Author: John Smith

Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund has closed a new $6 billion fund, marking the largest raise in the venture capital firm’s history.  Summary Founders Fund closed a record $6 billion fund focused mainly on late-stage startup investments. Limited partners provided $4.5 billion, while Thiel and insiders contributed another $1.5 billion. The raise shows major venture firms still attract capital for mature technology companies. The vehicle will focus mainly on late-stage companies as private startups continue to seek large funding rounds outside public markets. Bloomberg reported that Founders Fund raised $6 billion for a new late-stage investment vehicle, citing people familiar with…

Warren Buffett used the 2026 Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting to warn investors about rising speculation across markets.  Summary Buffett said investors are showing a stronger gambling mood across volatile markets and short-term trades. He criticized one-day options, calling them gambling rather than investing based on business value. Greg Abel led Berkshire’s meeting as Buffett’s warning renewed debate over speculation and crypto. His remarks targeted short-term trading, risky bets, and the wider appetite for volatile assets, including crypto. Buffett said market behavior has moved closer to gambling as more retail traders chase fast returns. He described the current mood as unusually…

New York Attorney General Letitia James has secured more than $5 million from crypto platform Uphold.  Summary Uphold will pay over $5 million directly to customers affected by the failed CredEarn product. New York said CredEarn users were not told about risky lending behind advertised returns clearly. The settlement adds to New York’s wider enforcement push against crypto products and market operators. The settlement relates to Uphold’s promotion of CredEarn, a crypto savings product tied to Cred, LLC. The New York Attorney General’s office said Uphold promoted CredEarn between January 2019 and October 2020. The product was marketed to users…

Major US banking trade groups have asked the Treasury Department and the FDIC to pause three GENIUS Act rulemaking comment periods until the OCC finalises its primary stablecoin framework, while stablecoin startup Agora simultaneously filed for a national trust bank charter on April 24 to establish a federal presence before the rules harden. Summary The American Bankers Association and the Bank Policy Institute asked Treasury and the FDIC to wait 60 days after the OCC finishes its framework before running parallel comment periods, arguing the proposals are structurally interdependent. Agora CEO Nick van Eck called the banks’ stance “not much…

Coinbase activated Trade at Settlement for XRP futures on May 1, making XRP TAS the first altcoin to receive the same institutional block-trade execution mechanism already available for Bitcoin, Ethereum, gold, and crude oil futures, following a CFTC filing on April 21. Summary XRP TAS allows institutional investors to execute large block orders for both nano XRP and full-sized XRP futures at the official 4 PM settlement price, removing intraday price exposure that increases execution costs at volume. The tool places XRP on the same operational footing as traditional commodity futures, directly following the SEC and CFTC’s March 2026 joint…

Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz has pushed back against a resurfaced 2017 post in which he said XRP could not stay “dirt cheap,” rejecting the community’s reading of it as a price guarantee and separately dismissing claims that Ripple holds any hidden mechanism to massively reprice the token. Summary The 2017 post stated XRP could not be dirt cheap if it handled large global transaction volumes, but Schwartz said the comment was about how liquidity needs and transaction value relate. Schwartz said he considered deleting the post but decided against it, saying removing it would create more confusion rather than…

Pi Network confirmed its sponsorship of Consensus 2026 in Miami on May 5 to 7, with co-founders Dr. Chengdiao Fan and Nicolas Kokkalis each scheduled to speak at the Convergence Stage, marking the project’s most prominent mainstream industry appearance as its Protocol 23 smart contract launch on May 11 approaches. Summary Dr. Chengdiao Fan speaks May 6 on aligning Web3, AI, and blockchain for utility, while Nicolas Kokkalis joins a May 7 panel titled “How to Prove You’re Human in an AI World (Without Doxing Yourself)” at the Convergence Stage. Pi Network has completed over 526 million human KYC validation…

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the House Armed Services Committee on April 30 that the Pentagon is running classified Bitcoin programs on two operational tracks — enabling the technology and countering it — and that those efforts provide the United States leverage against China “in a lot of different scenarios.” Summary Hegseth said “I am a long enthusiast of Bitcoin and crypto potential,” making him the first sitting Defense Secretary to confirm classified government Bitcoin programs in a national security context before Congress. INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo separately confirmed earlier in April that US Indo-Pacific Command operates a live…

President Trump signed an executive order on April 30 directing the Labor Department to allow Trump retirement account access to cryptocurrency, private equity, and other alternative assets inside US 401(k) plans, targeting the roughly $12.5 trillion defined-contribution market that has been largely closed to digital assets under existing ERISA guidance. Summary The executive order instructs the Labor Department to revisit Employee Retirement Income Security Act guidance and coordinate with the Treasury Department. Trump retirement policy also launches TrumpIRA.gov next year, a site where workers without employer-sponsored plans can access retirement accounts and receive up to $1,000 annually in matching federal…

How many people brushed off crypto, watched a coin run wild, and then wished they had moved sooner? That regret hits hard, which is why many eyes are now chasing the best crypto presale to buy now before another big price jump slips away. BlockchainFX ($BFX) is getting close to launch while SIREN keeps giving the market fresh price news and sharp chart action. One project is still in crypto presale mode, one already showed what crazy upside can look like, and both tell a story worth watching. BlockchainFX ($BFX): The best crypto presale to buy now for trading crypto,…