- Venture Capital & Funding: Archetype has closed a $100M early-stage fund focused on onchain infrastructure, stablecoins, and real-world assets. Additionally, Zerohash, a crypto infrastructure firm, raised $104M in a round led by Interactive Brokers and Morgan Stanley. Y Combinator, Base, and Coinbase Ventures have launched ‘Fintech 3.0’ to support on-chain finance initiatives.
- Tether’s Expansion: Stablecoin issuer Tether is reportedly seeking to raise $20B, potentially valuing the company at $500B. OKX is offering a 4.1% yield on USDG, intensifying the competition in the stablecoin market.
- Regulatory Developments: US SEC eyes ‘innovation exemption’ to fast-track digital asset products, with SEC Chair Paul Atkins pushing for rules allowing crypto firm innovation by 2025. Senator Cynthia Lummis suggests a market structure bill could address crypto ATM scams. The U.S. CFTC is also moving toward involving stablecoins in tokenized collateral initiatives.
- Market Trends & Analysis: Bitcoin’s bull cycle may be entering a ‘late phase’ with increased profit-taking. Data suggests Bitcoin is currently trading at a discount, enticing buyers, although charts warn of a potential price drop to $106K. Some analysts suggest Bitcoin could reach $1.3M by 2035, driven by Wall Street’s growing adoption of crypto.
- Institutional Adoption: E*Trade plans to add Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana trading in 2026 as part of Morgan Stanley’s crypto expansion, supported by Zerohash. OranjeBTC aims to become Brazil’s largest publicly-traded Bitcoin treasury firm with a B3 listing. Institutional buying appears to be driving a surge in HBAR.
- Solana & Avalanche Performance: Despite a broader crypto market sell-off, Avalanche (AVAX) experienced a 10% price pump driven by institutional momentum and network growth. Solana (SOL) is facing challenges with long leverage traders vanishing amid market concerns.
Analysis: The crypto market is showing signs of both maturity and volatility. Increased institutional investment and regulatory clarity are positive drivers, but profit-taking and macroeconomic concerns create uncertainty. The focus on tokenization and on-chain finance suggests a shift towards more integrated and efficient financial systems.