News linked to both this project and an event.
According to The Block, Cluster Protocol—an AI-native infrastructure company building for Web3—has raised $5 million in funding, led by DAO5, with participation from Paper Ventures, JPEG Trading, and Mapleblock Capital. This brings the company’s total funding to $7.75 million. The new capital will accelerate the development of CodeXero, its browser-native IDE built for the EVM ecosystem, expand its product and engineering teams, and enhance its AI systems, developer workflows, deployment infrastructure, and ecosystem growth. Cluster Protocol stated that CodeXero has already connected over 300,000 wallets, processed more than 3 billion AI tokens, and supported the deployment of over 25,000 dApps.
According to The Block, Jaret Seiberg, Managing Director of the Washington Research Group at investment bank TD Cowen, stated that stablecoin yield issues are not the sole obstacle to the passage of the Clarity Act—and cited the following five additional hurdles: 1. A severe shortage of Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) commissioners: only Chairman Michael Selig remains in office, and the process to appoint new commissioners could take several months, while the bill must complete its review by the end of July; 2. Complex regulatory questions surrounding prediction markets—including concerns about insider trading and potential conflicts of interest involving the Trump family—which may prompt Democratic lawmakers to withdraw their support via related amendments; 3. Ongoing controversy surrounding World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency project affiliated with the Trump family, increasing political resistance from Democrats toward supporting the bill; 4. Reports indicating Iran is discussing requiring vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to pay tolls in cryptocurrency—a development that could trigger contentious anti-money laundering (AML) amendments, potentially serving as a “poison pill” for the bill; 5. Risk that the Credit Card Competition Act could be attached to the Clarity Act, jeopardizing the entire bill’s progress. Regarding stablecoin yield issues, Senator Thom Tillis indicated that the Senate Banking Committee will not vote on the bill until as early as May. TD Cowen maintains its assessment that the bill has approximately a one-in-three chance of passing this year, while Galaxy Digital estimates the probability at roughly 50%.
According to The Block, B2B stablecoin technology provider Infinite has launched Infinite Accounts—a banking account service for enterprises that supports deposits, withdrawals, ACH transfers, domestic and international wire transfers, as well as stablecoin minting, burning, and on-chain transfers—all accessible via a single API. This service is powered by the traditional banking infrastructure of Erebor Bank, which recently obtained its banking license. Infinite states that fiat balances held in these accounts may be eligible for FDIC insurance, whereas stablecoin balances are not. This launch comes amid continued growing institutional adoption of stablecoins.
According to The Block, Gensyn—a decentralized AI infrastructure network backed by a16z crypto—has launched its flagship product, Delphi. Delphi is an AI-settled decentralized information marketplace platform where creators can launch markets and earn a 1.5% fee on trading volume upon successful settlement. Delphi is currently open to all users for trading, but only invited creators may launch markets; mainnet launch is expected within the coming weeks. Built on Gensyn’s Ethereum Layer 2 network, the platform uses verifiable smart oracles to execute settlements. Gensyn reports that Delphi has already processed millions of dollars in trading volume since its testnet launch in December 2025.
According to The Block, the UK Treasury has unveiled a payment regulatory reform proposal that aims to bring traditional payment services, stablecoins, and tokenized deposits under a unified regulatory framework. The proposal also plans to regulate stablecoins used for payments through subsequent issuance rules. Additionally, it seeks to expand the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) supervisory authority over open banking and explore regulatory adjustments for payment activities conducted by AI agents. Meanwhile, the UK Treasury will provide £1 million in funding to the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology starting in April and has appointed Chris Woolard CBE to lead the development of a tokenized financial system for wholesale digital markets.
Odaily News Grayscale has updated its ETF application document linked to Hyperliquid, changing the custodian to Anchorage Digital Bank, replacing Coinbase which previously served as the prime broker and custodian.This adjustment has garnered significant attention, as Coinbase has long dominated the crypto ETF custody space. Currently, almost all U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs (except Fidelity's) rely on its custody services.The filing shows that The Bank of New York Mellon will continue to serve as the transfer agent for this ETF (proposed ticker GHYP). The fund's staking functionality still requires regulatory approval and will utilize CoinDesk's Hyperliquid benchmark pricing data.Furthermore, Anchorage Digital Bank, as the first federally chartered crypto bank in the U.S., has been continuously expanding its institutional service capabilities in recent years, including areas such as stablecoins, wealth management, and token lifecycle management. (The Block)
According to The Block, Grayscale has filed a revised Hyperliquid ETF application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), naming Anchorage Digital Bank as the fund’s custodian in place of Coinbase. Anchorage is the first crypto-native bank to receive a federal banking charter in the U.S. and has recently expanded rapidly into stablecoin services, wealth management, and token lifecycle management—becoming the first institution in the U.S. to support TRON. If approved, the ETF will trade on Nasdaq under the ticker “GHYP”; staking functionality remains subject to regulatory approval.
Odaily News The x402 protocol, incubated by Coinbase, has announced the launch of a unified platform called Agent.market, positioned as an "AI Agent App Store" for centrally showcasing and integrating various tools and services built on the protocol. According to the introduction, Agent.market already covers seven major categories at launch: inference, data, media, search, social, infrastructure, and trading. It integrates service providers including OpenAI, Bloomberg, CoinGecko, LinkedIn, X, and AWS Lambda, and supports permissionless integration.Erik Reppel, Engineering Lead at Coinbase Developer Platform, stated that the platform is essentially "an app store for agents." Currently, there are approximately 69,000 active agents on the x402 network, which have cumulatively completed over 165 million transactions, with a transaction volume reaching $50 million. Most services on Agent.market adopt a pay-per-use model, with some charging an "agentic premium" for AI agents. However, costs can be reduced through subscriptions in high-frequency usage scenarios. Meanwhile, the "agent economy" based on x402 is lowering customer acquisition and integration costs for businesses, unlocking previously constrained demand due to API keys, subscriptions, and micro-payment mechanisms.The x402 protocol is named after the HTTP 402 "Payment Required" status code, enabling websites, APIs, and AI agents to conduct instant micropayments via blockchain and traditional payment channels. The protocol is governed as an open standard by the x402 Foundation under the Linux Foundation and has received support from over 20 technology and crypto institutions including Cloudflare, Stripe, Amazon Web Services, Google, and Visa. (The Block)
Odaily News: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that a cryptocurrency company linked to "Russian mafia and intelligence agencies" is funding political opponents and influencing domestic crypto regulatory legislation. During a parliamentary vote on Friday, Tusk pointed out that some Polish politicians are obstructing crypto regulatory legislation to serve a company named Zondacrypto, which is alleged to provide "financial support" to political figures and has ties to Russia.Tusk further claimed that the company sponsored the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) event held in Poland last year, during which former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem publicly supported President Karol Nawrocki's campaign.Tusk bluntly stated that the company's funding sources not only involve "funds related to the Russian mafia (Bratva)" but may also be connected to Russian intelligence agencies.Meanwhile, President Nawrocki won the election last June, with his camp receiving support from former U.S. President Donald Trump. The President's Office responded that it is not opposed to crypto regulation itself but opposes the "flawed regulatory model" proposed by the government.This controversy arises amidst the political tug-of-war in Poland over the crypto regulatory bill. The bill aims to align with the EU's MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation) framework. However, the President previously vetoed the relevant bill and blocked parliament from overriding the veto in December, stalling the regulatory process. (The Block)
According to The Block, the latest draft language of the Clarity Act concerning stablecoin yield will be delayed until next week or later. Sources familiar with the matter say the current text retains prior wording—namely, prohibiting yield generation on idle stablecoin balances held in accounts, while permitting yield from activities such as trading. Senator Thom Tillis stated that the draft text will not be made public until the Senate Banking Committee’s review timeline is confirmed. The report notes that the legislative team remains engaged in discussions with the American Bankers Association and crypto firms, and that making substantive revisions to the text at this stage would be difficult.
According to The Block, Texas man Robert Dunlap was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison for a cryptocurrency fraud scheme exceeding $20 million and ordered to pay restitution to nearly 1,000 victims. Prosecutors alleged that Dunlap operated cryptocurrency projects and sold Meta-1 Coin, falsely claiming the token was backed by $44 billion in gold and approximately $1 billion in artworks—including pieces by Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, and Salvador Dalí—and that the assets had been audited. Last year, a jury found him guilty of mail fraud.
According to The Block, Layer 1 blockchain Tempo has launched a privacy solution called Zones, designed for institutional use cases such as payroll distribution, treasury management, and payment settlement. Zones provide a confidential execution environment in the form of parallel blockchains connected to the Tempo mainnet; transactions within a Zone are confidential by default, yet assets remain interoperable with the Tempo mainnet, other Zones, fiat on/off-ramps, and liquidity pools. Tempo states that each Zone will be managed by a trusted entity, whose operators can view activities within the Zone and enforce access controls—but do not control the underlying assets. Users retain full control and may withdraw funds locked in smart contracts on the mainnet at any time.
According to The Block, Yuga Labs, the developer behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) collection, has appointed Michael Figge as its new CEO, while former CEO Greg Solano has transitioned to Chairman of the Board. Solano stated that Figge joined the company in 2021 and has served as CEO for several weeks, previously holding the role of Chief Product Officer. This leadership reshuffle coincides with Yuga Labs’ ongoing development of its metaverse project, Otherside. The company describes Otherside as a metaRPG platform enabling players to own digital assets and engage in real-time multiplayer interactions. Moving forward, Solano will continue contributing to creative direction, writing, and the development of new ideas.
According to The Block, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a new consultation paper seeking feedback on how to bring digital asset activities—including stablecoin issuance, trading platforms, custody, and staking—under regulatory oversight. The consultation period ends on 3 June 2026. Crypto firms will be able to begin applying for FCA authorization as early as 30 September 2026, and the new regulatory regime is expected to officially take effect in 2027. The FCA stated that, prior to the new regime coming into force, crypto assets are largely unregulated in the UK—except for financial promotions and anti-financial crime oversight. Industry insiders note that the UK’s progress on crypto regulation clearly lags behind Europe, which has already established a comprehensive enforcement framework; however, some practitioners view the FCA’s systematic, phased implementation approach positively.
According to The Block, the Washington-based think tank Cato Institute published a critique of the U.S.’s current Bitcoin tax policy. Researcher Nick Anthony pointed out that the existing tax framework—which classifies Bitcoin as “property” rather than “currency”—requires users to calculate capital gains or losses for every single transaction, including routine, small-value purchases. This makes tax filing extremely cumbersome and effectively hinders Bitcoin’s adoption as a payment instrument. In response, the Cato Institute proposed several reform measures, including fully eliminating capital gains taxes on cryptocurrency payments and introducing a de minimis exemption threshold for small transactions. The report also referenced the existing Virtual Currency Tax Fairness Act—a bill that would exempt crypto transactions under $200—but Anthony argued that this threshold is too low to reflect real-world consumer spending levels. Currently, the Trump administration has expressed support for establishing a de minimis exemption for cryptocurrency transactions and will continue evaluating related legislative options.
According to The Block, Sentinel Action Fund—a U.S. super PAC backed by the Solana Foundation—announced it will join forces with its sister advocacy organization Right Vote to spend $8 million supporting Republican Senator Jon Husted in Ohio’s upcoming election against Sherrod Brown, aiming to prevent the former senator and crypto skeptic Sherrod Brown from returning to the Senate. Jon Husted has long supported crypto innovation and backed several pro-crypto legislative initiatives, including the GENIUS Act. Per filings with the U.S. Federal Election Commission, the Solana Foundation has donated $750,000 to Sentinel Action Fund, while Multicoin Capital contributed $250,000.
According to The Block, Brix—a startup focused on tokenizing emerging-market assets—has announced a $5.5 million funding round. Participants include Yapi Kredi’s venture capital arm, FRWRD, IS Asset Management, and crypto investment firms Circle Ventures, ConsenSys, and Borderless Capital. Brix plans to launch on the MegaETH network, aiming to bring traditionally institutional trading strategies—such as Turkish lira arbitrage—on-chain.
According to The Block, SIX Group, a leading European stock exchange operator, announced that its Swiss exchange, SIX Swiss Exchange, and Spain’s BME Exchange will bring stock market data on-chain via Chainlink nodes. This collaboration enables smart contracts to directly read market data from both exchanges, facilitating the development of blockchain use cases such as tokenized stock indices, structured products, decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, and prediction markets. The combined market capitalization of the two SIX Group exchanges totals €2 trillion, making this initiative a trusted data source for the global financial ecosystem. Previously, prominent financial institutions—including Deutsche Börse, FTSE Russell, and S&P Global—as well as cryptocurrency companies such as Coinbase, have also launched similar partnerships with Chainlink. Since its launch last year, Chainlink’s DataLink service has been integrated into thousands of decentralized applications and across dozens of blockchains.
According to The Block, Visa, Stripe, and Zodia Custody—a digital asset custody firm backed by Standard Chartered Bank—have become the first validators on the Tempo payment blockchain. Tempo is an Ethereum-compatible Layer 1 blockchain designed specifically for high-throughput payments and stablecoin settlement, primarily targeting large institutions. Validators are responsible for verifying, ordering, and finalizing on-chain transactions, and are typically mature organizations with global operational capabilities. Tempo was incubated by Stripe and Paradigm, launched its private testnet in September 2025, and closed a $500 million Series A funding round in October at a valuation of approximately $5 billion. Recently, Tempo introduced its “Agent Payments” protocol—executed by AI agents—and has attracted infrastructure integrations including RedStone.
According to The Block, U.S. Republican Senator Thom Tillis stated that a draft bill aimed at resolving the long-standing dispute between banks and crypto firms over stablecoin yield—under the “Clarity for Payment Stablecoins Act” (the “Clarity Act”)—will be publicly released this week. Tillis co-drafted the provisions with Democratic Senator Angela Alsobrooks. The draft has already undergone review by both banking and crypto industry stakeholders, though banks remain opposed. Tillis indicated he is open to further revisions of the text. The issue of stablecoin yield represents the central point of contention in the Clarity Act: banks fear that permitting crypto firms to pay interest on idle stablecoins would trigger massive deposit outflows, while crypto enterprises such as Coinbase argue that banning such interest payments would stifle innovation. Additionally, Tillis proposed hosting a “Crypto Summit” to bring all stakeholders to Capitol Hill for negotiations toward a resolution. The Clarity Act has not yet advanced through the Senate Banking Committee and remains far from final enactment.