Linera Launches Babbage Testnet

According to on-chain analyst Ai Yi (@ai_9684xtpa), a whale that has accumulated over $109 million in positions since July added an additional $9.87 million worth of WBTC in the past 24 hours. The whale currently holds 49,500 ETH and 600 WBTC, with a total value of $122 million, an average cost basis of approximately $1,706 per ETH and $63,950 per WBTC, and an unrealized profit of $12.593 million.

Arcus has officially launched 24/7 trading functionality and rolled out over 95 stock tokens on Robinhood Chain, offering zero-fee trades. Meanwhile, the platform also launched a beta version of its perpetual contract market via its self-custody decentralized exchange. In a statement, Arcus noted that the launch will allow eligible traders to invest in stocks of leading companies spanning sectors including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, space exploration and quantum computing, such as large-cap firms like Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, Meta, Alphabet and Amazon. Additionally, Arcus has launched a beta perpetual futures trading market, which currently has over 75,000 people on its waitlist. The platform supports perpetual contract products covering U.S. stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), commodities and cryptocurrencies, including trading pairs linked to the SPY ETF, QQQ ETF, GLD ETF, USO ETF, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and XRP. Arcus was founded by Eddie Zhang, with its development team coming from the core team behind dYdX.

Independent semiconductor and AI research firm SemiAnalysis reports that the rapid growth in AI computing power demand is transforming power supply models for data centers. Reciprocating engines, historically used primarily as backup power during grid outages, are being repositioned as baseload power sources operating around the clock. This year, reciprocating engine manufacturers have signed contracts for roughly 1GW of behind-the-meter (BTM) power projects, with annual new supply volumes projected to exceed 4GW in 2027 and 2028. After modeling U.S. grid capacity, SemiAnalysis notes that existing power reserves are expected to be exhausted between 2027 and 2028, and planned additions to utility-scale power generation capacity through 2030 remain insufficient to meet the new load demand from data centers. Combining its data center model, SemiAnalysis estimates that roughly 140GW of potential data center projects have not yet finalized power supply contracts, and many of these will likely adopt behind-the-meter power models to bypass grid expansion bottlenecks. Among behind-the-meter power technologies including reciprocating engines, aeroderivative gas turbines, and fuel cells, SemiAnalysis projects reciprocating engines will capture the largest market share. The firm cites their combination of low cost, rapid deployment, modular scalability, and stronger financing capabilities as key advantages, while equipment manufacturers including Caterpillar, INNIO, and Cummins are expanding production capacity to support large-scale deployments in the coming years. As AI data centers continue to expand, on-site self-generated power is evolving from a traditional backup resource to critical energy infrastructure, and reciprocating engines are poised to become a key solution for bridging power gaps in the computing power era.

According to Bloomberg, Venezuela’s largest fintech company Cashea has raised a total of $100 million across two financing rounds. Global investors are betting on the firm’s ability to achieve growth in a market long plagued by credit constraints. Cashea announced it closed a $60 million Series B round in June, led by FinSight Ventures, with participation from Endeavor Catalyst, Plug and Play, U.S. university funds including Washington University in St. Louis, and Latin American investors. Earlier, Cashea completed a $40 million Series A round in March, led by Spice Expeditions. The round included $20 million in equity financing and $20 million in debt financing provided by Architect Capital.

Per Bitget's market data, WTI crude oil's intraday gain has widened to 3%, now trading at $85.40 per barrel. Brent crude oil climbed 2.16% to $89.4 per barrel.

Ionic Digital expects its shares to begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on July 28, after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) declared its registration statement effective, clearing the final major regulatory hurdle for the company’s long-planned listing. According to a company statement, Ionic’s stock ticker will be “IOND”. The firm opted for a direct listing rather than a traditional initial public offering (IPO), meaning it will not issue new shares nor receive any proceeds from the transaction; instead, existing registered shareholders will be able to sell their holdings on the public market. Ionic was originally formed to take over Bitcoin mining assets from the Celsius estate, before pivoting to position itself as a broader digital infrastructure company serving artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads. The company first submitted its Form S-1 registration statement earlier this month. Ahead of the listing, Ionic has raised roughly $400 million to support data center construction and fuel its business shift from Bitcoin mining to a wider digital infrastructure focus.