The post AI’s Second Inning: Decoding Big Tech’s Investment Spree and Market Reactions appeared first on StartupHub.ai.

“We’re in the second innings of this,” declared Stephanie Link of Hightower Advisors on CNBC’s Closing Bell Overtime, referring to the burgeoning artificial intelligence trade. Her commentary, delivered amidst a flurry of recent earnings reports, offered a nuanced perspective on the market’s current fixation with AI, particularly concerning the substantial capital expenditures undertaken by major […]

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Former Inter captain Mauro Icardi is happy at Galatasaray, but his contract expires at the end of the season, and the new club management hasn’t yet offered him a new deal.

Ex-Inter star Icardi is waiting for a contract offer from his club, Galatasaray, as his deal expires at the end of the season.

His contract extension, however, is not guaranteed as the new club management hasn’t yet made a formal proposal. It’s not even guaranteed that the matter will be discussed in the coming weeks, so Icardi keeps waiting professionally.

Predictably, Icardi will wait until December, but then he’ll consider possible offers from other clubs, given that he’ll become available as a free agent with just six months left in his contract.

There’s always high interest in the Argentine striker, especially if he were to leave Galatasaray on a free transfer.

As of today, Icardi is in no hurry. The 32-year-old is in no rush and has given priority to Galatasaray, but negotiations with his club are stalling.

Not even four months after American technology company Nvidia rode the AI surge to become the world's first $4 trillion company, it has become the first ever to cross the $5 trillion threshold.

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Decentralized finance, or DeFi, as it is colloquially called, was designed to be an open, transparent, and user-controlled economy. But as the market expanded, the structure weakened.

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The prospect of Cardano reaching half of Bitcoin’s market cap could solidify its standing among the leading cryptocurrencies, while propelling its price to new heights. Despite the sluggish performance of the broader crypto market in recent months, investors continue to speculate on the future potential of major assets.

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Grayscale Investments has launched a new exchange-traded fund that tracks the price of Solana and provides staking rewards. The Grayscale Solana Trust ETF (GSOL) began trading on NYSE Arca on Wednesday, marking a major step in expanding institutional access to Solana-based products.

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Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has defended the value of Bitcoin in response to Peter Schiff’s latest criticism. Schiff has continued his long-running criticism of Bitcoin, taking to X to criticize its value model.

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Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin-centric company, Strategy, may soon join the S&P 500 index, according to a new report from 10X Research. The firm estimates a 70% probability that Strategy will join the index by December 19, 2025.

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XRP community figure Vincent Scott shared a passionate message on X, describing XRP and the XRP Ledger as humanity’s “best chance” to reform the global financial system. Scott pointed to Ripple’s ongoing licensing efforts, acquisitions, and partnerships as clear signs that the company is strategically positioning XRP for large-scale demand.

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The post AI Investment Cycle: Early Innings, Driven by Fundamentals appeared first on StartupHub.ai.

The current AI investment cycle, despite the colossal market capitalization gains seen in mega-cap technology firms, remains firmly in its “early innings,” according to John Belton, Growth Portfolio Manager at Gabelli Funds. This assertion, shared during a recent discussion on CNBC’s “The Exchange” with Dom Chu, Tim Seymour, and Barbara Doran, challenges the notion that […]

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Alphadjo Cisse has been a key figure for US Catanzaro in the early stages of the 2025-26 season, and is beginning to attract the interest of Serie A title hopefuls Roma, Football Italia understands. 

Roma keen on Verona-owned teenager

Cisse, who joined Catanzaro on loan from Hellas Verona over the summer, has impressed with his performances and impressive technical ability in Serie B, which has brought a return of four goals from his first nine matches in the second tier. 

The 19-year-old is still owned by Verona, and could potentially become a key player in one of the upcoming transfer windows, likely this summer. 

As was originally reported by Lorenzo Canicchio, Roma are evaluating a potential move for Cisse. He is a profile that Gasperini admires, and given the coach’s previous track record in developing young prospects, could be an ideal fit. 

Representatives from Roma met with Cisse’s entourage in Trigoria a few days ago. While it is too soon to make any definitive conclusions, it is understood that the Giallorossi will continue to monitor Cisse’s development with a strong interest.

Methodology

This tracker includes layoffs conducted by U.S.-based companies or those with a strong U.S. presence and is updated at least bi-weekly. We’ve included both startups and publicly traded, tech-heavy companies. We’ve also included companies based elsewhere that have a sizable team in the United States, such as Klarna, even when it’s unclear how much of the U.S. workforce has been affected by layoffs.

Layoff and workforce figures are best estimates based on reporting. We source the layoffs from media reports, our own reporting, social media posts and layoffs.fyi, a crowdsourced database of tech layoffs.

We recently updated our layoffs tracker to reflect the most recent round of layoffs each company has conducted. This allows us to quickly and more accurately track layoff trends, which is why you might notice some changes in our most recent numbers.

If an employee headcount cannot be confirmed to our standards, we note it as “unclear.”

Bitwise put Solana ETF discussions in the spotlight this week with the launch of its new product, the Bitwise Solana Staking ETF (BSOL). Notably, the fund began trading on NYSE Arca and was one of three altcoin ETFs that went live yesterday after securing regulatory approval despite the ongoing government shutdown.

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The post Mitrione: AI is alive and well and continues to power the market appeared first on StartupHub.ai.

AI’s Ascendancy and Market Concentration “AI is alive and well and continues to power the market,” stated RaeAnn Mitrione, Investment Management Partner at Callan Family Office, during her discussion with Frank Holland at the CNBC studio. The recent surge of NVIDIA past a $5 trillion market capitalization underscores the pervasive influence of artificial intelligence on […]

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The post The AI Infrastructure Gold Rush: Opportunities, Risks, and Strategic Moats appeared first on StartupHub.ai.

The burgeoning artificial intelligence landscape, characterized by unprecedented infrastructure buildout and escalating capital expenditure, is creating both immense opportunities and significant strategic challenges for the world’s leading tech companies. This dynamic was a central theme in a recent CNBC discussion where Alex Kantrowitz, Founder of Big Technology and CNBC contributor, provided incisive commentary on Nvidia’s […]

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Raffaele Palladino was not a genuine candidate for the Juventus job as Luciano Spalletti was always the Bianconeri’s priority, given that Damien Comolli met an intermediary close to the ex-Italy coach before the game against Lazio.

Juventus are set to appoint Spalletti as their new coach, having reached an agreement with the Italian tactician on Tuesday.

Palladino was a serious candidate for Juventus

Despite reports, Palladino was never a serious candidate for the Juventus job as the Bianconeri’s first option was always the ex-Italy coach.

Sources with direct knowledge of the matter tell me that an intermediary very close to Spalletti met with Juventus director Damien Comolli in Rome on Saturday, before Igor Tudor’s eventual final game in charge of the Old Lady, against Lazio.

It is also not confirmed that a part of the Juventus dressing room pushed for the appointment of Palladino, so the ex-Fiorentina and Monza coach is now waiting for a new chance.

The former striker has already rejected some offers from foreign clubs and could turn out to be a regret for Atalanta, who picked Ivan Juric instead of him in the summer.

Atalanta are still unbeaten in Serie A, but have collected seven draws in nine games.

The second part of the year has seen a notable surge in the US stock market, while Bitcoin (BTC) and the broader cryptocurrency market has faced its share of uncertainty and significant corrections. 

With the Nasdaq recently surpassing the 26,000 mark, leading analysts are now suggesting that this milestone could be a clear indicator for Bitcoin to finish the year at new highs.

What Historical Patterns Indicate

According to experts at The Bull Theory, the pattern observed with the Nasdaq reaching all-time highs typically suggests a flow of liquidity, an increased risk appetite, and a shift of capital into growth assets. As this phase develops, it often sets the stage for Bitcoin’s next significant movement.

Data compiled by the analysts supports this assertion. Historically, in the first 30 days following a Nasdaq all-time high, Bitcoin has averaged a gain of approximately 7%. This return tends to grow, reaching about 14% within 60 days and climbing to an average of 25% by the 90-day mark. 

This pattern is not merely coincidental; it reflects a capital rotation where liquidity does not disappear but instead shifts from traditional markets into higher-risk assets like Bitcoin. 

The current situation appears to follow a similar trajectory. The Nasdaq’s rise to 26,000 indicates a wave of liquidity building beneath the surface. With rate cuts beginning and quantitative tightening coming to an end, global capital is once again seeking yield. 

This scenario mirrors the conditions that contributed to Bitcoin’s significant breakouts in previous years, particularly in 2017, 2020, and 2023.

As such, the analysts note that the next four to five months may represent an acceleration phase for Bitcoin, coinciding with a potential pause in equities, which could lead to crypto becoming the primary outlet for liquidity. 

Bitcoin Poised For Breakout Similar To 2020-2021 Cycle

Analysts like Ash Crypto also noted on social media that the BTC/NASDAQ weekly chart is revealing a repeating pattern reminiscent of the 2020-2021 cycle, during which Bitcoin significantly outperformed traditional tech stocks. In both cycles, the October to March timeframe has historically prompted major upward movements. 

After a period of consolidation within a rising wedge, the BTC/NASDAQ pair appears poised for another breakout. Should this pattern repeat, Bitcoin may see substantial gains compared to the Nasdaq in the fourth quarter and into early 2026, Ash Crypto noted. 

Notably, this sets the stage for a major rally that could see Bitcoin prices surpassing current records of over $126,000. However, the market is still characterized by increased volatility, and there is no clear path ahead for BTC.

The leading cryptocurrency is trading at $113,350 after a 2% correction in Tuesday’s trading session, following an initial surge above $115,000. This puts BTC 6.5% below record highs. 

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Widely followed analyst Income Sharks has raised caution about the current XRP trend, laying emphasis on the OBV indicator. His commentary highlighted that XRP still looks stronger than most major assets.

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Crypto influencer Crypto Bitlord, who has over 426,000 followers on X, has shaken the XRP community with a bold XRP price prediction. In a recent post, Bitlord highlighted the strength of the XRP community, calling it “one of the largest crypto communities on Earth.” He suggested that once XRP breaks through the $21 mark this cycle, it could trigger a major global reaction.

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Global payments giant Western Union has announced plans to introduce a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin named USDPT in 2026.

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Despite its latest recovery attempt, Cardano (ADA) would still need a significant rally to overtake Solana in the global crypto rankings. The fresh wave of downturn that rocked the broader crypto market yesterday has once again affected Cardano’s recovery prospects.

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The XRP reserve on Binance is depleting drastically on Binance, suggesting accumulation by long-term holders. While some panicked during the latest market uncertainty, smart money investors are taking in massive amounts of XRP.

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XRP has been showing signs of recovery after a turbulent few weeks, but some analysts believe a short-term pullback may be imminent. For context, following the crash on Oct.

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Juventus reportedly held talks with Raffaele Palladino and Luciano Spalletti on Tuesday, but the ex-Italy coach has always been the Bianconeri’s first option.

Juventus are on the verge of announcing Spalletti as their new head coach as the Serie A giants reached an agreement with the Certaldo-born tactician on Tuesday.

Spalletti’s Juventus salary revealed

Spalletti has agreed to sign a contract until the end of the season with an option to extend if he qualifies for the Champions League this term.

According to reports in Italy, he’ll earn €3m until the end of the season.

Spalletti has always been Juventus’ priority since Igor Tudor was sacked on Monday, but other candidates had been linked with the Juventus job, including Roberto Mancini and Palladino.

Juventus held talks with Palladino and Spalletti

According to Gazzetta and Sportmediaset, Juventus also held talks with Palladino on Tuesday, as the ex-Fiorentina coach was a candidate suggested by the Bianconeri’s technical director, François Modesto, who previously worked with Palladino at Monza.

According to reports, the meeting between Palladino and Juventus directors, however, was just a ‘courtesy chat’ as the Bianconeri were eager to finalise an agreement with Spalletti, whose appointment will be announced in the coming hours.

Multiple sources in Italy claim that Luciano Spalletti will earn €3m until the end of the season, and according to SportMediaset, the new Juventus coach will be in the stands at the Allianz Stadium today.

Spalletti set to be appointed as new Juventus coach

Juventus are set to announce Spalletti as their new coach. The Italian tactician reached a principle of agreement with the Bianconeri on Tuesday and the club are expected to confirm his appointment today or tomorrow.

Spalletti will sign a contract until the end of the season with an obligation to extend if he gets Champions League qualification this term.

How much will Spalletti earn at Juventus?

Gazzetta and Sportmediaset report that Spalletti will arrive in Turin today and that he’ll earn €3m until the end of the season.

According to the Italian broadcasters, the ex-Italy boss will even watch his new team in action from the Allianz Stadium today, when they host Udinese with interim coach Massimo Brambilla on the bench.

Both Gazzetta and Sportmediaset report that Juventus director Damien Comolli spoke to both Raffaele Palladino and Spalletti on Tuesday, but the ex-Napoli and Roma coach has always been the Old Lady’s primary option to replace Igor Tudor.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has issued a major update to its Info Sheet 225. Notably, the new move expands how financial services laws apply to digital-asset products and platforms.

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A prominent community figure who goes by the pseudonym UnknowDLT has expressed strong optimism about the future of XRP. In a recent commentary, UnknowDLT projected that XRP will eventually become one of the greatest opportunities not only of this lifetime, but even for future generations.

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Crypto commentators are again mocking XRP holders as Western Union moves to deploy blockchain solutions on Solana instead of the XRP Ledger. On Tuesday, the world’s largest money transfer company, Western Union, announced it will launch its U.S.

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A recent report expanding on the performance of XRP and the XRP Ledger (XRPL) in the third quarter of the year shows an obvious ecosystem growth. The “State of the XRP Ledger Q3” report from prominent analytical firm Messari shows the XRP ecosystem made reasonable progress in key metrics and other areas, such as stablecoins and RWAs.

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Nate Geraci, a popular ETF expert and president of NovaDius Wealth Management, expresses confidence that upcoming XRP ETFs will match or exceed Bitwise's Solana ETF's record debut. Geraci made the bold prediction after Bitwise’s Solana Staking ETF (BSOL) posted the highest first-day trading volume of any ETF launch this year.

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The Ripple CTO, David Schwartz, recently humorously suggested that he may not ask his younger self to buy XRP, as it could "trigger a paradox." Schwartz mentioned this during a light-hearted conversation in the crypto community. Notably, media outlet CoinDesk triggered this conversation with an age-old question surrounding early crypto investments.

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Ripple-supported startup Evernorth Holdings has accumulated over $1 billion worth of XRP. This significant investment makes it one of the largest institutional holders of the cryptocurrency to date.

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Amid the emergence of XRP treasury companies, the XRP price could react favorably if these firms scale up to amass up to 15% of the total XRP supply. Notably, a growing number of companies have started building XRP treasuries this year as regulatory clarity improves in the United States.

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XRP technical analyst 24hrscrypto1 has reignited optimism across the XRP community by declaring that “something big is going on.” He went on to add that the price of XRP will reach $100 way before 2030. The statement comes just days after he reaffirmed his firm belief that XRP will hit $100 by 2030.

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Luxury world is trust-based. When one buys a Gucci bag, Rolex watch, or Louis Vuitton wallet, he or she has the confidence based on the knowledge and understanding that it is genuine. Value is represented by the quality of the style, the logo, the craftsmanship, all that combined. But when the fake luxury market came up with fakes, the trust was cut off. Regrettably, counterfeiting has turned out to be a multi-billion-dollar business.

According to reports from 2025, counterfeit luxury goods alone are estimated to cost brands over 400 billion dollars in lost sales annually. Counterfeiting has become an international issue with fake designer clothes and imitated watches. The counterfeiters are using advanced printing and e-commerce techniques at their disposal, and hence imitations are very hard to spot, and this leaves the consumers and the brands in jeopardy.

Another approach was used in the past, where luxury brands were using a serial number, paper certificates, or unique packaging, and although brands were immensely proud of their capability to prevent counterfeiters by such means, the vast majority of these security measures were reproducible or lost. The introduction of blockchain technology is the place where there is more opportunity to change. Through the development of authentication tokens, luxury brands will now be able to offer an identification of all legitimate products being linked to a digital record that cannot be replicated or modified.

These tokens are helping rebuild trust. They give proof that a product is genuine. They also make it possible to track an item from the moment it is made until it is sold again in resale markets. This blog explains how these luxury goods authentication tokens work, why brands are using them, and what the future looks like for digital proof of luxury ownership.

What Are Luxury Goods Authentication Tokens

Luxury goods authentication tokens are like a digital passport for high-end items. They demonstrate that a product is not a duplicate. The tokens are identifiable such as a fingerprint and are stored safely in a blockchain network.

A luxurious brand sets a new bag, watch or jewelry and gives it a token. The brand name, date of manufacture, materials and serial number are some of the information contained in this token. This information is then written on the blockchain, and it cannot be altered. The token is kept with the item in the course of its life.

In the case of the sale of a product, the ownership of the token also changes. This will aid in monitoring the actual owner and preventing the entry of fake products into the market. The system is not complicated, but solid in usage. Any person who swipes or counterchecks the token can prove that the product is authentic.

Luxury goods authentication tokens are bridges between the online and the real world. They ensure that all products of luxury can be checked anytime. And since the blockchain is transparent and public, it is difficult to cheat the system.

How Blockchain Helps Verify Luxury Items

Blockchain is a digital record-keeping system that allows you to store information securely in blocks. When a block is inserted in the information chain, it cannot be erased or modified. The blocks are linked to the succeeding information. This is what renders blockchain credible to authentication.

Any luxurious item can create a record that captures all the noteworthy features of the product with regard to the user. The record can contain details on the object including identification, place of production, and ownership. Each time a luxury commodity is bought or sold among the owners, we will have a new entry in the book of records and we will be able to construct the whole history of disposition between factory and customer.

Traditional certifications can be lost or counterfeit. The information in blockchain is indefeasible. The token generated about the luxury product can be viewed and tracked by the public, which is completely stored on the blockchain. Thus, the consumer who bought the Prada bag or Rolex watch will simply have to check the authenticity with the help of the blockchain in case they wish to do so.

Here’s a simple comparison to show the difference:

Blockchain makes luxury verification more reliable. It keeps every product’s truth in one safe place. This system gives brands protection and gives customers confidence that what they are buying is genuine.

Why Brands Are Adopting Authentication Tokens

Luxury brands have always been in battle against imitation products. Over the past few years, most individuals have turned to authentication that is based on blockchain as it comes with permanent solutions and not short-term solutions. Digital trust is replacing physical beauty in the luxury market as much as physical beauty is, hence the rapid transition.

The brands that are included in the Aura Blockchain Consortium are Prada, Cartier, and Louis Vuitton. This technology assigns a digital identity to each product and allows consumers to check it at any time. It allows a buyer to determine the date, place of creation and resale of the item.

In the case of luxury houses, it is not only about prevention of fakes. New business opportunities are also created by authentication tokens. Indicatively, when a product is sold in the resale market, the brand continues to remain as part of a transaction. That preserves its worth and relationship.

Here’s a small look at how popular brands are already using this system.

These brands have seen that authentication tokens help keep their heritage safe. Buyers feel proud knowing their product has a digital record from the official brand. It’s also helping younger buyers, who are used to digital items, feel more connected to luxury ownership.

Another reason for this move is sustainability. Numerous brands are now demonstrating how the materials for their goods and products are sourced and produced with blocks. This can offer proof of ethically sourced and manufactured products, which is very important to modern luxury consumers today.

How Luxury Goods Authentication Tokens Work

Luxury goods authentication tokens have a simple yet effective process. The objective is to connect each physical item to a digital identity that is ultimately stored forever as part of the blockchain. This digital identity will travel with the product as it crosses owners or geographical locations. The process can be divided into three general facets: the creation of a digital ID, the linking of a token to the ID, and the transfer of ownership.

Digital ID Creation

Every luxury item is produced with a unique digital ID. When a bag, shoe, or watch is produced, its specifications are captured in a digital record. Digital records may include aspects ranging from the specific materials used, color, model number, place of manufacture, and even the code of the artisan. These records are retained in the blockchain immediately, establishing the product’s digital fingerprint.

This means that even if a brand produces hundreds of the same model, no two products will ever be identical because each item is associated with an ID. No two identical items will ever have the same digital signature.

Token Linking

After the ID is created, it gets linked to a blockchain token. This token acts as proof of authenticity. To make the connection real-world, brands use methods like QR codes, NFC chips, or even microchips stitched inside the product. When someone scans the code, they can see the digital record on the blockchain. The connection between the physical product and digital record is what makes counterfeiting extremely difficult.

Ownership Transfer

Once the item is sold, the ownership information is also updated on the blockchain. The token now shows the new owner. This process repeats every time the product changes hands. No paperwork is needed, and ownership can be confirmed instantly.

The steps can be seen in this table below.

This system builds a clear and permanent history for every luxury product. It keeps both the brand and the customer protected. And since blockchain is shared publicly, any person can verify the authenticity without needing to trust only the seller.

Benefits of Authentication Tokens for the Luxury Industry

Luxury brands have started seeing big results from using authentication tokens. These tokens are not only protecting brands from fake products but also changing how customers interact with their purchases. The system brings transparency and long-term value for both buyers and sellers.

The first major benefit is that authentication tokens prevent counterfeit products from proliferating. When each product is assigned a digital ID on blockchain, a counterfeit version cannot be created. The blockchain record demonstrates where the product originated and verifies that it is original. This provides buyers with peace of mind while also strengthening the brand’s reputation.

The second advantage is customer trust. Customers increasingly demand to know where their products come from and how they were created. Blockchain records allow marketers to show consumers the whole lifecycle of a product, from conception to delivery. Allowing customers to see that information for themselves fosters trust and enhances the possibility of repeat purchases. Another advantage for customers is openness in resale markets.

Watches, shoes, and purses are among the many luxury items traded and resold in secondary markets. When each of these products has a blockchain record, the buyer in the resale market can check its history before committing to buy.

This adds value to the secondhand market and encourages more customers to purchase authentically. The final big benefit is that it allows firms that believe in sustainable and ethical fashion practices to demonstrate how they obtain their materials, where they manufacture their products, and how they compensate their employees. This enables brands to communicate data in order to meet sustainability goals while also providing consumers with trust in the products they purchase.

Real-World Examples of Authentication Token Projects

The shift towards authentication tokens is no longer theoretical. Numerous prominent blockchain and luxury consortia projects are fully functional and ongoing around the world. 

The, Aura Blockchain Consortium, founded by LVMH, Prada and Cartier provides the largest consortium in terms of legacy luxury in existence, using a blockchain to provide an unverifiable certificate of authenticity for each product. Customers then scan along with being able to even verify real time data of the product’s journey along with sourcing of materials. Aura Blockchain Consortium also connects to resale markets so that second-hand purchasers are receiving verified goods as well. 

Another successful project is Arianee, an open blockchain platform utilizing digital identity protocols for luxury products, watch brands such as Vacheron Constantin and Breitling use Arianee to record ownership. Arianee’s open standard makes it simple for brands to adopt, without them having to build new, unique infrastructure.

VeChain is also known for helping track supply chains of luxury products. It places small chips in physical goods that connect to blockchain records. This helps detect fake products even before they reach the market.

Conclusion

Luxury good authentication tokens are changing how consumers think about ownership. They allow the user to prove the authenticity of an item and assist in linking the physical experience to the digital experience. This tokenile system protects brands from counterfeit items and adds confidence to customers that their items are authentic.

Leading luxury brands like Prada and Cartier are ushering in this shift. Blockchain technology has made the verification process safer, more efficient, quicker and more verifiable. Buyers will be able to verify the physical and digital histories of a product in seconds using a simple scan instead of relying on the traditional paper system.

Although there are still barriers, including cost, privacy aspects and education, the direction is clear. The luxury market is embracing a digital future where every product sold will have a verifiable identity.

The idea of using authentication tokens will continue to expand and we will all see a future where every handbag, watch or pair of shoes has a digital twin that tells its story. This is what luxury will become: an increase in transparency and trust in what constitutes exclusiveness and uniqueness.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a luxury goods authentication token?

A luxury goods authentication token is a digital certificate that proves a product is real. It is stored on blockchain so that no one can copy or change it.

How do these tokens stop fake products?

Each product has a unique digital ID that lives on blockchain. Fake items can’t copy this record, so buyers and brands can confirm authenticity instantly.

Which luxury brands are using blockchain for authentication?

Big brands like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Cartier, and Breitling are already using blockchain-based authentication systems.

Are NFTs and authentication tokens the same thing?

They are similar but slightly different. NFTs represent digital ownership, while authentication tokens connect directly to real physical items.

Is blockchain authentication safe for buyers?

Yes. Since blockchain records cannot be changed, it’s one of the safest ways to verify product authenticity and track ownership history.

Will all luxury brands use tokens in the future?

Most likely yes. As the technology becomes cheaper and easier, more brands will use blockchain to protect their designs and improve customer trust.

Glossary

Blockchain: A digital ledger that keeps records safe and transparent. It is made of connected blocks that store data permanently.

NFT (Non-Fungible Token): A unique digital asset that represents ownership of something special, often used in art and fashion.

Authentication Token: A digital proof stored on blockchain that confirms a luxury product is real.

Digital Twin: A virtual copy of a physical product used for tracking and verification.

Smart Contract: A program on blockchain that runs automatically when certain conditions are met.

Aura Blockchain Consortium: A group of luxury brands using blockchain to verify authenticity, including LVMH, Prada, and Cartier.

Summary

Luxury goods authentication tokens are revolutionizing the way the fashion and luxury industry addresses authenticity. These electronic certificates, built on the blockchain technology, render any counterfeit scenario virtually impossible. They increase trust in resale marketplaces, lead to more sustainable practices, and help develop a stronger relationship between brands and their customers. 

With projects like the Aura Consortium, Arianee and VeChain leading the charge, the luxury industry is moving toward a transparent future. Yes, while the technology is still emerging, the opportunity is and can be endless. Soon, there will be many more social networking platforms, And, electronic certificates for every designer bag or high-end watch, if that’s how you want to remember it with digital identity, which could include everything we know about the object from the workbench of the craftsperson to the purchase. 

Read More: Luxury Goods Authentication Tokens: How Blockchain Protects High-End Fashion and Collectibles">Luxury Goods Authentication Tokens: How Blockchain Protects High-End Fashion and Collectibles

Aaron Martin has lost some of the visibility he previously had in recent matches, despite an undeniably high level of performance.

Many have linked this situation to his contract expiring in June.

Genoa push for Aaron Martin renewal

Genoa want to resolve the matter as soon as possible, in order to avoid the risk of losing the 1997-born left-back on a free transfer.

As we reported back on June 10, Martin’s profile is greatly appreciated by Lazio, and there have already been inquiries to understand the position of the Spanish specialist.

At the moment Lazio cannot make moves in the market, but in the future several issues will need to be defined (starting with Tavares), and the club will continue to monitor Martin. In the meantime, Genoa will continue to push for a renewal, as we have now entered an increasingly delicate phase.

The 28-year-old signed for Genoa in 2023 from Bundesliga outfit Mainz and has since made close to 70 appearances for the club in all competitions.

Japan’s financial infrastructure is entering a new era as TIS Inc., the nation’s largest payments processor, officially launches its Multi-Token Platform on Avalanche. For decades, TIS has powered the core of Japan’s financial operations.

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The convergence of advanced artificial intelligence and a uniquely poised global economy is setting the stage for an unprecedented era of mergers and acquisitions, fundamentally altering how companies operate and how value is created. This transformative period, characterized by both immense opportunity and inherent risks, was a central theme in Ken Moelis’s discussion with CNBC’s […]

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In a historic shift, Italy has joined Spain, Finland, Portugal, France, Turkey, and Germany in what can only be described as jaw-dropping exhibition growth across Europe. The latest figures reveal a staggering 2,240 events and a mind-blowing 23 million square meters of exhibition space, making 2024 a groundbreaking year in the exhibition industry.

This phenomenal expansion has attracted over 53 million attendees, a testament to the growing demand for face-to-face business platforms across the continent. The collaboration among these countries highlights a major trend in the exhibition world: unparalleled growth and opportunity. With major nations like Italy taking part, the European exhibition market is on a record-breaking trajectory. Travel and Tour World urges readers to dive into this exciting development, as this is just the beginning of a new era of exhibition dominance. Don’t miss out—keep reading to discover how these numbers are reshaping the European exhibition industry forever!

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has published the latest edition of its Euro Fair Statistics report, providing a comprehensive look into the exhibition market across 16 European countries. The report, which includes certified data from 11 national and regional organizations, represents an estimated 55% of the European exhibition sector. The newly released figures highlight the continued recovery and expansion of the industry, with 2,240 exhibitions held in 2024, showcasing the sector’s resilience and growing demand for face-to-face business platforms.

Key Findings from the 2024 Euro Fair Statistics Report

The 2024 Euro Fair Statistics report covers a total of 2,240 exhibitions, including 235 UFI Approved Events. These exhibitions occupied 23.1 million square meters of registered net space and attracted a total of 53.8 million registered visits. Additionally, the events hosted 594,444 exhibiting companies. This data underscores the vibrant nature of the European exhibition market, reflecting ongoing growth as businesses continue to invest in physical events.

The report also reveals that 40% of these events were dedicated to trade visitors, while 30% targeted the public and the remaining 30% served both audiences. This breakdown highlights the diverse nature of exhibitions, which cater to a wide range of industry sectors and audiences, ensuring that the exhibition space remains a vital platform for business interaction and consumer engagement.

Market Growth and Expanding Data Coverage

The increase in events and market coverage is evident in the 2024 report, with UFI estimating that the data represents nearly 55% of the European exhibition sector. Chris Skeith OBE, UFI CEO, commented, “The number of events covered by the ‘Euro Fair Statistics’ report has continued to grow in recent years.” He also noted that this year’s data collection process was enhanced by asking national bodies to specify whether reported figures referred to visitors or visits, thus improving the accuracy of the data.

The 2024 report reflects the changing demands in the exhibition industry, with organisers adapting to shifts in the market, particularly in response to the increasing importance of face-to-face engagement. As the sector recovers from previous disruptions, the continued growth in event numbers and attendance is a positive sign for the future of in-person exhibitions across Europe.

Contributions from National and Regional Organisations

The comprehensive data in the Euro Fair Statistics report is made possible through the collaboration of national and regional organizations, including AEFI (Italy), AFE (Spain), ATFEO (Finland), BDO & Associates (Portugal), CENTREX (Central and Eastern Europe), CLC-VECTA (The Netherlands), FEBELUX (Belgium), FKM (Germany), SOKEE (Greece), TOBB (Turkey), and UNIMEV-OJS (France). These organizations have provided certified data that reflects the diverse nature of exhibitions across different European regions, contributing to a fuller picture of the market.

By consolidating data from these diverse sources, UFI can provide a comprehensive and accurate representation of the European exhibition sector, further solidifying its role as a key resource for the industry.

The Future of the European Exhibition Industry

The findings of the Euro Fair Statistics report suggest a promising future for the European exhibition market. The increase in events, coupled with rising attendance, indicates a recovery that is outpacing expectations. As businesses and organisations continue to prioritize face-to-face engagement, the exhibition sector is likely to remain an essential element of the European economy.

With continued investment in exhibition platforms and the development of new ways to engage audiences, the industry is well-positioned to thrive in the years ahead. As UFI continues to enhance its data collection methods and provide insights into market trends, the association remains a central figure in shaping the future of the global exhibition industry.

Remo Freuler’s future is back in the spotlight as Bologna work to secure a contract extension for the experienced midfielder.

The 33-year-old is tied to the Rossoblù until June 2026, and initial discussions have already taken place in recent weeks.

However, progress has been slow, and another club may now be considering an approach.

Gasperini seeks Freuler reunion at Roma

According to reports from Il Resto del Carlino, via TuttoMercatoWeb, Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini has made an exploratory call to Freuler to understand the player’s openness to a future move to the capital.

The two know each other extremely well, with Freuler having made 254 appearances under Gasperini during their long spell together at Atalanta, the most he has played for any coach in his career.

For now, concrete steps are yet to be taken, but Roma’s interest could increase pressure on Bologna to accelerate renewal talks and avoid letting the situation drift.

Teun Koopmeiners’ difficult start to life at Juventus is increasingly becoming a talking point in Turin. The Dutch midfielder arrived with the expectation of becoming a key part of the new project, but performances so far have fallen short of the level shown at Atalanta.

Used in multiple roles under Igor Tudor, he has yet to find continuity or influence matches in the way the club envisioned.

Koopmeiners has made clear his preference to play deeper in midfield rather than as an advanced playmaker, and his future will be re-evaluated in the winter window.

Juventus eye Dortmund star Nmecha as Koopmeiners upgrade

While the club have shown faith, there is an acceptance that the balance in midfield is still lacking and reinforcements could be required.

Among the profiles Juventus continue to monitor is Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha, via CalcioMercato. The Germany international impressed against the Bianconeri in the Champions League and was observed again recently during Dortmund’s European win in Copenhagen.

However, competition from Premier League and La Liga sides, plus a valuation approaching €50m, makes any January move complex.

It is surprising to see Juventus signings Jonathan David and Loïs Openda suddenly being written off as “flops”, when they are clearly nothing of the sort.

And if someone wanted to say it, it would have been more credible to do so on September 2nd – not at the end of October. What is certain, however, is that those two, especially those two, were the core of the disagreement between Tudor and Comolli.

The coach had pushed to keep Kolo Muani, both for tactical continuity and because his adaptation to the system was already complete. Instead, he did not appreciate the repeated delays in negotiations, accepted David without enthusiasm, almost endured Openda’s arrival, and expressed strong doubts about Zhegrova.

Juventus expected summer signings to flourish

Once Comolli had acted, the club expected those investments, significant investments, to be valued, rather than constant tactical resets and formation changes born out of improvisation.

The change of coach at Juventus is not only about stopping the negative run of three consecutive defeats and four games without scoring. It must also redirect the club’s transfer strategy.

That does not mean forcing the new manager to rely blindly on the attackers signed in July and August. But it also cannot mean discarding them on principle or using them without a clear and coherent plan.

XRP could become a potential go-to tool for FX hedging amid the growing need to hedge against FX fluctuations among corporate treasuries. For context, foreign exchange (FX) hedging is a practice that helps companies and investors manage the risks that come from currency fluctuations.

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BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has continued to recommend exposure to Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, calling them assets of fear. Fink appeared at the 9th edition of the Future Investment Initiative in Saudi Arabia and preached the virtues of Bitcoin ownership to one of the world's biggest investors.

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The first U.S. spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for Solana (SOL), Litecoin (LTC), and Hedera (HBAR) have officially begun trading.

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Well-known Bitcoin leveraged trader James Wynn has now joined the XRP Army. He announced the move in a recent tweet, revealing his decision to invest a “significant portion” of his portfolio into XRP.

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Roma remain joint-top of Serie A, but the lack of a reliable goalscorer at centre-forward has become a clear concern.

Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson have scored just once between them in the league, and the club are evaluating solutions ahead of January.

Joshua Zirkzee is the primary idea, as per reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The former Bologna striker has had limited minutes since joining Manchester United and is open to a return to Italy.

Roma like his ability to combine and work between the lines, but the costs of any deal remain significant.

Roma eye alternatives to Man Utd forward Zirkzee

Other names are also under consideration. Arnaud Kalimuendo (Nottingham Forest) and Promise David (Union Saint-Gilloise) are being followed abroad.

Meanwhile two profiles closer to home are gaining attention: Parma’s Mateo Pellegrino and Genoa’s Jeff Ekhator, both viewed as promising long-term talents.

The final plan will depend on outgoings. If one striker leaves, Roma will likely sign one replacement; if both depart, a double move is possible.

Calcio&Finanza reports that Juventus will have to pay almost €30m to cover the salaries of their former coaches Thiago Motta and Igor Tudor, who remain under contract until June 2027.

Juventus are expected to pay almost €30m to cover the wages of sacked coaches Thiago Motta and Tudor, according to Calcio&Finanza.

How much will Motta cost Juventus until 2027?

Tudor was hired in March 2025 to replace Motta and signed a contract through 2027 after leading the club to Champions League qualification last season.

Juventus’ latest balance sheet for the financial year ending June 30, 2025, signals that the club has already set aside €16.3m to cover the salary of Motta and his staff members until June 2027.

How much Tudor’s sacking will cost Juventus

The figures regarding Tudor’s salary are not official, but it is believed that the Croat signed a €3m-a-year contract until 2027, circa €5.5m gross, which brings the spending to €11m plus wages of his staff members.

This means Juventus will have to pay over €27.3m to their ex-coaches, unless they reach an agreement to end their contracts or unless Motta and Tudor find a new club before their deals expire in 2027.

Juventus have now identified Luciano Spalletti as the ideal replacement for Tudor, and according to various sources, the Bianconeri director Damien Comolli will meet the ex-Italy boss today.

The next Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting is fast approaching, and the bets are already pouring in as to what it would mean for the Bitcoin and crypto industry. The last FOMC meeting took place in September, when the Federal Reserve ended up cutting rates down to 4-4.25% after months of no rate cuts. With this setting the tone, the expectations that another rate cut could be on the way are getting louder, with the FedWatch Tool showing a high percentage.

Market Expects Another Rate Cut To 3.75-4%

The next FOMC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 29, 2025, and there is already a major clamor around what the Fed is planning on doing. The current market headwinds point to a favorable outcome for risk assets such as Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, with expected rate cuts.

Currently, the CME FedWatch Tool is showing that the probability of a rate cut has risen to 98.3% as of the time of this writing. This leaves only a 1.7% chance that the Federal Reserve will actually leave rates at their current levels, and there is zero chance that there will be a rate hike.

A reduction in the rate cuts is good for businesses all around, as lower interest rates mean better loan terms and increased spending and borrowing. Thus, it will increase the participation in the markets, from consumer goods to the stock market, and then make its way into newer markets such as Bitcoin and crypto.

Expectations For Bitcoin And Crypto Are Getting Higher

A rate cut by the Federal Reserve aligns with the more pro-crypto stance that the United States has been moving in since President Donald Trump was elected. Last week, the president pardoned the Founder and former CEO of the Binance crypto exchange, Changpeng Zhao, after he previously pled guilty to money laundering violations back in 2024. Zhao has since served a 4-month stint before the pardon from Trump came.

With the US embracing Bitcoin and crypto again, a rate cut will only further the ascent, allowing more investors to get into the market as liquidity frees up. The initial announcement has been known to trigger a rapid increase in the market. But as the news settles, the crypto market is expected to continue to rise in response.

However, nothing is certain until the FOMC meeting is complete and the announcement is made. For the Bitcoin and crypto market to remain bullish, inflation will also have to be reduced, as an increase could trigger more conservative stances from investors.

The crypto market, despite experiencing throughout the year major price fluctuations, security incidents, and legal hurdles, has experienced remarkable growth.

This can be attributed to the expansion of digital asset treasuries (DATs), increased institutional adoption, and new initiatives aimed at integrating digital assets, particularly stablecoins, into traditional financial sectors.

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) recently shared their projections for the crypto landscape for the remainder of the year and years to come, highlighting nine key trends expected to be major catalysts for the industry.

Key Legislative Changes And Institutional Adoption 

Firstly, market structure legislation in the US is expected to emerge as a critical priority for policymakers and Congress, establishing a clear regulatory framework that supports crypto developers. 

The passage of the GENIUS Act in July of this year also marked a pivotal moment, garnering bipartisan support and providing builders with much-needed certainty in their endeavors.

Secondly, the adoption of stablecoins is set to accelerate as network effects take hold among financial institutions, merchants, and consumers, thereby enhancing the global standing of the US dollar.

Furthermore, major players like JPMorgan, Citi, BlackRock, and Fidelity are amplifying their crypto offerings through new product launches, partnerships, and acquisitions. 

The infrastructure supporting blockchain technology is also advancing rapidly. Current networks can process over 3,400 transactions per second, marking a 100-fold increase over the past five years.

Moreover, a new wave of real-world assets (RWAs) is transitioning onto the blockchain as the worlds of crypto and traditional finance converge. The market for tokenized real-world assets has expanded to nearly $30 billion, with significant contributions from Treasuries, money market funds, and private credit.

The Future Of Crypto

In parallel, the crypto sector is attracting a growing pool of talent, driven by a more favorable regulatory environment and the emergence of new opportunities for developers.

The focus on revenue generation is also shifting within the token ecosystem. More tokens are implementing fee mechanisms, redirecting attention toward fundamental value. In the past year, users have paid $33 billion in fees, resulting in $18 billion for projects and $4 billion for token holders. 

Innovative consumer products are also expected to drive the next wave of crypto adoption. Although approximately 716 million people now own cryptocurrency, only 40 to 70 million are considered active users. 

Ultimately, 2025 is poised to lay the groundwork and establish the foundations for the years to come. It is expected to be a transformative year for the crypto industry, characterized by widespread institutional adoption, regulatory clarity, and tangible utility. 

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

A recent analysis has highlighted key price levels to watch if Shiba Inu rallies from a crucial support area. Shiba Inu has held strong around the current support level around $0.000006 to $0.000010, as its long accumulation phase continues.

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Crypto analyst AiMan recently revealed a personal investment of a quarter million dollars in XRP during the latest price dip. The purchase, which he said amounts to about 100,000 XRP, comes as the asset attempts to recover from the dip.

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Luciano Spalletti opens up about rumours linking him with the Juventus job, saying that ‘whoever will replace Igor Tudor will be lucky.’

Spalletti is the leading candidate for the Juventus job, as multiple sources in Italy claim that he and Bianconeri director Damien Comolli will sit down today to discuss contract details with him today.

Ironically, Spalletti had already planned a meeting with the media on Tuesday morning to unveil a new advertisement in which he features alongside his former Roma star Francesco Totti.

Spalletti comments on possible Juventus appointment

The ad was released earlier this week, and Spalletti didn’t only talk about his latest sponsorship commitment.

“I feel well, I wait with serenity. I have the ambition to set things right,” the ex-Italy coach told Sky Sport via Gazzetta.

“I can only speak highly of Tudor, a serious and passionate person. Whoever will replace him will be lucky because he’ll find a well-trained team.”

Juventus confirmed Tudor’s sacking on Monday after the team lost three consecutive matches and failed to score in the last four.

Spalletti on the reunion with Totti

Spalletti also spoke about his reunion with Totti, which has made headlines in Italy because of their public dispute during the coach’s second spell at the Stadio Olimpico.

“It feels so good to sit next to Totti,” Spalletti said.

“There were some risky choices, but we spent some marvellous years together, so when Ramazzotti put us back together, I was very happy and he was quite relaxed.”

Juventus sacked Igor Tudor because of poor results and performances in recent games, but the frosty relationship between the Croat and club director Damien Comolli also played a role in the coach’s dismissal.

Juventus announced Tudor’s sacking on Monday and Juventus General Manager Comolli is set to meet Luciano Spalletti today to offer him the job at the Allianz Stadium.

Juventus have been winless since September 13, they’ve lost three games in a row and have not scored in the last four.

Naturally, results and performances in recent weeks led to Tudor’s dismissal, but there’s more behind Juventus’ decision to part ways with the Croatian tactician.

Behind Tudor and Comolli’s frosty relationship

Juventus’ transfer activity surely affected the relationship between Comolli and Tudor, given that the coach’s requests were largely ignored by the Old Lady’s general manager. Juventus didn’t sign a new central midfielder over the summer but signed instead two attacking players, Lois Openda and Edon Zhegrova, on deadline day. Furthermore, Tudor was eager to keep Alberto Costa in the team, especially after some positive performances in the Club World Cup, but Juventus still decided to swap the Portuguese right-back with his compatriot Joao Mario, who has only collected 330 minutes on the pitch across all competitions since moving to Turin.

Director of Performance

The appointment of a new Director of Performance, Darren Burgess, in September, was another decision that the club did not share with the coach. The welcome from Tudor surely wasn’t a warm one, as the Croat said “This gentleman hasn’t yet arrived at the club” when asked about Burgess’ appointment last month. Juventus had welcomed Burgess, stating that the ex-Arsenal and Liverpool staff member would “work closely with Damien Comolli, Giorgio Chiellini, François Modesto, Igor Tudor and across all the technical areas and every age group of the Club to form a high-level team dedicated to promoting excellence in performance, innovation and athlete wellbeing.” Furthermore, as first reported by Tuttosport, in recent weeks, club directors also discussed Tudor’s tactics, suggesting in one-on-one meetings that he should have considered switching to a four-man defence, a step into Tudor’s territory that the coach didn’t particularly appreciate.

Communication

Aside from results, Juventus were also not impressed by Tudor’s communication, including frequent protests towards referees. Tudor’s first complaint came after a 1-1 draw at Hellas Verona, in which the Bianconeri protested for a penalty kick in favour of their opponents and a potential red card for the Gialloblu striker Gift Orban. On that occasion, Tudor labelled the penalty kick decision as “shameful.” Tudor’s communication strategy didn’t change in the following weeks as he kept complaining about referees, and even the fixture list, before a Champions League game against Real Madrid last week, with Giorgio Chiellini, Comolli and François Modesto sitting in front of him in the first row of the press room of the Estadio Bernabeu. Ultimately, on and off-the-field issues led to the coach’s dismissal, and Juventus are now on the verge of starting a new era, with their third coach in seven months.

Juventus director Damien Comolli is set to meet with ex-Italy coach Luciano Spalletti today to offer him a contract as a replacement for Igor Tudor.

• Read more – How Juventus could line up under former Italy CT Spalletti

Multiple sources in Italy, including Gazzetta, claim that Juventus will meet with Spalletti today to discuss the contract details and the technical project following Tudor’s dismissal.

Juventus to meet Spalletti today

Football Italia exclusively reported on Monday that Juventus had established contact with Spalletti right after Tudor’s departure.

The Bianconeri have gone eight consecutive games without victories and have not scored a goal in the last four matches.

Spalletti, a Napoli Scudetto winner in 2022-23, has been without a team since June, when he was sacked by the Italian federation.

Juventus to offer Spalletti a contract until June 2026

According to Tuttosport, Spalletti will be offered a contract until the end of the season, with an option to extend in case of Champions League qualification.

Gazzetta claims that Spalletti has rejected offers from Saudi and Turkish clubs and is eager to accept the Juventus job. However, if the two parties fail to reach an agreement, Roberto Mancini and Raffaele Palladino remain possible candidates for the Old Lady.

Despite facing criticism for lagging behind the United States in creating a more accommodating environment for cryptocurrency growth and adoption, China reaffirmed its stringent stance on crypto once again this week. 

Authorities issued warnings about the alleged risks posed by stablecoins, particularly amid concerns that the US may have solidified its dollar dominance through these digital assets.

US GENIUS Act Vs. China’s Crypto Caution

According to local media reports, Pan Gongsheng, governor of the People’s Bank of China, announced plans to expand the use of the country’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), known as the “e-CNY.” 

He remarked, “[Stablecoins] are still in their early stages of development,” emphasizing that financial regulators globally remain cautious about these assets, which are typically pegged to other currencies.

In the United States, however, Trump’s policies toward digital assets have resulted in the passage of the GENIUS Act, as the first crypto bill aimed at laying the framework for the adoption of these dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies. 

Yet, Pan highlighted that stablecoins currently fail to meet essential requirements such as customer identification and anti-money laundering (AML) measures, which could allegedly exacerbate gaps in global financial regulation. 

He expressed concern that these issues foster a “speculative market atmosphere,” increasing vulnerabilities in the global financial system and affecting the monetary sovereignty of less developed economies. 

The central bank plans to collaborate with law enforcement to continue cracking down on domestic operations and speculation related to crypto. “The policies and measures implemented since 2017 to address risks associated with virtual currencies remain in effect,” he stated.

Regulatory Revisions Ahead

Despite China’s continuous crypto crackdown, research on stablecoins is progressing within China. The country’s largest government-backed research fund recently opened applications for studies focused on stablecoins and their cross-border monitoring systems, offering grants ranging from 200,000 yuan (approximately $28,083) to 300,000 yuan ($42,126).

The central bank also plans to optimize the positioning of the digital yuan, allowing more commercial banks to participate in the pilot program that has been running in over two dozen cities since 2019, accumulating a transaction value exceeding 14 trillion yuan.

Zhu Hexin, director of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, indicated that nine new policy measures would soon be introduced to promote trade innovation and development, with the potential to bring positive developments for the growth of the crypto ecosystem in the Asian country. 

Wu Qing, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, also hinted at the possibility of such measures, stating that the regulator would review listing standards on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange’s ChiNext board to better align with the characteristics of emerging fields and future industries.

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson recently projected where Cardano would be by 2030, centering around adoption and market penetration. Hoskinson shared this in his conversation with pundit Sujal Jethwani, identifying where Cardano could be in the next five years and what the ecosystem needs to work on to become more competitive.

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Carl Higbie, host at Newsmax, recently discussed how cryptocurrencies like XRP could help the U.S. government eliminate its massive $37.8 trillion national debt.

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The XRP Stoch RSI has formed a golden cross on the weekly timeframe — an occurrence that previously led to massive price spikes. With XRP currently recovering from the latest market turbulence, multiple market experts believe it could be on the brink of a massive rally.

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Cardano consolidates within a symmetrical triangle, and a bullish breakout could spark a strong price rally past the $1 mark. Cardano (ADA) currently trades at $0.66, down 3% over the past 24 hours.

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The Ripple CTO, David Schwartz, has confirmed that the company can sell the rights to receive XRP tokens locked in its escrow accounts. He made this clarification during a community discussion that began after software engineer Vincent Van Code raised questions about how crypto data trackers report XRP's circulating supply compared to Bitcoin's.

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The host of the Working Money channel recently shared a bullish outlook on XRP, citing multiple experts to make a case for a run to two digits. His commentary suggested that a $15 price for XRP could be feasible in the long run.

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After months of growing uncertainty and anticipation, the debut of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for Hedera (HBAR) and Litecoin (LTC) is set to commence tomorrow, as confirmed by Canary Capital’s CEO Steven McClurg on Monday.

Hedera And Litecoin ETF Launches Imminent

Crypto reporter Eleanor Terret shared the news on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that the ETF launches for Litecoin and Hedera are imminent, with a statement from McClurg underscoring the excitement for the upcoming launch.

Notably, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has also made significant moves in the ETF sector by certifying 8-A filings and issuing listing notices for Bitwise Invest’s spot Solana (SOL) ETF launch tomorrow and Grayscale’s GSOL conversion slated for Wednesday.

Despite the ongoing government shutdown, these ETF debuts are proceeding smoothly, Terret confirmed. The legal processes behind ETF launches, including the crucial 8-A filings, have been completed successfully, paving the way for the launch of these investment vehicles.

ETF Listings Confirmed

Addressing concerns about Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approval during the shutdown, a key detail emerged: the issuers strategically included provisions in their amended S-1 filings, enabling automatic effectiveness 20 days post-filing. This ensures a seamless transition to trading without manual SEC approval.

Bloomberg’s ETF expert, Eric Balchunas, further corroborated this development on social media, confirming the listing notices for Bitwise, Canary, to launch imminently, with grayscale Solana’s conversion scheduled shortly after. Balchunas stated, “Assuming there’s not some last min SEC intervention, looks like this is happening.”

The news has sparked a recovery in HBAR and LTC prices. Litecoin has regained the key $100 mark with a 2% surge in the 24-hour time frame, while Hedera has seen similar gains of 2.1% during the same period. 

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

This article was first published on The Bit Journal.

When market experts, watchers and enthusiasts speak of bull market in crypto, wild rallies, retail joy and altcoins mooning, are easily brought to mind . However, this cycle seems different. For many, the term crypto bull market no longer means euphoric highs, it feels like a grind.

The blockchains are active, big-name institutions are all in and the charts are up. But the energy and optimism of past cycles is missing. This is the backdrop that is making experts question why this crypto bull market grind has emerged, what’s shaping it and how it’s different from 2017 and 2021.

Institutions Took Over the Room

The tale around this cycle starts with institutions. Certain market reports call 2025 the year the “world went on-chain”, highlighting institutional adoption and stablecoins as the main themes. Traditional banking, asset management, and fintech firms have dabbled and built infrastructure, custody networks, and tokenization platforms.

As a recent sources put it, they say financial institutions have embraced crypto after years of watching from the sidelines.

This has changed the market. Instead of chasing altcoin hype, many big players are focused on regulated corridors, institutional custody and real-world asset tokenization.

In effect; they own the pipes through which retail traders must flow. The result therefore is that the cycle looks more like the maturation of crypto’s financial plumbing and less like the wild west of earlier years.

Memecoins Became the Culture Engine and the Drain

While institutions professionalized the space, the opposite force roared from the grassroots which are meme coins. Humor, irony and community tokens exploded across chains, changing the tone of the cycle. According to sources, what began as satire became the dominant narrative of 2024 and 2025.

Data shows meme coin market is still growing but in a weird way. In 2025, it is estimated to be 5-7% of global crypto market-cap, or $80-90 billion.

Platforms like Pump.fun on Solana enabled millions of tokens to launch, but most traders lost money while infrastructure owners made the money.

That changed the psychology of the cycle. Retail that once chased broad altcoin seasons found themselves playing mini-token launches and the odds were stacked against the individual.

The meme coin culture thrived but the era of alt-season joy became harder to sustain.

Macro Pressures Squeezed Risk Appetite

Beyond institutions and meme culture, the macro environment has had a big impact on this crypto bull market grind. High interest rates, risk-off sentiment and liquidity constraints reportedly killed speculative flows. And indeed in 2025, capital seems more expensive and speculative asset classes (many altcoins included) have fewer positive developments.

As a result,  even though Bitcoin is at new highs, the rest of the market feels flat, lethargic or brutally repressed.

The interplay of institutional adoption which favors big, regulated assets, and macro caution which limits speculative leverage has created a cycle where growth exists but feels thin, incremental and far less exciting than previous bull runs.

Bitcoin’s Role in a Changing Narrative

Bitcoin on its own stays as the anchor. According to multiple market sources, Bitcoin price appreciation and growing legitimacy are backed by macro- and regulatory-driven forces not just hype. Reports say Bitcoin is core to crypto’s maturation.

This means the crypto bull market grind is less about risk-on altcoin explosions and more about consolidation, institutional ingress and standards of infrastructure.

For many in crypto, that is less exciting, but arguably more sustainable. The sentiment has shifted as this cycle is reinforcing the system rather than igniting wild outsized alts.

Conclusion

Combining these threads, a clearer picture of why the crypto bull market grind feels so different is obtained.

Institutional adoption has increased legitimacy but also anchored expectations around regulated assets rather than speculative up-swings.

Meme coins dominate cultural narratives but the upside is skewed and the environment is highly competitive and treacherous.

Macro conditions has restrained speculative flows and forced the market into a slower growth mode.

Bitcoin’s dominance means the broader market is less about wild rallies and more about incremental infrastructure growth and asset re-classification.

In short, this bull cycle is about transition from frontier experimentation to a more integrated, regulated, infrastructure-led phase of crypto.

This removes some of the fireworks but replaces them with the architecture of a financial system. For many who came for the “number goes up” style ride, the word “grind” feels apt.

Glossary

Altcoin: Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin.

Institutional adoption: The participation of big financial firms (banks; asset managers); in crypto assets and infrastructure.

Meme coin: A cryptocurrency built around internet memes; jokes or viral culture, with little underlying use.

Macro: Broad economic factors like interest rates, liquidity; inflation and risk appetite that affect asset markets.

Tokenization: Creating digital tokens to represent ownership of real-world assets; on a blockchain.

Bull: A market where prices are up everyone is positive and more people are buying.

Frequently Asked Questions About Crypto Bull Market Grind

Why does the 2025 crypto bull market feel different from past cycles?

Because the market is being shaped by institutional infrastructure; meme coin culture and macro constraints rather than widespread retail frenzy and broad alt-season surges.

Are meme coins still important in this cycle?

Yes, they are still culturally prominent and active, but their value dynamics are different. The infrastructure around them captures most of the returns and the environment is more competitive and less favorable for the average retail trader.

Is Bitcoin dominating because of maturity rather than hype?

Exactly. Bitcoin’s increasing institutional support; regulatory clarity and role as a foundational asset means it’s less subject to wild swings and more aligned with long-term finance systems.

Does this mean altcoins are dead?

Not dead, but altcoins face a tougher environment. With less speculative capital, more scrutiny and higher expectations for utility, only those with strong fundamentals and product-market fit are likely to perform.

Read More: Crypto’s Worst Bull Run? Why 2025’s Rally Feels More Like a Grind">Crypto’s Worst Bull Run? Why 2025’s Rally Feels More Like a Grind

As Cardano struggles to recover from the recent downturn, enthusiasts are debating the potential impact burns could have on ADA’s price. Cardano is gradually recovering from the recent downturn that pushed its price below the $0.35 mark on October 10.

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IBM has announced the launch of Digital Asset Haven, a new platform to help financial institutions and governments securely manage and scale their digital asset operations. The platform aims to provide an integrated system for managing the entire digital asset lifecycle, covering custody, transactions, and settlement.

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Mt. Gox, the defunct Tokyo-based Bitcoin exchange, has again postponed its creditor repayment deadline, and this time, to October 2026.

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The post You will see a 30 to 50% correction in many AI-related names next year, says Dan Niles appeared first on StartupHub.ai.

“You will see a 30 to 50% correction in many AI-related names next year,” stated Dan Niles, founder and portfolio manager at Niles Investment Management, during a recent appearance on CNBC’s ‘Money Movers’. Niles joined the broadcast to discuss his outlook on Big Tech earnings and the current market sentiment surrounding technology stocks, particularly those […]

The post You will see a 30 to 50% correction in many AI-related names next year, says Dan Niles appeared first on StartupHub.ai.

Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Tottenham and Bayern Munich are showing ‘real interest’ in struggling Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.

The Serbia international remains Juventus’ best scorer this season with four goals in 11 appearances across all competitions, but has not found the net since September 16.

Last night, he started in a 1-0 loss against Lazio, which marked Juventus’ third consecutive loss and Igor Tudor’s dismissal.

Juventus have not scored in four consecutive matches for the first time since 1991 and have gone eight games without winning for the first time since 2009.

Tudor had replaced Thiago Motta in March 2025, but it would be a mistake to consider him as only responsible for Juventus’ downfall in recent weeks.

Gazzetta noted that Juventus lack high-level players in the team and analysed the Vlahovic case.

Tottenham and Bayern Munich interested in Vlahovic

“Tudor changes the factors, but the product remains the same,” wrote Gazzetta dello Sport vice-editor Stefano Agresti.

“Juventus haven’t seen similar numbers since the Maifredi era in 1991.

“Vlahovic has lost the magic that had brought him back in harmony with the black-and-white world.

“The Serbian striker neither scores nor helps the team, sending the coach into a tailspin when it comes to choosing the formation and the focal point in attack.

“He could leave in January as Tottenham and Bayern Munich are showing real interest.”

Vlahovic set to leave Juventus in June 2026

Vlahovic’s contract at the Allianz Stadium expires at the end of the season, so the Bianconeri will be willing to listen to offers in the winter transfer window.

The Dogecoin price shows quiet strength as retail sentiment stays weak. Dormant whales accumulated 15.1 million DOGE, worth about $2.95 million, signaling renewed long-term confidence.

The move contrasts sharply with soft trading activity among small investors. Many retail holders continue to sell into every minor rally, showing limited confidence in short-term gains. The cautious behavior reflects broader market uncertainty and hesitation to buy at current levels.

Whales Reactivate as DOGE Accumulation Rises

On-chain data reveals a steady accumulation of DOGE by high-value wallets. One whale address reactivated after months of dormancy, adding 15.1 million DOGE to its holdings. 

It later sold 7,473 DOGE for about $1,450, leaving 15.19 million DOGE valued near $12.96 million. Analysts view this as a strong signal that institutional or early adopters are positioning ahead of the next market phase.

While retail traders appear cautious, large wallets are quietly adding exposure. This split in behavior highlights an ongoing tug-of-war between speculative exit and long-term accumulation.

Whale Accumulation Signals Faith

Dormant whale accumulation often precedes renewed confidence among experienced holders. These “smart money” actors typically buy when the Dogecoin price trades near historical support zones. Their activity indicates belief in a medium- to long-term recovery, even when short-term metrics appear bearish.

Also Read: Thumzup Media to Accept Dogecoin Payments for Creators in Major Crypto Integration

Whale wallets moving after long silence also suggest that value recognition is returning to the meme-coin sector. Despite a weak broader market, their actions may mark early groundwork for the next uptrend.

Weak Retail Sentiment Persists

Despite whale optimism, retail traders are doing the opposite. CryptoQuant data shows that the Spot Taker CVD remained negative through October, signaling sustained selling pressure. This metric reveals that most traders continue to execute aggressive sell orders rather than buy into dips.

Supporting this, Coinalyze data reports a persistent negative Buy–Sell Delta. Over the past 30 days, Dogecoin recorded 156.67 million in sell volume versus 154.88 million in buy volume — a net negative of 1.79 million DOGE. This imbalance confirms that retail enthusiasm has yet to return.

Technical Setup Remains Bearish

The DOGE USD price is still hovering below the main moving averages. It is bellow the 20,50,100 and 200 EMA lines which are pointing down. The Directional Movement Index supports this view, as the Positive Index is very close to 12 and the Negative was near 39.

Buyers need to break more than $0.20 (20 EMA level) for the Dogecoin price trend to become bullish. A follow-through recovery back above the 50–100 EMA zone. 

Around $0.21 is likely to pave the way for an extension of the up-move towards the $0.22 intermediate hurdle in the near-term. If it does not, the price can remain range-bound between $0.17 and $0.20 for an extended period.

Market Momentum Building Slowly

Despite the present soft performance, Dogecoin price exhibits superior resilience when compared to larger altcoins. It was up more than 2% this week compared with the CD5 index. Trading volume was 9.8% above the seven-day average, a sign of institutional participation.

The pattern suggests “early-cycle momentum building,” says market strategist Rishi Patel of Bluepool Digital. “DOGE’s resilience while Bitcoin and Ethereum consolidate suggests rotation flows are returning to higher-beta assets,” Patel said.

Chart Indicators Show Stability

Technical charts indicate that dogecoin is supported by an uptrendline, drawn from $0.1949 low on the hourly chart. Steady re-tests at $0.2060–$0.2070 support indicate buyers remain in the market daily. RSI is sitting at around 58 on the 4-hour — just like you’d expect early in a trend.

The MACD indicator remains in the positive area but starts to narrow, indicating light consolidation following an attempt to break out. This action suggests re-accumulation, not exhaustion, analysts said. The bias remains bullish with sustained closes above $0.2085.

What Lies Ahead for Dogecoin Price

But if buyers take over, Dogecoin price may rise towards $0.22 and then at the end of this week or next, to $0.25 ahead of new conditions next month. But an inability to take out the resistance levels may extend sluggishness. 

Although most long-term holders still talk about DOGE as a speculative — yet resiliently decentralized– digital asset. Its strong community and growing whale interest keeps its story running even in slow markets.

Conclusion

The Dogecoin price narrative today is emblematic of the quiet confidence beneath the surface. Whales that were previously dormant are accruing millions, while retail traders are even hopping out.

Technicals are still cautious, momentum indicates slow-building recovery. If DOGE can break above $0.20 and maintain, that will signify its next leg. For the time being, the whales seemed to be gambling that patience would pay.

Also Read: Dogecoin Price Calm May End Soon as Analysts Eye $0.5 Breakout

Appendix: Glossary of Key Terms

Whale: A name for someone holding a large quantity of cryptocurrency who is able to manipulate the market.

Dormant Wallet: A cryptocurrency or blockchain wallet that has gone dormant, and is either empty or contains an insignificant sum of cryptocurrency.

On-Chain Data: Information written to a blockchain itself, which can be utilized to track wallet movements, transactions and the general health of network.

Retail Traders: Small, individual investors usually trading in small quantities who generally follow the short-term market favourite.

Spot Taker CVD: A measure of trading that compares volumes of buying and selling in the spot market, with negative values indicating pressure to sell.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dogecoin Price

1- Is the Dogecoin price bullish or bearish?

Short-term signals remain bearish, but whale accumulation hints at early bullish positioning.

2- Why are whales buying Dogecoin?

Dormant wallets suggest long-term investors see value at current levels and expect gradual recovery.

3- What price levels should traders watch?

Key resistance sits at $0.20 and $0.21. A breakout above $0.2085 could confirm new upside momentum.

4- Are retail traders supporting the move?

Not yet. Retail sentiment remains weak, with net selling pressure persisting for most of October.

Read More: Dogecoin Whales Accumulate 15 Million DOGE as Retail Traders Exit the Market">Dogecoin Whales Accumulate 15 Million DOGE as Retail Traders Exit the Market

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson highlights a major milestone for the blockchain, one that could transform the network into the financial backbone of the agent economy. Earlier today, Patrick Tobler, developer of Mansumi Network, announced the minting of the first x402-standard proof-of-concept (PoC) meme coin on Cardano.

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LMAX Group strategist Joel Kruger believes the Bitcoin and crypto market is staging a strong comeback after weeks of struggle following the Oct. 10 crash.

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Binance co-founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao has reacted to the staggering numbers of Binance Coin (BNB) tokens burned every minute. BNB implemented the auto-burn mechanism in December 2021, which automatically chalks off a portion of its supply from circulation.

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XRP has the potential to reach higher price levels if it maintains its market dominance when the total crypto market cap hits $10 trillion, $50 trillion, or $100 trillion. The global crypto market now stands at about $3.8 trillion, and analysts believe it still has plenty of room to grow.

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Tradeship University’s founder, Cameron Scrubs, has stirred excitement in the XRP community, suggesting that a major price move could be just around the corner. Indeed, market sentiment around XRP is heating up again, as the coin is now trading at a new weekly high after several days of ranging.

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Dom Kwok, the co-founder of EasyA, has insisted that XRP has a much stronger chance to surge a hundredfold compared to Bitcoin. Kwok made this assertion in a recent discussion within the XRP community after he countered claims from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong that crypto assets like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) are not too expensive for the average retail investor.

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XRP open interest on Binance has again reset to yearly lows, giving the XRP market more room to breathe. This is largely due to the Oct.

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The XRP community has unearthed a past statement in which Ripple CTO David Schwartz said the company pursues business models that benefit XRP’s price. Specifically, Schwartz made the comment exactly eight years ago, on October 27, 2017.

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President of NovaDius Wealth Management, Nate Geraci, has suggested that spot XRP ETFs could potentially debut as early as next month. Geraci shared this optimistic outlook via a viral meme that illustrates the current state of spot crypto ETFs.

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Multiple sources claim that Luciano Spalletti and Raffaele Palladino are the leading candidates to replace Igor Tudor, who was sacked by Juventus this morning.

Spalletti and Palladino are the frontrunners for the Juventus job, according to various sources, including Fabrizio Romano and Matteo Moretto.

Palladino and Spalletti linked with Juventus job

Spalletti was sacked by the Italy national team in June, while Palladino left Fiorentina by mutual consent at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

Juventus confirmed Tudor’s sacking with an official statement on Monday morning after the team had lost three consecutive matches and failed to score in the last four.

Juventus have interim coach for Udinese game

Juventus also confirmed that Massimiliano Brambilla, the NextGen coach, will lead the team in the next two days and be in charge when the Old Lady host Udinese in the next Serie A game on Tuesday.

Tudor has won 10 of his 24 matches as Juventus coach. He was appointed in March 2025 to replace Thiago Motta.

Both coaches remain under contract at the Allianz Stadium until June 2027.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Juventus have sacked their coach, Igor Tudor, with an official statement expected later today.

• Official statement: Juventus have sacked Tudor

Tudor is no longer the Juventus coach, and the Croatian tactician has already been informed about the club’s decision, according to Gazzetta.

Juventus sack Tudor

The pink paper claims that Juventus will confirm Tudor’s sacking with an official statement later today.

According to the report, Juventus NextGen boss Massimo Brambilla will likely lead the team as an interim coach in a Serie A game against Udinese in just two days.

Reports in Italy on Monday morning suggested Juventus would wait until the next match to sack Tudor, but the situation has evolved since.

Tudor’s poor results at Juventus

Juventus have lost their last three games and have not scored in their last four outings.

Furthermore, they have gone eight consecutive matches without winning.

Fabrizio Romano confirms that Juventus have already decided to sack Tudor and will now make the formal steps forward to relieve him from his duties.

Tudor was appointed in March 2025 to replace Thiago Motta. Both Motta and Tudor are under contract with Juventus until 2027.

Correctly calling a market peak is a notoriously tricky endeavor.

Case in point: When tech stocks and startup funding hit their last cyclical peak four years ago, few knew it was the optimal time to cease new deals and cash in liquidatable holdings.

This time around, quite a few market watchers are wondering if the tech stock and AI boom has reached bubble territory. And, as we explored in Friday’s column, there are plenty of similarities between current conditions and the 2021 peak.

Even so, by other measures we’re also in starkly different territory. The current boom is far more concentrated in AI and a handful of hot companies. The exit environment is also much quieter. And of course, the macro conditions don’t resemble 2021, which had the combined economic effects of the COVID pandemic and historically low interest rates.

Below, we look at four of the top reasons why this time is different.

No. 1: Funding is largely going into AI, while other areas aren’t seeing a boom

Four years ago, funding to most venture-backed sectors was sharply on the rise. That’s not the case this time around. While AI megarounds accumulate, funding to startups in myriad other sectors continues to languish.

Biotech is on track to capture the smallest percentage of U.S. venture investment on record this year. Cleantech investment looks poised to hit a multiyear low. And consumer products startups also remain out of vogue, alongside quite a few other sectors that once attracted big venture checks.

The emergence of AI haves and non-AI have-nots means that if we do see a correction, it could be limited in scope. Sectors that haven’t seen a boom by definition won’t see a post-boom crash. (Though further declines are possible.)

No. 2: The IPO market is not on fire

The new offering market was on fire in 2020 and 2021, with traditional IPOs, direct listings and SPAC mergers all flooding exchanges with new ticker symbols to track.

In recent quarters, by contrast, the IPO market has been alive, but not especially lively. We’ve seen a few large offerings, with CoreWeave, Figma and Circle among the standouts.

But overall, numbers are way down.

In 2021, there were hundreds of U.S. seed or venture-backed companies that debuted on NYSE or Nasdaq, per Crunchbase data. This year, there have been less than 50.

Meanwhile, the most prominent unicorns of the AI era, like OpenAI and Anthropic, remain private companies with no buzz about an imminent IPO. As such, they don’t see the day-to-day fluctuations typical of public companies. Any drop in valuation, if it happens, could play out slowly and quietly.

No. 3: Funding is concentrated among fewer companies

That brings us to our next point: In addition to spreading their largesse across fewer sectors, startup investors are also backing fewer companies.

This year, the percentage of startup funding going to megarounds of $100 million or more reached an all-time high in the U.S. and came close to a record global level. A single deal, OpenAI’s $40 billion March financing, accounted for roughly a quarter of  U.S. megaround funding.

At the same time, fewer startup financings are getting done. This past quarter, for instance, reported deal count hit the lowest level in years, even as investment rose.

No. 4: ZIRP era is long gone

The last peak occurred amid an unusual financial backdrop, with economies beginning to emerge from the depths of the COVID pandemic and ultra-low interest rates contributing to investors shouldering more risk in pursuit of returns.

This time around, the macro environment is in a far different place, with “a “low fire, low hire” U.S. job market, AI disrupting or poised to disrupt a wide array of industries and occupations, a weaker dollar and a long list of other unusual drivers.

What both periods share in common, however, is the inexorable climb of big tech valuations, which brings us to our final thought.

Actually, maybe the similarities do exceed differences

While the argument that this time it’s different is a familiar one, the usual plot lines do tend to repeat themselves. Valuations overshoot, and they come down. And then the cycle repeats.

We may not have reached the top of the current cycle. But it’s certainly looking a lot closer to peak than trough.

Related Crunchbase query:

• Rounds Raised By Startups Using AI

Related reading:

• The Great ‘AI Bubble’ Debate
• The Last Market Boom Ended 4 Years Ago. Here’s How Current Conditions Look Similar
• Biotech Share Of US Funding Hits Lowest Point In Crunchbase History
• Cleantech On Track For Weak Funding Year
• A Record Share Of Startup Funding Is Going To $100M+ Rounds
• SoftBank And OpenAI Make History With Largest Startup Financing Ever

Illustration: Dom Guzman

Kyrgyzstan has introduced a new stablecoin, KGST, pegged 1:1 to the national currency, the som. Additionally, the country has established a national cryptocurrency reserve to support its expanding blockchain ecosystem.

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A well-known XRP community figure recently called attention to a tightening XRP liquidity on Binance, arguing that a large buy could push prices up. Notably, XRP has recently recovered to above $2.6 after days of range-bound price action.

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Cardano permabull Dan Gambardello has continued to hint at an explosive Cardano move, recently arguing that the token could increase twofold out of nowhere. His analysis sounds a clarion call to those sleeping on Cardano, especially as the token enters a recovery state.

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The prospect of retiring on cryptocurrencies is gaining momentum, and Cardano holders are among those hoping their ADA bags deliver such upside. Cardano has joined a broader market recovery today, rallying 5% over the past 24 hours to reach $0.6861.

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Global payments leader Western Union is preparing to launch a stablecoin-based settlement pilot, marking its most significant move toward blockchain-powered remittances. Specifically, the pilot aims to improve the company’s approach to managing its extensive payment network, which processes 70 million transactions quarterly across 200 countries and serves over 150 million customers worldwide.

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With Shiba Inu enduring a double-digit decline this October, investors are now shifting their focus to November in hopes of a potential recovery. October has historically been a strong month for Shiba Inu and the broader crypto market, often delivering major price rallies.

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Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has recently stressed that XRP remains the heartbeat of the company’s long-term vision. Garlinghouse made this known while celebrating the completion of the Hidden Road deal.

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With XRP ranging for the past two weeks after a major liquidation event, an analyst has identified what may likely come next. For context, this major liquidation event occurred during the sudden Oct.

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The global crypto market rose sharply over the weekend, as Bitcoin and major altcoins gained on better economic news and large short liquidations. Market data showed that Bitcoin rose 3.4% on Sunday to a two-week high of $115,400, before stabilizing around $115,226.

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Content creator OxManuel has made a bold prediction on Cardano and the prospect that its future price trajectory will retire current holders. OxManuel shared these thoughts in his recent X post, maintaining a bullish stance on the cryptocurrency.

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Over the years, a number of indicators have emerged that have often helped to pinpoint the Bitcoin bull market peak. These indicators have been triggered in previous cycles, and their triggers have often been a signal that it was time to get out of the market, as a new bear market is underway. However, this time around, even with the Bitcoin price hitting multiple new all-time highs, none of these cycle peak indicators have been triggered, suggesting that the market top has yet to be reached.

0 Out Of 30 Bull Market Peak Indicators Triggered

The Bull Market Peak Indicator tracker on the Coinglass website follows a total of 30 indicators that follow 30 indicators that show the progress of the Bitcoin bull market toward reaching a top. Some major ones include the Bitcoin Bubble Index, the Puell Multiple, the Bitcoin Rainbow Chart, and the Altcoin Season Index, among others.

Usually, these indicators are tracked on a scale of 0-100%, with 0% meaning that it is far from being triggered and 100% showing that an indicator has been triggered. If only a few of these get to the 100% mark and are triggered, it usually doesn’t mean that the Bitcoin peak has been reached.

However, even now, not one of these indicators has been triggered. Most continue to remain quite low, while the likes of the Bitcoin dominance are high, but still have not been triggered. For there to be a definite progress toward the Bitcoin market peak, at least half of these would have to be triggered.

What This Means For Investors

Since none of the bull market peak indicators have been triggered, it means that the Bitcoin price might actually be far away from its all-time high. With the score still being 0 out of 30, it points to this being a time to hold, despite the declines that the market has suffered recently.

According to a previous report from Bitcoinist, this was the case a few months ago, and now two months later, the tracker remains the same. Thus, it could be that $126,000 is not the all-time high for Bitcoin, and that the market could end up getting an altcoin season after all.

In the case that more than half of the bull market peak indicators do get triggered, then it means that the top of the market is getting close. Once it gets to 30/30, then it signals the start of the next bear market, and this is when selling is at its highest in the market, leading to rapid price declines across the board.

EasyA co-founder Dom Kwok has doubled down on his $1,000 XRP price prediction, urging holders to remain patient. This latest outlook follows a lighthearted exchange on X, where user Stealth asked Kwok what to do with his XRP holdings.

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How much would the XRP price have grown by 2035 if the XRP Ledger (XRPL) introduced a fee-burning mechanism like Ethereum's EIP-1559? For context, the XRPL already destroys a small amount of XRP with each transaction, but this feature only exists to prevent spam, not to generate revenue or reduce supply over time.

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Amid growing predictions that Shiba Inu could reach $0.0001, findings reveal that the token’s enormous supply makes that target a dead-end projection. Since Shiba Inu reached its all-time high of $0.00008845 in October 2021, several community analysts have identified $0.0001 as the next major target.

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The XRP/BTC monthly chart has finally snapped the long diagonal that’s capped XRP since 2018, and one analyst on X thinks that shift could rewrite the pecking order. Posting under the handle X Finance Bull (XFB), the analyst argued that XRP will soon start to outperform Bitcoin. 

This is because the XRP/BTC pair has not only broken out but also retested the trendline as support, and this has certified the start of a new buildup of momentum.

Retest Of A Six-Year Breakout Trendline

The mid-October flash crash that rippled through the crypto market left a visible mark on the XRP/BTC chart, creating a deep downward wick that momentarily dipped below the long-standing resistance trendline. However, as Bitcoin started to recover to above $110,000, XRP struggled to keep up and lost ground relative to Bitcoin. 

Interestingly, price action shows that this move was short-lived, and XRP has started to recover against Bitcoin in recent trading sessions. As shown on the monthly candlestick timeframe chart below, the wick fell to the exact level of the breakout retest, a point where former resistance turned into new support.

This breakout occurred in late 2024/early 2025, when XRP outperformed Bitcoin for three consecutive months. From there, the XRP/Bitcoin pair was able to break out of a downward-sloping resistance trendline of lower highs spanning over six years. 

Since then, however, 2025 has been characterized by more months of Bitcoin outperforming XRP than months of XRP outperforming Bitcoin, with October falling into the former group of months. Particularly, during the flash crash, the XRP/BTC pair plunged to around 0.000007 before rebounding almost immediately, a move that, according to XFB, represents the long-awaited retest of the broken trendline.

XRP/Bitcoin 1M chart. Source: @Xfinancebull

Since that retest, XRP has recovered impressively, with the pair maintaining a monthly close above the diagonal that once acted as a ceiling. This technical confirmation signals the completion of the breakout from the 2018 to 2024 downtrend that had defined XRP’s multi-year underperformance against Bitcoin. The monthly structure is now displaying the early signs of an upward shift, with the pair trading around 0.00002258 BTC.

XRP To Decouple And Outperform Bitcoin?

According to the analyst, XRP is about to undergo a rally that massively outperforms Bitcoin and melts the face of many Bitcoin maximalists. XFB’s chart outlines two target zones ahead for XRP: 0.00014688 BTC and 0.00023009 BTC. The first target corresponds to the consolidation area seen between 2018 and 2019, while the second represents a major resistance cluster from the earlier phase of XRP’s creation. If XRP/BTC rallies to those levels, it would amount to approximately a 6x and 10x gain relative to Bitcoin, respectively.

The analyst also connects the technical setup to Ripple’s growing institutional ecosystem. He pointed to Ripple Prime, GTreasury, Metaco, Standard Custody, and Rail as part of the infrastructure that’s setting up XRP as a bridge asset for global finance. These partnerships give XRP an edge heading into the coming months, as it moves into real institutional utility and starts outperforming Bitcoin.

If these developments continue, the incoming decoupling of the XRP/BTC pair could become one of the most significant events for XRP. At the time of writing, XRP is trading at $3.63, up by 3.5% in the past 24 hours.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Ethereum’s largest non-exchange holders are tiptoeing back into accumulation. On-chain analytics platform Santiment reported that wallets holding between 100 and 10,000 ETH, also known as whales and sharks, have begun to rebuild positions after unloading roughly 1.36 million ETH between October 5 and 16. 

Notably, the Ethereum collective holdings chart shows that nearly one-sixth of those coins have already been clawed back, as some confidence starts to return to the second-largest crypto asset.

Whales Reverse Course After Early-October Capitulation

The first half of October was highlighted by one of Ethereum’s most pronounced periods of capitulation this year. Macroeconomic fears due to US tariffs saw the Bitcoin price undergo a flash crash that dragged many altcoins to the downside. During this move, Ethereum’s price also fell very quickly, dropping from highs around $4,740 on October 7 to as low as $3,680 on October 11. 

Interestingly, on-chain data shows that the selling pressure from large holders amplified this move, as the chart from Santiment shows a steep decline in their cumulative holdings from about 24.5 million ETH to roughly 22.6 million ETH. This 1.9 million ETH drop reflected clear risk-off behavior among whales and sharks, who had been net buyers since August.

However, once selling momentum began to fade, accumulation started to return. Institutional inflows started to return into Spot Ethereum ETFs, and whale/shark trades started accumulating Ethereum. Since October 16, the same cohort that contributed to the liquidation has begun adding back to their positions. Santiment noted that these holders are finally showing some signs of confidence, demonstrating an incoming extended recovery phase following the shakeout.

218,470 ETH Added In Last 7 Days

According to Santiment’s data, the collective holdings of addresses with 100 to 10,000 ETH have rebounded to approximately 23.05 million ETH after bottoming out in mid-October. A highlighted annotation on the chart shows that 218,470 ETH were accumulated in just the past week, signaling a tangible shift in on-chain behavior. 

Ethereum collective holdings of wallets holding 100-10,000 ETH. Source: Santiment

This increase represents roughly one-sixth of the coins previously dumped, a sign that major investors are gradually re-entering the market after what appeared to be an exhaustion phase. Similar accumulation trends have often preceded a broader recovery in Ethereum’s price, especially when accompanied by stabilization in the ETH/BTC trading pair.

As it stands, the Ethereum price appears to be building a firmer base for the next phase of its recovery heading into November. When whale wallets accumulate, it reduces the circulating supply available on exchanges and reduces selling pressure.

At the time of writing, Ethereum is trading at $3,940 and is on track to break and close above $4,000 again. Both Ethereum and Bitcoin have risen a bit in recent days after inflation report showed US inflation cooling to 3% in September, below the 3.1% forecasted by economists. 

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Elia Caprile proved once again today that he is a great goalkeeper and Cagliari made a wise decision demanding at least €18m to sell in the summer, as now he’ll be worth more.

The shot-stopper made some more incredible saves in the 2-2 draw against Hellas Verona today at the Stadio Bentegodi, keeping his team in the game for their late comeback against the run of play.

Cagliari President Tommaso Giulini had bought him outright from Napoli for €8m and the idea was to sell, but only if a big offer came along, just like the one they accepted from Fiorentina for Roberto Piccoli.

Impressive Caprile will cost the big clubs

Caprile was given a price-tag of no less than €15-18m to even consider a transfer, and as nobody turned up with that kind of money, Giulini was happy to keep the goalkeeper.

His performances have been remarkable so far this season, as not a week goes by without some extraordinary saves hitting the headlines, and his consistency is so impressive.

Caprile only celebrated his 24^th birthday a couple of months ago, and it’s easy to assume the step up to the next level has only been delayed a little bit.

Now a few big clubs have already set their sights on a goalie who is destined to be a protagonist in the next transfer sessions.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic had been linked with a return to Serie A, above all for Juventus, but the ex-Lazio midfielder has renewed his contract with Al-Hilal.

The official announcement came from the Saudi Pro League side today, confirming what had been reported by our Sportitalia colleague Gianluigi Longari on October 17, who knew the rumours of an Italian comeback were unlikely to come true.

Milinkovic-Savic always a tough candidate for Juventus

It would’ve been a tough move to make work for a number of reasons, none more so than the head-spinning salary the Serbian commands at Al-Hilal.

He has also been reunited at the club with coach Simone Inzaghi, who had already worked with him closely during their time together at Lazio.

 

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Milinkovic-Savic was one of the first to truly believe in the ambitious projects in Saudi Arabian football, and the investments continue to keep building those plans.

Juventus did have a real chance of tempting him before the move to Al-Hilal was made, but had to surrender when faced with the sheer figures on offer.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa has proven, once again, that he has become a giant for Napoli, not only with his crucial goal against Inter on Saturday evening, but also through his performances, showing that he can flex his muscles and walk the walk. 

Napoli got it spot on with Anguissa

The Cameroon international was on the scoresheet, restoring Napoli’s two-goal lead in their 3-1 victory over Inter on Saturday evening, which has sent the Partenopei back up to the top of the Serie A standings after eight matches. 

Anguissa, towards the end of last season, had a moment of hesitation, considering potential opportunities elsewhere after having helped Napoli to two Scudetti within the last three years. 

In the end, his desire was to stay on with Napoli, where he has proved himself as a key player under Antonio Conte, despite the arrivals of Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne over the last two years. 

And so, his contract was extended, and is now set to expire in 2027. This was the perfect outcome for Napoli, and it comes as a reward for Anguissa’s unquestionably key performances over the last few seasons. 

Anguissa is becoming an increasingly key figure within Partenopei circles, and a renewal could not have been any more appropriate. 

Juventus have been taking positive steps forwards in their attempts to hand a new contract extension to star attacker Kenan Yildiz, who has been subject of interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs over the last few weeks, including Real Madrid. 

Yildiz, Juve’s posterboy and star of the Turkey national team at the age of 20, has been in talks over a new contract extension, which is expected to come with a significant increase in salary, reflective of his recent performances in Serie A and the Champions League. 

Yildiz is already tied to the club until the summer of 2029, but is expected to pen a one-year extension until 2030 with a salary offer that will make him one of the highest earners within the squad. 

Gazzetta: Juventus taking positive steps in Yildiz talks

Juventus are also hoping that a new contract will also fend off interest from the likes of Real Madrid, who are reportedly prepared to offer staggering fees in order to sign Yildiz from the Bianconeri. 

As per La Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus have taken ‘positive steps’ towards a contract extension for Yildiz in recent days. 

The player’s mother and father, along with his agent, have been called into Continassa to discuss Yildiz’s future with general manager Damien Comolli over the last week. 

La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Juventus are prepared to offer Yildiz a salary in the region of €5m to €6m per season, which will make one of the highest earners in the current Juventus squad. Only the recent free agent Jonathan David and fellow centre-forward Dusan Vlahovic earn above the €6m-per-season mark in net salary in the current Juventus set-up. 

Crypto influencer Coach JV has reaffirmed his long-term conviction in XRP, calling the current era “the greatest shift in humanity.” In his latest post on X, he shared an updated list of his top holdings. He expressed confidence that the next five years will redefine global finance and wealth creation.

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Cardano’s price could potentially surge into triple digits if Elon Musk were to promote ADA on his platform, X. Amid the ongoing relief rally, Cardano has posted a modest 1.12% gain, rising to $0.6525 in the hours leading up to press time.

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What could XRP price rise to by 2030 if staking protocols lock up 80% of the token's circulating supply? Notably, the XRP Ledger (XRPL) has been around for more than ten years, yet it still doesn't include a built-in staking feature.

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Following the devastating collapse of Shiba Inu, the path to $0.0001 is gradually becoming a marathon without a finish line. Since Shiba Inu reached its previous all-time high (ATH) of $0.00008845, many community members have been looking forward to when the token would set a new record price of $0.0001 and beyond.

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Pro-XRP software engineer Vincent Van Code has sparked renewed optimism across the XRP community. In a tweet, he hinted at major developments on the horizon for XRP.

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Software engineer Vincent Van Code says he hasn't seen an investment like XRP in his entire lifetime, insisting it has low risk but high potential. Vincent Van Code said this while highlighting how every investment decision carries risk and the potential for returns.

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Ripple President Monica Long has expressed strong optimism about the future of XRP. Long shared her upbeat outlook on the company’s trajectory following the completion of its acquisition of Hidden Road, which now rebrands as Ripple Prime.

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Legal expert Bill Morgan has clarified that Ripple Chairman Chris Larsen once held significantly more XRP when it traded below one cent. His comment seeks to counter claims that his recent 50 million XRP transfer was a sell-off.

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Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has made a powerful statement reaffirming the company’s unwavering commitment to XRP. For context, Ripple announced it has finalized the acquisition of the leading prime brokerage platform, Hidden Road.

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Despite the ongoing XRP price struggles, prominent market watcher EGRAG insists the altcoin shows no bearishness, as its chart still shows strength. For context, XRP has been one of the biggest victims of the ongoing broader market downturn.

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Market technician Javon Marks has identified a repeating structure on the XRP chart that could push prices to a new all-time high. Marks' commentary came amid XRP's price struggles, which appear to be nearing an end.

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JPMorgan Chase plans to launch a new program that will allow institutional investors to use Bitcoin and Ethereum as loan collateral by late 2025. The initiative will engage a third-party custodian to manage and protect the pledged crypto assets.

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Asheesh Birla, CEO of Evernorth, has unveiled a new vision for the XRP ecosystem. In his video message, Birla described Evernorth as a publicly traded XRP treasury that provides simple, regulated, and liquid exposure to XRP.

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The pro-crypto City of Lugano in Switzerland has reinstated the statue honoring the legacy of the pseudonymous Bitcoin founder, Satoshi Nakamoto. Still unknown, yet his legacy continues to grow.

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The post Intel’s AI Ambitions Face Economic and Geopolitical Headwinds appeared first on StartupHub.ai.

Intel’s recent Q3 earnings report offered a much-needed reprieve, signaling a potential turnaround for the legacy chipmaker, yet the path to sustainable, high-growth viability remains fraught with strategic and economic uncertainties, particularly concerning its pivot to artificial intelligence. While the market reacted positively to the latest figures, Swissquote Bank Senior Analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya, in a […]

The post Intel’s AI Ambitions Face Economic and Geopolitical Headwinds appeared first on StartupHub.ai.

Nearly four years ago, the market hit a cyclical peak under conditions that in many ways look quite similar to what we’re seeing today.

Sky-high public tech valuations. Booming startup investment. Sharply rising valuations. And, a few cracks emerging on the new offering front.

Sure, there are quite a few differences in the investment environment, which we’ll explore in a follow-on piece. For this first installment, however, we are focusing on the commonalities, with an eye to the four highlighted above.

No. 1: Sky-high public tech valuations

First, both then and now, tech stocks hit unprecedented highs.

In mid-November 2021, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index hit an all-time peak above 16,000. Gains stemmed largely from sharply rising tech share prices.

Today, the Nasdaq is hovering not far below a new all-time high of over 23,000. The five most valuable tech companies have a collective market cap of more than $16 trillion. Other hot companies, like AMD, Palantir Technologies and Broadcom have soared to record heights this year.

While private startups don’t see day-to-day valuation gyrations like publicly traded companies, their investors do take cues from public markets. When public-market bullishness subsides, private up rounds tend to diminish as well.

No. 2: Booming startup investment

In late 2021, just like today, venture investment was going strong.

Last time, admittedly, it was much stronger. Global startup funding shattered all records in 2021, with more than $640 billion invested. That was nearly double year-earlier levels. Funding surged to a broad swathe of startup sectors, with fintech in particular leading the gains.

For the first three quarters of this year, by contrast, global investment totaled a more modest $303 billion. However, that’s still on track for the highest tally in years. The core driver is, of course, voracious investor appetite for AI leaders, evidenced by OpenAI’s record-setting $40 billion financing in March.

The pace of unicorn creation is also picking up, which brings us to our next similarity.

No. 3: Up rounds and sharply rising valuations

At the last market peak, valuations for hot startups soared, driven in large part by heated competition among startup investors to get into pre-IPO rounds.

This time around, we’re also seeing sought-after startups raising follow-on rounds in quick succession, commonly at sharply escalated valuations. Per Crunchbase data, dozens of companies have scaled from Series A to Series C within just a couple of years, including several that took less than 12 months.

We’re also seeing prominent unicorns raising follow-on rounds at a rapid pace this year. Standouts include generative AI giants as well as hot startups in vertical AI, cybersecurity and defense tech.

No. 4: A few cracks emerging

During the 2021 market peak, even when the overall investment climate was buzzier than ever, we did see some worrisome developments and areas of declining valuations.

For that period, one of the earlier indicators was share-price deterioration for many of the initial companies to go public via SPAC. By late 2021, it had become clear that there were numerous “truly terrible performers” among the cohort, including well-known names such as WeWork, Metromile and Buzzfeed.

This time around, the new offerings market hasn’t been quite so active. But among those that did go public in recent months, performance has been decidedly mixed. Shares of Figma, one of the hottest IPOs in some time, are down more than 60% from the peak.

Online banking provider Chime and stablecoin platform Circle have shown similar declines.

At this point, these are still generously valued companies by many metrics. But it’s also worth noting the share price direction in recent months has been downward, not upward.

Next: Watch for more cracks

Looking ahead, one of the more reliable techniques to determine whether we are approaching peak or already past is to look for more cracks in the investment picture. Are GenAI hotshots struggling to secure financing at desired valuations? Is the IPO pipeline still sluggish? Are public tech stocks no longer cresting ever-higher heights?

Cracks can take some time to emerge, but inevitably, they do.

Related reading:

• Global Venture Funding And Unicorn Creation In 2021 Shattered All Records 
• Q1 Global Startup Funding Posts Strongest Quarter Since Q2 2022 With A Third Going To Massive OpenAI Deal  
• Highest Count Of New Unicorns Join Crunchbase Board In Over 3 Years As Exits Also Gain Steam
• These Are The Speediest Companies To Go From Series A To Series C
• Truly Terrible Performers Multiply Among Startups Taking SPAC Route To Market

Illustration: Dom Guzman

In a competitive hiring environment, the ability to find exceptional talent that isn’t necessarily knocking down your door is hugely desired and not always easy to attain. That’s why so many companies these days are turning to AI-powered talent acquisition and management startups to help them mine for exceptional candidates.

One such startup, Findem, has secured $51 million in equity and debt funding, the company tells Crunchbase News exclusively.

The raise includes a $36 million Series C led by SLW (Silver Lake Waterman) with participation from Wing Venture Capital, Harmony Capital and Four Rivers Group, as well as $15 million in growth financing from JP Morgan. The financing brings Findem’s total funding since its 2019 inception to $105 million, with $90 million of that being equity, per the company.

Redwood City, California-based Findem’s mission is simple, even if its methods are not. It aims to transform how businesses “identify, attract and engage top talent.”

The startup uses what it calls 3D talent data (out of a dataset developed out of 1.6 trillion data points) that it combines with AI to automate “key parts of the talent lifecycle.” And those parts include building “top-of-funnel” pipelines of interested candidates, executive search and analyzing workforce and labor markets.

In an interview with Crunchbase News, co-founder and CEO Hari Kolam said that Findem’s user base surged by “about 100x” in the last 12 months and that the company is experiencing 3x year-over-year growth. Its enterprise customer base increased by 3x over the last year.

It has a user base of more than 12,000 customers, including from Adobe, Box, Medallia, Nutanix and RingCentral, Kolam said.

Currently, Findem operates under a SaaS business model, charging per seat. As it expands its agentic abilities, the company plans to add an outcome-based model as well, according to Kolam. It is not yet profitable.

Findem is just one of more than a dozen startups at the intersection of AI and recruitment globally that have raised venture capital in 2025. As of early September, global startup investment for startups in the HR, recruitment and employment categories totaled around $2.3 billion, per Crunchbase data. That puts funding on track for a year-over-year gain, even as investment remains at a fraction of the levels hit during the market peak, as charted below.

How it works

Watching Findem’s platform in action provides better insight into just how it helps companies zero in on the specific talent for which they’re searching.

Say a startup wants to hire a software engineer who has worked at a company from its early days until it raised a Series C funding round. But it also wants that engineer to have a GitHub profile that it can view. Or, say a company wants to hire competitive coders who have seen a successful exit, or a CFOs who drove a company from a negative operating margin to a positive one.

Findem’s software will allow you to filter for all those desired attributes.

The startup says it’s able to help companies recruit so specifically because its 3D data combines people and company data over time into a format suitable for AI analysis. It claims that the “continuously enhanced” 3D dataset is “exponentially larger and more factual” than traditional sources of candidate data, making it a powerful tool for deep insights and automated workflows.

Using the combination of the data and AI, Findem creates 3D profiles, also dubbed “enriched” profiles, for every candidate it helps surface. The goal of the profiles is to provide “a detailed and factual view” of an individual’s “professional journey and impact,”

So just where does all this data come from? Findem says it continuously leverages a language model to generate that 3D data from more than 100,000 sources that are chronologically gathered (from earliest to latest). 

Those sources include LinkedIn, GitHub, Doximity, WordPress, personal websites, the U.S. Census Bureau, company funding announcements and IPO details, business models, more than 300 million patents and publications, over 5 million open datasets and ML projects, and over 200 million open source code repositories. 

It also pulls applicant profile information from applicant tracking systems such as Workday, BambooHR, Bullhorn, Greenhouse, Jobvite and Lever, among others.

This comprehensive data pull is what helps set Findem apart, in Kolam’s view. Some other hiring tools rely on one-dimensional data from resumes or LinkedIn profiles, which, he argues, “give only a snapshot of someone’s career … without the context that reveals true potential.” Kolam contends that it takes “extensive manual effort” to verify and interpret the data.

“Just looking at a resume on paper really doesn’t come close to telling the whole story of how really qualified a candidate could be, or if they can really fit the criteria that a particular employer is looking for,” Kolam maintains.

Findem is primarily focused on North American customers who have users across the globe. It’s also expanding into Europe. The company has a second headquarters in Bangalore, India.

Kolam declined to reveal Findem’s valuation, saying only that it was “a significant up round and more than 2x” compared to its valuation when it raised a $17 million-plus Series B extension in December 2023.

Shawn O’Neill, managing partner at SLW, told Crunchbase News via email that his firm first got to know Kolam before Findem raised its Series B and then “tracked the company’s trajectory for some time.”

‘’What drew us to Findem wasn’t just the technology, it was the traction,” he said. “The team has achieved strong commercial momentum while tackling one of the most persistent challenges in HR — connecting data, insight and human potential in a way that actually drives business outcomes.”

But the technology didn’t hurt.

In O’Neill’s view, Findem’s main differentiator is its “data advantage … in a market where most companies are simply wrapping LLMs.”

“The depth and breadth of their 3D profiles and web-scale dataset are unlike anything else in the market,” he said. “The UX is excellent, but the magic is really in how the platform leverages that data — it makes finding and understanding people effortless. We use it ourselves and see the power firsthand.”

Related Crunchbase lists and queries:

• Global Funding To HR Software Companies In 2025
• Recently Funded Startups At The Intersection Of AI And Recruiting
• Recently Funded Freelance- And Gig-Related Startups
• Funding Tied To Enhancing Worker Productivity With AI/Emerging Tech

Related reading:

• Funding To HR Software Startups Rises As M&A Activity Heats Up 
• ​​Job-Related Startup Funding Points To More AI Screening And More ‘Gigification’ Of Work
• Exclusive: With OpenAI and Shopify As Customers, Ashby Raises $50M Series D For AI-Powered Talent Platform

Illustration: Dom Guzman