Index funds, staking strategies and crypto’s new wave of accessibility are potentially shaping the future of investing in digital assets to look a lot more like traditional finance. Crypto has long had a communication problem. Between technical jargon, volatile headlines and confusing interfaces, many investors still see it as too complex or too risky to touch. In the latest episode of the “Clear Crypto Podcast,” host Nathan Jeffay welcomes Ryan Rasmussen, head of research at Bitwise Asset Management, to discuss the evolving landscape of crypto investing and how it’s finally becoming less intimidating for everyday and institutional investors alike. Rasmussen said crypto’s complex reputation is rapidly changing. “At Bitwise, our investors want different types of exposure to the crypto economy,” Rasmussen said. Read more
Franklin Templeton has launched the BENJI platform on at least seven blockchains, with the fund’s largest market share on Stellar. VeChain, a layer-1 blockchain for real-world applications, is partnering with $1.5 trillion asset manager Franklin Templeton to integrate the company’s BENJI platform for enterprise payments. The move extends the reach of Franklin Templeton’s platform while providing businesses operating on VeChain another stablecoin option, according to a statement shared with Cointelegraph. Franklin Templeton’s BENJI platform permits tokenized access to the company’s Franklin Templeton OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund (FOBXX), an onchain US government money fund worth about $780 million. The fund invests in cash, government securities and collateralized repurchase agreements. One BENJI token is equivalent to one share in the fund, which the company tries to peg to $1. Read more
Japanese AI company Quantum Solutions launched a Bitcoin treasury via its Hong Kong subsidiary GPT Pals Studio, targeting a 3,000 BTC reserve within 12 months. Japanese publicly listed artificial intelligence company Quantum Solutions said it plans to create a Bitcoin treasury of 3,000 BTC within the next year, an investment of more than $350 million at current prices. According to a Thursday announcement, Quantum Solutions’ Bitcoin (BTC) treasury will be managed by wholly owned Hong Kong subsidiary GPT Pals Studio Limited. The subsidiary will commence operations with an initial investment of $10 million provided by the international investment firm Integrated Asset Management. Per the announcement, “the company views Bitcoin as a long-term, strategic reserve instrument.” Quantum Solutions plans to pursue its 3,000 BTC reserve target in stages, depending on market conditions, capital availability and the regulatory environment. Read more
Build on Bitcoin upgrades to ZK fraud proofs, aiming to climb L2Beat’s decentralization rankings and unlock Ethereum-level DeFi on Bitcoin. Layer-2 blockchain network Build on Bitcoin (BOB) has rolled out a major technical upgrade that brings it closer to getting a fully decentralized mark on L2Beat, a platform that ranks the maturity and decentralization of layer-2 networks. BOB, which aims to bring Ethereum-style decentralized finance (DeFi) capabilities to Bitcoin, has implemented zero-knowledge (ZK) fraud proofs within an optimistic rollup framework. This means that BOB is using an optimistic rollup structure but replaces the traditional and slow fraud-checking process with faster ZK fraud proofs, a shift that allows transaction disputes to be resolved in minutes using cryptographic proofs. Read more
Satsuma Technology raised $135 million to fund one of the UK's biggest single Bitcoin treasury acquisitions, positioning itself as a top regional BTC holder. London-based artificial intelligence firm Satsuma Technology raised 100 million British pounds ($135 million) for its new Bitcoin treasury, setting a national record for BTC treasury raises. According to a Thursday announcement, Satsuma Technology said it “has successfully closed the book on the raise materially in excess” of the $135 million target. The company expects all committed funds to arrive within the next two weeks. If the full amount is converted into Bitcoin, the purchase would make Satsuma the second-largest corporate Bitcoin (BTC) holder in the UK, behind The Smarter Web Company, which holds 1,600 BTC worth about $190 million, according to BitcoinTreasuries.NET data. Currently, Phoenix Digital Assets holds second place with 247 BTC valued at $29 million. Read more