News linked to both this project and an event.
fintech company Mercury has announced the completion of a new $200 million funding round, led by TCV with participation from Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Coatue Management, and other institutions.Mercury primarily provides banking services to startups. It currently serves over 300,000 clients and has achieved approximately $650 million in annualized revenue. The company stated that the recent surge in AI entrepreneurship has significantly driven demand for new company registrations and account openings, serving as a key growth driver.Meanwhile, Mercury also announced that it has received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to apply for a federal banking charter. This would enable it to expand lending capabilities, gain access to payment networks like Zelle, and reduce its reliance on partner banks. The company's founder stated that the long-term goal remains an independent IPO rather than an acquisition. (CNBC)
Odaily Odaily News Gate Research recently released its "April 2026 Cryptocurrency Market Review" report, indicating that the overall cryptocurrency market saw a volatile upward trend in April, with total market capitalization significantly higher than in March. BTC and ETH ETF trading volumes maintained high volatility overall. The report shows continued divergence in activity across major public chain ecosystems. Solana's daily transaction volume remained in the range of approximately 90 million to 110 million transactions, maintaining its leading position.Regarding trending sectors, the report notes that Pokemon TCG RWA has become one of the fastest-growing on-chain RWA sub-sectors, entering a second explosive growth phase in April. Major trading platforms saw monthly trading volumes exceed $220 million, with weekly revenue briefly approaching $6 million, setting new historical records. Meanwhile, Aave experienced its most severe liquidity crisis ever in April, with TVL outflows reaching tens of billions of dollars within a few days and net outflows exceeding $9 billion for the entire month.In terms of fundraising and security incidents, the Web3 industry completed 51 financing rounds in April, totaling approximately $834 million, with capital further concentrating on leading financial and infrastructure tracks. Among these, Payward ranked first for the month with a $200 million financing round. On the security front, Web3 security incidents in April resulted in losses of approximately $306 million, a month-over-month increase of about 858%, primarily driven by a single cross-chain infrastructure attack on Kelp DAO worth approximately $293 million. The report suggests that against the backdrop of a recovering market, on-chain activity and capital liquidity are both increasing simultaneously. However, the security risks associated with cross-chain infrastructure and high-leverage protocols remain worthy of continued attention.
crypto research institution Delphi Digital has released its latest report, "How Far Can Saylor Stretch It," providing a systematic analysis of Strategy's Bitcoin (BTC) capital expansion mechanism. It indicates that the company's financing structure is transitioning from a phase of "low-cost accumulation" into one of "diminishing marginal efficiency."The report shows that within the current asset accumulation system centered on Bitcoin, STRC has become the core financing tool for Strategy's continued BTC purchases. Initially, the company relied on a significant premium in MSTR's stock price (with mNAV far exceeding BTC's net asset value) to create a positive cycle where "issuing shares meant increasing holdings." However, as valuations have receded to approximately 1.24 times the base mNAV of enterprise value, the BTC-per-share accretion effect from common stock issuance is approaching a break-even point.Meanwhile, while convertible bonds have played a crucial role historically, they have accumulated a principal of approximately $8.2 billion and face concentrated repayment pressure after September 2027, putting long-term strain on the sustainability of the financing structure.STRC provides Strategy with a continuous source of financing—used to maintain its BTC buying pace—by offering yield-seeking investors an approximately 11.5% annualized monthly dividend. However, this mechanism also introduces ongoing cash flow obligations, meaning that each round of financing simultaneously builds future dividend burdens while increasing BTC assets.The report emphasizes a key risk scenario: if BTC's price remains stagnant and MSTR's premium fails to recover, the "gains from STRC-financed coin purchases" could be progressively offset by "common stock dilution and dividend obligations." Although the company's approximately $2.25 billion cash reserve can cover its roughly $1 billion redemption pressure in 2027, its larger debt and dividend structure in 2028 remains unresolved.Furthermore, STRC's current authorized issuance limit of approximately $28.3 billion serves as a critical constraint. Once this limit is reached, the capacity for new BTC purchases may slow, yet existing dividend obligations will persist—thereby altering the overall dynamic growth trajectory of BTC per share.
: Crypto analyst Axel Adler Jr stated that although Bitcoin rebounded after falling from around $125,000 to $60,000, the current trend remains a "repair after decline" and has not yet been confirmed as entering a new bull market cycle.He pointed out that from an on-chain data perspective, multiple key indicators have not yet entered the historical bear market bottom range. This includes the "Supply in Loss" and 90-day UTXO-related metrics, which have not yet shown a sufficient cyclical bottom structure. Meanwhile, the "LTH Realized Supply" has also not displayed the typical accumulation pattern seen at the end of a bear market, indicating that the market has not yet entered a deep reallocation phase.Additionally, spot selling pressure indicators have not shown obvious "capitulation selling", suggesting that a typical comprehensive market cleansing has not occurred during this decline. Axel Adler Jr believes that before improvements are seen simultaneously in on-chain structure, spot demand, and supply pressure, the current upward move is more likely a technical rebound rather than a trend reversal.On a macro level, he pointed out that the global risk environment remains tight. The conflict between the US and Iran has pushed Brent crude oil close to $100 per barrel, reigniting inflationary pressure. Consumer confidence and financial health indices are weakening, indicating pressure on the demand side. Meanwhile, US Treasury yields remain high, with real interest rates and inflation expectations rising concurrently, further suppressing risk asset valuations.He also mentioned that the leadership of the US Federal Reserve is about to enter a potential transition phase, but the interest rate market is no longer pricing in rapid rate cuts and has even begun to price in the probability of rate hikes. Market expectations have clearly shifted towards "higher for longer". In an environment of high oil prices, high interest rates, and uncertain monetary policy, overall financial conditions remain tight.Axel Adler Jr stated that the current market needs to wait for clearer on-chain bottom structures and signs of demand-side recovery. Until then, he maintains a cautious stance on the market outlook.
Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), led by Michael Saylor, has been accelerating its Bitcoin acquisitions this year. JPMorgan analysts stated that if the current pace continues, the company's total Bitcoin purchases for the year could reach approximately $30 billion. So far this year, Strategy has added 145,834 Bitcoin to its holdings, valued at around $11 billion. Analysis indicates that a significant portion of the company's purchases occurred when Bitcoin was below its average cost of roughly $75,000, reflecting a more "opportunistic" allocation strategy.At the current rate, Strategy's total Bitcoin purchases in 2026 could significantly exceed the approximately $22 billion levels seen in 2024 and 2025. Analysts noted that the company has re-accelerated its buying since April, suggesting its strategy is becoming more dependent on market conditions and financing availability. Meanwhile, Strategy's stock continues to trade at a premium of approximately 26% to its net asset value (NAV), providing favorable conditions for the company to continue purchasing Bitcoin through equity and debt financing. The company currently holds approximately 818,334 BTC, with a total value exceeding $65 billion. (The Block)
stablecoin infrastructure startup Rain is now valued at $1.95 billion and has announced a partnership with payment giant Mastercard to issue credit and prepaid cards, while also exploring the use of stablecoins for payment settlements. Previously, Rain primarily relied on the Visa network for its card products. This collaboration with Mastercard marks its entry into a "dual-card network" strategy, further expanding its institutional client market. Rain stated that the partnership will focus on serving large institutional clients already deeply integrated with a single payment network, enabling them to introduce stablecoin settlement capabilities without altering their existing payment systems.Meanwhile, the application of stablecoins continues to expand across the industry, with institutions such as Stripe and Coinbase actively promoting the integration of stablecoin payments and settlements. This indicates that the convergence of traditional finance and crypto payment infrastructure is accelerating. Analysts suggest that as regulatory frameworks gradually become clearer, stablecoins are rapidly transitioning from trading tools to enterprise payment and cross-border settlement infrastructure. (Fortune)
Printr founder announced stepping down as CEO, with COO and GTM head Lennon immediately succeeding as CEO, while co-founder Lea continues as CTO. The founder will transition to an advisory role.Meanwhile, Printr announced it will fully refund its community fundraising, with the relevant refund process expected to be disclosed within 7 days. The team stated that this move aims to rebuild community trust, while the platform's products, team, and development roadmap will remain unchanged.
Odaily Odaily News According to the latest weekly report from Gate Ventures, there are signs of a staged recovery at the macro level. While major stock indices showed divergent performance, the overall trend was upward, and market risk appetite has somewhat improved. Against this backdrop, the crypto market rebounded in tandem, with BTC rising by 6.6% and ETH by 4.7%. They also recorded net spot ETF inflows of approximately $823.7 million and $155 million respectively, indicating a strengthening return of capital. The total market capitalization increased by 5.2%, while the market cap excluding BTC and ETH grew by 2.6%, suggesting that upward momentum is beginning to spread to a broader range of assets, albeit at a relatively moderate pace.In terms of asset and sector dynamics, structural opportunities continue to emerge. The top 30 assets averaged a 4.2% increase. Meanwhile, advancements at the on-chain and industry levels are persisting, including ongoing developments in digital currency infrastructure and asset tokenization. Regarding investment and financing, 12 transactions were completed last week, with a total disclosed financing amount of approximately $54.89 million, representing a month-over-month increase of about 31%. Capital primarily flowed into DeFi and infrastructure sectors. Notably, JPYC secured $17.62 million in funding to advance the infrastructure development of its yen-backed stablecoin. 3F completed a $4 million seed funding round, with participants including Gate Ventures. Against the backdrop of a marginally improving macro environment, investment and financing activity has picked up, with capital still focusing on long-term application scenarios and foundational capability building amidst volatile conditions.
According to Bits.media, Russia’s Government Legislative Committee has approved a proposal by the Ministry of Finance to include cryptocurrency-related activities—including cryptocurrency exchanges—within the scope of personal income tax. The draft law proposes calculating transaction costs using the FIFO (First-In, First-Out) method and prohibits carrying forward losses from cryptocurrency transactions to future tax periods. Meanwhile, certain services and transactions would be exempt from value-added tax (VAT), including services provided by digital custodians and cryptocurrency exchange operators, as well as certain foreign digital rights transactions that do not involve physical delivery. For debt-type digital financial assets (e.g., tokenized bonds), the draft law establishes separate rules for profit tax calculation and permits loss carryforwards. Previously, Russia’s State Duma had approved the “Digital Currency and Digital Rights” bill at its first reading.
According to traders, DeepSeek’s recent open fundraising initiative is primarily driven by severe talent attrition. Several core researchers have successively departed, joining ByteDance, Tencent, Xiaomi, and autonomous driving company Yunruilink. Meanwhile, competitors Zhipu AI and MiniMax have already listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and Moonshot raised funding in three consecutive rounds during the first quarter of this year, with its valuation more than quadrupling since the end of last year.
According to CoinDesk, SpaceX is expected to go public in June and could surpass Saudi Aramco’s $29 billion IPO in 2019 to become the largest IPO in history. Meanwhile, OpenAI and Anthropic are also planning to go public in the second half of this year. Collectively, these three companies are projected to raise over $240 billion—potentially marking a pivotal turning point for liquidity in the crypto market. Market analysts believe these mega-IPOs could significantly drain liquidity from risk assets, with the crypto market sitting in the same funding pool. As mainstream crypto assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have closely tracked the Nasdaq and U.S. equity risk sentiment in recent years, a large-scale shift of capital toward subscribing to tech giants’ IPOs may weaken buying support for BTC, ETH, and altcoins.
According to Techstartups, Microsoft had explored acquiring AI programming tools company Cursor but ultimately did not proceed with the deal. Subsequently, SpaceX swiftly secured an option to acquire Cursor at a $60 billion valuation. Cursor has now become one of the key players in the AI programming space, benefiting from strong developer demand for automated programming and productivity tools—where OpenAI and Anthropic are fiercely competing. Meanwhile, Microsoft faces another set of pressures, with its stock down 10% this year, underperforming its peers in the hyperscale data center sector.
Odaily News Cryptocurrency analyst Ai disclosed data on platform X, stating that companies in the artificial intelligence field raised approximately $242 billion in funding in the first quarter of 2026, accounting for about 80% of global venture capital. However, the capital was highly concentrated in a few "mega funding rounds," such as OpenAI's $122 billion round, Anthropic's $30 billion round, xAI's $20 billion round, and Waymo's $16 billion round. Meanwhile, enterprise AI spending continues to rise. Gartner predicts that global total AI spending will reach $2.52 trillion in 2026, a year-on-year increase of 44%, with capital rapidly shifting from the application layer to infrastructure and computing power development.
According to CoinDesk, citing the Financial Times, Revolut—the largest fintech company in Europe and a crypto-friendly platform—has informed investors that its target valuation range for its IPO is $150 billion to $200 billion, with the earliest possible listing date no earlier than 2028. Previously, in November 2025, the company completed a share sale at a valuation of $75 billion—representing over a 125% increase from that figure. Meanwhile, Revolut is reportedly preparing for a secondary share sale in the second half of 2026, with an expected valuation of approximately $100 billion. Financially, the company’s pre-tax profit for 2025 rose 57% year-on-year to £1.7 billion (approximately $2.3 billion). On the operational front, Revolut obtained a full UK banking license in March this year and has applied to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a U.S. banking license, accelerating its global market expansion. However, insiders indicate that a formal valuation target has not yet been finalized.
Odaily News: According to sources, UK-based digital bank Revolut plans to seek a valuation between $150 billion and $200 billion in its future IPO, a significant increase from its previous $75 billion valuation. The company's CEO, Nik Storonsky, also revealed that Revolut is preparing for a new round of secondary share sale in the second half of 2026, with a potential valuation exceeding $100 billion. (Financial Times)Previously, Nik Storonsky stated that the company's listing timeline is at least two years away, potentially delayed until 2028 at the earliest, with no immediate IPO plans. He pointed out that Revolut is currently focusing on expanding its presence in the US market, including applying for a banking license to gain access to the Federal Reserve's payment system and expand its lending and credit card businesses. Meanwhile, the company has already obtained a full banking license in the UK.
According to Crypto Briefing, Nik Storonsky, CEO of Revolut—the largest fintech company in Europe—told David Rubenstein in a recent interview that the company’s IPO is still at least “two years away,” meaning it would not go public before 2028 at the earliest. Prior to its IPO, Revolut will continue offering liquidity to employees and early investors via secondary share sales; a new round of such transactions is reportedly slated for 2026. The company’s latest valuation stands at $75 billion. Meanwhile, Revolut is actively expanding into the U.S. market and has completed its second application for a U.S. banking charter. If approved, it would gain direct access to the Federal Reserve’s payment systems and be able to offer loans and credit cards to U.S. customers.
According to The Block, the cryptocurrency venture capital sector is undergoing a structural shift. Investors now broadly require startups to demonstrate real users and revenue before committing capital—marking the end of the era when early-stage fundraising was easy. Token-based exit strategies have become significantly less reliable; low-liquidity, high-valuation token launches continue to underperform the broader market, prompting investors to revert to traditional equity-oriented thinking. Meanwhile, the rise of the AI sector has siphoned off substantial LP capital and entrepreneurial talent, further intensifying fundraising challenges for crypto VCs. Nonetheless, several investors note that reduced competition, more rational valuations, and an improving regulatory environment point to 2026–2027 as the strongest investment years since 2018. Future capital will focus on areas with clear business models—including stablecoins, payments, tokenization, real-world assets (RWAs), and financial infrastructure—while the boundaries between crypto VCs and traditional VCs accelerate toward convergence.
According to an official announcement by Tether, Tether Investments participated in a $134 million financing round for the publicly listed Stablecoin Development Corporation (NYSE American: SDEV), with other investors including R01 Fund LP and Framework Ventures—digital asset-focused investment firms. SDEV positions itself as an on-chain holding company dedicated to building infrastructure for stablecoin payments, transfers, and cross-platform fund flows, aiming to lower user adoption barriers. Globally, the circulating supply of stablecoins has surpassed $300 billion, while last year’s transaction volume reached $33 trillion—exceeding the combined total of Visa and Mastercard. Meanwhile, Tether’s USD₮ user base has grown to 570 million.