Intel (INTC) Shares Slide 3% Following Foundry Leader’s Move to Qualcomm
TLDR
Intel (INTC) declined approximately 3% on Thursday, closing at $45.46 with volume 41% below average
Kevin O’Buckley, the SVP and general manager of Intel Foundry Services, departed to join Qualcomm as VP of global operations and supply chain
The company revealed a partnership with AI chip startup SambaNova focused on the SN50 inference chip
Wall Street consensus remains at “Hold/Reduce” with price targets ranging from $45.74 to $48.21
Q4 earnings showed EPS of $0.15, surpassing expectations, though margins remain negative with cautious forward outlook
Shares of Intel (INTC) slipped nearly 3% during Thursday’s session, settling at $45.46 compared to the prior close of $46.88. Volume registered approximately 71 million shares, representing a 41% decline from typical daily levels.
The decline was primarily attributed to a significant personnel change: Kevin O’Buckley, who served as senior vice president and general manager of Intel Foundry Services, has exited the company.
O’Buckley is transitioning to Qualcomm, where he’ll assume the position of vice president of global operations and supply chain. The lateral move between two semiconductor powerhouses triggered immediate market reaction.
Intel acted swiftly to calm investor concerns. The chipmaker emphasized that Intel Foundry continues to be “one of Intel’s highest strategic priorities” and will operate under Naga Chandrasekaran’s leadership, who assumed the top foundry position last year.
The company publicly acknowledged O’Buckley’s contributions and extended best wishes. Official reasons behind his departure remain undisclosed.
Speculation suggests O’Buckley may have previously held a direct reporting relationship with CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Following Intel Foundry’s reorganization, his reporting structure shifted to Chandrasekaran. Whether this organizational change influenced his decision remains unclear.
Intel’s AI Inference Push
The week brought positive developments as well. Intel unveiled a partnership with AI chip startup SambaNova centered on the company’s latest SN50 inference chip. Intel is also contributing to SambaNova’s current funding round.
This collaboration positions Intel more competitively in the AI inference space, which industry analysts identify as a rapidly expanding, higher-margin segment. The partnership demonstrates Intel’s strategic efforts to establish stronger positioning in AI hardware beyond its core CPU operations.
Regarding financial performance, Intel delivered Q4 EPS of $0.15, exceeding the consensus forecast of $0.08. Revenue reached $13.67 billion, topping analyst projections of $13.37 billion. However, revenue declined 4.2% compared to the previous year.
The forward outlook presents challenges. Intel projected Q1 2026 EPS at zero, while analysts anticipate -$0.11 EPS for the complete fiscal year. The company continues facing negative net margins and negative return on equity.
Nvidia Eyes Intel’s Turf
Additional competitive dynamics are emerging. Nvidia, following its $5 billion Intel investment in December, is now advancing into the CPU sector — territory Intel has traditionally dominated.
As artificial intelligence firms transition from model training to deployment phases, CPU requirements are increasing. Nvidia aims to capture market share in this segment.
Analyst opinions show divergence. Tigress Financial maintains a Buy rating with a $66 price objective. Conversely, Wedbush holds a Neutral stance with a $30 target. UBS established a $51 target. MarketBeat’s consensus stands at “Reduce” with a $45.74 price target, while TipRanks reports an average of $48.21 based on recent analyst coverage.
Insider transactions show mixed signals. EVP David Zinsner acquired approximately $250,000 in stock during late January. EVP April Miller disposed of $981,000 worth of shares in early February.
Institutional ownership accounts for 64.53% of INTC shares. The stock’s 50-day moving average stands at $44.26, while the 200-day moving average registers at $37.07.
The consensus analyst price target of $48.21 suggests approximately 6.67% potential upside from current trading levels.
The post Intel (INTC) Shares Slide 3% Following Foundry Leader’s Move to Qualcomm appeared first on Blockonomi.
Shares of CoreWeave (CRWV) declined 8-9% in extended trading after releasing Q4 2025 results
Fourth quarter revenue reached $1.57B (up 110% YoY) and topped forecasts, though losses per share of $0.89 exceeded the $0.49 consensus
First quarter 2026 revenue outlook of $1.9B-$2.0B fell short of the $2.29B Street estimate
Fiscal 2026 revenue guidance of $12B-$13B aligned with expectations; capital spending planned at $30B-$35B
Contracted revenue backlog expanded to $66.8B; total debt obligations approximate $30B
Shares of CoreWeave tumbled 8-9% during after-hours trading Thursday following the release of fourth-quarter earnings that presented a mixed picture, with investor attention quickly shifting to forward-looking guidance rather than recent performance.
The cloud infrastructure company specializing in AI workloads delivered Q4 revenue of $1.57 billion, surpassing the Street’s $1.55 billion projection. Revenue climbed 110% compared to the same period last year.
That represents the positive takeaway.
However, the per-share loss of $0.89 significantly exceeded analyst predictions of a $0.49 loss. This wider-than-anticipated deficit surprised market participants.
CoreWeave, $CRWV, Q4-25.
Hypergrowth, backlog exploding.
Adj. EPS: -$0.56 Revenue: $1.57B Net Loss: $452M
Revenue +110% YoY, backlog at $66.8B. Adjusted EBITDA margin 57% as AI demand intensifies. pic.twitter.com/3zHJWvqLf1
— EarningsTime (@Earnings_Time) February 26, 2026
The company’s adjusted EBITDA reached $898 million, falling short of the $929 million StreetAccount consensus figure.
Yet the primary catalyst for the stock decline centered on forward guidance.
CoreWeave issued Q1 2026 revenue guidance ranging from $1.9 billion to $2.0 billion. Analysts had anticipated $2.29 billion. The shortfall at the midpoint approaches $290 million—a substantial miss.
Full-Year Outlook and Spending Plans
For fiscal 2026, CoreWeave forecasted revenue between $12 billion and $13 billion, generally matching the $12.09 billion analyst consensus.
The capital spending trajectory, however, demands attention. The firm anticipates capital expenditures of $30 billion to $35 billion in 2026, representing a sharp increase from $10.31 billion in 2025. This signals aggressive infrastructure expansion.
CEO Mike Intrator defended the accelerated buildout strategy as deliberate. “Our clients are desperate to get access to more infrastructure faster,” he explained to CNBC, noting his willingness to accept near-term margin pressure.
CoreWeave closed 2025 with 850 megawatts of operational power capacity and 3.1 gigawatts secured under contract. The company aims to exceed 1.7 gigawatts of active capacity by year-end 2026, surpassing analyst forecasts of 1.59 gigawatts.
The contracted revenue backlog expanded to $66.8 billion from $55.6 billion at Q3’s conclusion. Average contract duration lengthened to five years, compared to four years at the end of 2024.
CoreWeave carried $21.37 billion in debt as of December 31. Including lease commitments, aggregate borrowings approach $30 billion—with interest expenses pressuring profitability.
Supply and Demand Still Tight
Nvidia GPU availability continues facing constraints, Intrator acknowledged during the earnings call. H100 pricing during Q4 remained within 10% of year-start levels. Interestingly, legacy A100 chips saw price appreciation throughout 2025.
Intrator indicated demand diversification beyond hyperscale cloud providers and foundation model developers, now encompassing enterprise clients and sovereign entities.
Throughout the quarter, CoreWeave unveiled a partnership with AI developer Poolside, introduced an object storage offering, and expanded its credit facility to $2.5 billion from $1.5 billion.
Notwithstanding the after-hours decline, CRWV shares remained up 36% year-to-date through Thursday’s market close.
Analyst sentiment currently reflects a Moderate Buy rating, comprising nine Buy recommendations and eight Hold ratings. The consensus price target stands at $118.57.
The post CoreWeave Shares Plunge on Disappointing Q1 Revenue Forecast Despite Strong Q4 Performance appeared first on Blockonomi.
Сэйлор определяет Solana и Ethereum как ключевые рельсы для распределения кредитов, обеспеченных биткойном
Ключевые выводы
На Стратегическом Мировом Форуме 2026 года Майкл Сэйлор обозначил Solana и Ethereum как каналы распределения для цифровых кредитных продуктов, обеспеченных биткойном
Сэйлор изложил видение, где кредит становится программируемым и токенизированным, распределяемым через несколько блокчейнов и традиционных платформ
Предпочтительные акции STRC сохраняли стабильность на фоне 45%-ного падения биткойна, генерируя доходность дивидендов в 4,5%
После замечаний Сэйлора Solana испытала резкий рост цены, превышающий 13% за 24 часа, приближаясь к рыночной оценке в 50 миллиардов долларов
Gate получает лицензию PSD2 на Мальте вместе с авторизацией MiCA для расширения в ЕС
TLDR
Gate получает авторизацию PSD2 на Мальте, расширяя возможности европейских платежей.
Двойная лицензия по PSD2 и MiCA создает комплексную регуляторную основу ЕС.
Европейское паспортирование позволяет быстро расширяться на рынки дополнительных государств-членов.
Рамки PSD2 допускают евро-транзакции, обработку прямых дебетов и управление счетами.
Новая авторизация закладывает основу для будущих предложений по стейблкоинам и платежам.
Криптобиржа Gate укрепила свои позиции на европейском регуляторном рынке, получив лицензию PSD2 на Мальте, дополняя свою существующую авторизацию MiCA. Это событие является значительным шагом в стратегии платформы по предоставлению соответствующих платежных решений по всему Европейскому Союзу. С учетом того, что теперь имеются разрешения как на криптовалюту, так и на платежные услуги, Gate существенно расширила свои операционные возможности в рамках европейских регуляторных систем.
Block Fires 4,000 Workers, Stock Jumps 22% as Dorsey Cites AI Shift
TLDR:
Block is cutting headcount from 10,000 to under 6,000, the largest AI-linked layoff in corporate history.
2026 profit guidance rose 54%, with EPS of $3.66 crushing the analyst estimate of $3.22.
Goose, Block’s internal AI platform, helped engineers ship 40% more code per person in six months.
Dorsey warned most companies will face the same workforce reckoning within a year on their own.
Jack Dorsey has made the most aggressive AI-driven workforce decision in corporate history. Block, the fintech company behind Cash App, Square, and Afterpay, is cutting its headcount from over 10,000 to just under 6,000.
More than 4,000 employees received departure notices in a single day. The company’s stock jumped 22%.
Dorsey Says AI Tools, Not Financial Trouble, Drove the Decision
Block is not in distress. Gross profit continues growing, and the company projects a 54% jump in 2026 profits.
Jack Dorsey just fired half his company.
Not gradually but all at once.
More than 4,000 people, gone.
And the stock didn't crash, it EXPLODED 22%.
Here's what's really going on.
Block, the company behind Cash App, Square and Afterpay, just announced the largest AI driven… https://t.co/hZtvdDjFrd pic.twitter.com/Aue4rLcaDx
— StockMarket.News (@_Investinq) February 26, 2026
Earnings per share guidance came in at $3.66, well above analyst expectations of $3.22. Dorsey made the scope of the decision clear in a direct note to staff.
He acknowledged having two options. Cut gradually over time, or act decisively and immediately. He chose the latter, citing the damage that repeated layoff rounds cause to morale and trust.
Departing employees will receive 20 weeks of base salary plus one additional week per year of tenure.
They also receive equity vested through end of May, six months of healthcare, corporate devices, and a $5,000 transition allowance.
Dorsey said communication channels would remain open through Thursday evening Pacific time so staff could say proper goodbyes. He also hosted a live video session to address the company directly.
Dorsey wrote that he would rather take one hard, clear action than manage a slow reduction toward the same outcome.
we're making @blocks smaller today. here's my note to the company.
####
today we're making one of the hardest decisions in the history of our company: we're reducing our organization by nearly half, from over 10,000 people to just under 6,000. that means over 4,000 of you are…
— jack (@jack) February 26, 2026
Block’s Internal AI Platform “Goose” Is Central to the Shift
Block’s internal AI platform, called Goose, started as a small engineering test tool roughly two years ago. It has since expanded across nearly every department.
Engineers are now shipping approximately 40% more code per person than they were just six months ago.
That productivity figure is what made the headcount reduction mathematically viable. Every remaining employee was already required to use AI tools daily before this announcement. AI fluency was embedded into performance reviews. Dorsey framed this not as a one-company story.
He stated that most companies will reach the same conclusion within a year. He said he would rather get there on his own terms than be forced into it reactively.
Days before the announcement, research firm Citrini published a fictional scenario describing AI-forced mass layoffs rattling U.S. markets. Block then made a version of it real.
Wall Street’s 22% single-session surge sent a signal every corporate board can read without translation.
The post Block Fires 4,000 Workers, Stock Jumps 22% as Dorsey Cites AI Shift appeared first on Blockonomi.
Акции HEICO падают в предрыночные часы, несмотря на лучшие квартальные результаты Q1
Краткое содержание
HEICO достигает лучших результатов за первый квартал, но акции падают в начале торгов.
Выручка увеличилась на 14%, достигнув $1.18B, при этом сегмент поддержки полетов возглавил рост.
Прибыльность сегмента поддержки полетов увеличилась до 24.5% благодаря благоприятному сочетанию и операционным преимуществам.
Электронные технологии увеличивают выручку, но сталкиваются с сжатием маржи из-за изменений в продуктовой линейке.
Коэффициенты заемного капитала увеличиваются после активности по слиянию и поглощению, хотя прогноз остается оптимистичным.
Акции Heico (HEI) испытали давление на падение, несмотря на то, что поставщик аэрокосмической и оборонной продукции продемонстрировал лучшие квартальные результаты за всю историю. Акции, которые закрылись на уровне $344.72, снизились до $324.59 в предрыночные часы. Это снижение произошло после того, как компания представила результаты, демонстрирующие значительный прогресс во всех основных операционных подразделениях.
Baidu (BIDU) представляет выкуп акций на сумму 5 миллиардов долларов, так как выручка бизнеса ИИ увеличивается на 48% по сравнению с прошлым годом
Ключевые моменты
Выручка, обусловленная ИИ, увеличилась на 48% по сравнению с прошлым годом, несмотря на слабость акций.
Сервис роботакси Apollo Go осуществил 3.4M поездок с началом глобальной экспансии.
Баланс остается прочным с наличными и ликвидными активами на сумму 294 миллиарда юаней.
Совет директоров одобрил амбициозную программу выкупа акций на сумму 5 миллиардов долларов для повышения стоимости.
Компания вводит структуру дивидендов, нацеленную на распределение в конце 2026 года.
Несмотря на впечатляющие операционные результаты и объявление инициатив, ориентированных на акционеров, цена акций Baidu снизилась. Торги закрылись на уровне $132.65 с дополнительной слабостью, видимой на ранних предварительных торгах. Тем не менее, последние квартальные результаты компании показали ускорение бизнес-импульса в области ИИ и укрепление финансовой позиции.
Акции D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) выросли на 5% после скачка доходов на 179% и наличных средств в $884M
Ключевые моменты
Выручка за полный год выросла на 179%, когда акции превысили $20 в начале торговли
Каш и ликвидность достигли беспрецедентного уровня в $884M
Прибыльные маржи выросли до 82,6% на основе GAAP благодаря продаже премиум-системы
Общие заказы достигли $32.8M, что создает предпосылки для ускорения в 2026 году
Расширение технологической дорожной карты и перемещение штаб-квартиры способствуют росту
D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) испытал renewed интерес со стороны инвесторов после публикации надежных результатов за финансовый год, которые продемонстрировали значительный прогресс по нескольким операционным показателям. После закрытия на уровне $19.65 во время обычных торговых часов, акции поднялись до $20.66 в предрыночные сессии по мере усиления позитивного настроения. Руководство подчеркнуло сильное исполнение в генерации доходов, прибыльности, приобретении клиентов и финансовом позиционировании.
Telegram интегрирует DeFi-ваулты в TON Wallet с доходностью до 18% APY
Ключевые моменты
Telegram интегрирует DeFi-ваулты в TON Wallet для генерации дохода USDT, BTC и ETH.
Ваулты USDT запускаются первыми с переменным APY, достигающим 18% через протоколы в цепочке.
Биткойн-ваулты используют обернутый BTC в сети TON для кросс-цепочных возможностей дохода.
Эфирные ваулты работают аналогично, используя обернутый ETH для упрощенного заработка в приложении.
TON Wallet развивает свою инфраструктуру DeFi, сохраняя при этом самостраницу для всех пользователей.
Мессенджер Telegram представил набор DeFi-ваултов, интегрированных напрямую в его TON Wallet, позволяя пользователям генерировать доход на основных криптовалютах, не покидая приложение. Это развитие приносит возможности получения дохода в цепочке для USDT, Биткойна и Эфириума в инфраструктуру самостраницы кошелька платформы. Запуск представляет собой значительный шаг к массовому принятию DeFi в сети TON.
2026 projections anticipate up to 20% revenue growth driven by AI innovation and MiniPay expansion
Shares of Opera Limited (OPRA) experienced a significant rally following the release of impressive fourth-quarter earnings that surpassed analyst expectations and featured a substantial new share repurchase program. The stock climbed 23.38% to close at $15.41, representing its most dramatic single-session gain of the year. The upward movement accelerated as investors responded positively to robust financial performance and an enhanced capital allocation strategy.
Opera delivered fourth-quarter revenue totaling $177.2 million, surpassing guidance while achieving 22% year-over-year expansion. The company simultaneously increased adjusted EBITDA to $41.9 million, achieving a 24% margin that exceeded internal projections. These results demonstrated the organization’s capacity to drive top-line growth while maintaining disciplined profitability.
Advertising-related revenue climbed 25% to reach $114.4 million, continuing as the dominant revenue stream for the quarter. Query-based revenue similarly expanded 16% to $62.3 million, with non-search segments showing particularly strong performance. Accordingly, the diversified revenue mix illustrated healthy business momentum across multiple channels.
The platform reported average monthly active users of 284 million, supporting an improved annualized ARPU of $2.49. Opera acquired 2 million additional users in Western regions, while its gaming-focused Opera GX browser reached 34 million monthly users. Furthermore, newly integrated AI capabilities powered by Gemini technology enhanced the experience for over 80 million PC-based users.
Annual Performance Demonstrates Consistent Expansion and Margin Enhancement
For the full year, Opera recorded revenue of $614.8 million, reflecting 28% year-over-year advancement. Adjusted EBITDA totaled $142.5 million with a 23% margin, highlighting effective operational leverage. Annual net income rose 34% to $108.3 million.
Annual advertising and query revenues sustained robust trajectories through expanded e-commerce partnerships and strengthened intent-driven monetization strategies. The company simultaneously enhanced its browser portfolio with multiple releases designed for various user demographics. Its MiniPay digital wallet exceeded 13 million activations while processing 360 million total transactions.
Opera concluded the fiscal year holding $155.5 million in cash while generating operating cash flow of $117.7 million. Free cash flow from operations increased 39% to $97.7 million as operational efficiency improved. Consequently, the organization finished the period with enhanced financial flexibility.
$300M Share Buyback Authorization and 2026 Projections Signal Management Optimism
Opera unveiled a two-year share repurchase program authorized for up to $300 million. This initiative encompasses ADS purchases from open markets as well as proportional acquisitions from its controlling shareholder. The program operates in conjunction with the existing semi-annual dividend distribution framework.
Leadership provided 2026 revenue guidance ranging from $720 million to $735 million, indicating anticipated growth approaching 20%. Adjusted EBITDA projections span $167 million to $172 million, with margin profiles expected to remain consistent. First-quarter guidance calls for revenue reaching $172 million and EBITDA of approximately $40 million.
Opera remains committed to expanding AI-powered tools and browser functionality while broadening financial inclusion through its MiniPay platform. The organization seeks to deepen user engagement by developing additional product verticals. Therefore, Opera positions itself for 2026 with strengthened strategic direction and expanded global market presence.
The post Opera (OPRA) Stock Surges 23% on Stellar Q4 Results and $300M Share Buyback Plan appeared first on Blockonomi.
Dell Technologies Stock Rebounds After Historic FY26 Results and AI Server Surge
Key Highlights
Shares declined to $121.45 during regular trading before surging 10.95% to $134.75 after market close.
Fiscal 2026 delivered record performance: $113.5B in revenue, representing 19% year-over-year growth.
Company projects FY27 revenue at $140B midpoint with expanding margins and accelerated earnings.
AI server segment delivers explosive growth: $9.0B quarterly revenue with $43B backlog and $64B total orders.
Capital returns reach $7.5B for the year, dividend increased 20%, expanded buyback program announced.
Dell Technologies (DELL) experienced an unusual trading pattern, dropping 1.64% to close at $121.45 during regular hours before mounting an impressive 10.95% rally to $134.75 in after-hours trading. The dramatic reversal came as investors digested the company’s exceptional fiscal 2026 performance and ambitious fiscal 2027 projections. The initial decline appeared disconnected from the underlying fundamentals, which showcased unprecedented revenue growth and surging AI server demand.
Dell Technologies Inc., DELL
Fiscal 2026 Achieves Historic Milestones Across All Metrics
Dell achieved unprecedented annual revenue of $113.5 billion for fiscal 2026, marking a robust 19% increase compared to the previous fiscal year. The technology giant simultaneously delivered record-setting diluted earnings per share and generated the highest annual operating cash flow in company history. These achievements prompted management to enhance shareholder value initiatives and expand stock repurchase authorizations to align with strategic objectives.
The exceptional full-year results demonstrated sustained momentum across diverse product lines and geographic markets. The company maintained consistent non-GAAP earnings per share expansion while simultaneously enhancing cash generation capabilities worldwide. For fiscal 2027, management announced elevated revenue projections alongside expectations for ongoing margin enhancement.
Looking ahead to fiscal 2027, Dell anticipates reaching $140 billion in revenue at the guidance midpoint, accompanied by substantial earnings expansion. Leadership highlighted the growing contribution from AI-optimized server platforms as the order pipeline continued its upward trajectory. The outlook also emphasized stronger first-quarter performance driven by improved operating leverage throughout the organization.
Q4 Performance Demonstrates Accelerating Enterprise AI Adoption
Dell delivered fourth-quarter revenue of $33.4 billion, representing a substantial 39% year-over-year increase. The quarter produced record earnings per share alongside robust operating cash flow generation. These impressive results catalyzed the significant after-hours stock price recovery following the counterintuitive regular-session weakness.
AI-optimized server shipments accelerated dramatically as enterprise customers intensified deployments across worldwide markets. This high-growth segment generated $9.0 billion in quarterly sales, more than tripling from the comparable prior-year period. The company also maintained steady storage revenue growth while experiencing increased networking segment activity.
The Infrastructure Solutions Group achieved record quarterly performance with comprehensive gains spanning multiple product categories. This division elevated revenue to $19.6 billion while advancing operating profitability at a sustainable rate. Meanwhile, the Client Solutions Group registered moderate annual improvement as commercial PC demand showed signs of stabilization.
Massive AI Order Pipeline and Enhanced Capital Allocation Drive Growth Strategy
Throughout fiscal 2026, Dell substantially expanded its AI-optimized server opportunity pipeline, with backlog climbing to $43 billion entering the new fiscal year. Management disclosed that cumulative orders exceeded $64 billion as enterprise AI adoption accelerated. Annual shipments surpassed $25 billion, indicating expanding deployments across diverse industry verticals.
The company simultaneously reinforced its financial position through record cash generation and elevated shareholder distributions. Dell returned $7.5 billion to shareholders during the fiscal year while repurchasing 54 million shares. The board approved a substantial 20% dividend increase to strengthen ongoing shareholder return programs.
For fiscal 2027, Dell has established aggressive targets projecting AI-optimized server revenue reaching $50 billion. The forecast encompasses continued scaling across established markets alongside broader platform proliferation. Despite these impressive fundamentals, the stock closed lower during regular trading before staging a sharp recovery in extended-hours activity.
The post Dell Technologies Stock Rebounds After Historic FY26 Results and AI Server Surge appeared first on Blockonomi.
Bloomberg Partners with Kaiko to Deliver Licensed Financial Data On-Chain
TLDR
Bloomberg and Kaiko have partnered to deliver institutional-grade financial data natively on blockchain infrastructure
The initial focus centers on tokenized US Treasury bonds and repo markets operating on Canton Network
This collaboration addresses critical data standardization challenges plaguing tokenized asset ecosystems
The service caters exclusively to institutional clients including banks and asset managers, not retail participants
Current valuations place the tokenized real-world asset sector at approximately $25 billion, excluding stablecoins
Bloomberg has entered into a strategic partnership with Kaiko, a digital asset data specialist based in Paris, to deploy licensed financial data natively within blockchain infrastructures. The firms made the announcement public on Thursday.
Bloomberg and Kaiko have announced a joint initiative to develop a pathway for Bloomberg's trusted Data License offerings to be accessed on-chain via Kaiko's infrastructure.
This collaboration will utilize Kaiko's Data On-Ramp service to support tokenized U.S. Treasuries and… pic.twitter.com/hf6JNgmxvm
— Kaiko (@KaikoData) February 26, 2026
The initiative seeks to deliver critical market information—including pricing feeds, security identifiers, and reference datasets—directly within blockchain ecosystems. Traditionally, this information has resided exclusively in conventional, off-chain database systems.
The collaboration specifically addresses a persistent challenge within tokenized financial markets. Various institutions frequently rely on disparate versions of identical datasets, resulting in scenarios where one financial entity might value a Treasury instrument differently from another.
These discrepancies generate substantial reconciliation overhead and elevate operational risk exposure. By establishing a unified, licensed data layer on-chain, the companies aim to ensure all market participants access identical information.
The inaugural deployment concentrates on tokenized US Treasury instruments and repurchase agreement markets. These markets function on the Canton Network, a permissioned distributed ledger infrastructure purpose-built for institutional financial operations.
Kaiko introduced its blockchain data integration service for Canton Network last August. The current Bloomberg partnership represents a significant expansion of that capability.
The offering specifically serves banks, institutional asset managers, and other regulated financial market participants. Retail cryptocurrency traders fall outside the intended user base.
Data Reliability Has Been a Known Problem
Concerns regarding data quality within tokenized real-world asset markets have existed for some time. Last May, Chris Yin, co-founder of RWA platform Plume, suggested the market’s actual size might be substantially smaller than published estimates indicated.
Yin’s assessment placed the genuine market size at approximately half the figures reported by prominent data aggregators during that period. Present estimates value the tokenized RWA sector at around $25 billion when stablecoins are excluded, based on data from RWA.xyz.
Kaiko’s CEO Ambre Soubiran emphasized that institutional-quality data infrastructure remains fundamental to proper market functioning. She noted the Bloomberg collaboration extends established market data systems to support blockchain-based securities.
Kaiko’s Expanding Role in Digital Asset Data
Kaiko has systematically expanded its digital asset data service offerings. Throughout 2024, the company completed an acquisition of Vinter, a European provider of cryptocurrency indices.
That transaction bolstered Kaiko’s capabilities in regulated benchmark and index provision throughout European markets. The Bloomberg alliance represents another strategic advancement in that direction.
Within tokenized markets, standardized pricing information fulfills a critical operational function. Many tokenized instruments represent tangible financial products such as Treasury bonds, making accurate data essential for ensuring on-chain representations properly reflect underlying assets.
The Canton Network, serving as the deployment environment for this service, was specifically architected for institutional financial use cases. As a permissioned network, access remains controlled rather than publicly available.
This partnership exemplifies broader trends among traditional financial data vendors seeking to establish presence within blockchain-native infrastructure. Bloomberg’s licensed datasets maintain widespread adoption throughout global financial markets.
The post Bloomberg Partners with Kaiko to Deliver Licensed Financial Data On-Chain appeared first on Blockonomi.
Sam Bankman-Fried’s Multi-Front Legal Battle: Appeals, Pardons, and Political Maneuvering
TLDR
Federal prosecutors have until March 11 to file their response to Sam Bankman-Fried’s request for a new criminal trial
The FTX founder received a 25-year prison sentence after being found guilty on seven felony fraud charges in 2023
SBF has been using social media from prison to express support for Trump, a strategy many interpret as pardon-seeking behavior
His public backing of the Clarity Act crypto legislation drew swift rejections from Senators Cynthia Lummis and Elizabeth Warren
White House officials have consistently stated that President Trump has no plans to grant Bankman-Fried clemency
The disgraced crypto mogul behind FTX’s spectacular implosion, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), is currently waging battles on multiple legal and political fronts — with little success to show for his efforts.
Judge Lewis Kaplan of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York established March 11 as the deadline for federal prosecutors to submit their response to SBF’s motion requesting a new criminal trial. The deadline was set through a Wednesday court filing.
Following his conviction on seven felony charges in 2023, SBF received a 25-year prison sentence in March 2024. The charges stemmed from his orchestration of a massive fraud that siphoned billions from FTX customer accounts through his affiliated trading operation, Alameda Research.
His legal team has challenged both the guilty verdict and the sentencing decision. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has yet to deliver its judgment on these appeals as of Thursday.
The motion for a new trial, submitted earlier this month, represents a separate legal strategy from the pending appeal. SBF’s attorneys argue that fresh witness testimony could bolster his defense.
Clinton-appointed judge Lewis Kaplan made his political bias very clear when sentencing me and @rsalame7926.
Kaplan ranted about how I “set up a vehicle for making political donations to the right.”
“The state of our political life in this country is in jeopardy,” he said, and…
— SBF (@SBF_FTX) February 18, 2026
During his incarceration, SBF has maintained a social media presence through intermediaries. His X account has featured multiple posts expressing support for President Donald Trump and condemning what he characterizes as “political bias” influencing his prosecution.
He has also publicly endorsed the Clarity Act, pending crypto regulatory legislation making its way through Congress. In his posts, SBF framed the bill’s potential passage as a political victory for the Trump administration.
Someone’s looking for a pardon and doesn’t realize the Clarity Act would have you locked up for much longer than 25 years.
My legislation couldn’t be more different than the bill you tried to buy from Congress over my objection in 2022.
We do not need—nor want—your support. https://t.co/JlywsCh3ry
— Senator Cynthia Lummis (@SenLummis) February 26, 2026
The strategy immediately blew up in his face. Senator Cynthia Lummis, a Republican known for championing cryptocurrency legislation, fired back on X with a pointed message. “Someone’s looking for a pardon and doesn’t realize the Clarity Act would have you locked up for much longer than 25 years,” the senator wrote.
Lummis drew a clear distinction between her current legislative work and the bill SBF allegedly attempted to shape through political contributions in 2022. “We do not need — nor want — your support,” she emphasized.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, similarly rejected SBF’s endorsement. She labeled him “a fraudster who stole at least $8 billion from customers” and warned that his support for the Clarity Act should “set off alarm bells.”
The likelihood of the Clarity Act’s passage has declined approximately 16% over the past seven days, based on data from prediction platform Polymarket. The bill now shows a 69% probability of becoming law before year-end.
SBF’s prospects for receiving a presidential pardon look equally bleak. White House representatives have made clear on numerous occasions that Trump isn’t entertaining the possibility, including statements to the New York Times in January and Fortune magazine on Tuesday.
While Trump has granted clemency to other cryptocurrency industry figures — notably former Binance chief executive Changpeng Zhao and Ross Ulbricht, who founded the Silk Road marketplace — SBF has not received such consideration.
Caroline Ellison, who previously led Alameda and provided testimony against SBF during his trial, walked free in January after serving 440 days. Ryan Salame, who served as co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, is currently serving a sentence exceeding seven years.
At the time of writing, SBF’s appeal remains unresolved, with the March 11 deadline for prosecutors’ response to his new trial motion still in effect.
The post Sam Bankman-Fried’s Multi-Front Legal Battle: Appeals, Pardons, and Political Maneuvering appeared first on Blockonomi.
Jimmy Wales Says Bitcoin Will Drop Below $10K by 2050 – Wikipedia Founder Explains His Bearish St...
TLDR
Jimmy Wales, who co-founded Wikipedia, describes Bitcoin as a “complete failure” in its role as currency and store of value
His forecast: Bitcoin trading below $10,000 (in current dollar terms) by the year 2050
Despite his criticism, Wales doesn’t believe Bitcoin will crash to zero due to its solid technical foundation
He views institutional investment as profit-motivated rather than belief-driven, and rejects claims that AI is fueling crypto adoption
According to Wales, real-world obstacles including transaction costs, price instability, and limited merchant acceptance block Bitcoin from widespread use
The co-founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, sparked discussion this week following a string of posts on X where he labeled Bitcoin a “complete failure” in its function as money.
People who think that Bitcoin is going to zero are likely mistaken. The design is robust enough that it will continue to exist in perpetuity, barring some currently unforeseen breakdown in cryptography or a surprise 51% attack (even then, a fork would carry on I would imagine).…
— Jimmy Wales (@jimmy_wales) February 25, 2026
This isn’t Wales’ first time expressing doubt about Bitcoin. In 2020, he stated he couldn’t find a convincing use case for the cryptocurrency, though he emphasized he wasn’t fundamentally against it.
His recent remarks surfaced after X users contended that Bitcoin’s fixed supply gives it an edge over gold, and that expanding digital economies would naturally lead to greater cryptocurrency adoption.
Wales challenged these assertions head-on. He characterized Bitcoin as falling short as currency and described it as “a speculative asset at best.”
He also dismissed suggestions that artificial intelligence is boosting crypto usage. “AI bots are not adopting crypto in meaningful numbers,” he stated.
Yet Wales didn’t go so far as to forecast Bitcoin’s total demise. He believes those anticipating a drop to zero are “likely mistaken,” crediting the cryptocurrency’s robust technical architecture.
He even noted that if the network faced a significant attack, the system would probably continue operating via a software fork.
This positions Wales in a somewhat paradoxical stance — deeply critical of Bitcoin’s prospects, yet not predicting its complete extinction.
Still, his price outlook for the long term remains decidedly negative. “I’d suggest a 2050 price target of under $10,000 in today’s dollars. Possibly much lower,” he stated.
Wales Explains Bitcoin’s Shortcomings for Daily Transactions
Wales presented a pragmatic case against Bitcoin through a straightforward comparison. Living in the United Kingdom, he explained he can transfer £10 to a friend immediately via his bank without any charges.
Attempting the same transaction with Bitcoin, he noted, would require purchasing the cryptocurrency, absorbing spread costs, paying network transaction fees, and converting back to pounds — incurring another spread in the process.
He also responded to comparisons some users made between today’s Bitcoin critics and early internet skeptics. Wales said he finds that analogy unconvincing.
Wales Distinguishes Between Gold and Bitcoin
According to Wales, gold stands apart from Bitcoin because it serves tangible purposes beyond investment and doesn’t require continuous network maintenance to exist.
Bitcoin, in contrast, relies on miners and supporting infrastructure for continued operation, which he considers a fundamental vulnerability.
He did recognize one legitimate application for cryptocurrency — enabling individuals in authoritarian regimes to transfer wealth beyond government control.
However, he argued this particular use case is too limited to support crypto becoming widely adopted currency.
Bitcoin was changing hands at $68,716 when the initial report was published, representing a 7% gain over the previous day. The price has since retreated and is currently trading under $70,000.
The post Jimmy Wales Says Bitcoin Will Drop Below $10K by 2050 – Wikipedia Founder Explains His Bearish Stance appeared first on Blockonomi.
Impacted workers will receive 20 weeks base pay, additional weeks based on tenure, six months healthcare continuation, and $5,000 personal support
Jack Dorsey’s fintech company Block is eliminating approximately 4,000 positions — representing nearly 40% of its entire employee base.
we're making @blocks smaller today. here's my note to the company.
####
today we're making one of the hardest decisions in the history of our company: we're reducing our organization by nearly half, from over 10,000 people to just under 6,000. that means over 4,000 of you are…
— jack (@jack) February 26, 2026
The organization, which reached approximately 13,000 employees at its 2023 peak, will operate with just under 6,000 workers following these reductions. This brings staffing levels close to its 2019 pre-pandemic footprint of roughly 3,835 employees.
Dorsey revealed the restructuring in a public letter posted to X, linking it directly to advancing artificial intelligence tools being deployed throughout the organization.
“We’re already seeing that the intelligence tools we’re creating and using, paired with smaller and flatter teams, are enabling a new way of working,” he stated.
He explained his preference for swift, decisive action over prolonged cuts spanning months or years, maintaining that successive layoff waves undermine employee morale and organizational trust.
Workers impacted by the cuts will receive compensation including 20 weeks of base salary, an extra week for each year of service, healthcare benefits for six months, company equipment to keep, and $5,000 for personal expenses. Termination notices started being distributed on the same day the announcement was made.
Dorsey forecasts similar moves across the industry. “I don’t think we’re early to this realization. I think most companies are late,” he stated, projecting that the majority of organizations will arrive at similar conclusions within twelve months.
Block’s employee count expanded by 237% from 2019 through 2023, based on Macrotrends figures. This current reduction represents the company’s most substantial workforce cut — significantly larger than the 10% decrease Bloomberg had reported as under consideration earlier this month.
Stock Jumps on Cuts and Strong Earnings
Shares of Block (XYZ) climbed more than 31% to reach $96.58 at the opening bell, rising from the prior closing price of $73.65.
The workforce announcement coincided with the company’s fourth quarter 2025 financial disclosure. Block delivered gross profit of $2.87 billion, marking 24% year-over-year expansion. Cash App recorded 33% year-over-year revenue growth, reaching $1.83 billion.
Investor response was immediate and substantial, although the stock price remains approximately 80% below its pandemic-era high.
Stablecoins Add a Structural Question
While Dorsey’s communication emphasizes AI-driven efficiency, market observers have identified another structural pressure: stablecoin payment infrastructure.
Block developed its primary business around card-based merchant transaction fees, generally ranging from 2% to 3% per transaction. Stablecoin technology can facilitate identical transactions at virtually no cost, creating pressure on that revenue model.
Analysis from Citrini Research highlights that “agentic shopping” — where artificial intelligence systems automatically direct payment flows — may hasten the migration away from traditional card networks altogether.
The GENIUS Act alongside Circle’s public offering have brought stablecoins significantly closer to widespread commercial acceptance, transforming this into a more pressing concern than during Block’s expansion phase.
Not everyone accepts the restructuring as purely strategic. Ben Carlson, director at Ritholtz Wealth Management, commented on X: “Or maybe the stock is down 80% from the highs and they overhired and AI is a convenient excuse.”
Block’s fourth quarter gross profit of $2.87 billion and Cash App’s 33% revenue expansion represent the latest available financial metrics.
The post Block (XYZ) Shares Soar 31% Following Mass Workforce Reduction of 4,000 appeared first on Blockonomi.
Команда Ethereum Core продвигает стратегию защиты от квантовых атак для безопасности блокчейна
Ключевые выводы
Джастин Дрейк, исследователь Ethereum, представил "Lean Ethereum" — комплексную инициативу по повышению квантовой устойчивости при оптимизации сети
Инициатива охватывает виртуальные машины с нулевым знанием, методы выборки доступности данных и инфраструктуру RISC-V
Виталик Бутерин представил отдельную стратегию, касающуюся четырех критически важных векторов атак с использованием квантовых технологий: подписи валидаторов, системы доступности данных, безопасность кошельков и доказательства с нулевым знанием
Подход Бутерина включает переход от схем подписи BLS к схемам подписи на основе хешей и внедрение обновлений кошельков через EIP-8141
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