Prediction market Polymarket is pursuing new funding that could boost its valuation to $10 billion, as Business Insider reported on Sept. 12.

Two people with knowledge of the matter said the valuation discussions represent at least a threefold increase from the $1 billion Polymarket achieved in a funding round that closed this summer.

According to one source, at least one investor offered a term sheet valuing the company at $10 billion. A Polymarket spokesperson declined to comment on the funding talks.

Strategic developments

The reported valuation surge follows a series of strategic developments positioning Polymarket for a US comeback.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission granted regulatory approval for the platform to resume US operations through a no-action letter issued Sept. 3 to QCX LLC, Polymarket’s regulatory partner, acquired for $112 million in July.

The regulatory greenlight enables Polymarket to operate event contracts while maintaining compliance with federal derivatives regulations. It also marks a return after the platform ceased US operations in 2022 following a $1.4 million CFTC settlement over unregistered derivatives trading.

Additionally, Donald Trump Jr. joined Polymarket’s advisory board in August as his venture capital firm 1789 Capital made a strategic investment in the platform.

The partnership adds political expertise as Polymarket prepares for US market entry. Trump Jr. recently praised the platform for cutting through “media spin and so-called expert opinion.”

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Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan characterized the 1789 Capital partnership as reinforcing the company’s role as a trusted information source, while the firm’s founder, Omeed Malik, praised Polymarket’s intersection of financial innovation and free expression.

Slump in user growth

Polymarket operates as a prediction market where users place bets on outcomes ranging from political elections to cultural events, generating market-driven predictions.

Data from a Dune dashboard by Varrock founder Richard Chen shows that Polymarket crossed $8.5 billion in year-to-date trading volume as of Sept. 12, surpassing last year’s total volume.

The trading volume increase occurs despite a slump in active and new users. Polymarket’s monthly active traders peaked in January at 454,664, gradually falling to reach August’s 226,442 after a 20% fall from July.

Meanwhile, new users plunged 33% between July and August, reaching 66,160, the lowest level in a year.

The platform’s regulatory preparations and high-profile advisory additions position it for a potential pivot in these numbers with a US expansion.

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Prediction market Polymarket is pursuing new funding that could boost its valuation to $10 billion, as Business Insider reported on Sept. 12.

Two people with knowledge of the matter said the valuation discussions represent at least a threefold increase from the $1 billion Polymarket achieved in a funding round that closed this summer.

According to one source, at least one investor offered a term sheet valuing the company at $10 billion. A Polymarket spokesperson declined to comment on the funding talks.

Strategic developments

The reported valuation surge follows a series of strategic developments positioning Polymarket for a US comeback.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission granted regulatory approval for the platform to resume US operations through a no-action letter issued Sept. 3 to QCX LLC, Polymarket’s regulatory partner, acquired for $112 million in July.

The regulatory greenlight enables Polymarket to operate event contracts while maintaining compliance with federal derivatives regulations. It also marks a return after the platform ceased US operations in 2022 following a $1.4 million CFTC settlement over unregistered derivatives trading.

Additionally, Donald Trump Jr. joined Polymarket’s advisory board in August as his venture capital firm 1789 Capital made a strategic investment in the platform.

The partnership adds political expertise as Polymarket prepares for US market entry. Trump Jr. recently praised the platform for cutting through “media spin and so-called expert opinion.”

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Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan characterized the 1789 Capital partnership as reinforcing the company’s role as a trusted information source, while the firm’s founder, Omeed Malik, praised Polymarket’s intersection of financial innovation and free expression.

Slump in user growth

Polymarket operates as a prediction market where users place bets on outcomes ranging from political elections to cultural events, generating market-driven predictions.

Data from a Dune dashboard by Varrock founder Richard Chen shows that Polymarket crossed $8.5 billion in year-to-date trading volume as of Sept. 12, surpassing last year’s total volume.

The trading volume increase occurs despite a slump in active and new users. Polymarket’s monthly active traders peaked in January at 454,664, gradually falling to reach August’s 226,442 after a 20% fall from July.

Meanwhile, new users plunged 33% between July and August, reaching 66,160, the lowest level in a year.

The platform’s regulatory preparations and high-profile advisory additions position it for a potential pivot in these numbers with a US expansion.

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Crypto protocols raised $1.9 billion in August, down 30% from July’s $2.67 billion, according to DefiLlama data.

Despite the monthly drop, August numbers for raises from venture capital funds align with the numbers recorded in July, with $600 million captured from PUMP’s public sale last month.

DeFi protocols dominated August funding with multiple major raises, including Portal’s $50 million round, M0’s $40 million Series B, and aPriori’s $20 million strategic investment.

The sector attracted consistent institutional capital across infrastructure and trading platforms.

Additionally, the third quarter already surpassed the second quarter’s $4.54 billion totals with $4.57 billion captured in just two months.

AI and infrastructure growth

AI protocols secured substantial funding, with Everlyn raising $15 million and multiple AI-focused projects completing seed rounds.

The convergence of crypto and AI continues attracting venture interest as protocols develop decentralized computing and data solutions. Cybersecurity emerged as another major category with IVIX completing a $60 million Series B, the month’s largest traditional venture round.

Stablecoin infrastructure also drew capital, with Rain securing $58 million in Series B funding.

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Payment infrastructure attracted diverse funding. OrangeX completed a $20 million Series B and multiple smaller rounds supporting cross-border and merchant payment solutions. The category benefits from increasing crypto adoption in commercial applications.

Gaming protocols also received some attention, such as Overtake’s $7 million round and continued development funding across multiple projects.

The sector benefits from increased adoption of blockchain-based gaming mechanics and token economies.

Public token sales lose ground

Without a high-profile token sale, such as Pump.fun’s, public token sales represented only $30.7 million across seven projects, including Lombard’s $6.75 million and Almanak’s dual raises totaling nearly $11 million.

Public token sales provide direct community participation while reducing dependence on institutional venture capital.

Layer-2 solutions secured strategic investments with Bitlayer raising $5 million through public token sales and Hemi Labs completing a $15 million growth round.

The third quarter’s performance demonstrates sustained institutional interest despite monthly fluctuations.

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Coinbase launched a second Stablecoin Bootstrap Fund to provide additional liquidity for the DeFi ecosystem via USDC.

According to an Aug. 12 announcement, the initiative will target protocols across multiple blockchains, starting with Aave, Morpho, Kamino, and Jupiter. Coinbase also invited protocols seeking liquidity to reach out to the exchange. 

The fund represents Coinbase’s renewed commitment to accelerating stablecoin adoption across mature and emerging protocols after its original 2019 Bootstrap Fund.

Time for growth

Coinbase’s first Bootstrap Fund helped establish marketplaces for USDC across blue-chip DeFi protocols such as Uniswap, Compound, and dYdX during the early stages of DeFi development.

Notably, USDC has become the leading stablecoin in DeFi with an estimated $8.9 billion in total value locked (TVL) and $2.7 trillion in annual on-chain transaction volume.

A Coinbase spokesperson explained in a note that the timing reflects current market conditions and growth opportunities:

“We’re at an inflection in adoption of onchain financial services. We saw how successful the first fund was in helping drive the initial wave of onchain stablecoin liquidity, and saw an opportunity to leverage Coinbase’s resources to further accelerate the interest and adoption that we’re seeing today.”

The record-breaking $40.7 billion in active DeFi loans represents one factor motivating the fund’s launch.

However, the spokesperson noted crypto-backed loans constitute “a prime example of this adoption and ongoing growth, but not the only reason” for the initiative.

The fund seeks to ensure deeper liquidity for stablecoins across the on-chain ecosystem, enabling users to access reliable rates across both established and emerging protocols.

Scaling over time

Coinbase plans to scale the fund over time and distribute liquidity across additional protocols and stablecoins beyond the initial four recipients. The launch can have a direct and positive impact on USDC usage in DeFi.

Adding more liquidity to the largest decentralized money markets will decrease the borrow rate for USDC on those venues, potentially making the stablecoin more interesting for on-chain leverage. The fund could also bring more money on-chain.

Lastly, the company expressed particular interest in collaborating with pre-launch teams or projects seeking to drive stablecoin growth from inception. 

The spokesperson concluded:

“We believe now is the time to build, and the Stablecoin Bootstrap Fund is here to inject liquidity in projects that can make an impact on the ecosystem no matter the size.”

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Crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) said on Tuesday it is reviving its Stablecoin Bootstrap Fund, aiming to boost stablecoin liquidity on decentralized finance (DeFi) markets.

The initiative will be managed by Coinbase Asset Management and begins with deployments on Aave, Morpho, Kamino and Jupiter, according to a blog post.

The exchange first launched the program in 2019 to help protocols seed early trading pools for USDC stablecoin. That effort supported early platforms like Uniswap

, Compound and dYdX and helped spearhead USDC in the DeFi ecosystem, which is still the most widely used stablecoin in the sector.

In its new iteration, the initiative will allocate capital across both established and emerging protocols, aiming to ensure users can access stable yields and efficient markets.

While Coinbase has not disclosed the size of the fund or specific amounts for each deployment, a company spokesperson told CoinDesk it will test placements across multiple networks before scaling further. Currently, the fund provides capital in USDC and EURC, Circle’s euro-pegged stablecoin, the company added.

Coinbase’s move comes as the DeFi sector’s growth is accelerating amid red-hot crypto markets and easing regulatory headwinds in the U.S. There are almost $200 billion of assets held across DeFi protocols collectively, nearly doubling since April but still below its 2021 peak, DefiLlama data shows.

Read more: Decentralized Finance and Tokenization Growth Still Disappoints: JPMorgan

Nasdaq-listed Verb Technology has raised $558 million in a private placement to establish the first publicly listed company dedicated to holding Toncoin (TON) as a treasury reserve asset.

The financing round, which was upsized and oversubscribed, was led by Kingsway Capital and drew participation from over 110 institutional and crypto-native investors.

Notable backers include Vy Capital, Blockchain.com, Pantera Capital, Ribbit Capital, Graticule, Animoca Brands, Kraken, and BitGo, as well as individual investors such as Ethena Labs founder Guy Young.

The company plans to rebrand as TON Strategy Co. (TSC) and will deploy the majority of the funds to acquire and stake TON. Telegram, with over 900 million users globally, has positioned TON at the core of its Mini App platform, offering developers access to a large and active user base.

The development comes less than a month after reports surfaced that Ton Foundation was seeking half a billion dollars to set up a TON treasury company.

Strategic pivot

Verb’s new direction aims to build a crypto-native treasury model that combines long-term digital asset holdings with cash flow generation through staking rewards.

The company believes Toncoin’s integration with Telegram offers strong adoption potential, making it a compelling choice for a reserve asset strategy.

While shifting focus to digital asset reserves, the firm will continue to operate its existing social commerce businesses, including its AI-driven video shopping platform MARKET.live and its recently acquired livestream commerce startup LyveCom.

Restructuring

The new entity will be chaired by Kingsway founder and TON Foundation President Manuel Stotz, who brings over 15 years of global investment experience.

Veronika Kapustina, a former senior advisor to the TON Foundation and ex-Morgan Stanley banker, will serve as CEO, while Sarah Olsen, previously Head of Corporate Development for JPMorgan’s blockchain division Onyx, will take on the role of CFO.

Meanwhile, Blockchain.com CEO Peter Smith will advise the firm as it scales its crypto treasury operations.

Cohen & Company Capital Markets served as the sole placement agent, with legal counsel provided by Reed Smith, Perkins Coie, Morgan Lewis, and others.

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Crypto projects captured $2.67 billion in investments last month and is equivalent to 85% of money raised during the entire second quarter.

DefiLlama data shows that the funding amount in July is 6% larger than June, when crypto startups surpassed $2.5 billion by a small margin.

Additionally, July was the second-largest month in funding, bested only by March’s $3.5 billion. Pump.fun’s pre-sales contributed heavily to July’s numbers, as it attracted nearly $1 billion before its token generation event.

Treasuries shine

DefiLlama tracked investments into crypto-related companies under the category “Investments,” which received $512 million in funding. 

BitMine raised $250 million to add Ethereum to its treasury, representing the largest amount in the “investments” category. Meanwhile, Upexi’s $200 million funding was the second-largest capital raise in the category, which was destined to add Solana to its holdings.

Together, both companies represented 88% of all funding in the “investments” category in July.

“Stablecoin infrastructure” also received significant attention from investors, with $352.5 million directed to projects in the segement.

Hong Kong-based OSL Group dominated the funding, gathering $300 million to boost its global expansion.

RD Technologies is another project from Hong Kong, which received $40 million to create regulated systems for stablecoins ranging from issuance to distribution. 

DeFi strong even without Pump.fun

Despite Pump.fun adding a considerable amount to the “DeFi” category, projects developing products for the decentralized finance ecosystem raised $107 million. The amount is relatively substantial compared to other sectors.

Kuru received $11.6 million to develop a central limit order book (CLOB) based on the Monad infrastructure. At the same time, GAIB captured $10 million to create a decentralized economic layer to tokenize GPUs and their revenue stream.

Falcon Finance also received a two-digit funding, as World Liberty Financial backed the project with $10 million to build an overcolateralized stablecoin.

The last of the sectors that got at least $100 million in funding is “infrastructure.” Bitzero raised $25 million in a Series B funding round to support its mining operations.

Furthermore, xTAO received $22.8 million to continue its work of supporting and scaling the Bittensor ecosystem.

Soluna secured a two-digit investment, capturing $20 million to enhance operations, including Bitcoin mining with green energy.

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Interactive Brokers is considering launching a stablecoin for customers, a move that would add one of the world’s largest discount brokerages to the list of firms using crypto, Reuters reported on July 28.

Founder Thomas Peterffy said in an interview with the newswire that the company is “working on potentially issuing stablecoins.” However, a final decision on the structure and rollout has not been made. 

In parallel, the broker is establishing instant, round-the-clock stablecoin funding for brokerage accounts and providing support for asset transfers in commonly traded cryptocurrencies.

Diving deeper

Interactive Brokers, valued at approximately $110 billion, already offers crypto trading through partnerships with Paxos and Zero Hash, an exchange infrastructure provider in which it is an investor. 

Among the options on the table, the firm could allow customers to fund accounts with stablecoins issued by other financial institutions, provided the issuer’s credibility is established.

Peterffy has already voiced skepticism about cryptocurrencies in the past and said he remains cautious, even as client demand grows. He added:

“It’s basically hard to grasp its fundamental value. If we see people adopting it and ascribing a value to it, I’m okay with that, but I’m still not convinced.”

Stablecoins are digital tokens designed to track the value of a stable asset, typically the US dollar, and are used to transfer value across borders without relying on traditional banking systems.

Interactive Brokers’ rival, Robinhood, unveiled the Global Dollar Network last year. The initiative is a consortium effort centered on USDG, a dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Paxos. 

The competitive backdrop highlights how large retail platforms are racing to wrap core brokerage services, such as deposits, withdrawals, and collateral management, around stablecoin rails.

Hedging against disruption

Interactive Brokers has been pushing into adjacent bets on market structure. Last year, it launched ForecastEx, a prediction market that allows investors to buy “yes” or “no” contracts tied to specific questions, a product the firm views as a hedge against disruption to its core equities, futures, and options franchise, as well as crypto. 

The company ended June with approximately 3.87 million customer accounts, up 32% from the same period a year earlier, as trading activity remained elevated during a year of policy-driven volatility. 

Its shares have gained roughly 47% year to date, outpacing a sector index that has risen about 20%. Analysts at Morningstar recently called the predictions market and crypto offerings an “effective hedge” for the business.

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British Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden has questioned the political donations made in Crypto. According to a Guardian report issued on July 18, 2025, McFadden, an intimate ally of British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer, said, “While democracy funding is often a controversial area, I think it’s very important to know who is providing donations.

British Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden has called for election officials to consider banning political donations made in digital currency. #crypto #UKhttps://t.co/qhoremm5hg

– cryptonews.com (@cryptones) July 18, 2025

Important discussions about crypto regulations have been cleaned up in both the UK and the US. In the US, President Donald Trump has announced that he will accept code donations. In fact, Thumzup Media Corporation, a Donald Trump JR-backed advertising technology startup, has secured board approval to hold up to $250 million in crypto. Meanwhile, the UK government is taking steps to “protect democracy.”

“Protection of democracy is one of the government’s most important duties. The increased risk that crypto donations, and crypto will be used to lead to British politics, is a clear and current danger to democratic integrity,” said Tom Brake, director of the Unlocked Democracy Campaign Group.

Discover: Best Meme Coin ICO for Investing in 2025

Crypto companies collect user data from 2026, with large fines for false reports

The UK is implementing serial crypto reforms through HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The UK government has introduced another drastic regulatory move driven by the adoption of the Economic Co-operation and Development Organization (OECD) Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF). Starting January 1, 2026, all cryptographic companies must collect and disclose detailed user and transactional data.

“If you are offering CryptoAsset services in the UK starting January 1, 2026, you will have a new responsibility to collect and report data. HMRC” said the May 14, 2025 announcement.

All CryptoAsset service providers (both domestic and foreign platforms that serve UK clients) are required to collect and report extensive information about all users and all transactions. This includes address, country of residence, national insurance number, unique taxpayer references, and more.

Discover: 20+ Next Cryptocurrency to Explode in 2025

It is set to prohibit Crypto purchases with credit cards and loans

If you are using a credit card to purchase Crypto in the UK, it may be numbered on that day. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has officially proposed rules to prevent retail investors from using borrowed funds to purchase cryptocurrency. This includes credit cards, personal loans, and even loans from crypto-specific lenders. However, some crypto users are worried that the UK ban will block innovation and limit access to the market.

The move is part of a broader effort to protect consumers from acquiring debts that chase unstable digital assets. And as more people are jumping into the code with money they don’t actually have, the UK’s top financial watchdogs are ringing their alarms.

Discover: Best New Cryptocurrencies to Invest in 2025

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