Crypto World
Blockfills co-founder and CEO Nicholas Hammer has stepped down
Nicholas Hammer, co-founder and CEO of crypto lender Blockfills, has stepped down from his leadership role, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.
The firm’s website now lists Joseph Perry as the interim CEO. A company spokesperson confirmed that Hammer was CEO until July 2025.
The change of leadership comes as the firm has suffered losses of around $75 million and suspended client deposits and withdrawals earlier this month.
Blockfills is also said to have urged some clients to withdraw their crypto assets before the platform halted deposits and withdrawals on Feb. 11, the person said, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the matter is private. Customer deposits remain suspended as of publication time.
CoinDesk reported last week that the Chicago-based firm was seeking a buyer after the losses.
Hammer did not respond to a request for comment by the publication time. His LinkedIn profile, as of 5.58 pm UTC on Feb. 25, still lists him as CEO of Blockfills.
The firm said in the Feb. 11 press release that it was working with investors and clients to reach a swift resolution and restore liquidity to the platform.
“Clients have been able to continue trading with BlockFills for the purpose of opening and closing positions in spot and derivatives trading and select other circumstances,” the company said at the time.
Blockfills’ abrupt halt to withdrawals revives memories of the 2022 crypto winter, when firms including Celsius, BlockFi and Genesis froze customer accounts as markets unraveled.
The market has struggled to regain traction in early 2026, with major tokens well below recent highs amid cautious sentiment. Bitcoin has remained below $70,000 after a sharp pullback from its late-2025 all-time high, while ether (ETH) trades around $2,000 amid weakness across the digital asset market.
The company said it handled more than $60 billion in trading volume in 2025, up 28% from a year earlier, and ranks among the most active institutional crypto lending and borrowing desks. It serves roughly 2,000 institutional clients, including hedge funds, asset managers and mining firms.
Blockfills is backed by investors including Susquehanna Private Equity Investments, CME Ventures, Simplex Ventures, C6E and Nexo. The company raised $37 million in a January 2022 Series A funding round.
Read more: Susquehanna-backed Blockfills up for sale after $75 million lending loss
UPDATE (Feb. 25, 6 pm UTC): Updates story with the company’s comment on the CEO’s departure.
Forward Industries, a publicly traded company with a Solana-focused treasury strategy, has launched a share repurchase program funded through a crypto-backed loan from Galaxy Digital LLC, underscoring how digital assets are increasingly being used in traditional corporate finance.
The company said Thursday it will repurchase 6,164,324 shares of its common stock from an unnamed institutional investor for approximately $27.4 million, reducing total shares outstanding to 76,977,809.
Cointelegraph’s email to Forward seeking further information on the identity of the selling institutional investor was not answered prior to publication.
Public filings indicate that only six institutional investors in Forward Industries hold enough shares to sell that volume back to the company. According to filings data compiled by Fintel.io, one of those holders is Galaxy Digital LP (8.68 million shares, as of Sept. 18, 2025) and another is Galaxy Group Investments LLC (8.11 million shares, as of Feb. 18, 2026.)
To fund the buyback, Forward secured a $40 million loan from Galaxy Digital LLC at an interest rate of 3.4%. The loan is collateralized by the company’s Solana (SOL) holdings, which total 7,013,536 SOL — valued at approximately $613 million at current market prices.
The structure allows Forward to access liquidity without liquidating its crypto reserves, while continuing to generate yield through staking. The move reflects a broader trend of companies leveraging digital asset treasuries to optimize capital structure and potentially enhance shareholder returns.
The share repurchase appears to be part of Forward Industries’ November authorization to buy back up to $1 billion of its stock on an ongoing basis. At the time, the company said the program would provide financial flexibility amid heightened volatility in the crypto market.
That volatility has intensified in recent months, with Solana’s price falling below $90. The buyback may also help support Forward Industries’ stock, which is down 87% from its September peak.
Related: Crypto’s 2026 investment playbook: Bitcoin, stablecoin infrastructure, tokenized assets
Crypto treasury strategies face pressure
Forward Industries began aggressively accumulating Solana last year, when crypto treasury strategies gained traction during the bull market. The company has since built the largest publicly traded SOL treasury, with at least 18 other public companies adopting similar strategies, according to industry data.
By February, these companies collectively held more than $1.5 billion in unrealized losses tied to the broader crypto market downturn. A significant portion of those losses is attributed to Forward Industries, which is down roughly $972 million.
The sector’s volatility is likely to result in broad consolidation among crypto treasury companies, Wojciech Kaszycki of crypto infrastructure company BTCS told Cointelegraph.
Many treasury companies are under pressure as declining crypto prices push their valuations below the value of the digital assets they hold, while limited cash flow makes it harder to sustain operations.
Cardano advances toward its protocol 11 upgrade, with a key node release expected within days. The network continues structured preparations for the van Rossem hard fork. Developers now focus on testing, integration, and performance validation across the ecosystem.
Node Release Drives Upgrade Timeline
Cardano plans to release Node 10.7.0 as a critical step toward the protocol 11 upgrade. This version follows the earlier 10.6.2 release, which began the preparation phase. The upcoming release introduces features beyond hard fork readiness.
Moreover, developers expect Node 10.7.0 to trigger wider ecosystem upgrades across tools and services. Teams will integrate the node into existing infrastructure and begin coordinated testing efforts. This process ensures compatibility before any major network transition.
However, performance results will determine the next steps in the rollout sequence. Additional minor updates may follow if testing reveals areas needing refinement. This staged approach helps maintain network stability during the transition.
Testing Phase Expands Across Ecosystem
Cardano’s ecosystem will begin integration testing once the new node version becomes available. Developers aim to validate performance, stability, and compatibility across various applications. This phase plays a central role in preparing for the hard fork.
Besides node integration, supporting tools such as DBSync will align with the new version. The updated DBSync release will match Node 10.7.0 without introducing serialization changes. This decision reduces the risk of disruptions for hardware wallet users.
Meanwhile, prerelease versions allow developers to test new features in controlled environments. These tests provide early feedback and highlight potential issues before broader deployment. Consequently, the network can address concerns before reaching mainnet activation.
Protocol 11 Introduces New Capabilities
Protocol version 11 will introduce several new Plutus built-in functions to enhance smart contract performance. These additions include array types, modular exponentiation, and multi-scalar cryptographic operations. Each feature aims to improve efficiency and expand developer capabilities.
Furthermore, the upgrade will refine ledger rules while maintaining compatibility with existing contracts. The changes avoid altering transaction structures, which simplifies adoption across the ecosystem. This approach reduces the need for extensive modifications by developers.
SanchoNet has already upgraded to support these new built-ins for testing purposes. Additionally, smart contract tools such as Scalus now support the updated functionality. These preparations ensure developers can experiment before the main network transition.
Intra-Era Upgrade Minimizes Disruption
The van Rossem upgrade represents a small intra-era change rather than a major structural shift. It focuses on performance improvements and added functionality without disrupting existing operations. This design allows smoother adoption across the network.
Moreover, the upgrade enhances cryptographic capabilities while maintaining system consistency. Developers gain access to more efficient tools without needing to rebuild deployed applications. This balance supports innovation while preserving stability.
Consequently, Cardano positions protocol 11 as a measured upgrade with targeted benefits. The network strengthens performance and expands functionality without introducing major risks. This strategy reflects a controlled and incremental development approach.
Bybit has unveiled a yield-bearing tokenized gold product built on Tether Gold (XAUT), enabling users to earn interest on their XAUT holdings while staying exposed to gold’s price movements. The offering marks a concrete step in Bybit’s broader push into tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) and signals growing industry interest in turning traditionally non-yielding assets into income-generating instruments.
Marketed as the largest tokenized gold product, the Bybit service centers on XAUT, a tokenized form of gold intended to provide on-chain exposure with the potential for yield. Bybit described the arrangement as a way for holders to generate passive income without relinquishing their exposure to gold prices. Earlier this month, CoinMarketCap data placed Tether Gold’s market capitalization at just under $3 billion, underscoring the scale of tokenized gold as a tradable, on-chain asset.
The introduction sits within a wider industry move to tokenize real-world assets and harness capital markets mechanics on blockchain rails. Bybit’s move is part of a broader expansion into tokenized RWAs, a trend that includes specialized investment structures and yield strategies designed to monetize asset classes traditionally viewed as buy-and-hold stores of value. Industry trackers have highlighted a rapid rise in tokenized RWAs in recent years, with DeFiLlama data showing growth in 2026 and continued momentum into this year.
In another notable development this week, tokenization platform Theo disclosed a $100 million structured investment facility backing its gold-linked yield-stablecoin thUSD. The arrangement combines tokenized gold acquisitions with hedging via gold futures to lock in financing and arbitrage-driven returns, rather than depending solely on outright price appreciation. The approach illustrates a broader appetite for finance-on-rails strategies that use tokenized gold as a collateral or reference asset while attempting to harvest spreads from markets beyond simple price moves.
Gold’s recent price action provides a complex backdrop for these products. After a historic rally that propelled the metal to multi-decade highs, gold has experienced pronounced volatility as macro expectations shift. Prices remain elevated relative to historical norms, even as they pulled back from peaks. The market’s positioning has also drawn attention: in January, Bank of America’s global fund manager survey identified long gold as the most crowded trade, reflecting crowded bets as participants weighed inflation, rate trajectories, and geopolitical risk alongside the metal’s traditional role as a hedging asset. Bloomberg has also noted that gold’s premium versus its long-term trend reached its highest level since 1980, underscoring a disconnect between price levels and macro fundamentals in the near term.
Beyond individual assets, the broader tokenized commodities landscape continues to expand. Cointelegraph reported that the market for tokenized commodities surpassed $6 billion in February, driven in large part by gold’s historic rally and ongoing demand for on-chain exposure to traditional assets. The surge in tokenized RWAs—already a focus for Bybit and others—highlights a shift toward more sophisticated, yield-oriented wrappers around real-world assets as participants seek new sources of income in a market environment of rising yields and evolving regulatory frameworks.
Key takeaways
- Bybit launches a yield-bearing product on Tether Gold (XAUT), enabling holders to earn passive income while maintaining gold exposure.
- XAUT is described as the largest tokenized gold offering, with Tether Gold’s market cap approaching $3 billion earlier this month.
- The move aligns with a broader push into tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) as crypto platforms explore income-generating wrappers around traditional assets.
- Theo’s $100 million structured facility backing thUSD illustrates a parallel model: tokenized gold assets financed with hedging and derivatives to capture spreads, not just price moves.
- Gold remains volatile after a historic rally; long gold was flagged as the most crowded trade by Bank of America, and Bloomberg notes the metal’s premium to trend at a multi-decade high, complicating the outlook for tokenized gold strategies.
Bybit’s yield model and the RWAs push
Bybit’s yield-bearing on XAUT represents a practical application of tokenized gold beyond passive price tracking. By converting tokenized gold into an income-generating instrument, Bybit aims to attract yield-oriented investors who want exposure to gold’s price dynamics without forgoing potential returns from the lending, financing, or staking-like mechanics embedded in the token’s structure. While the precise mechanics—such as how yields are generated, risk controls, and withdrawal terms—were not exhaustively disclosed, the product fits a pattern of increasingly sophisticated RWAs that blend traditional asset classes with on-chain liquidity and structured finance concepts.
The broader RWAs trend, already visible in research noting growth in tokenized RWAs and the acceleration of tokenized commodities, suggests that institutions and retail users alike are testing whether blockchain rails can support more complex financial products. The Theo facility underscores the appetite for gold-linked yield strategies, pairing physical collateral with derivative hedges to seek returns from financing markets. If these structures prove robust at scale, they could broaden the menu for asset owners seeking liquidity and for traders seeking yield opportunities in a market that has historically rewarded patience over quarterly income streams.
Gold’s path and what it means for tokenized assets
The gold market’s volatility remains a central factor for investors in tokenized gold vehicles. While the metal’s ascent captured broad attention, the subsequent pullback has reminded market participants that macro dynamics—rising real yields, a stronger dollar, and evolving expectations for monetary policy—continue to shape gold’s risk-reward profile. The crowded-long-position signal from Bank of America’s survey highlights a potential risk of a sharp shift in sentiment if macro catalysts shift again. Meanwhile, Bloomberg’s observation that gold’s premium to its long-term trend is at levels not seen since 1980 adds another layer of watchfulness for investors weighing tokenized versions of the metal against conventional futures and spot markets.
Industry data also reinforces a broader shift toward tokenized assets as viable income streams. The February milestone of tokenized commodities crossing the $6 billion mark points to persistent demand for on-chain access to traditional asset classes. As tokenized RWAs become more commonplace, observers will be watching how risk management, regulatory clarity, and interoperability across chains influence the speed and scope of adoption. Bybit’s move into yield-bearing XAUT sits at the intersection of these trends—demonstrating both the appeal of yield opportunities and the ongoing need to manage price risk in a connected, asset-backed crypto economy.
What readers should watch next
Market participants should monitor how yield-bearing tokenized gold products perform across different market regimes, especially as macro conditions evolve and as liquidity and risk controls mature. Investors will want clarity on fee structures, collateral arrangements, and redemption terms, as well as how these products fare during periods of heightened volatility or stress in traditional capital markets.
As tokenized RWAs continue to mature, the coming quarters could reveal whether yield-based structures around gold and other real-world assets become mainstream tools for portfolio construction, or whether they remain specialized instruments used by a subset of traders and institutions. The evolving regulatory backdrop will also shape which models gain traction and how quickly durable, scalable offerings can emerge.
Gauntlet, one of decentralized finance’s (DeFi) leading providers for risk management tools, has seen its total value locked (TVL), a measure of the assets deposited across its vaults, fall sharply over the past seven days, dropping 22.84% to $1.325 billion.
That has erased roughly $380 million in dollar-denominated value from a week-ago peak of approximately $1.72 billion, according to DeFiLlama data. The decline accelerated Thursday with a single-day slide of 7.57%.
The primary driver, according to Gauntlet, was the conclusion of OKX’s pre-deposit campaign on the DeFi-focused blockchain, Katana. Pre-deposit campaigns — where users are incentivized to park capital ahead of a protocol launch — can produce sharp TVL spikes that unwind quickly once the campaign ends or if a token airdrop occurs. The chart bears this out: Gauntlet’s TVL surged sharply around March 2 before reversing just as steeply.
The asset outflows are predominantly stablecoin-based, Gauntlet noted.
The scale of the move is notable given what Gauntlet actually does. Think of it as a risk management consultancy for DeFi — the firm helps protocols understand, for example, what percentage of a borrower’s collateral would be at risk of liquidation if ETH fell 30% overnight. It doesn’t hold funds itself; instead, it sets the parameters that govern how lending markets and vaults behave.
Its TVL is a measure of the capital held within systems that Gauntlet is responsible for safeguarding. When that number falls sharply, it can reflect either market stress or, as in this case, the mechanical end of an incentive program.
Gauntlet, which received a $1 billion valuation in 2022, currently manages three vaults — essentially pooled deposit accounts where users lock up capital in exchange for a yield. The vaults hold USDC, BTC, and WETH, respectively. The USDC vault is the most liquid, offering an APY of 4.86%, while the others offer between 2% and 2.3%. The outflows could also reflect DeFi traders rotating capital to higher-yielding alternatives — SOL-based protocols like Jito, for example, currently offer 5.69%.
Gauntlet has navigated large capital swings before. In October 2025, its USDT vaults absorbed a $775 million single-transaction deposit — a 40x TVL increase — and recovered to pre-deposit levels within ten days through active reallocation and new collateral market additions. The firm framed this week’s outflows in similar terms, noting that incentive campaign endings, token generation events, and shifts in market conditions regularly produce short-period swings in either direction.
“Institutional risk managers manage through these events,” the firm said in a statement to CoinDesk. “Working to maintain rates, preserve capital supplied to vaults, and adjusting to market conditions.”
Oliver Knight contributed reporting to this story.
Read more: Tokenized Apollo Credit Fund Makes DeFi Debut With Levered-Yield Strategy by Securitize, Gauntlet
Crypto World
DeepSnitch AI Presale Launch Date Locked In For 100x, While Bitcoin Hyper and Remittix Lack of Clarity Leave Investors Weary
Investors watching the market know timing is everything, and the confirmed DeepSnitch AI presale launch date gives them certainty that other projects lack. Bitcoin Hyper and Remittix have stalled for months despite raising millions. However, DeepSnitch AI is live, with a clear path from presale to Uniswap listing.
DeepSnitch AI ($DSNT) has raised $2.21 million in stage 7 at $0.04487. The March 31 deadline marks the final window for early access as investors target 100x. After this, there is the DeepSnitch AI token release. This makes it one of the few projects where investors can secure allocations with confidence.
Whales accumulate TRUMP tokens ahead of Mar-a-Lago gala
Whale activity for the TRUMP (MAGA) memecoin has surged to a five-month high following the announcement of an exclusive April 25 luncheon at Mar-a-Lago. Santiment reports that 83 wallets now hold over one million tokens each. This accumulation is driven by the limitation of access to only the top 297 holders.
Beyond the meeting with Trump, the presence of Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino as a guest speaker has also fueled interest in the launcheon. His involvement has sparked speculation about potential ecosystem integrations or stability partnerships. This narrative pushed the token price up over 50% shortly after the news.
DeepSnitch AI presale launch date set in stone as verification layer turns heads
Investors have been excited after the DeepSnitch AI launch announcement, which clearly fixed the presale end date to March 31. This marks the final window for early entry. After that, a seven-day claim period begins, followed by the official Uniswap launch. Additional exchange listings are expected soon after as adoption grows.
This transition from presale to open market is heating up, as many other presales have yet to announce a launch date after nearly a year.
Beyond the DeepSnitch AI presale launch date, what’s driving visibility is its positioning. DeepSnitch AI is already live while in presale.
It’s operating on a verification layer that remains essential in every market cycle. While trends shift, the need to track smart contracts, liquidity, and whale activity never disappears. The five AI agents make this possible by tracking critical market movements, acting as Investors’ eyes and ears.
Its system continuously delivers these insights via its intuitive dashboard. This helps traders stay ahead of risks and opportunities regardless of market direction.
As the deadline approaches, early access is running out quickly. Once $DSNT launches, the entry advantage disappears.
Bitcoin Hyper presale stalls as Layer‑2 Launch remains unseen
Bitcoin Hyper began its presale in May 2025, but it still hasn’t delivered an actual Layer‑2 network or a mainnet launch. It’s being promoted as a Bitcoin Layer‑2 solution with claims of high scalability and support for smart contracts. However, there’s no public testnet and no live infrastructure to show that its technology works beyond the marketing narrative.
The presale continues with $32 million raised. Investors are showing exhaustion following countdown resets, yet there has been no tangible progress. This has made DeepSnitch AI a more attractive option, as it has not only launched its platform but also set a fixed DeepSnitch AI presale launch date.
Remittix promises continue as the platform launch keeps delaying
Since its December 2024 launch, Remittix has raised over $29.7 million. It successfully released its iOS beta wallet in late 2025. However, Remittix was supposed to hit its most significant milestone on February 9, with the official launch of its PayFi platform, but the team failed to launch on that date.
Investors have ever since complained about the lengthy presale duration. Besides the beta wallet, all the team has offered are promises and excuses. This sets DeepSnitch AI apart, as it has consistently delivered with a clear DeepSnitch AI presale launch date in place.
Conclusion
DeepSnitch AI continues to stand out as the presale investors can actually rely on. With the DeepSnitch AI presale launch date set, early participants can secure allocations before $DSNT hits Uniswap. With utilities already live, it’s one of the few projects delivering results and a fixed timeline.
A $2,000 allocation currently delivers 44,620 $DSNT tokens. With the 30% presale bonus, investors receive an extra 13,386 tokens. Missing this window could mean losing the early positioning and watching the momentum pass by.
Visit the official website today. Also, join the community on X and Telegram to stay updated.
FAQs
When is the DeepSnitch AI presale launch date?
The DeepSnitch AI presale launch date is set for after March 31, with a 7-day claim window. Then, $DSNT will officially list on Uniswap. This clear timeline gives investors certainty, unlike stalled presales without launch dates.
What can investors expect from the DeepSnitch AI launch announcement?
The DeepSnitch AI launch announcement will follow the presale claim period, officially marking the transition to public trading. Investors will see $DSNT listed on Uniswap, with additional exchange listings expected soon after.
How does the DeepSnitch AI presale timeline affect token release?
The DeepSnitch AI presale timeline ensures a structured rollout. Presale ends March 31; a seven-day claim window opens, and the DeepSnitch AI token release follows immediately.
Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.
Europe’s largest asset manager has launched its second on-chain fund, leveraging Chainlink oracles to publish NAV data.
Amundi, Europe’s largest asset manager with €2.4 trillion in AUM, and tokenized fund platform Spiko have launched the Spiko Amundi Overnight Swap Fund (SAFO), a tokenized UCITS vehicle with its shareholder register hosted on Ethereum and Stellar, with Chainlink providing on-chain NAV oracle infrastructure.
The fund is Amundi’s second blockchain-based issuance following a tokenized money market fund on Ethereum in November.
Chainlink oracles bridge the gap between off-chain fund valuation and on-chain execution, recording SAFO’s net asset value across both networks. The dual-chain architecture pairs Ethereum’s smart contract ecosystem with Stellar’s lower-cost transfer rails.
Total Return Swaps
SAFO is structurally different from the tokenized Treasury bill funds that dominate the on-chain real-world asset (RWA) market today. Rather than investing in government securities, the fund holds a portfolio of assets on behalf of a major bank, which pays the fund an agreed rate above risk-free benchmarks in exchange for the portfolio’s investment returns. Banks are willing to pay this premium because holding assets on their own balance sheet is expensive due to regulatory capital requirements.
The fund uses fully collateralized total return swaps with top banks, starting with BNP Paribas, to deliver stable yields and provide overnight liquidity. Eligible counterparties include Société Générale, Crédit Agricole CIB, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citi, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, UBS, and HSBC.
The product is available in EUR, USD, GBP, and CHF. CACEIS serves as a depositary bank and fund administrator, while Spiko acts as transfer agent, tokenization platform, and broker.
The launch extends Spiko’s rapid rise in European tokenized finance. The platform surpassed $1 billion in distributed asset value in February, according to RWAxyz, up from $190 million a year ago.
RWA Boom
SAFO arrives as the tokenized RWA market continues to expand. Distributed asset value stood at $27.3 billion as of March 19, up 9% over the past 30 days, according to RWAxyz.
2025 was a breakout year for RWAs. The sector was valued at around $5.5 billion in early 2025 but tripled to roughly $18.6 billion over the course of the year. Tokenized Treasuries and private credit have fueled the growth, with institutional products such as BlackRock’s BUIDL and Franklin Templeton’s BENJI driving adoption.
The dollar index fell below 100 as traders sold the greenback after the Fed meeting, with USD/JPY sliding on rising BOJ hike and intervention risks and mixed signals for emerging markets and Bitcoin.
Summary
- DXY slid 0.5% to 99.79 and USD/JPY dropped 1% to 158.22 as traders unwound crowded dollar longs after the Fed flagged sticky inflation but acknowledged rising macro uncertainty.
- Markets now eye a possible BOJ move toward 1% and FX intervention if USD/JPY threatens 160, shifting rate divergence away from a one-way dollar trade.
- A weaker dollar gives only limited relief to crypto, with Bitcoin still down over 4% around $71,313 as the Fed’s higher-for-longer stance and oil shock overshadow FX tailwinds.
The U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) fell below the psychologically significant 100 level on Thursday, sliding 0.5% to 99.79 as markets digested the aftermath of Wednesday’s Federal Reserve meeting and recalibrated positions across currency markets. USD/JPY dropped 1% to 158.22, one of its sharpest single-session declines in weeks, as a combination of post-FOMC profit-taking, rising rate divergence expectations, and the looming prospect of Bank of Japan intervention weighed on the dollar against the yen.
The move is notable precisely because of its direction. As recently as last week, the DXY had broken back above 100 for the first time since late 2025, driven higher by safe-haven demand from the Iran conflict and inflation fears stemming from the Strait of Hormuz disruption. That rally had pushed USD/JPY as high as 159.40 during Tuesday’s Asian session. Thursday’s reversal therefore represents a meaningful technical breakdown, with the 100 level now flipping from support to resistance.
The dollar’s weakness in the wake of a hawkish Fed statement appears counterintuitive on its surface — Powell raised the 2026 inflation forecast to 2.7%, signalled only one rate cut for the year, and explicitly cited the oil shock as a persistent inflationary risk. In a traditional macro framework, that combination should support the dollar. But currency markets have responded differently, focusing instead on three complicating factors.
First, much of the hawkish repricing had already occurred in the days leading up to the FOMC meeting, with market expectations for Fed easing having compressed from two-to-three cuts earlier in the year to just one. With that narrative largely priced, the announcement became a sell-the-news event for dollar bulls who had positioned for upside. Second, Powell’s acknowledgement of heightened economic uncertainty — including the risk that the oil shock could simultaneously depress growth while keeping inflation elevated — raised fresh concerns about the dollar’s medium-term trajectory if the U.S. economy weakens while the Fed’s hands remain tied by inflation. Third, and critically, the divergence between the Fed and other major central banks is shifting.
The Bank of Japan held its policy rate unchanged at 0.75% on Thursday — its highest since September 1995 — but markets are pricing a rate increase to 1.00% by end-June. Mizuho Financial’s markets co-chief Kenya Koshimizu told Reuters in February that up to three BOJ hikes in 2026 are entirely possible. Japan’s Finance Minister has also stated explicitly that authorities stand ready to intervene in FX markets if yen weakness persists, with USD/JPY above 160 viewed as a potential trigger for BOJ action. Thursday’s 1% drop in USD/JPY, pulling the pair to 158.22, suggests markets are pre-empting that intervention risk.
The dollar’s stumble below 100 is also a signal to emerging markets and commodity-linked currencies. The Philippine peso breached the 60-per-dollar level on Thursday as oil costs weighed on the country’s import bill, while gold stabilised following a sharp 4% decline in the prior session. For crypto markets, a weaker dollar historically provides modest tailwind support — but with Bitcoin already down 4.62% to $71,313 on the day, macro headwinds from the Fed’s inflation posture are currently overwhelming any currency-driven relief.
DDC Enterprise bought 200 BTC at $79,969 each, lifting its 2,383 BTC treasury above its $66m market cap as it leans harder into a high‑beta Bitcoin proxy strategy.
Summary
- DDC Enterprise added 200 BTC at an average $79,969, taking its corporate stash to 2,383 BTC worth about $165m and ranking 32nd among public Bitcoin holders.
- The New York-listed Asian food platform now has a $66.43m market cap, meaning its Bitcoin holdings alone materially exceed the company’s equity value.
- Armed with up to $528m in structured financing and a 5,000–10,000 BTC reserve target, DDC is executing a MicroStrategy-style playbook of aggressive, weekly BTC accumulation.
DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSEAMERICAN: DDC) announced the purchase of an additional 200 Bitcoin on Thursday, bringing its total corporate treasury holdings to 2,383 BTC valued at approximately $165 million — a move that underscores the company’s determination to keep accumulating even as markets sell off under the weight of the Iran war and surging oil prices.
The purchase was made at an average cost of $79,969 per Bitcoin, lifting DDC to 32nd place among publicly listed corporate Bitcoin holders globally, according to data from Bitcointreasuries.net. The company’s year-to-date “BTC yield” — a metric tracking the growth in Bitcoin holdings per share — stands at 44.9%, reflecting an aggressive pace of accumulation since the start of 2026.
DDC Enterprise is a New York-listed global Asian food platform that has, over the past year, reinvented itself as one of the most active small-cap corporate Bitcoin accumulators in the world. The company’s current market capitalization stands at just $66.43 million — meaning its Bitcoin treasury, valued at approximately $165 million at current prices, materially exceeds its equity value.
The accumulation story began in earnest in mid-2025, when CEO and Founder Norma Chu announced up to $528 million in structured financing — one of the largest single-purpose Bitcoin raises by any NYSE-listed company at the time — with substantially all proceeds earmarked for Bitcoin acquisition. By the end of 2025, DDC held 1,183 BTC. Since January 1, 2026 alone, the company has added 1,200 BTC, effectively more than doubling its holdings in less than three months.
Thursday’s purchase is at least the eighth consecutive weekly accumulation event. The company bought 600 BTC in January 2026 across three separate transactions, followed by weekly purchases of 100 BTC, 80 BTC, 50 BTC, and further tranches through February and March. Each announcement has been accompanied by a statement from Chu, who said Thursday: “Every additional Bitcoin we add is a statement about where we think long-term value is heading.”
The timing is notable. With BTC trading below $70,000 — down more than 3% on the day — and geopolitical risk at its highest point since the war began, DDC is buying into weakness rather than momentum. The company’s average cost per Bitcoin of $79,969 means the treasury is currently underwater relative to purchase price, yet the firm shows no sign of slowing its accumulation program.
DDC’s strategy closely mirrors, at smaller scale, the MicroStrategy playbook pioneered by Michael Saylor — treating Bitcoin not as a speculative asset but as a primary reserve, funded through equity and debt financing rather than operating cash flow. The company describes its goal as building “a world-class Bitcoin treasury defined by strong governance and repeatable execution,” while maintaining its core Asian food business alongside the digital asset strategy.
With its stock trading at $2.18, down sharply from a 52-week high of $20.83, and a beta of 5.7, DDC remains one of the highest-volatility Bitcoin proxy plays available to U.S. equity investors — a high-risk, high-conviction bet that the price of Bitcoin will ultimately vindicate the math.
Vivek Ramaswamy Strive Asset Management just passed Tesla on the corporate Bitcoin leaderboard.
The firm now holds 13,310.9 BTC worth roughly $944 million, claiming the 10th spot among public treasury holders. Tesla’s 11,509 BTC is now behind them.
The update came alongside Q4 results that also confirmed a dividend hike for SATA preferred stock to 12.75% and a $50 million investment in Strategy’s STRC preferred stock.
Strive is not just talking about Bitcoin. It is building a treasury to match.
- BTC Holdings: Strive now holds 13,310.9 BTC (~$944M), surpassing Tesla to enter the top 10 public treasuries.
- SATA Dividend: The board hiked the dividend on SATA preferred stock to 12.75% to attract yield-focused capital.
- STRC Investment: The firm deployed $50 million into Strategy’s STRC preferred stock to generate yield on its balance sheet.
Ramaswamy Strive’s Bitcoin Capital Stack: Funding the Buy
Strive is scaling its Bitcoin treasury fast using a mix of at-the-market offerings and structured finance instruments.
Since going public in September 2025, the firm has accumulated BTC through PIPE proceeds and its acquisition of Semler Scientific. The latest tranche added roughly 317 BTC.
The capital stack is deliberate. Strive purchased $50 million of Strategy’s STRC preferred stock to fund its SATA dividend program. Holding high-yield Bitcoin-backed instruments like STRC generates the cash flow needed to support the 12.75% payout while maintaining direct BTC exposure at the same time.
The numbers back the approach. Strive reported a Bitcoin Yield of 22.2% in Q4 2025. GAAP net loss came in at $393.6 million driven by fair value declines. But GAAP is not the metric investors in this playbook are watching. BTC per share accretion is. And that number is moving in the right direction.
What It Means for Corporate Adoption: A New Leaderboard
Passing Tesla is more than a leaderboard moment. Tesla has held a static position since its initial buys and partial sales. Strive represents something different entirely. A financial firm actively re-engineering its balance sheet around Bitcoin as a core strategy.
The shift is broader than one company. Institutional crypto is moving from passive holding to active treasury management. Evernorth built a SPAC around XRP reserves.
Strive is proving public markets will award a premium to companies that successfully securitize Bitcoin holdings. The model gives shareholders Bitcoin volatility plus a yield component through the 12.75% SATA dividend. Spot ETFs cannot offer that combination.
CEO Matthew Cole has signaled the accumulation is not slowing down. Over $83 million in cash remains on hand with a $500 million shelf offering still available. The buy walls are staying active.
The infrastructure is built. The capital is deployed. The race for balance sheet supremacy is accelerating and Strive just moved into the top 10.
Discover: The best new crypto in the world
The post Vivek Ramaswamy Strive Beats Tesla in Bitcoin Holdings, Hikes SATA Dividend to 12.75% appeared first on Cryptonews.
Crypto World
Shiba Inu Price Prediction 2026: SHIB Fights to Reclaim Its Glory While Pepeto Offers the 150x Early Window That SHIB Already Closed
A truck driver put $650 into Shiba Inu in 2020 and quit his job after his bag grew to $1.7 million. Two brothers invested $7,900 during the COVID lockdowns and cashed out $9 million.
A warehouse manager put $8,000 in and retired at 35. Every one of those entries happened before the listing, before the world found out. The shiba inu price prediction for 2026 matters, but the entry that made those millionaires no longer exists. A new one does.
Shiba Inu Price Prediction: T. Rowe Price Files Crypto ETF Including SHIB as Whales Hold During Fear
T. Rowe Price filed an SEC application for a crypto ETF naming SHIB among its holdings, the first time a traditional manager this size included Shiba Inu. The Block reported details on custody and staking plans.
CoinGecko shows SHIB at $0.00000569, down 93% from its $0.00008616 ATH, while the market sits in extreme fear at 23. The shiba inu price prediction debate is heating up, but the early entry that created millionaires is permanently gone.
Shiba Inu Price Prediction and the Presale That Offers What SHIB Used To
Pepeto is an exchange presale built on the foundation that made meme coins produce millionaires, except this time the project has products that SHIB launched without. The cofounder who created the original Pepe coin is building a complete trading ecosystem at $0.000000186, and the distance between that number and a Binance listing is where the next early investor stories get written.
A cross chain bridge moves tokens between networks without charging a fee, so you keep every dollar you transfer. The risk scorer checks contracts for the traps that wiped out wallets during the last meme coin cycle, catching the danger before your capital gets close to it.
The SolidProof audit was completed before the Pepeto presale opened, the opposite of what happened with SHIB, DOGE, and every meme coin that made early holders rich without a single page of security verification. More than $8 million has entered during extreme fear, and the conviction mirrors the pattern that preceded every successful presale to listing event in the last three years.
SHIB reached $0.00008616 with zero products on a token that started as a joke. Pepeto has the same meme energy, the same cofounder pedigree, and a full exchange that SHIB never built. The 420 trillion supply matching Pepe’s ATH is 150x from here, and 196% APY staking grows your position while you wait for the listing that erases this price forever.
Shiba Inu (SHIB)
SHIB trades at $0.00000569, per CoinGecko, sitting 93% below its $0.00008616 ATH. Shibarium upgrades and the T. Rowe Price ETF filing add credibility.
The shiba inu price prediction for 2026 ranges between $0.0000082 and $0.0000098, a 42% to 70% gain. The entry that turned $650 into $1.7 million required getting in before the listing. At $0.00000569, SHIB is a recovery play, and recovery plays deliver recovery returns.
Dogecoin (DOGE)
DOGE trades at $0.09, roughly 88% below its $0.73 ATH, per Yahoo Finance. A bullish pennant formed after a 4.80% daily gain.
Analysts see $0.114 as the level that shifts the outlook from uncertain to real. Even reaching $0.20 is roughly 2x, decent for swing traders but nowhere near the return gap between a presale at $0.000000186 and a Binance listing.
Shiba Inu Price Prediction 2026: The Early Window That Made Millionaires Is Gone, but a New One Just Opened
The shiba inu price prediction shows a recovery path, and the T. Rowe Price ETF adds legitimacy. But the entry that turned $650 into $1.7 million happened before the listing. That window is permanently closed. The cofounder who built Pepe to $7 billion is now building an exchange at $0.000000186 with a SolidProof audit and a Binance listing approaching. The same $650 buys 3.5 billion Pepeto tokens today. Visit the Pepeto official website and take the position that the next millionaires wave of early stories will be written about.
Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale
FAQs
What is the shiba inu price prediction for 2026?
Analysts forecast SHIB between $0.0000082 and $0.0000098, representing 42% to 70% gains from $0.00000569. The T. Rowe Price ETF and Shibarium support the outlook but the early entry that created millionaires is gone.
Can Shiba Inu reach a new all time high this cycle?
SHIB needs 1,398% to reclaim $0.00008616. Most 2026 forecasts fall far short. Without a major burn event or catalyst, a new ATH looks unlikely this year.
Is Pepeto the next Shiba Inu for early investors?
Pepeto has the same energy plus a full exchange, SolidProof audit, and the Pepe cofounder. At $0.000000186 with 150x math, visit the Pepeto official website before the listing closes the early window.
Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.
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