Cryptocurrency
Stablecoin market retreats as liquidity drains from major tokens
A $10 billion contraction in stablecoin supply since May has signaled the largest monthly decline since the 2022 collapse of TerraUSD. With $7.7 billion in redemptions occurring in June alone, the market is grappling with a cooling in institutional demand that mirrors the recent outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs.
Pakistan’s Crypto Regulator Seeks Nuance Amid Shariah Ruling
Conflict emerged between Pakistan’s digital asset authorities and prominent religious scholars after a June ruling declared cryptocurrency transactions impermissible. Bilal bin Saqib, chairman of the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, is now pushing for granular technical and Shariah reviews to bridge the gap between emerging blockchain technology and traditional Islamic jurisprudence.
Ethereum energy consumption drops 99.9% following PoS transition
The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance reports that Ethereum now consumes just 7.87 gigawatt-hours annually, marking a 99.9% reduction in power demand since the 2022 Merge. By replacing energy-intensive mining with a validator-based system, the network has transitioned from a global power consumer to a model of comparative efficiency.
Thailand tightens oversight on USDT trades and cash deposits
Regulators in Thailand are moving to close loopholes in capital flow monitoring by targeting large cash deposits and high-value USDT transactions. Starting in the fourth quarter of 2026, depositors moving 5 million baht or more must provide documented proof of funds, a measure designed to curb illicit financial activity.
BlackRock’s BUIDL Fund Hits $900M on Avalanche
The USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund, known as BUIDL, has surged to $900 million in assets on the Avalanche blockchain. This 105% weekly increase, which added roughly $436 million to the network's allocation, highlights a rapid institutional shift toward tokenized U.S. Treasuries across diverse decentralized environments.
Michael Saylor defines Bitcoin power dynamics amid BIP 110 friction
Michael Saylor has framed Bitcoin as a decentralized system held in dynamic equilibrium by three distinct pillars: wallets, nodes, and miners. His definition arrives as the network faces a contentious test of its governance model through BIP 110, a proposed soft-fork that has sparked significant disagreement among industry leaders.
Coinbase and Senator Warren Clash Over CLARITY Act Security Risks
As the Senate approaches a critical vote on the CLARITY Act, a sharp divide has emerged over whether the legislation bolsters national security or creates dangerous loopholes. Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad and Senator Elizabeth Warren are currently locked in a public dispute regarding the bill’s impact on sanctions enforcement.
SBI Leads $76 Million Investment in Institutional Crypto Exchange EDX
Japan’s SBI Holdings has injected $76 million into EDX Markets, marking a significant push to scale institutional-grade crypto infrastructure. The Chicago-based exchange plans to deploy the capital to accelerate global product development, bolster clearing and settlement services, and secure a national trust bank charter in the United States.
Oracle Flaw Costs Bonzo Lend Over $9 Million
An attacker siphoned $9.05 million from the Hedera-based Bonzo Lend protocol on July 11, 2026, by exploiting a vulnerability in a third-party oracle. By submitting a zeroed signature to Supra’s verification system, the perpetrator artificially inflated the price of SAUCE tokens to borrow massive amounts of USDC and wrapped HBAR.
Adam Back and Michael Saylor warn of chain split over BIP 110
The proposal to implement BIP 110, a temporary soft fork for Bitcoin, has triggered a sharp rebuke from industry stalwarts Adam Back and Michael Saylor. Both argue that the plan, which seeks to restrict large data fields within transactions, undermines the foundational principles of a permissionless and decentralized network.
Ripple CEO reveals near-collapse during SEC litigation
Faced with the overwhelming legal machinery of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Ripple leadership once stood on the brink of total dissolution. CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently disclosed that the company seriously weighed liquidating its XRP holdings and shutting down operations entirely to avoid a protracted, resource-draining battle.
Ripple’s European expansion highlights the U.S. regulatory vacuum
Ripple has secured a full Crypto-Asset Service Provider license in Luxembourg, granting the firm legal access to all 30 European Economic Area countries. While the company achieves unprecedented regulatory certainty abroad, its home market remains stalled by the CLARITY Act’s uncertain fate in the U.S. Senate.
Senate showdown: The seven-vote math of the CLARITY Act
The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act faces a 26-day countdown before the Senate’s August recess, with passage contingent on securing seven Democratic votes to reach the 60-vote cloture threshold. With zero commitments locked in, the bill’s fate hinges on resolving conflicts over presidential ethics and regulatory agency staffing.
Robinhood Chain Closes Gap With Base as Transaction Volume Spikes
Eleven days after its mainnet launch, Robinhood Chain is rapidly challenging Coinbase’s Base for dominance in the Ethereum Layer 2 market. Recording 7.6 million transactions on July 11, the Arbitrum-powered network has surged in activity, signaling a aggressive expansion into blockchain infrastructure by the brokerage giant.
Binance Futures Volume Hits $1.63 Trillion Amid Summer Lull
Defying the traditional summer slowdown and cautious investor sentiment, Binance recorded $1.63 trillion in futures trading volume during June. This figure marks the platform's highest monthly derivatives activity of 2026, signaling that traders are aggressively managing leveraged positions despite Bitcoin remaining range-bound in the mid-$60,000s.
Hong Kong Clearing Alerts Public to Sophisticated Phishing Scheme
Hong Kong Interbank Clearing Limited has identified a network of fraudulent websites masquerading as official payment service providers to harvest sensitive financial data. By dangling fake cash rewards and promising verification support, scammers are tricking users into surrendering ID documents, bank account details, and private contact information.
Tom Lee sees Ethereum as the bridge for Wall Street
The barrier between traditional finance and digital assets is destined to vanish, with Ethereum serving as the primary infrastructure for a unified market. Fundstrat’s Tom Lee reaffirmed this long-held conviction this week, positioning the network as the essential foundation for the future of global financial services.
Morgan Stanley Accumulates Bitcoin as Holdings Pass 5,700 BTC
Morgan Stanley has bolstered its digital asset position, acquiring nearly 1,000 BTC over the past fortnight to push its total tracked balance to 5,761 BTC. Blockchain data from Arkham reveals the bank leveraged recent market volatility to accumulate the assets, which are currently valued at approximately $370 million.
Hedera token dips as suspected exploit drains $5.8 million
The Hedera network is facing a potential security breach that has seen more than $5.8 million in assets siphoned to Ethereum. As the stolen funds were bridged via LayerZero and converted into Ether, the native HBAR token dropped over 2% to trade near $0.069 amidst the unfolding on-chain activity.
Empery Offloads Bitcoin Reserves to Shore Up Balance Sheet
With 1,400 Bitcoin liquidated for $87.1 million since May, Empery is pivoting away from its previous aggressive accumulation strategy. The Nasdaq-listed firm is funneling the proceeds into debt reduction, property acquisitions, and legal costs, signaling a shift toward immediate liquidity over long-term digital asset holding.
Vitalik Buterin Proposes X as a Hub for Global AI Governance
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has challenged Elon Musk to transform X into a decentralized coordination layer for artificial intelligence policy. By leveraging the platform’s reach, Buterin argues that ordinary users could bypass the concentrated power of governments and tech giants to negotiate critical AI safety agreements.
ESMA Shifts Focus to Operational Resilience for Crypto Custodians
The European Securities and Markets Authority has launched a Common Supervisory Action targeting crypto-asset service providers to test whether their operational controls survive real-world stress. Moving beyond initial licensing, the regulator is now scrutinizing how firms manage private keys, third-party technology risks, and incident response procedures under the MiCA framework.
Robinhood expands AI agent trading to cryptocurrency markets
Eligible U.S. customers will soon delegate their cryptocurrency trades to third-party AI agents, marking a significant shift in retail investing. Robinhood confirmed the upcoming feature will allow users to set specific guardrails for automated accounts, extending the platform's existing agentic trading framework beyond traditional stocks and options.
US Prosecutors Move to Drop BitClub Fraud Case Against Founder
The U.S. Department of Justice has requested to dismiss its criminal case against BitClub Network founder Matthew Goettsche, effectively halting a prosecution involving an alleged $722 million cryptocurrency fraud. This shift follows a recent internal directive aimed at curbing the practice of regulation through litigation within the digital asset industry.
Backpack Opens 24/7 Global Access to Tokenized US Equities
Backpack has debuted a 24/7 trading platform for tokenized US stocks, granting international investors direct ownership of equities like SpaceX and Micron. By moving away from synthetic derivatives, the exchange offers instant settlement in fiat or stablecoins, bypassing the traditional constraints of Wall Street’s standard operating hours.
Kraken deploys AI assistant to shift crypto trading toward goals
Moving away from complex order books and technical charts, Kraken has introduced an AI-powered assistant designed to translate financial objectives into personalized investment strategies. The platform tracks market conditions and suggests trades, though it leaves final execution in the hands of the user to ensure human oversight remains constant.
South Korea Launches First State-Backed Stablecoin Pilot
Gyeonggi Province is set to launch South Korea’s first government-backed stablecoin pilot this August, marking a pivot toward integrating blockchain into public financial administration. The eight-month proof-of-concept, led by security firm ZKrypto, aims to modernize regional currency distribution and government disbursements through February 2027.
OpenAI and Google Face Scrutiny Over Blacklisted Chinese AI Access
OpenAI and Google have reportedly provided access to advanced AI models to companies appearing on the Pentagon’s Section 1260H blacklist. This list identifies entities tied to China’s military-industrial complex, sparking urgent questions about the effectiveness of U.S. export controls on cloud-based artificial intelligence technology.
Bitcoin crosses $64,000 as U.S.-Iran diplomatic channels remain open
Bitcoin surged past $64,000 following a confirmation from President Donald Trump that the United States has agreed to resume talks with Iran. Despite the formal end of a recent ceasefire, the willingness of both nations to maintain communication provided enough stability to fuel a recovery in digital asset markets.
Trump withholds signature on housing act as CBDC ban nears law
President Donald Trump has refused to sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, citing the Senate’s failure to pass the Save America Act. Despite this defiance, the housing legislation is set to become law automatically, as the White House confirmed the president will not issue a formal veto.