Solv Protocol has said it’s moving more than $700 million of tokenized bitcoin BTC$79,776.48 assets to Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) and deprecating LayerZero bridge support across Corn, Berachain, Rootstock and TAC.

The migration covers SolvBTC and xSolvBTC, Solv’s wrapped bitcoin assets used across DeFi and BTCfi markets. Solv said it made the decision after an updated security review and recent cross-chain hacks, pointing to CCIP as its standard bridge infrastructure.

Chainlink’s CCIP is a bridge that connect blockchains, enabling transfers of tokens, messgages and data between different decentralized networks.

Solv’s move follows Kelp DAO’s shift from LayerZero to Chainlink after an April exploit drained 116,500 rsETH, worth roughly $292 million, from its LayerZero-powered bridge.

Kelp and LayerZero have since traded blame over the setup behind the exploit. LayerZero said Kelp used a single-verifier configuration despite recommendations to adopt a multi-DVN model, while Kelp says LayerZero personnel reviewed and approved the configuration it later blamed for the attack.

The dispute has turned verifier design into a live security issue for high-value cross-chain assets as Kelp says the 1-of-1 setup was not an edge case. LayerZero says it was an application-level configuration choice and has since said it will no longer sign messages for applications using that model.

Solv’s migration gives Chainlink a second post-hack win in cross-chain infrastructure. Kelp is moving liquid restaked ETH to it, while Solv is moving tokenized bitcoin.

Together, Kelp and Solv represent more than $2 billion in protocol asset value moving toward Chainlink’s cross-chain infrastructure.

“We are speaking to many teams across the industry and there is a clear and accelerating trend where protocols like Solv are migrating to Chainlink in a flight to quality reminiscent of the rapid shifts during DeFi summer,” Johann Eid, chief business officer at Chainlink, told CoinDesk.

“The industry’s largest protocols are realizing they can no longer rely on cross-chain and oracle infrastructure that push liability onto users and blame them for systemic failures,” Eid added. “By choosing CCIP, Solv gets cross-chain infrastructure that is “secure and decentralized by default.”

Solv already had already worked with Chainlink to offer real-time collateral verification for SolvBTC pricing.

Bitcoin’s December 25 options expiry brings roughly $6 billion in open interest into focus, according to Deribit data. The picture that emerges is less about a single megabull thesis and more about hedging and neutral positioning that could shape price action as expiry nears. Traders appear to be leaning on sophisticated strategies that cushion against downside risk or lock in gains without requiring a dramatic daily move in BTC.

The backdrop includes a 33% rally off a February low near $60,130, which has revived bullish sentiment to some degree. Yet a substantial chunk of the options book is structured to function as protection or neutral bets, rather than as outright bets on a fresh, multi-month rally. Deribit dominates this market, accounting for about 92% of December’s BTC options open interest, with the caveat that the eventual payout at expiry will depend on the actual price path BTC traces on Dec. 25.

In this environment, the distribution of bets across strikes reveals a nuanced mix of optimism and caution. The market shows a heavy concentration of upside exposure at very high strikes, while sizeable protection at lower levels reflects ongoing nerve about downside risk. With that context, investors should watch how these positions translate into real-world liquidity and potential spillovers if BTC traverses key thresholds in the final days of the year.

Key takeaways

• About half of the $6 billion December BTC options open interest is tied to hedging or neutral strategies rather than directional bets on a decisive rally.
• Calls targeting extreme upside—specifically $115,000 and above—compose roughly $1.85 billion of open interest, highlighting a notable tilt toward upside scenarios, even if many of these are hedges rather than pure speculation.
• Puts at lower levels—around $55,000 and below—total near $1 billion, indicating substantial downside protection alongside the bullish tilt.
• Put options trade at a roughly 9% premium to equivalent calls, signaling modest fear of downside despite the rally’s progress; a single Dec. 25, $120k call costs about $2,202 to buy, offering leveraged upside exposure without requiring a large move from current levels.

Hedging-centric positioning dominates the December expiry

Deribit’s data shows that the December expiry is skewed toward strategies that do not depend on a dramatic price breakout. The lion’s share of open interest sits in hedges and neutral plays, as traders seek to protect gains or secure profits in a range-bound scenario. While a rally to new highs is not out of the question, the structure of the book implies that many participants are prepared for a more modest move and want to manage risk in a volatile environment.

Industry observers note that large derivatives books often grow in hedges and neutral hedges ahead of major option expiries, as participants use gamma, vega, and other Greeks to balance risk across a spectrum of potential outcomes. In this case, the sheer size of the hedged leg indicates a market that is mindful of downside risk even as price recovery has resumed in recent months.

Extreme-strike bets reveal a split in sentiment between fear and optimism

Across strike layers, the options distribution is telling. The $115,000-and-above calls account for about $1.85 billion of open interest, underscoring demand for upside leverage even as they are often part of hedging or complex price-mivoting schemes rather than straightforward long bets. In parallel, about $1 billion of open interest sits in puts at $55,000 and lower, reflecting risk controls and tail-risk hedging that persist despite BTC’s higher ground.

Crucially, the market appears to exhibit roughly equal weight of bets on “unlikely” downside and upside events, with both sides comprising around half of the overall open interest in their respective extreme segments. That balance suggests a market that remains mindful of outsized moves in either direction, rather than committing wholesale to a single directional narrative. For context, commenters have argued that even when the price advances appear compelling, the options market can stay skeptical about the permanence of such moves; see ongoing analyses of how far the rally can run alongside entrenched hedges.

Pricing signals and what traders are paying for exposure

The options market’s pricing signals reinforce a cautious but not pessimistic outlook. The 9% premium on put options relative to equivalent calls indicates a modest appetite for protection against a potential pullback, rather than a fear-driven rush to sell. In neutral conditions, the put-call skew typically sits within a narrow band; current metrics suggest investors are comfortable with upside but remain wary of a swift reversal that could catch bullish participants off guard.

One concrete data point: a Dec. 25, $120,000 call is priced to cost around $2,202, granting “unlimited” upside exposure relative to that strike at expiry. These structures exemplify how traders use high-strike calls to participate in outsized upside without committing to heavy upfront bets on BTC crossing multiple substantial resistance levels. The combination of high-strike calls and downside protection paints a picture of a market cautiously positioning for both tail-risk and potential upside, rather than a one-way bet on a sustained rally.

Observers also note that derivatives data from Laevitas and other analytics providers show the same general dynamic: a relatively flat six-month delta skew in certain regimes, punctuated by pockets of time-sensitive optimism around the $80,000 region, even as the market remains wary of a sustained breakout. For readers following the broader narrative, this nuance aligns with prior commentary that even as price recovers, the market’s appetite for risk remains tempered by a desire to maintain optionality without overcommitting capital. See related market analyses that discuss whether a final move to or beyond five-figure levels is sustainable in the near term.

As traders gaze toward Dec. 25, many will be watching not just BTC’s price, but how these hedges behave as expiry nears. The balance between protective positions and upside-capitalizing bets will influence liquidity, implied volatility, and potential gamma-driven moves on the last trading days of the year. The recent rally has rekindled bullish chatter, but the options book tells a parallel story of caution and risk management shaping the near-term outlook. For ongoing context, readers can refer to prior analyses on whether the rally can sustain under current derivatives dynamics.

This analysis draws upon Deribit’s December open interest breakdown and related derivatives metrics, with additional context from market analytics providers tracking skew and delta. It is intended to illuminate how a large, hedged options book can coexist with a bullish price trajectory, and what that means for traders, investors, and builders navigating a volatile end to the year.

Readers should monitor how BTC behaves as the expiry approaches. If price action remains within a mid- to high-range band, many hedges could simply yield minimal P&L changes, while a breakout in either direction could trigger rapid adjustments in the remaining open positions. The unfolding dynamics will help determine whether this expiry marks a pause in volatility or a prelude to a more decisive move in 2022–2023-like cycles.

As many as 20 financial institutions and large tech companies are in a queue to issue their own stablecoins with Anchorage Digital, the U.S.-regulated cryptocurrency custody firm’s CEO Nathan McCauley said at Consensus Miami 2026 on Thursday.

“Since the Genius Act passed, Anchorage has won every single large stablecoin issuance mandate across the landscape,” McCauley said. “We have really a dozen to maybe even as many as 20 institutional issuers or large tech company issuers who are going to come in and issue their stablecoin with us.”

“The kind of inbounds we see are banks that want to achieve a very specific objective, stablecoin issuers who are saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got a distribution channel where I can put my stablecoin to good use,’” he added.

Anchorage was the U.S’ first federally chartered crypto bank, so it’s not surprising the firm is now reaping the benefits of an incipient regulatory framework in the States.

In order to better meet that demand, Anchorage, last month, announced a partnership with M0, a technology provider that allows global institutions to mint fully configurable stablecoins, which also works with the likes of Stripe, Moonpay and MetaMask.

Another significant announcement for Anchorage was AI-based “Agentic Banking,” a way for AI agents to transact and manage funds, in partnering with Google Cloud infrastructure.

McCauley described agentic commerce as “an entire reimagining of the landscape.”

“We’ve got that happening with AI agents, and at the same time we are seeing a fundamental replatforming of money itself via stable coins and digital assets. We’re here at this conference, and it’s the main thing we’re talking about. But I still think it’s vastly underestimated.”

Zug, Switzerland, May 7, 2026 – After years of research, engineering, and community collaboration, Panther Protocol Foundation announced that Panther Protocol is now live on Polygon.

The deployment introduces what the team describes as “programmable privacy” for decentralized finance — infrastructure designed to enable confidential on-chain interactions while supporting verifiable compliance when required.

The Panther interface is accessible at: https://pantherdao.app.

A new phase for privacy in DeFi

Panther combines zero-knowledge cryptography, non-custodial architecture, and DAO governance to support privacy-preserving interactions within decentralized environments.

Users interact directly with smart contracts while retaining full control of their assets, with cryptographic proofs generated locally in their own browser or device.

Compliance without surveillance

The initial deployment includes a compliance-enabled zone powered by credentials issued by independent providers such as AMLBot via PureFi tooling.

Participants present zero-knowledge attestations on-chain, allowing the protocol to verify eligibility without exposing personal data or transferring identity information to the DAO or protocol infrastructure.

According to the team, the model is designed to support privacy-preserving compliance workflows that may be compatible with institutional participation.

Integration with existing DeFi liquidity

The system is designed to integrate with existing decentralized liquidity sources, enabling confidential interactions without isolating users from broader DeFi markets.

Panther Reward Points (PRPs)

The network introduces Panther Reward Points (PRPs), a participation-based mechanism that recognizes protocol activity.

Users accrue PRPs through actions such as interacting with privacy-enabled zones and other qualifying protocol interactions, according to rules defined by Panther DAO governance.

According to the project, PRPs are intended to support long-term ecosystem participation as Panther expands across additional chains and integrations.

Built for the long term

Panther’s architecture includes Forensic Data Escrow, enabling governed disclosure of encrypted metadata under defined conditions, alongside a roadmap that includes:

• Multi-chain expansion
• Additional integrations and adapters
• New zones and participation models

A grant approved by Panther DAO will support open-source development work intended to enable a potential future community deployment on Base.

About Panther Protocol Foundation

Panther Protocol Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports the ecosystem through research funding, open-source development grants, and ecosystem initiatives.

The Foundation does not operate the protocol, deploy smart contracts, host interfaces, custody assets, or provide financial or digital asset services.

For more information, visit www.panther.org.

To learn more about Panther Protocol, visit www.pantherprotocol.io.

Media contact:

• Joris Koopman
• Marketing and Ecosystem Lead at Panther Protocol Foundation
• joris@panther.org

This publication is provided by the client. The text below is a paid press release that is not part of Cointelegraph.com independent editorial content. The text has undergone editorial review to ensure quality and relevance, it may not reflect the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.com. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research before taking any actions related to the company. Disclosure.

The crypto bear market is likely over, arguing that a fresh cycle driven by tokenization and artificial intelligence-powered financial services is beginning to take shape, said Tom Lee, chairman of Bitmine (BMNR) and co-founder of Fundstrat.

Speaking at Consensus 2026 in Miami on Thursday, Lee pointed to bitcoin’s BTC$80,042.23 recent strength as a historical signal that the market leaving behind the downtrend that saw prices crater from $126,000 in October to $60,000 in February.

After positive monthly returns in March and April, BTC is up another roughly 5% in May so far, which would be the third consecutive positive monthly return.

“You have never in a bear market if bitcoin closes up three consecutive months,” Lee said. “If bitcoin closes above $76,000 this month, the bear market is definitively over.”

The CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index closed April at $76,300, while the asset is currently trading just below $80,000.

Lee said investors remain psychologically anchored to the last crypto downturn and are underestimating the strength of the current rebound. He also pointed to bullish technical signals from veteran trader John Bollinger, who recently said his trend models had turned positive on bitcoin.

Adding to the bullish narrative, Lee noted that software stocks — a sector that was battered amid concerns of AI disrupting its business model and Fundstrat recently upgraded — have historically traded in close correlation with bitcoin. Since tensions escalated between the U.S. and Iran, Lee added, crypto assets have outperformed most traditional markets, with ether (ETH) leading gains.

Tokenization and AI agents driving next cycle

Fueling the next bull market in crypto are two megatrends that are disrupting finance: all assets migrating onchain called tokenization and artificial intelligence (AI) agents using blockchain rails.

Lee argued that AI agents are going to need money to move value autonomously, and for that they will increasingly rely on blockchain networks and tokenized financial systems.

He pointed to stablecoin adoption as evidence the transition is already underway. Stablecoin transaction volumes have already surpassed Visa payments, he said, while he pointed to Grayscale’s report that the $300 trillion securities market will eventually migrate to blockchain rails as tokenized assets.

“The networks that host a large share of tokenized activity are going to capture the economic value,” Lee said.

That shift could radically reshape the economics of finance itself, he argued. Lee compared JPMorgan — projected to earn roughly $60 billion this year with 300,000 employees — to firms like stablecoin issuer Tether USDT$0.9997 and trading giant Jane Street, which generate similar profit levels with just a fraction of the workforce.

“Native digital companies using blockchain as settlement eliminate a lot of processes and people,” he said.

In Lee’s view, crypto-native financial firms could increasingly resemble the internet companies that displaced legacy media and telecom giants over the past two decades.

“In 10 years, half of the largest financial institutions in the world will be native digital,” he said.

UPDATE (May 7, 17:01 UTC): Adds presentation slides cited by Tom Lee during his Consensus 2026 keynote.