Crypto
Weekend Round-Up: Bitcoin’s Big Players, XRP ETFs, SpaceX’s BTC Holdings And More
This week was a rollercoaster ride in the world of cryptocurrency and NFTs. From Michael Saylor and Kevin O’Leary sharing their insights on Bitcoin, to the surprising performance of XRP ETFs and SpaceX revealing its Bitcoin holdings ahead of its IPO. Not to forget, the popular NFT brand Pudgy Penguins is extending its partnership with Manchester City Soccer Club.
Let’s dive into the details.
Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin Perspective
Michael Saylor, CEO of MicroStrategy Inc., stated that Bitcoin would have been trading between $40,000 and $50,000 without his company’s involvement. MicroStrategy is the world’s largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, owning approximately 818,000 units. Saylor believes that even without his company, Bitcoin would have found success, but MicroStrategy’s involvement accelerated its price appreciation.
Read the full article here.
Kevin O’Leary’s Take On Bitcoin
Kevin O’Leary, the “Shark Tank” star, emphasized the need for a crypto bill to pass for Bitcoin and tokenization to move beyond the fringes for major institutional players. He believes that global compliance within the SEC through the passage of a bill will change everything. With the midterms approaching in November, O’Leary sees the present as the perfect opportunity to pass this bill.
Read the full article here.
XRP ETFs Vs Bitcoin ETFs
While Bitcoin ETFs saw a loss of $1.4 billion, XRP-linked funds attracted $42 million. This stark contrast in performance has left many wondering about the future of these cryptocurrencies. XRP held near $1.37, down 1% on the day.
Read the full article here.
SpaceX’s Bitcoin Holdings
SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, revealed that it holds more than $1 billion in Bitcoin on its balance sheet. The company disclosed 18,712 BTC on hand as of March 31, recognized at a fair value of $1.29 billion. At current prices, this stash would be worth $1.45 billion.
Read the full article here.
Pudgy Penguins And Manchester City
The popular NFT brand Pudgy Penguins announced the extension of its collaboration with English soccer club Manchester City. This follows the successful launch of a limited-edition collectible and hoodie earlier this year. The brand promises to create exciting experiences at the intersection of physical and digital, bringing Pengu and Pudgy Penguins to City fans worldwide.
Read the full article here.
Binance In The Eye Of The Storm
Read the full article here.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock
Key Takeaways
- The Libra Trust got 71 apps and will next fund Argentine firms seeking to grow.
- To fight scam claims, Hayden Davis sent funds on Nov 22 to the trust, which will distribute grants by November.
- To restore market trust, the fund could next pay Viva La Libertad victims filing claims before Nov 22, 2025.
Libra Trust Set up to Empower Argentine Companies After the Token’s Demise
Over a year after the Viva La Libertad project, also known as the Libra token, faced its demise, leaving thousands of investors affected, the funds kept from token purchases seem to be, at last, fulfilling its original purpose.
Proceeds from Libra’s token sale, infamously promoted by Argentine President Javier Milei on social media, are now in the hands of the Libra Trust, which received the funds from alleged Libra creator Hayden Davis on November 22 as a defense strategy to disprove the scam allegations made against Davis in a lawsuit.
According to Argentine media, the trust, whose purpose is to bring these funds to Argentine companies seeking grants to support their growth, has already received 71 applications to access part of these funds.
In the next few days, the Trust will begin organizing these applications and running checks on their feasibility and origin before delivering any funds. While there are no set dates for this, the Trust indicated that the grants will start being delivered before November.
“The timing of the distributions will depend on the promptness with which funding applicants respond to the questions that will be sent in the coming days,” the Trust stated.
“Financing decisions will be made based on the needs of the selected applicants. The trust funds will be managed prudently to enable the financing of strong applications that merit support,” it revealed, without giving further details on how this support would be distributed.
Nonetheless, the trust also opened a path for Libra’s victims to apply for compensation, for Argentine nationals who filed claims regarding alleged losses arising from the investment in the Libra token before November 22, 2025.
Even so, there is no certainty in how many of these funds will be distributed.
Crypto
1 Unstoppable Cryptocurrency to Buy Before It Soars 930%, According to Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest – AOL
Key Points
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Bitcoin boasts a market capitalization of around $1.5 trillion, making it the world’s largest cryptocurrency.
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Ark Investment Management, which is run by seasoned technology investor Cathie Wood, thinks Bitcoin could soar by more than 900% by 2030.
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Ark cites six potential catalysts to support its forecast, but the most important one isn’t quite panning out as expected.
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is the world’s largest cryptocurrency. In fact, its market capitalization of $1.5 trillion represents more than half the combined value of every crypto coin and token currently in circulation. However, Ark Investment Management, which is run by seasoned technology investor Cathie Wood, thinks Bitcoin could be heading for a $16 trillion valuation by 2030.
Based on Bitcoin’s circulating supply of over 20 million coins, Ark’s prediction would translate to a price-per-coin of almost $800,000, representing a whopping 930% upside from its price of $77,700 as I write this. But how realistic is that target?
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A gold coin with the Bitcoin symbol on its face.
Image source: Getty Images.
Ark points to six potential upside catalysts
Ark published its latest Bitcoin forecast in the 2026 edition of its annual “Big Ideas” report, which highlights areas where the firm has identified value in the technology industry. It provided six core reasons for its 2030 Bitcoin target as follows:
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Institutional investment: Ark thinks global fund managers could park up to 6.5% of their $200 trillion in managed assets in Bitcoin.
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Digital gold: Ark predicts Bitcoin could amass up to 60% of gold’s $31 trillion market cap, as investors seek a digital alternative to the shiny yellow metal.
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Emerging-market safe haven: Developing countries are prone to economic and political turmoil, so Ark believes many of their citizens will increasingly buy Bitcoin as a hedge.
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Nation-state treasury: Ark thinks global governments will eventually hold some Bitcoin in reserve, the same way they hold gold and other assets. The U.S. actually established a strategic Bitcoin reserve in 2025.
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Corporate treasury: Companies could also add Bitcoin to their balance sheets as a hedge against inflation and economic uncertainty because it’s often impractical for them to own physical gold. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is one company using this strategy already.
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Bitcoin on-chain financial services: This describes peer-to-peer transactions completed exclusively through Bitcoin’s blockchain, bypassing traditional banks and payment systems.
The 2026 edition of the “Big Ideas” 2030 Bitcoin forecast came with two key changes compared to the 2025 version. First, Ark increased the size of the digital gold opportunity because the shiny yellow metal surged in value last year.
Second, Ark reduced the size of the emerging-market safe-haven opportunity because alternatives like stablecoins are experiencing rapid adoption. Stablecoins are usually priced in U.S. dollars and experience practically zero volatility, which makes them attractive to citizens in developing countries where economic instability is prevalent.
Ark’s modeling suggests the digital gold catalyst is expected to contribute the most value to Bitcoin by far. But there might be a flaw in the firm’s thesis because when gold surged higher by 64% in 2025, Bitcoin actually ended the year with a 5% decline.
Bitcoin Price Chart
Bitcoin Price data by YCharts.
In other words, in the face of issues like soaring U.S. government spending and heightened economic uncertainty because of the Trump administration’s widespread tariffs, investors unequivocally chose gold as their preferred safe-haven asset and neglected Bitcoin.
Ark’s 2030 forecast might be a little unrealistic
While a 930% return over the next four years might sound very attractive to investors, a $16 trillion market cap would place Bitcoin in some very rarified air. For some perspective, it would be more than three times as valuable as the world’s largest company, Nvidia, which is currently worth $5.3 trillion.
Moreover, U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) was $30.7 trillion last year, and I’m not sure it’s realistic for Bitcoin’s value to match half of the U.S. economy’s annual output.
Unfortunately, there is actually some evidence that Bitcoin demand is starting to slow. According to investment bank JPMorgan Chase, investors are on track to deploy around $44 billion in fresh capital into digital assets this year, which would be one-third of the amount they deployed in 2025.
Plus, the bank says demand from retail and institutional investors was extremely small, or potentially even negative in the first quarter of 2026, with most of the capital inflows coming from a single buyer: Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin treasury company, Strategy. That isn’t a recipe for sustainable upside, and it suggests Ark’s prediction that global fund managers will eventually park up to 6.5% of their managed assets in Bitcoin might be too optimistic.
Therefore, although there might be some room for upside in Bitcoin from here, I would assign a very low probability to Ark’s target of $800,000 per coin.
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Key Takeaways
- Kraken secured preliminary VARA approval to expand crypto services in the UAE.
- Dubai’s crypto rules are attracting exchanges as global firms seek regulatory clarity.
- Kraken plans UAE staking, OTC, and derivatives services pending final approvals.
Payward Gains UAE Crypto License Approval as Kraken Deepens Middle East Push
Kraken is preparing to deepen its presence in the Middle East after securing preliminary approval from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA), marking another milestone in the United Arab Emirates’ push to become a global center for digital assets.
Payward, the financial infrastructure company behind Kraken, said it received initial authorization for a broker-dealer, investment, and management license in Dubai. The approval clears the way for the exchange to offer a broad range of crypto services through a locally regulated entity.
The planned offering will include spot and margin trading, over-the-counter services, staking products, institutional access through Kraken Prime, and crypto transfers between users via its Krak payment system.
Clients in the UAE will also gain access to Kraken’s global trading infrastructure, including liquidity pools tied to major markets across the United States, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Through a locally regulated subsidiary, users will be able to deposit and withdraw funds directly in UAE dirhams, streamlining access to global crypto markets.
“Dubai wrote a rulebook for crypto before most jurisdictions even acknowledged the asset class,” said Arjun Sethi, co-CEO of Payward and Kraken. “That clarity is why real liquidity and institutional capital now sit in the UAE.”
Sethi said operating under VARA’s framework allows Kraken to serve regional clients through a locally supervised structure rather than relying on offshore entities, an issue that has become increasingly important as regulators worldwide tighten oversight of digital asset platforms.
Kraken’s expansion is part of Payward’s broader strategy to establish regulated operations in major financial centers. Initially, Kraken plans to roll out its Buy, Trade, and Earn services in the country, subject to final regulatory approvals. Over time, the exchange intends to expand into derivatives, lending products, and additional investment services for qualified clients.
The move adds to a growing list of crypto firms choosing the UAE as a strategic base for regional and international operations. Dubai, in particular, has emerged as one of the industry’s most active regulatory jurisdictions after introducing dedicated crypto licensing frameworks years ahead of many Western markets.
Industry executives increasingly point to regulatory certainty as a key advantage for the UAE, as digital asset rules remain fragmented or politically contested in several major economies.
VARA has become central to that effort, positioning Dubai as a jurisdiction willing to accommodate crypto businesses while maintaining formal oversight standards. Kraken’s entry into Dubai further reinforces the UAE’s growing role in shaping the next phase of global crypto market infrastructure.
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