Coinbase Goes For Jugular

5. ETF Flows Turn Positive

Bitcoin markets creeped higher over the weekend, reclaiming $87K as crypto investments witnessed positive net inflows for the first time in a while. According to CoinShares, after five straight weeks of outflows, Bitcoin-focused ETFs pulled in $724M last week – part of a $644M overall crypto inflow. Notably, every day last week recorded inflows, signaling a decisive shift in sentiment.

4. Tether Audit Finally in Reach?

Tether’s CEO Paolo Ardoino says the company is “engaging with a Big Four firm” to get a long-awaited audit of its $140B stablecoin reserves. And thanks to President Trump’s pro-crypto stance, Ardoino is optimistic it’ll actually happen this time – ending what critics call a years-long stalling act. He didn’t name which of the “Big Four” the company is in talks with but hinted that the new administration’s push to legitimize the industry has changed the game. After all, if the White House wants stablecoins front and center, big auditors might have to play ball.

3. The Crypto Lending Comeback

Crypto lending is back in action with new lenders, tighter risk controls, and bigger balance sheets. Cantor Fitzgerald – formerly led by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick – just threw $2 billion behind a new global bitcoin financing business. Meanwhile, Blockstream Corp. recently secured a multi-billion dollar investment in its crypto lending funds. During cryptos last meltdown, lenders such as BlockFi and Celsius were all wiped out after making wild, under-collateralized bets. However, reports suggest this new breed of creditors will be much more conservative and institutional.

2. Metaplanet Adds $12.6 Million in BTC After Appointing Eric Trump To Board

The company now holds 3,350 BTC. According to Bitcointreasuries.net, the Japanese firm is currently the 10th largest public bitcoin holder in the world and the largest in Asia.

1. Coinbase One-Ups Kraken

According to reporting from Bloomberg, Coinbase $COIN ( ▲ 0.66% ) is in advanced talks to buy the largest crypto options exchange, Deribit. Regular readers will note that there has been much curiosity about whether Deribit was actually for sale and who might be able to afford the purchase. At the start of the year, Bloomberg suggested that Deribit’s valuation sits somewhere between $4 and $5 billion. Questions were beginning to arise about what Coinbase would do with the more than $9 billion in cash on its balance sheet. And with Kraken’s purchase of futures platform NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion last week, it looks like the answer is: go for the jugular.