Morning Report | Musk's xAI launches Skills; Duan Yongping to first build position in Circle in Q1 2026; Polymarket partners with Nasdaq to launch prediction market
Overview of Important Market Events on May 19整理：ChainCatcher
Important News:
- Three major DeFi attacks in five days, with a total of 14 crypto hacking incidents in May
- Elon Musk's xAI launches Skills
- Analog Devices plans to acquire AI chip company Empower Semiconductor for $1.5 billion
- Duan Yongping builds a position in Circle for the first time in Q1 2026, with a holding value of $19.08 million
- Polymarket partners with Nasdaq to launch a prediction market for private companies
- Canaan Inc. releases Q1 2026 financial report: total revenue of $62.7 million, cryptocurrency reserves hit a record high
- Ethereum Foundation hit by another wave of departures, two core members Carl Beek and Julian Ma announce resignations
What important events happened in the past 24 hours?
OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy joins Anthropic
According to ChainCatcher, OpenAI co-founder and former Tesla AI director Andrej Karpathy officially announced his joining of Anthropic, stating, "I believe the next few years will be a particularly critical phase for the cutting-edge development of large language models (LLM). I am very excited to join the team here and return to research and development work. I remain passionate about the education sector and plan to continue advancing related work at the appropriate time in the future."
Polymarket partners with Nasdaq to launch a prediction market for private companies
ChainCatcher reports that, according to Reuters, Polymarket has partnered with Nasdaq to launch a prediction market for private companies, allowing users to trade based on valuations, IPO timing, and secondary market valuations.
Standard Chartered plans to cut over 7,000 jobs by 2030, with AI automation as a major driving factor
ChainCatcher reports that Standard Chartered announced a major restructuring plan on Tuesday, aiming to cut more than 7,000 positions by 2030, accounting for 15% of the company's functional department employees.
Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters described the layoffs as a technology-driven long-term transformation, focusing on replacing low-value-added jobs with automation and artificial intelligence rather than merely cutting costs. The plan primarily affects back-office support departments in locations such as Chennai, Bangalore, Kuala Lumpur, and Poland.
ChainCatcher reports that Canaan Inc. has released its Q1 2026 financial report. The report shows that the company's total revenue was $62.7 million, in line with previous guidance; net loss was $88.7 million. As of March 31, 2026, the company's cryptocurrency reserves reached 1,807.60 bitcoins and 3,951.53 ethers, a historical high.
In operations, the total hash power of the company's ten joint mining projects reached approximately 11 EH/s, a 10.7% increase quarter-over-quarter; the first quarter output was 257 bitcoins. In terms of strategic layout, the company acquired a 49% stake in the ABC project in West Texas from Cipher Mining, with operational hash power reaching approximately 4.4 EH/s; at the same time, it is deploying a "computing power to thermal energy" project in Northern Europe, with a planned total capacity of about 8 megawatts.
Canaan expects total revenue in Q2 2026 to be in the range of $35 million to $45 million.
VanEck: The digital credit market could reach $2.5 trillion in the next decade, BTC may reach $1 million
ChainCatcher reports that Matthew Sigel, an analyst at VanEck, which manages $200 billion in assets, stated that the digital credit market could expand to $2.5 trillion in the next decade, while the price of BTC is expected to reach $1 million. Matthew Sigel said this target is "absolutely within reach."
Data: Bank of America increases its holdings in Strategy stock to $664 million, now holding 3.96 million shares
ChainCatcher reports that Bank of America disclosed an increase of 117,374 shares of Strategy stock, valued at $19.6 million, now holding a total of 3.96 million shares of Strategy stock, with a total value of $664 million.
X launches "Active Followers" feature to view the number of real active users in the past 24 hours
ChainCatcher reports that the X platform has launched the "Active Followers" data feature, allowing users to view the actual number of active followers in the past 24 hours.
X product head Nikita Bier announced that this feature has been officially launched and showcased the new "Account Analytics" interface. It will not only display the total number of followers but also separately count "Verified followers" and "Active followers." This feature will help creators, advertisers, and project parties more intuitively assess real influence and user activity, rather than relying solely on total follower counts.
ChainCatcher reports that well-known investor Duan Yongping's investment account H&H International Investment in the U.S. submitted an SEC 13F filing for Q1 2026, showing that as of March 31, 2026, it held a total of 19 securities, with a total portfolio value of approximately $20.004 billion, all holdings made with independent decision-making authority.
Among them, Apple (AAPL) holds 28,945,607 shares, valued at $7.346 billion; Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) holds 9,147,796 shares, valued at $4.384 billion; Nvidia (NVDA) holds 13,843,775 shares, valued at $2.414 billion; Pinduoduo (PDD) holds 19,748,294 shares, valued at $2.018 billion; Tesla (TSLA) holds 3,408,900 shares, valued at $1.267 billion. Microsoft (MSFT) holds 1,016,000 shares, valued at $376 million. Circle is disclosed for the first time this quarter, holding 200,000 shares, valued at $1.9082 million, accounting for about 0.1% of the portfolio.
Analog Devices plans to acquire AI chip company Empower Semiconductor for $1.5 billion
ChainCatcher reports that, according to insiders, Analog Devices is in deep negotiations to acquire AI chip startup Empower Semiconductor for approximately $1.5 billion.
If the deal is completed, it will further expand Analog Devices' layout in high-performance computing infrastructure. This transaction reflects the strong demand in the market for AI chip power supply and energy management technology, as AI workloads continue to grow, AI chips are facing higher demands for power management and energy efficiency. Agents Capital Markets: How will autonomous agents obtain financing?
Elon Musk's xAI launches Skills
ChainCatcher reports that Elon Musk's AI company xAI announced the simultaneous launch of the "Skills" feature on the web, iOS, and Android platforms. This feature gives the AI assistant Grok persistent memory across conversations, marking Grok's evolution from a traditional one-time Q&A chatbot to a configurable, programmable automated workspace.
It is introduced that through the "Skills" feature, users only need to teach Grok the operation method of a specific task once, and Grok will permanently remember relevant personal preferences, formatting rules, or specific workflow steps in all subsequent independent conversations. This means that users no longer need to repeatedly input cumbersome pre-set prompts or background settings when starting a new conversation.
Coinbase CEO assists law enforcement in driving five convictions through blockchain forensics
ChainCatcher reports that Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong stated on the X platform that Coinbase is proud to collaborate with law enforcement to combat crime. Its investigation team identified an ongoing criminal activity and used blockchain forensics to track down criminals, ultimately leading to five convictions.
U.S. SEC may release innovative exemption rules for tokenized stocks as early as this week
ChainCatcher reports that, according to Bloomberg, insiders revealed that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may release "innovative exemption" rules for tokenized stocks as early as this week, establishing a new framework for trading crypto versions of publicly traded company stocks. The SEC is inclined to allow trading of third-party tokens that are not endorsed or approved by the issuing companies, which can be traded on decentralized crypto platforms but may not necessarily have rights such as voting or dividends.
This exemption covers tokens traded on DeFi platforms and will test whether stock trading can migrate to crypto infrastructure without traditional equity market protections. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce is a major proponent of this exemption, but some SEC officials do not support this decision. Institutions such as Citadel Securities and SIFMA have expressed opposition, warning that this move may weaken investor protection measures such as KYC and anti-money laundering. Peirce stated that this exemption is an important step but will not change the entire financial system overnight.
Google teams up with Blackstone to create an AI cloud company, competing with CoreWeave
ChainCatcher reports that, according to The Wall Street Journal, Alphabet's Google and Blackstone plan to jointly create an artificial intelligence cloud company, centered around Google's proprietary chips, directly competing with rivals like CoreWeave. Blackstone will invest $5 billion in equity capital and hold a majority stake in the company. The deal was officially announced on Monday local time, and the name of the new company has not yet been disclosed.
If SpaceX's IPO proceeds smoothly, it may release about $20 billion in equity profit opportunities to D1 Capital
ChainCatcher reports that SpaceX plans to advance its initial public offering (IPO) next month, and if successful, it will release about $20 billion in equity profit opportunities to Wall Street firm D1 Capital Partners, founded by Dan Sundheim. This estimate is based on SpaceX's latest valuation assumptions, reflecting its high concentration in the private market and the potential floating profit space for institutional investors.
Three major DeFi attacks in five days, with a total of 14 crypto hacking incidents in May
ChainCatcher reports that Echo Protocol suffered a vulnerability attack on the Monad network, with attackers minting 1,000 eBTC (valued at approximately $76.64 million). According to PeckShield tracking, the attackers deposited 45 eBTC (approximately $3.45 million) into Curvance, borrowed 11.29 WBTC, and then bridged to Ethereum to exchange for ETH, of which 384 ETH was transferred to Tornado Cash. Curvance has suspended the affected market, stating that the smart contract was not compromised and other markets were unaffected.
Echo Protocol has suspended all cross-chain transactions. Monad CEO Keone Hon clarified that the vulnerability did not affect the Monad network, and security researchers assessed that approximately $816,000 was actually stolen.
This incident brings the total number of crypto hacking incidents in May to 14, with three major DeFi attacks occurring in just the past five days: THORChain suffered a loss of over $10 million due to a vault vulnerability on May 15, and Verus Ethereum cross-chain bridge was attacked three days later, resulting in a loss of approximately $11.58 million. The dense security incidents highlight the systemic security risks that the DeFi sector continues to face.
Forsage co-founder denies allegations of involvement in a $340 million crypto Ponzi scheme
ChainCatcher reports that Forsage co-founder Olena Oblamska was extradited from Thailand to the U.S. and pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Forsage was launched in January 2020, marketing itself to global retail investors as a smart contract-based DApp investment platform. The U.S. Department of Justice accused the platform of using smart contracts on Ethereum, Tron, and BNB Chain to automatically redirect funds from new participants to early investors, constituting a Ponzi and pyramid scheme.
Blockchain analysis shows that over 80% of Forsage investors received less cryptocurrency than they deposited, and over 50% received no returns at all. The scheme defrauded approximately $340 million from victims in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had previously filed a civil lawsuit against the individuals involved in August 2022.
ChainCatcher reports that, according to CoinDesk, the Ethereum Foundation is facing scrutiny over a new wave of departures. On Monday, well-known contributors Carl Beek and Julian Ma announced their departure from the foundation, further exacerbating community concerns about personnel turnover at the foundation.
In recent months, several core researchers and protocol coordinators, including Barnabé Monnot, Tim Beiko, Trent Van Epps, and Alex Stokes, have left or faded from the organization. Additionally, Tomasz Stańczak, who joined as co-executive director in 2025, also left earlier this year.
Reports indicate that this wave of departures occurred after the Ethereum Foundation released a new mission statement earlier this year. The statement attempted to redefine the foundation's role in the ecosystem, emphasizing that it is not the "owner" or central authority of Ethereum, but one of many supporters.
Meme Popularity Rankings
According to the meme token tracking and analysis platform GMGN, as of May 20, 09:00,
The top five popular tokens on ETH in the past 24 hours are: HEX, SHIB, LINK, PEPE, mUSD
The top five popular tokens on Solana in the past 24 hours are: TROLL, WCOR, BULLISH, HANTA, Buttcoin
The top five popular tokens on Base in the past 24 hours are: B3, IMGN, TOSHI, TOSHI, KEYCAT, BRETT
What are some interesting articles worth reading in the past 24 hours?
Hyperliquid shakes up Wall Street, with uncertain regulations and market makers fleeing?
Yesterday, two addresses marked by the market as mainstream market makers on Hyperliquid withdrew nearly 90% of BTC and ETH liquidity in the same time frame, with a total estimated withdrawal of nearly $100 million.
Coincidentally, just three days ago, the two largest traditional exchanges in the world, CME and ICE, jointly pressured the U.S. CFTC and Congress to strictly regulate Hyperliquid.
Is this merely a singular event of professional players pricing "regulatory risk," or is it a sign that the regulatory arbitrage benefits enjoyed by DEX over the past three years are coming to an end?
When Hyperliquid steals Solana's "internet capital market" script
In the cyclical turnover of the cryptocurrency market, Solana once returned to prominence with the narrative of being an "Ethereum killer" and its extreme performance. However, entering 2026, this once high-performance "computer" is facing unprecedented deceleration pressure, first reflected in its price.
In the past year, the maximum decline in SOL price from its peak reached 73.5%, the largest drop among all mainstream cryptocurrencies. In the recent market correction over the past month, SOL's upward momentum has also been very weak, significantly lagging behind other mainstream cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH.
Moreover, Solana's core vision of an "internet capital market" has also encountered severe blows amid internal and external troubles, forcing the Solana Foundation's senior team to frequently speak out recently to generate momentum for its ecosystem in public opinion.
Agents Capital Markets: How will autonomous agents obtain financing?
In ten years, Agent companies will have dedicated capital markets. Not a sub-economy of the crypto field, nor a thought experiment, but a real market: with rating agencies, underwriters, indices, brokers, and institutional machinery that makes any market a market.
A capital market as real as the public stock market: in this system, capital flows to a certain type of economic entity without relying on the subjective judgment of any single capital allocator. These entities will be Agents—software entities wrapped in legal shells. They can sign contracts, hold bank accounts, sue and be sued, and earn income through actual work.
The work itself is extremely routine: marketing, logistics, legal research, procurement, property management, customer support—these are the routine business categories that currently fill every medium-sized city office park.
Agents will sell services to humans, other Agents, and any party with payment capability. Their reasons for needing capital are no different from those of any service company needing capital.
Risk warning
