Kraken Owner Payward To Acquire Bitnomial For $550M, Securing Full CFTC-Licensed U.S. Crypto Derivatives Stack

Kraken-owner Payward has agreed to acquire Bitnomial in a deal valued at up to $550 million in cash and stock, giving the firm control of a fully licensed U.S. crypto derivatives stack as it expands deeper into regulated markets.

The transaction values Payward at $20 billion and is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to customary conditions and regulatory filings with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Bitnomial stands out as the first crypto-native platform in the U.S. to secure all three licenses required to operate a full-stack derivatives business: a designated contract market, a derivatives clearing organization, and a futures commission merchant. Those…

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Strategy (MSTR) Jumps Over 12% As Bitcoin Pumps Past $77k

Bitcoin proxy stock Strategy surged over 12% today as the price of bitcoin roared above 77,000 dollars, extending a volatile week for crypto markets against the backdrop of war and fragile diplomacy in the Middle East. 

The move added to the gains Strategy has notched in April after the company highlighted a 1.3 billion dollar “bitcoin gain” tied to the rebound in its holdings, even as it sits on large unrealized losses from prior quarters.

Bitcoin pushed through key resistance in the mid‑70,000s and briefly traded above $77,000, building on a multi‑day squeeze that has forced short sellers to cover. Derivatives data this week showed hundreds of millions of dollars in…

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Bitcoin Price Charges Past $77,000, Iran Says Strait Open

Bitcoin price soared above $77,000 this morning after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz completely open under a new ceasefire framework and President Donald Trump amplified the message with a post that highlighted full passage through the waterway. The move sharpened an existing risk-on rotation across global markets and pushed the largest cryptocurrency back toward a resistance band that has capped every rally since early February.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz is open to all commercial vessels for the remaining period of the ceasefire, tying the decision directly to a 10‑day truce between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

The announcement…

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XRP Surges 12% From Its April Lows: What’s Going On?

XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) has surged 12.5% from its April low as U.S. spot ETFs recorded $41.64 million in net inflows for the week ending April 16, the largest single-week inflow in three months.

The ETF Acceleration

The weekly inflow represents a 254% jump from the prior week’s $11.75 million, the kind of acceleration that typically accompanies pattern breakouts rather than consolidation.

The last five days show consistent demand with inflows of $11.87 million, $17.11 million, $11.20 million, $1.46 million, and $9.09 million. 

Cumulative inflows have reached $1.26 billion, pushing total assets past $1.08 billion.

Bitwise and Franklin products continue to lead flows, while Grayscale shows mixed…

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Cardano CEO Announces Breakthrough: Can ADA Break Out?

Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA) CEO Frederik Gregaard said the network cut audit costs by 50% for institutions and listed a $100 million reinsurance product on the London Stock Exchange.

The Audit Cost Breakthrough

The Cardano Foundation posted 7,000 financial transactions using a product called Leccia on the blockchain.

Grant Thornton then used legal entity identifiers to download all transactions, compare them to the bookkeeping ledger, and sign the audit.

The process proved institutions can lower audit costs by nearly 50% while moving from spot checks to full architectural audits that examine all transactions, Gregaard told Cointelegraph at Paris Blockchain Week.

“Instead of a spot check of…

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Dogecoin Whales Go On An Accumulation Spree As DOGE Rallies On Iran Peace Optimism

Signs of easing geopolitical tensions have lifted cryptocurrencies, including Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE), and whales have started loading up on the memecoin.

Whales Getting Ready For DOGE’s Leg Up?

Widely followed cryptocurrency analyst Ali Martinez highlighted in an X post on Thursday that large investors bought around 330 million DOGE tokens this week. At the prevailing prices, this amounted to $32.34 million

Hope Builds for Iran War Resolution

President Donald Trump’s string of positive remarks on the Iran conflict has reignited risk-on sentiment, boosting cryptocurrencies—including Dogecoin. The top memecoin has rallied over 6% in the past week.

Notably, Martinez had identified…

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Pakistan’s Crypto Leap Leaving India Behind? Here Are How The Two South Asian Countries Compare – TRX Gol

Pakistan has lately accelerated efforts to integrate cryptocurrencies into its financial system, while neighboring rival India continues to take a more cautious approach, with limited progress toward comprehensive regulation.

Pakistan’s Ambitious Crypto Push

In a notable shift, Pakistan’s central bank now allows banks to service licensed virtual asset providers, marking the end of an eight-year lull in regulated cryptocurrency activity.

Bilal Bin Saqib, Chairman of the country’s federal regulator for virtual assets, said that the country will now move from “restriction to regulation,” and “from ambiguity to institutional clarity.”

Pakistan Attracting Big Players

The move is part…

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Iran To Surrender Enriched Uranium? Crypto Prediction Market Prices In Higher Odds As Trump Hints At Nucl

Cryptocurrency bookmakers significantly raised odds of Iran surrendering its enriched uranium stockpile after President Donald Trump claimed the Middle-Eastern country agreed to abandon nuclear weapons.

Polymarket Traders Raise Optimism

The odds of this happening by the end of June spiked 14 percentage points to 65%, while the chances of this happening anytime before the end of 2026 rose to 72%.

The bet has already garnered over $1 million in wagers on the outcome. To qualify, Iran must publicly commit to transferring all or part of its enriched uranium stockpile to an entity outside its jurisdiction and influence.

Meanwhile, the odds that Iran ends uranium enrichment rose, with punters…

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How Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin Buys Could Fuel A Supply Squeeze – Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) (ARCA:

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) could be heading toward a potential supply squeeze, fueled by aggressive institutional accumulation and a tightening available supply in the market.

Saylor’s Buying Strategy In Focus

The company has consistently raised capital and deployed it into Bitcoin purchases, creating a steady and highly visible source of demand.

This repeatable strategy is seen as “structural demand,” gradually removing circulating supply and reinforcing bullish sentiment among investors.

Beyond Saylor’s accumulation, broader institutional participation is accelerating.

These developments are contributing to a more mature and demand-driven market, with ETFs acting as a key channel for capital…

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