Monday June 9, 2025
The week ahead could prove to be one of the most biggest this year for both the gaming and consumer tech industries. Two highly anticipated game releases are set to shake up their respective corners of the market, and Apple $AAPL may finally unveil its long-awaited AI integration at its annual World Wide Developers Conference.
Leslie Benzies, the former producer behind Grand Theft Auto, is launching Mindseye, a cinematic, single-player, action-adventure thriller and the flagship release of his metaverse gaming platform, Everywhere. Meanwhile, blockchain gamers will finally get access to FIFA Rivals, a fast-paced arcade-style mobile soccer game that includes full player ownership of in-game assets. I’ve played an early demo of Mindseye and am excited. Friends with early access to FIFA Rivals say it delivers, and based on gameplay footage I’ve seen I’d agree.
On the consumer tech side, Apple $AAPL is expected to debut the first major redesign of iOS since version 7, and potentially introduce more of its AI suite and Siri integration. While delays have frustrated many, I’ve been encouraged by the beta Apple Intelligence features I’ve tested. Unlike many on Wall Street and in the tech press, I’m not counting Apple out. It may be late to the generative AI race, but it controls a massive ecosystem and holds a data advantage that could quickly shift the balance.
◾ Circle $CRCL closed at $107.70 after its second day of trading, marking a 247% increase from its IPO price. (Bloomberg)
◾ Gemini Space Station, the parent company of the Winklevoss crypto exchange and custodian, confidentially filed for a US IPO. (PRNewswire)
◾ Tether’s CEO said the company has “no need to go public” after a “bearish” report of a $515 billion valuation. (BeInCrypto
Government & NGO Actions
◾ Democratic members on the House Financial Service Committee held a hearing to discuss TradFi loopholes in the CLARITY Act. crypto market structure bill. (Decrypt)
◾ The US Department of Commerce has started suspending licenses which allowed nuclear equity suppliers to sell to Chinese power plants. (Reuters)
◾The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority plans to allow retail investors to buy crypto-linked ETNs as long as they are traded on approved exchanges. (Fca.org.uk)
◾ The Monetary Authority of Singapore announced that companies will need to be licensed, even if they only provide digital asset services to customers outside of Singapore. (Mas.gov.sg)
◾ Argentina’s investigation into President Javier Milei's promotion of the Libra token concluded that his actions were personal and did not violate federal laws. (Bloomberg)
◾ Switzerland's Federal Council is proposing to share crypto asset information with 74 countries. (Admin.ch)
◾ Romania’s national post office is piloting the release of bitcoin ATMs, (Posta-Romana.ro)
Financial Notices & Public Company Releases
◾ Hive Digital $HIVE May operational update
Bitcoin mined: 139
Hashrate: 10.4 EH/s
◾Metaplanet $MTPLF announced plans to increase its bitcoin holdings by 5x by the end of 2026. (Metaplanet)
◾ Ripple’s former Chief Risk Officer is acquiring a controlling interest in medtech firm Know Labs $KNW and will introduce a bitcoin treasury strategy. (Knowlabs)
◾ French-traded The Blockchain Group announced a €300 million ($342 million) ATM offering to fund more bitcoin purchases. (TheBlockchain-Group)
◾ Crypto mining operator Hyper Bit $HYPE named Dallas Laporta President and CEO. (Newsfilecorp)
Restructuring, Hacks, Losses & Legal News
◾ Outplay Entertainment, the largest independent mobile game studio in the UK, is cutting 21 employees. (MobileGamer)
AI Announcements
◾ Nvidia $NVDA plans to work with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority to test AI tools in a regulatory sandbox. (Reuters)
◾ Meta $META is consider a multi-billion investment into AI data labeling startup Scale AI. (Bloomberg)
◾ ChatGPT users can now link and query their Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, Sharepoint, and OneDrive accounts. (TheVerge)
◾ Ohio State University plans to train all new students in AI fluency. (Nbc41.com)
◾ Marriott is piloting AI to assign hotel rooms. (Onemileatatime)
Protocols, Applications & Business News
◾ Crypto product issuers VanEck, Cinerary Capital, and 21Shares urged the SEC to adopt a “first-to-file approach” for ETP approvals. (X)
◾ Uber $UBER is looking at stablecoins to help reduce their operating expenses. (X)
◾ Deutsche Bank $DB is exploring the possibility of tokenized deposits and issuing a stablecoin. (Bloomberg)
◾ The Trump-affiliated World Liberty Financial is acquiring a “substantial position” in TRUMP coin and plans to launch a $TRUMP wallet have been halted. (X)
◾ Bitcoin ATM provider CoinFlip is seeking to raise $1 billion through an asset sale. (Bloomberg)
◾ ARCA’s Chief Investment Officer wrote a harsh, profanity-laden public letter to Circle $CRCL over the stablecoin issuer's decision to restrict its pre-IPO share allocation to the "crypto-native company." (Cointelegraph)
◾ The Welsh man who has been trying to search a landfill for his lost bitcoin drive worth $742 million has given up his legal battle, but his story will be featured in a new docuseries. (DailyGalaxy)
◾ Eyeball-scanning World ID is being introduced across the UK. (Bloomberg)
◾ X, formerly Twitter, named Polymarket its official prediction market partner. (X)
Metaverse & Gaming Briefings & Activations
◾ Meta $META is in talks with Disney and A24 about providing exclusive content for its new Loma VR headset. (WSJ)
◾ FIFA Rivals announced a partnership with Adidas to bring in-game assets to the blockchain-based soccer game. (VentureBeat)