AI Audit Firm Calibre Raises $3.3 Million in Pre-Seed Funding, Led by Vicus Ventures and CIV

May 18 – Citibank stated in a newly released research report that quantum computing technology is advancing faster than the market anticipated, amplifying potential security risks to cryptocurrencies and global internet infrastructure, with Bitcoin designated as one of the assets facing the "highest exposure" to these threats. The report points out that the ECDSA elliptic curve encryption system currently used by Bitcoin could theoretically be compromised by a sufficiently powerful quantum computer. In the future, attackers will be able to derive private keys from publicly known public keys, allowing them to forge transactions and steal user assets. Citigroup analyst Alex Saunders noted that due to Bitcoin’s conservative governance structure and slow pace of protocol upgrades, it is far more difficult for the network to quickly roll out quantum-resistant improvements compared to proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchains like Ethereum. The report estimates that approximately 6.5 million to 6.

**May 18 – Digital asset investment firm NYDIG is warning that the U.S. Cryptocurrency Market Structure Bill’s chances of passing could drop sharply if it doesn’t make meaningful progress in Congress before the August recess.** NYDIG noted that the current bipartisan political consensus on crypto regulation is a "temporary window." If the bill stalls in the coming months, lawmakers will shift their focus after Congress returns to midterm elections, fiscal budgets, and partisan political fights—pushing crypto legislation much further down their priority list. The bill is widely seen as one of the most ambitious attempts to establish a comprehensive crypto regulatory framework in the U.S. to date. Its core provisions include defining digital asset categories, clarifying regulatory boundaries between the SEC and CFTC, and setting uniform operational standards for crypto exchanges and companies. However, major disagreements on key issues—stablecoin regulation, DeFi oversight, consumer p

May 18. Per EmberCN’s monitoring, during last week’s market pullback—when Bitcoin (BTC) dipped 4.3% and Ethereum (ETH) fell 7.7%—the leading corporate treasuries for each cryptocurrency made significant purchases in their respective assets. Here are the details of last week’s buys: - Bitcoin treasury firm Strategy (MSTR) acquired 24,869 BTC (worth approximately $2.014 billion) at an average price of around $80,985 last week. It now holds a total of 843,738 BTC, valued at $65.221 billion, with an average cost basis of $75,700, posting a $1.35 billion floating profit (equal to a 2.1% gain). - Ethereum treasury firm BitMNR (BMNR) purchased 71,672 ETH (worth roughly $161 million) at an average price of about $2,251 last week. Its current total holdings stand at 5,278,462 ETH, valued at $11.312 billion, with an average cost basis of $3,522, resulting in a $7.279 billion floating loss (a 39.1% decline).

May 18 — U.S. President Donald Trump once again warned Iran on Tuesday that “the clock is ticking,” urging the country to swiftly accept the nuclear deal terms proposed by Washington or face the risk of a new round of war, according to a Tuesday report in *The New York Times*. The outlet noted that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran have stalled for several weeks. Tehran has rejected demands from the Trump administration to impose strict limits on its uranium enrichment program and lift the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz; Iran, in turn, submitted a new counterproposal to the U.S. on Monday via Pakistan, officials added. Meanwhile, two unnamed Middle Eastern officials disclosed that the U.S. and Israel are conducting the largest military buildup since the last ceasefire, with fears growing that military strikes against Iran could resume as early as this week. The Pentagon is preparing to restart planning for “Operation Epic Fury,” a military action that was previously put on hol

### Market & Geopolitical Updates (May 18) Per Bitget market data: - **Precious Metals**: Spot gold extended its rally, currently trading at $4,563.90 per ounce. Spot silver jumped over 2% intraday, now at $77.43 per ounce. - **Equities**: S&P 500 futures turned positive. Nasdaq 100 index futures extended gains to 0.5%. The Euro Stoxx 600 index’s advance widened to 0.6%. The UK’s FTSE 100 and Germany’s DAX30 both rose more than 1%, while the Euro Stoxx 50 and Spain’s IBEX35 each climbed 0.8%. - **Energy**: WTI crude oil fell 2% intraday, now at $103.11 per barrel. Brent crude slipped below $105 per barrel, down 1.07% on the day. On the geopolitical front, Iran’s latest proposal signals it aims to reach a long, multi-stage ceasefire agreement. Tehran seeks the gradual, secure opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and is willing to agree to a long-term freeze of its nuclear program rather than full dismantling. Iran also offers to unconditionally transfer enriched uranium to Russia instead o

May 18 — Data from rwa.xyz shows the total value of on-chain real-world assets (RWA) has climbed to $33.7 billion, hitting a fresh all-time high. The roughly $1.5 billion recent uptick comes mostly from Ethereum-based institutional-grade tokenized U.S. Treasury bond products, including Franklin Templeton’s newly launched iBENJI and BlackRock’s BUIDL, which has kept drawing steady inflows. Commodity tokenized assets have also seen major growth, with JMWH emerging as a key driver behind that gain. Institutional analysts note that current RWA growth remains largely driven by traditional financial institutions, as the so-called “TradFi Wave” accelerates the on-chain migration of real-world assets.