## Kraken's Strategic Move Ahead of IPO

In a surprising development, **Kraken** has **removed its chief financial officer Stephanie Lemmerman** from her position just as the cryptocurrency exchange prepares for its **long-awaited initial public offering (IPO)** in the United States.

### Leadership Transition Details

According to sources familiar with the matter, Lemmerman has been **moved to a strategic advisory role** at Kraken after serving as CFO for approximately one year and four months. She originally joined Kraken from Dapper Labs in November 2024.

**Robert Moore**, previously the Vice President of Business Expansion, has effectively taken over her responsibilities. Kraken's parent company Payward Inc. has updated its leadership page to list Moore as **deputy CFO**, with Lemmerman no longer appearing in the executive lineup.

### Timing and Context

This leadership change comes at a critical moment for Kraken. The exchange **filed confidentially with U.S. regulators in November** for its upcoming IPO, just days after completing a **massive $800 million funding round** that valued the company at **$20 billion**. Notably, $200 million of this investment came from **Citadel Securities**.

### Broader Organizational Shifts

Kraken appears to be undergoing significant organizational restructuring beyond just the CFO position. Other recent promotions include:

- **Curtis Ting** appointed as Chief Operating Officer in December
- **Kamo Asatryan** named Chief Data Officer in January

One source indicated that Kraken's finance department is evolving to become **"more of a product than a back-office function,"** suggesting a strategic shift in how the company approaches financial operations.

### Market Implications

Kraken has declined to comment on these changes, but the timing raises questions about the exchange's preparation for its public market debut. As one of the **largest cryptocurrency exchanges globally**, Kraken's IPO represents a significant milestone for the crypto industry's integration with traditional financial markets.

The leadership shuffle comes amid increasing regulatory scrutiny of cryptocurrency exchanges and growing institutional interest in digital assets. Kraken's ability to navigate this transition successfully could set important precedents for other crypto companies considering public listings.

Kraken has moved chief financial officer Stephanie Lemmerman to a strategic advisory role, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Kraken Shakes Up Leadership: CFO Fired Just Before Major IPO Launch

## Morgan Stanley's Bullish Outlook on Bitcoin-Linked Stocks

Investment banking giant **Morgan Stanley** has identified two **bitcoin-linked companies** that could see their share prices more than double as they pivot from cryptocurrency operations to the **data center business**. This strategic shift comes even as **Bitcoin** experiences market retreats, highlighting the potential resilience of these firms in adapting to new opportunities.

### The Strategic Pivot

The two unnamed companies, which have historically been tied to **bitcoin mining** or related crypto activities, are now transitioning their focus to **data center infrastructure**. This move capitalizes on the growing demand for **cloud computing**, **artificial intelligence (AI) processing**, and **enterprise digital transformation**.

**Morgan Stanley analysts** believe this pivot positions these stocks for significant growth, with potential share price increases exceeding **100%**. The firm's research suggests that the **data center market** offers more stable revenue streams and higher valuation multiples compared to the volatile cryptocurrency sector.

### Market Context and Timing

This recommendation comes at a time when **Bitcoin** has been experiencing price declines, yet these companies' strategic redirection could provide insulation from crypto market fluctuations. The **data center industry** is projected to grow substantially in coming years, driven by increased **AI adoption**, **5G expansion**, and continued **cloud migration**.

### Investment Implications

For investors, this represents an opportunity to gain exposure to the **booming data center sector** through companies with existing infrastructure and technical expertise. The transition from **bitcoin operations** to **data center services** could unlock significant shareholder value as these firms tap into more predictable, recurring revenue models.

**Morgan Stanley's analysis** suggests that successful execution of this pivot could make these stocks outperform traditional data center plays, given their potential for rapid transformation and market repositioning.

A pair of bitcoin-linked firms could see their shares skyrocket, even as the flagship crypto retreats, due to their pivot to the data center business.

Morgan Stanley's Bold Prediction: These Bitcoin-Linked Stocks Could Skyrocket 100%+ in Data Center Pivot

Newly released documents have unveiled **Jeffrey Epstein's deep ties to the cryptocurrency industry**, shedding light on his early backing of bitcoin and major crypto companies like Coinbase.

Millions of files from the US Department of Justice reveal that Epstein **bankrolled the "principal home and funding source" for bitcoin** during its nascent stages. In 2014, he invested **$3 million in Coinbase**, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US, and also cut a check to **Blockstream**, a prominent bitcoin-focused technology firm. These investments came six years after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Despite online murmurings about a sector-level reckoning, most industry players predict **few consequences for crypto companies**. Some view Epstein as a "skeptical investor" who exited prematurely, while others claim he aimed to "undermine bitcoin."

## Coinbase's Questionable Cash

The crypto companies that secured Epstein's investment have grown into multibillion-dollar giants. Coinbase went public on the Nasdaq in 2021, with co-founder Brian Armstrong heavily influencing crypto regulation in the United States.

Epstein's 2014 investment in Coinbase was brokered by **Brock Pierce**, a crypto evangelist and co-founder of Tether. Documents show that Fred Ehrsam, a Coinbase co-founder, liaised with Pierce about the investment and sought to meet Epstein. Additional filings suggest Epstein sold half of his shares to Pierce's firm, Blockchain Capital, for $15 million in 2018.

A spokeswoman for Coinbase declined to comment; Pierce did not respond to requests.

## Backing Bitcoin

Epstein's financing of bitcoin's development stemmed from his role as a donor to MIT. Over 20 years, MIT accepted more than $800,000 from Epstein, who facilitated over $7 million in donations from other wealthy individuals.

In 2015 communications, Joichi Ito, then director of MIT's Media Lab, wrote that Epstein's "gift funds" were used to "underwrite" the launch of the **Digital Currency Initiative**, tasked with researching open-source crypto technologies. Ito explained the Lab served as the "principal home and funding source" for bitcoin.

In 2014, Ito brokered Epstein's $500,000 early-stage investment in Blockstream through a fund they co-owned. Email communications reveal Blockstream's co-founders, Adam Back and Austin Hill, were invited by Epstein to meet near his private island.

On Twitter, Back claimed Blockstream understood Epstein to be a "limited partner" in Ito's fund, which later divested due to "potential conflict of interest." He stated Blockstream has no direct or indirect financial connection with Epstein.

In communications, Epstein noted he "like[d]" Back. Hill continued emailing Epstein into 2017, checking in after a storm.

## Epstein Emails Elicit Muted Backlash from Crypto Industry

Luke Dashjr, an early bitcoin contributor, has called for Adam Back to resign as Blockstream's CEO over ties to Epstein. Dashjr said Epstein's interest in bitcoin was a sign that "evil men often seek to destroy what is good."

Charlotte Fang, founder of Remilia, said "only unserious people might care" about Epstein's investments, noting his Coinbase stake was a small part of the fundraise. She added, "Bitcoin is a decentralized technology that required no funding, and Epstein was evidently a skeptical investor."

Kadan Stadelmann of Komodo predicted retail consumers won't change habits, but some might leave Coinbase for exchanges without "unsavory sources." He surmised Epstein might have liked Coinbase's IPO prospects.

Antulio Rosales, a professor studying crypto, suggested Epstein was drawn to cryptocurrencies' potential for markets "without any ethical commitments or pressures of social norms and the law."

Newly released documents detail convicted sex offender’s early backing of bitcoin and Coinbase

Shocking Revelations: Jeffrey Epstein's Hidden Role in Bitcoin and Coinbase Exposed

While **Bitcoin** and **Ethereum** dominate the crypto headlines, they're not the only players in town. These two giants make up about 70% of the total crypto market value, but hundreds of smaller, higher-risk cryptos offer potentially greater upside that could outperform the market leaders.

Top investor **Dominic Basulto**, ranking among the top 3% on TipRanks, highlights three such coins worth watching in 2026: **XRP**, **Solana**, and **Chainlink**. He believes, "All three have the potential to outperform Bitcoin and Ethereum this year to deliver outsized gains to investors."

Let's dive into the case for each.

## **XRP (XRP-USD)**

XRP is possibly the most obvious pick, as it's the fifth-most valuable crypto and delivered outsized gains early last year, including a surge from $0.50 to $3.40 between November 2024 and January 2025. Basulto argues its case is stronger this year, with the long-running **SEC lawsuit** against creator Ripple resolved in August, removing a major regulatory overhang. Since then, Ripple has completed **$2.5 billion in blockchain acquisitions** and secured **$500 million in financing** at a $40 billion valuation.

"Now it’s time to buckle down and put that money to work building an end-to-end financial infrastructure with XRP at the core," says the 5-star investor. "If that happens, XRP could skyrocket in value."

![XRP chart](https://blog.tipranks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/image-920.png)

## **Solana (SOL-USD)**

Since its 2020 launch, Solana has been seen as a potential **"Ethereum killer."** Crypto champion **Cathie Wood** has highlighted its advantages in speed, cost, and throughput. With a **$65 billion market cap** versus Ethereum's $326 billion, Basulto thinks Solana could close the gap—and possibly surpass Ethereum within five years.

Its rapid ecosystem growth supports such lofty ambitions. In the year ending September 2025, Solana generated **$2.85 billion in revenue**, and its decentralized exchanges now see more daily trading activity than Ethereum's.

"As long as Solana can continue to erode the market share of Ethereum in key areas such as **DeFi**, it should continue to increase in value," Basulto added. As recently as January 2025, Solana was trading at $294, suggesting it's not impossible for it to double in value this year.

![Solana chart](https://blog.tipranks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/image-922.png)

## **Chainlink (LINK-USD)**

Chainlink had its last major rally in 2020–2021, when LINK jumped from about $2 to over $50, but has since crashed and now trades **83% below its all-time high**. Still, Basulto finds it attractive in 2026 as the leading **decentralized oracle network** that connects smart contracts to real-world data, enabling sophisticated blockchain applications and interoperability across chains—a foundational role in **Web3** that few other projects match.

Its **Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP)** and advanced data services are increasingly used to bridge liquidity and tokenized assets across blockchains, which could underpin demand for the LINK token if adoption continues to rise.

In late 2025 and early 2026, Chainlink expanded its footprint with major ecosystem milestones, including **24/5 U.S. equities data streams** across more than 40 blockchains, institutional collaborations for tokenized fund data, and products like the **Automated Compliance Engine** to embed KYC/AML checks into smart contracts, making Chainlink more appealing to enterprises and regulated financial players.

![Chainlink chart](https://blog.tipranks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/image-921.png)

It's true all three are trading significantly below their all-time highs, which could signal that something major is wrong. "However," Basulto wrapped up, "I’m taking an optimistic (and perhaps foolhardy) view of things. All three of these altcoins look to be **grossly undervalued**, and as long as it looks like Bitcoin is going nowhere fast this year, I’m willing to take a flier on them. There’s just too much potential upside to ignore."

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured investor. The content is intended for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.*

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