LATEST: Al Abraaj Restaurants Becomes Bahrain’s First Company with Bitcoin Treasury

Bahrain’s Al Abraaj Restaurants Group has made history by becoming the first publicly listed company in the Middle East to adopt Bitcoin as a corporate treasury asset. The company has partnered with New York-based 10X Capital to follow a Bitcoin Treasury strategy similar to MicroStrategy and Metaplanet.

Al Abraaj purchased 5 Bitcoin and will gradually expand its holdings to boost shareholder value while offering Sharia’a compliant Bitcoin exposure to investors in the Islamic world. This move positions Bahrain as a leader in the region’s crypto adoption supported by progressive financial regulations and a $12.5 million EBITDA in 2024.

Investors across Bahrain Saudi Arabia UAE Kuwait Qatar and Oman can now gain Bitcoin exposure by buying ABRAAJ stock on the Bahrain Bourse. With global access to shares this marks a major shift in digital asset accessibility through public equity and highlights a bold new chapter in Middle East finance.

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LATEST: Mastercard Teams With MoonPay to Introduce Stablecoin Cards Worldwide

Mastercard is partnering with MoonPay to introduce stablecoin-enabled payment cards worldwide. This new collaboration allows businesses and individuals to spend and receive stablecoins easily using MoonPay’s recently acquired payment technology from Iron. Payments made with these cards will automatically convert stablecoins into traditional currencies offering users seamless integration between crypto and fiat money.

The global adoption of stablecoins is growing rapidly as they offer stability by being pegged directly to traditional currencies such as the U.S. dollar. Mastercard’s new initiative follows similar partnerships with crypto exchange OKX and payments firm Nuvei aimed at developing a comprehensive crypto payment ecosystem. These moves position Mastercard ahead of competitors like Visa which recently started a stablecoin pilot in Latin America.

Regulatory challenges have not slowed Mastercard’s crypto ambitions as the company bets on stablecoins’ usefulness in international payments remittances and digital commerce. Mastercard’s continued investment signals strong confidence in crypto adoption paving the way for mainstream global acceptance.

LATEST: Ukraine to Build National Bitcoin Reserve Amid Economic Changes

Ukraine is taking a major step toward embracing cryptocurrency by drafting a law to create a national Bitcoin reserve. Member of Parliament Yaroslav Zhelezniak confirmed the plan which aims to position Bitcoin as a strategic asset for the country. The bill is in its final stages and will soon be submitted for approval.

Crypto exchange Binance is actively backing Ukraine’s initiative offering expertise and support. The company is also assisting other countries with similar plans following global interest sparked by US pro-crypto policies including an executive order by President Trump. Binance CEO Richard Teng confirmed ongoing collaboration with governments worldwide.

Ukraine also plans to legalize crypto in early 2025 as part of a broader digital asset framework. The draft law will include tax regulations and anti–money laundering measures. The move reflects Ukraine’s growing focus on integrating crypto into its financial system and signals rising government-level interest in digital assets across the region.

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Standard Chartered Bank Signs Partnership With Digital Asset Broker FalconX

Digital asset broker FalconX has announced a strategic partnership with British multinational bank Standard Chartered to enhance services for institutional clients. 

In the first phase of the partnership, Standard Chartered will offer a range of banking and foreign exchange (FX) services to FalconX, helping to improve the platform’s ability to handle cross-border payments. Over time, this partnership will expand into other offerings and mutual opportunities, the company stated.

By integrating Standard Chartered’s banking infrastructure, FalconX will now have access to more currency pairs, making cross-border transactions faster and more reliable for clients. 

“We are pleased…

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A new look, and the crypto-ization of finance

This is a segment from The Breakdown newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.

“Sometimes the best investments are precisely the ones you cannot explain and probably make no sense.” 

— Richard Toh

When I started writing this newsletter nearly four years ago, I kept the subject matter high-level — mostly because I didn’t understand the low level.

That’s not what I expected it to be.

Instead, I expected it to be like the morning notes I sometimes wrote for clients in my previous job as an equities trader — notes that were mostly just a rundown of news taken from a Bloomberg terminal that the clients also had but were too lazy to look at (people used to…

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SOL is up and memes are back

This is a segment from the Lightspeed newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.

What a beautiful Wednesday. The sun is shining, the flowers are in bloom, and SOL (for a moment at least) was back above $180. How sweet it is.

After lagging behind its own fundamentals for months, Solana’s markets are finally playing catch-up. We’ve had a roughly 21% rally so far this week, with the asset reclaiming territory not seen since Q1, following a sudden spike in retail risk appetite.

Solana’s total value locked (TVL) is up 52% month over month, now at $9.5 billion — about 23% short of its all-time high.

Data from deBridge shows that about $27.9 million has moved from…

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Japan’s ‘MicroStrategy’ Metaplanet Posts Record Quarter Numbers, Now Owns Over $700 Million Bitcoin

Metaplanet Inc. widely recognized as Japan’s leading Bitcoin treasury company, has reported its strongest quarter to date for Q1 FY2025, marked by record operating profit and a significant expansion of its balance sheet.

Metaplanet Q1 Financials released:

– Revenue: ¥877M (+8% QoQ) (88% from BTC Income Generation business)– Operating Profit: ¥593M (a new company record)– Net Assets: ¥50.4B (+197% QoQ)

Full 48 Page Presentation with outlook on mNAV & much more: pic.twitter.com/a8SMEKNODh

— Dylan LeClair (@DylanLeClair_) May 14, 2025

Revenue reached ¥877 million, an 8% increase quarter-over-quarter (QoQ), while operating profit hit a record…

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Big Tech stocks extend rally on Chinese tariff pause

This is a segment from the Forward Guidance newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.

Thanks to the early signs of a trade deal with China and a better-than-expected April CPI print, Big Tech (and just about everything else) is up this week. 

The S&P 500 North American tech sector index is up 8.4% over the past five trading days. The Nasdaq Composite has gained 6.3% in that time. 

Even Microsoft and Nvidia — despite their respective headwinds (which we’ll get into later) — are in the green. They’re up 3% and 13%, respectively, in the past five days. 

The way I see it, there are two main forces poised to significantly impact Big Tech: tariffs and AI. These…

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Bitcoin & Crypto Will Be in Everyone’s 401(k), Says Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong isn’t just celebrating his company’s inclusion in the S&P 500—he’s forecasting a major shift in the way Americans invest for retirement. In an interview with CNBC following the May 12 announcement, Armstrong stated that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are “going to be a part of everyone’s 401(k).”

JUST IN – Coinbase CEO on joining the S&P 500: “Crypto is here to stay. It’s going to be a part of everyone’s 401(k).” pic.twitter.com/9vWaWDTuHd

— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) May 14, 2025

The comment follows news that Coinbase will officially be added to the S&P 500 on May 19, replacing Discover Financial Services after its merger…

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