da IREN em 11 de maio de $55,15. Essa estrutura oferece aos investidores uma exposição de alta ao capital da IREN, enquanto fornece à empresa um financiamento de baixo custo à medida que escala. O aumento destaca a mudança estratégica da IREN de mineração pura de Bitcoin para infraestrutura de nuvem de IA e hyperscale. A empresa recentemente assinou um contrato de nuvem de IA de cinco anos no valor de $3,4 bilhões com a Nvidia e delineou planos para comprar aproximadamente $3,5 bilhões em GPUs e equipamentos relacionados da Dell — movimentos que exigem capital e capacidade significativos upfront. A reação do mercado foi mista a negativa no curto prazo: as ações da IREN caíram mais de 3% nas negociações pré-mercado após o anúncio. Por que isso é importante: O tamanho e a rapidez do negócio destacam o forte apetite dos investidores por empresas que podem alavancar ativos existentes de energia e centros de dados para fornecer cargas de trabalho pesadas em GPU de IA — uma tendência crescente entre mineradores de Bitcoin que buscam diversificar à medida que as dinâmicas de demanda em cripto e IA evoluem. Leia mais notícias geradas por IA em: undefined/news

A recente negociação lateral do XRP está começando a moldar o comportamento dos investidores nas principais exchanges, com métricas de fluxo on-chain apontando para uma inflexão potencialmente importante na estrutura de mercado. O que está acontecendo - Após uma correção mais ampla do mercado no meio da semana, o XRP caiu um pouco, mas manteve-se acima da área de suporte de $1,40, negociando em torno de $1,44 nas sessões recentes. - Na Binance — a maior exchange de criptomoedas do mundo — a correlação entre os movimentos de preço e o delta de volume cumulativo (CVD), uma medida do fluxo líquido de compra vs. venda, mostrou uma mudança notável, de acordo com a atualização do analista da CryptoQuant, Arab Chain, no X. Principais dados - Nos últimos dias, a correlação preço–CVD “inverteu para cima”, sugerindo que os movimentos de preço recentes estavam mais intimamente ligados à pressão real de compra/venda no mercado de derivados. - Em um período de 30 dias, a correlação subiu para cerca de 0,58, um nível que geralmente indica que a valorização do preço está sendo apoiada por ordens de compra genuínas e liquidez retornando, em vez de atividade especulativa fina. - No entanto, essa melhoria se mostrou de curta duração: o índice desde então recuou enquanto o CVD se tornou negativo, registrando cerca de -10,9 milhões de XRP, mesmo com o preço permanecendo perto de $1,44. Por que isso importa - Uma correlação crescente entre preço e CVD geralmente sinaliza convicção por trás das trades e liquidez mais saudável; inversamente, uma correlação enfraquecida pode prever uma desaceleração no momentum ascendente. - A atual divergência — crescente fluxo de vendas (CVD negativo) enquanto o preço permanece relativamente estável — sugere uma redistribuição de liquidez ou hesitação do mercado. As ordens de venda começaram a superar as compras mesmo sem uma queda imediata no preço. - Essa dinâmica aumenta as probabilidades de volatilidade de curto prazo: se os fluxos de venda persistirem e a correlação não se recuperar, a pressão descendente sobre o preço pode se intensificar. Por outro lado, o fato de que o preço do XRP se manteve firme apesar do CVD negativo implica que a demanda subjacente ainda pode estar amortecendo o mercado. O que os traders estão observando - Se a correlação preço–CVD re-acelerar (o que fortaleceria um caso bullish e sinalizaria uma liquidez renovada) ou continuar a enfraquecer (o que aumentaria o risco de um movimento corretivo). - Movimento nas métricas de fluxo de derivativos e exchange na Binance, dada a ligação observada lá entre CVD e ação de preço. Resumo O preço estável do XRP mascara uma luta nos bastidores: os fluxos estão se deslocando e a liquidez está sendo redistribuída. Os traders estarão observando de perto a correlação e o CVD — uma recuperação poderia reforçar a tendência de alta, enquanto a fraqueza contínua dos fluxos pode se traduzir em uma pressão descendente mais ampla nas próximas sessões. Leia mais notícias geradas por IA em: undefined/news

XRP’s oft-cited $100 prediction isn’t going anywhere — but according to popular analyst EGRAG CRYPTO, getting there won’t be a straight sprint. In a widescreen macro read built on 2-month candlesticks, the analyst argues the token must navigate a series of lower targets, corrections and structural tests before any talk of triple digits becomes realistic. Why the 2-month view matters EGRAG CRYPTO prefers the 2-month timeframe because it smooths out short-term noise and reveals the long-term structure that daily or weekly charts can miss. On that timeframe XRP sits inside a long-running compression — a large triangle-like formation that, the analyst notes, has governed price action since 2017. Crucially, the current price remains roughly 530% below the first major target area around $9, illustrating how far the market would need to move just to reach near-term Fibonacci targets. Don’t be fooled by moving-average crosses The analyst warns traders against overinterpreting recent moving-average signals — specifically the 7-week moving average and an 11-period EMA cross. These are lagging indicators, EGRAG CRYPTO stresses, and “price leads and indicators follow.” In other words, an MA/EMA cross alone isn’t proof XRP has entered a parabolic phase; it can lag meaningful price action and produce false optimism if treated as a standalone green light. The roadmap before $100 EGRAG CRYPTO doesn’t dismiss $100, but places it well beyond the present cycle and outside the immediate measured move of the current triangle. Instead, the analyst lays out a more stepwise roadmap: - First realistic zone: the “green box” between roughly $9 and $17, made up of Fibonacci extensions. Key levels called out are: - 1.618 Fib ~ $9.51 - 2.0 Fib ~ $17.23 - 2.272 Fib ~ $26.30 - Next: reclaim the macrostructure and clear that green-box region. - After that: push into the extended Fibonacci region above ~$26, which would be a prerequisite for any structure that could eventually price in paths toward $100. Expect volatility and shakeouts EGRAG CRYPTO also foresees a messy path: potential “E” phase action with stronger downswings, painful retracements and emotional shakeouts before any confident breakout. Parabolic expansions are possible, but historically they come alongside significant corrections — not as a smooth ascent. Bottom line EGRAG CRYPTO’s analysis reframes the $100 narrative as a distant possibility rather than an imminent inevitability. Traders should watch the long-term triangle structure and the $9–$26 Fibonacci band as the next meaningful battlegrounds. Only after clearing those zones — and surviving the retracements that typically accompany them — could the market begin to meaningfully price in much higher targets. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Metaplanet doubled down on Bitcoin in Q1 2026, emerging as the world’s third-largest publicly listed Bitcoin treasury company but posting a heavy accounting loss after a quarter-end price rout. The Tokyo-listed firm finished March holding 40,177 BTC, up from 35,102 at the end of December 2025 — an accumulation of roughly 5,075 BTC during the quarter. That aggressive buying push was largely financed with a $500 million Bitcoin-collateralized credit facility; Metaplanet had $302 million outstanding on that line as of May 13. Yet the company’s balance sheet took a hit from market moves. Bitcoin fell about 24% in Q1, sliding from roughly $87,000 on Jan. 1 to around $66,000 by March 31. The markdowns were non-cash but steep enough to drive an ordinary loss of roughly $728 million for the quarter, pushing the basic loss per share to about $0.63 versus roughly $0.078 a year earlier. Total net assets fell from ¥2.96 trillion (about $2.96 billion) at year-end to roughly $2.60 billion by March 31 as valuation losses outpaced new equity raised. Operationally, however, Metaplanet showed strength. The company reported Q1 operating income of ¥2.27 billion (about $14.38 million) on net sales near $19.5 million — an operating margin of 73.6%. Revenue more than tripled year-over-year (up from about $5.5 million in Q1 2025), driven mainly by its Bitcoin Income Generation unit, which books option premiums and derivative valuation gains. Hotel operations supplied a smaller, steadier revenue stream. Despite the headline loss, Metaplanet left its full-year 2026 guidance unchanged, forecasting net sales of roughly $100 million and operating profit around $72 million. It did not give ordinary or net income guidance, citing sensitivity to Bitcoin’s price. The company’s preferred shareholder metric — Bitcoin per diluted share — rose over the quarter from 0.0240486 BTC to 0.0247319 BTC, which Metaplanet describes as a Q1 BTC yield of 2.8%. The metric is presented as the primary gauge of shareholder value, reflecting BTC accumulation per share after dilution from equity issuances. Key figures at a glance: - Bitcoin holdings: 40,177 BTC (up ~5,075 BTC in Q1) - Ordinary loss (Q1): ≈ $728 million - Basic loss per share: ≈ $0.63 (vs $0.078 YoY) - Operating income: ¥2.27 billion (~$14.38 million) - Net sales (Q1): ≈ $19.5 million - Operating margin: 73.6% - Credit facility outstanding (May 13): $302 million of $500 million - Net assets: down to ≈ $2.60 billion from $2.96 billion - Bitcoin per diluted share: 0.0247319 BTC (Q1 BTC yield: 2.8%) Featured image from Getty Images, chart from TradingView. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

Hana Bank to buy $670M stake in Upbit operator Dunamu as Korean banks double down on crypto Hana Bank, a unit of Hana Financial Group, has agreed to acquire a 6.55% stake in Dunamu — the operator of South Korea’s largest crypto exchange, Upbit — for about 1 trillion won (roughly $670 million). The deal, revealed in regulatory filings and reported by Maeil Business and The Korea Herald, will see Hana buy 2.28 million shares from Kakao Investment. Key transaction details - Purchase price: ~1 trillion won (~$670 million) - Stake: 6.55% of Dunamu (2.28 million shares bought from Kakao Investment) - Board approval: unanimously approved by Hana on May 14 - Expected close: June 15 - Post-deal position: Hana Bank will become Dunamu’s fourth-largest shareholder, trailing only the company’s founders and Kakao Investment’s remaining holdings - Hana Bank scale: roughly $42 billion in assets under management Strategic aims and collaboration Hana and Dunamu confirmed they will work together on multiple digital-asset initiatives, including won-pegged stablecoins, blockchain-based remittances, tokenized securities and digital-asset management products. The deal signals a broader push by established financial institutions in South Korea to build on-ramps and products tied to crypto infrastructure. Regulatory and market backdrop The investment comes amid a flurry of regulatory and industry moves in South Korea: - One month earlier, the ruling Democratic Party proposed a “Digital Asset Basic Act” to create a legal framework for issuance, trading, custody and supervision of digital assets. - The Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service have announced new rules aimed at strengthening security at crypto exchanges. - In April 2026, rival Woori Bank announced a partnership with MoonPay to develop stablecoin technology — underlining growing competition among traditional banks to enter the crypto space. Where Dunamu stands - Dunamu announced plans last year to merge with Naver Financial in a deal valued at about $10 billion (announced November 2025). - Upbit ranks 14th worldwide on Coingecko and reports more than $1 billion in daily trading volume. - Dunamu reportedly handled more than 80% of South Korea’s virtual asset trading volume. - Fiscal 2025 results: revenue of 1.56 trillion won and net profit of 708.8 billion won. Why it matters The acquisition underscores accelerating institutional adoption of crypto infrastructure in South Korea. With regulatory moves toward clearer legal frameworks and major banks investing directly in exchange operators, the country’s crypto ecosystem looks set for deeper integration with traditional finance — from stablecoins and cross-border remittances to tokenized securities and asset management offerings. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news