Month: March 2026

Iran War Bets Fuel Prediction Market Surge as CFTC Rule Fight Intensifies

admin

Prediction market activity has climbed sharply as traders flock to contracts tied to the escalating US-Iran conflict, while Washington moves toward clearer federal rules for event contracts and a legislative push to explicitly bar markets tied to war, terrorism and death. Notional trading volume on Polymarket and Kalshi rose to new all-time highs during the week ending Monday, March 9, to $2.49 billion and $2.85 billion, respectively, according to Token Terminal data. The growing activity has pushed the total notional volume across all prediction markets to $145 billion through 2.8…

OpenAI in advanced talks with major private equity firms for $10B joint venture: Report

admin

OpenAI is planning to establish a joint venture with leading private equity firms to accelerate the distribution of its enterprise AI products. According to Reuters, the company is engaging with TPG, Advent International, Bain Capital, and Brookfield to launch the venture, which is expected to be worth about $10 billion, with $4 billion in backing, equity stakes for the PE firms, and board seats, led by TPG. The arrangement would deploy OpenAI’s enterprise solutions across the extensive portfolio networks of the participating firms. Anthropic is following a similar path with…

Crypto Needs To Put On A Business Suit

admin

Opinion by: Neil Staunton, CEO and co-founder of Superset Crypto is one of the most innovative corners of finance. New protocols launch every week. New market designs are constantly tested, and experimentation moves fast. But innovation alone can’t build financial systems that institutions can rely on. There’s a reason traditional finance is deliberately boring. It shouldn’t be a rollercoaster of emotions or surprises. When money is involved, reliability is much more important than novelty. Predictable settlement, consistent pricing and clear risk boundaries are what allow capital to move at scale.…

Crypto wealth manager Abra to list on Nasdaq in blockbuster $750 million merger

admin

Abra, a digital asset wealth management platform, will transition into a publicly traded company through a merger with New Providence Acquisition Corp. III. The combined entity, Abra Financial, is expected to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker ABRX. The transaction sets Abra’s pre-money valuation at $750 million and allows existing stockholders, including Adams Street, Blockchain Capital, Pantera Capital, RRE Ventures, and SBI, to roll all their shares into the combined company, according to a Monday announcement. https://twitter.com/AbraGlobal/article/2033500209997844503/media/2033414651908857856 The deal makes it the first publicly traded firm to offer both SEC-registered…

South Korea Hits Bithumb With $24.5M Fine Over AML Violations

admin

South Korea has fined crypto exchange Bithumb 36.8 billion won (about $24.5 million) and imposed a six-month partial business suspension after finding widespread violations of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) rules, according to a Yonhap News Agency report.  According to Yonhap, regulators identified about 6.65 million violations during an AML inspection, including failures related to customer identity verification, transaction restrictions and record-keeping requirements. Authorities found Bithumb facilitated 45,772 crypto transfers involving 18 unregistered overseas virtual asset service providers (VASPs), in violation of South Korea’s AML rules.  The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) under…

Metaplanet Raises $255M, Seeks $234M via New Strike Warrant Issuance

admin

Metaplanet said Monday it raised $255 million in a private placement and launched a new warrant structure to fund additional Bitcoin purchases. Metaplanet raised about $255 million from institutional investors through a private placement of new shares, according to the company. The private placement priced new shares at a 2% premium, paired with fixed-strike warrants at a 10% premium, which, if exercised, could add $276 million in additional capital as “firepower” toward the company’s goal of amassing 210,000 Bitcoin (BTC), according to CEO Simon Gerovich. Metaplanet also issued a separate…

Alto Neuroscience stock rises as firm secures $120M to advance depression drug

admin

Alto Neuroscience, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on neuropsychiatric disorders, has secured $120 million from institutional and accredited investors to advance ALTO-207, a fixed-dose combination targeting treatment-resistant depression. ALTO-207 is a novel therapy for treatment-resistant depression that pairs pramipexole, a dopamine receptor agonist, with ondansetron. The combination is designed to enhance antidepressant effects in patients who have not responded to standard treatments. According to a Monday statement, the financing, led by Commodore Capital, will enable Phase 2b and Phase 3 clinical trials and potentially support a New Drug Application submission…

Strategy Buys 22,337 Bitcoin, Holdings Rise to 761,068 BTC

admin

Michael Saylor’s Strategy, the world’s largest public holder of Bitcoin, continued aggressively stacking Bitcoin last week, bringing the company’s total reserves to above 760,000 BTC. Strategy acquired 22,337 Bitcoin (BTC) for $1.57 billion last week, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Monday. The purchase ranks among the five largest Bitcoin acquisitions by Strategy on record, following a massive 17,994 Bitcoin buy for $1.28 billion a week earlier.  Source: SEC The purchase was made at an average price of $70,194 per Bitcoin, below the company’s overall average…

Bitcoin proxy Strategy buys 22,337 Bitcoin for $1.6 billion

admin

Strategy, the Virginia-based software company that has transformed itself into the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, acquired 22,337 Bitcoin during the week ending March 15 for approximately $1.6 billion. Strategy has acquired 22,337 BTC for ~$1.57 billion at ~$70,194 per bitcoin. As of 3/15/2026, we hodl 761,068 $BTC acquired for ~$57.61 billion at ~$75,696 per bitcoin. $MSTR $STRChttps://t.co/YNpkYHYSg1 — Strategy (@Strategy) March 16, 2026 The purchase, disclosed in a regulatory filing today, brings the firm’s total holdings to 761,068 Bitcoin valued at $56 billion at current market prices. The company…

Hana Financial Partners With Standard Chartered on Digital Assets

admin

Hana Financial Group, one of South Korea’s largest financial conglomerates, has partnered with Standard Chartered on finance and digital assets. On Sunday, Hana Financial said it signed a business agreement with the United Kingdom’s Standard Chartered Group (SC Group) for cooperation in global financial business and digital asset fields, Yonhap News reported. The agreement covers collaboration in various global financial sectors, including investment banking, money markets, foreign exchange and digital assets. “We will create new growth opportunities by generating synergies in future financial areas, including digital assets,” Hana Financial chairman…