European Central Bank rate hikes increasingly likely due to Iran war, says Nagel

Tech  European Central Bank rate hikes increasingly likely due to Iran war, says Nagel  The European Central Bank spent the better part of two years cutting rates. Now, one of its most influential voices is suggesting the next move might be in the opposite direction.  Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel has warned that the ECB is increasingly likely to raise interest rates as the Iran war drives energy prices higher across Europe.  The energy price problem, again  ECB chief economist Philip Lane has echoed Nagels concern, stating that a global oil shock resulting from the Iran war may necessitate rate hikes to prevent energy-related inflation from bleeding into wages and broader price levels.  The ECBs deposit rate has sat at 2% since June 2025, a level policymakers reached after months of gradual cuts designed to support a sluggish eurozone economy.  Market futures have already started adjusting. Traders are now pricing in one to two 25-basis-point rate hikes through the remainder of 2026. Thats a meaningful shift from just weeks ago, when the consensus still leaned toward rates staying flat or even drifting lower.  Caught between two bad options  The ECB itself has acknowledged a shift toward “upside risks to inflation” alongside “downside risks to growth.”  Nagel‘s public comments suggest he’s firmly

05-15Industry

IREN secures $3B as Microsoft and Nvidia AI deals reshape growth

IREN has closed a $3 billion convertible senior notes offering as it continues to fund its AI cloud expansion. IREN raised $3 billion through 1.00% convertible senior notes due in 2033.Net proceeds of about $2.96 billion will support capped calls, working capital and corporate needs.The raise follows IRENs Nvidia and Microsoft AI cloud deals, which raised funding demands.  The notes carry a 1.00% coupon and mature in 2033. The deal included a $2.6 billion base offering and a fully exercised $400 million greenshoe option.  The company said net proceeds came to about $2.96 billion after fees and expenses. IREN plans to use $201.3 million to fund capped call transactions, with the rest set aside for general corporate needs and working capital.  Meanwhile, the capped call deals are tied to the notes and are expected to reduce potential dilution if the debt converts into shares. IREN said the capped call cap price starts at $110.30 per share, which is 100% above the $55.15 share price recorded on May 11.  The company also said the notes have a 32.5% conversion premium and no investor put option, except in certain standard change-of-control cases. The offering was sold privately to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A.  AI cloud deals

05-15Industry

XDC Network price outlook: Can bulls go higher as $0.037 breaks?

Tech  XDC Network price outlook: Can bulls go higher as $0.037 breaks?XDC climbed over 10% to surpass $0.037 on May 15, reaching its highest level since early March.Catalysts include potential DTCC integration and Bitcoin rally.The technical picture highlights resistance at $0.040.  XDC Network price climbed double digits to above $0.037 on May 15, with the uptick pushing the tokens value to its highest level since early March.  XDC now hovers near the key resistance line formed since late January 2026, but can it go higher?  XDC edges higher as market sentiment improves  As noted, XDC rallied sharply on May 15, rising more than 10% intraday as buyers re-entered the market.  The move lifted the token to levels not seen since early March, placing it directly beneath a horizontal supply zone near $0.040.  Trading volumes rose alongside the advance, signalling conviction among participants who are testing whether the late-January resistance can be turned into support.  But why did the XDC Network price surge in the past 24 hours?  The XDC rally coincides with broader strength in the crypto market, led by Bitcoins reclaiming of the $80,000 mark.  That recovery prompted many altcoins to retrace losses they incurred during a macro-driven sell-off this week, creating a risk-on backdrop that supported XDC.  Beyond market-wide

05-15Industry

THORChain’s RUNE Token Plunges Double Digits After $10M Exploit, Trading Halt

In briefTHORChain suspended all trading after security researchers flagged a suspected multi-chain exploit allegedly affecting Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, and Base networks.Blockchain researcher ZachXBT and security firm PeckShield identified two suspected theft addresses linked to alleged losses exceeding $10 million.The protocol halted operations while investigating the potential security breach.  THORChain halted trading operations Friday morning after blockchain security researchers identified a suspected exploit allegedly affecting more than $10 million across multiple blockchain networks.  Blockchain researcher ZachXBT and security firm PeckShield traced the suspected breach to two main addresses—one on Bitcoin and another on EVM-compatible chains including Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, and Base. The researchers‘ analysis prompted THORChain’s immediate defensive response.  The protocol‘s team has not yet released technical details about the nature of the alleged vulnerability or confirmed the researchers’ loss estimates. THORChains native token RUNE is down 10% on the day to trade at $0.5229, per CoinGecko data.  The suspected exploit occurred during a period of elevated activity on THORChain. The protocol processed $394 million in daily volume when hackers allegedly used it to move stolen funds from the KelpDAO breach between and networks.  The protocol suspended its ThorFi lending operations in January 2025 amid insolvency allegations, implementing a 90-day restructuring to address

05-15Industry

Altcoins Gain Massive Momentum as XDC Network and Flare Prices Surge Amid Rising Bullish Sentiment

Tech  Altcoins Gain Massive Momentum as XDC Network and Flare Prices Surge Amid Rising Bullish Sentiment  The post Altcoins Gain Massive Momentum as XDC Network and Flare Prices Surge Amid Rising Bullish Sentiment appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News  The altcoin market continues to display growing strength as several mid-cap tokens attract fresh bullish momentum despite ongoing volatility across the broader crypto space. Among the strongest performers, XDC Network (XDC) and Flare (FLR) have witnessed notable price surges over the past 24 hours, supported by rising trading activity and improving market sentiment. The sharp recovery in these tokens suggests that traders are gradually shifting focus toward utility-driven altcoins as Bitcoin stabilizes near higher levels.  With both XDC and FLR prices breaking above crucial resistance zones, market participants are now closely watching whether the latest rally can extend further in the coming sessions.  XDC Network Price Breaks Out of Bearish Structure  XDC Network price witnessed a strong bullish breakout after remaining under sustained bearish pressure for several months. The token surged more than 8% and climbed above the $0.036 level as buying momentum increased sharply alongside rising trading volume. The latest recovery appears significant because XDC has broken above a prolonged descending channel pattern that had restricted

05-15Industry

Hyperbridge launches $50K bug bounty after bridge exploit

Hyperbridge has launched a public bug bounty program on HackenProof, offering rewards of up to $50,000 for critical vulnerabilities. Hyperbridge offers $50,000 rewards for critical bugs as researchers review cross-chain messaging and fund safety.The program follows Aprils fake DOT exploit that exposed proof verification risks across Hyperbridge systems.HackenProof rules require proof-of-concept reports while banning live attacks and third-party exploit testing by researchers.  The program invites independent security researchers to review the protocol codebase and submit reports through the security platform.  The HackenProof page lists the Hyperbridge Protocol program as live and active. It describes Hyperbridge as a system that lets blockchains communicate and transfer assets through consensus and state proofs, rather than older bridge models that rely on multisig committees.  Rewards cover key bridge risks  Hyperbridge said rewards start at $200 for low-severity reports and rise to $2,000–$5,000 for medium findings. High-severity bugs can earn $5,000–$15,000, while critical vulnerabilities can receive up to $50,000.  The scope covers the full Hyperbridge protocol repository. The team said researchers can report logic flaws, access-control issues, reentrancy, cross-chain message spoofing, state manipulation and any flaw that could affect message or fund integrity.  April exploit pushed security review  The program follows an April exploit in which an attacker minted roughly 1 billion

05-15Industry

US Dollar Faces Summit-Driven Correction, Warns DBS

Tech  US Dollar Faces Summit-Driven Correction, Warns DBS  Singapores DBS Group Research has issued a note suggesting the US Dollar may be headed for a correction, driven by outcomes from recent international summits and shifting macroeconomic expectations. The analysis points to a confluence of factors—including trade policy adjustments and central bank signals—that could weaken the greenback in the near term.  What Is Driving the Correction View?  DBS strategists highlight that market sentiment has shifted following high-level diplomatic meetings, where trade and currency agreements have introduced new uncertainties. The bank‘s report emphasizes that the dollar’s recent strength was partly built on expectations of aggressive Federal Reserve tightening, but summit outcomes have tempered those bets. Additionally, a potential easing in geopolitical tensions could reduce safe-haven demand for the dollar.  Key Economic Indicators at Play  The analysis draws on recent data showing a slowdown in US manufacturing and a softening in consumer spending, which may give the Fed room to pause its rate hiking cycle. Meanwhile, other major economies, particularly in Asia and Europe, are showing signs of stabilization, narrowing the interest rate differential that had favored the dollar. DBS notes that the dollar index (DXY) could face resistance at recent highs and may correct toward lower support levels

05-15Industry

Binance CMO Rachel Conlan to depart on June 15 amid marketing reassessment

Tech  Binance CMO Rachel Conlan to depart on June 15 amid marketing reassessment  Rachel Conlan, Binance‘s chief marketing officer, will step down from her role on June 15. She’ll remain in an advisory capacity during the transition, but the move marks a notable shift for the worlds largest crypto exchange by trading volume.  Her replacement is Eowyn Chen, the former CEO of Trust Wallet, who will serve as interim CMO.  A short but splashy tenure  Conlan joined Binance in September 2023, arriving with a resume built on exactly the kind of high-wattage campaigns that crypto exchanges loved during flush times. Before Binance, she led branding efforts at rival exchange OKX, where she helped orchestrate the kind of partnerships that make traditional marketers raise an eyebrow.  At Binance, her playbook was similar. Conlan spearheaded campaigns featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and The Weeknd, the sort of celebrity tie-ups designed to put a crypto brand in front of people who might not know a block explorer from a blockchain.  One of her more memorable initiatives was “Crypto (Eau de Binance),” a perfume launched for International Womens Day.  The bigger picture: exchanges are tightening their belts  Conlan‘s exit fits neatly into a pattern that’s becoming hard to ignore across the exchange landscape. Crypto.com‘s CMO

05-15Industry

Sam Altman testifies he was uncomfortable with Elon Musks demand for total control over OpenAI

Tech  Sam Altman testifies he was uncomfortable with Elon Musks demand for total control over OpenAI  Sam Altman took the stand in a federal courtroom and told a story that reads like a Silicon Valley succession drama. During discussions about restructuring OpenAI in 2017, Elon Musk didnt just want a seat at the table. He wanted to own the table, the chairs, and pass them down to his kids.  Altman testified that Musk insisted on “total control” over a proposed for-profit subsidiary of OpenAI, going so far as to suggest that leadership of the entity should transfer to his children after his death. Altman said he found the demand uncomfortable, and more importantly, fundamentally at odds with how OpenAI was designed to operate.  The founding principle that started the fight  Here‘s the thing about OpenAI’s origin story: it was built around the idea that artificial general intelligence, the kind of AI that could match or exceed human-level reasoning, should never be controlled by a single person. That wasn‘t just a nice sentiment on a pitch deck. It was a foundational principle, one that Altman referenced directly as the reason he pushed back against Musk’s demands.  Musk departed OpenAIs board in 2018, and the relationship between the

05-15Industry

FTX Victims Sue Fenwick & West for $525M Over Alleged Role in Fraud

Twenty victims of the FTX collapse have filed a $525 million lawsuit against the prominent Silicon Valley law firm Fenwick & West, alleging it played a critical role in concealing the crypto exchange‘s massive fraud. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, accuses Fenwick of helping structure shell entities, obscure fund movements, and provide legal guidance that enabled FTX’s misuse of customer assets.  The plaintiffs argue that Fenwick‘s involvement gave FTX a veneer of legitimacy, preventing investors from recognizing the warning signs before the exchange’s implosion in November 2022. They also highlight the firm‘s alleged creation of North Dimension Inc., a Delaware shell company that funneled over $3 billion in stolen funds, and its advice on implementing FTX’s Signal auto-delete messaging policy, which prosecutors claim helped shield fraudulent activities from regulators.  Testimony and Examiners Findings  Central to the case is testimony from Nishad Singh, FTX‘s former Director of Engineering, who pleaded guilty to fraud charges. Singh testified that he informed Fenwick attorneys about the misuse of customer funds, but instead of distancing themselves, the firm allegedly advised on how to conceal it. This aligns with findings from a 2024 bankruptcy examiner’s report, which reviewed over 200,000 documents

05-15Industry
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