PLUS: What to Expect at Consensus 2025

May 12, 2025

The biggest crypto news and ideas of the day 

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Welcome to The Node! This is Ben Schiller to take you through the latest crypto news. 

 

Here are the top stories from CoinDesk's reporters today:
David Bailey's Nakamoto Holdings Going Public Via Merger With KindlyMD; Shares Soar 650%
Anchorage Digital to Acquire USDM Issuer Mountain Protocol in Stablecoin Expansion Move

Strategy Makes $1.34B Bitcoin Buy, Adding Another 13,390 BTC
Coinbase Shares Jump 8% on S&P 500 Inclusion

What to Expect at Consensus 2025
CoinDesk’s annual event kicks off this Wednesday in Toronto. Here's what you need to know about the biggest big-tent of the year. 
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Bitcoin Treasury Vehicle

  • Healthcare data company KindlyMD has agreed to merge with Nakamoto Holdings to form a publicly traded bitcoin treasury vehicle.
  • The combined entity has secured $710 million in financing and will be led by David Bailey.
  • KDLY shares are higher by 650% in premarket trade.
 

Anchorage Crypto Bank Acquires Mountain

  • Crypto bank Anchorage Digital said it has agreed to acquire yield-bearing stablecoin issuer Mountain Protocol.
  • The deal aims to integrate Mountain's technology and team into Anchorage's operations, pending regulatory approval.
  • Stablecoin adoption is rapidly increasing driven by institutional interest and regulatory developments, with Citi projecting the market to grow to trillions of dollars by the end of this decade.
 

Strategy Buys $1.34B More Bitcoin

  • Strategy has acquired another 13,390 BTC for $1.34 billion, or an average price of $99,856 each.
  • The $1.34 billion purchase was funded through sales of common stock and STRK preferred shares between May 5 and May 11.
 

Coinbase Up on S&P Inclusion

  • Coinbase will join the S&P 500 index, replacing Discover Financial on May 19, S&P Dow Jones Indices announced Monday.
  • The inclusion news caused Coinbase (COIN) shares to surge over 8% in post-market trading.
  • Coinbase's market cap is nearly $53 billion, and it currently trades on the Nasdaq exchange.
 

What to Expect at Consensus 2025

How is crypto changing the face of finance? What’s next for stablecoins, tokenization, and Web 3 marketing? How will digital assets be regulated in the future?

These are just some of the questions up for debate as Consensus 2025 kicks off in Toronto this Wednesday.

Staged this year at the Metro Toronto Convention Center, crypto’s oldest “big tent” event gets underway at a pivotal moment for the industry. 


Crypto is front-and-center in the national conversation and this year’s event will feature many names making news and making waves.

Eric Trump, whose mining startup, American Bitcoin, this morning announced that it plans to go public, is a headline speaker on Thursday.

We’ll hear from Bo Hines, head of the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets, on the White House strategy to pass legislation on crypto this year.

Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, will sit for a fireside chat to discuss crypto culture, memecoins and the future of investing.

There’s an Open Money Summit featuring the biggest names in DeFi, a Brand and Creator Summit for companies positioning themselves for the next phase of the internet, and an AI Summit with a packed schedule of speakers at the intersection of AI and blockchain.

Other headline speakers include Chris Pavlovski (Rumble), Charles Hoskinson (Cardano), Kevin O’Leary (Shark Tank), Adrienne Harris (NYDFS), Justin Sun, David Goyer and dozens more from across the crypto and blockchain industry.

Our Explorations stage will have in-depth discussions on hot topics such as DePIN, crypto policy, staking, advanced trading, and Canada’s Web3 future.

We’ll also have a Hackathon (organized with EasyA), Pitchfest, a Research Symposium (with IEEE), and dozens of side-events and parties to attend across Toronto.

For coverage of Consensus 2025 including interviews with speakers, see here.

The full agenda can be found here.

Visit CoinDesk.com for a livestream and ongoing coverage of all the news, rumors and gossip from crypto’s big annual gathering. 

 

The Industry’s Brightest Minds. One Unmissable Event.
 
Dealmaking. Networking. Big moves. Consensus 2025 is where the industry’s top players connect, innovate, and build what’s next.

 

Don’t miss out. Save 15% with code NODE15.

 

Links, Links, Links

 

Top buyers of Trump-sponsored crypto win exclusive dinner with president – The Guardian

NYC Mayor Eric Adams wants long-term value with crypto, not to chase 'memes' – The Block

Trump’s Crypto Grift Is Pissing Off MAGA – American Prospect

 

Toronto

 

 

 
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