Crypto Biz: Bitcoin’s corporate moment, ICE’s bold bet, Tether’s expanding footprint

Bitcoin tops $126,000 as Strategy’s BTC hoard swells; ICE backs Polymarket; Rezolve AI buys Smartpay; Plume gains SEC transfer-agent status.

Big Tech companies that once dismissed Bitcoin (BTC) as a balance sheet asset are now watching Strategy, led by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor, amass a digital asset treasury approaching the size of their own cash piles. The surge comes as Bitcoin hit a new all-time high above $126,000 this week, driven by investor demand for hard assets seen as hedges against US dollar debasement — a narrative increasingly likened to gold.

However, Bitcoin isn’t the only corner of crypto attracting major institutional money. The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has invested $2 billion in Polymarket, a decentralized prediction platform, valuing the firm at roughly $9 billion. The move signals growing convergence between traditional finance and decentralized blockchain infrastructure, as institutions explore tokenized markets and real-world event forecasting.

Meanwhile, Tether is back in the headlines after a publicly listed AI-driven company, Rezolve AI, acquired Smartpay, a fintech platform that processed over $1 billion in USDt (USDT) transactions over the past year. The deal highlights stablecoins’ expanding role in payments and the intersection of AI, blockchain and digital dollars.

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