Polymarket paid creators to stage fake winning bets on dummy sites
A WSJ investigation found that Polymarket used offshore creators to market its prediction platform to U.S. audiences, despite being barred from serving American traders under a CFTC settlement. The company allegedly created mirror versions of its site and paid creators to stage winning bets, using manipulated headlines and outdated footage to make the wagers appear authentic. The Journal analyzed 1,105 videos from 10 creators posted between December 2025 and mid-May. About 70% included a wager, yet none of the roughly $1.9 million in showcased bets were real. Read more →
ICE, OKX Form Crypto Joint Venture
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the owner of NYSE, and crypto exchange OKX are launching a 50-50 joint venture called OKXICE to launch new digital asset products, including tokenized securities. The venture, co-chaired by former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and ICE executive Trabue Bland, is pursuing broker-dealer and futures licenses and has already begun work on tokenized oil futures. The partnership follows ICE's $200 million investment in OKX earlier this year, valuing the exchange at $25 billion. Read more →
Musk’s bitcoin empires could merge
Investor Chamath Palihapitiya predicts Elon Musk will eventually merge Tesla and SpaceX, creating a nearly $4 trillion company and one of the world’s largest corporate bitcoin holders. No deal has been announced, but the bitcoin math is real – SpaceX recently disclosed 18,712 BTC, while Tesla holds another 11,509 BTC. Together, the companies control 30,221 BTC worth ~$2.2 billion, which would place a combined company fifth on the corporate bitcoin leaderboard. Interestingly, SpaceX owns far more bitcoin than previously believed, with earlier blockchain estimates missing coins held through third-party custodians. Read more →
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