Decentral Block Post

Key takeaways:

SharpLink Gaming establishes the first ETH treasury, backed by Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin. SharpLink will invest $425 million to acquire 120,000 ETH.

Ethereum futures open interest hits an all-time high of $36.1 billion, with ETH price climbing 4.5% on the daily chart.

Nasdaq-listed SharpLink Gaming (SBET) announced a $425 million private investment in public equity (PIPE), acquiring approximately 69.1 million shares at $6.15 each to establish the first Nasdaq-listed Ethereum treasury company.

Spearheaded by Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin, this move mirrors Strategy’s (MSTR) successful Bitcoin treasury strategy, which has yielded over $8.2 billion in gains in 2025, by leveraging stock and bond sales to acquire Bitcoin (BTC).

A third individual, suspected of being connected to the recent kidnapping, torture and attempted extortion of an Italian tourist in New York City, surrendered to law enforcement on May 27.

33-year-old William Duplessie was taken into custody by the New York Police Department (NYPD) and will be charged with “kidnapping and false imprisonment of an associate,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

The incident comes amid a string of kidnappings and ransom attempts targeting crypto investors and their loved ones, prompting additional security measures from investors and industry executives.

According to reporting from The New York Times, Duplessie and crypto investor John Woeltz, who was previously arrested by police in connection with the case, both had connections to an NYC-based crypto hedge fund.

Source: Jameson Lopp

Duplessie negotiated his surrender with the NYPD over the course of several days leading up to his arrest.

Building a permanent US strategic Bitcoin reserve would likely require targeted legislation rather than executive action, according to VanEck’s head of digital assets, Matthew Sigel. Speaking at Bitcoin 2025 in Las Vegas, Sigel said the most viable path forward may involve inserting Bitcoin mining incentives into the congressional budget reconciliation process.

According to Sigel, the most effective path to growing a US strategic Bitcoin reserve would be through targeted amendments to congressional budget legislation. These could include tax credits for mining companies that use methane gas and other incentives aimed at encouraging miners to share a portion of their mined BTC with the federal government.

He argued that such an approach would allow the reserve to grow organically over time. Sigel also highlighted the limitations of executive actions in achieving this goal:

"The problem with executive action is that it's going to prompt lawsuits. And anything over $100 million is going to get sued by the Elizabeth Warrens of the world. So, I would say start with something maybe in the Exchange Stabilization Fund for $100 million."

US President Donald Trump established the US Bitcoin Strategic Reserve through a March 7 executive order. According to the order, the US government can only acquire Bitcoin through budget-neutral strategies or asset forfeiture, prompting a range of different ideas on how to add to the government’s stockpile of nearly 200,000 BTC.

From left to right, Alex Thorn, Matthew Sigel, Matthew Pines and Fred Thiel. Source: Turner Wright/Cointelegraph

Related: Bitcoin’s new highs may have been driven by Japan bond market crisis

US President Donald Trump supports the BITCOIN Act and has a team of experts in the White House working to roll out landmark digital asset legislation in the coming weeks, according to Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis. 

Speaking at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, Lummis said she is bringing the BITCOIN ACT to the “attention of the American people and the world,” adding that, “President Trump supports the bill.”

In March, Lummis reintroduced the BITCOIN Act — landmark legislation that directs the US government to acquire 1 million Bitcoin (BTC) over five years. The acquisitions would be financed using existing funds within the Federal Reserve System and the Treasury Department. 

As Cointelegraph reported, the Trump administration has reiterated the need to use “budget-neutral ways” to acquire Bitcoin without burdening taxpayers.

Source: CryptoGoos

At the Bitcoin Conference, Lummis said the Trump administration has a team working on “digital asset issues,” including legislation on stablecoins, market structure and the Bitcoin Strategic Reserve.

Selling Bitcoin is like “playing in a really bad house-rate casino,” according to Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream and one of Bitcoin’s earliest adopters. In a recent interview with Bitcoin financial services firm Unchained, Back said the odds are stacked against traders trying to time the market.

Back came to this conclusion in the early days of Bitcoin, he said, when the price “was going up basically exponentially but it [was] extremely volatile.”

“So [...] if you see something that’s going up exponentially but with volatility, if you sell it to time the market a bit falling, the odds are against you,” Back said, adding:

“The trend line is up and to the right, exponential, and so there’s extremely bad trading odds attached to selling because you’re really hoping that it falls.”Adam Back during the interview. Source: Unchained

Bitcoin is known for its extreme volatility and heightened bull-bear market cycles. It has seen multiple corrections above 80%, which may test the stomach of many investors and believers. However, those who have remained steady through the ups and downs have been rewarded: In the last 10 years, BTC has had a total return of over 39,000%.

“I think anything that has a really rapid growth curve ends up with some pretty extreme volatility until it gets closer to full adoption,” Back said.

Wall Street financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald has closed its first Bitcoin lending deal nearly a year after announcing its crypto lending services.

According to a May 27 Bloomberg report, Cantor provided Bitcoin-backed loans to FalconX and Maple Finance. FalconX, a digital asset broker, said it secured a facility worth over $100 million as part of a “broader credit framework,” while Maple Finance reportedly closed the first tranche of an agreement with Cantor.

The service allows companies holding Bitcoin to borrow funds and use the cryptocurrency as collateral, providing a way to unlock liquidity without selling their BTC holdings. Cantor announced its Bitcoin financing business with an initial capital of $2 billion in July 2024, targeting institutional investors seeking to leverage their Bitcoin. At the time, the company said Anchorage Digital and Copper would serve as custodians and collateral managers in the venture.

Credit markets are a fundamental part of the financial system, allowing capital to flow between borrowers and lenders and supporting economic activity across sectors. Their central role also means they can contribute to financial distress when risks are mismanaged. While mirroring some functions of traditional finance, crypto credit markets have been operating with less regulatory oversight.

Digital asset crisis of 2022

This dynamic was evident during the 2022 crisis in the digital asset sector. Celsius Network, once a leading crypto lending platform, collapsed after engaging in risky financial practices and facing allegations of fraud. Similarly, BlockFi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2022 following significant exposure to the collapse of crypto exchange FTX.

Key takeaways:

Institutional investor demand and corporate adoption may push Bitcoin higher despite recession fears.

Investors’ belief that the US Federal Reserve will hold rates favors Bitcoin price upside.

Stock markets around the world responded positively to the temporary suspension of import tariffs between the United States and the European Union, with the S&P 500 rising 1.5% on May 27. However, concerns over a global economic recession persist, capping Bitcoin’s (BTC) upside, especially since the baseline US import rates have been raised for most regions.

Bitcoin remains antifragile and poised to outperform in uncertain times

Given the growing investor uncertainty about economic conditions, Bitcoin hovering around the $110,000 level has taken investors by surprise as it consolidates the top-6 position as a global tradable asset by market capitalization. Investors now ask whether Bitcoin is becoming antifragile or if a drop below $100,000 is inevitable in a recessionary environment.

Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), the company that owns US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform and is partially owned by the president, confirmed a $2.5 billion capital raise to purchase Bitcoin (BTC) after denying earlier reports of the deal.

According to a May 27 announcement from the company, the capital raise comprises a $1.5 billion stock sale and $1 billion in convertible senior secured bonds, with a 0% coupon. The sale is expected to close on May 29. TMTG CEO Devin Nunes said:

“We view Bitcoin as an apex instrument of financial freedom, and now Trump Media will hold cryptocurrency as a crucial part of our assets. This investment will help defend our Company against harassment and discrimination by financial institutions."

TMTG spokespeople responded to the initial report from the Financial Times, published a day before the announcement, with derision.

“Apparently, the Financial Times has dumb writers listening to even dumber sources,” TMTG representatives told the FT.

Shares of TMTG sank following the $2.5 billion capital raise announcement. Source: TradingView

Shares of TMTG fell by over 12% following the announcement and were trading around $23.60 at the time of publication.

Strive, an asset manager founded by American entrepreneur and politician Vivek Ramaswamy, has announced a $750 million raise to establish “alpha-generating” strategies through Bitcoin-related purchases.

According to a May 27 announcement, the strategies will include buying undervalued biotech companies, purchasing “distressed Bitcoin claims” like those associated with crypto hacks and bankruptcies, and acquiring bottom tranches of Bitcoin credit vehicles at discounted prices.

“ [...] our alpha-generating Bitcoin accumulation strategies are designed to drive sustained outperformance relative to Bitcoin itself, which requires a new valuation framework,” Strive CEO Matt Cole said.

Related: Strive targets Intuit for Bitcoin buys after orange-pilling GameStop

The $750 million raise could expand further through the exercise of warrants, potentially doubling the total to $1.5 billion. The announcement indicates that the entire raise could go to Bitcoin purchases, which could make Strive the fifth-largest Bitcoin treasury company.

BlackRock’s in-house portfolio has been quietly accumulating shares of its Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), underscoring the asset manager’s growing commitment to the cryptocurrency as part of a broader diversification strategy.

As of March 31, 2025, the BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio held 2,123,592 shares of the company’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), valued at $99.4 million, according to filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). That’s a notable uptick from Dec. 31, 2024, when the portfolio held 1,691,143 IBIT shares. 

The BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio’s consolidated schedule of investments as of March 31, 2025. Source: SEC

BlackRock’s IBIT was among 11 spot Bitcoin ETFs approved by the SEC in January 2024. Since then, it has emerged as the largest fund in its category with more than $72 billion in net assets, according to Bitbo data.

The second-largest US Bitcoin ETF is the Fidelity Wise Origin Fund (FBTC), which trails IBIT in net assets by $50 billion. 

The Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio is primarily a bond-focused strategy that also seeks diversified exposure to other markets, aiming to boost total returns while preserving capital, BlackRock’s prospectus reads. 

Key takeaways:

Bitcoin could turn parabolic if prices move above $115,000 to liquidate more than $7 billion in short positions.

Onchain indicators enter overheated territory, suggesting prolonged profit-taking from BTC investors.

Bitcoin (BTC) showed strength on May 27, briefly tagging $110,700 after a strong US equities market open and the Trump Media and Technology Group’s announcement that it would raise $2.5 billion for a Bitcoin treasury.

Bitcoin’s bullish momentum aligns with the favorable US financial conditions, as noted by Ecoinometrics. The macroeconomic-focused Bitcoin newsletter highlighted that the National Financial Conditions Index (NFCI) shows a rapid shift to ultra-loose territory after a tightening phase in February 2025.

Key takeaways:

Ethereum has reclaimed a key level that preceded 100%+ rallies and triggered past altseasons.

Altcoin market cap could surge toward $15 trillion if Bitcoin dominance repeats its post-halving drop.

Despite bullish signals, ETH remains fragile, with $123B in supply near cost basis at risk of flipping into a loss.

Ethereum’s native token, Ether (ETH), has reclaimed a key technical level that has historically preceded sharp price gains and marked the start of an “altseason” across multiple market cycles in the last five years.

Opinion by: Andre Omietanski, General Counsel, and Amal Ibraymi, Legal Counsel at Aztec Labs

What if you could prove you're over 18, without revealing your birthday, name, or anything else at all? Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) make this hypothetical a reality and solve one of the key challenges online: verifying age without sacrificing privacy. 

The need for better age verification today

We're witnessing an uptick in laws being proposed restricting minors' access to social media and the internet, including in Australia, Florida, and China. To protect minors from inappropriate adult content, platform owners and governments often walk a tightrope between inaction and overreach. 

For example, the state of Louisiana in the US recently enacted a law meant to block minors from viewing porn. Sites required users to upload an ID before viewing content. The Free Speech Coalition challenged the law as unconstitutional, making the case that it infringed on First Amendment rights.

The lawsuit was eventually dismissed on procedural grounds. The reaction, however, highlights the dilemma facing policymakers and platforms: how to block minors without violating adults' rights or creating new privacy risks.

Betting platform SharpLink Gaming has launched an Ethereum-based corporate treasury strategy and nominated Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin as chairman of its board of directors, the company announced May 27.

According to the announcement, SharpLink Gaming, a publicly traded company on Nasdaq, entered into a securities purchase agreement for a private investment in public equity worth $425 million. Ethereum infrastructure firm Consensys was among the investors.

“On close, Consensys looks forward to partnering with SharpLink to explore and develop an Ethereum Treasury Strategy and to work with them in their core business as a strategic advisor,” Consensys founder and CEO Lubin said.

SharpLink Gaming’s stock is up approximately 400% at the time of writing, changing hands at nearly $33.50. Trading today started at over $30 after closing under $7 the day before.

SharpLink Gaming stock price chart. Source: Google Finance

A Consensys representative told Cointelegraph that the company will not comment further until the deal is closed. Still, they confirmed Consensys’ investment in SharpLink Gaming.

Key points:

Bitcoin rebounds from another support retest, but fears over a Nashville conference-induced comedown are growing.

The biggest Bitcoin gathering tends to accompany BTC price weakness.

BTC price action can and will continue to experience drawdowns of 10%-20%, analysis stresses.

Bitcoin (BTC) circled $110,000 at the May 27 Wall Street open amid concerns over a 30% BTC price crash.

South Korean authorities have arrested one of three Russian nationals accused of an attempted robbery during a fake crypto deal in Seoul. The suspects allegedly lured Korean investors to a hotel, where they tried to steal 1 billion won (approximately $730,000) in cash.

The Gangseo Police Precinct in Seoul detained a man in his 20s in Busan on May 27, according to a report by local news outlet JoongAng Daily. The suspect faces charges of assault and attempted robbery. The other two suspects reportedly fled South Korea shortly after the incident.

According to investigators, the robbery attempt occurred on May 21 at a hotel in Seoul’s Gangseo District. The suspects posed as participants in a peer-to-peer crypto transaction and invited 10 Korean men to the hotel.

Two were called to the room while the others waited in the lobby. Inside the room, the suspects — wearing protective vests — ambushed the victims with a replica handgun and a telescopic baton, tying their hands with cable ties.

Related: Another suspect to surrender in NYC crypto torture case: Reports

Layer-1 blockchain Solana may be evolving into a “one-trick pony” for memecoin generation and trading, according to a recent Standard Chartered report.

According to a May 27 Standard Chartered research report shared with Cointelegraph, Solana “dominates in areas that demand high-volume, low-transaction-cost solutions” due to its design prioritizing fast and cheap transaction confirmation. The report suggested that this has had an unintended consequence:

“So far, this has been mostly in memecoin trading, which accounts for the majority of activity on Solana (as measured by ‘GDP’, which is application revenue).”

Standard Chartered said the memecoin frenzy served as a stress test for Solana’s scalability but came with drawbacks due to the volatility and speculative nature of such assets. As memecoin trading volumes decline, the bank warned that Solana may struggle to maintain momentum.

Related: Migos Instagram account hacked in apparent blackmail bid on Solana co-founder

Memecoin trading passed its peak

The report said Solana-based memecoin activity is past its peak, and “declining usage and trading ‘cheap’ are not a good mix.” The bank suggested that Solana should expand into other sectors that require processing large volumes of transactions cheaply and quickly.

Investments in the fast-paced cryptocurrency market require real-time insights and efficient research. With thousands of projects emerging or disappearing, you need innovative ways to separate signal from noise. 

AI solutions such as ChatGPT and Grok could benefit you as your research assistant, reducing research time and delivering actionable information. 

This article discusses how to use both platforms to make better decisions regarding investment in altcoins.

How to share content with ChatGPT and Grok

Both ChatGPT 4o and Grok 3 allow you to share content in three ways. 

You can simply paste content in the text box with inverted commas and write your prompt. 

MARA Holdings, formerly Marathon Digital Holdings, reached a new all-time high in Bitcoin mining revenue, fueled by its recent surge to a record price.

The company’s annualized mining revenue exceeded $752 million on May 27, according to data from CryptoQuant, making it the most profitable day in the company’s history. Marathon is currently the world’s largest publicly traded Bitcoin (BTC) mining firm by market capitalization.

“Quarterly reports are slow. Onchain shows revenue in real time,” CryptoQuant founder and CEO Ki Young Ju wrote in a May 27 X post, confirming the milestone. 

Marathon’s record revenue surge occurred days after Bitcoin rose to a new all-time high of $112,000 on May 22, a development attributed by some analysts to Japanese bond market turbulence, which saw bond yields rise to new highs amid economic turmoil in the country.

BTC mining revenue, MARA, year-to-date chart. Source: CryptoQuant

Related: Metaplanet’s Bitcoin’ premium’ nears $600k per BTC

Blockchain company StarkWare has unveiled zero-knowledge (ZK) prover STARK Two (S-two), enabling enhanced privacy and verification on everyday devices like phones, laptops and browsers. 

The company said the new ZK prover allows users to generate complex cryptographic proofs from the client side. This means users can generate ZK-proofs directly on their devices instead of relying on a server or cloud infrastructure, opening the door for faster and more private applications across the internet. 

“S-two will bring STARK proving to everyday devices, and open the door for new real-world proving use cases,” said Eli Ben-Sasson, StarkWare co-founder and CEO, adding that the tool could empower the next wave of ZK applications. 

The company said the ZK prover is now available in public alpha and is set to roll out on Starknet, its Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution, later this year.  

StarkWare says new ZK prover is 39 times faster than old solutions 

StarkWare said that benchmark tests for the S-two ZK prover showed that it was 39 times faster than previous solutions. The performance leap enables smoother experiences in privacy-enhancing applications. 

Fintech companies Taurus and Parafin have partnered to deliver blockchain infrastructure to financial institutions in Europe and Latin America — a move aimed at accelerating the adoption of crypto custody and settlement services across both regions.

As part of the partnership, Taurus has integrated its product suite into Parafin’s institutional platform, creating an end-to-end solution for digital asset management, including custody, governance, and compliant token issuance, the companies announced on May 27.

Financial institutions using the integrated Taurus-Parafin solution will gain access to custody and tokenization services, real-time wallet execution and a full range of trading capabilities.

Taurus is an enterprise digital asset custody and tokenization solution that enables businesses to issue, store and trade a range of crypto products. 

Parafin, by contrast, is not a blockchain-native company; instead, it offers financial infrastructure and merchant services for small businesses. In December, the company was valued at $750 million following a $100 million late-stage funding round. 

Circle, the issuer of USDC, the second-largest stablecoin by market capitalization, has launched an initial public offering (IPO) of 24 million shares of its Class A common stock, the company said on May 27.

The firm has applied to list its Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol CRCL. As part of the offering, Circle is issuing 9.6 million shares of Class A common stock, the company said in a news release.

The remaining 14.4 million shares of Class A common stock will be offered by selling stockholders. Circle is also expected to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to buy up to an additional 3.6 million shares of Class A common stock to cover over-allotments.

The IPO involves participation from several major US investment banks, with JPMorgan, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs acting as joint lead active bookrunners, the announcement added.

An excerpt from the title page of Circle’s Form S-1 IPO filing. Source: SEC

The offering will also feature European banks, including Barclays, Deutsche Bank Securities and Societe Generale acting as bookrunners.

The United Kingdom is leading the world in increasing cryptocurrency ownership among its population in 2025, outpacing economies including the United States, according to a new study by Gemini.

Gemini, the US-based crypto exchange founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, on May 27 released its latest “State of Crypto” report, giving insights into changes in the global adoption of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC).

Based on a survey of 7,200 adults across the US, Europe, Singapore and Australia, the report found that Europe has been leading the way in growing crypto ownership, with the UK in front.

The UK saw the biggest year-over-year growth in crypto ownership of the surveyed nations, with the share of respondents indicating crypto holdings rising to 24% as of April from 18% last year, Gemini said in the report shared with Cointelegraph.

Crypto sees highest ownership in Singapore

While the UK has reportedly seen an increase in new crypto owners, it’s yet to reach the world’s top crypto ownership rate.

Key takeaways:

Bitcoin’s RSI has dropped 15% and is now below the overbought threshold.

Bitcoin futures flip bearish with a 43% decline in perpetual CVD.

Analysts predict Bitcoin could reach $150,000 as long as a key support level holds.

Bitcoin’s (BTC) price hit fresh all-time highs of nearly $112,000 on May 23, gaining 50% from its April 1 lows. According to analysts, BTC price is now “showing signs of easing momentum” as it consolidates. 

Luxembourg classified virtual asset service providers (VASPs) as high-risk entities for money laundering in its 2025 National Risk Assessment (NRA), highlighting concerns over the crypto industry’s exposure to financial crime.

According to the report, the inherent risk level of VASPs is deemed “High,” driven by factors including transaction volume, client reach, distribution channels, legal structures and the international scope of operations.

The NRA identified VASPs as an emerging risk in its 2020 report after “a detailed assessment of ML inherent risks emerging from virtual assets.” This was followed by a 2022 NRA report deeming “the risks associated with crypto assets and virtual currencies as very high,” because, among other things, they are internet-based and cross-border.

Related: Blender and Sinbad operators face US money laundering charges

EU’s evolving crypto regulation

The European Union, of which Luxembourg is a founding member, has been working to regulate the cryptocurrency industry. A key part of this effort is the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, which is designed to unify crypto regulation across all 27 EU member states.

Japanese investment firm Metaplanet’s Bitcoin premium has reached almost $600,000 per coin, as Asia’s leading Bitcoin treasury firm pushes forward with its plan to purchase 21,000 BTC by 2026.

Metaplanet’s stockholders are paying more than a fivefold premium on Bitcoin (BTC) when investing in the Japanese company, according to a report by 10x Research published on May 27.

“A little-known Japanese stock trades as if Bitcoin were worth $596,154, more than five times its actual price,” the report states.

Investors who don’t understand the importance of a firm’s net asset value (NAV) may be “dramatically overpaying for their Bitcoin exposure” on a position that doesn’t provide additional upside leverage, the report adds.

The NAV represents the per-unit price of a fund, calculated by dividing the fund’s total assets minus its liabilities by the number of outstanding shares.

Crypto exchange Bitget has entered the expanding market for crypto investment products with the launch of BGUSD, a yield-bearing stable asset backed by tokenized real-world assets.

The company announced that BGUSD offers an annual yield of 4%, which is credited daily to users’ spot accounts. Subscriptions to BGUSD can be made using either USDC (USDC) or USDt (USDT), and the asset is redeemable back to USDC on demand.

The company said the yield is derived from a basket of tokenized instruments, including US Treasury bills and high-grade money-market funds. “These assets are managed via partnerships with regulated institutional tokenization providers such as Superstate,” Bitget CEO Gracy Chen told Cointelegraph.

The product’s structure is designed to reduce exposure to crypto volatility while delivering returns through traditional financial instruments. 

Bitget to roll out third-party attestations

In response to questions about transparency, Chen said that Bitget is preparing to roll out third-party attestations to provide visibility into BGUSD’s asset backing.

Blockchain.com is stepping up its presence in Africa, targeting markets where governments are beginning to implement crypto regulations.

The UK-based exchange plans to open a physical office during the second quarter in Nigeria — its “fastest-growing market” in West Africa — along with broader expansion efforts in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, according to a May 27 report by Bloomberg.

“Nigeria has taken meaningful steps toward creating a clear framework for crypto,” Owenize Odia, Blockchain.com’s general manager for Africa, reportedly said.

The move comes as global sentiment shifts, including political tailwinds from the United States, where President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance has encouraged industry expansion.

Related: Hedera Africa Hackathon launches with $1M prize pool and Web3 focus