The Cryptonomist

A new wave of event-contract platforms is reshaping how fans wager, with Novig sports betting emerging as a well-funded challenger to entrenched prediction markets.

Novig raises $75 million to challenge Kalshi and Polymarket

As prediction platforms Kalshi and Polymarket capture the attention of both investors and regulators, sports-focused startup Novig has secured $75 million in fresh capital to take them on. The new Series B funding round, led by blockchain venture firm Pantera Capital, values Novig at $500 million, underscoring growing interest in sports-centric prediction products.

However, the company is entering a highly contested space. Kalshi and Polymarket have already established themselves as the leading venues for event contracts, while regulators continue to scrutinize how far prediction markets can push into areas resembling traditional gambling.

From Supreme Court ruling to prediction markets boom

Sports betting in the United States was once tightly restricted. That changed after a pivotal 2018 Supreme Court decision that allowed individual states to legalize wagering on major leagues such as football, basketball, and baseball. The ruling triggered a nationwide rollout of regulated sportsbooks and opened the door to new financial-style betting products.

Moreover, a 2024 court victory by Kalshi broadened the scope of contracts prediction markets can legally list. Platforms quickly expanded beyond weather and entertainment outcomes to cover politics, macro events, and sports. Today, Kalshi generates the vast majority of its trading volume from sports contracts, even as some U.S. states move to limit or close sports-based markets.

That said, Novig is positioning itself not around regulatory victories, but around a consumer message: existing options exploit users through high fees and opaque pricing, according to its founders.

Novig’s pitch: peer-to-peer, not playing against the house

“We started the company because we felt sports betting was broken,” cofounder Jacob Fortinsky told Fortune. “Our mission from day one was to build a platform really built for modern sports bettors in the most consumer-friendly, the most engaging, and the most profitable way possible.”

Fortinsky began developing Novig in 2021 during his senior year at Harvard, alongside cofounder Kelechi Ukah. The pair entered the startup accelerator Y Combinator in the following year, seeking to build a technologically advanced, trading-style sports platform while the regulatory backdrop for prediction markets remained uncertain.

However, that environment was fraught. Polymarket, which operates on blockchain rails, was barred from serving U.S. users in 2022 after regulators determined it was offering unlicensed betting products. The case highlighted the risks for any platform straddling the line between gambling and financial markets.

Regulatory evolution and the shift toward CFTC oversight

Novig initially pursued a conventional path by registering as a regulated sports betting operator in Colorado. It later pivoted to a sweepstakes-style model in an effort to broaden reach while staying within state rules. Neither approach, however, allowed Novig to operate nationwide, and the sweepstakes structure drew new legal pushback from state regulators.

Now, Novig is applying to operate under the supervision of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Fortinsky says he hopes the regulatory approval process can be completed within roughly six months, which would move the platform more squarely into a financial-market framework rather than being treated as a casino-style sportsbook.

In his pitch, Fortinsky argues that Novig’s event markets are distinct from traditional operators such as FanDuel. Because trades are matched on a peer-to-peer basis, users are not betting against the house. In theory, that structure should translate into better pricing for active sports traders.

Fees, “vig,” and Novig’s commission-free model

Where Novig sees its clearest differentiation from Kalshi is cost. The startup argues that Kalshi’s fee schedule makes trading prohibitively expensive for frequent or smaller participants. By contrast, Novig is commission-free for retail traders, a feature embedded in its brand: the name is a play on “vig,” the traditional rake sportsbooks charge on bets.

Instead of monetizing through customer-facing fees, Novig plans to charge institutional participants that provide liquidity on the platform. That setup means everyday users are often trading against so-called “smart money” rather than a centralized house. However, Fortinsky says around 20% of Novig bettors are likely to be profitable, a figure he describes as “still-depressing” but significantly higher than typical win rates on incumbent platforms.

In Fortinsky’s view, this structure makes the novig sports betting platform feel closer to a financial exchange than a casino, aligning incentives between the company and its most active users.

Built for sports fans, not crypto natives

On a more fundamental level, Fortinsky argues that Novig has been designed from the ground up for sports fans. Kalshi and Polymarket initially emphasized contracts on policy, macro events, and niche topics, only later expanding into sports. Novig, by contrast, is framing itself as a pure sports product with financial-market mechanics running under the hood.

“Our basic bet as a company is that the median sports fan is far more likely to use an app whose brand and whose product is really built with sports in mind, rather than with crypto or war in South America,” Fortinsky said. Moreover, the company is betting that a cleaner user experience and tighter spreads will attract serious fans who already follow data and odds closely.

Whether that approach proves healthier for sports culture is an open question. Critics, alongside various state authorities, argue that modern prediction platforms are effectively a new wrapper for gambling, raising familiar concerns around addiction and consumer protection.

Gambling or financial trading? The ethical and legal debate

Fortinsky rejects the idea that Novig is simply another betting shop. “Ultimately financial trading and betting are sort of converging,” he said. “In a colloquial sense, we certainly don’t view what we’re doing as gambling.” To him, sports wagering is becoming part of a broader spectrum of risk-taking activities, from options trading to fantasy contests.

The distinction may appear subtle, yet some regulators share the view that event contracts fit within the domain of financial oversight rather than pure gaming. CFTC chair Michael Selig recently argued in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that such markets fall squarely under his agency’s remit and can “serve legitimate economic functions.” That position, if solidified, would provide a clearer pathway for platforms like Novig to operate at scale.

However, the blurred ethical lines around athlete and league involvement persist. Fortinsky maintains that, for many fans, placing small, informed wagers is simply an extension of their existing fandom rather than a separate vice.

The changing fan experience and what comes next

For Fortinsky, sports wagering is not just about profit but about deepening engagement. “For many sports fans, it deepens their engagement, deepens their enjoyment and their fan experience,” he said. In his view, the core problem is not betting itself but what he describes as a “commoditized product” dominated by casino-affiliated operators seeking to maximize revenue at the expense of fans.

Novig is betting that a peer-to-peer market structure, a focus on sports-first branding, and a commission-free model for retail users can carve out space in a crowded field. However, its success will hinge on navigating evolving regulation, differentiating from established players like Kalshi and Polymarket, and convincing users that trading on outcomes should look more like investing and less like a trip to the casino.

In summary, Novig’s $75 million Series B led by Pantera Capital positions the startup as a major new entrant in U.S. sports-focused prediction markets, but its long-term impact will depend on regulation, user adoption, and how the line between betting and trading continues to blur.

Wealth Invest Corp, With Winvest Brand

Winvest.com introduces as the online face of Wealth Invest Corp, describing a platform founded by a team spanning AI scientists, professional traders, and financial analysts—and later formalized as “Wealth Invest Corp” in 2024, headquartered at One Vanderbilt in New York. On its Bank-Grade Security page, the company also frames itself as US-based and registered with the New York Department of State, emphasizing public corporate verification and accountability as part of its trust-first positioning.

The Big Promise, Said Out Loud

Winvest leads with “Earn 3% Daily” and invites visitors to “invest with confidence” for 60 calendar days—presenting the entire experience as simple, secure, and designed to remove the usual stress of market swings. In other words: Winvest sells clarity. A single headline, a fixed daily rate, and a time-bound plan meant to feel more like a predictable financial routine than a rollercoaster chart.

How It Works: Three Steps, Zero Wandering

Winvest lays out an onboarding flow that’s intentionally friction-light: create an account, deposit Bitcoin, then withdraw profits. The site highlights a Getting Started guide, a Support Center, and even a list of “officially supported” exchanges (from Binance and OKX to Coinbase and Kraken) to help users bridge the gap from “I’m curious” to “I’m funded.” The rails stay crypto-native—Winvest repeatedly emphasizes Bitcoin for both deposits and withdrawals, keeping everything inside a decentralized payment loop.

Withdrawals & Payouts: Built for People Who Hate Waiting

Liquidity is where many platforms get cagey—Winvest goes the other direction. In its FAQ, withdrawals are available 24/7 once your Available Balance reaches a $1 minimum, with no stated maximum. Requests are described as processed within 24 hours, with confirmation emails and on-platform tracking through Transaction History. Winvest also states it charges no withdrawal fee (standard network fees may apply), and it spells out address-management safeguards like verification and 2FA. If something breaks on Winvest’s side, the FAQ also describes pathways for early unwind/cancellation and even a money-back-style return of principal tied to technical/service issues.

Transparency & Proof: Dashboards, Trade Trails, and “Show Me” Energy

Winvest leans hard into visible signals: a live “Recent AI Trade History” table, a “View Detailed AI Trading Activity Report” link, and even a rolling feed of withdrawal activity—all meant to make the system feel observable, not mysterious. On the security page, Winvest says investors can monitor AI-driven activity in real time and that trades are recorded on blockchain to reduce manipulation risk. Add the homepage’s “100% Proof of Reserves” promise, and the brand message is clear: trust should be inspectable.

Inside the Machine: The AI Trading Engine Narrative

The platform’s story centers on an autonomous, AI-driven trading engine that (per Winvest’s description) uses deep reinforcement learning, “quantum analysis,” and layered predictive algorithms to adapt to shifting market conditions. Winvest claims the system processes massive data streams in real time and targets high-probability trades with a historically observed win rate exceeding 80%. The site’s news section reinforces that “R&D lab” vibe too—highlighting a “Quantum-Inspired Optimization Engine” update dated January 20, 2026.

Winvest’s flagship offer is presented as a fixed 3% daily return for 60 days (180% cumulative), framed as a limited-time window tied to infrastructure capacity and capital-raising goals. The Investment Plan copy also emphasizes “no transaction fees,” a dedicated account manager “available 24/7,” and daily withdrawals in Bitcoin for liquidity. In the FAQ, Winvest adds practical mechanics: deposits are converted to a USD notional for calculating the plan, and BTC price volatility is described as not affecting the USD returns. It also notes there’s no automatic compounding—though users can reinvest earnings or commissions manually, with each new deposit starting its own 60-day timer and 24-hour credit cycle.

Official Share Certificate: A “Receipt” With Legal Vibes

One of Winvest’s differentiators is its formal documentation layer. The Bank-Grade Security page states that every investor receives an official legal share certificate—regardless of deposit size—and that it’s issued the same day the transaction is processed. The language is deliberate: “ownership stake,” “signed,” and “stored” according to applicable legal standards. In a space where many products feel ephemeral, this is Winvest making the experience feel recorded and concrete.

Bank-Grade Security: Decentralized by Design

Security is pitched as architecture, not a checkbox. Winvest describes decentralized storage across a distributed network, reinforced by encryption, distributed ledger storage, and redundancy—aiming to minimize single points of failure. On the front page, it also showcases multiple third-party “seals” and encourages users to click them for verification, pairing that with business-identity signals like New York registration, D&B references, and directory listings. The FAQ’s repeated nudges toward enabling 2FA round out the “secure-by-default” posture.

The Feature Stack: Everything You’d Want on One Screen

Winvest does a smart thing: it turns its benefits into a checklist. The homepage highlights “Guaranteed Daily Profits,” an “Official Share Certificate,” and “100% Proof of Reserves,” alongside the practical stuff that actually matters day-to-day: no hidden fees or limits, a low $10 entry point, fast withdrawals and payouts, a dedicated account manager, and 24/7/365 customer support. The “no limits” message is reinforced in the FAQ’s withdrawal language (no maximum) and fee language (no withdrawal fee, aside from network costs). There’s also an old-school touch that still signals legitimacy to many users—direct phone support is listed right in the header.

Multi-Level Referral Program: Growth With Rules

For network builders, Winvest offers a straightforward three-tier referral structure: 5% on Level 1 (direct), 2% on Level 2, and 1% on Level 3, with “instant” commission crediting described on the Referral Program page. The FAQ adds operational details: verified members get a unique link, tracking dashboards for clicks/sign-ups/deposits, and the ability to withdraw or reinvest commissions—while self-referrals and unsolicited messaging are prohibited under the Anti-Spam Policy. Winvest also layers in a leadership track: its Representative Program cites eligibility requirements (8 active referrals + $500 active investment) and offers enhanced Level-1 commissions (8%), monthly bonuses, regional referrals, and premium support.

Upcoming Token Launch: The Roadmap Tease

Winvest doesn’t stop at a single product cycle—it points toward an ecosystem. On the homepage, it says a Winvest token is planned for the second half of 2026, designed to reward early supporters. The site describes allocating 80% of the token supply to investors participating in the 60-day plan (distributed proportionally based on contributions, including referral bonuses), and it hints at utility like preferential trading incentives and participation in profit-sharing mechanisms.

Video Testimonials & Community Wins: Social Proof in Motion

Instead of relying only on text reviews, Winvest curates a dedicated Video Testimonials page—positioning these clips as “authentic” walkthroughs of onboarding, navigation, funding, and withdrawals, plus the security/support experience. The homepage also features a steady stream of community “success stories,” creating the sense of an active, talkative user base rather than an empty storefront. For many visitors, seeing real faces and consistent stories is what turns “interesting” into “I should explore this.”

Conclusion: A Platform That’s Trying to Feel Predictable

Winvest.com is engineered to provide certainty. Fixed daily credits, Bitcoin-based deposits and withdrawals, visible dashboards, formal share certificates, and a support layer that spans 24/7 help, account managers, and structured programs for affiliates and representatives. It’s also unusually explicit about boundaries—its Service Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Anti-Spam Policy spell out rules of use, data practices. As always with anything involving crypto and returns, it’s wise to read the terms and match the plan to your own investment options—but as a product pitch, Winvest is unapologetically clear and confidently packaged.

The stablecoin reserves held by Binance continue to increase. 

According to yesterday’s statement by CryptoQuant, not only would they have reached $47.5 billion, but this would represent 65% of all stablecoin liquidity present across all exchanges. 

In other words, Binance alone would have almost double the stablecoin liquidity present in all other exchanges combined. 

Stablecoins

According to Defillama data, dollar-denominated stablecoins currently have a total market capitalization of approximately 307 billion dollars. 

According to CryptoQuant data, there are reportedly less than 80 billion dollars in USDT and USDC on the monitored centralized exchanges, on Ethereum and Tron. 

This clearly illustrates that the vast majority of stablecoins are actually not held on centralized exchanges, but rather on non-custodial wallets or decentralized exchanges. 

Moreover, by combining the total market capitalization of USDT and USDC, it amounts to $257 billion, which is still significantly more than the less than $80 billion present on the major centralized exchanges. 

The remainder is either in other stablecoins (approximately 50 billion), on DEX and non-custodial wallets, on smaller CEX, or on other chains. By combining the market capitalization of stablecoins on Ethereum and Tron, it amounts to 243 billion dollars, so there are about 65 billion on other chains. 

CryptoQuant’s Analysis

CryptoQuant reveals that the growth of stablecoin reserves on major centralized exchanges peaked before the price drop at the end of 2025, with an increase of $11.4 billion in the preceding 30 days, followed by a decline of $8.4 billion by the end of the year, coinciding with the onset of the bear market. 

However, the pace of outflows has slowed, with reserves decreasing by only 2 billion dollars in the last month. 

Binance remains the primary hub for stablecoin liquidity, with reserves in USDT and USDC increasing by 31% compared to twelve months ago. 

Following are OKX, Coinbase, and Bybit, with $9.5 billion, $5.9 billion, and $4 billion, respectively.

On Binance, USDT dominates with $42.3 billion, marking a 36% year-over-year increase, followed by USDC, which remains steady at $5.2 billion, essentially unchanged from last year. 

Defillama Data

Defillama is a veritable goldmine of information regarding the DeFi world.

In addition to the $183 billion market capitalization of USDT, with 79 on Ethereum and a significant 83 on Tron, there are the total $73 billion of USDC, with 48 on Ethereum, nearly 8 on Solana, more than 4 on Base and HyperLiquid, and over 2 on Arbitrum. 

It is noteworthy that in third place is the decentralized algorithmic stablecoin DAI, also known as Sky Dollar (USDS), with over 10 billion, while all others have a market cap of less than 7.

The network with the most stablecoins overall remains Ethereum (almost 160 billion dollars), followed by Tron at 84 billion (almost all USDT). 

In third place is BSC, but significantly behind ($16 billion), followed by Solana ($15 billion).

Practically almost 60% of the entire current market capitalization of stablecoins is made up solely of USDT, just as nearly 52% of this capitalization is on Ethereum. 

In other words, USDT and Ethereum dominate, followed by USDC and Tron. 

The Growth of Stablecoins

Despite the fact that stablecoin reserves on centralized exchanges are increasing primarily on a single exchange, namely Binance, over the years their market capitalization has grown almost consistently, when viewed overall. 

Using Defillama’s data as a reference, the peak of the previous cycle was reached in April 2022 with an overall market capitalization of nearly 190 billion dollars, which then fell below 124 billion in October 2023. 

Starting from 2024, however, there was another strong surge, with the 190 billion mark being surpassed in November, eventually reaching an all-time high in October 2025, precisely around the 307 mark.

Since then, this metric has essentially not changed much, although the all-time high was reached in January of this year, but only slightly above 311 billion. 

Generally, the growth of stablecoins does not precede but follows that of the crypto market. For instance, the all-time high of the crypto markets was reached in early October 2025, while that of stablecoins occurred in January 2026.

SG-FORGE has expanded its digital asset strategy by bringing eur coinvertible to a new blockchain environment, in a move aimed at enhancing institutional-grade tokenized euro access.

EUR CoinVertible arrives on the XRP Ledger

SG-FORGE announced that EUR CoinVertible is now live on the XRP Ledger (XRPL), extending its reach beyond previous deployments. The move, revealed on February 18, 2026, fits the companys broader multi-chain deployment approach, targeting institutional users and advanced digital asset infrastructures.

With this integration, SG-FORGE aims to boost adoption and tap into the scalability, speed, and low cost of the XRPL, a secure and decentralized Layer 1 blockchain. Moreover, the project is designed to give clients more efficient on-chain euro liquidity while preserving strong compliance standards.

The eur coinvertible xrpl launch is supported by Ripple, which is providing its institutional-grade custody solution. This partnership underpins the technical and operational framework, ensuring that issuance and storage of the tokenized euro remain robust and secure.

New use cases and institutional focus

Beyond custody, SG-FORGE and Ripple will explore new use cases for the euro-denominated stable asset on XRPL. In particular, there is potential to integrate EUR CoinVertible into Ripple products and to leverage it as trading collateral. However, further details on timing and product design have not yet been disclosed.

This expansion follows earlier deployments on Ethereum and Solana, and it reinforces SG-FORGEs commitment to compliant crypto-assets. That said, the company continues to target european institutions crypto assets demand by focusing on transparency, security, and regulatory alignment across networks.

Cassie Craddock, Managing Director, UK & Europe at Ripple, highlighted SG-FORGEs role as an institutional pioneer. She noted that Ripple has been a long-standing digital assets infrastructure provider to SG-FORGE, delivering proven technology that meets strict security and operational requirements.

Strategic multi-chain deployment

The latest rollout further cements SG-FORGEs multi chain deployment vision, positioning EUR CoinVertible as a euro stable asset available across several major blockchains. Moreover, the integration on XRPL showcases how established financial players are increasingly comfortable with Layer 1 infrastructures beyond Ethereum.

In this context, the xrpl speed low cost value proposition is central to the project, especially for high-frequency or cross-border use cases. While SG-FORGE has not detailed specific volume expectations, the move aligns with broader market trends toward more efficient tokenized settlement rails.

Jean-Marc Stenger, CEO at SG-FORGE, described the launch on XRPL as a new step in offering next-generation, compliant crypto-assets. He emphasized the companys plan to expand the reach of its portfolio of digital assets solutions, both for capital markets and for emerging tokenization use cases.

SG-FORGE, Ripple and the future of tokenized euros

The collaboration between SG-FORGE and Ripple underscores how traditional finance and crypto-native infrastructure providers are converging. Furthermore, the sg forge digital assets roadmap appears firmly anchored in issuing regulated, euro-denominated tokens across multiple chains.

As SG-FORGE continues its sg forge eur coinvertible expansion, the addition of XRPL support marks a significant milestone. However, the full impact will depend on how quickly institutional users adopt on-chain euro instruments for collateral, settlements, and liquidity management.

In summary, the eur coinvertible multi chain deployment across Ethereum, Solana and now XRPL highlights a clear direction: regulated tokenized euros are becoming a core building block for the next wave of blockchain-based financial markets.

Meta is reshaping its AI infrastructure strategy through a sweeping hardware partnership that centers on nvidia cpus alongside next-generation GPUs.

Meta signs multiyear Nvidia deal spanning GPUs and standalone CPUs

The Facebook parent company Meta has signed a multiyear agreement with Nvidia to buy millions of chips, covering both GPUs and, for the first time, standalone CPUs. The deal includes current Blackwell GPUs, upcoming Rubin GPUs, and the new Grace and Vera processors as stand-alone products. However, neither side has disclosed the total value of the contract.

Ben Bajarin, CEO and principal analyst at tech consultancy Creative Strategies, estimated the package would be worth billions of dollars. Moreover, technology outlet The Register reported that the agreement is likely to add tens of billions to Nvidia’s bottom line over its term. This underscores how aggressively Meta is scaling its AI footprint.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had already flagged this shift in spending priorities. He announced that Meta plans to almost double its AI infrastructure investment in 2026, with total outlays potentially reaching $135 billion. That said, the new chip deal gives the market a clearer picture of where much of that capital will go.

Nvidia CPU strategy pivots toward inference workloads

The most striking element of the agreement is not the GPU purchase but Meta’s decision to adopt Nvidia’s CPUs at large scale as standalone products. Until early 2026, the Grace processor was offered almost exclusively as part of so-called Superchips, which combine a CPU and GPU on a single module. However, Nvidia officially changed its sales strategy in January 2026 and started selling these CPUs separately.

The first publicly named standalone CPU customer at that time was neocloud provider CoreWeave. Now Meta is joining that list, signaling growing demand for flexible CPU-based architectures. This aligns with a broader transition in AI from training massive models to serving them in production environments.

The company is targeting the fast-expanding inference segment. In recent years, the AI sector focused heavily on GPU-intensive training of large models. However, the emphasis is increasingly shifting to inference, the process of running and scaling those trained systems. For many inference tasks, traditional GPUs are overkill in terms of cost and power.

“We were in the ‘training’ era, and now we are moving more to the ‘inference era,’ which demands a completely different approach,” Bajarin told the Financial Times. That said, this shift does not eliminate GPU demand; instead, it changes the balance between GPU vs CPU workloads inside hyperscale data centers.

Grace and Vera CPUs: technical details and Meta’s deployment plans

Ian Buck, Nvidia’s VP and General Manager of Hyperscale and HPC, said, according to The Register, that the Grace processor can “deliver 2x the performance per watt on those back end workloads” such as running databases. Moreover, he noted that “Meta has already had a chance to get on Vera and run some of those workloads, and the results look very promising.” This highlights Nvidia’s push to optimize power efficiency for large-scale inference and data processing.

The Grace CPU features 72 Arm Neoverse V2 cores and uses LPDDR5x memory, which provides advantages in bandwidth and space-constrained environments. By contrast, Nvidia’s next-generation Vera CPU brings 88 custom Arm cores with simultaneous multi-threading and built-in confidential computing capabilities. These specifications underline Nvidia’s ambition to compete directly with entrenched server CPU vendors.

According to Nvidia, Meta plans to use Vera for private processing and AI features in its WhatsApp encrypted messaging service. Vera deployment is planned for 2027, indicating a multi-year roadmap for Meta’s back-end modernization. However, the company has not provided detailed rollout timelines for each data center region or specific services beyond messaging and security-related workloads.

Competitive landscape: Nvidia enters the server CPU arena

Nvidia’s move to sell CPUs as standalone products puts it in direct competition with Intel and AMD in the lucrative server market. Previously, much of Nvidia’s growth came from GPUs, but the addition of CPUs gives the company a more complete data center portfolio. Moreover, it allows customers to build full stacks around the same vendor rather than mixing components from multiple suppliers.

By purchasing standalone Nvidia CPUs, Meta is deviating from the strategy pursued by other hyperscalers. Amazon relies on its own Graviton processors, while Google leans on its custom Axion chips. Meta, by contrast, is buying from Nvidia even as it continues to design its own AI accelerators. However, the Financial Times reported that Meta’s internal chip efforts have “suffered some technical challenges and rollout delays.”

For Nvidia, the competitive pressure is also intensifying. Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have each announced new in-house chips over recent months. In parallel, OpenAI has co-developed a processor with Broadcom and signed a significant supply agreement with AMD. Several startups, including Cerebras, are pushing specialized inference silicon that could erode Nvidia’s dominance if widely adopted.

Market tensions, stock reactions, and multi-vendor strategies

In December, Nvidia acquired talent from inference chip company Groq in a licensing deal, aiming to reinforce its technology base in this new inference era computing phase. However, investor sentiment remains sensitive to any sign of customer diversification. Late last year, Nvidia’s stock fell four percent after reports suggested Meta was in talks with Google about using Tensor Processing Units. No formal agreement on TPUs has been announced since.

Meta is also not locked exclusively into Nvidia hardware. According to The Register, the company operates a fleet of AMD Instinct GPUs and took part directly in designing AMD’s Helios rack systems, which are scheduled for release later this year. Moreover, this multi-vendor approach gives Meta leverage in price negotiations and helps reduce supply risk across its fast-growing meta ai infrastructure.

As the company expands its data centers, the question “does nvidia sell cpus” is being answered in practice through deployments like this one. The broader meta nvidia agreement showcases how nvidia cpus are becoming a central piece of large-scale inference architectures, even as hyperscalers experiment with their own custom silicon and rival accelerator platforms.

In summary, Meta’s multiyear hardware deal underscores a structural transition in AI from training-heavy GPU clusters to inference-optimized architectures built around advanced CPUs such as Grace and Vera. However, with Intel, AMD, cloud-native processors, and specialized startups all competing for the same workloads, Nvidia faces a complex battle to turn its new CPU strategy into long-term data center dominance.

Ending 2025 with strong momentum, canva growth accelerated as the design platform leaned on artificial intelligence, enterprise demand, and expansion into new markets.

Surging user base and recurring revenue in 2025

Canva closed 2025 with a 20% increase in monthly active users, a jump largely driven by rising use of its AI features. According to the company, the platform surpassed 265 million monthly active users and more than 31 million paid users during the year.

This expanding user base pushed Canva’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) to $4 billion by the end of 2025. Co-founder and COO Cliff Obrecht shared the figures with TechCrunch during Web Summit Qatar. Moreover, he noted that the company’s B2B segment, which covers customers with over 25 seats, grew 100% to reach $500 million in ARR.

While the majority of revenue still comes from North America, Canva continues to see steady international adoption. However, management is clearly prioritizing both individual creators and enterprise teams as it scales, using subscriptions as the main monetization engine.

International expansion and pricing strategy

The company is also targeting price-sensitive regions to convert more free users to paying subscribers. To that end, Canva has introduced lower-priced subscriptions in markets such as Pakistan, Uruguay, Morocco, and Jamaica. These offers aim to make its design and collaboration suite more accessible while preserving long-term revenue potential.

That said, this international approach is not only about discounts. It also supports broader Canva adoption among small businesses, schools, and creators in emerging economies. As those segments mature, the company expects higher conversion to premium plans and more consistent ARR.

AI at the center of the product vision

Obrecht said the company’s AI bets are already paying off. Last year, Canva launched a tool that lets users create mini apps and websites using AI, extending the platform beyond traditional graphic design. The tool has already attracted more than 10 million monthly active users, underlining growing demand for automated creation workflows.

The feature has been so successful that Canva is now reimagining its core identity. In Obrecht’s words, the company is moving toward being an AI-first platform, acting as a kind of “design agency in your pocket.” Moreover, this reframing underscores how central machine learning has become to its competitive positioning.

According to Obrecht, the company started with a design platform augmented by AI features. However, he said the roadmap is shifting so that the business increasingly resembles an AI platform with design tools layered on top. In this new model, he compared the experience to a “cursor for design,” where intelligent assistance guides every step of the creative process and supports sustainable canva growth across segments.

Competitive landscape and bundled creator suites

This evolution comes as competition intensifies from major players including Adobe, Freepik, and Apple. Apple, for instance, has been pushing a full creator stack by bundling Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage inside a $12.99 per month Creator Studio offer.

However, Canva’s focus on browser-based simplicity, templates, and AI-led workflows differentiates it from traditional desktop-heavy suites. The company is betting that always-available, cloud-first design tools combined with smart automation will attract both casual users and large organizations under long-term subscriptions.

Deeper chatbot integrations and discovery channels

Canva is also expanding distribution through integrations with leading chatbots such as ChatGPT and Claude. By October 2025, users had conducted more than 26 million conversations with the Canva app on ChatGPT, according to the company. Moreover, Canva said it ranked among the top 10 referred domains from ChatGPT, highlighting how conversational AI is becoming a powerful discovery and engagement channel.

These chatbot touchpoints let users generate designs, presentations, and other assets directly from natural-language prompts, without opening Canva’s main interface first. That said, the integrations also create a loop that can drive users back into the core product, boosting both engagement and monetization opportunities.

Overall, Canva closed 2025 with rapid user expansion, rising ARR, and a clear pivot toward AI-centric experiences. If it can sustain innovation in automation, enterprise features, and global pricing, the company appears well-positioned to defend its lead in online design against a growing field of heavyweight rivals.

Autodesk is deepening its push into advanced spatial computing with a major stake in world labs ai, positioning its platform closer to next-generation 3D content creation.

Autodesk invests $200 million in World Labs

World Labs, co-founded by renowned AI scientist Fei-Fei Li, has secured a $200 million investment from design software leader Autodesk. The deal, announced in 2024, will see the two companies explore how World Labs’ AI models for immersive 3D environments can work in tandem with Autodesk’s professional tools.

According to Autodesk, the transaction forms part of a larger funding round for the startup. However, the company did not disclose additional financial details. World Labs emerged from stealth in 2024 with $230 million in initial backing at a $1 billion valuation and is now reportedly negotiating new capital at a $5 billion valuation.

World Labs did not immediately respond to a request for further comment on the new funding and broader round structure. That said, the size of Autodesk’s commitment signals growing institutional confidence in the startup’s core technology and commercialization path.

Strategic focus on 3D content and entertainment

The partnership will initially concentrate on entertainment-driven applications, where generative AI for 3D scenes is rapidly gaining traction. Moreover, Autodesk and World Labs plan to test how AI-generated virtual worlds can connect with existing content creation pipelines used by studios and designers.

World Labs’ first commercial product, a world model called Marble, launched in November 2024. Marble enables users to create editable and downloadable 3D environments, offering a streamlined way to prototype digital worlds that can later be refined in professional software.

Industry observers see Marble as an early illustration of how world models for creators could compress traditional 3D production workflows. However, the long-term impact will depend on how deeply these generative systems can plug into established design and rendering tools used across the entertainment sector.

Why Autodesk is betting on spatial AI

Autodesk remains one of the largest developers of professional 3D CAD applications globally. Its software underpins architectural, engineering, construction, manufacturing, and media production workflows. That legacy around the built environment makes an expansion into advanced spatial AI a logical extension of its product roadmap.

In a statement explaining the rationale for the deal, Autodesk said it has “long helped people think spatially and solve real-world problems”. Moreover, the company emphasized a shared objective with World Labs: building “physical AI” systems that augment human creativity and place more powerful tools in the hands of designers, builders, and creators.

This positioning suggests Autodesk views models like Marble as complementary rather than competitive to its existing portfolio. However, the firm also appears intent on shaping how AI-native 3D generation will interact with the professional-grade workflows that rely on its platforms.

Research-level collaboration and advisory role

As part of the agreement, Autodesk will act as an advisor to World Labs. The companies will collaborate at the research and model level, working on how these AI systems can generate and reason about complex 3D spaces while remaining compatible with established design formats.

This includes exploring tighter alignment between generative world models and Autodesk’s ecosystems. That said, both sides have so far kept technical specifics under wraps, and no concrete product integration roadmap has been made public.

For Autodesk, the move offers an early vantage point on how spatial AI for design might evolve. For World Labs, the link to a dominant 3D software supplier validates that the startup’s technology has clear commercial potential across multiple verticals beyond its initial entertainment focus.

In summary, Autodesk’s $200 million bet on World Labs underscores how fast AI-native 3D world modeling is moving from research into production pipelines. As the collaboration unfolds, the depth of integration with professional tools will determine how transformative these systems become for designers, engineers, and creators worldwide.

A Saudi-backed AI firm has confirmed a major xai investment that reshapes competitive dynamics around Elon Musk and his growing artificial intelligence empire.

Humain commits $3 billion to Musk’s AI vision

Saudi-backed artificial intelligence company Humain has invested $3 billion into Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI, according to an official statement released on Wednesday. The deal positions Humain as a significant minority shareholder in the company. However, no additional financial terms, such as valuation or governance rights, have been publicly disclosed at this stage.

The announcement underscores the rising appetite for large-scale capital deployment into frontier AI ventures. Moreover, it highlights how investors in the Gulf region are increasingly targeting strategic technology assets linked to high-profile founders like Elon Musk. The size of the commitment also places this transaction among the largest single checks into a private AI company.

Positioning ahead of SpaceX’s xAI acquisition

According to the statement, the Humain transaction was completed just prior to SpaceX‘s acquisition of xAI. That timing suggests careful coordination among Musk-led entities as they restructure ownership of AI-related assets. However, the precise closing date of the SpaceX deal and its valuation metrics were not included in the release.

Moreover, becoming a significant minority shareholder gives Humain a notable seat at the table as Musk consolidates his AI operations. That said, there is still little public detail on how governance will be shared between Humain, SpaceX, and other existing xAI investors. Observers will closely watch whether this new capital accelerates product development or broader integration with Musk’s other companies.

Strategic context for Gulf-backed AI capital

The Humain stake in xAI fits into a broader pattern of Gulf-region capital targeting advanced technology and AI infrastructure. Saudi-linked funds have already been active in sectors like cloud computing, semiconductors, and robotics. However, this latest move crystallizes a direct partnership with one of the most visible figures in the global AI race.

In that context, Humain’s role as a significant minority investor could serve both financial and geopolitical objectives. Moreover, the $3 billion allocation signals a long-term horizon, rather than a short-term trading strategy. It may also influence future capital formation rounds if xAI seeks additional private funding before any potential public listing.

What the deal means for the AI competitive landscape

The confirmed xai investment adds another powerful backer to Musk’s AI ambitions, at a time when competition with U.S. players like OpenAI, Anthropic, and major cloud providers is intensifying. However, with few technical or product details in the official statement, it remains unclear how quickly this new funding will translate into visible market advances.

Moreover, the proximity of the Humain deal to SpaceX’s acquisition of xAI suggests a deliberate effort to align capital, ownership, and infrastructure. That said, investors and analysts will be looking for more transparency on xAI’s roadmap, revenue plans, and governance structure as the company deploys this substantial new war chest.

In summary, Humain’s $3 billion commitment and new status as a significant minority shareholder mark a pivotal moment for xAI, while raising fresh questions about strategy, oversight, and the future shape of Musk’s AI ecosystem.

Investors are revisiting their views on crypto as dragonfly capital quietly raises fresh money for a new phase of the market.

New $650 million fund in a bruised crypto market

Crypto is the overlooked middle child of tech right now, squeezed between headline-grabbing AI labs and specialized AI startups. However, despite a few bright spots for blockchain technology, from ongoing enthusiasm around stablecoins to faint optimism about crypto market structure legislation, sentiment has sunk to an all-time low.

Prices have slumped without an obvious villain like Gary Gensler or Sam Bankman-Fried to blame, leaving many investors disillusioned. Moreover, retail interest has faded, and casual observers increasingly treat digital assets as yesterday’s story, even as infrastructure continues to advance behind the scenes.

Amid this prolonged winter, the blockchain venture firm Dragonfly Capital has managed to close its $650 million fourth fund. General partner Rob Hadick said the firm sidestepped the “mass extinction event” that hit many peers, as numerous dedicated crypto funds struggled to raise fresh capital or shuttered entirely.

Backing category winners like Polymarket and Rain

Hadick attributes the successful raise primarily to timely stakes in a set of perceived category leaders that persuaded limited partners to recommit. These include Polymarket, the prediction market platform, and Rain, a stablecoin-powered card issuer positioning itself at the intersection of payments and on-chain finance.

However, underneath those headline wins lies a multi-year conviction that crypto would increasingly intersect with Wall Street rather than evolve into a fully realized Web3 version of the internet. While many VCs chased consumer-facing Web3 apps during the last cycle, Dragonfly directed more of its attention toward financial plumbing and regulated-adjacent infrastructure.

That thesis is now central to how the firm presents its dragonfly capital fund to backers. The partners argue that as regulators clarify rules and traditional institutions become more comfortable with digital assets, platforms tied to trading, payments, and tokenized real-world instruments will capture the bulk of the value.

From China roots to a Wall Street-facing strategy

Dragonfly launched in 2018 as a partnership between Alex Pack, then leading crypto investments at Bain Capital Ventures, and Bo Feng, a well-known figure from the early Chinese internet ecosystem. The firm initially straddled the U.S. and China, reflecting where both capital and crypto innovation were concentrated at the time.

The early years were rocky. The separation from Pack became something of lore in blockchain VC circles, highlighting the pressures of building a dedicated digital asset franchise. Moreover, the firm ultimately pulled back from China altogether following the Chinese government’s sweeping crackdown on crypto, which effectively pushed many local projects and exchanges offshore or out of business.

Under the leadership of Haseeb Qureshi and Tom Schmidt, Dragonfly rebuilt its identity and reputation. Over time it emerged as one of the sector’s more prominent investors, participating in a broad range of token and equity rounds across DeFi, infrastructure, and trading platforms during the industry’s boom-and-bust cycles.

Fintech convergence reshapes the investment playbook

The arrival of Hadick from the traditional finance world in 2022 marked another turning point for the firm. With his background in conventional markets, Dragonfly sharpened its focus on the growing overlap between crypto rails and fintech, leaning into a view that digital assets would increasingly plug into existing financial systems.

Schmidt describes the current period as “the biggest meta shift” he has seen during his time in the industry. In his view, investors now recognize that there will be fewer native application tokens, which previously underpinned much of the venture model in crypto, and more tokens tied to real-world assets such as stocks or private credit funds.

That said, this shift represents a significant change for founders and investors who had built strategies around app-specific tokens and speculative demand. Instead of trying to recreate every internet function on-chain, the new emphasis falls on tokenizing existing assets, integrating payment flows, and building compliant structures that can interface with banks and brokerages.

From rebellion to integration with global finance

There is an unavoidable comedown in this direction for blockchain technology, which originally positioned itself as a rebellion against Wall Street and governmental control of global finance. Early boosters framed the movement as a way to replace entrenched financial intermediaries, not to supply them with new infrastructure.

However, as the industry matures, the narrative has shifted from overthrow to integration. Schmidt argues that even if the rebellious aura has faded and the sector appears less glamorous, it is crucial not to ignore the scale of what has been built in a little over a decade.

He points out that digital, internet-native money has grown from “zero to a trillion dollars in 10 years,” underscoring how far the ecosystem has come since Bitcoin first emerged. Moreover, this growth has persisted through multiple boom-and-bust cycles, regulatory battles, and technology shifts, suggesting that the underlying trend remains intact even as sentiment fluctuates.

In summary, Dragonfly’s new $650 million vehicle, anchored by bets on platforms like Polymarket and Rain, reflects a broader repositioning of crypto around regulated markets, tokenized real-world assets, and closer alignment with traditional finance rather than a pure Web3 vision.

Russian regulators are escalating pressure on the popular messaging app even as the ongoing telegram ban russia discussion collides with surging channel takedowns and growing reliance on VPN tools.

Telegram steps up compliance under regulatory pressure

Russian lawmaker Andrey Svintsov said Telegram has begun more actively blocking illegal content and could still avoid a full block in Russia. However, he warned that the platform must continue accelerating cooperation with regulators in the coming weeks.

Svintsov, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, told state news agency TASS that the messenger is now actively complying with Russian Federation requirements. He noted that over the past week alone, Telegram blocked more than 230,000 channels and pieces of content that violated current legislation.

According to Svintsov, this intensified moderation shows that Pavel Durov‘s company has “begun to interact more actively” with authorities. Moreover, he argued that Telegram has sufficient time to meet key conditions if it maintains the current pace of compliance.

April 1 deadline rumors and Roskomnadzor’s demands

Russian authorities throttled Telegram traffic earlier this month, citing non-compliance with national rules. Media reports then suggested the service could face a complete block on April 1, though officials have neither confirmed nor clearly denied this possible deadline.

Despite the speculation, Svintsov said he believes the platform can fulfill Roskomnadzor‘s requirements within one to two months and keep operating. “In my opinion, Telegram will not be blocked before April 1,” he stated, stressing that the final decision will depend on the company’s concrete actions.

Roskomnadzor, Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, acts as both telecom regulator and media watchdog. Its demands include opening a local legal entity, storing user data inside Russian territory, paying local taxes and systematically blocking prohibited content.

“Opening a legal entity takes a week at most. Moving personal data processing takes another two or three weeks,” Svintsov said. That said, the broader political context and previous disputes over data and censorship could still complicate the timeline.

Past tensions over Telegram’s Russian presence

Last summer, Russian media reported that Telegram was preparing to set up an office in Russia under the country’s so-called landing law. However, Durov either directly or indirectly denied those claims, according to earlier press reports, underscoring his longstanding resistance to deeper localization.

Those denials fueled doubts among policymakers about Telegram’s willingness to enter Russia’s legal field. Moreover, they now serve as background to the current standoff, as regulators again push for a registered local entity and domestic data storage.

Competing messengers, WhatsApp block and VPN surge

Yulia Dolgova, president of the Russian Association of Bloggers and Agencies, told TASS that it is still difficult to predict whether Telegram will ultimately be fully blocked. However, she highlighted a key difference with WhatsApp: Telegram is actively taking steps to keep its service functional under pressure.

Roskomnadzor recently removed WhatsApp’s Meta-owned domains from its DNS servers, effectively blocking the app in Russia. As a result, the messenger lost its previous position as the country’s top service by monthly active users.

Before the block, WhatsApp had 94.5 million monthly users in Russia, TASS reported. Telegram ranked second with 93.6 million users but is now a central focus of regulators, even as authorities promote the state-backed Max messenger as a preferred alternative.

Dolgova also emphasized widespread VPN adoption across the Russian internet audience as users seek to bypass social-media and messaging restrictions. Moreover, recent reports indicate that many citizens are turning to imo, a U.S.-made messaging app, as an additional workaround to connectivity limits.

Telegram blocked channels stats highlight scale of crackdown

Amid this regulatory squeeze, the platform has sharply increased its takedown activity. According to TASS, citing Telegram’s own website statistics, the administration blocked 238,800 channels and groups on February 15 and another 187,300 on February 16.

As of February 17, more than 7.463 million groups and channels have been blocked on Telegram since the beginning of the year, the agency reported. However, it remains unclear how much of this surge stems from Russian regulatory demands versus Telegram’s global content moderation policies.

The Telegram channel Baza, citing government sources, said Roskomnadzor is preparing to “begin a total blocking of the messenger” on April 1. In response, the regulator told media it had “nothing to add” to earlier statements that threatened only “sequential restrictions,” leaving markets and users guessing about the real risk level of a full telegram ban russia scenario.

Outlook for users, regulators and the messaging market

Telegram today stands at the center of Russia’s broader push to tighten control over digital communications, from foreign-owned messengers to social platforms. Moreover, the clash between regulatory demands and user behavior is reshaping how Russians access private and group chats.

If the company meets Roskomnadzor’s conditions in the coming one to two months, as Svintsov suggests, the app could preserve its vast local user base while operating under stricter rules. However, any move toward a full block would likely drive further Russia VPN usage and accelerate migration to services like imo messaging alternative and domestic apps such as max messenger russia.

For now, authorities, platforms and users are locked in an uneasy waiting game ahead of the rumored April 1 deadline. The final outcome will signal whether Russia opts for calibrated roscomnadzor telegram restrictions or pursues a more sweeping telegram russia ban similar to the earlier whatsapp blocked russia action.

In summary, Telegram’s future in Russia hinges on how quickly it aligns with Roskomnadzor’s conditions, while users increasingly hedge their risks through VPNs and alternative messaging platforms as the regulatory landscape tightens.

Markets are reassessing risk after a sharp move in ETHZilla stock following the full exit of Peter Thiel’s venture firm from the troubled Ethereum-focused company.

Founders Fund exits and pre-market pressure on ETHZ

ETHZilla Corp (ETHZ) shares came under heavy pressure in pre-market trading on Wednesday, Feb 18, 2026, after a regulatory filing showed that Peter Thiel and his Founders Fund have completely liquidated their position. The stock dropped 5.13% in pre-market action to $3.33, as investors digested the implications of the exit.

The move follows a brutal slide in the stock, which has already fallen more than 97% from its 2025 highs. Moreover, the pre-market low of $3.33 underscored how quickly sentiment has reversed since last year, when Thiel’s participation was viewed as a key endorsement of the firm’s aggressive crypto strategy.

The sell-off was sparked by a late Tuesday SEC filing confirming that Thiel-linked entities now hold zero shares of the company. That filing marks a sharp reversal from August 2025, when Founders Fund disclosed a sizeable 7.5% stake, briefly boosting confidence in the long-term thesis.

From biotech pivot to stressed Ethereum balance sheet

Originally known as 180 Life Sciences, the company rebranded to ETHZilla in 2025, abandoning its biotech roots in favor of a high-leverage crypto play. At the time, the firm embraced a corporate Ethereum treasury strategy, positioning itself as an aggressive accumulator of Ethereum (ETH) on its balance sheet.

The pivot attracted more than $425 million in institutional backing, as investors sought exposure to a leveraged ETH balance sheet during the bull phase. However, the subsequent eth treasury liquidation and forced sales to meet debt obligations exposed the fragility of this approach, especially in a volatile market environment.

That said, the liquidation of much of its ETH reserve has left shareholders questioning the long-term viability of the firm’s ‘crypto-first’ capital structure. Many now see the collapse from 2025 highs to $3.33 as a case study in the risks of combining high leverage with concentrated digital asset exposure.

Why Thiel’s departure matters for ETHZilla stock

For many traders, the news that Founders Fund exits the name entirely is more than just a portfolio adjustment. It is interpreted as a symbolic end to the original thesis, in which a prominent Silicon Valley billionaire validated the Ethereum balance-sheet model. However, the departure also raises questions about whether other institutions might follow.

The loss of a 7.5% anchor investor removes a perceived backstop for the share price. Moreover, it undermines the narrative that a ‘Saylor-style’ accumulation of ETH, inspired by high-profile Bitcoin treasury strategies, can be easily replicated in the Ethereum ecosystem under the same leverage conditions.

ETHZilla’s renewed pivot toward tokenization and RWAs

In response to growing scrutiny, the company has tried to shift away from a pure crypto-treasury identity. One of its most notable ethzilla tokenization plans is the launch of “ETHZilla Aerospace”, a unit focused on tokenizing leased jet engines. This initiative aims to create on-chain exposure to aviation assets, potentially smoothing cash flows.

ETHZilla has also been on a mission to repair its balance sheet. In late 2025, the firm liquidated more than 24,000 ETH to repay convertible bond obligations, reducing immediate debt pressure but also shrinking its direct crypto holdings. Moreover, management has pursued acquisitions of modular home loan portfolios, targeting on-chain yields and positioning itself within the broader Real World Assets (RWA) narrative.

The real world asset pivot is designed to diversify revenue sources and reduce reliance on price appreciation in ETH alone. However, the timing of Thiel’s exit has overshadowed these efforts, reinforcing market doubts about whether the new focus can offset past leverage risks and severe equity dilution.

Structural questions for Ethereum treasury plays

The ETHZilla saga has intensified debate over the sustainability of corporate strategies built around heavy use of debt to accumulate crypto. While some Bitcoin treasury stories have retained investor enthusiasm, Ether-focused structures face higher skepticism, particularly when they depend on ongoing asset appreciation to service obligations.

That said, the reaction to the ethzilla stock drop suggests that public markets are now more willing to penalize firms that deploy extreme leverage in pursuit of digital asset exposure. Moreover, Thiel’s decision to exit at a steep drawdown may discourage new entrants from embracing similar Ethereum-centric balance sheet experiments.

Outlook after the Thiel exit

The latest developments leave the company at a crossroads, with its original high-octane treasury strategy largely unwound and investor confidence deeply shaken. Going forward, management’s ability to execute on tokenization and RWA initiatives will be critical to rebuilding trust and stabilizing cash flows.

For now, ETHZilla stock trades as a cautionary example of how quickly sentiment can flip when leverage, volatility and concentrated exposure collide. However, if the firm can prove its new asset-backed model is resilient, some investors may eventually revisit the story with a more cautious, fundamentals-first lens.

Stripe’s acquisition of the Bridge stablecoin platform is entering a new phase as U.S. regulators clear the way for federally supervised issuance and custody of tokenized dollars.

OCC conditional approval elevates Bridge to national trust bank

Bridge, the stablecoin infrastructure provider acquired by payments giant Stripe, has secured conditional approval from the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to form a national trust bank. The move allows the company to issue dollar-pegged tokens, manage reserves, and deliver custodial services under direct federal oversight.

The charter sits at the center of Stripe’s strategy to embed blockchain-based payments into its global network. Moreover, it gives Bridge the ability to operate across the U.S. without seeking separate state-level money transmitter licenses, a key operational advantage as the stablecoin market scales.

The decision also provides clearer regulatory status for issuers leveraging Bridge’s platform. That said, the OCC’s conditions, combined with ongoing supervision, will shape how quickly the company can expand across the digital dollar ecosystem.

Bridge’s role in Stripe’s stablecoin and payments strategy

The conditional banking charter positions Bridge as a more influential player in U.S. stablecoins, offering greater compliance assurance for businesses seeking tokenized dollar solutions. The approval marks a new milestone for the company, which already supports the issuance of stablecoins such as Phantom’s CASH and MetaMask’s mUSD via Stripe’s Open Issuance platform.

Bridge’s framework operates under GENIUS Act requirements, which aim to safeguard customers while enabling scalable blockchain middleware. Moreover, this compliance profile is designed to appeal to enterprises, fintechs, and crypto-native firms that need institutional-grade infrastructure for token issuance, reserves management, and settlement.

Within Stripe’s ecosystem, the platform functions as connective tissue between traditional payments and on-chain settlement. However, the long-term impact will depend on how quickly merchants, financial institutions, and app developers adopt on-chain dollars for real-world transactions.

Founders and strategy: from Coinbase alumni to U.S.-wide reach

Bridge was founded by former Coinbase executives Zach Abrams and Sean Yu, who set out to simplify movement between traditional fiat rails and blockchain networks. Their infrastructure focuses on stablecoin orchestration, reserve management, and compliance tooling that can plug into existing financial systems.

With OCC authorization in place, the company can now expand its services across the United States under a unified federal framework. Moreover, the national trust bank structure reduces dependence on a patchwork of state licenses, potentially accelerating deployments for clients that want to integrate tokenized dollars at scale.

According to the firm, this architecture should benefit enterprises and fintechs looking for turnkey solutions that combine Stripe’s payments reach with regulated digital asset capabilities. However, the broader industry is watching closely to see how quickly such federally supervised models can move from pilot to mainstream use.

Competition and emerging regulatory clarity in stablecoins

The OCC’s conditional approval further strengthens Bridge’s positioning in the rapidly growing stablecoin arena. It also reflects a broader trend of crypto and fintech firms seeking stablecoin regulatory clarity, as companies including Ripple, Circle and Paxos have pursued similar charters or approvals to operate within U.S. banking and securities rules.

Where Bridge differentiates itself is in its integration with Stripe’s global payments infrastructure, potentially enabling digital dollar usage across a wide base of online merchants and platforms. Moreover, this combination of payments scale and federal oversight could influence how other payment networks, such as Visa or Mastercard, consider future stablecoin partnerships.

For businesses, the development offers another option for accessing tokenized dollars without building their own regulatory stack. That said, competitive pressure is intensifying as multiple issuers, protocols, and banking partners race to define the standard for institutional-grade U.S. stablecoins.

Policy concerns around speed of approvals and the GENIUS Act

Despite the potential benefits, the wave of national trust bank charters for crypto-related firms is drawing scrutiny from traditional finance. The American Bankers Association (ABA) has urged the OCC to ensure that the GENIUS Act provisions are clearly interpreted and consistently implemented across new digital asset charters.

The ABA’s concerns center on whether fintech and crypto companies might use these structures to sidestep the level of oversight that conventional banks face. Moreover, many of the detailed regulations required by the law are still being drafted, raising questions about how supervisory standards will evolve over the next few years.

In this context, the latest bridge stablecoin approval is seen as both a marker of progress and a test case. However, critics argue that the OCC must calibrate its approach carefully as asset tokenization accelerates.

Outlook for federal oversight and stablecoin infrastructure

Going forward, the continued coordination between the OCC, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) will be critical in defining the U.S. stablecoin regime. Moreover, their joint stance on reserve quality, disclosures, and risk management will influence how quickly tokenized dollars become embedded in the broader payments system.

For Stripe and Bridge, the conditional charter represents both an opportunity and an obligation to demonstrate that regulated stablecoin infrastructure can operate at internet scale while meeting banking-level standards. That said, the pace of adoption will depend on market demand, merchant readiness, and the evolving legal framework around digital dollars.

In summary, Bridge’s national trust bank status under OCC supervision gives Stripe a powerful new lever in blockchain-based payments, while placing the company at the center of the United States debate over how stablecoins should be governed and deployed.

Lawmakers in Arizona took a step toward formalizing arizona digital assets policy as a new reserve fund bill cleared its first Senate hurdle.

Arizona Senate Finance backs new digital asset reserve

The Arizona Senate Finance Committee has approved SB1649, a measure that would create a state-run Digital Assets Strategic Reserve Fund. The committee advanced the bill on a 4–2 vote, signaling growing institutional interest in cryptocurrencies at the state level.

Under SB1649, the proposed arizona digital asset fund would hold certain cryptocurrencies and tokens that come into state control. Specifically, it targets digital assets seized surrendered or otherwise surrendered to Arizona authorities, which would then be placed into the new reserve structure.

XRP explicitly named as qualifying reserve asset

The bill’s language explicitly identifies XRP as one of the qualifying assets for the reserve. Moreover, the text clarifies that XRP and other eligible digital instruments may be held when they are seized or voluntarily turned over to the state, ensuring clarity around which tokens can be included.

Importantly, the proposal allows the state treasurer to manage and securely hold those digital holdings. However, the treasurer would be required to follow a defined state treasurer custody plan, using what the legislation describes as regulated custody solutions and exchange-traded products to safeguard and administer the portfolio.

Custody rules and management framework

In practical terms, SB1649 authorizes the treasurer to rely on advanced custody tools and regulated exchange-traded products when overseeing the fund. That said, the measure keeps the reserve under public oversight by placing responsibility with an elected official rather than outsourcing control entirely to private platforms.

Supporters argue the framework is consistent with broader state-level efforts to clarify control over tokens held in government hands. While SB1649 does not amend the arizona revised uniform fiduciary access to digital assets act, it operates alongside those principles by defining how public entities can hold and manage coins such as XRP.

Legislative path through Senate and House

Following the committee’s 4–2 approval, SB1649 now proceeds to the full Arizona Senate for debate and additional votes. If it secures majority support there, the bill will move to the Arizona House for further consideration, where lawmakers could propose amendments or adjustments to the reserve’s design.

The bill’s progress will determine whether the state creates a state digital asset reserve that formally incorporates XRP. Moreover, if enacted as written, the law would see xrp included in reserve holdings whenever the token is seized or surrendered, potentially making Arizona the first U.S. state with a dedicated reserve structure featuring that asset.

In summary, SB1649 positions Arizona to experiment with a state-managed crypto reserve, using structured rules for custody, oversight, and asset eligibility, pending full legislative approval.

Despite recent volatility across digital assets, Strategy bitcoin holdings have increased again following another aggressive treasury allocation.

Strategy adds 2,486 BTC to corporate treasury

Strategy, the prominent Bitcoin treasury company led by Michael Saylor, has disclosed a fresh purchase of 2,486 BTC worth $168 million. The acquisition, revealed in a new post on X, was executed at an average price of $67,710 per coin.

According to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the transaction took place between February 9th and 16th. Moreover, the company funded the deal using proceeds from its STRC and MSTR at-the-market ATM stock offerings, continuing its practice of using equity issuance to expand its Bitcoin position.

Strategy usually discloses new purchases on Mondays. However, this announcement arrived on a Tuesday, likely delayed because Monday was the US federal holiday Presidents’ Day. The firm nonetheless kept to its pattern of promptly updating markets on sizeable treasury reallocations.

Holdings reach 717,131 BTC but show unrealized loss

Following the latest buy, Strategy now controls 717,131 BTC on its balance sheet. The company has spent a cumulative $54.52 billion to build this position. However, at current market prices, the stash is valued at just $48.66 billion, implying a bitcoin net unrealized loss of more than 10.7%.

This underwater position stems from the sector-wide downturn that Bitcoin and other digital assets have faced in recent months. In particular, the collapse that began at the end of January pushed the coin below the firm’s average cost basis. At present, Strategy’s overall acquisition level stands at $76,027 per BTC, placing the latest purchase below that threshold.

Despite the drawdown, the company has not shifted away from its long-term bitcoin treasury model. Instead, it continues to treat the cryptocurrency as a primary reserve asset, reinforcing a buy-and-hold approach even when market conditions turn against its entry prices.

Risk management and debt strategy outlined by Saylor

Strategy bitcoin positioning has been accompanied by explicit communication on risk tolerance. On Sunday, the firm’s official X account published a post explaining that the balance sheet could withstand a decline in BTC to $8,000 while still retaining enough assets to fully cover all outstanding debt obligations.

In a quote-repost, Michael Saylor elaborated that “our plan is to equitize our convertible debt over the next 3–6 years.” Moreover, the message underscored that the company views its capital structure and leverage as manageable, even under extreme stress-test price scenarios for Bitcoin.

The latest buy marks Strategy’s 99th acquisition since it adopted a Bitcoin-focused treasury approach in 2020. That said, Saylor had already hinted at the move in his routine Sunday post, captioning an image of the firm’s BTC portfolio tracker with “99>98” to signal another step in the accumulation campaign.

BitMine expands Ethereum treasury despite losses

In parallel to Strategy’s moves in BTC, BitMine, the largest Ethereum treasury company, has announced a substantial new ETH purchase. The firm acquired 45,759 ETH, bringing its total holdings to 4,371,497 ETH, which represents 3.62% of Ethereum’s circulating supply.

BitMine has maintained its accumulation stance even though its position has been sitting at a considerable loss amid the same market downturn hurting Bitcoin. However, the company continues to frame its strategy as fundamentally driven. “In our view, the price of ETH is not reflective of the high utility of ETH and its role as the future of finance,” said Tom Lee, BitMine’s chairman.

This latest bitmine eth purchase underlines how some institutional players are using lower prices across major cryptocurrencies to reinforce long-term exposure, rather than scaling back risk. It also highlights a growing divergence between short-term market sentiment and the conviction of large treasury holders.

BTC price trades below Strategy’s cost basis

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading around $67,700, down nearly 2% over the last seven days. The recent slide has kept spot prices below Strategy’s aggregate acquisition cost, extending the firm’s unrealized losses despite the latest purchase executed at a discount to its overall basis.

The broader market has shown choppy behavior over the past month, with rallies failing to hold and sellers capping upside. However, Strategy and BitMine appear committed to their accumulation paths, signaling that for some corporate treasuries, volatility remains secondary to long-term conviction in leading digital assets.

In summary, Strategy’s 99th BTC acquisition and BitMine’s sizable ETH buy reinforce a continued institutional bet on major cryptocurrencies, even as prices and portfolio marks remain under pressure.

XRPUSDT is trading in a technically weak spot, with the broader market risk-off and the Ripple crypto price weighed down by Bitcoin dominance and extreme fear.

XRP/USDT — daily chart with candlesticks, EMA20/EMA50 and volume.

Daily Timeframe (D1) – Macro Bias: Bearish With Mild Stabilization

The higher timeframe defines the main scenario. Right now, XRPUSDT’s primary bias is bearish, but there are some early signs the downside pressure is easing, not accelerating.

Trend Structure: EMAs

Daily close: 1.47
EMA 20: 1.53
EMA 50: 1.71
EMA 200: 2.14

Price is trading below all three daily EMAs, and the shorter EMAs sit well under the 200-day. That is a textbook bearish structure: the market is trading under recent value (20/50-day) and well below the longer-term trend (200-day). The distance to the 200-day EMA also highlights how extended the broader downtrend still is; XRP would need a sizable rally just to retest that long-term line.

In practice, this means rallies toward 1.53–1.71 are currently rallies into resistance, not into a friendly trend. Moreover, any bullish stance here is, by definition, a countertrend or mean-reversion play until price can reclaim at least the 20-day EMA on a closing basis.

Momentum: RSI (14)

RSI (14) Daily: 41.62

Daily RSI is sitting below 50 but comfortably above classical oversold territory. That lines up with a controlled downtrend rather than panic selling. Bears still have the upper hand, but they are not driving price into exhaustion yet. For traders, this means there is room for another leg lower if the structure breaks, but also enough fuel for a technical bounce if support continues to hold.

Momentum Confirmation: MACD

MACD line: -0.10
Signal line: -0.12
Histogram: 0.02

The MACD is negative, consistent with the prevailing bearish regime, but the line is slightly above the signal and the histogram has ticked into positive territory. In plain language, the downtrend is still there, but the downside momentum is fading and short-term selling pressure is no longer accelerating. This is often how a market starts transitioning from a straight-down move into either consolidation or a reversal attempt.

However, this is an early sign only. Without price reclaiming key levels, MACD easing off is not enough to declare a trend change.

Volatility & Range: Bollinger Bands and ATR

Bollinger Bands (20,2):
Mid band: 1.48
Upper band: 1.71
Lower band: 1.26
ATR (14) Daily: 0.13

Price is hugging the middle band at 1.48, just under it, rather than riding the lower band. That tells us the recent sell pressure has cooled and price is oscillating around the 20-day average band. The upper band sits near 1.71, right around the 50-day EMA, which reinforces that 1.70–1.71 area as a serious resistance cluster for any upside move.

ATR at 0.13 means the typical daily swing is under 10% of price. For XRP, that is moderate volatility, not a volatility spike associated with capitulation, but also not a dead market. Traders can reasonably expect intraday swings, but nothing like the kind of blow-off ranges that usually mark trend extremes.

Key Daily Reference Levels: Pivots

Pivot point (PP): 1.48
Resistance R1: 1.49
Support S1: 1.46

The daily pivot sits exactly around where price is trading now. Trading slightly below PP and under R1 keeps XRP in a marginally bearish intraday posture on the higher timeframe: sellers are still leaning on rallies toward 1.48–1.49. S1 at 1.46 is the first line of defense; if that breaks with volume, the door opens for a move toward the lower band area, with 1.40–1.35 as a natural extension zone.

Hourly Timeframe (H1) – Short-Term Bias: Neutral / Range-Bound

On the 1-hour chart, XRPUSDT looks more like a market catching its breath than one in free fall.

Trend and Structure: EMAs

H1 close: 1.47
EMA 20: 1.48
EMA 50: 1.48
EMA 200: 1.44
Regime: Neutral

Price is sitting just below the 20 and 50-hour EMAs, but still above the 200-hour EMA. This gives us a very different picture versus the daily chart: in the short term, the longer intraday trend (200 EMA) is still intact, and price is consolidating a bit above it while failing to convincingly reclaim the shorter intraday EMAs.

In simple terms, the hourly structure says: downtrend on the bigger chart, sideways on the intraday. That is consistent with consolidation inside a larger bearish context and often precedes either a continuation drop or a relief bounce.

Momentum and Volatility: RSI, MACD, Bands, ATR

RSI (14) H1: 45.65
MACD H1: line 0, signal 0, histogram 0
Bollinger mid: 1.48 (up 1.49, low 1.46)
ATR (14) H1: 0.01

The hourly RSI below 50 but not oversold confirms a slight bearish tilt without capitulation. MACD at zero with a flat histogram shows a market in balance, where neither buyers nor sellers are strongly in control on this timeframe right now.

Price is trading within a very tight band between roughly 1.46 and 1.49, with an hourly ATR of 0.01. That is a narrow intraday range, pointing to short-term indecision and compression. Range compression in a bearish macro context often resolves with a directional move; the hourly structure will be key to spotting which way that breaks.

Hourly Pivots

H1 Pivot (PP): 1.47
R1: 1.48
S1: 1.46

On the hourly, 1.47 is the immediate battleground. Trading right at the pivot keeps the intraday stance neutral. A sustained push above 1.48 would tilt the very short term in favor of a bounce, while repeated failures at 1.48 followed by a clean move under 1.46 would hand control back to sellers.

15-Minute Timeframe (M15) – Execution Context Only

The 15-minute chart is not for macro decisions here; it just tells us how clean or choppy the execution environment is around these levels.

Short-Term Structure: EMAs and RSI

M15 close: 1.47
EMA 20: 1.48
EMA 50: 1.48
EMA 200: 1.49
RSI (14) M15: 34.92
Regime: Neutral

On M15, price is wedged below all three EMAs, including the 200-period, and RSI is dipping into the mid-30s. That is a short-term intraday bearish skew, meaning local pressure is to the downside even as the hourly chart is neutral. If you are looking at very tight entries or exits, be aware the microstructure currently favors sellers on small timeframes.

Micro Volatility: Bands, ATR, and Pivot

Bollinger mid M15: 1.48 (up 1.50, low 1.47)
ATR (14) M15: 0.01
M15 Pivot: 1.47 (R1 1.47, S1 1.47 – effectively flat)

The 15-minute bands are extremely tight, and the pivot levels are effectively compressed around the same price. This confirms a very short-term squeeze with low realized volatility, where small orders can move price within the micro-range. It is a choppy execution zone better suited to scalpers than position traders.

Putting It Together – Main Scenario and Key Paths

The dominant scenario based on the daily chart is bearish. XRP is in a downtrend under all major daily EMAs, with sentiment in the wider market extremely fearful and BTC dominance high. The lower timeframes do not strongly contradict this: the hourly chart is neutral and compressing, and the 15-minute leans mildly bearish.

Bullish Scenario – Mean Reversion From Support

For bulls, this is a potential mean-reversion setup rather than a trend-following buy.

What needs to happen:

Daily support at 1.46 holds. Price should defend S1 on both the daily and hourly charts and avoid a clean close below 1.46. Ideally, any dips below are quickly bought back, leaving lower wicks on intraday candles.

Reclaim of 1.48–1.49 and the daily mid-band. A sustained move and daily close back above the Bollinger mid (1.48) and R1 (1.49) would show buyers are regaining some control. That would likely be accompanied by daily RSI curling back toward 50 and the MACD histogram staying positive or expanding.

Target zone into the EMA cluster. If those steps occur, the upside mean-reversion target band sits around 1.53–1.71, spanning the 20-day EMA up into the upper band and 50-day EMA convergence. That area is where short-term bulls would likely face strong selling interest again.

What invalidates the bullish case: A decisive break and close below 1.46 on the daily, especially if accompanied by rising ATR and RSI dropping into the low 30s, would argue the bounce has failed and the downtrend is resuming. In that scenario, treating the move as a mean-reversion long becomes low probability.

Bearish Scenario – Trend Continuation After Compression

The more straightforward play with the current structure is a trend-continuation short on weakness in the Ripple crypto price.

What needs to happen:

Breakdown below 1.46 with follow-through. A clean push under S1 (1.46) on both daily and hourly charts, followed by acceptance (no immediate reclaim), would indicate sellers have won the current range battle.

Hourly EMAs roll over and price stays below them. On H1, you would want to see price rejected from the 20/50-hour EMAs around 1.48 and start using them as dynamic resistance, aligning intraday structure with the bearish daily trend.

Momentum re-energizes to the downside. Daily RSI breaking under 40 and heading toward mid-30s, with MACD rolling lower and the histogram flipping back deeper into negative, would confirm that the brief easing in downside momentum is over.

In that case, the next logical technical magnets sit toward the lower Bollinger Band at 1.26, with intermediate psychological levels (1.40, 1.35) along the way. Volatility (ATR) would likely expand in that move as traders exit late longs and fresh shorts pile in.

What invalidates the bearish case: A daily close back above roughly 1.53 (20-day EMA) would be the first clear warning sign. A move above 1.53 that holds, especially if accompanied by an hourly structure flipping bullish, with price above the 200-hour EMA and rising RSI, would imply the market is transitioning from a simple corrective downtrend into a broader base or even a new up-leg.

Positioning, Risk, and Uncertainty

XRPUSDT is in a downtrend with signs of short-term stabilization. The daily chart still says respect the bearish regime, while the lower timeframes show compression rather than capitulation. That combination usually favors patience: forcing trades inside a tight 1.46–1.49 range is mostly noise unless you operate on very short horizons.

For directional positioning, the cleaner plays tend to come after this compression resolves, either via a convincing reclaim of the 1.48–1.53 band for countertrend longs or a clear break and acceptance below 1.46 for trend-following shorts. In both cases, volatility and slippage can increase around the break, so using the ATR numbers as a rough gauge of expected daily swing is sensible risk management.

As always in a market dominated by macro risk-off flows and extreme fear sentiment, headline and cross-asset volatility, especially from Bitcoin, can quickly disrupt these technical structures. Any position around XRP here has to account for the possibility of fast moves and false breaks, particularly while the market trades under all major daily EMAs.

In short, the Ripple crypto price is sitting at an awkward spot, technically weak on the higher timeframe but not yet in panic mode. Traders who respect the higher timeframe downtrend while waiting for cleaner confirmation from the current range will generally be better aligned with how this tape is behaving.

Large holders are stepping back as bitcoin whales become less active, raising fresh questions about short-term market direction and volatility.

Bitcoin whale transactions slide as market cools

Over the past 2 weeks, Bitcoin whale transactions have dropped by 72%, coinciding with the price slipping below $70k. This sharp fall in large on-chain movements suggests major players are slowing activity, with some entering a kind of large holder hibernation rather than driving further sell pressure.

On-chain analyst Ali Martinez highlighted the trend on social media, citing data from Santiment. According to this dataset, whale transactions fell over the last 12 days from a peak above 5,000 daily transfers to fewer than 1,800 yesterday. Moreover, some observers interpret this as evidence of fading interest from large market participants.

However, other analysts argue that the pullback in bitcoin whale transactions reflects tactical patience rather than capitulation. In this view, whales are pausing amid an ongoing bearish squeeze and may return aggressively once a clearer price trend emerges. That said, the drop in big transfers still points to thinner crypto market liquidity and potentially lower volatility in the near term.

Bitcoin now trades within a relatively tight $65k–$70k band. The leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization is undergoing a steady bitcoin consolidation period after an earlier sell-off that briefly drove the price down to $60k. However, this range-bound phase suggests that both bulls and bears are waiting for a decisive breakout before committing fresh capital.

Exchange whale ratio jumps as inflows climb

Despite the slowdown in on-chain transfers by big holders, inflows from these entities to major trading venues are rising. The bitcoin exchange inflow ratio for whales hit a new high of 0.81 on February 14, after sitting near 0.31 on January 10. Moreover, this move higher came alongside a period of price weakness, which keeps market sentiment cautious.

On most tracking platforms, a whale inflow ratio above 0.85 is considered a bearish warning. At that level, whales are thought to dominate deposits to centralized exchanges and could be preparing to offload holdings. However, when the ratio remains below 0.85, analysts generally see greater retail participation in deposits, which is usually interpreted as a supportive or bullish backdrop.

Currently, the metric is still under the 0.85 threshold, but its upward trajectory keeps bulls on edge. That said, the approach toward this key line suggests traders will monitor whale behavior closely in case selling intentions increase. Moreover, any fresh spike in exchange deposits from large addresses could quickly shift expectations around short-term price moves.

What the latest whale patterns may signal

The current mix of subdued transfers and rising exchange inflows paints a nuanced picture for bitcoin whales. On one hand, fewer high-value moves on-chain indicate a cooler trading environment and less aggressive distribution. On the other, the growing share of large inflows to exchanges means substantial selling power remains ready to act if sentiment deteriorates.

For now, the data implies the broader market is in a holding pattern, with both sides watching liquidity and volatility indicators. However, until whales either resume accumulation on-chain or push the exchange ratio decisively above 0.85, signals are likely to stay mixed. In summary, large holders are clearly less active, but their next decisive move will determine whether the current consolidation breaks higher or lower.

In conclusion, the decline in whale transactions and the rise in the exchange ratio together confirm that short-term activity is cooling, even as potential selling pressure lingers. Market participants will therefore continue to track big holder behavior as a key guide to where the next major move in Bitcoin may emerge.

Satoshi Roundtable is a small, invite-only gathering where founders and big-ticket investors trade blunt views in closed-door sessions. The 12th edition ran Jan. 29–Feb. 3, 2026, at a private resort in Dubai. 

Among the attendees was Bryan Benson, CEO of the Aurum Foundation and a veteran of the space with nearly three decades of experience in fintech and digital assets. Benson, who previously spearheaded Binance’s expansion in Latin America, discussed shifting industry priorities after the event.

The “Operator’s Summit” and the reach gap

Reflecting on the atmosphere in Dubai, Benson described a room dominated by infrastructure builders and legal experts — a departure from the marketing-heavy crowds typical of larger industry gatherings. 

“Walking into the Satoshi Roundtable, it was clear this was an operator’s summit, a room built for builders,” Benson said. “You had people from BlackRock and ex-Citadel personnel talking to regulatory specialists from Dubai and Singapore. When that’s the room’s center of gravity, the conversation naturally defaults to hardening the framework, improving settlement, mechanics and compliance.”

The ecosystem is building world-class infrastructure for sophisticated institutional participants, according to Benson, and consumer outcomes still show uneven progress. He argued that the underlying technology is getting stronger for institutions, but everyday access still lags, especially in how products are explained and supported outside of niche crypto circles.

Real-world assets: system over UI

One of the core themes of this year’s Satoshi Roundtable was the maturation of real-world assets (RWAs). Benson argued that, while the technical infrastructure for tokenized assets is becoming more robust, their meaningful reach remains limited. “The prevailing mood was that we’ve built some incredible rails for RWAs, but the reach is still narrow,” Benson said. “It’s one thing to tokenize an asset cleanly on paper; it’s another to connect it to real users and economic activity.”

Benson said much of the industry’s focus has been on UI, UX and distribution. He tied the bigger constraints to enforceability and transfer rules. “A lot of the debates I heard centered on UI, UX and distribution as the fix,” he said. “The infrastructure-level discussion that was missing is how to handle transfer rules, legal enforceability across jurisdictions and identity. When those mechanics are built for institutional gatekeeping, a better app or a flashier interface will struggle to scale participation.”

The AI confusion, utility vs. ownership

The intersection of AI and blockchain also dominated the agenda, though Benson noted a persistent blurring of lines between “AI tokens” and the tokenization of physical compute. “Most were focused on ‘AI tokens,’ things used for software access, compute metering, or coordinating a network,” he said. “That’s a different conversation than tokenizing the ownership layer of AI infrastructure.”

Benson said the market often treats software services as if they were productive assets. He called for clearer distinctions. “Software services and the physical machines and data centers that power them sit in different buckets,” he said. “One is an operational token for metered consumption, the other is a strategic asset class with ownership claims and cash-flow rights.”

Missing pieces, tokenizing the compute layer

Despite the focus on AI, Benson said the event included little discussion about the physical hardware that makes AI possible. He argued that data centers represent a large, under-discussed RWA category. “Data centers are among the most valuable productive infrastructure of the AI era, yet they were almost entirely absent from the conversation,” Benson said.

He added that the dialogue often stopped at the operational layer, such as agent governance and security, and did not move into ownership questions. “More discussion is needed on how to structure governance and accountability for the hardware itself, especially when retail participation is part of the vision,” he said. “There is very little discussion around putting real ownership of these physical compute assets on-chain.”

Building outcomes beyond rails

A lot of time went to conversations with builders and allocators who want to solve for real-market constraints, according to Benson. “Those are the people worth building with, the ones who think in systems and execution.”

Benson believes the next wave will reward teams that can meet institutional requirements without confusing ordinary users. He pointed to Aurum’s own roadmap as a blueprint, including a product focused on data center machine ownership. 

“Solving accessibility in this space is about making ownership understandable,” Benson stressed. “People need to know what they own and what their rights are during market stress. At Aurum, the work is infrastructure-level, including data center machine ownership, where revenue participation ties to actual machines.”

“The event confirmed the direction,”  Benson concluded, “and it also showed a major execution gap between building rails and delivering outcomes.”

As digital asset markets slide and volatility spikes, the BNB Chain AI narrative is quietly gaining traction across builders, users, and on-chain activity.

BNB Chain turns to AI agents amid market weakness

While broader crypto sentiment sits at multi‑year lows, BNB Chain has maintained resilience, extending last year’s on-chain momentum and focusing on long-term infrastructure. Moreover, the network is pushing into autonomous software agents as it prepares for the next market phase.

In a recent move, the network rolled out support for AI agent standards ERC-8004 and BAP-578. According to BNB Chain, these frameworks aim to make on-chain agent identity practical at scale “with low fees, fast transactions, and infrastructure designed for frequent agent activity.”

AI agents are autonomous programs that can make decisions, interact with other systems, and execute tasks, including trading and data management, without constant human input. However, existing deployments often remain confined to single applications or centralized platforms, limiting composability and interoperability.

To address these constraints, BNB Chain confirmed earlier this month that the ERC-8004 infrastructure is now live on the BNB Smart Chain (BSC) Mainnet and Testnet. This rollout is designed to extend agent functionality across multiple protocols and applications rather than keeping them siloed.

ERC-8004 and BAP-578 define on-chain agent identity

ERC-8004 introduces a new on-chain identity standard that gives autonomous AI agents a verifiable, portable identity across platforms. This identity can move between dApps and services, creating a consistent representation of the agent’s capabilities and history. That said, adoption by developers will determine how quickly this standard becomes a default.

The announcement also unveiled BNB Application Proposals (BAPs), a complementary standard at the application layer. Moreover, BAPs are intended to define how agents interact with protocols in a predictable way, sitting on top of the base identity provided by ERC-8004.

BAP-578, the first proposal in this series, launches the Non-Fungible Agent (NFA) standard. Under this framework, AI agents exist as on-chain assets that can hold assets, execute logic, interact with DeFi and other protocols, and be bought, sold, or even hired. This non fungible agent standard effectively treats agents as programmable, tradeable entities.

According to BNB Chain, BAP-578 is the first step toward building an open, predictable, and interoperable agent economy bnb chain wide. However, the broader vision depends on tooling, wallets, and protocols integrating these standards into real-world products.

Rapid growth of the AI agent ecosystem

By February 17, the BNB Chain AI Agent ecosystem had expanded to 58 projects across 10 categories, spanning infrastructure, social platforms, DeFi, trading, gaming, and entertainment. Moreover, this distribution suggests early diversification rather than concentration in a single niche.

In parallel, more than 200 builders have taken part in the ongoing “Good Vibes Only: OpenClaw Edition” hackathon, focused on AI and on-chain actions. That said, the real test will be whether these experiments transition into sustained products and active users once the event ends.

This growing cohort of bnb smart chain agents and related projects indicates that BNB Chain is betting heavily on automation as a driver of future on-chain demand. However, user experience, safety, and governance around autonomous code will remain key questions as the ecosystem matures.

BNB Chain fundamentals hold during market downturn

Despite the latest market downturn and a visible price correction in the BNB token, the broader network has preserved many of its core on-chain metrics. Crypto market intelligence firm Messari highlighted BNB Chain’s performance in its review of the last quarter of 2025.

According to Messari, BNB Chain ended 2025 as the third-largest network by DeFi Total Value Locked (TVL), closing the year with $6.6 billion in TVL across its ecosystem, up 23.6% year-over-year. Moreover, the report noted that average daily transactions rose 30.4% quarter-over-quarter, while daily active addresses increased 13.3%.

On the tokenization front, the total Real-World Asset (RWA) value on BNB Chain grew to $2 billion by the end of 2025. That figure represented a 228.1% increase quarter-over-quarter and a 554.6% jump year-over-year from the $3.6 million recorded at the start of the year.

Most of these indicators have remained resilient through the recent crypto market struggles. TVL, daily active addresses, and average daily transactions have continued to show sustained growth since late 2025, suggesting that developers and users are still engaging with the network despite price volatility.

Prediction markets and volume milestones

Alongside the rise of on-chain agent identity, the ecosystem has seen rapid expansion in the prediction markets segment. Leading platforms built on BNB Chain surpassed a cumulative trading volume of $20 billion in late January, marking a key milestone for this niche.

These dynamics intersect with the broader bnb chain ai thesis, as autonomous agents could eventually participate in prediction markets, liquidity provisioning, and arbitrage strategies. However, regulation, risk management, and smart contract security will heavily influence how far that automation can go.

At the same time, BNB price action has reflected wider market stress, with short-term charts showing notable swings. Nonetheless, the combination of ERC-8004, BAP-578, and a growing roster of AI-focused projects positions BNB Chain as a major testing ground for programmable agents on public blockchains.

In summary, as the crypto market navigates a difficult phase, BNB Chain is using the downturn to invest in standards, identity, and infrastructure for autonomous agents, aiming to be ready when the next growth cycle arrives.

Ciao, Alessia Pannone

The founder of Cardano has sketched an expansive web3 vision where the cardano blockchain underpins everything from dating platforms to video streaming and social media.

Charles Hoskinson’s long-term blockchain vision

The web3 revolution began quietly when the Bitcoin blockchain went live, long before most people understood its impact. From that moment, development moved steadily, then accelerated, bringing us to today’s fast-growing crypto landscape. However, the sector remains relatively young, with new use cases still emerging and being tested in production.

Against this backdrop, Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, has reiterated his ambition to see everything running on blockchain technology. He argues that a fully on-chain world could deliver higher security, true verification, and greater user control. Moreover, he believes many current web services could function more transparently and efficiently if redesigned on decentralized rails.

Since Bitcoin‘s debut, the industry has evolved far beyond its initial scope. Bitcoin started with one primary use case and a bold aspiration to transform traditional banking by offering transparency, immutability, and decentralized control. That early experiment shifted power toward users while promising strong security and relatively fast settlement, unlike legacy financial infrastructures.

From first-generation chains to Cardano’s ecosystem

As blockchain networks expanded, they confronted new technical and economic challenges. New chains launched to address scalability, programmability, and governance issues that Bitcoin could not solve alone. However, this rush to innovate also introduced fragmentation, with rival platforms competing intensely and often lacking interoperability. As a result, users and developers faced a complex, siloed ecosystem.

To build infrastructure capable of lasting decades, Hoskinson has long argued that the sector needs rigorous research and careful design, not just rapid iteration. His answer was the Cardano ecosystem, developed over roughly a decade with a focus on peer-reviewed research, layered architecture, and formal methods. That said, even Cardano’s supporters acknowledge that its measured rollout has sometimes been slower than more experimental rivals.

Today, the Cardano network has gained wider recognition after years of methodical development. Its advocates position it among blockchain interoperability solutions, designed to eventually connect disparate chains while remaining decentralized. Moreover, Hoskinson now emphasizes the need to unite different crypto communities so that infrastructure and standards can evolve together instead of in isolated pockets.

Web3 beyond coin trading

The industry is still testing how far blockchain technology can go beyond payments and speculative trading. Many high-profile experiments have emerged in gaming, decentralized finance, digital identity, and data ownership. However, Hoskinson insists that long-term success requires pushing boundaries and asking difficult questions about what should move on-chain and why.

In his view, the cardano blockchain should support mainstream applications that people already use daily. He has criticized narratives that reduce crypto to mere token speculation and instead promotes a web3 future in which decentralized infrastructure quietly powers common services. Moreover, he frames this shift as an opportunity to embed stronger assurances about data integrity and user rights into digital products.

From Netflix to Tinder and social media

Hoskinson has floated examples such as Netflix, Tinder, social networks, and online games as candidates to run on blockchain rails. He envisions blockchain for streaming platforms that could bring transparent royalty payments, auditable content metrics, and censorship-resistant distribution. While such models remain experimental, they reflect growing interest in decentralized media infrastructures.

On the social side, advocates see potential in blockchain for social media, where users could own their data and carry social graphs across platforms. However, building such systems at scale would demand significant advances in throughput, user experience, and governance. It would also require convincing billions of users to adopt new tools without sacrificing convenience.

Hoskinson has been particularly vocal about blockchain for dating apps. He argues that putting key profile attributes on-chain, with appropriate privacy controls, could allow users to verify claims about height, income, and employment status. That said, any such system would have to balance transparency with confidentiality to avoid exposing sensitive personal information.

Identity, verification, and trust

The core idea behind these proposals is blockchain identity verification. Blockchains can store or anchor proofs that a trusted process verified certain facts without revealing all underlying data. This approach could improve trust in online interactions, from professional networking to dating, by reducing fake profiles and fabricated credentials. Moreover, verifiable credentials could travel with users across multiple platforms.

In the context of dating, Hoskinson has suggested that blockchain-based proofs could make apps “brutally honest” by dramatically reducing room for misrepresentation. However, critics warn that poorly designed systems might enable new surveillance risks or discrimination, especially if employers or financial institutions access the same data. Robust governance frameworks would therefore be essential.

What needs to happen next

For Hoskinson’s broader hoskinson web3 vision to materialize, several prerequisites must align. First, base-layer scalability must improve without undermining decentralization, a challenge often framed as the blockchain trilemma. Second, user-friendly wallets, identity tools, and onboarding flows must become as intuitive as traditional apps. Finally, legal and regulatory frameworks will need to adapt to decentralized infrastructure.

Strategy discussions in the sector increasingly focus on real-world adoption, not just protocol metrics. Developers are exploring ways to embed compliant identity, support complex digital rights, and handle content at internet scale. Moreover, cross-chain standards could let applications tap liquidity and users from multiple networks simultaneously, reducing fragmentation and improving resilience.

As of 2024, the crypto industry is still far from putting services like Netflix and Tinder fully on-chain. Yet Hoskinson’s comments highlight how some leaders now think in decades rather than market cycles. Whether his roadmap proves realistic or overly ambitious, it underscores a central web3 question: which parts of the internet should eventually run on blockchain rails, and which should remain off-chain?

In summary, Charles Hoskinson imagines a future where blockchain infrastructure, including Cardano, quietly powers everyday digital services, enhancing verification, security, and user sovereignty while challenging today’s centralized internet model.

European institutions are strengthening their focus on inclusive finance as the digital euro app becomes a key tool for future payments across the euro area.

ECB and ONCE Foundation sign accessibility-focused agreement

The European Central Bank (ECB) and the ONCE Foundation for Cooperation and Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities have signed a collaboration agreement to ensure the digital euro app is accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities, older adults and users with limited digital skills.

Under the agreement, the ECB will rely on the foundation’s expertise in three main areas. First, ONCE Foundation will provide technical advice on accessibility requirements and features. Second, it will collaborate on the app’s design to support clear interfaces and intuitive navigation. Third, it will test the accessibility of the app’s functionalities once the first prototypes are available.

Moreover, this collaboration aims to embed accessibility from the earliest stages of development rather than treating it as a late add-on, which is critical for a large-scale public payment tool.

Accessibility and inclusion as core design principles

“Accessibility and inclusion are not optional features, but core digital euro design principles,” said Piero Cipollone, ECB Executive Board member and Chair of the High-Level Task Force on a digital euro. He stressed that cooperation with organisations such as ONCE Foundation helps ensure that the future central bank money in digital form empowers every citizen in the digital age.

According to Cipollone, the objective is to leave no one behind as payments become more digital across the euro area. That said, designing such a public payment solution requires close engagement with experts in disability and user experience to capture real-world needs.

Jesús Hernández Galán, Director of Accessibility and Innovation at ONCE Foundation, underlined the importance of integrating accessibility features from the start. “It is an honour to contribute to ensuring that the digital euro integrates accessibility features from the very beginning,” he stated, adding that experts with disabilities will join the project team to combine technical knowledge with lived experience.

Beyond minimum legal standards and market practice

This collaboration supports the ECB’s ambition to go beyond the minimum legal accessibility requirements defined in the European Accessibility Act and beyond standard market practice. The ECB plans to adopt an “accessibility by design” approach so that accessibility is embedded throughout design and development.

In practical terms, this means ensuring the app is clear, understandable and easy to navigate for a very broad user base. Moreover, the outcome of this work could also inform user experience requirements for private payment service providers that build their own solutions on top of the digital euro infrastructure.

By systematically involving specialised organisations and end users, the Eurosystem aims to create a benchmark for digital euro user experience that can influence the wider payments market.

Digital financial inclusion and user-friendly features

Digital financial inclusion is described as integral to the technical design of the digital euro. In discussions under the Euro Retail Payments Board, consumer organisations emphasized the need for a public-facing app from the Eurosystem that is accessible to all, considering it a critical tool to guarantee universal access to the new form of money.

Furthermore, findings from the first digital euro innovation platform, which involved around 70 market participants, indicated that the currency could enhance inclusion and accessibility. This could be achieved through user-friendly functionalities such as voice-controlled transactions, large-font displays and guided onboarding processes that support users with varying needs.

Such features align with broader debates on digital euro inclusion features, where civil society groups have called for practical tools that help users who are visually impaired, older or less familiar with digital services.

Insights from vulnerable consumers and onboarding needs

The ECB is committed to actively involving the public in shaping the digital euro, particularly to understand the needs and preferences of potential users. Focus groups with vulnerable consumers highlighted the importance of multiple onboarding options, including in-person support at local bank branches, for people who may struggle with digital-only solutions.

Participants also requested payment flows that resemble familiar experiences, such as existing card or cash-like interactions, to avoid confusion. Moreover, they stressed the value of reassurance, simplicity and control over personal finances, especially for individuals who are less confident using digital tools or who fear making mistakes when paying.

These findings are directly feeding into design choices for the digital euro app, with a view to creating interfaces that minimise cognitive load and offer clear confirmations at each step of a transaction.

Regulatory alignment and non-remunerated cooperation

The collaboration between the ECB and ONCE Foundation, which is not remunerated, is aligned with current European regulations on accessibility, fundamental rights and digital transformation. It also supports the promotion of European standards aimed at ensuring that a future digital euro would deliver a user-friendly experience for all citizens.

In particular, the partnership complements broader eu accessibility regulation compliance efforts, ensuring that people in vulnerable situations, including those with disabilities or limited digital literacy, can participate fully in the evolving payments landscape.

Ultimately, the joint work between the ECB and ONCE Foundation is designed to ensure that any future digital euro delivers an inclusive, intuitive and secure payment experience for the entire population, setting a high standard for public digital money in Europe.