Bitcoin surged past $100,000 on May 8 as institutional investors ramped up ETF inflows, with ARK 21Shares, Fidelity and BlackRock leading the charge. Bitcoin crossed the $100,000 mark again on May 8 as institutional investors continue stacking sats. Farside Investors’ data shows that spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded cumulative net inflows of $142.3 million on May 7, in a sign of “sustained institutional interest,” according to the founder of Obchakevich Research, Alex Obchakevich. “These inflows indicate the activity of institutional investors, including hedge funds and asset managers, who continue to accumulate BTC through regulated instruments,“ he said. Read more
Animoca Brands' Yat Siu says rethinking how we fund education could be the breakthrough that brings blockchain to the mainstream — starting with DeFi student loan financing. Ripple’s $25 million donation to a crypto education fund has reignited conversations about how blockchain projects are building influence through academia—but in the latest episode of Byte-Sized Insight, Animoca Brands’ co-founder Yat Siu says that money alone isn’t enough. Instead, real-world use cases like student loans backed by DeFi may be crypto’s most convincing value proposition to date. On April 30th, Pencil Finance, a project supported by Animoca Brands and its education arm Open Campus, announced a $10 million student loan financing initiative aimed at providing cheaper, blockchain-backed loans. Siu believes this type of infrastructure investment goes further than symbolic funding. Read more
The Ethereum Foundation distributed $32.6 million in Q1 2025 grants to support education, ZK tech developer tools and the wider blockchain ecosystem. The Ethereum Foundation, the nonprofit that supports development across the Ethereum blockchain, distributed $32.6 million in grants in the first quarter of 2025. In an allocation update, the organization reported spending on various initiatives through its Ecosystem Support Program (ESP). Categories included community and educational grants, zero-knowledge and cryptography. Other allocations included execution layers, developer experience and tools, layer-2 networks and overall ecosystem growth and support. Read more
Gemini’s new derivatives offering in Europe will include perpetual futures and other derivatives, which will be available to advanced exchange users. Gemini, the cryptocurrency exchange founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, has received regulatory approval to expand crypto derivatives trading across Europe. Gemini secured a Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II) license from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), allowing the exchange to offer crypto derivatives in the European Union, it announced on May 9. “Once we commence business activities, we will be able to offer regulated derivatives throughout the EU and EEA [European Economic Area] under MiFID II,” said Gemini’s head of Europe, Mark Jennings. Read more
With 72M+ users and addictively simple gameplay, TapSwap is more than just a crypto fad — it’s evolving into a full-scale blockchain gaming platform. TapSwap is a tap-to-earn Web3 application that lives inside Telegram — no separate download required. Are your crypto friends obsessed with tapping their phones all the time? Welcome to the world of TapSwap. TapSwap is a tap-to-earn game released in mid-2024 in the Telegram Mini Apps ecosystem. The game quickly catches your attention: one minute you’re just curious… the next, you’re tapping away at 2 am trying to squeeze out one more energy boost. Read more