Cryptocurrency
Minnesota Fails to Block Prediction Markets in Federal Clash
A federal judge has stalled Minnesota's attempt to ban prediction markets, granting a preliminary injunction to Kalshi and Polymarket. U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez ruled that the state’s new law likely conflicts with Commodity Futures Trading Commission authority, leaving the platforms free to operate while legal battles continue in court.
Trump Media Wallets Shift 2,628 BTC to Crypto.com Exchange
A transaction involving 2,628 Bitcoin, valued at approximately $165 million, moved from wallets linked to Trump Media to the Crypto.com exchange on August 2. While on-chain analysts suggest the transfer signals a significant liquidation, the company has not yet provided official confirmation of a sale through SEC filings.
BIP-110 fails to reach voluntary miner support threshold
Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110 has fallen short of the 55% voluntary miner support required for its current difficulty period. With only 28 signaling blocks recorded out of 1,108, Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor declared the threshold mathematically unreachable, dismissing the current participation as insufficient for genuine network consensus.
BNB Chain Pursues Ex-Employee Over $628,000 Memecoin Scheme
A former BNB Chain employee allegedly leveraged unauthorized access to a company-generated seed phrase to execute a lucrative memecoin pump-and-dump scheme. The network confirmed it is pursuing legal action after the individual reportedly used the credentials to harvest $628,000 in profits from a token launch.
Crypto PAC spending hits $2 million in Michigan House primary
A surge of late-stage advertising has pushed total independent expenditures by the crypto-aligned super PAC Protect Progress past $2 million in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District. The spending spree, concentrated in the final two weeks of the race, aims to secure a win for Democratic incumbent Shri Thanedar over challenger Donavan McKinney.
Coldcard Firmware Flaw Leads to $88.6 Million in Bitcoin Losses
A series of systematic exploits targeting a vulnerability in Coldcard hardware wallets has drained 1,367.05 BTC, according to updated data from Galaxy Research. The losses, spanning 4,585 distinct addresses, highlight a critical flaw in seed generation that allowed attackers to predict and sweep user funds across three distinct waves.
Russia Extends Crypto Mining Ban to Moscow and Kursk Regions
Starting August 15, cryptocurrency mining and participation in mining pools will be prohibited across Moscow, the Moscow Region, and specific districts of the Kursk Region. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed the government resolution to mitigate grid strain, with the ban remaining in effect until December 31, 2032.
Minnesota Enforces Total Ban on Crypto ATMs Following Scam Surge
Nearly $1 million in reported losses from 134 scam cases pushed Minnesota officials to pull the plug on virtual currency kiosks. Effective August 1, 2026, the new law mandates that operators cease all transactions immediately, with a final deadline of December 31 to physically remove the machines from public spaces.
Decentralized exchanges capture 24% of centralized spot volume
Decentralized exchange spot trading climbed to approximately 24% of centralized exchange volume in July 2026, marking the highest ratio recorded in The Block’s current tracking series since its inception in 2019. This surge reflects a broader shift toward onchain markets for memecoins and assets absent from large centralized platforms.
South Korean Investors Shift Billions to Overseas Crypto Platforms
South Korean crypto investors moved 560.3 billion won, roughly $367 million, to foreign exchanges in June, marking the 18th consecutive month of net stablecoin outflows. Data from the Financial Supervisory Service confirms that domestic users are increasingly bypassing local platforms to access international derivative and decentralized finance markets.
Bitget Overhauls BGBTC with Daily Yield and Chainlink Integration
Bitget has introduced a major upgrade to its BGBTC asset, pivoting from a static Bitcoin-backed token to a yield-bearing instrument. The platform now offers daily rewards denominated in BTC, alongside cross-chain capabilities via Chainlink’s CCIP and independent risk oversight provided by the quantitative firm Gauntlet.
SpaceX Shares Teeter at $107 Ahead of Earnings and Massive Share Unlock
SpaceX stock is hovering near a record low, closing at $108 on July 31 as the company faces a high-stakes week. Investors are bracing for a double-fronted challenge: the firm's first post-IPO quarterly earnings report on August 4 and the release of 911.5 million insider shares just two days later.
ARK Invest Adds $6.8M in Circle Shares Following New York Charter
Following Circle’s receipt of a limited-purpose trust charter from the New York Department of Financial Services, Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest acquired 109,129 shares of the stablecoin issuer. The purchase, valued at approximately $6.83 million, signals the firm’s continued confidence in Circle’s expanding regulated infrastructure despite recent market volatility.
Strategy Stock Slides as Saylor Pivots to Preferred Share Buybacks
Strategy shares fell 4.56% to $93.28 on July 31 after the company reported an $8.22 billion quarterly loss. The dip, which saw the stock briefly touch $89.21, follows a strategic shift by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor to prioritize the par value of preferred stock over immediate Bitcoin acquisitions.
South Korea Crypto Trading Volume Plunges 55% as Upbit Dominates
A 54.6% year-over-year decline in trading volume has swept through South Korea’s five major won-based crypto exchanges during the first half of 2026. As retail activity cools, liquidity is increasingly pooling into the market leader, Upbit, leaving smaller competitors struggling to retain their share of a shrinking pool.
US Treasury Escalates Crypto Crackdown on Iran via Operation Economic Fury
The US Treasury has seized nearly $1 billion in digital assets as part of Operation Economic Fury, a sweeping 2026 campaign targeting Iranian sanctions evasion. By leveraging the freeze mechanisms of centralized stablecoins, regulators are attempting to dismantle an illicit financial infrastructure that moved billions through offshore exchanges.
Moneyflip CEO faces federal charges in murder-for-hire plot
After allegedly paying undercover agents $40,000 to kidnap and execute a business rival, Moneyflip CEO Marcos Arturo Kleiman Tronllan was arrested in Miami. Federal prosecutors claim the executive, who allegedly laundered $750,000 in drug proceeds, attempted to settle a personal debt through a staged, lethal hit.
Hong Kong Woman Loses $3.3 Million in Sophisticated Romance Scam
A 50-year-old insurance professional in Hong Kong has been defrauded of approximately $3.3 million after a digital romance led her into a counterfeit cryptocurrency investment scheme. The victim was lured by a contact posing as a car dealer, who manipulated her into transferring massive sums to a fraudulent platform.
XRPL 3.3.0 Upgrade Targets Institutional Privacy and Settlement
Five proposed amendments arriving with the upcoming xrpld 3.3.0 release aim to bridge the gap between public blockchain infrastructure and the stringent requirements of global financial institutions. By introducing cryptographic privacy and atomic settlement, RippleX seeks to streamline how banks and asset managers handle tokenized real-world assets.
Uniswap Expands Into Onchain Lending With Morpho Vaults
Uniswap has moved beyond token swaps, launching a self-custodial lending product called Earn that allows users to deposit USDC, USDT, and ETH directly into curated Morpho vaults. The integration aims to capture user activity between trades by offering interest-bearing opportunities without requiring a move to a separate lending protocol.
Pump.fun Employees Reportedly Fired Before Massive Token Vesting
At least one former employee at Pump.fun lost out on a seven-figure token windfall after being dismissed just before their PUMP grants were set to vest. The layoffs, occurring in successive waves, have sparked allegations that the platform strategically purged staff to avoid honoring lucrative compensation agreements.
Tether Reports $1.5B Profit as USDT Market Dominance Grows
Tether generated $1.5 billion in net operating profit during the second quarter of 2026, bolstered by high yields from US Treasury holdings and repo operations. The firm’s latest BDO attestation reveals a massive expansion in circulating supply, with USDT reaching $184.6 billion and commanding over 60% of the global stablecoin market.
Bitcoin Slides Toward $60K Mark as Tech Momentum Fades
A cooling rally in Asian semiconductor stocks has sent Bitcoin tumbling below $63,000, compounding fears that the cryptocurrency is ill-prepared for its historically volatile August cycle. With the Crypto Fear & Greed Index hitting 25, investors are bracing for a potential slide toward the $58,000 support level.
Grayscale presses Senate for CLARITY Act vote before August recess
As the Senate approaches its August break, Grayscale Investments has issued an urgent appeal for a floor vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. The asset manager argues that legislative gridlock leaves the U.S. crypto sector vulnerable, threatening to drive innovation toward more predictable international markets like Singapore.
CLARITY Act prospects dim as ethics deadlock hits the White House
Betting markets have slashed the probability of the CLARITY Act becoming law to 25%, as a critical bipartisan ethics compromise awaits a final signal from the White House. With the Senate August recess looming, the legislation remains stalled by negotiations over how to police federal officials' digital asset holdings.
SBI Holdings Values Ripple Stake at $41.2 Billion Amid Market Slump
Despite a sluggish cryptocurrency market and the declining price of XRP, Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings has pegged the value of its Ripple shareholding at 6.6 trillion yen, or approximately $41.2 billion. The company maintains that its decade-long partnership remains a core pillar of its long-term strategic investment portfolio.
South Korea Confirms 22% Crypto Tax for 2027
South Korea will begin taxing cryptocurrency gains at a combined rate of 22% starting January 1, 2027. The move ends years of speculation regarding potential delays, though critics argue the lack of loss-offset provisions could drive domestic traders toward offshore platforms before the rules even take effect.
Senate Scrambles to Schedule CLARITY Act Vote Before August Recess
With the Senate calendar rapidly narrowing, Majority Leader John Thune is keeping a narrow window open for a floor vote on the CLARITY Act. Senator Cynthia Lummis confirmed leadership remains committed to moving the crypto market structure bill before the August recess, despite a logjam of competing legislative priorities.
Coinbase Shares Slide 12% as Q2 Revenue Miss Jolts Investors
A 12% plunge in Coinbase stock followed the exchange’s second-quarter earnings report, where revenue of $1.22 billion fell short of Wall Street’s $1.29 billion forecast. The sell-off, which dragged shares to $143.77, reflects deep investor anxiety over the firm’s continued reliance on volatile crypto trading volumes.
Hyperliquid HYPE Token Slips Below $55 Amid HIP-4 Testnet Launch
A whale movement toward major exchanges and a broader market downturn have pushed the HYPE token below the $55 support level. This decline coincides with Hyperliquid launching its HIP-4 prediction-market framework on testnet, as the platform attempts to challenge established competitors like Polymarket and Kalshi.