Summary
gm, Trump Media Group confirmed a $2.5 billion capital raise to purchase Bitcoin, while SharpLink Gaming raised $425 million to establish an Ethereum treasury, causing its stock to surge 420%. On the institutional front, Circle, the USDC stablecoin issuer, filed for an IPO on the NYSE at a $6.7 billion valuation, with major banks like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs as bookrunners. In regulatory developments, Thailand announced plans to allow tourists to spend cryptocurrency through credit card-linked platforms, while Senator Lummis revealed at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas that former President Trump supports the BITCOIN Act, proposing the U.S. government acquire 1 million Bitcoin over five years.

News Headlines
💰 Circle Launches IPO on NYSE at $6.7 Billion Valuation

  • USDC stablecoin issuer Circle is going public on the NYSE under ticker CRCL, aiming to raise up to $624 million by offering 24 million shares priced between $24-$26 each.
  • Major investment banks including JPMorgan, Citigroup, and Goldman Sachs are involved as joint lead bookrunners, while Cathie Wood's ARK Investment has expressed interest in purchasing up to $150 million in shares.

🏦 Bitlayer Secures 31.5% of Bitcoin's Hashrate for Smart Contracts

  • Major mining pools including Antpool, F2Pool, and SpiderPool, collectively controlling 31.5% of Bitcoin's hashrate, have pledged support for Bitlayer's BitVM smart contract system.
  • BitVM allows complex computations to be executed off-chain while remaining verifiable on the Bitcoin blockchain, similar to optimistic rollups, potentially enabling Bitcoin to integrate more effectively with DeFi ecosystems.

💼 Cantor Fitzgerald Launches $2 Billion Bitcoin Lending Business

  • Cantor Fitzgerald has officially launched its Bitcoin lending service with successful initial transactions with companies like FalconX and Maple Finance, making up to $2 billion available for crypto-backed financing.
  • The business is partnering with Anchorage Digital and Copper for custody services, signaling a significant step in institutional adoption of digital asset infrastructure and services.

📊 Ethereum Shows Signs of Potential "Altseason" as Price Eyes $4,100

  • Ethereum has reclaimed a crucial technical level that has historically preceded substantial price gains and triggered altseasons, with potential for the altcoin market cap to surge toward $15 trillion if Bitcoin dominance declines similarly to past cycles.
  • Previous instances of ETH closing above the Gaussian Channel mid-line resulted in price rallies exceeding 100%, though current support appears fragile with approximately $123 billion in supply at risk near the cost basis.

🏆 SharpLink Raises $425M to Create First Nasdaq-Listed Ethereum Treasury

  • SharpLink Gaming has raised $425 million in a private investment led by Consensys, Galaxy Digital, and Pantera Capital to establish an Ethereum treasury, causing its stock price to surge by over 420%.
  • The investment involves acquiring 69,100,313 shares at $6.15 each, with Consensys CEO Joseph Lubin taking a position as chairman, marking a significant expansion beyond SharpLink's traditional online gambling marketing business.

Market Metrics

Fundraising & VC
1. Beam Cash (Undisclosed, $7M) - Stablecoin-based PSP
2. Ducat Protocol (Strategic, $1.5M) - Bitcoin-native stablecoin

Regulatory
🏦 Bank of Korea Exploring Private Sector Stablecoins

  • The Bank of Korea is considering introducing deposit tokens on a public blockchain to coexist with private sector stablecoins amid concerns over monetary sovereignty.
  • South Korean officials are particularly worried about capital outflows, with $19.5 billion worth of stablecoins leaving the country in Q1 2025 alone.

🏙️ NYC Mayor Hosts Crypto Summit Amid BitLicense Criticism

  • New York City Mayor Eric Adams hosted the inaugural NYC Crypto Summit at Gracie Mansion, bringing together industry members and city officials to explore ways to create jobs and improve financial services access.
  • Attendees expressed significant concern over New York State's BitLicense, a regulatory hurdle for digital asset companies that Adams cannot unilaterally eliminate.

📊 UK Leads Global Crypto Ownership Growth in 2025

  • The United Kingdom recorded the highest growth in cryptocurrency ownership in 2025, with 24% of UK respondents now owning crypto, up from 18% last year, according to a Gemini report.
  • Despite this significant increase, the UK has yet to adopt a comprehensive national regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, unlike the EU with its MiCA regulation.

🚔 French Police Arrest 12 in Crypto Kidnapping Investigations

  • French police have arrested 12 suspects, including several minors, linked to kidnappings targeting cryptocurrency investors in Paris, with charges including criminal conspiracy and kidnapping.
  • Evidence suggests ringleaders recruited young individuals via social media to target wealthy crypto holders, with one successful kidnapping and another thwarted attempt against the CEO of Paymium.

👨‍⚖️ Trump's CFTC Nominee Quintenz Discloses $3.4M in Crypto Assets

  • Brian Quintenz, Trump's nominee to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, has disclosed crypto-related assets totaling at least $3.4 million in his financial disclosures.
  • Quintenz has pledged to divest these interests within 90 days if confirmed and to recuse himself from matters where he has a financial interest to prevent conflicts.

Technical Analysis
Bitcoin - Bitcoin has broken the floor of the rising trend channel in the short term, which indicates a weaker initial rising rate. The currency is approaching resistance at 111600 points, which may give a negative reaction. However, a break upwards through 111600 points will be a positive signal. RSI diverges negatively against the price, which indicates danger of a reaction downwards. The currency is overall assessed as technically neutral for the short term.

Ethereum - Ethereum is in a rising trend channel in the short term. This shows that investors over time have bought the currency at higher prices and indicates good development for the currency. There is no resistance in the price chart and further rise is indicated. In case of a negative reaction, the currency has support at approximately 2050 points. Volume tops and volume bottoms correspond well with tops and bottoms in the price. This strengthens the trend. RSI diverges negatively against the price, which indicates danger of a reaction downwards. The currency is overall assessed as technically positive for the short term.