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17 May 2026, 00:46
Trump deepens crypto exposure with Coinbase and Strategy investments

U.S. President Donald Trump and his family have further expanded their indirect exposure to the cryptocurrency sector. New financial disclosures reveal increased investments tied to major crypto-linked equities, including Coinbase Global and Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy). These shares were acquired in the first quarter of 2026, according to a financial disclosure submitted to the US Office of Government Ethics (OGE). The OGE Form 278-T was released to the public this week. It revealed thousands of stock trades made in the names of Trump and his family so far this year. This filing covers the collective assets and investments of the President, First Lady Melania Trump, and their dependent children. The relevant authorities conducting the investigation found that the president’s children control the family’s assets. Trump family’s major investments in key crypto firms hit the headlines The OGE document outlined nine purchases of Coinbase Global Inc. Class A Common Stock. On February 10, 2026, the biggest single transaction on Coinbase occurred. This purchase was valued between $100,001 and $250,000. Trump’s family also made smaller Coinbase share purchases throughout the quarter. Apart from Coinbase, they also allocated significant funds to MARA Holdings . MARA is one of the largest publicly traded Bitcoin miners. It is also a major corporate holder of Bitcoin. The MARA purchases were minor, similar to Coinbase’s. They consistently ranged from $15,001 to $50,000. The March 20, 2026, 113-page filing lists one transaction on page 35. In the first quarter, MARA reported $1.26 billion in net loss. Analysts claimed that the company intends to redirect its strategic focus to AI and data center infrastructure. In the meantime, the OGE Form 278-T illustrated eight transactions involving the buying and selling activities in Strategy. The most significant purchase was executed on February 12. Its value fell within the $50,001 to $100,000 range. The largest sale occurred on January 12, ranging from $15,001 and $50,000. Strategy is the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin worldwide. The company has more than 818,000 BTC on its balance sheet. All eight transactions were related to Strategy’s Class A Common Stock. With significant investments in crypto firms, Trump’s family generated more than $1 billion in profits by October 2025. Even so, a representative for the Trump Organization insisted that the trades mentioned in these ethics filings do not involve the president or his family. “President Trump’s investments are managed solely through fully discretionary accounts by independent financial institutions that have complete control over all investment decisions,” the spokesperson contended. “Neither President Trump nor his family nor the Trump Organization is involved in choosing or approving specific investments.” A major issue during the Clarity Act debates has been how to restrict the president’s personal crypto ventures. The Clarity Act is a legislation advanced in May 2026 to create a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets. Nonetheless, although ethical guidelines for the bill have not yet been agreed upon, the Senate Banking Committee passed it on Thursday, May 14, 2026, by a 15-9 vote. Crypto companies adopt a new strategy in their operations While investigations into Trump’s involvement in the crypto industry intensify, Cantor Fitzgerald identifies prediction markets as a high-growth ‘secret weapon’ for Coinbase and Robinhood. Cantor Fitzgerald is a leading global financial services firm and investment bank. This finding indicates that investors are ignoring weak Q1 crypto trading and focusing instead on future product launches. One analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald stated that, “investors are increasingly viewing the quarterly results as outdated, with more attention now on future demand trends and the product roadmap.” This includes new offerings such as prediction markets. Both firms are expected to report poor results for Q1 of this year amid declines in cryptocurrency prices and a drop in trading activity. Bitcoin and Ether (ETH) prices dropped by approximately 23% and 29% this quarter, driving down exchange volumes . A third-party data also noted a deceleration in trading activity over the quarter. Coinbase’s volumes fell to $54 billion in March from around $66 billion in January. Cantor forecasted that Coinbase trading volumes will be $35 billion for retail and $167 billion for consumers and institutions. This prediction fails to meet consensus expectations on Wall Street. However, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Ramsey El-Assal maintained his “overweight” rating and bumped his price target to $250. He cited positive market sentiment and strong, long-term growth drivers. If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter .
16 May 2026, 23:00
Bitcoin Treasury Firm Strategy To Repurchase $1.5B Of Convertible Notes — Details

Bitcoin treasury company Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) has disclosed its intention to repurchase $1.5 billion of its 2029 convertible debt notes. This move comes amid commentary on the shift in the Michael Saylor-led firm’s “Never Sell” perspective, intensifying focus on the company’s market actions in the coming weeks. Will Strategy Sell Bitcoin To Repurchase Its Debt? In a May 15th post on the social media platform X, Strategy’s chairman, Michael Saylor, confirmed that the firm has filed to repurchase $1.5 billion principal amount of its convertible senior notes due in 2029. This decision comes as part of the outcome of privately negotiated transactions with holders of this debt security. In the Form 8-K filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on May 14th, Strategy disclosed that it agreed to retire approximately $1.50 billion in aggregate principal amount of the 2029 Notes for an estimated aggregate cash repurchase price of approximately $1.38 billion. The official filing read: The final aggregate cash repurchase price for the Repurchased Notes is subject to adjustment, and will be based in part on the daily volume-weighted average price per share of Strategy’s class A common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Class A Common Stock”), during an agreed upon measurement period (the “Measurement Period”). The Bitcoin treasury firm also revealed that these repurchase transactions will be funded with available cash reserves, proceeds from sales of securities under its at-the-market offering program, and/or proceeds from the sale of Bitcoin. Quite interestingly, this filing comes barely a week after the company’s CEO, Phong Le, highlighted scenarios in which the firm might shed some of its Bitcoin holdings. According to the executive, this included situations that would increase shareholder value, such as dividend payments. It remains to be seen whether the firm debt repurchase falls into the category of activities that warrants the sale of a portion of its Bitcoin. Merely looking at the action, retiring these convertible notes could be positive for equity investors, as it means that the hybrid debt instrument holders won’t be able to convert to common stock (and potentially dilute the shareholders). Instead, the repurchase gives Strategy a perfect opportunity to reorganize its balance sheet and capital structure. Strategy’s STRC Registers Record High Daily Trading Volume Interestingly, the news of this debt repurchase comes merely a day after STRC, Strategy’s Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Stretch Preferred Stock, posted its highest daily trading volume of $1.53 billion on Thursday, May 14th. This represents a significant jump from the previous record of $1.1 bill reached on April 13. This trading explosion in STRC, which has been Strategy’s capital-raising instrument for purchasing Bitcoin, could help the firm raise about $735 million to buy BTC. As of this writing, the firm maintains its position as the largest corporate Bitcoin holder, with a stash of 818,869 Bitcoin, worth about $66 billion.
16 May 2026, 22:23
Top 6 Crypto News That Shook the Crypto Market This Week

Bitcoin dropped toward $78K as inflation fears and ETF outflows pressured broader crypto market sentiment. Strategy resumed Bitcoin accumulation while discussing possible BTC sales for dividend and financing flexibility purposes. CLARITY Act advanced through Senate committee, boosting optimism around long-awaited United States crypto regulations this week. The crypto market went through another highly volatile week as investors faced pressure from inflation fears, ETF outflows, regulation updates, and rising geopolitical tensions. Just a week ago, Bitcoin touched a high near $82,792, but the market later lost momentum, with BTC ending the week closer to the $78,000 level. At the same time, Bitcoin ETFs recorded nearly $1.15 billion in outflows, breaking a two-week inflow streak. For readers who could not follow every important headline this week, here are the s… Read The Full Article Top 6 Crypto News That Shook the Crypto Market This Week On Coin Edition .
16 May 2026, 22:13
Can Dash Become the Marijuana Industry Coin? The Case for Crypto Solving Cannabis Banking

The legal cannabis industry operates under a peculiar financial handicap. Despite generating billions in legitimate taxable revenue across multiple US states and a growing number of international jurisdictions, many dispensaries and cannabis businesses remain shut out of conventional banking. Federal prohibition in the United States means most major banks refuse to offer merchant accounts, business loans, or standard payment processing to cannabis operators, forcing much of the industry to function as a cash-only business. That cash dependency creates security risks, operational inefficiencies, and compliance headaches that cost merchants an estimated 10 to 15 percent of total sales in handling costs alone. It is against this backdrop that Dash has positioned itself as a serious candidate to become the marijuana industry coin of choice. Dash, originally launched in 2014 as a fork of Litecoin , has distinguished itself from the cryptocurrency crowd through a focus on practical payments utility rather than speculative investment narratives. Its InstantSend mechanism enables transaction confirmation in under a second, giving it a functional edge over Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies that require waiting periods incompatible with retail point-of-sale environments. The most significant early proof of the concept came through a partnership with Alt Thirty Six, a Phoenix-based digital payments platform that integrated Dash as its preferred payment method for cannabis dispensaries, vendors, and customers across the United States. The collaboration was designed to address the cash problem head-on, enabling merchants to receive and settle payments digitally using Dash rather than handling large volumes of physical currency. Alt Thirty Six subsequently secured $10 million in Series A investment to scale the platform, a sign that institutional money saw merit in the cannabis-crypto payments thesis. Dash also partnered with VegaWallet, another fintech startup targeting the underbanked cannabis sector, deepening its presence in the vertical. The practical benefits for cannabis merchants are tangible. Digital payments via Dash eliminate the cost and security risk of transporting and storing cash, remove card processing fees charged by traditional networks, and provide instant settlement without the delays associated with bank transfers. For customers, the experience is similar to a contactless card payment at existing point-of-sale terminals, which removes a meaningful adoption barrier. The argument for Dash as the marijuana industry coin also draws on its governance model. Ten percent of all Dash mining income is allocated to a decentralised treasury controlled by masternode holders, creating a self-funding system for community-approved projects and partnerships. That structure has enabled the Dash community to fund cannabis-specific integrations and industry event participation in ways that less organised cryptocurrency projects cannot replicate. Critics of the thesis point to several genuine obstacles. As traditional banks and credit unions have gradually begun serving cannabis businesses in some states, the original urgency that made Dash’s pitch compelling has partially diminished. Cryptocurrency volatility remains a concern for merchants who price their products in dollars and cannot afford to absorb significant exchange rate swings between the moment of sale and conversion. Widespread merchant adoption is still limited relative to the scale of the industry, and competing payment solutions from stablecoins and fintech operators are competing for the same market. One assessment of the current situation concludes that while the original cannabis thesis has not fully materialised on the scale early advocates projected, Dash’s broader payments infrastructure remains functional and relevant. The coin’s real opportunity may lie less in any single industry vertical and more in its demonstrated ability to process fast, low-cost transactions wherever traditional finance is slow to arrive. Whether Dash ultimately becomes the definitive marijuana industry coin or a more general-purpose payments layer across underbanked sectors, the argument it presents is rooted in a genuine problem that has not been fully solved. As cannabis legalisation continues to expand and banking access remains inconsistent, the space for a proven crypto payments solution remains open.
16 May 2026, 22:07
Strategy Targets $1.5B Note Buyback as Bitcoin Sinks Below $78K

Bitcoin News Strategy, the largest corporate Bitcoin treasury holder, said on Friday that it will repurchase roughly $1.5 billion of its zero-coupon 2029 convertible notes, retiring about half of t...
16 May 2026, 21:32
Mark Zuckerberg New META AI Predicts the Price of XRP by The End of 2026

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta AI looked at XRP price and did not predicts a dying payments token grinding sideways. It saw an asymmetric bet with a very specific upside prediction. $3.50 to $5 by late 2026. And the risk-reward math, in its own words, skews bullish. The foundation of Meta AI’s call is a convergence that is already in motion rather than one that needs to be imagined. Ripple’s SEC litigation is resolved, which removes the single biggest institutional deterrent that kept serious money out of XRP for years. RippleNet adoption for cross-border payments is accelerating across banking partners who now have the legal certainty they needed to commit. Source: META AI XRP Price Prediction And spot XRP ETF approval is the next structural catalyst, with institutional inflows that would follow representing a demand shift of a different magnitude than retail speculation. Meta AI frames all 3 of these as forces pulling in the same direction simultaneously, which is what makes the asymmetry argument compelling: the upside unlocks are stacked while the downside is already partially priced in at current levels. The AI is explicit that liquidity and utility converging is what drives the ATH retest and pushes into the $5 range above it. The bear case is specific and worth taking seriously. Meta AI points to CBDCs as the tail risk that most XRP bulls are not pricing in. Xrp (XRP) 24h 7d 30d 1y All time If central bank digital currencies start eroding Ripple’s bank-partner pipeline, the core utility argument weakens from the outside rather than from competition within crypto. Layer persistent macro headwinds and crypto-wide liquidity tightening on top of that and the upside caps near $1.20 to $1.80, which is barely above where price sits right now. The rate environment and adoption speed are the 2 swing factors Meta AI leaves the prediction hanging on. XRP Just Needs to Clear $1.60 First, Can it Target $3.65 by End of 2026 as Meta AI Predicts? XRP price is trading at $1.468 on the daily, and whoever built this chart did the work of laying out exactly what the bull case looks like in price terms. 4 levels are marked: support at $1.20, resistance at $1.60, then targets at $2.40, $3.10, and $3.64. That sequence is a staircase and each step requires the previous one to hold. The level that matters right now is $1.60. It has been the ceiling on this chart since the February crash and every attempt to break it has failed. XRP Price pushed toward it in late April, got rejected, pulled back to $1.30, and has since recovered back to the $1.46 range. The current structure shows higher lows forming since the March bottom which is the healthiest thing on this chart, but none of it means anything until $1.60 breaks and holds on volume. Support at $1.20 is the red zone on the chart and it is the only real floor in place. That level caught the February crash at its worst point and has not been seriously threatened since. Meta AI’s bear case floor of $1.20 to $1.80 maps almost perfectly onto what the chart has already drawn as the range boundaries. Above $1.60 the path the chart projects is a move to $2.40, consolidation, then continuation toward $3.10 and $3.64. That upper target sits right in the middle of Meta AI’s $3.50 to $5 range and aligns with the all-time high resistance zone visible at the top of the chart from the July 2025 peak. When the Big Names Stop Moving, Something Else Always Does : LiquidChain Capital Does Not Wait for Permission to Move Large cap crypto is stuck in a holding pattern right now. The same resistance levels. The same macro excuses. The same ETF inflow narrative that keeps getting pushed back another quarter. Traders who have been around long enough know what this environment signals. The next meaningful returns are not coming from assets that are already household names. They come from solving problems that the current infrastructure has not touched yet. The Most Expensive Unsolved Problem in Crypto Multi-chain fragmentation costs the industry real money every single day. Every time a developer builds across Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana they are essentially building 3 separate products. Every time a user moves value between those networks they pay a tax in the form of fees, slippage, and wasted time. The blockchains themselves were never designed to talk to each other and that disconnect runs deep. Still Early Enough to Matter LiquidChain is engineering the layer that makes that problem disappear. A unified execution environment where all 3 networks operate as one. Single deployment. Instant cross-ecosystem access. No bridging overhead eating into every transaction. The presale is at $0.01454. Just over $700,000 raised total. The market has essentially not looked at this yet. Early stage always means unproven. Execution risk is real. Post-launch adoption is unknown. Anyone packaging this as a sure thing is lying. What is true is that the window where something is genuinely undiscovered does not stay open long. LiquidChain is still in it. Explore the LiquidChain Presale The post Mark Zuckerberg New META AI Predicts the Price of XRP by The End of 2026 appeared first on Cryptonews .











































