The repeated security breaches could undermine trust in decentralized protocols, potentially impacting user adoption and market stability.

The post THORChain loses $11 million in suspected exploit as RUNE tumbles 13% appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Altman's testimony highlights the tension between collaborative AI development and individual control, impacting future AI governance debates.

The post Sam Altman testifies he was uncomfortable with Elon Musk’s demand for total control over OpenAI appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Binance's marketing shift reflects a broader industry trend towards cost-effective strategies, emphasizing product-led growth over high-profile campaigns.

The post Binance CMO Rachel Conlan to depart on June 15 amid marketing reassessment appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Increased military actions by Israel in Lebanon may hinder diplomatic efforts and heighten regional tensions, impacting future peace prospects.

The post Israel escalates military actions in Lebanon, dims diplomatic meeting prospects appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Warsh's leadership may reshape U.S. monetary policy, impacting economic strategies and market expectations amid political dynamics.

The post Kevin Warsh confirmed as new Fed Chair, succeeding Jerome Powell appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Bitcoin Magazine

Onramp Raises $12.5M Series A to Scale Multi-Institution Bitcoin Custody Platform

Onramp has raised $12.5 million in a Series A round led by Early Riders, valuing the bitcoin financial services firm at $135 million as it pushes to scale a custody model designed to meet institutional standards.

The Austin-based company told Bitcoin Magazine it now holds more than $1 billion in assets under custody and has recorded zero security incidents since its founding in 2023. The new capital will support expansion of Onramp Finance, its recently launched platform that combines bitcoin custody, brokerage, and cash management, while funding new partnerships across banks, registered investment advisors, and fintech firms.

At the center of the strategy is Onramp’s Multi-Institution Custody (MIC) model, which distributes key control across several regulated custodians rather than relying on a single entity or placing full responsibility on clients. The system is built with partners including BitGo, Coincover, and Tetra Trust, allowing for shared control structures that can span jurisdictions.

The approach targets a long-standing tradeoff in digital asset custody. Investors have often had to choose between centralized platforms with counterparty risk and self-custody setups that require technical expertise and operational oversight. Onramp positions MIC as a middle path that removes single points of failure while keeping assets verifiable on-chain.

Institutional traction has begun to follow. UK pension fund Cartwright selected Onramp as custodian for its bitcoin allocation, while the Bitcoin Policy Institute has endorsed multi-party custody frameworks for potential state-level bitcoin reserves.

A full bitcoin financial stack via Onramp

Chief executive Michael Tanguma said the company aims to build a full financial stack around bitcoin, including lending, retirement accounts, and treasury management tools. The firm launched Onramp Finance in April, offering brokerage services across all 50 states, cash accounts with rewards, a payments card, bitcoin IRAs, and access to gold within a single interface.

Early Riders partner Liam Nelson said the firm backed Onramp to help establish MIC as a standard across the industry, arguing that custody design will shape the next phase of bitcoin adoption.

The company plans to split the new funding between product development and distribution. On the engineering side, Onramp will continue building out its platform and prepare its custody infrastructure for licensing to other regulated custodians. On the commercial side, it will expand sales efforts and develop white-label offerings for financial institutions seeking to integrate bitcoin services.

Onramp also named former Blackstone partner David Thayer as a strategic advisor, adding experience in infrastructure investing as it targets deeper engagement with traditional finance.

The bet is that as bitcoin enters broader portfolios, custody will become a primary concern. Onramp is positioning its architecture as a foundation for that shift, aiming to extend its model across institutions that want exposure without assuming concentrated risk.

This post Onramp Raises $12.5M Series A to Scale Multi-Institution Bitcoin Custody Platform first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Price Surges 3% Past $82K as Senate Advances Clarity Act, STRC and SATA Fuel Bitcoin Credit Boom

Bitcoin price extended its rebound on Thursday as a landmark U.S. crypto bill cleared a key Senate hurdle and Bitcoin‑linked credit products logged fresh milestones. Bitcoin price traded near $81,400 with intraday highs around $82,000, up more than 3% over the past 24 hours on more than $1 billion in spot trading volume.

The Senate Banking Committee advanced the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act on a 15–9 vote, with Sens. Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland joining all 13 Republicans. The bill, known as H.R. 3633, seeks a federal framework for digital asset trading, stablecoins and intermediaries, splitting oversight between the SEC and CFTC and setting registration, disclosure and compliance rules for exchanges, brokers and custodians.

Chair Tim Scott described the markup as a turning point after years in which crypto firms faced a “regulatory gray zone” under rules built for earlier markets, and framed the bill as a way to keep innovation inside the United States while tightening controls on criminal use of digital assets. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, who leads the committee’s digital assets panel, called the Clarity Act the hardest bill of her career and “a case of first impression” for fitting new software‑based assets into existing financial law.

Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren led the opposition and argued that the bill weakens securities protections, preempts state anti‑fraud rules and lets banks build large crypto exposures, which she linked to pre‑2008 risk patterns.

She said the framework “declares open season” on consumers and labeled it “industry‑written” and “not ready,” while allies raised ethics and national‑security concerns tied to President Donald Trump’s crypto businesses, mixers and stablecoins.

STRC and SATA extend Bitcoin credit boom

Against that backdrop, Strategy Inc.’s STRC preferred stock continued to scale up its Bitcoin accumulation program. Bitcoin for Corporations’ live STRC ATM Tracker showed more than $1.24 billion in total issuance volume, an estimated 11,709 BTC acquired and an effective yield of 11.5%, with proceeds capture rate near 80%, at the time of writing. 

The marketed structure targets 26 times the current daily Bitcoin supply, underscoring how ATM issuance has turned STRC into one of the largest corporate Bitcoin buyers on record.

Strive’s SATA preferred stock advanced its own experiment in yield design. Strive disclosed plans for SATA to pay cash dividends every business day starting in June while maintaining a 13.00% annual rate, which the firm estimates produces an effective yield near 13.88% through daily compounding. SATA sits on a debt‑free balance sheet with more than 15,000 BTC and an 11.1% Bitcoin Yield for the first quarter of 2026.

Bitcoin price teeters near $82,000

It was a strong day for bitcoin price Bitfinex analysts wrote to Bitcoin Magazine saying the once dominant funding rate has lost signal power, so they are turning attention to options positioning as Bitcoin price pushes around the 80,000 zone.

The analysts added that ETF demand and open‑market accumulation now drive the move instead of STRC‑linked buying, with long‑horizon “conviction buyers” holding close to four million BTC in the strongest two‑quarter increase in this cohort since the COVID‑19 crash, which pulls more bitcoin out of circulating supply and could help the bitcoin price go up.

This post Bitcoin Price Surges 3% Past $82K as Senate Advances Clarity Act, STRC and SATA Fuel Bitcoin Credit Boom first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bukele’s Futuristic BINAES Library Blends Books, Bitcoin, and Family Play in Revitalized Capital

Located in the heart of the country’s capital, El Salvador’s BINAES library stands tall as a monument to the love of knowledge, literature, and technology—accessible to the public 24 hours a day, for free. Positioned directly in front of and carefully aligned with the Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador, BINAES is also surrounded by the Palacio Nacional de El Salvador (to its left/side) and the Jardín Centroamérica, all symbols and reminders of a dream. The dream of a society that elevates beauty, the love of knowledge and faith, and shares them with the world.

Having traveled to many countries and cities in my lifetime, I have to say that the safety, tranquility and cleanliness of this area of San Salvador was remarkable. An unignorable contrast to the city squares of many western capitals, often unsafe, filled with garbage, and host to the homeless and drug addicted. Instead, both outside the library, in the gardens and walkable roads of the city square, as well as inside the library, palace and gardens, children and their families can be seen at peace, running around, enjoying this national treasure. 

Donated to El Salvador by the Chinese government, BINAES is 7 stories tall with a wide range of amenities, including a cafeteria on the first floor and an Italian restaurant on the 7th. Plenty of room to host events of various sizes, public and private. BINAES stands out with an elegant futurist design, congruent with its facilities and a vision for the future of El Salvador, which also prominently features Bitcoin technology and educational materials. 

With a strong focus on supporting families and the next generation, the second floor is a young children’s playground filled with educational tools, books and physical entertainment options for children to unleash their energy. The third floor has a large section dedicated to LEGOs, a powerful educational tool known to stimulate a love of building in children, with multiple tables where parents sit with their kids and play. It also hosts children’s video games, such as collaborative and family-friendly games like Mario Party and the legendary Minecraft. 

The fourth floor is aimed at children 8-12 as well as fans of fantasy and fiction, with dedicated Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter areas, as well as hundreds of manga books featuring some of the greatest stories of the Japanese genre. Many of these areas include collection grade legos and merchandise from the films, as well as, of course, full libraries of books for each fictional universe. 

The fifth floor is home to literature, history and books for adults, considered the core of the library, with thousands of books on all major genres of knowledge. Among them, a vast section on social sciences, which includes economics, hosting some samples of libertarian Austrian economists like Mises, Milton Friedman, Rothbard, and Ayn Rand, though not too deep a variety. 

This specific topic, which is very important to the history, economic theory of Bitcoin and its cultural roots, is one that the library got some criticism for years ago when it was first completed. Back then, a popular tweet claimed the library had no works on libertarian economic theory, something which today has changed, but could improve further. Their collection, for example, had no fictional work by Rand, only a couple of her philosophy books; this is something that can actually be changed easily enough, though, as the library does accept book donations. Donors can contribute by first emailing BINAES staff at consultalealbibliotecario@cultura.gob.sv. 

The sixth floor is the high-tech area. Coming out of the elevators, the first thing you see is a Bitcoin-shaped bookshelf with a solid collection of Bitcoin literature, covering its economics, software architecture and history of money, among many other topics. This specific installation is a project by Alejandra Guajardo, also known as Miss Bitcoin, the Salvadorian model who represented the nation in the Miss Universe pageant of 2022. Her Bitcoin Book Shelf initiative looks to deploy installations of this sort in libraries all over the world, with an expansion to Mexico in the works. Bitcoiners who want to lead the installation of Bitcoin bookshelves in their local libraries can contact her to make it happen. 

In the center of the same floor is a beautiful Bitcoin lounge area, with another similarly shaped bookshelf and various Bitcoin plushies called Little Hodlers led by artist and Bitcoin evangelist Lina Seiche. A massive screen shows Mempool.space, a slick and very popular Bitcoin block explorer, showing live network data and statistics. 

This floor is also home to 3D printers, tools for robotics work, interactive digital screen-style whiteboards, a full gaming area with top-of-the-line gaming consoles, a virtual reality area, computers available to the public for research, and a digital collection of over 9 million books accessible to the public. As well as various dedicated office-like environments for students and teams to take advantage of and get some work done. 

Last but not least is the seventh floor, home to the art gallery, which at the time of my visit was hosting a variety of art pieces, showing the history of El Salvador through the architecture of iconic locations in the area. In the center of this art hall, between the gallery and the Basílico Italian Bistro, are photographs of Bukele and first lady Gabriela Bukele, perfectly aligned with the Metropolitan Cathedral across the square, a beautiful architectural detail that reinforces a harmonic union between the classic arts and faith.

Overall, despite the high-tech Chinese design of the library, which somewhat contrasts against the classical Roman architecture of the area, the BINAES library is likely to stand as a visionary legacy of the self-described Philosopher King and his administration.  

This post Bukele’s Futuristic BINAES Library Blends Books, Bitcoin, and Family Play in Revitalized Capital first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Juan Galt.

Bitcoin Magazine

Senate Banking Committee Advances Clarity Act, Two Democrats Break Ranks in 15-9 Vote

The Senate Banking Committee advanced the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act on a 15–9 vote Thursday, with Sens. Ruben Gallego (D‑Ariz.) and Angela Alsobrooks (D‑Md.) joining all 13 Republicans to move the sweeping crypto market structure bill to the full Senate.

The Clarity Act is the Senate’s bid to build a federal framework for digital asset trading, stablecoins and intermediaries, splitting oversight between the SEC and CFTC and setting registration, disclosure and compliance rules for exchanges, brokers and custodians. It now advances alongside a related bill from the Senate Agriculture Committee, with the two texts expected to merge before a floor vote.

Chair Tim Scott (R‑S.C.) cast the markup as a turning point after years in which crypto firms operated in what he called a “regulatory gray zone” under “outdated rules.” 

He said the bill aims to protect consumers, keep innovation in the United States and “close the doors that criminals, terrorists and hostile regimes have tried to exploit,” after months of cross‑party talks that expanded the draft by more than 200 pages.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R‑Wyo.), who leads the committee’s digital assets panel, called the Clarity Act “the hardest piece of legislation” she has worked on across decades in state and federal office. She described it as a “case of first impression” that tries to fit new asset types and software into a regulatory code built for earlier markets.

Warren’s camp: “industry‑written” and “not ready”

Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D‑Mass.) led the opposition, arguing the committee should focus on groceries, health costs and credit card rates, not “a bill written by the crypto industry for the crypto industry.” 

Warren warned that the draft “blows a hole” in securities law that has protected investors since 1929, preempts state anti‑fraud rules and allows banks to load up on volatile crypto exposure in ways she linked to pre‑2008 practices. 

She said the bill “declares open season on defrauding American consumers who use crypto,” and accused Republicans of advancing a framework that helps “the President of the United States’ crypto grift.

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D‑Ga.) tied his no vote to ethics concerns, calling President Donald Trump’s digital asset business ties “pure corruption” and faulting Republicans for refusing enforceable conflict‑of‑interest rules for all elected officials, including the president and vice president.

Illicit finance, mixers and stablecoins

National security concerns drove a series of Democratic amendments that Republicans rejected in 11–13 votes. Warren proposed stronger sanction tools against crypto mixers and DeFi services, citing Treasury’s 2022 designation of Tornado Cash and warning that the bill does not isolate mixers in statute. 

Sen. John Kennedy (R‑La.) pressed her on why new anti‑money‑laundering sections do not already cover those services, then joined Republicans to defeat the proposal.

Sen. Jack Reed (D‑R.I.) described how Iranian actors use stablecoins to buy drone components, import sensitive goods and collect tolls from tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. He said the Treasury still must “go hat in hand” to issuers such as Tether for voluntary cooperation, and sought explicit power for regulators to block foreign illicit stablecoin flows; his amendment failed on the same party‑line split.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D‑Md.) pointed to estimates that more than 150 billion dollars in digital assets flowed through wallets tied to illicit activity last year and highlighted a large North Korean exchange hack where DeFi services helped launder funds. 

His proposal to make it unlawful to release a DeFi protocol with the stated purpose of enabling money laundering, sanctions evasion or terror finance also fell in an 11–13 vote, after Republicans argued that existing criminal statutes already reach that conduct.

Republicans, led by Lummis and Sen. Bernie Moreno (R‑Ohio), answered that Titles II and III of the bill already tie digital asset intermediaries into the Bank Secrecy Act, expand Treasury’s “special measures” authority and bring kiosks, brokers and exchanges into clearer federal oversight than the House version.

President Trump, World Liberty and failed ethics amendments

Ethics provisions tied to Trump’s business ties to World Liberty Financial and other crypto ventures produced some of the sharpest exchanges. Van Hollen offered an amendment to bar the president, vice president and members of Congress from business ties to crypto firms and to require more disclosure, saying it was needed because “the president and members of his family” had been involved in “corrupt crypto ventures and various crypto scams.”

Moreno said the measure belonged in the Judiciary Committee because it carried criminal penalties and defended Trump as “a good man,” accusing Van Hollen of declaring criminal conduct without a court record. The amendment failed 11–13.

Warren tried to force banking regulators to release confidential supervisory records related to Jeffrey Epstein, arguing Epstein had backed early crypto investments and that exam files could reveal what banks and supervisors knew as he moved funds through major institutions. Lummis answered that confidential supervisory material is outside a market structure bill’s scope, and that amendment also failed, even after Kennedy said he would have supported it without “co‑conspirator” language.

DeFi safe harbor deal exposes Democratic split

One of the most consequential votes came on Lummis Amendment 122, a technical package negotiated with Sen. Mark Warner (D‑Va.) that refines when a DeFi protocol counts as controlled by a small group and interacts with the bill’s core safe harbors. 

Warren argued the amendment embeds “a narrow test” for which entities count as crypto intermediaries and imports a Section 604 “loophole” that shields decentralized services from basic anti‑money‑laundering rules, saying that “it doesn’t matter if you have rules if nobody has to follow them.”

After a short technical fix to strike two lines, the committee adopted the amendment 18–6, with Warner, Cortez Masto and Alsobrooks joining Republicans. That vote marked a clear split: Warren, Reed and Van Hollen opposed the compromise, while a “crypto Democrat” bloc accepted the DeFi framework as a basis to refine before floor action.

Process fight over which amendments get heard

The markup also turned into a test of Scott’s control over the amendment list. Before the hearing, he ruled more than a dozen proposals out of order on drafting and filing grounds, including a National Sheriffs Association‑backed fix from Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D‑Nev.) on decentralized platform enforcement and a community‑bank‑supported stablecoin‑yield tweak from Reed and Sen. Tina Smith (D‑Minn.).

Later, seeking a bipartisan outcome, Scott reinstated several amendments, including Lummis 122, after Democrats such as Warner and Gallego said committee votes on those compromises would make support easier. Warren objected that he was reviving a subset of Republican‑side language while leaving law enforcement and community‑bank proposals sidelined. 

Van Hollen noted that some of his own properly drafted amendments never reached a vote, even as previously disqualified Lummis text passed 18–6. 

Scott replied that he and Warren had agreed to cap amendments from each side, and that within that cap he was using discretion to serve Democrats who wanted a bipartisan result.

Gallego and Alsobrooks give Clarity Act its bipartisan spine

Through the day, Republicans accepted targeted changes that industry and moderates backed, including Sen. Mike Rounds’ AI sandbox and Sen. Dave McCormick’s portfolio‑margin language, both adopted with Democratic support. They rejected every Democratic attempt to extend sanctions tools, bar bailouts, tighten DeFi liability or write ethics rules into the bill.

By the final vote, the Democratic side had split into clear camps. Warren, Warnock, Van Hollen, Smith and Reed built a record that presents Clarity as an industry‑driven framework that weakens enforcement and leaves presidential conflicts untouched. Warner helped shape key language but kept leverage for later stages. 

Gallego and Alsobrooks supplied the decisive Democratic votes that turned a partisan project into a 15–9 bipartisan committee win, while both signaled that support on the floor will depend on further movement on ethics and enforcement as the bill heads toward merger with the Agriculture Committee’s version and a 60‑vote test before the full Senate.

This post Senate Banking Committee Advances Clarity Act, Two Democrats Break Ranks in 15-9 Vote first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Senate Banking Committee Opens Historic Crypto Bill Markup as Warren, Republicans Clash Over CLARITY Act Amendments

The Senate Banking Committee opened a historic markup Thursday morning on H.R. 3633, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025, moving the most sweeping attempt at federal cryptocurrency regulation in American history toward a committee vote. 

The session — defined by sharp partisan exchanges, procedural disputes, and targeted Republican courtship of crossover Democrats — unfolded against a hard deadline: if the bill does not clear the committee before the Memorial Day recess, the entire legislative calendar resets.​

Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) opened by casting the bill as a correction to years of regulatory failure. 

“For years, the digital frontier was trapped in a regulatory gray zone,” he said. “Developers, entrepreneurs and investors were left with uncertainty. They faced confusion and enforcement actions when instead the government should have been crafting clear rules of the road.” 

Scott framed the legislation around three pillars: consumer protection, retaining American innovation, and national security.

He acknowledged the bill had grown substantially through negotiation — “since June of last year, we have added 33,000 words and 219 pages to get this legislation as bipartisan as humanly possible” — and conceded that Republicans had not gotten everything they wanted.​

Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) offered a frontal assault. She opened not with digital assets, but with grocery prices, overdraft fees, and credit card interest rates — consumer concerns she argued the committee should be addressing instead. 

“We’re spending our time working on a bill written by the crypto industry, for the crypto industry,” Warren said. 

“Nothing made it into this bill that wasn’t approved by the crypto industry.” She cited a CoinDesk survey showing crypto ranked at the bottom of voter priorities, with just 1% of respondents identifying it as their top concern.​

Warren then leveled five charges against the bill: that it would tear a hole in securities laws protecting investors since 1929; declare open season on consumer fraud by preempting state-level protections; repeat the mistakes of 2008 by allowing banks to load up on risky crypto assets; deepen national security vulnerabilities; and do nothing about what she called the Trump administration’s crypto corruption. 

“Since taking office last year, the president and his family have raked in at least $1.4 billion in gains from crypto deals alone,” she said.​

A procedural fight before the first vote

Before amendments were called, a dispute over which ones would be heard consumed the opening minutes. Warren said more than a dozen Democratic amendments had been ruled out of order before the session began — including one requested by the National Sheriffs Association to close a money-laundering loophole for cartels, and another from community banks seeking to prevent deposit flight.

“You and you alone have decided which amendments are in and which amendments are out,” she told Scott directly, calling on him to reverse the rulings from the floor.

Scott pushed back, attributing the situation to Warren’s own staff, who he said had objected to a Republican amendment on a technical drafting ground, triggering a wholesale review of all filed amendments. He acknowledged throwing out at least one Republican amendment in the process.

“I tried to make sure both sides had an opportunity,” Scott said. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) sought a formal clarification on the ruling — drawing a procedural exchange with Scott that underscored the fragile footing of a markup in which more than 130 amendments had been filed.​

Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) offered a terse counter: “The definition of working together at a markup is allowing amendments to be called up and voted upon.”

Lummis: ‘The hardest piece of legislation I’ve ever worked on’

Lummis, the bill’s most tenacious Senate champion, delivered a defense that was equal parts policy brief and personal testimony.

“I served 14 years in the Wyoming Legislature, eight years as State Treasurer, and now 14 years in the Congress,” she said. “This is by far the hardest piece of legislation I’ve ever worked on.” 

She said former Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand had said the same thing.​

Lummis catalogued the bill’s anti-illicit-finance provisions at length: risk-based examination standards, expanded Treasury special measure authority, mandatory annual reports on foreign jurisdictions’ AML compliance, recurring Treasury reports on offshore stablecoins, insider resale restrictions, and a federal regulatory floor for crypto kiosks — the last drawing an endorsement from AARP, which cited FBI data showing more than 13,460 crypto kiosk fraud complaints and $389 million in losses in 2025 alone.​

She turned Warren’s national security argument back on her. “The risks of which she spoke exist now — right now — because there is no regulatory framework,” Lummis said. “There is no way now that this industry can protect the good actors, discover, vet and punish the bad actors.” 

She closed with a humanitarian pitch: that the bill would let ordinary people transmit money faster and cheaper, provide a level financial playing field regardless of geography, and protect domestic abuse survivors and political refugees who could memorize their savings in Bitcoin. 

“This is an innovation that provides individual freedom, individual savings,” she said.

Both Scott and Lummis used their floor time to name individual Democrats — Warner, Cortez Masto, Gallego, Warnock, Alsobrooks — who had contributed to the bill’s nine-month negotiation process. 

The acknowledgments were deliberate: with 13 Republicans and 11 Democrats on the committee, and a 60-vote threshold needed on the Senate floor, bipartisan support was not optional.​

The amendment fights so far

Sen. Mike Rounds’ (R-SD) proposal to create an AI regulatory sandbox for financial firms passed 15-9, with Democratic Sens. Mark Warner and Andy Kim joining Republicans in support — an early sign some Democrats remain open to compromise.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren failed repeatedly to reshape the legislation. Her amendments targeting tokenized asset disclosures, DeFi sanctions tied to terror financing, and bank crypto activity all fell 11-13, largely along party lines. 

During debate over DeFi sanctions, Warren invoked the Treasury’s 2022 sanctions on Tornado Cash and warned Iran could use crypto to collect tanker fees through the Strait of Hormuz. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), viewed as a possible crossover vote, ultimately opposed the measure.

A separate amendment from Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) directing the SEC and CFTC to revisit portfolio margin rules passed 18-6 with broad bipartisan support.

The markup is ongoing and can be followed here. 

This post Senate Banking Committee Opens Historic Crypto Bill Markup as Warren, Republicans Clash Over CLARITY Act Amendments first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Inside a packed Senate hearing room on May 14, the air was heavy with the tension of a high-stakes jurisdictional brawl on the CLARITY Act.

What was intended to be a routine legislative markup became a grueling “tick-tock” of procedural maneuvering, personal barbs, and a desperate search for a bipartisan middle ground.

Ultimately, the bill cleared the Senate Banking Committee in a 15-9 vote after a gauntlet of last-minute objections.

However, the path to that victory was defined by a series of sharp clashes between pro-crypto Republicans and a Democratic wing led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, who challenged the hearing’s “good governance” framing within the first hour.

The Clarity Act ‘good governance’ gambit

The morning began with Chairman Tim Scott attempting to set a tone of orderly progress.

Opening the hearing, Scott framed the CLARITY Act as a common-sense modernization of “outdated rules” that would prevent American innovation from fleeing to overseas markets.

Scott said:

“Safeguarding our national security means closing the doors that criminals, terrorists and hostile regimes have tried to exploit. This bill strengthens anti-money laundering and sanctions rules and gives law enforcement better tools to go after bad actions. None of this happened overnight.”

Scott’s strategy was clear: position the bill as a shield for the American Dream. He even invoked his personal history, mentioning his mother’s struggle as a single parent to argue that financial innovation should be within reach for every family.

By the time he concluded that “this is what good governance looks like today,” the Republican side of the dais seemed confident that the year of “good-faith negotiations” would lead to a smooth afternoon.

Warren’s Clarity Act detonation

However, that confidence was short-lived as Ranking Member Warren took the floor and immediately pivoted from Scott’s talk of innovation to the economic anxieties of the kitchen table.

In her opening statement, she criticized the prioritization of a “pro-industry crypto bill” while American families struggled with rising grocery, health care, and utility costs.

Warrent said:

“Right now, American families across this country are struggling. We could be working right now on changes in the law that would help bring down prices and help unrig our economy… Instead of that, we’re spending our time working on a bill written by the crypto industry for the crypto industry.”

Warren cited a CoinDesk survey suggesting that just 1% of voters ranked cryptocurrency as their top concern. She also accused the Republican majority of ignoring a “crypto grift” involving the highest levels of government.

Warren specifically highlighted that President Donald Trump and his family have reportedly amassed $1.4 billion in gains from crypto deals since taking office last year.

“No President—and no one in Congress—should be allowed to profit from crypto at the same time that they are enforcing rules to regulate it,” Warren declared, setting the stage for a day of rejected ethics amendments.

The battle of the blocked amendments

As the hearing moved into the “markup” phase, the atmosphere turned clinical and contentious.

Chairman Scott utilized his procedural authority to rule several Democratic amendments out of order, citing “procedural requirements.”

This move incensed the minority. Senator Jack Reed countered that the very “definition of working together at a markup is allowing amendments to be called up and voted upon.”

The room watched as a series of Democratic amendment priorities were systematically dismantled:

• National Security: Warren introduced an amendment to close a “tokenization loophole” and to bolster the Treasury Department's sanctions authority to target DeFi platforms like Tornado Cash. Senator Cynthia Lummis countered that the bill already addressed these concerns. The amendment failed in an 11-13 party-line vote.
• The ‘Epstein’ Records: In one of the afternoon's more bizarre exchanges, Warren proposed requiring regulators to publish bank records tied to suspicions around Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators. Senator John Kennedy was unmoved, questioning how the records were germane to crypto market structure. The vote again split 11-13.
• DeFi Liability: Senator Catherine Cortez Masto expressed concern that the bill would make it harder for law enforcement to capture criminals. Her amendment to narrow liability protections for DeFi developers was defeated 11-13.
• Retirement Accounts: A Warren amendment to restrict crypto assets in certain retirement portfolios.

The recurring 11-13 tally became the heartbeat of the hearing, serving as a constant reminder of the razor-thin partisan divide.

Bankers and the Clarity Act stablecoin yield threat

While the political fireworks dominated the headlines, a more technical and perhaps more dangerous threat to the bill’s survival emerged from the traditional financial sector.

A coalition of the nation’s most powerful banking groups, including the American Bankers Association and the Bank Policy Institute, issued a joint statement after the markup, warning of “significant flaws” in the current draft.

The banking lobby’s concern centered on “yield.” They argued that without tighter prohibitions on interest-like rewards for holding stablecoins, digital assets would cannibalize traditional bank deposits. This, they warned, would starve community banks of the capital needed for local lending.

The groups stated:

“Without the necessary guardrails, stablecoin offerings are expected to draw away bank deposits and threaten local lending and economic activity across the country.”

Notably, Senators Reed and Smith had attempted to introduce a bank-supported amendment to restrict these yields.

However, Chairman Scott refused to hold a vote on the provision. Market observers suggested the refusal was a tactical move to avoid a “political liability” for Republicans who did not want to be seen as siding with big banks over crypto innovators.

The bipartisan escape hatch

Despite the procedural wreckage and the banking industry’s warnings, Republicans managed to execute a tactical “peel-off” of Democratic votes. Senators Ruben Gallego and Angela Alsobrooks joined all 13 committee Republicans to advance the bill.

The victory, however, came with a heavy dose of skepticism.

Gallego made it clear that his “yes” vote was meant to keep the CLARITY Act process alive and not an endorsement of the final product.

He stated that he reserved the right to flip his vote on the Senate floor if the final ethics agreement regarding the President’s crypto holdings was not strengthened.

The “crypto-champion” of the committee, Senator Cynthia Lummis, spent much of the afternoon playing the role of the diplomat. She praised the “expertise” of Democrats like Cortez Masto and the “hard work” of Senator Mark Warner.

Lummis framed the CLARITY Act as a tool for humanitarian good, arguing that Bitcoin allows vulnerable people, such as those in abusive marriages or escaping oppressive regimes, to carry their wealth “in their head” via memorized seed phrases.

Senate floor fight looms over CLARITY Act

The 15-9 vote successfully moves the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act to the Senate floor, but the “tick-tock” of the day suggests a rocky future.

Senator Mark Warner, who described the last few months as “crypto hell,” notably declined to vote for the bill's advancement despite his extensive work on the text.

His absence from the “yes” column signals that the 60-vote threshold required to overcome a filibuster in the full Senate remains a monumental hurdle.

As the hearing adjourned, the partisan lines were more deeply etched than when it began.

For the crypto industry, the day was a victory of survival; for the critics, it was a demonstration of how far the bill remains from a consensus that can satisfy both the GOP's “crypto capital” ambitions and the Democratic caucus's consumer-protection demands.

The post How CLARITY Act survived a chaotic Senate markup after Warren, Banks and Democrats tried to slow it down appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The XRP Ledger (XRPL) is seeing a drastic rise in fraud attempts targeting its users as the network draws more institutional activity, higher transaction volumes, and renewed attention from XRP traders.

On May 14, David Schwartz, the former chief technology officer at Ripple, published a public warning regarding the increasing scam efforts targeting the XRPL ecosystem.

Schwartz, a highly visible figure within the community, cautioned users that malicious actors are increasingly deploying fake airdrops and impersonation accounts to drain user funds.

The XRP Ledger Foundation issued a similar warning, saying that scams targeting the XRP community had increased sharply. The foundation urged users to avoid airdrops, giveaways, and fake customer support offers on X, where impersonation campaigns often move quickly around trending XRP narratives.

The warnings come as XRPL activity, institutional tokenization experiments, and XRP market flows have drawn renewed attention to the network.

That attention has also created a wider opening for fraudsters, who are increasingly packaging old scams in the language of airdrops, governance votes, DeFi rewards, and institutional adoption.

Scam reports rise across XRP social channels

The most common pattern of these scams involves impersonation accounts posing as well-known XRPL developers, executives, influencers, or ecosystem projects.

These accounts often copy profile photos, display names, and recent posts before directing users to claim a reward, vote on a proposal, or connect a wallet to a third-party site.

Once a user signs the transaction, the wallet can be drained. In some cases, the malicious prompt is framed as a routine governance vote or a claim for a free token. In others, users are told they have qualified for an NFT reward, only to be prompted to approve a transaction that swaps their XRP for a worthless asset.

Krippenreiter, an XRPL supporter who has tracked several recent scam patterns, said these fraud attempts now include fake NFT rewards, airdrop campaigns tied to XRP-linked projects like Flare and Firelight, and private messages from bots posing as familiar community accounts.

The common thread is urgency: users are pushed to act before checking the account, the transaction details, or the destination address.

Meanwhile, these tactics are not new to XRP holders. Over the years, Ripple has consistently warned about fake XRP giveaways and deepfake promotions, including edited videos that falsely imply support from company executives.

Panos Mekras, co-founder of Anodos Finance, also raised concerns last year about fraudulent projects using XRPL’s growing visibility to market vague token offerings and poorly defined products.

However, the difference now is scale. XRP’s online community is larger, and XRPL-based projects have become more visible thanks to the slate of developments occurring within the network.

As a result, scammers now have more real developments to imitate. This means a fraudulent post can borrow the language of tokenized assets, lending, governance, airdrops, or validator upgrades and still appear plausible to casual users.

That makes transaction review more important. On public ledgers, funds generally cannot be recovered once transferred.

For XRP holders, the basic defensive step is still the same: verify the account, inspect the transaction, avoid entering a seed phrase, and do not connect a wallet to an unsolicited link.

Wall Street embraces XRPL's on-chain infrastructure

The escalation in fraudulent activity is occurring against a backdrop of significant institutional adoption, as traditional financial entities increasingly utilize the XRPL for measurable utility.

Data from the digital asset treasury firm Evernorth shows that transaction volume on the ledger grew by 65% over the past 12 months, rising from 43 million to 71 million monthly transactions.

Unlike the speculative bursts commonly seen in decentralized finance, this volume is largely programmatic and tied to real-world settlement. Key drivers of this activity include the cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp, Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, the tokenization platform Justoken, and Braza Bank in Brazil.

Notably, traditional finance heavyweights are also actively testing the network’s capabilities. In a major milestone for on-chain finance, JPMorgan, Ripple, and Mastercard recently completed the first cross-border redemption of a tokenized US Treasury asset on the XRPL.

The transaction settled in under five seconds, a stark contrast to the multi-day settlement windows typical in traditional banking.

Furthermore, Guggenheim, a financial services firm managing hundreds of billions in assets, has issued short-term corporate debt directly on the blockchain. The issuance, backed by US Treasuries and rated Prime-1 by Moody's, generated over $280 million in volume.

In the United Kingdom, the government-licensed digital asset exchange Archax is migrating institutional products to the XRPL, including a £3.8 billion fund from asset manager abrdn, targeting $1 billion in traditional assets on the ledger by mid-2026.

Protocol upgrades target institutional compliance

To support this influx of regulated capital, the XRPL network is undergoing significant structural upgrades.

Last week, the XRPL Foundation announced the release of software version 3.1.3, featuring a “default-yes” amendment fix that streamlines network upgrades without requiring manual voting by validators.

This foundational update furthers the slate of compliance-focused features on the network designed to bridge the gap between decentralized technology and traditional regulatory requirements.

Beginning in late 2025 with the introduction of Multi-Purpose Tokens, the network enabled financial institutions to bake compliance rules, such as transfer restrictions, freeze controls, and know-your-customer requirements, directly into the asset code.

The first half of 2026 has seen the rapid deployment of further institutional tooling. In February, the network integrated Permissioned Domains and Token Escrows, enabling banks to establish closed-network environments in which only credentialed participants can transact.

This was followed by the launch of Permissioned Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs), functioning essentially as on-chain dark pools that eliminate anonymous counterparty risk.

Most recently, in April 2026, the network developers launched a Native Zero-Knowledge (ZK) Proof Verifier.

This programmable privacy layer allows institutions to settle large trades on a public blockchain without broadcasting sensitive trade data to competitors, replicating the confidentiality of traditional clearing systems.

XRP derivatives heat up as whales accumulate

This wave of development and activity has driven significant market momentum around the token.

According to CryptoQuant, the XRP derivatives market on Binance is experiencing a steady return of speculative liquidity.

The firm noted that open interest recently climbed to $475.4 million, pushing past its 30-day average of $440.7 million. The open interest Z-Score reached 1.65, indicating a significant deviation from historical norms and suggesting increased trader activity and leverage.

While a rising Z-Score is not an explicitly bullish indicator, it highlights growing risk exposure that could trigger sharp volatility.

In the spot market, institutional appetite remains strong. XRP spot exchange-traded funds recorded $25.8 million in inflows on May 11, the largest single-day haul since early January, pushing cumulative inflows to $1.36 billion.

This institutional demand is mirrored by the behavior of large on-chain holders.

Data from the blockchain analytics firm Santiment reveals that the number of wallets holding at least 10,000 XRP has reached an all-time high of 332,230.

This cohort of investors has demonstrated consistent accumulation since June 2024, absorbing selling pressure through periods of intense market volatility.

Notably, these major holders quickly resumed accumulating following a crypto-wide liquidation event in early February, suggesting a strong long-term conviction that the network's ongoing structural upgrades will eventually be reflected in asset valuation.

Despite these robust fundamental developments, XRP's price action has remained relatively subdued, trading around $1.45 compared to previous levels.

The post Ripple insider warns XRP holders as fake airdrop scams surge across XRPL appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin surged back above $81,000 after the Senate Banking Committee voted to advance the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act, clearing a major hurdle for the most comprehensive crypto regulation bill in US history.

On May 14, the panel approved the legislation on bipartisan lines, sending the legislation to the full Senate floor. The successful markup caps ten months of painstaking negotiations and represents a monumental shift toward establishing a clear federal framework for digital assets.

Patrick Witt, the executive director of the White House Presidential Advisory Committee on Digital Assets, said:

“The CLARITY Act is not only good policy, it is necessary policy for the United States to maintain our leadership position in global financial markets. Not to mention the robust consumer protections and anti-illicit finance provisions it contains, without which, there are none.”

CLARITY Act's path to passage

The CLARITY Act aims to resolve a decade-long turf war between federal regulators by explicitly dividing jurisdiction over digital asset markets.

Under the newly approved text, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is granted sweeping authority to regulate crypto spot markets, while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) retains oversight over digital asset securities and primary offerings of investment contracts.

The road to passage narrowly survived a last-minute push from traditional banking stakeholders, including the American Bankers Association and the Bank Policy Institute.

Bankers had lobbied heavily against the rewards provisions on stablecoins, warning that the bill could trigger “deposit flight” from traditional financial institutions.

To secure the necessary bipartisan votes, lawmakers relied on a delicate compromise regarding stablecoin rewards.

The approved text explicitly bans platforms from offering passive yield on idle stablecoin balances, which was a major victory for the traditional banking sector. However, it permits “activity-based rewards” tied to direct platform transactions, such as gas fees or utility payments.

Still, the legislation drew sharp criticism from some progressive lawmakers, like Senator Elizabeth Warren, who said:

“[CLARITY Act] will turbocharge the massive conflict of interests posed by Donald Trump and his family's crypto ventures.”

Conversely, crypto advocates celebrated the markup as a defining victory that would bolster the industry's growth. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the legislation will benefit the American people by making the US financial system faster, cheaper, and more accessible.

He added that the CLARITY Act “will also ensure that the US leads in the global race to build the next generation of our financial system.”

What's next for the bill?

While committee approval marks a historic milestone, the path to enactment remains a daunting legislative sprint.

CLARITY Act proponents are aiming for a final desk signing by President Donald Trump by the Fourth of July, a deadline that leaves virtually no room for error.

The immediate hurdle is the calendar. Lawmakers face an impending Memorial Day recess on May 21, and the clock is ticking toward the August congressional recess.

To meet the July 4 target, the bill must first undergo a floor reconciliation with the Senate Agriculture Committee's January text before heading to the full Senate floor, where it will require a 60-vote supermajority to pass.

From there, Senate leadership must reconcile the legislation with H.R. 3633, the corresponding digital asset bill passed by the House of Representatives in July 2025.

Despite the dense procedural gauntlet ahead, Galaxy Digital, a prominent asset management firm, said it is “cautiously optimistic with a view of 55% likelihood that the bill will become law in 2026.”

However, Senator Cynthia Lummis previously warned that the bill, if stalled at any stage, could derail momentum. According to her, this could potentially delay the comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation until the end of the decade.

The post Bitcoin rips as CLARITY Act clears major Senate Committee hurdle, advances to the full Senate floor appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The Senate Banking Committee meets in executive session later today, May 14, to consider the CLARITY Act, a bill that already cleared the House 294-134 in July 2025 and needs at least 7 Democratic votes to advance in the full Senate.

Hashdex CIO Samir Kerbage reads the current crypto price action as confirmation that the market is pricing the odds of a committee vote, leaving the capital flow scenario of a signed bill entirely out of current valuations.

Kerbage told CryptoSlate:

“If the CLARITY Act is signed into law this won't just be a compliance milestone, it will be a market activation event that should lead to significant capital inflows, product development, and broad institutional acceptance.”

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He added that Hashdex is optimistic that the bill will reach President Donald Trump's desk this summer.

What the Clarity Act establishes

CLARITY covers stablecoin rewards, anti-money-laundering rules, SEC fundraising exemptions, DeFi treatment, and tokenization.

The stablecoin provision is the most contentious, as the bill bans rewards on idle stablecoin balances that resemble bank deposits while permitting transaction-based rewards and requires the SEC, CFTC, and Treasury to issue joint rules.

Banks have pushed back against deposit flight risk, while crypto firms argue that restricting third-party rewards is anti-competitive.

The bill would bring digital commodity exchanges, brokers, and dealers under Bank Secrecy Act treatment as financial institutions, adding AML, customer identification, and due diligence obligations.

For institutions sitting on the sidelines, that framework is a prerequisite, as it gives compliance teams a rulebook to defend internally and investment committees a structure they can approve.

Kerbage said:

“The CLARITY Act is particularly important for institutional investors. These investors have fiduciary responsibilities and investment policies that require a far greater level of regulatory clarity than individual investors.”

Institutions need policy clarity, investment committee approval, product wrappers, and fiduciary justification before they can allocate at scale. If signed, the CLARITY Act provides the policy layer that unlocks the rest of that chain.

Kerbage expects the bulk of that institutional capital to flow through ETFs and index-based crypto products, giving demand a durable, reportable structure.

Farside Investors data shows that US-traded Ethereum ETFs have accumulated approximately $12 billion in cumulative net flows since launch, and Solana ETFs have surpassed $1 billion.

Both are well below the Bitcoin ETF scale, accumulating in a market where CLARITY would, for the first time, establish the regulatory status of their underlying assets.

The Bitcoin ETF comparison

Kerbage's benchmark for CLARITY's potential is the SEC's January 2024 approval of spot Bitcoin ETF listings, which converted latent demand into packaged, committee-approved flows at a far larger scale than pre-approval consensus had projected.

He argued:

“For Bitcoin alone, that regulatory action led to cumulative flows crossing $70 billion in just two years.

If digital asset market structure legislation is signed into law, we expect a similar trajectory for crypto assets beyond Bitcoin, particularly the smart contract platforms providing the underlying infrastructure for stablecoins and tokenization initiatives.”

CLARITY would give the broader crypto asset class a definitional framework, determining when tokens are securities, commodities, or otherwise, and the products issuers need to build and institutions need to buy.

Kerbage points to new product creation as the mechanism through which capital enters the market once legislation clears, building through a pipeline of ETFs and wrappers that institutions can use.

He expects issuers to build around the unique attributes of crypto, such as staking-based initiatives, index-based broad exposure, and income strategies that exploit crypto market liquidity and improve financial infrastructure.

Kerbage said:

“Approval of the CLARITY Act will only make it easier for these products to launch and attract investor capital.”

The Senate bill text includes a Regulation Crypto exemption allowing companies to raise up to $50 million per year and $200 million in total, disclosure rules for ancillary assets, DeFi cybersecurity standards, and banking-law clarifications for digital asset activities.

Repricing Clarity Act asset class vs. amendment friction

If the Banking Committee advances the bill and bipartisan momentum builds toward enactment, Kerbage sees a credible path to repricing the whole asset class.

Bitcoin's base case trades between $74,000 and $85,000 in the coming weeks, absent a major catalyst.

He said:

“Approval of the CLARITY Act could be the catalyst that helps drive crypto prices much higher, potentially pushing prices closer to recent all-time highs before the end of the year.”

Smart contract platforms, staking assets, tokenization infrastructure, and index-based crypto ETFs all carry a larger regulatory uncertainty discount than Bitcoin, which already cleared its access event in 2024.

A signed CLARITY Act compresses that discount across the asset class simultaneously, making the bull case for beyond Bitcoin assets more directly tied to the bill's fate than BTC itself.

The legislative path carries real friction, as full Senate passage requires at least seven Democratic votes, and the stablecoin rewards provision, banking-sector opposition, ethics considerations, and AML implementation details all create amendment risk that could delay or dilute the final text.

A drawn-out markup fight would leave uncertainty in the crypto pricing process, keeping the regulatory discount intact and limiting the institutional capital unlock Kerbage describes.

Kerbage concluded by calling CLARITY “the most significant piece of legislation in this industry's history.”

The post Crypto markets are massively underpricing Clarity Act passing – Hashdex warns appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin has been seeing recurring mid-month strength this year, and it is becoming harder to separate it from Strategy’s (formerly MicroStrategy) expanding preferred-stock machine. The funding channel is helping the company continue to buy the flagship digital asset while adding a growing layer of cost to its balance sheet.

Research firm K33 has tied the pattern to Strategy’s perpetual preferred stock, STRC, which has become a key source of liquidity for the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder. The instrument pays dividends at month-end, but investors must own the shares by the 15th to qualify for the payout.

That deadline has turned the middle of each month into a predictable window of demand. Investors buy STRC ahead of the cutoff, driving up its trading volume, and the stock moves back toward its $100 par value.

Once STRC trades at or above par, Strategy can issue new shares through its at-the-market program and use the proceeds to buy more Bitcoin.

Data from STRC.live shows that this loop has become active this week, with STRC returning to par and giving Strategy enough room to fund the purchase of more than 5,000 Bitcoin before Friday’s next ex-dividend deadline.

The move extends a pattern that has made Strategy’s capital markets activity a recurring feature of Bitcoin’s spot-market flow. It also reinforces why STRC has become the most dominant preferred equity in the market.

STRC turns dividend demand into Bitcoin buying

The volume of Bitcoin acquired through this specific funding channel has accelerated aggressively since the start of the year.

K33 research noted that Strategy bought 4,467 Bitcoin using STRC proceeds in January. By March, purchases tied to the preferred stock had climbed to 22,131 Bitcoin.

In April, the figure rose again to about 46,872 Bitcoin, showing how rapidly the instrument has moved from a financing tool to a major driver of the company’s accumulation strategy.

Vetle Lunde, the head of research at the crypto research firm, described the setup as a mechanical source of demand.

According to him, STRC draws yield-focused investors before the ex-dividend date, helping the preferred stock regain par and giving Strategy the market depth needed to issue more shares. The company then converts that demand into spot Bitcoin purchases.

Meanwhile, Strategy is now seeking to tighten the cycle. The company has proposed moving STRC’s dividend schedule from monthly payments to twice-monthly distributions, arguing that more frequent payouts would reduce reinvestment delays and improve market efficiency.

The change would also create more frequent opportunities to raise capital. That could reinforce the mid-month buying pattern, while making Strategy more dependent on a product that carries a far higher cost than its earlier financing tools.

Strategy’s cheap-capital era gives way to preferred equity

While the STRC mechanism is helping to shape BTC's near-term market performance, institutional researchers are sounding the alarm about the trade's long-term sustainability.

For much of its Bitcoin accumulation history, the Michael Saylor-led company had relied on common stock issuance and convertible debt.

Both were attractive when Strategy’s equity traded at a wide premium to the value of its Bitcoin holdings, and bond investors were willing to accept low coupons in exchange for exposure to possible stock upside.

However, those conditions have considerably weakened over the past year.

Delphi Digital estimates Strategy’s common stock premium now trades at about 1.24 times its enterprise-value-based net asset value. At that level, issuing common stock offers far less benefit for increasing Bitcoin per share.

Moreover, the convertible-debt window has also narrowed. Strategy carries about $8.2 billion of principal from earlier deals, with repayments scheduled to begin in September 2027.

That leaves STRC as the main financing engine for Strategy's recent BTC purchases. Because the preferred stock sits below senior debt and convertibles in the capital stack, investors require more compensation for the risk.

STRC’s annualized yield has already risen to 11.5%, a sharp increase from the cheaper financing that supported Strategy’s earlier Bitcoin purchases.

The Bitcoin-per-share trade gets more expensive

STRC still helps Strategy buy Bitcoin without issuing common stock directly for the purchase. That is central to the company’s argument that the program can support growth in Bitcoin per share.

Delphi estimates that about 97% of every $1 billion raised through STRC can be deployed into Bitcoin. At current prices, that can lift Strategy’s Bitcoin-per-share metric at the point of issuance.

The cost arrives afterward. Each $1 billion of STRC creates roughly $115 million of annual dividend obligations. Those payments must be serviced, and Delphi expects Strategy to rely on common stock issuance to meet them.

That turns the preferred program into a delayed dilution mechanism. The Bitcoin bought with STRC proceeds can initially lift per-share exposure, but the recurring dividend bill gradually offsets that benefit as more common stock is issued to fund payments.

Delphi’s model shows the effect fading over time. Bitcoin-per-share growth could exceed 7% in the first year of the program, but fall to just above 3% by the third year as the preferred stock base grows and dividend obligations compound.

The pressure becomes more acute near the $28.3 billion STRC authorization cap. Once Strategy reaches that limit, the preferred-stock engine can no longer keep funding new purchases at the same pace. The dividend bill, however, remains.

Under those conditions, Delphi projects that net Bitcoin-per-share growth could turn negative, shrinking by nearly 6% a year as common issuance is used to service preferred dividends rather than to expand holdings.

A bear market could stress the loop

The larger risk is that STRC’s mechanics work best when Bitcoin is rising, and investor appetite for yield remains strong.

Blockchain research firm House of Chimera has warned that a sustained downturn could create a negative feedback loop.

According to the firm:

“As Bitcoin declines, STRC may need to raise its dividend to maintain investor demand. Yet higher yields also increase Strategy’s monthly cash obligations at the exact moment its BTC holdings are losing value. This creates a structurally fragile feedback loop in which worsening market conditions force the structure to promise ever-larger payouts.”

The House of Chimera’s test suggests that under pessimistic market conditions, Strategy’s $2.5 billion cash reserves could be exhausted within 17 to 22 months.

That would leave the company facing a liquidity squeeze at the same time market access is weakest.

Moreover, the bigger danger is that Strategy could eventually be forced to sell Bitcoin to meet dividend obligations.

Any forced selling would add pressure to the spot market, weaken demand for STRC, and potentially require even higher yields to restore investor confidence.

In House of Chimera’s most severe scenario, the preferred-stock stack could eventually force sales approaching 800,000 Bitcoin.

Strategy moves from accumulation to balance-sheet management

Acknowledging the changing financial realities, Strategy’s corporate posture has evolved.

The company’s recent disclosures point to a more active approach than the earlier “never sell” posture associated with founder and Chairman Michael Saylor.

The focus has shifted toward maximizing BTC Yield, a company metric that tracks the growth of physical Bitcoin holdings relative to the number of outstanding shares. In an X post, Phong Le, president and CEO of the company, said:

“Bitcoin per share (BPS) is our True North. Every day, Strategy uses multivariate models to optimize capital, equity, debt, and credit decisions to maximize annual BTC Yield (growth in BPS). YTD, we’ve achieved 9.4% BTC Yield and $5.0 billion in BTC Gain.”

Keeping those figures positive will become harder as cheap debt rolls off, preferred dividends expand, and the cost of each new Bitcoin purchase rises.

For now, STRC continues to support a reliable mid-month Bitcoin bid. The instrument converts yield demand into fresh capital, and that capital continues to flow into the spot market.

However, the trade is also becoming more fragile. Strategy’s funding machine can still lift Bitcoin in the short term, but the same structure is building a larger dividend burden behind each purchase.

As STRC grows, the question for shareholders and Bitcoin traders becomes whether the company can continue to increase Bitcoin per share after the machine's cost is fully accounted for.

The post Bitcoin keeps rallying mid-month – Is Saylor using Strategy’s STRC funding loop to pump BTC? appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin Price Recovery Puts Altcoins Back in Focus

The crypto market started May 2026 with a clearer upward trajectory after Bitcoin recovered from its low zone near $65,000–$66,000 and moved back toward the $80,000 level. Bitcoin crashed below $65,000 in Feb 2026, while current market data now places $BTC near $80,000, confirming a stronger short-term recovery phase.

This rebound matters because Bitcoin usually leads the first stage of a crypto market recovery. When BTC stabilizes after a deep correction, traders often start looking for altcoins with stronger upside potential, higher beta, active ecosystems and attractive weekly momentum. The current total crypto market cap sits at around $2.75 trillion, with Bitcoin dominance above 58%, meaning altcoins still have room to catch up if capital rotates beyond BTC.

Top 10 Altcoins to Buy in May 2026: Quick Stat

Current prices and weekly percentage changes are based on CoinMarketCap data available on May 15, 2026.

1. Ethereum (ETH): The Core Altcoin for DeFi and Tokenization

Ethereum remains one of the most important altcoins to watch in May 2026 because it is still the leading smart contract network by total value locked. CoinGecko’s blockchain TVL data shows Ethereum with around $45.2 billion in TVL and more than 54% dominance across tracked chains, making it the strongest base layer for DeFi liquidity, tokenized assets and institutional blockchain activity.

ETH is currently trading around $2,317.99, with a modest 7-day gain of 0.3%. That may not look explosive compared to smaller altcoins, but Ethereum’s appeal is its depth. If Bitcoin remains stable near $80,000 and investors begin rotating into major altcoins, ETH is usually one of the first assets to benefit.

Ethereum’s potential in May 2026 comes from three major narratives: DeFi recovery, Layer 2 activity and real-world asset tokenization. For investors looking for a more established altcoin rather than a high-risk small-cap token, ETH remains one of the strongest names on the list.

2. Solana (SOL): One of the Strongest Momentum Altcoins

Solana is currently one of the most interesting altcoins to buy in May 2026 because it combines strong market momentum with real ecosystem activity. SOL is trading around $92.38, up 10.0% over the past week, making it one of the stronger performers among large-cap altcoins.

Solana’s strength comes from its position as a fast, low-cost Layer 1 blockchain. It continues to attract memecoins, DeFi protocols, NFT activity and major token launches. In previous market cycles, Solana benefited when retail activity returned to crypto, and the same setup could develop again if Bitcoin’s recovery encourages traders to take more risk.

The key reason SOL stands out is that it is not only a speculative asset. It has a large user base, strong developer activity and a recognizable ecosystem. If altcoin season begins in May 2026, Solana could be one of the first major Layer 1 coins to react.

3. XRP (XRP): A Payments-Focused Altcoin With Institutional Appeal

XRP is trading around $1.42, with a 7-day gain of 1.9%. While its weekly move is not as aggressive as Solana, Sui or Chainlink, XRP remains one of the largest altcoins by market cap and continues to attract attention because of its payments and settlement narrative.

XRP’s potential comes from its role in cross-border payments, liquidity solutions and institutional crypto discussions. In a market where regulatory clarity and real-world use cases matter more than pure hype, XRP continues to hold a strong position.

For May 2026, XRP may appeal to investors looking for an altcoin that is already highly liquid, widely recognized and connected to the broader institutional adoption story. If Bitcoin remains stable and large-cap altcoins begin to move, XRP could benefit from renewed market confidence.

4. BNB (BNB): Utility, Exchange Exposure and Ecosystem Demand

BNB is trading around $647.80, up 4.6% over the past week. It remains one of the largest non-stablecoin crypto assets and continues to benefit from its role inside the Binance and BNB Chain ecosystem.

BNB’s strength is its utility. It is used for fees, ecosystem activity, launchpad participation and blockchain transactions across BNB Chain. That gives it a different profile from many altcoins that depend mainly on speculation.

In May 2026, BNB could remain attractive because it combines liquidity, utility and strong market recognition. It may not be the most aggressive high-risk altcoin on the list, but it is one of the more established names to watch if the broader crypto market continues to recover.

5. Chainlink (LINK): The Oracle Altcoin for Real-World Assets

Chainlink is one of the strongest weekly performers on this list, trading around $10.37 after a 12.6% gain over the past seven days.

LINK’s potential is tied to one of the most important crypto narratives of 2026: real-world asset tokenization. As more financial products, funds, bonds and institutional assets move on-chain, blockchains need reliable data infrastructure. Chainlink’s oracle network plays an important role in connecting smart contracts with external data.

This makes LINK more than a simple market momentum trade. It is an infrastructure altcoin. If tokenization continues to grow, Chainlink could remain one of the most relevant crypto projects for institutions, DeFi protocols and blockchain developers.

6. Sui (SUI): A High-Growth Layer 1 With Strong Weekly Momentum

Sui is trading around $1.02, with a 10.8% gain over the past week. That makes it one of the stronger Layer 1 altcoins in May 2026.

Sui’s appeal comes from its focus on scalability, fast transactions and developer-friendly infrastructure. The project has been closely watched in the Layer 1 sector because it aims to support DeFi, gaming, NFTs and consumer-facing blockchain applications.

SUI is higher risk than Ethereum or BNB, but it may also offer stronger upside if capital rotates into newer Layer 1 ecosystems. For investors searching for altcoins with growth potential in May 2026, Sui deserves a place on the watchlist.

7. Avalanche (AVAX): A Recovery Candidate for DeFi and RWA Growth

Avalanche is trading around $9.89, up 7.8% over the past week.

AVAX has gone through several difficult market phases, but it remains one of the most recognized Layer 1 projects. Avalanche’s long-term potential comes from its subnet architecture, DeFi ecosystem and real-world asset use cases.

In May 2026, AVAX looks interesting because it is not only a momentum play. It is also a recovery candidate. If the market continues to shift from Bitcoin into large and mid-cap altcoins, Avalanche could benefit from renewed attention toward scalable blockchain infrastructure.

8. Cardano (ADA): A Long-Term Altcoin With Renewed Weekly Strength

Cardano is trading around $0.2722, with a 9.0% gain over the past seven days.

ADA remains one of the most debated altcoins in the market. Supporters see Cardano as a research-driven blockchain with a long-term development approach, while critics argue that its ecosystem growth has been slower than competitors like Solana, Ethereum Layer 2s and Sui.

Still, ADA’s weekly performance shows that traders are paying attention again. If Bitcoin continues to stabilize near $80,000 and altcoin sentiment improves, Cardano could attract capital from investors looking for established names that have not yet fully recovered.

9. Hyperliquid (HYPE): A DeFi Trading Altcoin With Strong Market Interest

Hyperliquid is trading around $43.32, up 5.7% over the past week.

HYPE is different from most Layer 1 coins because its core narrative is tied to on-chain trading and derivatives. This is important because crypto traders are increasingly looking for decentralized platforms that offer speed, liquidity and advanced trading tools.

The potential of HYPE depends on whether Hyperliquid can continue growing as a serious DeFi trading venue. If decentralized derivatives remain one of the strongest sectors in crypto, HYPE could stay on investors’ radar throughout May 2026.

10. Toncoin (TON): The Highest Weekly Performer on This List

Toncoin is the most aggressive momentum play in this top 10 list. TON is trading around $2.59 after a massive 94.6% weekly gain.

TON’s potential is tied to its ecosystem growth and its connection to Telegram-related crypto adoption. The project has attracted attention because it sits at the intersection of messaging, payments, mini apps and consumer crypto usage.

However, TON’s strong weekly rally also means investors should be careful. A 94% move in seven days can attract momentum traders, but it can also lead to sharp pullbacks. TON may be one of the most exciting altcoins to watch in May 2026, but it is also one of the riskiest after such a strong short-term move.

Which Altcoin Looks Best in May 2026?

The best altcoin depends on risk appetite. For lower-risk exposure among altcoins, Ethereum, BNB and XRP remain the most established choices. For stronger upside potential, Solana, Sui, Chainlink and Avalanche look more attractive because they combine ecosystem growth with stronger weekly momentum.

For aggressive traders, HYPE and TON offer higher-risk opportunities. HYPE is linked to the growth of on-chain derivatives, while TON has the strongest weekly performance on the list. However, both require more caution because fast-moving altcoins can reverse quickly.

Final Thoughts: Is May 2026 a Good Time to Buy Altcoins?

May 2026 could be an important month for altcoins because Bitcoin’s recovery from the $65,000–$66,000 low zone toward $80,000 has improved market sentiment. When BTC stabilizes after a correction, capital often starts looking for stronger opportunities across the altcoin market.

Still, not every altcoin will perform well. The best altcoins to buy in May 2026 are not just the ones with short-term hype. Stronger picks should have liquidity, real ecosystem activity, clear narratives, weekly momentum and long-term relevance.

Based on current market structure, Ethereum, Solana, XRP, BNB, Chainlink, Sui, Avalanche, Cardano, Hyperliquid and Toncoin are among the top altcoins to watch as the crypto market attempts to recover.

In the last 45 days alone, the US stock market has ballooned by nearly $11 trillion in market capitalization. As the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 continue to shatter record highs, investors are beginning to ask the golden question: when will this massive wave of capital spill over into the digital asset market?

The $11 Trillion Liquidity Wave

The recent rally has been nothing short of historic. Driven by a combination of cooling inflation data and an insatiable appetite for AI-driven technology, the total US market cap has reached approximately $73.3 trillion as of May 2026. This $11 trillion expansion represents a significant increase in global wealth, much of which is currently sitting in "risk-on" equity positions. Historically, such periods of extreme equity growth serve as a precursor to a "liquidity rotation," where profits from stocks flow into high-growth alternatives like $Bitcoin and $Ethereum.

What is Market Rotation?

Market rotation occurs when investors move capital from one asset class that has reached perceived "peak" valuation into another that offers higher asymmetric upside. In the current context, the $11 trillion gain in stocks represents a massive pool of unrealized gains. As stock valuations become stretched—with the S&P 500 trading at a P/E multiple near its 40-year high—the incentive for investors to diversify into the "digital gold" of the crypto space increases exponentially.

Analysis: Stock Market Performance as of May 14, 2026

To understand the scale of this move, we must look at the giants leading the charge. As of today, May 14, 2026, the tech sector remains the primary engine of growth.

Current Equity Benchmarks:

According to Goldman Sachs, AI investment alone is expected to drive 40% of S&P 500 earnings growth this year. This "wealth effect" creates a surplus of capital that typically seeks higher-beta assets once the initial equity move plateaus.

The Crypto Correlation: Why Bitcoin Follows Tech

The correlation between the Nasdaq 100 and Bitcoin has historically been strong, often ranging between 0.6 and 0.8. When tech stocks soar, it indicates a high "risk appetite" among institutional and retail investors alike.

As of today, Bitcoin ($BTC) is trading near $79,549, knocking on the door of the psychological $80,000 resistance level. The surge in stock market value acts as a "rising tide" for all risk assets. When the stock market adds $11 trillion, it isn't just numbers on a screen; it is collateral and purchasing power that can be used to enter the crypto market via crypto exchanges or Spot ETFs.

Can Bitcoin reach 100K again?

For Bitcoin to reach 100k again, the following needs to happen:

• Wealth Effect: Investors feeling "rich" from stock gains are more likely to speculate on altcoins.
• Institutional On-ramps: With record inflows into Bitcoin ETFs, the bridge between Wall Street and Crypto is shorter than ever.
• Profit Taking: As traders trim their positions in overextended stocks like Nvidia, a portion of that $11 trillion will naturally seek the 24/7 liquidity of crypto.

While the broader crypto market sentiment has turned cautious, XRP price is holding strong support around the $1.40 level. This comes at a time when Bitcoin and Ethereum have breached critical psychological and technical floors.

What's Happening to Crypto?

Current market data confirms a significant shift in momentum:

• XRP: Maintaining stability above $1.43, successfully testing the $1.40 support zone.
• Bitcoin (BTC): Has officially dropped below the $80,000 mark, trading near $79,200.
• Ethereum (ETH): Is struggling to find footing after slipping below $2,400.

For the current bullish structure to remain intact, XRP must defend its current base, while BTC and ETH need a swift recovery to prevent a localized "liquidity drain" from altcoins.

Why $1.40 Matters for XRP

In technical analysis, a "strong support" level is an area where buying interest consistently outweighs selling pressure. For $XRP, the $1.40 zone represents a pivot point that has transitioned from resistance to support over the last several months. Holding this level during a Bitcoin price drop suggests that XRP investors are currently less reactive to BTC’s volatility, potentially due to ecosystem-specific developments or institutional accumulation.

The Ripple Effect: Can XRP Decouple from BTC and ETH?

While XRP is showing strength, the broader market health heavily depends on the recovery of the leaders.

The Dependency on Bitcoin and Ethereum

If $Bitcoin fails to reclaim $80,000 and $Ethereum stays below $2,400, the market may enter a "distribution phase." In this scenario, even strong performers like XRP eventually see a breakdown as traders move capital into stables or hardware wallets to preserve gains.

• Recovery Target: BTC needs a daily close above $81,500 to signal a "fakeout."
• Downside Risk: Failure to recover could lead the market toward lower liquidity zones not seen since early Q1.

XRP Price Prediction: Support and Resistance Targets

Analyzing the current 1W XRP/USDT chart provides two primary paths for the coming weeks.

1. The Bearish Scenario: A Retest of $1.20 - $1.30

Should the $1.40 support fail due to continued pressure from the crypto market, XRP will likely gravitate toward its secondary support zone. This area, located between $1.20 and $1.30, is a high-volume node where the price found significant stability during previous corrections.

2. The Bullish Scenario: Eyes on $1.80 and $2.00

If XRP maintains its "holding strong" status, the path of least resistance remains upward. The immediate overhead resistance sits at $1.80. A successful breach of this level would clear the way for a run toward the psychological $2.00 milestone, a target that has remained a primary focus for long-term Ripple holders.

The digital asset market has been hit by a wave of intense volatility, leaving traders and long-term holders in a state of shock. After a period of bullish consolidation where Bitcoin ($BTC) appeared to be building a base for a six-figure run, the tide has turned. Today, the leading cryptocurrency plummeted below the psychological $80,000 mark, dragging the rest of the market, including Ethereum ($ETH), down with it.

Bitcoin Price Crash Today

Bitcoin is currently trading at approximately $79,100, having officially lost the $80,000 support level that bulls defended for weeks. This 5% intraday drop has triggered over $300 million in liquidations, primarily affecting over-leveraged long positions. The sudden move has shifted market sentiment from "Greed" to "Fear" almost instantly.

Why did Bitcoin Price Crash? 

The primary catalyst for today's market crash is the release of the U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) for April 2026. The data, published this morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, revealed that wholesale inflation is surging at its fastest pace in years.

The PPI Shock by the Numbers

• Headline PPI: Increased by 1.4% month-over-month, vastly exceeding the 0.5% forecast.
• Year-over-Year PPI: Hit 6.0%, the highest level in 3.5 years (since late 2022).
• Core PPI (ex-food & energy): Jumped 1.0% MoM, signaling that inflation is broad-based and not just tied to volatile sectors.

A significant driver of this spike was a 15.6% surge in gasoline prices and a 7.8% rise in energy goods, largely due to the escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East affecting global supply chains.

Why High PPI Destroys the Crypto Narrative

Bitcoin is often touted as an "inflation hedge," but in practice, it behaves as a high-beta liquidity asset. When the US PPI comes in this high, it forces the Federal Reserve to maintain a hawkish stance.

The market is now pricing in a "higher-for-longer" interest rate environment. Higher rates make the US Dollar stronger and Treasury yields more attractive, which naturally sucks liquidity out of risk assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Technical Analysis: Is $75k the Next Stop?

From a technical perspective, the Bitcoin kurs has broken below its 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA). This is a major bearish signal for swing traders.

• Crucial Resistance: For any hope of a recovery, BTC must reclaim $80,500 on the daily candle.
• Support Levels: The next major "liquidity pocket" is located at $75,000. If the selling pressure continues, analysts expect a rapid descent to this level as stop-losses are triggered.
• Ethereum Impact: ETH cours has also broken its support at $2,275, currently eyeing the $2,100 zone.

To manage the current volatility, many investors are moving their funds to safety. You can compare the most secure storage options in our hardware wallets comparison or look for exchanges with higher liquidity on our exchange comparison page.

As of May 13, 2026, PEPE remains a central figure in the meme coin landscape. While many expected the "frog" to fade into obscurity, it has maintained a significant market presence. However, the 2026 market is vastly different from the speculative frenzy of years past. With $Bitcoin dominance rising to over 58.5%, the question for retail investors is simple: Is PEPE a hidden gem or a falling knife?

Is PEPE Worth Buying?

Currently trading at $0.00000418, PEPE is in a "make or break" consolidation phase.

• The Bull Case: If PEPE breaks the current descending resistance, it could target $0.00000580 in the short term.
• The Bear Case: Analysts warn that if support at $0.00000304 fails, PEPE could see a further 23% drop by mid-May.

For those seeking high-risk, high-reward plays, PEPE is still "worth it" as a speculative tool, but it is no longer the "easy money" it was during its inception.

PEPE as a High-Beta Asset

In 2026, professional traders treat PEPE as a High-Beta asset. This means PEPE tends to move in the same direction as Bitcoin but with much greater intensity. When the market is "Risk-On," PEPE outperforms; when the market consolidates—as it is doing now in May 2026—PEPE often bleeds value faster than major coins.

Performance Comparison: PEPE vs. The Giants

To determine if PEPE is worth buying, we must look at how it stacks up against the "Serious" assets in May 2026.

PEPE vs. Bitcoin (BTC)

Bitcoin is currently the preferred choice for institutional capital, with funds flowing back into BTC as altcoins struggle. PEPE is only a superior buy if you anticipate a massive retail surge that lowers Bitcoin's dominance.

PEPE vs. XRP

XRP has found a floor at $1.40, backed by its utility in cross-border payments. PEPE lacks this fundamental "floor," making it more susceptible to total retracements if community interest dips.

PEPE Price Analysis: Key Levels for PEPE Coin

The weekly chart shows a tightening wedge. The RSI is at 45.02, which is firmly in "no man's land."

Key Support and Resistance

• Resistance ($0.00000479 - $0.00000592): PEPE has failed to break this level four times in 2026. A daily close above this is the primary "Buy" signal for trend followers.
• Support ($0.00000304): This is the ultimate "safety net." According to recent crypto news, a breach here would likely invalidate the 2026 bull thesis.

2026 Market Catalysts

• Other Frogs Threat: New competitors are siphoning liquidity from the original PEPE community, posing a significant threat to PEPE's "meme-king" status.
• Institutional Moves: While JPMorgan is launching tokenized funds on Ethereum, meme coins like PEPE rely entirely on social media virality and potential "Spot Meme ETF" rumors.

IS PEPE Coin Worth Buying in 2026?

PEPE is worth buying in 2026 only if you are using "play money." It remains a powerful tool for catching volatility, but it is underperforming compared to the stability of Bitcoin.

OpenAI says ChatGPT can better detect signs of self-harm and violence as the company faces lawsuits and investigations over dangerous chatbot interactions.

Security startup Calif says researchers used a preview version of Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI to help build an Apple macOS kernel exploit.

Dapper Labs said it has signed a new licensing agreement with the NFL as it discontinues the release of NFTs on its All Day platform.

Strategy's Michael Saylor called Strive's impending shift to daily dividend payments "impressive."

Moonshot AI just shipped a browser extension that hands the wheel to AI agents. It clicks, scrolls, fills forms, and navigates your Chrome or Edge—without sessions ever leaving your machine.

Shiba Inu supply reduction momentum returns with burn rate surging 1034%.

A hidden XRPL mechanism revealed by Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz may be the key reason large corporations cannot quietly take control of the XRP network.

Spot Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) have logged a significant resurgence of capital on Thursday.

Despite the common believe, one of the biggest issues with post-quantum blockchain isn't consensus.

San Francisco-based enterprise blockchain firm Ripple is throwing its full weight behind the CLARITY Act after the comprehensive cryptocurrency framework advanced out of the Senate Banking Committee.

The cryptocurrency scene has quickly grown from an abstract concept of digital money to a trillion-dollar ecosystem that is a necessary component of daily living. The challenge now is not how to purchase cryptocurrency, but rather how to do so safely and cost effectively.

In this review, we will examine the fundamentals of the non-custodial cryptocurrency exchange ChangeNOW , look at its key characteristics, and attempt to provide some insight into the hot topic of whether or not it will be worthwhile to use in 2026.

Without further ado, let’s begin our journey.

Is Non-Custodial Crypto Exchange a Good Idea or Bad One?

Before jumping to conclusions, let’s define the battlefield: custodial vs. non-custodial models.

• The Custodial Model: Think of this as a traditional bank. The platform holds your keys, your data, and your funds. While convenient for beginners, it makes you a target. If the exchange gets hacked or faces a liquidity crisis, your assets are “frozen” or gone.
• The Non-Custodial Model: This is the “Be Your Own Bank” philosophy. The platform acts as a high-speed bridge. It connects your wallet to the market, executes the swap, and delivers the coins directly back to you.

ChangeNOW champions the latter. By not storing user funds, the platform effectively eliminates the risk of “exit scams” or massive centralized hacks that have plagued the industry in the past decade. It’s a model built for those who value the mantra: “Not your keys, not your coins.”

ChangeNOW at a Glance (2026 Edition)

To understand why ChangeNOW leads the market, let’s look at the raw specs:

ChangeNOW Platform Overview

ChangeNOW minimizes risk by using a non-custodial model, meaning it does not store funds or require an account for basic swaps.

The platform provides access to over 1,500 crypto assets across 110 networks in a safe space. Thanks to its extensive network of partners, including Transak, Simplex, Banxa, and Guardarian, ChangeNOW allows users to purchase coins via Mastercard, Visa, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Anyone can start trading from 2 dollars without upper limits.

Flexible Swap Execution Models

Users can choose their strategy:

• Fixed Rate: You get exactly what you see. ChangeNOW takes on the volatility risk for a small spread, ensuring that if the market dips during your transaction, your payout remains the same.
• Floating Rate: For those who want the absolute lowest fee possible and are willing to ride the market’s micro-fluctuations.

Speed, Execution, and the “NOW” Ecosystem

A recent benchmark report by Swapzone and Bitcoin indicates that ChangeNOW is the leader among non-custodial crypto exchanges. It performs swaps for the most popular crypto pairs in under 60 seconds, with a success rate of 98%. This means the final outcome was even more favorable to the customer than previously stated.

For those looking for more than just a simple swap, ChangeNOW has evolved into a full Web3 ecosystem:

• Business Solutions: Through its API and “White Label” programs, ChangeNOW powers hundreds of other wallets and platforms, proving its reliability as an infrastructure provider.
• NOW Token: The native utility token that fuels the ecosystem, offering further benefits for long-term users.
• NOW Payments: A powerful crypto payment gateway that allows merchants to accept cryptocurrencies as payment for goods and services, featuring automated conversion to fiat or stablecoins.
• NOW Wallet: A non-custodial crypto wallet that allows users to store, trade and stake crypto.
• NOW Tracker: A comprehensive portfolio management tool that allows users to monitor their balances, 7000+ cryptos and 8000+ stocks across multiple wallets in real-time, maintaining 100% privacy with no data storage.
• NOW Nodes: A high-end infrastructure solution for developers, providing reliable API access to over 100 full nodes on various blockchains, ensuring stable connections for Web3 applications.

Deep Dive: Maximizing Profits with ChangeNOW Pro

While ChangeNOW is famous for its non-custodial approach, the launch of ChangeNOW Pro has introduced a strategic layer for those who use crypto more frequently.

Thoughts on Pro: Is it worth it?

For the casual user swapping $50 once a month, the Free VIP plan is a nice touch to stack a few NOW tokens. However, for anyone moving more than $1000 monthly, the Emerald and Brilliant plans pay for themselves almost instantly through cashback alone, while adding a professional layer of security that is hard to find in other non-custodial setups.

Accessibility and Trust

Besides the desktop version, ChangeNOW is available on Android and iOS, as well as on TelegramBot (@ChangeNOW_Cryptobot) for those who like to manage funds on the go. The platform offers simplified onboarding so users can experience the smooth exchanges without paperwork, id verification required in some cases, however it happens not very often.

With a Trustpilot score of 4.5/5 based on over 13,000 reviews and a proven track record of helping recover millions in stolen funds alongside international law enforcement, ChangeNOW has solidified its reputation.

In 2026, it remains a go-to utility for anyone who values speed, privacy, and the freedom of non-custodial finance.

The 2026 Verdict: Is it a “Must-Use”?

In an era where “Not your keys, not your coins” has become the golden rule, ChangeNOW bridges the gap between convenience and sovereignty.

The Pros:

• Zero-Friction: No mandatory accounts for the vast majority of swaps.
• The “Everything” App: From buying BTC with Apple Pay to swapping obscure L2 tokens, or getting gold by buying RWA tokens, everything is possible in a one-stop shop.
• Transparency: What you see is what you get, especially with the Fixed Rate option, a rarity in a volatile market.

Final Thoughts: The 2026 Paradigm Shift

As we navigate the mid-2020s, the “speed gap” that once separated centralized giants from non-custodial tools has officially closed. Recent industry data from Bitcoin.com and Swapzone confirms that ChangeNOW’s execution time, often clocking in at under 60 seconds, has turned what used to be a sluggish alternative into a high-performance engine.

However, the true worth of ChangeNOW in 2026 lies in interoperability rather than only cutting trade times. The largest obstacle for every investor in a world with thousands of assets and more than 110 active blockchains is “fragmentation.”

ChangeNOW acts as a universal translator for value, allowing you to jump from an obscure Layer-2 token to a stablecoin or tokenized gold (RWA) without ever needing to become a “bridge expert” or manage a dozen different exchange accounts.

The Bottom Line: Is it a “Must-Use”?

If your priority is sovereignty, keeping your assets in your own wallet while maintaining the ability to move like a professional trader, ChangeNOW is arguably the most efficient gateway available in 2026. It has moved past the era of being “just an exchange” to become a foundational pillar of decentralized finance.

Who is it for?

• The Privacy-Conscious: Those who refuse to leave their data or funds on centralized servers.
• The Cross-Chain Explorer: Anyone moving between diverse ecosystems (Solana, Ethereum, L2s).
• The practical investor: Users who want a $2 entry point and a “What You See Is What You Get” fixed-rate guarantee.

In the complex, multi-chain reality of 2026, ChangeNOW remains the benchmark for how a crypto gateway should operate: fast, fair, and remarkably simple.

The post ChangeNOW Review: Behind the Scenes of the Fastest Crypto Exchange in 2026 appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Highlights

• Spot gold declined as much as 2.2% to approximately $4,550 per ounce, marking a weekly decline of roughly 3.4%
• April producer price data showed the largest annual increase in four years; consumer price figures also exceeded projections
• Market participants reduced Federal Reserve rate cut expectations while some started factoring in potential rate increases
• The Strait of Hormuz blockade continues amid Iran conflict, maintaining elevated energy costs and inflation concerns
• ANZ Group revised its $6,000 gold forecast to mid-2027 from earlier 2025 projections

Precious metals experienced significant declines on Friday following the release of stronger-than-expected US inflation figures, which boosted the dollar and Treasury yields while diminishing the attractiveness of non-yielding assets.

Spot gold declined as much as 2.2% to approach $4,550 per ounce and was heading toward a weekly decrease of approximately 3.4%. The yellow metal has retreated more than 13% since hostilities with Iran commenced.

Silver experienced more pronounced losses, plummeting as much as 7.1% during trading sessions. The white metal settled approximately 6% lower at $78.50 per ounce. Both platinum and palladium registered declines as well.

The US Dollar Index advanced 0.3% during Friday’s session and recorded a weekly gain exceeding 1%. When the dollar strengthens, gold becomes costlier for international purchasers, which generally suppresses demand.

Two-year Treasury yields reached their highest levels in several months. Elevated yields diminish the appeal of assets like gold that don’t generate income.

Inflation Data Behind Precious Metal Weakness

US producer price increases reached their fastest annual rate since 2022 during April. Consumer price metrics similarly surpassed analyst expectations. Retail sales figures demonstrated resilient consumer spending despite elevated energy expenses.

The inflation reports prompted traders to reduce their forecasts for Federal Reserve rate reductions in 2025. Some market participants even began incorporating the likelihood of additional rate hikes into their models.

Gold typically thrives during periods of uncertainty and inflation concerns, but when markets interpret inflation as necessitating higher rates, this advantage diminishes. Elevated interest rates increase the opportunity cost associated with holding gold.

The Strait of Hormuz, critical for global petroleum transportation, remains blocked due to the continuing Iran conflict. Crude oil prices were poised for weekly advances, sustaining inflationary pressures worldwide.

“Inflation expectations, higher yields and a stronger dollar are likely to keep gold under pressure in the near term,” wrote ANZ analysts Daniel Hynes and Soni Kumari. ANZ pushed back its $6,000 per ounce gold target to mid-2027.

Trump-Xi Meeting and Iran Tensions Weigh on Markets

Market participants closely monitored the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing for indications regarding trade policy and the Iran crisis. The discussions concluded without significant policy announcements, although both nations characterized the talks as productive.

Chinese official media reported that both countries committed to preserving stable commercial relationships and collaborating on global matters. Trump characterized the US-China relationship as “very strong” and noted that Xi had pledged assistance regarding the Hormuz crisis.

However, Trump also posted on Truth Social that “the military decimation of Iran (to be continued!),” raising fears of further escalation.

Copper also registered losses, with London Metal Exchange futures dropping 2.6% to $13,644 per ton. Copper had received support from the AI-driven equity market rally, which the bond market selloff disrupted.

India contributed to negative sentiment for gold, implementing stricter import regulations to support the rupee following recent import duty increases. India represents the world’s second-largest gold consumer market.

Gold has fluctuated within a narrow band since experiencing sharp declines when the Iran conflict erupted. Markets continue navigating between inflation concerns that could sustain elevated rates and economic growth worries that might ultimately compel central banks to adopt accommodative policies.

The post Gold Extends Decline to Fourth Session as Inflation Data Strengthens Dollar appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Highlights

• Anthropic has secured terms for a $30 billion capital raise at approximately $900 billion valuation
• This valuation positions Anthropic above OpenAI, which was last appraised at roughly $852 billion
• The company’s worth has nearly tripled from $380 billion just 90 days earlier
• Annual revenue run rate is projected to exceed $45 billion imminently, reflecting a fivefold jump in less than half a year
• Dragoneer, Greenoaks, Sequoia Capital, and Altimeter Capital are jointly leading the financing round

Anthropic is on the verge of reaching a $900 billion valuation following the finalization of terms for a massive $30 billion financing round, as reported by the Financial Times. While the arrangement hasn’t been officially disclosed, it’s anticipated to finalize within the coming weeks.

The financing would establish Anthropic’s pre-money valuation at approximately $900 billion. This milestone would place it ahead of OpenAI, whose latest valuation came in around $852 billion.

Just three months prior, Anthropic commanded a $380 billion valuation after completing its Series G funding. Jumping from $380 billion to $900 billion within a single quarter represents a growth trajectory that very few privately-held technology companies have achieved.

The fundraising process moved with remarkable speed. Investment firms initiated contact with Anthropic only last month, prompting CFO Krishna Rao to assess investor interest. The entire process concluded within mere weeks.

Four investment firms are sharing leadership of the round: Dragoneer Investment Group, Greenoaks Capital, Sequoia Capital, and Altimeter Capital. Each firm is anticipated to contribute a minimum of $2 billion. Anthropic is simultaneously negotiating with other potential investors to complete the funding round.

Explosive Revenue Expansion Fuels Valuation Surge

The dramatic valuation increase correlates directly with exceptional revenue performance. As 2025 concluded, Anthropic’s annualized revenue measured approximately $9 billion. By April 2026, that metric had climbed beyond $30 billion. Current projections indicate it will soon surpass $45 billion.

This represents a fivefold expansion in under six months. It would also mark the first instance of Anthropic exceeding OpenAI’s reported $24 billion annual revenue run rate.

The expansion is predominantly fueled by widespread enterprise adoption of Claude, Anthropic’s flagship AI assistant and model suite. Corporate clients have been subscribing rapidly, accelerating revenue momentum.

For the majority of the previous two years, Anthropic maintained a reputation as the more reserved, developer-centric alternative to OpenAI. That characterization is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.

Implications for the AI Industry Landscape

The rapid pace of this capital raise demonstrates the extraordinary velocity of investor confidence in the AI sector. The transaction materialized in weeks rather than the typical months-long process.

Anthropic completed its prior $30 billion Series G round in February 2026 at a $380 billion post-money valuation. The company indicated those resources would support cutting-edge research, product enhancement, and infrastructure expansion.

Now, merely one quarter afterward, the company is securing additional funding at more than twice that valuation.

The new financing round remains unannounced officially, and specific terms may still be adjusted before final completion.

Should the deal close at the negotiated valuation, Anthropic will claim the premier position among private AI companies, surpassing OpenAI for the first time in their competitive history.

The company’s ascent has been extraordinary. Whether revenue growth can sustain alignment with the elevated valuation remains to be seen, though investors are clearly expressing strong confidence in that outcome.

The post Anthropic Secures $30B at $900B Valuation, Overtaking OpenAI in Historic Deal appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Takeaways

• Micron shares currently hover between $790 and $800, with optimistic Wall Street projections suggesting potential upside to $1,000.
• The company delivered $23.86 billion in Q2 FY2026 revenue, representing a staggering 196% increase compared to the previous year, while Q3 projections reach $33.5 billion.
• Every unit of HBM capacity has been reserved through 2026, with major clients securing extended supply agreements.
• According to CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, current production capabilities can satisfy only 50%–66% of critical customer requirements in the near to medium term.
• Investors seeking diversified exposure can consider three semiconductor-focused ETFs — SOXX, SPMO, and SMH — that feature significant Micron holdings.

Micron Technology (MU) has captured increasing attention from Wall Street analysts as shares trade in the $790 to $800 range. The bullish sentiment has prompted several firms to outline scenarios where the stock could climb to $1,000 per share.

Micron Technology, Inc., MU

The company’s recent financial performance provides substantial backing for this optimism. During the second quarter of fiscal year 2026, Micron reported revenue reaching $23.86 billion — representing a remarkable 196% surge from the same period last year. Looking ahead, management has issued guidance projecting Q3 revenue of $33.5 billion alongside non-GAAP earnings per share of $19.15.

The catalyst fueling this growth is clear: artificial intelligence applications require massive amounts of memory. Micron has completely allocated its entire High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) manufacturing capacity through the end of 2026. Beyond immediate orders, major customers are committing to extended agreements spanning multiple years to guarantee future allocation.

During a recent CNBC appearance, CEO Sanjay Mehrotra emphasized the opportunity ahead: “AI is in very early innings. Memory is a strategic asset — you need more memory, you need faster performance memory in order for AI to deliver its full capabilities.”

Mehrotra also highlighted a supply-demand imbalance that could prove advantageous for shareholders: current manufacturing capacity allows Micron to fulfill only half to two-thirds of demand from its most important customers over the medium term.

Extended Price Projections

Investors considering longer holding periods may find interest in forecasting models that project MU trading between $1,062 and $1,760 by decade’s end, with a mid-range estimate of $1,544 on an annualized basis. Under this scenario, a $500 investment at current levels could potentially grow to approximately $957 at the median target, or roughly $1,093 at the upper bound.

However, investors should recognize that memory semiconductor markets are inherently cyclical. Market conditions can shift rapidly, and what appears to be a long-term transformation may sometimes prove to be a cyclical peak masquerading as secular growth.

Another significant development: 2026 marks the first year when data center applications are projected to represent more than half of the total addressable market for memory bits across the entire industry.

Exchange-Traded Fund Alternatives for Portfolio Diversification

Investors preferring broader sector exposure rather than concentrated single-stock positions have several options among semiconductor-focused ETFs with substantial Micron allocations.

The iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) features MU as its top holding at 10.1% of assets, with AMD following at 9.08% and Intel comprising 7.19%. The fund oversees $34.17 billion distributed across 31 semiconductor companies, sporting a beta coefficient of 1.90 — indicating significant volatility in either direction.

The Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF (SPMO) focuses on S&P 500 constituents exhibiting strong price momentum. Within this portfolio, MU represents an 8.82% allocation, trailing only Nvidia’s 9.21% leading position. This fund encompasses 101 holdings with $18.54 billion in total assets and maintains a more moderate beta of 1.28.

The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) replicates the MVIS US Listed Semiconductor 25 Index. Micron accounts for 6.62% of this portfolio, which also includes Nvidia, TSMC, and Intel among its major positions. SMH commands $62.92 billion in assets spread across 26 holdings and exhibits a beta of 1.87.

Micron’s forward guidance calling for $33.5 billion in Q3 revenue, combined with completely reserved HBM production through 2026, represents the most current indication of the company’s operational trajectory.

The post Micron (MU) Stock Eyes $1,000 Target Amid AI Memory Surge appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Shares of Samsung Electronics plunged approximately 9% on Friday at the Korea Stock Exchange following the company’s largest labor union’s refusal to cancel an upcoming 18-day walkout scheduled to commence on May 21.
• Negotiations facilitated by government mediators broke down this week as management and workers remained deadlocked over bonus structures and compensation limits.
• The labor union is pushing for the elimination of bonus limitations and implementation of a profit-sharing program linked to operational earnings, pointing to more favorable terms recently secured by workers at competitor SK Hynix.
• Company leadership made the trip to Samsung’s Pyeongtaek facility to engage directly with union representatives, while the corporation issued a public statement apologizing for the ongoing conflict.
• Financial analysts at JPMorgan project the walkout could slash Samsung’s operational profits by 21 trillion to 31 trillion won ($14 billion to $20.8 billion), alongside revenue reductions of approximately 4.5 trillion won.

Shares of Samsung Electronics experienced a sharp decline of roughly 9% on the Korea Stock Exchange during Friday’s trading session, reaching 273,500 won in early Seoul market hours. The significant selloff followed the National Samsung Electronics Union’s declaration that it would proceed with an 18-day work stoppage commencing May 21, rejecting the corporation’s proposal to restart unconditional compensation discussions.

Union representatives indicated willingness to enter renewed discussions — but not until after June 7. This timeline ensures the planned work stoppage remains scheduled.

The electronics giant saw its market capitalization shrink by as much as 99.07 trillion won ($66.18 billion) on Wednesday alone when compensation negotiations reached an impasse. Friday’s trading session compounded these losses.

Tensions have been escalating for several months. In April, employees staged demonstrations at a manufacturing facility located south of Seoul, advocating for enhanced compensation packages. Their primary objectives include: eliminating caps on bonus payments and establishing a profit-sharing framework connected to Samsung’s operational profit figures.

A significant point of contention involves the compensation disparity with competing semiconductor manufacturer SK Hynix. SK Hynix recently finalized more attractive bonus arrangements with its employees, creating a comparison that Samsung workers find increasingly difficult to accept.

Government-facilitated discussions between Samsung management and union leadership collapsed earlier in the week. The parties could not reach consensus on bonus calculation methodologies or ceiling structures.

South Korea’s government has been monitoring the situation carefully. Both the prime minister and the minister of industry have appealed to all parties to continue dialogue, cautioning that a work stoppage could negatively impact export performance, capital markets, and overall economic expansion.

The presidential Blue House also commented on Friday, expressing optimism that the walkout might still be prevented. Government officials noted that criteria for triggering emergency intervention measures had not yet been satisfied.

Samsung responded swiftly following the union’s confirmation. Senior executives journeyed to the Pyeongtaek facility for direct discussions with union leadership. The company also released a public statement expressing regret for the disruption stemming from the labor dispute, committing to approach negotiations with an open mindset.

What a Strike Could Cost

JPMorgan analysts released financial projections on the potential consequences. The investment bank indicated that production disruption could exceed initial forecasts, attributing this to greater worker involvement than earlier estimates suggested.

JPMorgan calculated the potential damage to Samsung’s operational profitability at between 21 trillion and 31 trillion won ($14.08 billion to $20.79 billion). Revenue shortfalls could total roughly 4.5 trillion won.

These figures represent substantial exposure for a corporation already maneuvering through a challenging semiconductor industry environment.

What Happens Next

The union has maintained flexibility — negotiations following June 7 remain a possibility. However, with the work stoppage scheduled to launch on May 21, the timeframe for reaching a resolution before manufacturing operations are affected is extremely limited.

Samsung leadership was en route to Pyeongtaek as of Friday morning, though the company has not yet publicly confirmed whether a new discussion date has been established.

The post Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) Stock Plummets 9% Ahead of Major Union Strike appeared first on Blockonomi.

This Friday, we examine Ethereum, Ripple, Cardano, Binance Coin, and Hyperliquid in greater detail.

Ethereum (ETH)

Ethereum has been hovering just below the $2,400 resistance for over four weeks. With bulls unable to break this level, the price has entered a correction. At the time of this post, ETH is found at around $2,270 and is at a similar price to last week.

Since late April, the momentum on Ethereum has turned bearish on the daily timeframe, and the price appears to be catching up with clear lower highs.

Looking ahead, ETH has formed a large bearish channel with the lower limit at around $2,200. If that level is lost in the near future, then this cryptocurrency is likely to fall to $2,000 next.

Ripple (XRP)

XRP had a good week, closing 6% higher. This comes after the price managed to break out of the blue pennant and rushed towards $1.5. With bulls in control, this cryptocurrency has a real chance to test the key $1.6 resistance next.

As long as the price holds above the pennant, the bias remains bullish. Should the price fall back within the pennant, that would be interpreted as a bearish signal. Right now, the most important support is found at $1.4.

Looking ahead, XRP has been making higher lows and higher highs since April, and the buy volume is increasing. These are bullish signals that will be confirmed once $1.6 becomes support.

Cardano (ADA)

ADA is up 3% this week and has attempted to break the $0.28 resistance. However, sellers returned there to stop the rally, and the price entered into a pullback.

Even if the breakout did not materialize on this first try, it is a major change in price action that finally signals it wants to move higher. Should sellers continue to dominate, ADA could test the $0.25 support.

Looking ahead, this recent rally could suggest Cardano has bottomed around the $0.24 support level. If so, buyers will likely aim to send this cryptocurrency higher, even if it takes them more time. Key resistance levels are found at $0.28 and $0.30.

Binance Coin (BNB)

BNB closed the week 6% higher. This has allowed the price to arrive at the $690 key resistance. At the time of this post, bulls and bears are contesting this level. While momentum favors buyers, it needs higher buying volume to succeed.

Since this cryptocurrency found support at $580, the price has been in a steady uptrend, with daily gains. However, the current resistance may put a stop to this trend.

Looking ahead, Binance Coin needs to break above $690 to end its long consolidation that began in February. The price has been bouncing between $580 and $690 with no clear winners to date.

Hype (HYPE)

HYPE rallied 20% in the past 24h on the news that the USDC sitting on Hyperliquid will use a majority of its native yield to purchase HYPE. This comes after a trilateral agreement among Hyperliquid, Circle, and Coinbase to make USDC the exchange’s native stablecoin.

This development will increase the size of HYPE buybacks, as USDC will provide additional liquidity. In light of that, the price quickly rallied in anticipation of additional buying pressure.

Looking ahead, even if HYPE had a fantastic rally, the price failed to re-enter the blue wedge. For this reason, this could be interpreted as a bearish re-test. Losing the support at $43 would confirm this bias.

The post Crypto Price Analysis May-15: ETH, XRP, ADA, BNB, and HYPE appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Popular on-chain investigator ZachXBT updated his 100,000 followers on Telegram minutes ago that the popular decentralized exchange THORChain has likely become a victim of a new crypto hack.

The reported attack appears to be for over $7.4 million, as the platform was exploited on Bitcoin, Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and Base.

Although there has been no official confirmation from THORChain’s team as of the time of this point, the project’s native token plummeted immediately after the news spread on X.

RUNE traded above $0.58 before it crashed by double-digits to a two-week low of $0.50, where it found some support.

This is a breaking story with few details at the moment, so make sure to follow for additional information in the following hours.

The post RUNE Plunges by 15% as THORChain Falls Victim to New Hack: ZachXBT appeared first on CryptoPotato.

The team behind the controversial project continues to post frequent updates to its substantial user base in terms of the latest developments in its broader ecosystem.

The latest, which went live on Pi Network’s only official account on X, focused on how vibe coders and creators can use the ‘massive user base of over 60 million Engaged Pioneers.’

AI and Human Input

Ever since Pi Network’s Core Team introduced the Pi App Studio last year, they have often outlined the advantages of using AI. However, instead of trying to separate the new technology from human input, they are actively combining them to get the best of both worlds.

In the new post, the team said vibe coders and creators can utilize the aforementioned 60 million user base by “easily bringing their external AI-created apps to Pi’s real distribution network and utility ecosystem through Pi App Studio.”

This means that even those with non-technical products can build apps using platforms such as Codex, Replit, Lovable, Claude Code, Cursor, or other AI-assisted coding tools. Then, they can employ the Pi App Studio to convert the new applications into Pi-native apps.

The post doubles down on the narrative that Pi Network aims to close the gap between creating apps, something in which AI can easily assist, and turning those new products into actually usable and helpful tools.

Ideas Too Good Not to Be Seen

The team further noted that creators can now connect their apps to an existing ecosystem with users, payment capabilities, identity verification, decentralized human infrastructure, and platform-level tools in place, instead of rebuilding infrastructure from scratch.

Consequently, this feature allows users’ ideas to become reality and reach other customers a lot faster. The team said it added this possibility because “your ideas are too good to be seen.” The feature is already activated and users can take advantage from it using the Pi App Studio.

The post Pi Network Drops New Update That ‘Changes the Equation for Creators’: Details appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Hyperliquid’s native token has stolen the show from the larger-cap alts, rocketing by over 20% at one point to its highest price level since last October at $47. On this impressive way up, the token added roughly $2 billion to its market capitalization and neared the top 10 alts by that metric.

Coinbase appears to be the most likely candidate for the biggest contributors to this surge after announcing that it had expanded support for USDC on Hyperliquid by becoming the official treasury deployer of the stablecoin under the DEX’s Aligned Quote Asset (AQA) framework.

21Shares’ HYPE ETF debuted earlier this week, which was also a positive development, while another one is set to launch today from Bitwise.

In addition, the US Senate Banking Committee voted to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which gave the entire crypto market a notable price push.

The Warning Signs

Ali Martinez was among the first analysts to weigh in on HYPE’s massive surge. As he usually does, he based his X post on the TD Sequential, a metric used to determine whether the underlying asset has exhausted its move in either direction.

Martinez noted that the indicator had caught HYPE’s rebound from $22 to $44 over several months but has now flashed a major sell signal. It could lead to some profit-taking and perhaps drive the asset south to $36 or even $33.

Crypto Patel shared a similar opinion and warned traders to be wary of potentially getting “caught on the wrong side of HYPE.” The analyst believes that if the token fails to overcome $46, the roadmap looks quite painful:

$33 → First Meaningful Reaction

$30 → Where I’m Actually Interested (Bullish OB + 0.5 Fib Confluence)

$27 → Golden Pocket, Deeper Liquidity

$24 → The Floor I Don’t Expect To See, But It’s There

However, Patel added that if HYPE manages to break past $50, then this model will be invalidated, and they will flip their own view.

The 20/80 Ratio

Fellow analyst GA Crypto was also cautious, but also outlined a specific 20/80 ratio regarding HYPE’s potential to post a new all-time high. They noted that there’s a 20% chance of surging past $59, which was the peak reached last September, and an 80% probability “to go down and grab lower liquidity.”

They warned investors to be careful when interacting with tokens that have experienced such dramatic price increases in a relatively short time period.

The post Hyperliquid (HYPE) Explodes by 20% in a Day but Red Flags Appear appeared first on CryptoPotato.

XRP climbed past $1.50 on Thursday as large holders added to their positions and traders reacted to fresh movement around the US CLARITY Act.

According to data shared by Santiment, the asset’s largest holders are sitting on more of the token than they have in eight years, with wallets holding at least 10 million XRP now controlling a combined 45.83 billion tokens, worth roughly $68.5 billion.

The Numbers Behind the Move

Santiment’s data shows that those whales collectively account for 68.5% of XRP’s circulating supply. That is not a minor data point, since a handful of large holders controlling such a large portion of any asset means their conviction often matters more than retail flow, and right now they appear to be betting on something specific.

That something could most likely be the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which was passed on May 14 by the US Senate Banking Committee 15-9 in a bipartisan vote. This cleared it for the next stage in Congress after months of delays.

The market response was immediate, with XRP posting gains of more than 7% on the day, going from around $1.43 to $1.54, a level it last hit in March. One analyst on X, writing under the handle Moon God, argued the move had broken a descending technical pattern that had been forming since February and called $1.52 and $1.60 as the next levels to watch.

Meanwhile, permabull EGRAG Crypto pointed to $1.80 as a more meaningful target, adding that XRP needs to reclaim and hold that level as macro support to confirm structural strength.

On the ETF side, the picture was also moving, with data from SoSoValue showing XRP ETFs pulling in $18.52 million in net inflows for the day, outpacing Ethereum and Solana ETFs, and improving significantly on the $5.31 million from May 12 and the zero showing on May 13.

Bitwise’s XRP product alone accounted for $7 million, while Canary Capital’s XRPC fund added $4.87 million. Cumulative net inflows across all XRP ETF products have now reached $1.37 billion.

XRP Cools After CLARITY Jump

At the time of writing, XRP was trading around $1.46, up more than 5% in the past week and over 7% across 30 days but still some 5% off the high it hit following the CLARITY vote.

There is one note worth flagging, though: leverage on Binance has climbed to its highest level in two months, with the Estimated Leverage Ratio reaching approximately 0.179. That kind of build-up makes the market more sensitive to sudden moves in either direction.

The post Ripple Whales Control Nearly 70% of Supply as XRP Eyes Major Breakout appeared first on CryptoPotato.