Harbor Capital is trying to slice the AI boom into lab-branded trades, filing for a suite of active “Lab ETFs” tied to Anthropic, DeepMind, Meta, OpenAI and xAI ecosystems.

Harbor Capital has filed for five actively managed “Lab ETFs” that each target the ecosystems around Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta, OpenAI and xAI SpaceXAI, marking one of the first attempts to carve the AI boom into lab specific public market products.

According to the filing on X, noting that “Harbor Funds filed for 5 actively managed ‘Lab ETFs’ focused on the ecosystems around Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta, OpenAI, and xAI SpaceXAI,” citing Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart.

According to a Harbor ETF Trust supplement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the firm has been retooling its active lineup and now plans a family of generative AI themed strategies that extend its existing Harbor Scientific Alpha franchise into lab specific products.

While the detailed prospectus text for each Lab ETF is not yet public, Seyffart posted slides showing that the funds are designed to hold public companies whose revenue, strategic alignment or product roadmaps are tightly linked to a given lab’s models, tools and distribution.

How will Harbor’s ‘Lab ETFs’ let investors bet on Anthropic, DeepMind and OpenAI?

In practice, that likely means an Anthropic Lab ETF would tilt toward backers and heavy integrators of Claude models, while an OpenAI Lab ETF would lean into Microsoft, key chip suppliers and listed firms that have embedded GPT into their stacks, with similar logic for Google DeepMind, Meta and Elon Musk’s xAI SpaceXAI ecosystem.

MediaCrypto, reacting to the filing on X, captured the bigger picture by arguing that “AI ecosystem ETFs are the new sector ETFs,” adding that “the financialization of AI is happening at the same speed as the financialization of crypto,” as providers race to wrap narrow themes in liquid, listed vehicles.

That race is already under way: KraneShares’ Artificial Intelligence and Technology ETF AGIX, for example, offers direct exposure to Anthropic and SpaceX via secondary market stakes, while a separate wave of funds has experimented with special purpose vehicles to hold pre IPO positions in xAI and other private labs.

Why this AI ETF wave matters for crypto style risk and regulation

The Financial Times recently reported that Google DeepMind, Microsoft backed OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI agreed to let US authorities conduct national security reviews of their most advanced models before release, underscoring how concentrated and systemically important these labs have become.

As coverage of crypto market outlook and macro driven flows into Bitcoin (BTC) have shown, once Wall Street builds an ETF wrapper, narratives and flows can become self reinforcing, with index inclusions and passive buying shaping both valuations and regulatory focus.

If the Harbor products launch and gather assets, they could accelerate that same feedback loop in AI, funnelling capital into whichever labs dominate each narrative cycle and further entrenching a handful of quasi oligopolistic players whose models already underpin everything from trading algorithms to chatbots used by crypto exchanges.

Longer term, the segmentation of AI risk into Anthropic, DeepMind, Meta, OpenAI and xAI SpaceXAI “buckets” could also create new correlation patterns for digital assets, as traders increasingly model how shocks to a given lab whether a safety scandal, a national security block or an IPO surge bleed into AI focused tokens and into crypto infrastructure that leans on those models.

Clarity Act concerns from law enforcement are overblown, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said law enforcement groups are overstating their concerns about crypto developer protections embedded in the legislation. He called the objections a “red herring” designed to slow the broader bill’s progress through Congress.

Emmer forcefully defended the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, which would shield noncustodial software developers from being treated as money transmitters. He argued the U.S. needs clearer rules to keep innovators onshore rather than driving them to other jurisdictions.

Tom Emmer frames Clarity Act as bipartisan priority

Emmer pointed to the Senate Banking Committee’s 15-9 vote advancing the bill as evidence that support extends beyond Republicans. He described the Clarity Act as the fifth or sixth iteration of crypto market structure legislation the House has refined over multiple sessions of Congress.

“The president never asked me to predetermine, commit, fix, decide on any interest rate decision,” Emmer noted that the legislation would create clear distinctions between digital assets regulated as securities, commodities, or cash equivalents. He predicted Congress would ultimately send the package to President Trump’s desk.

The Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act provision has drawn particular scrutiny. It codifies that developers who write code but do not control user funds should not face money transmitter obligations, a principle crypto advocates consider essential to keeping open-source development in the United States.

Emmer also criticized former SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s enforcement-first approach under the Biden administration. He argued that companies want to build in the U.S. but need to understand “the rules of the road” before committing resources.

More than one-third of investors still avoid crypto, mainly because they are afraid of making mistakes. At the same time, 70% are open to using it in everyday life, especially for payments. This creates a clear gap between curiosity and actual use, according to a recent survey by Maclear among European investors^[1].

Security failures dominate public perception of crypto, from high-profile exchange collapses to large-scale hacks, and the data reflects this. Yet fear of scams and fraud, while real, is only part of the picture. According to the survey, 35% of non-users cite lack of confidence and poor understanding of how crypto works as their primary barrier, not external threats, but internal ones. This distinction matters: platform failures can be addressed by regulation, but knowledge gaps require a different response entirely.

The State of Crypto Adoption in Europe and Its Major Barriers

Crypto adoption is already widespread, but usage remains shallow. Nearly half of respondents—48%—report using cryptocurrencies in some form. Stablecoins show even stronger traction: 41% of respondents hold them, and adoption rises to 85% among those who have ever used crypto.

Usage patterns reinforce this. The primary activity is investment, cited by 55% of crypto users. Around 25% use crypto as a form of savings or value storage. In other words, crypto is largely treated as a financial asset to hold, not spend daily. Only 6% report using crypto weekly. Yet the potential is broader: crypto can already support everyday activities such as peer-to-peer payments, cross-border transfers, paying for digital services, and participating in decentralized finance tools.

Security concerns continue to shape perception. High-profile incidents—such as exchange failures like FTX, large-scale hacks like Mt. Gox, or phishing scams targeting users’ wallets—have reinforced the idea that crypto is risky. These events dominate headlines and create a strong psychological barrier.

However, many users hesitate because they lack confidence in navigating the system safely. Fear of making irreversible mistakes and limited familiarity with digital assets are cited by 35% of respondents as key barriers. Complexity comes close behind, with 32% pointing to difficulties in getting started or using crypto services. This creates a paradox: crypto is designed to be accessible and user-driven, yet it is perceived as complicated and unforgiving. Small mistakes—like sending funds to the wrong address—can feel high-stakes, which discourages experimentation and daily use.

What It Takes to Make Crypto Part of Daily Life

Most users are not rejecting crypto. Only a third of respondents are strongly against using it for payments. What they are missing is trust. Stronger consumer protection is the most requested improvement, cited by 38% of respondents.

This includes clearer safeguards against fraud, such as verified platforms, stricter controls on listings, and faster response mechanisms when issues arise. Increased transparency is equally important: users want to see exactly where their money is going and who is responsible if something goes wrong.

Some platforms are already responding to this demand. 8lends, for instance, has built its lending infrastructure entirely on-chain, making every transaction publicly verifiable in real time — an approach that removes the need to trust a platform’s internal reporting. This kind of structural transparency is still the exception in crypto, not the rule.

«The barrier isn’t technology, it’s accountability. Our data shows that 47% of European investors already treat crypto as a backup financial system, yet the same people hesitate to use it for a €50 payment. That gap exists because users don’t know who to call when something goes wrong. Until crypto platforms answer that question as clearly as a bank does, daily adoption will stay stuck at the awareness stage,» says Alexander Lang, CFO at 8lends.

The next phase of crypto adoption will depend less on innovation and more on whether the industry can deliver the same level of trust, clarity, and accountability that users expect from traditional finance.

To learn more about the report, please visit the following link.

Boilerplate

8lends is a P2B lending platform that lets individual investors from all over the world fund real business loans and earn up to 25% annually, with all transactions conducted in USDC.

The platform was launched in 2025 by Maclear AG, a regulated P2B marketplace from Switzerland. Together, the two platforms have facilitated over €100M in business lending across 34,000+ investors, with just one recorded default (where every investor recovered 100% of their principal) and zero late loans to date.

While Maclear enables investments in real businesses using fiat, 8lends brings the same institutional-grade model to the global crypto community, allowing investors to fund real businesses in USDC without market volatility or the opacity of DeFi. Each loan on 8lends is secured by real business assets (collateral), evaluated across 40+ risk parameters, and managed through smart contracts (audited by CertiK and Cyberscope) that automate repayment flows.

The platform is independently audited and supervised by PolyReg, Switzerland’s leading financial self-regulatory body.

1. Methodology: The survey targeted European investors interested in alternative investment instruments. Data collection took place between February and March 2026. In total, 500 respondents from European countries participated in the study.to

NEAR Protocol (NEAR) showed notable strength on Friday, jumping 34% in a single day to around $2.32 as AI-focused tokens lead a broader rally tied to NEAR’s upcoming network upgrades and Nvidia’s bullish revenue outlook. The token is about 50% higher than seven days ago and roughly 115% up over the last 90 days, with trading volume briefly exceeding $1 billion in the session.

The move comes as NEAR unveiled a slate of upgrades aimed at AI integration, privacy enhancements and scalable performance—steps investors see as signaling deeper utility for developers and users within the NEAR ecosystem. In tandem, Aurora, the Ethereum-compatible layer built on NEAR, pushed an update to its Aurora Intents Widget, integrating ADI Chain as a new entry point to streamline cross-chain swaps, deposits and application flows for users.

Key takeaways

• NEAR surged about 50% over the past week, reaching six-month price highs near $2.34.
• Upgrades centered on privacy, AI integration and scaling boosted investor confidence and helped push NEAR’s 24-hour trading volume above $1 billion.
• A breakout from a multi-year wedge pattern sets a target near $5.75 if NEAR can clear resistance in the $2.60–$3.00 zone.
• AI-oriented tokens were broadly supported by market momentum, with Nvidia’s AI leadership and upbeat earnings outlook underpinning the sector’s strength.

NEAR price rallies amid upgrade program

Data from market observers show NEAR’s rebound accelerating earlier in the week, with the price climbing from a low near $1.48 to a peak around $2.34 on Friday—a gain of roughly 58% from that trough. The surge was accompanied by a surge in liquidity, with daily volume jumping to about $1.15 billion, reflecting intensified buying pressure and broad interest in the ecosystem.

The move also triggered notable short liquidations as traders positioned for a break above key levels, with liquidations surpassing $9.85 million when NEAR rallied through the $2.30 region. The upward move aligns with NEAR’s ongoing upgrade path, which places renewed emphasis on privacy protections, AI integration and scalable throughput—the kinds of enhancements investors have cited as catalysts for asset demand within the NEAR network.

At the same time, Aurora announced enhancements to its cross-chain experiences. The Intents Widget update adds ADI Chain as a new entry point, designed to enable smoother cross-chain swaps, deposit flows and application orchestration for users moving assets or building on NEAR’s platform.

AI tokens riding the broader momentum

The NEAR ascent is part of a wider revival in AI-themed crypto assets. Tokens such as Grass (GRASS), OpenServe (SERVE) and Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET) registered meaningful intraday gains—up more than 27%, 21% and 11%, respectively—mirroring the sector-wide enthusiasm for AI-enabled ecosystems. Collectively, the market capitalization of AI and big-data crypto projects rose about 8% over the past 24 hours to roughly $21.44 billion, signaling renewed investor interest in AI-native narratives alongside traditional market drivers.

That sector-wide bounce sits against a backdrop of Nvidia’s continued dominance in the AI accelerator market. Industry observers note Nvidia’s control of a substantial share—roughly 81–90% in this space—and the company’s ongoing earnings narrative. In its latest results, Nvidia reported robust Q1 2026 profits and projected a revenue opportunity reaching $1 trillion through 2027, reinforcing the viability of compute-heavy AI ecosystems that rely on NEAR’s growing AI-oriented capabilities and developer-friendly environment.

Historically, Nvidia-driven events have tended to coincide with upside for NEAR. Notably, a rally in February followed Nvidia’s earnings release, when NEAR surged more than 50% in a short span. The current sequence echoes that pattern: a favorable Nvidia backdrop combined with NEAR’s technical breakout and upgrade-driven catalysts contributing to broader upward momentum for the token.

What could drive NEAR higher from here?

From a technical standpoint, NEAR has just emerged from a multi-year falling wedge pattern. The immediate hurdle sits in the $2.60–$3.00 area, a zone that includes several moving averages on the weekly chart. A clean break above this resistance would open a measured ascent toward the wedge’s implied target near $5.75, which would be roughly 160% above the current price. The relative strength index has moved into the mid-60s, signaling building upside momentum but not yet extreme overbought pressure.

Market observers like Michael van de Poppe have highlighted NEAR as exhibiting one of the market’s more bullish charts, noting that as long as the $1.40 level remains a floor, the path toward higher resistance levels remains plausible. The consensus among analysts cited in market commentary is that a sustained hold above the $2 level could cement the larger-term breakout, while a failure to clear the $2.60–$3 band could reintroduce consolidation risks.

investors should watch not only the price action but the ecosystem’s ongoing upgrade cadence. If privacy, AI integration and cross-chain usability continue to advance without major delays, NEAR could see sustained demand for block space and services, translating into higher activity, bookings and a longer-term re-rating of the token’s utility value.

Looking ahead, traders will want to see whether NEAR can sustain momentum through upcoming supply zones and whether the broader AI-narrative continues to attract capital into both NEAR and related ecosystems such as Aurora. The next crucial inflection will likely hinge on whether buyers can decisively clear the $2.60–$3.00 resistance corridor and maintain a constructive weekly trend that validates the breakout thesis.

What remains uncertain is how macro market dynamics, regulatory developments and the pace of AI-adoption across chains will interact with NEAR’s upgrade trajectory. Nonetheless, current data points and the Nvidia backdrop suggest the headline driver remains the confluence of technical breakouts, upgrade-driven utility, and a widening AI-focused investment appetite that could keep NEAR and its peers in the spotlight in the near term.

Readers should monitor NEAR’s price not in isolation but in the context of ecosystem progress, including cross-chain flow efficiency, privacy-improvement milestones and the broader risk-on sentiment that has re-emerged in crypto markets as AI narratives re-accelerate.

Ripple joined a $6M funding round for cross-chain infrastructure platform Squid.

Cross-chain platform Squid raised $6 million in strategic funding to build new consumer-facing products that simplify how users move assets across blockchains. North Island Ventures led the round, with Ripple, Dialectic, Borderless, Scenius Capital, Altos, and Arche Capital also participating.

Angel investors including Axelar co-founder Georgios Vlachos, Enso Finance founder Connor Howe, and Constructive founder Dan Lynch joined as well. Squid’s pseudonymous co-founder Fig declined to disclose the valuation or round structure.

What Squid does and why Ripple invested

“The vision is to make directly accessing whatever you need in crypto as simple as the cross-chain swaps Squid already handles today,” Fig told The Block.

Squid’s application allows users to move assets across fundamentally different blockchain ecosystems, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Cosmos, and the XRP Ledger, in a single transaction. Squid serves as the official bridge partner for the XRP Ledger and operates a validator on the network, making Ripple’s investment a natural extension of an existing relationship.

Since launching in January 2023, Squid has processed over $6 billion in volume through more than 4 million transactions across over one million users. Its execution layer, Squid Intents, uses market makers to fill cross-chain transactions and settles them through trusted execution environments rather than requiring smart contract deployments on every chain. That architecture lets the platform support more than 100 networks.

The round brings Squid’s total funding to $13.5 million, following a $3.5 million seed round in 2023 and a $4 million strategic round in 2024. The team currently has around 20 people and is not hiring.

Ripple’s participation fits a broader pattern of infrastructure investments around the XRP Ledger. As crypto.news reported, JPMorgan, Mastercard, and Ripple recently tested tokenized Treasury settlement on XRPL. Separately, the XRP Alliance launched earlier this month to build yield products for XRP holders.

Squid expects to share more about its consumer roadmap in the coming months.

• OKX and ICE have partnered to launch perpetual oil futures based on Brent and WTI benchmarks.
• The new contracts will allow continuous trading without expiration or physical delivery of oil.
• OKX plans to offer the products to its 120 million users in licensed jurisdictions.
• ICE will supply pricing data to support accurate and trusted oil market benchmarks.
• The initiative builds on a broader partnership focused on blockchain and tokenized trading systems.

Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE) and OKX announced a partnership to launch perpetual oil futures contracts. The products will use ICE’s Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate benchmarks. OKX said the offering will expand access to energy markets for its 120 million users.

The new contracts will not expire, allowing continuous trading without physical delivery. Both firms said the move connects traditional commodity markets with crypto-based trading systems. The rollout will target regions where OKX already offers regulated perpetual futures.

OKX to Expand Perpetual Futures With ICE Oil Benchmarks

ICE will provide pricing data for Brent crude and WTI to support the new contracts. These benchmarks are widely used in global oil markets.

Trabue Bland, senior vice president at ICE, said the products will broaden access to energy benchmarks. He stated the contracts will reach OKX’s large retail trading base.

OKX confirmed the contracts will be available only in licensed jurisdictions. The exchange said compliance remains a key requirement for the rollout.

Haider Rafique, global managing partner at OKX, said oil markets are critical to the global economy. He added that integrating ICE benchmarks meets demand from market participants.

Perpetual futures allow traders to speculate on price movements without expiry dates. Traders do not need to handle physical oil or renew contracts.

Crypto and Traditional Finance Converge in OKX Deal

ICE and OKX signed a prior agreement in March to develop blockchain-based trading systems. The partnership includes tokenized securities and crypto-linked futures products.

ICE also made a strategic investment in OKX, valuing the company at $25 billion. The firms aim to expand access between traditional finance and crypto platforms.

The move follows growing interest in perpetual futures tied to commodities. Hyperliquid recently reported $1.6 billion in daily trading volume for similar oil contracts.

Open interest in Hyperliquid’s oil products exceeded $1.3 billion, showing strong demand. These contracts also operate without expiration dates.

Regulators in the United States have started reviewing perpetual futures markets. Michael Selig, chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, said oversight will increase.

Most perpetual futures currently trade on offshore crypto exchanges. These platforms often operate under different rules than traditional exchanges like ICE and CME Group.

ICE and OKX said the new oil contracts will follow regulatory frameworks in approved markets. The companies confirmed availability will depend on local licensing conditions.

The announcement marks the latest collaboration between crypto and traditional finance firms. Both companies continue developing infrastructure linking blockchain and established markets.

The firms did not disclose a specific launch date for the contracts. They confirmed deployment will begin in regions where OKX already offers perpetual futures.

Kalshi and Polymarket lost bids to block gambling cases in Nevada and Washington.

A three-judge Ninth Circuit panel denied emergency motions from both Kalshi and Polymarket to block lower court rulings, sending gambling enforcement cases in Nevada and Washington back to state courts. The orders came down on Thursday.

The judges concluded that raising a defense under the Commodity Exchange Act does not create federal jurisdiction that would move the cases out of state courts. “The CEA preemption defense is an affirmative defense, which cannot by itself give rise to federal question jurisdiction,” the panel wrote.

Why this matters for prediction market regulation

The court also rejected Polymarket’s argument that it was operating under federal direction through its compliance with CFTC oversight requirements. “Polymarket’s actions merely demonstrate its own compliance with federal law, which cannot alone show that it is acting under a federal officer,” the judges stated.

Nevada’s cases center on both platforms’ lack of state gaming licenses. Washington’s lawsuit focuses on whether Kalshi offers illegal gambling products through its sports event contracts.

Key Takeaways

• Bloomberg reports Uber is considering a complete acquisition of Delivery Hero, a major European food delivery player
• Uber disclosed earlier this week it owns a 19.5% stake in Delivery Hero, with an additional 5.6% through options
• Investment bank Morgan Stanley assisted Uber in rapidly accumulating its position through derivative instruments
• Uber shares declined approximately 1.9% following the announcement; rival DoorDash climbed 1.9%
• Delivery Hero’s stock has surged almost 110% in Frankfurt during the last half-year, reaching a market capitalization of approximately €10.2 billion

According to a Friday Bloomberg report, Uber has entered preliminary discussions regarding a potential full acquisition of Delivery Hero, the Frankfurt-traded food delivery powerhouse.

The strategic initiative is designed to strengthen Uber’s competitive position against DoorDash in markets beyond American borders.

Following the report’s release, Uber’s stock price fell roughly 1.9%. Meanwhile, DoorDash—considered a primary competitor in global delivery markets—saw its shares rise 1.9% on the same information.

Uber Technologies, Inc., UBER

Just days ago, Uber revealed it had swiftly accumulated a 19.5% ownership position in Delivery Hero, complemented by options representing another 5.6%. The stake was built with assistance from Morgan Stanley, which leveraged derivative products to facilitate rapid execution.

Bloomberg’s sources indicate that Uber has been engaging in conversations with additional Delivery Hero shareholders regarding its potential acquisition interest.

Uber’s Official Position

In an official submission to German financial regulators, Uber declared it presently has no plans to increase its ownership to 30% or beyond—a key threshold that would normally require a mandatory takeover bid under European regulatory frameworks.

Nevertheless, the company acknowledged that it regularly evaluates its investment portfolio and remains open to acquiring additional shares should favorable circumstances emerge.

Uber further clarified it has no intentions to modify Delivery Hero’s capital framework or seek to influence board member selections beyond exercising standard shareholder voting privileges.

The company may still require regulatory clearance from antitrust authorities before exceeding specific ownership levels across European jurisdictions.

Delivery Hero’s Current Position

Delivery Hero’s stock has surged approximately 110% on the Frankfurt exchange during the previous six-month period, bringing its total market capitalization to around €10.2 billion.

The organization provides food and grocery delivery operations throughout numerous international markets excluding the United States, positioning it as a valuable strategic acquisition target for any platform seeking international expansion.

With support from financial advisory firms, Uber is carefully evaluating various approaches to expand its ownership stake, according to Bloomberg’s reporting.

Discussions remain in progress, though sources emphasized that no guarantee exists that negotiations will culminate in a completed transaction.