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Tether is accumulating gold at a pace that rivals central banks
Tether purchased 6.5 tonnes of gold in Q1 2026, bringing total holdings to a record 132 tonnes. Over the last 6 quarters, Tether has purchased ~73 tonnes of gold in total, surpassing China's central bank purchases of ~49 tonnes over the same period by nearly +50%. Tether's gold holdings have more than DOUBLED over the last 12 months. In 2025, Tether acquired more gold than every central bank except Poland. Tether is now competing directly with central banks for gold. Source: Global Markets Investor
Sam Altman’s Worldcoin ($WLD) has lost about 98% of its value, turning a $100,000 investment at its peak into roughly $2,000.
The project’s “Orb” device, which scans irises in exchange for tokens, raising concerns about permanent biometric data collection and consent—echoed by Edward Snowden and researchers like MIT. It highlights regulatory pushback and bans across multiple countries. Some are pointing out that the project’s team of selling large amounts of tokens while supply increases, contributing to price decline, and portrays broader ethical and legal concerns around the project.
Bitcoin is breaking...
BTC is pushing higher. The long-standing downtrend line has broken, and price is now trading well above the 100-day by a margin not seen in a long time. A clean close here or higher, and things could get very squeezy for a largely forgotten BTC. Source: TME, LSEG
In case you missed it... Iran will demand that shipping companies pay tolls in cryptocurrency for oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz
as it seeks to retain control over passage through the key waterway during the two-week ceasefire. Hamid Hosseini, a spokesperson for Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union, told the FT on Wednesday that Iran wanted to collect tolling fees from any tanker passing and to assess each ship. He said that the tariff is $1 per barrel of hashtag#oil, adding that empty tankers can pass freely. “Once the email arrives and Iran completes its assessment, vessels are given a few seconds to pay in hashtag#bitcoin, ensuring they can’t be traced or confiscated due to sanctions,” Hosseini added. So why does Iran want to be paid in hashtag#bitcoin? Bacause: - It is portable - It is divisible - It can be trusted - It is economically & politically neutral - It has immutable monetary policy - It has perfect property rights But also because it preserves long-term purchasing power from finite energy exports. Indeed, storing oil revenues in traditional assets like US Treasury bonds can erode value over time, especially as energy prices rise faster than returns. Historical examples suggest Iran would struggle to repurchase the same oil it once sold. In contrast, assets like gold—and more recently Bitcoin—have better preserved or increased purchasing power relative to energy. Bitcoin, in particular, has dramatically outperformed oil prices since 2013. The conclusion is that commodity exporters may increasingly shift reserves into assets like gold and crypto to avoid losing value.
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