Murtuza Merchant

Consulting Editor

Murtuza is a seasoned finance journalist with extensive experience covering cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. He has contributed to Benzinga and Cointelegraph, among other publications, reporting on emerging trends, the regulatory landscape, and more. Find him at @murtuza_merc on Twitter and mmerchant001 on Telegram. Disclosure: Murtuza holds ATOM, AKT, TIA, INJ, and OSMO.

Articles by Murtuza Merchant (462)

RESEARCH

Anthropic’s $50 Billion Raise Didn’t Just Break Records, It Rewired the AI Funding Map

Anthropic's $50B raise, the second-largest startup funding deal on record, is redrawing how AI labs get built, valued, and sustained.

06/03/2026

LEARN

Chainlink Oracles: Why Smart Contracts Cannot Trust Themselves

Smart contracts cannot access real-world data on their own. Learn how Chainlink oracles bridge that gap and why it matters for every DeFi protocol.

06/03/2026

RESEARCH

83% of US Bettors Want Crypto Deposits, So Why Can’t They Use Them?

Paysafe research finds 83% of US bettors want crypto sportsbook deposits, but state-level laws block access.

06/01/2026

MARKETS

Bitmine Slows Ethereum Buys to $53M Last Week After Record Spree

Bitmine bought $53M in **Ethereum** [(ETH)](https://www.noncemedia.com/asset/eth) last week, slowing purchases by more than 75% after a record 112,000 ETH.

06/01/2026

MARKETS

Worldcoin’s WLD Climbs 14% as Proof-of-Personhood Narrative Draws Fresh Attention

Worldcoin's WLD token climbed roughly 14% in 24 hours as proof-of-personhood narratives drew fresh buying interest amid a broader crypto selloff.

06/01/2026

MARKETS

Aave Overhauls Listing Standards After $230M RsETH Bridge Exploit

Aave's governance overhaul follows a $230M rsETH exploit tied to a LayerZero bridge verification failure, tightening how new assets get listed on the protocol.

06/01/2026

MARKETS

Echo Launchpad Leads Category as on-Chain Token Launches Surge

The Echo Launchpad category surged 433% in 24 hours as on-chain token launch platforms drew fresh capital, with the broader Launchpad sector up 89.5%.

05/31/2026

MARKETS

Allora Draws $128M in Volume as AI Forecasting Token Climbs

Allora's ALLO token climbed 9.5% in 24 hours and posted $128M in trading volume, nearly double its $65M market cap, as AI forecasting tokens drew fresh.

05/31/2026

LEARN

Why Solana DeFi Lending Crossed $2B While Ethereum Lost Ground

Solana DeFi lending just crossed $2.1B in active loans. Here is how Solana lending works, how it compares to Ethereum, and what it means for you.

05/31/2026

MARKETS

Hyperliquid Pulls $1.1 Billion in Daily Volume

Hyperliquid's HYPE token climbed 3.7% in 24 hours as the decentralized perps exchange posted $1.16 billion in daily trading volume, ranking 11th by market cap.

05/31/2026

RESEARCH

Wall Street Quietly Rotated Out Of Bitcoin ETFs While XRP Funds Drew Inflows

Bitcoin ETFs shed $4 billion in three weeks while XRP funds gained $35 million. A deep analysis of what the institutional rotation signals for crypto marke…

05/31/2026

MARKETS

LAB Climbs 25% as AI-Native Token Draws $139M in Volume

LAB surged 25% in 24 hours to above $8, posting $139M in trading volume and a $3.3B market cap as AI-native tokens attracted fresh demand.

05/31/2026

MARKETS

SoftBank Commits up to $88 Billion to AI Data Centers in France

SoftBank plans to invest up to €75 billion ($88 billion) in AI data centers in France over five years, making it one of the largest AI infrastructure bets.

05/30/2026

MARKETS

Zcash Holds Near $533 as Privacy Coin Volume Tops $518M

Zcash holds near $533 with $518M in 24-hour volume as privacy coin demand rises. ZEC ranks 15th by market cap at nearly $8.9 billion.

05/30/2026

MARKETS

Bitcoin’s Quantum Risk Goes Deeper Than Keys

An early Bitcoin investor who funded quantum hardware labs says the real quantum threat targets consensus, not just private keys. Here is what that means.

05/30/2026