Autor Cointelegraph by Nate Kostar

Bitcoin miner MARA said it agreed to acquire Long Ridge Energy & Power for about $1.5 billion, adding a 505-megawatt gas-fired power plant and a co-located data center site in Ohio. The company’s Nasdaq-traded shares surged more than 12% following Thursday’s announcement, extending a broader rally that has seen the stock gain about 55% over the past month, according to Yahoo Finance data.Source: Yahoo FinanceSource: Yahoo FinanceThe deal is expected to contribute about $144 million in annualized adjusted EBITDA and increase MARA’s owned and operated power capacity by roughly 65%, bringing total potential capacity at the site to more than 1 gigawatt, including 200 MW of existing capacity and room to scale compute operations to as much as 600 MW.Located on 1,600 acres in Hannibal, Ohio, the site provides access to power, land, water and fiber and has drawn interest from AI and data center tenants.The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals, and includes the assumption of roughly $785 million in debt backed by a bridge loan from Barclays. MARA said it hopes to begin construction on an initial buildout in the first half of 2027, with operations targeted for mid-2028.The site includes a combined-cycle gas plant with all-in operating costs below $15 per megawatt-hour, and the company plans to pair future compute demand with additional on-site power generation.The move comes after MARA acquired a majority stake in French computing infrastructure operator Exaion in February, taking a 64% interest in the company as part of its expansion into AI and cloud services. Related: Ex-OpenAI researcher’s hedge fund reveals big Bitcoin miner bets in new SEC filingShift to AI accelerates across Bitcoin mining sectorMARA’s acquisition comes as Bitcoin miners accelerate their expansion into AI and high-performance computing (HPC).In January, CleanSpark agreed to acquire 447 acres in Texas for a 300-MW AI-focused data center. In March, Core Scientific secured a $500 million loan facility from Morgan Stanley to fund data center expansion, equipment purchases and additional power capacity.Earlier this month, AI cloud infrastructure company CoreWeave, an early Bitcoin miner to pivot to high-performance computing, signed a multi-year agreement with Anthropic to support workloads for its Claude model. HIVE Digital Technologies also said it plans to raise $75 million through a private offering to fund GPU purchases and data center expansion.The pivot by Bitcoin miners into AI and HPC has sparked debate over whether reduced mining activity could weaken network security, as both industries compete for the same power resources.Some companies, however, continue to emphasize support for the Bitcoin network. On Tuesday, MARA said it launched the MARA Foundation to focus on network security, including research into quantum threats, while expanding self-custody access and education.Top 10 Bitcoin mining stocks. Source: Bitcoinminingstock.ioTop 10 Bitcoin mining stocks. Source: Bitcoinminingstock.ioMagazine: How to fix suspected insider trading on Polymarket and KalshiCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

Kraken has launched a new product that bundles cryptocurrencies and tokenized US stocks into pre-built, auto-rebalanced portfolios, as it seeks to attract non-US investors looking for multi-asset exposure within a single investment.The bundles combine digital assets with the company’s xStocks offering, tokenized representations of US equities and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with allocations set and automatically rebalanced.According to Thursday’s announcement, the portfolios include combinations such as Bitcoin (BTC) paired with an S&P 500 index tracker and baskets of major technology stocks alongside cryptocurrencies, offering exposure to both asset classes within a single product.The offering builds on xStocks, which are 1:1 backed by underlying equities and ETFs and have processed more than $25 billion in transaction volume over the past year, according to the company. The xStocks are issued by Backed Assets and offered through Kraken’s platform.The bundles are not available to US users. They will be initially rolled out in unspecified select regions with broader availability planned over time.The product also supports recurring purchases and allows users to sell or unbundle positions at any time, while Kraken+ subscribers are offered zero-fee trading within monthly limits.The move comes after Kraken integrated a structured products platform from STS Digital in March, which the exchange operator is using for its Dual Investment product. That uses options-based strategies to offer fixed returns on Bitcoin and Ether (ETH), as exchanges increasingly package derivatives into more accessible investment products.Related: Bitcoin Coinbase Premium threatens bear flag repeat with BTC price at $76KExchanges expand into full-service investment platformsMajor US crypto exchanges like Kraken and Coinbase have been accelerating the expansion of new products in recent months, adding derivatives, tokenized equities and financial infrastructure as they build broader investment platforms hoping to attract traditional retailer investors.In March 2025, Kraken acquired retail trading platform NinjaTrader to broaden access to traditional futures markets, followed by a definitive agreement in April to acquire derivatives venue Bitnomial.The company also launched tokenized equity perpetual futures in February, offering 24/7 leveraged exposure to US stocks, indexes and commodities for eligible clients outside the United States.Meanwhile, Coinbase has taken a similar approach. Last month, the exchange rolled out stock perpetual futures to offer synthetic, 24/7 exposure to US equities alongside crypto markets. Coinbase also moved deeper into financial infrastructure after receiving conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on April 2 to establish a national trust company focused on custody and market services.Similarly, in March, Kraken said its Wyoming-chartered bank had secured a Federal Reserve master account, enabling direct access to US payment infrastructure.Tokenized stocks. Source: RWA.xyzTokenized stocks. Source: RWA.xyz Magazine: Will the CLARITY Act be good — or bad — for DeFi?Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

Crypto exchange Bullish has expanded its integration with Ripple Prime to give institutional clients direct access to Bitcoin options trading, adding to existing spot, perpetual and futures connectivity through the platform’s prime brokerage network.The integration connects Ripple Prime users to Bullish’s regulated Bitcoin (BTC) options markets, allowing trades to be funded through existing sub-accounts without additional onboarding, with stablecoins such as Ripple USD (RLUSD) supported as collateral.RLUSD is a US dollar-pegged stablecoin designed for payments, settlement and use as collateral in digital asset markets. It has a market capitalization of about $1.57 billion, according to DeFiLlama data.Source: DefiLlamaRipple USD market cap. Source: DefiLlamaThe companies said they plan to support cross-venue margin access, which would allow institutions to manage collateral across exchanges and OTC desks from a single account to improve capital efficiency.Ripple Prime is the company’s institutional prime brokerage platform, formed after its $1.25 billion acquisition of crypto prime broker Hidden Road in 2025. It offers multi-asset brokerage, clearing and financing services and cleared more than $3 trillion in volume in 2025, according to the announcement.Bullish said its Bitcoin (BTC) options venue ranks among the largest by open interest for crypto-settled contracts. The integration is now live, allowing Ripple Prime clients to begin accessing options markets immediately.Shares of Bullish have declined sharply over the past year, falling more than 60% from their peak in September and trading around $36.58 at the time of writing. The stock was down roughly 8% in early trading on the day, per Yahoo Finance data.Source: Yahoo FinanceSource: Yahoo FinanceRelated: Bitcoin rally falters as AI industry weakens and CLARITY Act approval odds fallBitcoin options gain traction as institutions seek risk management toolsBitcoin’s volatility has made options, which give traders the right to buy or sell an asset at a set price, an increasingly important tool for hedging and trading price swings.In August 2025, Coinbase finalized its acquisition of Deribit, bringing the largest crypto options venue under its umbrella as part of a broader push to offer spot, futures and options trading on a single platform. Some corporate Bitcoin holders are also beginning to move beyond passive exposure toward more active risk management using derivatives.Last week, Nakamoto, a Nasdaq-listed company focused on building a Bitcoin treasury strategy, said it has been running an actively managed derivatives program since early 2026, using BTC as collateral for options-based strategies designed to generate income from volatility while hedging downside risk.Over the past year, Bitcoin options markets have remained consistently large, with total open interest standing at about $32.8 billion as of late April 2026, up slightly from roughly $30.8 billion a year earlier and peaking above $50 billion during periods of heightened activity, according to CoinGlass data.Source: Coinglass Total Bitcoin options open interest. Source: CoinGlassTrading is heavily concentrated on Deribit, which accounts for the majority of Bitcoin options open interest, while smaller shares are distributed across venues including CME Group, OKX, Binance and Bybit.Magazine: How to fix suspected insider trading on Polymarket and KalshiCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

Paxos Labs has integrated its Amplify platform with Toku to let employees earn yield on stablecoin salaries as soon as they are paid, without moving funds off-platform or giving up custody.The feature applies to balances held in Toku wallets, allowing users to opt in and earn yield on USDC (USDC), USDt (USDT) and USDG (USDG) with no lockups or withdrawal delays. The rollout extends across Toku’s payroll network, which it said processes more than $1 billion annually for workers in over 100 countries and integrates with systems including ADP, Workday, Gusto and UKG.The update addresses a limitation of stablecoin payrolls, where funds typically sit idle between pay cycles. Embedding yield directly into balances allows users to earn on their salaries without using external platforms or transferring assets out of their wallets.The companies did not disclose how the yield is generated or what rates users can expect.Toku provides stablecoin payroll infrastructure through an API that connects to existing systems, enabling employers to offer crypto-denominated salaries without changing payroll workflows.The feature operates on Paxos Labs’ Amplify platform, which lets companies integrate services such as yield and borrowing through a single connection.Toku is a stablecoin payroll and employer-of-record platform, while Paxos is a New York-based blockchain infrastructure company providing regulated digital asset services, including stablecoins, custody and settlement systems.Related: MiCA-licensed Banking Circle joins bank stablecoin settlement race in EuropeStablecoin payroll adoption accelerates globallyStablecoin payroll adoption has been gaining traction as more workers use dollar-pegged tokens for income and everyday spending.A February survey commissioned by BVNK and conducted by YouGov found that 39% of crypto users and prospective users across 15 countries receive income in stablecoins, while 27% use them for payments, citing lower fees and faster cross-border transfers.The survey of 4,658 respondents also found that users hold about $200 in stablecoins on average globally, increasing to around $1,000 in higher-income markets. Those paid in stablecoins said the assets account for roughly 35% of their annual income, while reporting about 40% savings on cross-border transfers compared with traditional remittance methods.Also in February, global payroll platform Deel said it would roll out stablecoin salary payments through a partnership with MoonPay, starting with workers in the UK and European Union before expanding to the United States. The feature allows employees to receive part or all of their wages in stablecoins directly to non-custodial wallets, with MoonPay handling conversion and onchain settlement.Deel, which claims to process about $22 billion in annual payroll, said the integration adds crypto settlement rails to its existing infrastructure while maintaining its payroll and compliance systems.The total stablecoin market cap has grown from about $259 billion in July 2025, around the time the GENIUS Act was passed, to roughly $320 billion, according to DefiLlama data.Total stablecoin market cap. Source: DeFiLlama Magazine: Will the CLARITY Act be good — or bad — for DeFi?Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.

Liquid has raised $18 million in a seed funding round to expand a platform that lets users trade crypto and traditional assets around the clock from a single interface.The platform offers access to more than 500 markets across crypto, equities, commodities and foreign exchange, with leverage of up to 200x and tools that allow trading without transferring custody of assets, according to Tuesday’s announcement.The round was co-led by Neo and Left Lane Capital, with participation from Haun Ventures, K5 Global, SV Angel, AntiFund and Sunflower Capital, alongside existing investors Paradigm and General Catalyst.The company said the platform has processed more than $3 billion in trading volume across about 40,000 users since its August 2025 launch.Liquid’s trading dashboard. Source: LiquidIt offers perpetual futures for exposure to assets such as commodities and supports both long and short positions within the same interface. It also has an integrated AI assistant built to help users analyze markets and execute trades.The company added that it is targeting retail traders seeking access to multiple asset classes through a single platform rather than using separate brokers and exchanges.Related: RedStone launches settlement layer to address RWA liquidity gap in DeFi lendingTokenized stocks open markets to 24/7 tradingBoth traditional exchanges and crypto platforms are moving to support tokenized stocks, blockchain-based representations of equities that can be traded outside standard market hours.On March 9, Nasdaq partnered with Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, and its Backed unit to develop an equities gateway linking traditional market infrastructure with blockchain networks.About a week later, the US Securities and Exchange Commission approved a Nasdaq pilot to allow tokenized versions of stocks to trade alongside traditional shares on the same order book with the same pricing and identifiers.Also in March, the New York Stock Exchange signed an agreement with Securitize to support blockchain-based stock issuance and develop infrastructure for tokenized equities and exchange-traded funds. The move follows NYSE parent Intercontinental Exchange’s Jan. 19 proposal for a tokenized securities venue designed to support 24/7 trading and onchain settlement.Crypto exchanges are also expanding into tokenized equities, with Coinbase recently launching 24/7 stock perpetual futures for users outside the US.Data from RWA.xyz shows tokenized stocks have reached about $1.15 billion in distributed value, with monthly transfer volume exceeding $2.2 billion.Tokenized stocks. Source: RWA.xyzGlobal tokenized stocks data. Source: RWA.xyzMagazine: Bitcoin will not hit $1M by 2030, says veteran trader Peter BrandtCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.