Crypto World
AI is crushing startup valuations for pre-ChatGPT firms
Matthias Balk | Picture Alliance | Getty Images
Five years ago, venture capitalists were pouring money into American startups selling everything from lingerie subscriptions to scheduling software, anointing them with billion-dollar valuations before most even turned a profit.
It was a frothy era for startups, fueled by a combination of cheap money and pandemic-boosted demand. But even after the Federal Reserve took some froth off by starting to raise interest rates in 2022, many founders believed that they could grow into their inflated valuations, investors told CNBC.
Then, an app called ChatGPT arrived.
“The ChatGPT moment was when people said, ‘Holy smokes, the next generation of entrepreneurs, their coding language is spoken English,’” said Samir Kaul, a partner at the venture firm Khosla Ventures, an early backer of OpenAI.
“Now you’re seeing 50 engineers do what it would’ve taken 500 engineers to do five years ago,” Kaul said. “We had to completely reshuffle how we valued these companies.”
While the shares of public software companies like Salesforce, ServiceNow and Workday got hammered this year because of the threat from artificial intelligence, a quieter reckoning has been unfolding in the private markets.
The AI boom that funneled more than $250 billion into OpenAI and Anthropic ahead of their expected mega-IPOs this year has left hundreds of startups built before ChatGPT’s arrival in 2022 stranded — effectively cut off from venture funding because of their inflated valuations and outdated technology, yet not profitable enough for the public markets.
There are 857 U.S. startups valued at $1 billion or more, the threshold for being deemed a “unicorn” company, according to PitchBook data. But nearly half of that group hasn’t raised fresh funding in the last three years, making those valuations stale, according to the private markets data firm.
Startups that last raised in 2021 are now worth 68% less on average, while those that last raised in 2022 saw a 52% decline, according to Pitchbook’s own valuation estimates.
As a result, more than 220 companies that had reached billion-dollar valuations in the venture boom are now fallen unicorns, according to PitchBook, which provided a list of the companies exclusively to CNBC. The estimates are based on factors including headcount growth and comparisons to public companies.
“A lot of those companies are pre-AI, not just in their cost structure, but also in their products,” Mercury CEO Immad Akhund told CNBC. His company, which raised $200 million in funding last month, provides banking services to a third of early-stage U.S. venture-backed firms.
“They’re definitely in a difficult spot,” he said. “All the attention’s on AI, so if you’re not an AI-first company, you need really strong numbers to raise.”
Glossier, Brooklinen, AG1
The list of fallen unicorns includes well known brands like Glossier, The Farmer’s Dog, Rothy’s, Brooklinen and Savage X Fenty, the lingerie company founded by musician Rihanna. The companies were part of a wave of direct-to-consumer firms built on the hope that digital retailers could earn software-like margins.
Also included are mainstays of podcast advertisements including the powder supplement maker AG1 and the roboadvisor pioneer Betterment, as well as the online ticket marketplace SeatGeek.
These companies came of age in an environment that rewarded growth at nose-bleed valuations based on two broad assumptions: interest rates would remain low and a startup could always be acquired for its engineering talent.
But the arrival of generative AI has redrawn the venture landscape, redirecting capital toward AI-native firms while making it impossible for many older startups to justify their previous valuations.
Hit hardest are enterprise software companies like scheduling startup Calendly, which represent the single largest category among the fallen unicorns. There are 75 software-as-a-service, or SaaS, firms appearing on PitchBook’s list, which is double the number of fintech companies, the next-biggest group.
That reflects both the enormous valuations that software startups commanded during the 2021 venture boom and the degree to which generative AI has destabilized assumptions underpinning the sector.
David Zhu, an ex-DoorDash head of engineering, said that after the “ChatGPT moment” he looked across the software landscape — from startups to medium-sized firms funded with private credit to the largest public SaaS companies — and saw a seismic shift on the horizon.
“The thesis I had was that all workflow-driven enterprise SaaS companies will be either disrupted or dead in the next decade,” Zhu told CNBC.
The Saas model, where companies embed themselves in employee workflows and often charge by the user, is especially threatened by the rise of autonomous agents. After leaving DoorDash, where he led more than 200 engineers, Zhu founded Reevo, an AI platform that automates corporate sales and marketing teams.
Companies built before generative AI are weighed down by bloated staffing models and software designed for a pre-AI world, according to Zhu, making it hard for them to transform themselves.
“Unless they make a stark, 180-degree pivot to rebuild the exact same thing from scratch, they’re going to slowly fail,” Zhu said. “What that means is that investors would rather just bet on new entrepreneurs at lower valuations rather than double down on older startups.”
‘Dominoes to fall’
Most of the 20 fallen unicorns highlighted by CNBC either didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment or declined to comment.
A spokesperson for the drone maker Skydio — estimated by PitchBook to have dropped in value from $2.5 billion to $509 million — said in a statement: “This third-party speculation is false and not based on Skydio’s operations or the exponential growth we are seeing in revenue and customers.”
An AG1 spokesperson didn’t provide a statement for this article, but after CNBC’s inquiry, Reuters reported that the supplement maker was looking to sell part or all of the company at a $2 billion valuation. That figure would include AG1’s debt, the report said.
If a company hasn’t raised funding since 2021 or 2022, its unlikely they’ll ever do so again, say investors and founders. Without access to venture funding or a plausible IPO ramp, the most likely exit for many fallen unicorns is an acquisition at a fraction of their old valuation, they say.
“When we see companies not raising, it’s a red flag,” said PitchBook analyst Andrew Akers, adding that it usually means their growth is tepid or even negative.
While some startups might’ve avoided fundraising because they are generating robust profits, that is the exception to the rule, he said.
“Underneath the surface, I think there are a lot of dominoes to fall,” Akers said.
Collapsing floor
There have been glimmers of a reset among some startups this year.
In February, Stash, the investment and savings app, was acquired by Singapore-based everything app Grab at an enterprise value of $425 million, below the roughly $660 million that investors put into the company during its lifetime.
That same month, another fintech, Step, was acquired by the YouTube star MrBeast for an undisclosed amount, leading investors to speculate that the purchase price was far below the roughly $500 million the startup raised before the deal.
“Many of these businesses just aren’t worth that much anymore, which is why you’re seeing them get acquired at steep discounts,” said Ryan Falvey of Restive Ventures, which invests in fintech firms.
Valuations have compressed by about six-fold from the 2021 peak of 50 times future revenues, meaning that a company with the same revenue is worth about 85% less in today’s market than five years ago, Falvey told CNBC.
Before the reset, a startup could often be sold to a larger technology company looking to acquire the smaller firm’s engineers for roughly $2 million per coder, according to Khosla Ventures’ Kaul. A firm with 100 engineers would be worth at least $200 million to $300 million, he said.
But that assumption, which provided a floor under startup valuations during the boom, evaporated after AI coding tools allowed far smaller teams to build products — leaving exit opportunities few and far between.
‘OpenAI, Anthropic or Google’
The result is that post-GPT startups are running laps around their older competitors, according to Falvey. He called investments made over the past three years “undoubtedly the best” his firm has made.
“We noticed by 2023 that the companies we invested in post-ChatGPT were already making more money than most of the companies we invested in before ChatGPT,” Falvey said.
Generative AI may ultimately reduce the amount of capital required to build successful software companies, challenging one of the core assumptions that fueled the venture boom of the past decade.
The shakeout is probably just beginning, as the impact of AI reverberates across the business funding ecosystem, from venture to private credit to public giants.
Older software firms, Kaul said, still rely on business models built around charging customers based on the number of employees using their products, an approach he believes AI will undermine as companies automate more white-collar work.
Software providers will need to shift toward outcome-based pricing models and AI-native infrastructure to survive, he said.
“The question I ask every time one of them presents is, why can’t OpenAI, Anthropic or Google do this?” Kaul said. “For most of them, the answer is, ‘They can.’”
Crypto ownership has grown faster than crypto spending in Australia. 33% of Australians now invest in or hold crypto. Yet the Reserve Bank of Australia’s 2025 Consumer Payments Survey found that only around 2% of respondents had used cryptocurrency to make a payment in the past year. The numbers show how far everyday payment use still trails investment adoption.
KuCoin’s KuCard launch in Australia brings crypto balances closer to daily consumer payments. The card runs on Mastercard’s global network, allowing eligible users to pay at merchants accepting Mastercard. It also supports Google Pay, placing crypto-backed payments inside payment flows Australian consumers already use.
At launch, KuCard supported real-time USDC payments and 37 USDC trading pairs. Supported digital assets are converted into fiat at checkout and settled through Mastercard’s payment network. Users can pay from supported crypto balances without converting assets manually before purchase.
Australia Offers a Strong Market for Crypto Cards
Australia already has a mature digital payments culture. Card payments, contactless transactions, and mobile wallets are part of everyday consumer behavior. This creates an opening for crypto-backed cards, since users already understand the payment experience.
Crypto ownership in Australia is also relatively high. Yet ownership alone does not create everyday usage. Many users still treat digital assets as investment holdings rather than spendable balances.
KuCard connects these two behaviors. It allows eligible users to keep supported assets in their digital account while using a familiar card or mobile wallet at checkout.
Local Expansion Came Before the Card Rollout
KuCard’s Australian launch follows a wider local strategy from KuCoin.
- In November 2025, KuCoin announced a larger investment in Australia, appointed James Pinch as Managing Director for Australia, and opened a Sydney CBD office. The local office supports compliance, operations, cybersecurity, and product development.
- Later in November 2025, KuCoin secured AUSTRAC Digital Currency Exchange registration. This placed its relevant digital currency exchange services in Australia under AUSTRAC’s regulatory framework and supported stronger local fiat access.
These steps helped prepare the ground for local product launches. KuCoin’s Australian presence now covers local teams, regulated exchange activity, fiat access, and payment use cases.
How KuCard Works
KuCard gives eligible Australian users a crypto-backed card payment experience. The card connects supported digital assets with Mastercard merchant acceptance.
When a user pays, supported assets are converted into fiat at checkout. Settlement then runs through Mastercard’s global payment network. This reduces payment friction because users can spend supported balances without a separate pre-conversion step.
The consumer experience stays familiar. Users can pay with Google Pay. Merchants receive payment through existing card acceptance channels.
This design is key because mainstream users usually prefer payment tools fitting existing habits. KuCard places crypto spending inside card and tap-and-pay behavior instead of asking users to adopt a new checkout method.
Familiar Access Points Still Drive Crypto Usage
KuCoin’s Australia Market Report showed how important familiar financial access remains. Bank transfers were the most common funding method among surveyed Australian users, at 52.4%. Credit and debit cards followed at 40.1%.
This suggests active crypto users still value stable and familiar ways to fund accounts. Crypto adoption grows faster when access feels simple, trusted, and close to existing payment behavior.
KuCard extends this pattern into spending. It connects digital assets with the card and mobile wallet systems already used across the Australian market.
A Note on Stablecoins
USDC support gives KuCard a more stable payment base than many volatile crypto assets. For everyday purchases, price predictability plays an important role. Consumers want smooth checkout experiences. Merchants need settlement through accepted payment channels.
Crypto-backed cards can combine both sides. Stablecoin balances support payment use, while Mastercard acceptance gives users access to a wide merchant network.
For exchanges, this also expands the relationship with users. Trading platforms gain more value when users can fund, hold, manage, and spend assets within one ecosystem.
Final Thoughts
KuCard’s launch in Australia marks another step in the exchange’s local market buildout. The company invested in local leadership, regulatory registration, and fiat access before introducing a product aimed at everyday payments.
Australia’s card-heavy payment culture and strong mobile wallet adoption make it a suitable market for this type of rollout. KuCard brings supported digital assets into familiar payment flows, giving eligible users a simpler path from holding crypto to spending it.
The post KuCoin’s KuCard Launch in Australia Brings Crypto Closer to Everyday Payments appeared first on BeInCrypto.
XRP emerged as one of just five digital assets to attract fresh capital last week, drawing $20.3 million in inflows. Meanwhile, global crypto investment products bled $1.67 billion in their third straight week of redemptions.
The figures show altcoin participation collapsing to five assets from 11 three weeks ago, with Bitcoin (BTC) alone shedding $1.44 billion in its largest weekly outflow of 2026.
XRP and Two Altcoins Defy the Outflow Wave
XRP’s $20.3 million inflow led a narrow group of assets bucking the institutional selling. HYPE drew $10.8 million following its Hyperliquid top-ten ranking, and NEAR Protocol (NEAR) added $7.6 million.
Only five digital assets posted inflows above $1 million, down from nine the prior week.
The narrow breadth signals that institutional buyers are picking specific names rather than rotating into altcoins broadly.
XRP’s reading extends the XRP ETF monthly inflows run recorded across May.
Bitcoin Drives Record Outflows as Risk-Off Deepens
Bitcoin’s $1.44 billion exit topped both the prior week and the January peak, sustaining the broader Bitcoin ETF outflow streak. Year-to-date Bitcoin inflows have compressed to $1.2 billion, down from $3.9 billion just two weeks ago.
CoinShares strategist James Butterfill said the sell-off echoes the January and February episode, which produced five consecutive negative weeks, according to the report.
“AuM has fallen to US$141bn from US$148bn the prior week, the lowest level since early April. The pattern is reminiscent of the January-February episode that delivered five consecutive negative weeks,” read an excerpt in the report.
The firm tied the weakness to Iran-related geopolitics, which has overwhelmed any cushion from CLARITY Act progress.
Ethereum (ETH) products shed $257 million, deepening recent Ethereum ETF outflow pressure.
US Leads Regional Sell-Off, Europe Joins In
The United States accounted for $1.63 billion of the global figure. Germany joined the risk-off with $25.7 million in outflows after holding firm through prior episodes, while Sweden recorded $6.6 million and Hong Kong $4.5 million.
Assets under management slipped to $141 billion from $148 billion.
BTC traded near $72,545 at the time of writing, down 1.73% over 24 hours, according to BeInCrypto data. The token has slipped 6.35% over the past week.
With altcoin breadth at its narrowest in three weeks, the next weekly print will show whether XRP and Hyperliquid hold their bid or join the broader risk-off.
The post XRP Leads Rare Altcoin Inflows as Crypto Funds Lost $1.67 Billion in a Week appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Knots leader Bitcoin Mechanic, aka “GrassFedBitcoin,” was banned from Reddit’s most popular Bitcoin community on Sunday after posting about the contentious BIP-110.
BIP-110 attempts to limit non-monetary data on Bitcoin like images, documents, and other inscriptions and, according to moderators, posting about it in the r/Bitcoin subreddit breaks a long-standing rule against promoting protocol changes that lack broad agreement.
Bitcoin Mechanic posted just two sentences: “7 blocks in the last difficulty period flipped version bit 4. I wonder what they’re signalling for?”
However, even this was enough to cause moderators to immediately remove the post and permanently ban his account
“I expected them to delete the post, didn’t expect them to ban my account,” he posted on Sunday alongside a video about the removal. It drew 40,000 views within hours on X, plus thousands more on YouTube.
“I know that they ban all mention of Knots and BIP-110. I know that already,” he said. “They have that as an unwritten but official policy at this point.”
He also claimed that he was simply describing an “on-chain reality.”
However, Reddit moderator BashCo tapped the sign and told Bitcoin Mechanic that the established rules meant the outcome should have been obvious.
Read more: BitcoinCore website hosts letter from one side of OP_RETURN debate
What was Bitcoin Mechanic trying to say — and why was it a problem?
The current dispute continues a multi-year feud over what type of speech is permitted on r/Bitcoin.
Rules about acceptable speech on this subreddit matter because it’s one of the most visible Bitcoin communities outside of X.
Its moderation has been a flashpoint since the blocksize wars of 2015-2017, when the forum’s administrators were accused of scrubbing dissent during blocksize scaling debates.
In the context of Bip-110 — the latest escalation in Bitcoin’s long-running OP_RETURN war, which Protos chronicled in detail — blocks by miners whose version has bit 4 set “yes” are signaling a type of vote for activating BIP‑110.
Version bit 4 means that the fifth bit (counting from 0) in the 32‑bit nVersion field is being used by BIP‑110’s deployment logic as that miner’s signal that they’re ready to enforce the BIP‑110 rules.
Read more: Bitcoin’s OP_RETURN war just went nuclear: a chain fork proposal
Bitcoin developer Dathon Ohm wrote the first version of BIP-110, floating it as BIP-444. Originally, node operators who activated it would have limited data unrelated to the on-chain movement of BTC within OP_RETURN outputs to less than 90 bytes of data.
It targeted inscription protocols like Ordinals and Runes that Ohm and the Knots community, including Bitcoin Mechanic and Luke Dashjr, dismiss as spam.
Protos has previously documented how the fight went nuclear when the blockchain fork idea first surfaced.
Whether Bitcoin Mechanic’s post was promotion or neutral reporting of on-chain activity is a microcosm of the Bitcoin Core versus Knots feud.
To moderators of the subreddit, signaling support for an unactivated fork is unacceptable promotion. To fans of Knots and/or BIP-110, as well as many agnostics, reporting that a newsworthy number of miners flipped version bit 4 in their blocks is an act of journalism.
Got a tip? Send us an email securely via Protos Leaks. For more informed news and investigations, follow us on X, Bluesky, and Google News, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Ethereum’s market dominance is retreating toward critical support as the sell-the-news phase following U.S. spot Ethereum ETF approvals transitions into sustained net outflows.
Two compounding dynamics are driving the slide: institutional capital rotating out of ETH products at an accelerating rate, and a structural Layer 2 migration pulling liquidity and fee-generating activity off the mainnet.
The result is a dominance chart under pressure and a spot price that has failed to reclaim key moving averages for weeks.
Market Dominance for ETH has slipped toward the 9.7% range, levels that previously acted as launchpads for recovery but are now being tested from above.
The ETH/BTC ratio has also breached critical support, signaling that Ethereum is underperforming not just the broader market but its closest institutional benchmark.
Discover: The Best Crypto to Diversify Your Portfolio
Ethereum ETF Outflows News Signal Institutional Repositioning, Not a Temporary Dip
The numbers are unambiguous. Ethereum spot ETFs have recorded approximately $540 million in net outflows year-to-date, according to aggregated flow data tracked across major products.
ETH-specific ETF outflows hit $306 million in the recent week, the largest weekly withdrawal since late January. The bleeding has not stopped. 14 consecutive days of outflows have now totaled over $708 million.
That is not noise. That is a pattern of Institutional Outflows consistent with what analysts at BestBrokers have described as fading institutional enthusiasm, a dynamic where post-approval euphoria gives way to fundamental reassessment.
The Ethereum ETF products briefly attracted strong inflows in early 2025 as broader crypto risk appetite surged, pushing ETH to local highs. That bid has since evaporated.
The rotation is directional, not a broad crypto exit. Flow data show XRP pulling in +$68 million and Solana attracting +$55 million in the same week ETH bled –$249 million.
Institutional and fund capital is not leaving crypto, it is leaving Ethereum specifically. That distinction matters for how this move is framed.
This is distribution dressed in post-ETF normalization language, and the price action reflects it. ETH has shed roughly 25% over three months even as it posted a modest ~10% gain over the trailing month, a dead-cat bounce structure, not a trend reversal.
Standard Chartered has maintained a bullish long-term thesis for ETH, projecting a recovery toward $4,000, but even the bank has flagged a potential flush toward $1,400 before that move materializes – which is not a bullish near-term signal when outflow data is running this hot.
Can ETH Dominance Find a Floor, or Is This a Structural Repricing?
ETH is trading beneath its 50, 100, and 200-day EMAs with support tested in the $2,000 level.
Any bounce from current levels runs directly into thick overhead supply built from months of ETF-related selling. This is not a thin resistance zone. It is a ceiling constructed by sustained institutional exit.
If ETF flows reverse on renewed institutional demand and the Pectra upgrade delivers a tangible catalyst for mainnet activity, dominance reclaims the 14% to 16% zone and a path toward $3,000 spot reopens.
If outflows stabilize without reversing, ETH consolidates between $2,100 and $2,500 while dominance drifts sideways at the 9% to 10% floor waiting for a durable narrative shift.
If the ETH/BTC ratio continues lower and ETF redemptions accelerate through the next monthly rebalancing cycle, dominance breaks below 8% and spot tests the $1,800 level that several technical models have flagged as the next structural support.
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The post Ethereum ETFs Bled $708m in 14 Straight Days as XRP and Solana Gained appeared first on Cryptonews.
Crypto World
Bitcoin Slips Below Key $73K Support as Bears Eye $70K Demand Zone (BTC Price Analysis)
Bitcoin remains under bearish pressure after a recent consolidation around the 100-day MA of $73K. The asset has now slightly broken below the MA. Upcoming price action will determine whether the recent pullback evolves into a leg deeper or forms a base for recovery.
Bitcoin Price Analysis: The Daily Chart
On the daily timeframe, BTC continues to trade within a large ascending channel that has contained price action since the February lows. The 200-day MA, currently located around $80K, has acted as dynamic resistance throughout the recent decline.
Meanwhile, the 100-day MA is positioned near $73K and is now being tested as immediate support. Price is trading directly around this level, making it a pivotal area for the broader trend.
A daily stabilization below the 100-day MA could expose the lower channel boundary and the major demand zone around $70K-$71K. This region also aligns with a previously established order block, increasing its technical significance.
On the upside, any recovery attempt is likely to face resistance around $75K-$76K, where a supply zone has already triggered a strong rejection. Beyond that, the 200-day MA near $80K remains the key obstacle. A successful reclaim of this level would improve the medium-term structure and open the door toward the $87K-$90K resistance region.
BTC/USDT 4-Hour Chart
The 4-hour timeframe highlights the loss of bullish momentum more clearly. BTC has established a sequence of lower highs and lower lows after failing to sustain its breakout above $82K.
Price is currently consolidating within a narrow range between roughly $72.8K and $74.5K. This range is developing directly above the rising lower trendline of the broader channel, creating a crucial decision point for the market.
The short-term structure remains neutral to bearish as long as BTC trades below the $75K-$76K supply zone. A breakout above this area could trigger a relief rally toward $78K and potentially $82K, where the next major liquidity cluster resides.
However, if sellers force a breakdown below the current range and the ascending trendline, the market could quickly rotate toward the higher-timeframe order block at $70K-$71K. Given the lack of significant support between these levels, a move into that zone could occur relatively fast.
For now, the market appears trapped between nearby support and overhead supply, with a likely expansion in volatility.
On-chain Analysis
The UTXO Realized Price Age Bands chart reveals an important development among short-term holders. Bitcoin is currently trading below the realized price of the 1M-3M cohort, which has risen steadily to approximately $73K-$74K.
Historically, this cohort has often served as a key gauge of sentiment. When price remains above the realized price of recent buyers, market participants tend to stay profitable, reducing immediate selling pressure. Conversely, sustained trading below this level can increase the probability of capitulation from weaker hands.
At the same time, the realized price of the 18M-2Y cohort continues to climb and currently sits near $70K. This level closely aligns with the major daily support zone and reinforces the importance of the $70K-$71K region as a potential accumulation zone.
Meanwhile, the older 3M-6M cohort remains significantly higher near $83K-$84K, reflecting the average cost basis of holders who accumulated during the previous advance. This level now represents a major overhead resistance area, aligning with the upper portion of the current trading range.
Taken together, the on-chain data suggests that Bitcoin is testing a critical short-term holder cost basis around $73K-$74K, while stronger long-term support continues to build near $70K. As long as the latter level remains intact, the broader market structure appears constructive despite the ongoing correction.
The post Bitcoin Slips Below Key $73K Support as Bears Eye $70K Demand Zone (BTC Price Analysis) appeared first on CryptoPotato.
Executive Summary
- BMNR experiences pre-market decline despite staked Ethereum exceeding $9.5 billion
- Company maintains $11.6B total position across cryptocurrency assets and cash reserves
- Ethereum holdings represent 4.49% of total ETH supply following recent acquisitions
- MAVAN validator network underpins company’s expanding Ethereum staking operations
- Management sets sights on controlling 5% of Ethereum supply with projected staking yields
Bitmine Immersion Technologies disclosed total holdings of $11.6 billion across digital assets, cash positions, and strategic investments as BMNR stock demonstrated volatility. Shares concluded regular trading at $19.27, representing a modest 0.10% gain, before retreating 2.25% to $18.82 during pre-market hours. This downward movement occurred alongside announcements of Bitmine’s enlarged Ethereum treasury and staked ETH crossing the $9.5 billion threshold.
Bitmine Immersion Technologies, Inc., BMNR
Substantial Ethereum Treasury Accumulation
According to its most recent disclosure, Bitmine possessed 5,416,901 ETH as of May 31, 2026. With each token valued at $2,003, the company’s Ethereum allocation exceeds $10.8 billion. Beyond its primary Ethereum holdings, Bitmine maintains 203 Bitcoin alongside $446 million in liquid cash reserves.
Management indicated these ETH reserves constitute 4.49% of Ethereum’s circulating supply totaling 120.7 million tokens. This concentration establishes Bitmine as the dominant corporate holder of Ethereum worldwide. Among all corporate cryptocurrency treasuries globally, only Strategy surpasses the company’s position.
Over the preceding seven days, Bitmine acquired an additional 26,497 ETH as part of its ongoing accumulation strategy. Company executives stated their objective of controlling 5% of total Ethereum supply before 2026 concludes. This milestone forms a cornerstone of the firm’s extended treasury approach and equity market narrative.
Staking Operations Eclipse $9.5 Billion Mark
As of May 31, 2026, Bitmine disclosed 4,718,677 ETH actively staked across its validator infrastructure. With Ethereum priced at $2,003, this staked allocation represents approximately $9.5 billion in value. The figure accounts for over 87% of the company’s complete Ethereum portfolio.
MAVAN, the company’s Made in American Validator Network, powers its Ethereum validation activities. Bitmine developed this infrastructure initially for internal treasury management, with plans for broader deployment. Leadership anticipates MAVAN will eventually accommodate institutional clients, custodial services, and additional ecosystem participants.
The company disclosed a 7-day annualized staking yield of 2.73% for BMNR operations. Extrapolating from this performance metric, Bitmine forecasts annualized staking income of $258 million. Operating at maximum capacity, the projection extends to $296 million in yearly staking rewards.
Stock Maintains Elevated Trading Volumes
While BMNR registered marginal gains to close at $19.27, early pre-market activity drove shares down to $18.82. The pullback followed the company’s latest treasury disclosure. The equity continues ranking among the most actively exchanged securities across U.S. markets.
According to Fundstrat analysis, BMNR averaged $628 million in daily dollar volume across the four-day period concluding May 29, 2026. This trading activity positioned the stock at rank 225 among 5,704 U.S.-listed equities. The placement situated BMNR between Marathon Petroleum and Blackstone in terms of liquidity metrics.
Beyond core cryptocurrency positions, Bitmine revealed strategic equity holdings in emerging ventures. These encompass a $180 million investment in Beast Industries and $93 million allocated to Eightco Holdings. Combined with digital assets and cash, the company’s aggregate holdings including moonshot investments total $11.6 billion.
Binance Coin (BNB), up 7.9%, was also a top performer.
Strategy Inc, the largest corporate Bitcoin holder, confirmed its first Bitcoin sale in the June 1, 2026 Form 8-K filing.
The company offloaded 32 BTC for approximately $2.5 million during May 26–31, while maintaining a massive 843,706 BTC treasury.
On-Chain Suspicion Meets Official Confirmation
Traders and on-chain analysts spotted MicroStrategy wallets moving BTC to Coinbase Prime days earlier, sparking intense speculation.
Arkham Intelligence and community trackers highlighted the unusual activity, which fueled a Polymarket bet on whether any sale would occur by May 31.
One trader bet big on YES when the market priced the probability around 11%. The June 1 filing resolved the market in his favor, delivering an estimated $200,000 payout.
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The last time MicroStrategy sold Bitcoin was in December 2022, when they disposed 704 BTC for tax-loss harvesting before repurchasing more of the pioneer crypto two days later.
Details from the latest filing, showing last week’s Bitcoin sales include:
- Sold: 32 BTC at an average of around $77,135 each (net of fees).
- Holdings as of May 31: 843,706 BTC with approximately $63.87 billion cost basis (average of around $75,699 per BTC).
- Purpose: Proceeds support preferred stock dividends (STRF, STRC, etc.).
- USD Reserve: $900 million earmarked for obligations.
Bitcoin traded near $72,000–$74,000 around the period, meaning MicroStrategy sold at a premium to recent levels.
The sale represents a tiny fraction (<0.004%) of holdings but marks a shift from pure accumulation.
MicroStrategy has aggressively grown its treasury via ATM equity and preferred stock raises, often buying thousands of BTC weekly.
This disciplined approach, selling selectively while replenishing via capital markets, aligns with executive comments on proactive treasury management.
Preferred dividends and debt service remain key priorities, backed by the dedicated USD reserve.
With Bitcoin volatility persisting and corporate treasuries under scrutiny, any larger sales or accelerated buys could influence sentiment.
MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin-per-share metric and yield targets will likely remain central to its narrative as it balances growth, obligations, and long-term conviction in Bitcoin.
The post MicroStrategy Sells Bitcoin For the First Time Since 2022, Hands Trader a $200,000 Win appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Key Takeaways
- Barclays launched coverage of IBM on Monday with an Overweight rating and set a $350 price target.
- Shares of IBM climbed approximately 11-12% to near $330 during premarket hours.
- The optimistic outlook focuses on IBM’s software division, which accounts for nearly 50% of revenue and most profits.
- According to Barclays analyst Raimo Lenschow, IBM’s infrastructure software caters to large, regulated corporations — establishing a durable customer base resistant to AI disruption.
- This bullish call adds to recent strength: IBM has climbed 28% in the last month and recorded its best weekly performance in a quarter-century.
IBM shares experienced significant upward momentum on Monday following a bullish initiation from Barclays — and the catalyst wasn’t related to quantum computing developments.
International Business Machines Corporation, IBM
Shares of IBM jumped approximately 11% in premarket action, reaching $330.11, after Barclays analyst Raimo Lenschow launched coverage with an Overweight recommendation and established a $350 price objective. This target suggests additional upside potential of 17.5% from premarket levels.
The technology giant has been experiencing remarkable momentum. IBM has advanced 28% during the past 30 days and recently delivered its most impressive weekly performance in two and a half decades. Shareholders of Big Blue have enjoyed substantial gains in recent weeks.
While quantum computing has dominated recent headlines — IBM secured $1 billion in federal CHIPS and Science Act funding to construct a dedicated quantum chip fabrication facility, subsequently committing over $10 billion of corporate capital toward quantum development and production over five years — Lenschow’s investment thesis focuses elsewhere.
The Enterprise Software Narrative
His investment case is more straightforward: IBM has transformed into a software-driven enterprise, and the market hasn’t fully recognized this evolution.
Software accounts for approximately half of IBM’s total revenue while generating the majority of corporate profits. Lenschow anticipates this revenue composition will expand over time due to software’s superior growth characteristics.
The critical element of his analysis centers on IBM’s software specialization. This isn’t consumer-facing applications or fashionable AI tools. Instead, it’s fundamental infrastructure — Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat OpenShift, automation solutions, and data analytics platforms — engineered specifically for large, sophisticated enterprises operating hybrid cloud and on-premises infrastructures.
These clients will never transition entirely to cloud environments, Lenschow observes. This dynamic creates a captive, predictable revenue stream that’s difficult to disrupt.
“We see mid single digit organic revenue growth and ongoing margin leverage, which should create a stable earnings compounder with a Quantum option,” he wrote.
A Growing Consensus
Lenschow’s perspective isn’t breaking new ground. Oppenheimer’s Param Singh employed similar terminology in January, characterizing IBM’s software assets as “sticky.” Evercore ISI’s Amit Daryanani reinforced this view in February. And during April, Citi Research’s Fatima Boolani portrayed IBM’s software and hardware as deeply embedded “across the most critical points of the world’s largest, most complex IT infrastructures.”
This convergence of analyst endorsements illustrates a compelling investment narrative gaining momentum: IBM’s enterprise software foundation represents a competitive advantage rather than a burden.
Additional attention has emerged from social media channels. Statements from Donald Trump in December commending IBM’s chief executive have reemerged online, circulating alongside discussions of other occasions where the president has publicly recognized particular equities in 2025.
The overall Wall Street sentiment remains measured. Among analysts currently tracking IBM, 10 maintain Buy recommendations while 11 rate it at Hold — establishing a Moderate Buy consensus. The average price objective stands at $291.69, indicating the stock may be appropriately valued at present levels following its recent appreciation.
IBM’s latest financial results demonstrated continued outperformance in the software division, with the corporation emphasizing hybrid cloud capabilities and AI integration throughout its enterprise customer portfolio.
Mutsamudu, Comoros, June 1, 2026 – MEXC, a leading 0-fee cross-asset trading platform, today announced the official launch of ‘RealStocks.’ This innovative equity product is now accessible to eligible users globally. The product seamlessly integrates real ownership rights of traditional financial assets with the low-friction experience of a crypto platform, further expanding MEXC’s 0-fee cross-asset trading ecosystem.
For a long time, investors looking to enter the U.S. stock market were limited to two less-than-ideal options. The first was trading through traditional brokerages, which requires enduring tedious currency exchange and deposit processes. The second was trading synthetic assets or tokenized products on crypto platforms, which often comes with drawbacks like poor liquidity and a lack of dividend payouts. The launch of ‘RealStocks’ breaks this deadlock, seamlessly bridging the gap between both worlds.
Building on a highly successful Beta phase validated by over 20,000 early users, the official launch ensures a seamless, battle-tested trading experience. Through MEXC’s licensed broker partner, Atomic Vaults, eligible users can purchase shares in real U.S.-listed companies, eligible users can purchase shares in real U.S. listed companies, with genuine market exposure and liquidity consistent with traditional U.S. equity markets. Where applicable, users are entitled to dividends or distributions on their holdings. The entire trading flow is integrated into MEXC’s existing interface. Users transact in USDT, making the experience of buying U.S. stocks similar to buying crypto in practice. Trading hours follow Nasdaq market sessions, and zero platform trading fees apply during the launch period, keeping costs to a minimum. The product has been validated by over 20,000 users during the Beta phase.
Atomic Vaults is a U.S. FINRA-licensed broker-dealer and global brokerage infrastructure provider backed by Founders Fund and ARK Invest. Processing over $15 billion in monthly trading volume, it enables access to U.S. equities, ETFs, options, and select Asian markets, with support for 24×5 trading, fractional investing, stablecoin funding, and institutional-grade clearing and custody.
MEXC is simultaneously launching three limited-time incentive campaigns.
Campaign 1: SpaceX(PRE) airdrop reward (May 28 – June 5)
Complete a U.S. stock spot trade and participate in the SpaceX(PRE) Season 2 Launchpad subscription before it closes, and receive additional SpaceX(PRE) airdrop rewards. Total prize pool: 200,000 USDT equivalent. Maximum reward per user: 5,000 USDT equivalent in SpaceX(PRE).
Campaign 2: $1,000,000 stock prize pool (June 2 – June 16)
During the campaign period, U.S. stock spot trading is available at zero fees. Complete trading tasks to share in a 1,000,000 USD equivalent stock prize pool.
Campaign 3: Real-time market data subsidy for new deposits (First month after U.S. stock launch)
Complete a qualifying deposit to receive a real-time market data subsidy — helping users start trading U.S. stocks with zero barrier to entry.
MEXC CEO Vugar Usi said:
“From Pre-IPO access to tokenized stocks, and now to real share ownership through U.S. stock spot trading, MEXC has continuously pushed the boundaries of what crypto users can access in global markets. With U.S. stock spot trading, users can now truly own world-class traditional financial assets within a familiar crypto trading environment — not just track their price. As 2026 brings a historic wave of IPO windows from the world’s top technology companies, crypto users will have the chance to participate as real shareholders for the first time. This is what Infinite Opportunities means at MEXC — not a tagline, but a product.”
‘RealStocks’ is now live and open to eligible users.
About MEXC
MEXC is the world’s fastest-growing cryptocurrency exchange, trusted by more than 40 million users across 170+ markets. Built on a user-first philosophy, MEXC offers industry-leading 0-fee trading and access to over 3,000 digital assets. As the Gateway to Infinite Opportunities, MEXC provides a single platform where users can easily trade cryptocurrencies alongside tokenized assets, including stocks, ETFs, commodities, and precious metals.
MEXC Official Website | X | Telegram | How to Sign Up on MEXC
Media contact:
Disclaimer
“0 fees” refers only to the platform’s service charge. Users may still be subject to certain fees, including but not limited to SEC transaction fees, FINRA trading activity fees (TAF), exchange and market center fees, regulatory fees, and any applicable clearing fees.
Not investment advice. For informational purposes only. Trading involves risk. Please consult a qualified professional before making any investment decision.
Territorial Limit: This service is offered only to users in certain jurisdictions. Access may be restricted in certain countries or regions due to local laws and regulations. Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for the complete list of eligible jurisdictions.
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