Cryptopolitan

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has shared updated views on the Ethereum-AGI convergence, suggesting the ecosystem can soon enable AIs to interact economically. Buterin says the goal is to build more viable decentralized AI infrastructures to enable more decentralized authority under the ERC-8004 standard.

In what he describes as only one piece of the bigger Ethereum puzzle, Buterin emphasizes that the ecosystem can help AIs interact economically in the near future. As an economic layer for AI-related interactions, Ethereum can enable decentralized authorization for API calls, bot-to-bot hiring, and security deposits (including on-chain dispute resolution). Buterin believes in building tooling to make interactions between AI agents as trustless and/or private as possible.

According to the Ethereum boss, this can be achieved in the short term through local LLM tooling and zero-knowledge (ZK) payment for API calls, so that remote models can be called without the need to link identities from call to call. Buterin also believes the industry should focus on ongoing work in cryptographic approaches to improve AI privacy, client-side verification of cryptographic proofs, TEE (Trusted Execution Environment) attestations, and other forms of server-side assurances. 

Buterin views Ethereum and AGI frameworks as philosophically alike 

According to the Ethereum co-founder, the Ethereum-AGI intersection is a topic that many people are excited about, but they think about the two from completely separate philosophical perspectives. He notes that our civilization should approach Ethereum and AGI in the same way, choosing a positive direction rather than embracing undifferentiated acceleration of both. Buterin thinks it is actually essential to integrate the AI and crypto perspectives.

“There are indeed some promising applications of AI inside of blockchain ecosystems, or AI together with cryptography, though it is important to be careful about how the AI is applied.” 

–Vitalik Buterin, Co-founder of Ethereum

However, the Ethereum executive previously noted a particular challenge in securing both AI and crypto. In crypto, Buterin emphasized that open source is the only way to build truly secure systems. Meanwhile, an “open” AI model (or its training data) greatly increases its vulnerability to malicious machine learning attacks. 

Buterin rejects Solana’s Anatoly’s narrow AGI focus 

Two years ago, I wrote this post on the possible areas that I see for ethereum + AI intersections: https://t.co/ds9mLnrJWm

This is a topic that many people are excited about, but where I always worry that we think about the two from completely separate philosophical… pic.twitter.com/pQq5kazT61

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) February 9, 2026

In a long X post, the Ethereum boss responded to Solana’s Anatoly Yakovenko (“Toly”), rejecting what he calls Toly’s narrow focus on AGI. According to Buterin, Toly’s perception of AGI is similar to reducing Ethereum to just “working in finance” or “working on computing.”  

The Ethereum co-founder also emphasizes human empowerment, safety from superintelligent threats, and practical steps like revitalized markets and governance structures. He also notes that while skeptics see the AGI vision as a shift from past Ethereum narratives, builders are praising the move towards self-sustaining AI agents. Meanwhile, Hyperbolic Labs’ co-founder and CTO, Yuchen Jin, believes that “self-improvement” or thinking that “AGI is near” remains an illusion without continual learning.

In support of Jin’s sentiments, OpenAI’s Sam Altman recently said that reaching true AGI will not take one big step but rather many medium-term breakthroughs, according to Cryptopolitan. However, while he believes that achieving AGI is very close, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella disagrees. Satya noted that reaching true AGI is nowhere close, adding that it is not just about him or Sam declaring it; it is the reality.

In the meantime, Buterin notes that LLMs can overcome the limitations of all these “beautiful” theories. He also argues that while prediction and decision markets, decentralized governance, combinatorial auctions, quadratic voting, and a universal barter economy have all been greatly limited by constraints on human attention and decision-making power, LLMs can massively scale human judgment.  

Additionally, Buterin claims that the Ethereum network can make all this a reality if his best ideas from 2014 are revisited. He believes that many more new and better ideas can be added to his initial views, and that AI and ZK technologies can provide a whole new set of tools to bring those ideas to life.

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Discord announced on Monday that it will soon ask all users globally to confirm their age via a facial scan or by uploading a form of identification to access adult content. 

Discord’s press statement revealed that the improved teen safety features being implemented globally will further the company’s long-standing goal of making the app safer and more welcoming for users aged 13 and older.

The chat platform said that this update will automatically provide all new and current users worldwide with a teen-appropriate experience with revised communication settings, limited access to age-gated areas, and content filtering that protects the privacy and deep connections that characterize Discord.

Discord expands global age checks and safety controls

Discord will soon be expanding teen safety protections worldwide including teen-by-default settings and age assurance designed to create safer experiences for teens.

We’re also launching recruitment for Discord's first Teen Council, creating a space for teen voices to help shape… pic.twitter.com/CW7G4sO38R

— Discord Support (@discord_support) February 9, 2026

Discord allows people to create and join groups based on their interests.  The group messaging tool revealed that it has more than 200 million monthly users.

Discord currently requires certain users in the UK and Australia to confirm their age to adhere to online safety regulations. However, the chat platform announced that it will implement age checks for all new and existing users globally starting in early March this year. This means that some users will need to complete an age-verification process to change certain settings or access sensitive content, such as servers, age-restricted channels, app commands, and certain message requests.

“Nowhere is our safety work more important than when it comes to teen users, which is why we are announcing these updates in time for Safer Internet Day. Rolling out teen-by-default settings globally builds on Discord’s existing safety architecture, giving teens strong protections while allowing verified adults flexibility.”

–Savannah Badalich, Head of Product Policy at Discord.

The community server app stated that the new default settings will limit what users can see and how they may communicate. Only users who will authenticate as adults will be allowed to access age-restricted forums and unblur sensitive content. The site also revealed that until users pass Discord’s age checks, they won’t be allowed to view direct messages sent to them by an unknown user.

Drew Benvie, head of social media consultancy Battenhall, stated that it’s a good idea to support efforts to make social media a safer place for all users.

Discord’s move comes amid growing global concern over how social media platforms expose children and teenagers to harmful content and addictive design features. 

Governments, regulators, and courts are increasingly examining tech companies to determine whether they are doing enough to protect young users. Recent measures demonstrate growing pressure to enhance industry-wide online safety standards.

The European Union on February 6 accused TikTok of breaching the bloc’s digital regulations wth “addictive design” features that lead to compulsive use by children.

EU regulators said that their two-year probe found that TikTok has not done enough to evaluate how features like autoplay and infinite scroll may affect users’ physical and emotional health, particularly children and “vulnerable adults.”

The European Commission said it believes TikTok should change the “basic design” of its service. 

Social media giants face landmark child addiction trial

The largest social media corporations in the world, including TikTok, are facing a number of historic trials that aim to make them accountable for injuries to children who use their services in 2026. February 9 marked the start of opening arguments in one such trial held in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

There are allegations that Google’s YouTube and Instagram’s parent firm, Meta, intentionally injures and addicts children. The lawsuit’s original names, TikTok and Snap, reached settlements for unknown amounts.

An American Lawyer, Mark Lanier, said in the opening statement that the case is as “easy as ABC,” which he said stands for “addicting the brains of children.”  The lawyer also called Google and Meta “two of the richest corporations in history” that have “engineered addiction in children’s brains.”

Prosecution attorney Donald Migliori said in his opening statement that  Meta has fabricated claims about the security of its platforms by designing its algorithms to keep youth online despite being aware that youngsters are vulnerable to sexual exploitation on social media.

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Popular YouTuber James “MrBeast” Donaldson’s Beast Industries is making its strongest push yet into finance by acquiring Step, a banking app for teenagers and young adults. The YouTuber said the move is aimed at helping teens and young adults learn to manage their personal finances early. 

The deal, announced Monday, comes just weeks after a reported $200 million capital infusion from crypto treasury firm BitMine Immersion Technologies. Tom Lee described the investments as “uniting the No. 1 creator in the world with the biggest Ethereum platform in the world.”

Just a few weeks ago, the popular YouTuber filed a trademark application for a banking platform called MrBeast Financial, dated October 13, and submitted it to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) under his company.

Beast Industries’ Housenbold insists they will provide young people with tools to build financial security

Speaking on the Step deal on X, Donaldson shared his excitement, claiming he had no mentor to teach him about investing or finances growing up, but he can now offer young people the financial grounding he lacked. 

In response to his post, some X users applauded his action, agreeing with the content creator that the plan would elevate millions of young people and encourage financial literacy. One X user noted, “This is amazing! Providing financial education and tools for young people is so important. Can’t wait to see how this helps millions build a stronger financial future.”

However, others asserted that the deal may do more harm than good, as it could expose teens to financial tools they are not ready to navigate before they fully understand the risks involved.

Nonetheless, Beast Industries CEO Jeff Housenbold contended that the deal helps them reach their audience with practical, technology-led solutions that can make a real difference to their financial lives. He remarked, “Financial health is fundamental to overall wellbeing, yet too many people lack access to the tools and knowledge they need to build financial security.”

CJ MacDonald, CEO and Founder of Step, also noted that their partnership makes sense because both Step and Beast Industries share a similar belief in helping others. The two sides have yet to disclose the acquisition cost.

Bitmine’s Lee said its corporate values aligned with Beast Industries

Last month, Beast Industries secured $200 million investment from Bitmine. At the time, Lee explained that Ethereum’s role as a smart contract platform positions it at the center of a future where financial services and digital money increasingly overlap, making the investment in Beast Industries a logical fit.

He had also remarked, “Beast Industries is the largest and most innovative creator-based platform in the world, and our corporate and personal values are strongly aligned.” 

Moreover, CEO Jeff Housenbold said the cash infusion would help the company develop a financial services platform while advancing Beast Industries’ mission to become the world’s top entertainment brand. Donaldson’s companies have hinted at launching a financial services offering, with the “MrBeast Financial” trademark pointing toward possible crypto use.

Beast Industries now has 450+ million YouTube subscribers and continues to offer products like Feastables and to run social impact initiatives, including Beast Philanthropy. Bitmine’s holdings also include over 4.29 million ether valued at $8.4 billion, as well as about $586 million in cash, making it the top corporate holder of ether with more than 3.54% of all coins, per StrategicEtherReserve data.

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Ethereum faces strong selling pressure, trapped between key support at $1,826 and resistance near $2,359. Large investors are selling holdings, suggesting cautious short-term sentiment. While its long-term network strength remains, this uncertainty pushes investors to seek assets with clearer immediate growth paths. Attention is shifting to newer, cheap crypto projects with working products and high-growth plans, making them the cheapest crypto to buy for potential large returns. Among these picks is Mutuum Finance (MUTM) at $0.04.

ETH’s Challenge: Navigating a Tight Range

Ethereum’s price action is confined. Recent sales by large funds of over 420,000 ETH have tightened market liquidity. The price must hold above $1,826 to avoid a fall toward $1,640. While its Layer 2 ecosystem is growing, a breakout needs a major new application. For investors, this creates a waiting game. In contrast, a new cryptocurrency, Mutuum Finance (MUTM), is capturing interest by moving forward with its live testnet launch and an in-demand presale phase, offering a defined entry before major exchange listings.

A Completed Audit Gives a Foundation of Trust

Mutuum Finance has completed its audit with Halborn Security. This audit has included all the smart contracts for lending and borrowing. It is considered to be an important step, as many new cryptocurrencies have failed in this area. This means that for an interested investor, the basic system has been audited by experts, thus reducing the risks of technical failure to a minimum. This ensures that MUTM gets off to a solid start as a secure investment option for crypto investors, far ahead of other new crypto investment ventures that have not undergone such rigorous testing.

A Dual Lending System Serves Every User

The main system at Mutuum Finance is its Dual Lending System. The Dual Lending System comprises two parts: the first part is the Peer-to-Contract system, also known as P2C. This system allows for the lending of common tokens such as Ethereum or ETH. Users deposit their tokens in a pool for interest earnings.

A deposit of $2000, for example, could earn an interest of $300-$500 annually, depending on protocol utilization. The second part of the system is the Peer-to-Peer system, also known as P2P. This system allows for the lending of any token between two people. The key difference here is that with P2P, the lender and borrower set loan terms, and it’s done outside lending pools. The Dual Lending System ensures that all users are catered to, thus increasing the number of users for the system.

The Presale Phase Coincides with New Features

Mutuum Finance is in its final stages of presale, with the current phase being Phase 7 at $0.04 per token. The phase is progressing very quickly, with the next phase set to see an increase in token price. The most significant news for investors is that it is now possible to buy MUTM tokens using a credit or debit card.

This being the case, investors in Phase 7 can look forward to a gain as soon when the project is launched at $0.06. However, based on the project’s fundamentals, such as its token buyback-and-redistribute mechanism and exchange listings, it is likely that the price of the project can reach as high as $0.42. A current investment of $1,000 can reach as high as $7,000 thanks to this rise, making it the cheapest cryptocurrency to buy for exponential growth.

Positioned for a Breakout

As Ethereum is struggling with its complexities, Mutuum Finance is offering a simple proposition. They have a secure product that is already functional and is priced affordably. Their completed audit, functional dual lending protocol, and presale phase all come together as a potent combination. For investors looking for the best cryptocurrency to invest in for long-term growth, this new cryptocurrency is offering a unique combination of affordability and the potential for value appreciation.

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

Website: https://mutuum.com/ 
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

Ripple released a statement dated Monday, February 9, outlining its collaboration with  Securosys, a Swiss-based cybersecurity company, and Figment, a leading staking infrastructure provider for proof-of-stake networks. This partnership played a key role in improving the XRP-focused firm’s institutional custody platform. 

In response to this announcement, analysts asserted that the San Francisco–based fintech company’s move will streamline banks’ and custodians’ efforts to provide custody services and staking without the complexity of managing their own validators or key management systems.

Moreover, following Ripple’s acquisition of Palisade, a French-regulated digital asset custody and wallet infrastructure provider, and the incorporation of Chainalysis compliance tools, these custody improvements empower regulated institutions to securely manage cryptographic keys using either on-site or cloud-based HSMs. 

Apart from this, they can also offer users the ability to stake on networks such as Ethereum and Solana, with integrated, real-time compliance checks.

Ripple seeks to solidify its position as a leader in the blockchain ecosystem

Regarding its recent improvements, Ripple decided to break down these enhancements for better understanding, stressing that these integrations streamline deployment and accelerate the launch of institutional custody services.

To stay competitive in the ecosystem and solidify its position as a leader, the blockchain infrastructure provider noted that it is strengthening its institutional infrastructure to support expansion beyond its core payments business into custody, treasury, and post-trade services for regulated businesses. 

At this point, it is worth noting that Ripple is a technology company and digital payment network designed to provide payment and custody solutions to financial institutions. In addition, the firm is responsible for issuing the XRP token and RLUSD, a US dollar-pegged stablecoin launched in late 2024.

Meanwhile, reports noted that Ripple’s recent update came just after the blockchain payments firm introduced a corporate treasury platform that can integrate traditional cash management systems with digital asset technology. 

On the other hand, analysts found that as proof-of-stake technology continues to evolve, several institutions have shown heightened interest in staking while the regulatory environment remains unpredictable.

Even so, Figment decided to improve its collaboration with cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase in October last year. This move enabled clients of Coinbase Custody and Prime to stake various proof-of-stake assets alongside Ether. Furthermore, the new feature enabled institutional users to stake across multiple networks, including Solana, Sui, Aptos, and Avalanche, via Figment’s system. 

Several firms in the blockchain ecosystem implement updates to their operations 

As competition in the blockchain ecosystem intensified, Anchorage Digital, a leading regulated institutional crypto platform, confirmed the launch of staking support for the Hyperliquid ecosystem towards the end of last year. This move enabled HYPE staking alongside its existing custodial offerings.

Afterwards, the bank announced the availability of this service via Singapore-based Anchorage Digital Bank and its self-custody wallet Porto. For validator operations, it noted that Figment would manage them.

Meanwhile, despite staking providing institutions with a way to generate yield on proof-of-stake networks, sources revealed the emergence of new efforts to generate yield from BTC that do not rely on staking.

Following this announcement, Fireblocks, a leading enterprise-grade platform, announced earlier this month its intention to adopt the Stacks blockchain to expand institutional access to Bitcoin-based lending and yield products.

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Polymarket has sued the state of Massachusetts in federal court, alleging that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) was the only agency authorized by Congress to regulate event contracts. This argument implied that states lack the authority to independently shut down prediction markets over which the CFTC holds exclusive jurisdiction.

To demonstrate the seriousness of the situation, Neal Kumar, the Polymarket Chief Legal Officer, acknowledged the filing of the lawsuit in a statement published on Monday, February 9. He asserted that the matter concerns national markets and presents significant legal questions that necessitate federal adjudication rather than state-level handling.

Meanwhile, in reference to Massachusetts and Nevada’s acts towards the prediction markets, Kumar mentioned that, “Trying to close down Polymarket US and other prediction markets in state court does not change federal law — states like Massachusetts and Nevada that pursue this will lose a great chance to develop future markets.”

Polymarket initiates a legal battle against Massachusetts

Regarding Polymarket’s recent move against Massachusetts, reports highlighted that the prediction market’s lawsuit was intended to prevent potential enforcement actions by Andrea Campbell, the Attorney General of Massachusetts. 

The company criticized certain states’ attempts to regulate prediction markets, saying these actions improperly interfere with federally regulated derivatives markets.

In the meantime, it is worth noting that this legal battle was initiated just after the Massachusetts state court issued a ruling mandating the temporary halt to Kalshi’s contract provisions for sports events within the state. 

As reported earlier by Cryptopolitan, Judge Barry-Smith said he intended to finalize the injunction requiring Kalshi to comply with the state’s sports betting law henceforth, following a hearing on January 16. According to the judge, the licensure and the consequent oversight of sports betting in Massachusetts serve both public safety and health, and the Commonwealth’s financial interests. However, he noted that he was still considering pausing his order to allow the prediction market platform to file an appeal.

Kalshi is a regulated exchange and prediction market where individuals can trade on the outcome of real-world events. When this news was linked to sources pointing to a similar case in Nevada that occurred recently. Similarly, in Nevada, a judge barred Polymarket from offering sports contracts to residents, citing conflicts with the state’s sports betting rules.

This was after the judge argued that the issuance threatens to dismantle the state’s existing sports betting rules, according to sources close to the matter who wished to remain anonymous due to the confidential nature of the matter.

While the situation intensifies, reports have admitted that Massachusetts and Nevada are not the only US states opposing prediction markets. This was after analysts conducted research and discovered that at least eight other states, such as New York, Illinois, and Ohio, have embraced measures to restrict or contest sports-related prediction markets, citing information from the prediction market Kalshi.

Analysts outline prediction markets’ recent rapid growth despite facing challenges 

In response to Polymarket’s recent legal battle with Massachusetts, analysts argued that prediction markets have experienced rapid expansion despite mounting regulatory efforts. 

To support this claim, data from Dune, a powerful, community-driven analytics platform, showed that these markets recorded an all-time high of $3.7 billion in trading volume in a single week in January, surpassing the previous peak.

Apart from this finding, additional information from Messari, a leading provider of crypto market intelligence, research, and data visualization tools, showed that the two leading prediction markets, Polymarket and Kalshi, achieved near-equal trading volume, despite using different systems. Polymarket is a decentralized platform that uses blockchain technology, while Kalshi is a traditional financial exchange for event contracts. 

Nonetheless, both firms have raised substantial capital from venture investors. Polymarket reached a $9 billion valuation, while Kalshi achieved a $11 billion valuation after closing its most recent funding rounds.

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Binance turned out to be the biggest holder of Trump‑linked USD1 stablecoin. The largest crypto exchange reportedly concentrates roughly 87% of the token’s supply. This comes in when the exchange recently added 4,225 Bitcoin to its Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU) after swapping around $300 million worth of stablecoins.

Data shows that there are more than 5.36 billion World Liberty Financial USD (USD1) in circulation. Around $4.3 billion sits in wallets linked to Binance. However, the cumulative market cap for Stablecoin is on a surge and hovering at $314.5 billion. Tether is still leading the stablecoin tally with over 184.5 billion in circulation.

Binance US holds almost no USD1

Binance holding such a huge bag of USD1 gives it an unusually large role in explaining liquidity, distribution, and demand for a politically connected stablecoin. Meanwhile, its US affiliate holds almost no exposure. Binance US reportedly controls just $1,119 worth of USD1. This suggests that the foreign entities are the main participants who are interacting with World Liberty Financial.

WLF-linked USD1 moved on to hit the $5 billion mark last month. This placed the token among the largest stablecoins globally by circulation. Eric Trump, in a post, wrote, “Very proud of all the work being done by WLF. However, this surge allegedly coincided with a series of promotions run by Binance, which has eventually boosted its adoption.

Founded back in September 2024, World Liberty Financial describes itself as being inspired by President Trump. It lists him as co-founder alongside Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Barron Trump. An LLC affiliated with Trump and family members owns about 38% of the company. It also controls 22.5 billion WLFI governance tokens. The entity is entitled to 75% of the proceeds from WLFI token sales.

Trump reported earning $57.4 million from WLF in his recent financial disclosure. Meanwhile, the Trump Organization has said Trump retains control over his businesses while in office.

Binance betting big on USD1?

Binance’s role has been crucial to USD1’s rapid expansion. The exchange waived trading fees for users converting other stablecoins into USD1 in December 2025. This happened when the transaction fees are a primary source of revenue for crypto platforms. Binance even introduced incentives allowing users to earn rewards on USD1 balances.

On Jan. 22, Binance said users holding USD1 would share $40 million in rewards. Yield-bearing stablecoins are currently the subject of intense debate in Congress. Lawmakers are considering whether such incentives resemble interest payments traditionally regulated within the banking system.

The growing relationship between Binance and World Liberty Financial has already attracted lawmakers’ attention. They argue that it presents a conflict of interest. Trump is now both a beneficiary of a major crypto business and the president overseeing regulatory policy. On the other side, Binance itself remains barred from operating its main platform in the country.

Binance founder, Changpeng Zhao, pleaded guilty in 2023 to money-laundering violations. He served four months in prison. However, Trump pardoned Zhao last year and allowed him to retain his majority ownership of Binance. All these moves have sparked speculation that the platform might seek a return to the US market.

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Bitcoin investment products recorded $264.4 million in outflows over the past week, marking a third consecutive week of losses. However, the pace of withdrawals slowed sharply, even as altcoin funds posted their first inflows since mid-January, according to the latest CoinShares Digital Asset Fund Flows report.

XRP-led products attracted $63.1 million in inflows, while Ethereum and Solana funds added $5.3 million and $8.2 million, respectively. In total, crypto fund outflows fell to $187 million, down dramatically from $1.695 billion the previous week and $1.73 billion the week before that.

The slowdown sounds promising, said CoinShares head of research James Butterfill, who added that deceleration in fund flows has historically pointed to a potential market inflection point. 

But he added that the change in direction isn’t sufficient to substantiate a turnaround. Butterfill cited further signs that could indicate a break, including easing whale selling, deeply oversold conditions (the RSI has fallen to 16), and investor sentiment emerging that recent weakness has triggered a buying opportunity. 

Crypto prices rebound after sharp selloff

The moderation in outflows coincided with a rebound in crypto prices following last week’s sharp selloff, during which Bitcoin fell to a nearly 16-month low of $62,822 and recovered to around $70,500, according to CoinGecko data.

Currently, the leading digital asset is trading at  $70,437after after last week’s sharp sell-off and subsequent rebound. It is down roughly 44% from its all-time high north of $126,000 set last October, when forced liquidations and whale sales triggered a crypto winter.

Selling intensified last week, with the token posting its worst daily drop since November 2022. “The current Bitcoin price action is a mere crisis of confidence. Nothing broke, no skeletons will show up,” Bernstein analyst Gautam Chhugani said in a note on Monday morning.

“In an AI world, Bitcoin and crypto are not interesting enough,” Chhugani said, adding that the “Bitcoin bear case is the weakest in its history.”

He also pointed out that spot ETFs have seen only a 7% outflow compared with a 50% correction in bitcoin prices during last week’s sell-off.

Despite the slowdown, sustained withdrawals pushed total crypto fund assets under management down to $129.8 billion. This is the lowest level since March 2025, when the Trump administration announced a new round of tariffs.

At the same time, exchange-traded product (ETP) trading volumes hit a record $63.1 billion last week. This increase is in stark contrast with the trend of spot crypto markets. In a note to investors, 10x Research said trading volumes during the recent crash were significantly lower than those seen in October, indicating thinner liquidity and activity driven more by derivatives than by broad market participation.

Analysts are split between bearish risks and long-term Bitcoin bulls

Looking ahead, 10x Research remains cautious, pointing out that its altcoin model has been bearish since mid-January and warning that most altcoins remain structurally weak. On prediction market Myriad, users assign just a 10% probability to an “alt season” occurring in the first quarter of the year.

Similarly, sentiment toward Bitcoin is mixed. Myriad users consider a 56% probability that Bitcoin’s next significant shift will be toward $55,000 — not $84,000 — and 10x Research suggests any recovery below $91,000 would likely be a countertrend bounce. 

More bearish voices persist, with Bloomberg Intelligence strategist Mike McGlone reiterating that Bitcoin could eventually decline to $10,000, citing pressure on highly speculative assets in a tightening environment.

Even so, long-term bulls are hanging steady. CryptoMondays founder Lou Kerner reaffirmed his forecast, stating in the Quantum Economics blog that Bitcoin could hit $1 million by 2031.

Butterfill cautioned about short-term market volatility, noting that such a massive price drop is often accompanied by fund defaults or stress events that have been largely invisible to date.

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Ethereum (ETH) may have been at the center of decentralized applications and smart contracts, but as a multi-hundred-billion-dollar market, its potential to return investors 10 times their money in a single year is likely in the rearview window. Investors are looking for new cryptos that have a greater potential for upside. Among these, one of the next big crypto projects that investors are discussing is Mutuum Finance (MUTM). 

Ethereum’s Rebound

Ethereum’s current position lies just above the $2,000 support zone, which has been a critical level for the cryptocurrency in the past. This zone has been a critical level for Ethereum in the past, and its fall below this level has triggered a cautious rebound for the cryptocurrency, with bulls trying to push its price towards the $2,150 level and stabilize its momentum. The success of this move will determine whether Ethereum’s price will continue its fall towards the $1,380 level or not. This cautious approach by Ethereum’s bulls can be regarded as a natural consequence of the cryptocurrency’s inability to grow at a rapid rate, which has prompted investors to look for new opportunities in the market, such as Mutuum Finance (MUTM).

Mutuum Finance (MUTM) Price Prediction

Mutuum Finance’s vision is to develop a high-performance platform for lending and borrowing on the Ethereum network and address the inefficiencies in the current capital allocation system. Its unique two-market structure allows for instant lending and borrowing through its Peer-to-Contract liquidity pools and for negotiating loan terms through its Peer-to-Peer marketplace.

Since its initial presale in Q1 2025, Mutuum Finance has been able to raise over $20.4 million and has gained more than 19,000 unique token holders. At the moment, tokens for Phase 7 are priced at $0.04. Phase 8 will follow at $0.045, meaning those who wait will be required to pay more in this phase. These increases will continue in the upcoming phases until MUTM goes live on exchanges at $0.06. 

If MUTM were to rise 10x from its current price, it would land at $0.40, meaning an investor who puts $100 into the project right now gets $1,000 post-listing. However, analysts project much stronger growth to hit $1, citing strong presale demand that has seen Mutuum Finance raise $20.43 million from nearly 19,000 investors at a time when top cryptos like ETH are struggling. If this momentum accelerates post-launch, further fueled by potential top-tier listings and protocol adoption, a run to $1 looks imminent. This would deliver a 25x ROI and turn $100 into $2500.

Testnet Milestone

One of the most important milestones for the project was the activation of the  V1 Protocol for users of Sepolia’s testnet, allowing users to interact with the lending and borrowing features without using actual assets. The activation of the protocol confirms that the project’s code is completely functional.

One key component is the mtToken, which users get when they contribute assets to liquidity pools. These tokens serve as a type of receipt that appreciates in value over time based on borrowers’ repayments of interest. For example, a user could earn $720 per year on a $12,000 deposit of USDC with a 6% APY. As the platform continues to grow, it is possible to earn $1,200 or more per year.

Roadmap for 2026: Growth and Efficiency

In its roadmap for 2026, Mutuum Finance is looking to grow its utility and reach. For example, a native over-collateralized stablecoin will be developed, enabling users to borrow without exposure to markets. Chainlink and Pyth oracle integrations will be made to ensure that users get accurate pricing on their assets. Furthermore, a move to Layer-2 networks is planned, making it more efficient for users to borrow and lend.

The development team is working on various incentives to attract users to the platform. For example, a leaderboard rewards the top contributor to the presale with $500 worth of MUTM tokens daily. Additionally, a $100,000 giveaway will be made to ten winners, each receiving $10,000 worth of MUTM tokens.

Ethereum is a massive network, and its size means that a 10x return is highly unlikely. However, the search for exponential returns has shifted to newer projects. Enter Mutuum Finance (MUTM), a new crypto priced at $0.04 that is offering a live DeFi lending platform, double liquidity, a presale that has already raised over $20.43 million, and a testnet that is already live. With a working testnet, a means of earning money through mtTokens, and a roadmap that looks towards 2026, MUTM is the next big crypto with the structural underpinnings that will be able to offer the type of returns that large-cap networks are now unable to. This combination of utility, growth potential, and early adoption makes MUTM one of the most promising next big crypto opportunities available today.

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

Website: https://mutuum.com/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance 

Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the imprisoned former CEO of FTX, has launched a fresh attack on what he calls “Biden’s lawfare machine,” claiming prosecutors prevented him from presenting evidence that would have cleared him of fraud charges.

In a series of posts on X published via a proxy, SBF aligned himself with Donald Trump and other defendants he says were victims of politically motivated prosecutions. The posts came in response to comments from Ryan Salame, former co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, who is also serving time in prison.

Salame had reacted to news that law firm Fenwick & West agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging it helped facilitate FTX’s fraud. He claimed the firm had explicitly advised that Alameda Research did not need US money transmitting licenses for non-US work, the very issue for which he is imprisoned.

SBF says FTX was solvent

SBF, who is serving a 25-year sentence after being convicted on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy in November 2023, has repeatedly insisted FTX was solvent when it collapsed. “The money was always there, and FTX was always solvent,” he wrote in the thread.

However, Ryne Miller, FTX’s former general counsel, has refuted those claims. In October 2025, Miller stated that assets available when FTX filed for bankruptcy were nowhere near adequate and that the company’s founders were “fabricating asset lists” while desperately seeking new investors.

In his posts, SBF stated that prosecutor Danielle Sassoon wrote a 70-page document that had all the evidence but was excluded from trial because, according to him, the prosecutors didn’t want the jury to see it. 

He claimed they prohibited him from pointing out FTX was solvent.

He claimed Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over both his case and several Trump-related cases, “rubber-stamped everything Biden’s DOJ wanted” and prevented the jury from seeing the truth.

Allegations against prosecutors

In his posts, SBF accused the Biden administration of targeting him for multiple reasons. He wrote that the administration hated crypto, and he happened to be one of the faces of crypto in the US. 

SBF stated that his switch from being a Democratic Party donor to a Republican donor was another reason why he was hated. 

SBF also mentioned that his opposition to Gary Gensler, the former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair, was another reason for the hate he faced from the Biden administration. He wrote that he visited DC dozens of times to try to get power moved away from Gensler.

SBF also alleged that Salame faced bogus charges after refusing to testify against him. According to the posts, prosecutors threatened Salame’s pregnant fiancée, Michelle Bond, to force a guilty plea. Bond was subsequently indicted on campaign finance charges in August 2024. Salame received a 90-month sentence, more than three times the combined sentences of cooperating witnesses.

Sassoon, the prosecutor whom SBF claims was fired by Trump, resigned from the Justice Department in February 2025 rather than comply with orders to dismiss corruption charges against New York mayor Eric Adams.

In November 2025, she testified before a federal judge, denying allegations that she made Salame take the plea deal by promising not to prosecute his fiancée.

The timing of these posts coincides with SBF’s ongoing appeal, which hinges partly on his solvency argument. During trial, Kaplan ruled that whether assets could eventually be recovered was immaterial to fraud charges.

Why is SBF aligning with President Trump?

Once the second-largest individual donor to Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign, contributing $5.2 million, SBF now praises the Trump administration. 

Some X users have called out SBF’s posts, stating that it is a play at getting a pardon. While there is no indication that the president plans to grant one, it won’t be the first time that the president has pardoned a convicted crypto founder serving their sentence.

There was a slight increase in the odds of SBF getting a presidential pardon from Trump in the prediction markets around his appeal hearing that occurred in November 2025.

Critics say SBF’s latest post is a revisionist attempt to change the narrative and the public’s perception of what caused FTX’s crash.

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In a recent exchange between Elon Musk and a user on X, the billionaire responded to criticism about how his companies receive substantial funding and subsidies from the government. 

It is not the first time a discussion of this nature has happened on X. However, Musk responded with his usual defense — pointing to results as the reason behind his success, not government handouts. 

Musk calls out a ‘clown’s analysis’ 

The exchange began with an X user accusing the US government of constantly throwing money at Musk even before he delivers on his promises and often after he reneged on them. 

This implies the company heavily relies on things like taxpayer funds, subsidies and contracts to build wealth and buff valuations, something Musk clearly did not like to hear. 

“Tesla $TSLA grants/subsidies essentially mirror SpaceX ‘contract money’ for Artemis moon trips that still never happened,” the X user who started the discourse wrote. “Basically the more Musk ramps up lies, the more the government indiscriminately throws money at him.” 

The post quickly did rounds, and before long, people were in the comment section sharing their opinions. One of the many who seemed to be on Musk’s side called the account out for lying, pointing out that SpaceX attracts all it does because it provides valuable launch services and offers a “far better deal for taxpayers than NASA or the Defense Department would have gotten from any other provider (Boeing, Russia, ULA, etc.).” 

It was that post that Musk responded to with a snarky comment, dismissing the opinion as a “clown’s analysis.” 

“Even if every bit of bullshit he says is true, it still amounts to less than 1% of the value of Tesla and SpaceX,” Musk asked. 

“Where did the other 99% come from?” 

That reply implies that, rather than handouts, Tesla and SpaceX create revenue in many other ways, which is what is really responsible for their current level of success. It frames everything both companies get from the government as negligible, just 1% out of the 100%. 

Musk’s companies continue to run hot

SpaceX has been in the headlines frequently since the year started because of significant new developments related to its funding and capital. 

At the start of the year, SpaceX secured $739 million in new national security launch contracts from the Pentagon. It was also awarded the full amount for US military launch missions, with no slice of the portion going to its competitors. 

It counts as a new government contract funding for launches and builds on past work between both entities. That news did not create as much ripple among critics as what happened at the beginning of this month. 

In the first week of February, SpaceX acquired Musk’s xAI in a major merger that valued the combined entity at around $1.25 trillion. This is a merger rather than a fresh cash infusion, but it also represents a huge consolidation of resources and value under SpaceX, while integrating xAI’s AI capabilities ahead of planned growth. 

SpaceX is also gearing up for its IPO, which is scheduled to potentially hold in mid-2026 and could help the company raise billions at a valuation as high as $1.5 trillion. If it happens, this would make it one of the biggest public offerings ever, and Musk’s critics will have fresh fodder to criticize Musk, who could have become the world’s first trillionaire by then.

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Oracle is flying with Aladdin on his mat today. The stock has rallied 13%, which makes it the biggest gainer on the day. That comes right after Amazon said it’s going to throw $200 billion into data centers, chips, and hardware this year.

That’s helped Oracle break out. It’s also the second week in a row that the stock has gone up. Still, even with this rally, Oracle is down around 50% from its highs in September.

The AI money is pouring in from every angle. Companies are spending like crazy. That includes Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, and Microsoft, which together are planning to put $650 billion into AI tools.

Some traders now think a slice of that spending might actually go to software names like Oracle. The stock is reacting hard today, but there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes.

Analysts disagree on Oracle’s future after debt program and AI bets

One reason Oracle is running today is that DA Davidson upgraded it to Buy. They gave it a new price target of $180, up from Neutral. The analysts said they believe a “revamped OpenAI” will come back stronger and keep pushing Google in AI.

They also said OpenAI now has enough money to meet its side of the deal with Oracle. That, in their view, clears Oracle’s biggest risk.

Gil, the analyst at Davidson, wrote, “Software isn’t dead. We believe companies will continue to pay for Oracle’s products and that they will not be vibe coded away.” He thinks software demand will stay steady, even in a messy market.

But not everyone’s feeling that bullish. Melius Research actually downgraded Oracle to Hold and kept a lower target at $160. While they say they respect Larry El for going bold here, they also say Oracle is sitting on a heavy load of debt and equity.

And they raised a serious question: “What should a stock sell for with no free cash flow until the 2030s?” Melius thinks Oracle should be priced more like an infrastructure business than a software firm.

Bernstein is still on the optimistic side but even they cut their price target to $313 from $339. They still rate the stock Outperform, though. Bernstein pointed to the $45 billion to $50 billion debt and equity program Oracle announced last Monday. That’s how they’re going to fund the huge AI data center build they promised last year. Bernstein said this funding will likely carry Oracle through fiscal year 2028.

Still, the entire software sector is under pressure. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software ETF has dropped 28% from its highs in recent weeks. Traders are worried AI might actually cut into demand for traditional software. But some are betting the money from Big Tech’s AI boom will still flow into Oracle and others with cloud infrastructure.

Justin, an analyst at Bank of America, said cloud firms are facing tough macro risks, which could lead to stock volatility. But he also said, “Management teams seem confident in their ability to forecast demand, and that capacity will be fully utilized in 2026.”

And while cloud growth at Amazon and Alphabet was strong, David at UBS said their capex guidance came in way above what traders expected, and that’s what the market reacted to. But for Oracle, the cash pouring into AI infrastructure may finally be landing in its lap.

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While the goal of reaching a $4.50 target price may appear lofty, history has proven that cryptos with verified tech, tokenomics, and community engagement can provide investors with monumental returns. The following crypto analysis will highlight the key fundamentals that can potentially launch a new crypto like Mutuum Finance (MUTM) on a path towards monumental returns, making it a top crypto to buy.

Verified Protocol Functionality

First and foremost, investors need a verified protocol, and that’s exactly what they’re getting with the recent launch of the Mutuum Finance V1 protocol, currently under public verification on the Sepolia testnet. This moves the project from being a concept to a working product. During the testnet, investors can verify and interact with Mutuum Finance’s lending protocol, specifically interact with its mtTokens, debt tokens, and the automated liquidator bot. The tokens supported during this testnet are ETH, LINK, USDT, and WBTC. This level of transparency and verification prior to mainnet launch creates a tremendous level of trust, a key requirement that must be met by any new crypto looking to capitalize on future value appreciation.

Current Presale Phase Drives Price Appreciation

The current market phase is a key determinant in reaching long-term crypto success, and in the case of MUTM, investors are currently in the presale phase, in phase 7 at a $0.04 price. While investors can expect a gain as they near the $0.06 launch price, the key catalysts that can potentially drive an 8x return at launch lie in projected exchange listings and key project features such as dual lending, over-collateralized lending, and a buy-and-redistribute mechanism. These drive demand and make Mutuum Finance desirable for investors even post-launch. These features, as well as predicted value generation post-launch make it a prime time for investors to get in and have a chance at being a top crypto asset to invest in for growth and appreciation.

Historical Precedent For Growth

The roadmap to $4.50 becomes apparent when understanding the sustainable growth factors and historical precedents. For example, XRP in the year 2017 traded for under $0.01 before the confluence of utility narratives and market cycles propelled the asset to $3.84, a 38,000% increase. Mutuum Finance has its own catalyst in the form of a fee-sharing economy.

Part of all fees within the protocol buys back MUTM tokens, allocating them to mtToken stakers. Therefore, if an investor stakes $3,000 within the protocol, they not only earn interest on their investment but also a proportionate share of all the token buybacks. This creates a compounding effect in that the growth of the protocol leads to an increase in rewards for investors, creating a logical pathway towards increasing token value.

A Confluence of Factors for a Major Breakout

The predicted growth of the MUTM token from its current levels to the figure of $4.50 is based on a series of factual events that have already been tested in the form of a live protocol, a presale phase before the token is listed on exchanges, and a tokenomics model in which the growth of the protocol directly translates into the demand for the token. This is the same confluence of factors that has propelled the success of top crypto projects in the past. For those seeking the next big success story in the crypto market, Mutuum Finance offers a data-driven opportunity in the form of newly launched crypto projects with a clear and justified path for explosive growth.

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

Website: https://mutuum.com/ 
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance

FG Nexus has announced that it will be implementing a 1-for-5 reverse stock split in an effort to attract institutional investors and improve its trading liquidity despite its low price. 

To remedy its falling stock value and attract institutional interest, FG Nexus has announced that it will be implementing a reverse stock split, reducing its authorized shares from 900 billion to 180 billion. 

The FG Nexus stock is down almost 100% over the last six months.

FG Nexus is down almost 100% over the last year. Source: Google Finance

FG Nexus announces a reverse stock split 

FG Nexus Inc. officially announced today that its Board of Directors has approved a one-for-five reverse stock split set to take effect on Friday, February 13, 2026. 

The reverse split will automatically convert every five shares of current common stock into one share of new common stock. For example, a person who owns 100 shares before the split will own 20 shares afterward. 

In preparation for the change, the common stock has been assigned a new CUSIP number: 30329Y403. However, the company’s common stock will continue to be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under its existing ticker symbol, “FGNX.”

Kyle Cerminara, the Chairman and CEO of FG Nexus, explained that the goal is to make the stock more appealing to institutional investors who often avoid stocks with very low prices. By consolidating the shares, the company hopes to see a proportional increase in the price of each share. 

As of today, the company has 32,776,218 shares of common stock outstanding. After the split becomes effective, that number will drop to approximately 6,555,243 shares. Furthermore, the number of common shares that the company is authorized to issue will be reduced from 900 billion to 180 billion. 

The company stated that no fractional shares will be issued. Instead, the company’s transfer agent, Broadridge Financial Solutions, LLC, will provide a cash payment in place of that fractional share. 

Will the reverse split affect the value of previous investments?

Investors often worry during reverse splits about whether or not they are losing money, but the total value of the investments stays the same. The rights and privileges attached to the common stock also remain exactly the same. 

Recent market data shows that FG Nexus’s share price dropped significantly from a 52-week high of over $41 to recent lows near $1.93. 

The company is part of a growing group of companies that use cryptocurrency as a primary treasury asset and has explicitly stated that it wants to be a “gateway to digital-asset-powered finance.” This strategy includes staking its Ethereum (ETH) holdings to earn rewards and building a platform for the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs).

As of late January 2026, FG Nexus reported holding 37,594 ETH. The company has also been very active in buying back its own shares. Between late 2025 and early 2026, the firm repurchased nearly 10 million shares. 

CEO Kyle Cerminara has argued that buying back shares when they trade below the company’s net asset value (NAV) is a great way to increase the value for remaining owners.

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XRP is taking a hit. The token has broken below its aggregate cost basis, and that triggered panic across the board. A big chunk of holders are now dumping their bags, not to lock in profits, but to cut losses, according to data from Glassnode.

The Spent Output Profit Ratio (SOPR), using the 7-day EMA, has collapsed from 1.16 in July 2025 to 0.96 right now. If that number is above 1, they’re walking away richer. If it’s under, like it is now, XRP holders are bleeding.

This is the first time profitability has turned negative since mid-2025. And according to Glassnode, it looks a lot like what happened between September 2021 and May 2022, when the SOPR stayed under 1 and the market just dragged sideways for months.

Retail holders are dumping XRP while whales hold tight

Right now, XRP’s price sits around $1.42, but whales’ wallets are quiet. Whale-to-exchange flow is still low, which means they’re not dumping. That’s important. It tells you that the selling is mostly coming from retail investors.

The same thing happened back in December 2025 and January 2026. SOPR was low, price kept dropping, but the big wallets stayed silent. It’s the smaller holders who are panicking.

Back in March and April 2025, whale flows were also quiet, and price stayed soft. Then in July, things suddenly bounced hard.

But when profit-taking kicked in, whales dumped fast. They waited for the top. That pattern matters now. Because the whales are still not selling. They’re waiting.

Even with the price sliding, XRP Ledger is still running big numbers. Messari’s data shows average daily transactions at 1.83 million in Q4 2025, up 3.1% from the quarter before. Active addresses dropped to 49,000.

But while payments fell 8.1% to around 909,000, offer creation rose to 42% of the entire mix. That means people are still trading and using the network, even with the loss pressure.

Ripple’s bigger plan is focused on tokenized real-world assets. It’s not about just DeFi numbers anymore. XRPL is being shaped to support tokenized cash, high-grade collateral, and real settlement flows. There’s been real growth here. RWA.xyz reported about $21.41 billion in represented value and nearly $23.87 billion distributed. The tokenized U.S. Treasuries value is now at $10.0 billion.

Ripple wants to pull more of that volume toward XRPL. The plan includes compliance tools built into the network and delivery-versus-payment support. That’s how they’re positioning themselves to handle the next wave of tokenization.

McKinsey expects tokenized markets to grow to $2 trillion by 2030, though BCG and ADDX threw out a much bigger number; $16.1 trillion.

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Bitcoin mining operator NFN8 Group Inc. and its subsidiaries have gone down the dreaded path of formally filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company seeks court protection from creditors after running into financial challenges due to a fire outbreak at its Texas facility.

NFN8 made the Chapter 11 filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas. This move comes as a shock to many who have witnessed the company’s rapid growth in recent years. 

Fire, leases, and increased pressure on mining margins

NFN8’s bankruptcy filing can be traced to multiple events over the past year. Beginning with the fire outbreak at its leased facility in Crystal City, Texas, which cut mining capacity by a little over 50%. 

The fire incident happened at, perhaps, the worst of times for NFN8; a period where global mining profitability was dwindling due to compressed hashprice – a measure of mining revenue per unit of computational power – following the April 2024 Bitcoin halving.

NFN8’s operational model (a sale-leaseback equipment financing program involving more than 250 counterparties) became unsustainable after a major dip in revenue. Also, the company’s ongoing legal & tax issues have added more strain on its finances.

To keep its head above water, NFN8 secured $2.75 million in debtor-in-possession financing from Twelve Bridge Capital LLC to keep essential operations running during the court-supervised sale of assets.

At its peak, NFN8 operated over 5,000 Bitcoin mining machines in Texas and Iowa as the industry expanded in the late 2010s and early 2020s. The company had to fight through periods of uncertainty when Core Scientific, a key hosting partner, went bankrupt in 2022. 

However, the combo of catastrophic events and lower hashprice finally brought NFN8 to its knees.

What’s next for NFN8? 

NFN8’s filing will look to preserve whatever value is left in the company while ensuring an orderly process of liquidation, which aims to preserve value and avoid disorderly liquidation. 

The process involves marketing the company’s assets to prospective bidders, with the hope of getting the best return for stakeholders.

What does this mean for Bitcoin mining profitability?

Looking across the industry, NFN8’s situation simply reflects the growing trend of lower rewards for miners, causing miners to depend more on Bitcoin’s market price and transaction fees to cover operational costs.

All of this can be traced back to the April 2024 block subsidy halving, which cut rewards from 6.25 BTC per block to 3.125 BTC. Also, hashprice has fallen to a historically low figure of $33 per petahash per day over the last couple of months, adding even more pressure on miners

However, it can be argued that bankruptcies such as NFN8’s actually bode well for the larger mining ecosystem. Because it helps move assets from so-called “weaker” operators into the hands of more efficient operators. 

While there has been an 11% difficulty drop in mining recently, it still costs around $87,000 to mine one Bitcoin, and transaction fees as a share of miner revenue fell from 7% to 1% after 2024, making the broader picture look rather bleak.

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OpenAI is racing to secure up to $100 billion in fresh capital as the artificial intelligence company grapples with mounting expenses and growing threats from rivals.

People close to the matter say the money could push the firm’s worth to roughly $830 billion, more than what Argentina produces in a year.

Those involved expect talks to gain traction over the next two weeks. The size of the round signals more than ambition. Leaked internal papers obtained by The Information show OpenAI facing a $14 billion shortfall in 2026, with total red ink climbing to $115 billion by 2029. The company does not expect to turn a profit until sometime in the 2030s.

Massive computing project backs funding push

The fundraising plan calls for investments in two separate phases. Microsoft and Nvidia are set to put in money first, with Amazon discussing a commitment that could go as high as $50 billion.

The timing lines up with OpenAI’s Stargate venture, a $500 billion computing project built with SoftBank and Oracle. That effort aims to harness 10 gigawatts of electricity and deploy millions of processors to power what the company hopes will become artificial general intelligence.

User numbers climb despite pressure

Chief executive Sam Altman has worked to keep employees and investors confident even as financial strain builds. He wrote to staff on Friday that ChatGPT is “back to exceeding 10% monthly growth,” according to an internal Slack message that CNBC reviewed. Around 800 million people now tap into the service each week. But rivals are gaining ground. Google Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude have both pulled in users, with Gemini seeing a bump in web visits after Apple added it to its Intelligence features.

OpenAI rolled out GPT-5.3-Codex last week in an attempt to stay ahead. The company bills it as its first “agentic” coding tool, meaning it goes beyond simple suggestions. The software can tackle complex jobs on its own, fixing bugs across entire code libraries and handling software launches without human help.

Engineers at OpenAI used early builds of GPT-5.3-Codex to develop the final version, relying on it to troubleshoot training sessions and review test outcomes. The model also became the first to earn a “High capability” label under the firm’s Preparedness Framework for cybersecurity. That classification forced the company to add extra protections against automated hacking attempts.

Super Bowl sparks public feud

Tensions between OpenAI and Anthropic spilled into public view during Super Bowl LX. OpenAI ran a one-minute commercial aimed at developers, while Anthropic took shots at its competitor’s plan to show ads. One Anthropic spot depicted a “short king” asking for workout tips, only to get hit with promotions for shoe lifts. The ad closed with a pointed message: “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.”

Altman fired back on X, labeling the ads “deceptive” and “dishonest.” Still, OpenAI moved forward with ad testing inside ChatGPT on Monday. The company tried to soften potential blowback by publishing its “Ads Principles.”

Only users on the Free and “Go” tiers, the latter costing $8 each month, will see sponsored content. Those paying for Plus, Pro, Team, or Enterprise subscriptions will not encounter any ads. The company also promised to keep ads away from conversations involving health, mental health, or politics. Sponsored messages will show up in a marked box at the bottom of the screen and are meant to stay separate from the chatbot’s actual responses.

As fundraising discussions pick up speed, OpenAI faces pressure to show it can make money from its massive user base through these new ad options and business tools. At the same time, it needs to justify the enormous spending required to compete in the race toward artificial general intelligence.

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As big businesses scramble to provide updated products before the approaching Christmas season, ByteDance’s weekend debut of its newest artificial intelligence tool for creating videos sparked new excitement in China’s technology markets.

The business made Seedance 2.0 available on its Jimeng AI platform to a select few users. Testers of the beta version said that, in comparison to previous iterations, the software creates amazingly realistic video material with fluid camera work and improved visual coherence.

Audio advances drive market gains

One standout improvement involves how the system handles audio. Previous models required users to add sound separately after creating videos. The updated version simultaneously creates background noise and conversation to go with the images. Testers emphasized “physics-based realism,” citing precise depictions of motions such as objects falling and character mouth movements that are synced across eight languages.

Market reaction came swiftly on Monday. Huace Media shares climbed roughly 7 percent, while Perfect World gained about 10 percent. COL Group’s stock jumped to its maximum allowed daily increase of 20 percent as investors bet on artificial intelligence boosting traditional media production.

The release comes during what industry watchers describe as a critical period for China’s artificial intelligence industry. Many companies are preparing to launch flagship products.

Source: @alex_prompter

The push to announce new tools before the Lunar New Year reflects fierce worldwide rivalry among leading technology firms competing for user attention during 2026’s opening months, especially after prominent American companies Anthropic and OpenAI made their own major announcements.

Alibaba prepares flagship model release

On Sunday, someone from Alibaba Cloud’s development team submitted pull requests on Hugging Face and GitHub for an upcoming collection of models. Alibaba Cloud handles artificial intelligence and cloud operations for Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the South China Morning Post.

These platforms let programmers share and work together on software code that anyone can access and modify. The centerpiece is Qwen-3.5, arriving nearly a year after Qwen-3’s debut. The earlier version became the world’s most widely used open-model family throughout 2025 thanks to its solid performance, flexible licensing, and broad applications. Information shared through the pull requests indicates Qwen-3.5 will feature two versions, one with 9 billion parameters and another with 35 billion parameters, both offering multimodal capabilities for the first time.

Parameters represent the variables that determine a model’s capabilities and get fine-tuned during development. Higher numbers typically mean stronger performance. Multimodal means the system can work with various data types, such as text, pictures, and sound. Both versions will incorporate the company’s updated architecture, which first appeared in September through an experimental model named Qwen3-Next. Competition has grown more complex with the rise of “agentic” features. Moonshot AI, based in Beijing, recently introduced its Kimi K2.5 model.

This version includes an “agent swarm” function that lets users activate as many as 100 sub-agents for handling multiple tasks simultaneously. The approach follows moves by other startups, including Zhipu AI, which launched GLM-Image, a model allegedly developed using only Chinese-manufactured chips to work around international export limitations.

This year’s “Lunar New Year wave” represents a turning point from the testing phase of artificial intelligence toward widespread integration. Chinese companies are using the holiday season’s heavy internet traffic to draw users into AI-centered platforms.

The aggressive timing demonstrates a developing market where multimodal functionality and open-source availability have become China’s main strategies against American proprietary systems. The emphasis has shifted away from simply building larger models toward specialized agentic abilities and operational efficiency.

China’s AI industry is quickly moving away from experimental models (LLMs) and toward “agentic” ecosystems, which value multi-tasking, real-world processes over raw parameter quantity. In order to circumvent international export restrictions, this generation of flagship releases demonstrates a purposeful emphasis on localized hardware self-sufficiency and open-source dominance.

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Solana (SOL) has managed to consolidate its position as one of the top coins in the crypto market, with a potential target of reaching the $300 mark in 2026. However, with a growing inclination towards new coins that may offer better growth potential, investors are increasingly looking towards Mutuum Finance (MUTM) that may be able to offer better growth potential. The project offers real utility through its dual lending system, and this makes it the best crypto to buy for investors looking beyond established coins like Solana.

Solana Price Analysis

Solana (SOL) has managed to move higher from a recent dip, with investors stepping in to stabilize prices. The current move is expected to reach a resistance point at $88-$89, with prices being pulled back due to increased selling pressure at that point. Overall, it is being stated that the current move is a consolidation phase, with prices being maintained above a trendline. Hence, it is quite apparent that investors may be able to get better returns from newer projects such as Mutuum Finance (MUTM).

Mutuum Finance V1 Protocol

The deployment of the Mutuum Finance V1 Protocol marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the protocol from theory into real-world testing. With the protocol now live on the Sepolia testnet, users can actively engage with basic mechanisms and explore its functionalities in a live setting. This phase of testing allows the developers to gauge the effectiveness of the protocol in real conditions. For investors, this phase of testing is extremely important. This is because they get to interact with the DeFi crypto before committing their hard-earned funds.

How Mutuum Finance Unlocks Liquidity Without Asset Sales

Mutuum Finance has been created with the intention of providing liquidity to crypto holders without the need for selling their assets. This is done by allowing users to pledge the assets they hold and use them as collateral. This helps the users unlock the liquidity they might require for other purposes. Mutuum Finance has created a two-tiered model of lending that can be used for both standardized and customized loans.

In the context of a pooled lending system, users contribute their assets to a common liquidity reserve that operates under a smart contract. Borrowers access the assets in the reserve through a deposit of collateral, with borrowing limits determined by loan-to-value ratios. A user depositing digital assets worth $5,000 under a loan-to-value ratio of 65% would be able to access a loan of up to $3,250 while maintaining a buffer against sudden market movements.

Direct Lending via Peer-to-Peer Markets

Along with pooled lending, Mutuum Finance is also building out a layer of peer-to-peer lending markets, which allow lenders and borrowers to directly interact with each other. This facilitates more customized loan contracts, where interest rates and other factors may be different from what’s available in pooled markets. In such markets as well, there are rules for collateralization of loans, which help mitigate default risk for lenders. For example, a lender and borrower may agree on a six-month SHIB loan with an interest rate of 15%.

Early-Stage Investment and Growth Potential

For those seeking early-stage investment in the DeFi sector, Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is an attractive investment opportunity. Currently in the 7th stage of its presale, the token is priced at $0.04. The biggest gains go to those who invest the earliest. Early predictions point to the token hitting $0.50 within weeks of its launch on exchanges. This forecast is drawn from the token’s strong demand during presale, successful testnet launch, and multiple passive income streams for DeFi users. 

Hitting $0.50 will deliver a 12.5x ROI for an investor who buys MUTM today. If they, however, wait to get in during the exchange listing at $0.06, the ROI will shrink significantly to just 8x. This has created a strong urgency amongst investors. The presale has seen nearly 19,000 participants and has raised in excess of $20.43 million. This is an indication of the confidence the market has in the protocol.

Staking Incentives

The roadmap for Mutuum Finance also proposes an incentive system that relies on fees as a means to reward users who stake within the system. A portion of the fees paid for lending activities will be used to purchase MUTM tokens from the market. These tokens will then be allocated to users staking their mtTokens in the safety module. This rewards users for helping secure the protocol.

While Solana eyes $300, the real play for significant upside potential lies in Mutuum Finance (MUTM). This DeFi crypto offers a live lending platform that allows users to borrow without selling and earn yields automatically. For those evaluating the market, it’s clearly the best crypto to buy for real-world use cases with high growth potential and strong early adoption.

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

Website: https://mutuum.com/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mutuumfinance