Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

SKALE launches Agent Pit to let builders train AI agents before taking them live on Polymarket

Quick TakeSKALE Labs has launched Agent Pit, a paper-trading prediction market sandbox on its zero-gas blockchain that mirrors Polymarket, letting humans and AI agents safely test and train trading strategies.Developers can fine-tune agents, compete on simulated ROI leaderboards, and then deploy models to real markets like Polymarket.　　SKALE Labs has launched Agent Pit, a paper-trading prediction market built specifically for training and testing autonomous AI trading agents — effectively a no-stakes prediction market sandbox for humans and bots to test strategies.　　The platform, the first product from the company‘s Agentic Venture Studio, runs on SKALE’s high-throughput, zero-gas blockchain and mirrors the mechanics of Polymarket, including its order books, resolution frameworks, and live event data feeds.　　“We saw a strong need in the market from both experts and novices for a training ground for agent-first prediction market strategies,” Jack OHolleran told The Block. “We hope this will help builders get confidence in their agent mechanics and strategies while also providing a fun gamified experience.”　　Developers and quant builders can fine-tune agents in the simulated environment with no real capital at risk before competing on public leaderboards or deploying to live markets.　　SKALE says Agent Pit maintains full parity with Polymarkets market structure while offering paper-trading iteration

3 days agoIndustry

Goldman Sachs to acquire NEOS in $2.25B ETF deal

Goldman Sachs has agreed to acquire NEOS Investments for up to $2.25 billion, adding about $30 billion in assets and 19 options-based income ETFs to its asset management business.　　SummaryGoldman Sachs will pay up to $2.25 billionthrough a cash-and-equity transaction.NEOS managed about $30 billion across 19 ETFsas of June 30.The purchase will lift Goldmans ETF platform above $130 billion in assets.NEOS co-founders will join Goldman Sachs Asset Management as partnersafter closing.　　Goldman Sachs sets first-quarter 2027 closing target　　Goldman Sachs said in an Aug. 12 announcement that the final payment will depend on performance and service commitments included in the acquisition agreement. The transaction is scheduled to close during the first quarter of 2027, subject to regulatory clearances and customary closing conditions.　　Structured as a mix of cash and equity, the deal will bring NEOS investment products, staff, and client relationships into Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The bank did not provide a breakdown of the cash and stock portions or identify the regulators that must approve the purchase.　　Based in Westport, Connecticut, NEOS has built a range of 19 systematic options-based income ETFs since its launch in 2022. Goldman placed the firms assets under management at approximately $30 billion as of June 30, while Bloomberg

Within 1 weeksIndustry

Crypto-Backed Loans, Explained: How to Unlock Cash Without Selling Your Bitcoin

In briefCrypto-backed loans give holders cash against their coins without selling, generally avoiding a capital-gains event.Figure advises borrowers to compare four things when shopping: max loan-to-value, fixed vs. variable rate, licensing, and liquidation terms.Licensing and liquidation protection matter more than the headline rate, says the crypto lender, and the product suits only holders comfortable with margin-call risk.　　If you believe in your crypto, selling it to cover a short-term cash need is the one move youd rather not make. Sell, and you trigger a taxable event and give up any future upside. A crypto-backed loanoffers another path: borrow cash against your holdings while keeping every coin.　　Heres the mechanics. You pledge Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Solana as collateral, and a lender advances you cash—with Figure its up to 75% of your collaterals value*. You keep ownership of the crypto the entire time. No sale, and because borrowing isnt a sale, generally no capital-gains event (this isnt tax advice—check with a professional on your situation).　　The category has matured fast, and not every lender is built the same. Four things separate a serious platform from a risky one — and theyre exactly what you should compare when shopping for the best crypto-backed loan:　　Fixed vs. variable

Within 1 weeksIndustry

BIP-110 failure shows Bitcoin would be 'almost impossible to reproduce,' Plan B Network director says

Quick TakeZucco argued that BIP-110 bundled legitimate technical and governance disputes with a “moral panic” that helped drive the fork.He criticized Luke Dashjrs removal as a BIP editor, saying the move risked fueling claims of Bitcoin centralization.　　Giacomo Zucco, director of Plan B Network, said on The Blocks The Starting Block podcast that the failed BIP-110 Bitcoin fork offered an “educational” lesson in how difficult it would be to recreate Bitcoin from scratch today, arguing that the conditions around the networks early development would be almost impossible to replicate.　　BIP-110, championed by longtime Bitcoin developer Luke Dashjr, looked to change Bitcoins consensus rules to curb what supporters considered spam on the network.　　However, the proposal failed to garner much support, with nodes running BIP-110 splitting from the main Bitcoin network over the weekend and creating a separate blockchain with a small fraction of its hash power. The breakaway chain initially stalled after two blocks, though Zucco noted it had since sputtered back to life, reaching four blocks by the time of the interview.　　Dashjr, one of Bitcoin Cores earliest contributors, has continued to try to keep the fork alive, including trying to change its proof-of-work algorithm. Zucco said those efforts show how launching a

Within 1 weeksIndustry

New York City Council opens probe into prediction market platforms

Quick TakeThe NYC Council said it would look into allegations that Polymarket paid social media creators to film themselves placing fake bets and wins on replicas of the site, which The Wall Street Journal reported in June.State officials across the country have increasingly raised concerns about prediction markets, an industry now valued at billions of dollars.　　The New York City Council has opened a probe into four prediction market platforms over alleged “false, deceptive, or abusive marketing tactics” targeting younger people.　　The council sent letters to Kalshi, Polymarket, Coinbase, and Gemini Titan, according to a statement on Wednesday.　　“For months, the Council has been looking into issues related to allegations of predatory marketing practices associated with the prediction market industry, which has grown rapidly in New York City,” the council said in the statement. “Some of these practices raise serious concerns.”　　State officials across the country have increasingly raised concerns about prediction markets, an industry now valued at billions of dollars. Much of the concern has centered on platforms offering sports-related contracts, which states argue can amount to gambling and violate their gaming laws.　　Insider trading has also emerged as a concern. In April, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order prohibiting state

Within 1 weeksIndustry

Miden bets on privacy stablecoins with introduction of USDCx

SummaryMiden plans to introduce USDCx, a native stablecoin backed 1:1 by USDC held through Circles xReserve infrastructure.Transactions will be private by default, while users can selectively prove balances, provenance and other information to auditors, regulators and counterparties.The stablecoin is expected to debut at the end of this month with the Miden mainnet, targeting payments, trading, payroll and corporate treasury use cases.　　Miden is planning to introduce a privacy-focused stablecoin backed by Circle Internets USDC at the same time as the zero-knowledge blockchain prepares to debut its mainnet　　Issued natively on Miden using Circle‘s xReserve infrastructure, USDCx will be backed 1:1 by Circle’s stablecoin held in an xReserve smart contract, the company said in a press release Wednesday.　　Users will be able to hold and transfer USDCx without publicly revealing balances, counterparties or transaction histories.　　The stablecoin is expected to go live at the same time as the Miden mainnet, targeted for the end of this month.　　Miden is a California-based zero-knowledge blockchain built around client-side proving, where transactions are executed and proved on users devices rather than exposed to the network. The design is intended to provide applications with privacy by default while allowing users to selectively disclose information when needed.　　The product targets one of

Within 1 weeksIndustry

History Repeating？ Bitcoin Chart Mimics Exact Pattern That Sparked 2023 Rally

The leading cryptocurrency has been squeezed into a narrow range around $63,700, while the Bollinger Band Width indicator on the daily chart has contracted to its lowest level since October 2023, pinching the price action into an extreme technical threshold.　　In traders language, this condition is called a “squeeze” — a phase of extremely low volatility that has historically been followed by a powerful price explosion.　　Bitcoin price chart since 2023 in context of Bollinger Bands Width indicator, Source: Barchart　　The current chart by Barchart draws a direct parallel with the events of three years ago. In the fall of 2023, an identical narrowing of the Bollinger Bands triggered a massive two-year rally. Bitcoin started at levels slightly above $20,000 and ultimately gained more than 330%, reaching a peak above $130,000 by mid-2025.　　Bitcoin Price Analysis　　Fed factor: How Julys CPI report changes the math for Bitcoins next move　　Now the historical spring has once again been compressed to its limit, and the market has finally received a powerful external catalyst. The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for July, released today, came in line with market expectations.　　As observers note, the report reduces pressure on the Federal Reserve and gives officials room to keep interest rates

Within 1 weeksIndustry

Bitcoin Prints Early Bullish Signal as Price Retains $64,000 Spot

Although Bitcoin has continued to trade downwards, the worlds largest crypto asset is showing signs that the market could be getting ready for another move higher.　　Ethereum Price Analysis　　Amid the inconsistent price moves, Cryptoquant analysts have shared onchain data that unveils a second early bullish signal appearing on its chart.　　Bitcoin bottom soon？　　The analyst revealed that Bitcoins early bull signal has appeared for the second time in the cycle, which suggests that it could be preparing for a major price rally.　　According to him, such a signal could not be overlooked as the pattern has previously appeared around Bitcoins bottoming phases, before the asset moved into an uptrend.　　Previously, the first Bitcoin early bull signal was followed by another decline. However, the second signal eventually emerged as the market was forming a bottom and preparing for a recovery.　　As such, the analyst expressed belief that Bitcoin could be approaching its bottom again, especially now that the second early bull signal has reappeared.　　Bitcoin holds around $64,000　　Despite the bullish signal flashed by Bitcoin, the asset has continued to hold around the $64,000 price level.　　Ethereum Price Analysis　　Interestingly, market analysts believe that this level could become crucial for Bitcoin in deciding its next price move amid the rising signals.　　Notably,

Within 1 weeksIndustry

A Routing Bug Took Solana 86% of the Way to Losing Finality

In briefAlmost 29% of staked SOL went delinquent early Wednesday after a routing fault at hosting provider Teraswitch, against the 33% at which Solana stops finalizing blocks.One network, AS20326, holds some 27% of staked SOL, above the 25% cap the Solana Foundations delegation program sets, and 94% of it went dark at once.Around 90 validators were affected, losing a combined 333 SOL in rewards.　　Solana came within 4.51 percentage points of losing the ability to finalize transactions on Wednesday morning, after a single misconfigured route at one hosting provider knocked 28.83% of staked SOL offline. The chain stops finalizing at 33.34%, meaning the network got roughly 86% of the way there.　　Teraswitch, the provider, has published a writeup explaining how it happened. The company uses a default route internally to signal that an edge router can reach the internet, with each site normally preferring the one its own routers originate. A default route from its Miami site was propagated with its metric and communities stripped, and a route reflector in Amsterdam pushed it into Europe and Asia-Pacific.　　Edge routers there read it as locally originated and preferred it over their real one, then passed it to the data center core, which rejected it

Within 1 weeksIndustry

Kalshi first prediction market to stream full order books via DoubleZero

Quick TakeKalshi has become the first prediction market to distribute real-time order book data via DoubleZero Edge, a low-latency multicast feed using its dedicated global fiber network.The move gives institutional traders direct access to Level 1 and Level 2 data without having to reconstruct the book from APIs.　　Kalshi has become the first prediction market to distribute real-time order book data on DoubleZero Edge, the low-latency market-data feed delivery service running over dedicated fiber, according to an announcement on Wednesday.　　The data, being made available for Edge subscribers, will start with full order book depth for the most actively traded contracts in sports events and crypto perpetual futures.　　DoubleZero Edge is a transport layer that uses multicast to publish machine-readable data once and deliver it simultaneously to connected traders, an approach also employed by traditional exchanges such as the NYSE, NASDAQ, and CME.　　Previously, the announcement claims, firms often had to reconstruct Kalshi book state themselves from API responses.　　“Traditional finance got this concept exactly right: data access is a critical part of market structure,” Austin Federa, co-founder of DoubleZero and former comms lead for the Solana Foundation, said. New Finance, like crypto, perps, and prediction markets, has been built without this infrastructure.　　Federa notes that

Within 1 weeksIndustry

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