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Winklevoss Crypto Exchange Gemini IPO Over 20x Oversubscribed

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The upcoming U.S. IPO of Gemini, the cryptocurrency exchange founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, has been met with extraordinary investor demand, drawing more than 20 times the number of orders for available shares, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Key IPO Details

  • Shares on offer: 16.67 million

  • Price range raised: $24–$26 (up from $17–$19)

  • Proceeds capped: $425 million (even with stronger demand, higher pricing will shrink the number of shares sold rather than increase the raise).

  • Market value: Over $3 billion at the top end of the range.

  • Ticker: GEMI on Nasdaq

  • Lead underwriters: Goldman Sachs and Citigroup

Additionally, Nasdaq has committed $50 million in a private placement at the time of the IPO.

Context and Market Momentum

The IPO comes amid a wave of crypto listings, fueled by regulatory wins under a pro-crypto White House, increased corporate adoption, and inflows from crypto-linked ETFs. The digital asset market recently topped $4 trillion in value.

Recent activity includes:

  • Figure Technology raised $787.5 million in an upsized IPO on Wednesday.

  • Circle (stablecoin issuer) and Bullish (CoinDesk owner) also expanded their offerings earlier this year.

What’s Next

Gemini shares are set to begin trading Friday. The massive oversubscription suggests a strong aftermarket debut, potentially setting the tone for more high-profile crypto IPOs in the months ahead.

Bullish Shares Surge on NYSE Debut, Valued at $13.2 Billion

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Cryptocurrency exchange Bullish, backed by Peter Thiel and parent of CoinDesk, saw its NYSE shares more than double in their debut, valuing the company at approximately $13.16 billion. The stock opened at $90 and traded as high as $118, far above its $37 IPO price, highlighting strong investor confidence in the crypto sector. Bullish raised $1.11 billion in the IPO, giving it an initial valuation of $5.4 billion.

The surge comes amid a series of regulatory wins for crypto in the U.S., increased corporate adoption, and growing ETF inflows. Bullish targets institutional clients, aiming for stable, recurring revenue, and is close to obtaining a New York BitLicense to operate under regulatory requirements including KYC, anti-money laundering, and capital standards.

Executives cited institutional demand and a favorable regulatory environment as key drivers, noting that other crypto exchanges such as Gemini and Grayscale have also filed to go public. Bullish CEO Tom Farley, former NYSE president, brings leadership experience that may help secure institutional mandates.

Iran’s Nobitex Crypto Exchange Hit by Hackers, $90 Million in Funds Destroyed

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A powerful anti-Iranian hacking group known as Gonjeshke Darande (Predatory Sparrow) claimed responsibility on Wednesday for a devastating cyberattack on Nobitex, Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. The attack allegedly destroyed around $90 million in digital assets and threatened to leak the platform’s source code.

This marks the group’s second strike in two days, following an earlier operation targeting Bank Sepah, a state-owned Iranian bank. The campaign comes amid escalating tensions and missile exchanges between Israel and Iran.

The hackers claim Nobitex aids the Iranian regime in evading sanctions and financing militant groups, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Yemen’s Houthis. Blockchain forensics firm Elliptic confirmed these ties in a blog post, noting that funds had been exchanged between Nobitex and wallets linked to those entities.

Early Wednesday, funds were transferred from Nobitex to hacker-controlled wallets displaying anti-IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) messages. Analysis by TRM Labs and Chainalysis confirmed that approximately $90 million in cryptocurrency was irretrievably “burned” in the operation, meaning the attackers intentionally rendered the assets inaccessible as a political statement.

Elliptic noted that the structure of the hacker wallets ensured that even the attackers could not access the stolen assets.

Nobitex confirmed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that it had taken its website and app offline due to “unauthorized access.” Its Telegram support channels did not respond to inquiries.

The cyberattack adds to a growing list of high-profile hacks by Predatory Sparrow, which has previously disabled Iranian infrastructure, including gas stations and steel mills. Though Israel has never officially claimed the group, its operations are widely considered to align with Israeli cyber interests.

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Angus King recently highlighted Nobitex’s suspected role in Iranian sanctions evasion in a letter to the Biden administration, citing prior Reuters investigations from 2022.

Cybersecurity experts warn that this breach could further inflame geopolitical tensions while demonstrating the increasing use of blockchain technology in modern cyber warfare.