Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

Goldman Sachs to gain bitcoin and ETH income ETFs in up to $2.25 billion Neos acquisition

Quick TakeGoldman Sachs has agreed to acquire Neos Investments for up to $2.25 billion, a deal that will give the traditional finance giant three crypto income ETFs.Neos offers the Bitcoin High Income ETF, Boosted Bitcoin High Income ETF and Ethereum High Income ETF.The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027.　　Goldman Sachs is set to add three crypto options-income ETFs to its asset management business through the Neos Investments deal it announced Wednesday.　　Goldman has agreed to acquire Neos for up to $2.25 billion in cash and equity, subject to certain performance and service commitments. The deal would bring the Neos Bitcoin High Income ETF (BTCI), Boosted Bitcoin High Income ETF (XBCI) and Ethereum High Income ETF (NEHI) under Goldman Sachs Asset Management.　　The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to regulatory approval and other customary conditions.　　Neos, founded in 2022, manages over $30 billion across 19 options-based income ETFs, according to its website. Its funds use options to generate monthly income while offering exposure to assets ranging from U.S. stock indexes to bitcoin, ether and gold.　　“As investor demand for active ETFs grows, NEOS disciplined investment approach is highly complementary to our capabilities across

08-13Industry

Norway wealth fund posts record $184B profit, reveals SpaceX stake

Norways sovereign wealth fund has earned a record 1.75 trillion kroner, or about $184.3 billion, in the first half of 2026 while disclosing a $1.22 billion investment in SpaceX for the first time.　　SummaryNorways sovereign wealth fund generated a 9.4% returnduring the first six months of 2026.Asian technology stocks helped lift first-half profit to a record 1.75 trillion kroner.The fund owned a 0.05% SpaceX stake worth $1.22 billionas of June 30.Its 10 largest investments now account for about 20% of the total portfolio.　　Asian technology stocks drove the record profit　　Norges Bank Investment Management reported on Aug. 12 that the Government Pension Fund Global produced a 9.4% investment return during the first half of 2026, taking its profit to 1.75 trillion Norwegian kroner.　　$SPCX: Norways $2.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund disclosed it holds a stake in SpaceX, valued at around $1.2 billion.　　The result surpassed the previous first-half record of 1.5 trillion kroner, set in 2023. Gains across global equity markets supplied much of the return, with Asian technology companies making an especially strong contribution.　　“The result is driven by good returns in the equity market, particularly from Asian technology stocks,” NBIM CEO Nicolai Tangen said.　　You might also like:　　SpaceX stock rallies 14% as lockup fears fade　　After

08-13Industry

Bank of Montreal Discloses XRP Holdings in $303 Billion Portfolio

Canadas second-largest bank, Bank of Montreal (BMO), has disclosed positions in XRP-focused financial vehicles. The information appears in its latest quarterly Form 13F-HR filing submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).　　The new filing officially confirms the presence of XRP within BMOs massive investment portfolio, whose total value exceeded $303 billion at the end of June 2026. Specifically, the banks reportable positions include 323 shares of the Rex Osprey XRP ETF and 20 shares of the ProShares Ultra XRP ETF.　　Text file showing XRP ETF from Rex Osprey on Bank of Montreals balance sheet, Source: Form 13F-HR filing　　The bank did not purchase tokens directly on exchanges. Instead, it used regulated U.S. infrastructure in the form of spot and derivatives-based ETF products, allowing it to integrate the volatile token into a giant portfolio within a familiar legal framework and without direct custody risks.　　For Canadas banking sector, this is becoming a systemic trend. Earlier in the same reporting period, National Bank of Canada disclosed a holding of 3,848 shares in the Bitwise XRP ETF, worth approximately $330,000.　　Conservative capital has effectively developed a single playbook: entering the cryptocurrency market selectively and through transparent funds.　　Trade Crypto Assets　　New force behind institutional XRP accumulation　　At the same

08-13Industry

Bitcoiner Mow Says BIP-110 Uproar Could Have Been Avoided

Bitcoin entrepreneur Samson Mow has argued that the growth of the BIP-110 movement was in large part a reaction to decisions and behavior within the Bitcoin Core ecosystem.　　Crypto Price Analysis　　Mows comments came after a series of exchanges on X involving analyst Michael Sullivan, Bitcoin Core developer Antoine Poinsot and Blockstream co-founder Adam Back.　　“This entire mess could have been avoided”　　Mows response to Poinsot was rather direct. “If you dont take responsibility for your own hand in directly spawning the BIP-110 movement, it will just happen again,” he said.　　He claims that the opposing camps attacks helped produce the backlash it subsequently received. “Your ‘side’ was just as nasty in its attacks, especially given you and other Core devs close association with angry vitriol-spewing people like Brian from Bitcoin Magazine,” he said.　　Mow then argued that the reaction should have been predictable. “Did you really not expect that anger and vitriol to be returned tenfold？” he asked.　　card　　Several controversies compounded the problem, including what he described as the “Zhao/Newberry improprieties” and “a long list of other clumsy, guilty-looking missteps,” he said.　　Mow also rejected the characterization of his own earlier criticism as defamatory. “All I did was hint at structural problems within Core, problems Jon Atack

08-13Industry

Bitcoin reclaims $64K as analysts assess what 3.4% CPI means for Fed policy

Bitcoin reclaimed $64,000 after U.S. inflation eased to 3.4% in July, while market leaders said the in-line reading left the Federal Reserves policy outlook largely unchanged.　　The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Aug. 12 that the Consumer Price Index rose 0.1% month over month in July and 3.4% from a year earlier. Both readings matched market expectations.　　Core CPI, which removes volatile food and energy prices, increased 0.2% during the month and 2.5% annually. The yearly core rate slowed from 2.6% in June, while headline inflation eased from 3.5%.　　Bitcoin rebounds after in-line CPI report　　Bitcoin (BTC) rose to around $64,100 following the release, recovering from an intraday low near $63,400, according to data from crypto.news.　　The move offered some relief after uncertainty over the U.S.-Iran conflict and the Strait of Hormuz pressured crypto and other risk assets. Renewed disruption to energy supplies could lift oil prices and complicate the inflation outlook, limiting the market‘s response to July’s softer figures.　　Gadi Chait, investment manager at Xapo Bank, told crypto.news that Bitcoins reaction to inflation data largely depends on how the figures affect expected interest rates and financial conditions.　　“Fundamentally, Bitcoin is a liquidity-sensitive asset. Historically, it has performed strongly when liquidity is abundant, and interest

08-13Industry

XRP Bridge Drained After Software Treats Fake Deposits as Real

In briefAn attacker drained nearly 200,000 XRP, worth around $202,000, from the Tx XRPL bridge.The bridge credited transactions that did not deliver XRP as deposits.Tx halted the bridge and is considering how to compensate affected users.　　An attacker drained nearly 200,000 XRP, worth around $202,000, from an XRP Ledger bridge on August 9 by exploiting a flaw in its deposit-detection software, the project said.　　In a post on X on Tuesday, Tx, which operates the bridge connecting the Tx Chain and the XRP Ledger, said a software flaw caused the bridge to record transactions as XRP deposits even though no XRP had been received.　　Myriad: XRP price next move？ Click the image to place your prediction.　　“The attacker exploited the bridges deposit-detection logic,” the company wrote. “The bridges software incorrectly registered transactions that never actually delivered any XRP to the bridge as deposits, and minted bridged XRP on the tx chain against them.”　　Tx is a layer-1 blockchain ecosystem launched in March by combining the Coreum blockchain with Sologenic, an XRP Ledger-based tokenization and trading platform.　　The attacker used those fraudulent deposits to create unbacked XRP on the Tx Chain, then exchanged it through the bridge for real XRP.　　According to Tx, the bridge underwent several internal

08-13Industry

SKALE launches Agent Pit to let builders train AI agents before taking them live on Polymarket

Quick TakeSKALE Labs has launched Agent Pit, a paper-trading prediction market sandbox on its zero-gas blockchain that mirrors Polymarket, letting humans and AI agents safely test and train trading strategies.Developers can fine-tune agents, compete on simulated ROI leaderboards, and then deploy models to real markets like Polymarket.　　SKALE Labs has launched Agent Pit, a paper-trading prediction market built specifically for training and testing autonomous AI trading agents — effectively a no-stakes prediction market sandbox for humans and bots to test strategies.　　The platform, the first product from the company‘s Agentic Venture Studio, runs on SKALE’s high-throughput, zero-gas blockchain and mirrors the mechanics of Polymarket, including its order books, resolution frameworks, and live event data feeds.　　“We saw a strong need in the market from both experts and novices for a training ground for agent-first prediction market strategies,” Jack OHolleran told The Block. “We hope this will help builders get confidence in their agent mechanics and strategies while also providing a fun gamified experience.”　　Developers and quant builders can fine-tune agents in the simulated environment with no real capital at risk before competing on public leaderboards or deploying to live markets.　　SKALE says Agent Pit maintains full parity with Polymarkets market structure while offering paper-trading iteration

08-13Industry

Goldman Sachs to acquire NEOS in $2.25B ETF deal

Goldman Sachs has agreed to acquire NEOS Investments for up to $2.25 billion, adding about $30 billion in assets and 19 options-based income ETFs to its asset management business.　　SummaryGoldman Sachs will pay up to $2.25 billionthrough a cash-and-equity transaction.NEOS managed about $30 billion across 19 ETFsas of June 30.The purchase will lift Goldmans ETF platform above $130 billion in assets.NEOS co-founders will join Goldman Sachs Asset Management as partnersafter closing.　　Goldman Sachs sets first-quarter 2027 closing target　　Goldman Sachs said in an Aug. 12 announcement that the final payment will depend on performance and service commitments included in the acquisition agreement. The transaction is scheduled to close during the first quarter of 2027, subject to regulatory clearances and customary closing conditions.　　Structured as a mix of cash and equity, the deal will bring NEOS investment products, staff, and client relationships into Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The bank did not provide a breakdown of the cash and stock portions or identify the regulators that must approve the purchase.　　Based in Westport, Connecticut, NEOS has built a range of 19 systematic options-based income ETFs since its launch in 2022. Goldman placed the firms assets under management at approximately $30 billion as of June 30, while Bloomberg

08-12Industry

Crypto-Backed Loans, Explained: How to Unlock Cash Without Selling Your Bitcoin

In briefCrypto-backed loans give holders cash against their coins without selling, generally avoiding a capital-gains event.Figure advises borrowers to compare four things when shopping: max loan-to-value, fixed vs. variable rate, licensing, and liquidation terms.Licensing and liquidation protection matter more than the headline rate, says the crypto lender, and the product suits only holders comfortable with margin-call risk.　　If you believe in your crypto, selling it to cover a short-term cash need is the one move youd rather not make. Sell, and you trigger a taxable event and give up any future upside. A crypto-backed loanoffers another path: borrow cash against your holdings while keeping every coin.　　Heres the mechanics. You pledge Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Solana as collateral, and a lender advances you cash—with Figure its up to 75% of your collaterals value*. You keep ownership of the crypto the entire time. No sale, and because borrowing isnt a sale, generally no capital-gains event (this isnt tax advice—check with a professional on your situation).　　The category has matured fast, and not every lender is built the same. Four things separate a serious platform from a risky one — and theyre exactly what you should compare when shopping for the best crypto-backed loan:　　Fixed vs. variable

08-12Industry

BIP-110 failure shows Bitcoin would be 'almost impossible to reproduce,' Plan B Network director says

Quick TakeZucco argued that BIP-110 bundled legitimate technical and governance disputes with a “moral panic” that helped drive the fork.He criticized Luke Dashjrs removal as a BIP editor, saying the move risked fueling claims of Bitcoin centralization.　　Giacomo Zucco, director of Plan B Network, said on The Blocks The Starting Block podcast that the failed BIP-110 Bitcoin fork offered an “educational” lesson in how difficult it would be to recreate Bitcoin from scratch today, arguing that the conditions around the networks early development would be almost impossible to replicate.　　BIP-110, championed by longtime Bitcoin developer Luke Dashjr, looked to change Bitcoins consensus rules to curb what supporters considered spam on the network.　　However, the proposal failed to garner much support, with nodes running BIP-110 splitting from the main Bitcoin network over the weekend and creating a separate blockchain with a small fraction of its hash power. The breakaway chain initially stalled after two blocks, though Zucco noted it had since sputtered back to life, reaching four blocks by the time of the interview.　　Dashjr, one of Bitcoin Cores earliest contributors, has continued to try to keep the fork alive, including trying to change its proof-of-work algorithm. Zucco said those efforts show how launching a

08-12Industry

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