The largest-ever S&P 500 Index options set to expire, potentially exacerbating market volatility

June 18 – The $1 billion merger between cryptocurrency asset management firm ReserveOne and special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) M3-Brigade Acquisition V Corp. (Ticker: MBAV) has failed, per insiders, who attribute the deal’s collapse to at least two major ReserveOne investors requesting to terminate the transaction. Since the merger was announced nearly a year ago, Bitcoin and other digital tokens have plummeted sharply in value, according to involved investors. Those investors argued that taking ReserveOne public via the SPAC at this point would lead to its stock trading below net asset value (NAV), and the additional burden of fees owed to bankers and sponsors further made the deal uneconomical.

On June 18th, Toronto-based online financial services platform Wealthsimple Inc. announced a partnership with prediction market Kalshi to launch a new trading product enabling Canadian users to wager on real-world events. The firm plans to roll out a standalone mobile app, Wealthsimple Predict, which will grant users access to nearly 4,000 contracts available on Kalshi. While the standalone app is set to launch later this summer, no specific release date has been disclosed. Contracts accessible to Canadian users will be restricted to categories permitted under CIRO regulations: economic indicators, financial markets, and climate-related events, excluding those tied to sports outcomes or elections. Additionally, Wealthsimple Predict will only offer event contracts with a minimum duration of 30 days.

June 18 — No final arrangements have been locked in for Iran’s delegation’s trip to Switzerland as of press time, a source familiar with the matter told Iran’s Tasnim News Agency on Wednesday. Relevant assessments and negotiations are still ongoing, the source noted. A decision on whether the Iranian delegation will appear in Switzerland tomorrow is expected in the next few hours. If they confirm their attendance, more details will be released shortly afterward. Separately, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs stated on June 18 that the U.S. and Iran plan to hold preliminary talks on implementing their agreement at Birch Mountain, Switzerland, on June 19, with mediation from Pakistan, Qatar and other relevant countries.

On June 18, the Algorand Foundation announced a roadmap to make its blockchain quantum-resistant, with full quantum resilience targeted by the end of 2027. The plan will roll out in phases starting in 2026, first delivering post-quantum accounts, multi-signature wallets, and staking support. Subsequent phases will focus on strengthening the network’s core foundational protocol components. Built on work the Foundation launched in 2022, the roadmap expands quantum resilience efforts across more parts of the Algorand protocol. The timeline puts the network’s milestone ahead of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)’s sunset of certain traditional cryptographic standards — and three years earlier than the schedule set by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) for national security systems.

June 18 – Kraken has officially launched on-chain DEX trading, enabling users to directly access thousands of Solana ecosystem tokens through the main Kraken app without leaving its familiar interface. The launch is supported by Kraken’s embedded wallet infrastructure Privy and multiple mainstream Solana DEX protocols. DEX assets will be seamlessly integrated into the portfolio view alongside existing holdings, and users can execute trades using their USD or USDC balances. Going forward, Kraken plans to expand these DEX capabilities to additional blockchain ecosystems.

ISLAMABAD, June 18 (Xinhua) — Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who was tasked with mediating the U.S.-Iran Understanding Memorandum, has canceled his planned trip to Switzerland, according to Pakistani media reports citing unidentified sources. Sharif had announced on June 15 that the signing ceremony for the U.S.-Iran Understanding Memorandum would take place in Switzerland on June 19, with Pakistan serving as the host of the event.