As Prediction Markets Boom, USDC Emerges as the Real Winner Behind the Scenes As crypto betting platform Polymarket races toward a reported $1 billion valuation, stablecoins — particularly Circle’s USDC — are quietly emerging as the backbone of the platform’s explosive growth, according to a new research note by Coinbase. Polymarket, a decentralized prediction market where users bet on real-world events (from elections to entertainment), has processed over $14 billion in total trading volume to date. But what powers these bets? Stablecoins, and more specifically, USDC on Polygon. Why Stablecoins Like USDC Matter for Prediction Markets Unlike DeFi lending protocols…
Author: Blockto Team
After nearly five years of litigation, Ripple moves to end its court battle with the SEC—here’s what it means for XRP and the broader crypto industry. In a significant development for the crypto world, Ripple Labs has officially decided to drop its cross-appeal in its long-running legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The decision, announced by Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse on June 28, 2025, effectively brings an end to a nearly five-year court saga that has loomed over XRP and the crypto markets. What Happened? Ripple’s decision follows a rejection by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres…
Crypto Remains Resilient Amid Renewed Geopolitical Tensions Despite rising geopolitical tension and U.S. tariff threats against Canada, the crypto market held firm on Friday, with major cryptocurrencies showing limited reaction to fresh political uncertainty. Bitcoin Dips Slightly, Market Calm Prevails Bitcoin (BTC) dipped just 0.7% in the last 24 hours, hovering around $106,700, according to CoinDesk data. The slight move aligned with the broader CoinDesk 20 Index, which also fell 0.7%, suggesting a neutral market sentiment across major digital assets. Notably, SUI was the only token within the index to show meaningful movement, rising 3.3%, indicating a lack of clear…
Ethereum Chart Signals Start of Altseason Amid Bullish Technical Setups Ethereum (ETH) is flashing signs of a major breakout that could mark the beginning of a long-awaited altcoin season, according to several top crypto analysts. With ETH trading around $2,423, technical indicators and historical patterns suggest a potential rally toward $10,000 in this market cycle. Why Analysts Predict $10,000 ETH Price This Cycle Prominent crypto chartist Mikybull Crypto highlighted Ethereum’s recent behavior aligning with the Wyckoff reaccumulation pattern, stating: “Ethereum is done with the test — big rally incoming.” His analysis places an initial target at $3,200, with further upside…
U.S. Macro Data Sparks Market Divergence Across Assets The Nasdaq 100 surged to a new all-time high on Friday, diverging sharply from traditional safe-haven assets like gold and Bitcoin, both of which came under pressure following the release of disappointing U.S. macroeconomic data. Inflation and Spending Data Miss Expectations While the data released reflects economic conditions from May, it has still shaken investor sentiment due to its implications for monetary policy and inflation. Key data points included: These figures reinforce the growing fears of stagflation — a scenario where economic growth slows while inflation remains elevated. Bitcoin Stuck in Consolidation…
TON Rises 2% as Bullish Momentum Builds on Volume Spike Toncoin (TON) is showing strong bullish momentum with a confirmed short-term uptrend, gaining 1.5% in the last 24 hours while the broader crypto market, as tracked by the CoinDesk 20 Index, fell 0.4%. The token currently trades at $2.8449, just below a key resistance level at $2.85, with technical indicators suggesting a potential continuation of the bullish breakout. Technical Indicators Confirm Uptrend in TON Price Recent price action highlights a clearly defined uptrend structure: “Peak trading volume exceeded 69,000 TON units, reflecting heightened demand and investor confidence.” Why TON Is…
Crypto Payments Banned Domestically, Yet Allowed Internationally? While countries like China, Russia, Turkey, and Indonesia continue to ban crypto payments for domestic use, legal experts say that using crypto for purchases abroad may still be legal — creating a gray area in global digital asset regulation. This growing trend is fueled by stablecoins like USDT, which have become a preferred method of payment for global transactions, especially in countries with currency restrictions or high inflation. Legal Experts Say: “Domestic Ban Doesn’t Mean Global Ban” According to legal interpretations, crypto bans in many countries apply only within national borders or to…
Tokenization Platform Midas Unveils mF-ONE to Track Fasanara’s Flagship Credit Fund Midas, a protocol specializing in tokenized real-world assets, has launched mF-ONE, a blockchain-native investment certificate designed to track the performance of the F-ONE private credit fund managed by institutional asset manager Fasanara Capital. This marks a major move in bringing institutional-grade private credit strategies on-chain, in collaboration with decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms Morpho and Steakhouse. What is mF-ONE? A Tokenized Gateway to Institutional Credit The newly introduced mF-ONE token reflects exposure to Fasanara’s F-ONE fund, which allocates capital across: By bringing this diversified exposure on-chain, Midas bridges traditional finance…
Spike in IRS Letters Tied to Crypto Gains — and New 1099-DA Rules Looming A sharp surge in IRS warning letters to crypto investors has created confusion and anxiety across the U.S. crypto community. According to recent industry data, the number of IRS letters sent to digital asset holders has risen by 758% over the last two months — signaling a possible broad enforcement wave ahead of new 1099-DA reporting rules. What’s Triggering the Spike in IRS Crypto Letters? The increase in letters is tied to the IRS gaining greater visibility into crypto transactions through: Many investors, despite best efforts,…
Former OpenSea Co-founder Leads AI Infrastructure Startup to $500M Valuation OpenRouter, an AI infrastructure startup co-founded by former OpenSea CTO Alex Atallah, has raised $40 million in seed and Series A funding to scale its LLM aggregator platform. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and Menlo Ventures, with participation from Sequoia Capital and prominent angel investors. The company is now reportedly valued at $500 million, reflecting strong investor confidence in its strategy to simplify AI model integration and inference routing for developers and enterprises. What Is OpenRouter? An AI Model Aggregator for the Future Founded in 2023, OpenRouter offers…