Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

Group linked to Trump sons seeks $400M from US defense department for Kazakhstan tungsten mine

Tech　　Group linked to Trump sons seeks $400M from US defense department for Kazakhstan tungsten mine　　A company with ties to Donald Trumps adult sons is asking the US Department of Defense for $400 million to develop a tungsten mine in Kazakhstan. The request lands at a moment when Washington is aggressively trying to wean its defense supply chain off Chinese-controlled minerals.　　The project targets the Boguty deposit in Kazakhstan, a country sitting on significant tungsten reserves. Its a conventional mining play, not a tokenized asset or blockchain venture.　　Why tungsten, why Kazakhstan　　Tungsten is used in armor-piercing ammunition, aerospace components, and high-performance tooling. Its classified as a critical mineral by the US government. China dominates global tungsten production, giving Beijing enormous leverage over a material the Pentagon considers essential.　　Kazakhstan has been actively courting international investment to expand its mining sector, positioning itself as a reliable alternative supplier for defense and high-tech manufacturing inputs.　　The conflict-of-interest question　　When a company linked to the sitting presidents family requests hundreds of millions in government funding, the optics are, to put it gently, challenging. The $400 million ask from the DoD raises straightforward questions about whether national security priorities are being leveraged for private benefit.　　This is a real funding request

05-15Industry

Signal warns Canada exit may follow lawful access bill

Signal has warned that it may leave Canada if the countrys proposed lawful access bill forces the company to weaken its privacy tools. Signal says it may leave Canada rather than weaken its end-to-end encryption promises to users.Bill C-22 remains in committee as lawmakers review lawful access powers and metadata rules.Meta, Apple and Windscribe have also raised privacy and security concerns over the proposal publicly.　　The warning came from Udbhav Tiwari, Signals vice president of strategy and global affairs.　　Tiwari said Signal “would rather pull out of the country” than break the privacy promises made to users. He also warned that Bill C-22 “could potentially allow hackers” to target weaknesses built into electronic systems.　　Canada says the bill supports law enforcement　　Bill C-22, also called the Lawful Access Act, 2026, seeks to update Canadas rules for digital data access. Parliament records show the bill is now under review by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security after second reading on April 20.　　The Canadian government says the bill would help law enforcement and CSIS respond to crime and national security threats. Public Safety Canada says Part 2 does not create new powers to intercept communications, but would make electronic service

05-15Industry

Decoding Ethereum’s 157mln dormant whale move after 9 years

Ethereum　　Decoding Ethereums 157mln dormant whale move after 9 years　　Ethereum whale activity increased sharply during the recent market retracement, with dormant holders returning to the network.　　According to Arkham, a whale that acquired 69,400 Ethereum [ETH] during the 2015 ICO became active again after nine years. The wallet moved 69,878 ETH, worth nearly $157 million, across three newly created addresses.　　Source: Arkham　　The transfer may point to two possible scenarios.　　First, the whale may have relocated assets for security reasons following recent dormant wallet exploits previously reported by AMBCrypto.　　Second, the movement could signal preparations for future selling activity through smaller wallet distributions.　　Did the whale transfer affect ETH？　　Despite the attention around the transfer, the movement itself appeared neutral for Ethereums market structure.　　The tokens had not entered exchanges at press time, meaning circulating sell-side pressure had not increased yet. At the same time, broader exchange activity still pointed toward accumulation.　　Source: CryptoQuant　　Exchange Netflow turned negative and dropped to -11.9k, reflecting rising outflows from trading platforms.　　Negative Exchange Netflow usually indicates that buyers moved assets off exchanges and into private wallets. That shift suggested some market participants still accumulated ETH despite recent weakness.　　Why does Ethereum still look weak？　　Even with rising accumulation, Ethereums broader structure remained fragile.　　AMBCrypto observed that downside momentum

05-15Ethereum

There Are More XRP Whales Than Ever: Will it Trigger a Price Breakout to $2?

Tech　　There Are More XRP Whales Than Ever: Will it Trigger a Price Breakout to $2？　　XRP (XRP) has recovered from its April lows of $1.26, rising as much as 19% to a three-week high of $1.50 on Sunday.　　Whale activity, network growth and a strengthening technical setup suggested that the XRP/USD pair was primed for a move higher once resistance at $1.50 is broken.　　Key takeaways:XRP whale addresses hit record highs of 332,230, indicating accumulation.XRP Ledger monthly transactions hit an all-time high of 71 million in April.Price must break above the $1.50 resistance to continue its upside toward $2.　　XRP whales show growing conviction　　XRP whales remain confident about the prospects of a breakout, using the recent consolidation range to accumulate more tokens.　　Santiments whale count metric indicates that the number of wallets holding at least 10,000 XRP has reached an all-time high of about 332,230.　　“This extends a consistent growth trend that has been building since June, 2024,” Santiment in an X post on Wednesday.　　Rela　　The market intelligence firm explained that the amount of mid to large stakeholders continuing to grow is an important long-term signal showing that “larger holders have kept accumulating even during periods of volatility and uncertainty,” adding:　　“Historically, rising numbers of mid-to-large wallets suggest

05-15Industry

Elliptic closes $120M Series D led by One Peak Partners, backed by Deutsche Bank and NASDAQ

Tech　　Elliptic closes $120M Series D led by One Peak Partners, backed by Deutsche Bank and NASDAQ　　Elliptic, the London-based blockchain analytics company, just pulled in $120M in Series D funding. The round was led by growth equity firm One Peak Partners, with Deutsche Bank, Nasdaq Ventures, and the British Business Bank among those writing checks.　　The raise values Elliptic at roughly $670M and pushes its total funding to approximately $224M since the company was founded in 2013.　　What Elliptic actually does　　The company processes over 1 billion transactions weekly across more than 65 blockchains. It serves over 700 clients spread across 30 countries, a roster that includes banks and government agencies.　　The fresh capital will go toward expanding Elliptics AI-driven analytics capabilities. The specific focus: transaction monitoring for stablecoins and tokenized assets.　　Why the big names are betting on compliance　　Stablecoins are the clearest example of growing compliance demand. Theyve become the de facto rails for cross-border payments, remittances, and increasingly, traditional trade finance. Every one of those transactions needs to be screened for sanctions compliance, anti-money laundering requirements, and counter-terrorism financing rules.　　Tokenized assets, the other area Elliptic is targeting, represent an even newer frontier. As firms like BlackRock and Franklin Templeton tokenize treasury funds and other

05-15Industry

MEXC expands Guardian Fund to $500M, acquires 1,000 Bitcoin for dual-reserve structure

Bitcoin　　MEXC expands Guardian Fund to $500M, acquires 1,000 Bitcoin for dual-reserve structure　　MEXC is scaling its Guardian Fund from $100M to $500M over the next two years, a fivefold increase that includes the purchase of 1,000 Bitcoin. The move creates what the exchange calls a “dual-reserve” structure, blending USDT liquidity with long-term BTC holdings to backstop user funds during periods of market chaos.　　What the Guardian Fund actually does　　The Guardian Fund is MEXCs version of a user protection reserve, a pool of capital designed to cover users during market volatility, operational disruptions, or the kinds of crises that tend to make crypto traders lose sleep. MEXC has positioned it explicitly as an institutional-grade protection mechanism, not a speculative vehicle.　　The funds holdings will be stored in publicly disclosed wallet addresses. That means anyone with an internet connection can verify the reserves on-chain, a transparency measure that has become table stakes for exchanges after the catastrophic failures of 2022 and 2023.　　The dual-reserve approach is the interesting piece here. By holding both USDT and Bitcoin, MEXC is hedging in two directions. USDT provides immediate dollar-denominated liquidity, the kind you need when things go sideways fast. Bitcoin, meanwhile, offers potential appreciation and serves as a long-term

05-15Industry

Nakamoto (NAKA) Reports $238M Q1 Loss Despite 500% Revenue Growth

Bitcoin-focused company Nakamoto Inc. (NASDAQ: NAKA) reported a $238.8 million net loss for Q1 2026, despite a staggering 500% revenue increase to $2.7 million. The loss was primarily driven by a $102.5 million mark-to-market loss on its Bitcoin treasury as the cryptocurrency dropped 23% during the quarter. Bitcoin (BTC) currently trades at $79,839, down 37% from its all-time high.　　Nakamoto attributed another $107.7 million of the loss to a non-cash reduction tied to pre-acquisition options. During the quarter, the company finalized two strategic acquisitions: BTC Inc., a Bitcoin-focused news outlet, and UTXO Management, an investment platform. CEO David Bailey described the period as “transformational” and emphasized the long-term growth potential of these additions.　　Revenue streams reflected a pivot toward diversification. The company generated $1.1 million from its Bitcoin treasury and derivatives strategies, $800,000 from media operations, $500,000 from its soon-to-be-discontinued healthcare business, and $200,000 from asset management services. These results included only a partial quarter of contributions from the acquired businesses, as the deals were finalized on February 20.　　Bitcoin Treasury Strategies Under Pressure　　Nakamotos struggles underscore the challenges facing Bitcoin treasury companies amid volatile markets. The firm ended the quarter with 5,398 BTC but sold 284 BTC to cover operational expenses on March

05-15Industry

US consumer price index rises 3.8%, highest since May 2023

Tech　　US consumer price index rises 3.8%, highest since May 2023　　Inflation just reminded everyone its still very much in the room. The US consumer price index climbed 3.8% year over year in April, marking the fastest pace of price increases since May 2023, when CPI hit 4%.　　The numbers behind the number　　Core CPI, which strips out the rollercoaster of food and energy prices to give a cleaner read on underlying inflation, rose 2.8% year over year. Wall Street consensus had expected 2.7%.　　On a month-over-month basis, headline CPI increased 0.3% in April. Thats the strongest single-month gain since June 2022, a period when inflation was still raging near its post-pandemic peak and the Fed was hiking rates at a pace not seen in decades.　　Services inflation and shelter costs continue to be the stubborn anchors keeping the index elevated. Energy prices, while not the primary driver this month, remain a wildcard that could push readings even higher if geopolitical tensions escalate or supply disruptions materialize.　　What the Fed is thinking　　A core reading of 2.8%, still sitting well above the 2% target, gives the Fed essentially zero reason to rush toward easing monetary policy. Markets had been pricing in the possibility of rate cuts in the

05-15Industry

Bybit Expands Institutional Options Access with Orbit Markets RFQ Integration

Bybit has taken another step toward strengthening its institutional trading stack, announcing an integration with Orbit Markets through its request-for-quote, or RFQ, platform. The move brings one of the better-known institutional liquidity providers in digital asset options directly into Bybits execution flow, giving professional traders more access to depth, tighter pricing and smoother large-order execution.　　For options traders, especially institutional desks, the quality of execution often matters just as much as the price itself. Large trades can be difficult to place efficiently, and customized structures usually require more than a standard order book. That is where RFQ systems come in. Instead of relying only on open market liquidity, traders can request quotes directly from liquidity providers and compare executable pricing before committing to a trade.　　By adding Orbit Markets into that process, Bybit is making its RFQ platform more attractive to sophisticated market participants who want faster, cleaner execution without having to bounce between venues. The integration allows Bybit users to tap Orbit Markets‘ liquidity directly inside the platform’s RFQ workflow.　　In practical terms, that means traders can request quotes for large notional trades and tailored options structures, then receive competitive pricing without leaving the Bybit interface. The aim is to cut down

05-15Industry

Nvidia commits over $40B to AI equity deals in 2026, raising dot-com era comparisons

Tech　　Nvidia commits over $40B to AI equity deals in 2026, raising dot-com era comparisons　　Nvidia has poured more than $40 billion into AI and technology companies so far in 2026, a figure that already surpasses its total investment activity from all of 2025. The GPU giant isn‘t just selling shovels during the gold rush anymore. It’s buying stakes in the mines, too.　　The centerpiece of this spending spree is an approximately $30 billion investment in OpenAI, the largest single equity deal in Nvidias history. The remaining billions are spread across a portfolio of AI infrastructure plays, including a notable deal with IREN, a company that used to mine Bitcoin before pivoting to AI compute.　　Financing your own demand　　Here‘s the thing about Nvidia’s investment strategy: the companies its backing are also its biggest customers. OpenAI runs massive GPU clusters to train and serve its models. IREN is building out AI compute infrastructure. These entities need Nvidia hardware, and lots of it.　　In English: Nvidia is writing checks to companies that will turn around and spend a significant chunk of that money buying Nvidia chips.　　The IREN deal illustrates the pattern clearly. The arrangement includes a $2.1 billion equity warrant alongside a $3.4 billion AI compute infrastructure

05-15Industry

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