POTOMAC FALLS, Va., May 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Ash Environmental DAO, through its Ash Token (https://ashtoken.io/) cryptocurrency ecosystem, is proud to announce the successful funding of its initial group of grant recipients—marking a major milestone in the DAO’s mission to support high-impact environmental innovation, job creation, and economic transformation through decentralized blockchain finance.

In this inaugural round of funding, the DAO has awarded:

• $2 million to GCS Fibers LLC (www.gcsfibers.com/), a U.S.-based start-up manufacturing company that transforms toxic coal ash into high-performance, non-toxic mineral fiber under the PHEENX^® brand.
• $20,000 to Eco-Green Solutions LLC (www.ecogreensolutions.io), a start-up company focused on greenhouse emissions capture solutions.
• $20,000 to MetaFiber LLC (www.metafiber.io), a start-up innovator in next-generation green material research and development.

“This marks the first demonstration of how the Ash Token ecosystem can be used as a powerful tool to fund real-world, environmentally beneficial innovation,” said Dan Perez (Communications Director for the Ash Env. DAO | Ash Token). “Through these grants, we are laying the foundation for a future where pollution is transformed into opportunity—delivering project financing, economic development, poverty reduction, and long-term sustainability.”

GCS Fibers: Restarting Operations with DAO-Backed Support

From the recipient side, the $2 million investment enables GCS Fibers LLC to resume operations at its flagship facility and begin commercial-scale production of its revolutionary mineral fiber product made from recycled coal ash. This process diverts toxic waste from the environment while creating high-performance, eco-safe materials for global industrial use.

“We are incredibly grateful for this support from the Ash Environmental DAO and the Ash Token community,” said David Quinn Director of Public Engagement for GCS Fibers. “This funding is not just capital—it’s a vote of confidence in the future we’re building. Thanks to this grant, we’re bringing our facility back online, creating jobs, and proving that sustainability and profitability can go hand-in-hand.”

A New Model for Climate Finance

This funding round exemplifies the DAO’s vision of a circular, inclusive economy where innovative solutions to environmental crises are empowered by decentralized capital. Each grant advances the DAO’s core objectives: reducing global pollution, enabling sustainable industry, creating dignified jobs, and delivering superior products and services through its network of sponsored companies.

With the success of this initial funding round, the Ash Environmental DAO invites new applicants, partners, and Ash Token holders to join in scaling this ecosystem and accelerating the global transition to an equitable, sustainable future.

About GCS Fibers:
GCS Fibers is an eco-friendly manufacturing company that repurposes coal ash into high-quality mineral fiber or pulp products.  GCS can convert millions of tons of toxic coal ash (fly ash, bottom ash, boiler slag, wet or dry) each year into 6 base mineral fibers yielding end-products such as paper, brake pads, textiles, building insulation, rubber and plastics, and carbon fiber precursors.  All the while creating jobs, cleaning up the harmful effects of coal ash, and helping the environment.  Learn more by visiting https://www.gcsfibers.com/

About ASH Token:

The ASH Token is a cryptocurrency ecosystem that provides grant funding for high impact and sustainable business innovations that seek to eliminate pollution from the global environment while driving the increased adoption of more efficient energy solutions. ASH is a governance token that empowers holders to collectively vote and decide how the funds raised through the token’s transactions fees are used to fund environmentally focused start-ups. Learn more by visiting https://ashtoken.io/

Media Contact:
VARCom Solutions
Email: pr@varcom.com
571-276-3109

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gcs-fibers-reports-ash-environmental-dao–ash-token-funds-first-round-of-high-impact-environmental-innovators-with-over-2-million-in-grants-302457965.html

SOURCE GCS Fibers

Featured Image: depositphotos @ garloon

Disclaimer

HONG KONG, May 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Pharos Network, a high-performance blockchain built for real-world assets (RWAs), announced the launch of its Testnet. Designed for institutional-grade RWAs and enterprise-scale DeFi, Pharos offers a next-generation, modular infrastructure that addresses the key bottlenecks preventing institutions from entering Web3. The platform powers scalable deployment of decentralized applications, enables efficient payment solutions, and unlocks new use cases for tokenized assets.

The Pharos Testnet achieves up to 30,000 transactions per second with one-second finality, setting a new benchmark for Layer 1 blockchain performance. Its GPU-like architecture could support billions of users and reduce storage usage by 80%. The network also features built-in support for decentralized AI and privacy preserving SPN. With ZK-based KYC/AML capabilities, Pharos ensures enterprise-ready security and compliance. It remains fully EVM-compatible, offering faster and cheaper transactions, while enabling flexible, on-chain innovation.

Pharos’s product stack directly addresses the core bottlenecks in RWA adoption—scalability, compliance, and flexibility—unlocking new use cases across sectors such as renewable energy industry finance, payment, supply chain finance, and tokenized real estate. Its modular, high-throughput infrastructure enables secure deployment of RWA at scale, while meeting the regulatory and performance demands of the financial industry.

Founded by former AntChain and Alibaba blockchain leaders, the Pharos team brings deep enterprise experience, uniquely positioning it to deliver enterprise-grade solutions for institutions exploring green finance, payments, and new forms of programmable ownership and asset tokenization.

“The Pharos Testnet represents a significant milestone in our mission to unlock the true potential of RWAs. By providing a high-performance, scalable, and adaptable platform, Pharos meet the needs of bringing real world assets on a chain and bringing utilities to these assets.” said Alex Zhang, CEO of Pharos Network. “We’re excited to watch innovation flourish on Pharos and accelerate the convergence of traditional finance and decentralized technology.

Developers and users can access and experience the Testnet by visiting testnet.pharosnetwork.xyz.

About Pharos

Pharos Network is a revolutionary Layer 1 blockchain platform that sets new benchmarks in decentralized technology with its extreme performance and scalability. Founded by ex-blockchain leaders from Ant Financial and Alibaba, Pharos aims to build the best chain for RWAs and enterprise-grade DeFi, achieving the highest EVM Layer-1 performance with 50K TPS and being the first to reach 2 gigagas/sec. In addition, Pharos is a co-developer of SmartCogent, an AI toolkit for large language models (LLMs), and the core development team of DTVM technology. For more information, please visit https://pharosnetwork.xyz.

Logo – https://www.007stockchat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/pharos_Logo.jpg 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/pharos-network-unveils-high-performance-layer-1-testnet-to-unlock-rwa-adoption-302457734.html

Featured Image: depositphotos @ yourg

Disclaimer

LIMASSOL, Cyprus, May 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Amid rising volatility across global financial markets — from gold reaching historic highs of $3,500 per ounce (up 31% since January, according to IG) to tech stocks swinging in response to geopolitical uncertainty and macroeconomic signals — interest in dynamic and narrative-driven trading instruments is surging. Analysts attribute the gold rally to a mix of central bank accumulation (with China importing over 700 metric tons), inflationary pressures, and a weakening dollar, with some projections suggesting a potential climb toward $4,000 per ounce.

Versus Trade enters this environment with a unique approach — offering “Versus Pairs,” proprietary CFD instruments that allow retail traders to speculate on how one asset performs against another. Rather than taking isolated long or short positions, users can now express market opinions in a comparative format, whether it’s crypto vs. commodities or old economy vs. innovation.

As of May 2025, Versus Trade steps onto the scene — a platform developed by traders, for traders, with a clear focus on the fast-growing Asian markets — including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Innovative Asset-vs-Asset CFDs for Strategic Traders

The key distinction of Versus Trade lies in its focus on gamified, head-to-head asset comparisons — turning traditional CFD trading into an engaging experience built around rivalry, contrast, and strategic alignment. Instead of simply trading Gold or Bitcoin, traders can now position themselves in the narrative of digital assets versus traditional stores of value, or explore macro themes like West versus East, innovation versus legacy, and growth versus stability.

At the core of the platform are unique trading pairs such as:

• Bitcoin vs Gold – digital gold versus the traditional safe-haven asset
• Amazon vs Alibaba – Western versus Eastern dominance in global e-commerce
• Tesla vs Ford – the electric future versus legacy automotive manufacturing

These matchups are more than just tickers — they are stories. And beyond flagship combinations like Bitcoin vs Gold or Amazon vs Alibaba, Versus Trade offers a broader lineup of asset-vs-asset instruments covering commodities, indices, and thematic sectors — allowing traders to engage with cross-market dynamics and relative performance.

This model resonates with a new generation of retail traders — those who are accustomed to trading on leverage, reacting to news flow, and seeking out high-volatility opportunities. For them, Versus Trade delivers both engagement and strategic optionality in a format that reflects how modern traders think and act.

Built by Traders, Tailored for the Modern Asian Market

Versus Trade was founded by professional trader Vitalii Bulynin, who designed the platform based on real-world trading experience. The platform is not built around promotional gimmicks or corporate marketing goals, but around functional features that support practical execution.

According to Bulynin, the Versus Trade CFD trading platform is designed to move beyond traditional chart-based approaches by enabling modern traders to engage in comparative trading strategies grounded in market conviction and relative asset performance.

This is not just trading — it’s storytelling, choosing sides, strategy, and community.

“Trading is not just about charts. It’s about beliefs, analysis, and the spirit of competition. We want to make it exciting and intelligent at the same time,” says Versus Trade CEO Vitalii Bulynin.

Positioning and Outlook

With its regulated CFD infrastructure, trader-centric design, and a distinctive portfolio of multi-asset, asset-vs-asset instruments, Versus Trade is positioned as a modern alternative to traditional online brokers. Combining product innovation with market localization, the platform aims to reshape retail trading in high-growth regions through transparency, usability, and strategic differentiation.

On the technology side, Versus Trade integrates with MetaTrader 5, offering full support for algorithmic trading, multi-asset execution, and analytical tools for both manual and automated strategies. This positions the platform to serve a wide spectrum of users — from beginner traders to seasoned strategists and signal providers.

By focusing on market relevance, strategic flexibility, and platform reliability, Versus Trade aims to deliver value to both individual traders and institutional partners. In a market crowded with feature-heavy but insight-light offerings, it introduces a trading experience built on clarity, comparison, and conviction.

About Versus Trade

Versus Trade was co-founded by Vitalii Bulynin in partnership with former veteran IB partners from leading companies such as Exness and XM. The company is centered on developing innovative trading mechanisms designed to help traders fully realize their potential. Vitalii assembled a team of industry-seasoned professionals, each with over 15 years of experience, to bring this vision to life.

Users can learn more at www.versus.trade 

Social media profiles:

https://x.com/VersusTrade_
https://www.linkedin.com/company/versus-trade/
https://www.instagram.com/versus.trade_official
https://www.facebook.com/VersusTradeOfficial
https://www.tiktok.com/@versus.trade

Contact

Support Team
Versus Trade
support@versus.trade

Photo – https://www.007stockchat.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/VersusTrade_HeatMarketers.jpg

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-cfd-broker-versus-trade-launches-with-unique-asset-vs-asset-product-offering-302457598.html

SOURCE Versus Trade

Featured Image: depositphotos @ kongvector

Disclaimer

Addentax Group Corp. (NASDAQ:ATXG), a China-based diversified business group, shocked markets with its bold Addentax crypto acquisition announcement. On Thursday, the company revealed its intention to acquire up to $800 million worth of cryptocurrencies—including as many as 8,000 Bitcoins—through a share-based deal. While the stock initially surged on the news, it later gave back most of its gains, reflecting investor uncertainty around the ambitious plan.

Still, the news marks a clear turning point in Addentax’s corporate strategy. The company is moving aggressively into the blockchain space and betting big on Bitcoin and other digital assets to reshape its financial future.

Details Behind the $800M Addentax Crypto Acquisition

The proposed Addentax crypto acquisition would involve issuing common shares to acquire a portfolio of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and potentially meme coins like the Official Trump coin. Although no formal agreement has been signed, Addentax is currently negotiating with influential cryptocurrency holders who collectively control approximately 8,000 Bitcoins.

At current prices, the proposed acquisition is valued near $800 million, making it one of the most significant crypto plays by a publicly traded Chinese company listed on a U.S. exchange.

This share-based transaction would allow Addentax to both acquire valuable digital assets and bring seasoned crypto investors into its ownership structure—potentially aligning shareholder interests with the company’s new strategic direction.

Why Addentax Is Betting on Bitcoin

CEO Hong Zhida views the acquisition as a transformative step in Addentax’s evolution. “This initiative supports the Company’s broader blockchain strategy by facilitating potential acquisitions of digital assets such as Bitcoin and introducing strategic investors with experience in the crypto ecosystem,” he said in a statement.

Zhida also pointed to the long-term value of established cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin, in particular, is seen by many as a liquid and appreciating asset—attractive qualities for companies looking to hedge against inflation and diversify their balance sheets.

Institutional interest in crypto continues to grow, and Addentax is positioning itself to benefit from this trend. The Addentax crypto acquisition could help the company tap into blockchain innovation, digital payments, and decentralized finance, all while enhancing its market profile.

Risks and Rewards for ATXG Investors

While the potential upside of the Addentax crypto acquisition is substantial, the deal is not without risks. Volatility in the crypto markets could quickly erode asset values, and issuing new stock may dilute existing shareholders.

Moreover, no definitive agreement has been reached, and regulatory scrutiny around crypto transactions—especially for cross-border public companies—remains high. The lack of clarity around the structure and timing of the transaction has already introduced some market skepticism.

However, if executed successfully, this pivot could transform Addentax from a relatively obscure microcap into a high-profile player in the digital asset world. The company is effectively trading paper—its own equity—for highly sought-after crypto assets, a move that could significantly reshape its financial standing and investor base.

The Bigger Picture: Corporate Crypto Convergence

Addentax’s move follows a broader trend of public companies integrating crypto into their corporate strategies. Firms like MicroStrategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR) and Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) have made headlines for holding Bitcoin on their balance sheets. Now, Addentax aims to join that elite group with a bolder, equity-funded acquisition.

Unlike traditional investments, the Addentax crypto acquisition hinges on acquiring not just assets but also crypto industry expertise. By welcoming seasoned holders into its shareholder structure, Addentax is betting on a knowledge transfer that could boost its blockchain credibility and unlock future growth opportunities.

Conclusion: A High-Stakes Leap into Digital Assets

Addentax’s planned $800 million crypto acquisition is more than a financial maneuver—it’s a strategic pivot that reflects how public companies are embracing the digital economy. If successful, this bold bet could position (NASDAQ:ATXG) as a serious player in the blockchain ecosystem. But until the ink dries on a definitive deal, investors will be watching closely to see whether this ambitious crypto gamble pays off.

Featured Image: Freepik

Please See Disclaimer

Robinhood Markets Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD) has taken a strategic leap into the Canadian cryptocurrency space with its $250 million acquisition of WonderFi Technologies Inc. The deal, which significantly boosts Robinhood’s international ambitions, is poised to reshape the Robinhood Canada crypto narrative by granting the U.S.-based trading platform a licensed and compliant entry into the Canadian market.

This acquisition includes WonderFi’s investment dealer license and $2.1 billion in assets under custody, setting the stage for Robinhood to offer regulated crypto trading to millions of Canadians.

Why WonderFi Is Key to Robinhood’s Canadian Play

WonderFi Technologies operates two of Canada’s longest-standing crypto marketplaces and is a member of the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO). By purchasing all of WonderFi’s issued and outstanding shares at a 41% premium—36 cents per share—Robinhood gains not only technological infrastructure but also a regulatory green light to expand in Canada.

Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s SVP and general manager of crypto, emphasized the importance of acquiring a compliant platform. “We want to make sure that we offer product compliance with the regulation,” he told BNN Bloomberg. He also praised WonderFi’s broad crypto offering, with over 60 assets available to trade.

This strategic move allows Robinhood to bypass the lengthy process of building a Canadian-compliant crypto platform from scratch, fast-tracking its Robinhood Canada crypto rollout.

A Regulated Pathway to Millions of Users

According to Kerbrat, the Canadian crypto market is ripe with opportunity, with nearly 19 million Canadians expected to use crypto by 2025. That figure represents about half of the country’s population, indicating a large, tech-savvy user base ready for alternative investing platforms.

By entering Canada through WonderFi, Robinhood not only gains a functioning exchange but also access to users who demand transparency and regulatory compliance—a trend accelerated by past failures in the crypto space, such as the collapse of QuadrigaCX and the global fallout from FTX.

The Robinhood Canada crypto push signals a broader shift toward legitimacy and oversight in a space often criticized for its lack of investor protection.

Robinhood’s Crypto Momentum Builds

Robinhood’s crypto division has seen renewed strength over the past two quarters. As Kerbrat noted, “The past two quarters have been really good for the crypto products and business of Robinhood.” With retail interest climbing alongside the broader crypto market recovery, Robinhood appears poised to extend that momentum north of the border.

Crypto adoption in Canada mirrors trends seen globally—where younger investors are flocking to digital assets for diversification, inflation hedging, and long-term growth. With the addition of WonderFi, Robinhood can now serve this growing demand through a regulated framework.

This also aligns with Robinhood’s broader mission of democratizing finance. The company, already a leading player in U.S. crypto trading, now has the infrastructure to replicate that success in Canada.

What This Means for Robinhood Stockholders

For investors in Robinhood (NASDAQ:HOOD), the WonderFi deal signals a growth story beyond the U.S. market. Regulatory pressure in the United States has made domestic expansion challenging, especially in the crypto space. Canada, with its clearer regulatory environment and crypto-savvy population, offers a fertile ground for expansion.

If successful, the Robinhood Canada crypto strategy could become a model for future international growth. It shows how Robinhood can scale by acquiring compliant platforms in regulated jurisdictions, mitigating risk while boosting user growth and asset flows.

Conclusion: A Bold Move into the North

Robinhood’s acquisition of WonderFi marks a pivotal step in its evolution as a global fintech leader. By entering the Canadian market through a licensed and regulated crypto platform, the company is signaling its commitment to responsible growth, user trust, and international expansion.

As Canada’s crypto market heats up, the Robinhood Canada crypto strategy could provide the company with a significant first-mover advantage—cementing its position not just as a disruptor, but as a sustainable force in the global financial landscape.

Featured Image: Megapixl

Please See Disclaimer