Gemini Raises $425 Million in IPO, Priced Above Range at $28 per Share

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Gemini Space Station, the cryptocurrency exchange founded by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, raised $425 million in its U.S. initial public offering on Thursday, pricing shares above the marketed range at $28 apiece.

Key Details

  • Shares sold: 15.2 million

  • IPO proceeds: $425 million (capped despite oversubscription of 20x)

  • Valuation: $3.33 billion (non-diluted)

  • Ticker symbol: GEMI (trading starts Friday on Nasdaq)

Demand and Pricing

  • Initial IPO range: $17–$19, later raised to $24–$26 on strong demand.

  • Final pricing at $28 reflects robust investor appetite.

  • Nasdaq invested $50 million in a private placement alongside the IPO.

Sector Momentum

  • Gemini’s IPO follows Figure Technology’s $787.5M debut on Wednesday and earlier offerings by Bullish and Circle.

  • Record-high crypto prices and regulatory easing under President Trump are driving momentum for public listings.

Legal and Regulatory Context

  • Gemini is still engaged in an SEC lawsuit over its crypto lending program, accused of failing to register before offering to retail investors.

  • A status report on the case is due September 15.

  • The exchange has been linked politically, with reports suggesting Tyler Winklevoss lobbied the White House against a CFTC nominee.

Market Significance

Gemini’s IPO highlights investor enthusiasm for crypto-linked equities and positions the firm as a high-profile player in the mainstream financial market, despite ongoing legal scrutiny.

SK Hynix Prepares HBM4 Production to Defend Market Lead Over Rivals

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SK Hynix (000660.KS) announced on Friday that it has completed internal certification of its HBM4 (high-bandwidth memory 4) chips and established a production system, positioning itself to maintain its dominance in the advanced memory market.

Key Developments

  • In March 2025, SK Hynix shipped 12-layer HBM4 chip samples to customers.

  • The company aims to complete mass production preparations for these chips within H2 2025.

  • Shares rose 7% to a record high of 328,500 won ($236.71), outperforming the benchmark KOSPI’s 1.5% gain.

Market Context

  • HBM technology: First introduced in 2013, HBM stacks DRAM vertically to save space, cut power use, and process vast data volumes required by AI workloads.

  • Market share: SK Hynix is projected to hold about 60% of the HBM market in 2026, down slightly from its current 66%, according to Meritz Securities.

  • Customers: Nvidia remains its largest client, though Samsung Electronics and Micron supply smaller volumes.

Rival Strategies

  • Samsung Electronics: Plans to use a 1c-nanometer node for HBM4, compared to SK Hynix’s 1b-nanometer process, signaling a push to catch up despite a weaker track record. Samsung already provided HBM4 samples to customers and plans to start supply in 2026.

  • Micron: Competing with custom-built logic dies (“base dies”) that make it harder for customers to switch suppliers.

Industry Impact

  • SK Hynix’s first-mover advantage in HBM4 is expected to secure early contracts with major AI players like Nvidia.

  • Analysts note that customer-specific base dies mark a technological shift that could lock buyers into long-term supplier relationships.

Market Performance YTD

  • SK Hynix: +88.9%

  • Samsung Electronics: +41.7%

  • Micron (Nasdaq): +78.9%

  • KOSPI benchmark: +41.5%

FTC Probes AI Chatbots from Alphabet, Meta, OpenAI and Others

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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on Thursday that it has launched an inquiry into major providers of AI-powered consumer chatbots, including Alphabet (Google), Meta Platforms, OpenAI, Character.AI, Snap, and xAI.

Focus of the Inquiry

The FTC is demanding details on:

  • How chatbots are tested, measured, and monitored for potential negative impacts.

  • Monetization strategies, including how companies profit from user engagement.

  • Processing of user inputs and the generation of responses.

  • Use of conversation data, and whether it is exploited for advertising, training, or other commercial purposes.

Rising Scrutiny

Generative AI tools have recently drawn criticism following safety scandals:

  • Reuters revealed internal Meta policies that allowed chatbots to engage in romantic conversations with children.

  • OpenAI is facing a lawsuit alleging ChatGPT contributed to a teenager’s suicide.

  • Character.AI is under a separate lawsuit tied to another teen death.

Company Responses

  • Character.AI: said it will cooperate, highlighting new safety features rolled out over the past year.

  • Snap: welcomed the FTC’s focus, saying it supports policies that balance innovation with community protection.

  • Meta: declined to comment.

  • Alphabet, OpenAI, xAI: did not immediately respond.

Bigger Picture

The inquiry reflects Washington’s growing concern over AI risks, especially for children and vulnerable users. Regulators are looking to balance innovation with consumer protection, while lawsuits and scandals raise urgency for stricter oversight.