Crypto turns ‘contrarian bet’ as AI stocks draw investor attention: Bitwise
“Investors still believe in crypto, but now that it’s a contrarian bet, they favor fundamentals over vibes,” says Bitwise investment chief Matt Hougan.
Crypto
Bitcoin plunges below $66,000 as global stocks, AI trades hit fresh records
BTC plunged 6.4% to a 24-hour low of $65,708 and ether broke below $1,900 in Asian trading on Wednesday, just hours after the MSCI All Country World Index set a fresh all-time high on the AI rally.
Mastercard expands on-chain settlement in bet on stablecoins and always-on finance
The company plans to offer stablecoin, weekend and holiday settlement as demand grows for real-time movement of money.
Microsoft Reveals ‘1,000x More Reliable’ Quantum Chip as Bitcoin Threat Draws Nearer
Microsoft said AI helped speed Majorana 2 development, adding to growing concerns about when quantum computers could threaten Bitcoin’s cryptography.
Cardano’s TapTools to wind down after 5 execs exit
Despite the planned wind-down, TapTools says it is open to being acquired or taking on external resources to continue maintaining the platform.
Bitcoin’s slide to $67,000 is accelerating a shift into digital dollars
The crypto market is seeing a capital flight into dollar-linked stablecoins even as stocks and the Dollar Index remain calm.
Cardsmiths’ New America250 Trading Cards Have Real Bitcoin, Dogecoin Up for Grabs
Cardsmiths’ latest Currency trading card series tackles American history—and some packs include codes for real Bitcoin, Ethereum, and more.
UK Lords warn BoE could regulate pound stablecoins into irrelevance
A UK House of Lords committee warned that strict stablecoin rules could make pound sterling tokens commercially unworkable despite supporting regulation.
Bitcoin’s compute power dwarfs top 100 supercomputers by 600k times, says Bittensor co-founder
Ala Shaabana explains how using Bitcoin network’s coordinate-and-reward playbook can bust open corporate monopolies on AI.
UK House of Lords committee calls on Bank of England to reconsider proposed stablecoin restrictions
The Bank of England proposed limits of 20,000 pounds per coin for individuals and 10 million pounds for businesses.
US Treasury Sanctions Iranian Crypto Exchanges Including Nobitex for Terrorist Financing
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control accused the platforms of enabling illicit finance activities across Iran’s crypto ecosystem.
US lawmakers push back on Labor Department plans to include crypto in 401(k)s
The three members of Congress said the volatility of digital assets and “lack of regulation and safeguards” could put Americans’ retirement savings at risk.
As Bitcoin Sinks, It’s Time for Ethereum to Outperform: Standard Chartered
Bitcoin is falling following Strategy’s first BTC sale since 2022—and one analyst sees that as a good thing for Ethereum.
SEC makes digital assets strategic priority through 2030
The regulator’s five-year roadmap calls for clearer crypto rules, support for tokenization and a framework for staking and onchain markets.
U.S. sanctions Iranian crypto exchanges in ongoing war against the country
OFAC said it was blacklisting Nobitex and three other Iranian exchanges, as well as a few executives, citing links to terror and other crimes.
Crypto correction vaporized $176B in investor funds: Are bears back in control?
Bitcoin and altcoin prices crumbled as BTC lost the $70,000 level. Will investors’ pivot to AI stocks continue to weigh on crypto markets?
Microsoft Says Latest AI Models Beat Claude, Google’s Nano Banana
Microsoft unveiled seven in-house AI models and claimed its flagship reasoning and image systems outperform rivals from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google.
Crypto PACs pour $3M into Maryland races as California voters head to polls
An affiliate of a political action committee backed by crypto companies ramped up spending on ads in California ahead of Tuesday’s primaries, but still has millions of dollars at stake in Maryland later this month.
Strategy Shares Fall for Second Straight Day After $56 Billion Bitcoin Giant Sells BTC
Shares in the leading Bitcoin treasury firm Strategy (MSTR) are now more than 70% off their 52-week high after the company sold BTC.
Microsoft Turns OpenClaw Into an Enterprise AI Agent With Scout
Tech people will say everyone’s already using OpenClaw. They’re right. But Microsoft is the one with 1.4 billion Windows users ready to adopt it.
Coinbase backs Ethena ahead of savings product launch for exchange’s 100 million users
Coinbase Ventures, the exchange’s venture arm, bought Ethena tokens on the open market as the protocol is set to roll out a Coinbase integration next week.
Coinbase invests in ProShares ETF tailored for stablecoin reserve assets
The exchange has invested an undisclosed amount in ProShares’ Treasury-focused ETF built for the post-GENIUS era as lawmakers debate whether stablecoin issuers can offer yield-bearing products.
Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren Urge Labor Department to Drop Bitcoin, Crypto 401K Plan
The senators said a plan allowing fiduciaries to offer exposure to riskier assets like crypto and private equity would hurt retirees and personally benefit President Trump.
Bitcoin’s $224K ‘fair value’ may emerge if sovereign debt fears deepen: Bitwise
A sovereign default-risk model estimates Bitcoin’s fair value at $224,000, as rising debt risks and bond-market stress could strengthen the asset’s long-term investment case.
Galaxy enters institutional prediction markets with $10 million Arca trade
The digital asset firm launched OTC prediction markets trading for institutions and completed a $10 million trade tied to U.S. crypto legislation with hedge fund Arca.
Where Does Bitcoin Go From Here? This Is What the Charts Say
Bitcoin just had its worst day since April. The death cross is in effect, and prediction markets are bearish.
New York’s Crypto Watchdog Teams With EU to Police Stablecoins
The New York Department of Financial Services and European Banking Authority said they’ll work together to oversee stablecoins.
Tom Lee predicts ether will hit $250,000 as corporate validators take over network control
The Bitmine chairman said DeFi and AI could push the Ethereum network’s value into the multi-trillion range, making current prices “future optionality at a discount”.
Bitcoin set for ‘choppy summer’ as capital chases high-flying AI stocks, K33 says
The firm still views bitcoin as undervalued relative to equities, but says investors are rotating into AI stocks as the opportunity cost of missing gains by holding BTC is too high.
As Strategy Sells Bitcoin, Strive Doubles Down With $4.2 Billion Offering
Benchmark-StoneX analysts grew bullish towards Strive after the Bitcoin-buying asset manager padded cash reserves while growing its stockpile.