以太坊最大财库 BitMine 董事长 Tom Lee 近日明确表示，ETH/BTC 汇率在 2026 年下半年有充分理由走强。核心逻辑在于 ETH 作为“货币”的叙事正逐步获得市场认可，三大催化剂——稳定币持续增长、资产代币化浪潮、以太坊生态新分叉与项目增多——均在强化 ETH 的价值储存属性。宏观层面，油价回落缓解通胀压力、加密货币作为 AI 受益资产、《CLARITY 法案》与《GENIUS 法案》推进均构成支撑。Tom Lee 预计 ETH/BTC 汇率 2026 年全年将持续上升。
Mastercard is reportedly exploring a strategic investment in blockchain infrastructure firm Zerohash after the company rejected a $2 billion acquisition. Zerohash offers custody, settlement, fiat on/off-ramps, and other core services. The move reflects rising M&A activity in crypto, with CoinGecko weighing a $500 million sale and Morgan Stanley already partnering with Zerohash at a $1 billion valuation. Mastercard also recently partnered with Kraken to enable Bitcoin payments at 150 million merchants.
Thesis*, a Bitcoin-focused venture studio, has acquired Lolli, a bitcoin rewards platform that has rewarded over 600,000 users with more than $20 million in BTC. The acquisition integrates Lolli with Fold, Mezo, and tBTC to create a circular Bitcoin economy. Thesis* plans to upgrade Lolli’s Arcade and Daily Stack features, launch a new “Lolli Market,” introduce instant reward payouts by late 2025, and expand globally. CEO Matt Luongo emphasizes that Bitcoin adoption grows through everyday interactions—shopping, gaming, spending—not just investment portfolios.
At the Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas, Cowbolt launched its mission to turn peer-to-peer payments into a Bitcoin onramp, starting with family and friends. The app allows users to split expenses and settle instantly using Bitcoin or USDT, without intermediaries, bank friction, or custodial risk. Co-founder Daniel Ekström stated that the most powerful onramp to Bitcoin is not an exchange but people. Former Airbnb creative director Tony Högqvist emphasized design simplicity, aiming to make Bitcoin usable daily among teams, friends, and families. The article details Cowbolt's core features—split and settle, self-custody, fast and trusted, cross-border—and its vision to make Bitcoin familiar to everyone, not just speculative investors.
Chipper Cash, a leading African fintech company, announced that over 50% of all Bitcoin transactions on its platform now run over the Lightning Network, marking one of the most significant real-world deployments of Lightning. Using infrastructure from Voltage, the company delivers faster, cheaper, and more reliable payments. Customers describe the experience as 'like discovering fire.' The integration enables interoperability with Strike, Cash App, and other Lightning-powered platforms, and the company launched Chessa for remittances with instant settlement into over 25 local fiat currencies. This showcases how emerging markets can leapfrog outdated payment rails.
Tabit Insurance SCC has capitalized a $40 million insurance facility entirely with Bitcoin, becoming the first property and casualty insurer to hold all regulatory reserves in BTC while denominating policies in USD. The company operates as a segregated cell company, allowing BTC holders to earn USD returns through their own cells while maintaining Bitcoin exposure. Reserves are verifiable on-chain via a proof-of-reserves model, providing real-time transparency beyond quarterly disclosures. Headquartered in Barbados, a top captive insurance jurisdiction, Tabit plans to work with insurers, brokers, and digital asset holders seeking alternative capital and risk financing. This initiative marks a significant step in bringing digital assets into the traditional insurance sector.
Relai, a Swiss Bitcoin platform, has partnered with Casa to introduce a multisignature self-custody solution for long-term holders. With over 500,000 downloads, 85,000 active users, and $1 billion in total investments, Relai now offers users the option to store Bitcoin via Casa's multisig system, which requires multiple keys to reduce single-key vulnerabilities. The solution also includes an inheritance feature for designating beneficiaries, making it the first integrated model combining accumulation, long-term custody, and generational transfer planning.
Bitcoin payments startup ZBD has raised $40 million in a Series C funding round led by Blockstream Capital ($36M contribution) to build blockchain-based payment infrastructure for the video game industry. The company enables game developers to integrate direct payments including peer-to-peer transfers, loyalty rewards, and Bitcoin payouts without third-party fintech providers. A case study with TapNation's 'Idle Bank' showed a 355% increase in 30-day player retention and 124% revenue per player after integrating Bitcoin rewards via the Lightning Network. ZBD currently works with 55 games, employs 70 people, and plans to expand its payment product suite. The startup deliberately avoids NFTs and crypto-native gameplay, focusing on the more widely adopted payments sector.
