Author: John Smith

Truth Ventures CEO Varun Datta has urged crypto investors not to demand recurring revenue from seed-stage companies, as RootData has listed 99 crypto projects that closed, entered bankruptcy, or became inactive in 2026. Summary RootData listed 99 crypto projects as closed, bankrupt, or inactive by late July. Galaxy recorded $4 billion across 355 crypto venture deals in the first quarter. Datta said seed startups should be assessed through founder knowledge and their path to a viable business. US-based companies received 70.2% of crypto venture capital during the first quarter. RootData listed 99 crypto projects that had announced closures, entered bankruptcy,…

World Liberty Financial has received preliminary OCC approval to establish a national trust bank that would issue USD1, manage its reserves, and provide digital asset custody across the United States. Summary World Liberty Trust must satisfy OCC requirements before it can begin banking operations. The proposed Florida-based bank would take over USD1 issuance and reserve assets from BitGo. Elizabeth Warren and nine senators have introduced legislation targeting bank ownership by presidents and their families. Lawmakers have also questioned a reported $500 million UAE-linked investment in World Liberty. World Liberty bank cannot open until conditions are met The Office of the…

Fireblocks has appointed former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Acting Chairman Elad Roisman as its chief regulatory and policy officer and general counsel for regulatory affairs. Summary Roisman will oversee Fireblocks’ regulatory strategy, policy engagement, and legal work involving regulation. The former SEC commissioner will act as the company’s main contact with regulators and standards bodies. Fireblocks said its platform has secured more than $14 trillion in digital asset transactions. The appointment takes effect immediately, with Roisman joining the leadership team in Washington, D.C. Roisman will lead Fireblocks’ regulatory work Fireblocks said in an Aug. 17 press release that Roisman…

RIOT stock has climbed 4.7% to $19.91 after JPMorgan raised its Riot Platforms price target to $22 following the Bitcoin miner’s $9.1 billion data center agreement reportedly involving Anthropic. Summary JPMorgan raised its RIOT target from $20 to $22 and retained an Overweight rating. Riot’s 20-year data center contract is expected to generate $9.1 billion in revenue. Morgan Stanley separately increased its RIOT target from $36 to $43. RIOT faces resistance at $20.48, while its main 4-hour support sits near $18.50. JPMorgan sees momentum building at Riot Platforms On Aug. 1, JPMorgan had increased its price target for Riot Platforms…

OpenAI has signed a 20-year lease for 4.25 gigawatts of initial AI capacity at an Ohio data center supported by up to $105 billion in guarantees from Nvidia. Summary OpenAI’s lease at the PORTS-Pike campus is expected to begin in phases in 2028. Nvidia has capped its initial guarantee obligations at a combined $105 billion. SB Energy will build, own, and operate the Pike County data center. Nvidia will invest $1.5 billion in SB Energy and provide the campus’s AI systems. Nvidia’s Aug. 17 announcement said OpenAI will use the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, where SB Energy will…

Strategy has raised $333.7 million through common stock sales without buying or selling Bitcoin last week, leaving its holdings unchanged at 840,447 BTC. Summary Strategy raised $333.7 million from MSTR stock sales between Aug. 10 and Aug. 16. The company made no Bitcoin purchases or sales, keeping its holdings at 840,447 BTC. Strategy spent $132.2 million repurchasing STRC shares and $52.4 million on STRC dividends. Another $149.1 million was added to its U.S. dollar reserve, taking the total to $4.80 billion. According to a Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Aug. 17, Strategy sold 3.46…

Tudor Investment has increased its BlackRock Bitcoin ETF stake by 18.9% in the second quarter, ending a year-long run of reductions while cutting most of its reported call-option exposure to the fund. Summary Tudor Investment increased its BlackRock Bitcoin ETF stake by 18.9% in the second quarter. The hedge fund added 109,446 IBIT shares, taking its total holding to 688,529 shares worth about $22.9 million. Tudor cut its reported IBIT call options by about 85% while its put position remained roughly unchanged. The purchase ended a year-long run of reductions from Tudor’s late 2024 peak of more than 8 million…

Binance cofounder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao said Trust Wallet could make its existing Ignore coins feature easier to access after unsolicited meme tokens complicated management of his public wallet. Summary CZ said Trust Wallet already offers an Ignore coins feature, but access requires five steps. Zhao reversed his earlier view after users said hiding unsolicited tokens provides practical wallet management. Trust Wallet has not publicly announced a release date or confirmed specific interface changes yet. Public addresses can receive tokens without permission, while wallet applications can only hide their display. CZ retired his closely watched public wallet after unsolicited meme coins…

Duquesne Family Office has disclosed a $23 million position in Hyperliquid Strategies Inc., giving Stanley Druckenmiller’s investment office indirect exposure to HYPE through the Nasdaq-listed digital asset treasury company. Summary Duquesne Family Office disclosed a new $23 million stake in Hyperliquid Strategies. The Nasdaq listed company holds millions of HYPE tokens as part of its digital asset treasury strategy. Duquesne’s former partner Kevin Warsh became Federal Reserve chairman in May 2026. Warsh disclosed more than $100 million in assets before his confirmation. The SEC filing for the second quarter of 2026 showed Duquesne held shares of Hyperliquid Strategies, which trades…

Apple has patched a critical macOS Screen Sharing vulnerability after attackers exploited internet-facing Macs to gain root access and install Monero mining software, according to an updated warning from the Netherlands’ National Cyber Security Centre. Summary Apple patched CVE-2026-65400 after attackers exploited Mac Screen Sharing services to install Monero miners remotely. Dutch cybersecurity officials confirmed compromised Macs had root access and unauthorized Monero mining software installed. CISA now scores the authentication flaw 9.8 critical, up from its earlier 7.1 assessment overall. Huntress found tens of thousands of potentially exposed Macs, especially internet-hosted bare-metal Apple systems worldwide. Changing Screen Sharing passwords…