Author: James Wilson

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said at XRP Las Vegas on April 30 that if the CLARITY Act does not clear the Senate Banking Committee before the Memorial Day recess on May 21, the bill could be shelved until 2030, as the current tri-branch alignment between the House, Senate, and White House on crypto legislation is uniquely fragile. Summary The bill has over 120 firm backers including Coinbase, Kraken, Circle, and Andreessen Horowitz and holds public support from the White House, SEC Chair Paul Atkins, and Treasury Secretary Bessent. Senators Cynthia Lummis and Bernie Moreno have both said independently that failure…

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse declared at XRP Las Vegas that the CLARITY Act will pass by the end of May, his third public deadline for the bill after predicting 80% odds of April passage on Fox Business in February and revising to May at two successive industry events. Summary Garlinghouse first gave 80% odds of April passage on Fox Business on February 19, revised to end of May at the FII Priority Miami Summit on March 27, and reaffirmed end of May at the Semafor World Economy Summit on April 13. He says the stablecoin yield dispute that paralysed the…

Crypto VC funding slid to $659m across 63 April deals, a 74% drop from March that drags monthly flows back to 2024 lows even as DeFi and AI still attract capital. Summary Cointelegraph data show crypto venture funding fell to $659 million across 63 deals in April, down 74% from $2.6 billion and 84 rounds in March. Since peaking at $3.84 billion in October 2025, monthly crypto VC flows have trended lower even as 2026 year‑to‑date funding still totals about $5.64 billion. DeFi led sector activity with 12 deals, while blockchain services and AI‑linked crypto projects each saw 8 rounds;…

137 Ventures has raised over $700m across two new funds, lifting AUM above $15b as it doubles down on AI agents, robotics, advanced industry and a $10b‑plus SpaceX stake. Summary SpaceX backer 137 Ventures has closed more than $700 million across two new funds, lifting its assets under management above $15 billion. The growth-stage firm says the fresh capital will target high‑impact technology bets in AI agents, robotics, advanced industrial systems, and aerospace propulsion. 137 Ventures now owns more than 1% of SpaceX, a stake its founder values at over $10 billion ahead of a potential IPO that could see…

Minneapolis Fed president Neel Kashkari has shifted from penciling in one or two 2026 cuts to a data‑dependent stance as the Iran war and higher oil muddy the inflation path. Summary Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari says he had expected inflation to cool enough to justify cutting interest rates once or twice in 2026, but the Iran war has made that outlook far less certain. He now argues that recent data, including March’s inflation prints, are not strong enough to change the Federal Open Market Committee’s policy statement, stressing the need to see how long elevated energy prices persist. Kashkari…

Pi Network has set May 11 as the activation date for Protocol 23, the upgrade that introduces full smart contract functionality to the Pi blockchain and transforms the network from a mobile mining project into a programmable platform capable of supporting DeFi applications and real-world asset tokenisation. Summary Pi Network Protocol 23 lands on May 11, moved one week earlier from the previously announced May 18 date, four days after co-founders Dr. Chengdiao Fan and Nicolas Kokkalis speak at Consensus 2026 in Miami. Protocol 23 enables developers to build decentralised exchanges, lending protocols, automated tools, and tokenised asset products on…

Bitcoin has reclaimed $78,000 on Gate’s BTC/USDT pair, extending a rebound from $76,000 and keeping the market within range of the closely watched $80,000 level. Summary Gate’s BTC/USDT market shows Bitcoin trading at about $78,004, up 2.15% over the past 24 hours and back above a key resistance area traders have been watching all week. The move extends a broader rebound from lows near $76,000, keeping BTC within striking distance of the psychologically important $80,000 level highlighted in recent price commentary. Derivatives and ETF flows remain the main drivers, with prior sessions already seeing BTC oscillate between the mid‑$70,000s and…

Bittensor price is showing renewed strength as it climbs above the $260 level, with improving momentum indicators hinting at a potential continuation of the recent recovery trend. Summary Bittensor price is trading around $263, up 5.7% in 24 hours, holding above the key $236 support after breaking a long-term downtrend. Bullish momentum builds as MACD turns positive, with upside targets at $294 and $340 if strength continues. Fundamentals strengthen with Nvidia’s reported $420M stake, ETF filings by Grayscale and Bitwise, and over 70% of supply locked in staking. According to data from crypto.news, Bittensor (TAO) price was trading around $263.19…

WHITE TECH has received authorization from Croatia’s Financial Services Supervisory Agency, HANFA, to operate as a crypto-asset service provider under MiCA. Summary WHITE TECH received MiCA authorization from Croatia’s HANFA regulator. The approval allows crypto exchange, custody, administration, and transfer services. WHITE TECH joins Croatia’s early MiCA-approved firms as EU crypto rules expand. The company is part of the W Group ecosystem and is majority-owned by Volodymyr Nosov, founder and CEO of WhiteBIT. The approval allows WHITE TECH to offer regulated crypto services under the EU’s common framework. WHITE TECH supports crypto exchange services, fiat-to-crypto conversion, and crypto-asset transfers for…

Tom Lee’s Bitmine has staked about $508 million worth of Ethereum in a recent move tracked by Arkham.  Summary Bitmine recently staked about $508 million worth of ETH, according to Arkham on-chain data. Bitmine’s Ethereum holdings crossed 5 million ETH, placing it among the largest institutional holders. More than 4 million Bitmine ETH is staked, equal to about 10.5% of total staked supply. The transfers were routed through institutional channels, adding to the firm’s ongoing staking strategy. The latest activity comes as Bitmine continues to increase its exposure to Ethereum. On-chain data shows the firm has now staked more than…