The convergence of traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized 
infrastructure just hit a new gear. ING, one of Europe’s banking heavyweights, 
is reportedly deepening its exposure to the crypto ecosystem through a 
strategic alignment with Bitwise. This isn&#8217;t just a standard balance sheet 
adjustment. It signals a fundamental shift in how institutional capital views 
digital asset custody and yield generation. For years, banks sat on their 
hands, paralyzed by regulatory fog. Now, with Bitwise providing the regulated 
rails, institutions like ING are effectively bypassing the technical friction 
of direct ownership while capturing the upside. That validates the &#8216;Bitcoin as 
collateral&#8217; thesis in a big way. When a global systemically important bank 
(G-SIB) moves into the space, it forces competitors to re-evaluate their risk 
models. The flow of capital is no longer just speculative retail volume, it’s 
sticky, long-term institutional allocation. But here&#8217;s the catch: simply 
holding Bitcoin is becoming insufficient for sophisticated actors. The market 
is demanding utility. As trillions of dollars in potential liquidity seek 
entry, the limitations of the Bitcoin Layer 1 (L1), specifically its lack of 
native smart contract capability and slow transaction times, have become the 
ecosystem&#8217;s primary bottleneck. That infrastructure gap has triggered a 
capital rotation into Layer 2 solutions capable of handling institutional 
throughput. Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) has emerged as a primary beneficiary of 
this trend, positioning itself to solve the scalability trilemma right as the 
institutional gates swing open. Buy your $HYPER here. Bitcoin Hyper Brings 
Solana Speeds to Bitcoin Liquidity While the market obsesses over ETF inflows, 
developers are focused on the execution layer. The core innovation driving 
interest in Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) is its integration of the Solana Virtual 
Machine (SVM). Historically, Bitcoin Layer 2s have faced a brutal trade-off: 
inherit Bitcoin’s security but suffer from slow block times, or build a 
sidechain that sacrifices security for speed. Bitcoin Hyper dismantles this 
dichotomy. By utilizing the SVM for execution while anchoring state to Bitcoin 
L1, it allows for transaction speeds that rival Solana, sub-second finality 
and negligible costs, while utilizing Bitcoin as the ultimate settlement 
layer. For developers, this is a massive unlock. It enables the creation of 
high-frequency trading platforms, gaming dApps, and complex DeFi protocols 
using Rust (a language preferred for high-performance applications), all 
within the Bitcoin ecosystem. The implications for DeFi are profound. Frankly, 
billions in BTC are currently sitting idle. By offering a high-performance 
execution environment, Bitcoin Hyper allows that capital to be mobilized in 
ways previously restricted to Ethereum or Solana. Plus, the protocol’s 
Decentralized Canonical Bridge facilitates trustless transfers, solving the 
fragmentation issue that has plagued previous bridging attempts. Check out the 
technical breakdown in the Bitcoin Hyper whitepaper. You can buy $HYPER here. 
Whales Accumulate $HYPER as Presale Crosses $31 Million It looks like smart 
money is front-running the public launch of this SVM-integrated Layer 2. 
According to the official presale dashboard, Bitcoin Hyper has raised an 
impressive $31.2M to date. That level of capital commitment during a presale 
phase suggests high conviction from early backers regarding the project&#8217;s 
ability to capture L2 market share. Currently priced at $0.013675, the token 
offers an entry point that stands in stark contrast to the valuations of 
established L2s. Beyond the raw capital inflows, the project&#8217;s staking 
incentives are driving retention. Investors can stake immediately after the 
Token Generation Event (TGE), with a short 7-day vesting period for presale 
participants. This structure incentivizes long-term alignment rather than 
mercenary capital rotation. With the roadmap including a mainnet launch that 
activates the SVM capabilities, the window for early accumulation is 
narrowing. View the official Bitcoin Hyper presale. The content provided in 
this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute 
financial advice. Cryptocurrency markets are volatile; conduct your own due 
diligence before investing.

ING Expands Crypto into Bitwise as Bitcoin Hyper Explodes

Tether and Opera integrate USDT and Tether Gold (XAU₮0) into Minipay to expand 
dollar and gold‑denominated access in emerging markets. Tether announced on 
February 2, 2026 that USDT and Tether Gold (via XAU₮0) are now supported in 
Minipay, Opera’s self‑custodial wallet on the Celo blockchain, enabling 
millions of users across Africa, Latin America and Southeast […]

Opera Adds Tether Gold to Minipay for Emerging Markets

Fundstrat Global Advisors’ Managing Partner Tom Lee is doubling down on a 
risk-on rotation. His thesis? The recent consolidation in precious metals 
could catalyze a significant capital flight back into digital assets, with 
Ethereum poised to play catch-up. Source: X While Bitcoin dominated 
institutional inflows throughout Q1, the macro setup indicates a shifting 
tide. As gold and silver hit resistance at historical highs, smart money is 
eyeing assets that offer both appreciation and native yield. Why does that 
matter? Historically, the market treats Ethereum as a high-beta play during 
liquidity expansion cycles. Lee’s analysis suggests the current lull in $ETH 
price action is deceptive, a classic accumulation phase before a repricing 
event driven by ETF flows and renewed DeFi activity. The on-chain data backs 
this up. While retail sentiment remains cautious, accumulation by large 
wallets has accelerated, mirroring patterns seen right before the 2021 bull 
run. However, a resurgent Ethereum ecosystem resurrects the industry’s most 
persistent bottleneck: fragmentation. As liquidity rotates from commodities 
back into the &#8216;Big Three&#8217; (Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana), traders face the 
friction of siloed ecosystems. This renewed activity highlights the critical 
need for infrastructure that handles cross-chain volume without the headache 
of bridges or wrapped assets. That’s exactly where LiquidChain ($LIQUID) is 
positioning its Layer 3 infrastructure, aiming to serve as the execution layer 
for this incoming wave of liquidity. LiquidChain ($LIQUID) Solves The 
Trillion-Dollar Fragmentation Problem While market pundits obsess over asset 
prices, the real battle is being fought in the infrastructure layer. The 
current DeFi landscape forces users to make a hard choice: Bitcoin&#8217;s security, 
Ethereum&#8217;s liquidity, or Solana&#8217;s speed. LiquidChain ($LIQUID) attempts to 
dismantle these silos through its proprietary Layer 3 protocol. Unlike 
traditional bridges that rely on vulnerable &#8216;lock-and-mint&#8217; mechanisms, which 
have accounted for over $2B in hacks historically, LiquidChain utilizes a 
unified execution environment. This architecture allows for what the protocol 
terms &#8216;Single-Step Execution.&#8217; Instead of manually bridging $ETH to Solana 
just to buy a meme coin, LiquidChain fuses the liquidity of $BTC, $ETH, and 
$SOL into a single interface. Source: LiquidChain For the end-user, the 
complexity is abstracted away; for the developer, it represents a massive 
reduction in liquidity bootstrapping costs. The project’s presale is 
attracting investors who recognize that the next cycle won’t be about which 
chain wins, but which layer connects them all. By operating as a Cross-Chain 
VM (Virtual Machine), LiquidChain enables verifiable settlement across 
heterogeneous networks. That matters—it removes the centralization risk 
associated with multi-signature bridges, replacing trusted intermediaries with 
cryptographic proofs. Learn more about the unified future at the LiquidChain 
presale. &#8216;Deploy Once&#8217; Architecture Targets Developer Efficiency The economic 
moat of any blockchain is its developer community, yet the current standard 
requires teams to maintain separate codebases for EVM (Ethereum), SVM 
(Solana), and Bitcoin L2 environments. LiquidChain ($LIQUID) addresses this 
resource drain with its &#8216;Deploy-Once&#8217; architecture. This feature allows 
protocols to write code in a single language that natively interacts with 
liquidity on all three major chains simultaneously. This efficiency is crucial 
as institutional interest returns to the market. Hedge funds and asset 
managers require deep liquidity to enter positions without slippage. A 
fragmented market creates shallow pools; LiquidChain’s model aggregates them. 
By enabling &#8216;Liquidity Staking,&#8217; the protocol incentivizes users to provide 
the transaction fuel needed to settle these cross-chain swaps, creating a 
circular economy where the $LIQUID token captures value from the velocity of 
money moving between ecosystems. If Tom Lee’s prediction holds and capital 
rotates aggressively out of commodities into crypto, Ethereum network 
congestion could spike gas fees. That makes L3 solutions not just a luxury, 
but a necessity for solvent trading. LiquidChain positions itself as the hedge 
against this congestion, offering a high-throughput lane for the market’s most 
active liquidity. Check out the LiquidChain ecosystem. The information 
provided in this article is for educational purposes only and does not 
constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments, including presales 
and Layer 3 protocols, carry high risks and volatility. Always conduct 
independent research before investing.

Tom Lee Predicts $ETH Rebound as Metals Cool; Liquid Chain ($LIQUID) Introduces Unified L3 Architecture

The collision of artificial intelligence and blockchain isn&#8217;t just a 
theoretical exercise anymore, it&#8217;s becoming an operational imperative for big 
tech. Recent reports indicate that Elon Musk’s xAI is actively recruiting 
crypto-literate specialists, a move that signals a significant strategic 
pivot. Job descriptions hint at a focus on training AI models to dissect 
market microstructure, on-chain transaction patterns, and decentralized 
network behavior. Why does this matter? It validates the &#8216;AI Agent&#8217; thesis: 
the notion that future AI models won’t just generate text, but will actively 
transact and move through economic systems. If xAI is building infrastructure 
to understand crypto markets, the implication is that X (formerly Twitter) is 
preparing for a deep integration of automated, AI-driven financial layers. 
While the retail crowd fixates on the hiring headlines, the real story is the 
operational plumbing connecting these two sectors. But here&#8217;s the catch: while 
legacy tech giants wrestle with regulatory friction and slow rollout 
schedules, agile Web3-native platforms are already shipping these solutions. 
The market’s appetite for this convergence is clear in the capital flows. 
Investors are rotating out of stagnant legacy alts and into projects that 
specifically address the creator economy through AI automation. Leading this 
charge is SUBBD Token ($SUBBD), an Ethereum-based platform that’s gaining 
traction by offering what Silicon Valley is still only promising: a fully 
integrated AI-Web3 ecosystem for content creators. Buy your $SUBBD today. 
Decentralizing The $85 Billion Creator Economy With AI Agents The creator 
economy is currently valued at nearly $85B, yet the infrastructure supporting 
it feels stuck in the past. Platforms typically extract up to 70% of revenue 
in fees, while creators face arbitrary de-platforming risks and fragmented 
tools. SUBBD Token ($SUBBD) is dismantling this model by merging EVM- 
compatible smart contracts with proprietary AI tools. This isn&#8217;t just about 
lower fees; it’s about workflow automation. The platform uses an AI Personal 
Assistant capable of handling automated interactions, allowing creators to 
scale engagement without burnout. Plus, the inclusion of AI Voice Cloning and 
AI Influencer Creation tools allows for the generation of content that runs 
24/7. For investors, the utility here is tangible: SUBBD is effectively 
tokenizing the productivity of the creator economy. By using a decentralized 
architecture, the project introduces token-gated exclusive content and 
governance voting. This ensures that the value generated by AI tools accrues 
back to the token holders and creators, rather than a centralized 
intermediary. It&#8217;s a technical structure that solves the liquidity and payment 
flexibility issues that plague traditional platforms like Patreon or OnlyFans. 
Explore the SUBBD Token ecosystem. SUBBD Presale Surpasses $4.5 Million As 
Investors Chase AI Utility Traders are watching the presale metrics closely 
(often a better predictor of listing performance than social sentiment alone). 
According to live data, SUBBD Token has successfully raised over $1.4M so far, 
a figure that underscores significant demand despite broader market 
volatility. With tokens currently priced at $0.0574875, the valuation reflects 
an entry point that precedes the wider public launch. The economic model is 
designed to encourage long-term holding over quick flips. The protocol offers 
a staking mechanism with a fixed 20% APY for the first year, incentivizing 
investors to lock supply immediately upon launch. Beyond yield, staking 
provides real utility: access to exclusive livestreams, &#8220;behind-the-scenes&#8221; 
drops, and XP multipliers that enhance platform rewards. What sets this raise 
apart from typical ICOs is the clear roadmap toward &#8216;HoneyHive&#8217; governance and 
beta access. By tying the token directly to the usage of AI tools, from object 
recognition to chatbot deployment, the project creates natural buy pressure 
driven by platform utility, not just speculation. View the SUBBD presale 
details. The content provided in this article is for informational purposes 
only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments, 
particularly in presale stages, carry high risks including liquidity 
constraints and volatility. Always conduct independent due diligence.

Elon’s xAI Is Hiring Crypto Experts As SUBBD Token Surges Past $4.5M

Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest has added over $15 million worth of Robinhood shares 
across two of its exchange-traded funds. According to data compiled by Ark 
Invest Tracker, Ark Invest bought 363,317 Robinhood shares, worth 
approximately $32.7 million across three of…

Cryptocurrency price in VEF