Ethos Raises $22.75M Series A Led by a16z to Build AI-powered Expert Network
Ethos has raised a $22.75M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from General Catalyst, XTX Markets, Matt Evans, and Common Magic.
Ethos matches users with paid opportunities across expert calls, market research, fractional work, and full-time roles. The platform says top contributors are already earning over $10,000 per month, with around 35,000 new users joining weekly.
Current listings include high-paying roles such as medical experts at $110/hr, legal professionals at $225/hr, VC/PE analysts at $150/hr, and operations specialists at $50/hr. All roles are remote, flexible, and typically cap at around 20 hours per week.
👉 x.com/a16z/status/2052045851493892387?s=20
Ethos has raised a $22.75M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from General Catalyst, XTX Markets, Matt Evans, and Common Magic.
Ethos matches users with paid opportunities across expert calls, market research, fractional work, and full-time roles. The platform says top contributors are already earning over $10,000 per month, with around 35,000 new users joining weekly.
Founded by James and Daniel, Ethos is built around the idea that AI should make people irreplaceable, not replaceable. The system turns professional expertise into recurring income by dynamically matching users across industries like finance, legal, medical, and operations.
Current listings include high-paying roles such as medical experts at $110/hr, legal professionals at $225/hr, VC/PE analysts at $150/hr, and operations specialists at $50/hr. All roles are remote, flexible, and typically cap at around 20 hours per week.
👉 x.com/a16z/status/2052045851493892387?s=20
OpenAI Launches Multipath Reliable Connection (MRC) For Large-Scale AI Training
MRC basically changes how huge AI systems move data between thousands of GPUs. Instead of sending information through one fixed route, it splits it into many smaller paths so everything moves more smoothly and doesn’t get stuck in traffic.
If one path slows down or fails, the system instantly switches to other working routes. This helps prevent delays and keeps AI training running without interruptions, even when parts of the network have issues.
Overall, MRC represents a major infrastructure-level upgrade aimed at making large-scale AI training faster, more resilient, and easier to operate at extreme scale.
👉 openai.com/index/mrc-supercomputer-networking
OpenAI has introduced a new open networking protocol called Multipath Reliable Connection (MRC), developed in collaboration with Advanced Micro Devices, Broadcom Inc., Intel, Microsoft, and NVIDIA.
MRC basically changes how huge AI systems move data between thousands of GPUs. Instead of sending information through one fixed route, it splits it into many smaller paths so everything moves more smoothly and doesn’t get stuck in traffic.
If one path slows down or fails, the system instantly switches to other working routes. This helps prevent delays and keeps AI training running without interruptions, even when parts of the network have issues.
According to OpenAI, MRC is already deployed across its largest NVIDIA GB200 supercomputers and has been used in training multiple frontier models. It is currently active in data centers including Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure deployments.
Overall, MRC represents a major infrastructure-level upgrade aimed at making large-scale AI training faster, more resilient, and easier to operate at extreme scale.
👉 openai.com/index/mrc-supercomputer-networking
1inch market maker, Trusted Volumes, exploited for ~$5.9M
The attack targeted a custom RFQ swap proxy controlled by TrustedVolumes, a DeFi market maker and official resolver on 1inch Fusion, responsible for filling gasless swap orders and providing liquidity across the protocol.
👉 x.com/trustedvolumes/status/2052235435292910005?s=20
The attack targeted a custom RFQ swap proxy controlled by TrustedVolumes, a DeFi market maker and official resolver on 1inch Fusion, responsible for filling gasless swap orders and providing liquidity across the protocol.
The exploit drained 1,291.16 WETH, 206,282 USDT, 16.939 WBTC, and 1,268,771 USDC from the affected contract.
👉 x.com/trustedvolumes/status/2052235435292910005?s=20
White House Targets July 4 for CLARITY Act Passage
Senate Banking Committee markup is planned for May, with four Senate working weeks in June targeting a floor vote before July 4. Polymarket currently gives the bill ~48% odds of passing in 2026.
👉 coindesk.com/policy/2026/05/06/white-house-targets-july-4-for-clarity-act-passage-says-crypto-adviser-patrick-witt
Senate Banking Committee markup is planned for May, with four Senate working weeks in June targeting a floor vote before July 4. Polymarket currently gives the bill ~48% odds of passing in 2026.
The CLARITY Act framework covers intermediaries only and does not reopen stablecoin issuer rules already addressed under the GENIUS Act. The stablecoin yield compromise was crafted to leave both banks and crypto firms equally dissatisfied, the White House's intended signal of balance.
👉 coindesk.com/policy/2026/05/06/white-house-targets-july-4-for-clarity-act-passage-says-crypto-adviser-patrick-witt
Ondo, JPMorgan, Mastercard and Ripple Complete Historic Tokenized Treasury Settlement on XRP Ledger
It was the first cross-border, cross-bank redemption of tokenized U.S. Treasuries ever recorded. Settlement completed in under five seconds on the XRP Ledger, outside traditional banking hours and across different banks and borders simultaneously.
👉 x.com/OndoFinance/status/2052048815054627318?s=20
It was the first cross-border, cross-bank redemption of tokenized U.S. Treasuries ever recorded. Settlement completed in under five seconds on the XRP Ledger, outside traditional banking hours and across different banks and borders simultaneously.
The pilot involved OUSG, Ondo's tokenized U.S. Treasury fund. Partners: Ondo Finance (OUSG issuer) + Kinexys by JPMorgan (interbank rails) + Mastercard MTN (fiat-onchain bridge) + Ripple/XRPL (settlement layer).
👉 x.com/OndoFinance/status/2052048815054627318?s=20
Biggest CEXs by funds inflow in the last 30 days
As Bitcoin surged +18.2% last month, smart money didn't sit still. Total net inflow across all centralized exchanges hit +$2.09B in the last 30 days. Here's where the capital actually went.
As Bitcoin surged +18.2% last month, smart money didn't sit still. Total net inflow across all centralized exchanges hit +$2.09B in the last 30 days. Here's where the capital actually went.
Kraken parent Payward Inc. acquires Reap for $600 million
Reap Technologies is a stablecoin-oriented provider of cross-border and business payments services. Reap is Payward’s first acquisition in Asia and its third-largest acquisition. The transaction will result in new business-to-business products.
👉 bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-07/kraken-parent-to-buy-reap-for-600-million-in-asian-expansion
Reap Technologies is a stablecoin-oriented provider of cross-border and business payments services. Reap is Payward’s first acquisition in Asia and its third-largest acquisition. The transaction will result in new business-to-business products.
Reap has a payments business that connects traditional financial systems with digital assets, enabling cross-border money flow. It’s led by Daren Guo, who previously launched the Asia Pacific business for Stripe.
👉 bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-07/kraken-parent-to-buy-reap-for-600-million-in-asian-expansion
Meta Faces Backlash Over Mass Facebook & Instagram Bans
Meta is facing backlash after thousands of Facebook and Instagram users reported being suddenly banned over alleged child exploitation violations they say are completely false.
Nearly 60,000 people have signed a petition demanding better support and accountability from Meta. Even some Meta Verified subscribers say they were unable to get meaningful help from customer support.
👉 cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/facebook-instagram-accounts-wrongly-banned
Meta is facing backlash after thousands of Facebook and Instagram users reported being suddenly banned over alleged child exploitation violations they say are completely false.
Many users claim Meta’s AI moderation systems are wrongly flagging accounts, while appeals are reportedly denied within minutes with little to no human review. Some affected users say the bans have damaged businesses, erased years of memories, and created fears of legal consequences.
Nearly 60,000 people have signed a petition demanding better support and accountability from Meta. Even some Meta Verified subscribers say they were unable to get meaningful help from customer support.
👉 cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/facebook-instagram-accounts-wrongly-banned
Kalshi Finalizes its $1B Raise, Hits $22B Valuation in New Round
Kalshi plans to announce on Thursday that it has raised $1 billion in a new round of funding, led by the investment firm Coatue, that values the start-up at $22 billion. Valuation progression: $2B (Jun 2025) → $5B (Oct 2025) → $11B (Dec 2025) → $22B (Mar 2026).
👉 nytimes.com/2026/05/07/business/dealbook/kalshi-fundraise-22-billion.html
Kalshi plans to announce on Thursday that it has raised $1 billion in a new round of funding, led by the investment firm Coatue, that values the start-up at $22 billion. Valuation progression: $2B (Jun 2025) → $5B (Oct 2025) → $11B (Dec 2025) → $22B (Mar 2026).
The raise comes amid mounting legal headwinds, Arizona filed 20 criminal counts for allegedly operating an illegal gambling business, and Nevada moved to ban its operations in the state.
👉 nytimes.com/2026/05/07/business/dealbook/kalshi-fundraise-22-billion.html
Tether Launches QVAC MedPsy, Medical AI Runs Fully On-Device
Tether’s AI Research Group introduced QVAC MedPsy, a medical language model built to run locally on phones, wearables, and low-power devices, without needing the cloud.
Tether says this approach keeps sensitive healthcare data (records, notes, queries) private on-device, avoiding uploads to remote servers where compliance and privacy become harder.
The models also aim to cut inference cost by using fewer tokens per response, which should mean faster outputs and lower compute.
👉 tether.io/news/tether-unveils-medical-ai-that-runs-on-phones-outperforms-much-larger-sota
Tether’s AI Research Group introduced QVAC MedPsy, a medical language model built to run locally on phones, wearables, and low-power devices, without needing the cloud.
Tether says this approach keeps sensitive healthcare data (records, notes, queries) private on-device, avoiding uploads to remote servers where compliance and privacy become harder.
On performance, Tether claims the 1.7B model beats Google’s MedGemma-4B on a set of medical benchmarks, and even tops MedGemma-27B in some “real-world” clinical-style tests.
The models also aim to cut inference cost by using fewer tokens per response, which should mean faster outputs and lower compute.
👉 tether.io/news/tether-unveils-medical-ai-that-runs-on-phones-outperforms-much-larger-sota
Somnia Season 5 Claim Goes Live With 10M SOMI Pool
Somnia opened Season 5 registration and users can now connect their main wallet to check their allocation across quest points, Discord roles, and SomniaYaps.
Somnia says it filtered out inactive, bot, and Sybil wallets, removing ~4,000 accounts in a second pass. Out of 300K+ participants, 12,009 wallets remain eligible to claim.
👉 x.com/Somnia_Network/status/2052374239743971337?s=20
Somnia opened Season 5 registration and users can now connect their main wallet to check their allocation across quest points, Discord roles, and SomniaYaps.
The total pool is 10M SOMI, split between 9.25M SOMI for quests, 350K SOMI for SomniaYaps, and 400K SOMI for Discord role tiers. Eligible users can claim 20% on Day 1, then 10% weekly for 8 weeks after completing required Odyssey tasks.
Somnia says it filtered out inactive, bot, and Sybil wallets, removing ~4,000 accounts in a second pass. Out of 300K+ participants, 12,009 wallets remain eligible to claim.
👉 x.com/Somnia_Network/status/2052374239743971337?s=20
AWS Brings USDC Micropayments to AI Agents via Coinbase & Stripe
Amazon Web Services just unveiled Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Payments, letting AI agents pay for APIs, web content, MCP servers, and other agent services on-demand instead of relying on subscriptions or manual checkout. The system supports Coinbase- or Stripe-powered wallets, funded with fiat or stablecoins.
A key enterprise angle: spending limits, audit trails, and compliance controls are baked in, so teams can ship “agents that spend” without rebuilding governance from scratch.
Coinbase’s wallet and discovery layer are now integrated into AgentCore Payments to help agents discover services, pay, and settle instantly (including via Base and Solana for USDC settlement).
👉 x.com/coinbase/status/2052395918192722026?s=20
Amazon Web Services just unveiled Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Payments, letting AI agents pay for APIs, web content, MCP servers, and other agent services on-demand instead of relying on subscriptions or manual checkout. The system supports Coinbase- or Stripe-powered wallets, funded with fiat or stablecoins.
The rails are built around Coinbase’s x402 protocol (based on HTTP 402 “Payment Required”), enabling machine-native micropayments in USDC. AWS says this is designed specifically for autonomous agents that need to “find → pay → continue” without humans in the loop.
A key enterprise angle: spending limits, audit trails, and compliance controls are baked in, so teams can ship “agents that spend” without rebuilding governance from scratch.
Coinbase’s wallet and discovery layer are now integrated into AgentCore Payments to help agents discover services, pay, and settle instantly (including via Base and Solana for USDC settlement).
👉 x.com/coinbase/status/2052395918192722026?s=20
Cryptomarket Check-In. Major Events & Headlines
This week’s flow was concentrated around tokenized assets and real-world financial infrastructure. From Treasury settlement on XRPL to Western Union stablecoins on Solana, multiple institutional products moved into production simultaneously, alongside some of the larger capital raises of this cycle.
🔎 Recent Updates & Developments
– Ondo, JPMorgan, Mastercard and Ripple completed first cross-border tokenized Treasury settlement on XRPL in under 5 seconds
– DTCC will launch tokenized securities platform, enabling onchain trading of equities, ETFs and Treasuries with full legal ownership
– Andreessen Horowitz raised $2.2B crypto fund, doubling down on stablecoins and blockchain financial infrastructure
– Western Union launched USDPT stablecoin on Solana, enabling global settlement across 200+ countries beyond banking hours
– Solana Foundation and Google Cloud launched Pay sh, enabling AI agents to pay for APIs using stablecoins onchain
– Coinbase partnered with Centrifuge to scale tokenization on Base, targeting ETFs, credit funds and structured products
– Securitize launched regulated tokenized equities on Solana, enabling onchain issuance and trading with institutional liquidity
– Kalshi finalized $1B raise at $22B valuation, highlighting rapid growth of prediction markets despite regulatory pressure
This week’s flow was concentrated around tokenized assets and real-world financial infrastructure. From Treasury settlement on XRPL to Western Union stablecoins on Solana, multiple institutional products moved into production simultaneously, alongside some of the larger capital raises of this cycle.
🔎 Recent Updates & Developments
– Ondo, JPMorgan, Mastercard and Ripple completed first cross-border tokenized Treasury settlement on XRPL in under 5 seconds
– DTCC will launch tokenized securities platform, enabling onchain trading of equities, ETFs and Treasuries with full legal ownership
– Andreessen Horowitz raised $2.2B crypto fund, doubling down on stablecoins and blockchain financial infrastructure
– Western Union launched USDPT stablecoin on Solana, enabling global settlement across 200+ countries beyond banking hours
– Solana Foundation and Google Cloud launched Pay sh, enabling AI agents to pay for APIs using stablecoins onchain
– Coinbase partnered with Centrifuge to scale tokenization on Base, targeting ETFs, credit funds and structured products
– Securitize launched regulated tokenized equities on Solana, enabling onchain issuance and trading with institutional liquidity
– Kalshi finalized $1B raise at $22B valuation, highlighting rapid growth of prediction markets despite regulatory pressure
Aptos Foundation and Labs commits $50M for its L1 ecosystem
The funding package is spanning first-party products, protocol infra, research, and a strategic fund for trading and AI partners. Aptos network holds $1.2B in onchain assets; sub-50ms block times and sub-500ms finality are central to the institutional pitch.
👉 x.com/Aptos/status/2052418251053740430?s=20
The funding package is spanning first-party products, protocol infra, research, and a strategic fund for trading and AI partners. Aptos network holds $1.2B in onchain assets; sub-50ms block times and sub-500ms finality are central to the institutional pitch.
Major beneficiaries
– Decibel: Aptos-incubated onchain perps exchange; $1B+ cumulative volume since February mainnet launch
– Shelby: Hot storage protocol for AI agent data markets; targets AI training datasets and agent-to-agent data exchange
👉 x.com/Aptos/status/2052418251053740430?s=20
Solv Migrates $700M in Tokenized BTC from LayerZero to Chainlink
Solv migrates the infra behind more than $700M in tokenized BTC, covering SolvBTC and xSolvBTC, from LayerZero to Chainlink's CCIP, following a broader internal security review of cross-chain systems.
Solv, backed by Binance Labs, Blockchain Capital, and OKX Ventures, manages over $2.8B in total assets & describes itself as the operating layer for Bitcoin, connecting BT capital to DeFi, CeFi, and TradFi.
👉 x.com/SolvProtocol/status/2052375784569164239?s=20
Solv migrates the infra behind more than $700M in tokenized BTC, covering SolvBTC and xSolvBTC, from LayerZero to Chainlink's CCIP, following a broader internal security review of cross-chain systems.
The migration will be executed in phases to minimize disruption for users holding tokenized positions across affected chains.
Solv, backed by Binance Labs, Blockchain Capital, and OKX Ventures, manages over $2.8B in total assets & describes itself as the operating layer for Bitcoin, connecting BT capital to DeFi, CeFi, and TradFi.
👉 x.com/SolvProtocol/status/2052375784569164239?s=20
Alchemy Pay (ACH) Launches Payment-First Layer 1
Alchemy Chain mainnet is now live, a payments-first L1 purpose-built for real-world stablecoin transactions, and the world's first payment blockchain to align with both the EU's MiCA and Hong Kong's HKMA regulatory frameworks.
A bi-directional bridge to Ethereum allows ACH to move between the two networks, keeping Alchemy Chain connected to the broader crypto ecosystem rather than operating in isolation.
👉 x.com/AlchemyPay/status/2052301637365236192?s=20
Alchemy Chain mainnet is now live, a payments-first L1 purpose-built for real-world stablecoin transactions, and the world's first payment blockchain to align with both the EU's MiCA and Hong Kong's HKMA regulatory frameworks.
Testnet surpassed 150K unique addresses and processed over 800K transactions before mainnet launch. ACH is the only gas token; single-token fee model removes friction for end users.
A bi-directional bridge to Ethereum allows ACH to move between the two networks, keeping Alchemy Chain connected to the broader crypto ecosystem rather than operating in isolation.
👉 x.com/AlchemyPay/status/2052301637365236192?s=20
Arbitrum DAO Approves $71M ETH Release to DeFi United
The Arbitrum DAO voted 100% YES, 16.9M ARB in favor to release 30,766 ETH frozen by its Security Council following the Kelp DAO exploit, directing the funds to DeFi United, the Aave-led recovery coalition assembled to restore rsETH's backing and close bad debt.
👉 theblock.co/post/400527/arbitrum-dao-approves-eth-release
The Arbitrum DAO voted 100% YES, 16.9M ARB in favor to release 30,766 ETH frozen by its Security Council following the Kelp DAO exploit, directing the funds to DeFi United, the Aave-led recovery coalition assembled to restore rsETH's backing and close bad debt.
However, a US federal court issued a restraining order on April 30, just before the vote concluded, blocking the actual transfer of the ETH pending legal resolution.
👉 theblock.co/post/400527/arbitrum-dao-approves-eth-release
Biggest Spot DEXs by Trading Volume in the last 30 Days
The top 12 spot DEXs processed $132B in combined volume, led by Uniswap ($40.3B) and PancakeSwap ($24.5B). But the real story is in the growth numbers: Curve surged +54.7%, Aerodrome +47.7%, while HumidiFi lost -60.9% and Raydium dropped -38.6%.
The top 12 spot DEXs processed $132B in combined volume, led by Uniswap ($40.3B) and PancakeSwap ($24.5B). But the real story is in the growth numbers: Curve surged +54.7%, Aerodrome +47.7%, while HumidiFi lost -60.9% and Raydium dropped -38.6%.
Most Efficient Protocols: Who Has the Best Valuation?
FDV/Revenue Annualized ratio measures how much the market pays for every dollar a protocol earns; the lower the ratio, the more efficiently a protocol is valued. This snapshot compares the most profitable protocols, identifying who offers the best value by fundamentals.
FDV/Revenue Annualized ratio measures how much the market pays for every dollar a protocol earns; the lower the ratio, the more efficiently a protocol is valued. This snapshot compares the most profitable protocols, identifying who offers the best value by fundamentals.
The category leaders: Limitless in Prediction Markets (4.4x), Morpho in Lending (11.6x), edgeX in Perp DEXs (11.7x), Meteora in Spot DEXs (10.5x).
Zcash To Ship Quantum-Recoverable Wallets Within A Month
Zcash Open Development Lab CEO Josh Swihart said Zcash will roll out quantum-recoverable wallets within a month. He added the network aims to become fully post-quantum within the next 12–18 months, speaking at Consensus Miami.
On the adoption side, Zashi’s integration with Near Intents is bringing users into shielded ZEC via cross-chain swaps from assets like BTC, SOL, and USDC. Swihart said around $600M–$700M has already moved through that route since launch.
Meanwhile, bridges to Solana and Hyperliquid are live, and the community is discussing cutting block times from 75s to 25s. The shielded pool now sits around ~30% of circulating ZEC (ATH), making the near-term key test whether quantum recoverability ships on schedule.
👉 coindesk.com/tech/2026/05/08/zcash-quantum-recoverable-wallets-go-qantum-proof-by-2027
Zcash Open Development Lab CEO Josh Swihart said Zcash will roll out quantum-recoverable wallets within a month. He added the network aims to become fully post-quantum within the next 12–18 months, speaking at Consensus Miami.
The update lands as ZEC is up over 110% in the last 30 days, following Multicoin Capital’s disclosed position and a broader privacy narrative comeback. Swihart argued that transparent ledgers make assets easy targets for seizures, calling Bitcoin “broken” as a private payment system.
On the adoption side, Zashi’s integration with Near Intents is bringing users into shielded ZEC via cross-chain swaps from assets like BTC, SOL, and USDC. Swihart said around $600M–$700M has already moved through that route since launch.
Meanwhile, bridges to Solana and Hyperliquid are live, and the community is discussing cutting block times from 75s to 25s. The shielded pool now sits around ~30% of circulating ZEC (ATH), making the near-term key test whether quantum recoverability ships on schedule.
👉 coindesk.com/tech/2026/05/08/zcash-quantum-recoverable-wallets-go-qantum-proof-by-2027
Coinbase Restores Trading Following Seven-Hour Outage
Coinbase confirmed trading services have resumed following a ~7-hour outage on Friday that left users unable to trade, transfer assets, or access core exchange functions.
The outage capped a rough week for the exchange. Coinbase reported Q1 revenue of $1.41B, missing estimates and down 31% YoY, alongside a net loss of $394M. Days earlier, the company announced layoffs affecting 14% of its ~5,000 staff.
The cuts are tied to an AI-driven restructuring push. CEO Brian Armstrong noted that non-technical teams are now shipping production code and workflows are being automated, with the workforce being realigned toward AI-related skills.
👉 bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-08/coinbase-resumes-trading-after-seven-h-outage
Coinbase confirmed trading services have resumed following a ~7-hour outage on Friday that left users unable to trade, transfer assets, or access core exchange functions.
The disruption was traced to overheating at an Amazon Web Services data center in Northern Virginia. The platform first flagged the issue at ~9 AM SGT, with activity restored by ~4 PM.
The outage capped a rough week for the exchange. Coinbase reported Q1 revenue of $1.41B, missing estimates and down 31% YoY, alongside a net loss of $394M. Days earlier, the company announced layoffs affecting 14% of its ~5,000 staff.
The cuts are tied to an AI-driven restructuring push. CEO Brian Armstrong noted that non-technical teams are now shipping production code and workflows are being automated, with the workforce being realigned toward AI-related skills.
👉 bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-08/coinbase-resumes-trading-after-seven-h-outage