Good morning, pioneers!

Yesterday was a landmark day, where the abstract future of web3 and AI felt like it finally started laying concrete foundations in the real world. We're not just talking about code and concepts anymore; we're talking about national policy, institutional financial plumbing, and massive infrastructure projects. From Washington D.C. to university labs, the message is clear: the era of building is here. Let's dive in.

It's official: AI is now a matter of national priority and enterprise necessity.

• Uncle Sam Puts $100M on AI Research: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is injecting a massive $100 million into National AI Research Institutes. This isn't just funding; it's a strategic push to cement US leadership in the field. The focus is on critical areas like generative AI (University of Texas), molecule discovery (University of Illinois), and even using AI to improve STEM education. The government is not just watching the AI revolution; it's actively funding it.

• Paving the Way for a National AI Grid: In a move that speaks volumes, the US administration is reportedly fast-tracking permits for data centers and chip factories, even easing some environmental rules to meet AI's colossal energy needs. This pairs directly with progress on the OpenAI and Oracle "Stargate" project, an ambitious plan to build a national AI infrastructure network. They aren't just building the brains; they're building the body.

• Enterprise AI Gets Real: The partnership between NTT Data and Mistral AI signals a major step for enterprise adoption. By integrating Mistral's open-weight models, NTT Data aims to deliver secure, private generative AI solutions, especially for highly regulated industries that have been hesitant to dive in.

The blockchain world saw some of its biggest hurdles turn into paved roads yesterday, signaling deep institutional and regulatory maturation.

• A "GENIUS" Move for Stablecoins is Now Law: The "Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act" (GENIUS Act) has been signed into law. This is the moment the industry has been waiting for: the first comprehensive federal regulatory framework for stablecoins in the US. The act brings clarity on issuance, mandates clear reserve requirements, and boosts consumer protection. This is a foundational piece of legislation for the future of digital dollars.

• SEC Unlocks In-Kind Redemptions for Crypto ETFs: In a huge win for market efficiency, the SEC has approved in-kind creations and redemptions for both Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETPs. This mechanism, standard in traditional finance, allows market makers to exchange baskets of the underlying crypto for ETF shares (and vice versa), drastically lowering costs, tightening spreads, and improving liquidity. This makes crypto ETFs function just like their mainstream counterparts—a game-changer for institutional adoption.

• The Institutional $ETH Rush Continues: The proof is in the pudding. Spot Ethereum ETFs have now recorded 18 consecutive days of net inflows. This sustained demand, coupled with the SEC's acknowledgment of BlackRock's application to stake an Ethereum spot ETF, shows that institutional appetite for $ETH is not just a passing trend.

• Strategy's Unrelenting Bitcoin Accumulation: Michael Saylor's Strategy continues its aggressive treasury strategy, acquiring another 21,021 bitcoins. This brings their staggering total to nearly 629,000 $BTC. The purchase was funded by a $2.5 billion stock offering, which stands as the largest US IPO of 2025 so far.

Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) continue their march from cryptographic curiosity to essential infrastructure for privacy and scalability.

• Can You Teach an Old Doge New Tricks? ZK Says Yes: In a fascinating move, a protocol upgrade has been proposed to bring native zero-knowledge proof verification to Dogecoin. If implemented, this would enable zk-rollups, potentially giving the original memecoin the ability to handle thousands of off-chain transactions per second. This could fundamentally transform Dogecoin's utility.

• ZK Powers the Future of Digital Identity: The real-world utility of ZKPs is accelerating. World Network continues to refine its privacy-preserving identity solutions, and Vietnam has officially launched NDA DID, a national blockchain platform using ZKPs to secure identity authentication. The theme is consistent: prove what you need to, without revealing who you are.

• Polygon Pushes the ZK Frontier: Polygon remains a dominant force in the ZK space, highlighting its "gigagas roadmap" and its role in incubating successful ZK projects. Their continued investment in research and development is helping build the scalable, private blockchains of tomorrow.

Yesterday wasn't about a single breakthrough, but a series of powerful, reinforcing events. Governments are now treating AI and crypto not as fringe technologies but as strategic national assets. Financial regulators are providing the tools for deep institutional integration. And the underlying technology, from blockchain scalability to ZK privacy, is rapidly maturing. We're witnessing the transition from speculative potential to foundational infrastructure, built to last.

Stay curious,