Cryptopolitan

Democrat lawmakers at a House Financial Services Committee hearing grilled U.S. SEC Chair Paul Atkins over the agency’s 60% drop in enforcement action since he took office. The hearing also touched on links between President Donald Trump’s family and several crypto ventures, flagging Trump family-tied memecoins as areas of concern.

Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Stephen Lynch pointed out a few U.S. SEC lawsuit dismissals in cases against the crypto industry, citing the May 2025 U.S. SEC dismissal of the Binance case as one of many examples of dropped enforcement. California Representative Maxine Waters also noted that many of these cases were thrown out of court despite the fact that the U.S. SEC was winning. 

According to Rep. Waters, these dismissals are proof that the agency’s crypto enforcement program was well-grounded in the law before Atkins’ appointment. However, in response, the agency’s chair emphasized that the Commission has put in place a robust enforcement effort and is still bringing cases. He maintained that the U.S. SEC remains committed to pursuing enforcement where warranted.

Lawmakers fear U.S. SEC enforcement drop linked to national security 

A notable development cited in the discussion involved the link between Abu Dhabi-based Aryam Investment 1, backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Trump family-backed World Liberty Financial (WLFI). Aryam Investment 1 allegedly has a 49% stake in the startup behind WLFI.

In this regard, Rep. Lynch argued that such ties could undermine trust in the crypto sector and complicate consumer protection. Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly raised concerns about the Trump family’s involvement in the crypto space and its potential to compromise U.S. national security. 

Cryptopolitan previously reported that Atkins, appointed by Trump, ended aggressive U.S. SEC enforcement for technical violations. The agency also dropped several crypto investigations tied to Trump donors. 

Rep. Waters, a well-known vocal critic of crypto and Trump, noted that nearly all of the crypto industry moguls who benefited from the dismissed regulatory suits and the pardons dished out millions of dollars to POTUS and his family. She described Trump’s family’s involvement in the crypto space as a potential backdoor for foreigners to bribe officials to influence Executive Branch policy. 

U.S. SEC enforcement shrinks under Trump and Atkins

Source: Cornestone Research. Number of U.S. SEC crypto enforcement actions by initiation year 2013-2025.

A recent Cornerstone Research report showed that 2025, which marked Paul Atkins’s first phase of tenure as the agency’s chair, saw a decline in crypto enforcement by the U.S. SEC, with only 13 actions initiated in 2025 after bringing a total of 33 crypto-related actions in 2024. 5 of the 13 actions were brought under former U.S. SEC chair Gary Gensler before he left office in January. Specifically, seven out of the 29 actions resolved in 2025 were dismossals under Atkins. 

Meanwhile, monetary fines imposed in 2025 against crypto market participants dropped to $142 million, representing less than 3% of the penalties imposed in 2024. The report noted that the U.S. SEC’s focus has shifted away from broad registration theories and toward fraud cases grounded in clear consumer harm, which are easier to argue in court. 

Robert Letson, a principal at Cornerstone Research and one of the report’s authors, also noted that the drop in enforcement actions under Chair Atkins’ tenure reflects a shift in the U.S. SEC’s approach to digital asset oversight. Letson added that his research firm will continue to watch digital asset regulation closely as it evolves in 2026, consistent with the priorities laid out in early 2025.   

According to Cornerstone Research, legal observers have tracked a broader reset in tone across the U.S. SEC since the leadership change in April 2025, when Atkins took office. However, the research firm also observes that the next phase of U.S. crypto oversight may hinge more on the regulatory guidance or negotiated standards the agency chooses to bring to the table in 2026, rather than on surprise lawsuits. 

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The UK Treasury has appointed HSBC Holdings Plc’s blockchain platform to manage its upcoming digital gilt pilot, a move officials hope will counter criticism that the government has dragged its feet on digital gilts.

The trial will see the nation issue a digitally native, blockchain-based sovereign debt instrument within a regulated sandbox overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority. By tokenizing the bonds, authorities expect to streamline gilt trading, cut costs, and modernize market infrastructure.

In a statement on Thursday, HSBC said blockchain-based bonds could further strengthen the efficiency of the UK’s capital markets by accelerating settlement times. Patrick George, global head of markets and securities services at HSBC, also noted that they are excited to support the ongoing evolution of the gilt market, encourage market innovation, and support the UK’s economic expansion.

The UK government has increasingly signaled support for financial innovation, particularly in the area of digital assets and tokenization.

Coombes says the digital gilt plan will show the UK is ready to lead in digital finance

During her Mansion House speech in November 2024, Reeves set out plans for a digital gilt trial, projecting the UK could begin issuing digital gilts within the next two years.

She subsequently sought applications to lead the project in October 2025. However, the nation is still behind jurisdictions such as Hong Kong and Luxembourg, both of which have completed digital sovereign offerings, adding to concerns about delays.

Mike Coombes, chief corporate affairs officer at technology provider PrimaryBid, argued that the convergence of digital and traditional finance is in motion, cautioning that the UK could either take a leadership role or end up playing catch-up. He added that through a digital gilt, the UK could codify the legal treatment of digital assets and clearly signal its plan to take an active role in digital finance.

Last month, Ousmène Jacques Mandeng, LSE visiting fellow involved in the digital gilt tender, asserted that the UK must move forward with a decision on the tender and its subsequent development.

Speaking on the digital gilt program, Lucy Rigby, City minister, also said: “This is exactly the kind of financial innovation we need to keep the UK at the forefront of global capital markets. We want to attract investment and make the UK the best place to do business.” 

She further noted that the digital gilt initiative would demonstrate how the UK can use this technology to streamline processes and reduce costs for firms.

Allan says they must enact proper legislation for the digital gilts program

However, John Allan, head of innovation and operations at the Investment Association, noted that while digital gilts’ appeal lies in their immediate settlement, they would still need appropriate legislation and tax treatment to become a regular feature of UK debt markets.

He stated, “We’ve been following the digital gilt project very closely since 2023. It’s certainly been a long time coming, and we are very keen that it moves ahead and moves into a longer programme to become the way the government issues its debt.” 

So far through its Orion blockchain system, HSBC has managed digital bonds worth more than $3.5 billion for clients, including countries, central banks, and companies. In 2025, it also oversaw a $1.3 billion green bond issuance by Hong Kong, a record-setting digital bond transaction.

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The U.S. House of Representatives voted 219–211 to rescind President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, with six Republicans joining Democrats in a rare bipartisan rebuke. The vote demonstrates the growing opposition to Trump’s trade policies among his own party, despite the measure’s slim chances in the Senate and probable veto.

Donald Trump has imposed several tariffs on Canada since his re-election. Last month, Trump threatened to impose a 100% import tax in reaction to Canada’s proposed trade agreement with China.

“If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Democrats challenge Trump as midterms approach

Democrats urged their Republican counterparts to oppose Trump, who has taken over the party, before the vote.

“Today’s vote is simple, very simple: Will you vote to lower the cost of living for the American family or will you keep prices high out of loyalty to one person, Donald J Trump?” said Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, who authored the resolution.

The vote was cast as the U.S. begins its crucial midterm election season. The general election takes place in November after the primaries start in March. Every member of the House of Representatives will be represented in their constituency on the ballot.

Trump vowed to ruin any Republican’s chances of winning the election if they supported the plan on Wednesday.

Trump wrote on Truth Social during the House floor vote, “Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against tariffs will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time.” Trump added that no Republican should be held accountable for undermining the economic and national security benefits that tariffs have provided.

The U.S. President also accused Canada, one of the United States’ closest allies and largest trading partners, of mistreating its neighbor to the south.

Trump further stated on Truth Social that Canada has historically exploited the U.S. in trade and is one of the hardest nations to work with, especially on issues at the northern border. He pushed Republicans to keep tariffs in place, arguing that they are an easy win for the U.S.

House votes, legal challenges mount against Trump’s tariffs

The vote followed an unsuccessful attempt by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Trump friend in Congress, to prevent members from discussing Trump’s tariffs on the chamber floor.

With Republicans holding a thin majority in the U.S. House, six Republican representatives, including Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Don Bacon of Nebraska, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, joined a nearly united Democratic front, contributing enough votes to ensure approval.

Gregory Meeks, a Democrat, introduced the bill, claiming that Trump had “weaponized tariffs” against allies and caused global economic instability.

Meeks said before the vote that these tariffs have not only severely damaged the U.S. relationship with Canada by bringing Canada closer to China, but also increased domestic prices.

Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska, one of the six Republicans, voted with Democrats to approve the legislation. Before the vote, he stated that “tariffs have been a ‘net negative’ for the economy and are a significant tax that American consumers, manufacturers, and farmers are paying.”

Trump’s tariffs are also facing legal scrutiny, as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule in a lawsuit challenging the president’s authority to impose the taxes.

The White House’s defense of the import duties, which the president claimed are required to repair America’s manufacturing base and correct its trade imbalance, was questioned by the majority of the justices, including several conservatives.

A group of states and many small businesses are contesting the measures, arguing that the president has overreached himself in enforcing the levies, which are effectively taxes.

America’s highest court typically takes months to issue significant rulings, with a conservative majority of 6-3, but many anticipate it will act more quickly in this case. This is also viewed as the first significant test of the Trump administration’s efforts to increase presidential power.

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Russia just took WhatsApp offline for good. On Wednesday, internet regulator Roskomnadzor deleted the app from its official registry.

That one action made WhatsApp vanish from the country’s digital space. It had more than 100 million users in Russia. Now it’s gone. Unless someone’s got a VPN and time to waste, they’re stuck.

According to Dmitry Medve, Russia had been slowly breaking the app for months, starting last summer when voice calls were cut.

Then it got slower and harder to use. By December, usage dropped by 70 to 80 percent. Wednesday’s takedown wasn’t a surprise. It was just the final blow.

Meta’s apps wiped as Russia pushes users to Max

The ban on WhatsApp came with others. Russia also took out Facebook and Instagram from the same registry. Both were already labeled as “extremist.”

You can still use them, but only through a VPN. YouTube hasn’t been fully banned yet, but it’s clearly being messed with. Pages take forever to load.

The real reason behind all this is Max, the new messaging app Russia is pushing on everyone. Max was named the country’s “national messenger” last year, and it’s owned by VKontakte, which is Russia’s biggest social media company. VKontakte is controlled by people close to President Vladimir Putin. Max has no encryption. Everything is wide open. The government can read anything sent on the platform.

A Meta spokesperson said:-

“Today the Russian government attempted to fully block WhatsApp in an effort to drive people to a state-owned surveillance app. Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia. We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected.”

Telegram throttled as criticism grows at home

WhatsApp wasn’t the only app targeted. Russia also started messing with Telegram this week. Telegram is even more popular than WhatsApp in Russia, especially for news and entertainment. Its founder, Pavel Durov, who’s also Russian, responded quickly.

“Restricting citizens’ freedom is never the right answer,” Pavel said. “Telegram stands for freedom of speech and privacy, no matter the pressure.”

Russia’s crackdown on Telegram is blowing up in its face. Even people inside the government are mad. Telegram is used by Russian troops and civilians near Ukraine. They rely on it for warnings about drone and missile attacks.

The government wanted people to quietly switch to Max, but that didn’t happen.

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Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the nation’s central bank, has launched an expanded digital asset regulatory sandbox under its Digital Asset Innovation Hub (DAIH) to pilot stablecoins and tokenized financial products.

The program would enable the bank to explore how the digital equivalent of the Malaysian ringgit and other tokenized financial products could operate in the real world.

Bank Negara Malaysia said the sandbox would focus on ringgit-backed stablecoins, digital tokens that maintain a fixed value tied to the Malaysian currency, as well as tokenized bank deposits. 

These experiments will inform the bank on how these types of digital assets could enable faster cross-border payments and, perhaps, inform the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC).

“The testing will allow BNM to assess the implications for monetary and financial stability and inform our policy direction in these specified areas. Notably, BNM intends to provide greater clarity on the use of ringgit stablecoins and tokenised deposits by the end of 2026,” part of the statement read.

A CBDC is a form of money created and held in circulation by a central bank through digital means. Several of the world’s biggest banks have joined the trials. Standard Chartered Bank, CIMB Group Holding, Maybank, and investment company Capital A are also among the banks’ plans to assess Shariah-related considerations, which are rules from Islamic law that guide financial practices and must be maintained in compliance with Islamic finance products. 

According to BNM, lessons learned from the sandbox programs will help shape the country’s policy around digital assets and tokenization. Globally, governments are racing to explore digital currencies and tokenized assets to keep pace with the growing digital economy.

Malaysia tests Shariah-compliant tokenization as stablecoin pilots expand

In November 2025, Bank Negara Malaysia published a three-year roadmap for testing tokenization across several sectors. As previously reported by Cryptopolitan, it is establishing a Digital Asset Innovation Hub and an industry working group to solicit feedback on use cases, including supply chain finance and Islamic financing solutions.

The central bank stated in their report that it plans to conduct proofs of concepts and pilot studies in 2026 and then expand the scope the following year. The roadmap highlights potential uses in supply chain management, Shariah-compliant finance, access to credit, programmable finance, and round-the-clock cross-border settlements. 

Malaysia’s central bank will also assess “Shariah-related considerations,” which refers to the Islamic code of law governing social, financial, and political customs. Tokenization allows real-world assets, such as property, bonds, or commodities, to be represented digitally on a blockchain. 

A significant event took place in December, when Ismail Ibrahim, the eldest son of Malaysia’s current king, introduced a ringgit-pegged stablecoin called RMJDT. The token, issued by Ibrahim’s telecom company, Bullish Aim, is also being tested in a sandbox and has not been used in public trades. 

The same month, Standard Chartered Bank and Capital A unveiled plans of their own to study ringgit-backed stablecoins for wholesale settlement. These stablecoins are built for large-scale transactions among financial institutions, central banks, and governments, not for everyday retail use.

BNM tests tokenized finance in controlled sandbox

BNM’s sandbox provides a protected environment to test new digital financial products and does not introduce new risks to the general public. They aim to educate regulators on the technical, operational, and legal nuances of tokenized assets with help from banks and private companies. 

The approach also highlights how tokenized bank deposits could function, such as through automated cross-border settlements and interfacing with programmable financial contracts. 

As tokenized assets and digital currencies continue to grow in importance, BNM’s sandbox positions Malaysia to explore the potential benefits of these technologies and adapt its regulations to a rapidly changing financial landscape.

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Sonic Labs wants its Layer 1 network to start generating value for the S token rather than hosting activity that primarily benefits external applications. 

The blockchain development entity (formerly the Fantom Foundation) posted an article on X titled “Vertical Integration: The Missing Link in L1 Value Creation,” where it explained that it wants to strengthen its token and keep revenue inside the Sonic network.

Sonic Labs builds key products to keep more value within the Sonic network

Sonic Labs’ theory is that they need more people to use the chain for transactions, which will generate more gas fees and strengthen its token over time. The only problem is that many other blockchains have cheaper fees, so the “gas fees only” model won’t create lasting value in return.

The company says a blockchain can host a popular app with millions of users, but the chain’s own token may still not benefit as much. Sonic used Polymarket as an example because it became one of the largest prediction apps on Polygon, but most of the profits remain within the application rather than the base-layer token.

According to the blockchain development company, such a situation creates value leakage from the chain because external teams will build apps, earn revenue, and take it with them. The company argues that Layer 1 networks struggle to create lasting value, even if they host a lot of activity.

To prove its point, the company made up a scenario in which an external, decentralized exchange builds on a chain and earns $2 million per year, yet the chain collects only $15,000 in gas fees, which is less than 1% of the total value. 

Sonic then said that if they built or owned an integrated exchange directly within its ecosystem, they could retain the same $2 million within its network and reinvest it in liquidity, infrastructure, partnerships, and the S token itself.

The company presented a solution in which it owns the major economic activity at the top of the chain to ensure that usage creates demand and strengthens the S token. Sonic said it’s the only way Layer 1 can generate real value. 

Sonic Labs acquires teams and generates revenue to strengthen the S token

Sonic Labs says there’s a lot of competition, and many networks keep offering fast, cheap transactions because new scaling technologies have made blockspace widely available across Layer 1 chains, rollups, and modular systems. As a result, chains earn less gas over time.

The company also said infrastructure alone, like speed or low fees, is no longer enough to create lasting value for tokens because networks copy technical developments so fast that companies that seem ahead today become average the next day. 

And since networks don’t lock people into their systems, users will be more than happy to switch chains if another offers better incentives or smoother apps. 

Sonic now wants to own a larger share of the economic activity on its network so that value remains tied to the S token. It referred to successful examples like Binance Smart Chain, which closely integrates with Binance’s exchange and directs users, liquidity, and trading volume into BNB’s ecosystem.

Sonic also said Hyperliquidmade made the main trading application to be the chain itself, so every trade and fee strengthens the HYPE token directly. This kind of design is what Sonic says vertical integration makes possible. 

Sonic Labs plans to create a single, integrated app layer that will handle trading, lending, payments, settlements, credit systems, and risk markets. The company may even consider acquiring competent application teams from across the industry and bringing them on board to create flagship building blocks internally, ensuring that the value created doesn’t leave Sonic.

At the same time, Sonic Labs explained that its existing Fee Monetization system, called FeeM, could integrate with apps to scale the network faster while strengthening the S token economy. 

Sonic Labs claims these revenue streams can support sustainable buybacks of the S token, driven by real revenue from integrated primitives that scale with the network.

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Bitcoin (BTC) captured the world’s attention with its early, meteoric gains, creating fortunes for those who got in early. While BTC’s scale now makes similar explosive returns unlikely, it also highlights how early entry remains key in crypto investing. Enter Mutuum Finance (MUTM), a DeFi crypto still in its presale stage and generating viral attention, positioning itself as the next crypto to explode for investors seeking high-growth opportunities reminiscent of Bitcoin’s first wave.

Bitcoin’s Pause, Deleveraging in Progress

Bitcoin (BTC) is in a state of measured adjustment, with large players moving towards capital preservation. On-chain data indicates large BTC moving to exchanges, which is a result of deleveraging. Moreover, open interest and momentum indicators suggest a lower level of activity in Bitcoin (BTC) in the short term. Currently trading around $71K, Bitcoin (BTC) is taking a break after a period of high-risk positioning. In this environment, investors are turning their attention toward a new DeFi crypto, Mutuum Finance (MUTM), which may well be the next crypto to explode given its strong fundamentals and early presale traction.

MUTM Early Participation Incentives and Community Rewards

To incentivize users to get involved with Mutuum Finance and reward those who are participating at this early stage, several incentives are being offered. A leaderboard rewards the daily top contributing member of the presale community with $500 in MUTM tokens. A $100,000 giveaway will also allow 10 presale participants to receive $10,000 in MUTM tokens. This not only incentivizes users but also encourages them to get involved and excited about this project. This means that a loyal base of users will be created to ensure that this project succeeds.

MUTM Presale Performance and Early Investor Gains

Since the beginning of its presale, Mutuum Finance (MUTM) has seen massive interest from investors, with over $20.4 million being raised from almost 19,000 investors. Currently, MUTM is in Phase 7, priced at $0.04, compared to its price in Phase 1, which was $0.01, showing a rise of 4x. 

This is the last opportunity investors have to capture this price, with upcoming phases set to feature higher prices. In this way, the presale rewards early participation with the biggest gains. What’s more, the project has set aside nearly half of its total token supply of 4 billion for presale participants. This further incentivizes investors to buy in early, while the token is still at a discount.

Efficiency and Customization

Mutuum Finance has set itself apart with its lending protocol, as it has created a lending system that will appeal to all DeFi users. Its Peer-to-Contract (P2C) model allows users to pool popular assets such as ETH or USDT into a smart contract, where they will receive mtTokens that automatically accrue interest, e.g., between 8-15%. On the other hand, borrowers will get instant liquidity with overcollateralized loans, usually at a rate of 150%+.

For example, an individual would be able to receive an APY of 10% on their $5,000 USDT that they have invested into a P2C pool, earning $500 per year. Now, let’s say they also hold $7,500 ETH in their wallet and are in need of another quick $5,000 USDT. Rather than having to sell the ETH and miss out on a potential increase in the price of Ethereum, they can just use it as collateral and get a $5,000 USDT loan. 

The Peer-to-Peer (P2P) system allows lending and borrowing for riskier assets such as SHIB or PEPE by allowing lenders and borrowers to set their own terms. This means that a user can lend $8,000 in ETH for 30 days at a fixed interest rate of 15%, using $16,000 in PEPE collateral. This allows users to set their own lending strategies in a DeFi crypto ecosystem designed to maximize flexibility.

For investors who did not get a chance to get involved with Bitcoin early, Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is giving them a second chance at catching the next big thing early. This next crypto to explode is currently at just $0.04 and offers a live dual lending system. This DeFi crypto has already raised over $20.4 million in a highly subscribed presale. This means that this cryptocurrency is set to offer asymmetric returns that were previously experienced by those who invested in Bitcoin.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://mutuum.com/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance 

The odds of a government shutdown in the United States taking place before Saturday, February 14, have surged to 85%. This rise has occurred amid a sustained downward trend in Bitcoin and the overall crypto market, with total market capitalization currently at $2.3 trillion, down 1.8%.

In response to this situation in the crypto industry, the Fear and Greed Index slipped to 9 from a previous peak of 10. This record has raised concerns among individuals who point to the likelihood that BTC’s price will decline further, following its recent fall below the $70,000 threshold during the latest partial government shutdown.

Several individuals speculate on a government shutdown soon amid increased financial tensions

Just recently, the world’s largest prediction market, Polymarket, showed that several traders anticipated an 85% chance of a government shutdown before Saturday. This figure demonstrates a substantial increase from a previous record of 66% amid intensified financial tensions.

In attempts to explain this situation, analysts argued that these shutdown concerns stem directly from expiring federal funding. Considering this argument, market sentiment suggests growing skepticism that lawmakers will strike a deal before the set deadline. Consequently, sources alleged that the outlook for a substantive short-term funding bill is pessimistic.

On the other hand, data from Polymarket showed that several traders were doubtful that Congress would pass any legislation this week. Notably, this uncertainty is fueling a wider market sell-off.  At the same time, analysts noted that Bitcoin has hit a roadblock amid investor shyness toward riskier digital assets.

On the Social media platform X, analysts weighed in on Bitcoin’s fate as the broader digital asset market remained under pressure. One analyst, with the username “The Hunter”, warned that the recent downward trend could worsen, pointing to prices near $67,000 for BTC, $1,950 for Ethereum, and $81 for Solana. 

To further illustrate the intensity of the situation, the analysts asserted that BTC’s price would continue to decline sharply to a record low below $50,000 if selling pressure persists.

Even so, Crypto investor & NFT enthusiast Axel Bitblaze offered a more optimistic perspective, characterizing Bitcoin’s current situation as similar to what was observed in 2024 before experiencing a significant upswing.

Afterwards, he predicted that the cryptocurrency could maintain a wider range of about $60,000 to $80,000 for the time being, experiencing brief surges followed by quick crashes.

Bitblaze also suggested that market volatility might create challenging conditions for both buyers and sellers, preventing a swift recovery.

The fate of Bitcoin remains a key concern in the crypto market 

Regarding Bitblaze’s speculations on the crypto market recovery, sources said the crypto investor also dismissed the likelihood of Bitcoin dropping to $50,000, despite having forecast a smooth V-shaped recovery.

When reporters reached out to him to clarify his argument, Bitblaze deemed this potential decline as a slow drop that drains trader sentiment before settling into a stable base.

Meanwhile, amid the growing likelihood of a shutdown, analysts found that Bitcoin’s technical structure remains fragile amid selling pressure. To support this claim, they noted that the overall trend reversed to the downside after failing to break the $95,000–$100,000 resistance area earlier in 2026. 

In addition, the analysts highlighted a breakdown in the cryptocurrency’s price, which fell below the established $85k–$90k consolidation range. This breakdown accelerated the downward trend toward the $60,000–$70,000 support level.

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Chainlink, the leading decentralized oracle network, has launched live on-chain price feeds for Ondo Finance’s tokenized U.S. equities on the Ethereum blockchain.

Ondo Global Markets, the tokenization platform created by Ondo Finance, has integrated Chainlink Data Feeds to deliver reliable, institutional‑grade price information for tokenized stocks such as SPYon (a tokenized SPDR S&P 500 ETF), QQQon (a tokenized Invesco QQQ ETF), and TSLAon (a tokenized Tesla share).

These feeds are now live on Ethereum and updating in real time, allowing decentralized applications to reference accurate market data for these assets directly onchain.

Chainlink now gives Ondo’s tokenized stocks live price updates on Ethereum.

Lending in DeFi must be transparent, since proper pricing is key: the protocol must know and continue to follow the current value of the collateral asset as it moves. Without live prices, the protocol wouldn’t know when the asset is becoming risky, when it needs adjustment, or when it needs to be liquidated to protect the lending pool.

Tokenized equities (as opposed to passive investments) are now available for use on a DeFi protocol because they have real numbers on which it can establish rules for borrowing, collateral limits, and liquidation thresholds.

Ondo also said the tokenized stocks remain aligned with the real value of the equities they represent because the price feeds include updates like dividends and other corporate charges. This keeps tokens up to date, so DeFi apps can use the latest values that reflect what is happening in traditional stock markets.

The first group of supported tokenized equities is SPYon, representing the SPDR S&P 500 ETF, QQQon, representing the Invesco QQQ ETF, and TSLAon, representing Tesla stock. Ondo said they will add more tokenized stocks and ETFs with time as Chainlink covers more options and as DeFi protocols start integrating these assets.

Euler now lets people borrow stablecoins by using Ondo’s tokenized stocks as collateral.

Users on the modular lending platform Euler can now use Ondo’s tokenized US stocks as collateral in a DeFi lending market and even borrow stablecoins against them. People can use these tokenized equities to unlock liquidity on Ethereum instead of just holding them to watch the price move.

It’s the first time people can use tokenized stocks as collateral in Ethereum-based lending, because users usually buy them for exposure but never use them as crypto assets like ETH or stablecoins.

Until now, tokenized real-world assets have been purely passive. Investors could hold a tokenized version of a stock and track its price, but they could not borrow against it, leverage it, or use it to generate income as traditional finance allows. In traditional finance, stocks are often used as collateral for loans, and Ondo wants to make this available in DeFi.

Now, Ondo believes that the pieces are finally coming together. Tokenized stocks can begin to behave like true building blocks in decentralized finance, with strong liquidity driven by traditional stock exchanges, and Chainlink providing reliable on-chain price feeds.

CEO of Euler, Jonathan Han, said users can now borrow against securities instead of selling them and giving up long-term profits.

Of course, good markets require good risk management, especially when new forms of collateral are used. So Ondo said the Senator will set and monitor critical safety limits, such as collateral requirements, liquidation levels, and borrowing limits, to ensure the system remains stable even when markets become volatile.

Sentora CEO Anthony Demartino said retail investors didn’t have the freedom to use their securities before, but they can now use their assets productively while maintaining their long-term investments through tokenization.

Ondo also made it clear that lending is just the first step, as it plans to expand tokenized equities into vaults, structured products, and broader DeFi applications. 

So, eventually, Ondo’s tokenized stocks might contribute to the broader on-chain finance ecosystem by making it easier to integrate traditional systems with decentralized ones.

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Cisco just dropped over 10% in after-hours trading. That’s after it actually beat estimates. The problem? Its outlook didn’t impress anyone. Wall Street doesn’t care if your last quarter was decent. If your next one looks soft, the stock tanks. That’s what happened here.

The company posted $1.04 in adjusted earnings per share, better than the $1.02 forecast. Revenue was $15.35 billion, also higher than the $15.12 billion expected. Sales rose 10% from the $14 billion they reported this time last year.

Cisco’s net income went up too. It hit $3.18 billion, or 80 cents a share, compared to $2.43 billion, or 61 cents, a year ago.

And yes, that’s all after excluding stock-based compensation. But none of that helped once they opened their mouths about what’s next.

Cisco’s weak guidance and slow AI rollout caused the drop

For the current quarter, Cisco said it expects adjusted earnings between $1.02 and $1.04 a share. It also guided revenue to land somewhere between $15.4 billion and $15.6 billion. Analysts had already priced in $1.03 a share and $15.18 billion in revenue.

So while the numbers weren’t awful, they also weren’t exciting. In 2026, matching expectations just isn’t good enough.

Everyone’s watching for companies that will lead in AI. And even though Cisco reported $2.1 billion in orders for AI infrastructure from big cloud players, investors wanted more. That’s why they panicked.

Chuck Robbins, the CEO, tried to calm nerves by pointing to future wins. He said Cisco is working with Advanced Micro Devices on an AI infrastructure project in Saudi Arabia, and launched a new switch that has an Nvidia chip inside.

Chuck didn’t sound too urgent though. “On the sovereign side, there’s really no real need nor expectation for meaningful impact in FY26,” he told analysts. “And so we don’t need that to actually accelerate for the guide that we’ve provided. It’s purely upside.” Not exactly the kind of thing that lights up a stock.

He also said the smaller cloud players, the so-called neoclouds, should start bringing in money in the second half of the current fiscal year. But the bigger bump is expected in 2027. That feels far away to investors trying to ride the AI wave right now.

Meanwhile, Chuck pointed out that rising memory prices, caused by hot demand for Nvidia’s graphics chips, are making it harder for hardware firms. So Cisco is raising prices and tweaking contracts with partners.

“Do I think customers will try to buy ahead in some cases? Perhaps,” he said. “But I don’t think it’s going to be a big trend in the networking side of our business.”

Looking at the year ahead, Cisco is targeting $4.13 to $4.17 in adjusted earnings per share and $61.2 billion to $61.7 billion in revenue. That would be about 8.5% growth. Wall Street had expected $4.12 a share and $60.74 billion in sales. So it’s a slight beat, but again, nothing explosive. And that’s why the stock got punished. No spark, no rally.

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The U.S. budget deficit dropped to $95 billion in January. That’s a $34 billion decrease from the same month last year. The Treasury said this happened because income rose faster than spending, mostly helped by higher customs duties.

When they adjusted the numbers for stuff like holidays and weekends, the deficit would’ve been just $30 billion, down from $82 billion last January. That’s a 63% drop.

Receipts hit $560 billion in January, rising $47 billion, or 9%. Spending was $655 billion, which was $13 billion more than last year, a 2% rise. Both of those numbers were the highest ever recorded for any January, but the deficit still didn’t set a new record.

For the fiscal year so far, which started October 1, the deficit is $697 billion, down $143 billion, or 17%, from last year. Revenue totaled $1.785 trillion, while spending was $2.482 trillion, up just 2%.

Customs duties surge while debt payments shrink

One big factor that helped close the gap was the jump in customs duties. President Donald Trump’s tariffs are behind most of it. Customs receipts totaled $27.7 billion in January.

That’s almost four times more than $7.3 billion collected in January 2025, before Trump restarted the tariffs. For the first four months of the fiscal year, customs duties reached $117.7 billion, up from $28.2 billion in the same period last year.

Something else that helped lower the deficit was a rare drop in interest payments on government debt. In January, interest costs fell $12 billion, landing at $72 billion. That’s because some inflation-related bond payments were delayed after last year’s government shutdown messed with the release of inflation data.

Even with the drop, total interest for the fiscal year is $426 billion, which is still the highest ever for the first four months. That’s $34 billion more than last year.

A Treasury spokesperson said the lower interest costs and higher tariff revenue worked together to bring down the January deficit, but warned that big spending bills coming down the line could undo that progress quickly.

Budget office projects rising deficit through 2036

Things might look better now, but the long-term outlook is still bad. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said the deficit will balloon over the next decade. They updated their forecast and now expect the deficit to grow by $1.4 trillion by 2035.

That’s 6% more than what they predicted last year. This change came after Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which extended his earlier tax cuts and included major immigration enforcement plans.

Phillip Swagel, who runs the CBO, said, “Our budget projections continue to indicate that the fiscal trajectory is not sustainable.” He also warned that by 2036, the yearly deficit could hit $3.1 trillion, up from $1.9 trillion now.

Jonathan Burks at the Bipartisan Policy Center said:- “America’s fiscal health is increasingly dire. Our debt is now 100% of GDP, and rather than pumping the brakes, we are accelerating.”

The CBO expects Trump’s tax law to add $4.7 trillion to the deficit by 2035. His immigration policies will cost another $500 billion. But they say his tariffs will recover around $3 trillion, helping reduce the damage slightly.

Investors pull back as Treasury auctions slow

The pressure’s already building in the bond market. The U.S. government’s debt load is now five times larger than it was back in 2008. That’s starting to scare off investors. This week, the Treasury held an auction for $42 billion worth of 10-year notes, and the turnout was weak.

When demand is soft, the Treasury has to offer better deals to attract buyers. So yields went up again. Mortgage rates are tied to these same bonds, so they went up too. That’s not what Trump’s administration wants. They’ve said they want lower long-term yields to make home buying easier and keep the deficit under control.

Banks known as primary dealers were forced to scoop up most of what was left after the auction. That hasn’t happened since August 2025, according to BMO Capital Markets. Regular buyers didn’t want in.

Trump’s people are hoping to avoid another rise in borrowing costs. But as more debt piles up, getting investors to keep buying at cheap rates is getting harder. The growing deficit, rising yields, and cold auction demand are turning into a warning sign.

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Coinbase, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges and blockchain infrastructure providers, revealed a major new push at the intersection of artificial intelligence and decentralized finance with the launch of Agentic Wallets, purpose‑built crypto wallets designed to empower autonomous AI agents to act as independent financial actors onchain.

This advanced tool enables AI agents, such as self-operating bots capable of interacting with the internet, to manage their own funds, send payments, trade tokens, earn interest, and transact directly on the blockchain. Moreover, a blog post published on Wednesday, February 11, noted that this tool features built-in security to safeguard against misuse.

The new infrastructure release marks a shift in how AI and blockchain technologies can interact: instead of merely suggesting decisions, AI systems can now hold funds, execute transactions, trade tokens, earn yield, and participate in onchain economic activity without human approval—so long as preset security guardrails and permissions are in place.

As crypto exchanges advance, Coinbase Developer Platform developers Erik Reppel and Josh Nickerson noted that AI agents are being integrated into nearly every workflow, performing various roles, such as providing document summaries, answering inquiries, and assisting with tasks. However, they alleged that these agents are currently encountering significant problems, particularly when handling financial matters.

Coinbase embraces the use of Agentic Wallets amid the AI boom era 

Regarding Coinbase’s recent move, reports from reliable sources reveal that Agentic Wallets is upgrading to the x402 protocol, which the cryptocurrency exchange co-developed with key internet partners to enable machine-native payments via blockchain, removing the need for human oversight amid heightened interest in AI’s rapidly evolving ecosystem.

These sources also disclosed that the advanced tool builds on the AgentKit tool, Coinbase’s software development toolkit that enables artificial intelligence agents to securely and autonomously interact with blockchain networks, allowing for wallet inclusion during agent setup.

Contrastingly, reports highlighted that Agentic Wallets provide an instant solution, enabling any agent with a wallet to facilitate transactions on behalf of users.

Reppel and Nickerson attempted to elaborate further, stating that: “If your agent finds a better yield opportunity at 3 AM? It will automatically adjust without needing approval because you’ve already set the permissions and controls.”

In the meantime, the blog recently published mentioned that Agentic Wallets will begin by partnering with EVM chains and Solana, and they can autonomously execute gasless transactions on Coinbase’s Base Layer 2.

Notably, these wallets feature a command-line interface that empowers users to monitor agents, manage wallet funds, and deploy new skills with simple commands. On the other hand, reports confirmed that the team also launched a repository known as agent-wallet-skills to grant agents basic command privileges.

Moreover, the wallets feature Smart Security Guardrails, including programmable spending restrictions, session caps, and other advanced transaction controls.

Developers argue AI is shifting from recommending ideas to executing tasks

Earlier, Reppel and Nickerson argued that the process of launching agents has become exceptionally streamlined. They made this argument without pointing out popular AI agent systems such as Clawbot/OpenClaw, a wrapper for Anthropic’s Claude LLM, widely recognized by users seeking an LLM for email replies.

“We’re transitioning from AI agents that provide advice to agents that take action,” the developers explained, further noting that, “We’re moving from assistants that suggest ideas to helpers that carry out tasks. We’re evolving from tools needing constant human oversight to autonomous systems functioning independently within trusted guardrails.” 

Following their remarks, sources mentioned that x402 has processed 50 million transactions since launching last year. As competition in the ecosystem intensified, Coinbase released an enhanced 2.0 version of its open-source protocol in December 2025.  This upgrade was partially intended to provide broader support for legacy payment systems.

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SEC Chair Paul S. Atkins, in his testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, doubled down on what he called a burdensome regulatory system, arguing that the roughly $2.7 billion annual spend by public companies just to prepare and file required annual disclosures with the SEC was too much.

According to Atkins, spending this much on lawyers, accountants, and consultants instead of on business innovation or growth only serves to deter companies from going public, with companies deciding to stay private or list overseas. 

Regulatory burden seen as deterrent to capital formation

Before Congress, Atkins stated that lengthy and bogus public disclosure documents, including annual reports, only “do more to obscure than illuminate” for investors, with many of the public disclosure documents similar in length to the famous novel War and Peace. 

Atkins argues that decades of endless rules and regulations have contributed to a 40% drop in the companies on the U.S. exchange. In the 1990s, it peaked at 7,800, but now it stands at 4,700. 

While the U.S. remains the largest capital market, Atkins fears that it will lose its competitive edge if changes aren’t made. 

In response, Atkins has laid out a three-pillar plan to “make IPOs great again” and cut down on the red tape:

Re-anchoring disclosures in materiality so that investment decisions can turn on economic signals rather than on regulatory noise; 

De-politicizing shareholder meetings by restoring their focus to significant corporate matters; 

Allowing public companies to have litigation alternatives to shield innovators from the frivolous and investors from the fraudulent.

IPO activity has been subdued for years

Atkins’ review has generally been received well. Not so long ago, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) publicly backed Atkins’ efforts to ease regulatory demands on smaller firms that might consider listing on the U.S exchange. 

Acting SIFMA Chair Ronald J. Kruszewski concurs with Chairman Atkins on the need for regulation reduction due to a “lackluster IPO market”.

The U.S. IPO market has dwindled over the past decade, with increased regulatory burdens, higher cost of compliance, and a volatile market taking the blame for smaller firms choosing to accept private funding rather than IPO. 

The JOBS Act of 2012 was supposed to address these issues, but as times have changed, more modern legislation is needed. 

The debate between those who prioritize capital formation and less regulation and those who focus on investor protection will rage on for now. It remains to be seen how Chairman Atkins’ plans will pan out, and a large part of their success will be decided by the market, as always.

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Tether is expected to be one of the 10 largest buyers of the U.S. Treasury bills this year, according to a former White House crypto adviser and the current head of Tether’s U.S. unit, Bo Hines. The company will also buy more Treasury bills as demand for its stablecoins, especially USDT and the new USAT, rises, he added. 

Bo Hines made these remarks at Bitcoin Investor Week in New York City, noting that stablecoin companies are becoming more active in traditional financial markets, particularly in buying U.S. government debt.

Tether’s buying of Treasury bills is growing at a fast pace, he said. He continued, noting that they anticipate continued growth and becoming a global top-10 buyer of Treasury bills. 

The firm already holds a large body of U.S. government debt. Its latest financial attestation reveals that roughly 83.11% of its reserves are in U.S. Treasury bills, totaling more than $122 billion.

Treasury bills are short-term government debt securities that many see as safe and reliable investments. And with these holdings, Tether is already among the top 20 holders of Treasury bills worldwide. The company’s position puts it not far behind countries such as Germany and Saudi Arabia in the league of foreign Treasury holders, Hines stated. Tether is a private company; as such, it is not a national government. 

The reason for large holdings of this sort is straightforward. Stablecoins such as USDT are created to maintain a fixed value, generally equal to 1 U.S. dollar. To fulfill that promise, companies such as Tether need to maintain assets with strong and liquid properties that support each token in circulation. 

USDT growth and USAT launch drive higher reserve requirements

Tether’s flagship stablecoin, USDT, is currently the largest in the world by market value. There are approximately $185 billion worth of USDT tokens in circulation. Consequently, Tether needs massive reserves to support its value.

Now, USDT boasts roughly 530 million users worldwide. The stablecoin issuer is adding around 30 million new users per quarter, indicating solid, consistent growth, he said. This rapid growth is one of the reasons the firm must further increase its Treasury bill holdings.

Real assets must back every token issued. Tether’s reserve strength is not limited to Treasury bills. The company also has roughly $6.3 billion in excess reserves, according to accounting firm BDO.

Moreover, Tether has a large gold reserve. The company owns roughly 140 tons of gold, Hines said, making it the thirteenth-largest gold holder in the world. Gold usually serves as a long-term store of value, providing Tether with an additional source of financial stability. 

New USAT stablecoin and regulation push more Treasury investments

Tether’s Treasury bill purchases could increase even faster because of its newly launched USAT stablecoin. USAT was officially introduced late last month and is issued by Anchorage Bank.

Unlike USDT, USAT was designed specifically to meet U.S. federal stablecoin regulations under the GENIUS Act. This law requires regulated stablecoins to maintain full 1:1 backing with high-quality liquid assets.

Hines played an important role in shaping this law during his time as Executive Director of the White House Crypto Council under President Donald Trump. He stepped down from that role in August shortly after the GENIUS Act was signed into law.

Hines, who’s now at Tether, said the company is adjusting its reserves to meet these new regulatory standards. He explained that Tether is increasing its Treasury bill holdings as part of its efforts to comply with the GENIUS framework. 

He also said that USDT and USAT are built to work well together, describing this as “reciprocity,” meaning the two stablecoins can operate smoothly with each other while remaining part of the same Tether system.

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Paxful Holdings has been mandated by a judge to pay a $4 million fine after the company deliberately invited criminals onto its platform and turned a blind eye to their illegal activities. 

The company ignored anti-money laundering controls such as KYC programs and suspicious activity reports and marketed the lack of security on its platform in order to attract bad actors. 

Paxful fined and sentenced following years of criminal facilitation

A federal court sentenced Paxful Holdings Inc. to pay a $4 million criminal penalty after the company pleaded guilty to several serious charges, including conspiracy to promote illegal prostitution, violating the Bank Secrecy Act, and knowingly transmitting funds stolen or gained through criminal acts.

According to court documents, the Department of Justice originally calculated that the appropriate penalty should have been $112,500,000, but an independent analysis of the company’s finances revealed that it could not afford more than $4 million. 

The penalty is a small amount when compared to BitMEX’s $100 million fine from January 2025 for failing to maintain adequate KYC and anti-money laundering programs or the $297 million penalty that KuCoin had to pay later that month for similar failures.  

Paxful originally operated as a peer-to-peer virtual currency trading platform that allowed people to trade Bitcoin and other digital assets for cash, gift cards, and prepaid cards. Between January 2017 and September 2019, the platform handled more than 26.7 million trades. The total value of these trades was nearly $3 billion, and Paxful earned over $29.7 million in revenue.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva explained that Paxful “profited from moving money for criminals.” The company deliberately attracted these users by bragging that it did not have strict anti-money laundering controls. Because of this, the platform became a favorite tool for people involved in fraud, romance scams, extortion, and human trafficking.

One of the most serious parts of the case involved Backpage, a website used for illegal prostitution and sex trafficking, including the exploitation of minors. Paxful’s founders reportedly celebrated the “Backpage Effect,” which helped their company grow quickly. 

Between 2015 and 2022, Paxful helped move nearly $17 million worth of Bitcoin to Backpage and similar websites. From these specific transactions, Paxful made at least $2.7 million in profit.

Paxful moved millions of dollars for criminals

Under the Bank Secrecy Act, money-transmitting businesses must have “Know Your Customer” (KYC) programs in order to verify the identity of their users to prevent money laundering. Paxful chose to ignore these rules for a long time.

In fact, Paxful and its founders marketed the lack of verification on the platform as a plus, and when the company had to show its policies to third parties, it presented fake anti-money laundering rules. 

Furthermore, Paxful failed to file “Suspicious Activity Reports” which are documents that financial institutions must send to the government when they see signs of a crime. 

Even though Paxful knew its users were involved in romance scams and extortion, they did not report the activity. Their silence about the illegal activities and allowance of it caused the platform to be used for hacking and distributing child sexual abuse material.

On July 8, 2024, Artur Schaback, who was a co-founder and the former Chief Technology Officer at the company, pleaded guilty to conspiracy. He admitted that he failed to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program. 

As part of his plea deal, Schaback resigned from the company’s board of directors and faced up to five years in prison.

The other co-founder, Ray Youssef, left the company in 2023 after a legal battle with Schaback. Youssef went on to launch a new platform called “Noones,” which focuses on markets in the Global South. 

Paxful announced on October 1, 2025, that it would wind down all operations. It officially ceased trading on November 1, 2025. 

In its farewell message, Paxful blamed its closure on the “historic misconduct” of its founders. The company stated that the costs of legal fees and trying to fix its compliance issues were simply too high to continue. They encouraged their 14 million users to withdraw their funds before the platform became inaccessible.

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Elon Musk has tore xAI down and stitched it straight into SpaceX.That’s where we are now.The so-called “reorganization” of the AI startup has already pushed out a pile of key names.

Jimmy Ba and Tony Wu, both co-founders, said they were leaving earlier this week. Before that, Igor Babuschkin, Kyle Kosic, Christian Szegedy, and Greg Yang had already packed their bags. Elon called it a cleanup “to improve speed of execution.” Sure. He also said, “We are hiring aggressively,” so apparently the purge was just step one.

This mess came right after SpaceX swallowed xAI in a giant all-stock deal. The merger, confirmed last week, valued SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion. Elon didn’t mention layoffs, but he didn’t deny them either. “Parting ways” is how he put it.

xAI faces legal heat as SpaceX prepares for IPO

The exits and restructuring are landing while xAI is already under serious pressure.Investigators in the U.S., Europe, and Asia are looking into how its chatbot Grok ended up spreading explicit deepfake images of real people, including minors.

These images were made and pushed out at scale using xAI’s AI systems. Regulators are now digging into whether the company violated any laws in those regions. It’s the kind of legal mess that can wreck a public listing if not cleaned up fast.

Meanwhile, SpaceX is getting ready to go public. Elon wants to list the company later this year. The IPO could hit a valuation of $1.5 trillion, according to Bloomberg. Big banks are already in line to help. Bank of America, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley are all expected to lead. And Robinhood, the same one that brought Gen Z into stock trading, is also fighting for a piece of the action.

The deal also wrapped xAI’s other assets under SpaceX, including the Grok chatbot and the social platform X, which Elon bought earlier in March 2025 using another all-stock transaction through xAI. Now that’s all under one roof, tied directly to SpaceX.

Elon started xAI in 2023, along with eleven other people. He said the goal was to “understand the true nature of the universe.” Not exactly small talk. At the time, it was meant to battle OpenAI and Google. That ambition still exists. But now xAI is a part of a bigger machine, one that’s also launching satellites, rockets, and maybe soon, IPO paperwork.

On the tech side, Elon wants to put AI data centers in space. The idea is for SpaceX to host computing power in orbit, with xAI tapping into that for large-scale AI processing. If the engineering holds up, it could be a major step.

The idea is to run AI data centers in space using Tesla energy systems and SpaceX rockets. Tesla’s energy storage would keep the power flowing through solar. Elon even said Starship could carry Tesla’s Optimus robots to the moon or Mars. Nobody knows exactly why, but he keeps talking about it.

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Large investors do not typically chase hype. They chase efficiency, timing, and upside. This has been evident in the crypto market over the last couple of weeks. While Ethereum (ETH) continues to hold as an infrastructure project, the scale of the project makes it more difficult to achieve massive price growth. This has brought more focus on newer projects. One of those projects showing strong growth metrics this month is Mutuum Finance (MUTM), which is increasingly being considered as the top crypto as investors look for a high-potential crypto to buy for maximizing returns in the current cycle.

Ethereum’s Holding Pattern 

Currently, Ethereum (ETH) is trading below the $2,111 mark. The selling pressure continues to persist as the asset tries to show some short-term upward movement. From a technical standpoint, ETH would need to clear the 20-day EMA priced at $2,447 to show some upward movement. As of now, Ethereum is vulnerable to further downside movement, and the only support levels lie between $1,750 and $1,537.

MUTM Presale Momentum

Since the beginning of the presale phase in 2025, Mutuum Finance has seen strong traction in the crypto market. The project has raised over $20.4 million and has gained over 19,000 unique token holders. Currently, the tokens in phase 7 are priced at $0.04. This represents an increase of 4x from the initial phase 1 token price of $0.01. The best upside is yet to come once the token starts trading, positioning MUTM as a better crypto to buy among emerging DeFi assets.

For example, if the price increases 10x over the current price, the price would be $0.40. With an investment of $750 based on the current price of $0.04, the user would receive 18,750 MUTM tokens. At the higher price level, the user would have an investment worth $7,500. Some analysts call this a conservative prediction. They have set a price target for MUTM to reach $1 in the future based on the observed demand for the coin during the ongoing presale, its recent successful testnet launch, and upcoming exchange listings.

At the price level of $1, the user would have an investment worth $18,750 after investing $750 in the coin. With the potential to increase by a factor of 2,400%, MUTM is a strong contender for investors looking for the top crypto in the future of DeFi innovation.

Expanding Use Cases and Adoption

Mutuum Finance is planning to expand its ecosystem with a number of features. A native over-collateralized stablecoin is planned for future development, which will allow users to borrow it while still earning yield on their collateral. In addition, Layer 2 deployment will allow for increased user adoption.

In addition to these plans for the future, the team has also introduced a number of community-driven incentives to increase the adoption rate. A daily leaderboard rewards the highest presale buyer of the day with $500 worth of MUTM tokens. In addition to this, there is also a $100,000 giveaway with a prize of $10,000 in MUTM tokens for ten presale participants.

Borrowing with Mutuum Finance (MUTM)

One of the key strengths of Mutuum Finance is the flexible borrowing system that is designed to fit different DeFi strategies. Users have the option to borrow at variable interest rates that change according to market supply and demand. Alternatively, users also have the option to borrow at fixed interest rates that remain the same throughout the borrowing period.

A trader may borrow 10,000 USDT for short-term trading, say at a variable rate of 4% APY. The interest cost for the period, say 45 days, will be approximately $49. This keeps costs low while still providing access to liquidity, a cost-effective option for the trader. A borrower who wants to borrow for a longer period may borrow 25,000 USDT at a fixed rate of 6.5% APY for six months. The interest cost will be approximately $812. This protects the borrower from unexpected rate surges that may happen during peak periods of the year.

As big investors are moving their focus from the existing platforms to the newer ones that have more asymmetry, Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is gaining immense traction as the crypto to buy to reap huge profits. While the price of Ethereum is consolidating, MUTM is offering a live DeFi lending platform, adaptive borrowing systems, and a roadmap that includes the development of a native stablecoin and a scaling solution. With more than $20.4 million raised, the cryptocurrency is rapidly gaining traction as the top crypto to invest in.

For more information about Mutuum Finance (MUTM) visit the links below:

Website: https://mutuum.com/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance 

Binance has responded to onchain data discrepancies reported by some third-party trackers like Coinglass and previously DefiLlama, as the world’s largest exchange dismisses the latest attempt to shake confidence in its operation. 

The latest post addresses concerns about Binance’s asset reserves sparked by onchain data anomalies flagged by third-party trackers Coinglass and DefiLlama.

The response was necessary as what would have been dismissed as a lag in algorithms could have quickly compounded concerns about the platform’s liquidity, especially as the crypto market goes through a dramatic dip that has led to something of a paranoid inquisition to find answers. 

How Binance addressed liquidity concerns 

In a post shared via its official X account, Binance thanked users for their concern about Binance. Then it went ahead to clarify that the data cited by Coinglass is curated from third-party sources, and DefiLlama had also dealt with discrepancies in the past. 

“It will take another 24 to 48 hours for their data to be restored,” the post read, urging those who need to verify their assets to do so via Binance’s official Proof of Reserves tools. They urged users to use sites like CoinMarketCap to view their total asset balance, or Oklink to check the inflow and outflow of various platforms. 

The post continued with Binance expressing its belief about how “regularly conducting withdrawal tests on all trading platforms is a positive and healthy practice.” Of course, it urged whoever is performing such tests to be sure to double-check the address carefully. 

The post ended with the proposal of the establishment of an annual “Withdrawal Day” when users of all platforms, not just Binance, can verify the authenticity of their assets. The plan would see the crypto industry collectively designate one day each year in which users and the community coordinate mass withdrawals for verification tests. 

This could help uniformly confirm the authenticity and backing of assets on various exchanges, and can boost overall transparency, trust and accountability in the sector. 

Binance deals with insolvency rumors 

Binance’s official statement regarding the withdrawal tests comes after its co-founder He Yi responded to the “withdrawal movement” initiated by the overseas community. 

Cryptopolitan reported last week that Binance CEO Yi He shared a post on X to address ongoing rumors about the platform’s insolvency, claiming the chatter has actually increased the number of exchange addresses. 

“Some friends in the community have launched a vigorous withdrawal movement. Although we have not yet figured out why there have been more deposits after the movement started, I believe it is also a good thing to regularly stress test all platforms,” she claimed. 

This is not the first time Binance has dealt with FUD, either. In a recent episode of the All-In podcast hosted by Chamath Palihapitiya, CZ recounted how his relationship with SBF broke down when the convicted FTX executive began poaching his employees, attempting to poach high-profile clients from Binance, and also using his significant political influence in D.C. to lobby for regulations that would essentially “carve out” Binance from the American market.

CZ clarified that the November 2022 tweet where he announced Binance would sell its remaining FTT tokens was not a premeditated attack to destroy a competitor. He was stunned by the total lack of liquidity at FTX, stating he had no idea that SBF was allegedly misusing customer funds on the scale that was later revealed in court.

Sam Bankman-Fried remains in federal prison, currently serving the early years of his 25-year sentence. Current reports from the FTX bankruptcy proceedings show that most creditors have now been repaid in full, thanks to the surging prices of the estate’s holdings in 2025 and 2026.

While the truthfulness of the related FUD statements still needs further verification, onchain evidence has shown that there was no real bank run and Binance has not displayed any insolvency signs. 

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Billy Ackman just bought $2 billion worth of Meta shares. His fund, Pershing Square, made it official this week. That one bet now makes up 10% of the entire fund.

“We believe Meta’s current share price underappreciates the company’s long-term upside potential from AI and represents a deeply discounted valuation for one of the world’s greatest businesses,” Pershing Square wrote in its annual investor letter.

Meta stock fell 0.8% on Wednesday, but Billy clearly doesn’t care. He’s calling the whole thing a massive opportunity.

Over the past year, Meta shares have dropped 16%. That’s mostly because investors are stressed about Meta spending billions on artificial intelligence.

In its last earnings report, Meta said it plans to spend between $115 billion and $135 billion on AI-related projects in 2026. That’s a huge jump, and it made people nervous. But not Billy.

SOurce

Pershing Square lays out Meta thesis in full detail

“We believe concerns around META’s AI-related spending initiatives are underestimating the company’s long-term upside potential from AI,” the firm wrote. Billy’s team sees all that AI spending as a smart play, not a problem.

Meta is currently trading at $677 per share, with a total market value of $1.7 trillion. It runs two parts: the Core Family of Apps and Reality Labs. The first group includes Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and that’s where most of the money comes from.

The second group is all the wearables and virtual reality stuff, which is still losing money. Right now, Reality Labs accounts for about 25% of the total losses in the business.

Despite that, Meta’s overall numbers are strong. It pulled in $200 billion in revenue in 2025, which was up 22% from the year before. The daily user base sits at 3.5 billion people and grew by 7% in the last quarter.

That’s massive. Even more important, it shows the company still knows how to keep people hooked.

Billy and his team say Meta’s ad model has real power. With more people using the apps every day, ad placements keep going up in value. Advertisers can target users based on behavior and interests. That’s what makes Meta so profitable. And now, with AI, they believe things can get even better.

The investor letter listed several ways AI will help Meta. Content recommendations will get smarter. Ads will become more personalized. Advertisers will be able to use AI tools to create their own campaigns.

Even digital assistants could be added for business users. Pershing Square believes all this opens the door to even more use cases.

Billy’s team also pointed out that Meta has already been cutting costs. In 2023, they called it the “Year of Efficiency.”

And just recently, the company reduced spending on Reality Labs. That’s where all the losses have been. They believe the company is showing discipline, even while spending big on AI.

They also think the core business is strong enough to handle extra spending.

If there’s any overbuilding, they believe Meta can grow into it. They say the company has the financial flexibility and enough users to absorb that kind of investment.

Meta is trading at 22 times forward earnings. But when you take out the Reality Labs losses, that number drops. Billy and his fund believe the rest of the market is missing this.

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