The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted a conditional approval on May 11, 2026 to the financial technology startup Augustus Bank to establish a federal banking institution optimized for artificial intelligence models and payment stablecoins.
Author: liam
liam
Liam Hunter focuses on the on-chain systems where liquidity, risk and protocol mechanics become visible. He writes about DeFi, DEXes, perpetuals, Smart Money flows, hacks and Ethereum-linked infrastructure, with an emphasis on what the data shows, what remains uncertain and where market interpretation can go too far.Market developments and regulatory context are part of his reporting when they intersect with Web3 or DeFi activity.
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Digital asset exchange OKX and brokerage firm Korea Investment & Securities are engaged in formal negotiations to acquire a 20% stake in Coinone. The acquisition structure relies on the issuance of new corporate shares by the South Korean exchange, a mechanism designed to inject direct liquidity into the company’s balance sheet without requiring the sale of positions held by current majority shareholders.
Strategy is approaching a 28.3 billion dollar issuance cap on its Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Stretch Preferred Stock, known as STRC. According to a new report by Delphi Digital, this regulatory ceiling could dictate the pace of the company’s Bitcoin (BTC) acquisitions unless issuance capacity is expanded or the firm relies more heavily on common stock sales. The STRC instrument has become a primary funding engine for the firm’s treasury. However, researchers point out that if the authorized cap is reached without an extension, the accumulation of digital assets could slow or stop while the obligation to pay dividends…
Tokyo-listed Metaplanet Inc. reported on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, an operating income of 2.27 billion Japanese yen (approximately $14.38 million) for the first quarter of its fiscal year. This performance was accompanied by an operating margin of 73.6%, generated almost entirely by Bitcoin option premiums. However, the firm simultaneously recorded an ordinary loss of $728 million, a direct consequence of non-cash accounting valuation adjustments on its digital holdings following market depreciation, as detailed in the first quarter financial results. Net sales for the period ending March 31 reached $19.5 million, representing a substantial increase compared to the $5.5 million reported…
Binance announced on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, that it will modify the calculation method for the benchmark prices of its traditional finance (TradFi) commodity-based perpetual contracts during underlying market off-hours. Starting Friday, May 8, at 9:00 pm UTC, the exchange will replace the current fixed pricing system with an Orderbook-based Exponential Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) model. This technical shift will directly impact the determination of margin levels and liquidation thresholds during weekends, holidays, and technical maintenance periods.
Securitize and Computershare, the world’s largest stock transfer agent, announced on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, a strategic agreement to allow public companies to issue shares directly on blockchain networks. Under the terms of the partnership, companies will be able to integrate tokenized versions of their securities without needing to modify their existing capital structure. This collaboration aims to transform the ownership layer of U.S. equities, allowing digital assets to coexist with traditional records.
On April 29, 2026, the crypto payments platform MoonPay announced the acquisition of the Israeli security infrastructure provider Sodot, marking the official launch of its new MoonPay Institutional division. According to Bloomberg reports, the deal closed as an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $100 million, enabling MoonPay to integrate advanced custody and key management technology to attract asset managers and trading firms.
On April 28, 2026, four Japanese government bodies issued a joint warning regarding money laundering risks associated with the use of crypto assets in the real estate market. The official release from the Financial Services Agency (FSA) details that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the National Police Agency, and the Ministry of Finance instructed industry organizations to strengthen oversight of digital asset operations.
Mike Novogratz’s digital asset financial services firm, Galaxy Digital, reported a net loss of $216 million for the first quarter of 2026 on April 28, 2026. This financial result represents an improvement compared to the $0.86 loss per share recorded in Q1 2025, with the current quarter showing a loss of $0.49 per diluted share. According to MarketBeat data, these earnings exceeded analyst expectations, which had forecasted a more significant loss of $0.59 per share for the period ending March 31.
Institutional treasury firm Nakamoto INC announced this Friday, April 24, 2026, an actively managed Bitcoin derivatives program. According to the official statement on Businesswire, the Nasdaq-listed company seeks to generate recurring income through options premiums and hedge its exposure amid persistent market weakness. The strategy utilizes part of its 5,098 BTC as collateral under the management of Bitwise Asset Management.
