Morning News | Nasdaq will eliminate the 10% minimum float requirement next month; OpenFX completes $94 million financing; Coinbase establishes "Next Bets" internal venture capital program

整理：ChainCatcher

Important News:

• Nasdaq will eliminate the 10% minimum float requirement starting May 1 and introduce a "fast track" rule
• Space computing startup Starcloud completes $170 million Series A funding, led by Benchmark and others
• The U.S. Republican Party proposes the "American Mining Act" to promote mining expansion and consolidate btc-42">Bitcoin reserves
• MetaPlanet has received $255 million in funding, may purchase over 3,800 BTC
• Cross-border remittance startup OpenFX completes $94 million funding, led by Pantera and others
• Zhao Changpeng: Upgrading cryptocurrencies to quantum-resistant algorithms can address the impact of quantum computing
• Coinbase establishes "Next Bets" internal venture capital program to promote employee innovation projects

What important events happened in the past 24 hours?

Cross-border remittance startup OpenFX completes $94 million funding, led by Pantera and others

According to ChainCatcher, OpenFX, a foreign exchange market-making and cross-border remittance startup, has completed $94 million in funding, led by institutions including Accel, Lightspeed Faction, M13, Northzone, and Pantera, with a post-funding valuation of approximately $500 million.

OpenFX provides faster and lower-cost settlement services for large cross-border funds by bridging the banking system and blockchain infrastructure with stablecoins. The company claims that over 98% of its transactions can be settled within 60 minutes, with annual payment processing volume increasing from approximately $4 billion to about $45 billion. OpenFX plans to use this funding to expand into Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Stablecoin clearinghouse The Better Money Company completes $10 million seed funding, led by a16z crypto

According to ChainCatcher, Sam Broner, a former investor at a16z crypto, announced the establishment of The Better Money Company with his college friend Adam Zuckerman and has completed $10 million in seed funding, led by a16z crypto, with participation from BoxGroup and Sunflower Capital, along with angel investors including Circle co-founder Sean Neville and former Microsoft executive Charlie Songhurst.

The company aims to establish a stablecoin clearinghouse to provide customers with low-cost exchanges for different dollar-pegged tokens. Broner previously worked at a16z crypto for over two years, focusing on investments in the stablecoin sector. Zuckerman worked at Latham & Watkins law firm and later served as General Counsel at Eigen Labs.

The two founded the company in November last year and have already secured commitments from several issuers, including Paxos, Stripe's Bridge, and MoonPay, planning to support all tokens compliant with the signed Genius Act, excluding USDT, while its U.S. version USAT remains unaffected. The product has not yet been publicly launched and is expected to be opened to customers in the coming weeks.

Bitfarms to be renamed Keel, plans to sell $161 million Bitcoin bet on AI

According to ChainCatcher, Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin mining company Bitfarms disclosed a revenue of $229 million for the fiscal year 2025, a 72% year-on-year increase, but reported a net loss of $209 million from continuing operations.

As of March 27, it had approximately $520 million in cash and Bitcoin liquidity and announced that it has received shareholder approval to complete its relocation to the U.S. and rename itself Keel Infrastructure as early as April 1, 2026, with the stock ticker expected to change to KEEL.

The company also plans to "timely" sell approximately 2,400 Bitcoins, valued at about $161 million, to invest in HPC and AI infrastructure, further diminishing its positioning as a pure Bitcoin mining company.

OSL announces 2025 performance: total revenue increases 30.4% to HKD 489 million, a record high
According to ChainCatcher, global stablecoin payment and trading platform OSL Group announced its performance for the year ending December 31, 2025, with core operating revenue of HKD 534 million, a year-on-year increase of 150.1%; total revenue of HKD 489 million, a record high, up 30.4%; and total trading volume on the platform of HKD 201.22 billion, a year-on-year increase of 200.7%. Revenue by region shows Hong Kong accounting for 33% and overseas accounting for 67%.

MetaPlanet has received $255 million in funding, may purchase over 3,800 BTC
According to ChainCatcher, MetaPlanet has received the previously announced funding from global institutional investors, totaling $255 million. At current prices, this funding could allow it to purchase over 3,800 BTC, potentially making it the third-largest holder of BTC globally.

Zhao Changpeng: Upgrading cryptocurrencies to quantum-resistant algorithms can address the impact of quantum computing

According to ChainCatcher, Zhao Changpeng stated on the X platform that cryptocurrencies only need to upgrade to quantum-resistant (post-quantum) algorithms to address the impact of quantum computing, and there is no need for panic.

In practical execution, upgrading organizations in a decentralized environment face difficulties, and the choice of algorithms may lead to disputes and forks. Some projects that have ceased development may not upgrade, which helps to clean up such projects. In the short term, new code may introduce vulnerabilities or security issues, and users who self-custody cryptocurrencies need to migrate their assets to new wallets.

Regarding the Bitcoin held by Satoshi, if assets move, it means he is still active; if not moved within a certain timeframe, the relevant addresses should be locked or destroyed to prevent hacking. Fundamentally, encryption is easier than decryption, and more powerful computing capabilities have positive implications, meaning cryptocurrencies will continue to exist after the quantum era.

UK investors face double taxation when purchasing STRC, 21Shares ETP may be a better alternative

According to ChainCatcher, Strategy's preferred stock STRC was listed on the UK trading platform Trading 212 on March 30, with an annualized return of approximately 11.5%. However, UK investors holding STRC directly may face heavy tax burdens. In the U.S., STRC's monthly dividends are classified as return of capital (ROC) and are not taxable; however, UK brokers typically classify them as foreign dividends, subject to income tax at the marginal dividend tax rate, with basic rate taxpayers at 8.75% and high earners up to 39.35%, and an additional capital gains tax (CGT) upon sale, resulting in an estimated net yield of only about 10%.

Crypto analyst James Van Straten suggests that UK investors consider the 21Shares Strategy Yield ETP listed on the European exchanges in Amsterdam and Paris, which has zero management fees, adopts an accumulation structure, and automatically reinvests earnings rather than distributing cash, typically only incurring CGT upon sale without income tax burdens, offering significantly better tax efficiency.

Coinbase establishes "Next Bets" internal venture capital program to promote employee innovation projects

According to ChainCatcher, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong stated that the company has established an internal venture capital program called "Next Bets," allowing employees to submit innovative projects and pitch directly to product leaders, and projects can proceed if they receive support. The program opens for proposals twice a year, typically executed by small teams of 2 to 3 people, focusing on high-potential directions.

Armstrong noted that this mechanism aims to reduce the loss of excellent ideas and talent, inspired by historical cases in the tech industry. It was mentioned that the Base blockchain project originated from this program, and more related developments will be announced in the coming weeks.

Binance wallet to launch prediction market, Predict.Fun as provider

According to ChainCatcher, Binance wallet is launching a prediction market, and the Binance app has been updated to the latest version, where users will see "Predictions" at the top of the "Markets" page in the [exchange] view. Users must create a prediction account to use the prediction market, which is specifically for trading in the prediction market. It uses Binance wallet's keyless technology, independent of spot/recharge accounts and Binance wallet. The prediction market may not be available in certain countries or regions.

Binance stated that it aggregates prediction markets from third-party providers. The current main provider is Predict (Predict.Fun), a decentralized prediction market protocol based on the BNB Smart Chain.

U.S. Senator questions SEC leadership changes and withdrawal of Justin Sun case decision

According to ChainCatcher, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote to SEC Chairman Paul Atkins questioning the brief tenure and departure reasons of former enforcement head Margaret Ryan, expressing concern over the SEC's withdrawal of charges against Tron founder Justin Sun.

Blumenthal stated in the letter that her sudden departure raises questions, especially amid reports that SEC leadership intervened in the enforcement department, limiting the progress of certain crypto company cases. Media reports indicate that Ryan attempted to strengthen investigations into fraud-related cases, including those involving individuals associated with President Trump, but faced opposition from some Republican leaders on the committee.

In the Justin Sun case, the divergence is particularly evident. Previously, during the Biden administration, the SEC charged Sun and his affiliated companies with unregistered securities offerings through TRX and BTT tokens and alleged market manipulation through wash trading while paying celebrities for undisclosed promotions. However, under the current administration, the SEC has withdrawn enforcement cases against several crypto companies, including Coinbase, Kraken, and Binance, raising market concerns about changes in regulatory direction.

Nasdaq will eliminate the 10% minimum float requirement starting May 1 and introduce a "fast track" rule
According to ChainCatcher, Nasdaq announced that starting May 1, 2026, it will officially eliminate the 10% minimum float requirement and introduce a "fast track" rule, allowing mega-cap IPOs to join the Nasdaq 100 index within approximately 15 trading days.
Google: Most blockchains rely on the vulnerable ECDLP-256 protocol, quantum migration is urgent
According to ChainCatcher, Google's quantum AI team pointed out in a recent blog post that most blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies rely on the vulnerable ECDLP-256 protocol. While viable solutions like post-quantum cryptography (PQC) exist, implementation takes time, and the urgency for action is increasing.

Google has previously set a timeline for quantum-resistant cryptography migration by 2029 and is collaborating with institutions such as Coinbase, Stanford Blockchain Research Center, and the Ethereum Foundation to advance related work.

FTX founder SBF's bail guarantors revealed, including former Stanford Law School dean

According to ChainCatcher, the identities of the bail guarantors for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried have been disclosed, including former Stanford Law School dean Larry Kramer and research scientist Andreas Paepcke, who provided guarantees of $500,000 and $200,000, respectively.

Reports indicate that SBF's total bail amount of $250 million is primarily secured by properties owned by his parents in California. His lawyers had previously attempted to keep the guarantors' identities confidential, but the court required disclosure at the request of the media. The related case is still under review, and SBF faces multiple fraud charges.

Musk: Grok Imagine has achieved positive gross profit, video technology is key to AGI

According to ChainCatcher, Musk stated on the X platform that the core of AI development lies in video understanding and generation, stating that "photons are the highest bandwidth form of communication," and that related technology will become an important tool for achieving general artificial intelligence. He also noted that Grok Imagine, an image generation tool under xAI, has achieved positive gross profit and is not a loss-making project.

This statement comes in the context of OpenAI recently shutting down its video platform Sora. Public reports show that Sora has generated approximately $2.1 million in revenue since its launch, with an average daily operating loss of about $1 million. Musk did not disclose specific revenue figures for Grok Imagine but previously stated that he would continue to increase investment, believing it has significant strategic value.

Space computing startup Starcloud completes $170 million Series A funding, led by Benchmark and others

According to ChainCatcher, space computing startup Starcloud announced the completion of $170 million in Series A funding at a valuation of $1.1 billion, led by Benchmark and EQT Ventures, bringing the total funding raised to $200 million so far.

Starcloud is expected to launch Starcloud 2 later this year, which will be equipped with multiple GPUs, including Nvidia Blackwell chips, AWS server blades, and a Bitcoin miner. Its CEO Philip Johnston claims that Starcloud 2 will be the first space Bitcoin mining satellite and asserts that space mining is the future direction.

Additionally, the company will develop a data center spaceship named Starcloud 3, which is expected to be launched by Musk's SpaceX heavy-lift rocket "Starship."

The U.S. Republican Party proposes the "American Mining Act" to promote mining expansion and consolidate Bitcoin reserves

According to ChainCatcher, U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis and Bill Cassidy introduced the "Mined in America Act," aimed at promoting the development of the crypto mining industry and codifying President Trump's executive order to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve into law.

The bill plans to strengthen the role of crypto mining in the U.S. economy while legislatively consolidating previous policy arrangements regarding the strategic Bitcoin reserve. This reserve is primarily composed of Bitcoin seized through enforcement actions by the U.S. Treasury. The bill also requires the U.S. Department of Commerce to establish a voluntary certification system to regulate mining pools and mining farms.

Additionally, certified mining farms must gradually reduce their reliance on mining equipment produced by companies associated with "foreign adversaries." The proponents of the bill state that it is one of the important measures to promote the U.S. as a global digital asset center and aims to enhance the country's strategic position in the crypto industry chain.

Meme Popularity Rankings

According to meme token tracking and analysis platform GMGN, as of April 1, 09:00,

The top five popular ETH tokens in the past 24 hours are: HEX, SHIB, LINK, PEPE, UNI

The top five popular Solana tokens in the past 24 hours are: swarms, VDOR, Punch, 114514, neet

The top five popular Base tokens in the past 24 hours are: SKITTEN, PEPE, BASED, B3, SKYA

What are some noteworthy articles to read in the past 24 hours?

OpenAI founder's crypto project World raises $67 million but still struggles with growth challenges
The intent behind all these actions is clear: World is trying to expand more application scenarios for its iris-based identity verification ID. After rapidly expanding for four years using "regulatory arbitrage," new user growth has nearly stagnated, and the number of World Chain users is sparse. The high WLD rewards originally used to attract user registration and verification have now become a continuous source of selling pressure.

Even with OpenAI founder Sam Altman at the helm, World still struggles with panic and anxiety. They urgently need to find new narratives and landing scenarios to support their multi-billion dollar FDV.

Chain games fail against reality, Web3 does not believe in dreams

Recently, Solana Foundation President Lily Liu posted on X stating that "games on the blockchain will not return" and declared that blockchain games are dead.

Her judgment stems from a Polymarket post stating, "Mark Zuckerberg's Meta is gradually abandoning the metaverse vision after spending $80 billion." Although Meta's blueprint does not explicitly involve blockchain or crypto assets, its strategy overlaps significantly with the future envisioned by Web3 chain games over the past few years: virtual worlds, digital asset ownership, and immersive online economies.

Even the wealthiest players are quitting; blockchain games, once seen as the most promising narrative to "break through" the crypto industry, may now be at a dead end.

DeFi governance undergoes major changes

In the past 12 months, three major DeFi protocols have abandoned the vote-escrow (ve) model. Pendle, PancakeSwap, and Balancer each reached their breaking points, but ultimately arrived at the same conclusion.

Ve token economics was once seen as the ultimate answer for DeFi: lock tokens, gain governance rights, earn fees, and incentivize permanent alignment. No need for centralized governance. Curve proved it could work. Between 2021 and 2024, dozens of protocols replicated this model.

But now the situation has changed.

In the past 12 months of 2025, three protocols with a combined TVL of tens of billions of dollars have determined that this mechanism does more harm than good. The issue lies not in the theory itself but in the execution: low participation rates, governance being hijacked, continuous token issuance flowing into losing liquidity pools, and while user numbers grow, token prices continue to fall.

Airdrops won't make you rich, edgeX doesn't need a community

Last week, the brutal aftermath of BackPack's anti-farming was still fresh, and today another decentralized perpetual contract trading protocol edgeX is facing a tidal wave of criticism.

This morning, edgeX officially announced the website for checking and claiming token airdrops and plans to launch the exchange tonight. As a project incubated by Amber Group and strategically invested by Circle Ventures this year, edgeX was once highly anticipated by the farming community.

Since August 2025, edgeX's trading volume has entered a growth fast lane, with over 470,000 cumulative user addresses and total trading volume exceeding $87.7 billion, with current total TVL exceeding $360 million. Additionally, edgeX has earned over $180 million in fee revenue from these trades.

This content is provided for general informational purposes only and doesn't constitute financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Any events, rewards, online promotions, or related information mentioned herein should not be considered a recommendation, solicitation, or invitation to purchase, sell, trade, or otherwise deal in any crypto assets. Crypto assets are highly volatile and may result in loss. The availability of WEEX services, products, and related events may vary by region. You are responsible for ensuring that your participation is in accordance with applicable local laws and regulations.