Welcome back toĀ The Epicenter, where crypto chaos meets corporate cringe.
But surprisingly, crypto hasĀ notĀ been the most chaotic corner of the internet as of late.
That honor goes to the startupĀ Astronomer, whose CEOās cheating scandal broke the web in a glorious meme-fueled media frenzy. The companyās damage control? Hiring Gwyneth Paltrow as a ātemporary spokesperson.ā Do we think theyāre grasping at straws or setting a new standard for PR?
Meanwhile, the markets didnāt blink. BTC is still flexing near its all-time highs. Michael Saylorās bringing a bitcoin-adjacent money-market product to Wall Street. A pharma company just earmarked $700M to stack BNB, and analysts are calling time of death on the four-year crypto cycle. Itās a steady boom now, kittens.
A few things that are also worth noting: Winklevoss vs. JPMorgan, Visaās take on stablecoins, and Robinhoodās Euro drama that defies the chillness of eurosummer.
Letās get into it š
āļø The On-Chain Pulse: Whatās Happening on the Front Lines of Finance
This weekās biggest news in crypto and all things digital assets
PR crisis? Just add Gwyneth;Ā data company Astronomer tapped Gwyneth Paltrow as its ātemporary spokespersonā amid a workplace cheating scandalābecause nothing says damage control like Chris Martinās ex-wife
Winklevoss twins claim JPMorgan blocked Gemini onboarding in retaliation for criticizing its new data access feesāJPM says itās just trying to protect consumers
Michael Saylor is backing a new money-market-style fund that doesnāt hold Bitcoin directly, but taps its return profile to deliver high yields to Wall Street investors
Windtree Therapeuticsāa Nasdaq-listed drug companyāplans to buy up to $700M in BNB after the token hit a new ATH, raising eyebrows as it adds the fifth-largest crypto to its balance sheet
The 4-year crypto cycle is āofficially dead,ā according to experts, who now see a steadier boom driven by ETFs, institutional demand, and macro tailwinds
Bitcoin Cash surged past $580 this weekend, with analysts eyeing a breakout toward the $620ā$680 range amid bullish chart patterns
Two brokers are battling to become Asiaās RobinhoodĀ as Hong Kongās new stablecoin bill sparks optimism around a boom in regional crypto trading
Visaās head of crypto says the payments giant isnāt sweating stablecoins, despite growing momentum across blockchain-based payment rails
Senator Elizabeth Warren slammed the GENIUS ActĀ (to absolutely no oneās surprise) warning that crypto lobbying is setting up Americans to "pay the price" like they did before the 2008 financial crisis
XRP Mining just launched a mobile app that turns your smartphone into a passive income machineāno hardware, no skills, just daily mining rewards from your pocket
š£ļø Word on the Street: What the Experts are Saying
Stuff you should repost (or maybe evenĀ coughĀ reword and take credit for)
Doug Colkitt argues thatĀ DeFiās obsession with decentralization at all costs sacrifices performance, and what the space really needs is minimum viable decentralization (MVD)
Kinjal Shah of Blockchain Capital points toĀ the latest charts showing that DEXs are flipping CEXs and the āDeFi mulletā is officially in style; think slick frontends, protocol backends, and a market moving at warp speed
David Sacks saysĀ this week marked a turning point for US AI policy, with Trumpās first major AI speech, a new White House Action Plan, and three executive orders signed into law
Emilie Choi of Coinbase saysĀ she doesnāt want to be the best female COOājust the best COO
Boring Business reminds us thatĀ em dashes have been ruined foreverĀ (we should probably hold a funeral)
Meme of the Week
š¦ Kiss my SaaS: Whatās Changing the Game for Fintech
Things you should care about if you want to impress your coworkers
Estoniaās top tech founders are backing Lightyear, a European Robinhood rival that just raised $23M and dropped new AI features to help retail investors decode stock moves
Fintech and crypto groups are urging Trump to safeguard open banking rules, warning that rollbacks could jeopardize access to wallets, DeFi apps, and stablecoins amid mounting pressure from traditional banks
Robinhood stock is up 280% as the company leans into crypto and wealth managementābut analysts are cooling off, citing overvaluation risks despite the growth
Meta is investing $14.3B into Scale AI and hiring its CEO, Alexandr Wang, as part of a sweeping AI push that marks one of the biggest talent acquisitions in the space this year
Mastercardās 2024 Impact Report spotlights its efforts across financial inclusion, climate action, and digital access, framed around its āPeople, Prosperity & Planetā pillars
Closing Thoughts
From meme-fueled PR stunts to Bitcoin-backed money-market funds, this week reminded us that markets move fastāand headlines move faster. With Wall Street automating itself, fintechs beefing with banks, and even your smartphone becoming a miner, anything is possible. Stay curious, stay cynical, and as alwaysāstay sharp and stay liquid. Weāll see you back here in two weeks.
āĀ The Epicenter, powered by Pyth Network

š Donations Accepted š
If you find value in my content, consider showing your support via:
š³ PayPal:Ā
1) Simply scan the QR code below š²
2) or visit https://www.paypal.me/thedinarian
š Crypto ā Support via Coinbase Wallet to: [email protected]