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21 May 2026, 21:23

Quantum stocks jump after the U.S. government announced a $2 billion grant plan for nine companies

Quantum stocks rallied today because the U.S. government is investing $2 billion in grants to nine companies working on quantum computing. The National Institute of Standards and Technology said it signed letters of intent with the companies. The U.S. government will also take minority stakes in each business, but those stakes will not give it control. The biggest award is going to IBM (IBM), which is set to receive $1 billion from the Commerce Department. IBM stock traded about 7% higher after the announcement. IBM backs Anderon as the U.S. funds a new quantum chip foundry IBM is one of the main public companies building quantum computers. These machines are being designed to handle problems that regular computers struggle with or cannot solve at all. After the Wall Street Journal reported the funding plan, IBM confirmed that it will work with the U.S. government on the country’s first purpose-built quantum foundry. IBM said the project will “accelerate American quantum innovation and enable advanced quantum wafer production for a broad range of companies.” The Commerce Department grant will support research and development at Anderon, a new IBM company. IBM said it will also put $1 billion into Anderon, matching the planned government grant. Anderon will be based in Albany, New York, and run as a separate company. IBM said, “Headquartered in Albany, New York as a standalone company, Anderon will operate as a state-of-the-art 300-millimeter quantum wafer foundry.” IBM also said the business will help the U.S. strengthen its place in a quantum industry that could create up to $850 billion in economic value by 2040. The company also tied the project to U.S. economic growth and national security. Other companies are getting smaller awards. GlobalFoundries (GFS) is set to receive $375 million. D-Wave Quantum (QBTS), Rigetti Computing (RGTI), and private company Infleqtion are each expected to get $100 million. Startup Diraq is reportedly in line for $38 million. The stock reaction was not quiet. D-Wave and Rigetti both climbed about 25%. Infleqtion rose roughly 30%. Other quantum names that were not listed in the grant announcement also gained. Arqit Quantum (ARQQ) rose 30%, IonQ (IONQ) added 12%, and Quantum Computing (QUBT) gained 17%. Traders lift major indexes while oil and Treasury yields stay unstable The wider U.S. stock market also finished higher on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 276.31 points, or 0.55%, and closed at a record 50,285.66. The S&P 500 rose 0.17% to 7,445.72. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.09% and ended at 26,293.10. Oil prices fell even as the market stayed nervous over the Middle East conflict. West Texas Intermediate futures dropped almost 2% to close at $96.35 per barrel. Brent crude fell more than 2% to finish at $102.58 per barrel. Treasury yields were also volatile as traders watched for any sign of a deal. International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol warned that oil markets could soon enter a “red zone.” Fatih said global inventories are falling while summer travel is lifting demand. Fatih said the key answer to the Iran war energy shock is a full and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. He said if the route does not reopen, and if no new Middle East oil supply comes online, oil markets “may be entering the red zone in July or August.” He made the comments at a Chatham House session on the Strait of Hormuz crisis and global energy security. The IEA has said the global oil market is facing the most severe disruption in its history. Fatih said the market had extra supply when the crisis began, which helped soften the blow, but those stockpiles are now shrinking. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .

21 May 2026, 20:35

Alaska Rep Begich pushes bill to protect America’s crypto reserve from admin change

United States House Representative Nick Begich of Alaska has introduced the American Reserve Modernization Act (ARMA), legislation designed to write President Donald Trump’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve into permanent statute and insulate the federal government’s Bitcoin holdings from being unwound by a future administration. ARMA seeks to do for the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve what the CLARITY and GENIUS Acts are designed to do for the crypto market structure and stablecoins, which is to codify the framework so it survives the next election. Begich, in a statement on X , said the bill would protect digital reserve assets “from the whims of Congress or future administrations.” Why is Begich rebranding the BITCOIN Act? ARMA is a renamed version of the BITCOIN Act , which was introduced by him and sponsored by Senator Cynthia Lummis in March 2025. The rebranding followed discussions with the House Financial Services Committee aimed at getting more support after the original bill failed to gain traction in 2025. Begich’s argument is that what “a president can do in four years, a Congress can do permanently.” The bill establishes the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve within the Treasury, with a separate stockpile for other federally held digital assets. It directs Treasury to acquire up to 1 million BTC, which is 5% of Bitcoin’s total supply. It also imposes a minimum 20-year holding period, with coins kept in cold storage. Purchases are to be funded through what proponents call budget-neutral strategies, including the Federal Reserve’s discretionary surplus fund and a revaluation of gold certificates. In a conversation with Fox Business , Begich stated, “When you look at gold, it is the dominant precious metal reserve. When you look at Bitcoin, it represents about 60% of all market cap for the entire crypto space,” adding that “The market has decided, in the case of gold and in the case of Bitcoin, that this will be the predominant store of value within that asset class.” How does ARMA fit with the wider crypto legislative push? ARMA goes well beyond the executive order Trump signed in March 2025, which only consolidates seized Bitcoin into a single federal stockpile. The Begich-Lummis bill would initiate active open-market purchases and bar the Treasury from selling for two decades. Representative Pat Harrigan, a co-sponsor, sees it as a fix for a custody problem already on the federal books, stating that “The United States government already holds billions in seized Bitcoin with no coherent strategy for managing it, and that needs to change.” The bill comes at a time when there is an increased push to lock crypto policy into statute before midterm campaigning consumes the legislative calendar. The Senate Banking Committee passed the CLARITY Act on May 14 in a 15-9 vote, sending the crypto market-structure bill to the floor with two Democrats, Senator Ruben Gallego and Senator Angela Alsobrooks, crossing over. Lummis had flagged a mid-June floor vote as “probably pretty optimistic,” as news broke earlier today that the Senate has gone home until June. She and Senator Bernie Moreno have warned that failure before the summer recess could push the next viable window for crypto legislation to 2030 or beyond. Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of the leading opposing voices to the CLARITY Act, described it as “a bill written by the crypto industry for the crypto industry.” If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter .

21 May 2026, 19:35

Push to hike crypto taxes in Germany fails in the Bundestag

An attempt to increase the tax burden on cryptocurrency owners in Germany has not gained enough support in the country’s legislature. Most parties opposed a bill put forward by the Greens, who wanted to target the tax-free profits from long-term digital-asset investments. Greens’ crypto tax proposal halted in parliament The draft law, designed to stiffen taxation for cryptocurrency investors, was stopped in the Finance Committee of the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament. Submitted by the parliamentary group of the Alliance 90/The Greens party, it was backed only by Die Linke (the Left Party) faction, according to a notice published by the chamber. The sponsors of the legislation sought to put an end to tax-free profits from the trading of digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, BTC Echo highlighted in an article. Under the Federal Republic’s current regulations, capital gains from the sale of coins held for more than a year after purchase are not taxed. The “holding period” rule remains in place, for now. The Greens, who considered this unjustified, insisted that crypto assets should be treated similarly to other investments, the leading German crypto news outlet explained further. However, critics of their stance say that under the proposal, crypto investors would have been taxed more than those who put money into regular stocks, for example. Ruling German parties oppose the Greens’ tax bill According to lawmakers from the group of the CDU/CSU center-right political alliance of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the law drafted by the Greens wasn’t closing any loopholes. On the contrary, the members of the ruling majority fear it would have created new ones, as it envisages taxing cryptocurrencies differently from traditional assets such as precious metals or foreign fiat currencies. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the main opposition force in the Bundestag, insisted that the government should focus on taxing fewer things, rather than searching for new sources of revenue. To achieve that, the populist faction suggested limiting the state’s role to maintaining its core functions, such as providing security and administering the justice system. The Social Democratic Party (SPD), the junior coalition partner of the Christian Democrats in the federal cabinet, is generally in favor of heavier crypto taxation. But its representatives in the parliament want to postpone the adoption of the necessary amendments until their Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil presents his own proposals on the matter. Greens wanted to tap into billions in crypto profits While suggesting their legislation, the Greens claimed that the tax exemption for cryptocurrency gains was originally introduced with other assets in mind, such as antiques put up for sale after long storage. The party’s legislators also hoped to boost budget revenues by at least half of the expected €11.4 billion in additional tax revenue, according to an estimate produced by the Frankfurt School of Finance. Die Linke, which supported their bill after recently calling for reform, insisted that existing injustices in the taxation of crypto assets must be ultimately overcome, despite the weaknesses of the Greens’ draft. Among them, the risk of increased bureaucracy and the lack of a limit for offsetting losses from cryptocurrency transactions, which would have resulted in a loss of revenue for the state coffers. Even without the tax changes, Germany has been ramping up pressure on crypto investors lately to duly declare their profits, as reported by Cryptopolitan earlier this year. One of the new measures to improve the accuracy of information on tax returns is to oblige crypto service providers to collect and submit details about clients and their transactions to the tax office. The requirement stems from the enforcement of the European Union’s DAC8 directive in the Bundesrepublik, which entered into effect on January 1, 2026. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .

21 May 2026, 18:10

Circle Mints 250 Million USDC as Stablecoin Supply Expands

BitcoinWorld Circle Mints 250 Million USDC as Stablecoin Supply Expands Blockchain tracking service Whale Alert reported on Wednesday that 250 million USDC has been minted at the USDC Treasury. The transaction, recorded on the Ethereum blockchain, represents a significant addition to the circulating supply of the second-largest stablecoin by market capitalization. Details of the Mint According to on-chain data, the mint occurred at the USDC Treasury address, the official smart contract controlled by Circle Internet Financial. The new tokens were created in a single transaction. Whale Alert, which monitors large cryptocurrency transfers, flagged the event as notable due to the size of the issuance. This is not an isolated event; Circle regularly mints and redeems USDC based on market demand. Market Context and Implications Large-scale stablecoin mints often signal institutional demand for dollar-denominated digital assets. Increased USDC supply can be used for trading, decentralized finance (DeFi) liquidity provision, or as a bridge for cross-border payments. The minting follows a period of relative stability in the stablecoin market, where total supply has fluctuated alongside broader crypto market sentiment. Analysts watch these mints closely as they can precede increased trading activity on exchanges. What This Means for Crypto Markets The injection of 250 million USDC adds to the already substantial liquidity pool in the crypto ecosystem. While a single mint does not dictate market direction, it reflects ongoing demand for a trusted, regulated stablecoin. Circle, the issuer of USDC, maintains full reserves and publishes monthly attestations. The timing of this mint may align with institutional treasury operations or exchange inventory management, though Circle has not publicly commented on the specific reason for this issuance. Conclusion The minting of 250 million USDC is a routine but noteworthy operational event in the stablecoin market. It underscores the continued utility of USDC as a liquidity tool for institutions and traders. Readers should monitor future mint and redemption patterns for broader signals about market demand and capital flows. FAQs Q1: What is USDC? USDC is a USD-pegged stablecoin issued by Circle Internet Financial. It is fully backed by cash and short-term U.S. Treasury bonds, and its value is designed to remain stable at $1 per token. Q2: Why does Circle mint new USDC? Circle mints USDC in response to demand from institutional clients, exchanges, and DeFi protocols. When users deposit fiat currency, Circle issues new USDC tokens. Conversely, tokens are burned (removed from supply) when users redeem them for dollars. Q3: Does a large mint affect the price of USDC? No. USDC is designed to maintain a 1:1 peg with the U.S. dollar. Large mints or burns do not change its market price, though they can signal shifts in market liquidity and demand for dollar exposure within crypto markets. This post Circle Mints 250 Million USDC as Stablecoin Supply Expands first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

21 May 2026, 18:08

Proposed ARMA Bill Aims to Enshrine Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Into Law

The American Reserve Modernization Act would direct the Treasury to create and maintain a Bitcoin reserve for a minimum of 20 years.

21 May 2026, 18:05

Missouri AG Files Suit Against Coinflip, Targets Over 140 Bitcoin ATM Kiosks in the State

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed a lawsuit May 20, 2026, against GPD Holdings LLC, the company operating the Coinflip Bitcoin ATM network, accusing it of knowingly facilitating fraud while hiding fees that reached as high as 21.9% of each transaction. Missouri Sues Coinflip for Hiding 21.9% Fees and Allegedly Enabling Crypto Scams Statewide The