hodler

8 Mar 2026, 20:20

Shayne Coplan said Polymarket is facing more backlash as it gets bigger

Polymarket founder and CEO Shayne Coplan said the company’s rise is bringing a new kind of problem. Speaking at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference 2026, Shayne said the prediction market business is facing growing risk around war contracts as the platform gets bigger and more visible. The man put it like this: “The richer we get, the more haters we get.” That came as Polymarket kept taking heavy action on geopolitical questions and drew more attention to the kind of markets many companies do not want near their business. Shayne said prediction markets still give people useful information, but he admitted that war markets come with confusion and backlash. He called Iran “complicated” and said “the fog of war breeds misunderstanding.” He also said, “There’s still a lot of resistance to innovation that kind of also seems jarring to begin with,” then added, “that’s what makes it innovative and disruptive.” Shayne Coplan defends Polymarket’s use during US-Israel war in Iran User-compiled data on Dune Analytics showed that bettors placed $425.4 million on geopolitical questions on Polymarket in the week ending March 1. A week earlier, that total stood at $163.9 million. That jump pushed more attention onto a category that already sits in a legal gray area. U.S. regulations are generally understood to block financial contracts tied to war. Most prediction market platforms avoid that space. Polymarket’s main exchange operates offshore, which lets it offer contracts that would face much tougher limits inside the United States. Shayne said people are using Polymarket for reasons far more serious than entertainment. He said users in the Middle East have contacted him and told him they look at Polymarket when deciding whether to sleep near a bomb shelter. Shayne described that reaction himself: “When I get hit up by people in the Middle East who are saying, ‘Hey, we’re looking at Polymarket to decide whether we sleep near the bomb shelter; we look at it every day’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s really that popular over there?’ That’s very powerful. That’s an undeniable value proposition that did not exist before.” He also tried to separate prediction markets from other kinds of trading. “Not all markets are equal,” Shayne said. He called it “apples to oranges” and said the real value of prediction markets is information. To Shayne, this is not a business where people are posting huge open orders or trading huge sizes. Rivals Kalshi and Polymarket chase $20 billion talks As Polymarket deals with pressure over war contracts, it is also in talks for a far bigger valuation. Kalshi and Polymarket, the two biggest prediction market companies, have both recently held talks with potential investors about fundraising rounds that could value each company at about $20 billion. Both businesses were valued at around half that level late last year. Those talks are still early, and there is no guarantee either company will get a deal done at that number, especially as questions grow around how both platforms operate. Kalshi is already live in the U.S. and has helped push a new wave of sports-related wagering. The company also offers bets tied to politics, the economy, and pop culture. Kalshi was last valued at $11 billion when it raised $1 billion in December from investors including Paradigm and Sequoia Capital. Sources said Kalshi recently crossed a $1 billion revenue run rate, and one source said that number is now around $1.5 billion. Polymarket is still off-limits to U.S. users. Americans can still reach it through a VPN, even though the company’s terms ban U.S. users, and it can use geoblocking tools to remove them from the platform. Polymarket plans to release a domestically regulated version of its app this year. The company was last valued at $9 billion in October after Intercontinental Exchange, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, agreed to invest up to $2 billion, data from PitchBook showed. Both companies have also gone hard after college users. That strategy has already produced questionable trades. One example was a burst of bets on Jeff Bezos’ whereabouts during the Super Bowl by members of his stepson’s fraternity. Kalshi and Polymarket have both pushed ads across social media and actively courted college fraternities and other campus groups as they race for more users. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .

8 Mar 2026, 20:00

Ethereum co-founder moves 157M to exchange – Can ETH’s $1,800 hold?

Ethereum faces insider transfers, rising leverage, and conflicting positioning as markets watch key support closely.

8 Mar 2026, 19:35

CryptoQuant Names the Most Transparent Exchange for Reserves

KuCoin has received the highest proof-of-reserves (PoR) transparency score among major crypto exchanges, according to CryptoQuant’s latest annual Exchange Leader report. The findings placed the Seychelles-based trading platform ahead of several larger rivals in a category that many traders view as central to assessing exchange solvency. Report Ranks Exchanges on Reserves and Trading Activity The report, which reviewed exchange performance across trading volume, reserve disclosures, and derivatives activity during 2025, shows KuCoin earning a PoR transparency score of 96.7 out of 100, the highest in the dataset. KuCoin’s score reflects a monthly proof-of-reserves framework that allows users to verify their balances using Merkle-tree inclusion tools. The exchange also publishes wallet addresses and receives third-party attestations from security firm Hacken. CryptoQuant said that the exchange had sent out more than 39 monthly reserve reports in a row, with the most recent one being on February 6, 2026. The reserve ratios for the assets that were made public were above 100%. Bybit ranked second on the transparency scale with a score of 93.2, also supported by regular PoR disclosures and Hacken attestations. Kraken is placed in the A tier as well, though its quarterly reporting cycle reduced its score compared with the monthly reporting cadence of KuCoin and Bybit. Meanwhile, larger exchanges scored lower in this category, with Binance receiving a score of 75.2, reflecting broad wallet disclosures and user balance verification tools but no full independent audit covering the exchange’s entire balance sheet. Coinbase ranked much lower, with a score of 44.3, mainly because it does not publish comprehensive wallet address mappings or provide on-chain verification for customer balances. The transparency ranking forms one component of CryptoQuant’s Exchange Leader Index, which measures platforms using six pillars: trading volume, reserves, proof-of-reserves transparency, trading mix balance, volume growth, and reserve growth. In the overall index, MEXC, Binance, and Bybit held the top three positions for 2025. Derivatives Trading Dominates Exchange Activity The report also examined trading patterns across major exchanges and found that most large platforms now record the majority of activity in derivatives markets rather than spot trading. MEXC, Bybit, Bitget, Binance, Gate, and Coinbase generated 70% to 90% of their volume from perpetual futures contracts. However, KuCoin sits among exchanges with a more balanced mix between spot and derivatives trading. CryptoQuant placed it in a group with HTX and Kraken, where both segments contributed significant volumes rather than one dominating the other. In overall trading size, Binance is still the largest exchange, processing about $32.4 trillion in annual trading volume during 2025. About $25 trillion of that amount came from the derivatives markets, and about $7 trillion came from spot trading. Growth across the industry varied widely, with Gate recording the fastest expansion in derivatives activity, as perpetual futures volumes increased by more than 400% year over year. Coinbase also posted large percentage gains after completing its acquisition of Deribit and introducing Solana-based DEX trading, while MEXC nearly doubled its spot trading volumes during the same period. The post CryptoQuant Names the Most Transparent Exchange for Reserves appeared first on CryptoPotato .

8 Mar 2026, 19:27

BNB Price Prediction as Judge Throws Out Anti-Terrorism Lawsuit Against Binance

BNB price is moving near $614 after a US federal court dismissed all anti-terrorism claims against Binance. The ruling removes a major legal overhang, but the price remains under technical pressure. A federal judge in the Southern District of New York dismissed all claims filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The lawsuit, as we reported, involved 535 plaintiffs who cited 64 attacks between 2017 and 2024. The court found that the plaintiffs failed to prove that Binance assisted or conspired with terrorist groups. Court Dismisses All ATA Claims Against Binance The 62-page decision rejected every central allegation against Binance and founder Changpeng Zhao. The court stated that the plaintiffs failed to show direct participation or intent. It ruled that exchange access alone did not establish liability. Eleanor Hughes, Binance General Counsel, said the dismissal represents a full rejection of the claims. She stated that the court rejected what she called a false narrative. The court allowed plaintiffs 60 days to file an amended complaint. Binance stated that it remains confident no amended filing can fix the deficiencies identified. The company said it will continue to defend itself against litigation. It also confirmed ongoing engagement with regulators worldwide. The lawsuit followed earlier regulatory scrutiny in the United States. In 2023, Binance agreed to a $4.3 billion settlement over sanctions and AML violations. That settlement remains separate from the ATA case. Binance Responds to Senate Inquiry and Compliance Questions Binance also responded to an inquiry from Senator Richard Blumenthal. The company disputed media claims and called certain allegations unsupported. It stated that users located in Iran are prohibited from using the platform. Binance said it found no direct transactions with Iran-based entities. It added that it first learned of named entities through law enforcement inquiries. The exchange said it investigated and off boarded the accounts involved. Changpeng Zhao posted that false news is temporary and truth takes time. Teresa Goody Guillén also confirmed that the court dismissed every claim. She stated that the plaintiffs failed to tie Binance or Zhao to financing attacks. BNB Price Structure Remains Bearish Below Key Resistance Despite the legal win, BNB remains in a short-term downtrend on the daily chart. Price previously broke down from the $880 to $900 region. The move erased several support levels in a short period. BNB trades below the 20-day simple moving average near $621. The upper Bollinger Band sits near $653 and acts as resistance. The lower Bollinger Band near $588 offers short-term support. Source: TradingView The RSI reads around 41 and remains below the neutral 50 level. Selling pressure has slowed, but bullish momentum has not returned. Traders are now watching the $650 to $700 zone for a recovery attempt. If BNB fails to hold $588, the price may retest $560. A deeper move toward $520 to $500 remains possible if weakness continues. However, a break above $650 could open a path toward $720 to $750.

8 Mar 2026, 16:25

Shiba Inu Exchange Netflow Drops as Traders Accumulate Over 131B SHIB

Shiba Inu is showing renewed accumulation despite a weak price trend across the market. Recent data shows a sharp shift in exchange flows as large amounts of SHIB move off trading platforms. The movement suggests growing demand for the meme token during the current dip. At the same time, derivatives activity has started to increase, signaling rising trading engagement. Exchange Withdrawals Signal Growing SHIB Accumulation Crypto analytics platform CryptoQuant reported a notable shift in Shiba Inu exchange flows on Saturday, March 7. The platform showed a 3% decline in Shiba Inu exchange netflow over the last 24 hours. Following this drop, the netflow across supported cryptocurrency exchanges now sits at -131,956,300,000 SHIB. Although the figure appears negative, it reflects a potentially bullish signal for the token. At the time of writing Shiba Inu trades at around $0.00000528, down 1.64% in the last 24 hours. A negative netflow means traders removed more SHIB from exchanges than they deposited. This pattern often indicates accumulation activity. In the last 24 hours, the amount of SHIB withdrawn from exchanges significantly exceeded tokens sent back for selling. The difference reached more than 131 billion SHIB. This gap suggests traders continue purchasing the leading meme token even as the price remains under pressure. Many buyers appear to collect tokens at lower prices during the ongoing dip. The development follows several days in which Shiba Inu displayed consistent bearish signals. During that period, exchange flow data recorded large increases day after day. Despite the price remaining in red territory, the sharp withdrawals from exchanges point to rising confidence among buyers. Shiba Inu Open Interest Records 2.24% Increase Shiba Inu also increased activity in its derivatives market during the same period. Data shows that Shiba Inu open interest flipped positive over the last 24 hours. Open interest rose by 2.24%, reflecting new trading positions across futures contracts. Currently, more than 10.09 trillion SHIB are locked in active derivatives agreements. The increase suggests that futures traders are opening new positions as demand grows. The surge in derivatives activity followed the strong exchange withdrawals recorded during the same timeframe. Among major platforms, MEXC recorded the strongest increase in activity. The exchange reported a 28.03% surge in trader interest linked to SHIB futures contracts. Together, the rising open interest and negative exchange netflow highlight growing engagement with Shiba Inu despite its recent price weakness.

8 Mar 2026, 15:30

West Texas Crude Hits $115 on Hyperliquid Amid Middle East War Tensions

Oil prices jumped to $115 a barrel over the weekend on the decentralized exchange ( DEX) platform Hyperliquid as Middle East conflict and sudden production cuts from Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates rattled energy markets. Oil Markets React to Iran Conflict as Weekend Trading Pushes Prices Higher The spike unfolded while traditional commodity exchanges