Crypto World
Billionaire Grantham Uses Extreme Words to Describe Bitcoin
Jeremy Grantham, the GMO co-founder who called both the 2000 dot-com crash and the 2008 housing collapse, branded Bitcoin (BTC) “a useless, speculative mechanism” and predicted it would dwindle over the next few decades.
The veteran strategist built his critique around three failures he sees in crypto. Bitcoin pays no yield, holds no stable value, and fails as a usable currency in daily life, he argued.
Proof of Work, Proof of Nothing
Grantham singled out Bitcoin’s proof-of-work design for particular scorn. The energy burned to validate transactions, he argued, generates no economic benefit for society.
“Proof of unnecessary work shouldn’t be worth a bucket of warm spit, and it will not be.”
Bitcoin Falls Short as Money and Store of Value
Beyond the mining critique, he said Bitcoin does not work as a practical currency. Regular users do not accept it at the supermarket, and serious investors do not settle large transactions with it. Without a functioning transaction layer, the asset cannot claim monetary legitimacy, he added.
He also dismissed Bitcoin as a store of value. Unlike equities, it pays no dividend and generates no cash flow. In his view, that leaves speculators with nothing to anchor a fair price.
A Skeptic With a Record
Grantham’s warnings carry weight because of his track record. He flagged the dot-com bubble before 2000 and warned of the US housing collapse before 2008. His more recent AI bubble stock warning extended that thesis to US equities, where he now sees downside of up to 70%.
However, his timing is not always precise. His 2021 epic-bubble call on US stocks arrived early, as markets climbed before their 2022 correction.
The Bitcoin remarks land as BTC trades near $60,500, down sharply from its late-2025 peak above $126,000. US spot Bitcoin ETF records outflows of $6.35 billion over 30 days through mid-June, reflecting cooling institutional demand.
Earlier, Coinbase CEO’s Bitcoin outlook has also flagged AI infrastructure costs as a variable reshaping crypto capital flows.
Grantham is not alone in his skepticism. Peter Schiff has made similar bearish arguments, contending that Bitcoin holds no intrinsic value.
Whether Bitcoin’s current price holds key support in Q3 2026 will test both camps. Grantham predicted the decline would come gradually, over years or even decades, not all at once.
The post Billionaire Grantham Uses Extreme Words to Describe Bitcoin appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Digital Currency Group-backed investment firm Yuma has launched the Yuma Total Market Fund, a pooled product designed to give institutional investors diversified exposure to the Bittensor ecosystem—without requiring them to pick individual subnet tokens.
Announced on Thursday, the fund is structured to provide exposure to Bittensor’s native TAO token alongside a basket of AI-focused subnets. Yuma says the aim is to package participation in Bittensor’s decentralized AI infrastructure economy into a single vehicle, with seed capital provided by an undisclosed anchor investor.
Key takeaways
- Yuma’s new fund targets broad exposure to Bittensor via TAO plus a basket of AI subnet assets in one pooled strategy.
- The firm positions the approach as simpler than selecting and managing individual subnet tokens directly.
- Network “subnet value” figures vary materially depending on the tracker used—Yuma cites $900M+ across 128 subnets, while Taostats points to roughly $300M.
- Institutional interest in Bittensor-linked assets has been rising, reflected in Grayscale’s evolving TAO weighting and filings for TAO exchange-traded products.
- Renewed attention to decentralized AI follows US Commerce Department actions impacting access to Anthropic models, underscoring the debate over reliance on centralized providers.
A fund built around Bittensor’s subnet economy
Bittensor is a decentralized network for building AI infrastructure and applications, operating through specialized subnets. These subnets focus on different areas such as compute, marketplaces, and identity. Rather than betting solely on the performance of TAO as a single token, Yuma’s strategy blends exposure to TAO with additional subnet-related assets.
According to Yuma, Bittensor’s 128 subnets collectively represent more than $900 million in combined value. However, data from network tracker Taostats suggests a lower combined subnet value—closer to $300 million. For investors, this gap matters because the “size” of the subnet economy can be measured differently depending on the methodology behind network trackers, and those assumptions influence how meaningful “diversification across subnets” really is.
Yuma did not disclose the anchor investor that provided seed capital. Still, the launch signals a shift in how asset managers are structuring access to decentralized AI systems: instead of treating Bittensor as a single-token theme, they are increasingly packaging it as an ecosystem.
How institutional allocations are changing for TAO
Institutional exposure to Bittensor-linked assets has broadened alongside the network’s expanding subnet economy, and TAO allocations within established funds offer a window into how managers are rebalancing their decentralized AI theses.
In April, Grayscale increased TAO’s weighting in its Grayscale Decentralized AI Fund to 43% during the fund’s quarterly rebalance. Since then, TAO’s allocation has fallen to about 20%, while Near Protocol’s NEAR has become the largest holding at roughly 44%.
That evolution highlights a familiar dynamic in crypto asset management: even when a thesis is “decentralized AI,” the portfolio can still rotate as managers weigh relative opportunities across tokens they view as part of the same broader category. For readers, it suggests that TAO may remain central to decentralized AI exposure, but it is not immune to shifting portfolio construction as other ecosystem players gain weight.
ETF momentum: filings for TAO exposure
Beyond private funds, the push to bring TAO exposure into more traditional investment wrappers is also accelerating. Asset managers have been filing with US regulators to create exchange-traded products tied to Bittensor.
In April, Bitwise filed for a TAO Strategy ETF with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Grayscale, meanwhile, submitted an amended registration statement aimed at converting its existing Bittensor Trust into a spot TAO exchange-traded fund that would be listed on NYSE Arca, if approved.
These filings reflect growing demand from investors who want exposure to decentralized AI through regulated market infrastructure. If regulators approve spot TAO structures, it could reduce friction for institutional allocators who prefer standardized instruments over bespoke crypto holdings.
Why decentralized AI is back in focus
The interest in Bittensor’s model is occurring amid renewed scrutiny of centralized AI access. The case for decentralized AI—where AI infrastructure and computing are distributed across blockchain-based networks rather than relying on a single provider—has gained traction after the US Commerce Department suspended public access to Anthropic’s Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models over national security and export control concerns.
Grayscale head of research Zach Pandl argued that the restrictions underscored the risks of centralized control of AI. According to Pandl, investors may seek alternatives such as Bittensor and its TAO token as they look for ways to avoid single-provider chokepoints.
While the restrictions initially tightened, the situation appears to be easing. The Commerce Department restored access to Mythos 5 on Friday, and Axios reported Saturday that the Trump administration is expected to allow Anthropic to resume public access to Fable 5 as soon as next week.
Even if access returns quickly, the episode has already reframed parts of the conversation around decentralized AI. For market participants, it raises a practical question: are investors buying “decentralized AI” as a speculative crypto theme, or as a hedge against policy-driven disruptions that can affect availability and control of AI models?
What to watch next
With Yuma’s fund now live and multiple managers pursuing TAO-linked ETF pathways, the next signal to monitor is how these products structure their exposure to TAO versus subnet baskets—and whether regulatory outcomes for spot listings translate into broader institutional demand for Bittensor ecosystem exposure.
Chinese AI models are gaining ground on Anthropic and OpenAI after Z.ai released GLM-5.2, an open-source system running at roughly one-sixth the cost of US frontier labs. The launch arrived as Washington tightened access to American models.
The timing reshaped the entire competitive picture across the global AI industry in just one week.
How GLM-5.2 is Reshaping the Chinese AI Race
An open-source AI model is a system whose weights can be freely downloaded, fine-tuned, and run on any infrastructure without the original developer’s permission. GLM-5.2 belongs to that category, and its release has triggered the loudest reaction from Silicon Valley since DeepSeek’s debut last year.
The model carries serious technical credentials. Z.ai, formerly known as Zhipu AI, designed GLM-5.2 with 750 billion parameters and a 1-million-token context window.
Furthermore, the system runs entirely on domestic Chinese chips, a critical detail given the ongoing United States export restrictions.
Benchmarks tell the story. GLM-5.2 now sits within a single percentage point of Anthropic’s Opus 4.8 on a closely watched agentic evaluation.
As a result, the gap between Chinese open models and the very top closed US systems has shrunk faster than most industry forecasts had anticipated.
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The release timing was anything but accidental. GLM-5.2 launched a day after Anthropic disabled global access to its most advanced models, including Fable 5 and Mythos. Moreover, OpenAI moved to limit access to GPT-5.6 following a separate government request that same week.
Co-founder Tang Jie addressed the contrast directly. He called the Anthropic suspension “deeply regrettable” and said frontier intelligence should not belong to a few people or be subject to sudden rule changes.
Furthermore, his framing positioned Chinese open weights as the safer institutional bet.
Markets responded immediately. Z.ai shares surged more than 30% in Hong Kong trading and now sit up over 800% since debuting in January. JP Morgan projects Z.ai revenue to expand by more than 534% this year, with profitability arriving by 2028.
Why the Chinese AI Push Now Hits Anthropic and OpenAI
The cost advantage is the most damaging factor for US labs. DeepSeek V4 Pro charges $3.48 per million output tokens. Anthropic’s Fable 5 charged $50 for the same output. As a result, enterprise buyers are now openly rethinking their entire AI vendor relationships.
Adoption metrics support the shift. OpenRouter, a popular AI aggregator platform, now shows that Chinese models hold the top four positions among the most widely used systems globally. DeepSeek, MiniMax, Tencent, and Xiaomi have collectively passed every major US frontier provider by token traffic.
The rotation also extends well beyond price. Open-source models can be downloaded, fine-tuned, and run permanently. As a result, neither developers nor governments can revoke access to a system already running on a customer’s own servers, a quality now suddenly more valuable than raw frontier performance.
The competitive picture remains nuanced. DeepSeek itself estimates that Chinese models trail leading US systems by 3 to 6 months in terms of pure capability.
However, that gap matters less when access becomes the primary risk factor, and pricing determines whether production is viable or token economics are prohibitive.
The broader policy backdrop favors the Chinese push. Washington’s restrictions on Anthropic and OpenAI may end up vindicating China’s broader tech self-sufficiency vision, which accelerated after the 2022 Biden administration chip controls landed.
Furthermore, demand for Chinese open models is rising fastest across developing economies worldwide.
Z.ai also plans a dual listing in Shanghai to fund a long-term push toward artificial general intelligence. The next model, GLM-5.5, is expected to launch in August.
The post China’s AI Models Gain Ground on Anthropic and OpenAI appeared first on BeInCrypto.
ChatGPT AI just made the case that XRP price prediction worst chapter is finally closing even though the chart has not caught up yet. The model predicts a climb to $3.50 to $5.00 by the end of 2026, with an extreme scenario stretching as far as $6.50.
The bull case treats XRP as a coin whose fundamentals have quietly outrun its price for months. With XRP sitting at $1.05 today, the model leans on the SEC battle being largely behind the asset now, which removes the single biggest overhang that kept institutional money on the sidelines for years.
Expanding institutional adoption of the XRP Ledger is another pillar, alongside growing real world asset tokenization activity that gives the network genuine utility beyond speculation.
RLUSD continues strengthening the broader Ripple ecosystem, and increasing institutional access through spot XRP ETFs adds a fresh on ramp for capital that previously had no clean way into the asset.
The timing piece matters too, since the model expects the broader crypto bull market to regain momentum around November as liquidity improves and US crypto legislation keeps advancing.
If that broader momentum shows up alongside these fundamental improvements, XRP could finally start closing the gap between its improving fundamentals and its lagging price, with an extreme upside scenario opening up if ETF inflows materially exceed expectations and usage accelerates faster than expected.
The bear case zeroes in on something subtle but important. The biggest risk is that Ripple’s enterprise success keeps benefiting RLUSD and its payment network more than it benefits direct XRP demand, meaning the token itself could lag even if the broader ecosystem thrives.
Macro weakness or slower adoption could also keep capital sitting on the sidelines rather than flowing into XRP specifically.
Even with that risk on the table, the model still frames the risk reward as favorable for investors willing to accept volatility, since much of the historical regulatory discount has already been priced out while several real catalysts still lie ahead.
XRP Price Prediction: XRP Waits For Its Fundamentals To Finally Catch The Chart
The daily chart shows XRP at $1.05422 after a brutal, sustained decline from highs above $3.65 set back in July of last year.
That drop has been one of the longest grinding downtrends in this entire series, briefly interrupted by a bounce toward $2.40 in November before sellers took back control completely.
The most recent leg lower in June pushed price to a fresh cycle low near $1.04, right where it sits today. That kind of extended slide with very few meaningful relief rallies suggests sellers have remained firmly in control for the better part of a year.
Resistance sits first near $1.20, the level price keeps failing to hold above during recent bounce attempts, then a much heavier ceiling near $1.60 where multiple rejections piled up earlier this year. Support is being tested right at current levels near $1.04, with no clear floor visible below that on this chart.
The overall pattern here is a textbook descending staircase, similar to what showed up on XRP’s own chart a few weeks back, with each rally attempt landing lower than the one before it.
Momentum on the daily candles looks weak and still pointed down, without much sign yet of the kind of stabilization that usually comes before a real reversal.
Given how far price would need to travel just to reach the low end of this prediction, XRP likely needs to reclaim $1.60 and hold it before the fundamental story ChatGPT is describing starts showing up on the chart instead of just in the headlines.
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Here is What ChatGPT AI Predicts For LiquidChain Near Future, Very Bullish
Sitting at resistance waiting for a breakout is not positioning. It is standing in line.
Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP have been pressing against the same ceilings for weeks. The catalyst that unlocks the next leg is perpetually one data print away.
The institutional inflows are perpetually next quarter. Every large-cap trader waiting for a breakout is waiting on a decision that belongs to someone else’s balance sheet.
Early-stage infrastructure plays by completely different rules, Copilot AI predicts. Capital that would vanish as statistical noise at Bitcoin’s scale moves a small undiscovered project by multiples.
The asymmetric return lives in one place only: the gap between what something is genuinely worth and what the market currently thinks it is worth. That gap exists because the project has not been found yet. The moment it gets found, the gap is gone.
Cross-chain fragmentation has been extracting value from DeFi participants since the first bridge went live and nobody has eliminated it. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana were engineered as independent systems with no shared architecture and no intent to interoperate.
Every transaction that crosses those boundaries pays the price of that design in fees, slippage, and execution failures. Bridges were supposed to be the solution. They became the mechanism through which the problem collects its fee.
LiquidChain eliminates the fee entirely. Three networks inside a single execution layer. One deployment reaches all of them. No cross-chain tax on any interaction anywhere.
ChatGPT AI flagged it as worth watching. The presale is at $0.01454 with just over $860,000 raised.
Execution is unproven. Adoption is unknown. Established assets offer a predictable ride toward a ceiling that is already fully visible. LiquidChain is an entry point that disappears once the market finds it.
The post Sam Altman ChatGPT AI Predicts Crazy XRP Price by End of 2026 appeared first on Cryptonews.
June has been brutal for essentially the entire cryptocurrency market, and Ripple’s cross-border token is no exception. The asset lost its position in terms of market cap to USDC as it dipped to $1.01 (on most exchanges) during last week’s crash.
Now, though, a popular analyst outlined the first glimmer of hope for XRP, which could lead to a quick short-term rebound.
2 Bullish Signs
The first is the well-known Tom DeMark (TD) Sequential indicator, a popular metric used to determine the underlying asset’s trend exhaustion in either direction. It has finally flashed a buy signal after XRP’s recent crash that drove it to a multi-year low. According to Martinez, this pattern, which has a relatively high success rate when it comes to the cross-border token, could mean a “one-to-four daily candlestick relief rebound.”
Separately, the analyst outlined the formation of a Morning Star Doji candlestick pattern during the past three daily sessions. He added that this classic indicator is used to identify local price bottoms.
Martinez predicted that if buying volume accelerates in tandem with the aforementioned signals, Ripple’s asset could rise to the first major obstacle at $1.30. Recall that it challenged that level last week during the short-lived market-wide revival, but it was rejected there, and the subsequent collapse pushed it south to $1.01.
In another separate post, though, Martinez highlighted the next significant support levels for XRP if the market structure breaks down again. If the asset decisively loses the support at $1.06, the next in line are at $0.80, $0.62, and $0.51 based on the UTXO Realized Price Distribution (URPD).
Painful June
As with most cryptocurrencies, XRP would require a miracle to turn the tide around in June. The month so far has been nothing short of a massacre, as Ripple’s token has shed more than 20% of its value. This makes it its worst single-month performance since February 2025, when it tumbled by over 29%.
On the plus side, July has been historically a positive month for the asset, especially in the past six editions, all of which have been in the green. In fact, all except July 2021 brought double-digit gains, including massive surges in 2020 and 2023. Almost all of those followed a painful June.
The post XRP Finally Shows 2 Bullish Signals After Crashing to $1: What’s Next for Ripple? appeared first on CryptoPotato.
Popular investor and entrepreneur Kyle Samani has accused Hyperliquid of misleading the public over its permissionless status. The Forward Industries chairman made the claim after Singapore’s financial regulator added the platform to its Investor Alert List.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) placed Hyperliquid on its Investor Alert List (IAL) on June 26. The IAL flags entities that residents may mistakenly perceive as licensed or MAS-authorized. An IAL listing carries no ban or enforcement weight. It signals, instead, that local users may not receive MAS protections if something goes wrong on the platform.
Hyperliquid Defends Its Permissionless Infrastructure
Hyperliquid responded to the Singapore IAL listing, noting that it has never claimed MAS licensing or authorization. The platform maintained that users retain full self-custody and all transactions settle transparently on-chain. It added that nothing about the network has changed.
Bybit received the same warning earlier in June. The MAS has been tightening oversight of offshore exchanges throughout 2026. It ordered unlicensed platforms to seek regulatory approval or cease operations accessible to Singapore residents.
Samani’s Case Against Permissionlessness
Samani took direct aim at Hyperliquid’s core claims.
Hyperliquid is not permissionless. Stop gaslighting the public.
He argued that genuine permissionlessness requires at a minimum two conditions. The protocol must be open source. Validators must also operate globally, not concentrated in a single location.
He further raised governance concerns. Samani said the Hyperliquid Foundation can jail validators and remove them from the active set without justification.
Furthermore, the Foundation can push forced software upgrades on validators, he argued, stripping them of control over their own nodes.
Hyperliquid’s current setup lends some weight to those claims. The network runs only 24 active validators and plans a modest expansion to 27. Its node repository distributes a signed binary rather than full source code. The team says open-sourcing will follow once HyperCore reaches feature completion.
Samani’s Motivations Under Scrutiny
Critics have previously targeted Hyperliquid on similar decentralization grounds, and the platform has typically held its position. Samani’s Multicoin Capital exit in February 2026 adds personal context. His former firm held notable exposure to competing protocols, prompting some observers to question his motivations.
How Hyperliquid responds to pressure from regulators and industry critics may shape its standing with institutional users in the months ahead.
The post Hyperliquid Criticized Over Permissionless Claims After MAS Alert appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Bitcoin is flashing renewed signs of stress among short-term holders after a meaningful wave of coins moved to exchanges at losses over the past day. At the same time, the market value of short-term holder supply has dropped to $237.7 billion—its lowest point since October 2024—according to CryptoQuant.
While near-term sell pressure appears to be rising, the picture is not uniform. CryptoQuant also reported record inflows to long-term accumulation addresses, suggesting some longer-horizon investors are absorbing supply even as newer buyers reduce exposure.
Key takeaways
- CryptoQuant data shows Bitcoin’s short-term holder market capitalization fell to $237.7 billion on June 26, the lowest since Oct. 2, 2024.
- About 50,000 BTC moved to exchanges at a loss in the prior 24 hours, the largest such flow since June 4.
- Accumulation addresses saw record inflows of 181,000 BTC on Thursday, pointing to continued long-term buying.
- Multiple macro indicators and persistent institutional discount signals (Coinbase Premium Index below zero) have kept the risk-asset backdrop unfavorable.
- CryptoQuant flagged funding strains for Strategy (STRC) after its share-linked discount widened and its cash reserve declined in 2026.
Short-term holder capitulation signals return
CryptoQuant analyst Amr Taha said Bitcoin’s short-term holder (STH) market capitalization fell to $237.7 billion on June 26. That marks the lowest reading since Oct. 2, 2024, when the metric hovered near $239.7 billion.
The STH market cap tracks the market value of coins held by investors who bought Bitcoin within the past 155 days. When this measure drops below the cohort’s realized value, it typically implies that many of those relatively recent buyers are sitting on larger unrealized losses.
CryptoQuant notes a comparable pattern surfaced during the October 2024 correction, when the market later found an important bottom. However, the latest reading is framed as a stress signal rather than definitive confirmation that a low has already formed.
Exchange flows add a second, more immediate layer to the capitulation narrative. CryptoQuant reported that around 50,000 BTC from short-term holders moved to exchanges at a loss during the past 24 hours. Binance received about 9,500 BTC under similar conditions, the highest reading since June 3.
In practical terms, loss-to-exchange activity often reflects more aggressive sell decisions from near-term investors reacting to weaker prices—an asymmetry that can intensify downside pressure in the absence of fresh demand.
Long-term accumulation offsets the selling pressure
Despite the renewed loss-driven exchange activity, CryptoQuant highlighted a countervailing trend: Bitcoin inflows to accumulation addresses climbed to a record 181,000 BTC on Thursday.
CryptoQuant compared that figure with a prior peak of 94,700 BTC recorded in February 2022, emphasizing how unusual the current uptick is. Accumulation addresses typically receive coins with a history of low spending, and the reported surge suggests that longer-term investors are continuing to take supply off the table while short-term holders reduce exposure.
This divergence matters because it can help explain why sell-side pressure among newer holders does not automatically translate into a sustained, uninterrupted bear trend. Even if near-term holders keep capitulating, persistent absorption from long-term participants can limit how far the market extends downward.
Institutional demand remains constrained as rates stay tight
Several macro and institutional-demand indicators point to a cautious environment for Bitcoin buyers. Analyst Darkfost said institutional demand has continued to weaken, noting that the Coinbase Premium Index has remained below zero for 40 consecutive days since May 15.
The Coinbase Premium Index compares Bitcoin’s price on Coinbase Advanced with Binance. A persistent discount on Coinbase is generally interpreted as heavier selling from professional venues relative to more retail-linked pricing.
At the same time, US macro data contributed to expectations that monetary policy may not ease soon. The source cited headline PCE inflation at 4.1% versus an expectation of 4.0%, and core PCE at 3.4% versus 3.3%. GDP also came in above estimates at 2.1%, reinforcing a narrative of limited near-term relief for risk assets.
“This dynamic is a perfect reflection of the current macro backdrop, which remains deeply unfavorable for risk assets such as BTC.”
Asset manager Bitwise pointed to the Federal Reserve meeting referenced in its update as accelerating a hawkish shift. Bitwise said policymakers removed their easing bias and increased the median 2026 Fed funds projection to 3.8% from 3.4% in March.
Bitwise also linked tighter financial conditions to ongoing outflows from crypto exchange-traded products, including spot ETFs. The immediate takeaway for traders is that when funding conditions tighten and institutional inflows slow, dips can attract less immediate “buy-the-drop” behavior—even if long-term wallets continue to accumulate.
Strategy’s funding strain could matter for institutional flows
Attention has also shifted to Strategy, one of Bitcoin’s best-known institutional buyers. Bitwise estimated that Strategy accumulated 174,300 BTC in 2026, including about 96,000 BTC (55%) financed via STRC preferred equity issuances and another 77,500 BTC funded through MSTR common stock offerings.
CryptoQuant later argued that the purchasing capacity behind that activity may be weakening. In a report released this week, CryptoQuant said STRC traded at a record 17.5% discount to its $100 par value after falling to $82.5 last week, before slipping to around $73 in premarket trading on Friday.
CryptoQuant also said Strategy’s cash reserve has dropped 38% since the start of 2026 following the repurchase of a $1.5 billion convertible note. It further noted that annual dividend obligations tied to STRC have risen to $1.2 billion from $300 million, while dividend coverage has narrowed to about 14 months from as long as seven years.
Those constraints matter because Strategy’s continued buying has been a key element in the institutional-demand narrative around Bitcoin. If the company’s ability or willingness to finance additional acquisitions tightens, the market may face fewer incremental bids from one of its most prominent corporate participants—just as loss-to-exchange flows among short-term holders are rising.
For readers tracking the downside-to-absorption balance, the next developments to watch are whether short-term holder exchange inflows cool off after this day’s spike, and whether institutional demand signals improve as macro expectations evolve. At the same time, investors should monitor whether Strategy’s funding conditions stabilize—since that could influence how quickly large-scale institutional buying resumes if price volatility increases.
Nearly 50,000 BTC shifted to exchanges at a loss while short-term Bitcoin holders’ stress level reached 2-year highs. Is BTC headed toward new lows?
The crypto ecosystem rushed to help Venezuela after the devastating earthquakes of June 24. Humanitarian organizations, exchanges, and community campaigns activated channels to enable cryptocurrency donations.
The speed of the crypto industry is key to accelerating the arrival of funds to the most affected areas.
Crypto is Critical During Humanitarian Emergencies
A donation in cryptocurrencies allows funds to be sent directly between wallets without going through traditional banks. The transaction is completed in minutes, crosses borders without restrictions, and is especially useful in countries with financial systems under pressure or international sanctions.
The scale of the Venezuelan tragedy justifies the urgency. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes shook the center-north of the country. La Guaira was among the hardest-hit areas, with collapsed apartments and rescuers digging by hand because heavy machinery was unavailable.
UN reports cited by the BBC speak of dramatic numbers. At least 920 dead, more than 3,300 injured, and over 50,000 people missing. These numbers could rise as families continue searching for loved ones among debris, in hospitals, and in improvised shelters throughout the region.
The prior context makes the response even harder. Venezuela has faced years of economic crisis, massive migration, and the deterioration of public services. Interruptions in electricity, water, communications, and transport complicate rescue efforts, while international aid is arriving from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, El Salvador, Spain, Switzerland, India, and Colombia.
Stablecoins are becoming the preferred vehicle. Assets like USDT and USDC reduce volatility and make it easier to pay locally for food, medicine, and rescue equipment.
This efficiency explains why so many initiatives choose crypto channels over traditional banking in emergency situations.
The Main Ways to Donate Crypto to Venezuelan Users
The world’s largest exchange by trading volume launched a corporate response. Binance announced a $3 million donation for affected users, offering 20 USDT coupons and temporarily eliminating P2P fees. The measure covers seven states impacted by the June 24 earthquakes.
El Dorado, the Latin American P2P exchange, also joined the effort, coordinating aid to the most affected regions and leveraging its reach among Venezuelan users who already regularly use stablecoins in bolivars.
In this regard, it enabled commission-free transfers to Venezuela for users outside the country.
The campaign led by Ana Ojeda Caracas has become one of the ecosystem’s most visible. The Venezuelan “Criptolawyer”, a well-known figure within the Latin American community, announced on X a partnership with the Decaf platform to channel international donations to families affected by the earthquakes.
Decaf Pay, the technical infrastructure behind the project, allows for contributions in USDC, card, and international bank transfer. The total amount raised is publicly visible, and the platform facilitates local payments in Venezuela through Airtm’s infrastructure to speed up conversion.
The BTC UCAB Academy activated an Emergency Earthquake Fund Venezuela 2026. This initiative from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello offers institutional custody and on-chain transparency.
Each donation and disbursement will be verifiable on the blockchain and communicated via official social media.
International organizations round out the map. Mercy Corps and World Vision accept crypto donations through The Giving Block, a platform specializing in digital asset donations. Both receive Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDC, and other popular cryptocurrencies for their global humanitarian response.
Community initiatives have also joined in. X user LIVRE is raising funds in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, SUI, and USDC to buy gloves, gauze, alcohol, food, water, and rescue tools.
Caution and Verification When Donating in Times of Crisis
Cryptocurrencies offer speed, but also risks. Transactions are irreversible, addresses can be spoofed, and fake campaigns often proliferate after natural disasters. Emotional urgency can lead donors to skip basic verifications during an emergency.
Professional recommendations involve several filters:
- Verify official links, check original posts.
- Avoid copying addresses from unverified screenshots and prefer organizations with public traceability.
- Reports on the use of funds and a proven track record are the best indicators of reliability.
The diversity of initiatives also helps the donor. There are options for different profiles: community campaigns for direct impact in La Guaira, institutional funds with regulated custody, and global organizations with a presence in nearly one hundred countries. Each profile can choose the channel that best fits their needs.
This wave of solidarity confirms a broader trend. Cryptocurrencies are no longer just speculative assets but are becoming a global humanitarian response infrastructure.
Venezuela thus adds a new chapter to the record of disasters in which crypto has served as a bridge of solidarity.
The post Bitcoin and Stablecoins Become Lifelines After Venezuela Earthquakes appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Yuma, an investment firm backed by Digital Currency Group, has launched the Yuma Total Market Fund to give institutional investors diversified exposure to the Bittensor decentralized AI ecosystem in a single vehicle. The fund is designed to track both Bittensor’s native TAO token and a basket of AI-focused subnets without requiring investors to hold or select individual subnet tokens.
In a Thursday announcement, Yuma said the fund began with seed capital from an undisclosed anchor investor. The launch comes as asset managers increasingly look for regulated products tied to decentralized AI networks, following broader institutional interest in blockchain-based alternatives to centralized AI providers.
Key takeaways
- Yuma’s fund targets diversified exposure to Bittensor by combining TAO holdings with a basket of AI subnet exposure under one investment strategy.
- The fund is positioned as a simpler entry point for investors who want Bittensor exposure without manually building a subnet portfolio.
- Bittensor’s subnet economy is often cited as very large, but network data from Taostats indicates the combined subnet value is closer to $300 million than higher estimates.
- Institutional allocation shifts already signal growing interest in TAO and the broader decentralized AI theme, including changes in Grayscale’s Decentralized AI Fund.
- Regulatory product momentum continues, with filings and conversions aimed at bringing TAO exposure into ETF wrappers.
A one-stop fund for Bittensor exposure
According to Yuma, the Yuma Total Market Fund provides exposure to TAO and a basket of AI-oriented subnets through a single investment vehicle. The stated intent is to reduce complexity for institutions that want exposure to the ecosystem’s “total market” rather than picking specific subnets themselves.
Yuma also framed the timing around expanding institutional demand for decentralized AI products. Bittensor, the network behind the ecosystem, supports AI infrastructure and application development using specialized subnets that span areas including compute, marketplaces, and identity.
How big is the subnet economy?
Yuma pointed to Bittensor’s scale, stating that its 128 subnets represent more than $900 million in combined value. However, network tracker Taostats shows a combined subnet value closer to $300 million.
For investors, the difference matters because it can affect how the “basket” inside the fund is sized, weighted, and interpreted relative to the overall ecosystem. Even if TAO remains the focal point for market attention, subnet value is relevant for understanding how diversified exposure may behave when network activity, demand for specific subnet services, or token economics shift.
Institutional interest in TAO is evolving
Yuma’s announcement arrives amid a broader institutional pivot toward decentralized AI exposure, particularly through TAO. Earlier this year, Grayscale increased TAO’s weighting in its Grayscale Decentralized AI Fund to 43% during the fund’s quarterly rebalance in April. Since then, the allocation has reportedly fallen to about 20%.
As Grayscale’s rebalancing progressed, Near Protocol’s NEAR moved into the lead position within the fund at roughly 44%. The shifting weights underscore that decentralized AI exposure inside institutional portfolios is not static—asset managers are adjusting allocations as constituent components change in relative performance, risk, and market interest.
TAO’s broader institutional visibility has also been reflected in its market capitalization being cited at nearly $2.4 billion, according to CoinMarketCap.
ETF momentum and product building
The fund launch also fits a larger wave of attempts to package TAO exposure into familiar exchange-traded wrappers. In April, Bitwise filed for a TAO Strategy ETF with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Separately, Grayscale submitted an amended registration statement aimed at converting its existing Bittensor Trust into a spot TAO exchange-traded fund that—if approved—would list on NYSE Arca. The SEC filing is available through its public EDGAR archive.
While Yuma’s product is a fund and not necessarily an ETF, the parallel push highlights a shared strategy among managers: broaden access to TAO and decentralized AI networks in forms that institutions can more easily allocate to, benchmark, and trade compared with direct, token-by-token exposure.
Why decentralized AI is back in the spotlight
Interest in decentralized AI has also been reinforced by renewed attention to the risks of reliance on a single provider. The renewed debate picked up momentum after the US Commerce Department suspended public access to Anthropic’s Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models over national security and export control concerns.
Grayscale head of research Zach Pandl argued at the time that the restrictions highlighted the dangers of centralized control over AI systems, adding that he expected demand for decentralized AI such as Bittensor and its TAO token to rise as investors look for alternatives to centralized model providers. Earlier coverage also linked the shutdown to a broader case for decentralized approaches to AI infrastructure.
Since then, the situation appears to have eased: the Commerce Department restored access to Mythos 5 on Friday, and Axios reported Saturday that the Trump administration is expected to allow Anthropic to resume public access to Fable 5 as soon as next week.
Even with the access restoration, the episode illustrates the kind of operational and policy risk that can make “provider diversity” an investment theme—exactly the idea behind products that bundle exposure across decentralized ecosystems rather than hinging on a single company’s model availability.
Investors should watch how Yuma’s fund constructs its subnet basket over time and how quickly institutional allocations shift between TAO-centric exposure and broader subnet diversification. With multiple TAO ETF-related filings in motion and policy-driven headlines repeatedly reshaping the decentralized AI narrative, the next key signal will be how regulators and asset managers respond as demand for decentralized AI wrappers grows.
Digital asset infrastructure company BitGo is reducing its workforce by nearly 15% as it shifts its focus toward stablecoins, trading, security, settlement services, and AI-powered infrastructure.
BitGo co-founder and CEO Mike Belshe said the company made the decision because the financial services and crypto sectors have changed significantly, requiring the firm to become more focused and “deliberate” in how it operates.
Workforce Reduction
According to Belshe’s official tweet, the job cuts are intended to help BitGo concentrate its people and resources on areas considered most important for future growth and client needs. He described the move as a difficult decision and acknowledged the contributions of employees who helped build the company.
Belshe said all affected workers would be informed directly by their managers and human resources teams before the announcement became public. Addressing the remaining staff, Belshe urged employees to support one another and communicate closely as the company reorganizes.
The exec also stated that the layoffs are a one-time action, while adding that the company does not expect additional workforce reductions.
“To those of you who are leaving: thank you. You helped shape BitGo into what it is today, and the company will always be better because you were here. I wish you nothing but success ahead. To the team that remains: I know this is still hard. Be good to each other and overcommunicate as we reorganize. We have a clear, strong path forward, and this is a one-time action.”
AI and Market Slump
BitGo’s job cuts come as the crypto industry continues to see layoffs this year. Many firms have blamed weak market conditions and the growing use of artificial intelligence, which has improved efficiency and reduced the need for larger workforces. Coinbase cut roughly 14% of its workforce in May. Besides market conditions and cost discipline, CEO Brian Armstrong also pointed to AI tools helping teams become more efficient, making the company leaner.
Gemini also slashed about 30% of its workforce in March, in the same week as Crypto.com cut 12%.
The post BitGo Slashes Workforce as CEO Bets on AI, Stablecoin and Settlement Growth appeared first on CryptoPotato.
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