Metaplanet Inc. a Tokyo-based bitcoin treasury company has acquired 1,004 more bitcoin pushing its total holdings to 7800 BTC. The purchase was made at an average price of ¥15,134,304 per bitcoin resulting in an investment of nearly ¥15.2 billion. This move highlights the company’s aggressive strategy to expand its bitcoin portfolio.

The firm reported a bitcoin yield of 417% for the period between July and September 2024. In the following quarter the yield surged to an impressive 3,098%. These results show the strong performance of Metaplanet’s bitcoin investments over the past months and signal growing confidence in its treasury strategy.

Metaplanet continues to prioritize shareholder value through its Bitcoin Treasury Operations. By increasing its bitcoin reserves the company aims to capitalize on long-term crypto growth while reducing dilution risks. The latest acquisition further solidifies Metaplanet’s position as a key institutional player in the global crypto space.

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Steak ‘n Shake recently made headlines by officially accepting bitcoin payments via the Lightning Network across all its U.S. locations. The integration of Bitcoin payments at over 500 locations is a monumental moment for both the fast food industry and the broader retail sector.

This is not just something that Steak ‘n Shake is testing in a handful of locations, they are doing a full-scale rollout, fully embracing Bitcoin. 

With more than 100 million customers a year, Steak ‘n Shake’s integration of Lightning—Bitcoin’s fast, low-fee payment layer—makes it easier than ever to use Bitcoin in day-to-day life. Buying a burger and a shake with sats? That’s now a…

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CME Group is set to debut XRP futures and Micro XRP futures contracts on Monday May 19 marking a major step for regulated crypto derivatives. The contracts will go live on CME Globex and be cleared through CME ClearPort with early access available Sunday evening. Each standard contract will represent 50,000 XRP while Micro contracts will represent 2,500 XRP both cash-settled using the CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate.

Giovanni Vicioso CME’s Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products said interest in XRP and its underlying ledger continues to rise as institutional and retail adoption grows. The addition of XRP futures gives investors a regulated capital-efficient tool to trade the fourth-largest digital asset by market cap. These new products join CME’s expanding crypto lineup which already includes Bitcoin Ethereum and recently added Solana futures.

Launch comes amid ongoing legal uncertainty for Ripple as a judge denied a proposed settlement with the SEC. Despite that XRP futures offer institutions a new path for exposure while demand for crypto derivatives surges.

Donald Trump’s recent four-day visit took the President to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. This visit has intertwined diplomatic relations with business interests, while simultaneously influencing the bitcoin market.

In Qatar, the President met with Emir Tanim bin Hamad Al Thani, resulting in over $243 billion in deals including major defense agreements, according to Bloomberg.

On May 15, the President made his visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi alongside Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan. This occurs as the Trump family expands its business presence in the Middle East.

The Trump Organization is developing luxury properties…

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Fifth Third Bank is expanding into cryptocurrency as clearer regulations open new doors for traditional lenders. The Cincinnati-based bank has spent years studying the space and is now ready to grow its crypto services according to chief strategy officer Ben Hoffman.

The bank already supports crypto companies with basic services like deposit accounts and payments. Now it is looking at using stablecoins for cheaper faster cross-border transactions. Fifth Third also aims to connect with payment systems that let consumers buy goods with crypto or trade digital assets directly.

Regulatory shifts under Donald Trump’s administration have encouraged banks to take crypto seriously. Recent guidance from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency confirmed banks can safely engage in crypto custody and blockchain-powered payments. Hoffman says a full-time digital assets team is working across departments to bring crypto solutions to life. With over 200 billion dollars in assets Fifth Third is betting big on a future where crypto plays a central role in banking.

Bloomberg

I recently sat down with Vitor Pomplona, creator of Nostr client Amethyst, to discuss how Nostr in 2025 is a lot like what Bitcoin was like in 2012 — a bit rough around the edges, but exciting to use.

Nostr, a decentralized protocol for social media and other forms of communication, is only four years old, and developers are still figuring out how to create the best possible user experience within the clients they’ve created. These clients include apps like Primal (which is comparable to X) to Olas (which is like Instagram) to Yakihonne (which is similar to Substack).

What’s unique about Nostr clients, though, is that users can “zap” (send small amounts of)…

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