Tether announced the upcoming launch of QVAC (QuantumVerse Automatic Computer), a decentralized development platform for locally operating AI agents.
Paolo Ardoino, Tether’s CEO, claimed that the company is aiming for a full launch in Q3 2025. Before this happens, it will also release a few QVAC-based AI apps for general use.
Earlier this month, crypto AI agents staged a massive comeback, and the firm is now revealing its project. Tether’s QVAC is intended to keep the AI space decentralized, empowering individuals to use sophisticated protocols:
A little over a week ago, Tether teased its upcoming peer-to-peer AI platform, which now seems like a reference to QVAC. Ardoino claimed that the company aims for a Q3 2025 release, which may take longer.
Because Tether won’t be fully releasing QVAC for several months at the earliest, there aren’t many details available. However, the company’s statements describe some very ambitious goals.
QVAC will center around AI agents, specifically on developing them for local use. It will use modular architecture to create functional tools that run on personal devices.
Tether was very clear that QVAC’s agents won’t require users to remotely connect with external servers. Even where it employs collaboration, QVAC will focus on peer-to-peer contact with other small-scale developers.
The firm will also launch the first QVAC-based apps “soon,” but it has provided no further details.
This Chinese AI model boasts dramatically lower hardware requirements than its competitors, enabling users to host it locally. DeepSeek can do this for an entire LLM, so Tether hopes to employ QVAC for more niche AI agents.
Hopefully, Tether will continue releasing technical details about QVAC during Q2 before a full launch in Q3. If the company can meet this imposing challenge, it would significantly contribute to global AI development.
According to a recent report from the State Democracy Defenders Fund (SDDF), crypto could represent up to 37% of Donald Trump’s wealth.
It’s difficult to determine an exact figure from publicly available information, as the study could only make educated guesses on several possible income streams. This includes trading fees on TRUMP and World Liberty Financial’s two tokens.
How Much Crypto Does Trump Really Hold?
Since President Trump launched his eponymous meme coin shortly before Inauguration Day, it opened an unprecedented new era for cryptocurrency.
Former US regulators and crypto luminarieshave warned about the danger of political corruption. The SDDF’s report attempts to thoroughly analyze Trump’s substantial crypto holdings.
“In just a few short months, President Trump has substantially increased his wealth due to his business’s foray into a series of crypto asset offerings. Reporting suggests these crypto ventures may account for nearly 40% of his wealth,” the SDDF claimed, noting that this number may soon increase.
However, determining his exact wealth is difficult for a few reasons. For one thing, the TRUMP meme coin’s price is constantly fluctuating, and it’s unclear how many tokens he actually holds.
The US president’s affiliated insiders hold 80% of the meme coin’s supply. How much of that is directly linked to the Trump Family portfolio?
Moreover, it pointed out that the public has no idea what percentage of TRUMP trading fees go to the Trump family. The SDDF cites a study claiming that total transaction fees could’ve reached $100 million in January, but the trail has since gone cold.
How high is this number in late April? What are the exact terms of Trump’s “special arrangement” with Meteora? These important questions remain unanswered.
Similar issues arise when trying to assess World Liberty Financial. Trump’s family unequivocally receives income from the DeFi project, but it’s proved difficult to get direct access to any contracts or for anyone to publicly disclose the specific agreements.
World Liberty Financial review
Let’s take an in-depth and unbiased look at the $WLFI project, which has been making headlines frequently lately.
What is $WLFI? World Liberty Financial (WLFI) is a DeFi project backed by Donald Trump and his family. It aims to promote USD-pegged… pic.twitter.com/htiTqvxRLg
Trump is explicitly using his authority to champion crypto reform. Yet, it’s almost undeniable that his family is substantially invested in this sector. His focus on stablecoin regulation has attracted scrutiny over USD1 involvement, for one thing. His comprehensive war on federal crypto enforcement could also give massive opportunities.
In short, it doesn’t necessarily matter what Trump’s exact crypto holdings are. The POTUS has involved himself in several economic entanglements that are usually completely off-limits to sitting Presidents. Proving his exact commitments is extremely difficult, which only highlights the unusual situation.
Coinbase Global Inc. will join the S&P 500 index, replacing Discover Financial Services, effective before the market opens on Monday, May 19. S&P Dow Jones Indices announced the change late Monday.
The move follows Capital One Financial’s acquisition of Discover Financial, a deal expected to close soon pending final conditions.
Coinbase Stock Surges After S&P 500 Inclusion
Coinbase becomes the first cryptocurrency-focused company to be included in the S&P 500. Following the announcement, Coinbase shares rose more than 7% in after-hours trading.
Despite the milestone, Coinbase’s latest earnings report showed mixed results. In Q1 2025, the company missed revenue expectations by $200 million.
However, platform engagement remains strong. USDC balances on Coinbase increased by 49% quarter-over-quarter, signaling resilience among its user base despite financial headwinds.
Coinbase’s addition to the S&P 500 marks a significant moment for the cryptocurrency industry’s growing integration into traditional finance.
Crypto inflows last week were modest at $6 million, as negative flows provoked by US economic indicators whitewashed significant gains made by mid-week.
Notwithstanding, the positive flows, though modest, suggest shifting sentiment in the market.
US Retail Sales Trigger $146 Million in Crypto Outflows
The latest CoinShares report indicates that crypto inflows came in at only $6 million last week, amid mixed investor sentiment. While the week started with minor inflows, stronger-than-expected US retail sales figures on Wednesday last week inspired outflows of $146 million.
“Digital asset investment products saw net inflows of US$6 million, with mid-week US retail data triggering US$146 million in outflows,” CoinShares’ head of research James Butterfill stated.
As it happened, US Retail Sales climbed in March on a jump in car purchases. Beyond adjusting for inflation, the value of retail purchases increased the most in over two years.
This economic indicator, which measures year-over-year consumer spending, also showed that households stepped up purchases of motor vehicles and a range of other goods. According to Reuters Business, the objective was to avoid higher prices from Trump tariffs.
“The US Commerce Department said retail sales increased 1.4% last month, up significantly from February’s 0.2% rise, the most in more than two years, as households stepped up purchases to avoid higher prices from President Trump’s tariffs,” read the report.
Against this backdrop, the US continued to see outflows, totaling $71 million last week. This effectively contravened what was seen in other markets, with Europe and Canada, among others, recording positive flows.
Meanwhile, Ethereum led the negative flows, recording nearly $27 million in outflows, followed by Bitcoin, which had $6 million in outflows.
“XRP continues to break the mold with inflows of $37.7 million last week, making it the 3rd most successful this year with YTD inflows of $214 million,” Butterfill explained.
Institutions Treat Crypto as More Than Just a Risky Bet
Meanwhile, as Trump tariffs influence consumer spending, Wall Street appears to be stumbling harder than expected.
Nexo Dispatch editor Stella Zlatarev recently told BeInCrypto that Bitcoin’s relative steadiness and that of other blue-chip cryptos are signs that cryptocurrency may be entering a new market maturity phase.
“Bitcoin’s ability to weather macro turbulence without the wild swings of previous years suggests institutional investors are treating it less as a speculative punt and more as a strategic asset,” Zlatarev stated.
Instead, Bitcoin is emerging as a risk-dynamic asset that does not crumble like high-growth stocks but does not attract the same flight-to-safety flows as traditional safe havens.
(@paoloardoino) May 14, 2025
