Ripple has raised $500 million in new funding at a $40 billion valuation, with Fortress Investment Group, Citadel Securities and Pantera Capital joining as investors. 

Metaplanet, a Japanese investment firm focused on bitcoin strategy, has secured a $100 million loan using its BTC holdings as collateral. The deal allows the company to raise capital without selling off its crypto, as more firms turn to digital assets to support traditional financing.

Crypto exchange Gemini is reportedly preparing to launch a prediction market platform, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. 

Top stories in the Crypto Roundup today:

• Ripple Raises $500M at $40B Valuation as Fortress, Citadel Back Expansion
• Metaplanet Secures $100M Loan Backed by Bitcoin in Bid to Tap Credit Markets
• Gemini Eyes Prediction Markets as It Seeks Growth Post-IPO

Ripple Raises $500M at $40B Valuation as Fortress, Citadel Back Expansion

Ripple has raised $500 million in new funding at a $40 billion valuation, with Fortress Investment Group, Citadel Securities and Pantera Capital joining as investors. 

The deal expands Ripple’s institutional backing as it moves beyond payments into stablecoins, custody and crypto brokerage.

The raise comes shortly after a $1 billion tender offer and includes other participants like Galaxy Digital and Brevan Howard. The funding was issued as common equity.

Ripple has acquired six firms in the past two years, including custody provider Metaco and stablecoin platform Rail. Its stablecoin RLUSD recently crossed $1 billion in market cap and is being used in Ripple Prime, the firm’s crypto brokerage platform.

Ripple says its payments platform has now processed more than $95 billion in volume. CEO Brad Garlinghouse called the funding a sign of growing demand from institutions for blockchain-based financial infrastructure.

Metaplanet Secures $100M Loan Backed by Bitcoin in Bid to Tap Credit Markets

Metaplanet, a Japanese investment firm focused on bitcoin strategy, has secured a $100 million loan using its BTC holdings as collateral. The deal allows the company to raise capital without selling off its crypto, as more firms turn to digital assets to support traditional financing.

By pledging bitcoin instead of liquidating it, Metaplanet keeps exposure to price gains while gaining access to conventional credit markets. It’s a tactic becoming more common among corporations with large crypto reserves, especially as lending products evolve to support such use.

This isn’t Metaplanet’s first move along these lines. Earlier this year, it launched a share buyback program also backed by bitcoin. 

The $100 million loan reflects a broader shift as companies explore ways to treat bitcoin less as a speculative bet and more as working capital.

Gemini Eyes Prediction Markets as It Seeks Growth Post-IPO

Crypto exchange Gemini is reportedly preparing to launch a prediction market platform, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. 

The company has filed with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to operate a derivatives exchange that would support event contracts.

The move would be Gemini’s most notable expansion since its $433 million IPO in September, which valued the company at $4.4 billion.

Prediction markets have seen a surge in activity. Kalshi hit a record $1.2 billion in weekly volume in late October, while Polymarket has also crossed the $1 billion mark. Other firms, including MetaMask and Coinbase, have recently entered the space.

State of the Crypto by Top Tier Exchange Volume

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