Market Movements & COTW
OKX Raises at $25B Valuation, Bringing in Circle, Ripple, and Standard Chartered as Strategic Partners
2026 notes BTC continues to lead, with volumes in 2026 tracking below the 2024–2025 peaks on an annualized basis so far. Privately owned OKX, a
Meta Launches Muse: AI That Does the Work for You
Meta (NASDAQ: META) announced Muse on September 8, 2026, a personal AI agent designed to complete tasks and answer questions. It is rolling out in
Square Comes Full Circle: Block Revives Its ISO Channel After 15 Years
Square, the point-of-sale and acquiring unit of Block, Inc. (NYSE: XYZ), said this week that it is following through on 2024 plans to partner with
The SEC’s Tokenization Trial: What the New Exemptive Order Actually Does
The crypto friendly Clarity Act did not pass in Congress, so the SEC kept going on its own. On September 17, it said that, for
Tokenized Deposits vs. Stablecoins: The BIS Draws a Line
We are revisiting whether markets will accept new payment formats such as stablecoins and tokenized assets after Bank for International Settlements (BIS) General Manager Pablo
Inside Owner AI: A $2.3 Billion Bet on the Independent Restaurant
Owner AI is the agentic artificial-intelligence platform built by Owner.com (privately held) enabling the resource starved independent local restaurants with the marketing, technology, and operations
Nayax Doubles Down on Unattended Payments with $350M IPS Group Deal
Nayax (NASDAQ: NYAX) announced on August 25, 2026, that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire IPS Group for $350 million in cash and is
The Visa Fork; A Strategic Divide
Visa (NYSE: V) is seeking a new stablecoin settlement and over the counter (OTC) partner after Mastercard’s (NYSE:MA) acquisition of its previous provider, BVNK. Originally
Surviving the SaaSpocalypse: How EverCommerce Is Weathering the AI Storm
The “SaaS apocalypse” (or “SaaSpocalypse”) is a 2026 stock market term for the sharp selloff and disruption in traditional Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) equities and business models,
Morgan Stanley Slashes Circle by 64%
Last week, Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Circle Internet Group (NYSE: CRCL: $66.67) to Underweight from Equal-weight and sharply cut its price target to $38
Stripe’s $10 Billion Bet on the AI Economy: Why OpenRouter Matters
Two important private companies were in the news this past week: Stripe is in talks to acquire OpenRouter in a potential $10 billion deal, according
Stripe and Advent’s $53 Billion Bid for PayPal: A Preemptive Play at a Discount
On Tuesday, July 14th after the market close Stripe and private equity firm Advent International submitted a joint offer to acquire PayPal for $60.50 per