Articles by Khal
Latest from Khal
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Iran-linked Handala hacking group threatens 2026 World Cup teams
An Iran-linked group called Handala claimed it breached FBI Director Kash Patel's email and accessed drone footage, then issued threats against 2026 World Cup teams. The claims remain unverified.
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SpaceX IPO prices at $135/share, targets record $75B proceeds
SpaceX priced its initial public offering at $135 per share on June 11, 2026, with trading beginning June 12 on Nasdaq under ticker SPCX. The offering targets $75 billion in proceeds—the largest IPO in history—and values the company at approximately $1.77 trillion, surpassing Tesla's market cap.
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XRP tumbles to 2026 low as whale selling overwhelms ETF demand
XRP has fallen 17% from its June opening to $1.11, setting a new 2026 low on June 5 and shedding $8 billion in market cap, despite posting its strongest ETF inflow month of the year in May with $131.94 million in net inflows.
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U.S. invests $2 billion in quantum computing while post-quantum defense lags
The Commerce Department awarded $2 billion across nine quantum companies to win the race to cryptographically relevant systems, but the defense infrastructure needed to protect against such computers remains unfunded and uncoordinated.
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SpaceX lists on Nasdaq under ticker SPCX in largest IPO ever
SpaceX began trading on Nasdaq on June 12 under the ticker SPCX, raising approximately $75 billion at $135 per share in the largest initial public offering in history, valuing the company between $1.75 trillion and $1.8 trillion.
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Goldman Sachs: bond traders price 75% odds of Fed rate hike by end 2026
Goldman Sachs' Phillip Lee says bond traders expect a 75% probability of Fed rate hikes by end of 2026, driven by inflation pressures from Iran conflict and crude oil surge. The bank has pushed its rate-cut timeline to mid-2027, extending elevated borrowing costs.
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DOJ arrests two men in AudiA6 crypto laundering operation
Two men were arrested on June 11 as part of a coordinated international operation targeting AudiA6, a crypto mixing service that allegedly processed $389 million in suspicious funds since 2021. The case underscores law enforcement's growing capacity to trace and seize crypto assets across borders.
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Sam Bankman-Fried's 25-year FTX fraud sentence upheld on appeal
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld Sam Bankman-Fried's conviction on all seven fraud counts and his 25-year prison sentence on Friday, rejecting claims that the trial judge unfairly restricted his defense.
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SpaceX $75B IPO generates record $1B underwriting fees for Wall Street
SpaceX's $75 billion IPO, the largest in history, generated up to $1 billion in underwriting fees for a 23-bank syndicate led by Goldman Sachs and including JPMorgan. The deal underscores growing revenue opportunities for major banks in mega-cap offerings.
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India Widens Fiscal Deficit to 4.8% Amid Iran Conflict Fuel Costs
India has revised its fiscal deficit target to 4.8% of GDP from 4.3%, marking the first miss since the pandemic. The move, driven by surging fuel subsidy costs tied to Iran tensions, threatens to weaken the rupee and reshape crypto flows in one of the world's largest retail trading markets.
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Senate Banking Committee advances export control markup on chips and AI
The Senate Banking Committee is moving toward a markup of export control legislation targeting advanced chips and AI, a step that could reshape semiconductor supply chains and affect crypto mining and decentralized AI projects.
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Ripple positions XRPL for AI payments as stablecoin supply nears $1B
Stablecoin liquidity on the XRP Ledger has nearly doubled in the past month to roughly $770 million, with Ripple releasing developer tools to enable AI agents to make autonomous payments on the network.
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Gary Gensler Backs States in Prediction Market Regulation Fight
The former SEC and CFTC chair filed an amicus brief with the Sixth Circuit arguing Congress never intended to give the CFTC exclusive authority over sports betting, siding with states against the agency he once led.
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Metaplanet acquires Siiibo Securities for $13.1M to build Bitcoin ecosystem
Japanese bitcoin treasury company Metaplanet acquired Tokyo-based Siiibo Securities for approximately $13.1 million, marking the first step in Project Nova, a strategy to develop bitcoin-linked investment products through a regulated securities platform.
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Damien Duff joins Brentford as first-team assistant coach
Former Irish international winger Damien Duff has been confirmed as Brentford's new first-team assistant coach, reuniting with head coach Keith Andrews ahead of the 2025-26 Premier League season.
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Julián Quiñones scores World Cup opener for Mexico, escapes Colombian conflict
Julián Quiñones scored Mexico's opening goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 11, leading El Tri to a 2-0 victory over South Africa. The naturalized Mexican forward escaped violence in Colombia's Telembí Triangle and rose to become the Saudi Pro League's top scorer before his World Cup debut.
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Tokenized stock perpetual futures surge to $2.25B as crypto market drops 20%
Tokenized stock perpetual futures on blockchain platforms reached $2.25 billion in open interest during Q1 2026, even as the broader crypto market fell 20.4% and traditional equity markets rallied. The growth signals a structural shift toward on-chain trading for equities and commodities.
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FalleN chases third Cologne title in expected final major tournament
Gabriel FalleN Toledo, the 35-year-old Brazilian Counter-Strike legend, is competing at IEM Cologne 2026 with FURIA Esports in what many expect will be his final major tournament appearance. A decade after winning the title in 2016, FalleN seeks to bookend his storied career.
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International operation dismantles AudiA6 crypto mixer, arrests two administrators
An 11-country law enforcement operation has dismantled AudiA6, a cryptocurrency mixer that processed over $390 million in illicit funds. Authorities arrested two administrators and seized servers, domains, and $900,000 in cryptocurrency.
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ECB raises rates 25bp as eurozone inflation exceeds 2% target
The European Central Bank increased its three key policy rates by 25 basis points, shifting back to tighter monetary policy as eurozone inflation surpasses its 2% target. Markets now price minimal odds of rate cuts at the July 2026 meeting.
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SEC proposes scrapping Rule 611 to unlock tokenized stocks on DeFi
The SEC proposed scrapping Rule 611 and Rule 610(e), which restrict how stock exchanges display prices and execute orders. Galaxy's Alex Thorn says the move would unlock tokenized stocks on decentralized platforms, which can't comply with current trade-through rules.
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Bitcoin holds $63K as SpaceX IPO lifts risk sentiment; BOJ set to hike to 31-year high
Bitcoin trades near $63,000 on June 12 as SpaceX's IPO drives risk-asset appetite, while the Bank of Japan prepares to raise its policy rate to 1% from 0.75% on June 16—the highest level since 1995. A carry-trade unwind could drain global liquidity.
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ChatGPT reaches 1 billion users as AI skepticism persists
OpenAI's ChatGPT hit 1 billion monthly active users in May 2026, the fastest app in history to reach the milestone, even as half of US adults express more concern than excitement about AI's societal impact.
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OpenAI Opens Madrid Office to Expand European AI Presence
OpenAI is launching a Madrid office in the second half of 2026 as part of its European expansion, joining existing hubs in London, Dublin, Paris, and Brussels. The move signals deeper engagement with Spanish developers and enterprises, though it raises questions about centralized AI dependency in crypto ecosystems.