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Liquid, a cryptocurrency derivatives exchange, announced the completion of its $18 million Series A funding round, co-led by Neo and Left Lane Capital.
According to Fortune, cryptocurrency derivatives exchange Liquid has announced the completion of an $18 million Series A funding round, co-led by Neo and Left Lane Capital, with participation from Haun Ventures, K5 Global, SV Angel, AntiFund, and Sunflower Capital. This comes less than six months after its $7.6 million seed round, which was led by Paradigm.
JackYi: The past wave of failures among crypto VCs and projects stemmed from incorrectly benchmarking against Web2; AI + finance represents the new opportunity.
JackYi, founder of Liquid Capital, posted on X: “The recent wave of failures among crypto VCs and projects had one core cause: funding was largely spent on maintaining teams that built useless Web3 products. The biggest misconception was trying to replicate Web2 products. In essence, Web3 is a financial industry—it doesn’t require re-creating Web2 products. Historically, the most successful crypto companies have all been financial products: stablecoins, exchanges, payment solutions, etc. Now, with the AI era arriving, two things are clear: first, massive fundraising and large teams are no longer necessary; second, AI + finance presents a new opportunity. We believe exceptional founders, backed by just a few elite team members, can build world-class companies—this represents the single largest opportunity in today’s primary market.”
Yi Lihua: The current cryptocurrency market rally is relatively weak, exhibiting characteristics of a bear-market rally.
Yi Lihua, founder of Liquid Capital (formerly LD Capital), stated that the current cryptocurrency market rally is still ongoing. However, compared to the U.S. stock market’s S&P 500 hitting new highs and MicroStrategy’s continued aggressive Bitcoin purchases, this Bitcoin rally is relatively weak overall and exhibits clear characteristics of a bear-market rebound. He noted that his team has recently focused on analyzing MicroStrategy’s risks, concluding that its strategy of aggressively raising funds to continuously buy Bitcoin may be effective in the short term but poses medium-term risks—especially amid broader macro-financial risks. JackYi also said the team is preparing for potentially major opportunities, adding that such opportunities in the crypto space often emerge during bear markets.
Yi Lihua: Progress in peace negotiations may drive a market rebound, testing Bitcoin’s safe-haven attributes
Liquid Capital founder Yi Lihua posted on X, stating that two of the world’s three largest countries are at war, while the third is facilitating peace negotiations; once an agreement is reached, there will be no justification for continued conflict, and markets are poised for a rebound. He noted that, over the medium to long term, global investors are watching for a potential financial crisis—Buffett and others are hoarding cash, and countries are increasing their gold reserves. If a crisis erupts, Bitcoin’s (BTC) safe-haven properties will be tested, yet it may also present a buying opportunity. Additionally, JackYi remarked that artificial intelligence (AI) technology is creating new opportunities for exceptional founders: small teams can now develop globally scalable products without requiring substantial funding or management overhead. He advised experienced entrepreneurs to actively seize the AI wave.
ether.fi selects Nexus Mutual to provide slashing coverage for up to 15,000 ETH
: On-chain digital asset management neobank ether.fi has selected Nexus Mutual to provide ETH slashing coverage, covering slashing penalties for its validators up to 15,000 ETH. ether.fi stated that it operates a large-scale validator set on Ethereum, and slashing is a tail risk. This coverage is used to cover validator losses, with a scale exceeding the total historical ETH slashing losses. ether.fi currently manages over $6 billion in assets across products such as Cash, Stake, and Liquid. Since 2019, Nexus Mutual has provided over $7 billion in coverage for smart contract attacks, slashing, and other digital asset risks. (Decrypt)
ZachXBT: AscendEX Has Almost No Available Liquid Assets to Cover User Withdrawals
on-chain investigator ZachXBT has released verification information, stating that crypto exchange AscendEX has officially announced its cessation of operations, and the platform's current liquid assets are almost insufficient to cover user withdrawal demands. According to the platform announcement, the shutdown is primarily due to market conditions and the EU MiCA regulatory framework. Starting July 1st, all services including account opening, trading, and deposits will be fully suspended, with only basic functions such as account inquiry and withdrawals remaining open. After July 6th, all withdrawal channels will cease automatic processing and switch entirely to manual review. The official team has candidly warned that withdrawals may be significantly delayed or even impossible to process.ZachXBT’s investigation found that pending user claims amount to millions of dollars, yet the platform’s available liquid assets in hot wallets are severely insufficient. AscendEX is currently evaluating its financial status and a plan for handling user assets, with subsequent arrangements to be announced separately.
Zcash Foundation Q1 Report: Total Liquid Assets Reach Approximately $36.7 Million, ZEC Holdings Exceed 85,000 Coins
The Zcash Foundation released its Q1 2026 report, disclosing total liquid assets of approximately $36.7 million, including roughly $12.11 million in cash, 506,556 USDC, 85,412 ZEC (valued at ~$21.2 million), 41.8 BTC (valued at ~$2.85 million), and 12.02 ETH (valued at ~$25,000). The Zcash Foundation added that, although the first quarter of this year saw personnel changes within the Electric Coin Company’s development team and governance-related disputes, network operations remained unaffected, with transactions and block production continuing normally. On the regulatory front, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has concluded its investigation without taking any enforcement action, thereby resolving long-standing regulatory uncertainty.
Crypto fund manager McCann investigated in Zanzibar; fiancée suspected of dying by suicide
Currently, McCann’s passport has been confiscated, and he has been ordered to remain in the country pending the results of the forensic autopsy. Notably, Liquid Alpha, a fund managed by McCann, announced its liquidation last December after suffering losses of as high as 78% in 2025.
ZachXBT: AscendEX Has Almost No Available Liquid Assets to Cover User Withdrawals
on-chain investigator ZachXBT has released verification information, stating that crypto exchange AscendEX has officially announced its cessation of operations, and the platform's current liquid assets are almost insufficient to cover user withdrawal demands. According to the platform announcement, the shutdown is primarily due to market conditions and the EU MiCA regulatory framework. Starting July 1st, all services including account opening, trading, and deposits will be fully suspended, with only basic functions such as account inquiry and withdrawals remaining open. After July 6th, all withdrawal channels will cease automatic processing and switch entirely to manual review. The official team has candidly warned that withdrawals may be significantly delayed or even impossible to process.ZachXBT’s investigation found that pending user claims amount to millions of dollars, yet the platform’s available liquid assets in hot wallets are severely insufficient. AscendEX is currently evaluating its financial status and a plan for handling user assets, with subsequent arrangements to be announced separately.
Liquid Launches Co-Invest App, Enabling Users to Execute Live Trades Directly Within ChatGPT and Claude
According to The Block, multi-asset trading platform Liquid launched its Co-Invest application on Tuesday, enabling users to directly top up their accounts, conduct market analysis, and execute live trades within the ChatGPT and Claude chat interfaces—without leaving the AI assistant.
Bit Digital stakes nearly 30,000 ETH via Liquid Collective, valued at approximately $65.3 million
According to on-chain analyst Onchain Lens (@OnchainLens), publicly listed mining company Bit Digital (@bitdigital_btbt) has staked 29,900 ETH via Liquid Collective (@liquid_col), valued at approximately $65.3 million.
ether.fi selects Nexus Mutual to provide slashing coverage for up to 15,000 ETH
: On-chain digital asset management neobank ether.fi has selected Nexus Mutual to provide ETH slashing coverage, covering slashing penalties for its validators up to 15,000 ETH. ether.fi stated that it operates a large-scale validator set on Ethereum, and slashing is a tail risk. This coverage is used to cover validator losses, with a scale exceeding the total historical ETH slashing losses. ether.fi currently manages over $6 billion in assets across products such as Cash, Stake, and Liquid. Since 2019, Nexus Mutual has provided over $7 billion in coverage for smart contract attacks, slashing, and other digital asset risks. (Decrypt)
Yi Lihua: In a bear market, preserving principal should be the top priority; take-profit and stop-loss orders must be strictly enforced.
Liquid Capital founder Yi Lihua posted on X, stating that preserving principal is crucial during bear markets. He pointed out that on-chain theft incidents occur frequently, and ignoring risks solely to chase a few percentage points of returns could result in principal loss. JackYi emphasized that all investments carry risk—including holding funds on exchanges or participating in wealth management products and mining. He stressed that the top priority right now is setting take-profit and stop-loss levels, and proactively planning contingency measures for worst-case scenarios to avoid losing principal before the bull market arrives.
ZachXBT: AscendEX Has Almost No Available Liquid Assets to Cover User Withdrawals
on-chain investigator ZachXBT has released verification information, stating that crypto exchange AscendEX has officially announced its cessation of operations, and the platform's current liquid assets are almost insufficient to cover user withdrawal demands. According to the platform announcement, the shutdown is primarily due to market conditions and the EU MiCA regulatory framework. Starting July 1st, all services including account opening, trading, and deposits will be fully suspended, with only basic functions such as account inquiry and withdrawals remaining open. After July 6th, all withdrawal channels will cease automatic processing and switch entirely to manual review. The official team has candidly warned that withdrawals may be significantly delayed or even impossible to process.ZachXBT’s investigation found that pending user claims amount to millions of dollars, yet the platform’s available liquid assets in hot wallets are severely insufficient. AscendEX is currently evaluating its financial status and a plan for handling user assets, with subsequent arrangements to be announced separately.
Symbiotic Launches Liquid Lane for Near-Instant Stablecoin Redemption of Tokenized Assets
According to CoinDesk, crypto infrastructure firm Symbiotic has launched Liquid Lane, a liquidity network enabling investors to convert tokenized funds, private credit, and other real-world assets into stablecoins nearly instantly—replacing traditional redemption periods of up to 180 days.
Liquid Launches Co-Invest App, Enabling Users to Execute Live Trades Directly Within ChatGPT and Claude
According to The Block, multi-asset trading platform Liquid launched its Co-Invest application on Tuesday, enabling users to directly top up their accounts, conduct market analysis, and execute live trades within the ChatGPT and Claude chat interfaces—without leaving the AI assistant.
Zcash Foundation Q1 Report: Total Liquid Assets Reach Approximately $36.7 Million, ZEC Holdings Exceed 85,000 Coins
The Zcash Foundation released its Q1 2026 report, disclosing total liquid assets of approximately $36.7 million, including roughly $12.11 million in cash, 506,556 USDC, 85,412 ZEC (valued at ~$21.2 million), 41.8 BTC (valued at ~$2.85 million), and 12.02 ETH (valued at ~$25,000). The Zcash Foundation added that, although the first quarter of this year saw personnel changes within the Electric Coin Company’s development team and governance-related disputes, network operations remained unaffected, with transactions and block production continuing normally. On the regulatory front, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has concluded its investigation without taking any enforcement action, thereby resolving long-standing regulatory uncertainty.
Paystand Launches USDb, a Stablecoin Built on the Bitcoin Ecosystem
According to Businesswire, Paystand, a blockchain-based B2B payment network, has announced the launch of USDb, a stablecoin built on the Bitcoin ecosystem. USDb is backed 1:1 by U.S. dollar reserves and is natively deployed on the Bitcoin sidechain Rootstock, while also being compatible with the Liquid Network and the Bitcoin Lightning Network. Notably, USDb is primarily designed for traditional corporate finance use cases, including accounts receivable/payable, cross-border payroll, and treasury management.
Polygon Launches Native Liquid Staking Token sPOL
Polygon has officially launched its native liquid staking token, sPOL, designed to enhance returns for POL token stakers. As Polygon’s native liquid staking token, sPOL unlocks approximately 3.6 billion staked POL tokens and grants stakers priority access to transaction fee revenue sharing. Currently, only about 4%–5% of POL is liquid; sPOL addresses the issue of idle capital being unable to participate in DeFi yield opportunities. Users can migrate existing stakes to sPOL via the Polygon Staking Portal—without waiting periods and with uninterrupted rewards—while new stakes will automatically receive sPOL. The initial sPOL redemption ratio is 1:1, increasing as staking rewards accrue. sPOL supports liquidity provision, collateralization, and yield-boosting DeFi strategies, and can be redeemed at any time for POL plus accumulated rewards. The token was initially launched by Polygon Labs and audited by ChainSecurity and Certora; official liquidity will be seeded through an on-chain liquidity pool. Polygon cautions that sPOL carries smart contract risk, validator misbehavior penalty risk, and market volatility risk.
Related news
ether.fi selects Nexus Mutual to provide slashing coverage for up to 15,000 ETH
: On-chain digital asset management neobank ether.fi has selected Nexus Mutual to provide ETH slashing coverage, covering slashing penalties for its validators up to 15,000 ETH. ether.fi stated that it operates a large-scale validator set on Ethereum, and slashing is a tail risk. This coverage is used to cover validator losses, with a scale exceeding the total historical ETH slashing losses. ether.fi currently manages over $6 billion in assets across products such as Cash, Stake, and Liquid. Since 2019, Nexus Mutual has provided over $7 billion in coverage for smart contract attacks, slashing, and other digital asset risks. (Decrypt)
ZachXBT: AscendEX Has Almost No Available Liquid Assets to Cover User Withdrawals
on-chain investigator ZachXBT has released verification information, stating that crypto exchange AscendEX has officially announced its cessation of operations, and the platform's current liquid assets are almost insufficient to cover user withdrawal demands. According to the platform announcement, the shutdown is primarily due to market conditions and the EU MiCA regulatory framework. Starting July 1st, all services including account opening, trading, and deposits will be fully suspended, with only basic functions such as account inquiry and withdrawals remaining open. After July 6th, all withdrawal channels will cease automatic processing and switch entirely to manual review. The official team has candidly warned that withdrawals may be significantly delayed or even impossible to process.ZachXBT’s investigation found that pending user claims amount to millions of dollars, yet the platform’s available liquid assets in hot wallets are severely insufficient. AscendEX is currently evaluating its financial status and a plan for handling user assets, with subsequent arrangements to be announced separately.
Bernstein: AI Liquid Cooling Market to Triple in 4 Years, Cold Plate Commoditization Risk High
According to TechFlow Research, Bernstein's July 5 report pointed out that cold plates are the only components in liquid cooling systems that contact the chip, with a single GB200 NVL72 cabinet requiring 108 units. The cold plate market is approximately $2-3 billion in 2026, expected to be $6-7 billion in the base case scenario in 2030, with a 4-year CAGR of approximately 20-30%. The NVIDIA Rubin architecture has confirmed 100% liquid cooling, without fans. Cold plates are replaced upon failure, involving no maintenance services, and hardware gross margins face compression. Bernstein believes that between 2028-2030 cold plate designs will converge, with a high risk of commoditization, and longer term faces potential substitution by silicon-based microchannel etching technology. Outperform targets: VRT (target price $416), NVT ($218), ETN ($534), SBGSY ($310), TT ($550), JCI ($176); CARR target price $75 is in line with the market.
Liquid staking TVL drops to $33.4 billion, hitting a two-year low
Data shows that the total value locked (TVL) in liquid staking protocols dropped to $33.4 billion in Q2 2026, a decline of approximately 56% from the all-time high of $76 billion recorded in Q3 2025, marking three consecutive quarters of decline.
A smart money address purchased $100,000 on CS2 IEM Cologne 2026 BB defeats MGLZ
Monitoring by Odaily Seer shows that in the Polymarket "CS2 IEM Cologne 2026 BB vs. MGLZ" prediction event, a smart money address (0xdb859a551fcf56e49416160911476bea7307152f) that realized over $29,000 in profit purchased $100,000 on "BB defeats MGLZ," with an average opening price of 49.7¢ and an unrealized profit of $1,643.BetBoom has been in excellent form recently, securing qualification in Stage 2 by defeating Monte, M80, and GamerLegion in succession, and has also beaten Liquid in this tournament. MGLZ is a traditional Asian powerhouse, featuring core players like 910 and bLitz, along with extensive Major tournament experience. Despite some fluctuations in performance during May events, they have still demonstrated the ability to defeat strong teams like Liquid.Based on recent form, BetBoom holds a slight advantage. However, in a BO3 format, factors such as map pool depth, the on-the-day performance of key players, and tactical adaptability will be crucial in determining the outcome. The winner of this match will continue their push toward the playoff stage, while the loser will face elimination.Odaily Seer continuously monitors the prediction market, seeing change before the price is set.
Symbiotic Launches Liquid Lane for Near-Instant Stablecoin Redemption of Tokenized Assets
According to CoinDesk, crypto infrastructure firm Symbiotic has launched Liquid Lane, a liquidity network enabling investors to convert tokenized funds, private credit, and other real-world assets into stablecoins nearly instantly—replacing traditional redemption periods of up to 180 days.