Crypto World
Robinhood announces layoffs affecting 290 employees amid restructuring push
Robinhood has announced plans to cut about 290 jobs, or roughly 10% of its full-time workforce, while recording approximately $28 million in related charges as the online brokerage moves to simplify its management structure.
Summary
- Robinhood will cut about 290 jobs, or 10% of its workforce, as the company reduces management layers and closes remaining open roles.
- The trading platform expects roughly $28 million in restructuring related costs and said record June trading volumes support the move.
- The workforce reduction comes months after weaker crypto activity weighed on Robinhood’s first quarter results and profit.
According to Robinhood, the layoffs are part of an effort to operate more efficiently by reducing layers of management and creating a leaner organization. The company said it will also close the small number of remaining open positions.
In a message to employees shared on X, Robinhood Chief Executive Officer Vlad Tenev said the company was entering the restructuring from a position of strength.
“Robinhood’s business has never been stronger,” Tenev wrote, adding that the company could not continue operating as a heavily layered organization and needed to remain focused.
“Because our financial position is strong, we are making this change proactively. The goal is to maximize our talent density and ensure that our culture is defined by an absolute elite performance bar and a superlative commitment to our customers […] We will also continue hiring strategically, investing heavily in top-tier talent, and utilizing frontier technologies to push our execution even further.”
Investor reaction was positive, with Robinhood shares rising nearly 3% in premarket trading. Despite the gain, the stock had fallen 13% this year through Monday’s close.

A regulatory filing cited by the company showed Robinhood employed about 2,900 full-time workers as of Dec. 31. Management expects to book around $20 million in severance and employee benefit costs, along with roughly $8 million in share-based compensation expenses. The charges are expected to be recognized during the second quarter.
Trading activity rebounds after weak first quarter
While announcing the workforce reduction, Robinhood pointed to strong trading activity across its platform. The company said June month-to-date average daily volumes had reached record levels in equities, options, and prediction markets.
Those figures stand in contrast to conditions earlier this year. During its first-quarter earnings report in April, Robinhood missed Wall Street profit expectations as weaker cryptocurrency trading weighed on results.
Revenue from cryptocurrency trading fell 47% year over year to $134 million in the January-to-March period, while transaction-based revenue of $623 million came in below analyst estimates, according to the company’s earnings report.
Several analysts identified crypto trading as a major source of pressure during the quarter. Morningstar described the segment as a “particular pressure point,” while Raymond James analysts said trading volumes had become uneven and showed signs of retail investor fatigue.
At the time, Robinhood also faced a more difficult operating environment as cryptocurrency prices declined and retail participation slowed. Analysts at KBW noted that competition across the crypto trading industry was intensifying, with both digital asset exchanges and traditional financial firms expanding their offerings.
Market conditions have improved since then. Robinhood cited easing tensions in the Middle East and strength in equity markets as factors supporting retail trading activity in recent months.
To reduce its exposure to swings in trading volumes, the company has continued expanding beyond its core brokerage business. Retirement accounts, wealth management services, and credit card products have become part of Robinhood’s effort to build additional sources of revenue that are less dependent on market activity.
Earlier this month, Robinhood expanded its international footprint by launching stock and options trading services in Canada through its acquisition of Canadian crypto platform WonderFi. The move brought the company’s investing products to Canadian users for the first time and added to its efforts to grow beyond its core U.S. retail trading business.
Crypto World
Ethereum Warning: Here’s Why ETH’s Price Can Drop by 15%
The recently announced peace deal between Iran and the US, expected to be officially signed on June 19, has triggered a substantial upswing in the cryptocurrency market, with Ethereum (ETH) among the biggest winners.
However, some analysts believe the green wave might be only temporary, predicting a major correction in the coming weeks.
Going South Again?
Several hours ago, ETH climbed to approximately $1,850, and it is currently worth around $1,790 (according to CoinGecko), representing a 7% increase since last Tuesday.
And while some holders might cheer the sharp rise, others think the upswing has occurred in an unhealthy manner and could be followed by a short-term pullback. One person sharing this theory is the popular analyst Ted. He noted that the asset’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) on a 4-hour scale reached its most overbought territory for the past three months.
“Last time this happened, Ethereum dropped 15% in 2 weeks,” he reminded.
The whales’ activity is also worth observing. X user Max Crypto revealed that one large investor opened a $30.9 million short on ETH with 20x leverage when the price was trading near $1,820. With this risky bet, a mere $90 rise would have liquidated the trader.
Whales are known as experienced market participants, and many believe that their decisions rarely depend on their sixth sense but on inside information that they might have about upcoming events that could influence the price. Their behavior is often monitored by smaller players who may get scared and exit the ecosystem, thus negatively impacting ETH’s valuation.
‘Phenomenal Spot’ to Buy?
Other well-known industry participants presented highly optimistic predictions. X user Michael van de Poppe touched on the ETH/BTC ratio, arguing that the current price level is a “phenomenal spot” to invest in the second-largest cryptocurrency over the next 6-12 months.
“Next step = breaking 0.03250 and to be getting clearly into an uptrend again. Other than that, price usually starts, narrative will come up and accelerate the momentum, and I won’t be surprised to see the momentum pick up significantly in the coming period on Ethereum,” he added.
Poseidon also chipped in, claiming that people have 90 days left to buy ETH under $2,000 “for the last time.” Meanwhile, the massive outflow from exchanges supports the bullish scenario.
As CryptoPotato recently reported, nearly 500,000 tokens have been withdrawn from centralized platforms over the past week, resulting in reduced selling pressure and considered an early sign of accumulation.
The post Ethereum Warning: Here’s Why ETH’s Price Can Drop by 15% appeared first on CryptoPotato.
Crypto World
Uniswap (UNI) gains 12.9% while index trades lower
CoinDesk Indices presents its daily market update, highlighting the performance of leaders and laggards in the CoinDesk 20 Index.
The CoinDesk 20 is currently trading at 1829.21, down 0.7% (-12.13) since 4 p.m. ET on Monday.
Six of 20 assets are trading higher.

Leaders: UNI (+12.9%) and XLM (+2.7%).
Laggards: ADA (-3.4%) and NEAR (-2.5%).
The CoinDesk 20 is a broad-based index traded on multiple platforms in several regions globally.
Crypto World
Nebius (NBIS) Stock Soars 415% as Eigen AI Deal Closes and Q1 Revenue Rockets 684%
Key Highlights
- On June 10, 2026, Nebius Group finalized its purchase of AI inference specialist Eigen AI, keeping deal terms confidential.
- First-quarter revenue climbed to $399 million, marking a 684% surge from the prior year and exceeding Wall Street’s $375 million projection.
- The AI cloud provider posted a per-share loss of ($0.23), significantly outperforming analyst expectations of ($0.77).
- Shares of NBIS started trading Tuesday at $260.07, reflecting a gain of more than 415% over the trailing twelve-month period.
- Analyst sentiment remains positive with nine Buy recommendations, including Citigroup’s top price objective of $287.
The Amsterdam-headquartered Nebius Group (NBIS) successfully completed its takeover of Eigen AI on June 10, 2026, approximately six weeks following the initial May 1 announcement. The company verified the acquisition through a Tuesday press statement after securing necessary regulatory clearances. Specific financial details of the transaction remain undisclosed.
Eigen AI specializes in inference technology and model optimization—core competencies that integrate seamlessly with Nebius’s current cloud infrastructure designed for AI training and deployment workflows.
This acquisition arrives alongside remarkable financial performance from Nebius. During the first quarter of 2026, the company generated $399 million in revenue, representing a staggering 684% increase versus the comparable period in 2025. Revenue from the AI Cloud segment specifically totaled $389.7 million, accounting for 98% of overall company revenue.
The company’s quarterly per-share loss of ($0.23) substantially exceeded Street expectations, which had anticipated a loss of ($0.77) per share.
NBIS began Tuesday’s session at $260.07. Trading over the past 52 weeks has ranged from a low of $43.89 to a peak of $278.84, with shares posting gains exceeding 415% over the last twelve months. The 50-day moving average currently stands at $187.49, while the 200-day moving average registers at $129.09.
The company’s market capitalization has reached approximately $65.80 billion.
Wall Street Price Targets Climb Higher
Financial analysts have responded positively to recent developments. Following the strong Q1 performance, Citigroup elevated its price objective from $169 to $287 while reaffirming its Buy recommendation. Citizens JMP increased its target from $175 to $270, maintaining a Market Outperform stance. Morgan Stanley adopted a more conservative approach, raising its target from $126 to $144 alongside an Equal Weight rating.
Current analyst coverage includes nine Buy ratings and six Hold ratings. According to MarketBeat data, the consensus price target across all analysts sits at $203.25.
Compass Point previously adjusted its target upward from $150 to $260 while maintaining its Buy recommendation.
Institutional ownership has expanded notably. Millennium Management established a fresh position valued at approximately $11.5 million during Q1. UBS Asset Management Americas contributed around $9 million in new investment. Royal Bank of Canada similarly initiated a position worth $1.6 million. Combined, institutional investors and hedge funds currently control 21.90% of outstanding shares.
Notable Insider Transaction Activity
Regarding insider activity, Chief Technology Officer Danila Shtan divested 15,678 shares on June 4 at an average sale price of $238.96, decreasing his holdings by 5.1%. This transaction occurred through a previously established Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement.
Insider Andrey Korolenko sold 500,000 shares on May 13 at $203.24 each, reducing his ownership position by 46.07%. Throughout the most recent three-month period, company insiders have collectively sold 700,710 shares totaling more than $132 million.
Nebius has also recently unveiled a 22-megawatt, ten-year contract with Kao Data for infrastructure development at a United Kingdom data center facility, representing part of a broader £1.7 billion commitment to British operations. Additionally, the company revealed a 328 MW fuel cell collaboration with Bloom Energy.
Situational Awareness, an investment firm headed by former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner, has acquired a 5.6% ownership stake in the company.
Venture Visionary Partners LLC expanded its holdings by 13% during the fourth quarter, purchasing an additional 5,922 shares to bring its total position to 51,462 shares, currently valued at approximately $4.3 million.
Crypto World
Ripple (XRP) Price Predictions for This Week (June 16)
XRP is found in a relief rally with $1.3 as a key target to reclaim. The asset challenged it yesterday, but it was stopped. Can it break through this week?
Ripple (XRP) Price Predictions: Analysis
Key support levels: $1.2, $1
Key resistance levels: $1.3, $1.6, $2
Buyers Push XRP into a Relief Rally
After the price dropped to near $1, buyers returned to XRP, sending it into a relief rally that is still ongoing as of this post. So far, buyers managed to send the price close to the resistance at $1.3.
If XRP can reclaim $1.3 as support, the cryptocurrency has a real chance of reaching higher levels in the future, with key targets at $1.6 and $2. That is the optimistic scenario. The bearish take is a rejection at $1.3, which would likely send the price back to $1.

Momentum Indicators Turning Bullish
With the buy volume spiking most recently, the momentum indicators, such as the MACD on the daily timeframe, have turned bullish. This is an encouraging sign that the downtrend may be coming to an end.
However, the resistance at $1.3 needs to be broken to confirm a reversal; anything less would be premature and likely turn into a bull trap. Thus, the next few days are critical for determining whether XRP has what it takes to reverse its most recent losses.

Daily RSI Moves Above 50
Another positive development is evident in the daily RSI, which has been above 50 since yesterday. This is a significant change that shows sellers no longer have control over the price.
Now, buyers will need to do their best to keep the RSI above 50, as a drop back below this midpoint could be interpreted as bearish. Since the recent rally was quite sudden, a pullback could be expected and normal before new highs.

The post Ripple (XRP) Price Predictions for This Week (June 16) appeared first on CryptoPotato.
Crypto World
Solidion Technology (STI) Stock Surges on Revolutionary BEEP Battery Platform Launch
Quick Overview
-
STI stock recovers following announcement of innovative BEEP battery platform
-
New architecture designed for electric aircraft, unmanned systems, AI facilities, and orbital applications
-
Bipolar design promises significant reductions in weight, volume, and manufacturing steps
-
Technology eliminates traditional modular construction in favor of integrated stacking approach
-
Pre-market session shows recovery momentum after previous session’s substantial decline
The Dallas-based energy storage developer revealed its proprietary BEEP battery architecture as shares experienced a pre-market recovery following the prior day’s significant downturn. The innovative solid-state platform specifically addresses power requirements for electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, autonomous aerial systems, robotic platforms, artificial intelligence computing facilities, orbital infrastructure, and similar demanding applications.
Revolutionary Battery Architecture Debuts
Solidion Technology announced that its bipolar electrode-to-pack architecture fundamentally reimagines solid-state battery construction methodology. According to the company, this approach eliminates conventional multi-stage assembly that involves creating individual cells before integrating them into modules and complete packs. The BEEP system instead employs direct stacking of bipolar electrode configurations with solid electrolyte materials.
This integrated construction method establishes both series and parallel electrical pathways within a unified enclosure, the company explained. The resulting configuration delivers enhanced volumetric and gravimetric energy metrics while substantially minimizing internal wiring infrastructure and component housing requirements.
The technology specifically targets emerging markets including electric aviation platforms, autonomous flying vehicles, mobile robotics, data center backup systems, and extraterrestrial power solutions. These application areas demand energy storage solutions with superior mass efficiency, compact footprints, and exceptional safety characteristics. The company presents BEEP as an enabling technology for next-generation mobility and stationary storage deployments.
Industry Obstacles Continue to Shape Market
The solid-state battery sector has attracted significant interest due to potential improvements in thermal stability, rapid charging capabilities, and extended operational range for electrified vehicles and aircraft. Despite these advantages, manufacturing economics have prevented widespread market penetration.
Physical dimensions of complete battery assemblies present another significant challenge for transportation applications. Conventional architectures incorporate substantial protective enclosures, extensive connector networks, and thermal management systems. These elements consume valuable space and contribute mass across electrified ground vehicles, aerial platforms, maritime vessels, and spacecraft.
Solidion positions BEEP as a solution to these industry-wide challenges through architectural simplification. The company indicates that the technology requires only a single external enclosure and dramatically fewer interconnection points. This streamlined design could deliver measurable improvements in specific energy, packaging efficiency, and production economics.
Share Price Shows Morning Recovery Pattern
STI shares closed regular trading at $20.90, representing a 17.29% decline from the previous session. During pre-market activity, however, the stock demonstrated recovery momentum, advancing to $21.85. This represented a 4.55% increase ahead of the opening bell, following a period of significant price volatility.
The pre-market uptick coincided with the company’s disclosure of its BEEP technology platform. Management positioned the innovation as particularly relevant for industries requiring lightweight, high-performance energy solutions. Key target markets encompass electric vertical aircraft, aerospace applications, autonomous systems, and emergency power infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence computing centers.
Solidion Technology maintains headquarters in Dallas while operating pilot manufacturing operations in Dayton, Ohio. The enterprise focuses on next-generation battery materials, components, and performance-optimized energy storage architectures. Its intellectual property portfolio encompasses more than 385 patents spanning silicon-based anodes, advanced graphite formulations, lithium-sulfur chemistry, and lithium-metal technologies.
Crypto World
Applied Digital (APLD) Stock Soars 9% on $5.2B Hyperscaler AI Contract
Key Highlights
- Applied Digital shares climbed 8.83% following the announcement of a 15-year, 210 MW data center lease with a prominent U.S. hyperscaler, representing $5.2 billion in base lease payments.
- With renewal options, the agreement could span 30 years and deliver up to $12.7 billion in total lease revenue.
- This marks the company’s third major contract with the same hyperscaler client, pushing Applied Digital’s overall contracted backlog to approximately $36 billion.
- Revenue for fiscal 2026 is projected to have surged approximately 96% compared to the prior year, reaching $422 million.
- Over the trailing 12 months, the stock has skyrocketed 282%, significantly outperforming Nvidia’s 44% gain during the same timeframe.
Applied Digital (APLD) experienced a strong rally on June 15, climbing 8.83% after unveiling a substantial long-term data center lease with a major U.S.-based hyperscaler. Shares traded near $46.38, touching an intraday peak of $46.98.
Applied Digital Corporation, APLD
The newly signed agreement provides 210 megawatts of cloud infrastructure capacity spanning 15 years, with guaranteed base payments totaling $5.2 billion. Should the client activate all extension clauses, the partnership could stretch to three decades and produce $12.7 billion in cumulative revenue.
This represents Applied Digital’s third major lease arrangement with this particular hyperscaler. The firm now holds commitments to construct five separate AI infrastructure campuses throughout its development portfolio.
In total, Applied Digital’s contracted lease backlog now amounts to roughly $36 billion under baseline assumptions. With full renewal option utilization across all existing agreements, that number could balloon to $86 billion.
The stock’s upward movement wasn’t solely attributed to the contract news. A broader technology sector rally, fueled by reduced geopolitical concerns, provided additional momentum. Several Wall Street analysts also upgraded their price targets in response to the announcement.
Applied Digital operates by constructing specialized AI-focused data centers for hyperscale and neocloud enterprises, subsequently generating recurring lease income through facility management. While capital-intensive, this approach establishes lengthy, predictable revenue channels once agreements are executed.
Fiscal Performance Shows Dramatic Expansion
Fiscal year 2026, which concluded recently, is estimated to have delivered revenue growth of 96% year-over-year, totaling approximately $422 million. This expansion trajectory is anticipated to intensify as the company operationalizes its contracted pipeline.
Wall Street forecasts suggest this momentum will persist across upcoming fiscal periods, underpinned by the substantial backlog of executed contracts.
Currently, the stock commands a valuation of roughly 35 times sales—an elevated metric. However, the magnitude of the pipeline and lengthy contract terms provide some rationale for the premium multiple.
Critical Considerations for Investors
Applied Digital continues to report GAAP losses and negative cash flow. The organization maintains significant debt obligations, and its long-term viability hinges on transforming contracted revenue into actual profitability before interest expenses become more burdensome.
Shareholder dilution represents another concern as the company funds ongoing campus construction projects.
Nevertheless, the contracted backlog with premier hyperscale customers provides a valuable commodity in this sector: revenue predictability. Extended-term leases simplify future cash flow projections and may enable Applied Digital to obtain more favorable financing terms for subsequent development projects.
Over the past twelve months, APLD stock has surged 282%, dramatically eclipsing Nvidia’s 44% appreciation over the identical period. Year-to-date performance shows a 74.14% gain.
The company’s current market capitalization ranges between approximately $12.2 billion and $13 billion, depending on daily closing prices.
This latest agreement represents Applied Digital’s third contract with the same hyperscaler customer and elevates the total count of AI infrastructure campus commitments to five.
Crypto World
Peter Schiff Says Strategy’s Bitcoin Math No Longer Adds Up
Peter Schiff has renewed his attack on Strategy’s Bitcoin buying plan, saying the company’s model no longer works the way it did when MSTR traded at a large premium to its Bitcoin holdings.
Summary
- Schiff says discounted MSTR share sales could weaken Bitcoin-per-share gains for existing Strategy investors.
- Strategy kept buying Bitcoin, adding 1,587 BTC after the earlier 1,550 BTC purchase.
- A dormant whale moved 2,373 BTC, but on-chain data does not confirm a sale.
The Euro Pacific Capital chief argued that earlier stock sales helped raise Bitcoin per share because investors paid above net asset value.
“Past sales were done at a premium. Current sales are done at a discount,” Schiff wrote.
He claimed that selling discounted MSTR stock to fund new Bitcoin purchases can dilute holders and lower Bitcoin per share, even when the company adds more BTC.
Strategy adds more Bitcoin after disputed sale
The criticism followed Strategy’s purchase of 1,550 BTC for about $101 million in early June. Schiff claimed that the buy left shareholders worse off because the company issued more equity than the new Bitcoin added to its per-share exposure. He also called the result a “negative Bitcoin yield.”
Strategy has continued to buy Bitcoin since then. On June 15, Michael Saylor said the company bought another 1,587 BTC for about $100 million, lifting its Bitcoin reserve to 846,842 BTC. The company also raised its dollar reserve to $1.1 billion, adding more cash while keeping its Bitcoin accumulation plan active.
STRC dividend pressure stays in focus
The debate also centers on STRC, Strategy’s preferred stock. Schiff has argued that the dividend burden could become harder to manage if preferred shares trade below their intended level. In that case, the company may need to offer higher payments, sell more shares, or use cash reserves to support payouts.
As crypto.news previously reported, Strategy sold 32 BTC between May 26 and May 31, raising about $2.5 million at an average price of $77,135. Company CEO Phong Le later said the sale was a test of internal systems, not a move to fund dividends. The small sale still drew attention because Strategy built its public image around holding and adding Bitcoin.
Dormant whale transfer adds market context
The market backdrop also changed after a long-dormant Bitcoin holder moved 2,373 BTC. CryptoQuant analyst Maartun said the coins had remained inactive for roughly five to seven years. At Bitcoin’s recent price near $66,000, the transfer was worth about $156 million.
A whale transfer does not prove a sale. Long-term holders may move coins for custody changes, wallet upgrades, estate planning, or profit-taking. Analysts usually watch whether such coins flow to exchanges before treating the movement as possible sell pressure.
Bitcoin has rebounded above the mid-$60,000 area after a sharp pullback earlier in June. The price move has kept Strategy, miners, ETFs, and older whale wallets in focus as traders look for signs of renewed demand or fresh selling.
Crypto World
Bitcoin Lags Global Liquidity at Record Highs: Will It Catch Up?
Bitcoin (BTC) is trading roughly 48% below its October peak even as global money supply sets a record, opening a key gap between the asset and global liquidity this cycle.
The divergence has drawn attention from market analysts who treat liquidity as a leading signal for risk assets. Their core question is whether Bitcoin breaks or continues a long-standing pattern.
Bitcoin and Global Liquidity Are Diverging
Alphractal noted that the global M2 money supply, a common proxy for worldwide liquidity, recently reached a record of nearly $135 trillion. The S&P 500 has tracked that expansion, trading near its own record highs.
Bitcoin historically follows the same liquidity wave, though with higher volatility and a longer lag. That relationship held through 2024 and into early 2025 before it broke down.
“Since early 2025, BTC has diverged sharply: while M2 continued making new highs and SPX recovered to near-ATH, BTC has compressed,” the firm mentioned.
Alphractal called the current divergence the most pronounced in its dataset and described two ways to read it.
The first is the convergence reading. It holds that an asset this far below liquidity has typically closed the gap through price gains. That recovery comes from appreciation rather than shrinking liquidity.
The second is the structural reading. It treats the Bitcoin-liquidity link as non-mechanical rather than fixed. Past divergences in 2018 and 2022 were resolved over 6 to 18 months. The correlation can also weaken as the holder base changes.
“Which reading applies depends on whether the current divergence reflects a temporary dislocation or a structural shift in BTC’s correlation regime,” Alphractal said.
Analyst Martini Guy framed it the same way. He said the macro backdrop is improving, while Bitcoin has not yet reflected it. Either Bitcoin starts closing the gap, or its tie to liquidity breaks in a way “we haven’t seen for quite some time.”
Follow us on X to get the latest news as it happens
Can Bitcoin Catch Up to Liquidity?
Meanwhile, Bitcoin firmed toward $66,000 this week as the US-Iran deal lifted equities and risk assets. At press time, the asset traded at $65,831, up 0.27% over the past day.
The bounce strengthens the stabilization signal but does not confirm a trend change. On-chain data supports that reading.
Glassnode described the recent move up from near $60,000 as base-building rather than a confirmed reversal.
“The recovery is happening on thin ice. Spot volume collapsed 40.4% to $5.8B and Futures Open Interest declined another 3% to $30.6B, a sign the bounce is being driven by covering rather than fresh conviction. Long-side funding payments fell 22.3% and ETF trade volume dropped 38.1% to $11.1B. The market is lighter, not healthier,” the report read.
The macro backdrop favors a recovery, but Bitcoin has not confirmed one. The coming weeks of flow and volume data should show which reading holds.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch leaders and journalists provide expert insights
The post Bitcoin Lags Global Liquidity at Record Highs: Will It Catch Up? appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Crypto World
Saylor Says Bitcoin Doesn’t Require Ethereum-Like Yield to Win
Strategy executive chairman Michael Saylor has renewed his argument that Bitcoin investing does not require staking, inflation, or on-chain yield schemes. In a Tuesday post on X, Saylor framed Bitcoin as “pure digital capital” and said returns should come from financial products built around BTC rather than protocol-based rewards.
At the center of his pitch was a five-layer “Digital Asset Stack,” with Bitcoin positioned as the foundation for credit, money, yield, and equity structures. The approach aligns with Strategy’s long-running thesis of treating its Bitcoin holdings as a treasury reserve and generating returns through capital-markets engineering.
Key takeaways
- Saylor argues Bitcoin should remain “pure digital capital,” rejecting the idea that it must imitate Ethereum-style yield mechanisms to attract investors.
- His “Digital Asset Stack” positions BTC as collateral for “digital credit” instruments intended to deliver more stable returns than holding BTC outright.
- Saylor describes Bitcoin’s volatility as a feature of scarce, global, 24/7-traded capital—credit structures sit “above” BTC in the risk hierarchy.
- Strategy’s perpetual preferred stock STRC is repeatedly cited as an example of how capital-market products can be built on top of Bitcoin holdings.
The “Digital Asset Stack” and why Saylor rejects staking
In his X post, Saylor laid out a five-layer framework he uses to explain how digital assets can be organized into different economic roles: credit, money, yield, and equity, all anchored by Bitcoin. The key takeaway from his remarks is philosophical as much as financial—Saylor believes Bitcoin does not need additional mechanisms like staking or inflation to become investable.
Saylor’s position is that investors should be able to access exposure to the Bitcoin ecosystem without relying on protocol-issued yield. Instead, he points toward traditional finance-style structures—securities and credit products—that use BTC holdings as underlying capital support.
The argument reinforces Strategy’s established narrative that returns can be engineered through instruments issued by the company, rather than by earning on-chain rewards. That distinction matters for investors comparing “BTC as collateral for finance” versus “BTC as a yield-bearing asset through protocol design.”
Digital credit: collateral with risk separated
Saylor’s framework emphasizes “digital credit”—financial instruments created using Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings. In this structure, Bitcoin functions as collateral, while the equity layer absorbs most of the price risk. The intent, according to Saylor’s explanation, is that credit instruments can therefore deliver returns that behave differently from spot BTC, particularly during turbulent market periods.
While the X post did not break down every product in the stack, Saylor repeatedly referred to Strategy-style securities, including STRC, as tangible examples of how “digital credit” can be packaged. In his framing, instruments like STRC are not merely corporate offerings; they are presented as illustrations of a broader asset class concept built on top of Bitcoin through capital-market structures.
For readers, the practical question is what this separation of risk means in real market stress. In Saylor’s model, credit and equity are not identical exposures: they sit at different points in the capital structure, with different drivers of returns and different sensitivity to BTC price movements.
Volatility isn’t a flaw—structures are designed to sit above BTC
Saylor also addressed Bitcoin’s volatility directly. He argued that volatility is not an inherent defect, but a natural outcome of Bitcoin being “high-energy capital”—scarce, traded globally, and moving rapidly because it is always on and always accessible.
In his view, the purpose of “digital credit” instruments is to dampen swings by placing credit claims above Bitcoin in the structure. Although Saylor did not specifically discuss STRC’s volatility dynamics in the X post itself, he said the risk profile of credit products can vary based on market stress, liquidity conditions, and investor demand.
That qualification is important: it suggests that credit instruments are not guaranteed to behave the same way in all cycles. Instead, they may introduce a different mix of risks—often less immediate sensitivity to BTC price changes, but with exposure to broader credit conditions.
Strategy’s preferred stock STRC provides a concrete reference point in Saylor’s remarks. STRC closed at $95.20 on Monday, down 1.45%, according to Nasdaq data. The shares have a $100 stated par value and are structured to trade near that level, based on Strategy’s own description of how STRC is priced.
For investors weighing these products against direct BTC exposure, the central tradeoff implied by Saylor’s framework is that price volatility is not removed—it is redistributed across layers. Credit may smooth the experience relative to holding BTC spot, but the exact behavior depends on how markets price the credit and equity components.
Product value depends on whether BTC is sold
Saylor’s argument about “digital credit” also ties back to Strategy’s policy on Bitcoin. In earlier commentary at the BTC Prague conference, he said that if a company policy prevents Bitcoin sales, then the credit structure could lose its value, because the mechanism intended to support the products would be constrained.
As he put it to Cointelegraph: “If the company’s policy is that we won’t sell the Bitcoin, then the credit won’t have value and the equity won’t have value.” That linkage—between BTC sales capacity and the functioning of the capital structure—highlights a key uncertainty readers should monitor. Even if products are designed to damp BTC swings, their resilience may depend on whether and how liquidity events can be executed.
Cointelegraph previously reported on Strategy’s Bitcoin sales in the context of product support, including coverage of a sale that offloaded 32 BTC. That broader record is relevant to Saylor’s thesis, because it suggests the company’s framework is not purely theoretical—it has required real-world actions to sustain the engineering of returns.
With Saylor again emphasizing that Bitcoin should stay “pure digital capital,” the immediate open question is how far this “digital credit” model can go without evolving assumptions about capital markets access, liquidity, and BTC management policies. Readers should watch how Strategy and similar issuers structure risk across credit and equity, and how those instruments perform through stress—especially when BTC price moves collide with liquidity and demand shifts.
Crypto World
Bitcoin, Gold Post Worst YTD Returns Among Major Assets, Challenging Their Safe Haven Status
Bitcoin (BTC) and gold are the only two major asset classes in the red so far in 2026, posting year-to-date losses of 27% and 3%, respectively, according to market analyst Charlie Bilello.
What makes it unusual is not just the losses themselves but the combination, with both assets never having finished as the two worst performers among the majors in a calendar year, going back to 2011.
Rotation Showing Up Across Markets
The backdrop makes the situation harder to explain, as Bilello pointed out in a recent market report. Data he shared showed the S&P 500 was up around 9% on the year, and small-cap stocks had gained 19% in the same period. Furthermore, he noted that value stocks have jumped 15%, and emerging market equities were outperforming expectations.
Basically, everything is in positive territory except for gold and BTC, the two assets most commonly associated with protection against uncertain times as well as monetary debasement.
The analyst’s chart, which has tracked annual returns for the last 15 years, showed just how out of character this performance is for both assets. Gold posted gains of 63.7% in 2025 and 26.7% in 2024, while Bitcoin returned 121% in 2024 and had one of its best showings in 2013 when total returns hit 5,500%.
Looking at the long-run numbers, they’re also quite impressive, with BTC’s cumulative returns since 2011 sitting at 21,000,000%, annualized at 121.6%, while gold has returned 179% in total over the same period. And while the current drawdown doesn’t erase that history, it’s certainly raising questions about what role these assets are playing in 2026.
According to Bilello, part of what’s happening is down to rotation, with the tech sector seeing a 28% outperformance vs. the S&P 500 off the March lows, which he says is the largest such move ever recorded, being even bigger than the 1999-2000 dot-com run.
Tech now accounts for close to 40% of the S&P 500, some way above the 35% peak seen at the height of the dot-com bubble, and in such an environment, the market observer says capital has opted to move to assets with earnings momentum rather than staying on stores of value with little to no yield.
Price Action in Gold and BTC
At the time of writing, the world’s foremost cryptocurrency was trading above $66,000, having touched $67,000 for the first time in two weeks earlier in the day. That uptick followed news that the United States and Iran were due to sign a peace deal later in the week in Switzerland, which briefly lifted sentiment across risk assets.
Gold, meanwhile, is trading around $4,300 per troy ounce, with a weekly range between $4,025 and $4,340, and a 3% year-to-date dip that looks modest when compared to the cryptocurrency’s, even though it still represents an unusual reversal for an asset that spent much of the last two years at or near record highs.
The post Bitcoin, Gold Post Worst YTD Returns Among Major Assets, Challenging Their Safe Haven Status appeared first on CryptoPotato.
-
Business2 days agoNo Jackpot Winner as $257 Million Prize Rolls Over to $269 Million Monday Draw
-
Crypto World5 days agoOppenheimer backs SpaceX as $70 billion retail frenzy builds
-
Fashion4 days agoWeekend Open Thread: Tuckernuck – Corporette.com
-
Crypto World5 days agoMarkets Rally as SpaceX IPO Looms Amid Iran Tensions and Inflation Surge
-
Crypto World2 days agoZimbabwe Requires Crypto Businesses to Register Annually Under New FIU Regulations
-
Tech4 days agoNanoClaw integrates JFrog registries to secure AI agent downloads
-
Sports7 days agoBangladesh beat Australia after 20 years in ODIs, register only their second win over six-time world champions | Cricket News
-
Tech4 days agoThis Week In Security: Microsoft On Microsoft, Register Your Domains, Linux On ARM, And FreeBSD Joins The File Cache Club
-
Crypto World3 days agoBitget enters Argentina’s regulated crypto market through PSAV registration
-
Tech5 days ago
Dutton Ranch star claims they ‘didn’t see any disruption’ on set following Chad Feehan’s exit from Yellowstone spinoff fueled by Taylor Sheridan clash rumors
-
Business6 days agoThailand Ranks Second Worldwide for AI Adoption Growth, Microsoft Reports
-
NewsBeat5 days agoEl Nino has formed in the Pacific and could set records, forecasters say
-
Tech6 days ago‘This is Seattle’s position on AI’: City Council votes unanimously to pause big new data centers
-
Politics5 days agoPolitics Home | Healey Resignation Is “Colossal Failure Of Government”, Says Former Labour Defence Secretary
-
Entertainment5 days agoDonnie Wahlberg & More Heat Up Las Vegas at Circa’s Barry’s Downtown Prime
-
Sports5 days agoFirst Time Since 1971: Australia Register Historic Low In ODI Cricket
-
Tech5 days agoOpendoor Ends India Operations, Fueling a Bigger Conversation About AI and Outsourcing
-
Politics5 days agoBelfast burns, while Met chief points finger at Iran and Russia
-
NewsBeat4 days agoFBI searches office of Ohio voter registration group
-
Business5 days agoAT&T: Verizon's 27% Outperformance Sets Up A Solid Entry Point


You must be logged in to post a comment Login