Backpack exchange launched an invite-only beta for its Unified Prediction Portfolio, letting users hedge and trade across markets in a single crypto account. Backpack, a cryptocurrency exchange founded by former employees of Alameda Research and the defunct FTX, is entering prediction markets with an ambitious plan to unify balances from different types of trading. The exchange has launched private beta testing for its new platform, called the Unified Prediction Portfolio, Backpack CEO Armani Ferrante said in a post on X on Tuesday. “This isn’t yet another wrapper over Kalshi, Polymarket, or any other prediction market platform,” Ferrante wrote, describing the forthcoming market as a “native system with everything tokenized and risk profiled, together.” Read more
Visa has chosen BVNK to power Visa Direct pilots using stablecoins, enabling pre-funded cross-border payouts to wallets in select markets. Visa has chosen United Kingdom‑based stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK to power new Visa Direct pilots, allowing some business customers to pre‑fund cross‑border payouts in stablecoins and deliver digital US dollars directly to recipients’ wallets in select markets. The partnership, announced Wednesday, builds on Visa’s earlier stablecoin experiments, including onchain settlement tests with USDC on networks like Ethereum and Solana. The move follows a strategic investment in BVNK in May 2025 through its Visa Ventures arm, as card schemes race to embed tokenized dollars into their treasury and payout rails. Read more
Bitcoin held near yearly highs as traders weighed geopolitical risks and a potential US Supreme Court tariff ruling that markets appear to have already priced in. Bitcoin (BTC) consolidated around $95,000 toward Wednesday’s Wall Street open as analysis dismissed macroeconomic threats. While geopolitical risks and US trade policy uncertainty remain in focus, traders appeared more influenced by liquidity conditions and relative asset performance, with Bitcoin lagging gold and equities before reclaiming $95,000. Key points: Read more
Romania's annual inflation rate inched lower to 9.7% in December 2025 after reaching 9.8% in November and October 2025 and peaking at 9.9% in September and August 2025, data from the country's statistical office INS showed on Wednesday (January 14).