Daily News 19

Author: Evan Mercer

  • Nate Geraci Analyzes ETF Market Dynamics, Crypto M&A Targets

    Nate Geraci Analyzes ETF Market Dynamics, Crypto M&A Targets

    Nate Geraci Discusses ETF Trends: Duration Demand, BWET Disinterest, and Rising M&A Activity

    ETF industry expert Nate Geraci recently joined Eric Balchunas and Scarlet Fu for a wide-ranging conversation on current exchange-traded fund trends. The discussion covered shifting investor sentiment, a notable flight to long-duration bonds, surprising apathy toward the year’s best-performing fund, and a wave of mergers and acquisitions that could reshape the crypto ETF landscape.

    Investors Chase Duration Through TLT

    A central theme of the conversation was the renewed appetite for long-duration fixed income. Investors have been steadily allocating to the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) as they position for potential rate cuts and seek portfolio ballast. The move reflects a broader strategy of extending duration exposure after a prolonged period of rising yields.

    Top Performer BWET Fails to Attract Flows

    Despite delivering the strongest returns of the year, the Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF (BWET) has seen minimal investor interest. The disconnect between performance and capital inflows underscores a persistent behavioral pattern: retail and institutional investors often avoid niche, volatile sectors even when they lead the market.

    ETF M&A Surge Creates Opportunities for Crypto Issuers

    Geraci and his co-hosts highlighted an uptick in merger and acquisition activity across the ETF industry. This consolidation trend could make crypto ETF issuers attractive acquisition targets for larger asset managers looking to enter or expand in the digital asset space. Any significant deal would signal deeper institutional acceptance and potentially accelerate product innovation.

    Market Pulse: Mixed Signals, Growing Institutional Interest

    The broader ETF market is sending mixed signals. Traditional bond and equity funds continue to draw steady flows, while the crypto segment shows signs of maturing institutional engagement. Regulatory scrutiny remains elevated, particularly around crypto-linked products, but the growing M&A chatter suggests major players are preparing for a more defined regulatory framework.

    Key Levels to Watch

    • ETF M&A announcements involving crypto-focused issuers — a single deal could redefine competitive dynamics.
    • Regulatory developments affecting crypto ETF structures, especially around custody, surveillance, and redemption mechanisms.
    • Flow data for TLT and similar duration plays — sustained inflows would confirm a durable shift in fixed-income positioning.

    This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.

  • Dogecoin Whales Accumulate 240M DOGE: Why Is Price Still Falling?

    Dogecoin Whales Accumulate 240M DOGE: Why Is Price Still Falling?

    Dogecoin Whales Accumulate 240M DOGE Amid Correction, But Derivative Selling Pressure Persists

    Dogecoin ($DOGE) has remained in a retracement phase over the past three weeks, with the price correction showing no immediate signs of ending. The decline mirrors broader weakness across the memecoin sector, where the top ten assets by market capitalization all traded in negative territory over the last 24 hours.

    Spot Whale Accumulation Intensifies at Discounted Levels

    On-chain data reveals that large holders are using the pullback to increase positions. The number of $DOGE tokens held by whales rose from 18.72 billion to approximately 19 billion over the past week. According to crypto analyst Ali Martinez, spot holders purchased over 240 million $DOGE tokens worth more than $20 million during this period.

    Source: Ali Martinez/X

    While this accumulation signals growing confidence ahead of a potential rebound, analysts caution that buying activity alone does not guarantee immediate price appreciation. The current price action reflects a market awaiting exhaustion of selling pressure before a directional move.

    Technical Outlook: 0.618 Fibonacci Level Tested as Key Support

    On the 4-hour chart, Dogecoin is trading near the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement level, measured from the prior rally between $0.07 and $0.10. Bulls are encountering resistance at $0.085, which aligns with the 50% retracement level. The lower boundary of the recent sideways range sits at $0.082, identified as the most recent demand zone that previously propelled price to $0.095.

    Source: $DOGE/USDT on TradingView

    Maintaining support above $0.080 and clearing the $0.085 resistance would reopen the path toward $0.10. However, market structure remains mildly bearish. A decisive break below $0.080 would reinforce downside risks. Supporting this view, the Bull Bear Power (BBP) indicator flashed red at press time, while the Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 40 remains 10 points above oversold territory, suggesting selling pressure has not yet fully exhausted.

    Derivative Data Reveals Profit-Taking and Leveraged Unwinding

    Data from CryptoQuant shows that large whales have dominated the Futures Average Order Size since $DOGE reached $0.10 on August 22, indicating profit-taking by major holders following the rally. Further analysis of the Futures Taker Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) confirms that sellers have been the dominant force in derivatives markets.

    Source: CryptoQuant

    Compounding the bearish signals, Open Interest (OI) has declined across major exchanges including Binance, OKX, Bybit, KuCoin, and Gate. On KuCoin Futures alone, $DOGE open interest fell by 5%, according to CoinGlass data. The combination of leveraged profit-taking, declining OI, and persistent derivative selling explains why prices continue to fall despite notable spot accumulation by whales.

    Summary

    • Whales accumulated over 240 million $DOGE in the past week during the correction.
    • $DOGE is testing the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement level, a historically significant bounce zone.
    • Technical indicators show selling pressure remains unexhausted, with RSI at 40 and BBP negative.
    • Futures data points to large-holder profit-taking and broad-based Open Interest decline as primary drivers of the downtrend.
  • AI Crypto Presales 2026: MemeToro’s Agent Rejects Proposals With Weak Evidence

    AI Crypto Presales 2026: MemeToro’s Agent Rejects Proposals With Weak Evidence

    AI Crypto Presales Need Validation, Not Just Hype: MemeToro’s Approach

    AI-driven crypto presales often promise that an agent can “find the next trend.” Yet a truly useful system must also know when not to act. If every viral post automatically becomes a token proposal, the result is more noise, more weak launches, and more risk for users.

    MemeToro is building its AI agent around this second, critical task. The agent is designed to propose launches from live data, but its validator is intended to reject proposals when the evidence or rules do not meet the required standard.

    Why an AI Agent Should Not Approve Every Trend

    A trend can be popular without being suitable for a memecoin launch. Social posts can be copied, manipulated, or linked to harmful events. News can be incomplete, and online discussion can be driven by bots rather than real communities.

    MemeToro’s AI agent is designed to scan market, social, and news signals before creating a launch proposal. Each proposal is intended to include a public launch manifest with reasoning, evidence, supply, price, and funding terms. The important step comes after the proposal: the project’s validation system checks whether the AI output follows defined rules.

    When a Proposal Gets Rejected

    The validation layer can reject a proposal when:

    • The cited URLs were not collected by the data connector.
    • The allocation percentages do not equal 100%.
    • The proposal contains an insider allocation above zero.
    • Funding targets, limits, or payment terms conflict with the manifest.

    This gives the agent a limited, well-defined role. It can research and propose, but it should not be able to force an unsupported idea into a public funding round.

    Deterministic Validation Reduces Data and Rule Errors

    AI systems can produce incorrect answers even when they appear confident. A launch system that relies only on AI text would therefore create a major trust problem.

    MemeToro’s model separates AI generation from deterministic validation. “Deterministic” means the same input should receive the same rule-based result. If the allocation adds up incorrectly or a source is missing, the validator can reject the proposal regardless of how convincing the AI description sounds.

    This separation is especially important for AI crypto presales because the product is connected to user funds. A proposal should not move forward because it sounds exciting; it should meet visible conditions that users can inspect.

    The planned launch manifest is also designed to make the evidence public before funding opens. Users should be able to review the proposed supply, fixed rate, contribution caps, and reasoning rather than relying on a private developer decision.

    The AI agent cannot guarantee that a proposed token will perform well. It is designed to make the first stage of launch research more structured and reviewable.

    The Fair-Launch Contract Adds a Second Limit

    MemeToro has published its first fair-launch contract draft, including FairLaunchEscrow.sol. The update added 1,373 lines across 17 files and includes tests, interfaces, and supporting documentation.

    The escrow is designed to lock round settings when a funding round is created. The current design has no owner, admin role, or upgrade path. Contributor funds are intended to go only toward refunds or the planned liquidity process.

    Important limits buyers should understand: the actual token executor, automated liquidity routing, manifest connection, BNB Chain testnet deployment, and independent security review remain unfinished.

    $MT is in Stage 7 at $0.00430 under the latest supplied project information. It is intended to support access, funding, staking, rewards, memecoin trading, and prediction markets.

    Key Takeaway

    The core principle is that AI crypto presales should not reward an agent for always saying yes. MemeToro’s model is designed to reject weak proposals before they reach a funding round, then place the surviving rules inside a public contract process.

    More Information on MemeToro ($MT) Presale

  • Bubblemaps Launches Feed to Flag Rug Pull Risks Before Traders Buy Next LAPTOP

    Bubblemaps Launches Feed to Flag Rug Pull Risks Before Traders Buy Next LAPTOP

    Bubblemaps, the onchain intelligence platform, is rolling out a major platform revamp today, headlined by a new feed built for memecoin tools and token research. Rather than surfacing every new token, the feed screens them first, filtering out tokens showing insider clusters and bundles — two of the clearest onchain signals of coordinated manipulation — before they ever reach a user’s screen.

    How bundle and cluster detection works

    The distinction matters for token analysis. A bundle flags wallets that bought within the same block or seconds of launch, typically a sign of sniping bots or a team pre-loading its own token. A cluster flags wallets linked by shared funding sources or transfer patterns, often hidden supply held by the same insiders under different addresses. Bubblemaps has built its reputation on surfacing both, and the new feed puts that wallet clustering and bundle detection to work proactively, before a trade happens rather than after.

    Trust score and integrated swap added

    The revamp also introduces a Bubblemaps score attached to each token in the feed, giving traders a fast, visual read on insider concentration without digging through a full bubble map themselves, along with an integrated swap so users can act on that research without leaving the platform. Together, the additions are meant to make how to detect rug pulls less of a specialist skill and more of a default part of browsing new tokens.

    “People have been using Bubblemaps for years to understand tokens before they buy. Now we’re taking the next step: helping them discover tokens, analyze them, and trade them directly from the same platform,”

    said Nicolas Vaiman, CEO and co-founder of Bubblemaps.

    Launch timed with growing memecoin scrutiny

    The launch lands as scrutiny of memecoin launches continues to grow, with insider bundling and concentrated wallet clusters behind a string of high-profile collapses over the past year. Bubblemaps has previously used its own tooling to challenge the fairness of major memecoin launches, and positions the new feed as an extension of that transparency push into the moment before a trade, not just after a token has already failed.

  • Strategy Copycat Satsuma Crashes 99%, Liquidates Treasury

    Strategy Copycat Satsuma Crashes 99%, Liquidates Treasury

    Satsuma Technology Collapses 99% After Bitcoin Treasury Strategy Fails

    British bitcoin treasury company Satsuma Technology has crashed 99% from its 2025 peak, liquidated its entire bitcoin holdings, and suspended trading as it faces delisting proceedings. The firm, which raised £168.9 million ($227.6 million) from noteholders during the height of the 2025 bitcoin treasury boom, sold all 669 of its remaining BTC and is now under High Court of Justice procedures to distribute £30.7 million ($41.4 million) to shareholders by the end of September.

    On Monday, the company attempted to postpone its own delisting while searching for a new trading venue. As recently as June 24, 2025, Satsuma was valued at over £120 million ($162 million).

    Regulatory Constraints Prevent Bitcoin Returns to Investors

    Chief Bitcoin Strategist Mark Moss explained in an interview that UK regulations prevent returning bitcoin directly to investors. According to Moss:

    “We can’t give the investors back their $BTC. We have to give them the dollar amount of the bitcoin when they accepted it.”

    From Gaming to AI to Bitcoin: A Series of Pivots

    Incorporated in March 2021 as Streaks Gaming, the company pivoted to artificial intelligence as StreaksAI before embracing cryptocurrency as Tao Alpha. Its final rebrand to Satsuma Technology channeled the “sats” denomination of bitcoin.

    The bitcoin treasury model was seemingly encouraged by Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) founder Michael Saylor, who reportedly said:

    “There’s room for 400 million companies to buy $BTC.”

    Unfortunately, the bitcoin treasury bubble burst in early summer 2025, and the performance of most copycat stocks has been overwhelmingly negative since their initial purchases.

    Sequans Also Dumps Bitcoin Treasury After Less Than a Year

    Satsuma isn’t alone. Fellow bitcoin treasury company Sequans has also liquidated its bitcoin holdings after less than a year, underscoring the broader collapse of the corporate bitcoin treasury trend.

    “The Next MSTR” That Wasn’t

    Moss, appointed as chief Bitcoin strategist, was tasked with raising non-dilutive capital and generating yield from the company’s self-described “treasury” — now fully liquidated. Upon his appointment, Moss proclaimed:

    “Satsuma $SATS.L is entering the UK markets with a better model: Balance sheets backed by pristine collateral ($BTC), not empty promises.”

    He also promoted the stock to his followers. Money initially followed the hype. In July 2025, Satsuma closed a £163.6 million ($220 million) convertible note round led by ParaFi Capital. Pantera Capital, Digital Currency Group, and Kraken also contributed capital and subscribed. Some investors paid in bitcoin; the company accepted 1,097 BTC in lieu of £96.9 million ($130.6 million) in cash.

    The first rupture came in December when Satsuma sold 579 of its 1,199 coins for about £40 million ($54 million). The proceeds were earmarked to repay £78 million ($105 million) of notes maturing at year-end.

    Fleeing Executives and the End of the Strategy

    The boardroom soon began to empty. CFO Andrew Smith quit on February 18 after shareholders requisitioned a general meeting about his performance, while CEO Henry Elder resigned on March 6 after seven months on the job.

    Backers also turned away. By April, Bloomberg reported that Pantera was among investors pushing Satsuma to dump its remaining bitcoin. Pantera’s DAT Opportunity Fund held 6.7% equity at the time, and the company’s market value had fallen below the value of its coins.

    Satsuma admitted an embarrassingly high average purchase price of £84,026 ($113,000) per BTC.

    Directors initially dug in. Four of the six board members wanted the strategy to continue. As recently as July, the company insisted:

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the board’s recommendation is that shareholders VOTE AGAINST the resolutions to return capital and to delist.”

    Shareholders ignored that advice, voting more than 90% in favor of a wind-down on July 20, 2026.

    Between July 24 and 31, Satsuma netted £31.9 million ($43 million) for its last 669.49 BTC. The average sale price was £47,667 ($64,272) per coin — 43% below what it paid.

  • Ethereum Price Loses $2,500 Level as MACD Turns Bearish

    Ethereum Price Loses $2,500 Level as MACD Turns Bearish

    Ethereum Price Drops Below $2,500 After Failed Breakout Above $2,600

    Ethereum (ETH) traded near $2,475 on September 15 after declining approximately 2% over the previous 24 hours, according to data from crypto.news. The pullback followed a sharp rejection above the $2,600 resistance level, where buyers failed to sustain a breakout.

    Daily Price Action and Key Levels

    The daily chart shows ETH opening at $2,515.72 before ranging between $2,465.60 and $2,520 during the latest session. The token was down 1.65% at the time of writing. Price action remains volatile after ETH briefly climbed above $2,600 during the prior session and quickly surrendered the entire move. The reversal pushed the asset below the $2,500 psychological level and back into the consolidation range that has controlled trading since late August.

    Analyst Views: Pre-Event Positioning Ahead of Fed and CLARITY Act

    Crypto trader Daan Crypto Trades described the move as pre-positioning ahead of two major U.S. catalysts: the Senate’s CLARITY Act vote and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. According to the analyst, the initial rally removed leveraged short positions before the subsequent decline forced out traders positioned long.

    The pattern shows traders reducing risk before events that could affect both monetary policy and U.S. digital-asset regulation. Failure to advance the bill could produce another move lower before attention shifts to the Fed decision, Daan added.

    Technical Analysis: Weak Momentum on 4-Hour and Daily Charts

    4-Hour Chart: Price Near Lower Bollinger Band

    On the 4-hour chart, ETH has moved below the Bollinger Band midpoint at $2,509.64. The lower band stands at $2,469.41, placing the current price close to its first immediate volatility support. A break below that band would expose the recent intraday lows and the $2,450 area. Buyers would need to recover the midpoint before attempting another move toward the upper Bollinger Band at $2,549.86.

    The Average Directional Index (ADX) sits at 17.73. Readings below 20 normally indicate that the prevailing trend lacks strength, suggesting ETH could remain range-bound even as short-term swings become sharper.

    Daily Indicators: Fading Momentum

    Daily indicators also show fading momentum. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) has dropped to 56.89 from its recent highs and sits below its moving average of 62.14. ETH is not oversold, leaving room for further downside if sellers retain control.

    The daily MACD line remains positive at 72.86 but has fallen below the signal line at 90.93. The histogram has turned negative at -18.07, signaling that the momentum behind the August rally is weakening.

    Liquidation Clusters Frame Potential Volatility Zones

    CoinGlass’s one-week liquidation heatmap shows a concentration of leveraged positions immediately below the market around $2,450–$2,470. ETH’s decline toward that area increases the chance of further volatility if price moves through the cluster.

    A stronger pocket of downside liquidity appears around $2,390–$2,410. Failure to hold the current range could draw price toward that zone, particularly if leveraged long positions are forced to close.

    Liquidity also sits above ETH around $2,535–$2,580, followed by brighter concentrations near $2,630 and $2,650. A recovery above $2,550 could therefore trigger short liquidations and support another attempt at $2,600. The heatmap does not establish the direction of the next move; it identifies areas where forced position closures could accelerate volatility after ETH reaches those levels.

    Broader Fibonacci Levels

    On the broader daily chart, the 0.786 Fibonacci retracement at $2,253.61 remains the main structural support. The next major upside Fibonacci level stands at $2,833.75, but ETH must first overcome the nearer resistance between $2,550 and $2,600.

    Analyst Identifies $2,550 as Key Weekly Resistance

    Crypto analyst Ted Pillows said ETH’s upside would remain capped until the asset reclaims $2,550 on the weekly timeframe. His chart places the first major support near $2,175 and the next resistance around $2,860 if buyers establish a weekly close above the current ceiling.

    $ETH broke above the $2,600 again before reversing all the gains.Until Ethereum reclaims the $2,550 level on the weekly timeframe, the upside will be capped.

    The immediate structure provides closer levels for short-term traders. A move above $2,510 would return ETH to the middle of its 4-hour Bollinger range, while a break through $2,550 would weaken the current bearish setup. A close below $2,465 would place the $2,450 liquidity area at risk. If sellers clear that zone, $2,400 becomes the next visible target before the larger daily support at $2,254.

    Macro Catalysts: Fed Rate Decision and CLARITY Act Vote Keep Traders Cautious

    U.S. macro conditions could determine whether ETH holds its current support. Oil prices climbed above $107 per barrel while the 10-year Treasury yield moved above 5%, increasing concerns that higher energy costs could keep inflation elevated.

    CME FedWatch data showed markets assigning a probability above 90% to a 25-basis-point rate increase at the Fed’s September 16 meeting, according to Reuters. Higher Treasury yields can reduce demand for risk assets by giving U.S. investors access to stronger returns in traditional fixed-income markets.

    The Senate’s procedural vote on the CLARITY Act adds a separate regulatory catalyst. Until both events are resolved, ETH may remain vulnerable to sharp moves through nearby liquidation zones.

  • Standard Chartered Predicts Arbitrum’s ARB Could Surge 70x to $10, Citing Robinhood Chain Revenue

    Standard Chartered Predicts Arbitrum’s ARB Could Surge 70x to $10, Citing Robinhood Chain Revenue

    Arbitrum token holders currently have no direct claim on the revenue generated by Robinhood Chain, a risk factor highlighted by analyst Kendrick in a recent research note. According to a CoinDesk report earlier this month, Robinhood Chain directs 10% of its net protocol revenue into the Arbitrum ecosystem. That allocation splits 8% to the DAO treasury and 2% to a developer fund, with zero flow directly to $ARB token holders at this stage.

    Robinhood Chain Growth Driven by Memecoin Activity

    While Kendrick’s long-term thesis centers on traditional-finance users adopting tokenized assets, Robinhood Chain’s early traction has arrived from a different demographic. Memecoin launchpads and trading applications have supplied much of the network’s initial activity, even though the chain was architected primarily around tokenized stocks and other traditional asset classes.

    Revenue Metrics Show Rapid Scaling

    The financial data underscores the chain’s quick ramp. In July, Robinhood Chain paid approximately $360,000 in licensing fees, accounting for 35% of Arbitrum DAO income for the month. By September 1, the chain was generating $3.75 million in user fees and transmitting roughly $370,000 to Arbitrum over a 24-hour period.

    Tokenization Thesis and Price Targets

    Kendrick projects that $4 trillion of traditional assets will be tokenized by the end of 2028, with Arbitrum positioned to capture an expanding share of the underlying infrastructure. Based on that trajectory, he forecasts the following price targets for $ARB:

    • Year-end 2024: $0.50
    • 2027: $1.50
    • 2028: $3.50
    • 2029: $6.50
    • 2030: $10.00

    The forecast hinges on Arbitrum’s ability to convert its current memecoin-driven volume into sustainable infrastructure revenue as tokenized traditional assets come online.

  • Velocity Raises $48M Series A from Visa, Circle, and Ripple

    Velocity Raises $48M Series A from Visa, Circle, and Ripple

    Velocity Raises $10M Series A Extension, Valuation Reaches $200M

    London-based stablecoin infrastructure provider Velocity has secured an additional $10 million in Series A funding, bringing the total round to $48 million and valuing the company at $200 million post-money. The extension, announced on September 15, includes participation from Visa Ventures, Circle Ventures, Ripple, Haun Ventures, Translink Capital, and Mirana Ventures.

    Series A Growth From $38M to $48M

    The original $38 million Series A, disclosed on July 14, was led by Dragonfly and FirstMark with participation from Activant Capital, Capital One Ventures, QED Investors, Coinbase Ventures, Wintermute Ventures, and Ripple. At that stage, Velocity reported total capital raised since May 2025 of nearly $50 million.

    CEO Eric Queathem confirmed the additional financing values the company at $200 million after the investment. He noted the original Series A had been oversubscribed, according to comments accompanying the funding disclosure.

    Ripple participated in both financing announcements, while Visa Ventures, Circle Ventures, Haun Ventures, Translink Capital, and Mirana Ventures joined the extension disclosed this week.

    Capital Deployment: Stablecoin Infrastructure for Existing Financial Systems

    Velocity plans to use the capital to develop infrastructure for issuers, acquirers, payment companies, banks, and merchants. Its system connects stablecoins with banking rails, custody, liquidity, compliance, and settlement tools while allowing customers to continue using their existing finance operations.

    Queathem said the company has focused on how money moves behind consumer payments. Velocity’s stated strategy is to place stablecoin settlement underneath existing payment and treasury systems instead of requiring companies to operate a separate crypto stack.

    Visa Investment Follows Operational Stablecoin Settlement Work

    Visa’s investment comes as the card network builds more stablecoin capabilities into its payment infrastructure. In Velocity’s funding announcement, Rubail Birwadker, Visa’s global head of growth products and strategic partnerships, said stablecoins were playing an increasingly important role in the Visa ecosystem and described Velocity as infrastructure for “stablecoin-powered money movement to every business.”

    The investment follows operational work between the two companies. On September 9, MVB Financial and Velocity announced participation in a Visa Direct pilot that lets eligible participants use stablecoins for certain push-to-card funding and settlement obligations. Digital-asset conversion, wallet connectivity, and on-chain controls are handled through licensed partners.

    Velocity said the MVB arrangement uses a single API and regulated wallet infrastructure. Stablecoins can be brought into payment flows without customers maintaining separate blockchain systems, while availability depends on eligibility and geography.

    Visa itself reported this month that more than 160 stablecoin-linked card programs were live globally during its fiscal second quarter. Payment volume across those programs had risen nearly 200% year over year, while stablecoin settlement volume had passed a $20 billion annualized rate.

    Velocity Targets Settlement, Liquidity, and Treasury Operations

    Founded in 2025, Velocity works with merchants, payment providers, fintech companies, and financial institutions that want to use stablecoins for money movement without rebuilding their existing treasury systems. Its platform combines stablecoin rails with local banks, custody providers, liquidity management, and compliance services.

    The company says the infrastructure can reduce reliance on prefunded accounts and extend settlement beyond standard banking hours. Its website lists payments, settlement, treasury automation, regulated wallets, FX connectivity, and liquidity services among its current products.

    Queathem previously worked at Worldpay, where his experience centered on large payment networks and settlement systems. His thesis for Velocity is that stablecoins will increasingly operate behind existing payment products instead of requiring businesses or consumers to change the interface they use.

    His forecast remains a company view rather than a confirmed market outcome. Queathem said he believes “in five years every global business is going to hold value onchain,” with treasury reconciliation and liquidity infrastructure becoming more important as corporate use develops.

    Competitive Landscape: Stablecoin Infrastructure Funding Surge

    Stablecoin payment infrastructure has drawn several large financings during 2026. In March, Tazapay took its Series B funding to $36 million with backing from Circle Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, and Ripple.

    A separate Checker funding round brought $8 million to an infrastructure provider building a single API for banks and fintech firms. Checker said it had processed more than $3 billion in transactions during the previous 12 months.

    Visa had invested in another stablecoin infrastructure provider before joining Velocity. Visa Ventures took a strategic stake in BVNK in 2025 after the company’s $50 million Series B. Mastercard later completed its acquisition of BVNK in August 2026 in a deal worth up to $1.8 billion. BVNK provides fiat-to-blockchain infrastructure for payments, payouts, settlement, and treasury activity.

    UK Regulatory Environment: Developing Stablecoin Regime

    Velocity is headquartered in London, where regulators finalized new rules for qualifying stablecoins and crypto custody on June 30. The framework will apply to firms authorized under the new regime from October 25, 2027, while the application gateway opens September 30, 2026.

    Velocity says its platform connects customers with licensed banks, FX providers, and digital-asset partners. Its public materials do not claim that every regulated function is carried out directly by Velocity itself, and its MVB announcement states that digital-asset conversion and related controls are performed by licensed partners.

    Circle Ventures’ participation comes as Circle expands payment infrastructure tied to $USDC. Circle reported $74.1 billion of $USDC in circulation as of September 10, while the company said the asset was available through more than 1,000 banks, blockchains, distributors, and other partners.

    Velocity said the $48 million Series A will support continued platform expansion and work with issuers, acquirers, merchants, payment providers, and financial institutions. No separate timetable for deploying the new $10 million extension was disclosed in the September 15 announcement.

  • Cardano’s Midnight Privacy Sidechain Winds Down Developer Relations Team

    Cardano’s Midnight Privacy Sidechain Winds Down Developer Relations Team

    Midnight, the privacy-focused blockchain ecosystem associated with Cardano, is winding down its dedicated Developer Relations (DevRel) team as part of a strategic shift to broaden the pool of builders on its privacy sidechain.

    Redefining the Builder Landscape

    In a recent announcement, the Midnight Foundation explained that the move reflects a broader strategy to expand who can build on Cardano’s privacy sidechain beyond traditional software developers. The project argues that artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the crypto industry’s definition of a builder.

    Historically, a builder was defined strictly as someone who could write and deploy code. However, Midnight contends that AI is reducing technical barriers, enabling people with product ideas, industry expertise, and entrepreneurial experience to create functional applications without advanced programming skills.

    Evidence of the Shift: Replit’s Growth

    Midnight highlighted the rapid growth of AI-powered development platform Replit as evidence of this paradigm shift. Replit now boasts more than 60 million users worldwide, demonstrating how quickly the pool of people capable of building applications, websites, and products is expanding. According to the Foundation, this growing demographic presents a significant opportunity for the Midnight ecosystem.

    Prioritizing AI-Native Tools and Accessibility

    Rather than focusing solely on helping developers build privacy-preserving applications, Midnight now aims to make its ecosystem accessible to a much broader group of potential builders. To achieve this, the project plans to prioritize three key areas:

    • AI-native development tools
    • Simpler pathways into the ecosystem
    • Programs supporting builders from initial idea through deployment

    The Foundation stated this strategy builds on existing initiatives, including Build Club and Night Sky. Midnight also drew an important distinction between developers and builders: while a developer may ask what they can build, a builder begins by asking what problem they can solve. The ecosystem intends to support both approaches.

    Phased Rollout and Community Testing

    Midnight acknowledged that the tools and workflows required for this new model are still evolving. Consequently, the project will initially work with a focused group of builders to test the approach, determine what works, and improve the experience before expanding the program further.

    Foundation Responds to Community Criticism

    The announcement sparked debate within the Cardano community, with some critics arguing that the Midnight Foundation is prioritizing AI at the expense of traditional developers. The Foundation rejected this interpretation, stressing that the new strategy does not replace developers but instead expands the audience it aims to serve.

    Under the new model, Midnight expects its builder community to include developers, founders, operators, designers, and domain experts who can leverage AI and other tools to turn ideas into functional products.

  • Shiba Inu’s Shibarium Updates RPC Endpoint in Ethereum Registry

    Shiba Inu’s Shibarium Updates RPC Endpoint in Ethereum Registry

    The Shiba Inu team has announced a minor but practical infrastructure update for Shibarium, its layer-2 network. The project’s official X account, @Shibtoken, informed the community that the Shibarium RPC listing has been refreshed in the ethereum-lists/chains registry, with updated connection details now live on Chainlist.

    A small but useful update for Shibarium.Its RPC listing has been refreshed in the ethereum-lists/chains registry, with updated connection details now available on Chainlist.Connecting to Shibarium? Find the network settings here:https://t.co/VReDcGBewn

    — Shib (@Shibtoken) September 14, 2026

    Community-Driven Fix for Outdated RPC Endpoints

    The update was spearheaded by long-time Shiba Inu community contributor Mazrael, who submitted a GitHub Pull Request directing the registry to the correct Shibarium RPC endpoint. The pull request, identified as PR #8699, has officially been merged into ethereum-lists/chains. Chainlist serves as a widely adopted chain registry for wallets and Web3 infrastructure, making this correction essential for seamless network connectivity.

    The fix addresses a gap dating back to late 2025, when Shibarium migrated its public RPC to a new, more stable, and decentralized infrastructure. The old public RPC endpoints were shut down during that migration, but the change was never reflected in the ethereum-lists/chains registry, leaving the listed endpoint unresolved until now.

    Shibariumscan Reindexing Underway

    In a related development, the Shibarium block explorer Shibariumscan reports an ongoing chain reindexing process. As of the latest update, approximately 52% of blocks have been indexed, indicating progress toward full explorer functionality.

    Quiet Infrastructure Upgrade Moves Key Properties to Cloudflare

    Separately, Mazrael disclosed a broader infrastructure upgrade executed on September 12, 2026. The official shib.io website, the ShibaSwap interface, and the project’s documentation portal at doc.shib.io have all been migrated to Cloudflare, with IPv6 support enabled across both properties. The legacy hosting provider has been retired.

    Regarding the migration progress, Mazrael stated:

    Env rebuild is further along than it looks from the outside.

    Senate Set for Procedural Vote on Digital Asset Legislation

    In a separate market development, the U.S. Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote on Tuesday on the Clarity Act. The legislation proposes dividing oversight of digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Advancing the bill requires a 60-vote threshold.