The U.S.-blocked company plans to use the proceeds to upgrade production lines and technology after posting explosive growth, including first-quarter revenue of 50.8 billion yuan, up 700% year-on-year. Reuters estimates CXMT held around 7.7% of the global DRAM market last year.

These deals follow SpaceX (SPCX) and Cerebras (CBRS), two AI-related listings that have fueled enthusiasm across semiconductor and memory stocks. Together they reinforce a broader theme: investors are allocating fresh capital to companies building the infrastructure behind artificial intelligence rather than to crypto assets.

Bitcoin BTC$62,985.21 has fallen roughly 50% from its October all-time high to around $63,000, as investors have increasingly favored AI infrastructure plays over digital assets.

The pipeline is far from empty.

OpenAI and Anthropic have both been discussed as companies that could eventually command valuations approaching $1 trillion.

While market expectations had pointed to IPOs as early as this year, however, growing investor unease over AI valuations and a cooling in semiconductor shares could delay those listings until 2027.

Even so, another wave of AI mega offerings would likely continue drawing liquidity away from crypto.

The Bank of Korea (BOK) has doubled down on its stance that won-denominated stablecoins should first be issued through bank-led consortiums.

According to local reports from Digital Asset and EDaily, the central bank made the comments in materials submitted on Thursday to the National Assembly’s finance committee. Local outlets reported that the BOK called for safeguards, including priority issuance by bank-led consortiums and a statutory policy body involving relevant agencies.

The latest comments reinforce the BOK’s months-long push to keep won stablecoin issuance under bank-led structures. The central bank’s stance has divided policymakers and industry groups and contributed to delays in South Korea’s digital asset bill.

The BOK also said it plans to continue developing deposit-token use cases in the second half of the year, including support for government subsidy payments, vouchers, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and further real-world transactions for the general public. Deposit tokens are digital tokens that represent commercial bank deposits.

In April, BOK Governor Hyun-Song Shin expressed support for deposit tokens and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) in his first public address, while South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance announced a pilot to use tokenized deposits for government operational spending. 

BOK’s stablecoin stance keeps bill debate alive 

The BOK’s latest comments add to a policy standoff that has slowed progress on South Korea’s Digital Asset Basic Act. The bill had repeatedly stalled over disagreements on who should be allowed to issue stablecoins, with the BOK pushing for banks to retain majority ownership of stablecoin issuers.

Related: South Korea adds token securities to capital market overhaul

The debate has continued as lawmakers consider how stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) and other digital assets should fit into South Korea’s rulebooks. In April, the ruling Democratic Party proposed to put stablecoins and RWAs under existing financial laws. Despite this, key issues such as whether stablecoin issuers should be bank-led remained unresolved. 

The bill’s timeline, which the government told President Lee Jae-myung in January it aimed to meet by the first quarter of 2026, has since slipped amid the US-Israeli war with Iran that began in late February, local elections, and delays in reorganizing the Assembly’s committee structure.

Magazine: The 5 types of real world assets being tokenized fastest onchain

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Paradigm has raised $1.2 billion for its fourth fund, extending one of crypto venture capital’s biggest names into a wider set of technology markets. The firm said the new vehicle will back builders working in crypto, artificial intelligence, robotics, and other areas near the edge of current software and hardware development.

Co-founder Matt Huang and managing partner Alana Palmedo announced the new fund on July 8, 2026. Paradigm said it began in 2018 with a focus on frontier markets and will now invest “first in crypto” while also expanding across AI and robotics. The company presented the move as a broader mandate, not a retreat from digital assets

https://x.com/matthuang/status/2074873573983035801?s=20 .

Crypto remains part of Paradigm’s plan

Paradigm said it will “continue investing in crypto” and in companies that work on markets and financial systems. It named Hyperliquid, Kalshi, and Tempo among examples linked to that strategy. Hyperliquid operates in crypto derivatives, Kalshi focuses on prediction markets, and Tempo is a stablecoin and agent-friendly blockchain project co-founded with Stripe.

The firm also pointed to its internal work on blockchain tools and security. Foundry and Reth remain part of its open-source work, while Paradigm built EVMbench with OpenAI to test AI agents for smart contract security. These projects show that Paradigm still uses research and software development to support crypto infrastructure.

AI and robotics widen the mandate

Paradigm’s fourth fund also gives the firm more room to back companies outside blockchain. The announcement named Zipline, SendCutSend, True Anomaly, and Nous Research as examples of companies it has supported across drone delivery, rapid manufacturing, space defense, and open AI.

That wider scope follows a larger change across venture capital. AI has drawn large funding rounds in 2026, while crypto investors have started to look for deals where blockchain can support automated payments, data markets, trading, and identity. Paradigm’s line that it is investing across “AI, robotics, and other frontiers” puts the firm inside that wider trend.

Crypto VC follows the AI agent theme

Paradigm is not the only crypto-linked investor moving this way. Framework Ventures closed a $400 million fourth fund in June for crypto, AI, robotics, and energy startups. Haun Ventures also raised $1 billion in May for crypto infrastructure, tokenization, and AI agents.

The common theme is not a full break from crypto. These funds are trying to place capital where digital assets, stablecoins, and machine-led software may overlap. AI agents are one example because they may need payment rails, identity checks, and settlement systems that can run with little manual action.

Paradigm’s new fund arrives as venture money has moved toward a smaller group of AI companies. Crunchbase reported record global startup funding in the first half of 2026, with OpenAI and Anthropic taking more than 40% of the total. That helps explain why crypto funds are watching AI closely.

The raise also gives Paradigm more capital to compete for founders across several fast-moving sectors. Its message to builders was direct: “come build with us.” It also gives founders a larger capital source during a more selective crypto funding cycle. For crypto, the key point is that one of its largest venture backers is now positioning blockchain as part of a broader frontier technology strategy.

• AscendEX shut down after MiCA pressure, weak liquidity, and failed funding left operations unsustainable.
• Users face delayed manual withdrawals, with the exchange unable to guarantee full balance recovery.
• ZachXBT had flagged nearly empty hot wallets before the shutdown, including ETH, USDT, USDC, and SOL.
• The closure revives custody concerns after AscendEX’s 2021 breach, which caused about $78M in losses.

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AscendEX has shut down after regulatory, financial, and operational pressures pushed the crypto exchange into a controlled offboarding process. The platform ceased operations on July 1, then published a notice on July 6 explaining the decision.

The shutdown has left users facing uncertainty over whether they will recover their full crypto balances. The exchange said current liquidity problems may limit payouts, making withdrawals the central issue for affected customers.

MiCA Pressure And Failed Funding Trigger Closure

AscendEX linked its closure to the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework, which came fully into force across the bloc. The platform said it did not hold the authorization required under MiCA, adding that regulatory pressure was only part of the problem.

Financial strain also played a major role. According to the exchange, a planned strategic transaction was expected to provide liquidity and support future growth. However, the counterparty failed to perform, leaving the business without expected funding.

The exchange also cited weak market conditions and operational pressure. Together, those factors forced the platform to stop normal services and begin reviewing its financial position.

That review now matters directly to users. AscendEX said it cannot guarantee that customers will receive all digital assets recorded in their accounts. It also said it cannot confirm the timing or size of any final recoveries.

The warning marks a sharp change from a standard exchange shutdown. Instead of simply closing services and processing withdrawals, the company is now assessing what assets remain available for distribution.

Manual Withdrawals Leave Users Facing Recovery Delays

User access has now been restricted to offboarding activities. Automated withdrawals have been suspended, while withdrawal requests are being reviewed manually.

That process could delay payouts further. The exchange said all claims will follow the same documented review process and that no group of users will receive preferential treatment.

Concerns, however, had already been growing before the notice. Last month, blockchain investigator ZachXBT said users had reported pending withdrawals lasting days or weeks. He also reviewed publicly identified hot wallets linked to the exchange.

According to his review, those hot wallets appeared to hold little or no balance in major assets, including ETH, USDT, USDC, and SOL. However, he also noted that exchange reserves may include cold wallets, third-party custodians, or addresses not publicly labeled.

Days later, ZachXBT urged affected users to report the matter to law enforcement agencies and financial regulators in their own jurisdictions. He also claimed the exchange continued accepting deposits while many withdrawals remained unprocessed.

He further alleged that one large user received no response from co-founder George Jing Cao. However, the company’s July 6 notice did not provide a specific recovery percentage for customers, leaving users with limited clarity on how much they may ultimately recover.

The uncertainty also adds to the exchange’s troubled history. AscendEX was founded in 2018 as BitMax before later rebranding, and it previously suffered a major security breach in 2021, when attackers stole about $78 million in crypto assets.

That attack was later linked to the Lazarus Group. Now, the platform’s closure has again placed user funds at the center of the story.

For affected customers, the immediate concern is recovery. For the wider market, the shutdown is another reminder that exchange account balances are not the same as direct asset control.

“The under-covered angle is that this metric is documenting the end of the exchange-custody era,” Ben Nadareski, CEO of Solstice, said. The bigger story may not be lower exchange balances themselves, but where those assets are moving to.

“Assets are leaving trading venues for two destinations: regulated custody on one side, productive onchain positions on the other,” he said.

Moreover, the argument that bull runs always follow a steady decline in exchange balance is not necessarily true. For instance, in 2022, the supply on exchanges remained low, yet prices crashed hard.

HODLing is real

While the indicator may not be as dependable as before, it doesn’t change the fact that BTC is being accumulated by a variety of market participants in anticipation of a price increase.

“Over 130 public companies now hold bitcoin on their balance sheets, and spot ETFs have absorbed a growing share into regulated custody,” Zalan said.

According to Bitcoin Treasuries, public companies hold about 1,264,579 BTC, private ones 281,752, government entities 649,954, DeFi and other protocols 369,595, while ETFs and exchanges have 1,622,533. Its data also shows treasury companies hold about 7.252 million ETH.

Combined with nearly 7 million bitcoin in dormant wallets, a total of just under 11.2 million bitcoin sits outside active trade, which is about 56.5% of the currently circulating supply of roughly 20.05 million.

Key Highlights

• Paradigm secures $1.2 billion in its fourth venture capital fund
• Investment strategy now encompasses AI, robotics, and emerging frontier technologies beyond cryptocurrency
• Portfolio already includes drone company Zipline and space defense firm True Anomaly
• Venture capital funding reached unprecedented $510 billion in H1 2026 globally
• Cryptocurrency sector attracted $10.8 billion in venture investments during the same period

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One of cryptocurrency’s most prominent venture capital firms, Paradigm, has successfully closed a $1.2 billion funding round for its latest investment vehicle, signaling a strategic pivot toward artificial intelligence, robotics, and other cutting-edge technologies while maintaining its crypto roots.

The Wednesday announcement represents a notable evolution for Paradigm, which previously concentrated exclusively on cryptocurrency investments across three funds totaling more than $4 billion since its 2018 establishment.

Strategic Diversification Initiative

Alana Palmedo, managing partner at Paradigm, explained to Bloomberg that while cryptocurrency investments remain central to the firm’s mission, the broader technology landscape presents opportunities too significant to overlook.

“Crypto was the first frontier for us, and it continues to be a really exciting one, but there’s so much else happening right now that’s pretty hard to ignore,” she said.

Co-founder Matt Huang telegraphed this strategic direction as early as June 2023. In a post on X, he acknowledged that artificial intelligence developments were becoming “too interesting to ignore” while reaffirming the firm’s dedication to cryptocurrency markets. Huang dismissed concerns about competition between the sectors, predicting “plenty of overlap” between AI and crypto.

The new fund has already been put to work. Current investments include Zipline International, which operates autonomous drone delivery systems and achieved a $7.6 billion valuation this January, alongside True Anomaly, a space defense technology company that secured a $2.2 billion valuation in April.

Additional portfolio companies include AI developer Nous Research, robotic metal fabrication service SendCutSend, and blockchain development tools Foundry and Reth.

Industry-Wide Expansion Movement

Paradigm’s strategic shift reflects a broader pattern among cryptocurrency-focused investors. Framework Ventures secured $400 million last month for diversified investments spanning crypto, artificial intelligence, robotics, and energy infrastructure. Similarly, Haun Ventures closed a $1 billion fund in May, incorporating AI investments for the first time in its portfolio strategy.

Global venture capital deployment reached an all-time high of $510 billion during the first half of 2026, exceeding the $440 billion invested throughout the entire previous year, based on Crunchbase data.

Artificial intelligence companies absorbed the lion’s share of this capital influx. OpenAI and Anthropic together captured more than 40% of total venture funding during the year’s first six months.

Cryptocurrency ventures, in contrast, attracted $10.8 billion in venture capital during the identical timeframe, according to Cryptorank figures. This represents a modest portion of the overall venture market.

Paradigm maintains significant cryptocurrency exposure through ongoing investments. The firm emphasized its stakes in Hyperliquid, a cryptocurrency perpetuals trading platform, and Kalshi, which operates prediction markets.

Matt Huang and Fred Ehrsam, Coinbase’s co-founder, established Paradigm together. The firm launched a $2.5 billion cryptocurrency-focused fund in 2021, setting a record as the largest dedicated crypto fund at that time, before raising an additional $850 million in 2024 specifically for early-stage blockchain ventures.

With its fourth fund now operational, Paradigm states it will “continue to research and build where it accelerates” cryptocurrency sector development while aggressively pursuing investment opportunities in related frontier technology markets.