ProShares Launches First GENIUS Act-Compliant Money Market ETF for Stablecoins
ProShares has launched the GENIUS Money Market ETF (NYSE Arca: IQMM), the first fund built to hold assets qualifying as reserves for U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins under the GENIUS Act.
1️⃣ Regulatory Alignment. Complies with the GENIUS Act, which requires stablecoins to be fully backed by safe, liquid assets such as short-term U.S. Treasuries
2️⃣ Asset Strategy. Invests only in cash and government securities with maturities ≤93 days, ensuring liquidity for daily redemptions
👉 theblock.co/post/390501/proshares-launches-first-stablecoin-ready-money-market
ProShares has launched the GENIUS Money Market ETF (NYSE Arca: IQMM), the first fund built to hold assets qualifying as reserves for U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins under the GENIUS Act.
1️⃣ Regulatory Alignment. Complies with the GENIUS Act, which requires stablecoins to be fully backed by safe, liquid assets such as short-term U.S. Treasuries
2️⃣ Asset Strategy. Invests only in cash and government securities with maturities ≤93 days, ensuring liquidity for daily redemptions
IQMM bridges regulated money markets and the expanding stablecoin ecosystem, offering issuers a compliant, highly liquid reserve option
👉 theblock.co/post/390501/proshares-launches-first-stablecoin-ready-money-market
Hyperbeat Launches USD+. A Yield Vault for USDC with Instant Credit Access
Hyperbeat has launched USD+, a DeFi vault that lets users earn optimized real yield on USDC while instantly using deposits as collateral for credit via Liquid Banking.
Deposits generate real-time yield across top Hyperliquid venues, including Hyperliquid, Morpho, Hyperlend, and Felix Protocol.
👉 x.com/hyperbeat/status/2023759219653034219?s=20
Hyperbeat has launched USD+, a DeFi vault that lets users earn optimized real yield on USDC while instantly using deposits as collateral for credit via Liquid Banking.
Deposits generate real-time yield across top Hyperliquid venues, including Hyperliquid, Morpho, Hyperlend, and Felix Protocol.
👉 x.com/hyperbeat/status/2023759219653034219?s=20
OpenAI Eyes Record-Breaking $100B Funding Round. Valuation Could Hit $850B
OpenAI is close to closing the first phase of a massive funding round that could bring in over $100 billion. The deal would provide capital to expand ChatGPT and AI infrastructure.
1️⃣ Valuation. Total valuation could surpass $850 billion. Pre-money valuation remains $730 billion
2️⃣ Strategic Investors. First phase includes Amazon ($50B), SoftBank ($30B), Nvidia ($20B), and Microsoft. Commitments are expected by month-end
3️⃣ Market Reaction. SoftBank shares jumped 4% in Tokyo
4️⃣ Future Phases. Later rounds may involve venture capital, sovereign wealth funds, and other investors
5️⃣ Strategic Partnerships. OpenAI will likely expand use of Amazon’s cloud and chips
👉 bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-19/openai-funding-on-track-to-top-100b
OpenAI is close to closing the first phase of a massive funding round that could bring in over $100 billion. The deal would provide capital to expand ChatGPT and AI infrastructure.
1️⃣ Valuation. Total valuation could surpass $850 billion. Pre-money valuation remains $730 billion
2️⃣ Strategic Investors. First phase includes Amazon ($50B), SoftBank ($30B), Nvidia ($20B), and Microsoft. Commitments are expected by month-end
3️⃣ Market Reaction. SoftBank shares jumped 4% in Tokyo
4️⃣ Future Phases. Later rounds may involve venture capital, sovereign wealth funds, and other investors
5️⃣ Strategic Partnerships. OpenAI will likely expand use of Amazon’s cloud and chips
The deal is still under negotiation
👉 bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-19/openai-funding-on-track-to-top-100b
Susquehanna-Backed Blockfills Hits $75M Loss, Puts Platform Up for Sale
Blockfills, the Chicago crypto lender backed by Susquehanna, lost about $75M in the market downturn and is now seeking a buyer. The firm temporarily paused deposits and withdrawals, but spot and derivatives trading continues.
1️⃣ Trading Volume. Blockfills handled over $60B in 2025, a 28% increase from 2024, serving roughly 2,000 institutional clients, including hedge funds, asset managers, and mining firms
2️⃣ Market Context. The suspension echoes 2022’s crypto winter, highlighting persistent market volatility. Bitcoin (BTC) remains under $70K and Ether (ETH) below $2K
3️⃣ Funding History. Blockfills raised $37M in Series A in Jan 2022, led by Susquehanna, CME Ventures, Simplex, C6E, and Nexo, bringing total capital raised to $44M
👉 coindesk.com/business/2026/02/19/susquehanna-backed-blockfills-up-for-sale
Blockfills, the Chicago crypto lender backed by Susquehanna, lost about $75M in the market downturn and is now seeking a buyer. The firm temporarily paused deposits and withdrawals, but spot and derivatives trading continues.
1️⃣ Trading Volume. Blockfills handled over $60B in 2025, a 28% increase from 2024, serving roughly 2,000 institutional clients, including hedge funds, asset managers, and mining firms
2️⃣ Market Context. The suspension echoes 2022’s crypto winter, highlighting persistent market volatility. Bitcoin (BTC) remains under $70K and Ether (ETH) below $2K
3️⃣ Funding History. Blockfills raised $37M in Series A in Jan 2022, led by Susquehanna, CME Ventures, Simplex, C6E, and Nexo, bringing total capital raised to $44M
The platform is working with investors and clients to restore liquidity, but the future remains uncertain amid ongoing crypto market weakness
👉 coindesk.com/business/2026/02/19/susquehanna-backed-blockfills-up-for-sale
etherfi Migrates to OP Mainnet, Bringing Onchain Neobanking to Optimism
etherfi is migrating its Cash product, covering ~70,000 cards, ~300,000 accounts, and millions in TVL, to OP Mainnet. The move comes with OP Enterprise support, dedicated account management, and priority access to new features.
The platform already processes 2,000 swaps and 28,000 spend transactions daily (~$2M volume), doubling roughly every two months.
👉 x.com/ether_fi/status/2024152474899063224?s=20
etherfi is migrating its Cash product, covering ~70,000 cards, ~300,000 accounts, and millions in TVL, to OP Mainnet. The move comes with OP Enterprise support, dedicated account management, and priority access to new features.
The platform already processes 2,000 swaps and 28,000 spend transactions daily (~$2M volume), doubling roughly every two months.
Post-migration, users will enjoy gas-free card transactions, higher liquidity, more cashback, and OP token rewards alongside travel perks, membership tiers, and metal cards.
👉 x.com/ether_fi/status/2024152474899063224?s=20
CME Group to launch 24/7 Futures and Options trading
CME Group plans to begin round-the-clock trading of crypto futures and options starting May 29. Previously, major weekend price swings occurred without access to regulated hedging tools.
The change ensures institutional investors can hedge positions and deploy capital without waiting for traditional market reopenings.
👉 x.com/CMEGroup/status/2024503477531976057?s=20
CME Group plans to begin round-the-clock trading of crypto futures and options starting May 29. Previously, major weekend price swings occurred without access to regulated hedging tools.
The change ensures institutional investors can hedge positions and deploy capital without waiting for traditional market reopenings.
👉 x.com/CMEGroup/status/2024503477531976057?s=20
Polymarket acquires Dome, a prediction market API startup
The move brings ready-made API tools into Polymarket’s ecosystem, potentially simplifying market creation and third-party integrations. Dome allows devs to build apps, bots, or trading tools that work across platforms like Polymarket, Kalshi, and other platforms.
👉 x.com/Polymarket/status/2024514315823509826?s=20
The move brings ready-made API tools into Polymarket’s ecosystem, potentially simplifying market creation and third-party integrations. Dome allows devs to build apps, bots, or trading tools that work across platforms like Polymarket, Kalshi, and other platforms.
👉 x.com/Polymarket/status/2024514315823509826?s=20
Parsec Finance shuts down amid ongoing market volatility
Uniswap and Galaxy-Backed platform has started refunding users and canceling subscriptions, without disclosing the reason behind its shutdown. The platform offered customizable dashboards for DeFi and NFT analytics, API access, and an AI-powered Parsec Agent.
👉 x.com/parsec_finance/status/2024519983330468049?s=20
Uniswap and Galaxy-Backed platform has started refunding users and canceling subscriptions, without disclosing the reason behind its shutdown. The platform offered customizable dashboards for DeFi and NFT analytics, API access, and an AI-powered Parsec Agent.
👉 x.com/parsec_finance/status/2024519983330468049?s=20
Cryptomarket Check-In. Major Events & Headlines
Institutional momentum continues accelerating across crypto markets, with capital inflows, 24/7 derivatives expansion, and regulated onchain infrastructure gaining traction.
AI–crypto convergence, tokenization frameworks, and exchange-level upgrades are shaping the next phase of market structure
🔎 Recent Updates & Developments
– OpenAI nears a potential $100B funding round while launching EVMbench to benchmark AI-driven smart contract security
– CME Group moves toward 24/7 crypto futures and options trading, signaling deeper institutional integration
– China formalizes its RWA regulatory framework, reducing ambiguity around tokenized onshore assets
– Uniswap advances protocol fee activation across v3 pools, strengthening revenue capture and UNI buyback dynamics
– XRP Ledger rolls out a permissioned DEX model designed for regulated financial institutions
– Kraken expands token lifecycle infrastructure ahead of its planned IPO
– Tether enables gold-denominated dividend distribution via tokenized Tether Gold integration
– ether.fi migrates to OP Mainnet, scaling onchain neobanking across 300K+ accounts
– Robinhood Layer 2 surpasses 4M transactions in its first week of testnet activity
– Moonwell faces liquidation cascades following oracle mispricing, highlighting ongoing DeFi risk vectors
Institutional momentum continues accelerating across crypto markets, with capital inflows, 24/7 derivatives expansion, and regulated onchain infrastructure gaining traction.
AI–crypto convergence, tokenization frameworks, and exchange-level upgrades are shaping the next phase of market structure
🔎 Recent Updates & Developments
– OpenAI nears a potential $100B funding round while launching EVMbench to benchmark AI-driven smart contract security
– CME Group moves toward 24/7 crypto futures and options trading, signaling deeper institutional integration
– China formalizes its RWA regulatory framework, reducing ambiguity around tokenized onshore assets
– Uniswap advances protocol fee activation across v3 pools, strengthening revenue capture and UNI buyback dynamics
– XRP Ledger rolls out a permissioned DEX model designed for regulated financial institutions
– Kraken expands token lifecycle infrastructure ahead of its planned IPO
– Tether enables gold-denominated dividend distribution via tokenized Tether Gold integration
– ether.fi migrates to OP Mainnet, scaling onchain neobanking across 300K+ accounts
– Robinhood Layer 2 surpasses 4M transactions in its first week of testnet activity
– Moonwell faces liquidation cascades following oracle mispricing, highlighting ongoing DeFi risk vectors
The broader trend is clear: institutional alignment, compliant tokenization, and protocol-level monetization are becoming core pillars of the evolving crypto financial system
Netherlands Bans Polymarket Over Illegal Gambling Services
The Netherlands Gambling Authority (Ksa) has ordered Polymarket to immediately halt operations in the country, ruling that the platform offers illegal gambling without a license.
Adventure One QSS Inc., Polymarket’s operator, faces €420,000 in weekly fines (up to €840,000) if it fails to comply. Regulators said prediction markets are not permitted under Dutch law, citing social risks such as potential election influence.
Despite mounting scrutiny, the sector continues to grow rapidly. Combined monthly trading volumes across leading platforms, including rival Kalshi, exceed $13.5B, with 43M+ transactions processed.
👉 decrypt.co/358725/netherlands-bans-polymarket-over-illegal-gambling-services
The Netherlands Gambling Authority (Ksa) has ordered Polymarket to immediately halt operations in the country, ruling that the platform offers illegal gambling without a license.
Adventure One QSS Inc., Polymarket’s operator, faces €420,000 in weekly fines (up to €840,000) if it fails to comply. Regulators said prediction markets are not permitted under Dutch law, citing social risks such as potential election influence.
Despite mounting scrutiny, the sector continues to grow rapidly. Combined monthly trading volumes across leading platforms, including rival Kalshi, exceed $13.5B, with 43M+ transactions processed.
Polymarket says its products are financial instruments, not bets. Dutch regulators disagree, arguing that staking money on uncertain outcomes for profit is gambling. The move adds the Netherlands to a growing list of countries tightening oversight on prediction markets.
👉 decrypt.co/358725/netherlands-bans-polymarket-over-illegal-gambling-services
ASI Alliance Launches Closed Alpha of ASI:Create
ASI Alliance has announced the closed alpha of ASI:Create, a decentralized platform that lets developers build, deploy, and monetize AI agents. The platform aims to redefine how AI-native systems operate across the web.
🔎 Key Features
– Build Your Agent. Create agents that reason, plan, and act independently. Deploy single agents or collaborative teams
– Create Your Space. Showcase workflows, collaborate with teams, and share AI-native systems across a decentralized ecosystem.
– Hosting & Compute. Use ASI:Cloud for distributed infrastructure, AI training, and inference
👉 x.com/SingularityNET/status/2024747156540997858?s=20
ASI Alliance has announced the closed alpha of ASI:Create, a decentralized platform that lets developers build, deploy, and monetize AI agents. The platform aims to redefine how AI-native systems operate across the web.
🔎 Key Features
– Build Your Agent. Create agents that reason, plan, and act independently. Deploy single agents or collaborative teams
– Create Your Space. Showcase workflows, collaborate with teams, and share AI-native systems across a decentralized ecosystem.
– Hosting & Compute. Use ASI:Cloud for distributed infrastructure, AI training, and inference
The platform is in closed alpha, focusing on UX improvements and infrastructure scaling. Public access is coming soon
👉 x.com/SingularityNET/status/2024747156540997858?s=20
NVIDIA Launches Rubin — Next-Gen AI Supercomputer Platform
NVIDIA unveiled Rubin, its next-gen AI platform with six new chips — Vera CPU, Rubin GPU, NVLink 6, ConnectX-9, BlueField-4 DPU, and Spectrum-6 Switch — designed for extreme hardware-software codesign. Rubin delivers up to 10× lower inference cost and 4× fewer GPUs for MoE training vs. Blackwell.
Key Innovations
1️⃣ High-Performance Chips. Rubin GPU with 3rd-gen Transformer Engine and Vera CPU optimized for agentic reasoning
2️⃣ AI-Native Storage & Networking. BlueField-4 Inference Context Memory and Spectrum-X Ethernet enable scalable AI infrastructure
3️⃣ Rack-Scale Systems. Vera Rubin NVL72 and HGX Rubin NVL8 enable large-scale AI factories for training and inference
4️⃣ Ecosystem Support. AWS, Microsoft, Google Cloud, Anthropic, OpenAI, Meta, xAI, and CoreWeave are adopting Rubin
👉 nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/rubin-platform-ai-supercomputer
NVIDIA unveiled Rubin, its next-gen AI platform with six new chips — Vera CPU, Rubin GPU, NVLink 6, ConnectX-9, BlueField-4 DPU, and Spectrum-6 Switch — designed for extreme hardware-software codesign. Rubin delivers up to 10× lower inference cost and 4× fewer GPUs for MoE training vs. Blackwell.
Key Innovations
1️⃣ High-Performance Chips. Rubin GPU with 3rd-gen Transformer Engine and Vera CPU optimized for agentic reasoning
2️⃣ AI-Native Storage & Networking. BlueField-4 Inference Context Memory and Spectrum-X Ethernet enable scalable AI infrastructure
3️⃣ Rack-Scale Systems. Vera Rubin NVL72 and HGX Rubin NVL8 enable large-scale AI factories for training and inference
4️⃣ Ecosystem Support. AWS, Microsoft, Google Cloud, Anthropic, OpenAI, Meta, xAI, and CoreWeave are adopting Rubin
⏭️ Rubin is currently in production, with partner deployments expected in H2 2026, powering AI superfactories, long-context reasoning, and multimodal models at unprecedented efficiency and scale
👉 nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/rubin-platform-ai-supercomputer
MAJOR UPCOMING EVENTS IN Q1 2026!
A full list of Major Upcoming Events, to be updated
👉 https://cryptodiffer.com/events
A full list of Major Upcoming Events, to be updated
👉 https://cryptodiffer.com/events
Binance Futures has launched OPN Pre-Market trading
Current Pre-Market Price - $0.638. FDV - $638M. Maximum Leverage - 5x. Opinion is a top-3 prediction market by trading volume where users can trade directly on real-world outcomes. Opinion becomes the first major prediction market to launch a token.
👉 binance.com/en/support/announcement/opinionpremarket
Current Pre-Market Price - $0.638. FDV - $638M. Maximum Leverage - 5x. Opinion is a top-3 prediction market by trading volume where users can trade directly on real-world outcomes. Opinion becomes the first major prediction market to launch a token.
👉 binance.com/en/support/announcement/opinionpremarket
IoTeX hit by Private Key Exploit, up to $8.8 million drained
The exploit targeted bridge contracts, allowing attacker to withdraw assets across multiple networks. According to the team and security analysts, the incident was caused by unauthorized access to a private key, rather than a vulnerability in the smart contracts.
👉 x.com/iotex_io/status/2025824807120412842?s=20
The exploit targeted bridge contracts, allowing attacker to withdraw assets across multiple networks. According to the team and security analysts, the incident was caused by unauthorized access to a private key, rather than a vulnerability in the smart contracts.
🔧 Response Measures
– Compensation: Reimbursement plan coming within 48 hours
– Support: Bridge-back requests handled manually for now
– AMA: Founders will host a community AMA in 24–48 hours
👉 x.com/iotex_io/status/2025824807120412842?s=20
Internet Computer (ICP) is changing its tokenomics
Previously, node operators were paid simply for running nodes, regardless of actual network usage. The revised model ties rewards to cloud usage and enterprise adoption, creating a more market-oriented incentive structure.
👉 x.com/dfinity/status/2025141121190371527?s=20
Previously, node operators were paid simply for running nodes, regardless of actual network usage. The revised model ties rewards to cloud usage and enterprise adoption, creating a more market-oriented incentive structure.
Part of that effort is already underway. Node associations in Europe have begun promoting ICP’s cloud engine services to enterprises, aiming to attract institutional cloud customers and expand on-chain usage beyond blockchain apps.
👉 x.com/dfinity/status/2025141121190371527?s=20
MegaETH confirms upcoming launch of Mainnet Incentives
MegaETH plans to allocate 2.5% of the MEGA supply to reward ecosystem users. However, the team emphasized incentives will go live once the ecosystem is fully functional to maximize user opportunities and reward depth.
👉 x.com/bread_/status/2024887753956360548
MegaETH plans to allocate 2.5% of the MEGA supply to reward ecosystem users. However, the team emphasized incentives will go live once the ecosystem is fully functional to maximize user opportunities and reward depth.
⚡️ Incentive Structure
– Live now: Mint USDM via Avon, AAVE & join Hunter Tales
– Points dashboard: Dedicated system to track rewards
– Early advantage: Active users will receive the most benefits
– Incentive design: Supports looping, vaults, and compounding strategies
👉 x.com/bread_/status/2024887753956360548
Vitalik continues to offload ETH as its dips under $1,900
Along with the recent sellings, Vitalik shared a new security philosophy aimed at making Ethereum safer through intent-based design. The concept includes integrating simulations, spending limits, social recovery, and AI into Ethereum wallets.
👉 intel.arkm.com/explorer/entity/vitalik-buterin
Along with the recent sellings, Vitalik shared a new security philosophy aimed at making Ethereum safer through intent-based design. The concept includes integrating simulations, spending limits, social recovery, and AI into Ethereum wallets.
👉 intel.arkm.com/explorer/entity/vitalik-buterin
Bitdeer Liquidates Entire BTC Treasury, Holdings Drop to Zero
Bitcoin mining firm Bitdeer has fully liquidated its corporate Bitcoin treasury after selling 189.8 BTC during the latest period. The firm is evaluating acquisitions of power assets and land, while preparing liquidity for expansion.
Bitdeer was founded by Bitmain co-founder Jihan Wu and is one of the largest publicly traded Bitcoin mining companies. Miners often sell BTC holdings during expansion phases to fund new infrastructure and increase long-term production capacity.
👉 x.com/BitdeerOfficial/status/2025136775266550191?s=20
Bitcoin mining firm Bitdeer has fully liquidated its corporate Bitcoin treasury after selling 189.8 BTC during the latest period. The firm is evaluating acquisitions of power assets and land, while preparing liquidity for expansion.
Bitdeer was founded by Bitmain co-founder Jihan Wu and is one of the largest publicly traded Bitcoin mining companies. Miners often sell BTC holdings during expansion phases to fund new infrastructure and increase long-term production capacity.
👉 x.com/BitdeerOfficial/status/2025136775266550191?s=20
Treasuries & ETFs Board. Crypto Accumulation & Capital Flows
Digital asset investment products posted a fifth consecutive week of outflows, with $4B withdrawn from funds. Bitcoin products led ($315M out), followed by Ethereum (~$123M).
At the same time, accumulation continues, signaling long-term confidence, with Strategy making its 100th Bitcoin purchase by acquiring 592 BTC ($39.8M).
Digital asset investment products posted a fifth consecutive week of outflows, with $4B withdrawn from funds. Bitcoin products led ($315M out), followed by Ethereum (~$123M).
At the same time, accumulation continues, signaling long-term confidence, with Strategy making its 100th Bitcoin purchase by acquiring 592 BTC ($39.8M).
Austrian regulator restricts KuCoin EU new business
Austria’s Financial Market Authority (FMA) has ordered KuCoin EU to stop onboarding new customers and launching new products after losing required AML and sanctions officers.
The move comes just months after the company received MiCA approval in November, with the regulator stating the mandated roles are no longer properly filled.
👉 x.com/coingecko/status/2025885512507040120?s=20
Austria’s Financial Market Authority (FMA) has ordered KuCoin EU to stop onboarding new customers and launching new products after losing required AML and sanctions officers.
The move comes just months after the company received MiCA approval in November, with the regulator stating the mandated roles are no longer properly filled.
👉 x.com/coingecko/status/2025885512507040120?s=20