benchmark

According to The Block, Benchmark Equity Research reiterated its buy rating on Strategy (MSTR) and maintained its target price of $570. This target price still has about a 406% upside compared to Friday's closing price of $112.53.Although Strategy's perpetual preferred stock STRC experienced a significant sell-off last week, dropping to around $83, Benchmark analyst Mark Palmer stated that STRC is not a stablecoin and does not have a Terra/Luna-style reflexive mechanism. Its essence is a perpetual preferred stock, backed by over 847,000 bitcoins (approximately $55 billion) held by Strategy.Palmer believes that the decline of STRC is not a "de-pegging," but rather a reset of the market's required yield. The company currently has about $1.4 billion in cash reserves, which can flexibly support dividend payments. Benchmark views this sell-off as a stress test of its financing model, rather than a structural deterioration.

According to The Block, Benchmark Equity Research maintains a buy rating on Coinbase, with a target price of $270, representing an upside of approximately 59.5% from the current stock price. Analyst Mark Palmer stated that Coinbase's recent system updates clearly demonstrate its rapid transformation from a cyclical crypto broker to an infrastructure platform connecting the on-chain economy with traditional finance.The report highlights Coinbase's product advancements in tokenized U.S. stocks, stock and crypto options, prediction markets, AI investment tools, and agentic payment infrastructure, as well as its prior approval from the CFTC to operate as a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM), allowing it to offer global crypto perpetual contracts and options trading to U.S. clients through Deribit. Benchmark believes these initiatives further confirm that Coinbase is continuously expanding its business boundaries beyond spot crypto trading.

According to The Block, investment bank Benchmark pointed out in its latest research report that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed to repeal Rule 611 and Rule 610(e) of Regulation NMS, which could become the "most decisive regulatory change" affecting the market structure of cryptocurrencies and tokenized assets in 2026.The proposal was announced on June 11 and aims to eliminate trading protection and quote constraint rules that have been in place for nearly 20 years in the U.S. stock market. The SEC stated that this move is intended to reduce trading costs and provide greater space for market competition and technological innovation.Benchmark's analysis believes that the current Rule 611 (order protection rule) requires trades to adhere to the National Best Bid and Offer (NBBO), while Rule 610(e) restricts "locked/crossed quotes." These mechanisms are effective in traditional matching systems but create structural constraints for automated market maker (AMM) models in decentralized finance (DeFi).The report pointed out that if the relevant rules are repealed, it will significantly lower the compliance barriers for tokenized stocks and on-chain trading systems, making AMM-based trading models easier to access the U.S. capital market system.In terms of potential beneficiaries, Benchmark specifically mentioned Securitize, believing that it will benefit most directly as a provider of tokenized securities infrastructure, while Coinbase and Galaxy Digital will also benefit from the expansion of trading, market-making, and custody infrastructure. However, the report also emphasized that the rule adjustments do not address all core issues, such as the exchange registration system, custody and clearing framework, and the legal positioning of DeFi-native trading still needs further clarification.The industry generally expects that the subsequent "innovation exemption mechanism" will become a key supporting policy. The SEC has currently opened a 60-day public comment period on the proposal, and the market anticipates that the final vote may take place in early 2027.

According to The Block, Benchmark maintains a "Buy" rating on the tokenized infrastructure company Securitize, with a target price of $16, based on its revenue expectation of approximately $178 million in 2027. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that the merger registration statement of Securitize and Cantor Equity Partners II is effective, and shareholders will vote on June 29. If approved, the merged company is expected to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SECZ.The report states that Securitize has a differentiated advantage with its compliance license system across the U.S. and Europe, including registration as a broker-dealer, alternative trading system, transfer agent, and fund service provider in the U.S., and holds trading and settlement licenses under the DLT Pilot regulatory framework in the European Union. Securitize currently manages approximately $3.4 billion in tokenized assets, and the size of its market segment has exceeded $30 billion.

According to The Information, the IPO process of AI chip company Cerebras Systems has once again attracted market attention, with key beneficiaries including Foundation, well-known venture capital firm Benchmark, and OpenAI.Cerebras has long been seen as a potential competitor to Nvidia, dedicated to developing ultra-large-scale AI chips, but its commercialization process has faced setbacks. The company withdrew its IPO prospectus in 2025, causing its listing plans to stall for a time. However, as the AI infrastructure boom continues to heat up, the market is refocusing on its potential listing value and early investor returns. Early investment firms, including Benchmark, as well as OpenAI, which has a partnership with the company, may gain substantial benefits from Cerebras' future listing.

Despite Coinbase reporting a net loss of $394 million in the first quarter, with revenue of only $755.8 million significantly below expectations, leading to a 6% drop in stock price, Benchmark analysts still reiterated their buy rating on Tuesday and raised the target price from $260 to $270. Analysts believe that Coinbase is transforming from a market-dependent crypto broker to a foundational infrastructure platform for the "onchain economy," having achieved net inflows for 12 consecutive quarters, with a global trading volume share reaching a new high of 8.6%, and possessing 12 monetization businesses, each contributing about $100 million in annualized revenue; additionally, the trading volume of stablecoins on the Base chain has increased tenfold year-on-year, and derivatives revenue has reached a new high, combined with an improving regulatory environment, all seen as long-term growth drivers.

CITIC International Auction in Hong Kong kicked off the "Spring Art Treasures Auction (Part Two)", with the core lot Lot 61 "Five Dynasties Chai Kiln Celadon Tombstone Base" achieving a record sale of HKD 660 million. This move not only refreshes the market height of the Chai Kiln system but also marks the official start of a new asset cycle in the art RWA ecosystem centered around $CHAI.Previously, the Chai Kiln system had a transaction record of approximately HKD 380 million, forming the initial price anchor for this system. The hammer price of HKD 660 million is an orderly upward exploration based on the existing anchor point, demonstrating the market's continued recognition of this asset class. Chairman Huang pointed out that continuously establishing a reference system through market mechanisms will further solidify the foundational role of $CHAI in on-chain value mapping and pricing.

According to market news, investment firm Benchmark has lowered its target price for Strategy from $705 to $570.

According to Jinshi reports, the Federal Reserve has kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.5%-3.75%, marking the third consecutive meeting of inaction, which aligns with market expectations.

Liquid Capital founder Jack Yi stated on the X platform: "In the past, the wave of crypto VC and project disappearances had a core reason, which is that the financing funds were mostly consumed on: maintaining teams to develop useless web3 products. The biggest misconception is benchmarking against web2 products. Essentially, web3 is a financial industry and does not need to replicate web2 products. The most successful companies in the past crypto industry have all been financial products, from stablecoins and exchanges to successful companies in payments.Now that the AI era has arrived, first, there is no need for large financing to recruit teams, and second, AI + finance presents new opportunities. We believe that excellent founders with a few elites can achieve top-tier companies, which is currently the biggest opportunity in primary investment."

Bitwise Asset Management points out that the recent strength of Bitcoin is not contrary to a risk-averse environment, but is directly driven by geopolitical conflicts. Since the escalation of the situation in the Middle East at the end of February, BTC has risen by about 12%, while the S&P 500 index has fallen by about 1% and gold has dropped by about 10%, showing a clear divergence in performance.Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan and research director Ryan Rasmussen state that Bitcoin is simultaneously embodying two logics: "store of value asset" and "potential international settlement currency." As the financial system becomes "weaponized" and the global payment system fractures, the appeal of non-sovereign neutral assets continues to rise. The report suggests that geopolitical fragmentation is prompting some countries to explore alternative paths to bypass the traditional financial system, such as attempting to introduce Bitcoin settlements in trade. This trend enhances BTC's potential position in the global monetary system. Based on the aforementioned changes, Bitwise indicates that the Bitcoin valuation framework is being reshaped; if it captures both store of value and transaction settlement demand, long-term price expectations may be underestimated, and $1 million could shift from a target ceiling to a "benchmark level."

Benchmark reiterated its bullish outlook on Securitize in its latest research report, giving it a target price of $16 post-IPO (stock code SECZ), believing it is poised to significantly benefit from the wave of tokenized assets.Analysis indicates that the total market capitalization of companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange is approximately $44 trillion. If Securitize captures just 1 basis point (0.01%) of that market, its platform asset size could double from the current approximately $4 billion. Benchmark emphasizes that Securitize is not only a tokenization platform but also possesses a "complete regulatory qualification system" that includes broker-dealer, transfer agent, and trading functions, which is expected to generate diversified income throughout the entire lifecycle of asset issuance, secondary trading, and custody services. Additionally, the company has been designated as the digital transfer agent for the tokenized securities platform that the New York Stock Exchange plans to launch, which supports 24/7 trading. Meanwhile, its tokenized U.S. Treasury fund BUIDL, in collaboration with BlackRock, has approached $3 billion, indicating rapid growth in the institutional-level RWA market. However, Benchmark also cautions that factors such as regulatory uncertainty, fragmented liquidity, and technological risks may still exert pressure on its valuation.

According to Jinshi reports, former Executive Director of the Bank of Japan, Masaaki Kaizuka, stated that the Bank of Japan may raise the benchmark interest rate this month to avoid falling behind in controlling inflation.

According to The Block, investment firm Benchmark has initiated coverage on Securitize for the first time, giving it a buy rating with a target price of $16. Analyst Mark Palmer compared it to the "shovels and picks" of the tokenization field, believing that Securitize can benefit regardless of which type of tokenized product or issuer ultimately prevails.The report points out that tokenization is one of the most profound transformations in the capital markets since the introduction of electronic trading, and Securitize is at the core of this transformation. Currently, the company holds about 70% of the U.S. tokenization market and has partnered with leading asset management firms such as BlackRock. Securitize plans to go public on Nasdaq through a merger with Cantor Equity Partners II, with the stock ticker SECZ.

The space computing startup Starcloud announced the completion of a $170 million Series A financing round at a valuation of $1.1 billion, led by Benchmark and EQT Ventures, bringing the total financing amount to $200 million so far.It is reported that Starcloud will launch Starcloud 2 later this year, which will be equipped with multiple GPUs, including Nvidia Blackwell chips, AWS server blades, and a Bitcoin mining machine. Its CEO Philip Johnston claimed that Starcloud 2 will be the first space Bitcoin mining satellite and stated that space mining is the direction of the future.In addition, the company will also develop a data center spacecraft named Starcloud 3, which is expected to be launched by SpaceX's heavy-lift rocket "Starship."

CoinDesk columnist Jordan Knecht stated that some traditional financial institutions believe that staking carries risks such as penalties, outages, operational failures, and unpredictable returns, and therefore only hold spot ETH or avoid related assets.Jordan Knecht mentioned that a new generation of insurance-backed staking products is benchmarked against the Composite Ether Staking Rate (CESR) and is underwritten by regulated insurance institutions, making staked ETH closer to institutional yield products rather than a crypto experiment. He disclosed that CESR is a daily standardized benchmark interest rate developed by CoinDesk Indices and CoinFund, used to measure the average annualized return of ETH validators' staking; Chainproof collaborates with IMA Financial Group to provide policies that supplement returns when validator returns fall below CESR and provide compensation in the event of penalties, with related arrangements also used to support collateral, rebalancing, and structured strategy design based on staked ETH.

According to Jinshi reports, the Federal Reserve has kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.5%-3.75%, marking the second consecutive time it has held steady, in line with market expectations.

Benchmark analysts recently reaffirmed their "buy" rating on Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) and set a target price of $705, indicating an upside potential of about 430% from the current share price of approximately $130. Analysts believe that the company's strategic shift to the STRC preferred stock financing model is expected to become a core driver of Bitcoin reserve growth.At the Strategy World 2026 conference, the company's Executive Chairman Michael Saylor stated that the company will shift from its previous strategy of encouraging enterprises to incorporate Bitcoin into their balance sheets to focusing on promoting STRC perpetual preferred stock as the primary financing tool for future Bitcoin purchases. Benchmark analysts noted that STRC will become the "main engine" for Strategy to accumulate Bitcoin and is expected to accelerate the growth rate of the company's Bitcoin holdings per share.The STRC price fell to around $90 earlier this month but has since rebounded to near the $100 par value level. This preferred stock product offers an annualized yield of approximately 11%, pays dividends monthly, and has priority over common stockholders in the dividend distribution order.

According to The Block, Benchmark maintains a "buy" rating on Metaplanet but has lowered its target price by more than half, stating that the company's latest financial report highlights the "prospects and risks" of its aggressive Bitcoin accumulation strategy.Benchmark analyst Mark Palmer, in a research report on Tuesday, reduced the target price for the Tokyo-listed Bitcoin reserve company from 2,400 yen to 1,100 yen. He wrote that recent performance shows the "hope and danger" of the company's Bitcoin-centric financial strategy. The stock is traded under the OTC code MTPLF in the U.S., currently priced at about $2.20, having briefly fallen to around $1.85 earlier this month, close to its lowest level since the company began its Bitcoin purchasing strategy in April 2024.Metaplanet reported a net loss of $619 million for the fiscal year ending December 31, primarily due to non-cash valuation losses from its holdings caused by the decline in Bitcoin prices late last year. Nevertheless, its operational performance has significantly improved, with revenue and profits increasing due to Bitcoin-related financial services activities.A core pillar of Benchmark's investment logic is Metaplanet's continuously expanding Bitcoin revenue-generating business, which generates income through Bitcoin-related options and yield strategies. Analysts believe this segment allows the company to pay dividends on newly issued perpetual preferred shares without selling its core Bitcoin holdings, thereby funding subsequent BTC purchases through operating cash flow rather than asset sales.The company added that investor demand for these preferred instruments will likely determine whether Metaplanet can successfully continue to expand its financial reserves while controlling dilution risk.