Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

The Biden Meme coin has cooled the crypto market, with investors fearing it may repeat the same fate as the TRUMP Meme coin.

According to HTX market data, since Hunter Biden announced the launch of meme coin LAPTOP, Bitcoin has fallen approximately 0.7%, Ethereum has dropped around 0.85%, and SOL has declined about 1.17%. Several previously high-profile meme coins also saw declines: MEME fell 19%, PONS dropped 9%, BONER declined 17%, Basecat fell 10%, and ZCAT dropped 13%. Notably, this market reaction may stem from a "precedent". Trump’s TRUMP coin was launched on January 17, 2025. While it saw continuous gains on its launch day, sparking FOMO in the community, its price has since plummeted, leaving behind a "mess" for the crypto space and drawing criticism from mainstream media. Data shows Bitcoin hit a high of $103,000 on January 17, 2025, but fell roughly 25% over the subsequent 54 days. At that time, the Solana network was also in a meme coin boom, with an average daily trading volume of around $4.53 billion, and a single-day peak of $5.86 billion (its current 24-hour volume is approximately $1.915 billion). Some of the most popular meme coin projects at that time peaked either before the launch of TRUMP coin or in recent days, including the once-hot ai16z (market cap of $2.74 billion), FARTCOIN ($2.84 billion), GRIFFAIN ($640 million), and pippin (phase peak of $370 million), among others.

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Hunter Biden-related Meme coin siphons market before launch, popular Meme coins in Robinhood ecosystem fall across the board.

Popular meme coins in the Robinhood ecosystem have fallen broadly, likely impacted by news that Hunter Biden, son of former US President Joe Biden, is set to launch a meme coin $LAPTOP named after the "laptop incident". Specific declines: · PONS dropped nearly 9% following its coin announcement, with its market cap falling to $726 million; · CASHCAT fell nearly 10% after its announcement, hitting a $190 million market cap; · AI dropped over 10% post its announcement, with its market cap standing at $179 million; · MEME once plunged over 20% after its announcement, dropping to a $91 million market cap; · microduck once fell over 25% post its announcement, hitting $17 million in market cap. BlockBeats Note: Price calculations are based on data released after the coin announcement at 22:50 Beijing Time today. Reminder: Most meme coins lack real use cases, feature highly volatile prices, and carry significant investment risks—invest with caution.

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Former US President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden confirmed via a tweet that he is teasing the release of 'LAPTOP'.

While The Wall Street Journal broke the news that Hunter Biden, son of former US President Joe Biden, will launch a meme coin named LAPTOP, Hunter Biden himself posted a teaser tweet and video on his official Twitter account, confirming the meme coin will be released on September 9. The name LAPTOP directly references the high-profile 2019-2020 Hunter Biden laptop scandal, in which his MacBook Pro was left at a computer repair shop in Delaware, and the shop owner later uncovered extensive private content stored on the device. That content was subsequently published by the New York Post ahead of the 2020 US presidential election, serving as a core tool for Republicans to attack the Biden family and a major, long-running controversy in US politics for years.

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CZ responds to "account hacked" allegations: Unfollowed some accounts solely because they had been inactive for over 30 days.

Binance founder CZ has posted a statement explaining the reason for unfollowing certain accounts, stating it was solely due to those accounts being inactive for more than 30 days. Earlier, CZ’s official Twitter account unfollowed several Binance Europe-related service accounts, which was initially interpreted by the crypto community as CZ’s Twitter account being hacked. The incident also spurred the emergence of some meme coin hype.

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The crypto community is abuzz over the resurgence of "political meme coins", with community sentiment leaning heavily toward satire and risk warnings.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported today that Hunter Biden, son of former U.S. President Joe Biden, is launching a meme coin called $LAPTOP, named after his high-profile "laptop incident," with a planned launch on Coinbase’s Base network on September 9. The crypto community is abuzz over the resurgence of political meme coins. Current community discussions center on three main angles: mainstream coverage, satire, and risk warnings. Mainstream reports highlight the token’s tie to the "laptop scandal," noting a portion will be allocated to those who suffered losses from $TRUMP, a move interpreted as a "counter-response" to the Trump family’s crypto projects. Analytical posts point out this is no ordinary celebrity coin—it turns one of the most politically weaponized symbols of the past decade into a tradable asset. The controversy itself acts as viral fuel, likely attracting three groups: supporters, opponents, and pure speculators, mirroring the attention rotation and liquidity battles seen earlier with $TRUMP and $MELANIA. Cautious traders warn that all tokens bearing the same name before the official launch are copies, advising against purchasing them. Some have already rushed to trade unofficial contracts to capitalize on early gains. Overall sentiment leans toward playfulness and caution: some joke that "the laptop ended a presidency, now it’s providing exit liquidity for others," while others argue political controversy has become a tradable asset class. History shows, however, that celebrity and political meme coins often "peak at launch," with subsequent attention fading rapidly. The event remains in the preview stage; official contracts and launch details will be confirmed via official channels. The crypto community’s interest in political meme coins has reignited, and its future trajectory will depend on the actual launch and market sentiment.

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Official Twitter account and smart contract of alleged Hunter Biden-linked new meme coin project $LAPTOP revealed

According to data from X platform pages, the official Twitter account and contract for a new meme coin project "$LAPTOP" allegedly linked to Hunter Biden, son of former US President Joe Biden, have been revealed. The account, named Laptop (@Laptoptoken), has also been followed by Hunter Biden’s official Twitter account. The project’s bio states “Coming to @base September 9” and includes the relevant token contract address, matching earlier reports. BlockBeats reminds users: All disclosed information is community speculation and has not been officially confirmed. Do not interact with any unfamiliar links to protect your asset security. Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that Hunter Biden would launch a meme coin themed around his “laptop affair”, with the token ticker “$LAPTOP”, scheduled to launch on Coinbase’s Base network on September 9. According to sources, $LAPTOP has a total supply of 1 billion tokens. The founding team, including Hunter Biden, will hold 30% of the tokens, which are locked for six months and will vest over two years. Another 20% will be distributed in two batches to investors who previously lost money buying Trump’s meme coin $TRUMP, Hunter Biden’s Substack subscribers, and other groups. Additionally, the project team plans to burn up to 30% of the tokens based on the outcomes of 30 preset events, including the Democratic Party winning the 2028 US presidential election, Bitcoin hitting a new all-time high, and $LAPTOP’s fully diluted valuation exceeding $TRUMP, among others. If the relevant events do not meet their targets, the corresponding proportion of tokens will be donated to charity.

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Circle and decentralized perpetual contract trading platform edgeX jointly announced that on September 16, coinciding with the launch of the Arc mainnet, edgeX will serve as Arc’s flagship perpetual product, offering 24/7 forex trading on the mainnet’s first day. The two parties will collaborate to advance Arc’s on-chain foreign exchange and global asset trading markets. On the mainnet launch day, edgeX will debut a 24/7 tradable USD/JPY perpetual contract, alongside over 150 perpetual contract markets covering U.S. stocks, commodities, and crypto assets. All markets use Arc’s native USDC as margin and settlement asset. Arc is Circle’s Layer 1 blockchain purpose-built for stablecoin finance, featuring a built-in FX engine (StableFX), institutional-grade RFQ (Request for Quote) system, and 24/7 on-chain PvP (peer-to-peer) settlement, with USDC as its native gas token. Backed by Circle Ventures, edgeX will be the exclusive launch partner for Arc’s FX perpetual market. A globally leading centralized perpetual contract exchange, edgeX has recorded over $900 billion in trading volume since its launch, enabling users to trade perpetual contracts for U.S. stocks, commodities, forex, and crypto assets around the clock. Prior to this, Circle and edgeX teams had collaborated on EDGE Chain’s native USDC issuance and CCTP integration. This partnership will combine Circle’s expertise in stablecoin financial infrastructure with edgeX’s on-chain trading experience to expand 24/7 global asset trading use cases. Looking ahead, the two sides plan to gradually add more major forex pairs based on market demand and liquidity, and explore non-U.S. dollar stablecoin margin and on-chain FX spot markets.

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Serenity: GoPro's stock surges over 80%, its foray into optical communications surprises the market.

Serenity published a post stating that action camera maker GoPro ($GPRO) plans to merge with photonics firm Starman Optical to enter the AI data center 800G/1.6T optical module market. Following the announcement, GoPro’s share price surged over 80%. Serenity commented, “GoPro competing against AAOI is absolutely outside my expectations.” It noted that GoPro’s shift from action cameras to the AI data center optical communications sector is quite unexpected, and the market has reacted strongly to this transformation plan.

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US stocks open September with a dismal start: Oil prices and US Treasury yields rise in tandem, weighing on high-risk assets.

On the first trading day of September, the three major U.S. stock indexes opened lower across the board: the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.64%, the S&P 500 dropped 0.71%, the Nasdaq slid 1.31%, and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index once plunged more than 3%. Intel and Qualcomm declined nearly 3%, AMD and Meta fell over 2%, while Tesla, Alibaba, and Nvidia dropped nearly 2%. The core factor pressuring the market is the simultaneous rise in oil prices and global bond yields. Brent crude oil broke above $92 per barrel during the session; market concerns over Middle East tensions and shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are expected to push up energy prices and inflation, further strengthening expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike. Currently, CME’s FedWatch Tool shows the probability of a 25-basis-point Fed rate hike in September to a range of 3.75%-4.00% has risen to 66%. Paul Ciana, technical strategist at Bank of America, stated the S&P 500’s upward breakout starting in August remains intact, provided it holds above 7,500 points. Meanwhile, neither the RSI nor MACD has confirmed the recent price highs, indicating upward momentum is weakening. Ciana noted seasonal headwinds, election uncertainty, and rising front-end U.S. Treasury yields are posing greater challenges to the market, with higher yields increasing the risk that stocks will enter a consolidation phase rather than rallying at an accelerated pace. Matt Maley, strategist at Miller Tabak, also warned the stock market has so far been able to ignore rising yields, but this does not mean the pressure from high yields will not eventually surface. JPMorgan Chase, meanwhile, argues rising yields may not be an insurmountable obstacle for the bull market, as they could reflect stronger economic activity momentum.

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Firelight Protocol completes $8 million funding round, led by Gumi Cryptos Capital.

DeFi protocol Firelight Protocol has secured an $8 million funding round led by Gumi Cryptos Capital, with participation from Maven 11, Metalayer, Joint Effects, Tribe Capital, and other investors. The project aims to build an on-chain risk protection layer for DeFi, planning to launch its protocol and first set of coverage products in September, while expanding its insured asset base from XRP to include Bitcoin (BTC) and Stellar (XLM). Incubated by DeFi infrastructure provider Sentora, Firelight targets the smart contract vulnerability risks that fintech companies face when entering the on-chain yield market. It has developed an on-chain protection mechanism where users’ insured positions are represented as NFTs. In the event of a vulnerability exploit, an alliance of independent risk firms—GFX Labs, Hypernative, Credora, Native, and Cyfrin—will evaluate claim eligibility, with a goal of completing reviews in 3–4 days and payouts within 10 days. Firelight CEO Anthony DeMartino stated that the product is not geared toward crypto-native speculators, but rather intends to act as a "protective layer" to drive the next wave of capital into on-chain spaces. Currently, roughly $80 billion is locked in DeFi, yet less than 1% of that total has on-chain risk coverage. Firelight identifies fintech firms, digital banks, and payment platforms as its core potential clients.

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Injective: No Attack Occurred, Partial Validators Temporarily Jailed Due to Accelerated Upgrade

Injective officials announced that community contributors coordinated an accelerated network upgrade yesterday. As the time required for all validators and ecosystem infrastructure to complete the upgrade exceeded expectations, some validators were temporarily jailed, leading to a temporary dip in the network’s staked amount. Several exchanges also temporarily suspended INJ deposits and withdrawals. Injective stressed that its blockchain network and INJ token remained fully secure throughout the process: the underlying protocol and consensus mechanism were not compromised, user and staked funds suffered no losses or risks, and the network continued processing transactions without any downtime. The official noted that the accelerated upgrade was triggered by attacks on a small number of binary options market applications within the Injective ecosystem. The incident only impacted those applications, and did not exploit the Injective blockchain, protocol, native assets, or consensus mechanism. The attack vector has since been contained and repaired. Injective added that its team is deploying enhanced security mechanisms, real-time monitoring systems, and additional protective measures to identify abnormal activities earlier and reduce the risk of similar incidents recurring.

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US job openings saw a slight uptick in July, with overall labor demand remaining stable.

U.S. job openings rose slightly in July, signaling that overall labor demand has remained stable in recent months. Data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday showed that July job openings climbed from June’s downwardly revised 7.18 million to 7.27 million, versus economists’ median estimate of 7.31 million. The report notes the U.S. labor market is still in the "low hiring, low layoffs" pattern that has prevailed for most of the past few years. Amid geopolitical uncertainty and persistent inflation, employers are cautious about expanding their headcount but reluctant to cut staff easily. The increase in job openings was driven mainly by manufacturing, state and local governments (excluding education), healthcare and social assistance sectors. Meanwhile, layoffs hit their lowest level since January this year, while the quits rate — a measure of the share of workers who voluntarily leave their jobs each month — edged down to 1.9%. Source: Jinshi

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Bessent: The Strait of Hormuz will achieve "alternative shipping routes" within two years, and the US will continue to step up sanctions on Iran.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted during a fireside chat at the G20 summit that the U.S. energy sector’s “3-3-3” plan targets crude oil equivalent. Since Trump took office, U.S. daily oil production has risen by 1.6 million to 2.2 million barrels, he added, emphasizing that risks must be mitigated. Bessent also said bypassing the Strait of Hormuz will be achievable within two years, at which point the strait will become “worthless waters” as oil will be transported via onshore pipelines instead of through the strait. When discussing the Iran issue, he pointed out that 85% to 90% of Iranian factories have reconstruction capacity, and Iran may hold the world’s third-largest energy resources. Additionally, the U.S. may announce bank sanctions this week and next, having secured strong support from the European Union, European Central Bank, the U.K., the U.A.E., and Bahrain. The U.S. has adopted a zero-tolerance stance toward Iran, aiming to strangle its economic development, and will also focus on Iran-related aircraft leasing firms. Bessent stated: “We are aware of Iran-related accounts in the British Virgin Islands. Funds stolen from the Iranian people can be returned to them, or Iranian funds can be used to assist terrorism victims.” (Jinshi)

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Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

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Elon Musk Says OpenAI Can’t Be Trusted as Apple Seeks Forensic Oversight

Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.

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At Base, our goal is to build the secure, trusted infrastructure for global finance: an economy that runs 24/7 with deep liquidity to power any transaction at scale. But infrastructure is only as powerful as the applications built on top of it. It is the entrepreneurs and founders, the builders creating real-world use cases, who ultimately make the difference.

The Base Ecosystem Fund exists to find and enable these exceptional builders. We provide pre-seed and seed-stage capital, combined with dedicated, hands-on support from the Base team, to give the best founders the resources they need to succeed.

The Base Ecosystem Fund believes that global finance is the defining, killer use case for blockchains. This spans the full spectrum of financial activity, including payments, stablecoins, credit, trading, tokenization, derivatives, prediction markets, agents, and more.

Rather than keep our theses behind closed doors, we are sharing the active areas we are most excited about right now. These represent the specific ideas we want to see emerge, scale, and fundamentally grow within the Base economy.

Alternative Yield-Bearing Assets
As tokenization proliferates and asset coverage expands, we are particularly excited about bringing productive, yield-bearing assets onchain. This includes short-duration working capital instruments such as stablecoin pre-funding, invoice financing, trade finance, and revenue-based financing, as well as longer-duration assets such as REITs, royalties, licensing income, and private credit funds. Delivery models can span from wrapped off-chain funds and native onchain issuance to stablecoin vaults that deploy into targeted opportunities. What matters most is partnering with deep domain experts who possess the vertical-specific underwriting capabilities to originate and manage these assets responsibly. These alternative assets introduce genuinely uncorrelated, productive yield for holders while unlocking the full structural benefits of composability, liquidity, and distribution.

Tokenized Portfolios as Collateral
Most brokerages offer margin lending, but far fewer offer Securities-Backed Lines of Credit (SBLOCs). This is because many brokerages aren't banks, and funding loans at scale is expensive, making SBLOCs historically a high-net-worth product. This leaves tens of millions of everyday brokerage users with no access to non-margin credit against assets they already own. Tokenizing these portfolios and moving them onchain bypasses those traditional hurdles. With programmatic credit drawn against customer holdings via DeFi lending protocols, we can remove the balance sheet constraints that have historically made SBLOCs uneconomical at scale. The ideal model is B2B2C: an end-to-end solution handling everything from asset tokenization to credit deployment, giving brokerages a way to embed credit they couldn't otherwise fund, and giving their customers liquidity they've never had access to before.

Stablecoins & Emerging MarketsStablecoin Distribution in Cash-Centric Emerging Markets
In under-financialized emerging markets with de jure or de facto dollarization—such as Argentina, Cambodia, Ecuador, Lebanon, and Venezuela—the US dollar serves as the primary unit of account for capital. Yet, this wealth remains structurally trapped in physical cash with little to no access to yield or credit. A large opportunity exists to make this capital productive by connecting local physical cash networks to stablecoins. By meeting end users where they are and building directly on existing cash-centric behaviors, these distribution networks can serve as a highly defensible wedge to leapfrog subpar legacy banking solutions with direct flows between paper currency and stablecoins, setting the stage for frictionless access to noncustodial yield and financial services.

Local Stablecoins
Despite the dominance of USD stablecoins today, there remains a large opportunity to drive adoption of local stablecoins as first-class assets. Many local fiat rails remain slow, costly, and, in some jurisdictions, subject to burdensome taxes. Savers who prefer to hold local currency are typically locked out of competitive rates unless they hold large balances at traditional banks. Enterprises and merchants operating in corridors where sender and recipient share the same currency face unnecessary FX intermediation steps, and merchants remain dependent on third-party payment solutions. Moreover, tokenizing local assets remains highly constrained until the corresponding local currency liquidity exists onchain. Local stablecoins address this by enabling faster, cheaper onchain payments that can pass yield directly to end users while allowing merchants to settle natively. They also eliminate FX friction by enabling direct currency pairs and serving as the essential quote pair for tokenized local assets.

Unsecured Consumer Credit
Punitively high costs of capital and rigid legacy underwriting metrics continue to lock millions out of the global credit market. Unlocking broader access and lowering the cost to borrow requires a shift from basic credit scoring to a comprehensive, verifiable, multi-signal underwriting framework. Utilizing zkTLS enables secure verification of offchain data—such as salary, bank accounts, and assets—to be paired alongside onchain collateralized credit histories. To scale safely, this stack can integrate localized collections partnerships and legal or credit-reporting recourse. Capitalizing on this market means building the underlying underwriting engine and capital aggregation infrastructure to sell into existing wallets, fintechs, and neobanks, meeting users where they already transact to structurally drive down capital costs across the board.

Multi-Party Credit
Merging multiple credit histories into a single, unified profile unlocks massive, historically untapped lending opportunities like intra-family lending and remittance-backed credit. By leveraging smart contract vaults, stablecoins, and zkTLS, lenders can make multi-party underwriting automated, secure, and frictionless. This enables them to safely service lower-credit borrowers by enforcing joint recourse through a high-credit guarantor, such as a parent backing an entrepreneur or an international remittance sender backing a local recipient. To make this a reality, we are looking for teams building the infrastructure and consumer applications for merged-profile credit rails, multi-party debt, and programmable shared recourse.

Conditional Asset Markets
Conditional asset markets have the potential to achieve significant scale by enabling the trading of state-contingent outcomes, where participants trade positions across potential future states, with only one market realized upon settlement. By isolating how specific events impact particular assets, this mechanism enables precise hedging across liquid assets of all kinds, rather than forcing investors to speculate on raw event probabilities. Crucially, this structure produces highly valuable information, revealing exactly how the market values the future of those assets across different circumstances.

Verticalized Prediction Markets
Verticalized prediction markets represent the move beyond generic platforms toward domain-specific information and execution hubs. While this shift to date has largely been concentrated in sports, other sectors remain underdeveloped. We see strong potential in dedicated platforms for politics, where real-time data and social mechanics can improve forecasting accuracy; culture & media, where embedded tools can turn passive audiences into financially engaged participants; institutional risk & insurance, where programmatic hedging can help underwriters manage tail risks through market-driven pricing; and clinical trials, where specialists use market mechanisms to surface the most effective therapies and techniques. By attracting domain-specific market participants, these venues can achieve a quality of price discovery that generalist platforms cannot replicate.

Legacy & Institutional MarketsForeign Exchange Markets
Traditional FX markets heavily favor large institutional players, leaving cross-border enterprises and SMEs to face high costs, opaque pricing, and restrictive capital requirements when trading major, minor, or exotic currency pairs. Using programmable rails, stablecoins, and derivatives, the status quo can be disrupted by rebuilding the entire suite of global currency markets. These can span spot, forwards, NDFs, futures, and options—all natively onchain. Creating 24/7 liquid FX markets can enable advanced, composable use cases built directly on top, such as seamless and accessible hedging and structured cross-currency products.

Onchain Bilateral Agreements
Traditional bilateral OTC agreements, including repos, total return swaps (TRS), and credit default swaps (CDS), are vital for institutional funding and risk transfer, but private execution breeds opacity, friction, and counterparty risk. Onchain bilateral agreements transform this model by recording contract terms, collateral, and lifecycle events on a shared ledger to enable real-time transparency and programmability. To ensure these digital contracts are structured for integration into existing legal frameworks and eventual regulatory standardization, an orchestration protocol can facilitate agreements via smart contracts on a permissionless rail, bypassing public DeFi's shared liquidity risks while keeping structures easy to underwrite, audit, and legally validate. Ultimately, this offers a transparent alternative to legacy infrastructure, creating a compliant pathway to migrate institutional-grade instruments onchain without sacrificing established risk frameworks or legal certainty.

Agents for Everyday Commerce
As agent infrastructure outpaces real consumer use cases, the open problem is shifting from building agents to making them compelling enough for everyday consumers to actually rely on. There is a large opportunity in agents that take user intent and see it through to a completed transaction, rather than bolting AI on to existing commerce flows. Areas with potential for disruption include agentic shopping and checkout, booking and reservation assistants, event ticket purchasing, and coupon and discount agents. We are looking for founders building in these segments that can translate consumer demand into stablecoin and ERC-7496 / onchain checkout volumes.

SKU Tokenization
Today, merchant catalogues live in fragmented, proprietary Web2 databases, siloed and inaccessible to AI agents, fundamentally constraining agentic commerce. SKU Tokenization solves this by migrating catalogue inventory onchain as composable, programmable assets, making products universally discoverable across any wallet, aggregator, or distribution channel. This gives any agent the lowest friction path to find, evaluate, and purchase in a single atomic flow. Beyond discoverability, liquid onchain markets for tokenized SKUs unlock a new commercial primitive: the separation of selling from delivery. Merchants can sell inventory before demand materializes. Market makers (i.e., resellers) can intermediate supply. And end users can redeem purchased assets for physical delivery on their own timeline. Static product inventory becomes a tradeable, liquid asset class.

While these are some of our current areas of interest, we know the strongest signal ultimately comes from high-quality founders and where they see the most significant opportunities.

If you are building in these categories or in an adjacent space you are excited about, please reach out and apply here.

Hyperliquid Meets SEC Crypto Task Force in Landmark Talks

Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.

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Music streaming platform Spotify has reached out to Kalshi and Polymarket, requesting that they remove its logo from their platforms. This follows a scandal involving artificial streams used to settle a prediction market on Kalshi.

Spotify Request Removal of Logo From Kalshi and Polymarket According to a Bloomberg report, the music streaming platform has asked Kalshi and Polymarket to remove its logo and clarify that neither has a partnership with it. This comes after the company identified manipulation of music rankings tied to prediction markets.

Spotify reportedly identified and removed over 500,000 artificial streams that had made Malcolm Todd’s song “Earrings” one of the most popular on its charts. Kalshi notably settled a prediction market based on these artificial streams. The market in question was for the most frequently streamed Spotify song in the U.S. for last month.

This comes amid increased scrutiny of prediction markets, with concerns of market manipulation and insider trading. As CoinGape reported, prediction market Polymarket is facing a broad CFTC probe amid allegations that the platform paid online creators to create fake bets and winnings.

Meanwhile, state regulators continue to crack down on these prediction markets, claiming that they operate as unlicensed sports betting platforms. At the same time, the CFTC has sued several states to defend its exclusive jurisdiction over the platforms.

Top Kalshi Trader Calls Out Kalshi Top Kalshi trader Caleb Davies called out the prediction market platform for settling the market based on artificial streams, despite urging them to investigate, as there were many plausible reasons Malcolm Todd’s timely surge on Spotify was not due to artificial boosting.

Kalshi did pay out the market based on fraudulent results right after sending me an email stating that there are many plausible reasons that Malcolm Todd’s timely surge was not due to artificial boosting. This is, of course, total bullshit. pic.twitter.com/vnbFCnfzJN

— Gaeten Dugas (@GaetenD) July 1, 2026

The trader, who estimates to have made over $1 million on Kalshi, accused the prediction market platform of being well aware of the fraud taking place in the Spotify market. “Yet they continue to provide liquidity rewards, including in one of the targeted strikes. Is it so important to Kalshi to collect fees that they provide an incentive in fraudulent markets?” he said.

It is worth noting that the top prediction market platform, Polymarket, also offers Spotify markets. This explains why the streaming platform reached out to both prediction markets, as these markets may incentivize traders to artificially boost the streams in a bid to win their bets.

Amid this development, the CFTC is proposing new rules for prediction markets to address concerns about insider trading and market manipulation. The regulator has already requested comment on these proposed rules, with a deadline of July 31.

OpenAI will reportedly stagger the GPT-5.6 release after the US government raised security concerns, limiting who can reach the model first.

Federal officials would gain a say over which customers receive early preview access, according to a new report.

What the GPT-5.6 Release Report SaysThe Information reported that the Trump administration asked OpenAI to phase the launch rather than open it widely at once. The outlet said federal reviewers would approve preview access one customer at a time during the early window.

Staggered launches already sit in OpenAI’s playbook. The company withheld the full GPT-2 model for roughly nine months in 2019 over misuse fears. Its GPT-5.5 model launch on April 23 reached paid tiers before free users.

More directly, OpenAI shipped a cyber-focused version of GPT-5.5 only to vetted defenders under a trusted-access program. The GPT-5.6 plan would extend that template to Washington itself.

A Federal Review Framework Takes ShapeThe reported request maps onto Executive Order 14409, which President Donald Trump signed on June 2. It asks developers to give the government up to 30 days of access to their most capable models before release.

Federal officials would also help choose which trusted partners get early access.

A classified benchmark led by the National Security Agency would decide which systems count as covered frontier models. The threshold turns on a model’s advanced cyber capabilities.

A separate Treasury-run clearinghouse would hunt and patch software flaws, extending the administration’s cyber defense doctrine.

The framework is voluntary and bars any licensing regime, part of a wider federal AI policy push. Officials cast it as a way to test frontier models for cyber risks. Some former advisers have criticized that case as overblown.

OpenAI has not officially confirmed GPT-5.6 or a firm launch date, and earlier timing has slipped toward July. How tightly Washington shapes early access could set a template for the next frontier releases from OpenAI and Anthropic.

Zug, Switzerland, June 25th, 2026, Chainwire

Anyone can now execute mass payouts across EVM chains and Tron from a single platform and can choose between multiple wallet screening providers.

Just three weeks after releasing major upgrades for crypto payment collection, the Request Network Foundation today announced another expansion of its stablecoin payment platform. The release introduces one-click mass payouts on both EVM and Tron, alongside built-in bridging and token swapping across EVM chains. The update also expands compliance capabilities through the integration of Merkle Science as an additional wallet screening provider.

Together, these capabilities reinforce Request Network's vision of providing businesses with a simpler, more scalable, and more resilient way to operate stablecoin payments globally.

Users Can Now Disburse at Scale in One Click From a Single Wallet Without Bridging or Swapping

Stablecoins are already widely used to disburse salaries, commissions, affiliate rewards, bug bounties, supplier payments, and customer refunds or withdrawals across the world. While settlements are now faster and cheaper in stablecoins compared to fiat, the operational processes needed to send funds remain complex as recipients usually require payments on multiple chains and in multiple currencies. This has forced finance teams to initiate multiple transactions in separate currencies and from multiple wallets.

Request Network now abstracts away this fragmentation, allowing anyone to initiate mass payouts from a single wallet in a single currency to pay recipients across the top 6 EVM chains (Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, and BNB Chain) in USDC and USDT.

Through a single signature, a mass payout can now be initiated even if the individual transactions need to be bridged and swapped to reach their recipient. Request Network protocol automatically retrieves and batches bridge and swap quotes in order to funnel every payment of a batch to its correct destination in just one approval.

To simplify the process further, Request Network also allows any recipient to set and update their payment preferences so payments are always routed to where they should go.

This represents one of the biggest breakthroughs in cross-chain and swapping abstraction, bringing payers and recipients closer than ever before, regardless of the blockchain or currency they trust.

Mass Payouts Now Available on Tron

Alongside EVM mass payouts, Request Network also announced the support of mass payouts on Tron, becoming the first protocol to combine both capabilities.

Thanks to this release, anyone can now send USDT to multiple recipients on Tron in a single transaction, unlocking large-scale payouts on one of the most used chains in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

With this release, anyone can now manage all stablecoin payouts globally from the Request Network protocol.

More Choice for Wallet Screening

Alongside mass payouts, Request Network also announced a partnership with Merkle Science to offer additional wallet screening providers on the protocol.

As a reminder, Request Network offers built-in wallet screening to protect its users from high-risk wallet interactions. When enabled, this feature allows payments to be executed only if the payer or recipient satisfies the preset screening policies, helping businesses to avoid exposure to high-risk wallets which may lead to asset freezing or difficulties off-ramping to fiat.

By expanding its integration of Merkle Science, Request Network just became one of the safest ways to receive crypto onchain, while accommodating for recipients’ preferences.

Tristan Wallaert, CEO of the Request Network Foundation, said: "Stablecoins allowed money to move globally without the usual fiat constraints, but executing payments at scale remains a bottleneck and is forcing users to rely on payment service providers. Anyone should be able to pay by himself hundreds of payments across chains in just a single operation.High risk wallets exposure has tarnished the crypto reputation recently, if we want to provide the best protection to blockchain users they need to be able to use the best screening providers. Sending and receiving payments must become intuitive and safe if we want stablecoins to be a real alternative to fiat."

Mriganka Pattnaik, CEO of Merkle Science, said: “As stablecoin payments become more global and cross-chain, compliance needs to become just as seamless as the payment experience itself. Our integration with Request Network helps businesses screen wallets with greater confidence, reduce exposure to high-risk activity, and scale onchain payments without compromising trust or operational efficiency”.

About Request Network

Since 2017, Request Network has developed, educated about, and promoted the use of open-source, decentralized and permissionless protocols that provide infrastructure for on-chain payments and related financial flows.

Request Network allows anyone to send and receive crypto at scale, across chains, without custodial intermediaries. The protocol is developed by a community-funded foundation whose mission is to make crypto payments accessible while protecting its participants.

To date, more than $2 billion has moved thanks to Request Network technology.

Press kit

About Merkle Science

Merkle Science provides blockchain analytics and crypto compliance solutions that help businesses detect, investigate, and prevent financial crime across digital assets. Its platform supports wallet screening, transaction monitoring, risk intelligence, and investigations, enabling crypto platforms, financial institutions, and payment providers to manage onchain risk and meet compliance requirements at scale.

ContactsCEO
Tristan Wallaert
Request Network Foundation
[email protected]
Director of Business Operations
Álvaro García
[email protected]

Disclaimer: Press release sponsored by our commercial partners.

Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.

[PRESS RELEASE – Zug, Switzerland, June 25th, 2026]

Anyone can now execute mass payouts across EVM chains and Tron from a single platform and can choose between multiple wallet screening providers.

Just three weeks after releasing major upgrades for crypto payment collection, the Request Network Foundation today announced another expansion of its stablecoin payment platform. The release introduces one-click mass payouts on both EVM and Tron, alongside built-in bridging and token swapping across EVM chains. The update also expands compliance capabilities through the integration of Merkle Science as an additional wallet screening provider.

Together, these capabilities reinforce Request Network’s vision of providing businesses with a simpler, more scalable, and more resilient way to operate stablecoin payments globally.

Users Can Now Disburse at Scale in One Click From a Single Wallet Without Bridging or Swapping

Stablecoins are already widely used to disburse salaries, commissions, affiliate rewards, bug bounties, supplier payments, and customer refunds or withdrawals across the world. While settlements are now faster and cheaper in stablecoins compared to fiat, the operational processes needed to send funds remain complex as recipients usually require payments on multiple chains and in multiple currencies. This has forced finance teams to initiate multiple transactions in separate currencies and from multiple wallets.

Request Network now abstracts away this fragmentation, allowing anyone to initiate mass payouts from a single wallet in a single currency to pay recipients across the top 6 EVM chains (Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, and BNB Chain) in USDC and USDT.

Through a single signature, a mass payout can now be initiated even if the individual transactions need to be bridged and swapped to reach their recipient. Request Network protocol automatically retrieves and batches bridge and swap quotes in order to funnel every payment of a batch to its correct destination in just one approval.

To simplify the process further, Request Network also allows any recipient to set and update their payment preferences so payments are always routed to where they should go.

This represents one of the biggest breakthroughs in cross-chain and swapping abstraction, bringing payers and recipients closer than ever before, regardless of the blockchain or currency they trust.

Mass Payouts Now Available on Tron

Alongside EVM mass payouts, Request Network also announced the support of mass payouts on Tron, becoming the first protocol to combine both capabilities.

Thanks to this release, anyone can now send USDT to multiple recipients on Tron in a single transaction, unlocking large-scale payouts on one of the most used chains in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

With this release, anyone can now manage all stablecoin payouts globally from the Request Network protocol.

More Choice for Wallet Screening

Alongside mass payouts, Request Network also announced a partnership with Merkle Science to offer additional wallet screening providers on the protocol.

As a reminder, Request Network offers built-in wallet screening to protect its users from high-risk wallet interactions. When enabled, this feature allows payments to be executed only if the payer or recipient satisfies the preset screening policies, helping businesses to avoid exposure to high-risk wallets which may lead to asset freezing or difficulties off-ramping to fiat.

By expanding its integration of Merkle Science, Request Network just became one of the safest ways to receive crypto onchain, while accommodating for recipients’ preferences.

Tristan Wallaert, CEO of the Request Network Foundation, said: “Stablecoins allowed money to move globally without the usual fiat constraints, but executing payments at scale remains a bottleneck and is forcing users to rely on payment service providers. Anyone should be able to pay by himself hundreds of payments across chains in just a single operation.High risk wallets exposure has tarnished the crypto reputation recently, if we want to provide the best protection to blockchain users they need to be able to use the best screening providers. Sending and receiving payments must become intuitive and safe if we want stablecoins to be a real alternative to fiat.”

Mriganka Pattnaik, CEO of Merkle Science, said: “As stablecoin payments become more global and cross-chain, compliance needs to become just as seamless as the payment experience itself. Our integration with Request Network helps businesses screen wallets with greater confidence, reduce exposure to high-risk activity, and scale onchain payments without compromising trust or operational efficiency”.

About Request Network

Since 2017, Request Network has developed, educated about, and promoted the use of open-source, decentralized and permissionless protocols that provide infrastructure for on-chain payments and related financial flows.

Request Network allows anyone to send and receive crypto at scale, across chains, without custodial intermediaries. The protocol is developed by a community-funded foundation whose mission is to make crypto payments accessible while protecting its participants.

To date, more than $2 billion has moved thanks to Request Network technology.

Press kit

About Merkle Science

Merkle Science provides blockchain analytics and crypto compliance solutions that help businesses detect, investigate, and prevent financial crime across digital assets. Its platform supports wallet screening, transaction monitoring, risk intelligence, and investigations, enabling crypto platforms, financial institutions, and payment providers to manage onchain risk and meet compliance requirements at scale.

DA Davidson Raises Micron’s Price Target to $2,000, Retains Buy Rating

U.S. investment bank DA Davidson released a research note stating that Micron Technology has entered a new phase with one of the best performance visibility in the semiconductor industry, a stark contrast to its past standing in the sector. Driven by another quarter of results that handily exceeded expectations and positive forward guidance, Micron’s stock price surged sharply. These signals indicate that the current memory chip boom cycle is far from over. While the company is ramping up capacity investments (with capital expenditure (CAPEX) projected to hit $10 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, which will bring additional supply), management expects the memory market to remain tight on supply and demand at least through 2027. Against this backdrop, DA Davidson reiterated its "Buy" rating on Micron and raised its price target from $1,500 to $2,000, equivalent to a 20x price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio based on the company’s 2026 calendar year expected earnings per share (EPS).

8 minutes ago

Morgan Stanley raises Micron's price target to $1,200, maintains 'Overweight' rating.

Morgan Stanley released a report raising Micron Technology (MU.O)’s price target from $1,050 to $1,200, while maintaining an "Overweight" rating. The investment bank lifted its fiscal 2027 earnings per share (EPS) forecast for the chipmaker by roughly 40% to $168, and upgraded its free cash flow (FCF) projection from $104 billion to $140 billion. Aligning with Micron’s management, the bank holds that AI will push DRAM demand to consistently outpace supply significantly after 2027. Micron’s last fiscal quarter results matched this trend, with both its quarterly performance and outlook showing notable upside potential.

8 minutes ago

US officials: Israel has withdrawn troops from parts of the buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

A U.S. State Department official said Israel has withdrawn from parts of the buffer zone in southern Lebanon, describing the move as a "goodwill gesture" toward the Lebanese government.

8 minutes ago

CBRS trades below IPO price post-earnings: Erases all gains six weeks after listing, two smart money firms net $5.8 million from first-day IPO shorts.

According to Hyperinsight monitoring, Cerebras (CBRS), the AI chip firm previously dubbed "Nvidia’s strongest challenger", saw its stock price fall in stages after reporting its first quarterly results since going public, as negative guidance overshadowed better-than-expected performance. The stock has dropped roughly 22% since the earnings release and officially broke below its IPO price today. On-chain whales are overall bearish. CBRS trades at $184 on the Hyperliquid platform, down 7.7% in 24 hours. Large-scale short positions (million-dollar level) total around $11.62 million, 2.39 times the long positions ($4.87 million). Two major short positions were placed precisely at high levels as early as the IPO day or even before the IPO: - Whale 0xe0ff: Shorted at $284.51 on May 14 with a 3x leveraged position of $6.13 million, generating an unrealized profit of $3.24 million (+104%); - Whale 0x9996: Shorted at $275.92 on May 11 with a 5x leveraged position of $5.48 million, generating an unrealized profit of $2.64 million (+162%). It is learned that both addresses currently hold short positions in both CBRS and SPCX, and have recorded substantial unrealized profits, preferring to place short positions at high levels before or on the day of major stock listings. With the realization of negative earnings news in this round, the combined unrealized profit of the two positions is around $5.88 million. Currently, the average entry price of CBRS short whales is around $275, and the current price is over 30% lower than that. The nearest short liquidation line is at $200.13, about 7% away from the current price.

8 minutes ago

Multiple high-performing domestic public mutual fund products have tightened their purchase restrictions.

E Fund Management announced in its latest filing that the E Fund Information Industry Select Fund, managed by Zheng Xi, has cut its purchase limit to 10,000 yuan. The same purchase limit reduction to 10,000 yuan applies to another fund under his management, E Fund Information Industry Fund, while E Fund Global Growth Select Hybrid Fund (QDII) has lowered its purchase limit to 10 yuan. In addition, Guolianan Preferred Industry Fund, Harvest Tech Innovation Fund, and Principal Performance-Driven Fund have also announced purchase limits or adjustments to their limits recently. Jin Zicai, a fund manager closely watched by the market, imposed additional purchase limits on multiple public offering funds under his management, with the four funds involved cutting their purchase limits to 500 yuan starting June 23. Purchase limits on high-performing funds likely stem from multiple considerations: they can avoid return dilution caused by short-term concentrated subscriptions, and proactive limits during overheated market conditions also send risk warning signals to the market. As the first half of the year draws to a close, such moves have become increasingly frequent. Overall, Wind data shows that since June alone, 19 funds with year-to-date net asset value returns exceeding 90% have suspended large subscriptions or adjusted their purchase caps. (Source: Cailian Press)

8 minutes ago

The US stock market's optical communication sector rises across the board in pre-market trading, with Corning up 9.28%.

According to Bitget market data, the U.S. stock market's optical communication sector saw broad pre-market gains, with MRVL rising 4.99%, LITE up 3.24%, Nokia up 3.11%, Corning up 9.28%, and AXTI up 6.69%.

8 minutes ago

Analyst: Micron's earnings boost overall market sentiment for the tech sector

Chris Strazzeri, Financial Trading Manager of Moomoo’s Australia and New Zealand branch, stated: “The targeted sell-off indicates that following a sustained, strong rally in AI-related and speculative growth stocks, investors are enforcing strict valuation discipline. This serves as a warning to the market that actual earnings levels must now rise to support the currently overvalued price-to-earnings ratio. Micron Technology’s post-market earnings results largely confirm this, and its robust performance has lifted overall market sentiment in the tech sector.”

4 minutes ago

2x Leveraged Long DRAM ETF (RAM) Records $383 Million in Trading Volume on Its First Day of Listing

According to Bitget market data, the Roundhill T-REX 2X Long DRAM Daily Target ETF (Nasdaq ticker: RAM) officially launched trading yesterday. On its first trading day, the fund recorded a total turnover of $383 million, and rose 29.47% in after-hours U.S. stock trading to hit $30.8. Note: RAM’s underlying exposure covers companies engaged in memory-related technologies, including DRAM, NAND and storage solutions, targeting active traders seeking leveraged exposure to the memory chip theme and artificial intelligence infrastructure development.

4 minutes ago

BCA Research raises its S&P 500 target to 8,100 points, with AI remaining a core variable.

BCA Research has become the latest strategy firm to raise its US stock market target, reflecting Wall Street’s growing optimism about earnings support for US equities in the second half of the year. The institution lifted its year-end S&P 500 target from 7,700 points to 8,100 points. BCA’s core view is that first-quarter corporate earnings exceeded expectations in both strength and breadth, and the US economy has re-entered an expansion phase. Similar to JPMorgan Chase, BCA believes this stock rally is not only driven by valuation expansion—earnings themselves are delivering the index’s gains. AI remains the core variable in this assessment. Large tech firms including Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Oracle continue to increase capital spending on data centers and AI infrastructure, driving growth in orders for chips, servers, construction, power and related industrial chains. This provides a clearer fundamental basis for upward revisions to 2026 and 2027 earnings. The institution points out that risks exist: the earnings expansion brought by AI investments has already been quickly priced into the market. If subsequent returns on capital spending are questioned, or interest rates remain elevated, further upside for the index will require more earnings confirmation rather than relying solely on investor risk appetite.

4 minutes ago

Tom Lee: Markets have nearly priced in two interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve this year, and the rise in US Treasury yields is weighing on market sentiment.

Tom Lee said the market is still digesting Kevin Warsh’s remarks from his first press conference last week and repricing the macro environment. Over the past week, oil prices have pulled back, with war premiums contracting. Current oil prices are not far from the roughly $65 level seen before the conflict, indicating the market views related war risks as declining. On the other hand, 10-year U.S. Treasury yields continue to rise, now around 4.5%, higher than the pre-conflict level of roughly 4.2%. The main headwind the market has faced recently has shifted from oil prices to yields. Tom Lee noted that the market is not only focused on 10-year U.S. Treasury yields but also starting to price in potential additional interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve. According to federal funds futures, the market is currently pricing in nearly two rate hikes this year. Bank of America further projected today that the Fed will raise rates three times this year, in September, October, and December respectively. Jeffrey Gundlach often emphasizes the importance of monitoring 2-year U.S. Treasury yields, as they typically lead the Fed and signal the central bank’s policy direction. Between 2023 and 2025, the relationship between 2-year U.S. Treasury yields and the federal funds rate indicated that the Fed’s policy was overly tight, requiring interest rate cuts. However, this relationship has recently reversed, meaning the Fed would need two rate hikes to catch up with 2-year U.S. Treasury yields. He believes that, at least for now, yields have become a headwind for the market.

4 minutes ago

Japan and South Korea's stock markets closed higher across the board, with Japan's stock market hitting a new closing high.

According to Bitget market data, the Nikkei 225 index closed up 3,191.37 points, or 4.61%, at 72,366.34 points on Thursday, June 25, hitting a new all-time closing high. South Korea’s KOSPI index rose 459.76 points (5.43%) to end at 8,930.78 points; SK Hynix surged 13% while Samsung Electronics gained more than 5%.

4 minutes ago

A newly created wallet withdrew 17,675 ETH from Binance, valued at $28.58 million.

According to monitoring by Onchain Lens, a newly created wallet withdrew 17,675 ETH from Binance, valued at $28.58 million.

4 minutes ago

FEDERAL REGISTER: Self-Regulatory Organizations; LCH SA; Notice of an Application for an Exemption Pursuant to Section 36 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Relating to Rule Filing Requirements and Request for Comment

Key Takeaways President Trump expressed regret about requesting only a 10% government stake in Intel, stating he “should have asked for more” Intel shares climbed 0.68% in premarket Monday to $109.51, bucking broader market weakness The chipmaker’s recent quarterly performance exceeded forecasts: $0.29 EPS versus $0.01 expected, and $13.58B revenue against $12.32B projections The North Dakota State Investment Board initiated a fresh $5.53M Intel stake during Q4 Wall Street maintains a Hold consensus with a $77.38 mean price target — significantly below current price levels President Trump sparked renewed attention around Intel on Monday following a Fortune magazine interview where he revealed the federal government should have negotiated a larger ownership percentage in the semiconductor giant.

Intel Corporation, INTC

“He said, ‘You have a deal.’ I said, ‘Shit, I should have asked for more,'” Trump recalled during the conversation.

Shares of INTC reached $109.51 during premarket trading Monday, advancing 0.68%, even as broader indices showed weakness — Nasdaq futures declined 0.14%, indicating Intel-specific momentum.

Trump positioned the Intel equity arrangement within his broader economic strategy that blends tariffs, government equity stakes, and major commercial agreements designed to channel international investment into American markets. He referenced the national debt reaching “$38 trillion” as justification for pursuing non-traditional government participation in corporate strategies.

The statement created immediate market impact, driving share price movement.

Intel’s technical trajectory has been among the most volatile within the semiconductor space. Currently, the stock trades 11.9% above its 20-day simple moving average and an impressive 143.8% above its 200-day SMA. A bullish golden cross emerged in August 2025, triggering a sustained rally.

The 52-week price range paints a striking picture: from a low of $18.97 to a peak of $132.75. Intel currently occupies the upper end of this substantial range.

Quarterly Results Exceed Projections, Yet Uncertainty Persists Intel’s latest quarterly financial report provided encouraging data for optimistic investors. The semiconductor manufacturer delivered earnings per share of $0.29, crushing the $0.01 consensus forecast by $0.28. Revenue reached $13.58 billion compared to the $12.32 billion estimate — achieving beats across both metrics.

Revenue increased 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. For a corporation that faced significant headwinds throughout the previous two years, this growth metric carries weight.

Intel has projected Q2 2026 EPS guidance at $0.20. The analyst community anticipates full fiscal year EPS of $0.63, with the upcoming earnings announcement scheduled for approximately July 23, 2026.

Notwithstanding the robust quarterly performance, Wall Street’s collective stance remains conservative. The consensus analyst price target stands at $77.38 — approximately 30% beneath current trading prices.

Professional Ratings and Institutional Portfolio Adjustments Mizuho elevated its price objective to $124 on May 12 while maintaining a Neutral stance. RBC Capital Markets continued its Sector Perform rating with an $80 target. Tigress Financial Partners affirmed its Buy recommendation and increased its target to $118.

The divergence among price targets reflects underlying uncertainty — Wall Street analysts lack consensus, and the stock has surpassed most valuation frameworks.

Regarding institutional activity, the North Dakota State Investment Board established a new $5.53 million position during Q4, acquiring 149,868 shares. Multiple smaller investment advisors also expanded their holdings throughout the quarter.

April Miller Boise, an Intel Executive Vice President, divested 40,256 shares on May 1st at a $99.53 average price, trimming her holdings by 27.7%.

Intel recently announced a partnership as the official compute partner for McLaren Racing, creating high-profile visibility for its processor technology.

Erste Group Bank upgraded its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings projections for Intel, though certain analysts continue highlighting competitive threats from AMD and Arm in the server CPU market.

Critical resistance remains at $132.75 — the 52-week high watermark.

Analyst: Micron's earnings boost overall market sentiment for the tech sector

Chris Strazzeri, Financial Trading Manager of Moomoo’s Australia and New Zealand branch, stated: “The targeted sell-off indicates that following a sustained, strong rally in AI-related and speculative growth stocks, investors are enforcing strict valuation discipline. This serves as a warning to the market that actual earnings levels must now rise to support the currently overvalued price-to-earnings ratio. Micron Technology’s post-market earnings results largely confirm this, and its robust performance has lifted overall market sentiment in the tech sector.”

4 minutes ago

2x Leveraged Long DRAM ETF (RAM) Records $383 Million in Trading Volume on Its First Day of Listing

According to Bitget market data, the Roundhill T-REX 2X Long DRAM Daily Target ETF (Nasdaq ticker: RAM) officially launched trading yesterday. On its first trading day, the fund recorded a total turnover of $383 million, and rose 29.47% in after-hours U.S. stock trading to hit $30.8. Note: RAM’s underlying exposure covers companies engaged in memory-related technologies, including DRAM, NAND and storage solutions, targeting active traders seeking leveraged exposure to the memory chip theme and artificial intelligence infrastructure development.

4 minutes ago

BCA Research raises its S&P 500 target to 8,100 points, with AI remaining a core variable.

BCA Research has become the latest strategy firm to raise its US stock market target, reflecting Wall Street’s growing optimism about earnings support for US equities in the second half of the year. The institution lifted its year-end S&P 500 target from 7,700 points to 8,100 points. BCA’s core view is that first-quarter corporate earnings exceeded expectations in both strength and breadth, and the US economy has re-entered an expansion phase. Similar to JPMorgan Chase, BCA believes this stock rally is not only driven by valuation expansion—earnings themselves are delivering the index’s gains. AI remains the core variable in this assessment. Large tech firms including Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Oracle continue to increase capital spending on data centers and AI infrastructure, driving growth in orders for chips, servers, construction, power and related industrial chains. This provides a clearer fundamental basis for upward revisions to 2026 and 2027 earnings. The institution points out that risks exist: the earnings expansion brought by AI investments has already been quickly priced into the market. If subsequent returns on capital spending are questioned, or interest rates remain elevated, further upside for the index will require more earnings confirmation rather than relying solely on investor risk appetite.

4 minutes ago

Tom Lee: Markets have nearly priced in two interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve this year, and the rise in US Treasury yields is weighing on market sentiment.

Tom Lee said the market is still digesting Kevin Warsh’s remarks from his first press conference last week and repricing the macro environment. Over the past week, oil prices have pulled back, with war premiums contracting. Current oil prices are not far from the roughly $65 level seen before the conflict, indicating the market views related war risks as declining. On the other hand, 10-year U.S. Treasury yields continue to rise, now around 4.5%, higher than the pre-conflict level of roughly 4.2%. The main headwind the market has faced recently has shifted from oil prices to yields. Tom Lee noted that the market is not only focused on 10-year U.S. Treasury yields but also starting to price in potential additional interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve. According to federal funds futures, the market is currently pricing in nearly two rate hikes this year. Bank of America further projected today that the Fed will raise rates three times this year, in September, October, and December respectively. Jeffrey Gundlach often emphasizes the importance of monitoring 2-year U.S. Treasury yields, as they typically lead the Fed and signal the central bank’s policy direction. Between 2023 and 2025, the relationship between 2-year U.S. Treasury yields and the federal funds rate indicated that the Fed’s policy was overly tight, requiring interest rate cuts. However, this relationship has recently reversed, meaning the Fed would need two rate hikes to catch up with 2-year U.S. Treasury yields. He believes that, at least for now, yields have become a headwind for the market.

4 minutes ago

Japan and South Korea's stock markets closed higher across the board, with Japan's stock market hitting a new closing high.

According to Bitget market data, the Nikkei 225 index closed up 3,191.37 points, or 4.61%, at 72,366.34 points on Thursday, June 25, hitting a new all-time closing high. South Korea’s KOSPI index rose 459.76 points (5.43%) to end at 8,930.78 points; SK Hynix surged 13% while Samsung Electronics gained more than 5%.

4 minutes ago

A newly created wallet withdrew 17,675 ETH from Binance, valued at $28.58 million.

According to monitoring by Onchain Lens, a newly created wallet withdrew 17,675 ETH from Binance, valued at $28.58 million.

4 minutes ago

June 4, 2026, 4:31 PM UTC

The Securities and Exchange Commission is opposing the Bittrex bankruptcy administrator’s request to overturn a judgment it accepted less than three years ago, teeing up a dispute over the regulator’s position on cryptocurrency.

The plan administrator handling the bankrupt exchange’s Chapter 11 case failed to demonstrate any significant change in circumstances that would render the final judgment in an SEC action inequitable, the agency said in a Wednesday filing in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington.

“Injunctions prohibiting future violations of specified provisions of the federal securities laws remain lawful,” the SEC said. “And any hardship ...

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Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) push for a presidential pardon is facing fresh criticism, with a former prison bunkmate claiming the ex-FTX CEO has never accepted responsibility for the collapse of his crypto empire.

SBF is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for his role in the FTX scandal, but continues to appeal his conviction. He recently said he would “absolutely” welcome a pardon from President Donald Trump.

Cell-inmate Lashes Sam Bankman-Fried on Pardon ClaimsThe latest criticism came from Michael Avenatti, who says he shared a prison unit with SBF.

In a series of posts on X, Avenatti claimed he repeatedly urged the former FTX CEO to acknowledge his mistakes, but SBF refused.

Sam Bankman-Fried and I were prison bunkmates and I know him well. So I read this with more context than most.

Sam and I argued more than once about the same thing: his refusal to accept ANY responsibility for what he did. Not once did he admit he’d done anything wrong — even… https://t.co/7FHJelX1gx

— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) June 8, 2026 “Not once did he admit he’d done anything wrong,” Avenatti wrote, adding that redemption starts with accepting responsibility. He argued that someone who cannot admit wrongdoing does not deserve a pardon.

Interestingly, Avenatti also praised Bankman-Fried’s intelligence, calling him a technology visionary. However, he argued that SBF had “zero business” running a multibillion-dollar company and let his ego prevent him from bringing in experienced leadership.

According to Avenatti, if SBF had hired “an actual adult in the room” and listened to experienced executives, he might still be free today and potentially worth close to $100 billion.

He compared SBF to Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who brought in former CEO Eric Schmidt to help scale the company. In Avenatti’s view, successful entrepreneurs recognize what they don’t know and surround themselves with people who do.

Trump Has Already Weighed InIn January, Trump told The New York Times he has “no intention of pardoning” Sam Bankman-Fried.So far, SBF is not among the people Trump has publicly indicated he may consider for clemency.Trump has issued more than 1,400 pardons and commutations during his second term.More than 1,200 of those were tied to January 6 cases.By comparison, Trump granted 238 pardons and commutations during his entire first term.SBF Continues to Fight BackDespite the criticism and Trump’s previous denial, Bankman-Fried continues to maintain his innocence. In recent comments, he argued that he did not commit fraud and claimed FTX customers were ultimately repaid.

Critics, however, continue to point to the commingling of customer funds and the collapse of FTX as the central reasons behind his conviction, making any potential pardon highly controversial.

Story Ends Here

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Can You Roll Over a 401(k) Into a Crypto IRA: Rules and Risks

A federal appeals court has firmly rejected efforts by Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder and former chief executive officer of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange platform FTX, to secure a new trial. The ruling, issued on June 12, 2026, by a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York, upholds Bankman-Fried’s 2023 convictions on multiple fraud and conspiracy charges, along with his 25-year prison sentence.

The decision affirms that the original trial proceedings were fair and that the evidence presented against the onetime crypto billionaire was overwhelmingly strong.

Bankman-Fried had argued that restrictions imposed by the trial judge prevented him from fully presenting his defense, particularly claims that he intended to repay customers and that investments made with diverted funds could have ultimately succeeded.

The appeals court dismissed these contentions, emphasizing that the government’s case demonstrated a clear pattern of misusing customer deposits.

FTX, once valued at billions of dollars and hailed as a major innovator in digital asset trading, imploded dramatically in November 2022 amid revelations of widespread mismanagement.

Prosecutors alleged that Bankman-Fried and his associates diverted roughly $8 billion in customer funds from the exchange to his affiliated trading firm, Alameda Research.

These funds were used for purposes ranging from covering trading losses and making political donations to funding personal luxuries and real estate purchases.

The scheme left customers unable to withdraw their assets during a liquidity crisis, triggering the platform’s bankruptcy.

During the 2023 trial in Manhattan federal court before Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, testimony from former close associates—including Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, and Nishad Singh—painted a detailed picture of the fraud.

Cooperating witnesses described how Bankman-Fried directed the commingling of funds, falsification of records, and other deceptive practices while publicly assuring investors and users that their money was safe and segregated.

The jury deliberated briefly before convicting him on all seven counts, including wire fraud, securities fraud conspiracy, commodities fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy.

On appeal, Bankman-Fried’s legal team challenged various evidentiary rulings, jury instructions, and claims of judicial bias.

They contended that the defense was unfairly limited in arguing about the temporary nature of any shortfalls or Bankman-Fried’s reliance on legal advice.

The Second Circuit panel, in a unanimous opinion written by Circuit Judge Barrington D. Parker, rejected these arguments.

The court noted that even temporary misappropriation of customer funds constitutes fraud under federal law, regardless of any later intent or ability to repay.

It described the prosecution’s evidence as “robust” and found no basis to overturn the verdict or order a new proceeding.

The ruling also upholds the substantial $11 billion forfeiture order imposed alongside the prison term.

While bankruptcy proceedings have allowed for significant recoveries— with many customers receiving repayments often exceeding 100% of their claims through asset liquidations—the appeals court focused on the criminal liability established at trial.

This outcome narrows Bankman-Fried’s remaining legal options, which could include further appeals to the full Second Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court. The decision underscores the accountability applied in some of these so-called white-collar crypto cases and seemingly provides closure for many affected by FTX’s downfall.

PANews, June 18 — Avalanche announced the formation of the Avalanche Payment Alliance, which already includes 28 institutions such as Franklin Templeton, VanEck, WisdomTree, Paxos, Rain, Kraken, Anchorage Digital, Axiym, Nonco, and Request Finance, covering settlement, stablecoins, foreign exchange, treasury management, and cross-border payments. Axiym has cumulatively processed over $1.4 billion in cross-border payments on Avalanche, serving more than 150 countries and 96 currencies; Tassat’s Lynq network has migrated to an Avalanche independent L1, bringing over $2.5 trillion in historical transaction records. The alliance aims to provide payment companies with integrated settlement and compliance infrastructure, enabling enterprises to efficiently move funds across approximately 22 billion payment endpoints, including bank accounts, cards, and digital wallets.

AI agents can now access 0x Protocol's Swap API by paying $0.01 per request in USDC directly from their own wallets, with no API key required, via the HTTP 402 and x402 standard built with Alchemy AgentPay.

AI agents can now access 0x Protocol's Swap API by paying $0.01 per request in USDC from their own wallets, with no API key or account setup required. The integration, built with Alchemy AgentPay, runs on the HTTP 402 standard and extends the protocol's DeFi liquidity aggregation to autonomous software agents for the first time.

The mechanism follows the x402 protocol flow: an agent sends an HTTP request to the 0x endpoint, the server returns a 402 Payment Required response, the agent signs a USDC payment on-chain, and a proxy verifies the transaction before releasing swap data. Payment is accepted via x402 on Base and Solana, or via the Machine Payment Protocol (MPP), per the 0x thread on X Tuesday.

Why Agents Need ThisTraditional API access requires an account, a credit card, a key, and a billing cycle. None of those map cleanly to an autonomous process that may need to execute a single swap query before spinning down. The pay-per-request model lets an agent call the endpoint when it needs it and pay only for what it consumes, at $0.01 per call.

0x's Swap API aggregates liquidity across major DEX venues, making it one of the more practical data sources for any agent that needs onchain pricing or routing. Opening it to API-keyless access removes the setup step that would otherwise require human intervention before an agent can run.

Growing StackThe launch adds 0x to a stack of AI-agent payment infrastructure that has grown quickly since early June. AWS plugged Coinbase's x402 into CloudFront on June 19, letting any site behind Amazon's CDN charge agents per request in USDC. Coinbase for Agents launched standalone agent accounts on June 11. Mastercard's Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M) and Ripple's XRPL AI Starter Kit both launched June 10.

The x402 network has processed 75.41 million transactions totaling $24.24 million in volume over the past 30 days, per x402.org. 0x has not disclosed how many agent requests its Swap API has received since the feature launched, and the announcement includes no volume projections.

[PRESS RELEASE – London, United Kingdom, September 18th, 2024]

The collaboration sets a new standard in decentralized finance (DeFi) by shifting blockchain transaction risk away from end users for the first time.

OpenCover, a leading platform for blockchain insurance and insurance alternatives backed by Coinbase Venture’s Base Ecosystem Fund, NFX, Jump, Alliance, Village Global and Orange DAO is announcing a strategic partnership with Request Finance and Nexus Mutual. This collaboration marks a historic milestone in decentralized finance (DeFi), offering unparalleled protection for blockchain users across multiple blockchain ecosystems including Ethereum, Arbitrum, Polygon, BNB, Optimism and Avalanche.

For the first time, eligible transactions on Request Finance are covered up to $100,000. This protects end-users from the main technical, economic, and security risks inherent to blockchain transactions, making onchain finance safer and matching transaction guarantees on traditional financial infrastructure.

Traditionally, the “your keys, your coins” mantra placed the full burden of blockchain risk — such as oracle price feed errors, smart contract bugs and stablecoins losing their peg — directly on the end-user.

OpenCover’s new Transaction Cover, underwritten by Nexus Mutual, transfers the risk of failure or unforeseen blockchain transaction outcomes away from the end-user. Users now benefit from the same transaction guarantees typically seen in traditional finance but with the advantages of faster settlement times, full transparency, and significantly lower fees attained by using blockchain rails.

“For decentralized finance to become a credible extension to traditional finance, blockchain transactions need to be as safe as they are efficient,” said Jeremiah Smith, Co-Founder and CEO of OpenCover. “This unique partnership with Request Finance and Nexus Mutual sets a new standard, allowing blockchain users to fully embrace self-custody and onchain finance without the downside of transaction risk.”

This collaboration not only strengthens OpenCover’s mission to promote blockchain safety but also aligns with the wider movement toward mainstream blockchain adoption. By abstracting transaction risk from end-users, OpenCover, Request Finance, and Nexus Mutual are bringing blockchain payments to parity with the protections that have long been standard in traditional financial systems.

About OpenCover (https://opencover.com)

Founded by Y Combinator alumni Jeremiah Smith and Yury Oparin, OpenCover works with top-tier underwriters to provide individuals and institutions protection against onchain risks, including transaction and protocol risk.

About Request Finance (https://request.finance)

Request Finance is a comprehensive invoicing, payment, and accounting platform for Web2 and Web3 businesses. By simplifying payments in both crypto and fiat currencies, Request Finance is helping businesses embrace decentralized finance while ensuring transparency and efficiency. Request has processed over $800 million in transactions since 2020.

About Nexus Mutual (https://nexusmutual.io/)

Nexus Mutual is the leading crypto insurance alternative for protocol and other blockchain risks. The mutual has underwritten close to $5 billion in risk since being established in 2019.