Crypto Morning Brief: Prediction market Kalshi raises over $1 billion; Block rehires some laid-off employees
TechFlow Selected TechFlow Selected
Crypto Morning Brief: Prediction market Kalshi raises over $1 billion; Block rehires some laid-off employees
OpenAI will acquire startup Astral to expand its presence in the programming domain.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: TechFlow
Yesterday’s Market Highlights
Bank of Japan Holds Rates Steady as Expected
The Bank of Japan kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.75%, in line with market expectations—marking its second consecutive meeting without a policy shift.
U.S. Initial Jobless Claims for Week Ending March 14: 205,000 vs. 215,000 Expected, 213,000 Prior
According to JIN10 Data, initial jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending March 14 totaled 205,000, below the forecast of 215,000 and the prior reading of 213,000.
Meta’s AI Agent Goes Rogue, Causing Two-Hour Sensitive Data Leak
According to TechCrunch, Meta recently experienced an internal incident involving a rogue AI agent. An employee posted a technical query on an internal forum; another engineer then invoked an AI agent to assist with analysis. However, the agent responded autonomously—without authorization—and provided incorrect advice.
Acting on the AI’s recommendation, the employee triggered an event that allowed unauthorized engineers access to large volumes of company and user-related data for two hours. Meta classified this incident as “Sev 1”—its second-highest severity level for internal security events.
Notably, this is not Meta’s first AI agent malfunction. Summer Yue, Meta’s Head of Superintelligence Safety and Alignment, previously disclosed that its OpenClaw agent had, without confirmation, deleted her entire inbox.
Perle Foundation Unveils PRL Tokenomics: 37.5% Allocated to Community, 17.84% to Ecosystem
The AI data marketplace Perle Foundation has published the tokenomics for its PRL token. The total supply is 10 billion PRL tokens, allocated as follows: • 37.5% to the community (7.5% unlocked at TGE, remainder linearly vested over 36 months); • 17.84% to ecosystem development (10% unlocked at TGE, remainder linearly vested over 48 months); • 27.66% to investors (12-month cliff, then linear vesting over 36 months); • 17% to the team (12-month cliff, then linear vesting over 36 months).
edgeX Launches EDGE Airdrop Terms Page; Claim Period Ends April 1
Perpetuals DEX edgeX has launched its EDGE airdrop terms page. According to its website, the airdrop claim window runs from 18:00 UTC+8 on March 19 to 07:59 UTC+8 on April 1.
Block Quietly Rehires Some Laid-Off Staff After Layoffs; CEO Admits Misstep
According to Cointelegraph, payments firm Block—owner of Square, Cash App, and Afterpay—laid off approximately 4,000 employees at the end of February. This month, however, it has quietly rehired some of those individuals. Several former employees reported receiving return-to-work offers on LinkedIn, citing reasons such as “administrative errors” and critical infrastructure staffing shortages. CEO Jack Dorsey previously acknowledged that the layoff decision may have been flawed and noted that rapid AI advancement prompted a restructuring of the company’s ~6,000-person workforce. Some laid-off staff believe the layoffs were more about boosting investor confidence than AI-driven replacement. As of now, only 27 positions remain open on Block’s official website—all managerial or sales roles.
Gemini Cuts Workforce by ~30% Amid $585M Annual Loss; Advances AI-Driven Efficiency Initiatives
According to Bloomberg, cryptocurrency exchange Gemini reports having cut its workforce by roughly 30% since the start of the year, bringing headcount down to approximately 445. The company has also introduced AI tools to improve operational efficiency. Gemini recorded an estimated full-year 2025 loss of $585 million, with Q4 revenue around $60 million but widening losses. Earlier, it announced a ~25% headcount reduction, exited the UK, EU, and Australian markets, and replaced several senior executives.
Crypto.com CEO Announces ~12% Workforce Reduction Amid Enterprise AI Transformation
Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek revealed on social media that the company is rolling out enterprise-wide artificial intelligence (AI) integration and concurrently reducing its workforce by approximately 12%. Affected employees have been notified and will receive transition support resources.
Marszalek stated that this strategic realignment aims to combine best-in-class AI tools with high-performing talent to achieve unprecedented scale and precision in operations. Roles eliminated primarily involve functions deemed incompatible with the new business model.
Animoca Brands Invests in AVAX Token, Forges Strategic Partnership with Ava Labs
According to The Block, Animoca Brands announced an investment in Avalanche’s native token AVAX and entered a strategic partnership with Ava Labs—the core development team behind Avalanche. The two parties will jointly advance the Avalanche ecosystem, with initial focus on Asia and the Middle East.
Animoca Brands declined to disclose the size or specific terms of the investment. Under the agreement, collaboration will center on three pillars: capital deployment, product integration, and advisory support—with emphasis on real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, entertainment, and digital identity. Animoca Brands noted that it has established regional infrastructure and institutional networks across Asia and the Middle East, which projects built on Avalanche can leverage for commercial deployment.
Prediction Market Platform Kalshi Secures Over $1B in Funding, Valuation Hits $22B
According to Bloomberg, prediction market platform Kalshi Inc. has closed a new funding round exceeding $1 billion, lifting its valuation to $22 billion—doubling its $11 billion valuation from its December 2025 financing round.
OpenAI to Acquire Startup Astral, Expanding Its Footprint in Programming
According to JIN10 Data, OpenAI plans to acquire startup Astral to strengthen its presence in the programming domain.
Market Data
Recommended Reading
From $500M to $30B: How Crypto Maverick SBF Bet on the Most Valuable Company of the AI Era
This article details how prominent crypto figure Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) invested in AI company Anthropic through his hedge fund—and explores the philosophical underpinnings of that bet within effective altruism (EA). It analyzes SBF’s investment logic, funding sources, and Anthropic’s rapid ascent, while also examining how the FTX bankruptcy impacted the EA movement and associated companies.
Mastercard Spends $1.8B on Stablecoin Insurance
This article recounts Mastercard’s $1.8 billion acquisition of BVNK, aimed at integrating stablecoin payment technology to counter stablecoins’ growing threat to traditional cross-border payment businesses. With advantages like instant settlement and low fees, stablecoin payments are eroding traditional card networks’ profit margins. Mastercard seeks seamless integration of stablecoins into its existing payment infrastructure to maintain competitiveness as stablecoins gain mainstream adoption. Yet widespread stablecoin payments still face technological and regulatory hurdles—and traditional financial institutions are actively acquiring capabilities in this space.
Meta Spent $90B Shutting Down the Metaverse—and $2B to Move AI Into Your PC
This article examines Meta’s 2021 all-in bet on the metaverse—spending $90 billion developing Horizon Worlds—only to announce in 2026 that it will shut down the VR version of the product in June due to disappointing user growth. Simultaneously, Meta has pivoted its strategic focus toward AI: cutting 20% of its workforce and allocating most of its capital expenditures to AI infrastructure. Yet Meta faces AI-specific challenges—including delayed flagship model releases and key talent attrition. This pivot reflects a broader industry trend away from the metaverse and toward AI, with numerous firms slashing budgets and redirecting resources accordingly. Still, the article cautions that such consensus carries risk—and whether the AI bet pays off remains to be seen.
This Week, Everyone’s Helping AI Open Bank Accounts
This article documents recent developments in AI-powered payments, particularly the construction of autonomous AI payment infrastructure. It highlights efforts by major tech and finance players—including Stripe, Visa, Mastercard, and Coinbase—to develop protocols and tools supporting AI agents (AI Agents) with payment capabilities, funding rails, and identity verification. Though the current AI payment market remains small, demand for autonomous AI transactions is expected to grow alongside AI advancements—making this an emerging infrastructure market of significant future importance.
This article explores an innovative crypto financing model: Pharos and GCL New Energy’s capital cooperation agreement, featuring token-equity linkage and phased unlocking. It illustrates deep integration between traditional capital markets and the crypto world—not only highlighting complementary strengths but also offering fresh perspectives for future crypto fundraising models.
Join TechFlow official community to stay tuned
Telegram:https://t.me/TechFlowDaily
X (Twitter):https://x.com/TechFlowPost
X (Twitter) EN:https://x.com/BlockFlow_News
深潮TechFlow
