Blockchain & Digital Assets

May 8, 2026 @ 11:50 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Prediction markets are experiencing steady growth, and Kalshi, a U.S.-based platform for event contracts, has become the latest emblem of this momentum. The company recently closed a $1 billion Series F funding round led by Coatue Management, with participation from heavyweights including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen… Read More

May 8, 2026 @ 11:00 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Solv Protocol has announced a full transition of its cross-chain capabilities for tokenized Bitcoin assets. The Bitcoin-focused DeFi platform is standardizing operations around Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), moving away from its previous LayerZero integration. This change impacts more than $700 million in SolvBTC and… Read More

May 8, 2026 @ 10:00 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Aptos Foundation and Aptos Labs have unveiled a major funding push exceeding $50 million dedicated to strengthening the network’s ecosystem. The capital will support a broad array of efforts, from developing in-house applications and conducting advanced research to upgrading core protocol components and launching… Read More

May 8, 2026 @ 9:00 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) released its Q1 2026 financial results on May 7, showcasing operational strength despite a challenging crypto market. The company reported total revenue of $1.41 billion, missing Wall Street expectations of approximately $1.49–$1.52 billion, and swung to a net loss of $394 million (or… Read More

May 8, 2026 @ 7:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A new analysis of card transactions from digital assets platform OKX reveals that cryptocurrency is no longer confined to speculative trading or high-end buys across Europe. Instead, ordinary consumers are integrating stablecoins into routine daily life, challenging long-held assumptions about crypto’s limited real-world utility. Data… Read More

May 8, 2026 @ 12:46 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Mike Cagney, executive board chair of Figure Technology Solutions (Nasdaq: FIGR), has sparked insightful discussion among fintech industry professionals with an update on the company’s potential return to the SPAC arena. In a detailed social media post, Cagney carefully elaborated on an earlier brainstorming post,… Read More

May 8, 2026 @ 12:34 am By Omar Faridi  |  

OKX has rolled out enhancements that strengthen its position in both retail and institutional cryptocurrency markets. These developments focus on improved stablecoin accessibility and more efficient institutional trading workflows, reflecting the exchange’s ongoing push to simplify cross-chain operations while prioritizing security and capital efficiency. Recently,… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 6:08 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Jito Foundation has teamed up with Nasdaq-listed Solana Company to expand institutional-grade Solana validator and staking infrastructure across the Asia-Pacific region. The move comes as blockchain networks compete to attract regulated financial institutions and professional investors, analysts said. Per the announcement, the partnership will see… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 4:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

Late last year, Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) shared its plans to integrate cryptocurrency trading directly into ETrade, a leading online brokerage, in partnership with ZeroHash. This week, trading became reality as Etrade started offering trading in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. Currently in a pilot phase,  crypto… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 3:17 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Crypto exchange Kraken is partnering with MoneyGram to allow customers convert digital assets into cash through the money transfer firm’s global retail network. The move addresses one of crypto’s long-running practical challenges: moving funds from digital weallets into local currency. The companies said Kraken users… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 3:04 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Animoca Brands has announced several key developments in early May 2026 including a significant initiative with Republic. These recent updates now span tokenized ownership, a key corporate milestone, and support for next-generation AI applications, reinforcing the company’s role in bridging traditional finance with decentralized and… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 2:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Chainalysis has recently indicated that traditional finance is rapidly shifting toward tokenization, turning real-world assets like bonds, money market funds, and private credit into digital tokens on public blockchains. Yet as major institutions move beyond pilot programs to live deployments, a key challenge emerges: no… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 2:51 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Stablecoin infrastructure startups are heading into corporate treasuries as businesses seek faster, cheaper ways to manage cross-border money. Among them is Mesta, which is expanding its platform beyond payments into accounts, wallets, yield, and card products, according to an announcement. The Miami-based company said it… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 2:11 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Miami-based crypto startup Wire Wallet said it will launch its crypto wallet app on May 27, introducing what it describes as an “active wallet” designed to execute financial actions. The wallet will act on behalf of users within rules and guardrails they define, per the… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 1:44 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Circle, an issuer of U.S. dollar payment stablecoins, has formally responded to federal regulators with a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at refining the implementation of a new national licensing system for digital payments. In its submission dated May 1, 2026, the company outlined constructive… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 1:10 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Taiwan-based blockchain technology firm OwlTing Group said it has launched a self-custody digital wallet designed for AI agents, betting on the rise of “agentic commerce” where AI systems can make payments and conduct transactions on behalf of users. The Nasdaq-listed company said its new OwlPay… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 12:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

RISE, an Ethereum Layer 2 network engineered for high-performance decentralized finance, has now launched on mainnet. This rollout marks a significant milestone, as the chain delivers execution speeds below three milliseconds alongside the capacity to handle more than 100,000 transactions per second. Fully integrated with… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 9:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ondo Finance has carried out the world’s first near-instantaneous cross-border and cross-bank redemption of a tokenized U.S. Treasury fund. The pilot, executed in partnership with Kinexys by J.P. Morgan, Mastercard, and Ripple, showcases how public blockchain technology can integrate seamlessly with traditional banking systems to… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 9:44 am By JD Alois  |  

Bitso, a Latin American digital asset firm, says it has been approved to issue Mexican peso-pegged stablecoins MXNB. Bitso received its approval from El Salvador’s National Commission of Digital Assets (CNAD) for Nvio Pagos El Salvador, S.A. de C.V. to act as issuer of the… Read More

May 7, 2026 @ 9:31 am By JD Alois  |  

Quantum Motion has raised $160 million in Series C funding. Founded in 2017, the company is a UK-based spin out from Oxford University and University College London. As the name belies, Quantum is developing quantum computers for diverse industries including finance and cybersecurity. Quantum states… Read More