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Polymarket announced on Thursday that it has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with the Berlin digital football platform OneFootball, which will connect the prediction market to OneFootball's 200 million monthly active users and 645 million fan ecosystem about two weeks before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Polymarket will be the only prediction market partner within the OneFootball app, and competitors like Kalshi will not be allowed to enter this product.This is Polymarket's seventh major football partnership this year and the first collaboration aimed at media application distribution channels, having previously signed agreements with MLS, LaLiga, Serie A, Lazio, and DAZN.According to analysis by the Pew Research Center, since July 2024, sports have accounted for 39% of Polymarket's total trading volume. The 2026 World Cup champion market has seen a cumulative trading volume of over $1.2 billion since its launch last July, while the broader World Cup category market totals approximately $1.3 billion.OneFootball has previously launched the OFC token based on Base and Ethereum, as well as the points system BALLS. The integration with Polymarket will convert user engagement into actual transactions. OneFootball has raised over $300 million in funding, with investors including Liberty City Ventures, Animoca Brands, and Adidas.

SoftBank Group's stock price rose to a record high on Monday, as the market bets that its holdings in OpenAI and SB Energy could bring substantial returns if they go public in the future. Since May 20, SoftBank's stock price has increased by 40%, and the company's market value has surpassed 40 trillion yen (approximately $252 billion).The stock price surge over the past two days was driven by reports that OpenAI is preparing to submit an IPO application in the coming days. The power infrastructure company SB Energy also stated that it plans to secretly file for an IPO in the U.S. As OpenAI seems to be getting closer to an IPO, concerns about competitors like Anthropic, Google, and xAI threatening OpenAI's position have eased.Takashi Nakagawa, a senior analyst at TokaiTokyo Intelligence Laboratory, stated that the market is "extremely excited about the long-awaited OpenAI IPO finally approaching reality." He noted that this move will enhance the transparency of the currently opaque valuations in the artificial intelligence sector. A significant portion of SoftBank's portfolio consists of AI-driven private startups.

According to the official announcement, Tether International announced the acquisition of all shares held by SoftBank in Twenty One Capital (XXI), becoming a larger controlling party. After the transaction is completed, the board members of XXI appointed by SoftBank have exited the board in accordance with the shareholder agreement.Tether stated that this move reflects its long-term strategic commitment and confidence in building a publicly listed company from scratch with Bitcoin at its core. The announcement pointed out that SoftBank's early involvement provided important institutional background and governance experience for XXI, helping the company complete its initial phase layout, and Tether will drive XXI into the next stage of development based on this foundation.

SoftBank Group stated that as of the end of March, the accumulated book profit from its investment in OpenAI was $45 billion. By April 2026, a total of $20 billion in loans had been utilized, primarily for investing in OpenAI, of which $2.5 billion was repaid in that month.

According to market news, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son is in talks for a major data center project in France; the related deal may be announced this month.In addition, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son is considering making a multi-billion dollar investment.

According to on-chain data monitored by Catcher Predict, significant capital movements are predicted in the market Polymarket. A large whale invested $212,520 in a single bet on the event "Nottingham Forest Football Club vs Newcastle United Football Club," specifically targeting "Newcastle United Football Club." Based on the current transaction price, the latest corresponding winning probability for this bet is 46%.

According to on-chain data monitored by Catcher Predict, significant capital movements are predicted in the market Polymarket. A large whale fund made a single purchase of $79,644.8 on "Arsenal Football Club" for the event "West Ham United Football Club vs Arsenal Football Club." Based on the current transaction price, the latest corresponding winning probability for this target is 64%.

SoftBank Group is scaling back a financing plan that used OpenAI equity as collateral, which was originally intended to raise about $10 billion in margin loans, and is now likely to be reduced to around $6 billion.It is reported that some lenders have expressed concerns about the transaction structure and the reliability of OpenAI's valuation as a private company, which has become one of the key factors hindering the progress of the financing. The loan was initially designed to use the OpenAI equity held by SoftBank as collateral, with a term of two years that could be extended by one year, aimed at further expanding its investment layout in the field of artificial intelligence.

Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings has begun negotiations to acquire shares in the cryptocurrency exchange platform Bitbank, aiming to turn it into a consolidated subsidiary. SBI Chairman and President Yoshitaka Kitao stated that the company has submitted a letter of intent for the acquisition and has started discussions with Bitbank regarding capital and business cooperation. The specific timing and structure of the acquisition will be determined after due diligence and internal procedures are completed.Bitbank is one of Japan's major domestic cryptocurrency exchange platforms and has not experienced any hacking incidents since its establishment in 2014, with security as its core selling point. As cryptocurrency assets are gradually incorporated into Japan's Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, SBI believes that integrating Bitbank into the group will enhance its position in the Japanese cryptocurrency market. This move comes as SBI continues to consolidate its cryptocurrency exchange platform SBI VC Trade. Last month, SBI incorporated another exchange platform, Bitpoint Japan, into this department to streamline operations and improve profitability.Earlier this week, Bitbank also launched Japan's first credit card linked to cryptocurrency assets, allowing users to pay bills using assets like Bitcoin based on their exchange holdings, and offering a 0.5% cashback on cryptocurrency asset spending.

According to the Financial Times, sources revealed that SoftBank Group plans to establish and list an independent smart robotics and data center company named "Roze" in the United States. SoftBank aims to take Roze public within this year, with a target valuation of $100 billion.SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son is driving this process, which aims to make up for the hundreds of billions of dollars the company has invested in the field of artificial intelligence. SoftBank has been continuously increasing its debt, and Son is trying to position himself as a key player in the global AI boom, having made significant investments in OpenAI.

According to market news, the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange platform Bitbank has launched a cryptocurrency-linked credit card that allows users to pay bills directly using the assets in their exchange accounts, including settling with Bitcoin.This credit card also offers a 0.5% cryptocurrency cashback on monthly spending. The product is launched by Bitbank and aims to use the cryptocurrency assets held by the exchange for everyday payment scenarios.

According to market news, SoftBank Group is seeking a $10 billion margin loan secured by its holdings in OpenAI, with a loan term of two years and an option to extend for another year. This move aims to provide financial support for SoftBank's continued investment in the artificial intelligence sector.

Polymarket, which has long dominated the prediction market trading volume, is facing multiple challenges. According to Dune Analytics, its global trading volume has been surpassed by major competitor Kalshi. In terms of valuation, Kalshi announced a new round of financing last month, reaching a valuation of $22 billion, while Polymarket's valuation is $15 billion after receiving a $600 million investment from the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE).Polymarket's biggest bottleneck is the inability to officially launch in the U.S. market, as its U.S. application is still in the testing phase, with March trading volume being only one-twentieth of Kalshi's. Technical challenges brought by the blockchain architecture, repeated delays in product launches, recent fee adjustments causing user dissatisfaction, and issues such as the exchange being down for over an hour continue to plague the platform.Additionally, Polymarket has faced scrutiny for allowing users to bet on controversial topics such as war and nuclear explosions, leading Democratic lawmakers in Congress to send a letter to the CFTC requesting intervention. ICE CEO Sprecher remains optimistic but admits it could either be a total failure or a home run.

According to the Senate Banking Committee's official website, next week (April 21) there is only one nomination hearing on the agenda, and there are no scheduled discussions/modifications for the anticipated digital assets or CLARITY Act.Additionally, Politico reports that Senator Thom Tillis will release the final draft this week, which is the last piece needed before the committee holds a markup meeting. The bill still needs to align with the Senate Agriculture Committee, pass the Senate's 60-vote threshold in a full vote (requiring Democratic support), and then coordinate with the House of Representatives.Some analysts point out that if a markup meeting is not scheduled between April 20 and 25, the midterm election politics could completely stifle the bill, as bipartisan cooperation would vanish entirely.

According to a report by Kyodo News, a new company has been established for artificial intelligence (AI) development, led by SoftBank, NEC, Honda, and Sony Group. The report states that the company will utilize support from the Japanese government to create a domestic AI foundational model, with the intention of providing the developed AI to Japanese companies.The company is named "Japan AI Foundational Model Development" and plans to gather about 100 AI developers, with the president position held by an executive from SoftBank. In addition to these four companies, Nippon Steel, Kobe Steel, as well as three major banks—Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Mizuho Bank—are also participating in the funding. SoftBank and NEC will handle the development, while Honda will apply the development results to autonomous driving. AI development company Preferred Networks (Tokyo) is also involved. The developed AI will also be widely available to Japanese companies outside of the funding companies, and in the future, it will venture into the AI field for controlling robots.

OKX will open OneFootball Credits (OFC) deposits on April 9, 2026, at 10:00, with a collective auction from 17:00 to 18:00. Spot trading for OFC/USDT will start at 18:00, and withdrawals will open at 20:00. Users can prepare for trading by depositing USDT.

BTCC Exchange announced a strategic partnership with the Argentine Football Association (AFA), officially becoming the regional partner of the Argentine national team. This cooperation will cover the entire cycle of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.BTCC stated that through this partnership, it will deepen its global layout, improve the trading ecosystem, and strengthen user trust, while launching a series of activities for users, including signed jersey giveaways and trading competitions. Founded in 2011, BTCC is one of the oldest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.

CoinList posted on platform X that it will support the OFC token TGE conducted by the football media platform OneFootball on April 9, and the tokens will be distributed to the non-custodial CoinList wallets of the sale participants.