Crypto Donald 📈
Power surge, More IPOs, and The war ends.
🗓️ Morning, new week!
📉 2025 proving challenging for the markets. The Sensex is off 2.40% this year, and the Nifty50 down 2.27%.
💸 For investors to get positive, there needs to be a catalyst. Right now, the upcoming budget is the only thing on the horizon.
💡 We’re entering peak earnings season. Zomato kicks things off today. HDFC, ICICI, HUL, Ultratech, and other heavyweights are scheduled this week too.
Back in the west, Netflix, Tesla, Microsoft will kick it off for Big Tech next week.
Let’s hit it.
1 Big Thing: Donald, the new crypto billionaire 📈
Silicon Valley’s elite converged in Washington D.C. for the "Crypto Ball," a celebration honoring the new crypto-friendly President.
Snoop Dogg was DJ’ing.
Meanwhile, Trump was cooking bigger plans. Rumors circulated that Trump was going to launch is own meme-coin tonight, likely at the event.
And boom, the notifications hit. $TRUMP was live, broadcasted via Musk’s X.
By the time Snoop dropped his last beat, the token’s market cap had topped $1 billion.
36 hours later, it was at a $72 billion market cap. 525 people who invested early were overnight millionaires.
Trump himself was worth $52 billion, through ownership of uncirculated supply. Another trader who put $150,000 was sitting on a $350 million pot. Even ChatGPT can’t come up with a story like that.
What to consider: the greatest showman of our times also happens to be a shrewd cultural icon always looking to maximize his hand — a skill that makes him suitable for his new job, per supporters.
But the crypto movement found new legitimacy amidst this theater. And now that Donald has gone all in, he could use executive action to solidify his movement.
Chatter is, within the first 100 days, sweeping regulation to support crypto innovation is likely.
Few things to consider:
New bull run: this isn’t going to end tonight. The crypto industry is going berserk about the possibility.
Crypto reserves being discussed: the U.S. could come up with a strategic Bitcoin reserve, which in many cases, Donald has said, could help pay off the country’s massive debt.
Mining becomes a legit business: U.S. based miners, using U.S. electricity to mine, could even receive tax breaks, causing another domestic computational revolution.
Big picture: what is the use of these tokens, nobody knows. But one of crypto’s biggest wins comes from being used as a cultural “voting” machine. Can it scale beyond Trump? Unlikely. But the industry received a shot in the arm to continue pushing.
2. Quick IPO in focus 🚀
Veritas Finance, a Tamil Nadu-based NBFC, has filed preliminary papers with SEBI for an IPO to raise up to ₹2,800 crore.
What do they do: founded in 2015, Veritas Finance provides loans to MSMEs and self-employed individuals.
The company competes with players like Five Star Business Finance, Aavas Financiers, and Cholamandalam Investment.
What’s new: the IPO includes a ₹600 crore fresh issue and a ₹2,200 crore offer-for-sale by investors like Norwest Venture and Kedaara Capital. Proceeds will strengthen its capital base for onward lending.
Why it matters: Veritas is the fastest-growing NBFC in its category, with FY24 profit up 38.9% to ₹245 crore.
3. Venture town made some noise 💰
Fleet safety startup Netradyne bagged $90 million in Series D funding. The round was led by heavyweights like Point72 Private Investments, with participation from Qualcomm Ventures and Pavilion Capital.
The deets: Netradyne develops AI-powered dashcams that analyze driving behavior and provide real-time alerts, helping reduce accidents by 50%.
The devices are used by big names like Amazon.
Netradyne has collected over 18 billion miles of driving data and achieved 99% accuracy in alerts, improving safety for fleets worldwide.
The company, founded in 2015, operates out of California and Bangalore, with plans to expand into Ireland and Japan in the coming months.
Big picture: the global fleet management market is projected to hit $52 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 9.6%.
While we’re on fundraises... 💰
Blinkit just got ₹500 crore from Zomato, taking its total investment in the quick commerce arm to ₹2,800 crore.
This comes after Zomato’s ₹8,500 crore QIP in November, with ₹2,137 crore earmarked for Blinkit’s expansion through dark stores and warehouses.
Zomato’s doubling down on Blinkit, calling it their most important division—one they believe could outgrow food delivery.
What else are we snackin’ 🍿
🛵Rapid Move: Spencer’s Retail enters quick commerce, starting in West Bengal
⚡Power Surge: Adani Energy Solutions’ order book swells to ₹54,700 crore after bagging two major transmission projects.
🚫Tulip Fades: NCLT ordered the liquidation of Tulip Hotels after no bidders emerged during its insolvency resolution process.
🍎Apple Arrives: Apple launched its Apple Store app in India, offering personalized recommendations and shopping for its products and services.
🤝Homecoming: Hamas handed over three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel.
That’s a wrap! Don’t let the Monday blues get to you.
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