Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, is reportedly in advanced talks to invest $1.15 billion in Neura Robotics, a German startup specializing in AI-powered humanoid robots. This deal, if finalized, would value Neura between $9.3 billion and $11.6 billion, marking one of the largest crypto-to-AI investments to date.
The move signals Tether’s aggressive expansion beyond stablecoins into cutting-edge hardware, potentially leveraging its vast reserves over $120B in assets to fuel robotics innovation.
Neura, founded in 2023, focuses on “cognitive robotics” for industrial and consumer applications, and this funding could accelerate its development of versatile AI bots. Industry watchers see this as a strategic pivot, blending crypto liquidity with real-world tech amid booming AI interest.
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Cardano Whale’s Costly Slippage Blunder
In a stark reminder of DeFi’s liquidity pitfalls, a long-dormant Cardano whale—inactive for five years—attempted to swap 14.45 million ADA worth ~$7.08M at the time for USDA, a stablecoin on the Cardano network, but ended up with just 847,694 USDA due to razor-thin liquidity pools.
This resulted in an immediate ~$6.2M loss from slippage, where the trade’s size overwhelmed the available liquidity, causing the effective exchange rate to plummet from ~$0.49/ADA to an effective $0.059.
The botched swap even triggered a temporary depeg of USDA from its $1 anchor. Experts attribute this to the whale likely using a one-click aggregator without checking pool depths, highlighting risks in emerging ecosystems like Cardano’s DeFi scene.
On-chain sleuths like Lookonchain flagged it as a “nuke” moment, underscoring the need for better tools or simulations for large trades.
Implications of Tether’s $1.15B Investment in Neura Robotics
Tether becomes a major AI/hardware player overnight A $1.15B check would make Tether one of the largest corporate investors in humanoid robotics globally, rivaling Tesla’s Optimus and Figure in firepower.
It instantly legitimizes Neura a relatively unknown 2023-founded German startup and catapults its valuation into the $10B+ unicorn club — higher than Figure’s $2.6B and only slightly below Apptronik or Agility Robotics combined.
Tether holds >$120B in assets mostly short-term Treasuries. Deploying even 1% into robotics signals a new phase: stablecoin issuers becoming sovereign-like investment funds that build physical infrastructure instead of just holding paper.
This could set a precedent for other stablecoin giants (Circle/USDC, Paxos, etc.) to follow into AI, energy, or manufacturing. A crypto-linked entity funding advanced dual-use robotics in Germany will attract intense scrutiny from EU and U.S. regulators, especially around export controls and AI safety.
Expect questions about whether Tether’s profits estimated $10B+ in 2024 alone should face stricter oversight if they’re being funneled into strategic technologies. Bullish signal for the entire humanoid sector If Tether is willing to pay $10B+ for a robotics company with almost no revenue yet, it confirms that deep-pocketed investors now view humanoids as the next trillion-dollar category after EVs and LLMs.
Implications of the $6.2M Cardano Whale Slippage Incident
Brutal reminder that Cardano DeFi is still extremely fragile Cardano’s TVL is ~$300M–$400M. A single $7M trade should not move the needle, yet it obliterated an entire stablecoin pool and depegged USDA. This exposes how thin real liquidity remains despite years of hype.
The incident is being memed heavily “Cardano whale rugpulled himself”. It reinforces the narrative that Cardano is research-heavy but practically underdeveloped compared to Solana, Base, or even TON for real DeFi activity.
Forces the ecosystem to finally prioritize liquidity solutions Expect accelerated development or import of: Better DEX aggregators with slippage simulation. Deeper stablecoin pools possibly USDC.e or USDT bridges
Native concentrated-liquidity models like Plutus v3 or partner chains. Teachable moment for the entire industry Even “dormant” whales waking up after 5 years can nuke pools if tools are bad. Highlights why large holders on any chain now prefer OTC desks, private liquidity providers like Wintermute, GSR, or gradual DCA instead of one-click DEX swaps.
We’re seeing the two ends of crypto’s maturation spectrum in real time: Tether using its war chest to buy into the physical AI future at billionaire scale. Cardano still suffering growing pains that Ethereum solved in 2020–2021.
One story shows crypto money flowing aggressively into the real world; the other shows how far some ecosystems still have to go before they can safely handle that money.
Aster Team Delays Token Unlocks
The Aster team, behind the decentralized perpetuals exchange Aster DEX, recently announced adjustments to its ASTER token release schedule, postponing several unlocks originally planned for 2025.
This move has sparked both positive market reactions and some community confusion, particularly after updates on platforms like CoinMarketCap (CMC) and Binance dashboards. ASTER’s tokenomics included monthly ecosystem unlocks starting from the token generation event (TGE) in September 2024.
This was meant to gradually release tokens for ecosystem development, rewards, and liquidity over 20 months, with larger vesting for airdrops— 80 months and team allocations 1-year cliff + 40-month vest. Approximately 75% of 2025 unlocks around 183 million ASTER, or ~11% of current market cap delayed to summer 2026.
Some portions pushed even further to 2035 (e.g., 3.86 billion and 1.6 billion tokens). A smaller airdrop unlock on December 15, 2025 ~200 million ASTER. Projected circulating supply: ~70 million ASTER in 2025, growing to over 600 million by 2035.
Unused ecosystem tokens which have never entered circulation since TGE will be moved to a dedicated public wallet for independent tracking. The team emphasized no plans to spend from this address.
Reasons for the Delay
The Aster team cited a lack of immediate demand and usage plans for the ecosystem tokens as the primary driver. Monthly unlocks were part of the original plan, but with no operational need (e.g., for development or rewards), they were never executed and remained locked.
This adjustment aims to:Avoid unnecessary selling pressure and market dilution. Promote long-term price stability and investor confidence. Align releases with actual ecosystem growth, reflecting a broader DeFi trend toward flexible vesting to reduce volatility.
The team has described this as a “strategic move” rather than a fundamental tokenomics overhaul, and they’ve actively incorporated community feedback on issues like airdrop distribution and buybacks.
Many holders and analysts view the delays as bullish, reducing near-term supply risks. ASTER’s price surged ~10% immediately after the announcement, trading around $1.13 up 24% from Binance founder CZ’s entry point of $0.91. Posts on X highlight it as a “long-term hold” signal, with some calling it a “healthier token” for the next 8 years.
An initial CMC update showing the delayed dates led to speculation of major changes, with some users questioning the project’s utility planning (e.g., “Why launch without a token utility plan?”). Earlier X discussions showed frustration over perceived insider control and withdrawal limits ahead of unlocks.
The team quickly clarified via X that tokenomics are “unchanged” and apologized for the “miscommunication.” This fits Aster’s launch strategy, which prioritized on-chain usage before wider exchange listings (e.g., delayed to October 2024).
Community posts note ongoing developer buybacks and a 50% burn program as supportive measures. Analysts predict potential upside for ASTER in 2025–2026 due to reduced dilution, but long-term unlocks (e.g., 6.35 billion tokens or 79% of supply still locked) could create uncertainty.
Bullish factors include Aster’s competitive edge in on-chain perps and rivalry with platforms like Hyperliquid. However, sustained growth depends on delivering token utility and avoiding further miscommunications.
Monthly ecosystem releases ~183M total. Mostly delayed; only Dec 15 airdrop remains. Reduced sell pressure; +10% price boost. Larger batches (e.g., 3.86B + 1.6B). Promotes stability but risks future dumps if utility lags.