Axl on a mission to retain Canadian innovation

On Tuesday (June 17), Axl, a newly founded Canadian venture studio, announced plans to help launch 50 artificial intelligence (AI) companies in Canada over the next five years, supported by a C$15 million fund led by co-founder Daniel Wigdor, a computer science professor at the University of Toronto.

The venture’s other founders are Tovi Grossman, another University of Toronto professor, entrepreneur Ray Sharma and former Telus (TSX:T,NYSE:TU) executive David Sharma. Mining magnate Rob McEwen of McEwen Mining (TSX:MUX,NYSE:MUX) and Smart Technologies co-founder David Martin are also investors.

According to Wigdor, Axl will tackle practical business problems and connect them with promising academic research in a bid to keep Canadian innovation at home. “The social contract academics believe we have with society is that we invent these technologies and inspire people,” he told the Globe and Mail on Tuesday. “The tragedy is that the foundational technologies we’re inventing in Canada are not accruing capital for Canada.’

Wigdor pointed to his own career as a cautionary tale, explaining that the iPhone’s multi-touch interface was presaged by research he conducted in the early 2000s for his University of Toronto thesis, which itself built on concepts pioneered by University of Toronto professor Bill Buxton in the 1980s.

Other University of Toronto AI breakthroughs fueled the international rise of figures like Geoffrey Hinton, OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever and xAI’s Jimmy Ba, all of whom took their expertise to US-based companies.

Carney talks tech leadership at G7 summit

Initiatives like Axl’s signal a proactive approach to Canada’s challenge of retaining tech talent and capitalizing on its world-class research; however, its success will hinge on broader public support.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has signaled that fostering tech innovation at home is a priority. He told G7 leaders that driving the digital transition, led by AI and quantum computing, would be one of his top goals at the summit.

Quantum technology was reportedly discussed at length during the two day meeting, which took place in Kananaskis, Alberta. In addition, a joint statement from members released by the prime minister’s office indicates that Canada will launch the G7 GovAI Grand Challenge and host a series of Rapid Solution Labs “to develop innovative and scalable solutions to the barriers we face in adopting AI in the public sector.”

That emphasis echoes longstanding concerns from the research community.

A 2024 letter acquired by the Logic and sent to then-innovation minister François-Philippe Champagne by the Quantum Advisory Council cites the significant sums that other countries have invested in quantum technology.

“The cost of inaction is tremendous,” the group wrote at the time, pointing to Canada’s history of “inventing core technologies,” but letting other countries “grow industries around our inventions.”

The council proposed a C$1 billion program that would mirror the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI), which fosters domestic quantum computing in the US. The QBI has selected 18 companies for its first phase, including three from Canada; firms that demonstrate the ability to build a functional quantum computer by 2033 will be eligible to receive up to US$316 million, making it a potential “kingmaker” program.

The second phase of the program is set to launch in August 2025. While no relocation demands have been made, concerns exist that later-stage QBI terms could force Canadian winners to the US.

The Quantum Advisory Council said its proposed program would be run by the National Research Council, which would independently assess firms to accelerate the development of competitive domestic quantum companies.

It would build on a C$360 million national quantum strategy announced in April 2021.

The council’s recommendations include increased grants for scientific and social science research into quantum technologies, and a new federal clusters program to foster regional quantum ecosystems encompassing research, development and training, alongside ethical and secure use. It also calls for significant investment in quantum-safe software certification and the development of other security systems.

In a speech at the Quantum Now conference in Montreal on Thursday (June 19), Canada’s AI minister, Evan Solomon, emphasized the need to protect Canada’s talent pipeline. “We cannot allow short-term funding opportunities to hollow out our domestic capabilities or transfer generations of Canadian innovation outside our borders,” he said.

Earlier this month, the minister said he would move away from “over-indexing on warnings and regulation” and instead focus on finding ways to unleash the economic potential of AI. The ongoing collaboration between government initiatives and private ventures will be key to unlocking Canada’s full potential in the new digital era.

WTI price performance, December 19, 2024, to June 19, 2025.

Demand expected to trend lower

Although the regional conflicts have infused uncertainty into markets, longer term fundamentals like supply and demand trends are painting a volatile picture.

As noted in the IEA’s recently released Oil 2025: Analysis and Forecast to 2030 report, supply is likely to outpace demand this year and next.

“Our expectations for demand growth are much less than the supply growth,” explained Birol. “We expect demand this year to grow about 700,000 barrels per day, whereas the supply growth we expect is more than double, about 1.8 mb/d.”

More broadly, the IEA report forecasts global oil demand to rise by 2.5 mb/d between 2024 and 2030, reaching 105.5 mb/d by decade’s end.

However, most of that growth will occur early in the period, with gains slowing after 2026 and dipping slightly by 2030. Weaker economic growth and a shift away from oil use in transportation and power generation are the main factors behind the long term slowdown.

Much of the demand forecast is dominated by powerhouse countries US and China which account for 20 mb/d and 13 mb/d respectively, comprising 33 percent of global demand. As such changes to either country’s market can have a large sale effect across the sector.

“When we look at the supply side, global oil production in the last 10 years or so, more than 90 percent of the growth came from the United States. And on the demand side, more than 60 percent of the global oil demand growth came from China,” said Birol. “This came almost parallel and simultaneously.”

Now, again working in tandem, US oil production growth is slowing due to economic and geological factors, while China’s oil demand is also losing momentum as its economy shifts and its transportation sector evolves according to Birol.

Economic headwinds could impede demand

Economic concerns are also an issue across the globe, and historically gross domestic product is heavily correlated to oil demand.

Global GDP is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 3 percent through 2030, but that growth is uneven. OECD countries will see slower expansion at 1.8 percent, while non-OECD nations are projected to grow at 3.9 percent.

This global pace falls short of the 2010s trend, with factors like aging populations and reduced globalization weighing on long-term growth and trade.

China’s slowdown is particularly sharp, with its annual GDP growth nearly four percentage points lower than in the previous decade due to structural economic and demographic challenges.

While GDP remains a key driver of oil demand, its influence is fading.

Oil consumption is set to rise in 2025 and 2026 in line with economic growth, but from 2027 onward, demand is expected to plateau and then slightly decline. That shift is being driven by the growing use of alternatives in transportation and power generation.

Supply growth steady through 2030

Despite a projected decline in US output, the IEA expects oil supply to remain robust in other regions.

“We expect between now and 2030, about 5 mb/d of additional production capacity,” the CEO of the IEA remarked.

“A big chunk of it is coming from what we call the American quintet, namely US, Brazil, Canada, Guyana and Argentina. These five countries will bring a lot of oil to the markets.”

Providing a more detailed look at the supply picture, Toril Bosoni, head of oil industry and markets division at the IEA reiterated that global oil supply is on track to outpace demand through 2030, offering a stabilizing force in an otherwise uncertain energy landscape.

As Bosoni explained, supply is expected to grow by 1.8 mb/d in 2025, a trend largely being driven by non-OPEC+ countries, particularly in the Americas.

Additionally, natural gas liquids are playing an increasingly important role in this growth, as US shale production shifts focus and Saudi Arabia expands its gas-linked output.

“Looking into the next year, from 2025 until 2030 we can see that the United States is still a big source of supply growth, but the pace of growth is much slower than what we have seen for the past decade, and it’s largely driven by gas liquids, as activity in the shale patch is slowing down and getting more into the gas side,” said Bosoni.

IEA data projects total global oil supply capacity to rise by about 5 mb/d by the end of the decade. Most of this growth will come from outside OPEC, and is closely aligned with rising demand for petrochemical feedstocks, such as ethane and naphtha, which bypass the traditional refining process.

However, traditional crude supply is expected to see only modest gains unless additional projects—many of which have yet to reach a final investment decision—move forward.

The refining sector, meanwhile, may face increasing pressure as fuel demand flattens and high-cost plants, particularly in Europe and parts of Asia, become less competitive.

Despite slowing demand, the coming years are expected to bring ample supply—helping to buffer against geopolitical shocks and lending some reassurance to markets amid broader global economic headwinds, Bosoni added.

Natural gas market remains positive

The natural gas markets faced heightened volatility through H12025, driven by several key factors. A milder-than-expected winter in major consuming regions like the US and Europe led to weaker heating demand, pushing prices lower early in the year.

However, Q2 saw a rebound as unseasonably hot weather in Asia and parts of North America boosted cooling demand. Supply disruptions, including maintenance delays at major LNG export facilities in the U.S. and Australia, further tightened markets.

Starting the year at US$3.65 per metric million British thermal units, prices rose to a H1 high of US$4.49 in March, before falling to a H1 low of US$2.99 in late April.

Geopolitical tensions, particularly instability in the Middle East affecting shipping routes, added upward pressure through May and June pushing prices back above US$4.00 by mid-June.

Natural gas price performance, December 19, 2024, to June 19, 2025.

Natural gas supply growth to outperform oil

Natural gas liquids (NGLs) are emerging as a major driver of global oil supply growth through the end of the decade, with output forecast to rise by 2 mb/d to 15.5 mb/d by 2030, according to the IEA.

Much of this increase will come from North America and the Middle East, which will account for nearly half of all global supply gains over the next five years.

As noted in the report, the surge is being fueled by rising production from lighter, gas-rich fields and unconventional reserves.

The US, already the top NGL producer, will increase output from 6.9 mb/d in 2024 to 7.8 mb/d in 2030. Saudi Arabia is set to boost production from 1.4 mb/d to 2 mb/d over the same timeframe, while Canada will add 300,000 b/d.

This expanding supply is feeding demand for petrochemical feedstocks like ethane, propane and butane, vital in the production of everything from plastics to clean cooking fuel.

Ethane demand alone is expected to climb by 610,000 b/d to 5.2 mb/d by 2030, while LPG consumption is forecast to rise by 1.3 mb/d to 11.8 mb/d. Asia—led by China and India—will account for more than 65 percent of global LPG demand growth.

The rise of NGLs also poses a long-term challenge to traditional refining, as many of these products bypass refining altogether. With petrochemical demand outpacing that for transportation fuels, refiners may face margin pressure and shutdown risks, particularly in high-cost regions like Europe and parts of Asia.

Despite slower year-over-year growth, the IEA sees NGLs playing an increasingly vital role in shaping the future energy mix. This is supported by the 216 percent increase in production the NGL sector has seen over the past decade.

“From 2014 to 2024, global NGLs production grew by 4.3 mb/d to 13.6 mb/d. NGLs will rise by a further 2.0 mb/d to 15.5 mb/d in 2030, with average annual growth slowing to 2.3 percent over the forecast period, from 3.9 percent during the previous decade,” the report read.

Much of the IEA’s outlook falls inline with the short term price projections the US Energy Information Administration released in May, which forecast the average price for Brent crude to be US$66 in 2025 and US$59 in 2026. While natural gas prices will rise from an average US$4.10 in 2025 to US$4.80 in 2026.

Bitcoin and Ethereum price update

Bitcoin (BTC) is priced at US$101,886, an increase of 1.3 percent in the last 24 hours. The day’s range for the cryptocurrency brought a low of US$98,467.41 and a high of US$102,001 as the market opened.

Bitcoin price performance, June 20, 2025.

Chart via TradingView

Ethereum (ETH) is currently priced at US$2,261.19, a 3.9 percent increase over the past 24 hours. Its lowest valuation as of Monday was US$2,134.88, and its highest valuation was US$2,276.37 as trading commenced.

Altcoin price update

• Solana (SOL) was priced at US$134.35, up 5.5 percent over 24 hours. SOL experienced a low of US$127.01 after peaking at its opening price of US$135.91.

• XRP is trading at US$2.02, up by 2.9 percent in 24 hours, its highest valuation today. The cryptocurrency’s lowest valuation was US$1.92.

• Sui (SUI) is trading at US$2.50, showing an increaseof 4.1 percent over the past 24 hours. Its lowest valuation was US$2.31 as the markets opened, and it reached an intraday high of US$2.55

• Cardano (ADA) is priced at US$0.5474, up 4.0 percent in 24 hours. Its lowest valuation on Monday was US$0.514, and its highest valuation was US$0.5531.

Today’s crypto news to know

Bitcoin dips below US$100K After US strike on Iran nuclear sites

Bitcoin fell below the US$100,000 mark for the first time since May following President Trump’s announcement that the US had bombed three of Iran’s main nuclear facilities.

In weekend trading, Bitcoin dropped as much as 3.8 percent to US$98,904, while Ether tumbled nearly 10 percent to around US$2,157.

The airstrikes, which reportedly targeted Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, heightened investor risk aversion, triggering over US$1 billion in liquidations across crypto markets. Derivatives data from Coinglass showed US$915 million of long positions and US$109 million of shorts were wiped out.

Despite the volatility, some see this correction as a precursor to another rally, with Bitcoin often rebounding quickly after geopolitical shocks.

Pompliano launches US$1B Bitcoin treasury firm

Crypto investor Anthony Pompliano has unveiled a new bitcoin treasury company, ProCap Financial, via a merger with SPAC Columbus Circle Capital I.

The venture will hold up to US$1 billion in BTC and aims to follow in the footsteps of Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR), the software firm turned crypto juggernaut.

ProCap has already raised US$500 million in equity and secured a US$250 million convertible note in what Pompliano called the largest-ever raise for a treasury-focused crypto firm.

Unlike traditional holdings strategies, ProCap intends to actively generate revenue from its BTC through lending, derivatives, and financial services.

Fiserv to roll out Stablecoin platform for 3,000 US banks

Payments giant Fiserv is entering the stablecoin market with FIUSD, a new digital dollar offering aimed at thousands of Main Street banks.

The platform will allow Fiserv’s banking clients—estimated at 3,000 institutions—to launch their own branded stablecoins or integrate FIUSD into their operations.

Built on top of Fiserv’s existing payments infrastructure, the platform will be interoperable with major blockchains and other stablecoins, including Circle’s (NYSE:CRCL) USDC and Paxos. The platform is set to go live by the end of the year.

Metaplanet buys US$117M in BTC, now holds over 11,000 coins

Tokyo-based Metaplanet has added 1,111 bitcoins to its reserves, spending roughly US$117 million during a weekend dip sparked by US-Iran tensions.

The firm purchased the BTC at an average price of US$105,681 per coin, increasing its total holdings to 11,111 BTC—valued at over US$1.1 billion.

Metaplanet has embraced a bold bitcoin-first treasury approach, positioning itself as Asia’s Strategy-equivalent in the corporate crypto playbook.

The weekend correction saw BTC briefly dip below US$99,000 but bounce back to over US$101,000.

Bullet briefing — Silver hits 13 year high, SPUT raising US$200 million

Is silver’s price rise real?

Gold has stolen the precious metals spotlight in 2025, but this month silver is shining.

The white metal has been on the rise since the beginning of June, and this week it broke the US$37 per ounce mark for the first time in 13 years.

While silver is known to lag behind gold before playing catch up, it’s also known for its volatility. Its move has created excitement, but market participants are also wary of a correction.

When asked what factors are driving silver, Peter Krauth of Silver Stock Investor he said he sees a ‘perfect storm’ emerging. Here’s how he explained it:

You’ve got the macroeconomic picture that is I think certainly bullish for silver, like it is for gold and a lot of the other commodities. But I think at the same time you’ve got the market kind of coming to terms with the fact that silver is in a deficit, (and) it’s unlikely to be able to rectify that deficit for several years — in fact, the Silver Institute thinks we’re going to see record deficits at some point over the next five years.

And silver supply is unable to grow. We saw a peak 10 years ago in mined silver, and overall silver supply is essentially flat.

So flat supply, growing demand — demand that’s nearly 20 percent above supply — and our ability to meet those deficits is shrinking because we’re tapping into these aboveground stockpiles that have shrunk by about 800 million ounces in the last four years, which is the equivalent of an entire year’s mine supply. So it’s the perfect storm, it’s really all coming together. And I think that the market’s realizing that.

But does that necessarily mean silver is ready for a big breakout? Krauth has a target of US$40 by the end of 2025, but said silver could potentially go 10 percent above that.

For his part, Jeffrey Christian of CPM Group attributes the silver price boost to increased demand from investors, especially when it comes to exchange-traded funds and wholesale products.

He’s projecting a bumpier path forward for the metal:

You also have — the last time I looked it was like 490 million ounces of open interest in the July Comex futures contract. And that’s two weeks from first delivery. So most of the people (who) have those shorts – those are hedges of their physical inventories. They keep those hedges in place, but they roll them forward. So they’ll be buying back their Julys and selling September futures to keep that hedge in place with the next active futures contract. That buying back of the Julys could push silver prices higher.

So if you really want to talk granular prices, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the price of silver fall to US$33, US$34 an ounce, and go up to US$40 an ounce and then back to US$33 an ounce over the next four weeks.

Click the links above to watch the interviews with Krauth and Christian.

SPUT raising US$200 million

The uranium spot price made moves this week after the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust (TSX:U.U,OTCQX:SRUUF) announced a US$100 million bought-deal financing on Monday (June 16).

It was bumped up to US$200 million the same day due to strong demand.

Spot uranium has been in a consolidation phase since hitting triple-digit levels in early 2024, creating frustration among those who are waiting for the industry’s strong long-term fundamentals to be better expressed. This week’s move past US$75 per pound has helped reinvigorate investors.

1. OpenAI and Microsoft partnership faces tension

Microsoft and OpenAI’s once-close partnership is reportedly entering a tense period of renegotiation as OpenAI restructures into a public-benefit company and seeks more autonomy.

According to sources for The Information, recent negotiations have centered on reducing Microsoft’s long-term revenue share in exchange for a 33 percent stake in the newly formed entity. Additionally, OpenAI would like to limit Microsoft’s access to future models such as Windsurf, which OpenAI acquired in May.

The company has competitive concerns with Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot, according to the people.

Tensions have risen enough that some OpenAI executives are even weighing antitrust action against Microsoft, according to sources for the Wall Street Journal. In a joint statement, both companies maintained they want to continue working together; however, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday (June 18) that if they can’t reach an agreement, Microsoft is prepared to walk away and rely on its existing contract with the startup, which extends until 2030.

2. SoftBank floats trillion-dollar robotics hub in Arizona

SoftBank is reportedly interested in a trillion-dollar infrastructure project and has reached out to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE:TSM) as a potential collaborative partner.

Sources for Bloomberg revealed on Friday (June 20) that SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has approached the Taiwanese chipmaker to play a “prominent role” in a manufacturing park in Arizona codenamed “Project Crystal Land,” which may serve as a major production facility for AI-powered industrial robots.

The sources said SoftBank has also approached Samsung Electronics (KRX:005930) and other companies with the idea. SoftBank officials have reportedly engaged in discussions with federal and state government officials, including US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, to explore potential tax incentives for companies onshoring high-tech manufacturing.

In other semiconductor news, Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN) said on Wednesday that it will spend more than US$60 billion building seven new semiconductor facilities across the US. Meanwhile, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) announced over the weekend that it will invest AU$20 billion to expand data center infrastructure in Australia by 2029.

3. Intel reportedly planning sizeable layoffs

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) is reportedly set to implement substantial layoffs, impacting 15 to 20 percent of its factory workforce, according to an internal memo distributed on Saturday (June 14) and obtained by the Oregonian.

This move comes amidst continuing efforts to overhaul a company lagging behind its peers.

For some time, Intel’s offerings have struggled to compete effectively against those of key rivals in the highly competitive market of AI products and chip divisions. In a concerted effort to address this gap and reinvigorate its innovation pipeline, Intel has also been actively recruiting top-tier engineering talent.

On Wednesday, Intel expanded its sales and engineering leadership team to include experienced professionals from Cadence Design Systems (NASDAQ:CDNS), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google.

These strategic hires are intended to inject fresh perspectives and expertise into crucial engineering departments, directly contributing to the company’s ambitious plans to develop more competitive and advanced AI solutions.

4. Google partners with Conference of Mayors for city AI strategies

On Friday, Google announced that it has partnered with the US Conference of Mayors to help speed the adoption of city-wide AI strategies. With the announcement, the company released a playbook titled A Roadmap for America’s Mayor that provides a framework for city leaders to develop and host an “AI Adoption Workshop,’ which would be structured to help cities identify and explore how AI can support specific needs, drawing on experiences from other communities.

The roadmap suggests cities conduct a general survey to tailor workshop content by gathering information on current AI usage, as well as concerns and ideas for AI applications. Various approaches are suggested for drafting the strategy document, including a dedicated working group, an appointed lead drafter, a hybrid model or engaging external expertise, with a recommended deadline of four to six weeks post-workshop for the first draft.

5. Meta hires top AI talent

Sources for the Information indicated on Wednesday that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is bringing Daniel Gross, CEO of Ilya Sutskever’s startup Safe Superintelligence, and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman onboard.

According to the report, Gross and Friedman will both join Meta, with Gross leaving his startup to focus on AI products at Meta and Friedman taking on a broader role. Both are expected to work directly with Zuckerberg and Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, who signed a US$14.3 billion deal to join Meta last week.

In exchange, Meta will get a stake in NFDG, the venture capital firm co-owned by Gross and Friedman that has backed companies such as Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN), Figma, CoreWeave (NASDAQ:CRWV), Perplexity and Character.ai.

On the most recent episode of his brother’s “Uncapped” podcast, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that Meta has also offered signing bonuses as high as US$100 million and large compensation packages to OpenAI employees.

Bitcoin and Ethereum price update

Bitcoin (BTC) is priced at US$103,366, a decrease of 0.9 percent in the last 24 hours. The day’s range for the cryptocurrency brought a low of US$102,624 and a high of US$106,042 as the market opened.

Bitcoin price performance, June 20, 2025.

Chart via TradingView.

The Bitcoin price stalled after reaching around US$106,500, then sank below US$104,000 as an unusually large expiry of options and futures contracts worth US$6.8 trillion occurred on US stock indexes.

The US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday (June 18), but Christopher Waller, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, said a cut is possible next month if inflation remains controlled.

Cuts typically boost risk assets like Bitcoin. Markets have already pushed the US dollar index to a three year low, so a surprise rate cut could further weaken the dollar and propel Bitcoin forward.

Ethereum (ETH) is currently priced at US$2,415.98, a 3.5 percent decrease over the past 24 hours. Its lowest valuation on Friday was US$2,396.50, and its highest valuation was US$2,556.46 as trading commenced.

Altcoin price update

• Solana (SOL) was priced at US$139.45, down 4.1 percent over 24 hours. SOL experienced a low of US$136.98 after peaking at its opening price of US$147.68.

• XRP pulled back from its opening price of US$2.17, its highest valuation of the day, to trade at US$2.12 as the markets wrapped, a 2.1 percent decrease in 24 hours. Its lowest valuation on Friday was US$2.09.

• Sui (SUI) closed at US$2.72, a declineof 3.9 percent over the past 24 hours. Its price also peaked this morning at US$2.85 and its lowest valuation was US$2.66.

• Cardano (ADA) is priced at US$0.5783, down 3.6 percent in 24 hours. Its lowest valuation on Friday was US$0.5636, and its highest valuation was US$0.6044.

Today’s crypto news to know

Coinbase launches Stablecoin payments platform for e-commerce

Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN) has unveiled a new product called Coinbase Payments, designed to help online retailers accept stablecoins like USDC with minimal friction. The system is built to mirror traditional card infrastructure so that merchants can plug it in without having deep cryptocurrency knowledge.

The platform targets marketplaces such as Shopify (TSX:SHOP,NYSE:SHOP) and eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY), giving small to medium businesses a cost-effective alternative to credit card fees.

Shopify is the first to integrate the system, allowing merchants to accept USDC payments through Coinbase’s Layer 2 Base network. The platform supports crypto wallets like Coinbase Wallet, MetaMask and Phantom and includes features for transaction authorization, refunds and recurring payments.

Circle surges as Senate approves Stablecoin Bill

Circle (NYSE:CRCL) shares continued to rally on Friday, jumping another 11 percent after a 34 percent surge the day before, as momentum builds behind a Senate-approved bill to regulate stablecoins.

The GENIUS Act, a bipartisan effort, could bring long-awaited legal clarity to stablecoin issuers like Circle, which manages the US$32 billion USDC token. Although the bill still needs approval from the House and requires a signature from US President Donald Trump, investors are already optimistic.

Circle shares are now trading at US$221, up from an initial public offering price of just US$31 — signaling massive investor confidence amid a changing regulatory climate.

South Korea’s central bank weighs in on stablecoins

Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong said at a press conference this week that the central bank is not opposed to a won-based stablecoin, but is concerned about managing the FX of the token, according to Reuters report.

‘Issuing won-based stablecoin could make it easier to exchange them with a dollar stablecoin rather than working to reduce the use of a dollar stablecoin. That in turn could increase demand for dollar stablecoin and make it difficult for us to manage forex,’ Chang-yong told reporters in Seoul.

Earlier this month, South Korea’s Democratic Party proposed the Digital Asset Basic Act, which aims to establish a regulatory framework to enable local companies to issue won-denominated stablecoins.

Parataxis to launch institutional Bitcoin treasury company

Parataxis Holdings, an affiliate of digital asset-focused investment company Parataxis Capital Management, announced Friday that it has entered a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling interest in biotech company Bridge Biotherapeutics (KOSDAQ:288330) for an investment of 25 billion South Korean won, roughly US$18.5 million.

Following the closing of the deal, Parataxis will become Parataxis Korea and be repurposed as a treasury vehicle for institutional Bitcoin exposure, joining a growing list of companies holding Bitcoin on their balance sheet.

“Inspired by the growing interest in BTC treasury strategies seen in companies like Strategy in the US and Metaplanet in Japan, we believe institutional interest in this space is increasing globally,” said Andrew Kim, a partner at Parataxis Capital. “We see South Korea as an important market in the evolution of BTC adoption.”

“We are incredibly excited to create the first BTC treasury company in South Korea backed by an institutional-grade platform. Given the strategic nature of BTC on the global stage and its finite supply, we believe that building and growing a company like Parataxis Korea and accumulating a BTC treasury will benefit our shareholders as well as the country over the long run,” echoed founder Edward Chin.

Kraken introduces Bitcoin staking with Babylon partnership

Kraken, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, made a landmark announcement on Thursday (June 19), revealing a strategic partnership with Bitcoin staking protocol Babylon to introduce a staking product that allows Kraken users to earn interest on their Bitcoin holdings without the need for bridging, wrapping or lending.

These traditional methods, while enabling some forms of yield generation, can introduce additional risks and technical hurdles for users. Kraken and Babylon aim to provide a more streamlined, secure and accessible way for Bitcoin holders to generate passive income. The interest earned through this new product will come in the form of BABY tokens, the native cryptocurrency of the Babylon protocol.

Arizona advances bill to create state Bitcoin reserve

Arizona is one step closer to becoming the second US state with an official Bitcoin reserve, after its Senate narrowly passed House Bill 2324. The bill allows the state to hold abandoned digital assets as unclaimed property and establishes a Bitcoin and digital assets reserve fund for those holdings. The news comes on the heels of House Bill 2749, which was signed into law in April and amended Arizona’s forfeiture laws to recognize digital assets.

HB2324 will now return to the House for final approval before heading to the governor’s desk. Earlier efforts to invest seized funds directly into BTC were vetoed by Governor Katie Hobbs, who cited concerns over crypto’s volatility.

If passed, Arizona would join New Hampshire in formalizing a state-level Bitcoin reserve.

Similar legislation is pending in Texas.

Use cases across various aspects of mining

Ericsson views the network as an extension of its quality of service features — ideal for mission-critical mining operations where data reliability matters — that apply in different facets of the mining process.

Industry forecasts validate the broader relevance of private networks.

A McKinsey report indicates demographic shifts in mining workforces that make modernization a priority — aging employees are nearing retirement and younger workers are expecting digital environments.

Around 71 percent of mining leaders cite talent shortages as barriers to production targets, reinforcing the dual mandate of digital adoption and workforce transformation.

Beyond workforce and safety, remote operations and asset management benefit from the technology.

Remote control centers with scalable data pipelines and robust connectivity eliminate the need for staff to occupy large numbers of underground positions while maintaining compliance with environmental and safety regulations.

Similarly, data-centric asset management, powered by sensors, HD video cameras and predictive analytics, brings down costs, extends equipment lifespans and reduces unplanned downtime.

Mining contributes an estimated US$1.5 trillion to the global economy, per World Mining Data 2020.

As these operations move toward automation, private 5G networks may prove foundational, enabling safer, faster and greener production systems. NORCAT’s smart mine could become a template for the future, demonstrating how next-generation connectivity can bridge the gap between current operations and fully digitalized mining.