AI agents have begun completing complicated tasks, including transacting on their own by paying for services or purchasing computing power, all of which is far superior to AI’s early methods of generating texts, images, or simple code.
Ripple wants to have a bigger role, and its latest update, published earlier this week, explains how its native tokens could be at the forefront.
XRP, RLUSD to Power AI
In an attempt to position itself at the center of this emerging machine-to-machine economy, the new update to the XRP Ledger ecosystem, called AI Starter Kit, serves as a suite of tools designed to help developers build autonomous payment apps powered by Ripple’s two tokens, XRP and RLUSD.
The announcement reads that the new product line will allow developers to build such AI agents capable of making and receiving payments through the XRPL. It includes support for X402-powered payments, allowing agents to pay for API access, AI model inference, cloud computing resources, and other digital services using either XRP or RLUSD.
Ripple tries to differentiate itself from other blockchain networks that rely mainly on variable transaction fees and smart contract execution. Instead, XRPL provides settlement finality within 3-5 seconds, predictable transaction costs, and built-in payment functionality.
Developers are aware of the transaction costs in advance, while the AI agents can complete transfers without dealing with gas fee auctions or uncertain settlement times.
The announcement added that XRPL’s native decentralized exchange could be particularly attractive to most devs. An AI agent can send RLUSD while the recipient receives XRP (or vice versa), with a single transaction. The conversion is handled directly by the protocol.
Safety First
Ripple believes its enhanced levels of security are another major selling point. The XRP Ledger has operated continuously for 14 years without transaction rollbacks, while its protocol-level payment system removes many of the smart contract risks that have led to billions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency exploits across many different projects.
The first phase of the new starter kit will include documentation access through AI assistants such as Claude, wallet and payment tools for agent-based apps, and support for the X402 protocol following a collaboration with t54.
Pudgy Penguins officially announced that it has closed shop on its Pudgy Party mobile game, developed with Mythical Games, so that the project could focus only on their web-based game: Pudgy World.
The decision has generated serious resistance from Pudgy Penguin fans who feel that all the time and money they invested in the mobile game since its launch in August 2025 have been wasted.
Why did Pudgy Penguins take down Pudgy Party?
The official Pudgy Party X account @PlayPudgyParty announced the news yesterday, June 12, with a statement attached confirming that Pudgy Party is being shut down. The announcement triggered immediate reactions, as the community flooded the post with hundreds of replies and quote tweets in just a few hours.
When Pudgy Party came out in August 2025, it offered fast-paced mini-games, customizable avatars, and collectible items with support from its partners, Mythical Games. The launch was so heavily publicized that there was even a Times Square promotion in September 2025.
However, the project will now concentrate all resources on Pudgy World going forward, according to its statement.
Pudgy Penguins moves on with Pudgy World
Pudgy World launched in March 2026 as a free browser game including 12 towns, plot-based quests, and mini-games. The game was hosted on a virtual space called “The Berg”, and it was designed to feel like a regular game instead of a crypto product, which is why it kept most of its blockchain elements hidden from the everyday gamer.
The project’s co-founder, @chefgoyardi, also emphasized the game’s custom physics engine and world-building tools, which were specifically optimized to make sure even lower-end devices could perform easily.
The PENGU token rose 9% on Pudgy World’s launch day in March. As of today, PENGU is trading at $0.006793 with a market cap of approximately $427 million, according to CoinMarketCap data. Pudgy Penguins also has an NFT collection starting at 4.54 ETH on OpenSea, with 5,100 unique holders across the 8,888-piece collection.
Community backlash over Pudgy Party cancellation
A good number of the engagements on the Pudgy Party wind down post reflected the community’s dissatisfaction. The news hit like a bag of bricks because Pudgy Party had built a special niche for itself: gathering a social media following of 98,200 on X, and even being named the “Best Mobile Game for Couples”, giving it a different vibe from Pudgy World’s more casual style.
Now that Pudgy World is the sole gaming project under Pudgy Penguins, we still don’t know what happens to players who purchased in-game items or digital collectibles through Pudgy Party. The announcement did not address refunds or asset migration based on the available information.
A look at the bigger picture
Over the last year, Pudgy Penguins has been seriously expanding beyond NFTs. According to reports, the project has successfully sold over $10 million worth of physical toys through major retailers like Walmart and Target.
It has also secured high-profile partnerships with entities such as Visa and Manchester City, and is now combining all its resources to realize its new gaming vision.
This transition also arrives as Pudgy Penguins faces increasing pressure from PEI Licensing, the parent company of the “Original Penguin” apparel brand. In March 2026, PEI filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit in Florida, claiming that Pudgy Penguins’ use of penguin-themed branding and merchandise was confusing their consumers and diluting the value of its own brand, which has been in business since 1955.
China has warned the United States that it may hit back after the Pentagon added major Chinese companies to a list tied to Beijing’s military. The names include Alibaba (NYSE: BABA; HKEX: 9988), Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU; HKEX: 9888), BYD (HKEX: 1211; SZSE: 002594), and NIO (NYSE: NIO; HKEX: 9866).
Beijing said it was deeply unhappy with the decision and told Washington to cancel it. The updated list also includes Trina Solar (SSE: 688599) and JA Solar Technology (SZSE: 002459), two major solar panel makers.
Cryptopolitan had reported earlier this week that the Pentagon released the update just as the two countries kept tightening controls on technology, data, energy, and manufacturing.
Beijing tells Washington to remove the companies and stop using security rules against Chinese firms
The Ministry of Commerce of China announced on Saturday that America went beyond its limits in terms of national security concerns, as well as exerted governmental influence to pressurize the business of China.
The ministry demanded withdrawal of such decisions. It also asked Washington to deal with Chinese companies in a fair manner and build a stable relationship with China.
Its warning was direct: “Otherwise, China will take resolute and forceful countermeasures, and the consequences and responsibility arising therefrom will rest entirely with the US side.”
The Chinese embassy in Washington rejected the blacklist. Spokesman Liu Pengyu said firms from China follow the laws of the countries where they operate.
“The US should stop its wrong practice and create a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment,” Liu said.
The Pentagon list is known as the Section 1260H list. US law requires the Defense Department to update it yearly through 2030. A company can ask the Pentagon to review its case and submit evidence to challenge the label.
Alibaba said there was “no basis” for adding the company.
Being named on the 1260H list does not automatically ban exports or stop a company from serving American customers. The US Commerce Department runs a separate Entity List, and that list can block or limit access to American technology.
The 1260H list is one of several tools Washington uses as the US and China separate in sensitive sectors.
China tightens financial data rules as pressure from Washington spreads across major industries
On Saturday, Chinese regulators announced stricter rules for financial information services. The Cyberspace Administration of China said companies must sort data into four groups: core, important, sensitive general, and routine general.
Officials said each category would depend on its value, sensitivity, and the damage a leak could cause. Six other agencies issued the rules, including the People’s Bank of China.
The rules are part of Beijing’s data security system. China passed broad laws before adding sector rules.
“Financial information services are developing in an orderly manner, and the volume of data is expanding … which urgently requires standardised, classified and graded management,” the guidelines said.
The new rules do not cover state secrets or military information.
The dispute also sits inside US policy under Trump. After winning the November 2024 election, Trump chose Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor.
Neil Thomas, a fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, said the choices showed that Trump planned to put China at the center of his foreign policy.
Before Trump’s January 2025 inauguration, Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk met separately with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Washington.
Han attended as Xi Jinping’s special representative. His visit showed Beijing wanted working ties with the new US administration even as both sides added more pressure in trade, technology, security, and industry.
Michael Saylor has put SpaceX inside Wall Street’s top technology group after the rocket company joined public markets at a value above $2 trillion. The Strategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) executive chairman posted on X after the June 12, 2026 listing and used the name “Mag8.”
Saylor wrote, “Congratulations @ElonMusk and $SPCX on a historic IPO. Thanks to you, 25% of the Mag8 now holds Bitcoin on the balance sheet.”
The SpaceX ($SPCX) offering became the largest IPO ever completed in the United States. Its opening valuation placed the company ahead of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META). Both were already included in the Magnificent Seven. That left investors with a simple problem. A company worth more than two members of the group was sitting outside the name. OpenAI and Anthropic are also possible IPO candidates, so the old label could become outdated quickly.
SpaceX forces Wall Street to rethink the name of its biggest stock group
Shay Boloor, chief market strategist at Futurum Equities, said Mag7 no longer gives investors the full picture. “It becomes very hard to keep using Mag 7 as the clean shorthand for market leadership because one of the most important companies in the world would immediately be outside the label,” he said.
These names are not official stock market categories. Banks, traders, investors, and financial media create them to describe companies receiving the most attention at a particular time. Wall Street has used this habit for decades. The “Nifty 50” covered popular large companies during the 1960s and 1970s. The “Four Horsemen” became a common term for major technology stocks during the late 1990s dot-com boom.
The SpaceX listing has now started another naming contest. One option spreading on X is “MANGOS.” One version includes Meta (NASDAQ: META), Anthropic, Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL), OpenAI, and SpaceX. Some investors use Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) for the letter A instead of Anthropic. Apple is currently the third-largest U.S.-listed company by market value.
Aga Kuplinska, senior vice president of product development at Tidal Financial Group, said the term is already being used inside the industry. “We are already referring to it internally and the industry is picking up on it as well,” she said. Tidal works with asset managers that want to launch exchange-traded funds.
Dan Boardman-Weston, chief executive of BRI Wealth Management, suggested another option. He called it “Magna Atoms.” His version would combine the current seven companies with SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
Bitcoin and AI reshape the list of companies controlling market weight
Michael Hartnett, chief investment strategist at BofA Global Research, created the Magnificent Seven name in late 2023. The group included Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Meta (NASDAQ: META), Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT).
Earlier versions had already changed several times. FANG included Facebook, Amazon, Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX), and Google. FAANG later added Apple. The Magnificent Seven removed Netflix and brought in Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla.
BofA expanded the idea again in a May 22 note, creating an “AI Big 10” by adding Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO), Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU), and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) to the original seven. As of press time, LSEG data placed those ten companies at more than 40% of the S&P 500 by weight.
Saylor’s post also drew attention to the Bitcoin treasury disclosed by SpaceX in its SEC S-1 filing. The company reported 18,712 BTC worth about $1.18 billion at current prices. That total made SpaceX the eighth-largest publicly traded corporate holder of Bitcoin after its IPO.
Strategy remains the largest institutional Bitcoin holder. The company added more than 90,000 BTC during the first quarter of 2026 and passed BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (NASDAQ: IBIT). It also sold 32 BTC for about $2.5 million in late May to cover required quarterly dividends on preferred shares. That transaction was Strategy’s first Bitcoin sale since 2022.
Strategy records its Bitcoin at fair market value. That accounting method can cause major changes in reported profit and company valuation whenever Bitcoin’s market price rises or falls.
Monero price prediction suggests a bullish trend, with XMR anticipated to reach $681.98 by the end of 2026.
XMR could reach a maximum price of $840.44 by the end of 2029.
By 2032, Monero’s price may surge to $1,448.95.
Monero (XMR) stands out in the crypto space for its strong focus on privacy and decentralization of transactions, particularly within the monero network, making it one of the leading privacy focused cryptocurrencies. This makes it a popular choice for privacy advocates and those prioritizing security. The Monero ecosystem constantly evolves, marked by significant milestones like enhanced protocol upgrades and growing adoption across various sectors, which underscore its utility.
As Monero progresses, many wonder about its future price trajectory. Will its unique features drive significant value growth, as many traders speculate, and can a price prediction tool provide insights into this? Can it sustain its competitive edge in the ever-evolving crypto market? Will the price of xmr recapture its ATH at $798 in the long term forecast?
Overview
Cryptocurrency
Monero
Token
XMR
Price
$346.37(-4.6%)
Market Cap
$6.49 B
Trading Volume (24-hour)
$179.09 M
Circulating Supply
18.44M XMR
All-time High
$798.91 Jan 15, 2026
All-time Low
$0.213, Jan 15, 2015
24-h High
$368.21
24-h Low
$335.32
Monero price prediction: Technical analysis
Market Sentiment
Neutral
50-Day SMA
$375.88
200-Day SMA
$391.63
Price Prediction
$392.85 (+13.21%)
Fear & Greed Index
19.92 (Extreme Fear)
Green Days
14/30 (47%)
14-Day RSI
52.94(Neutral)
Monero price analysis
TL;DR Breakdown
Monero price analysis shows a bearish market sentiment
Cryptocurrency lost 4.6% of its value in last 24 hours
XMR finds support at $330 mark
On June 13, 2026, Monero price analysis revealed a steep drop to $347 as Monero observed a sharp crash to the $340 level before recovering slightly.
Monero price analysis 1-day chart: XMR crashes to $330 before recovery
The one-day price chart for Monero confirms a bearish breakdown after the bulls made an attempt to climb past the $380 mark. While XMR finds support at $340, bearish pressure still weighs high.
The Bollinger Bands are widening suggesting high volatility. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is trading at the bottom of the neutral region. The indicator’s value was recorded at 48.35 today showing declining bearish momentum. Further volatility can be expected if the selling momentum intensifies and the $340 mark is breached.
Monero price analysis 4-hour chart
The four-hour chart analysis of Monero shows rapid decline after a brief struggle at $390 mark. Following the crash, the price found support at the $335 mark enabling recovery to the current $346 mark.
The Bollinger Bands are wide suggesting high volatility. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator is trading in the neutral region suggesting low momentum on either side. However, while XMR finds support at the $335 mark, the rising bullish pressure means that further incline is not out of question. XMR must hold the level for the next few candles if any recovery is to be made in the short-term.
Monero price analysis gives a bearish prediction for the asset’s short-term movements as the price recovers to the $346 level. If a breakdown is observed, movement to $320 is expected while a consolidation at the level may suggest recovery to $380.
Is Monero a good investment?
Monero is an attractive investment because it emphasizes privacy and security, utilizing advanced cryptographic techniques to ensure transaction confidentiality, which has created a strong demand in the market . Its growing adoption across various use cases and a decentralized development model enhance its long-term potential.
With a limited supply and increasing investor interest, Monero offers a unique opportunity for those seeking financial autonomy and privacy to invest in cryptocurrency. However, investors should remain cautious of regulatory risks and market volatility when considering Monero as part of their portfolio, making it essential to seek investment advice.
Why is XMR down?
Monero price analysis shows that XMR charged at the $390 mark and briefly rose past the $410 mark, but failed to maintain the level. The following crash sent it to $335 where it finds support at press time.
Will XMR recover to its all-time high?
Monero recently reached a new all-time high of $798 before experiencing a sharp correction. The privacy-focused blockchain is expected to stabilize and potentially recover as it continues to reduce technical debt and enhance its utility and privacy features. However, widespread adoption may be hindered by regulatory scrutiny and market volatility, keeping the asset highly speculative.
How much will Monero be worth in 5 years?
The Monero price prediction for 2031, is expected to reach a minimum of $463.56, while averaging $726.61. The maximum projected value is $989.65.
Will XMR reach $1000?
The chances of Monero (XMR) hitting $1,000 hinge on various factors, which will influence its future price movements. The adoption of privacy transactions and technological advances could increase demand. Favorable regulations and market sentiment toward privacy coins would also help. Yet, regulatory risks, competition, and market volatility creating an atmosphere of extreme fear are challenges that Monero traders could face that could hinder significant growth. $1,000 is possible with favorable conditions, especially considering the current price but market dynamics and regulations will shape its path.
Does XMR have a good long-term future?
Monero (XMR) has the potential for a strong long-term future due to its focus on privacy and security, which makes it attractive to users seeking anonymity. However, many investors have concerns regarding privacy, regulatory scrutiny, and notoriety from being the favored medium for some past criminals, which impact the current Monero sentiment. Monero’s commitment to ring confidential transactions and the broader monero project gives it a solid foundation for long-term growth, but it must carefully navigate market and regulatory landscapes.
Recent news/ opinion on Monero
Monero recently announced the release of a new ecosystem on May 26.
The XMR price prediction for June 2026 suggests a minimum value of $317.32 and an average price of $335.44. The price could reach a maximum of $451.09 during the month.
Month
Minimum Price ($)
Average Price ($)
Maximum Price ($)
June
317.32
393.44
451.09
Monero price prediction 2026
The Monero price prediction for 2026 anticipates a potential increase driven by growing adoption, with a maximum price forecasted at $681.98. Based on current analysis, investors can expect an average trading price of $541.55, while the minimum price could be around $265.00.
Year
Min. Price ($)
Average Price ($)
Maximum Price ($)
2026
265.00
541.55
681.98
Monero price prediction 2027-2032
Year
Min. Price ($)
Average Price ($)
Maximum Price ($)
2026
265.00
541.55
681.98
2027
320.00
571.98
672.64
2028
370.40
616.69
745.84
2029
423.26
700.67
840.44
2030
459.54
754.14
990.18
2031
516.78
864.93
1213.11
2032
678.70
1063.83
1448.95
Monero Price Prediction 2027
In 2027, Monero’s value is expected to continue its upward trend, with a minimum price of $320.00, an average price of $571.98, and a maximum price of $672.64.
Monero Price Prediction 2028
For 2028, Monero is anticipated to trade at a minimum of $370.40, with an average price of $616.69, and a maximum price reaching $745.84.
Monero Price Prediction 2029
The price outlook for 2029 suggests Monero will maintain a minimum value of $423.26, an average of $700.67, and a maximum of $840.44.
Monero Price Prediction 2030
By 2030, Monero is forecasted to achieve a minimum trading price of $459.54, with an average price of $754.14 and a potential peak of $990.18.
Monero Price Prediction 2031
In 2031, Monero’s price is expected to reach a minimum of $516.78, while averaging $864.93. The maximum projected value is $1,213.11.
Monero Price Prediction 2032
In 2032, Monero is projected to continue its growth trajectory, with a minimum trading price of $678.70, an average price of $1,063.83, and a maximum price reaching $1,448.95.
Cryptopolitan’s Monero price forecast suggests a bullish outlook for XMR’s future should the market recover. According to expert analysis, Monero could reach a maximum price of $681.98, record a minimum price of $265.00, and trade at an average price of $541.55 by the end of 2026.
Monero historic price sentiment
XMR price history
Monero’s market value has changed dramatically since its launch in 2014, from less than $1 to over $475.
May 2021 marked the highest point in Monero’s history. Monero’s price projections revealed the coin’s security. They provide investors with optimism that they will be freed from the persecution of some authorities simply by buying or selling Monero
Across 2023, Monero’s price rose by 11.49%. The highest price was $278.56, and the lowest was $114.16.
In January 2024, Monero stayed stable around the $150.00 mark as market momentum remained low. However, the stability was short-lived as February crashed to $101.95. However, XMR showed swift recovery as it closed the month near the $150.00 level again.
In March and April 2024, XMR saw a steady decline from $150.00 to $120.00, where it found key support.
In May 2024, XMR observed steady bullish pressure as the price rose from $120.00, approaching resistance at $150.
In June 2024, Monero (XMR) traded within the $150 – $175 price range as either side struggled to make a clear breakthrough. In July, the crypto traded around the $155 mark as the price volatility remained relatively low. XMR opened trading at $156.05 in August and ended the month at $176.00, making remarkable gains.
September was bearish for the asset, as the price declined below the $160 mark by the end of the month. In October, Monero observed a steep crash and has been making a swift recovery since then.
In December, Monero made remarkable strides as the asset’s price broke past the $220 mark, albeit briefly as it closed the month below $200.
In January, Monero saw a bullish January as the price rose from below the $200 mark to $238 by the end of the month.
In February, the price fell towards the $215 mark as bears dominate the markets. In March, the price observes mixed momentum and closed the month slightly below $215. In April the consolidation continued until late into the month when it spiked past the $325 mark before ending the month around $275.
In May the price continued rising rapidly as the bulls cruised past $300 ending the month around $320. During June the price continued to observe high volatility but observed low net change as the asset closed the month around $313.
In July the price saw a huge spike in volatility as the price rose past $340 but the asset closed the month below the $310 mark. In August the price declined rapidly falling to the $260 mark by the month’s end. In September, the price rose to the $340 and while it did not maintain the level but managed to close the month above the $320 mark.
In October the price continued to rise ending the month above the $340 mark, a trend separating it from most other cryptocurrencies that saw a decline during the period. In November, the bullish rally continued with XMR crossing the $400 mark by the end of the month. In December, the bulls continued to charge ending the month above the $430 mark.
In January 2026, price volatility rose sharply establishing a new all-time high but ended the month below the $500 mark. In February, the declined continued with XMR ending the month around the $340 level.
The price consolidated in March, observing a slight decline to $325 by the month’s end. In April the price made swift recovery ending the month above the $375 mark. In May, the price observed high volatility before declining to the $360 mark by the end of the month.
Despite last week’s controversial developments on the war front between Iran, the US, and several other nations involved in the conflict, Donald Trump promised on his social media platform minutes ago that a permanent deal is expected to be announced tomorrow.
Given bitcoin’s susceptibility to positive or negative news related to the war, the question now is whether it will benefit if Trump delivers on his promise.
In his lengthy post on Truth Social, the POTUS began by blaming the previous major deal signed with Iran during Barack Obama’s presidency. He called it a “smooth road to a Nuclear Weapon,” while his agreement with the Middle Eastern country is “the exact opposite.”
He emphasized that the new deal will serve as a “WALL TO NO NUCLEAR WEAPON.” Moreover, he claimed that Iran no longer wants to develop such a weapon, “nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement.”
Perhaps most importantly, Trump promised that the deal is “scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL.”
“We look forward to working with Iran, and the entire Middle East, long into the future. Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly. If it doesn’t, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again,” he added.
Recall that bitcoin’s price was immediately impacted when the war started on February 28, with a painful decline by several grand. However, it skyrocketed once the first ceasefire deal was announced and when it was extended.
As such, the overall community sentiment has shifted after Trump’s post, with anticipation of a more profound recovery if, of course, the deal is actually signed tomorrow, because this is not the first similar promise made over the past few months.
Bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds drew $85.85 million in net inflows on June 12, the largest single-day in about 4 weeks. The reversal arrived on the same day SpaceX made its record Nasdaq debut.
The inflow broke a five-session withdrawal streak that pulled roughly $727 million from the funds.
BTC ETF Inflows Return After a Bruising Stretch
The June 12 total marks the strongest single-day demand since May 14, when the funds absorbed $131.31 million. Cumulative net inflows now stand at $53.62 billion, with total net assets near $79.65 billion.
The previous days ran the other way. Outflows struck on June 5, 8, 9, 10, and 11, draining capital before the trend flipped. The funds had shed money for 13 straight sessions from May 15 to June 3. That run stands as their longest outflow streak since launching in early 2024.
Geopolitics drove much of that pressure. Tensions across the Middle East pushed Bitcoin toward $59,000. Bitcoin is still down about 20% over the past month.
Sentiment then shifted on June 11. President Donald Trump said he had canceled planned US strikes on Iran, citing progress toward a deal.
Bitcoin rebounded above reclaimed $63,000. The diplomatic push gained further pace today. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that “finalisation likely expected in the next 24 hours.”
We are closer to a peace deal than ever before. With finalisation likely expected in the next 24 hours, Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week.
The news has lifted the largest cryptocurrency higher. BeInCrypto Markets data showed that BTC was up 0.17623% over the past day. At press time, it traded at $63,868.
Bitcoin Holds Firm as SpaceX Storms Its Nasdaq Debut
The inflow coincided with another major market development. SpaceX shares began trading on the Nasdaq on June 12 under the ticker SPCX. The stock was priced at $135, opened at $150, and closed near $161.
The offering raised about $75 billion at a valuation of $1.7 trillion. That total ranks as the largest IPO on record.
A raise that size competes for investor capital. However, the flow data cuts the other way. Bitcoin ETFs pulled in capital, and BTC recovered, signs that crypto demand held up rather than rotated out.
Attention now turns to the Federal Reserve. Its June 16-17 meeting could decide whether the inflows hold or fade.
NEAR's Breakout Moment: A Hyperliquid Integration and a Platform Built for the "Intent Economy"
A high-profile endorsement, a major DeFi integration on near.com, and steady growth in chain abstraction have put NEAR back on traders' radars — even as price action stays volatile.
NEAR Price (mid-June 2026)
≈ $2.10
Market Cap
≈ $2.6B
Rally from yearly low
+172%
NEAR Intents volume
$5B+
After months of grinding through a broader altcoin slump, NEAR Protocol has reemerged as one of crypto's most-watched layer-1 stories. A combination of a high-profile endorsement, a major DeFi integration on its consumer-facing platform, and steady growth in its chain-abstraction infrastructure has put NEAR back on traders' radars — even as the token's price action remains volatile and far below its all-time highs.
The Surge: From "Holy Trinity" Hype to Hard Numbers
The most dramatic catalyst came when BitMEX co-founder and Maelstrom CIO Arthur Hayes grouped NEAR alongside Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Zcash (ZEC) as his "holy trinity" of altcoin picks. NEAR's 30% move stood out even as HYPE and ZEC also rallied sharply that day, outperforming Bitcoin over the same timeframe. Hayes framed each token around a distinct thesis — Hyperliquid for high-performance trading infrastructure, Zcash for privacy, and NEAR for scalability — and the endorsement carried extra weight given his fund's market influence.
"Intents is the next level of abstraction from blockchain. Every technological revolution removes another layer of complexity."
— @ilblackdragon, on the NEAR Protocol roadmap
That single-day pop pushed NEAR to a six-month high above $2.30, and it capped a broader run that saw the token jump roughly 172% from its lowest point of the year, a move that tracked gains across AI-narrative tokens.
Since then, the rally has cooled considerably. As of mid-June 2026, NEAR is trading in the $2.10 range, with a market capitalization of roughly $2.6 billion and daily trading volume around $434 million, putting it just inside the top 30 cryptocurrencies by market cap. That's still about 90% below its all-time high of $20.44, though more than 280% above its all-time low. Sentiment indicators have swung back toward caution — technical readings show NEAR in a bearish short-term trend with a Fear & Greed score signaling "Extreme Fear" — a reminder that the underlying narrative and the near-term price chart are telling somewhat different stories right now.
What's Driving the Fundamentals Case
Beyond the Hayes-fueled headlines, NEAR's bull case rests on a few concrete developments:
Dynamic resharding (Upgrade 2.13)
A major infrastructure upgrade slated for June 2026 introduces dynamic resharding, which automatically adds new shards as network demand grows — without requiring a governance vote or manual intervention each time the chain gets busy. This builds on NEAR's existing Nightshade sharding design, which earlier in its rollout had already increased network throughput by 12.5% with nine operational shards.
Post-quantum security
NEAR is integrating FIPS-204, a post-quantum cryptography standard, into its testnet, letting users upgrade account security against future quantum-computing attacks with a single transaction. The team is also exploring zero-knowledge proofs as a backstop for account ownership verification.
A potential Grayscale ETF conversion
Analysts are watching the SEC's review of a Grayscale NEAR product (GSNR) as a possible catalyst that could bring fresh institutional flows, similar to the inflow dynamics that have benefited Hyperliquid's recently launched ETFs.
The Hyperliquid Integration on Near.com
The integration generating the most immediate buzz is the arrival of Hyperliquid perpetuals directly inside near.com. NEAR Protocol announced that Hyperliquid perps are now live on near.com, letting users deposit assets from 35+ chains directly into HyperliquidX to access more than 50 markets with up to 40x leverage.
What makes this notable isn't just the access to deep perpetuals liquidity — it's how users get there. The integration is built on NEAR's "Intents" framework, which NEAR's team has been positioning as the next layer of abstraction above the blockchain itself. As the protocol's account on X put it, the old workflow required users to bridge to a chain, locate the right venue, and fund a new wallet before they could trade; now the flow is simply: open near.com, turn on perps, and trade — with "confidential perps" described as the next step in that roadmap.
This single feature is a showcase for NEAR's broader architectural pitch. NEAR combines User-Owned AI — ensuring agents act in users' interests — with Intents and Chain Abstraction, which eliminate blockchain complexity for goal-driven transactions across chains, on top of a sharded architecture built for scalability, speed, and low-cost execution. Rather than retrofitting AI onto existing infrastructure, NEAR was designed from day one as execution-layer infrastructure for AI agents and chain-abstracted commerce.
Platform Growth: Near.com and the Intents Network
The Hyperliquid integration sits on top of a chain-abstraction layer that has been quietly scaling for over a year. NEAR Intents, introduced in November 2024 and unveiled as a core piece of the Chain Abstraction initiative at ETHDenver 2025, lets users or AI agents specify a desired outcome while a network of solvers handles execution across chains, markets, or APIs — and as of November 2025 it had surpassed $5 billion in all-time transaction volume.
That liquidity layer is increasingly being plugged into other ecosystems. NEAR Intents integrated with Starknet, bringing intent-based, chain-abstracted swaps to Starknet users and allowing them to move assets from any of NEAR Intents' roughly 25 supported chains directly into the network. Around the same period, NEAR Intents was integrated into SimpleSwap — a self-custodial aggregator that has processed more than 20 million swaps — powering cross-chain execution across SimpleSwap's web app, mobile app, and API, which is already used by more than 150 applications.
On the consumer side, near.com itself has been adding features aimed at everyday users rather than crypto-native traders. The platform recently launched confidential payments, letting users send crypto in a private way that only the sender and recipient can see — a feature that contributed to the token's rally. Looking further out, a NEAR Mobile roadmap unveiled at NEARCON 2026 focuses on practical usability: full fee abstraction so users don't need to hold NEAR for gas, expansion into new blockchain ecosystems, customizable app themes, and deeper integration of assets and yield opportunities.
The Risks That Keep This a Two-Sided Story
None of this guarantees a sustained rally. Layer-1 competition remains intense, NEAR's token emissions from staking rewards add ongoing dilution pressure, and macro conditions — from rate policy to broader risk appetite — can swamp project-specific catalysts. The June 2026 resharding rollout and the fate of the Grayscale ETF application are the two most concrete near-term events that could move the needle in either direction, and the current "Extreme Fear" reading in technical indicators suggests the market hasn't yet priced in the more optimistic scenarios.
The Bottom Line
NEAR's recent surge was as much about narrative as fundamentals — an Arthur Hayes tweet can move a token 30% regardless of roadmap progress. But underneath the headline, the Hyperliquid integration on near.com represents a genuinely differentiated product: one-tap access to the deepest perpetuals liquidity in crypto, routed through an intents-based system that abstracts away bridging, wallets, and chain selection entirely. Combined with a growing roster of Intents integrations (Starknet, SimpleSwap), a scalability upgrade landing this month, and an early move into post-quantum security, NEAR is making a coherent case that it's building the infrastructure layer for an "agentic," chain-abstracted internet — even if the market's verdict on that thesis, for now, remains a work in progress.
Disclosure: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile; do your own research before making investment decisions.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer doubled down on his promise to unleash dubious “AI tutors” on nearly half a million children in need.
Starmer’s avowal came while speaking at London Tech Week on Monday. His speech was laden with everything AI. He hailed the creation of a new AI data center, demanded tech companies to install surveillance software on citizens’ phones to prevent minors from sending and receiving nudes, boasted that 1.7 million workers had been “upskilled” with government provided AI training, and announced a new AI jobs tool to help the jobless find work and create CVs, the irony of which we will not even attempt to articulate.
That brings us to Starmer’s education gambit. The government will roll out AI tutors to 450,000 children on free school meals, he proclaimed, in a bid “to close the attainment gap.” That’s the gap in the educational success between students from different social backgrounds.
But the logic behind this initiative, first announced in January, is on shaky ground.
Noting that disadvantaged children pass standardized English and math exams at half the rate their peers do, the original announcement cites evidence showing that one-to-one tutoring can accelerate a child’s learning by around five months, before observing that access to tutoring is “deeply unequal.” Here, AI tutors can step in and “provide extra help” to disadvantaged students when they “need more practice to master their lessons” and “help them catch up with their peers.”
Beyond that, it’s preposterous to think that handing out access to an AI chatbot is all that’s needed to reverse a kid’s academic fortunes. If anything, it only underscores just how little their government thinks of them. Sorry, you 450,000 little tax payer burdens with your free lunches: here’s a crummy, hallucinating chatbot, so can we all agree that we did our best to help you get into Oxford?
Many bemoaned Starmer’s initiative.
“Inflicting AI tutors on the poorest in society, when their effects are so little understood, is the height of irresponsibility,” tweeted Ed Newton-Rex, CEO of Fairly Trained, a non-profit that certifies that generative AI tools are trained on fairly obtained data. “This government has been entirely captured by the tech industry.”
“AI for the poor, actual human teachers for the rich,” another user wrote.
The UK wouldn’t be the first nation to head down this route. Last December, Elon Musk’s xAI announced what it called the “world’s first nationwide AI-powered education program” to deploy its notoriously unbalanced chatbot Grok to more than 5,000 public schools, reaching some two million children.
Bitcoin Core developers have disclosed a privacy bug that can expose the very detail it was designed to hide, a user’s IP address. A fix will arrive in version 31.1.
The flaw sits in private broadcast, an optional feature added in version 31.0 this April. Developers published the warning on June 6.
We have become aware of a privacy bug in the -privatebroadcast feature, newly introduced in Bitcoin Core 31.0, that may cause the originator’s IP address to be revealed to the receiving peer under certain network conditions. A fix is forthcoming and will be released with 31.1.
— Bitcoin Core Project (@bitcoincoreorg) June 11, 2026
How the Privacy Bug Backfires
Private broadcast sends transactions through Tor, an anonymity network famous for accessing the dark web, so recipients never learn where they originated.
However, the official advisory admits this promise can break.
The trouble begins when the software attempts an encrypted connection to another computer on the network. If that attempt fails, it quietly retries over a normal connection and skips Tor entirely. The recipient then sees the sender’s real IP address, and with it their approximate location.
Worse, attackers do not need luck. A hostile node can deliberately reject the encrypted handshake and force the revealing retry.
The risk is critical because Bitcoin’s ledger is public. Linking a transaction to an IP address can tie payments to a real person.
Who is Affected and What to Do
The bug only touches people who run version 31.0 and switched the feature on. Everyday wallet transactions remain unaffected. Developers credit researcher Eugene Siegel with the discovery.
Until version 31.1 ships, affected users should disable the feature or route all their traffic through Tor. The episode follows a recent transaction relay dispute and revives questions about who maintains Bitcoin Core.
