Invest ideasNews
12 May 2026, 05:33
OpenAI to save $97 billion through 2030 under renegotiated Microsoft deal, report says
OpenAI stands to save roughly $97 billion in payments to Microsoft through 2030 under the partnership renegotiated last October, according to Monday reports. The figure quantifies the financial impact of changes both companies announced on October 28, 2025, when OpenAI completed its restructuring into a public benefit corporation controlled by its nonprofit foundation. Under the original agreement, OpenAI had committed to paying Microsoft 20% of its revenue through 2030. That obligation could have totaled as much as $135 billion. The renegotiated terms cap the revenue-sharing payments and decouple them from artificial general intelligence milestones that previously could have triggered larger payouts. OpenAI cuts Microsoft’s revenue share OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has told investors the company expects to share roughly 8% to 10% of revenue with all commercial partners combined, including Microsoft, by 2030, down from 20% today. The reduction reflects two structural changes: a lower percentage rate and a hard cap on total payments. The previous agreement also included an AGI clause that could have sharply altered the financial structure if an independent panel determined OpenAI had achieved artificial general intelligence (AGI). Under the renegotiated terms, AGI verification still ends Microsoft’s research IP rights but no longer triggers revenue-share escalation. As Cryptopolitan reported last October, the restructuring gave Microsoft a 27% stake in OpenAI Group PBC valued at approximately $135 billion. OpenAI committed to purchasing $250 billion in Azure cloud services in exchange. Microsoft retains IP access through 2032. OpenAI opens the door to AWS and Google Cloud The renegotiated deal ended Microsoft’s exclusive right to provide cloud computing services to OpenAI. OpenAI products will still launch first on Azure “unless Microsoft cannot and chooses not to support the necessary capabilities,” per the company’s announcement. But OpenAI can now sell models and enterprise services through Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud. The shift has already produced friction. The Financial Times reported in March that Microsoft was considering legal action against Amazon and OpenAI over a $50 billion deal that gave AWS exclusive third-party cloud rights for OpenAI’s Frontier enterprise AI platform. Microsoft’s position is that the partnership requires OpenAI’s API products to run through Azure. OpenAI argues Frontier qualifies as a non-API product and can be hosted elsewhere. Microsoft trades revenue share for equity and access Microsoft no longer receives a reciprocal revenue share from OpenAI under the new structure. The 27% equity stake, the $250 billion Azure commitment, and the IP access through 2032 are the company’s primary returns. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives described the restructuring as “a net positive for Microsoft” because the agreement “locks in a 6-year IP control over OpenAI technology” while removing uncertainty around the long-running partnership structure. The Financial Times has also reported that Amazon discussed investing as much as $50 billion into OpenAI as part of a broader strategic partnership, suggesting the cloud diversification is reshaping investor positioning beyond Microsoft. OpenAI is preparing for a possible IPO in the fourth quarter. The removal of Azure exclusivity and the AGI-triggered payment escalation were among the structural obstacles to a public listing, per Ives. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .
12 May 2026, 05:30
Bitcoin Treasury Race Heats Up As Capital B Secures $18 Million
Europe’s second-largest Bitcoin treasury company just got a significant cash injection. Capital B , listed on the French stock exchange, has raised 15.2 million euros — roughly $17.8 million — through a private share placement, with notable backing from Blockstream CEO Adam Back and Paris-based asset manager TOBAM. A Bigger Prize On The Horizon The real number to watch, though, may be much larger. Each share in the deal came attached with four subscription warrants at a fixed price of $0.78. If all of those warrants are exercised, Capital B could pull in an additional $116.5 million through the issuance of about 92 million new shares, according to board director of Bitcoin strategy Alexandre Laizet. The company said the fresh capital, combined with revenue from its ongoing operations, could allow it to purchase around 182 more Bitcoin. That would push its total holdings to roughly 3,125 BTC. Back In The Picture — Again Adam Back’s involvement raised eyebrows. This is the second time in a week the cryptographer and Blockstream chief has backed Capital B. Just seven days earlier, Back participated in a separate $1.3 million raise from the same company. Capital B currently holds 2,943 BTC, valued at approximately $237 million. That makes it the 25th-largest corporate Bitcoin holder in the world and the second-largest in Europe, trailing only Germany’s Bitcoin Group SE, according to data from Bitcointreasuries. The timing of the raise sets Capital B apart from much of the rest of the corporate Bitcoin sector. While other firms have been pulling back — selling holdings, cutting debt, or setting up hedging programs after months of soft market conditions — Capital B is still buying. Nakamoto , a Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin treasury firm, announced a derivatives program in late April to guard against downside risk. Earlier, Genius Group sold its entire 84 BTC treasury to pay off an $8.5 million debt. Shares Climb After Announcement Capital B shares climbed about 4.25% on Monday following the news, trading near 0.67 euros. The stock is still down around 10% for the year. Strategy , the company led by Michael Saylor, raised $2.5 billion in late April through stock and preferred share sales. A smaller raise by XCE — $794,000, also backed by Adam Back — was announced around the same time. Capital B’s latest move signals that at least some European companies are still pressing forward with Bitcoin accumulation, even as conditions remain uncertain. Featured image from FinanceFeeds, chart from TradingView
12 May 2026, 05:15
Crypto Firm Backed by French NBA Star Halts Plan to Buy Bitcoin
The Bitcoin Society, a start-up backed by French NBA star Tony Parker and entrepreneur Éric Larchevêque, has ditched plans to build a crypto treasury, months after announcing the strategy.
12 May 2026, 04:39
Bitcoin Holds $81K Pivot as Capital B Raises $17.8M and Crypto ETPs Pull $858M in Sixth Weekly Inflow Streak
Bitcoin News France-listed treasury firm Capital B raised 15.2 million euros, or roughly $17.8 million, through a private placement backed by Blockstream chief executive Adam Back and Paris asset m...
12 May 2026, 04:33
Microsoft aimed for $92B return on OpenAI investment, Nadella says
A January 2023 memo from Microsoft President Brad Smith to the company’s board projected a $92 billion return on Microsoft’s cumulative $13 billion investment in OpenAI, according to court documents disclosed Monday, May 11. The figure surfaced during testimony by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at the federal courthouse in Oakland, California, per Bloomberg . “It has worked out well because we took the risk,” Nadella told the jury. Microsoft’s 27% stake in OpenAI is now estimated at $135 billion. OpenAI was last valued at $852 billion following its $122 billion March funding round. Nadella saw OpenAI as a Microsoft-scale threat Under questioning from Musk’s lead trial attorney Steven Molo, Nadella confirmed he had drawn a historical parallel to Microsoft’s early PC partnership with IBM as the company prepared its $10 billion follow-on investment in OpenAI in April 2022. In an internal email presented as evidence, Nadella wrote he did not want Microsoft to become IBM while OpenAI became the next Microsoft. The email captures the strategic calculation behind Microsoft’s bet: avoid the trap of being the infrastructure partner who lets a startup capture all the upside. Microsoft’s investment timeline: $1 billion in 2019, doubled in 2021, then $10 billion in early 2023. The 2023 round is what the Brad Smith memo projected would return $92 billion. Musk argues Microsoft helped redirect OpenAI’s mission As Cryptopolitan reported , Musk’s attorneys called Nadella as their first witness Monday. The strategy is to use Microsoft’s own internal documents to show the company knowingly steered OpenAI toward profit despite its nonprofit charter. Musk seeks $79 billion to $134 billion in damages. Under cross-examination, Nadella acknowledged he was not aware of any full-time employees at the OpenAI nonprofit before March 2026, or of any grants, research, or open-sourced technology it had produced. Microsoft attorney Jay Jurata pushed back, walking Nadella through three major Microsoft-OpenAI milestones (the 2019 announcement, the 2020 GPT-3 exclusive license, the 2023 $10 billion investment) and asking each time whether Musk had objected. Nadella said no each time. He noted he and Musk have each other’s phone numbers. The verdict timeline Sam Altman is expected to testify Tuesday or Wednesday. Closing arguments follow. The advisory jury could reach a verdict the week of May 18. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers makes the final ruling after hearing the jury’s recommendation. She cut Musk’s fraud claims before trial, leaving breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment as the remaining counts. A ruling for Musk could jeopardize OpenAI’s planned IPO. OpenAI named the lawsuit as a “risk to business” in investor disclosures earlier this year. Greg Brockman, whose stake in OpenAI is valued at $30 billion, testified last week about 2017 diary entries referencing “making money for us.” He also told the court that Musk physically threatened him in 2017 after Musk was denied majority control of OpenAI. Microsoft has denied wrongdoing. OpenAI has called Musk’s case “baseless harassment” tied to xAI, his competing AI venture. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .
12 May 2026, 04:15
Gold Retreats From Three-Week High as Iran Tensions and Hawkish Fed Bets Lift Dollar
BitcoinWorld Gold Retreats From Three-Week High as Iran Tensions and Hawkish Fed Bets Lift Dollar Gold prices slipped on Tuesday, retreating from a three-week peak, as escalating geopolitical tensions involving Iran and growing expectations of a more hawkish Federal Reserve boosted demand for the US dollar, weighing on the safe-haven metal. Safe-Haven Demand Offset by Dollar Strength Spot gold edged lower after touching its highest level in three weeks during the previous session. The pullback came as the US dollar index strengthened, making gold more expensive for holders of other currencies. Traders pointed to a combination of factors pressuring the precious metal, including renewed uncertainty over US interest rate policy and fresh reports of heightened military posturing in the Middle East. While geopolitical risks typically support gold as a safe-haven asset, the simultaneous rise in the dollar—driven by safe-haven flows into the greenback and hawkish commentary from Fed officials—created a competing dynamic that capped gold’s upside. Hawkish Fed Bets Resurface Several Federal Reserve officials this week signaled caution on cutting interest rates too quickly, citing persistent inflation and a resilient labor market. Markets are now pricing in a lower probability of a rate cut at the next Fed meeting, which has pushed Treasury yields higher and further strengthened the dollar. Higher interest rates increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets like gold, making the metal less attractive to investors. The renewed hawkish tone from the Fed has added a layer of headwind for gold bulls, even as geopolitical tensions simmer. Impact on Investor Positioning The conflicting signals—geopolitical risk on one hand and a stronger dollar and higher yields on the other—have left gold traders in a cautious mood. Analysts suggest that gold may remain range-bound in the near term, with support near recent lows and resistance at the three-week high touched earlier this week. For retail and institutional investors alike, the key takeaway is that gold’s traditional safe-haven appeal is being partially neutralized by a strengthening dollar, which itself is attracting safe-haven flows. This dynamic could persist until clearer signals emerge on either the geopolitical front or the Fed’s rate path. Conclusion Gold’s retreat from its three-week high reflects a complex market environment where geopolitical tensions and monetary policy expectations are pulling prices in opposing directions. While the metal retains its safe-haven status, the dollar’s strength and hawkish Fed bets are likely to keep a lid on near-term gains. Investors should watch for further developments in Iran and upcoming Fed speeches for clearer direction. FAQs Q1: Why did gold prices fall despite rising Iran tensions? Gold fell because the US dollar strengthened significantly due to safe-haven flows into the greenback and hawkish Fed comments, making gold more expensive for international buyers and reducing its appeal. Q2: How do hawkish Fed bets affect gold prices? Hawkish Fed bets mean higher interest rates are expected, which increases the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding gold and strengthens the dollar, both of which are negative for gold prices. Q3: Is gold still a good safe-haven investment right now? Gold remains a safe-haven asset, but its performance is currently being offset by a strong dollar. Investors should consider it as part of a diversified portfolio, but near-term price action may remain volatile and range-bound. This post Gold Retreats From Three-Week High as Iran Tensions and Hawkish Fed Bets Lift Dollar first appeared on BitcoinWorld .
