Shares of stablecoin issuer Circle (CRLC) climbed on Monday, rising by 15% to $130 for the first time in nearly a month. The move came after the company disclosed it had raised $222 million in the presale of Arc, the native token tied to Circle’s new blockchain. The funding values Arc at a fully diluted network valuation of $3 billion Circle CEO Maps The Road Ahead Speaking to CNBC in an exclusive interview, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire framed Arc as more than another crypto launch. He compared blockchain infrastructure to major technology platforms such as mobile operating systems and cloud services, arguing that it is becoming a foundational layer for how businesses operate. Related Reading: Dogecoin Price Set To Hit $5 Amid New Influx From Smart Money? “We want to build an operating system that has many, many stakeholders in it,” Allaire said, describing a model that includes major companies helping to run and ultimately govern the infrastructure. He added that Circle is moving toward becoming “a broader internet platform company,” entering “the operating system business” while also laying groundwork for an eventual push into “the apps business.” The Arc presale attracted heavyweight backing. Andreessen Horowitz led the round with a $75 million investment. Other participants named in the disclosure include BlackRock, Apollo Funds, and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the owner of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The list also includes SBI Group, Janus Henderson Investors, Standard Chartered Ventures, General Catalyst, Marshall Wace, ARK Invest, IDG Capital, Haun Ventures, and cryptocurrency exchange Bullish. Arc Tokenomics Explained Allaire said Arc is designed to support institutional finance and emphasized that Circle sees it as more than stablecoins and payments. In his comments, he pointed to the idea that the network can “run the actual economy.” He elaborated that the “economy” isn’t just digital representations of value, but the contracts and governance systems that underwrite financial relationships and the institutions that rely on them. In that framing, the token and the blockchain are meant to provide the infrastructure layer for how economic activity is coordinated, validated, and governed. Related Reading: Bitcoin Flashes Signal With 186% Average One-Year Return Circle also detailed how it plans to participate in the network. With a 25% stake in Arc’s initial supply of 10 billion tokens, Circle can take part in operating validator infrastructure, which it said will generate new fee revenue and allow the company to earn staking income. The token distribution is designed to support the ecosystem: 60% of the tokens are allocated to participants who build on, use, or contribute to the Arc network, while the remaining 15% goes to a long-term reserve. In addition to Arc and its token economics, Circle said it unveiled a set of services and tools intended to help developers build artificial intelligence (AI) agents. The tools are designed to enable agents to manage transactions, access online services, and make payments using USDC. Featured image created with OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com
While the miner said bitcoin remains its operational foundation, first-quarter results point to a company increasingly built around power, data centers and AI demand.
The exploit highlights the critical need for DeFi protocols to secure deprecated contracts to prevent future vulnerabilities and financial losses.
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The ABA's lobbying against stablecoin provisions highlights the tension between traditional banking and emerging financial technologies, impacting future financial landscapes.
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Binance says it prevented $10.53 billion in user losses and blacklisted 36,000 malicious addresses, with AI now powering over half of its fraud controls.
Lumentum's NASDAQ-100 inclusion highlights the growing influence of AI infrastructure on market dynamics and investment strategies.
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Trump's stance may lead to market volatility as investors recall past bailout negotiations, impacting airline stock stability and investor confidence.
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US prosecutors say three men posed as delivery drivers and forced entry into homes to steal at least $6.5 million in crypto.
The Ethereum Foundation has finalized a new gas limit floor and improvement proposal for its “Glamsterdam” upgrade, which is likely to go live sometime in the third quarter of 2026.
Heightened US-Iran tensions could destabilize global oil markets, impacting economies reliant on stable oil prices and supply routes.
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Heightened tensions and potential escalation complicate diplomatic efforts, reducing chances for a US-Iran nuclear agreement by May 31.
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Global crypto funds have extended their positive streak into a sixth straight week amid growing rally conviction and a boost from improving sentiment around the CLARITY Act ahead of its long‑delayed Senate Banking markup. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Gains Renewed Strength, Market Eyes Bullish Breakout Bitcoin Leads Crypto Funds $858M Inflows Global crypto investment products have extended their positive streak for the sixth consecutive week after posting $857.9 million in inflows over the past week. The funds saw a significant surge from the modest $117 million recorded on the week that ended on April 24. As Bitcoin surged to its highest levels in months, funds based on the flagship crypto led last week’s boom, drawing $706.1 million and bringing year-to-date (YTD) flows to $4.9 billion, according to CoinShares data. Conversely, short Bitcoin products saw $14.4 million in outflows, its largest withdrawals of the year, indicating traders are unwinding hedges amid growing rally conviction. Altcoin-based products also posted positive results, with Ethereum funds recording $77.1 million in inflows, a significant recovery from the $81.6 million in outflows the prior week. Solana and XRP investment products followed, bringing $47.6 million and $39.6 million, respectively. Notably, multi-asset products were the only category to see a negative performance, with $5.5m in outflows. Regionally, US crypto funds dominated last week, drawing $776.6 million in inflows. This marked a strong recovery from the previous week, when they only brought in $21.1 million. It’s worth noting that US crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recently saw their best monthly performance since October 2025, with over $2 billion in inflows across all major categories. As reported by News BTC, Bitcoin ETFs recorded their second straight month of massive gains, posting $1.97 billion in April, while Solana funds continued their seven-month positive streak, with $38.69 million in inflows. Meanwhile, Ethereum and XRP ETFs rebounded last month, with a strong recovery from their March performance. CLARITY Act Fuels US Sentiment CoinShares’ head of research, James Butterfill, attributed last week’s performance to progress on the US crypto market structure bill, known as the CLARITY Act, which has been stalled on the Senate Banking Committee for nearly four months. He explained that crypto funds’ recovery is likely fueled by improving sentiment around the CLARITY Act after Senator Thom Tillis and Angel Alsobrooks released the final text of the stablecoin yield compromise and “held firm” against recent banking-industry pushback. Over the past week, US banking trade groups have led efforts to push for amendments to the stablecoin yield compromise ahead of the crypto bill’s upcoming markup session. The groups have argued that the current language still leaves room for rewards programs that could effectively replicate yield. However, Senate sources have told journalist Eleanor Terret that the effort was “pretty milquetoast,” adding that “members have already shifted their focus to wrapping up other issues in the bill like ethics.” Related Reading: Bitcoin Flashes Signal With 186% Average One-Year Return Meanwhile, Coinbase, Kraken, and Gemini are pushing lawmakers to scrap a key provision requiring exchanges to list only digital assets that are “not readily susceptible to manipulation,” arguing that the provision would be difficult to apply fairly to crypto, especially to smaller tokens that are traded less frequently. The Senate Banking Committee’s long-awaited markup session for the CLARITY Act has been scheduled for Thrusday, May 14. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
The blockchain analytics company said the funding will support expansion of AI-powered compliance and transaction monitoring software for banks and crypto firms.
The company said its platform now supports tokenized equities, funds and money market instruments across trading, settlement and post-trade operations.
The clash highlights the tension between traditional banks and emerging crypto markets, potentially reshaping financial power dynamics.
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Christopher Delgado, the former Goliath Ventures CEO charged with fraud and money laundering, has publicly apologized to investors of what US prosecutors allege is a Ponzi scheme.
The defendants allegedly assaulted victims across multiple California cities and stole assets including $6.5 million in crypto.
Arbitrum delegates begin the binding governance process to transfer disputed exploit funds to Aave, while North Korean terrorism creditors continue fighting for ownership in Manhattan court
Dubai's crypto tax payment option could attract global investors, enhancing its status as a leading crypto-friendly hub and boosting economic growth.
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The summit could reshape US-China economic ties, impacting global supply chains and market dynamics, especially in tech and finance sectors.
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The repeal of Canada's digital services tax may ease US-Canada trade tensions, potentially influencing future international tax policies.
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Burry's warning suggests potential volatility ahead, urging investors to reassess risk exposure amid parallels to past market bubbles.
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Trader sentiment in Shiba Inu derivatives market has done a complete 180 over the past week. Net positions — which sat at around -200 million just days ago, reflecting a market tilted toward short bets — have swung to more than +400 million in net longs as of May 11. That kind of shift in a short window is not common. Related Reading: Nearly 80% Of Bitcoin Supply Hasn’t Moved As Long-Term Holders Tighten Grip From Short To Long: A Full Reversal The turnaround began around May 6, when net positions started climbing out of negative territory. By May 9, the indicator had crossed into positive ground, and it kept climbing. According to market watcher CW, buying pressure has grown sharply and is now dominating the market. “The upward momentum of $SHIB is increasing explosively,” he said. The upward momentum of $SHIB is increasing explosively. Upward pressure is very strong. pic.twitter.com/krXs9zhcM7 — CW (@CW8900) May 10, 2026 That momentum shows up clearly on the price chart. SHIB has been rising steadily from the $0.00000615 range, forming a pattern of higher lows and higher highs since May 10 — a sign that buyers have held control without the market getting sloppy or erratic. The price reached above $0.00000660 by May 11, a gain of roughly 6.50% over the past week. Open Interest Climbs Past 6 Billion The derivatives market is also pulling in fresh participants. Open Interest — which tracks the total value of outstanding contracts — rose from just above 5 billion on May 5 to over 6 billion at the time of reporting. That increase suggests traders are opening new positions rather than simply closing old ones. When prices rise alongside growing Open Interest, it typically points to sustained demand rather than a technical bounce driven by short sellers getting squeezed out. Reports indicate that this combination is what analysts often look for when assessing whether a rally has legs. Leverage Cuts Both Ways Still, the same buildup that has driven prices higher carries risk. With Open Interest elevated and long positions stacked up, a slowdown in price movement could set off a chain of forced liquidations. If SHIB struggles to push higher while leverage stays elevated, a quick drop becomes more likely — even if the broader direction has not changed. Related Reading: XRP Market Now Controlled By Whales? Dominance Reaches 91% On Binance For the upside to continue, reports say SHIB needs to hold above the $0.00000665 to $0.00000670 range. That zone now acts as a key level. If buyers defend it, the next leg higher remains on the table. If they don’t, the market may correct sharply before finding its footing again. Featured image from Anne Arundel County Government, chart from TradingView
Ray Dalio joins the privacy debate, saying Bitcoin’s full transparency makes it less likely to be adopted by central banks.
Jin's massive ETH deposit could either stabilize or destabilize the market, highlighting the influence of large holders on crypto dynamics.
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Rising US-Iran tensions could lead to increased oil price volatility and influence Bitcoin's market stability, affecting global economic forecasts.
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Escalating US-Iran tensions could disrupt global oil supply chains, impacting market stability and increasing geopolitical risks worldwide.
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OpenAI's new venture could redefine enterprise AI integration, challenging traditional consulting and potentially reshaping AI financing models.
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Solana’s AI narrative is gaining fresh support from crypto investors who argue that SOL may be positioned as a core financial infrastructure asset in an agent-driven economy. Parker White, COO of DeFiDevCorp, and Delphi Ventures founding partner Tom Shaughnessy both pointed to Solana’s speed, liquidity and developer ecosystem as reasons the market may be underpricing the asset. Solana’s AI Thesis Is Heating Up White, known on X as @TheOtherParker_, said on May 9 that he remains bullish on SOL because Solana combines “s-tier technology, user adoption, and liquidity.” He pushed back on the common argument that Ethereum’s larger DeFi liquidity and TVL base gives it an unassailable lead, arguing that the comparison looks different once traditional finance enters the market. “Some people will counter with ‘Yes, but ETH has such a huge DeFi liquidity/TVL lead.’ Huge is relative though and compared to TradFi liquidity, all DeFi liquidity is a drop in the bucket,” White wrote. “So when TradFi capital allocators enter the space, SOL and ETH are effectively on the same, level playing field. In this environment, technology/UX plays a giant role on adoption and SOL wins hands down.” Related Reading: Solana Sees Rising Social Hype, Yet Network Activity Is Falling White also argued that SOL’s relative valuation leaves room for a larger repricing if investors begin to treat Solana as a serious competitor to Ethereum. “Couple all of this with the 5x relative value differential, and it’s really hard not to be bullish,” he wrote. “If SOL just catches up to ETH, SOL is at roughly $500 without ETH even moving. Good odds of a good outcome.” The more novel part of White’s thesis is not simply that Solana can compete with Ethereum on throughput or user experience. It is that AI could make Solana more strategically relevant, not less. In his view, many software businesses face uncertainty as AI compresses margins or disrupts established cash-flow models. Solana, by contrast, could benefit if autonomous agents require fast, low-cost and globally accessible financial rails. “As future software cashflows continue to be repriced with increased uncertainty, investors will look to diversify, bc diversification is the best way to combat uncertainty,” White wrote. “As this diversification occurs, rationale investors will look at SOL as a financial software infrastructure play that has a ‘high degree of positive AI convexity.’” White’s argument rests on the assumption that agentic activity will require cheap, high-frequency settlement. He described Solana as “second to none” for micropayments and said token-to-token value transfer between non-human agents “makes sense on SOL, but nowhere else.” Other networks, he argued, are either too expensive or lack the infrastructure and liquidity needed for that use case. He also said Solana’s network effects would be strengthened rather than weakened by AI usage. “Second, the network effects and liquidity cannot be replicated by a fresh AI-built system,” White wrote. “More AI usage actually strengthens the network effects and liquidity, not weakens. This is where the positive convexity comes in.” He added that crypto networks are “global, permissionless, and composible,” making them a natural operating environment for agents that need to interact, collaborate, pay and build across borders. Related Reading: Solana (SOL) Breakout Setup Strengthens As Bulls Regain Full Control Shaughnessy, writing separately on X, made a similar case. He said his SOL thesis is that it is “the best chain for AI,” citing cheap and fast infrastructure alongside what he called the strongest engineering base. He also argued that AI will make it easier to build new crypto applications, potentially accelerating sector formation through “easy capital formation,” global communities and rapid app creation. In a follow-up post, Shaughnessy contrasted Solana with Bitcoin in the context of AI agents. “I don’t think AI and agents interplay with BTC directly since it’s not a programmable chain they can interact on,” he wrote. “I do think BTC is a massive beneficiary of AI as AGI will want to own assets humans can’t manipulate and mass money printing to deal with AGI benefits BTC.” For Solana, Shaughnessy summarized the thesis as “legitimate AI sector ownership,” faster chain performance through Alpenglow, under-ownership after investors sold SOL for other assets, and the potential for pre-IPO stocks to trade around the clock. At press time, SOL traded at $94.51. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
A fix to the ongoing discussions around stablecoin rewards and language on protecting software developers is in the updated legislative text.