News
3 Jun 2026, 08:11
Pi Network’s PI Token Plunges Toward ATL Levels Despite Gaming Progress

Although almost the entire cryptocurrency market is deep in the red on a daily, weekly, and even monthly scale, Pi Network’s native token is among the poorest performers, as its price has slipped toward the all-time low seen in February. This comes despite the project updates and the new games released, especially for Pioneers. PI Price Tanks As mentioned above, the past week or so has been particularly painful for the crypto markets, with BTC plunging to just over $65,000 hours ago, while ETH dumped to $1,800. Most other alts have been in the red, and PI is no exception. Its 22% plunge since this time last month resulted in a drop to $0.136 earlier today, which became its lowest level since February. At the time, the asset was rejected at $0.20 multiple times, which led to the all-time low of $0.1312. The following month was a lot more successful, and PI more than doubled its value by the so-called PiDay 2026 (March 14) after it was listed on Kraken. However, it turned out to be a classic sell-the-news event followed by a massive crash to under $0.18. The drop below $0.14 today came after sustained selling pressure and multiple key support levels that were lost, including $0.18 and $0.16. Pi Network (PI) Price on CoinGecko PiScan data shows that the average daily number of tokens scheduled to be released in the next month is rather moderate, at around 5.4 million. However, there are several days that will see the unlocking of more than 10 million tokens, including one for 16 million. These rather significant unlocks could intensify the immediate selling pressure and lead to further declines. Pi Token Unlock Schedule. Source: PiScan New Games After the recent update from CiDi Games, a Pi Network Ventures portfolio company, about the upcoming introduction of new games for Pioneers, both entities announced that a portion of those have already been made available. “CiDi Games gives Pioneers new ways to use Pi through gaming, while also extending the Pi ecosystem with infrastructure that can support more games and developers over time.” The new games are as follows: Coin Whack · arcade roguelike Fruit Stack · match-3 fruit puzzle Gemnova · cosmic match-3 adventure RainbowCubes · colorful elimination puzzle Separately, the Pi Network Core Team recently announced the successful deployment of protocol update version 23 and noted that the next one, version 24, should have been completed by June 2. At the time of writing, though, there’s no official confirmation. The post Pi Network’s PI Token Plunges Toward ATL Levels Despite Gaming Progress appeared first on CryptoPotato .
3 Jun 2026, 08:10
Franklin Templeton CEO: Wall Street’s Reluctance to Adopt Blockchain Stems from Revenue Threat

BitcoinWorld Franklin Templeton CEO: Wall Street’s Reluctance to Adopt Blockchain Stems from Revenue Threat Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson has offered a candid explanation for why Wall Street has been slow to embrace public blockchain technology: it directly threatens the fee-based revenue models of large financial institutions. Blockchain’s Efficiency Threatens Intermediary Fees Speaking about the industry’s cautious approach, Johnson noted that traditional banks and custodians generate significant income from acting as intermediaries in financial transactions. Smart contracts, however, have the potential to process payments instantly and automatically, eliminating the need for many of these middlemen. “If smart contracts can settle payments instantly, the transaction fee income that large banks have historically relied on could disappear,” Johnson said, according to reports from the event. This fundamental shift in the economics of financial services creates a powerful incentive for incumbents to delay or resist adoption, even if the technology offers superior efficiency. Franklin Templeton’s Tokenized Fund: A Real-World Example Johnson pointed to Franklin Templeton’s own tokenized money market fund, Benji, as a practical demonstration of blockchain’s cost advantages. The fund operates on the Stellar blockchain. She provided a direct cost comparison: processing 50,000 transactions on the legacy financial system costs approximately $1.30. On the Stellar network, the same volume costs just $1.13. While the per-transaction savings may appear small, they scale dramatically across millions of daily transactions, representing a significant reduction in operational costs for asset managers and potentially lower fees for end investors. Why Retail Investors May Still Prefer Regulated Entities Johnson also acknowledged that the complete disintermediation of finance is unlikely in the near term. She suggested that the current roles of banks and custodians could persist, particularly because retail investors still prefer the security and familiarity of regulated entities. Trust, she implied, remains a critical factor that pure decentralized systems have not yet fully addressed for the average investor. However, she concluded that the cost-saving effects of blockchain are too compelling to ignore. The technology, she argued, demonstrates clear potential to replace or fundamentally reshape traditional financial infrastructure over time. Conclusion Johnson’s remarks provide a rare, direct acknowledgment from a top Wall Street executive that the primary barrier to blockchain adoption is not technological immaturity, but economic self-preservation. As firms like Franklin Templeton continue to experiment with and deploy tokenized assets, the pressure on traditional intermediaries to adapt—or risk obsolescence—will only increase. The message for investors is clear: the infrastructure of finance is changing, even if the pace is slowed by those who profit from the current system. FAQs Q1: What is Franklin Templeton’s Benji fund? A: Benji is a tokenized money market fund offered by Franklin Templeton that operates on the Stellar blockchain. It allows for more efficient transaction processing compared to traditional fund infrastructure. Q2: How much cheaper is blockchain for transactions? A: According to CEO Jenny Johnson, processing 50,000 transactions on the legacy system costs about $1.30, while the same volume on Stellar costs $1.13—a roughly 13% reduction in direct costs. Q3: Will blockchain replace banks completely? A: Johnson suggests that banks and custodians may continue to play a role, especially for retail investors who prefer regulated entities. However, the cost efficiencies of blockchain are likely to force significant changes in how financial services are delivered. This post Franklin Templeton CEO: Wall Street’s Reluctance to Adopt Blockchain Stems from Revenue Threat first appeared on BitcoinWorld .
3 Jun 2026, 08:07
Major costs drop as blockchain shakes up traditional finance! What does this mean for investors?

🪙 Transaction costs for $XLM on Stellar dropped to $1.13, outpacing legacy systems. 💥 Franklin Templeton showcases Benji’s blockchain cost savings to investors. 💼 In partnership with MoonPay, institutions can now directly swap stablecoins for tokenized funds on chain. Continue Reading: Major costs drop as blockchain shakes up traditional finance! What does this mean for investors? The post Major costs drop as blockchain shakes up traditional finance! What does this mean for investors? appeared first on COINTURK NEWS .
3 Jun 2026, 08:00
$52M Ethereum Bet Comes As Tom Lee Says ETH Isn’t Reflecting Its Potential

Bitmine is now holding more than 5.4 million Ether tokens, a stockpile worth over $10.5 billion, and that puts the company about 90% of the way toward its goal of controlling 5% of Ethereum’s circulating supply. The latest purchase landed at a time when ETH has been stuck near $2,000 and has failed to match the scale of the buying. A $52 Million Addition Tom Lee said Bitmine bought 26,497 ETH over the past week, adding another large block to a treasury strategy that has turned the company into the biggest Ether holder of its kind. The move came after Bitmine had already slowed its pace earlier this month, following a stretch in which it was buying more than 100,000 ETH a week for three straight weeks. The company first laid out its Ether treasury plan in July 2025, with a target of owning 5% of the total circulating supply, which CoinGecko-linked figures in the report put at 120.6 million tokens. Lee has said Bitmine expects to reach that mark in 2026, and the company’s current position suggests it is already deep into the climb. 3/“Over the past week, we acquired 26,497 ETH. In our view, ETH prices are not reflecting the strengthening of Ethereum fundamentals, but then again, this is not surprising given we are in the early stages of crypto spring. Bitmine is expected to reach the ‘alchemy of 5%’… — Bitmine (NYSE-BMNR) $ETH (@BitMNR) June 1, 2026 Price Still Trails The Buying Even with that scale of accumulation, Ethereum has been moving in the opposite direction. It was down 4.7% over the past week, trading between $1,963 and $2,126, and spent much of the last day hovering just under $2,000. Lee told CNBC on Monday that the crypto market has been stuck in a rough patch while other parts of the market, including software stocks, have rallied. He said that kind of frustration often shows up near the end of what he called crypto winter, when prices lag behind the story investors think should matter more. The case Lee is making is simple: Bitcoin and Ethereum still matter as the backbone of future money, even if the market is not rewarding that view right now. According to Bitmine, prices of Ether “are not reflecting the strengthening” of the coin’s fundamentals. “But then again, this is not surprising”, he said, considering the firm is in the early phases of crypto spring. Lee pointed to AI-driven commerce, decentralized identity, verification tools, and Wall Street’s push toward tokenization as examples of why he believes Ethereum’s role has not gone away. Betting On A Longer Clock Bitmine’s Ethereum buying streak shows how some companies are treating Ether less like a trade and more like a reserve asset. That makes the company’s moves easy to track, but harder to read in the short term, since the market has not yet given the buying spree a matching price response. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
3 Jun 2026, 08:00
Bitcoin.com Checkout Launches With Zero Merchant Fees and Auto-Settlement to Stablecoins

Bitcoin.com today announced the launch of Bitcoin.com Checkout, a new self-custodial payments app that solves one of the biggest problems holding back crypto merchant adoption: volatility. Merchants can now accept Bitcoin and crypto and auto-settle to stablecoins, so they take payment without price risk, without giving up custody, and without anyone’s permission. It’s the first
3 Jun 2026, 08:00
Cardano Analytics Platform TapTools Shuts Down After Executive Exodus

The company said it could no longer sustainably maintain the platform due to leadership losses, technical staffing challenges, and high operating costs. Despite the planned shutdown, the company is still open to acquisition offers or external funding that could allow operations to continue. TapTools Begins Wind-Down TapTools, a very well known analytics platform in the Cardano ecosystem, announced that it will begin winding down operations after a series of executive departures left the company unable to continue operating sustainably. This is yet another setback for the Cardano ecosystem, which recently saw several high-profile projects either close their doors or face major challenges. In a statement that was shared on X, TapTools revealed that it will begin shutting down over the next two weeks. The company pointed to severe leadership instability as a primary reason for the decision. According to the platform, both of its co-founders, along with its chief operating officer and chief technology officer, already departed earlier this year. Although the company tried to adapt by promoting its backend developer to the role of CTO and shifting its focus toward more sustainable product development, those efforts were ultimately not enough when that individual also left the organization. The company explained that the technical expertise required to responsibly maintain and operate the platform could not be quickly replaced. As a result, continuing operations became more and more difficult. TapTools’ challenges were not limited to staffing concerns. The financial realities of operating a large-scale analytics platform also played a big role in the decision. The firm noted that infrastructure, development, and support expenses were very high, particularly for a platform serving a broad user base in the Cardano ecosystem. TapTools was founded in 2022, and quickly established itself as one of the most widely used analytics platforms on Cardano. The service provided users with real-time token pricing, decentralized finance metrics, market insights, and tools for discovering new projects across the network. The announcement comes shortly after another major Cardano-based project, NFT marketplace JPG.Store, ceased operations in May. It also follows the recent cancellation of the Cardano Summit 2026 after the community rejected a treasury funding proposal intended to support the event. Despite the planned shutdown, TapTools indicated that it is still open to acquisition offers or external funding that could potentially keep the platform alive. Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson commented on the situation by acknowledging some responsibility and suggested that even more protocol closures could occur during the current market downturn. ADA price action over the past 24 hours (Source: CoinCodex) Cardano (ADA) experienced a mostly bearish trading session over the past 24 hours, and declined by 4.01% to trade at approximately $0.2153. Although the token recorded several short-lived recovery attempts throughout the session, each rebound was met with selling pressure.














































