As Chair Jerome H. Powell's term as chair concludes, and with the swearing in of Kevin M. Warsh as his successor pending, the Federal Reserve Board on Friday named Powell as chair pro tempore. This temporary action to name the incumbent as chair pro tempore is consistent with past practice during similar transitions between chairs. Powell will serve as chair pro tempore until Warsh is sworn in as the new chair. Statement by Chair for Supervision Michelle W. Bowman and Governor Stephen I. Miran

Surging US yields bolster the dollar, while Middle East oil shocks trigger inflation fears, plunging gold and weakening European currencies. Resilient US Economy and Surging Treasury Yields Propel the US Dollar The greenback is surging as robust US data and a hawkish Federal Reserve shift rewrite market expectations. Exceptional retail sales and industrial production have driven the Atlanta Fed’s Q2 GDP estimate to a strong 4.0%, signaling an economy on firm footing. Under new leadership, the Fed is now expected to hold rates steady, with traders pricing in a 50% chance of a rate hike by year-end. This aggressive shift has pushed 10-year Treasury yields to a 10-month high, aggressively attracting global capital and cementing the US dollar's dominance over its weakening peers. Middle East Geopolitical Risks Fuel an Oil Supply Shock and Inflation Fears Escalating tensions between the US and Iran have triggered an energy shock, driving Brent crude to $107/bbl and WTI past $100/bbl on fears of a Strait of Hormuz blockade. This spike has ignited severe market anxieties over a second wave of global inflation that would force central banks to keep interest rates higher for longer. Consequently, traditional market correlations have broken down; gold has plunged over 2%, losing its safe-haven appeal as investors abandon non-yielding bullion in favor of surging, high-yield US Treasuries. Divergent Regional Growth Outlooks and Political Uncertainties Outside the US, the global economic landscape is fracturing. The Chinese Yuan found relief after constructive US-China talks boosted export optimism, but Europe and the UK remain deeply vulnerable. The British Pound has tumbled amid political chaos and an impending leadership race that threatens higher taxes and wider fiscal deficits. Meanwhile, the Eurozone faces sharp growth downgrades to 0.8%, leaving the European Central Bank trapped in a painful dilemma as it tries to curb energy-driven inflation without plunging a stagnating economy into a recession.   Top upcoming economic events: 05/18/2026 – G7 Meeting (Currency: EUR) This high-impact global summit brings together leaders and central bankers from the world's most advanced economies. Its importance lies in the potential for coordinated policy statements regarding international trade, geopolitical tensions, and global financial stability, which can cause significant volatility across all major currency pairs. 05/18/2026 – Industrial Production (YoY) (Currency: CNY) As a high-impact indicator for the world's second-largest economy, this release measures the output of Chinese factories, mines, and utilities. It is vital for assessing China's manufacturing health and global demand, heavily influencing risk sentiment and commodity currencies like the Australian and New Zealand dollars. 05/18/2026 – Gross Domestic Product (QoQ) (Currency: JPY) This is the primary gauge of Japan's economic health, measuring the total value of all goods and services produced by the nation. A stronger or weaker than expected growth rate heavily dictates the Bank of Japan’s monetary policy direction and can trigger sharp, immediate movements in the Japanese Yen. 05/19/2026 – RBA Meeting Minutes (Currency: AUD) This publication provides a detailed record of the Reserve Bank of Australia's most recent interest rate meeting. It is highly important for forex traders as it gives deep insights into the economic conditions that influenced the rate decision and clues regarding future hawkish or dovish monetary policy shifts. 05/19/2026 – Claimant Count Change (Currency: GBP) This high-impact labor market indicator measures the change in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the United Kingdom. It provides a real-time health check on the British workforce and consumer spending power, serving as a crucial metric for the Bank of England's interest rate trajectory. 05/19/2026 – ILO Unemployment Rate (3M) (Currency: GBP) Representing the percentage of the total UK workforce that is unemployed and actively seeking employment over the last three months, this figure dictates the tightness of the labor market. High unemployment pressures the central bank to consider rate cuts, whereas a tight labor market fuels wage growth and inflation fears. 05/19/2026 – Consumer Price Index (YoY) (Currency: CAD) This is Canada's primary inflation gauge, tracking the retail price changes of a basket of consumer goods and services. Because it is a high-impact release, any acceleration or cooling in this annualized rate directly dictates whether the Bank of Canada will alter borrowing costs at its next policy meeting. 05/19/2026 – BoC Consumer Price Index Core (YoY) (Currency: CAD) By stripping out volatile items like food and energy, the Bank of Canada's Core CPI isolates the underlying, long-term inflation trend in the economy. This data is arguably even more important than the headline figure for policy makers trying to accurately assess internal economic overheating or cooling. 05/19/2026 – Fed's Waller speech (Currency: USD) Speeches from Federal Reserve Board Governors like Christopher Waller are highly anticipated by global markets. His remarks can provide vital guidance on the Fed's stance regarding inflation, employment, and the future path of US interest rates, particularly in light of shifting macroeconomic data. 05/19/2026 – Pending Home Sales (MoM) (Currency: USD) This medium-impact indicator measures the number of US homes under contract to be sold, serving as a leading indicator for the health of the broader housing market. Since a home purchase triggers secondary spending on appliances, furniture, and renovations, it provides crucial foresight into upcoming US economic momentum.  The subject matter and the content of this article are solely the views of the author. FinanceFeeds does not bear any legal responsibility for the content of this article and they do not reflect the viewpoint of FinanceFeeds or its editorial staff. The information does not constitute advice or a recommendation on any course of action and does not take into account your personal circumstances, financial situation, or individual needs. We strongly recommend you seek independent professional advice or conduct your own independent research before acting upon any information contained in this article.

CLARITY Act clears first Senate hurdleThis week, the US Senate Banking Committee voted to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. It marked a key step toward creating a federal regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in the United States.The committee approved the 309-page draft introduced earlier in the week. The bill proposes splitting oversight of digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). It will now move to the full Senate, where it needs at least 60 votes to proceed.BREAKING: ?? Senate Banking Committee PASSES the Clarity Act in 15-9 vote.The bill now goes to the full Senate. pic.twitter.com/TCs6T283y2— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) May 14, 2026The Act is a crypto market structure bill aimed at ending long-standing regulatory confusion by clearly dividing oversight of digital assets between the SEC and the CFTC. Originally passed by the House in 2025, it seeks to establish a consistent federal framework and resolve disputes between the two agencies over jurisdiction.eToro Q1 profit jumps 37%Meanwhile, eToro reported its strongest quarterly performance since going public, with first-quarter net income rising 37% year-over-year to $82 million. Net contribution increased 19% to $258 million, according to a statement released Tuesday. The trading platform also reported growth in key metrics, with funded accounts reaching 4.02 million and assets under administration climbing 15% to $17 billion. Adjusted EBITDA came in at $109 million, while adjusted diluted earnings per share increased to $0.91 from $0.77 a year earlier.Following the update, the NASDAQ-listed firm's shares initially rose about 6% in pre-market trading to $41.20 on strong earnings, before reversing during the earnings call to close 3% lower at $37.61.XTB stock gains 6% as accounts top 1MAlso looking upwards, XTB shares rose 6% to PLN 107.12 on Monday, marking the broker’s strongest single-day gain since January 30. The move followed two announcements: a PLN 10.66 million share buyback program and confirmation that XTB has become the first Polish broker to surpass 1 million domestic accounts.Source: eToro shareholder update, May 12, 2026.The gain pushes XTB’s year-to-date performance to around 49%, outperforming most listed retail brokers. By comparison, eToro is up about 10% over the same period, CMC Markets has gained 29%, and Robinhood has declined roughly 29%, highlighting a widening performance gap across the sector.Interactive Brokers fuses prediction venuesInteractive Brokers rolled out a new feature that lets its clients trade event contracts from several US prediction market venues through a single interface. The broker now connects to Kalshi, CME Group and ForecastEx in one integrated system, aggregating similar contracts so users can search, compare and execute trades across venues in real time.Kalshi x Interactive Brokers One of the largest brokers in the world. Casual, sophisticated, and institutional investors can now trade the future. All in one place. pic.twitter.com/yM2S4mksU9— Kalshi (@Kalshi) May 14, 2026At the same time, Interactive Brokers UK reported a pre-tax profit of £34 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, more than double the £13.6 million it made a year earlier. This was reportedly driven by steady client growth and higher commission and interest income. After-tax profit rose to £26 million from £10.5 million, while turnover, derived entirely from commissions on order execution and related services, increased to £46.2 million from £36 million, with the figures covering only the UK subsidiary of Nasdaq-listed Interactive Brokers Group, which reports separately on a consolidated basis.In the regulatory front, the SEC delayed the launch of 24 prediction market ETFs filed by firms including Roundhill Investments, Bitwise, and GraniteShares. They were designed to give retail investors exposure to event contracts linked to elections, economic data, and other real-world outcomes through a standard ETF structure.YaMarkets closes after regulatory strainHowever, challenges persist in the CFD space. Offshore forex and CFD broker YaMarkets shut down operations, ending its presence in markets where it was primarily active, including India and parts of Asia. Its B2B arm, YaPrime, also appears to have ceased operations, with its website no longer accessible. The company operated out of Dubai, with additional service offices in India, and was led by co-founder and CEO Lalit Matta, a former India Country Manager at INFINOX who also held roles at ContinueFX and FXGia. In a statement posted on LinkedIn, the broker said the closure followed deteriorating business conditions. It cited a changing business environment and ongoing operational challenges that made it difficult to continue serving clients as intended.Three brokers form Bahamas allianceIn a rare move industry move involving an offshore hub, Pepperstone, Capital.com, and Trade Nation launched a new industry body. The Bahamas Institute of Forex and CFD Issuers (BIFCI) aims at improving coordination among brokers and strengthening engagement with regulators in the offshore jurisdiction.Pepperstone Group CEO Tamas Szabo said the initiative has been in development since April 2023 and is now operational, adding that additional firms are already involved and the group remains open to new members.The move reflects a broader effort to bring more structured governance to the Bahamas, which has evolved since 2020 into a higher-cost jurisdiction with stricter regulatory expectations, including capital requirements and market conduct standards.Coinbase exec backs prediction marketsCrypto is stepping into the prediction markets arena. Coinbase is expanding prediction markets as part of its broader push to build an “Everything Exchange,” but the company says users are not treating these products like traditional financial assets. In an interview, Toni Gemayel, Head of Prediction Markets at Coinbase, explained that many participants engage with prediction markets more as a form of media or entertainment rather than conventional trading instruments. Gemayel also outlined why Coinbase entered the segment and how it fits into its multi-asset strategy. He noted that prediction markets align naturally with the platform’s expansion beyond crypto, and highlighted the company’s partnership with Kalshi as a key step in bringing these products to users.Markets swing on politicsAs Paul Golden writes this week, market research firms rarely attract attention unless their work challenges prevailing assumptions. Fundstrat did so recently when macro data scientist Alex Wang analyzed the drivers behind the five best and worst market days across the last 12 US administrations, dating back to Ronald Reagan in 1981. The analysis examined factors including corporate earnings, foreign events, economic data, and interest rate expectations. While government policy emerged as the most common driver overall, the data also showed it played an especially dominant role in shaping the most extreme market moves under one specific president.FM Singapore Summit 2026 concludesLastly, the inaugural FM Singapore Summit took place this week, with Finance Magnates bringing together sessions on AI, tokenisation, and trading infrastructure. The event opened at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, marking the event’s debut in one of Asia’s leading financial hubs.? The FM Singapore Summit 2026 has officially kicked off at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre! ?Day 1 was full of energy, featuring industry leaders like David Jenkins and Christopher Forbes, and bringing together key players from fintech, trading, payments,… pic.twitter.com/57f4HyX1u4— FXStreet News (@FXStreetNews) May 13, 2026Discussions also covered liquidity, regulation, and digital asset infrastructure, with an emphasis on practical implementation across APAC markets. One of the topics also revolved around how bullion in APAC should not be treated as just another CFD product.Stay informed wherever you are with the Finance Magnates Daily Brief. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

KEY TAKEAWAYS Meme coin portfolios declined 50–80% in 2025 as retail enthusiasm waned, yet speculative interest has rotated toward newer micro-cap tokens across multiple blockchain ecosystems. Prediction market platforms recorded a combined $44 billion in trading volume in 2025, with Kalshi alone reaching $1 billion in weekly volume driven by sports and political contracts. Pantera Capital warns that 2026 will bring “brutal pruning” in each major asset class, with only one or two dominant players surviving while others face acquisition or irrelevance. Meme coin total market capitalization fell from a peak of approximately $150 billion in December 2024 to below $42 billion by late 2025, representing a broad pullback in risk appetite. Analysts at The Motley Fool predict that Dogecoin and Shiba Inu face further declines of 50% or more due to inflationary supply mechanics and the absence of sustainable demand sources. The cryptocurrency market in 2026 has entered a phase of notable divergence. While institutional capital continues flowing into established assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum through regulated products such as exchange-traded funds, the speculative frontier has shifted downstream.  Micro-cap tokens, broadly defined as cryptocurrencies with market capitalizations below $50 million to $100 million, have become the primary arena for retail traders seeking asymmetric returns. Alongside this trend, prediction markets have emerged as a structured alternative to the meme-driven speculation that defined previous cycles. This article examines the forces driving speculation around emerging micro-cap tokens, the data behind prediction market growth, and what analysts are saying about the risks involved. The Two-Speed Crypto Market of 2026 A structural shift has reshaped how capital moves through the crypto ecosystem. As noted by Cryptonews, Bitcoin and Ethereum have effectively become the “safe anchors” of the space, wrapped into ETPs and corporate treasuries. Their wild price swings have largely diminished compared to previous cycles, which is beneficial for market stability but has eliminated the massive percentage gains that speculative traders previously relied upon. The result is that speculative energy has migrated to the lower end of the market capitalization spectrum. According to data compiled by CoinDCX, Bitcoin was trading near the $68,000–$70,000 range in May 2026, with investor interest increasingly shifting toward tokens that exhibit growth potential beyond what large-cap assets can deliver. This bifurcation creates a market where institutional participants and retail speculators operate in functionally different environments. Why Micro-Cap Tokens Attract Speculative Capital The mathematical appeal of micro-cap investing is straightforward: a project with a $5 million market cap requires only $50 million in new capital to deliver a 10x return, while Bitcoin would need trillions for the same percentage gain. This dynamic makes micro-caps the primary hunting ground for traders chasing outsized returns. However, the same low liquidity that enables rapid price appreciation also creates severe downside risk. As Coinspeaker notes in its analysis, most investors chase micro-caps expecting to find the next explosive performer, then lose everything to rug pulls, illiquid tokens, or poor timing. The publication characterizes this category of investment as “informed speculation, not investing,” cautioning participants to deploy only capital they can afford to lose entirely. Exchange listings remain the single biggest catalyst for micro-cap gains, as they provide deeper order books, easier retail access, and perceived legitimacy. Tokens that secure listings on major centralized exchanges often experience sharp price movements, though these rallies can reverse equally quickly once initial buying pressure subsides. Meme Coins in Retreat: Data Behind the Decline The meme coin sector, which dominated speculative narratives through 2023 and 2024, has experienced a significant contraction. According to data reported by MEXC News, the sector’s total market capitalization peaked at approximately $150 billion in December 2024 before falling below $42 billion by late 2025.  Trading volumes dropped roughly 85% from their highs, reflecting a broad pullback in risk appetite across retail crypto markets. Research cited by 24/7 Wall Street shows that meme coin portfolios fell 50–80% in 2025 as retail enthusiasm faded. The analysis points to a combination of limited intrinsic utility, high supply inflation, and increased regulatory scrutiny as the driving factors behind the decline.  Nansen CEO Alex Svanevik is cited as predicting that certain low-utility tokens could fall out of the top-20 cryptocurrency rankings entirely. Anthony Di Pizio, a contributing analyst at The Motley Fool, highlighted the structural challenges facing prominent meme tokens.  Writing in April 2026, Di Pizio noted that the total cryptocurrency market capitalization had declined from $4.4 trillion at its peak to $2.4 trillion, with meme coins bearing the heaviest losses. Both Dogecoin and Shiba Inu were down approximately 70% from their 52-week highs at the time of his analysis. Prediction Markets Rise as Structured Speculation As meme coins faded, prediction markets moved in the opposite direction. Platforms such as Kalshi, Polymarket, and Limitless recorded a combined $44 billion in trading volume, with Kalshi alone reaching $1 billion in weekly volume driven largely by sports and political contracts.  John Wang, Kalshi’s head of crypto, described prediction markets as capturing the same kind of attention that meme coins attracted during earlier cycles, offering asymmetric opportunities but through event-based outcomes rather than pure token speculation. The growth of prediction markets signals a maturing crypto ecosystem where speculative capital rotates rather than evaporates.  As MEXC’s analysis observes, meme-driven markets tend to hibernate rather than disappear entirely. When volatility returns and risk appetite expands, meme tokens resurface. Prediction markets, however, are building a more durable user base supported by real-world events, regulatory clarity in certain jurisdictions, and structured demand for probability-based pricing. What Institutional Forecasters Are Saying About 2026 Institutional outlook reports for 2026 paint a picture of selective opportunity and concentrated risk. Pantera Capital predicts that 2026 will bring “brutal pruning” across major asset classes, with only one or two players dominating in each category while the rest face acquisition or obsolescence.  The firm notes that speculative retail capital, which historically supported the broader token universe, rotated into other sectors in 2025, including gold, silver, and thematic trades like quantum computing. Silicon Valley Bank’s 2026 crypto outlook highlights that venture capital investment patterns have shifted toward higher-quality projects. Median seed-stage valuations rose 70% from 2023 levels, reaching $34 million, while deal volume fell 33%. This suggests the market is rewarding clearer product-market fit and enterprise demand over speculative token launches. Risk Factors That Micro-Cap Investors Should Consider The risks associated with micro-cap token speculation remain severe. Beyond the standard volatility inherent to cryptocurrency markets, micro-cap participants face challenges, including low liquidity that can make exits painful, wallet concentration that allows a small number of holders to manipulate prices, and the prevalence of projects that use trending narratives, such as artificial intelligence purely as marketing without delivering measurable product activity. Hidden inflation from future token unlocks or team allocations can create sustained downward pressure on prices that early investors may not anticipate. Projects with opaque tokenomics or absent development timelines present the highest risk profile. Market analysts consistently recommend that micro-cap exposure remain limited to 5–10% of a portfolio at most, with aggressive profit-taking strategies in place for any positions that do appreciate. For participants evaluating this segment of the market, the fundamental question remains the same one that has defined speculative crypto investing since Bitcoin’s earliest days: the potential for extraordinary returns must be weighed against an equally extraordinary probability of total loss. The data from 2025 and early 2026 make clear that the market is punishing assets without sustainable demand, while rewarding those that demonstrate genuine adoption and utility. FAQs What qualifies as a micro-cap cryptocurrency? A micro-cap cryptocurrency generally has a market capitalization of between $50 million and $100 million, placing it at the smallest end of the digital asset spectrum. Why are micro-cap tokens considered high risk? Micro-cap tokens carry extreme risk due to low liquidity, vulnerability to manipulation by concentrated wallet holders, and high prevalence of scams and rug pulls. What happened to meme coin market capitalization between 2024 and 2025? Meme coin total market capitalization dropped from a peak of approximately $150 billion in December 2024 to below $42 billion by late 2025, per market data. What are crypto prediction markets? Crypto prediction markets are platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket, where traders speculate on real-world event outcomes using probability-based contracts rather than token price movements. How much trading volume did prediction market platforms generate recently? Prediction market platforms, including Kalshi, Polymarket, and Limitless,s recorded a combined $44 billion in trading volume, with Kalshi reaching $1 billion weekly. What does Pantera Capital predict for the crypto market in 2026? Pantera Capital predicts 2026 will bring significant market consolidation, with only one or two dominant projects surviving in each major cryptocurrency asset category. What percentage of a portfolio should micro-cap tokens represent? Market analysts consistently recommend limiting micro-cap token exposure to 5–10% of a total portfolio, deploying only capital that investors can afford to lose completely. References MEXC News – Prediction Markets vs Meme Coins: Is This Where Crypto’s Next Alpha Lives? Pantera Capital – Navigating Crypto in 2026 24/7 Wall Street – Crypto Market 2026 Predictions: Which Coins Will 10x and Which Will Crash? The Motley Fool – Prediction: These 2 Popular Cryptocurrencies Will Plunge by 50% (or More) Over the Long Term

FinTelegram’s Malina Casino review exposes a geo-domain payment-rail layer targeting EU players through jurisdiction-specific deposit routes. Austrian and Italian test flows revealed Revolut Open Banking, Perspecteev SAS, RAPID, Finmesh, Skrill, MiFinity, ChainValley-style fake-FIAT crypto conversion, Zentoria, and the newly surfaced mixfind.com payee. The evidence points to a classic offshore casino rail model: the casino brand stays in the front window, while rotating payment facilitators, payees, gateways and open-banking actors move the money underneath. 2-Minute Briefing The strongest evidence is inside the payment flow: Malina Casino deposits from EU players did not resolve to one transparent casino merchant. They surfaced different third-party payees and routing layers — including Zentoria Limited and mixfind.com in Skrill card verification screens, and Perspecteev SAS inside Revolut Open Banking. FinTelegram tested Malina Casino via the geo-domain malinacasino-2836.com, which presented German, English and Italian user flows. The SimilarWeb screenshot reviewed by FinTelegram shows EU traffic concentration for that geo-domain, with Germany as the largest visible traffic source, followed by Czech Republic, Greece, France and Belgium. The cashier offered the familiar offshore casino menu: PlayID, VISA/Mastercard, Pay by Card, Paysafecard, Revolut, Bank Transfer, RAPID, Jetonbank, MiFinity, Neteller/Skrill and crypto deposits. But the real story is not the menu. The real story is what happens after the player clicks. In the Skrill Prepaid Mastercard verification flow, FinTelegram observed pending €20 transactions showing two different payees: “zentoria limited” and “mixfind.com.” Zentoria Limited has already appeared in several FinTelegram illegal casino payment-rail reviews. MixFind is new and significant. Its own website presents it as a payment lookup and statement inquiry portal designed to identify charges, merchant names, contact information and receipts attached to payments; its terms describe the portal as a billing inquiry tool for charges executed by “authorized billing partners,” while stating that MixFind is not a bank or financial institution and does not process payments through the portal. The Revolut rail was also exposed twice. In one path, Malina routed the player through Finmesh / redirect-gate to Revolut Open Banking, where Perspecteev SAS appeared as the authorization party. Perspecteev’s Bridge legal page states that Perspecteev is a French payment institution authorized by the ACPR for payment initiation and account information services. In a second path, the RAPID rail routed Austrian users to a bank-selection page and then to Revolut Open Banking, where the player had to authorize Rapid Transfer. Public information on Malina’s operator and licensing perimeter is inconsistent. Some review sources currently attribute Malina Casino to Stellar Ltd, registered in Anjouan and operating under an Anjouan license, while other casino-review ecosystems have associated Malina or related brands with Rabidi/Liernin or NovaForge-style offshore clusters. CasinoTest24, for example, states that Malina launched in 2024, is operated by Stellar Ltd, and is licensed by the Anjouan Gaming Authority under license number ALSI-202411077-FI2. That does not solve the EU question. An Anjouan license is not permission to target Italy, Austria, Germany or other EU markets. The rail evidence shows EU-facing payment access; the regulatory issue is whether payment institutions, gateways, wallet providers and merchant-layer entities are enabling an offshore casino to collect EU player funds without local authorization. Key Findings Malina uses a geo-domain payment layer.EU players were routed through malinacasino-2836.com, with localized cashier flows for Austria, Italy and other EU-facing language versions. The cashier is jurisdiction-aware.Austrian and Italian players saw different payment availability and different backend handling. This is not a static cashier; it is adaptive payment routing. Skrill exposed Zentoria Limited as payee.In our Skrill Prepaid Mastercard deposit we found “zentoria limited” as the payee. Zentoria has already appeared in multiple FinTelegram casino-rail investigations. Skrill also exposed mixfind.com as payee.A second Skrill Prepaid Mastercard transaction showed mixfind.com as the payee. MixFind is not presented publicly as a casino merchant. Its website describes a charge-identification and billing inquiry portal, making its appearance as a payment payee a major descriptor/payee red flag. MixFind must explain its role.The key question is whether MixFind is a merchant descriptor, billing-support layer, payment facilitator interface, chargeback-reduction tool, merchant-of-record wrapper, or portal connected to another processor. Revolut Open Banking appeared through multiple paths.Malina’s direct Revolut rail and its RAPID rail both reached Revolut Open Banking screens in the tested flows. Perspecteev SAS appeared inside the Revolut rail.The Revolut rail asked the player to authorize Perspecteev SAS. Perspecteev’s Bridge page identifies it as an ACPR-authorized payment institution for payment initiation and account information services. RAPID behaved differently by jurisdiction.For Austrian users, RAPID routed to bank selection and then Revolut Open Banking. For Italian users, RAPID was unavailable and the player was pushed toward Skrill Wallet, with MHSL shown as recipient. MiFinity showed CME as recipient.The MiFinity deposit screen displayed CME as payee. CME must explain whether it is merchant, processor, wallet recipient, or descriptor-layer entity. Paysafecard and Neteller labels concealed alternative backend rails in Italy.For Italian players, FinTelegram again observed the ChainValley-style fake-FIAT pattern: a familiar FIAT/wallet label at the cashier, but a backend flow that appears to involve crypto purchase and transfer to the casino environment. Zentoria remains a recurring casino payee.The Malina evidence reinforces Zentoria Limited as a recurring payee or merchant-layer participant in offshore casino flows. The operator story remains fragmented.Current public review sources point to Stellar Ltd and Anjouan licensing, while the broader Malina/Rabidi/NovaForge ecosystem remains inconsistent across casino-review databases. Fragmented operator history is a regulatory red flag, not an answer. Key Data Table Entity / DomainRoleJurisdictionEvidenceRed FlagMalina Casino / malinacasino-2836.comEU-facing casino geo-domainOffshore / unclearFinTelegram test access; screenshots; SimilarWeb screenshotEU player acquisition through geo-domain layerStellar LtdPublicly cited current operatorAnjouan / ComorosCasinoTest24 attributes Malina to Stellar Ltd and Anjouan license ALSI-202411077-FI2Offshore license does not equal EU market authorizationZentoria LimitedSkrill/card payee; recurring casino payeeIrelandSkrill verification screenshot: “zentoria limited: EUR 20,00”Already observed in several illegal/offshore casino payment flowsmixfind.com / MixFindSkrill/card payee or descriptor-support layerNot clearly disclosed on siteSkrill verification screenshot: “mixfind.com: EUR 20,00”; MixFind site describes charge lookup and billing inquiryNew opaque payee; public site does not present normal casino merchant rolepayment-gateway.ioCard gatewayUnknownFinTelegram VISA/Mastercard test findingOpaque payment-gateway layerFinmesh.net / DirectPayPayment-link / redirect-gateway layerUnknownPayment screenshot; Malina deposit flow; expired-link error page; source title “DirectPay”; production app configOperator not disclosed; session-based routing; sits between casino cashier and bank/open-banking railsredirect-gate.netRedirect layerUnknownFinTelegram test findingObscures first-hop routingPerspecteev SAS / Bridgehttps://www.bridgeapi.io/Open Banking / PISP layerFranceRevolut authorization screen; Bridge legal page confirms ACPR payment institution statusRegulated open-banking firm appears in casino funding flowRevolut(Open Banking – OBA)ASPSP/API access layerUK/EU groupRevolut authorization screenshotsReached via multiple Malina railsRAPID Transfer /RAPIDPayment method / routing layerUnknownAustrian flow reaches bank selection and Revolut OBA; Italian flow falls back to SkrillSame label produces different jurisdictional outcomesSkrill / MHSLWallet fallback / recipientUnknownItalian RAPID screenshot shows MHSL as recipientRecipient mismatch; requires merchant-role explanationMiFinity / CMEE-wallet rail / recipientUnknownMiFinity screenshot: “Deposita su CME”Recipient is not Malina; merchant role unclearChainValleyhttps://app.chainvalley.proCrypto conversion layerPolandFinTelegram review finding in Italian Paysafecard/Neteller flowsFake-FIAT deposit patternPaysafecard / Neteller labelsFront-end cashier labelsEU/UK wallet brandsDisplayed in cashier; backend differs by jurisdictionLabel does not necessarily describe real backend flowJetonbankWallet railUK/otherAvailable in both country cashiersHigh-risk casino funding rail Rail Map A. Skrill / Card Verification Rail Player → Malina Casino Cashier → Pay by Card / Card Deposit → Skrill Prepaid Mastercard verification → Payee shown as “zentoria limited” or “mixfind.com” → Casino funding layer Assessment: This is one of the strongest evidence blocks. The player is funding Malina Casino, but the Skrill verification screen shows third-party payees. Zentoria Limited fits an already observed offshore casino payment pattern. MixFind is new and more problematic: its own website presents a payment lookup and statement support portal, while the Skrill verification screen shows it as the payee in a casino deposit transaction. Read our reports on Zentoria here. B. Direct Card Rail Player → Malina Cashier → VISA/Mastercard → payment-gateway.io → Zentoria Limited / other payee layer → Casino funding layer Assessment: The card rail exposes a payee layer separate from the casino brand. Zentoria Limited must explain whether it acts as merchant of record, payment agent, processing counterparty, descriptor holder, or settlement intermediary. C. Revolut / Perspecteev Rail Player → Malina Cashier → Revolut option → Finmesh / redirect-gate → Revolut Open Banking → Perspecteev SAS authorization → Payment initiation → Casino funding layer Assessment: This is a regulated open-banking choke point. Perspecteev is not an anonymous shell; it is a French payment institution authorized for payment initiation and account information services. Its appearance in a Malina Casino deposit path creates immediate merchant-onboarding and transaction-monitoring questions. Finmesh.net appears to operate as a production payment-link or redirect layer under the application title “DirectPay.” A tested link expired into a “Link not available” page, consistent with session-based payment routing. The source code uses Sentry monitoring, but does not disclose the legal operator, merchant, acquirer, PSP, or payment facilitator behind the gateway. D. RAPID Rail — Austria Player → Malina Cashier → RAPID → payment.onlinebanktransfer.com → Austrian bank selection → Revolut → Revolut Open Banking → Authorize Rapid Transfer → Payment initiation Assessment: RAPID is not merely a brand label. It functions as a routing layer that can still reach Revolut Open Banking. The same Revolut endpoint is therefore accessible both through the cashier’s Revolut button and through the RAPID path. E. RAPID Rail — Italy Player → Malina Cashier → RAPID → Skrill page → “Rapid Transfer non è disponibile” → Skrill Wallet fallback → Recipient: MHSL Assessment: When RAPID is unavailable for Italian users, the system does not stop the payment attempt. It offers an alternative wallet route and displays MHSL as recipient. That is adaptive payment routing, not transparent cashier design. F. MiFinity Rail Player → Malina Cashier → MiFinity → MiFinity payment screen → Recipient: CME → Casino funding layer Assessment: MiFinity’s screen shows CME, not Malina, as the deposit recipient. CME must be identified and mapped against PSP, merchant and settlement records. G. Fake-FIAT Crypto Rail Italian player → Paysafecard / Neteller label → ChainValley-style crypto purchase → crypto transfer to casino environment Assessment: This is the now-standard fake-FIAT casino deposit pattern. The player sees a familiar payment label, but the backend appears to execute a crypto conversion. The label suggests a FIAT wallet/card rail; the underlying economics point to crypto funding. FinTelegram Assessment Established Facts Malina Casino was accessible through the reviewed geo-domain malinacasino-2836.com and displayed EU-facing cashier options, including PlayID, VISA/Mastercard, Pay by Card, Paysafecard, Revolut, Bank Transfer, RAPID, Jetonbank, MiFinity, Neteller/Skrill and USDT ERC20. Austrian and Italian player flows differed. Austrian players saw Bank Transfer and RAPID routes that led into bank-selection and Revolut Open Banking flows. Italian players saw different fallback behavior, including Skrill Wallet routing and crypto-conversion patterns behind wallet labels. The Skrill app screenshots show pending Skrill Prepaid Mastercard transactions connected to the Malina deposit review. One displays “zentoria limited: EUR 20,00.” Another displays “mixfind.com: EUR 20,00.” MixFind’s public website states that users who do not recognize a transaction can enter details to retrieve merchant and order information attached to a payment. It also describes itself as a “Payment Support Portal.” MixFind’s terms describe the portal as a billing inquiry tool for statement descriptors, debits and credit card charges executed by “authorized billing partners,” while stating that MixFind is not a bank, credit union or financial institution and does not process payments through the portal. The Revolut authorization screenshots show two separate authorization parties in different paths: Perspecteev SAS and Rapid Transfer. Perspecteev’s Bridge legal page states that Perspecteev SAS is registered in Paris and authorized by the ACPR as a payment institution for payment initiation and account information services. The MiFinity screenshot shows a €50 transaction with CME as the recipient. The Skrill/RAPID screenshot for Italy shows MHSL as recipient and tells the player that RAPID is unavailable, recommending payment through Skrill Wallet. The SimilarWeb screenshot reviewed by FinTelegram shows EU traffic to the geo-domain, including Germany, Czech Republic, Greece, France and Belgium. Strong Inferences The evidence points to jurisdiction-aware payment routing. Malina’s cashier is not a neutral list of payment options. It adapts the available rail and backend payment counterparty depending on where the player is located. The evidence points to merchant/payee opacity. The player-facing casino brand is Malina, but the payment verification layers show Zentoria Limited, mixfind.com, MHSL and CME. The evidence points to regulated infrastructure being used as access rails into offshore casino funding flows. Perspecteev and Revolut are not the casino operator, but their infrastructure appears in tested funding chains. The evidence points to Zentoria Limited as a recurring casino payment participant. Its appearance in Malina is not isolated; it fits a broader FinTelegram evidence pattern across illegal/offshore casino schemes. The appearance of mixfind.com as a payee is a high-value red flag. MixFind’s public-facing function is charge identification and billing inquiry, yet it appears as the named payee in a Skrill Prepaid Mastercard verification screen connected to a casino deposit. Working Hypotheses Working Hypothesis 1: Malina Casino is part of a broader offshore casino operator/payment ecosystem where the public operator name, payee layer, merchant descriptor and settlement path can differ from one another. Working Hypothesis 2: Zentoria Limited functions as a recurring merchant-layer or payee-layer participant in multiple offshore casino flows, including Malina. Working Hypothesis 3: MixFind is connected to a billing partner or descriptor-management layer used to reduce chargeback friction, identify card charges, or route payment-support inquiries for high-risk merchants. Working Hypothesis 4: ChainValley-style crypto conversion is being used when certain named payment rails are unavailable, blocked, risky or unsuitable in specific EU jurisdictions. Working Hypothesis 5: Finmesh, redirect-gate and payment.onlinebanktransfer.com function as routing layers that allow Malina’s cashier to access regulated endpoints without presenting the full chain to the player. Open Questions Who is the current legal operator of Malina Casino for EU-facing players? Which entity owns or controls malinacasino-2836.com? What is the contractual relationship between Malina Casino, Stellar Ltd, Zentoria Limited, MixFind, Finmesh, RAPID, Perspecteev, ChainValley, MiFinity, Skrill, payment-gateway.io and redirect-gate? Why does mixfind.com appear as a payee in a Skrill Prepaid Mastercard verification screen for a Malina Casino deposit? What is MixFind’s legal entity, jurisdiction, ownership and acquiring/PSP relationship? Which “authorized billing partner” is connected to the MixFind transaction shown in the Skrill app? Is MixFind a merchant descriptor, billing-support portal, payment facilitator interface, chargeback-reduction tool, merchant-of-record wrapper, or front-end for another payment processor? Did Skrill classify the zentoria limited and mixfind.com transactions as gambling, gaming, digital services, payment support, crypto purchase or generic e-commerce? What MCC was assigned to the Skrill Prepaid Mastercard transactions? Did Perspecteev onboard a direct merchant, payment facilitator, technical gateway or another intermediary that ultimately served the Malina flow? Did Revolut classify these flows as gambling, wallet funding, payment initiation, crypto purchase or generic transfer? What exactly are MHSL and CME in these flows? Were Italian and Austrian players properly informed that certain “FIAT” deposit labels may execute crypto purchases or route funds through third-party payees unrelated to Malina Casino? Conclusion Malina Casino is not just an offshore casino brand. It is a payment-rail case. The screenshots show the model in action: the casino sits in front, the geo-domain adapts the flow, and the player is pushed through whichever payment rail still works in that jurisdiction. The new Skrill evidence makes the case sharper. Zentoria Limited appears again as a casino payment payee. mixfind.com appears as a new payee, despite presenting itself publicly as a payment lookup and billing inquiry portal. Add Revolut Open Banking, Perspecteev SAS, RAPID, Finmesh, MiFinity/CME, Skrill/MHSL and ChainValley-style fake-FIAT conversion, and the picture is clear. Malina Casino shows the offshore casino payment model: offshore license on the front, EU payment infrastructure underneath, rotating payees in the middle, and the player left guessing who actually took the money. 8. Whistleblower Call FinTelegram is seeking documents from players, insiders, PSP staff, open-banking providers, wallet operators, acquirers, compliance officers and former employees with knowledge of Malina Casino and its payment rails. Victims and insiders can contact FinTelegram securely through Whistle42. Share Information via Whistle42

Geo Nicolaidis has been with Deriv.com since 2022, with the dual role of heading the Cyprus office and AI Automations. The post Exclusive: Deriv.com Cyprus office head Geo Nicolaidis departs appeared first on FX News Group.

Robert Pemble has been named head of US equity trading at Invesco, stepping up to the role after 22 years at the asset manager.  He initially joined the firm in 2004 as a senior equity trader, working for Oppenheimer Funds before the company was acquired by Invesco in 2019. The new position marks a promotion for New York-based Pemble, who most recently spent two years as head of quantitative equity trading at the firm. Pemble has worked extensively across capital markets for more than two decades, and prior to his time at Invesco, held various equity trading roles at firms spanning Caldwell & Orkin Funds, Bulldog Capital, Hovde Capital Advisors and William R. Hough & Co.  Pemble confirmed his appointment in an announcement on social media.  Invesco had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.  The appointment follows further significant senior promotions for Invesco, with Samuel Henderson stepping into the role of head of EMEA equity trading in January 2026.  Henderson’s promotion followed the departure of the firm’s head of trading – EMEA and APAC equities, Paul Squires in November 2025, as revealed by The TRADE at the time.  The post Invesco promotes internally for new US equity trading head appeared first on The TRADE.