Elon Musk's potential merger involving SpaceX, Tesla, or xAI is drawing attention due to their significant combined bitcoin holdings of nearly 20,000 BTC, worth about $1.7 billion. This merger could create one of the largest corporate bitcoin treasuries, raising governance and accounting concerns amidst bitcoin's volatility.

Musk is evaluating the merger of SpaceX with Tesla or xAI, aiming to integrate space computing and AI infrastructure to enhance global technological competitiveness. This news attracted market attention, and Tesla's stock price rose 4.5% at one point. If the merger is successful, it may change the landscape of the technology industry and pave the way for SpaceX's future listing.

The U.S. government confiscated more than $400 million in assets of the dark web mixing service Helix. Founder Larry Dean Harmon pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to 36 months in prison in 2024. Helix processed 354,468 Bitcoins from 2014 to 2017 and designed APIs to directly integrate the dark web market into the withdrawal system, which is favored by drug dealers.

Authors: Peggy, Lin Wanwan, BlockBeats The most stable asset in the crypto market is a dollar without an ID card. Over the past decade, USDT has become the "de facto dollar" in the crypto world with $170 billion in assets and ubiquitous liquidity. But the more successful it is, the sharper its identity anxiety becomes: a dollar without U.S. backing is always a vulnerability. In recent years, Circle has applied for a trust bank license, Paxos has built a global clearing network, and Visa and Mastercard are also increasing their focus on stablecoin settlements. In comparison, Tether has remained within the narrative of an "offshore shadow empire." Under regulatory pressure and competition, in September 2025, Tether, the parent company of USDT

Trump family net worth stands at $10B, doubling since 2024. Donald Trump hit $7.3B, Eric $750M, Barron $150M at 19, Don Jr. $500M, Jared Kushner $1B. They generated $1.8B+ since November, with $1.2B from crypto.

DOGE meme icon Kabosu died at age 18 on May 24, 2024. Owner Atsuko Sato's 2010 blog photos created the DOGE meme that won "Meme of the Decade," inspired $23B Dogecoin, and sold as $4M NFT in 2021—the highest NFT price at the time.

Bittensor (TAO) is moving through a strange phase where strong development continues while the broader AI token sector remains under pressure. The TAO price is trading near $236 after rejecting the $295–$300 zone earlier this month and drifting lower toward support.  This comes as AI

PGA Tour Rise, a mobile blockchain golf game set for a 2026 release, will feature empire-building gameplay, allowing players to buy, sell, and trade tokenized items through Skale's Base network. The game aims to provide real-world rewards and seamless transactions for enhanced user experience.

The Trump family's fortune, estimated at $6.8 billion, is undergoing a profound digital transformation, with cryptocurrencies now constituting a critical one-fifth of their wealth. A Bloomberg analysis reveals that new crypto ventures launched during Donald Trump's second term have generated approximately $1.4 billion, a staggering sum that highlights the administration's policy impact on the digital asset sector. This shift from traditional real estate and branding to cryptocurrencies, v

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure A year into his presidency, US President Donald Trump and his family have reportedly seen a notable shift in

The core of Vibe Coding lies in restructuring individual workflows, breaking free from dependence on others, and emphasizing the ability to "stand alone." With the assistance of AI, individuals can focus on decision-making and creativity rather than tedious execution. This revolution is not about commercialization or monetization, but about creating your own "secret weapon," improving efficiency, and satisfying personal needs.

Podcast Source: Empire 整理 & 编译：Deep潮TechFlow 嘉宾：Wang Qiao 主持人：Jason Yano Original Title: Claude Opus 4.5’s Breakout Moment & Investing in 2026 with Qiao Wang 播出日期：January 12, 2026 Key Takeaways This week, Qiao Wang joined the show to discuss how artificial intelligence will redefine what it means to be an investor in 2026. We delved into the breakthrough moment of Claude Opus 4.5, and why Qiao chose to invest

In a landmark deal that bridges traditional finance, crypto, and creator economies, BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR)—chaired by famed Wall Street analyst Tom Lee—has announced a \$200 million strategic investment into Beast Industries, the holding company of YouTube superstar MrBeast. The partnership signals a major push into decentralized finance (DeFi), with Beast Industries planning to incorporate blockchain-based financial services into its upcoming platform. This move combi

2026 is regarded as the Year of Ethereum's Awakening. Bitmine Corporation invests in MrBeast Media Empire to promote Ethereum internationally. Standard Chartered Bank predicts that Ethereum will outperform Bitcoin, while Bitcoin Hyper's pre-sale successfully raises funds, demonstrating market recognition of new technology. Investors should seize the opportunity to allocate core assets and emerging projects to achieve wealth growth.

_ Brian Sewell was convicted of three years for a $2.9million crypto fraud and an unlicensed money-sending business. The founder of the American Bitcoin Academy is also required to pay huge restitution._ Brian Sewell suffered a colossal failure in his cryptocurrency empire. The Washington

Bitmine commits $200M to MrBeast's Beast Industries as "MrBeast Financial" files a trademark for crypto payments, exchanges, and DeFi-focused financial services. Summary Bitmine plans a $200 million investment in Beast Industries, calling MrBeast's empire the largest creator platform and a

MrBeast receives $200 million investment! Tom Lee predicts tenfold returns, financial empire taking shape

Wall Street analyst Tom Lee's subsidiary BitMine invested $200 million in YouTuber MrBeast, predicting a 10x profit. Tom Lee is optimistic about MrBeast connecting Generation Z with the Ethereum ecosystem. MrBeast has applied for the MrBeast Financial trademark to expand into cryptocurrency and DeFi, aligning with BitMine's asset tokenization strategy.

Polygon acquires Coinme and Sequence for over $250 million to build Open Money Stack, integrating compliance, wallets, and payment channels, and fully entering the global stablecoin payment market. Polygon Creates the "Open Money Stack" Payment Empire --------------------------------- According to Fortune, Ethereum scaling solution giant Polygon Labs recently announced a landmark strategic acquisition, confirming that it has signed an agreement to acquire the US crypto payment leader Coinme and wallet infrastructure provider Sequence, with a total transaction amount exceeding $250 million. This move is not only about Poly

Manny Stul, born in a German refugee camp to Holocaust survivor parents, built Moose Toys into a $1.1B empire with 7,200% sales growth in 15 years, becoming the No. 6 US toy company. The EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 created blockbuster products like Shopkins with 500M+ YouTube views.

Trump's World Liberty Financial (WLFI) launches the World Liberty Markets cryptocurrency lending platform, with technical support from Dolomite. USD1 has a market cap of $3.5 billion, making it the sixth-largest stablecoin, and has applied for a banking license from the OCC. The Trump family will profit from WLFI in the first half of 2025, with total crypto revenue exceeding $800 million.

A five-year跨越, involving 127,271 Bitcoin (currently worth approximately $15 billion), is placing cryptocurrency at the center of the global geopolitical game. The massive Bitcoin assets of Cambodian scam empire leader Chen Zhi mysteriously disappeared after being "looted" by hackers in 2020, and suddenly reappeared in a wallet controlled by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2025. The Chinese technical report pointed out that this four-year "silence" is highly unusual, and its operational pattern "more closely resembles a state-level hacking organization." This controversy, dubbed "Black Eats Black" by public opinion, not only questions the boundaries of "on-chain justice" but also nakedly reveals how national power penetrates the crypto realm, writing a shocking chapter in the fight for asset control in the digital age.

_Chen Zhi ran a $10B crypto scam using 100,000 slaves. His empire included banks, casinos, and hotels before his 2025 extradition._ The cybersecurity research group vx-underground recently shared shocking details about Chen Zhi’s criminal network. Their findings reveal an operation so vast it de

TRON, during the 2025 Hong Kong Wealth Management Summit and the 12th "Hong Kong Stock 100" Awards Ceremony held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, successfully won the "Global Blockchain Ecosystem Growth Star" award due to its strong ecosystem growth and industry influence. (Background: TRON's Eight-Year Journey: From a Small Office in Zhongguancun to Web3 Core Infrastructure) (Additional context: Stablecoin Public Chain Competition: TRON's Established Empire vs. Plasma's New Force) _(This article is a promotional piece written and provided by Tron, and does not represent the stance of Dongqu, nor is it investment, purchase, or sale advice. Please see the disclaimer at the end of the article.)_ The 2025 Hong Kong Wealth Management Summit and the 12th "Hong Kong Stock 100" Awards Ceremony were grandly held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. TRON founder Justin Sun was invited to attend online and deliver a video speech, stating that blockchain technology is reshaping the entire...

Prince Group Chen Zhi, the enigmatic founder and chairman of Cambodia's Prince Group, was arrested in Cambodia and extradited to China on January 7, 2026, marking the collapse of one of Southeast Asia's most notorious alleged fraud networks.

Cambodian Prince Group founder Chen Zhi was extradited back to China, with the United States seizing $15 billion in Bitcoin, igniting new tensions in the crypto market and geopolitical landscape (Previous background: Prince Group statement responding to $15 billion Bitcoin illicit funds: Founder Chen Zhi was framed, and one day his innocence will be proven) (Additional background: Timeline> The process of Prince Group Chen Zhi being "hacked" by the U.S. government to seize 127,000 Bitcoins! Perhaps the truth will never be known) On the 6th, Chen Zhi, founder of the Prince Group in Cambodia, was handcuffed by Chinese police at Phnom Penh Airport and immediately escorted on a special flight back to China. The 38-year-old entrepreneur, regarded by the outside world as "Cambodia's richest man," maintained a calm exterior during the extradition; however, alongside him, there was also the final illusion of a cryptocurrency scam network spanning five continents with over a hundred billion dollars in assets. Extradition concludes, crypto empire collapses The U.S. Department of Justice took the most unprecedented action last year

The crypto company World Liberty Financial, deeply supported by the family of U.S. President Donald Trump, has officially submitted an application for a national bank trust license to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, aiming to establish "World Liberty Trust" to unify its stablecoin USD1 issuance, custody, and redemption operations. If approved, this move will be a key infiltration of the rapidly expanding crypto landscape by the Trump family into the core of the traditional financial system. Its stablecoin USD1 has already surged to a market cap of approximately $3 billion. The application comes after the appointment of the new OCC Director by the Trump administration and the signing of the GENIUS Act, marking a significant shift in U.S. crypto regulatory policy and paving the way for other crypto companies to obtain federal licenses.

Prince Group founder Chen Zhi was arrested in Cambodia and deported to China. The United States accused him of orchestrating a scam, seizing $14 billion in Bitcoin, the largest case in history. Singapore froze 150 million SGD, Taiwan confiscated 4.5 billion TWD, and Hong Kong froze HKD 2.75 billion. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen quickly distanced himself. Chen Zhi, 37 years old, previously held the title of Duke and served as a government advisor.

Qianhai Coast Guard member received 18,500 USDT to leak secrets to China; Kaohsiung High Branch Court sentences him to 7 years and 8 months in August. (Background summary: Tether trading leads to death! A 25-year-old crypto trader was robbed of hundreds of thousands and died after a "flying tackle" to block the car; 7 villains face consequences) (Additional background: Tether Golden Empire: Tether's "Borderless Central Bank" ambitions and cracks) On the 6th, Kaohsiung High Branch Court sentenced a national security leak case: Coast Guard officer Li from the Southern Mobile Coast Guard Team was sentenced to 7 years and 8 months for providing maritime defense deployment information to Chinese intelligence personnel, under the National Security Law. He did not accept traditional cash bribes but used Tether USDT for settlement. 18,522 USDT as spy remuneration According to court investigations, Li was in debt due to investment losses and was targeted at the end of 2022 by a Chinese intelligence agent named Tony. The other party made a clear offer

Author: Shutu Blockchain In the past two days, global public opinion has been buzzing about a blockbuster news story "comparable to a Hollywood movie": the United States launched a lightning-fast operation against Venezuela, "precisely locking onto" President Maduro overnight, and completed the control of the regime and the takeover of key oil and gas assets in a very short period. Although the details of this operation remain uncertain, one name has been frequently mentioned in the finance and tech circles: Palantir — a company whose stock price has skyrocketed nearly 20 times in two and a half years, crowned as the "AI Intelligence Empire" for its data integration and AI decision-making capabilities, and regarded by many as the most powerful digital brain behind such "seamless operations." What's even more interesting is that beyond traditional military and government intelligence, Palantir has quietly become one of the "data and compliance infrastructure providers" in the crypto industry over the past two years — providing services to exchanges, custodians

The past 2025 has showcased an unprecedented "Tech Ice and Fire Show" in the capital markets. On one side are the newly listed tech giants, whose stock prices have plummeted like a kite with a broken string. Once hot star companies have seen their market values evaporate by billions of dollars within months, with some cases experiencing declines of over 50%. The market's "coldness" has quickly spread, causing many star companies planning to go public to become fearful and repeatedly postpone their IPO plans. On the other side, the "hot pursuit" of capital is burning fiercely. A brand-new "Trillion-Dollar Club" is gathering outside the gates of the capital market. From Elon Musk's space empire SpaceX to Sam Altman's OpenAI, and the emerging giants like Anthropic, they are preparing with valuations often reaching hundreds of billions or even trillions, gearing up for the next wave of technological advancement.

With the dramatic change in Venezuela's political situation, Maduro was detained by the US military, and the shadow reserves of Bitcoin worth up to $60 billion have become a mystery. These crypto assets accumulated through gold swaps and oil transactions—who actually controls them? Who holds the key private keys? This article is based on "Maduro's 'Lightning Strike' by the United States: Where Will Venezuela's 'Legendary $60 Billion Bitcoin' Go?" by Ye Huiwen from Wall Street Insights, reorganized by律動. (Previous summary: Data: Predictive market 'spoils' Maduro's fall with $10 million in advance) (Background supplement: US lawmakers propose legislation to ban government officials from insider trading in prediction markets! Polymarket suspected of leaks in Maduro arrest plan) Table of Contents Digital Assets of the Shadow Financial Empire Gold Swap and Crypto Channels The Role of Key Figure Alex Saab Crude Oil

Elon Musk announced on Twitter: xAI will have more AI computing power than all its competitors combined within 5 years, including Google, OpenAI, Meta, and Microsoft. xAI's valuation skyrocketed to $200 billion, with Middle Eastern investors entering the scene, and Musk can even leverage Tesla and SpaceX for fundraising. The Colossus supercomputing center supports its computing ambitions, with hundreds of thousands of GPUs and billions of dollars being invested.

Trump claims to be the first crypto president, ending regulatory crackdown and launching TRUMP meme coin. Under his policy endorsement, over 250 publicly listed companies have started accumulating cryptocurrencies, and these DAT (Digital Asset Vault) companies have planned to borrow over $20 billion. However, the October flash crash led to the liquidation of $19 billion in leveraged bets, affecting 1.6 million traders, with some companies' stock prices plunging over 80%.

In the New Year of 2026, the U.S. military arrested Venezuelan President Maduro, triggering a major shift in the global energy landscape. The United States controls 18% of the world's crude oil, forming a powerful "energy fortress." This event marks the end of the "petrodollar" era and the beginning of the "AI dominance" era. At the same time, Bitcoin is gaining attention due to its decentralized nature and has become a safe asset to counter U.S. hegemony. Global capital faces a dilemma, and how to protect assets has become crucial.

A crypto analyst has rebutted claims that Ripple uses XRP as a cash machine to build a conventional fintech empire. “Critics Misread Ripple’s Strategy” Notably, these accusations typically resurface whenever Ripple announces new acquisitions, such as Hidden Road (now Ripple Prime) and Rail. Criti

Although the Dogecoin price prediction is clouded by bearish sentiment, corporate giants are executing sophisticated strategies to dominate the market. Tokyo-listed firm Metaplanet added another 4,279 Bitcoin to its treasury, bringing its total stack to a staggering 35,102 BTC worth around $3

Trump Media's Truth.Fi launches the first batch of five Truth Social ETFs on the New York Stock Exchange, including Defense (TSSD), Frontier Technology (TSFN), American Idol (TSIC), Energy (TSES), and Red State Real Estate (TSRS). Focused on American manufacturing companies. On December 18, announced a $6 billion merger with nuclear fusion company TAE, paving the way for ETF launches.

NVIDIA's market capitalization approaches 5 trillion USD, Jensen Huang holds 60.6 billion USD in cash and is aggressively acquiring AI ecosystems. In December, they reached a 20 billion USD agreement to acquire Groq, committed to investing 100 billion USD in OpenAI, invested 5 billion USD in Intel to turn rivals into allies, invested 2 billion USD in Xilinx, and 1 billion USD in Nokia, building a technological empire.

Real estate investor Grant Cardone plans to establish the world's largest Bitcoin real estate company by 2026, continuously using cash flows such as rent and depreciation to buy Bitcoin. His strategy is to use income from rent and other sources to support Bitcoin investments and aims to bring this business model to market.

MicroStrategy holds 671,268 Bitcoins with a market value of $45 billion but has $60 billion in BTC assets, resulting in a $15 billion valuation discount. Carrying $8.2 billion in debt and $7.5 billion in preferred stock, with annual fixed expenses of $779 million. If Bitcoin falls below $13,000, the company will go bankrupt, and the selling pressure from 6.7 million BTC could trigger a black swan event more severe than FTX.

Maximilian Schmidt built drug empire "Shiny Flakes" from his bedroom using Bitcoin. Arrested in 2015, Maximilian Schmidt shiny flakes ran another operation from prison, earning 4.5 more years. Netflix documented his story.

Ryan Salame, once a powerful co-CEO of FTX’s Bahamian subsidiary, now serves a 90-month sentence at FCI Cumberland, marking a stunning personal and legal collapse. His journey from a traditional finance background at Circle to the pinnacle of Sam Bankman-Fried’s inner circle—and finally to federal prison—encapsulates the hubris, regulatory neglect, and illicit political maneuvering that doomed the FTX empire. Salame’s guilty plea to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business and orchest

The CEO and founder of Inversion recently admitted that he is more bullish on XRP than Ethereum, insisting that Ripple is a force to be reckoned with. During a recent episode of the Empire podcast, host Jason Yanowitz spoke with Santiago Roel Santos, founder and CEO of Inversion, and Rob Hadick,

ByteDance's AI application Doubao's daily active users (DAU) surpassed 100 million, becoming another hundred-million-level product after Douyin. An insider revealed that Doubao has the lowest promotional costs among the company's products that have broken 100 million DAU, mainly driven by user organic sharing and content popularity. The three-grid and other P-picture gameplay continuously topped trending searches, generating millions of organic downloads daily. Doubao is also rapidly expanding across multiple scenarios such as AI+hardware, and will participate in CCTV Spring Festival Gala interactive collaboration in 2026.

BlackRock, the world's largest asset management company, is ramping up its crypto assets efforts with unprecedented intensity, and its strategy goes far beyond the highly successful Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs. The company has recently launched global recruitment in New York, London, and Singapore to build comprehensive digital asset and tokenization capabilities, marking a shift from being a passive product provider to an active participant in constructing the crypto market infrastructure. Although traditional ETF businesses face fee pressure, BlackRock aims to open new growth avenues by integrating crypto assets with its core technology platform Aladdin and expanding into higher-fee private markets. Market analysis suggests that its long-term narrative depends on whether it can successfully attract the massive capital of traditional institutions into the crypto space and reshape its profit model in the process.

Alphabet Inc. has agreed to acquire clean energy developer Intersect Power LLC for $4.75 billion in cash, plus existing debt, as the Google parent races to secure reliable electricity for its rapidly expanding artificial intelligence (AI) data center empire, Bloomberg reported. Alphabet Snaps up I

American podcast host Joe Rogan has built a media empire with annual revenues of $250 million through "The Joe Rogan Experience," with episode view counts reaching 50 million. From Elon Musk smoking marijuana to Trump’s campaign rallies, this long-form conversation show that "talks about anything" is redefining the boundaries of media influence. (Previous Summary: Huang Renxun also praised! What makes "Acquired" a must-listen podcast for Silicon Valley and Wall Street elites?) (Background information: Trump's full victory speech: I love Musk, he is a superstar, make America great again) Table of Contents From comedian to podcast king, the show's value is $250 million Podcast Chat, Precise Campaigning: Trump's Three Hours China Mirror: The Attempts of Luo Yonghao and Others Controversy and

Author: danny; Source: X, @agintender In the world of cryptocurrency, what truly determines victory or defeat is never the code, but the game of liquidity, power, and regulation. The rise and fall of BUSD is not a tragic tale of a stablecoin, but a financial war about how exchanges attempt to "unify the world." When BUSD was pushed onto the historical stage, it carried not only a narrative of compliance, but also Binance's ambition to reshape the stablecoin order through high-pressure tactics — by enforcing exchange rates and merging trading pairs, directly swallowing the depth of its competitors into its own ledger. The "automatic conversion" of 2022 was a textbook-level blitzkrieg; while the regulatory iron fist of Valentine's Day 2023 caused this seemingly impeccable empire to collapse in an instant. The dual nature of BUSD, the shadow-like Binance-Peg, and the misalignment of regulatory boundaries together constitute its downfall.

In the crypto world, what truly determines victory or defeat is never the code, but the game of liquidity, power, and regulation. The rise and fall of BUSD is not just a tragic story of a stablecoin, but a financial war over how exchanges attempt to "unify the world." When BUSD was brought onto the stage of history, it carried not only a compliance narrative but also Binance's ambition to reshape the stablecoin order through heavy-handed tactics—by enforcing exchange rates and merging trading pairs, directly swallowing competitors' depth into its own ledger. The 2022 "automatic conversion" was a textbook-level blitzkrieg; meanwhile, the regulatory iron fist on Valentine's Day 2023 caused this seemingly invincible empire to collapse in an instant. The twin BUSD, the shadow-like Binance-Peg, and the misalignment of regulatory boundaries together form its Achilles' heel. But the story is not over yet. From FDUSD