Crypto World
Bitcoin Slips Below $70,000 as Fed Rate Pause and Oil Surge Pressure Markets
Key Takeaways
- Bitcoin fell to $70,000 as the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady and geopolitical tensions drove energy prices higher
- Nearly $600 million in leveraged crypto futures liquidations occurred in 24 hours, particularly wiping out long positions.
- Altcoins struggled on thin liquidity, though NEO and ETHFI recorded gains.
- Fear metrics spiked with bitcoin volatility jumping over 5%.
Bitcoin fell below $70,000 on Thursday as soaring energy prices and the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold interest rates steady weighed on risk assets globally.
BTC traded near $70,000, down 1.6% since midnight UTC, while Ether declined 1.7% to $2,160. The moves tracked a broader market selloff after the Fed maintained rates in the 3.50-3.75% range on Wednesday, bolstering the U.S. dollar and triggering risk-off sentiment across equities and crypto.
Energy markets amplified the pressure. Brent crude oil surged to $114, and Oman crude jumped to $150 after Iran attacked key Gulf energy infrastructure following an Israeli strike on its South Pars gas field. European natural gas futures spiked approximately 25% to above $78 per MWh. Nasdaq 100 futures fell around 0.3%, underscoring the broader market selloff.
Liquidations Hit $600 Million
The overnight decline sparked significant derivative liquidations, with nearly $600 million in leveraged crypto futures bets wiped out over 24 hours. Long positions accounted for most of the losses, indicating bullish traders were caught off guard.
Futures open interest fell 5.6% to $106.90 billion. Ether futures open interest dropped 9% alongside a 6% decline in ETH’s spot price, signaling capital outflows. Negative funding rates across BTC, ETH, BNB, SOL, and other tokens indicate bearish short positions are gaining favor again.
Fear metrics also deteriorated. Volmex’s BVIV, which measures 30-day implied bitcoin volatility, jumped over 5% to 58.36%, ending a week-long decline.
Altcoins Struggle on Thin Liquidity
The altcoin market faced headwinds from limited liquidity in a fractured ecosystem still recovering from October’s $19 billion leverage wipeout. Bittensor fell 8.8%, and hyperliquid declined 6.5% since midnight.
A few tokens bucked the trend. NEO gained 4.2% while restaking token ETHFI added 1.5% to reach $0.55, continuing its strong start to 2026. The CoinDesk 20 fell around 1%, while the DeFi Select Index and CoinDesk Memecoin Index declined 1.4% and 2%, respectively.
What’s Next
The market remains caught between macro headwinds from geopolitical tensions and monetary policy uncertainty. Bitcoin’s struggles below $70,000 suggest further volatility could test support levels as investors reassess risk exposure amid elevated energy costs and the Fed’s extended pause on rate cuts.
Gemini pushed through a better-than-expected fourth quarter even as the broader crypto market remained under pressure. The exchange reported revenue of $60.3 million for Q4, up 39% from a year earlier and ahead of consensus estimates of about $51.7 million. However, the company also posted a net loss of $140.8 million for the quarter, widening from a $27 million loss in the same period a year ago. For the full year, Gemini’s loss totaled $585 million in 2025, compared with $156.6 million in 2024. The results come after the platform went public in September and amid a late-2025 crypto drawdown that saw Bitcoin slide from its peak above $126,000 in October.
Shares of Gemini initially moved higher in after-hours trading, climbing as much as 14% to a high of $6.83 before settling around $6.36, for a gain of roughly 6% on the session. The day’s action mirrored the market’s mixed reception to a growth-focused quarter that delivered a revenue win but did not escape the ongoing profitability challenge for many crypto incumbents.
Key takeaways
- Gemini’s Q4 revenue of $60.3 million rose 39% year over year and beat estimates of about $51.7 million, signaling business momentum even as trading volumes cooled.
- The quarter produced a net loss of $140.8 million, deepening from a $27 million loss a year earlier; the company’s 2025 loss reached $585 million, higher than 2024’s $156.6 million.
- Management cited deliberate fee-structure optimization and other efficiency measures as drivers of revenue growth, even with a softer trading environment.
- Gemini is accelerating a strategic shift toward a markets-focused organization, highlighted by the launch of Gemini Predictions across all 50 states and a plan to leverage that infrastructure for perpetual futures once approved in the U.S.
Strategic ambitions sharpen as cost discipline takes center stage
In a February update, Gemini said it was trimming its workforce by roughly 30% since the start of 2026, citing challenging market conditions. The leadership framing this downsizing as part of a broader pivot toward a more AI-driven, efficiency-first operating model. Co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss highlighted a rapid integration of artificial intelligence into the development process, noting that AI is now used in more than 40% of production code changes and is expected to rise significantly in the near term. “Not using AI at Gemini will soon be the equivalent of showing up to work with a typewriter instead of a laptop,” they wrote in a shareholder letter.
The Winklevoss duo signaled a clear pivot toward a U.S.-centric growth strategy, underscoring optimism about a pro-crypto regulatory environment in the United States. They stressed that 2026 would be about focusing and expanding in America, aligning with a broader investor interest in platforms that can scale within clearer regulatory boundaries.
From trading floors to markets infrastructure: Predictions and futures ambitions
Gemini has been building out its markets-oriented toolkit, most notably with Gemini Predictions. The platform rolled out its in-house prediction market across all 50 states in December, shortly after obtaining a license from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The company described its longer-term plan as turning Gemini into a “markets company” anchored by predictions, with the potential to extend that framework to perpetual futures contracts once U.S. approval is secured.
The December launch followed a prior line of coverage noting Gemini’s broader ambition to expand beyond traditional exchange functions into more complex financial primitives. As part of the 2026 roadmap, the company intends to refine and grow Predictions while simultaneously scaling its credit card program and exchange services, tapping into a more diversified revenue mix that could help weather ongoing volatility in crypto trading volumes. In evaluating the strategic path, investors will also be watching how regulatory feedback in the U.S. shapes the pace of approvals for new product categories, including perpetual futures.
These plans come against the backdrop of a February update that confirmed Gemini’s withdrawal from the U.K., the EU and Australia, a move the company attributed to tougher market conditions. The leadership’s stated aim is to “focus and double down on America,” a stance that aligns with the firm’s renewed investment in U.S.-based market infrastructure and its growing bets on a more favorable regulatory climate for crypto innovation.
The company’s quarterly results reflect a broader pattern among newer, publicly traded crypto platforms: revenue growth can outpace trading volumes due to fee-structure optimization, product diversification and active expansion into non-trading monetization streams. Gemini’s fourth-quarter performance—driven by its credit card program and pricing strategy—offers a data point suggesting that meaningful upside can still emerge even amid a subdued price cycle. The question for investors now is whether the path to profitability can be accelerated through AI-enabled efficiency gains and a clearer, U.S.-centered growth engine, supported by product bets in prediction markets and, potentially, regulated futures.
According to the company’s investor materials, the Q4 results marked the highest quarterly revenue in three years, reflecting the impact of the revised fee structure through the back half of 2025 and a push into more monetizable products. The combination of revenue resilience and continued investment in AI-driven scale positions Gemini as a case study in how crypto platforms seek to balance growth with cost discipline during a protracted market downturn.
For investors and builders watching the sector, the key takeaway is that 2026 could hinge on how quickly Gemini translates its market infrastructure into sustainable profitability, the pace at which U.S. regulators greenlight broader product suites, and how effectively the firm scales non-trading revenue streams, like predictions markets and card programs, in a regulated environment.
Readers should keep an eye on next-quarter earnings and regulatory developments that could determine the speed at which Gemini completes its shift toward a broader markets-facing business model while continuing to nurture its consumer-facing products.
Morgan Stanley wants its planned spot bitcoin ETF to trade under the ticker MSBT when it debuts.
The investment bank disclosed the ticker in its latest filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), amending its January application for the fund.
The filing also revealed key fund details, which include a 10,000-share creation unit required to build the ETF, and a planned $1 million seed investment, or the initial money used to start the fund. The investment bank bought two shares early this month for audit purposes, it added.
According to an earlier filing, BNY Mellon has been designated to handle the fund’s cash and administrative functions, while Coinbase will serve as prime broker and custodian of its Bitcoin holdings.
Morgan Stanley’s move underscores Wall Street’s growing push into crypto, as established banks and custodians work to make bitcoin more accessible to mainstream investors.
If approved, the Morgan Stanley ETF would let investors get exposure to bitcoin without owning it, joining 11 other spot ETFs, including BlackRock’s IBIT, that have been active since January 2024. Those funds have already attracted over $56 billion in investor inflows.
The investment bank also filed an application for a Solana ETF alongside bitcoin earlier this year, but it has yet to submit any updates for that fund.
The major gold trade association, World Gold Council, and the Boston Consulting Group have proposed a new platform to modernize how the precious metal operates in digital financial systems.
The World Gold Council said on Thursday that it published a white paper on “Gold as a Service,” a new platform to “support the issuance and operation of scalable, interoperable digital gold products.”
The open platform would connect the physical custody of gold with the digital systems used to issue and manage tokenized gold products.
“By standardizing essential market processes such as custody coordination, reconciliation, compliance, and redemption, the model aims to reduce operational complexity, improve access, and enable greater consistency across digital gold products,” the World Gold Council said.
Crypto-native tokenized gold products include Tether Gold (XAUT) or Pax Gold (PAXG), which have formed their own custody, compliance and redemption models, but the World Gold Council’s standard could have more sway with institutions due to the trade group’s prominence.
Features include audits, fungibility, and liquidity
Key features of the Gold as a Service would include standardizing tokenized gold issuance and management, increasing digital gold’s fungibility, embedding audits and assurance, enabling interoperability with existing finance rails, and improving liquidity in lending and borrowing markets.
World Gold Council CEO, David Tait, said that financial services are undergoing a “rapid and pervasive digital transformation” and gold must also evolve to maintain its role in the global financial system.
“Shared infrastructure can help gold become more accessible, more easily traded and fully integrated into modern financial systems — ensuring it remains as relevant tomorrow as it has been for millennia,” he added.
Related: Retail tripled gold buying in last 6 months as Wall Street sells
Matthias Tauber, a managing director and senior partner at Boston Consulting Group, said, “The question is no longer whether gold will be digital; it’s how it can participate in modern financial systems without compromising physical integrity.”
Commodities are 20% of tokenized asset market
According to RWA.xyz, tokenized commodities such as gold account for around $5.5 billion, or 20% of the total on-chain value of tokenized real-world assets, a segment that has grown by 340% over the past 12 months, as demand for gold has skyrocketed.
Tether’s tokenized gold product has a market capitalization of $2.6 billion, up 17% over the past 12 months, while Pax Gold has a market cap of $2.3 billion, according to CoinGecko.
On Thursday, crypto exchange Bybit launched a yield-bearing tokenized gold product that lets users earn interest on Tether Gold.
Magazine: Are DeFi devs liable for the illegal activity of others on their platforms?
Shares in crypto exchange Gemini surged after hours as stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results showed revenue growth driven by credit card adoption and a reworked fee structure.
Gemini reported on Thursday that its Q4 revenues rose 39% from the year-ago quarter to $60.3 million, reportedly beating analyst expectations of $51.7 million.
It reported a net loss of $140.8 million for Q4, deepening from its $27 million loss from a year ago. Gemini posted a total 2025 loss of $585 million, ahead of its total 2024 losses of $156.6 million.
Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss said in a shareholder letter that Q4 was the company’s highest quarterly revenue in three years, even with trading volumes declining, the revenue gain was reflective of “deliberate fee structure work through the back half of the year.”
Shares in Gemini (GEMI) initially jumped 14% after hours on Thursday to a high of $6.83, but settled at $6.36 for a gain of 5.8% after ending the trading day flat at around $6.
The results are Gemini’s second after going public in September and came amid a broad crypto market decline in late 2025, which saw Bitcoin (BTC) rapidly decline from its all-time peak above $126,000 in October.
Gemini lays off 30% of staff so far this year
In February, Gemini said it was withdrawing from the UK, the EU and Australia, citing challenging market conditions. The company also planned to lay off 25% of its workforce, in part due to artificial intelligence.
In their letter, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss said Gemini had reduced its workforce by “roughly 30% since the start of 2026,” citing an increased use of AI.
“Today, AI is used in more than 40% of our production code changes and we expect that number to climb to close to 100% in the not-too-distant future,” they said. “Not using AI at Gemini will soon be the equivalent of showing up to work with a typewriter instead of a laptop.”
The Winklevoss brothers said the company’s plan this year was to “focus and double down on America,” adding they were encouraged by the pro-crypto stance of US market regulators.
Prediction markets and credit card key 2026 priorities
Gemini launched its in-house prediction market, Gemini Predictions, across all 50 US states in December, shortly after it obtained a license from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Related: Gemini bets on ‘super app’ as stock sinks to record low on Q3 results
The company said it would refine and expand its prediction market offering and also scale its credit card and exchange.
The Winklevoss brothers said Gemini would “shift into becoming a markets company with Gemini Predictions” and use that infrastructure for its perpetual futures contracts once they’re approved in the US.
Magazine: Are DeFi devs liable for the illegal activity of others on their platforms?
Scammers impersonating the FBI via a token are telling Tron users they are under investigation and must complete a check to avoid having their assets frozen.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation says a scam using a token on the Tron blockchain is impersonating the agency with the aim of grabbing personal information.
FBI New York’s X account shared on Thursday a message some Tron users received via a token bearing the agency’s name and seal that said their wallet was “under investigation.”
The message then prompts the recipient to complete a sham anti-money laundering verification online “to avoid a total block on your assets.”
The message uses the same urgent call to action as many phishing scams in crypto that steal billions each year. In April, the FBI said it received over 140,000 complaints referencing crypto scams in 2024, resulting in $9.3 billion worth of losses, a 66% increase from the year before.
The FBI told Tron users to “exercise caution” if they encounter the fake token and urged them not to provide “any identifying information to any website associated with such token.”
The FBI said those who may have already sent information to the scammers should file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
FBI once created token to catch fraudsters
In 2024, the FBI created a fake artificial intelligence-related token to catch fraudsters engaged in market manipulation.
Related: Ex-LA cop gets 5 years in prison for helping crypto ‘Godfather’ extort victims
The so-called “trap token,” called NexFundAI, was designed to act as bait, targeting those engaged in fraudulent crypto activities, particularly pump-and-dump schemes.
At least 18 people who helped manipulate the token’s trading volume were charged in the FBI’s sting operation.
Magazine: China’s ‘50x’ blockchain boost, Alibaba-linked AI mines Bitcoin: Asia Express
Ether (ETH) traded lower on Thursday after a fresh knee-jerk reaction to yesterday’s US interest rate decision and a higher inflation outlook.
Key takeaways:
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ETH dropped 7% to $2,100 on Thursday, liquidating $144 million in longs.
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A break below $2,000 could trigger over $2.5 billion in additional long liquidations across exchanges.
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The 50-day moving average around $2,100 is a key level to watch.
Ether risks $2.5 billion long liquidations
Data from TradingView showed 7% daily ETH price losses, with ETH/USD dropping as low as $2,140 on Thursday.
Ether’s correction is accompanied by significant long liquidations across the crypto market totaling $492.8 million over the last 24 hours. More than $144 million in long ETH positions were liquidated with Ether’s move to $2,100.
The correction occurred despite another 60,999-ETH purchase by Tom Lee’s Bitmine Immersion Technologies, which now holds roughly 4.6 million ETH, or 3.81% of the total supply.
Related: Ether accumulation data points to a rally toward $2.8K, but there’s a catch
Ether’s decline came amid fresh selling in US-based spot ETH exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which recorded more than $55.5 million in net outflows on Wednesday, snapping a six-day inflow streak, according to data from Farside Investors.
Ether’s downward momentum may increase if spot and institutional buyers don’t step back in soon.
Ether’s downside may hinge on the key $2,000 support, as a correction below would trigger over $2.5 billion worth of leveraged long liquidations across all exchanges, CoinGlass data shows.
This means a significant amount of bullish bets would get wiped out on a move lower, leaving ETH vulnerable to a sharper downside cascade if bearish momentum takes hold.
ETH price stays sensitive to FOMC risks
Ether’s bearishness today follows the decision by the US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to leave interest rates unchanged after the March 18 meeting.
The chart below shows that the ETH/USD pair has declined after seven of the last eight FOMC meetings, establishing one of the clearest macro-driven fractals in its history.
ETH has set a consistent pattern as it stabilizes or rallies ahead of the meeting, then corrects sharply once the decision and the accompanying commentary hit news wires.
Typical post-FOMC drawdowns ranged between 16% and 23%, while deeper deleveraging phases pushed ETH price losses to 33%-43%.
From a technical perspective, Ether remains cautiously bullish despite macro risks. The price is retesting a key support zone near $2,100, which aligns with the upper trendline of an ascending triangle and the 50-day simple moving average (SMA).
Bulls are required to hold ETH above this level to regain their footing. It will then open the path toward the next major resistance at $2,575, where the 100-day SMA is.
Higher than that, the price could rise toward the measured target of the triangle at $2,700, 24% above the current price.
Conversely, failure to hold above $2,100 would weaken the setup, pushing ETH/USD back toward the triangle’s support line near $2,000, while putting the broader recovery at risk.
As Cointelegraph reported, a close below the 20-day exponential moving average near $2,000 would suggest that the bears are back in control, risking a deeper correction toward the next major support area around $1,800.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) ended their inflow streak amid a BTC price dip after recording $1.2 billion of inflows over seven consecutive days.
Spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs saw $163.5 million in outflows on Wednesday, according to Farside data.
The Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) led the outflows at about $104 million, followed by BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) with $34 million.
Before Wednesday’s $163.5 million outflows, the ETFs were roughly $100 million shy of positive year-to-date flows, ending their longest inflow streak since October 2025.
The reversal came as Bitcoin fell below $71,000 on Wednesday, after surging above $75,000 earlier in the week, reigniting extreme fear among investors.
Altcoin ETFs share the negative sentiment with minor losses
The negative trend spilled across altcoin ETFs, with Ether (ETH) leading the losses at around $56 million, according to Farside.
Similar to Bitcoin funds, Fidelity Investments led the outflows as the Fidelity Ethereum Fund (FETH) saw redemptions of $37 million, followed by the Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE) with $9 million in outflows.
Solana (SOL) saw minor losses at around $300,000, while XRP (XRP) ETFs reported zero inflows.
Investor sentiment worsened during the day, with the Crypto Fear & Greed Index briefly recovering to 26, or “Fear,” on Wednesday before dipping back to “Extreme Fear” on Thursday.
Kyle Rodda, senior financial market analyst at Capital.com, highlighted the fragile market sentiment driving recent price swings.
“The price-action screams of a market that’s run out of puff and maybe poised for protracted downside,” Rodda said. He referred to rising inflation risks, surging energy prices from the Israel-Iran conflict, and a broader repricing of rate expectations after the Fed lifted its inflation forecast, leaving investors cautious.
Related: Crypto traders eye ‘bullish relief rally’ after Fed holds rates steady
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced on Wednesday that it would hold the Federal Funds rate steady at 3.5-3.75%, as it monitors macroeconomic impacts from the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said inflation remained “somewhat elevated” above the Fed’s 2% target, highlighting economic uncertainty stemming from events in the Middle East.
Magazine: Bitcoin’s ‘narrative vacuum,’ Ethereum now inevitable: Trade Secrets
Coinbase Asset Management has moved to tokenize its Bitcoin Yield Fund on the Base blockchain, unveiling a tokenized share class for the fund in partnership with Apex Group. The move is framed as a way to enable institutional access to a yield-bearing Bitcoin exposure while preserving regulatory compliance.
Apex Group said in a statement on Thursday that the tokenized share class of Coinbase Asset Management’s fund “is set up to interact with compatible platforms, wallets, and infrastructure without compromising compliance.”
Coinbase Asset Management president Anthony Bassili said the share class integrates “identity and eligibility at the token level” to support regulatory requirements. The approach reflects a broader push among traditional asset managers to bring tokenized investments—ranging from stocks and bonds to funds and real assets—onto public blockchains in pursuit of lower costs, faster settlement, and around-the-clock trading.
Industry players have been exploring tokenization across a spectrum of assets, with BlackRock, Fidelity Investments, and Franklin Templeton already launching tokenized funds on-chain. The Coinbase initiative adds another high-profile entry to a growing ecosystem of regulated, on-chain fund access.
The tokenized share class of Coinbase’s Bitcoin Yield Fund, which provides exposure to Bitcoin and a yield component, will be available on the Base network only to institutional and accredited investors outside the United States. The arrangement leverages the ERC‑3643 permissioned token standard to ensure that only eligible investors can access the yield product.
Apex acts as the on-chain transfer agent for this tokenized structure, responsible for managing token ownership, enforcing transfer and compliance rules, and maintaining a transparent record of transactions on Base.
Coinbase has signaled plans to broaden access by launching a tokenized share class of the Coinbase Bitcoin Yield Fund for U.S. investors in the future, expanding the program beyond the current non-U.S. eligibility window.
Historically, Coinbase’s non-U.S. version of the Bitcoin Yield Fund targeted an annual return in Bitcoin in the 4% to 8% range. Coinbase explained that the product was designed to provide native yield options for Bitcoin, addressing a gap created by the lack of yield-generating mechanisms for non-staking digital assets compared with proof-of-stake tokens like ETH or SOL.
The broader context for these developments is a formalization of on-chain access to traditional financial products. As institutions seek cost efficiencies and more flexible settlement, tokenized funds and other on-chain assets are becoming increasingly mainstream, albeit with careful attention to regulatory alignment and investor eligibility.
Key takeaways
- The Bitcoin Yield Fund now has a tokenized share class on Coinbase’s Base network, developed with Apex Group for compliant, on-chain handling.
- Access is limited to institutional and accredited investors outside the U.S. for the current tokenized offering, with plans to reach U.S. investors later.
- The token uses ERC‑3643, a permissioned standard designed to restrict ownership to eligible participants and support regulatory controls on-chain.
- Apex serves as the on-chain transfer agent, overseeing ownership, transfers, and compliance data on Base.
- Even as Coinbase rolls out this non-U.S. version, other asset managers including BlackRock, Fidelity, and Franklin Templeton have already launched tokenized funds on-chain, signaling a broader industry trend.
On-chain compliance and the promise of institutional tokenization
At the core of this initiative is a specialized focus on regulatory alignment. By insulating the tokenized share class behind a permissioned standard, Coinbase and Apex are aiming to prevent unauthorized access while enabling seamless interaction with compatible platforms, wallets, and infrastructure. The official framing from Apex emphasizes that the tokenized structure can operate across ecosystems without compromising compliance, a critical consideration for institutions weighing on-chain custody and transfer mechanisms.
Anthony Bassili’s emphasis on identity and eligibility at the token level underscores the shift from purely decentralized narratives toward regulated, auditable on-chain products. In practice, this approach means that investor verification and compliance checks can be encoded directly into the token’s lifecycle, potentially reducing friction in future cross-border and cross-platform dealings for regulated participants.
What’s next for investors and the market
The move arrives at a moment when large fund managers are increasingly experimenting with tokenized vehicles as a way to improve efficiency and broaden access. The non-U.S. version of Coinbase’s Bitcoin Yield Fund sets a precedent for cross-border issuance that prioritizes regulatory controls, while still tapping into the liquidity and programmability offered by Base’s blockchain infrastructure.
Coinbase’s stated intention to roll out a U.S.-based tokenized share class for the Bitcoin Yield Fund will be closely watched. If executed, it would position Coinbase alongside a growing cohort of traditional asset managers pursuing tokenized, yield-bearing offerings for a domestic audience—an area that has drawn attention from regulators and institutional participants alike.
Looking ahead, observers will want to see how broader adoption unfolds: Will more funds adopt ERC‑3643 or similar permissioned standards? How quickly will institutional custodians and exchanges integrate tokenized share classes with existing settlement rails? And what regulatory clarifications emerge as on-chain products expand from foreign-only access to domestic markets?
For now, the Coinbase-Apex collaboration marks a notable step in the ongoing evolution of regulated, on-chain asset issuance. The degree to which this model scales—across asset classes, jurisdictions, and investor bases—will help define the next phase of institutional tokenization in crypto finance.
Readers should watch for updates on the US-tokenized version’s timeline and for further announcements from Apex Group and Coinbase Asset Management regarding platform integrations, eligible investor criteria, and potential expansion to additional fund families.
Nigel Farage has been unknowingly shilling crypto pump and dump schemes. And it only cost scammers £72 a video.
Fraudsters exploited his Cameo profile to purchase personalized clips where Farage read scripts packed with crypto slogans. “To the moon.” “HODL.” Token names dropped in casually. All repurposed as official endorsements for obscure cryptocurrencies that have since collapsed to zero.
Farage charges around £72 per video. He appeared to read the scripts without verifying what he was actually promoting. Retail investors got lured in. The tokens dumped. The Reform UK leader had no idea he was the marketing engine the whole time.
- Scammers paid Nigel Farage for Cameo clips to promote dubious tokens like “Stonks Finance” and “Faragecoin.”
- The endorsed tokens followed a classic pump and dump pattern, crashing shortly after the videos circulated.
- Regulatory loopholes on platforms like Cameo are creating new risks for retail investor protection.
The Tokens Farage Plugged Have One Thing in Common: They Crashed
The Guardian investigation named the tokens. Stonks Finance. NIG Finance. Trump Mania. Faragecoin.
The playbook was identical every time. Video gets posted on X and Telegram alongside claims that Farage “knows what’s up.” Retail buyers pile in. Token spikes. Insiders dump their holdings. Price collapses to near zero. Late buyers absorb all the losses.
One Stonks Finance video alone triggered a brief speculative frenzy before the inevitable crash.
The damage for retail investors has been severe. The tokens are unregulated. The promoters are anonymous. Recovering funds is basically impossible. And the Cameo clips gave these projects just enough legitimacy to bypass the usual red flags most investors would catch.
Farage Has Not Claimed the Videos Were Financial Advice — But That Was Exactly How They Were Used
Farage has publicly positioned himself as a crypto advocate, citing his debanking experience as a reason for supporting Bitcoin as an anti-authoritarian tool. But the tokens in these videos have nothing to do with Bitcoin.
Whether Farage knew his clips were being used for financial promotion is still unclear. The line between a personal shout-out and a commercial endorsement is deliberately blurry on platforms like Cameo. That grey area is exactly what scammers exploit. He has not publicly addressed the allegations. The videos are still out there.
Regulators are struggling to keep up. The FCA and SEC have strict rules for financial promotions but personalized video content sits in a legal grey zone that enforcement consistently lags behind. ]
The market outcome is already settled. The tokens collapsed. The liquidity is gone. Investors learned an expensive lesson. A paid Cameo clip is not due diligence.
Discover: The best new crypto in the world
The post Nigel Farage Cameo Videos Exploited to Promote Pump and Dump Crypto Scams appeared first on Cryptonews.
Key takeaways:
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SOL derivatives signal bearish sentiment as funding rates hit 0% and put (sell) options trade at a premium.
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While Solana leads in DEX volume, it faces stiff competition from Hyperliquid in the perpetual contracts sector.
Solana’s native token SOL (SOL) faced a 3-day 11% decline after peaking at $97.70 on Monday. Thursday’s move down to $87 triggered $25 million in leveraged long positions being liquidated, negatively impacting trader sentiment. SOL derivatives currently point to fear of further downside and a lack of conviction from bulls, increasing the odds of retesting the $80 level.
The SOL perpetual futures annualized funding rate stood near 0% on Thursday, signaling a lack of demand for longs. Bears have dominated leverage demand for the past month, which is highly unusual for crypto markets as traders are historically optimistic. Moreover, the mere cost of capital and exchange risks usually drive the funding rate near 9% under neutral conditions.
SOL options markets confirm that professional traders are not comfortable that the $87 level will hold for long.
The delta skew (put-call) jumped to 12% on Thursday, meaning put options traded at a premium relative to equivalent call instruments. Whales and market makers are not comfortable holding downside price exposure, even as SOL trades 70% below its all-time high. Part of this bearishness can be explained by weaker demand for the decentralized applications (DApps) industry.
Solana DApps revenue dropped to its lowest level in 18 months at $22 million, down from $36 million two months prior. The issue is not exclusive to Solana, as DApps revenue declined by 52% on BNB Chain over the same period, but increased competition in perpetual contracts trading is somewhat concerning as Hyperliquid dominates the industry.
While Solana remains the undisputed leader in decentralized exchange (DEX) volumes, driven by Pump, Raydium and Orca, the situation in synthetic derivatives is reversed. Blockchains specifically designed to handle perpetual contracts trading, such as Hyperliquid, Edgex, Zklighter and Aster, handle more than 80% of the total volume.
Related: Altseason is dead, expect shorter cycles and ‘violent’ rotations: Crypto exec
Weak onchain data and bearish derivatives delay SOL price recovery
The launch of an officially licensed S&P 500 Index perpetual futures contract on Hyperliquid has likely contributed to the weaker demand for SOL. The product offer, available for eligible users based outside of the United States, was developed by Trade[XYZ] and adds to the aggregate tokenized equities markets that nears $1.1 billion in assets.
SOL’s current $51 billion market capitalization represents a 42% discount relative to competitor BNB (BNB) at $88 billion. However, the Solana network’s total value locked (TVL) stood at $6.9 billion, while BNB Chain held $5.7 billion in TVL. More importantly, Solana’s 30-day network fees totaled $20.8 million, while BNB Chain had $9.1 million in fees, according to DefiLlama data.
Multiple companies that opted for a digital asset treasury strategy focused on SOL, such as Forward Industries (FWDI US) and DeFi Development Corp. (DFDV US) are underwater in their holdings, adding to the negative sentiment. Ultimately, the weakness in Solana onchain activity and lack of enthusiasm in derivatives markets hint that a bull run above $110 will take longer than anticipated.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, Cointelegraph does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information in this article. This article may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Cointelegraph will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on this information.
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