World | Crypto

The blockchain analytics firm said the World Cup attracted global participation in prediction markets and digital collectibles, with more than 400,000 wallets placing blockchain-based bets. The 2026 FIFA World Cup drove $20 billion in blockchain-based prediction market volume and $24 million in digital collectible trades, with more than 400,000 wallets participating in blockchain-based betting, according to a report from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. The $20 billion figure includes trading before and during the tournament, with bettors placing roughly $5.7 billion in wagers over the five-week World Cup itself. World Cup-related markets accounted for about 63% of all prediction market activity during that period, the report said. According to Chainalysis, users from every continent except Antarctica participated in World Cup prediction markets, with the United States and China generating the highest attributable trading volumes, followed by Canada, Thailand and the United Kingdom. Read more

The organization sold locked WLD tokens to strategic investors as it seeks to grow its biometric identity network amid rising demand for human verification online. World Foundation has raised an initial $52.5 million through a sale of locked WLD tokens to strategic investors, with Pantera Capital leading the funding round. The round also included Bain Capital Crypto, Eightco Holdings, Selini Capital, Susquehanna Crypto and other investors, according to a Friday announcement shared with Cointelegraph. The WLD tokens sold in the fundraising are subject to a 12-month lockup. The nonprofit behind the World protocol said that new funds will be used to expand World ID, its system designed to distinguish people from AI agents. World ID generates a digital credential after users complete biometric verification at a World Orb device. Read more

[PRESS RELEASE – London, United Kingdom, July 22nd, 2026] Recognition in the Enterprise Fintech category reflects OpenPayd’s role in building the universal financial infrastructure for the digital economy OpenPayd, a leading provider of financial infrastructure, has been recognized among CNBC’s World’s Top Fintech Companies 2026, earning a place in the Enterprise Fintech category. Following an […]

Lionel Messi will play in his second consecutive World Cup final, yet that wasn't good news for one trader.

DefiLlama data shows Kalshi posted a record month for trading volume as the expanded FIFA World Cup boosted prediction market activity. Kalshi posted a record month for trading volume in June as the 2026 FIFA World Cup fueled activity across prediction markets. DefiLlama data shows Kalshi recorded nearly $9.4 billion in trading volume in June, up from about $5.3 billion in May. Polymarket International also climbed to roughly $4.3 billion from about $3.5 billion a month earlier. The tournament kicked off on June 11 and is the first FIFA World Cup to feature 48 teams, up from 32 in previous editions. CNBC reported the competition became the biggest driver of prediction market trading in June, with Dune Analytics showing record notional trading volumes on Kalshi and Polymarket. Read more

Prediction markets are drawing one of their largest sports audiences yet from the World Cup, but the surge is creating an unusual picture beneath the headline numbers. World Cup-linked contracts on Polymarket have generated more than $3.3 billion in trading volume, a level that puts the tournament well ahead of this year’s Super Bowl, which […] The post Polymarket’s $3.3B World Cup boom exposes the longshot trap inside prediction markets appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Polymarket emerged as an onboarding layer for about 60% of World Cup bettors, who interacted with the blockchain for the first time during their prediction market entry. About 60% of users who placed their first World Cup bets on Polymarket had never interacted with blockchain protocols before, suggesting prediction markets are becoming an entry point into crypto. The finding is based on a 90-day Bitget Wallet study shared with Cointelegraph on Thursday that tracked the onchain activity of 857,000 active Polymarket users. Bitget Wallet said the findings suggest some users are entering crypto through prediction markets instead of beginning with token trading or DeFi protocols. Read more

Spain controlled the ball for nearly 75% of the match and took 27 shots at Cape Verde's goal on June 14, a stat line that usually ends in a win. Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha, walked away with player-of-the-match honors after a 0-0 draw that cost Polymarket bettors millions and made one obscure wallet roughly […] The post World Cup bettors are losing millions on Polymarket’s “safe” favorites appeared first on CryptoSlate.

FIFA and the FBI warned of ticket scams as TRM Labs identified World Cup-themed crypto fraud operations tied to multiple wallet addresses. TRM Labs warned that crypto scammers are targeting FIFA World Cup fans through fake ticketing sites, fixed-match betting schemes and event-themed crypto promotions.  The blockchain intelligence company said it identified several World Cup-related scam operations, including two fake-ticketing sites and one fixed-match betting pitch tied to four crypto addresses. “Criminals always look to exploit major events and cultural moments and they don’t wait until kickoff,” Ari Redbord, global head of policy at TRM Labs, told Cointelegraph. “Scammers build and position their infrastructure weeks in advance, then scale it the moment public attention peaks.” Read more

Bernstein says the 2026 FIFA World Cup could inject billions into prediction markets, with Coinbase and Robinhood positioned to capture a wave of new users. The 2026 FIFA World Cup could mark a breakout moment for prediction markets, with Coinbase emerging as one of the biggest winners, according to a new research report from Bernstein. Published Thursday, the Bernstein analysts estimate the expanded tournament will generate more than $3 billion in incremental sports betting handle and $5 billion to $10 billion in additional consumer prediction market volume, as 104 matches transform what is typically the slowest period for online sports betting. FIFA expects the month-long tournament to attract roughly 6 billion viewers worldwide, up from an estimated 5 billion during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Matches are scheduled to start today. Read more

[PRESS RELEASE – Mahe, Seychelles, June 10th, 2026] Whale.io has launched native Prediction Markets for the 2026 World Cup, giving players direct access to match betting backed by a combined $90,000 prize pool – including a $40,000 USDT raffle and five weeks of $10,000 weekly sports tournaments. Whale.io is giving users the chance to turn […]

The FIFA World Cup has become a multibillion-dollar trading event before its June 11 kickoff, with prediction-market traders nearly split on whether Spain or France should be treated as the team to beat in the tournament. Polymarket data show Spain and France each trading near a 16% implied chance of winning the tournament, ahead of […] The post World Cup prediction markets hit $2B before kickoff as Spain and France go head to head appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Can AI help predict the winner of the 2026 World Cup? We put seven of the best models to the test.

[PRESS RELEASE – Stockholm, Sweden, June 4th, 2026] Decentralized prediction market platform lets participants launch their own World Cup markets, trade with leverage of up to 2.5x, and earn fees on the markets they create. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to begin on June 11, Premu, a decentralized prediction market platform, is highlighting […]

A new era of on-chain trading transparency. Atlas Live enables traders to analyze token concentration and spot potential rug pulls. Now in real time. A new era of on-chain trading transparency. Atlas Live enables traders to analyze token concentration and spot potential rug pulls. Now in real time. Odense, Denmark, May 6, 2026 – InsightX, the on-chain safety and analytics platform, launches Atlas Live, the world's first real time token holder map. InsightX is best known for Atlas, a holder visualization tool used by millions of traders each month. It simplifies token ownership at a glance, with clustering patterns revealing potential coordinated wallet activity. Atlas is integrated across major platforms including Pump.fun, Axiom, Terminal and GMGN. Read more

Most of the integrations are aimed at fighting deepfakes as the rise of AI-generated content makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish humans from AI. Worldcoin fell 13.4% to roughly $0.28 on Friday as World, the identity-focused company led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, unveiled several new integrations for its “proof of human” stack, which uses iris-scanning technology to verify identities. Video conferencing tool Zoom is integrating World’s Deep Face authentication to prevent deepfakes, while electronic signature platform Docusign is adding World’s ID verification tech to digital agreements, World said on Friday. Dating app Tinder is also expanding its World ID verification to US users. “As AI agents increasingly act on behalf of real people, the infrastructure to prove a human stands behind each agent becomes critical,” World said. No more deepfakes on video calls. @worldnetwork identify verification on @Zoom. pic.twitter.com/0ap0IOKR6H Read more

The new toolkit from Sam Altman's startup lets AI agents prove they are backed by a unique human while interacting with websites, APIs and other online services. World, the identity network co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has released AgentKit, a developer toolkit that allows AI agents to prove they are linked to a verified, unique human through World ID when interacting with websites and online services. The system integrates World ID’s proof-of-human identity with the x402 micropayments protocol started by Coinbase and Cloudflare, allowing agents to pay for access to online resources while presenting cryptographic proof that they are linked to a verified human credential. The x402 protocol allows agents to pay small fees to access websites, APIs and other services. According to an announcement, the ecosystem has processed more than 100 million payments across applications, APIs and AI agents since launching in 2025. Read more

World said some estimates suggest agentic commerce could reach $3 trillion to $5 trillion by 2030, with agents accounting for up to 25% of U.S. e-commerce.

UBS Group will offer Bitcoin and Ethereum investments to select wealthy clients starting in Switzerland, following Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, and Bank of America as major wealth managers expand digital asset services amid growing institutional demand. The post World’s Second-Largest Wealth Manager UBS to Offer Crypto Investing to Wealth Clients appeared first on Cryptonews.

Crypto experts say political pressure on the US Federal Reserve could drive volatility, but also shift flows toward Bitcoin and gold in the long run. Global central bank leaders have rallied behind US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, warning that political pressure on the Fed risks undermining financial and economic stability worldwide. In a joint statement released Tuesday, governors from 11 major central banks said they “stand in full solidarity with the Federal Reserve System and its Chair Jerome H. Powell,” stressing the importance of central bank independence. The statement comes after US authorities opened a criminal investigation into Powell over a $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed’s headquarters, a move that has intensified tensions between the central bank and the Trump administration. Read more