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MAJOR UPCOMING EVENTS IN Q1 2026!
A full list of Major Upcoming Events, to be updated
👉 https://cryptodiffer.com/events
ASI Alliance Launches Closed Alpha of ASI:Create
ASI Alliance has announced the closed alpha of ASI:Create, a decentralized platform that lets developers build, deploy, and monetize AI agents. The platform aims to redefine how AI-native systems operate across the web.
🔎 Key Features
– Build Your Agent. Create agents that reason, plan, and act independently. Deploy single agents or collaborative teams
– Create Your Space. Showcase workflows, collaborate with teams, and share AI-native systems across a decentralized ecosystem.
– Hosting & Compute. Use ASI:Cloud for distributed infrastructure, AI training, and inference
The platform is in closed alpha, focusing on UX improvements and infrastructure scaling. Public access is coming soon
Cryptomarket Check-In. Major Events & Headlines
Institutional momentum continues accelerating across crypto markets, with capital inflows, 24/7 derivatives expansion, and regulated onchain infrastructure gaining traction.
AI–crypto convergence, tokenization frameworks, and exchange-level upgrades are shaping the next phase of market structure
🔎 Recent Updates & Developments
– OpenAI nears a potential $100B funding round while launching EVMbench to benchmark AI-driven smart contract security
– CME Group moves toward 24/7 crypto futures and options trading, signaling deeper institutional integration
– China formalizes its RWA regulatory framework, reducing ambiguity around tokenized onshore assets
– Uniswap advances protocol fee activation across v3 pools, strengthening revenue capture and UNI buyback dynamics
– XRP Ledger rolls out a permissioned DEX model designed for regulated financial institutions
– Kraken expands token lifecycle infrastructure ahead of its planned IPO
– Tether enables gold-denominated dividend distribution via tokenized Tether Gold integration
– ether.fi migrates to OP Mainnet, scaling onchain neobanking across 300K+ accounts
– Robinhood Layer 2 surpasses 4M transactions in its first week of testnet activity
– Moonwell faces liquidation cascades following oracle mispricing, highlighting ongoing DeFi risk vectors
The broader trend is clear: institutional alignment, compliant tokenization, and protocol-level monetization are becoming core pillars of the evolving crypto financial systemЧитать полностью…
Polymarket acquires Dome, a prediction market API startup
The move brings ready-made API tools into Polymarket’s ecosystem, potentially simplifying market creation and third-party integrations. Dome allows devs to build apps, bots, or trading tools that work across platforms like Polymarket, Kalshi, and other platforms.
👉 x.com/Polymarket/status/2024514315823509826?s=20
etherfi Migrates to OP Mainnet, Bringing Onchain Neobanking to Optimism
etherfi is migrating its Cash product, covering ~70,000 cards, ~300,000 accounts, and millions in TVL, to OP Mainnet. The move comes with OP Enterprise support, dedicated account management, and priority access to new features.
The platform already processes 2,000 swaps and 28,000 spend transactions daily (~$2M volume), doubling roughly every two months.
Post-migration, users will enjoy gas-free card transactions, higher liquidity, more cashback, and OP token rewards alongside travel perks, membership tiers, and metal cards.
OpenAI Eyes Record-Breaking $100B Funding Round. Valuation Could Hit $850B
OpenAI is close to closing the first phase of a massive funding round that could bring in over $100 billion. The deal would provide capital to expand ChatGPT and AI infrastructure.
1️⃣ Valuation. Total valuation could surpass $850 billion. Pre-money valuation remains $730 billion
2️⃣ Strategic Investors. First phase includes Amazon ($50B), SoftBank ($30B), Nvidia ($20B), and Microsoft. Commitments are expected by month-end
3️⃣ Market Reaction. SoftBank shares jumped 4% in Tokyo
4️⃣ Future Phases. Later rounds may involve venture capital, sovereign wealth funds, and other investors
5️⃣ Strategic Partnerships. OpenAI will likely expand use of Amazon’s cloud and chips
The deal is still under negotiation
ProShares Launches First GENIUS Act-Compliant Money Market ETF for Stablecoins
ProShares has launched the GENIUS Money Market ETF (NYSE Arca: IQMM), the first fund built to hold assets qualifying as reserves for U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins under the GENIUS Act.
1️⃣ Regulatory Alignment. Complies with the GENIUS Act, which requires stablecoins to be fully backed by safe, liquid assets such as short-term U.S. Treasuries
2️⃣ Asset Strategy. Invests only in cash and government securities with maturities ≤93 days, ensuring liquidity for daily redemptions
IQMM bridges regulated money markets and the expanding stablecoin ecosystem, offering issuers a compliant, highly liquid reserve option
Ethereum Foundation Sets 2026 Protocol Priorities
Ethereum Foundation has reorganized protocol development for 2026 into three dedicated tracks focused on scaling, usability, and base-layer resilience.
The update follows major 2025 upgrades and sets the structural direction for upcoming network changes.
⏩ 2026 Core Tracks
- Scale. Unified L1 execution and blob scaling
- UX Update. Native account abstraction and interoperability
- Harden Layer 1. Security, censorship resistance, network resilience
⏩ Upgrades Schedule
- Glamsterdam targeted for H1 2026
- Hegotá planned later in 2026
- Parallel execution and enshrined PBS under development
👉 x.com/ethereumfndn/status/2024184154733367403?s=20
Robinhood Layer 2 testnet records 4M transactions in first week
Robinhood’s Layer 2 testnet generated over 4 million transactions in its first week following six months of private testing, according to CEO Vlad Tenev.
The early activity underscores growing developer engagement and reinforces the company’s long-term push into crypto and tokenization despite a recent 38% year-over-year decline in crypto trading revenue.
Canton Network One-Pager. Top Layer 1 launch of 2025
What made Canton stand out in 2025 is that it “won” where most L1s don’t: workflow fit for Wall Street — privacy, governance, and interoperability by design. Its “network of networks” approach lets institutions run their own domains while still achieving atomic cross-domain settlement when needed.
Base Chain Ditches OP Stack for Unified Base-Operated Stack
Base, Coinbase’s Layer-2 chain, is moving from Optimism’s OP Stack to a unified Base-operated stack to speed innovation, improve scaling, and strengthen security.
⏭️ Impact for Users & Node Operators
– No immediate action is needed. Base remains compatible with the OP Stack today
– Node operators must migrate to the new Base client ahead of future hard forks
– RPCs, including those in the Optimism namespace, will continue to work to avoid breaking integrations
XRP Ledger Launches Members-Only DEX for Regulated Institutions
The XRP Ledger (XRPL) activated XLS-81 “Permissioned DEX”, letting banks and brokers run gated onchain trading with KYC/AML compliance, while trades remain native to the ledger.
The upgrade complements XLS-85 Token Escrow, enabling conditional settlements for stablecoins and tokenized assets, creating a toolkit for regulated token markets.
👉 theblock.co/post/390340/xrp-ledger-activates-members-only-dex
Brevan Howard Crypto Fund Posts 30% Loss in 2025, Worst Year Since Launch
Brevan Howard’s flagship digital asset fund fell 29.5% in 2025, its steepest decline since launch, after gains of 52% in 2024 and 43% in 2023, as crypto markets corrected. The fund manages $2.4B and invests in digital currencies and blockchain ventures.
Despite losses, Brevan Howard Digital continued deploying capital, backing Superstate ($82.5M), TRM Labs ($70M), Canaan ($72M), and Legion ($5M). Some deals included downside protections, such as Berachain’s $69M Series B ($25M stake with a one-year refund right).
Oriole Weekly Statement. Recent Listings, Polls & Bullish Projects
Oriole Insight continues tracking real-time crypto sentiment with new ROI listings and active Up/Down markets.
Recent highlights include Backpack, Cap, Superform, and Nexira — with CAP showing the strongest upside projection (+62%).
On sentiment markets, Aster leans bullish (72% Up), while WLFI and Aztec skew bearish. LayerZero remains split, slightly favoring upside.
📶 Trending Polls Show
– 2.20% leading for March 2026 US CPI (65.7%)
– 83% expect a large-scale crypto liquidation in 2026
– 78% don’t see ASTER hitting $1 in 30 days
– BTC consensus cluster: $75K–$80K by end of February
Distributed RWA Value has surpassed $25 BILLION
Tokenized real-world assets have surpassed $25B, marking one of the fastest-growing sectors in crypto. U.S. Treasuries dominate the landscape, highlighting how institutions are using blockchain to modernize traditional finance.
NVIDIA Launches Rubin — Next-Gen AI Supercomputer Platform
NVIDIA unveiled Rubin, its next-gen AI platform with six new chips — Vera CPU, Rubin GPU, NVLink 6, ConnectX-9, BlueField-4 DPU, and Spectrum-6 Switch — designed for extreme hardware-software codesign. Rubin delivers up to 10× lower inference cost and 4× fewer GPUs for MoE training vs. Blackwell.
Key Innovations
1️⃣ High-Performance Chips. Rubin GPU with 3rd-gen Transformer Engine and Vera CPU optimized for agentic reasoning
2️⃣ AI-Native Storage & Networking. BlueField-4 Inference Context Memory and Spectrum-X Ethernet enable scalable AI infrastructure
3️⃣ Rack-Scale Systems. Vera Rubin NVL72 and HGX Rubin NVL8 enable large-scale AI factories for training and inference
4️⃣ Ecosystem Support. AWS, Microsoft, Google Cloud, Anthropic, OpenAI, Meta, xAI, and CoreWeave are adopting Rubin
⏭️ Rubin is currently in production, with partner deployments expected in H2 2026, powering AI superfactories, long-context reasoning, and multimodal models at unprecedented efficiency and scale
Netherlands Bans Polymarket Over Illegal Gambling Services
The Netherlands Gambling Authority (Ksa) has ordered Polymarket to immediately halt operations in the country, ruling that the platform offers illegal gambling without a license.
Adventure One QSS Inc., Polymarket’s operator, faces €420,000 in weekly fines (up to €840,000) if it fails to comply. Regulators said prediction markets are not permitted under Dutch law, citing social risks such as potential election influence.
Despite mounting scrutiny, the sector continues to grow rapidly. Combined monthly trading volumes across leading platforms, including rival Kalshi, exceed $13.5B, with 43M+ transactions processed.
Polymarket says its products are financial instruments, not bets. Dutch regulators disagree, arguing that staking money on uncertain outcomes for profit is gambling. The move adds the Netherlands to a growing list of countries tightening oversight on prediction markets.
Parsec Finance shuts down amid ongoing market volatility
Uniswap and Galaxy-Backed platform has started refunding users and canceling subscriptions, without disclosing the reason behind its shutdown. The platform offered customizable dashboards for DeFi and NFT analytics, API access, and an AI-powered Parsec Agent.
👉 x.com/parsec_finance/status/2024519983330468049?s=20
CME Group to launch 24/7 Futures and Options trading
CME Group plans to begin round-the-clock trading of crypto futures and options starting May 29. Previously, major weekend price swings occurred without access to regulated hedging tools.
The change ensures institutional investors can hedge positions and deploy capital without waiting for traditional market reopenings.
👉 x.com/CMEGroup/status/2024503477531976057?s=20
Susquehanna-Backed Blockfills Hits $75M Loss, Puts Platform Up for Sale
Blockfills, the Chicago crypto lender backed by Susquehanna, lost about $75M in the market downturn and is now seeking a buyer. The firm temporarily paused deposits and withdrawals, but spot and derivatives trading continues.
1️⃣ Trading Volume. Blockfills handled over $60B in 2025, a 28% increase from 2024, serving roughly 2,000 institutional clients, including hedge funds, asset managers, and mining firms
2️⃣ Market Context. The suspension echoes 2022’s crypto winter, highlighting persistent market volatility. Bitcoin (BTC) remains under $70K and Ether (ETH) below $2K
3️⃣ Funding History. Blockfills raised $37M in Series A in Jan 2022, led by Susquehanna, CME Ventures, Simplex, C6E, and Nexo, bringing total capital raised to $44M
The platform is working with investors and clients to restore liquidity, but the future remains uncertain amid ongoing crypto market weakness
Hyperbeat Launches USD+. A Yield Vault for USDC with Instant Credit Access
Hyperbeat has launched USD+, a DeFi vault that lets users earn optimized real yield on USDC while instantly using deposits as collateral for credit via Liquid Banking.
Deposits generate real-time yield across top Hyperliquid venues, including Hyperliquid, Morpho, Hyperlend, and Felix Protocol.
👉 x.com/hyperbeat/status/2023759219653034219?s=20
Substack Adds Polymarket Tabs, Making Real-Time Prediction Data Easier to Analyze
Substack is expanding its Polymarket partnership, adding native tools to embed, search, and analyze live prediction market data directly on the platform.
What’s Included in the Update?
1️⃣ Polymarket Embeds in Notes
Live, auto-refreshing market data can now be added to Notes, not just posts — letting creators reference real-time odds while reacting to news.
2️⃣ Native Search Inside the Editor
Search Polymarket directly within the editor or Notes and insert embeds in one click — no extra tabs needed.
3️⃣ Dynamic Visualizations
Embeds auto-adjust by market type:
– Yes/No markets show probability percentages
– Multi-outcome markets display ranked results
Polymarket has also joined Substack’s sponsorships pilot, supporting a group of creators who integrate prediction data into their content.
⏭️ Crypto-native infrastructure is moving into mainstream publishing. Substack isn’t just adding embeds — it’s normalizing prediction markets in everyday analysis
Aptos unveils performance-based tokenomics update
Aptos Foundation is proposing structural tokenomics reforms aimed at shifting from bootstrap-era emissions to a performance-based supply model. The changes introduce staking cuts, higher burn mechanisms, a hard cap, and potential buybacks.
🔄 Key Tokenomics Changes
- Staking rewards cut from 5.19% to 2.6%
- Gas fees to rise 10×, fully burned
- 2.1B APT hard cap (1.196B circulating)
- 210M APT permanently locked
📉 Deflation Path
- Decibel DEX projected to burn 32M+ APT annually at scale
- Investor unlock cycle concludes in Oct 2026, cutting unlock pressure ~60%
🏛 Ecosystem Impact
- Supply pressure expected to decline starting in 2027
- Validators face lower emissions but reduced hardware costs under AIP-139
The combined measures are designed to reduce inflation pressure and potentially shift APT toward a deflationary model over time.
👉 x.com/aptos/status/2024216329826230392
Uniswap Votes to Activate Protocol Fees On All V3 Pools
Uniswap governance is considering expanding protocol fee collection to all remaining v3 pools and extending it to eight additional chains.
If approved, the change would integrate deployments into the fee-and-burn framework, directing revenue toward UNI buybacks and burns on Ethereum mainnet.
Governance contributors consider the framework ready for expansion following the stable December rollout on select pools and the launch of the burn mechanism.
OpenAI Launches EVMbench to Test AI Security on Smart Contracts
OpenAI and Paradigm have launched EVMbench, a framework for testing how AI can detect, patch, and exploit vulnerabilities in Ethereum smart contracts. The goal is to see whether AI can help secure contracts that handle billions in DeFi.
🔤 EVMbench Features Highlights
– Three Modes. Detect, patch, and safely exploit contracts
– Scope. 120 real-world vulnerabilities, including Tempo blockchain payment scenarios
– Results. GPT‑5.3‑Codex scores 72.2% in exploit mode vs GPT‑5’s 31.9%. Detection and patching remain harder
– Open-Source. Tools and benchmarks are public for research and defensive use
– Impact. Secures $100B+ in crypto assets and guides AI-assisted smart contract audits
EVMbench provides a benchmark and tools for developers to improve smart contract security and reduce DeFi risks
China Tightens Crypto Oversight and Launches Official RWA Framework
On Feb 6, eight Chinese authorities, including PBoC, CSRC, SAFE, and NDRC, issued the Notice on Further Preventing and Handling Risks Related to Virtual Currencies, defining tokenized securities backed by onshore assets.
Real-World Assets (RWA) are formally recognized as tokenized ownership, income rights, or claims via distributed-ledger tech. Domestic issuance is illegal without approval; offshore issuance is allowed through regulated channels.
Kraken Expands Product Suite with Magna Acquisition Ahead of IPO
Kraken has acquired Magna, a token management platform, marking its sixth deal this year following the $1.5B purchase of NinjaTrader. Terms were not disclosed.
ℹ️ Magna helps crypto firms track token ownership and manage liquidity, enabling Kraken to support projects earlier in their lifecycle.
Magna, a Y Combinator 2022 graduate valued at $70M, complements prior Kraken acquisitions like Backed (tokenized stocks) and Small Exchange (derivatives infrastructure) as the firm expands beyond crypto trading.
Novig Raises $75M to Challenge Kalshi & Polymarket in Sports Prediction Markets
Sports-focused prediction platform Novig secured $75M in Series B funding led by Pantera Capital, aiming to offer a consumer-friendly alternative to Kalshi and Polymarket with sports-only contracts.
🔎 What Makes Novig Unique?
– Unlike traditional sportsbooks or event platforms, Novig operates a peer-to-peer, commission-free model for retail traders, meaning users don’t bet against the house. Instead, fees are charged to institutional participants.
– Currently seeking approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Novig aims to scale nationally under a regulated framework.
– With sports now driving the majority of volume on Kalshi, competition in regulated prediction markets is intensifying — and Novig is betting that a sports-first brand can win market share.
👉 fortune.com/2026/02/18/sports-prediction-markets-novig-kalshi-polymarket-cftc-pantera-multicoin
Binance holds 65% of all stablecoins across CEXs
Binance controls the majority of liquid capital available on CEXs, far surpassing Coinbase, OKX, and Bybit combined. Such concentration gives Binance outsized influence over trading volumes, leverage demand, and overall market direction.
LI FI Unveils A Multi-Step Transaction Orchestrator
A crypto infrastructure startup, LI FI, is launching LI FI Composer, a transaction orchestration tool that lets users bundle swaps, bridging, deposits, and staking into a single onchain transaction.
The launch aligns with LI FI’s broader plan this year to expand its product suite for more than 800 partners and simplify self-custodial transactions in DeFi.
Previously, the company raised $29M in a Series A extension last December, bringing total funding to $51.7 million, with Multicoin Capital joining as a lead investor.