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Ukraine's Brave1 opened the first state grant program treating combat humanoid robots as their own procurement category

The move, which aims to capitalize on gains by Ukraine's already-innovative robotics industry, is also cognizant of the current limitations of the tech

The goals set by Brave1 are modest but offer backing of up to ₴100M+ for breakthrough projects

Ukraine has become the first country to fund combat humanoid robots, but the move might prioritize future innovations over deployable solutions in the near future.

The devil is in the details: its own battlefield data shows wheeled and tracked bots running 66,000+ missions in 2026 so far, while the only combat-tested humanoid lasted three hours on a charge.

This points to the much humbler beginnings that Ukraine's own moves in the space indicate, even as it continues to scale up its bot deployments in the field.

What is Ukraine actually buying in 2026?

Ukraine's move comes in the form of the Brave1 Advantage event in Kyiv on 2 July 2026, where company CEO Andriy Hrytsenyuk announced a grant competition for domestically built bipedal humanoid robots designed exclusively for military tasks.

The move, spearheaded by Brave1, is part of Ukraine's military push for innovation on a fast-changing battlefield; winning designs can receive over ₴100 million (roughly $2.4 million) in grants.

Brave1 was founded in April 2023 by six ministries and is now being transferred from the Ministry of Digital Transformation to the Ministry of Defense; it has become Kyiv's main mechanism for converting frontline needs into funded engineering projects.

CEO Andriy Hrytsenyuk painted this as a must-have industry for Ukraine, stating, "We see how quickly the humanoid robotics industry is developing worldwide, in China and the United States. We see that such robots have value for strengthening our military capabilities. That is why we are moving in this direction."

The move seems to be a long-term play on robotics, with Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov also weighing in earlier using three words: war must become a format where "technology fights technology."

The reason one should expect Wall-E rather than Terminator, however, is that Ukraine already runs the largest ground-robot ecosystem in any active war, and none of it walks on two legs.

Ukraine has also made significant inroads, such as holding off Russian attackers at key positions and capturing an entire fortified Russian position with the help of drones and ground robots, marking the first full seizure of territory in the world by bots.

For now, the only humanoid that has actually been to war in Ukraine is the Phantom MK-1, built in San Fransico by a startup, Foundation Future Industries.

The MK-1 carries only about 20 kg, has no waterproofing, and provides roughly two to three hours of battery life, compared with infantry missions that run eight to twenty-four hours, rendering it somewhat ill-suited to most of the combat operations that Ukraine currently conducts along the frontline.

Ukraine's investment in humanoids might not, therefore, result in short-term fruitful gains but rather indicate it is bucking the trend, so to speak, even as Goldman Sachs is projecting nearly 50,000 to 100,000 non-combat humanoid shipments globally this year, even as military planners envision putting one in a trench in the near future.

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The Jensen Interceptor GTX is inching closer to its big debut.

Company announced a mysterious track-only special.

Model will feature an aluminum body and a supercharged V8.

The Jensen Interceptor GTX is scheduled to make its global debut in the second quarter of 2026, which implies it will be unveiled by the end of September. That’s right around the corner, so the company has announced the car is a “pre-production, ultra high-performance, track-only special” that previews future road-going variants.

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Details are as hazy as a Canadian wildfire, but the company billed the mysterious model as an “enhanced prototype build.” The firm went on to say it lays the foundation for “several future Interceptor variants, including road-going models and track-focused cars.”

More: Jensen’s First All-New Car In Decades Arrives With An Old Name And A New V8

The wording is puzzling as they’re effectively referring to it as a pre-production prototype, which suggests the model is simply a track-only development car. However, some publications are implying it will be sold to consumers.

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Jensen International Managing Director David Duerden didn’t shed much light on the matter as he stated, “The Interceptor GTX is no static show car. It is a track-focused special, developed as an enhanced prototype build, which will preview upcoming Jensen models . We can’t wait to unveil it to the world, fittingly sixty years after the launch of the original Jensen Interceptor.”

We reached out for clarification and were told the “GTX is a track-only development car, used for testing, paving the way for customer cars (both track and road versions).” This means it’s a prototype and not something you’ll be able to buy – at least not yet.

While a number of questions remain, the company noted the Interceptor GTX is “not a restomod nor a continuation of any previous Jensen model.” Instead, it’s new from the ground up and features a contemporary aluminum body that was built by hand. It’s joined by an aluminum chassis and a supercharged V8 engine for the “ultimate analogue driving experience.”

Previous reports have suggested the model could have a GM-sourced supercharged 6.2-liter V8. That remains to be seen, but the mill produces 685 hp (511 kW / 695 PS) and 673 lb-ft (911 Nm) of torque in the CT5-V Blackwing F1 Collector Series .

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Bitcoin Magazine

Crypto.com Secures $400M Investment From Citadel Securities at $20B Valuation

Global market maker Citadel Securities has invested $400 million in crypto exchange Crypto.com, giving the platform a $20 billion valuation, according to a Thursday announcement.

Crypto.com, which has a number of digital asset products, said the cash would help the Singapore-based company expand its services to assets such as blockchain-based securities and derivatives.

The cash will help bridge the gap “between digital asset and traditional markets to create a more efficient 24/7 financial ecosystem,” a Thursday announcement read.

“The size of the opportunity in front of us is staggering, as crypto increasingly becomes the rails for finance,” Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek said in a statement.

“Having built the right regulatory and tech infrastructure over the last decade, Crypto.com is now perfectly positioned to capture this new wave of growth across all asset classes.”

“The convergence of traditional financial markets and digital asset infrastructure is an exciting evolution with the potential to further improve market efficiency,” added Jim Esposito, President of Citadel Securities.

Thrilled to announce our first institutional funding round with a $400 million strategic investment from Citadel Securities valuing https://t.co/pFc4Pz8PQj at $20 billion. An incredible milestone 10 years in on our journey and the beginning of a new phase of growth. Grateful to…

— Kris (@kris) July 16, 2026

Wall Street’s interest in tokenization

Esposito’s comment comes as Wall Street interest in blockchain technology piques — despite a market slump.

Back in February, BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager, announced that it was working with decentralised exchange Uniswap to bring one of its funds on-chain.

Before that, in January, the New York Stock Exchange said it was building a platform allowing traders to buy and sell tokenised versions of US-listed equities and exchange-traded funds.

And most recently, the S&P 500 gave crypto platform Trade[XYZ] the green light to debut a new derivative contract on decentralized exchange Hyperliquid, allowing traders to gain leveraged exposure to the top index.

Citadel’s crypto interest

Miami, Florida-based Citadel, has for some time been interested in digital assets: Back in 2023, the company helped debut EDX Markets, a “first-of-its-kind exchange” giving investors “safer, faster and more efficient cryptocurrency trading.”

The exchange this year applied for a national trust bank charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, marking a step toward deeper integration between digital asset firms and the US banking system.

Citadel last year also pumped $200 million into crypto exchange Kraken to help accelerate the company’s strategy of bringing traditional financial products on-chain.

This post Crypto.com Secures $400M Investment From Citadel Securities at $20B Valuation first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo .