News linked to both this project and an event.
"Fed Whisperer" Nick Timiraos stated that there are three key points to watch in Warsh's first Fed meeting as chair:1. Will the "easing bias" language be removed? And if so, what will replace it? Since 2024, a sentence in the policy statement regarding "additional adjustments" has been signaling to the outside world that the next move in interest rates is more likely to be a cut than a hike. This language sparked dissent at the last Fed meeting and now appears increasingly untenable. Removing it could satisfy everyone: hawks want it gone, and Warsh can tout the move as a reform rather than a signal of a hawkish turn. Even Trump previewed this move during Warsh's swearing-in ceremony.2. Will the "dot plot" take over as a guidance tool? Who will predict a rate hike? The Fed will release its first interest rate projections since March; at that time, 12 of the 19 officials expected at least one rate cut in 2026. Now, most expect no cuts. I'm watching how many predict a hike—and whether Warsh, long skeptical of the dot plot, will submit his own projection or downplay its significance by not voting on it.3. How will Warsh communicate during the press conference? The Fed Chair's words can move markets only if people believe he commands a majority—that his words represent the committee's direction, not just his own views. Warsh leads a divided group that he may not fully control. If he faithfully conveys his colleagues' views, he can begin building the authority to speak for them; if not, colleagues will express themselves elsewhere (e.g., through dissenting votes). Under a chair inclined to reduce signaling, those "dissents" themselves may become the tools for sending signals. (Jinshi)
a16z crypto has stated in an article that the crypto industry is entering the so-called "Show Me era," where the market and media no longer accept projects relying solely on vision and whitepapers but demand real data and verifiable product deployment. In the past decade, crypto projects often depended on a "vision is the product" logic, gaining market attention through whitepapers, token narratives, and proof-of-concept. However, as regulatory scrutiny intensifies, negative industry incidents increase, and institutional players enter the space, this model is becoming obsolete. Simultaneously, the accelerated entry of traditional financial institutions into the crypto field is significantly raising the industry bar, including BlackRock's tokenized money market funds, Fidelity's ETF initiatives, and JPMorgan Chase's advances in on-chain settlement and building its own blockchain network. This makes "real products and actual usage" the new competitive standard.a16z crypto summarizes the current industry standard as a "proof-first" mechanism, requiring projects to demonstrate clear product usage data, on-chain transaction volumes, genuine user growth, and sustained retention, rather than merely intentions to partner or conceptual roadmaps. The firm emphasizes that "partnership announcements" no longer constitute valid signals; they must be accompanied by actual integrations and verifiable data. Meanwhile, user growth, on-chain activity, revenue curves, and third-party verification have become core evaluation metrics. The article further introduces the concept of a "proof stack," where projects need to convert narrative into credible product facts through a multi-dimensional chain of evidence — real users, independent verification, on-chain data, and established partnerships.a16z crypto believes that the industry's communication logic has shifted from "what you are doing" to "what you have already accomplished." It emphasizes that while narrative and vision remain important, their weight has dropped from approximately 80% in the past to 20% now, as the industry officially enters a competitive phase centered on results.
Odaily News, Jack Mallers, founder of Strike and CEO of Twenty One Capital, stated that Bitcoin’s drop below $63,000 is not merely a sentiment issue but a reflection of the reality of insufficient liquidity in the global financial system.Mallers believes that while U.S. consumer confidence is at historic lows, the S&P 500 remains at all-time highs, indicating that traditional stock market signals have been distorted by policy intervention. In contrast, Bitcoin, as a 24/7 trading asset, more closely mirrors the true conditions of global liquidity and market stress.He emphasized that during periods of liquidity tightening, investors often "sell what they can, not what they want." Therefore, Bitcoin's decline may not signify a collapse of long-term conviction but rather forced selling under capital pressure.Additionally, Mallers questioned Strategy's perpetual preferred stock financing structure, suggesting it could place the company in a capital structure dilemma when liquidity is needed in the future, forcing trade-offs among different stakeholders.
Nasdaq-listed company Bit Digital CEO Sam Tabar stated on X that he has purchased more ETH.Sam Tabar explained: "Many people look at ETH's price performance over the past two years and conclude it's finished. But I believe they are looking for the wrong catalyst. The repricing of ETH was never meant to be built on retail narratives. For an asset backed by such a massive infrastructure, that kind of narrative is simply too fragile. The real catalyst is institutional demand. And the pace of institutional demand never follows the sentiment on social media. It only materializes when compliance frameworks are ready, custody systems are established, and the regulatory environment is stable enough for a CFO to give the green light. And that moment is closer than what market prices reflect."He added: "I hold ETH because I have a fiduciary obligation to make smart capital allocation decisions. And at the price I bought in, ETH meets that standard."
U.S. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins stated that the SEC had long been out of step with new technologies and innovation, causing entrepreneurs to turn to overseas markets. He declared that this phase has ended. Under President Trump’s leadership—and with cooperation from the administration and congressional colleagues—the SEC is providing what it calls “much-needed clarity” to the digital asset market.
prediction market platform Kalshi has announced support for the establishment of a new prediction market lobbying organization, Americans for Fair Markets, and has appointed Taylor Budowich, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff under the Trump administration, as a strategic advisor. The organization will confront the sports betting and casino industries, which it alleges are "trying to maintain their monopoly and spread misinformation about prediction markets to policymakers."According to reports, Americans for Fair Markets will push for federal-level regulatory policy for prediction markets and launch paid advocacy campaigns to counter what it calls "false narratives" about the industry. The organization will also join a broader industry lobbying camp, including the Coalition for Prediction Markets, which was founded in December 2025 with support from Coinbase, Crypto.com, and Robinhood.On the same day, the U.S. House of Representatives launched an investigation into Kalshi and its main competitor, Polymarket, focusing on how the platforms handle insider trading issues. As prediction markets face increased scrutiny in the United States and globally, related regulatory controversies continue to escalate.Kalshi stated that the new organization will support the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) regulation of prediction markets and will advocate for KYC requirements, a ban on insider trading, and restrictions on markets related to violence and terrorism under a federal regulatory framework. John Bivona, Head of Government Relations at Kalshi, said: "We will not be outspent or out-organized by established interests trying to protect their monopoly." (Cointelegraph)
Eleanor Terrett disclosed that after members of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee submitted over 100 amendments to the CLARITY Act last night, the DeFi Education Fund (DEF) is tracking what it calls "anti-DeFi amendments" among them. It is urging supporters to pressure senators to oppose these amendments before the bill is considered tomorrow.According to DEF, these amendments come from Democratic Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, Andy Kim, Chris Van Hollen, Elizabeth Warren, and Jack Reed. They involve weakening the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), limiting protections for non-custodial software developers and DeFi frontends, adjusting tokenization provisions, and expanding BSA/AML obligations for developers and digital asset companies.
Nick Timiraos, known as the "Fed Mouthpiece," wrote in The Wall Street Journal that the discussion within the Federal Reserve regarding the interest rate path has undergone a noticeable shift. The focus is no longer primarily on when to restart rate cuts but has begun to consider under what conditions rate hikes might be necessary again. Since the Fed began releasing policy statements in 1994, disagreements over how to describe the policy direction—rather than actual rate changes—have been rare.Three regional Fed presidents, including Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan and Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari, opposed retaining the wording "the next move is more likely a rate cut" at this week’s policy meeting, arguing that the next rate adjustment could be either a hike or a cut. Outgoing Fed Chair Jerome Powell stated that the committee is gradually shifting from a "rate-cut bias" to a "neutral stance" and noted that if rate hikes become necessary in the future, the Fed would first move to a neutral position before signaling increases. (WSJ)
U.S. lawmakers have reached an agreement on stablecoin yield provisions, a point of contention that had stalled the Clarity Act in the Senate for months. Senators Tom Tillis and Angela Alsobrooks have finalized the text of the related compromise. Section 404 of the agreement stipulates that crypto companies cannot offer interest or returns that are economically or functionally equivalent to bank deposits, but allows for incentives related to the use of genuine platforms.Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong stated that the Senate Banking Committee should be urged to deliberate on the bill as soon as possible. This development could provide momentum for what has been a long-stalled review process. (The Block)