Author: James Wilson

Robin Markets raised $475k to launch a staking product that turns Polymarket positions into yield, a targeted crypto VC bet in a funding cycle otherwise dominated by AI. Summary Robin Markets has completed a $475,000 angel round led by Fabric VC, with joint leads from Animoca Brands, ATKA Incubator, John Lilic, and Gnosis co-founder Stefan D. George. The raise coincides with the public launch of Robin Markets’ V1 staking product, which lets users earn yield on their positions on prediction platform Polymarket. The deal adds to a broader wave of targeted crypto VC bets, including Y Combinator’s first stablecoin-funded investment…

290 milliseconds. That’s the execution speed of the fastest Base network trading bot in 2026 — measured at real token launches with real funds. The slowest bot in the top 10 lands around 430ms. That 140ms gap is the difference between buying the dip and buying the dump. Base processes over 8 million transactions per day, and memecoin launches resolve entry prices in the first 2 or 3 blocks. Manual traders aren’t competing in this market — they’re watching it happen. The bots below are the ones professional traders use to snipe launches, mirror smart money wallets, and exit positions…

Pi Network’s PI token (PI) has remained under pressure even as several major cryptocurrencies recovered over the past week.  Summary Almost 3 million PI tokens moved to centralized exchanges, raising short-term selling concerns. Nearly 200 million PI tokens are scheduled to unlock over the next 30 days. Pi Network’s Protocol 22 deadline and smart contract updates remain key ecosystem events. Bitcoin and other large assets gained after easing geopolitical concerns, but PI fell by about 4% during the same period. The token’s market capitalization has dropped to around $1.75 billion. That is far below the nearly $20 billion level reached…

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded an eighth straight day of net inflows after drawing $223.2 million on Thursday. The latest inflow pushed total net additions above $2 billion during the current run. Summary Spot Bitcoin ETFs logged $223.2 million in net inflows, extending their streak to eight days. BlackRock’s IBIT led Thursday’s flows with $167.5 million as total inflows topped $2 billion. Bitcoin held near $78,000, while analysts linked ETF demand to stronger institutional accumulation. BlackRock’s IBIT led the day with $167.5 million in net inflows, according to SoSoValue data. Funds from Ark Invest and 21Shares, Morgan Stanley, and Grayscale…

Metaplanet has announced a new bond issuance worth 8 billion yen, or about $50 million, to fund more Bitcoin purchases. The Japanese Bitcoin treasury firm said the bonds carry zero interest. Summary Metaplanet issued 8 billion yen in zero-interest bonds to fund future Bitcoin purchases. EVO Fund fully subscribed to the bond sale, marking Metaplanet’s 20th bond issuance. Metaplanet held 40,177 BTC as of March 31 after buying 5,075 BTC in Q1. The bond issuance was fully subscribed by EVO Fund, a Cayman Islands-based investment firm. EVO Fund has also supported earlier Metaplanet offerings, making this the company’s 20th bond…

Morgan Stanley has introduced a new portfolio designed to hold stablecoin reserves within its money market fund structure. Summary Morgan Stanley has launched a stablecoin reserve portfolio that allows issuers to place backing assets into its money market fund while earning yield. The fund invests in cash, short-term US Treasuries, and repo agreements, with a $10 million minimum and a 0.15% fee. According to Morgan Stanley, the “Stablecoin Reserves Portfolio” allows issuers to place backing assets into its Institutional Liquidity Funds trust while earning yield without compromising liquidity or capital stability. The fund, listed as MSNXX, is structured to maintain…

Lido Labs has asked the Lido DAO to approve the use of up to 2,500 stETH, worth about $5.8 million, to help reduce the rsETH shortfall caused by the recent Kelp exploit. Summary Lido Labs asked its DAO to allocate up to 2,500 stETH for Kelp exploit recovery. The Kelp exploit created an rsETH shortfall and raised bad-debt concerns across DeFi platforms. EtherFi and Aave-linked relief efforts followed as DeFi projects moved to limit user losses. The proposal says the funds would not act as a full bailout. Lido Labs said the stETH allocation would only be used as part…

Senator Bernie Moreno declared at a Washington event on April 22 that the CLARITY Act must clear Congress by the end of May, stating plainly that missing that deadline could shelve the legislation indefinitely as midterm election politics consume the remainder of the congressional calendar. Summary Senator Bernie Moreno set an end-of-May deadline for the CLARITY Act at a DC event on April 22, 2026, warning that failure to meet it could permanently delay the bill. Moreno’s statement pushed Polymarket odds of the CLARITY Act passing in 2026 from 38% to 46%, but Galaxy Research still puts chances at roughly…

Ethereum opened at $2,375.12 on Thursday April 23, 2026, rising 2% from Wednesday’s open as Bitcoin led a broad morning rally past $78,000, though ETH pulled back to $2,316.88 by 7:10 a.m. ET as traders remained cautious over the lack of progress in Iran peace talks and continued US naval activity near the Strait of Hormuz. Summary Ethereum opened at $2,375.12 on April 23, 2026, up approximately 2% from Wednesday’s opening price, tracking Bitcoin’s move above $78,000 for the first time since early February. ETH pulled back to $2,316.88 by 7:10 a.m. ET as traders weighed stalled Iran ceasefire talks…

GraniteShares has delayed the launch of its 3x Long and 3x Short XRP Daily ETFs from April 23 to May 7, marking the fifth postponement in three weeks and raising fresh questions about whether the SEC will ultimately clear 3x leveraged crypto products under the framework it applied to reject similar products from ProShares in December 2025. Summary GraniteShares delayed its 3x Long and 3x Short XRP Daily ETFs from April 23 to May 7 using Rule 485, which allows issuers to shift effective dates without restarting the SEC review process. The delay is the fifth since the original April…