RAKBank is preparing to join the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE’s) fast-evolving stablecoin ecosystem after receiving in-principle approval on Wednesday from the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) to issue a UAE dirham-backed payment token. In-principle approval means the CBUAE has agreed to RAKBank’s stablecoin plans subject to final regulatory and operational conditions, and
A Polymarket trader has resurfaced after a seven-month hiatus to wager on an Israeli strike against Iran. This has reignited market speculation over whether the activity reflects informed positioning or coincidence. These actions echo recent controversies tied to Venezuela, where three wallets reportedly made more than $630,000 by betting on the arrest of President Nicolás
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI has closed an upsized $20 billion Series E funding round, exceeding its original $15 billion target as tech giants pour billions into the AI arms race despite mounting regulatory scrutiny and AI bubble warnings. The company announced on Tuesday that it had completed the Series E round, with participation
Gold and silver briefly reclaimed their spot as the two biggest assets by market capitalization as the new year rolled in with uncertainty. According to data from analytics platform CompaniesMarketCap, gold currently has a market cap of $31.1 trillion, sitting at the top spot. Silver, which has been trading places with Nvidia for second place
Digital asset treasury company Metaplanet (3350) rose 4% in Tokyo on Wednesday after index provider MSCI decided not to exclude firms building cryptocurrency stockpiles from its global indexes. Metaplanet is now up 20% since the start of the year. The rally means company is valued at a premium to its bitcoin holdings, with a multiple
Barclays, the U.K.’s second-largest bank by market capitalization, said it invested in Ubyx, a U.S. startup developing clearing systems for tokenized forms of money such as bank deposits and regulated stablecoins. The investment, terms of which were not disclosed, signals growing interest among traditional banks to lay the groundwork for blockchain-based payments that stay within
Crypto mass adoption could just be a matter of time, as older, crypto-averse generations eventually pass their wealth to their descendants, according to an industry executive. During an episode of the Milk Road show on Tuesday, Zac Prince, the head of Galaxy Digital’s banking venture, Galaxy One, predicted that as older people pass away and
Karatage, a leading London-based proprietary hedge fund specializing in digital assets and emerging technology, has appointed Shane O’Callaghan as a senior partner and head of institutional strategy. O’Callaghan joins from Dutch market maker IMC Trading, where he was employed as global head of institutional partnerships and digital asset sales for the last year. Before joining
Wall Street’s biggest players are moving decisively into crypto, committing capital, branding power, and regulated products as digital assets shift from side projects to core institutional priorities. Big Banks Accelerate Full-Scale Push Into Crypto Major financial institutions are rapidly escalating their involvement in crypto as strategic priorities shift across Wall Street. A senior industry executive
Minutes from a meeting of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), China’s central bank, revealed that oversight and regulation of cryptocurrency markets will be further tightened in 2026. According to the statement, the bank declared its commitment to strengthening regulation in the field of “virtual currencies” and increasing the fight against related illegal activities, while