Bullish stock surges above $110 per share minutes after public debut

The crypto platform’s stock opened at $90, which was about 143% above its IPO price

article-image

T. Schneider/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

The stock of crypto exchange Bullish popped in the first few minutes after its New York Stock Exchange listing Wednesday, marking more evidence of demand for equity exposure in the segment. 

Bullish on Tuesday revealed the pricing of its initial public offering of 30 million shares at $37 per share. That was up from a per-share price between $32 and $33 that the company anticipated in a Monday filing to the SEC.

BLSH shares opened around 1 pm ET at $90 — about 143% above the IPO price. Minutes later, the company’s stock surged to $118, according to Yahoo Finance data. 

Led by former NYSE president Tom Farley, Bullish launched in 2021 with backing from Block.one, Thiel Capital, Galaxy Digital, Nomura and others. It offers a spot and derivatives exchange, as well as liquidity services; Bullish also owns crypto media company CoinDesk.

As of March 31, Bullish held $28 million in cash, $144 million of US dollar stablecoins and $1.7 billion worth of bitcoin and $22 million of ether, the Monday filing shows.

Bullish’s IPO comes about two months after stablecoin issuer Circle listed on the NYSE. 

CRCL stock opened around $69 during its June 5 debut — more than double the upsized IPO price of $31 per share. The shares rose slightly above $100 that day before settling at $82 at market close. 

Read more: Circle ends NYSE debut up 167% from IPO price

Though the USDC issuer’s stock price peaked near $300 on June 23, CRCL shares were trading for around $155 on Wednesday afternoon.

Industry watchers predicted Circle’s IPO would lead to more companies following suit. 

Most recently, Figure Technology confidentially filed a draft registration statement with the SEC. Gemini and Grayscale did the same in June, while BitGo filed such paperwork last month.

Check out today’s Forward Guidance newsletter for more on Bullish’s NYSE debut.

This is a developing story.

Updated 8/13/2025 at 1:33 p.m. to correct an error in the article subheading.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 24 - 26, 2026

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates (8).png

Research

Kinetiq has established itself as Hyperliquid's dominant liquid staking protocol, holding 82.5% of LST market share with $610M in TVL. The protocol is now expanding beyond its kHYPE staking core into higher take-rate verticals: iHYPE for institutional custody rails, Launch for HIP-3 capital formation, and Markets for builder-deployed perpetuals. We view Markets, launching Jan. 12, as the highest-potential product line given its mechanically scalable, activity-linked unit economics. Near-term revenue remains anchored by kHYPE's KIP-2 fee schedule (~$1.6M annualized), while Markets provides embedded optionality if HIP-3 economics normalize post-Growth Mode. KNTQ's setup is relatively clean: zero insider unlocks until November 2026, 6.2% buyback yield from staking revenue, and cleared airdrop overhang. Risks center on unproven Markets execution, declining kHYPE TVL despite ongoing incentives, and competition from Hyperliquid's native initiatives.

article-image

BTC finished the week up 1.6%, while L2s, RWAs and the treasury trade continued to grind lower

article-image

DTCC moves DTC-custodied Treasuries onchain via Canton, while Lighter’s LIT launches trading at a fees multiple in Hyperliquid territory

article-image

In the 90s, rapt audiences worldwide watched a coffee pot — will that fascination ever turn to crypto?

article-image

Some systems improve by failing — and crypto has no choice

article-image

Yield Basis introduces an IL-free AMM design that already dominates BTC DEX liquidity

article-image

Maybe tokenholders don’t need the rights that corporate shareholders have come to expect

Newsletter

The Breakdown

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Blockworks Research

Unlock crypto's most powerful research platform.

Our research packs a punch and gives you actionable takeaways for each topic.

SubscribeGet in touch

Blockworks Inc.

133 W 19th St., New York, NY 10011

Blockworks Network

NewsPodcastsNewslettersEventsRoundtablesAnalytics