Spot Bitcoin ETFs $1B; Worldcoin Falls, Payward Buys Bitnomial

Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded $996 million in net inflows last week, according to SoSoValue. The total was the largest weekly intake since early January, when inflows reached about $1.4 billion. Daily flows included $663.9 million on Friday, $411.5 million on Tuesday and $186 million on Wednesday. Thursday added $26 million and Monday showed a $291 million outflow. Total net assets across the funds rose above $101 billion by Friday and daily trading volumes approached $4.8 billion.

Traders noted a pickup in risk appetite late in the week alongside reports of reduced tensions between the United States and Iran; the broader crypto market rose about 2.2% on Friday. The inflows provided a measure of demand for regulated Bitcoin exposure through exchange-traded funds that trade on public markets.

World, the identity company co-founded by Sam Altman, announced integrations of its iris-scan authentication with Zoom and DocuSign and said it is expanding World ID verification on Tinder in the United States. World described the technology as a way to counter AI-generated impersonations by verifying a human behind an account. Worldcoin’s native token WLD fell about 13.4% on Friday to roughly $0.28. WLD is used to reward users who verify their identity and to enable transactions within the World Network. Privacy advocates have warned that large-scale collection of biometric data carries risks, including potential misuse and surveillance.

Payward, the parent company of the Kraken exchange, agreed to acquire Bitnomial for $550 million. Bitnomial holds Commodity Futures Trading Commission permissions to operate as an exchange, clearinghouse and brokerage. Payward said it will use Bitnomial’s regulated infrastructure to offer crypto derivatives trading in the United States and to provide settlement and clearing services for institutional clients.

Arjun Sethi, Payward co-CEO, said in the company announcement: “Bitnomial spent a decade building it: crypto settlement, crypto collateral, continuous 24/7 markets.” Payward plans to integrate those capabilities into its platform for U.S. customers and institutional partners.

Background: Spot Bitcoin ETFs offer price exposure to Bitcoin through regulated funds rather than direct custody of the asset. World and Worldcoin promote biometric identity verification to address fraud and automated abuse, while critics have called for strict oversight of biometric data. Bitnomial’s CFTC permissions place it among a small set of firms cleared to operate crypto derivatives and clearing services under U.S. oversight.