Markets
Aster, a decentralized perpetuals exchange, has taken the top spot on DefiLlama’s leaderboard for daily fees and trading volume, outpacing rivals Hyperliquid and Lighter by a wide margin. DefiLlama data shows Aster generated more than $25 million in fees over the past 24 hours, far ahead of Hyperliquid, which
NFT
Hyperliquid has launched its highly anticipated Hypurr NFT collection, drawing immediate attention from traders and collectors alike. Released on the HyperEVM mainnet, the 4,600-piece collection has already generated nearly $45 million in trading volume and set a floor price hovering around $68,900. The Hypurr collection was created to
AI
Germany’s Black Forest Labs, a rising force in the artificial intelligence sector, is in early discussions to raise between $200 million and $300 million, potentially pushing its valuation to around $4 billion. Founded in August 2024 by a team of computer scientists—including contributors to the breakthrough Stable Diffusion
Finance
The once-fading market for special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) is staging a surprising comeback, with two high-profile investors raising a combined $550 million to target fast-moving, high-risk sectors such as artificial intelligence, digital assets, and defense technology. On Thursday, venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya—often referred to as the former “SPAC
Finance
SoftBank Group and Ark Investment Management are reportedly exploring participation in a major funding round for Tether Holdings, the company behind the world’s largest stablecoin. The investment could value Tether at as much as $500 billion—placing it among the highest-valued private firms globally. Sources familiar with the negotiations
Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, have exploded into mainstream culture thanks to eye-watering sales like Beeple’s $69 million artwork and buzzy collections such as Bored Ape Yacht Club. But behind the headlines lies a simple question: how do NFTs actually come into existence? The answer is minting. NFT Minting Explained
Markets
Solana (SOL) is under mounting pressure as traders reduce exposure, sending signals that the altcoin may soon lose its grip on the $200 support level. Over the past week, SOL has slid nearly 15%, and on-chain data shows investors are increasingly pulling back. Unless fresh buying momentum emerges, analysts warn
Finance
Kraken, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, is in advanced talks with strategic investors to raise between $200 million and $300 million. If successful, the funding round could lift the company’s valuation to around $20 billion, setting the stage for a possible public listing as early as
What Is Plasma? Plasma is a Layer 1 blockchain built for stablecoin payments. Unlike general-purpose chains, it focuses on making transactions cheaper, faster, and easier to integrate into everyday finance. Its standout features include: * Zero-fee USDT transfers through a paymaster system. * Custom gas tokens, letting users pay fees with stablecoins
Cryptocurrency has gone from a fringe experiment to a trillion-dollar asset class in just over a decade. But what exactly is it, how does it work, and why does it matter? Let’s break it down in plain English. The Basics: What Is Cryptocurrency? At its core, cryptocurrency is a
Finance
Vanguard, the world’s second-largest asset manager with more than $10 trillion under management, is weighing whether to give brokerage clients access to cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs), according to a report from Crypto in America. Vanguard Eyes Crypto ETF Access for Brokerage ClientsThe $10 trillion mutual fund giant has stayed
Finance
Britain’s largest banks are moving forward with a landmark experiment in digital money, piloting tokenized sterling deposits as part of a broader push to modernize payments. UK Finance announces live pilot phase to deliver tokenised sterling depositsRead the latest news and insights from UK Finance: UK Finance announces live