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3 May 2026, 18:46

Tether Records $1B Net Profit in Q1 Attestation Report

The leading stablecoin issuer has released its attestation report for the first quarter of 2026, revealing a net profit of more than $1 billion. The company was able to generate such profit despite broader volatility and unstable market conditions. This development comes as stablecoins evolve into major dollar infrastructure globally, especially in markets with limited access to USD banking systems. According to a press release, the leading independent accounting firm, BDO, prepared the attestation, confirming the accuracy of Tether’s financial figures and reserves report. Tether Releases Q1 2026 Attestation Report While generating a net profit above $1.04 billion, Tether’s excess reserve buffer hit a record $8.23 billion. The reserve base is concentrated in short-duration, high-quality liquid instruments. By March 31, the firm’s direct and indirect exposure to U.S. Treasury bills had reached $141 billion, making Tether the 17th-largest holder of U.S. Treasuries globally. Tether says short-dated sovereign exposure remains central to its reserve strategy. In addition to the Treasury bills, Tether’s reserves include precious metals, consisting entirely of $20 billion in physical gold and $7 billion in bitcoin. The goal is to maintain a balance between liquidity, resilience, and exposure to macro assets that perform under stressful conditions. “Our responsibility is to make sure USD₮ works without compromise. That means building a system that behaves the same way in any market condition, not just when things are stable. The focus is on keeping the structure simple, liquid, and resilient by design, so it does not depend on favorable environments or external support,” Tether’s CEO, Paolo Ardoino, said. USDT Grows by $5B Overall, Tether had over $191.7 billion in assets and $183.5 billion in liabilities as of March 31, 2026. The entity’s assets exceed its liabilities by more than $8.2 billion. Noteworthily, Tether’s proprietary investments are not included in its USDT reserves. They are fully segregated and funded from the firm’s excess capital and profits. The company claims the investments do not affect the quality, liquidity, or transparency of USDT reserves. USDT in circulation has grown significantly, expanding by $5 billion in the second quarter of the year. The stablecoin’s market cap hovered above $189 billion at the time of writing. “People should not have to question whether the system works; it just has to work,” Ardoino added. The post Tether Records $1B Net Profit in Q1 Attestation Report appeared first on CryptoPotato .

3 May 2026, 18:39

Gareth Soloway Warns Bitcoin Could Drop to $50K as Bear Flag Tightens at $85,000

Gareth Soloway, chief market strategist and president of Verified Investing, told David Lin of The David Lin Report (TDLR) that bitcoin is forming a bear flag that could send prices down roughly 38% to $50,000, while the S&P 500 is flashing the same signals seen at the peak of the dot-com boom. Key Takeaways: Gareth

3 May 2026, 16:34

5 Reasons Ayni Gold Stands Out in Gold-Backed DeFi

Gold-backed DeFi has scaled quickly through 2025 and 2026. Tether Gold (XAUT) crossed $4 billion in market cap; PAXG holds steady at multi-billion AUM. Most of that growth has come from a single model: tokenizing stored bullion in vaults. Ayni Gold operates differently. The protocol is a DeFi product that turns gold mining output into on-chain yield, with stakers receiving PAXG rewards quarterly from mining production at the Minerales San Hilario concession in Peru. This piece covers five structural features that set it apart in the category. Five Features That Distinguish Ayni in 2026 The five features below are not marketing claims. Each is a verifiable structural property of how Ayni works, backed by published documentation, third-party audits, or on-chain data. The features fall across different dimensions of how the protocol works, from yield mechanics to tokenomics. Together, they map a structurally distinct position in gold-backed DeFi. 1. Production-Linked Yield from Real Mining Operations Most gold-backed tokens give holders price exposure to gold sitting in vaults. Each PAXG or XAUT token represents one troy ounce of stored bullion. Ayni inverts that model. The AYNI token represents a share of operating mining capacity at a producing concession. Each token corresponds to 4 cm³ per hour of processing capacity at the 8 km² alluvial site in Madre de Dios. Yield comes from extracted gold, not stored gold. A 2025 scoping study estimated 9+ metric tonnes of conceptual recoverable gold at the site, with projected daily production capacity reaching up to 8,000 grams as operations scale. Yield rises with extraction and tightens with output. For investors looking at DeFi gold yield as part of a portfolio, this delivers an exposure profile no vault-backed token can replicate. The position pays returns from physical economic activity, with yield outcomes tied directly to mining performance. 2. Quarterly PAXG Distributions in a Yield-Paying Gold Token Most gold-backed tokens do not pay yield. PAXG, XAUT, Comtech Gold, Meld Gold, and similar products give holders gold price exposure with no native distribution mechanism. Returns come solely from the gold price moving. Ayni distributes PAXG to stakers on a quarterly schedule. The reward formula is published openly: PAXG reward = (AYNI_staked × Mining_output × Time_factor) − Costs − Success_Fee. Settlement runs through Peru's banking system. Extracted gold sells to local banks, the proceeds become fiat, and the fiat buys PAXG via Paxos. The PAXG then distributes to staked AYNI proportionally. The combination is unusual. PAXG is itself a vault-backed gold token, which means rewards arrive in a stable-value asset that tracks the gold price. Holders evaluating PAXG yield staking as a way to earn returns denominated in gold find an option that vault-backed tokens structurally cannot offer. 3. A Multi-Layer Verification Stack Most gold-backed DeFi protocols have one main verification layer: a smart contract audit. Ayni's structural model requires more, because it tokenizes physical operations, not just on-chain assets. The verification stack covers four independent providers. CertiK and PeckShield audited the smart contracts in October 2025. TurnKey provides institutional custody for distributions. Kangari Consulting handles geological assessments at the mining site, including the 2025 scoping study. This four-layer setup is unusual in the category. PAXG relies on Paxos custody plus periodic attestations. XAUT relies on BDO Italia attestations of Swiss vault holdings. Both models work for vault-backed tokens because the underlying asset is static gold. Ayni's underlying activity is dynamic mining production, which changes the verification problem. Smart contracts and custody arrangements need verification alongside the geological reality of the underlying asset itself. Documentation across the four providers is published openly at the protocol's trust page. 4. Deflationary Tokenomics with a Fixed Supply Cap Total supply is 806,451,613 AYNI tokens, issued as ERC-20 with no post-launch minting. The allocation breakdown: Sales & Funds: 403,225,806 AYNI (50%) Reserve fund: 161,290,323 AYNI (20%) Team: 161,290,323 AYNI (20%) Advisor Board: 40,322,581 AYNI (5%) Airdrops & Community: 40,322,581 AYNI (5%) Team and advisor allocations follow a vesting schedule. On top of the fixed cap, the protocol burns 15% of accumulated success fees each quarter, contracting circulating supply over time. The combination is structurally unusual. Vault-backed gold tokens like PAXG and XAUT operate on expanding supply. Most yield-paying tokens in DeFi rely on inflationary issuance to fund rewards. Ayni does neither. Holders of staked AYNI receive gold backed crypto yield in PAXG while the underlying token supply contracts on a defined schedule. 5. Licensed Peruvian Mining Concessions The protocol's underlying activity is fully licensed under Peruvian mining law. Two active concessions support production, with primary registration through INGEMMET (the Geological, Mining, and Metallurgical Institute of Peru) under No. 070011405 . A secondary concession was acquired in Q4 2025, expanding production capacity. The licensing layer creates a structural distinction in how the token is backed. Vault-backed gold tokens depend on custody arrangements: the token holds value because gold sits in a regulated vault, and the regulatory question is custody. Ayni's token holds value because mining production occurs at a licensed concession, and the regulatory question is concession permitting. Both models are legitimate, but the underlying compliance frameworks are different. Investors looking to earn yield in gold through Ayni gain exposure to a real-world operation with the legal infrastructure of Peruvian mining law standing behind it. Where Ayni Sits in 2026's Gold-Backed DeFi Category Ayni is newer and smaller than the category leaders. PAXG, XAUT, and Kinesis all carry deeper liquidity and longer track records, with broader exchange presence as well. None of that is in dispute. The structural distinctiveness creates a different kind of allocation slot. Ayni delivers gold backed DeFi yield through quarterly PAXG distributions tied to physical mining output, with deflationary tokenomics underneath. Vault-backed tokens cannot match that profile. For portfolios looking for non-correlated yield denominated in gold, Ayni occupies a position the larger gold tokens structurally cannot fill. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

3 May 2026, 16:26

Ayni Gold vs Ondo Finance: Two Real-World Cash Flows

Real-world asset tokenization has stopped being a niche category. By April 2026, the broader RWA market crossed $58 billion in tokenized value , and on-chain yield products built on real-world cash flow have started competing for portfolio allocations once held in traditional finance. Ondo Finance and Ayni Gold operate at opposite ends of that category. Ondo Finance tokenizes US Treasury yield anchored by partnerships with BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, and Wellington Management. Ayni Gold tokenizes mining production at a Peruvian gold concession, paying quarterly PAXG rewards from extracted gold. Both bring real-world cash flow on-chain. The mechanics could not be more different. This piece compares them on yield source and where each fits in a portfolio. Government Cash Flow vs Operational Cash Flow The two protocols share the real-world asset framing but tokenize fundamentally different cash flows. Ondo's yield comes from short-term US Treasury bills and money market fund returns, channeled through institutional fund managers. Ayni's yield comes from gold mining operations at a registered Peruvian concession, with rewards distributed in PAXG sourced from extracted gold. One is sovereign debt; the other is commodity production. Both are real-world cash flows, but the underlying economic activity sits at completely different ends of the spectrum. This contrast shapes everything that follows: who can access the products, where the risks come from, and how the yields behave across macro conditions. Inside Ondo Finance Ondo Finance was founded in 2021 by Nathan Allman, a former Goldman Sachs digital assets. The protocol brings institutional-grade Treasury yield on-chain while keeping the regulatory framework that traditional finance investors expect. The platform operates two flagship products: USDY: A tokenized note secured by short-term US Treasuries and bank demand deposits. Available to non-US holders. Pays approximately 3.69% APY in 2026. OUSG: An institutional-grade Treasury fund structured as a 3(c)(7) fund under Regulation D Rule 506(c). Available only to qualified investors. Pays around 3.49% APY. The OUSG portfolio invests across BlackRock (BUIDL fund), Franklin Templeton, Fidelity, WisdomTree, and Wellington Management, with USDC and bank deposits providing additional liquidity. Currently, Ondo's combined TVL has passed the $3.5 billion mark. The regulatory profile also strengthened in late 2025. The SEC closed its two-year investigation into Ondo without charges in November 2025, and the protocol acquired Oasis Pro Markets, an SEC-registered broker-dealer. Both moves cleared a path for accelerated US operations. Inside Ayni Gold Ayni Gold is a DeFi protocol that turns gold mining output into on-chain yield, with stakers receiving PAXG rewards quarterly from mining production at the Minerales San Hilario concession in Peru. The protocol does not tokenize stored gold or government debt. It tokenizes operating mining capacity at a licensed concession. Each AYNI token represents 4 cm³ per hour of processing capacity at the site, an 8 km² alluvial operation in Madre de Dios with two active concessions registered through INGEMMET. Smart contracts have been audited by CertiK and PeckShield in October 2025. TurnKey handles institutional custody, and Kangari Consulting manages the geological assessments. Settlement runs through Peru's banking system across four steps: Extracted gold sells to local banks Proceeds convert to fiat Fiat buys PAXG via Paxos PAXG distributes quarterly to staked AYNI proportionally For investors evaluating PAXG yield staking as part of an RWA allocation, Ayni introduces exposure to a primary revenue source most tokenized assets cannot replicate. How the Two Protocols Differ in Practice The two protocols diverge across the dimensions that determine portfolio fit. Each subsection below covers one axis of that divergence. Yield Source Ondo's yield originates from short-term US Treasury bills and government money market funds. The cash flow tracks Federal Reserve policy and the broader interest rate environment. When rates rise, Ondo yields rise. When rates fall, yields compress. Ayni's yield originates from physical gold extraction at a producing concession. The cash flow tracks operational variables: extraction volume and the local Peruvian gold market. Returns rise when production increases and tighten when output slows. Risk Profile Ondo carries minimal credit risk, since US Treasuries are considered among the lowest-risk assets globally. The remaining risks sit in counterparty exposure to Ondo and the underlying fund managers, plus duration risk on the Treasury maturities. Smart contract risk applies but is structurally limited. Ayni carries smart contract risk on the staking protocol itself, plus operational execution risk on the mining site. Production volume and the broader Peruvian gold market both factor into yield outcomes. The verification stack reduces protocol risk but does not eliminate the operational variable. Access Requirements Ondo's flagship products carry meaningful access gates. OUSG is restricted to qualified institutional investors with a $5,000 minimum, KYC verification, and accredited status checks. USDY is open to non-US retail holders, subject to KYC and a 40-50 day settlement window for new mints. Yield arrives through rebasing or NAV mechanics, depending on the product version. Ayni operates as an open DeFi infrastructure. Staking AYNI requires only an on-chain wallet, with no KYC and no jurisdictional restrictions. Quarterly PAXG distributions arrive directly to staked positions. Distribution Mechanics Ondo's products accrue yield continuously, either through NAV appreciation (OUSG, USDY) or rebasing (rOUSG). Holders see returns reflected in token value or balance updates daily. Ayni distributes quarterly. Stakers receive PAXG on a defined schedule instead of continuous accrual, which gives the position a different cash-flow shape. The yield is back-loaded to mining cycles, not smoothed across days. Side-by-Side Snapshot Dimension Ondo Finance Ayni Gold Yield source US Treasuries + money market funds Gold mining production Asset paid in USDY, OUSG (USD-denominated) PAXG (gold-backed) 2026 TVL $3.5B+ Newer category Backing BlackRock BUIDL, Franklin Templeton, others Operating Peruvian concession Audit/attestation Institutional fund managers CertiK + PeckShield + Kangari Consulting Access Qualified investors (OUSG) or KYC + non-US (USDY) Open DeFi access Distribution NAV accrual or rebasing Quarterly PAXG distributions Yield range ~3.49-3.69% APY Variable, tied to mining output How Each Fits a Real-World Yield Allocation The decision between Ondo Finance and Ayni Gold comes down to which kind of cash flow fits the portfolio. Ondo suits investors seeking a stable yield from a low-risk asset class with deep regulatory clarity. The yield tracks short-term US interest rates and benefits from BlackRock and Franklin Templeton's institutional plumbing. Ayni Gold suits investors seeking non-correlated yield denominated in gold, with operational exposure to a producing mining concession. Returns come from physical extraction, sit outside the interest rate environment, and hedge against USD-denominated risk. A portfolio holding both is also defensible. Ondo provides a USD-denominated stable yield on a larger allocation; Ayni adds gold backed crypto yield on a smaller one. The two cover different macro scenarios. FAQ What is the main difference between Ondo Finance and Ayni Gold? Ondo Finance tokenizes US Treasury yield through products like USDY and OUSG, with returns tracking short-term interest rates. Ayni Gold tokenizes gold mining production at a Peruvian concession and pays quarterly PAXG rewards. Both are real-world cash flows, but the underlying economic activity is fundamentally different. Does Ondo Finance pay yield in stablecoins? USDY is itself a yield-bearing tokenized note backed by short-term Treasuries and bank deposits. OUSG accrues yield through NAV appreciation, with the rOUSG variant rebasing to pay out yield in additional tokens. Holders receive returns through token value or balance updates, not separate stablecoin distributions. How is Ayni Gold's yield generated? Ayni Gold's yield comes from physical gold extraction at the Minerales San Hilario concession in Peru. Extracted gold is sold to local banks, the proceeds convert to fiat, and the fiat buys PAXG through Paxos. Stakers receive quarterly distributions of PAXG proportional to staked AYNI. Is Ondo Finance safer than Ayni Gold? The two carry different risk profiles. Ondo's main risks are counterparty exposure to fund managers and duration on Treasury maturities, with minimal credit risk on US debt. Ayni carries smart contract risk and operational execution risk on the mining site. Neither is universally safer; the choice depends on which risks fit the portfolio. Can I hold both Ondo and Ayni Gold? Yes. The two serve different roles. A portfolio can hold Ondo for USD-denominated Treasury yield and allocate a smaller portion to Ayni Gold for gold-denominated production yield. The combination provides exposure to two different real-world cash flows on the same crypto rails. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

3 May 2026, 13:26

Oscars shut out AI-generated actors

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Friday that new rules for the 99th Oscars will not allow AI-generated performances or screenplays to be considered for awards. The Academy’s official release says, “…in the Acting category, only roles credited in the film’s legal billing and demonstrably performed by humans with their consent will be considered eligible.” This means that only acting roles performed by humans and credited in a film’s legal billing would be eligible for acting categories. To be eligible for writing honors, screenplays must be written by humans. The Academy also has the right to ask for further details on how any movie used generative AI. AI Val Kilmer project sparks eligibility debate The restrictions come out as AI-generated characters get closer to being used in movies. A project that used an AI-generated version of Val Kilmer, who died in 2025, brought up direct questions about digital performances after death and whether they should be eligible for awards. Meanwhile, AI “actress” Tilly Norwood has been in the news a lot after talent agents said they wanted to represent the digital character last year. After seeing what OpenAI’s Sora video generator could do, director and actor Tyler Perry shocked the industry in 2024 when he said he was stopping an $800 million expansion of his Atlanta studio complex. Perry said at the time that the technology would “touch every corner of our industry” and cause a lot of actors, editors, and sound specialists to lose their jobs. Perry said, “There needs to be some kind of rules to protect us.” However, OpenAI has discontinued Sora on April 26, according to a dedicated FAQs page . Access to Sora’s API will stop next in September. The usage of AI in movies was a major point of contention during the actors’ and writers’ strikes in 2023. The new Academy rules formalize protections that those labor actions sought to establish. Hollywood will continue to use AI in movies The laws don’t completely stop Hollywood from using AI in movies. Generative AI can still be used as a tool in film creation. The Academy has made it clear that only people who perform and write are eligible for distinction as creative authors. Hachette Book Group has already dropped a novel called “Shy Girl” because it seemed to employ AI. The novel was intended for publication in the United States this spring. The book will be discontinued in the United Kingdom, where it is currently available. The Dolby Theater in Los Angeles will host the 99th Academy Awards on March 14, 2027. Movies that come out between January 1 and December 31, 2026, can be considered. There’s a middle ground between leaving money in the bank and rolling the dice in crypto. Start with this free video on decentralized finance .

3 May 2026, 12:39

Bitcoin hits $79,500 as dominance tops 60 percent

🚀 Bitcoin just surged to a new high of $79,500. Big institutions are boosting their $BTC holdings, pushing dominance above 60%. 📊 Critical development: Washington hints at a possible US strategic Bitcoin reserve. Continue Reading: Bitcoin hits $79,500 as dominance tops 60 percent The post Bitcoin hits $79,500 as dominance tops 60 percent appeared first on COINTURK NEWS .