TLDR

• Cardone Capital increased its Bitcoin holdings to over 2,700 BTC during the recent price decline near $59,000.
• The firm funded its Bitcoin purchases using rental income from its real estate portfolio.
• Cardone Capital added 282 BTC earlier this month, valued at roughly $18 million at the time.
• The company holds about $200 million in Bitcoin alongside thousands of residential units and office properties.
• Grant Cardone stated the firm buys more Bitcoin as prices fall and focuses on consistent accumulation.

Grant Cardone accelerated Bitcoin purchases as prices hovered near $59,000, reinforcing his hybrid investment strategy. Cardone Capital increased its holdings beyond 2,700 BTC during the recent downturn. The firm continues to fund acquisitions using rental income from real estate assets.

Cardone Capital Expands Bitcoin Holdings During Market Weakness

Cardone Capital increased its bitcoin exposure as prices declined, and it maintained a steady accumulation pace. The firm added 282 BTC earlier this month, and it valued the purchase near $18 million. Cardone Capital now holds about $200 million in bitcoin alongside a large property portfolio.

Grant Cardone described the approach as disciplined and consistent, and he emphasized buying during price weakness. He said, “We improve property cash flow and buy more bitcoin as it drops.” Cardone Capital uses rental income instead of debt, and it keeps purchases steady across market cycles.

The firm integrates real estate and bitcoin within one LLC structure, and it targets returns between 22% and 32%. Cardone Capital channels recurring rental income into bitcoin purchases, and it avoids equity dilution. This model differs from corporate treasury strategies that rely on capital markets funding.

Hybrid Model Links Property Income With Bitcoin Strategy

Cardone Capital combines income-producing assets with digital assets, and it focuses on long-term accumulation. The firm directs apartment rental cash flow into bitcoin purchases, and it maintains a fixed buying schedule. This method reduces timing risk and supports consistent portfolio growth.

Grant Cardone aims to expand holdings to 3,000 BTC this year, and he targets 10,000 BTC over time. He also plans a publicly traded bitcoin-focused real estate company, and he maintains a 2026 price target. Cardone said bitcoin could reach $189,425, and he linked growth to continued accumulation.

Cardone Capital argues that its structure can outperform traditional REITs, and it highlights steady income flows. The firm avoids reliance on debt maturities, and it reduces exposure to share issuance pressures. Cardone Capital positions rental income as a stable funding source for bitcoin accumulation.

Market Risks Persist Despite Continued Accumulation Strategy

Cardone Capital remains exposed to bitcoin volatility, and price swings continue to affect treasury valuations. Bitcoin recently tested levels near $59,000, and it pressured firms with higher entry points. However, Cardone Capital treats price declines as accumulation opportunities and continues its strategy.

The firm also faces risks from real estate performance, and weaker cash flow could slow bitcoin purchases. Property value declines may impact funding capacity, and broader market conditions could influence outcomes. Cardone Capital continues operations within these constraints and maintains its accumulation model.

Grant Cardone reiterated confidence in the strategy, and he stressed consistent execution during downturns. He said the firm focuses on cash flow strength and long-term asset growth. Cardone Capital continues aligning real estate income with bitcoin purchases and sustains its hybrid investment approach.

TLDR

• Circle stock dropped more than 16% after Open USD was announced.
• Open USD is backed by major firms including Visa, Mastercard, and BlackRock.
• The project introduces a revenue-sharing model that differs from USDC.
• Circle and Coinbase currently earn income from USDC reserve assets.
• Open USD allows users to mint and redeem tokens without fees.

Circle stock declined sharply after a new stablecoin initiative raised competitive pressure on USDC. The market reacted quickly as Open USD entered the sector with strong institutional backing. Consequently, Circle stock faced selling pressure while Coinbase shares also moved lower.

Open USD Aims to Challenge USDC Dominance

Circle stock dropped more than 16% as investors reacted to the Open USD announcement. The new stablecoin project introduced a competing model with broad industry support. As a result, Circle stock reflected concerns about possible market share erosion.

Open Standard leads the Open USD initiative alongside major financial and technology companies. The coalition includes Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock, and Bank of New York Mellon. It also includes Coinbase, Google, IBM, and several global banks and crypto firms.

However, Circle, Tether, and PayPal did not join the consortium behind Open USD. This absence highlighted a direct competitive line between existing issuers and the new network. Therefore, Circle stock faced additional pressure as markets assessed this divide.

Open Standard confirmed Open USD will launch later this year with over 140 participating businesses. The project allows users to mint and redeem tokens without fees. Moreover, the model distributes most reserve income to network participants instead of retaining it.

Circle Stock Reacts to Shifting Revenue Dynamics

Circle stock declined as investors evaluated changes to stablecoin revenue structures. Open USD introduces a shared income model that differs from traditional issuer-controlled profits. Consequently, Circle stock reflected concerns about future earnings stability.

USDC currently holds about $73.6 billion in circulation and remains a major stablecoin. Circle and Coinbase share revenue generated from USDC reserve assets. Therefore, Circle stock links closely to stablecoin performance and associated income streams.

Coinbase relies heavily on USDC-related revenue within its subscription and services segment. This segment accounted for 44% of total first-quarter revenue. As a result, Circle stock movements aligned with broader concerns affecting Coinbase.

Circle Chief Executive Jeremy Allaire addressed market concerns following the announcement. He stated, “USDC remains the most trusted, widely adopted stablecoin globally.” He also added that the company welcomes competition in the sector.

Regulation and Institutional Backing Reshape Competition

Circle stock also reflected broader changes in the regulatory landscape supporting new entrants. Lawmakers continue advancing stablecoin legislation to define reserve and licensing requirements. Therefore, Circle stock faced pressure from both competition and policy developments.

The CLARITY Act is progressing toward a Senate vote while the GENIUS Act sets federal standards. These rules favor large institutions with strong compliance systems. Consequently, Circle stock reacted as markets priced in new competitive advantages.

Government officials also supported the Open USD initiative as regulation becomes clearer. Patrick Witt said the launch shows how clear rules unlock value in digital assets. He added that upcoming legislation will expand opportunities across the crypto sector.

USDC and USDT currently dominate about 80% of the global stablecoin market. However, Open USD represents a major coordinated effort to challenge this dominance. As a result, Circle stock continues to reflect shifting expectations across the stablecoin ecosystem.

Open Standard has announced the launch of Open USD (OUSD), a US dollar-pegged stablecoin designed to redirect reserve earnings back to token holders and participating businesses. The project is backed by a broad mix of established payments and major crypto firms, positioning it as a direct competitive bet against the two dominant stablecoins by market value: Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC.

In its announcement, Open Standard said more than 140 companies have joined the effort and that OUSD will allow businesses to mint the token “at no cost and with no artificial limits on volume,” while keeping earnings generated by its reserves. Open Standard also stated that OUSD is planned to launch “later this year.”

Key takeaways

• Open USD (OUSD) is structured around reserve earnings: Open Standard says holders and participants receive “all of the earnings” from token reserves.
• High-profile backers signal serious distribution ambitions: Visa, Mastercard, and crypto firms including Coinbase, Ripple, OKX, and Bybit are cited as supporters.
• Potential competitive pressure on USDT and USDC: the project is framed as having a chance to take market share from Tether and Circle’s stablecoins.
• Launch timing ties into a more stable US regulatory outlook: the broader industry expects implementation momentum as US stablecoin rules advance under the GENIUS Act framework.

Why reserve-revenue mechanics matter in stablecoins

The central design point in Open Standard’s Open USD pitch is economics rather than branding. By allowing participants to “receive all of the earnings” from OUSD reserves, the project aims to make stablecoin holding and usage more attractive to businesses that depend on dollar settlement, cross-border payments, or tokenized value transfer.

That matters because stablecoin users do not only care about price stability; they also care about incentives and who captures the value generated by reserve assets. Open Standard’s approach is intended to align reserve revenue with those who mint or hold the coin—an incentive that could differentiate OUSD in a market often perceived as dominated by a small number of issuers.

In commentary attached to the launch, Rhino.fi co-founder and CEO Will Harborne described the model as a potential route to “win share” from USDT and USDC, while also warning that the same incentive can drive fragmentation at scale.

Who’s behind Open USD, and what it signals

Open Standard’s notice lists support from major players across traditional payments and crypto markets. The backing includes financial-services companies such as Visa and Mastercard, alongside crypto firms including Coinbase, Ripple, OKX, and Bybit.

According to Open Standard, this coalition will make it easier for businesses to mint OUSD without costs and without “artificial limits on volume.” The stated goal is not just to launch a new token, but to build an ecosystem where businesses can integrate issuance and access reserve earnings incentives.

Investors and market participants will likely watch whether these partnerships translate into measurable adoption—particularly the volume of OUSD minted and held, and whether regulated on- and off-ramps support frictionless usage across major venues. In stablecoins, distribution often determines survivability as much as technical design.

USDT vs. USDC vs. OUSD: where the competitive pressure could land

Open Standard’s launch announcement explicitly positions OUSD as a challenger. The two leading stablecoins by market capitalization—USDT and USDC—have long served as primary on-ramps for dollar exposure in crypto markets.

The news also landed during a period of sensitivity around issuer performance. The article notes that Circle’s share price reportedly dropped by more than 16% on Tuesday to $63.63, reflecting how investors may react to perceived competitive threats or strategic shifts in the stablecoin landscape.

Circle’s CEO Jeremy Allaire addressed the competitive framing in an X post after the announcement, saying the company welcomed “continued innovation and competition in the space.” Allaire also stated that Circle would soon expand support for dollar-pegged and non-US dollar stablecoins—an acknowledgment that issuers are likely to keep broadening product offerings beyond a single US-dollar token.

Market-watchers should note that new stablecoin initiatives face a high bar: they need trust in reserve transparency and stability, liquidity across exchanges, and operational support for minting and redemption at scale. Open USD’s “reserve earnings” concept provides a clear incentive narrative, but adoption will ultimately depend on how quickly integrations broaden and whether regulatory requirements are met in practice.

Regulation and market growth expectations in the background

Open Standard’s planned rollout is arriving amid a more constructive regulatory backdrop in the United States. The article points to the GENIUS Act—signed into law by President Donald Trump last year—which aims to create a regulatory framework for payment stablecoins. Many experts expect that the legislation will help clarify the path for implementation, potentially making it easier for companies to issue and accept digital assets tied to payments.

Industry growth projections underline why issuers are racing to secure positioning. DefiLlama data cited in the report estimates the stablecoin market at more than $312 billion today, with projections reaching up to $4 trillion by 2030. Those figures suggest that even incremental share gains from USDT and USDC—if OUSD achieves meaningful adoption—could represent material impact.

Still, OUSD’s effectiveness will depend on how regulatory implementation affects minting, custody, disclosures, and compliance processes for reserve-backed tokens. The more the framework supports stablecoin issuance and payment use cases, the more likely it is that initiatives like Open USD can convert partnerships into real-world usage.

For now, the key question for readers is straightforward: will Open USD’s reserve-revenue model and coalition backing translate into sustained minting and liquidity as the “later this year” launch approaches, and how quickly will US regulations and partner integrations enable broad, compliant deployment?

The researchers caution that AI adopters are not representative of the broader economy. Companies adopting AI were already larger, faster-growing, more technical and more likely to be venture-backed before deploying the technology, making simple comparisons with non-adopters misleading. To account for that, the study compares early adopters with similar firms that had not yet adopted AI rather than firms that never adopted it.

The report also found AI adoption remains concentrated in knowledge-intensive industries. Information companies posted the highest adoption rates, followed by finance and professional services, while sectors such as hospitality, arts and healthcare lagged significantly behind.

Ramp said its research is among the first to combine observed corporate AI spending with firm-level workforce records, allowing researchers to measure AI adoption based on actual purchases rather than surveys or occupational exposure estimates. The company defines adoption as three consecutive months of at least $100 in AI vendor spending, with adoption intensity measured by AI spend per employee during the first three months after deployment.

The authors say the results should not be interpreted as proof that AI causes hiring, but rather as evidence that firms making substantial, sustained AI investments are currently growing faster than comparable companies. They argue the findings suggest AI’s early economic impact may be less about replacing workers and more about enabling expansion at companies able to integrate the technology effectively.

Ethereum has remained under pressure near $1,560 as Robert Kiyosaki’s long-term $95,000 price forecast has returned to focus while the cryptocurrency continues testing a key support zone.

According to data from crypto.news, Ethereum (ETH) traded around $1,560 on June 30, down about 1% over the past day as selling returned across the crypto market. The total crypto market capitalization slipped 1% to $2.11 trillion, while Bitcoin fell 1.6% amid continued outflows from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs. XRP, Dogecoin, and Cardano also traded lower during the session.

The weakness comes despite renewed attention around comments made by Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki, whose March prediction that Ethereum could reach $95,000 by mid-2027 has resurfaced across crypto social media.

Kiyosaki argued that a major global financial crisis would trigger a sharp repricing of alternative assets, adding that Ethereum could climb to $95,000 within a year of such an event.

His outlook extended beyond Ethereum. Kiyosaki also projected Bitcoin could reach $750,000 after the same financial reset, while forecasting gold at $35,000 per ounce and silver at $200. Those projections have renewed debate over Ethereum’s long-term valuation even as its current market performance remains weak.

Institutional buying continues despite weak price action

Corporate treasury activity has continued to favor Ethereum even as the token struggles to recover.

Bitmine disclosed that it purchased another 27,084 ETH during the past week, increasing its holdings to roughly 5.7 million ETH valued at nearly $9 billion. According to the company, that represents approximately 4.7% of Ethereum’s circulating supply, with most of those holdings remaining staked.

SharpLink also expanded its position by acquiring another 10,000 ETH at an average purchase price of about $1,611. The company said its total holdings have reached 886,725 ETH after the purchase. During the same period, SharpLink repurchased 2.13 million shares and raised $75 million.

Even with treasury firms continuing to accumulate Ethereum, the token has failed to build sustained upside momentum. At current prices, ETH is down roughly 25% for the quarter and remains on track to record its third consecutive quarterly decline, which would be the first such streak in the asset’s history if the quarter closes at current levels.

Nasdaq has expanded its blockchain strategy by making its TotalView order book data available to blockchain applications through the Pyth Network.

According to Pyth, the collaboration gives blockchain applications and software platforms access to Nasdaq’s proprietary market data through a single integration, starting with the exchange’s TotalView feed.

The company said the service is designed for blockchain applications, digital asset exchanges, prediction markets, trading systems, and other software platforms that require direct access to institutional-grade market information.

Nasdaq TotalView provides full depth-of-book data by displaying every visible buy and sell order across all price levels, along with order imbalance information published around the opening and closing auctions. The feed is widely used by professional traders because it offers a detailed view of market liquidity beyond standard market quotes by exposing the complete order book.

What market data is becoming available onchain?

With Nasdaq joining the network, Pyth has added another traditional financial data publisher to its marketplace. According to Pyth, developers can now access first-party market data from multiple providers through a single connection instead of integrating each source separately.

Nasdaq joins several organizations already distributing data through Pyth, including Euronext, OTC Markets, Tradeweb, Kalshi, Exchange Data International, Singapore Exchange’s SGX FX, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The announcement adds another step to Nasdaq’s ongoing involvement in digital assets. Earlier this year, the exchange partnered with crypto exchange Kraken and tokenization infrastructure provider Backed to develop infrastructure connecting traditional equities with blockchain networks, continuing its work around tokenized financial assets.

Regulatory progress has also supported Nasdaq’s crypto product lineup. In April, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved Nasdaq’s proposal to list Bitcoin index options linked to the Nasdaq Bitcoin Index, although trading still requires approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Nasdaq also partnered with CME Group to introduce cryptocurrency index futures tracking seven digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ether, Solana, and XRP.

How are traditional exchanges expanding into crypto?

Other exchange operators have also continued building products that combine traditional finance with digital assets. In May, Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, partnered with crypto exchange OKX to introduce perpetual futures tied to its Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate oil benchmarks. According to the companies, the contracts were the first products announced under their broader partnership.

Later, ICE Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Sprecher urged regulators to allow traditional exchanges to offer 24/7 onchain perpetual futures, arguing that regulated venues should be permitted to compete with crypto-native platforms already providing similar products.

Nasdaq has also remained active across other digital asset initiatives. As previously reported by crypto.news, Celsius-linked Ionic Digital recently applied for a direct listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker IOND.

According to the company’s SEC filing, existing registered shareholders may sell up to 10.8 million shares once the registration statement becomes effective, while Ionic will not receive any proceeds. The filing also showed the company is expanding beyond Bitcoin mining into high-performance computing and AI data center infrastructure.

Bitcoin Core has introduced version 31.1rc1 as a release candidate before the software reaches its stable mainnet release. The update improves privacy, strengthens network behavior, and adds several performance enhancements for node operators, wallet users, and developers. At the same time, the development team has opened the testing phase and encouraged community feedback before the final version becomes available.

Bitcoin Core 31.1rc1 Strengthens Privacy And Network Performance

Bitcoin Core 31.1rc1 represents the final testing stage before the next stable software release. The release candidate allows developers and community members to evaluate new features under real operating conditions. The testing process also helps identify remaining issues before the software reaches production.

The latest release addresses an important privacy issue affecting the PrivateBroadcast feature. Under specific network conditions, a user’s internet address could become visible instead of remaining behind the selected privacy network. The update removes that behavior and improves the reliability of private transaction broadcasting.

The networking layer also receives several refinements in this version. Bitcoin Core now handles proxy settings and private broadcast connections more efficiently during operation. As a result, users who rely on privacy tools receive more consistent network performance across supported environments.

Wallet And Validation Updates Improve Software Reliability

The new version also improves Bitcoin Core’s blockchain validation process. The software now manages transaction data more efficiently while maintaining a cleaner blockchain database. Consequently, these adjustments help reduce unnecessary storage growth over time and improve long-term system performance.

Wallet-related improvements also appear throughout the release candidate. Developers optimized wallet migration checks and refined transaction input size estimation during wallet operations. These changes improve accuracy while making wallet behavior more dependable across different usage scenarios.

Bitcoin Core also expands support for MuSig2 signature aggregation. The software now rejects empty public key lists that contain invalid public keys before aggregation begins. This validation step strengthens signature handling and reduces the possibility of incorrect aggregation during multi-signature operations.

Developers Open Public Testing Before Stable Release

Beyond user-facing changes, Bitcoin Core 31.1rc1 introduces several improvements for software developers. The release removes race conditions, improves fuzz testing, updates build systems, and cleans testing tools across the development environment. These changes support more stable software development and simplify future maintenance.

Developers also added checks for failed write operations before saving important configuration settings. This improvement helps prevent configuration errors caused by unsuccessful file operations during software updates. Therefore, users receive more reliable system behavior when changing or storing application settings.

Bitcoin Core 31.1rc1 supports the current versions of Linux, macOS, and Windows. Users can upgrade directly from recent releases, although much older versions may require additional migration time. Since this remains a release candidate, the development team encourages widespread testing and bug reporting before the stable release enters the Bitcoin network.

Bitcoin Core follows a release candidate process before introducing major software updates to the broader network. This approach allows developers to verify new features under real-world conditions while reducing the likelihood that undiscovered issues reach production systems. Community testing also provides practical feedback that supports software stability, improves compatibility across supported platforms, and strengthens future releases before they become part of the standard Bitcoin Core distribution.