Ondo Finance and Pantera Capital are launching a $250 million fund to fuel tokenized real-world asset projects. DeFi protocol Ondo Finance and venture firm Pantera Capital plan to ramp up investments in real-world assets (RWAs), highlighting the industry’s increasing focus on tokenization amid favorable regulatory developments in the United States. Both companies informed Axios that they plan to invest $250 million in RWAs through a new fund called Ondo Catalyst. Ondo’s chief strategy officer, Ian De Bode, says the funds will be invested to acquire equity stakes and tokens in emerging projects. “We are seeing a bit of an arms race right now” in the tokenization market, De Bode told Axios, referring to the surge of companies entering the space. Exchanges in particular are zeroing in on tokenized stocks and exchange-traded fund (ETF) offerings. Read more
Traders say an ETH rally to $3,200 could result from a “golden cross” pattern, but other Ether price metrics are not so bullish. Key takeaways: ETH failed to reclaim $2,600 as futures and options data show weak conviction from traders. Ethereum’s layer-2 growth hasn’t translated into increased demand for ETH due to low rollup transaction fees. Read more
Bitcoin charts show bearish divergences across multiple timeframes, a hint that price rallies above $110,000 could be a trap. Key takeaways: Bitcoin shows bearish divergences on multiple time frames, signaling weak bullish momentum and a potential pullback. Some traders anticipate a rally above $112,000, but increasing sell pressure and liquidity sweeps suggest the breakouts are traps. Read more
Roman Storm is scheduled to appear in a New York courtroom for his criminal trial on July 14, facing money laundering and conspiracy charges. Roman Storm, one of the co-founders and developers behind the cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash, appeared in a video interview as his US criminal trial is expected to begin in less than two weeks. In an interview released Wednesday by Crypto In America, Storm said his legal team intended to address at trial the allegations that he had personally profited from illicit funds through his role at Tornado Cash. However, he declined to say whether he would testify in his own defense over charges of money laundering, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitter, and conspiracy to violate US sanctions. Read more