The comments followed the asset management company’s policy change allowing its clients to trade crypto exchange-traded funds. Bitcoin is a purely speculative asset and is akin to a collectible toy, according to John Ameriks, the global head of quantitative equity at asset management company Vanguard. “It’s difficult for me to think about Bitcoin as anything more than a digital Labubu,” Ameriks said at Bloomberg’s ETFs in Depth conference in New York City. Labulus are collectible plush toys featuring animals with anthropomorphic features. Despite Ameriks’ criticism, he said that Bitcoin (BTC) may have value beyond financial speculation in the future under certain circumstances. Read more
The US regulator's green light lets Bitnomial’s clearinghouse support prediction markets linked to crypto and economic events, expanding its regulated product and clearing offerings. Bitnomial Clearinghouse LLC received approval from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to clear fully collateralized swaps, enabling its parent company, Bitnomial, to launch prediction markets and offer clearing services to other platforms. According to Friday’s announcement, Bitnomial’s prediction market will cover crypto and economic events, alongside its existing Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto derivatives products. The contracts are designed to allow traders to take positions on outcomes, such as token price levels and macroeconomic data. The approval expands the umbrella of the trading products offered by Bitnomial. Based in Chicago, the company’s exchange and clearing arms offer perpetuals, futures, options contracts and leveraged spot trading. The company’s clearinghouse also supports crypto-based margin and settle...
Bitcoin mining hash price, a critical metric for determining profit margins in the industry, is hovering near record lows. Bitcoin mining companies are turning to renewable energy to reduce costs amid record-low hash price, a critical metric for miner profitability, which is below the $40 level that marks the breakeven point for mining operators. Hash price, which measures expected miner profitability per unit of computing power used to successfully add a block, is about $39.4 per petahash second per day (PH/s/day) at the time of this writing, according to mining data provider Hashrate Index. Sangha Renewables, a Bitcoin (BTC) miner and renewable energy company, energized a 20 megawatt (MW) solar-powered mining facility in Ector County, Texas, on Thursday, according to TheMinerMag. Read more
Ripple’s post-SEC rebound is drawing Wall Street backing, including a $40 billion valuation deal with downside protection— and some investors betting on XRP. It has been a long and arduous journey for Ripple. After emerging from a multiyear battle with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the blockchain-based payments and infrastructure company is pressing ahead with broad ambitions to unify custody, treasury and prime-brokerage services, each underpinned by blockchain technology and stablecoins. Despite the bruising legal fight and the reputational damage that came with it, Ripple has still managed to win over some of Wall Street’s biggest players. This week’s Crypto Biz looks at how Ripple secured a striking $40 billion valuation, and why some of its backers are quietly placing bets on an XRP (XRP) surge. Read more
TIX is developing a DeFi-based settlement layer for live events, using onchain tickets to unlock venue financing and simplify payouts. TIX, a settlement layer for the live-events industry, has emerged from stealth to apply decentralized finance (DeFi) lending and onchain settlement to a sector that has long functioned like a private credit market. To date, the TIX network has facilitated over $8 million in ticket sales and generated approximately $2 million in venue financing. The activity has been conducted through KYD Labs, with TIX expected to launch on the Solana mainnet by mid-2026, the company told Cointelegraph. TIX, led by Ticketmaster and Buildspace veterans, serves as the underlying settlement and financing layer for KYD Labs, a consumer-facing ticketing platform that raised $7 million in a funding round led by venture firm a16z. Read more
Short-term Bitcoin traders were profitable for 229 days this year despite the recent 30% correction in BTC price. Will this trend carry over into 2026? Bitcoin’s (BTC) short-term holders (STHs) have spent 229 out of 345 days in profit, an outcome that appears contradictory given that BTC is at a negative year-to-date (YTD) return and struggles to trade above $100,000. However, beneath the weak headline performance, the structure of onchain positioning tells a different story. Key takeaways: Read more
The release introduces World Chat with end-to-end encryption, DeFi-powered yield via Morpho and QR-code payments at more than one million merchants in Argentina. Tools for Humanity is broadening its World platform beyond digital identity and crypto payments, adding encrypted messaging and financial services to its app as part of a push toward a super-app model. The company, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, introduced an in-app messaging feature with end-to-end encryption that distinguishes between verified and unverified World ID accounts and enables users to send or request digital assets within chats. According to an announcement, the application now supports third-party mini-apps, including prediction markets, games and financial tools, that run inside conversations. Tools for Humanity said it plans to add optional profile photo verification to help reduce impersonation and misuse. Read more
Bitcoin and several major altcoins have turned down from their respective overhead resistance levels, indicating that the bears are still very active at the range highs. Key points: The failure of the bulls to maintain Bitcoin above $94,050 has renewed selling, opening the doors for a fall to $87,700 and then to $84,000. Most major altcoins remain under pressure and are threatening to challenge their recent lows. Read more