News linked to both this project and an event.
Dune co-founder and CEO Fredrik Haga stated that Dune is laying off 25% of its staff this week as part of a restructuring aimed at further concentrating efforts on developing the industry's core data products.Haga noted that the company is increasing investment in AI-driven tools, using Dune MCP to enable teams and agents to build dashboards and workflows without requiring knowledge of SQL or data infrastructure. Additionally, as assets like currencies, stocks, and bonds accelerate their migration on-chain, the company is heavily investing in the data layer and providing services to institutions. Dune currently has ample financial reserves, having completed a $69.42 million Series B funding round led by Coatue in 2022. (theblock)
Bernstein has reiterated its "Outperform" rating on Figure Technology Solutions (FIGR) and maintained a price target of $67, implying approximately 72% upside from the current share price of $38.97.Figure posted strong Q1 2026 results: loan origination volume reached $2.9 billion, up 113% year-over-year; adjusted revenue was $167 million, surpassing market expectations by 6% and up 92% year-over-year; adjusted EBITDA was $82.7 million, with a margin of approximately 50%, slightly above market consensus. However, GAAP diluted EPS was $0.18, missing expectations by about 9%, primarily impacted by $26 million in stock-based compensation expenses.Bernstein analysts believe this performance should reshape market perception of Figure, viewing it not as a traditional credit company, but as a "tokenization-driven capital markets platform." Core profitability stems from network fees and operational leverage from scaling, and the valuation framework remains based on 25x 2027 EBITDA. Additionally, the tokenization ecosystem continues to expand: the yield-bearing security token YLDS reached $598 million (up 80% quarter-over-quarter); the stock lending product balance stood at $368 million (up 79%); and the small business loan segment contributed $60 million in revenue.Figure's current share price remains not far from its 2025 IPO offering price of $36, but still significantly below its all-time high of $78. (The Block)
Odaily Odaily News: In the OpenAI lawsuit, Satya Nadella testified in court as Microsoft's CEO at the U.S. District Court in Oakland, California. The case centers on the ongoing legal dispute over OpenAI's non-profit structure and its path to commercialization. The lawsuit, filed by Elon Musk in 2024, accuses Microsoft of "aiding and abetting the breach of charitable trust obligations" during OpenAI's transition from a non-profit organization to a commercial entity. Microsoft has been making strategic investments in OpenAI since 2019, with cumulative investments reaching approximately $13 billion by 2023, making it one of OpenAI's most important external supporters.During the trial, Satya Nadella reviewed the early partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI, mentioning that the two parties had established deep technological and computing power collaboration before the launch of ChatGPT. In his earlier testimony, Musk stated that Microsoft's additional investment of approximately $10 billion in OpenAI in 2023 was the key turning point that prompted him to file the lawsuit, adding that the scale of the investment altered OpenAI's original non-profit-oriented structure. During the trial, Musk stated: "We are concerned they are turning a charitable organization into a commercial tool." He also questioned Microsoft's potential dominant position in the development of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and pointed out that its deep integration with OpenAI could impact the competitive landscape of the industry.The case is currently still under trial, and the debate surrounding OpenAI's governance structure, non-profit status, and control over the AI industry is expected to continue. (CNBC)
Coinbase announced a “seven-figure” strategic investment in Centrifuge and selected it as the primary asset tokenization partner for its public blockchain, Base. Under the partnership, Centrifuge will serve as the core infrastructure for issuing tokenized assets on Base, enabling the onchain issuance and trading of real-world assets (RWAs), including ETFs, credit funds, and structured products. The two parties have previously collaborated—for instance, launching the first compliant onchain S&P 500 index fund on Base.
Odaily News Keel Infrastructure and Hive Digital Technologies saw their stock prices rise on April 22. Keel completed the sale of its Paso Pe mining facility in Paraguay, securing $13 million in funds, with the aim of fully exiting the Bitcoin mining business and shifting its focus to high-performance computing and AI development in North America. Hive Digital Technologies completed a $115 million private placement, with the funds to be used for purchasing GPUs and developing data centers. The stock prices of the two companies have risen by over 40% and 31% respectively in the past month. Additionally, Core Scientific announced plans to issue $3.3 billion in high-yield bonds to fund its transition to AI infrastructure.
Odaily News Bitcoin Core developer Jameson Lopp stated that compared to potential future quantum computing attacks, he would prefer to "freeze" approximately 5.6 million long-dormant BTC from the network rather than letting them be acquired by attackers. These bitcoins have not moved for over 10 years and may be permanently lost, valued at around $420 billion at current prices. If future breakthroughs in quantum computing lead to the private keys of old addresses being cracked, these assets could be transferred again, potentially triggering severe market volatility or even a crisis of confidence. Although the community recently proposed BIP-361, the proposal is still in its early stages and is not a formally promoted solution, but rather more like a contingency plan for an "extreme risk." (CoinDesk)