IG's victory highlights the unpredictable nature of esports, emphasizing the need for TES to reassess strategies to secure future titles.

The post Invictus Gaming eliminates Top Esports from LPL Grand Finals with 3-2 victory appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Newcastle's consistent lineup strategy may enhance team cohesion, while Bournemouth's injury woes could impact their competitive edge.

The post Bournemouth, Newcastle United reveal starting lineups for EPL clash appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Ethereum's strong Q3 performance highlights growing institutional interest and DeFi's potential to reshape financial systems, impacting future market dynamics.

The post Ethereum posts third-best Q3 performance ever with 66% gain appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Newcastle's injury woes and Bournemouth's past success could impact their standings, influencing the Premier League's competitive dynamics.

The post Newcastle United hosts Bournemouth in busy Premier League Saturday appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The deal reshapes geopolitical dynamics, reducing Chinese and Russian influence in Venezuela while raising legal and strategic concerns for the US.

The post North American Blue Energy Partners secures Pentagon oil deal for Venezuelan fields appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Bitcoin Magazine

Hargreaves Lansdown Reverses Course, Rolls Out Bitcoin Trading 

British financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown is letting retail investors buy bitcoin — nearly one year after it said the cryptocurrency was “not an asset class.” 

The Bristol, UK-based investment firm’s website said it was offering bitcoin and other crypto exchange-traded notes to investors. ETNs are investment funds which trade on stock exchanges and track the prices of digital assets. 

It comes after the firm, which manages nearly £173 billion (over $233 billion) in assets, last year warned customers about buying bitcoin. 

“While longer-term returns of Bitcoin have been positive, Bitcoin has experienced several periods of extreme losses and is a highly volatile investment — much riskier than stocks or bonds,” the firm said at the time. 

“The HL Investment view is that Bitcoin is not an asset class, and we do not think cryptocurrency has characteristics that mean it should be included in portfolios for growth or income and shouldn’t be relied upon to help clients meet their financial goals.” 

Now, a number of ETNs tracking the price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are available. The firm warns users that “crypto ETNs are considered high-risk and may be volatile.”

U.S. regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2024 approved bitcoin exchange-traded funds for investors after a decade of saying no to the products. 

The funds had the most successful debut in the history of ETFs as investors previously unable to buy exposure to the asset class rushed in to buy the products. 

Run by top asset managers and banks like BlackRock, Fidelity, and Morgan Stanley, the investment vehicles now collectively manage over $100 billion in assets. 

This post Hargreaves Lansdown Reverses Course, Rolls Out Bitcoin Trading  first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

Bitcoin Magazine

Trezor Breach Worse Than Reported: Another 67,000 US Customers Exposed

Hardware wallet manufacturer Trezor has said that a data breach first announced last month is worse than originally reported. 

The Prague, Czech Republic-based company said Friday that an additional 67,000 U.S. customers had their names, emails, phone numbers, shipping addresses and order numbers leaked. The leaked data came from orders made between November 2019 and August 2021, according to Trezor. 

Trezor first announced in August that data from 11,742 customers from the U.S., UK, Sweden, Colombia, Brazil, Italy, and Portugal had been exposed — with names, emails, phone numbers and shipping addresses leaked. 

Another 1,947 customers just had their names, cities and emails exposed in the breach. 

In Friday’s announcement, Trezor said that its third-party fulfillment partner, ShipMonk, had falsely reassured the company about deleting customer data. 

“Throughout our entire relationship with ShipMonk, we repeatedly requested and received written assurance confirming the deletion of the data, in line with our contract, data policy, and past communications,” Trezor wrote. 

“We are very disappointed that, despite receiving this confirmation, the data was not deleted in their systems.”

Neither Trezor nor ShipMonk immediately responded to Bitcoin Magazine’s questions. 

Trezor first announced in August that the data had been leaked because ShipMonk experienced “unauthorized access to their systems containing customer data.” 

The company added that it had directly emailed all customers involved in the breach. Trezor’s parent company, SatoshiLabs, told Bitcoin Magazine last month that it was investigating the incident. 

Trezor is one of the most popular Bitcoin hardware wallet solutions, and also has support for storing other cryptocurrencies. 

Bitcoiners’ personal data has been targeted by cybercriminals in the past: back in 2020, an unauthorized party accessed popular hardware manufacturer Ledger’s e-commerce and marketing database, leaking over 1 million email addresses and the personal contact data of nearly 10,000 customers. 

At the start of this year, customers reported receiving emails from Global-e, Ledger’s payment partner, that a data breach at its cloud systems leaked sensitive customer data. 

This post Trezor Breach Worse Than Reported: Another 67,000 US Customers Exposed first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

Bitcoin Magazine

El Salvador Isn’t Buying Bitcoin With Public Money, Says IMF 

El Salvador has not used public funds to accumulate bitcoin since the International Monetary Fund’s last review of its loan program, the fund said Thursday. 

In a report Thursday, the body said that the Central American country had instead received bitcoin from private donations, citing documentation from the government. It added that “no further Bitcoin accumulation beyond the documented donations is expected.”

El Salvador made headlines in 2021 when it became the first country in the world to make bitcoin legal tender. Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele in 2022 said the country would buy one bitcoin per day but it was never clear where the money was coming from — or if he was actually buying at all. 

“Documentation has been provided verifying that Bitcoin accumulation since the first review reflects private donations and that no public resources were used,” the IMF release said. 

“Understandings were also reached on steps to modernize the legal, regulatory, and supervisory framework for digital assets and to further strengthen the governance and risk-management arrangements for public-sector crypto-asset holdings. Going forward, no further bitcoin accumulation beyond the documented donations is expected.”

The report added that public participation in the government-sponsored bitcoin wallet has been largely wound down, with majority ownership and operational control handed to a private operator. 

El Salvador in 2021 debuted a state-sponsored wallet called Chivo for its citizens as part of its plan to increase bitcoin adoption in the country. 

“IMF staff thank the Salvadoran authorities for the constructive discussions and excellent collaboration,” the report added. 

The IMF El Salvador entered a $1.4 billion loan agreement at the end of December but the fund asked for the country to scale back certain aspects of its bitcoin strategy. 

Institutions like the World Bank and the IMF have long criticized President Bukele’s Bitcoin law, which also asked businesses to accept the cryptocurrency if they had the technological means to do so. 

President Bukele in 2024 admitted that Salvadorans weren’t using the cryptocurrency to buy things as expected, but always boasted that the government was still stacking sats. 

Since launching a crime crackdown to tackle the country’s notorious crime gangs, murder rates in El Salvador have plunged. The country was once the most dangerous place in the Americas but President Bukele is now trying to turn it into a tech hub. 

Crypto companies like Tether have since relocated to its capital, San Salvador. 

This post El Salvador Isn’t Buying Bitcoin With Public Money, Says IMF  first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Dips Below $80,000 on Strong US Jobs Report

Bitcoin slid Friday after a better-than-expected labor report showed that the U.S. job market accelerated in August. 

The leading cryptocurrency was recently trading for close to $79,764 after dropping as low as $78,706 earlier in the morning in New York. It’s currently down over 1% over a 24-hour period. On Thursday, the coin soared above $82,000. 

The Federal Reserve is typically more likely to raise interest rates when the labor market is strong, because more people employed means more spending, and more spending can push inflation up. 

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh last week gave his first major speech as head of the U.S. central bank and said he had “more work to do” to fight inflation. Bitcoin has typically done well in a low-interest rate environment. 

Traders currently view a U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate hike at the upcoming September 15–16 policy meeting as roughly a 50% to 60% probability. 

But U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday demanded the Federal Reserve slash interest rates. 

Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said: “Lower the interest rates because the U.S.A. is a much stronger credit than it was just a short time ago!”

He added: “We should have the LOWEST RATE of any country in the World, like ‘the old days.'”

Bitcoin has decoupled from stocks recently as investors have renewed concerns around dollar debasement. 

The cryptocurrency started surging last month, after the U.S. Treasury Department said it would more than double the size of its government debt repurchases. The coin had its best run in three years and third best August ever.  

The much-talked about debasement trade is back in the spotlight, and bitcoin has been trading in lockstep with gold, according to analysts. The so-called debasement trade is when investors buy an asset as a way to hedge against a currency losing value. 

News dropped last month that U.S. public debt exceeded $40 trillion for the first time too. Excessive debt also undermines confidence in the dollar, making assets like bitcoin and gold attractive. 

This post Bitcoin Dips Below $80,000 on Strong US Jobs Report first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

Bitcoin Magazine

National Sheriffs’ Association Drops Opposition to Clarity Act

The National Sheriffs’ Association this week dropped its opposition to the crypto Clarity Act, after having previously warned that the proposed bill could help criminals. 

Writing Thursday to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the association said it was changing its stance to neutral given how complex the issue is. 

A number of lawmakers were hoping to vote on the Clarity Act in August. After a delay, a vote will now go ahead this month. The bill will establish a framework for distinguishing between digital assets that are securities, commodities or payment stablecoins — legislation that the crypto industry has long called for. 

“Given the complexity of the legislation and the number of important details that remain under consideration, the NSA is changing its position on the Clarity Act to neutral,” the letter from NSA President Sheriff Troy Wellman and Executive Director Justin Smith read. 

“At this time, we believe the most appropriate course is to step back and allow the legislative process to proceed to establish a clear, effective, and much needed regulatory framework.”

The NSA had previously warned that the bill could create regulatory and anti-money laundering loopholes by exempting certain crypto developers and infrastructure providers from money transmitter rules.

Despite being passed in the house of representatives last year with strong bipartisan support, the Clarity Act has been in a deadlock for much of 2026. The banking lobby raised concerns over stablecoin yield and some lawmakers have said improvements need to be made surrounding ethics. 

An updated bill of the Clarity Act was introduced in July that addressed some of these concerns — banning government officials and their families from issuing or promoting crypto. 

Pro-crypto senator Cynthia Lummis wrote on Friday that the “bipartisan bill” gives “law enforcement real tools to fight the illicit finance crimes hurting hard working Americans.”

Major financial institutions, lawmakers and companies have said they support the latest draft of the new bill, but some Republicans have accused Democratic lawmakers of deliberately playing politics and holding the bill back. 

This post National Sheriffs’ Association Drops Opposition to Clarity Act first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

Social media crypto drama is heating up again. The latest spat is between Robinhood and the once ‘Prince of Meme Stocks' AMC.

Robinhood's top legal officer rejected AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron's demand to stop trading an AMC-linked Stock Token, and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev said the company stands behind the product.

The dispute centers on a basic distinction. Robinhood's instrument follows the economics of AMC shares, while its holders own debt issued by a Robinhood affiliate and receive no ownership rights in AMC.

Dan Gallagher, Robinhood's chief legal, compliance, and corporate affairs officer, said the company would not “DECIST,” echoing the misspelling in Aron's demand, and told AMC to send its lawyers. Tenev followed by saying, “We stand behind Stock Tokens.”

Aron first said AMC had no connection to the token and that the cinema operator's outside securities counsel would examine it. After Tenev asked, “What's the concern?” Aron listed several objections. He argued that the product could blur the line between economic exposure and share ownership, separate trading activity from AMC's capital-raising process, and deny token holders the rights attached to AMC shares. He also said AMC would take the matter to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Aron's statements are, at this point, allegations from AMC. Robinhood's documents clarify the product distinction at issue in the fight.

What the AMC-linked token represents

Robinhood's documentation describes Stock Tokens as tokenized debt securities issued by Robinhood Assets (Jersey) Limited, or RHJ. The products are designed to provide economic exposure to a referenced stock or exchange-traded fund. Their holders receive no legal or beneficial interest in the company behind the reference security.

The AMC-specific final terms identify RHJ as the issuer and AMC common stock as the reference asset. Robinhood's asset registry listed the AMC-linked instrument as active when accessed Sept. 4.

The RHJ base prospectus says token holders are creditors of RHJ under the debt product. Their claim runs through RHJ's terms, with no claim to AMC voting, meeting, pre-emption, or direct dividend rights. Dividends and stock splits are reflected economically through product mechanics that include an onchain multiplier.

That arrangement lets the token track aspects of AMC's economics while remaining outside AMC's shareholder register. The separation also explains the sharp disagreement. Aron sees an instrument using AMC as its reference point without giving holders ownership in the company. Robinhood offers it as a distinct security for economic exposure.

The prospectus says Stock Tokens remain unregistered under U.S. securities laws and cannot be offered, sold, or delivered in the United States or to U.S. persons. The product is issued through a Jersey entity for eligible customers outside that distribution boundary.

Those restrictions define the offering perimeter. Aron's broader challenge to the structure remains disputed, and the available evidence establishes no regulator decision on Robinhood's AMC-linked instrument. The public record at this stage consists of Aron's threatened legal and regulatory scrutiny and Robinhood's refusal to withdraw the product.

For investors, the practical divide is already clear. The token's name and reference asset supply AMC-linked economics; the rights come from RHJ's debt terms. That gap between exposure and ownership is the commercial issue driving the confrontation.

A meme-stock role reversal

The fight carries unusual historical weight because AMC was one of the defining companies of the 2021 meme-stock era, when retail traders organized online around a small group of volatile shares.

On Jan. 28, 2021, Robinhood placed AMC, GameStop and other securities into position-closing-only status, temporarily restricting purchases during the market frenzy. The SEC later examined the episode and the market-structure pressures surrounding broker restrictions.

Five years later, the same companies sit on opposite sides of a new access dispute. Robinhood operates the AMC-linked instrument, while the chief executive of AMC is demanding that it stop.

The parallel supplies historical context rather than a legal conclusion. The 2021 dispute focused on a broker limiting access to AMC shares. The current fight asks whether Robinhood can keep offering exposure linked to AMC through a separate debt instrument over the company's objection.

AMC's meme-stock rise made direct share ownership and retail market access central to its public identity. Robinhood's Stock Token model separates AMC-linked economics from the rights and corporate relationship attached to AMC shares.

Aron is contesting that separation. Robinhood is defending it.

The post Robinhood rejects AMC CEO’s demand to halt AMC tokenized ‘meme stock’ which offers no shareholder rights appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Every interaction with AI uses electricity in a data center. Servers calculate the answer, cooling equipment carries away the heat, and network connections send the result back to the user.

Multiply that process across millions of requests and the electric bill becomes one of the facility's highest costs, while access to enough power determines how much computing the building can support and how much money it can earn.

Wall Street is now packaging that income into bonds. Once a data center is open and has paying customers, its owner can transfer the facility and its contracts to a separate legal entity that issues debt. Investors are repaid from the rent and service fees paid by the data center's customers after expenses such as electricity, maintenance, taxes, and insurance are covered.

The collateral extends beyond rent, covering the property, its essential systems, customer agreements, and the business that keeps everything running. Electricity appears as an expense in the cash-flow waterfall, so power prices and deliverable megawatts can shape the bond almost as much as tenant credit.

In February, S&P assigned an A(sf) rating to Sabey Data Center Issuer's $475 million 2026-1 notes, backed by real estate and tenant lease payments. Across the sector, outstanding data-center securitizations expanded from roughly $4 billion in 2020 to $61 billion through July 2026, according to Structured Finance Association research drawing on Barclays data.

The bond gives investors a claim on real estate and operating revenue, though the economic unit underneath is nothing more than reliable electricity delivered to a creditworthy computing customer.

AI has turned the megawatt into something Wall Street can price and place in a fixed-income portfolio.

The new unit of real estate is a megawatt

Conventional property language struggles with a data center because square footage explains only the shell. Server campuses need a utility connection, substations, backup generation, cooling, security, and fiber routes designed around each rack's power draw.

Space with little usable electricity offers little to an AI company, while a secured megawatt in a region short on capacity can define the entire project.

The national totals show how fast that physical requirement is expanding. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's 2025 update estimates that US data centers could consume 649 terawatt-hours in 2030 in its reference case, equal to 11.8% of total US electricity use.

The wider model range runs from 521 to 843 TWh, or 9.5% to 15.3%, depending partly on chip shipments, server use, equipment life, and cooling performance.

For bond investors, that wide range captures how far the industry's power needs could move during the life of a long-dated security.

More AI chips can lift revenue but also require extra power equipment, utility upgrades, and cooling. Even a facility with a long customer contract may need expensive retrofits as new processors pack more heat into each rack.

The customer agreement translates that computing demand into revenue. Large cloud and AI tenants lease a data hall or a block of capacity measured in megawatts, then pay for the space, available power, and operating services.

Those payments create recurring cash while tenant concentration ties an entire campus to a small number of technology companies.

The transaction structure described to the SEC starts with tenant and customer revenue, then deducts taxes, insurance, electricity, repairs, and operating costs before bondholders get paid.

The property and contracts form the collateral, while the electric bill controls how much revenue completes the trip from an AI tenant to an investor's coupon.

That leaves bond buyers with two connected underwriting jobs, since an investment-grade hyperscaler can make lease payments look dependable even when the building faces limits around power and technological usefulness.

Tenant credit asks whether the customer can pay, while facility design asks whether that customer will still want the building when denser chips demand another electrical and cooling configuration.

How an AI server hall becomes a bond

Data centers pass through several kinds of finance as their risk profile matures. Construction loans, project finance, private credit, or corporate bonds can fund the land, equipment, permits, and utility work.

Those early lenders bear the danger of a delayed grid connection, cost overruns, or a facility that opens without enough tenants.

Once the building is operating and leased, its owner can refinance through a data-center securitization or commercial mortgage-backed security. Corporate debt depends on the company's broad balance sheet, while a commercial mortgage-backed deal owns a mortgage loan secured by the property.

A data-center securitization places the facilities and operating assets themselves inside a ring-fenced issuer, giving investors recourse mainly to that pool.

The special-purpose issuer can own the property, power and cooling systems, fiber, leases, and service contracts, while an operator runs the facilities. A master trust lets the sponsor add qualifying data centers and issue more notes over time, turning a portfolio of server campuses into a repeat source of finance for another round of construction.

The Latham letter filed with the SEC says these transactions usually start with debt equal to no more than 70% of the appraised asset value, leaving at least 30% as sponsor equity. The notes often carry an expected repayment point around five years and a legal final maturity of 25 to 30 years.

Such a wide gap creates refinancing exposure because the business plan assumes the owner can issue new debt or repay early many years before the legal deadline.

Wall Street can divide the same pool into classes with different claims on the cash, allowing one building portfolio to serve pension funds, insurers, hedge funds, and other buyers with different risk appetites.

Senior classes receive their payments first and usually carry lower coupons, while junior classes collect more interest because they absorb losses sooner.

The Structured Finance Association's sector review puts average data-center ABS issuance near $600 million and average data-center CMBS issuance near $1.2 billion.

The market is still small beside the capital race feeding it. The Structured Finance Association cites a Morgan Stanley estimate of $2.9 trillion in global data-center spending through 2028, with about $1.4 trillion covered by cash generated at large cloud companies and another $1.5 trillion needing external finance.

Securitizations and commercial mortgage bonds could supply around $150 billion, leaving corporate debt, bank loans, project finance, private credit, and equipment lending to fund the rest.

Data centers already take up much more room in structured credit. The same paper puts data-center ABS at about 12% of the esoteric ABS market in 2026, up from 3% in 2020, while data-center CMBS represents about 6% of single-asset, single-borrower CMBS.

A Barclays projection cited in the report puts outstanding data-center securitizations as high as $180 billion by the end of 2028.

The AI bond market sheds an ABS label

A legal distinction gave this market a valuable opening on July 29, when the SEC's Office of Structured Finance agreed that data-center securitizations matching Latham's description fall outside the Exchange Act definition of an asset-backed security.

The SEC staff response applies only to the facts presented, carries no independent legal force, and leaves room for staff to reach another conclusion when a deal uses a different structure.

The reasoning depends on what is left once investors have been repaid. Conventional asset-backed securities often contain mortgages, car loans, or receivables that convert into cash and disappear as borrowers pay them down.

Data-center issuers still own and operate the facility once its notes have been repaid, and the land, power gear, cooling equipment, contracts, and business can keep producing value. That makes the structure much closer to financing an operating real-estate company.

It also creates a language issue because the market still refers to these instruments as data-center ABS, while the SEC letter deals with the narrower legal definition of an Exchange Act ABS. The familiar market label and the statutory category can now point to different things without either usage being wrong.

That classification lets qualifying deals avoid several ABS-specific obligations. Latham's explanation of the SEC view says market participants can stop voluntarily observing the federal rule requiring securitizers to retain 5% of the credit risk.

Rule 192, which bars certain conflicts of interest for covered securitizations, also falls outside the structure, along with disclosure provisions tied to repurchase activity and third-party due-diligence reports.

Typical data-center structures keep sponsor equity at 30% or more, giving owners plenty of their money at risk, though that feature differs from a statutory retention rule.

Federal antifraud law and the relevant registration or offering exemption still apply. The staff letter can reduce the cost and work of issuing the bonds while still leaving investors to study the deal documents for power contracts, tenant exposure, refinancing assumptions, and asset condition.

If lower issuance costs bring more operating facilities into the bond market, voluntary disclosure will carry more weight. Investors need enough information to compare deliverable power, tenant concentration, equipment age, and debt due at the expected repayment point.

Familiar ratings compress a complicated credit view into a letter, while the physical reasons behind that view can stay buried several layers down.

Those layers connect in ways that make AI credit different from an ordinary office mortgage. Delayed grid connections postpone the lease and the revenue that comes with it, while concentrated tenants can choose to renegotiate or leave. Higher electricity costs then reduce cash available for debt service, and denser chips can force expensive retrofits.

If the bond market also turns hostile near the five-year repayment point, the issuer may need another lender just as demand for its older facilities is weakening.

AI data centers are testing the power-saving playbook pioneered by Bitcoin miners, using flexible computing to cut electricity use when the grid is strained.

The bond version carries the same physical reality into credit markets. A facility that can manage power intelligently may preserve margins and improve reliability, while one built around uninterrupted maximum demand leaves the grid and its operating cash with less room.

The user who receives an AI-generated answer sees software moving at extraordinary speed. The investor holding a data-center note owns a claim that may stretch across decades.

Between them lies a chain of utilities, substations, leases, servers, and refinancing assumptions, all feeding one stream of operating cash. Wall Street has made AI's electric appetite investable, and every coupon now carries the physical constraints the interface leaves out.

The post Wall Street is turning AI’s massive electricity appetite into a $61 billion bond market appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin's push above $80,000 lost an important policy cushion on Sept. 4, when the August jobs report came in far stronger than the recent hiring trend. The result made it harder for the Fed to justify holding rates steady on labor-market weakness alone.

Bitcoin registered an intraday low of $78,660, but recovered to stay close to $80,000.

Within the same post-release window, MarketWatch reported the two-year Treasury yield near 4.40%, up from just above 4.33%, and the 10-year near 4.80%, up from just under 4.75%. The Wall Street Journal reported that the dollar index touched 99.932 from about 99.035 before the data.

Those aligned timestamps show that a more resilient labor market gave policymakers more room to focus on inflation, while higher short-term yields and a firmer dollar tightened the financial backdrop for a dollar-priced risk asset.

Payrolls narrowed the Fed question

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said nonfarm payrolls rose by 162,000 in August, more than five times the average monthly gain of 31,000 over the previous 12 months. The separately measured unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1%.

BLS raised June payroll growth to 31,000 and July growth to 21,000, adding a combined 55,000 jobs to its earlier estimates.

Average hourly earnings for private nonfarm workers rose 0.3% in August to $37.75 and were 3.1% higher than a year earlier.

Food services and drinking places accounted for 59,000 jobs, and local government education added 42,000. Information employment fell by 23,000, while health care added 13,000, well below that sector's 32,000 average monthly gain over the prior year.

The report weakened the labor-market argument for an immediate pause without establishing that every corner of the economy was overheating. Inflation now has more weight in determining whether the Fed can stay patient.

Fed Governor Christopher Waller had laid out one visible version of that tradeoff the day before the release. His view does not bind the full Federal Open Market Committee, but his published remarks offered a clear reaction function.

Waller described the labor market as satisfactory and stable, with employment near its maximum sustainable level, and said that August inflation would heavily influence his September stance.

Continued progress toward the Fed's 2% goal would make him willing to hold the policy rate steady, while a hot reading, or evidence that progress had reversed, could make him consider a hike.

The payroll report removed the kind of obvious labor deterioration that could have outweighed an uncomfortable inflation print. September's decision now turns more cleanly on whether price pressures continue to ease.

CPI becomes Bitcoin's next September deadline

The BLS calendar schedules the August consumer price index for 8:30 a.m. ET on Sept. 11. The Federal Reserve calendar lists the FOMC meeting for Sept. 15-16, with decision-day events on Sept. 16.

The five-day gap makes CPI the last major scheduled inflation test before the meeting. For Bitcoin traders, Sept. 11 is when the September rate debate can absorb new evidence, rather than when policymakers formally settle it.

A cooler report would fit Waller's condition for supporting a hold and could relieve pressure transmitted through short-term yields and the dollar. A hotter print would strengthen the case that inflation progress has stalled just as the labor market has shown renewed resilience.

Waller spoke only for himself, and one inflation report will not erase the other evidence policymakers weigh. CPI can nevertheless change the balance because payrolls have already answered the labor side of the debate more firmly than the recent trend suggested.

Bitcoin had rallied above $80,000 before the two closely spaced macro tests. After payrolls, the asset fell back below it while yields and the dollar rose.

A softer CPI reading could reopen the hold narrative and give the rally breathing room. A hotter one could leave Bitcoin approaching the Sept. 16 decision with both labor resilience and inflation pressure pointing toward tighter policy.

The Fed meeting remains the policy deadline, but Sept. 11 comes first for Bitcoin volatility.

The post Bitcoin dips below $80,000 as a hot August jobs report shifts Fed policy expectations appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Robinhood Chain’s rapid growth ran into two problems at once on Sept. 4 as the network briefly stopped producing blocks while AMC challenged its fast-growing Stock Token business.

On Sept. 4, the Ethereum layer-2 network halted block production for at least 14 minutes, stalling transactions before activity began recovering. Robinhood had not publicly disclosed the cause of the interruption at the time of publication.

The outage came roughly two months after the network’s public mainnet launch.

Robinhood Chain’s rapid growth raises the stakes

The disruption comes after Robinhood Chain rapidly emerged as one of crypto’s highest-earning networks, making even a brief interruption in block production more significant.

The network has generated about $23 million in cumulative fees, including roughly $4 million in a recent 24-hour period, Entropy Advisors’ Tom Wan said. Token Terminal separately estimated that Robinhood Chain accounted for 78.5% of layer-2 blockchain revenue over the past 30 days.

At its recent pace, Robinhood Chain’s revenue would annualize to roughly $1.7 billion. That figure extrapolates a short period of elevated activity rather than representing a formal revenue forecast, but it illustrates how quickly the two-month-old network has scaled.

DeFi activity has expanded alongside those fees. Data from DeFiLlama shows that the total value locked on Robinhood Chain climbed nearly 27% over the past week to roughly $840 million, while decentralized exchange activity has also accelerated as users move more assets and trades onto the network.

The chain is also creating revenue opportunities beyond transaction fees.

Wan estimated that Robinhood could have generated roughly $1.7 million from its share of USDG economics at a 3% annual yield.

Growth in assets held across Robinhood and Bitstamp may also support higher trading revenue, with crypto assets under management rising by about $4 billion on Robinhood and $600 million on Bitstamp.

Stock Tokens add another potential revenue source, though their economics are less transparent. Robinhood has not published a detailed fee schedule covering possible minting and redemption charges for authorized participants or market makers.

This rapid expansion has pushed Robinhood Chain into territory normally occupied by much older networks like BNB Chain and others.

Stock Tokens draw resistance as adoption accelerates

That growth raises the cost of downtime as Robinhood pushes more financial products onto the network, including a Stock Token business already attracting resistance from some of the companies it tracks.

AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron challenged Robinhood this week after discovering a token tracking his company’s shares on the platform's Ethereum layer-2 network.

He stated on X:

“They are not registered under U.S. securities laws !!!!!! I find this practice to be contemptible, outrageous, disgusting, detestable, inexcusable, vile. How can it possibly be legal? We have no connection to this at all, and do not condone it in any way.”

Aron said AMC would ask outside securities counsel to examine the offering, while asking “Robinhood to voluntarily CEASE AND DECIST the trading of AMC stock tokens. If you don’t, our high priced securities counsel has been asked to see whether we can force you to stop.”

In response, Dan Gallagher, Robinhood's chief legal officer, stated that the company will not stop trading the AMC token. He said:

“We know a little something about the US securities laws and will not ‘DECIST.' Send your lawyers and we’ll educate them.”

The dispute highlights how Robinhood brings equities onchain without requiring participation from the companies being referenced.

Robinhood describes Stock Tokens as the flagship real-world asset on its chain. The ERC-20 tokens provide economic exposure to US shares and exchange-traded funds and can be transferred or used within onchain applications.

The instruments are debt securities issued by Robinhood Assets Limited. Holders receive exposure to the performance of the referenced security but gain no legal or beneficial ownership of the underlying shares and no claim against the company whose stock is tracked.

The tokens are not registered under US securities laws and cannot be offered or sold to US persons.

That framework allows Robinhood to create an instrument linked to AMC’s share price without AMC participating in the issuance, with the legal relationship instead running between the token holder and Robinhood’s Jersey entity.

OpenAI previously raised a similar objection after Robinhood introduced tokens referencing the privately held company. OpenAI said the instruments were not OpenAI equity, that it had not partnered with Robinhood and that it did not endorse the offering.

However, corporate resistance has so far done little to slow demand.

Token Terminal data show Robinhood has become the largest Stock Token issuer by holder count in roughly two months, reaching about 862,800 holders. The wider tokenized-stock market has expanded more than eightfold over the past six months to roughly 2.6 million holders.

Trading has accelerated alongside that expansion. Tokenized stocks generated about $6.4 billion in decentralized exchange volume over the past 30 days, up more than 90% from the preceding period. PancakeSwap accounted for about $3.1 billion and Uniswap another $2.5 billion, giving the two exchanges the overwhelming majority of activity.

Stock Tokens now represent more than $200 million of active real-world assets on Robinhood Chain, while stablecoins on the network have approached $1 billion.

The scale puts the Sept. 4 outage in perspective. Robinhood is positioning its chain as infrastructure for financial products that can trade and move onchain while simultaneously expanding a Stock Token model that some of the referenced companies have openly rejected.

As more assets and users migrate onto those rails, Robinhood will have to demonstrate that the infrastructure can support the financial activity its distribution network is bringing onchain.

The post A major outage and corporate backlash hit Robinhood Chain at the peak of its growth appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says El Salvador’s Bitcoin reserve growth over the past year came from private donations, not new government spending.

In its latest review of the country’s loan program, the global financial agency said documents supplied by El Salvador showed that Bitcoin accumulated since the previous review reflected private donations. It added that no public resources were used and said it expects no further accumulation beyond those documented contributions.

The Fund also reiterated that earlier changes in El Salvador’s BTC position had not necessarily represented new buying.

In previous reviews, it said increases in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve reflected transfers among government-controlled wallets, while small fluctuations elsewhere were linked to Bitcoin-denominated deposits held through Chivo.

The IMF also noted that the Salvadoran government had “substantially unwound” its stakes in the Chivo e-wallet. It explained:

“Majority ownership and operational control have been transferred to a private operator, while a minority stake and custodial responsibilities for customer assets have been retained by the government.”

El Salvador’s Bitcoin push continues despite the IMF accounting

The IMF’s assessment sits uneasily beside both the size of El Salvador’s growing reserve and the government’s continued pro-Bitcoin messaging.

The country held about 6,224 BTC at the end of June 2025. Its official reserve tracker now shows more than 7,764 BTC, an increase of roughly 1,540 BTC.

If the IMF’s latest assessment is applied to that subsequent accumulation, much of the increase came from private donations rather than taxpayers funding new Bitcoin purchases.

Yet El Salvador continues to describe itself as an active Bitcoin buyer.

As recently as Aug. 28, the National Bitcoin Office said the country had “just bought more Bitcoin” and repeated its longstanding message: “One BTC per day, every day.”

The government has also continued pushing BTC beyond the treasury. President Nayib Bukele has maintained his pro-Bitcoin stance, while El Salvador has kept expanding Bitcoin education initiatives and presenting the asset as part of its long-term economic strategy.

Last year, the country also overhauled its Bitcoin treasury structure, moving away from a single reused wallet and spreading its holdings across multiple addresses. Officials said the change followed digital-asset security best practices and reduced potential long-term exposure to quantum-computing threats.

The new structure keeps the addresses public, allowing observers to verify the reserve balance. However, it does not distinguish BTC bought with public money from private donations or transfers between government-controlled wallets.

That distinction now sits at the center of the disagreement. El Salvador’s reserve has grown by more than 1,500 BTC while the government continues to publicly promote daily purchases, but the IMF says the recent accumulation it verified did not require additional public spending.

The country clearly owns substantially more Bitcoin than it did a year ago. What remains unresolved is whether “one BTC per day” still describes government-funded purchases or simply the pace at which Bitcoin is entering the reserve.

The post El Salvador added 1,540 Bitcoin, but the IMF says Bukele’s government didn’t pay for them appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Nearly 30 banks backed the rare unsecured facility as TikTok’s parent company spends heavily on AI chips, models, and overseas data centers.

The group is urging organizations to adopt post-quantum security before powerful computers can compromise today’s encryption and digital signatures.

The prediction market platform's new Perps product scaled from 10 markets to 67 on its first day—though the 20x leverage ceiling only applies to some of them, and none of it reaches U.S. traders.

A meme coin called BONER cornered half of Hims & Hers Health's tokenized shares on Robinhood's new blockchain. It started a new trend that's spreading fast.

Lawyers question AMC’s grounds for a securities-law challenge, but say the tokens’ branding and marketing could leave room for a dispute.

XRP stabilizes at $1.40, but on-chain data shows whales are waiting for a $1.25 pivot point to buy the dip before the massive Sept. 15 catalyst.

Shiba Inu is staying on the verge of a potential correction, but the outflow dynamic might help the price greatly.

The current structure of the market might push altcoins and memecoins towards new heights.

Raghuram Rajan, the former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, will join Ripple’s Swell 2026 conference.

Robinhood's Vlad Tenev backs the $104 million "stock token" market, defying AMC's legal threats over on-chain trading.

Quick Overview

• Stifel increased Microsoft’s price target from $450 to $530 while maintaining its Hold rating on the stock.
• The firm’s analyst Brad Reback pointed to Azure’s expansion potential and Copilot’s growing momentum as catalysts for the higher valuation.
• Near-term concerns include Google’s market share gains and diminishing advantages from the OpenAI partnership.
• The Street’s consensus remains Strong Buy for MSFT, with analysts projecting an average target of $571.41.
• Azure’s expansion rate jumped to 43% in fiscal Q4 2026, with projections of 45% growth for fiscal Q1 2027.

Shares of Microsoft are currently hovering around $510, and Stifel recently elevated its valuation target to $530 from a previous $450 following discussions with company leadership this week. Despite the upgrade, the firm continues to recommend a Hold position rather than advocating for purchases.

Microsoft Corporation, MSFT

In his assessment, analyst Brad Reback acknowledged the possibility of additional gains, though he believes significant movement depends on changing market dynamics. He anticipates the stock will only experience a revaluation if Azure demonstrates substantially accelerated expansion or if capital expenditure growth decelerates to levels below Azure’s growth trajectory.

Reback’s primary reservation centers on intensifying competition. Google continues to capture market share, while the strategic alliance with OpenAI no longer delivers the competitive advantage it previously offered.

The executive briefings featured senior financial leadership from Microsoft, addressing subjects ranging from revenue generation tactics to infrastructure optimization and artificial intelligence product launches.

A significant portion of the discussion focused on M365 Copilot. Leadership indicated that adoption surged during the latter half of fiscal 2026, with weekly user engagement now matching established platforms such as Outlook and Teams.

Reback observed that enterprises are transitioning from limited trial programs to comprehensive enterprise-wide implementations. This represents a substantial evolution and served as the primary driver behind the optimistic tone in his updated analysis.

Copilot Monetization and Revenue Approach

Leadership also outlined the company’s monetization framework. Microsoft employs a hybrid seat-based and consumption-driven model, with performance-based pricing structures not anticipated in the immediate future.

Advanced tier offerings within M365, encompassing E5, M365 Copilot, and E7 licenses, are generating modest revenue acceleration. Given that seat expansion trends toward more affordable subscription tiers, management emphasized that revenue per user from premium conversions holds greater strategic importance than total subscriber counts.

Reback underscored that leadership intends to apply selective pricing strategies, concentrating on segments where Microsoft maintains distinctive product superiority.

Regarding infrastructure investment, management conveyed its priority on enhancing data center operational efficiency to generate additional capacity available for rapid monetization. Reback suggested this approach could mitigate margin compression more effectively than his earlier forecasts indicated.

Azure Performance and Analyst Sentiment

Azure’s expansion velocity reached 43% in fiscal Q4 2026, representing an increase from 39% in the preceding quarter. Forward guidance for fiscal Q1 2027 targets 45% growth.

BofA Securities elevated its Microsoft valuation target to $600, referencing Azure’s acceleration trajectory and the corporation’s artificial intelligence expansion initiatives.

KeyBanc maintained its Overweight recommendation alongside a $600 price objective after Microsoft’s recent operational segment reporting revisions.

The technology giant is restructuring its organizational reporting from three divisions into two for fiscal 2027, designed to more accurately represent management’s operational assessment framework, particularly concerning AI infrastructure and cloud-based productivity solutions.

G42, an Abu Dhabi-headquartered AI company with Microsoft backing, is pursuing a multi-billion dollar capital raising initiative, though no definitive arrangements have been finalized.

The broader analyst community maintains a Strong Buy consensus on MSFT, featuring 32 Buy recommendations and a single Hold rating. The average valuation target of $571.41 suggests potential upside of 14.4% from present trading levels. MSFT shares have appreciated only 4% since the beginning of the year.

The post Stifel Boosts Microsoft (MSFT) Price Target to $530 But Maintains Hold Rating appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Takeaways

• Memory chip stocks experienced substantial gains Friday, with Micron up 6.1%, SanDisk soaring 11.9%, and SK Hynix climbing 8.1%
• Persistent demand from AI data centers combined with constrained HBM and NAND availability continues supporting elevated pricing
• Reports indicate Micron has completely sold out its cutting-edge memory production capacity through late 2026
• UBS analysts increased their HBM pricing growth projection to 79% annually, revised upward from a previous 67% estimate
• Lynx Equity released optimistic projections with price targets reaching $1,325 for Micron and $2,450 for SanDisk, forecasting extended memory supply constraints

The memory semiconductor sector experienced a significant resurgence Friday, with leading manufacturers Micron, SanDisk, and SK Hynix recording substantial price appreciation following several weeks of declining valuations.

Micron concluded trading with a 6.1% advance, while SanDisk jumped an impressive 11.9%, and SK Hynix posted gains of 8.1%. Western Digital similarly climbed approximately 6%. The Roundhill Memory ETF finished 6.6% higher, demonstrating widespread investor interest throughout the entire sector.

Micron Technology, Inc., MU

The upward movement occurred as market participants shifted capital back into memory and data storage companies, driven by robust artificial intelligence hardware requirements and limited supply availability.

Artificial Intelligence Investment Sustains Memory Requirements

High-bandwidth memory modules and NAND flash storage continue facing supply constraints. The rapid expansion of AI-focused data centers persists at an accelerated rate, maintaining significant pressure on available inventory.

Micron has allegedly exhausted allocation for its most sophisticated memory production facilities extending through 2026’s conclusion. This situation provides leading manufacturers with substantial pricing leverage throughout the remainder of the year.

Dell’s substantial $95 billion AI server order backlog was referenced as concrete proof that major technology corporations are purchasing every available memory wafer that manufacturers can produce.

Worldwide DRAM revenue increased 57% sequentially during Q2, while NAND revenue experienced a dramatic 70% surge, according to Barron’s reporting. Micron expanded its DRAM market position to 24% and captured a 15% NAND market share.

Mizuho has characterized memory as a “key bottleneck” throughout the semiconductor supply network and maintained an Outperform rating on Micron securities.

Nvidia revealed $279 billion in supply and capacity obligations, predominantly connected to memory components and production capabilities, emphasizing how essential component accessibility remains for artificial intelligence infrastructure development.

Wall Street Firms Increase Price Objectives and Projections

UBS analyst Timothy Arcuri suggested that worries regarding AI processors requiring reduced memory per unit might be overly simplistic. If Nvidia distributes more accelerators, aggregate HBM utilization could still expand despite individual chips containing less memory.

UBS elevated its HBM average selling price growth projection to 79% year-over-year from 67%, while also highlighting improving NAND market conditions as server and storage requirements strengthen.

Lynx Equity published positive research notes forecasting an extended multi-year memory shortage and established price objectives of $1,325 for Micron shares and $2,450 for SanDisk.

Bernstein maintained an Outperform rating on SanDisk with a $3,000 price objective, elevated from $1,700 in late June. The firm increased its fiscal 2027 earnings projections based on stronger NAND average selling prices.

Bernstein emphasized SanDisk’s recently established long-term supply contracts, which feature enhanced pricing safeguards and advance customer commitments.

One potential headwind investors are monitoring involves China. YMTC’s worldwide NAND market share climbed to 14% during Q2, increasing from 9% one year prior, while SanDisk’s share declined to 11% from 13%.

A stronger-than-anticipated U.S. employment report initially sparked interest rate concerns Friday morning. Nevertheless, investors rapidly shifted focus and purchased oversold growth stocks at discounted valuations.

The post Memory Chip Giants Micron (MU), SanDisk, and SK Hynix Rally on Supply Tightness and AI Demand appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Highlights

• Hon Hai Precision (Foxconn) anticipates third-quarter results will surpass market forecasts, propelled by robust artificial intelligence infrastructure demand
• August revenue soared 52% from the prior year to T$921.8 billion (approximately $29.15 billion), setting a new August record
• The electronics manufacturer has now posted two consecutive months with revenue exceeding T$900 billion
• Management cautioned that “volatile” international political and economic circumstances pose potential challenges
• Shares of Foxconn advanced 3.4% in Friday trading, ahead of the monthly revenue announcement

Foxconn announced record-breaking August sales figures and indicated that its current quarter performance will likely exceed analyst projections, powered by accelerating demand for artificial intelligence hardware.

The Taiwan-based contract manufacturing powerhouse disclosed consolidated monthly revenue reaching T$921.8 billion (roughly $29.15 billion) in August, representing a remarkable 52% increase compared to the corresponding period last year. The figure represents both an all-time high for the month of August and marks consecutive months with sales surpassing the T$900 billion threshold.

Shares of Foxconn climbed 3.4% during Friday’s trading session, significantly outperforming Taiwan’s benchmark index which rose 1.5%. The company released its August financial data after markets had closed.

“In the third quarter, as AI demand continues to grow, and ICT products also enter the peak season of the second half of the year, operations are expected to gradually gain momentum,” the company said in a statement.

The manufacturer noted that its outlook for the third quarter has “improved compared to the previous month,” with aggregate performance projected to exceed what the market currently anticipates. Consistent with standard practice, Foxconn refrained from offering specific numerical forecasts.

Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Fuels Expansion

Hon Hai Precision has emerged as among the most significant winners in the worldwide artificial intelligence infrastructure expansion. Serving as Nvidia’s primary server assembly partner, the corporation occupies a critical position within the supply ecosystem that enables global data center operations.

In the previous month, Foxconn disclosed a 35% increase in second-quarter earnings, exceeding Wall Street estimates. Those results validated that capital expenditures on AI infrastructure are generating tangible financial benefits for the contract manufacturer.

Beyond producing AI servers for Nvidia, the company maintains its position as a principal Apple supplier, providing dual exposure to both enterprise-grade AI equipment and consumer device seasonal peaks throughout the year’s latter half.

Potential Headwind on the Horizon

While maintaining an optimistic outlook, Foxconn stopped short of declaring smooth sailing ahead. Management emphasized the importance of monitoring “the impact of the volatile global political and economic situation,” without elaborating on specific geopolitical concerns.

Such cautionary language from an organization with Foxconn’s expansive international operations typically encompasses various concerns, ranging from shifting trade policies to potential supply chain interruptions.

Nevertheless, the fundamental financial performance speaks volumes. Back-to-back months exceeding T$900 billion in sales combined with an all-time August revenue record indicate the operation is functioning at peak capacity.

Market sentiment toward Foxconn shares has remained positive. Friday’s 3.4% stock price appreciation occurred even before the August revenue figures became publicly available.

The post Foxconn (2354.TW) Stock Surges on Record August Revenue and Strong AI Server Demand appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Takeaways

• Goldman Sachs made a rare double-upgrade on Vodafone, jumping from Sell directly to Buy with a new 155 pence price target
• Shares opened at $16.90 on Friday, approaching the 52-week peak of $17.15, with gains of approximately 2%
• The investment bank forecasts 14% free cash flow compound annual growth for the sector through 2030
• Three Seasons Wealth LLC dramatically increased its Vodafone holdings by 972% during Q2
• Wall Street consensus remains at “Hold” with a $10.57 average target, showing continued divergence in analyst views

Shares of Vodafone (VOD) advanced following an unusual two-tier upgrade from Goldman Sachs, which elevated the telecommunications company from Sell all the way to Buy. Trading commenced at $16.90 on Friday, hovering near the stock’s 52-week peak of $17.15, registering approximately 2% gains.

Vodafone Group Public Limited Company, VOD

This ratings revision emerged from a comprehensive reevaluation of European telecommunications by Goldman’s research team headed by Andrew Lee. The firm’s refreshed perspective centers on anticipated acceleration in free cash flow generation and enhanced capital returns throughout the sector.

Goldman projects the telecom sector will achieve a 14% compound annual growth rate in free cash flow between 2026 and 2030. According to the firm, this represents the strongest performance expectation among comparable defensive sectors.

Capital returns to shareholders are projected to hit 6% by 2027 and advance to 7% in 2028. Goldman emphasizes this substantially exceeds the approximately 4% yield anticipated from the next most attractive defensive sector.

The investment bank anticipates net debt to EBITDA ratios will decline by 2x throughout the coming three years. Should leverage metrics remain stable at present levels, Goldman suggests shareholder return yields could escalate to between 8% and 9% during 2027 and 2028.

Regarding Vodafone in particular, Goldman highlighted enhanced return on invested capital. The analysts identified recovery in the U.K. mobile market and intensified cost reduction initiatives as primary catalysts.

Goldman increased its Vodafone price objective to 155 pence from the previous 85 pence target. The firm noted its projections now exceed consensus expectations for the first time in multiple years, indicating a fundamental transformation in its assessment.

Institutional Investors Increase Positions

Goldman isn’t alone in developing renewed interest in Vodafone. Three Seasons Wealth LLC expanded its holdings by an extraordinary 972% during the second quarter, purchasing an additional 150,231 shares to reach a total position of 165,685 shares valued at approximately $2.19 million.

Additional institutional participants have similarly expanded their allocations. AQR Capital Management increased its stake by 21.4% in Q1, while Empowered Funds boosted its holdings by 1.9% during the same timeframe. M&T Bank Corp added 13.4% in the second quarter.

Collectively, institutional investors and hedge funds control 7.84% of Vodafone’s outstanding shares.

Analyst Community Remains Divided

Notwithstanding Goldman’s upgrade, the wider analyst community maintains a mixed outlook. Current ratings break down to three Buy recommendations, four Hold ratings, and three Sell opinions.

The consensus price target among analysts stands at $10.57, significantly beneath the stock’s current trading level. This substantial disconnect merits close attention.

Zacks Research lowered Vodafone from strong-buy to hold in May. Wall Street Zen elevated the stock to buy on August 29, while New Street Research upgraded to buy in July.

Vodafone’s 50-day moving average sits at $15.38 with its 200-day moving average at $15.18, both trailing the current market price.

The company maintains a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, alongside a current ratio of 1.14 and quick ratio of 1.11.

Goldman recognized that Vodafone’s structural quality continues to lag the sector average, but contends the potential for valuation expansion is magnified by its leverage characteristics.

The post Vodafone (VOD) Stock Surges on Goldman Sachs Double-Upgrade to Buy appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Highlights

• The company’s public offering has been rescheduled to no earlier than mid-October
• Prospectus release, originally planned for next week, now targeted for late September
• Market analysts suggest the offering could reach a historic $2 trillion valuation
• A $15 billion revolving credit facility is being finalized ahead of the public debut
• Leading financial institutions including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Citi are managing the deal

The artificial intelligence powerhouse Anthropic has rescheduled the launch of its initial public offering roadshow to no earlier than mid-October, sources with direct knowledge of the situation have revealed. The company’s prospectus, which market watchers anticipated as soon as the coming week, has been postponed.

Industry insiders now anticipate the document’s publication in the final weeks of September. This adjustment means the actual stock market listing will likely occur just ahead of November’s U.S. midterm elections.

Historic $2 Trillion Price Tag Under Discussion

Market analysts and institutional investors are speculating that the public offering could command a staggering $2 trillion valuation. Such a figure would position it among the most substantial market debuts in financial history and serve as a critical barometer for investor enthusiasm toward artificial intelligence enterprises.

To put this in perspective, SpaceX‘s June public offering achieved a then-record $1.77 trillion market capitalization. Should Anthropic achieve its projected $2 trillion target, it would eclipse that milestone.

Representatives from Anthropic have declined to provide official statements regarding the IPO strategy.

Banking Arrangements Take Priority

Prior to making its prospectus available to the public, the AI company is prioritizing the completion of a substantial $15 billion revolving credit arrangement. Following the finalization of this credit facility, briefing sessions with financial institutions participating in the financing package are scheduled to commence.

Standard practice dictates that corporations allow multiple weeks between analyst briefings and prospectus publication. However, Anthropic may operate on an accelerated timeline given that financial analysts have already developed comprehensive knowledge of its operations.

The syndicate managing this transaction includes prestigious institutions such as Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Citi. Representatives from these banks have opted not to provide commentary.

Competitive IPO Environment

This public offering emerges at a time when investment firms are eagerly seeking opportunities to gain public market positions in artificial intelligence ventures. OpenAI has also signaled interest in pursuing a listing, potentially creating simultaneous public debuts.

Timeline modifications like these are commonplace in the IPO landscape. Organizations frequently recalibrate their schedules while navigating market dynamics, compliance processes, and various preparatory requirements.

The company has developed the Claude suite of artificial intelligence models and has secured substantial capital commitments from technology giants Google and Amazon. Its expansion has accelerated dramatically as enterprise adoption of AI technologies has surged throughout various sectors.

The prospectus release scheduled for late September will initiate the concluding phase of the public offering process. The active marketing campaign would subsequently launch in mid-October, potentially culminating in a stock exchange listing prior to the November midterm electoral cycle.

Company officials have not yet validated any definitive schedule, and informed sources emphasize that arrangements continue to evolve.

The technology sector and investment community are monitoring this listing with heightened attention, viewing it as a pioneering test case for AI-focused companies pursuing public market entry at this magnitude.

The post Anthropic Pushes IPO Timeline to October While Securing $15B Credit Line appeared first on Blockonomi.

Bitcoin’s price reacted immediately to the stronger-than-expected US jobs report on Friday, plunging from a multi-month high of over $82,000 to under $79,000 before it found some support.

Red dominates the larger-cap alts’ charts, with XRP dropping back to $1.40, ETH losing the $2,500 level, and XMR plunging by over 5%. BNB stands in the opposite corner with a 4.5% surge.

BTC Halted at $82K

The primary cryptocurrency faced a similar fate last Friday when it jumped to $81,500 only to be rejected and driven south to under $77,000 after the hawkish speech by Fed Chair Kevin Warsh at Jackson Hole. However, it rebounded during the weekend and even tapped $79,000 on Sunday.

The resumed military actions in the Middle East brought another leg down on Monday morning, with BTC slipping to $77,000 again. The bulls managed to defend that level again, and the cryptocurrency remained stuck between that lower boundary and the upper one at $79,000 for a few days.

The breakout began on Thursday when the asset surged past the latter level and kept climbing on Friday morning. The peak came at $82,400, which became BTC’s highest price tag in three and a half months. Although it was stopped there, it remained above $81,000 before the aforementioned jobs report went live and plunged immediately after it made the headlines to just under $79,000.

It has rebounded to $79,600 since then, with its market cap standing close to $1.6 trillion on CMC. Its dominance over the alts has retreated slightly to 59.45%.

PONS Keeps Rocking

The new rockstar of the altcoin space, PONS, is once again the top performer, surging by 30% in the past 24 hours to a new all-time high of almost $0.90. DASH follows suit, skyrocketing by 25% to over $65.

Binance Coin is up by 4.5%, being the biggest gainer among the larger caps, and now sits at $750. NEAR has gained 11% and is above $2.25. DOT, TAO, and LTC are also well in the green.

In contrast, ETH is down by 2.5% to $2,450, XRP has slipped by almost 3% to $1.40, and XMR is down by 5% to $525. RAIN, HYPE, and ADA are also in the red.

The post PONS Skyrockets Another 30% to New ATH, Bitcoin Loses $80K: Weekend Watch appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Less than two months after announcing a major partnership with the Kansas Jayhawks, the company behind XRP has doubled down on its US sports endeavors by collaborating with the Florida Gators.

Almost immediately after the news was announced, both parties shared a video showing that XRP’s logo was painted on the sports team’s ground.

$XRP and @FloridaGators.
Soon. https://t.co/AI7wKEy3xw

— Ripple (@Ripple) September 4, 2026

Further details on the partnership indicate that the team will generate $5 million annually by placing the logos in the Swamp.

“Florida has a long history of embracing innovation and technology to enhance the experience of our fans and advance our programs,” athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement. “This partnership brings together two organizations that think boldly about the future, and we look forward to introducing XRP to our fans.”

The first game to host XRP’s logo will be played tonight at the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, as the Florida Gators will face the Florida Atlantic Owls.

Recall that Ripple made a similar partnership with the Kansas Jayhawks, who represent the University of Kansas, and their teams have won 15 national championships, including 12 NCAA Division I titles. This one was more personal for Ripple’s CEO, who was raised in the state and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Kansas.

The second news was shared by one of the most popular XRP Army members, BankXRP, on X. The user noted that Ripple will be the headline sponsor of Stable Launch – Stablecon USA’s startup competition.

The company’s Whittney Levitt will join the judging panel of the event, in which the winning startup gets a $200,000 investment.

The post 2 Major Ripple (XRP) News From The Past 24 Hours: Details appeared first on CryptoPotato.

The Core Team behind the popular project rolled out three new capabilities designed to make its ecosystem more attractive to app developers. The project also overhauled its developer documentation as it continues its broader push toward real-world utility.

The team said this update comes after several months of releases focused on enhancing Pi beyond simple crypto transactions and creating more reasons for users to actually explore and utilize the ecosystem.

3 New Features

The three new developer capabilities are local storage, access to app-specific staking data, and file and video sharing. Perhaps the most interesting is the first one.

Selected whitelisted Pi Browser apps can now store certain information directly on a user’s device instead of requiring devs to maintain their own backend infrastructure. Preferences, session inflation, and other applicable data can consequently be stored on the device, which can reduce infrastructure costs and complexity while providing a consistent experience across Android and iOS, added the post.

It’s worth noting that the data is not uploaded to Pi Network’s servers, even though the feature currently has several limitations. Only whitelisted apps have access, as storage capability is limited, and old data can eventually be removed.

Staking Data API, the second release, allows eligible developers to see how much effective Pi a user has staked specifically for their application through Ecosystem Directory Staking. Devs could potentially use this info to build app-specific features around their most committed supporters.

The last one, called Pi.shareFile, allows apps to use a phone’s native sharing functionality for files, images, and videos. Some of the examples outlined in the blog post range from marketplace customers sharing receipts or photos to gaming and content apps allowing users to share clips directly.

More Devs Wanted

In addition to the three new features, Pi Network announced that it has consolidated previously fragmented dev resources into a single documentation platform, which now covers everything from app registration and sandbox development to authentication, Pi payments, Mainnet preparation, and launch.

It also introduces AI-assisted guidance for integrating authentication and payments. The idea is quite clear as it reduces the friction involved in building applications for Pi and fits into the project’s broader strategy.

The team said that these releases tackle a problem that could be very important for the project and the native token’s long-term prospects: giving developers more tools and fewer technical obstacles to continue building apps that people actually want to use.

The post Pi Network Just Released 3 Major Upgrades: Here’s What They Mean for Pioneers appeared first on CryptoPotato.

All eyes on Friday were on the US jobs report, which actually showed that the US economy had added 162,000 jobs in August, almost triple expectations of roughly 55,000-58,000. The unemployment rate remained at 4.1%, while July’s initially reported loss of 23,000 jobs was revised to a gain of 21,000.

The reaction in financial markets was instant. Bitcoin dropped sharply below $79,000 after it was rejected at $82,400 earlier that day, and the US stock market joined the ride. In contrast, Treasury yields and the greenback jumped.

Good News Is Hurting Markets?

Although a strong labor market sounds positive at first glance for financial markets, there’s more to the story as it comes to monetary policy. Such a favorable labor environment gives the Federal Reserve more room to keep fighting inflation without worrying that higher borrowing costs will trigger a sharp deterioration in employment. Perhaps that’s why the rate hike odds immediately jumped to over 50% after the jobs report went live.

Consequently, strong economic data can become negative news for risk assets when inflation remains high. The analysts at the Kobeissi Letter determined that “the system is broken,” pointing to stocks falling despite the economy creating substantially more jobs than expected. Even US President Donald Trump was surprised by the initial market reaction.

The system is broken.

You know the system is broken when stocks FALL after the US unexpectedly adds +162,000 jobs in a month, TRIPLING expectations.

Why? Because a strong jobs report means a higher chance of rate hikes.

This is the product 60-straight months of 2%+ inflation.… pic.twitter.com/kP8y9kxBOj

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) September 4, 2026

Expectations for higher interest rates typically push Treasury yields and the dollar north, while tightening financial conditions and reducing investors’ appetite for risk assets. That should explain BTC’s immediate reaction and price drop after the report went live.

Long-Term Bullish

Bitcoin analyst Adam Livingston outlined a different scenario beyond Friday’s reaction, arguing that persistent inflation, rising debt, and the monetary response ultimately required to sustain the financial system strengthen BTC’s long-term value proposition.

In that framework, higher rates can pressure the cryptocurrency in the short term, but they don’t solve the structural problems BTC was designed to hedge against.

The asset remains very sensitive to interest-rate expectations over shorter periods, but if inflation stays structurally elevated while governments continue running large deficits and debt burdens grow, the long-term argument for owning a scarce asset with a fixed supply could become much stronger.

The post Bitcoin’s $3K Drop Comes as Fed Rate Hike Bets Surge, but Analyst Remains Bullish appeared first on CryptoPotato.

[PRESS RELEASE – Toronto, Canada, September 4th, 2026]

CoinRabbit has been named Best Crypto Lending Platform 2026 by International Business Magazine, highlighting a lending product that has issued more than $1.45 billion in loans since 2020.

About the International Business Magazine Award

The International Business Magazine Awards recognize companies and executives making a significant impact across global industries. The selection process combines public nominations with jury review, with nominees assessed on their work, progress, and contribution to their respective industries.

For CoinRabbit, the award comes at an important stage in the company’s development. It is moving beyond borrowing against crypto and building a broader ecosystem for managing digital-asset capital.

Why CoinRabbit Was Named the Best Crypto Lending Platform

The Best Crypto Lending Platform 2026 award recognizes the work CoinRabbit has put into its ecosystem. The platform provides borrowers with fast access to liquidity and confidence that their funds remain secure. CoinRabbit maintains a clear no-rehypothecation policy, giving clients greater certainty that their collateral is not being reused or lent out elsewhere.

That focus on a predictable borrowing experience has remained central as CoinRabbit has expanded the product. There is no traditional credit check because crypto collateral does the underwriting, and the lending process takes about 10 minutes whether a client is borrowing a few hundred dollars or managing a six-figure position.

The award jury also highlighted CoinRabbit’s Private Program as a high-touch approach for clients with significant balances. Designed for portfolios of $500,000 and above, it offers a more personalized way to manage assets around each client’s financial goals, liquidity needs, and timing. As part of CoinRabbit’s broader digital-asset ecosystem, the program gives clients a more private banking-style experience.

Capital Preservation at the Core

CoinRabbit is expanding into capital management, but lending remains at the core of the business. By giving clients access to liquidity without a need to sell their crypto, it helps preserve capital and keep assets invested for the long term.

Walter Barrett, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer at CoinRabbit, commented:

“We’ve spent years building and refining the product, and it’s rewarding to see that work recognized. At the same time, CoinRabbit is becoming more than just a lending platform. With the Private Program, we’re bringing a private credit approach to managing crypto. Clients can work directly with a success manager to find the right strategy for their needs, with a more tailored way to build crypto capital. We also continue to improve the core lending product, keeping it simple. For us, the goal is to make both sides of the business stronger as we grow.”

As CoinRabbit evolves, capital preservation remains a central idea behind the company’s products and services.

About CoinRabbit

CoinRabbit is a crypto asset management platform built for long-term capital preservation. It provides flexible liquidity management across multiple environments. Instant payments and lending, yield and trading products, and also the Private Program are available from a single platform. Since 2020, CoinRabbit has maintained a 100% capital reserve model, ensuring that client assets are fully reserved and never rehypothecated.

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