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)

MARKETS

Pudgy Penguins Token Gains 4% as NFT-Backed Cryptocurrency Sustains $701 Million Market Cap

The Pudgy Penguins token PENGU gained 4% in 24 hours to May 6, 2026, sustaining a $701 million market cap and $431 million in daily trading volume.

05/06/2026

MARKETS

IO.Net Surges 58% as Decentralized GPU Network Captures AI Infrastructure Demand

IO.Net's IO token surged 58% in 24 hours to May 6, reaching $0.19 as AI infrastructure demand lifted the decentralized GPU marketplace's market cap.

05/06/2026

RESEARCH

What a16z Crypto Fund 5 Actually Signals

Andreessen Horowitz closed its fifth dedicated cryptocurrency fund at $2.2 billion on May 5, making it one of the largest single crypto venture raises of 2026. The announcement landed against…

05/06/2026

MARKETS

Crypto Funds Draw $117.8 Million in Weekly Inflows as Bitcoin Holds Above $81,000

Cryptocurrency investment funds attracted $117.8 million in net weekly inflows as a Friday surge reversed earlier outflows, with Bitcoin leading institutional.

05/06/2026

MARKETS

SkyAI Token Holds Rank 81 as AI-Branded Cryptocurrency Attracts Retail Momentum

SkyAI's SKYAI token holds rank 81 with a market cap above $700 million as the AI-branded cryptocurrency draws retail attention in May 2026.

05/06/2026

MARKETS

Pi Network Token Holds Rank 45 as Open Mainnet Draws Developer Activity

Pi Network's PI token holds rank 45 with a market cap above $4 billion as the open mainnet phase draws fresh developer and user activity in May 2026.

05/06/2026

MARKETS

Hyperliquid Holds $8.9 Billion Market Cap as Decentralized Perpetuals Exchange Gains Traction

**Hyperliquid** [(HYPE)](https://www.noncemedia.com/asset/hype)'s HYPE token holds an $8.9 billion market cap at rank 13, with the on-chain perpetuals exchange.

05/06/2026

MARKETS

Firo Gains 19% as Privacy Token Draws Renewed Attention During Altcoin Rally

Firo posted a 19% gain in 24 hours to May 6, reaching $1.04 with $433,000 in daily volume as privacy coin interest returned to smaller-cap tokens.

05/06/2026

LEARN

What Privacy Coins Are Solving

Most people assume that sending cryptocurrency is private by default. It is not. Every standard Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH) transaction is recorded on a public ledger that anyone can…

05/06/2026

MARKETS

MegaETH Positions as Ethereum’s Real-Time Layer-2 With $145 Million Market Cap and $257 Million in Daily Volume

MegaETH holds a $145 million market cap with $257 million in daily trading volume as its Layer-2 network targets real-time Ethereum transaction speeds.

05/06/2026

MARKETS

Persona Partners With Chainlink to Bring Verified Identity to on-Chain Markets

Persona and Chainlink have partnered to deliver verified identity credentials across on-chain cryptocurrency markets, connecting KYC data to DeFi protocols.

05/06/2026

MARKETS

Bitmine Builds Ethereum Position to 5.18 Million Tokens Worth $13.1 Billion

Bitmine Immersion Technologies holds 5.18 million ETH worth $13.1 billion, equal to 4.29% of Ethereum's total supply, making it the largest corporate ETH.

05/06/2026

MARKETS

Toncoin Surges 22% as Telegram’s Blockchain Layer Draws Fresh Institutional Interest

Toncoin surged 22% in 24 hours to $1.97 as Telegram's native blockchain layer attracts new developer projects and renewed institutional trading interest in.

05/05/2026

MARKETS

Zcash Surges 22% as Privacy Coin Demand Revives Alongside Monero

Zcash jumped 22% to $520 in 24 hours to May 5, 2026, while Monero gained 2.6%, as privacy-focused cryptocurrencies posted some of the session's largest moves.

05/05/2026

MARKETS

Strategy Posts $14.47 Billion Q1 Operating Loss While Adding Bitcoin

Strategy reported a $14.47 billion Q1 2026 operating loss while growing its **Bitcoin** [(BTC)](https://www.noncemedia.com/asset/btc) treasury to 818,334 BTC.

05/05/2026