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\n The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says tokenization could fundamentally reshape how financial markets operate, marking one of the strongest acknowledgments yet from a global policymaker that blockchain-based infrastructure is moving into the financial mainstream.
In a blog published Thursday, Tobias Adrian, the IMF’s financial counselor and director of its Monetary and Capital Markets Department, said tokenization is more than a niche crypto innovation. By bringing assets, settlement and recordkeeping onto a shared ledger, tokenization could compress today’s multi-day settlement process into near-instant transactions.
Adrian also warned that tokenization shifts risks away from traditional financial intermediaries and toward the underlying infrastructure, including smart contracts, distributed ledgers and service providers. Without common standards and coordinated regulation, tokenized financial markets could become fragmented across incompatible platforms, creating new sources of systemic risk.
Source: IMF
The report comes as financial institutions accelerate efforts to integrate tokenization into traditional markets. The Clearing House, whose owners include JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Barclays, reportedly plans to launch a tokenized deposit network in early 2027 to keep deposits within the regulated banking system while enabling faster, programmable payments.
The IMF’s assessment aligns with recent research from PwC, which found that tokenization could address longstanding inefficiencies in traditional finance, including payment settlement and the transfer of asset ownership. It also follows a May report from Moody’s showing that traditional financial institutions are actively preparing for a shift toward tokenized finance.
Related: Tokenization makes finance more efficient but introduces risks: IMF
The IMF report emphasized the growing role of regulators in shaping tokenized finance. Adrian said policymakers have a narrow window to determine how tokenized markets evolve, arguing that decisions on settlement assets, governance, interoperability and the role of central banks will help determine whether tokenization makes the financial system more efficient or introduces new systemic risks.
In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission has taken steps to clarify how existing securities laws apply to tokenized assets rather than creating a separate regulatory framework.
Source: Cointelegraph
The agency has also signaled it is considering an “innovation exemption” that could allow market participants to test blockchain-based trading platforms for tokenized securities while a longer-term regulatory framework is developed.
Magazine: Can Robinhood or Kraken’s tokenized stocks ever be truly decentralized?
", "description": "The IMF says policymakers have a narrow window to shape tokenized finance as banks, regulators and market infrastructure move toward blockchain adoption.", "published": "2026-07-02T20:17:32+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "banks" }, { "slug": "imf" }, { "slug": "regulation" }, { "slug": "tokenization" }, { "slug": "rwa-tokenization" } ], "slug": "imf-tokenization-financial-markets-settlement-risks", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273469" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Here’s what happened in crypto today", "leadText": "Need to know what happened in crypto today? Here is the latest news on daily trends and events impacting Bitcoin price, blockchain, DeFi, Web3 and crypto regulation.", "author": { "slug": "cointelegraph" }, "bodyText": "Today in crypto, FBI Director Kash Patel amended a financial disclosure after reporting a Strategy investment months past the legal deadline, Standard Chartered and Circle unveiled a bank-integrated system for minting and redeeming USDC, and France pledged a tougher response after crypto-related kidnappings surged.
FBI Director Kash Patel disclosed a stake in Bitcoin treasury company Strategy months after the federal reporting deadline, according to a report from NOTUS.
Patel filed an amended financial disclosure on May 26, stating that his investment in Strategy, worth between $100,001 and $250,000, had been "inadvertently omitted" from his original filing. The purchase was made on Nov. 21, 2025, but was not disclosed within the 45-day window required under the STOCK Act, which mandates timely reporting of certain financial transactions by government officials.
In the amended filing, Patel said "no current conflict exists" despite Strategy being a registered US government contractor. The STOCK Act carries relatively light penalties for first-time violations, with fines starting at $200, and has faced criticism for its limited enforcement.
The disclosure comes as scrutiny of public officials' crypto-related financial interests intensifies. President Donald Trump's latest financial filing showed more than $1.4 billion in cryptocurrency-related income in 2025, while lawmakers have increasingly questioned whether existing ethics and disclosure rules are sufficient to address digital asset holdings.
Source: NOTUS
Standard Chartered and USDC issuer Circle have developed a system that lets institutional clients mint and redeem the USDC stablecoin through a bank-led onboarding process.
Standard Chartered said Thursday it is the first Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB) to offer such services for USDC, bringing stablecoin access into the same risk, compliance and governance frameworks used in traditional banking. Clients will be able to mint and redeem the US dollar-backed stablecoin directly through StanChart's platform instead of opening separate accounts with Circle.
“By embedding USDC access directly within Standard Chartered’s institutional offering, Standard Chartered will bring together banking, custody, and digital asset services within one integrated offering,” the announcement said. The initial rollout will be through the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
The collaboration comes as stablecoin infrastructure is increasingly integrated into traditional banking systems, as issuers and financial institutions compete to control how digital assets such as USDC are distributed and accessed.
Source: Circle
The capability supports institutional use cases such as onchain settlement, treasury, and liquidity management, while also providing the infrastructure to support payment-related use cases in the future.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has promised a "more ambitious" approach to tackling crypto ransom attacks after confirming there were 77 kidnapping, extortion or attempted extortion incidents linked to crypto in the first half of 2026.
Nuñez said Tuesday that the 77 incidents recorded so far this year are up sharply from the 45 recorded in all of 2025, according to local outlet BFM Business.
“These are serious matters, and your concern is legitimate,” he told the Association for the Development of Digital Assets (ADAN) as he promised more government support.
France has become one of the biggest hot spots for crypto wrench attacks, where criminals use physical violence to coerce victims into handing over crypto. Approximately 11% of French people own cryptocurrencies, according to ADAN, which equates to about 7.3 million people.
Europe is becoming a hotbed for wrench attacks in 2026. Source: CertiK
", "description": "Today in crypto: FBI Director Kash Patel amended a late Strategy disclosure, Standard Chartered and Circle launched institutional USDC services, and France vowed tougher action on crypto kidnappings.", "published": "2026-07-02T20:15:44+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "fbi" }, { "slug": "france" }, { "slug": "business" }, { "slug": "circle" }, { "slug": "crimes" }, { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "what-happened-in-crypto-today", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "110589" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Russia on track for digital ruble rollout on Sept. 1: Central bank governor ", "leadText": "EU authorities already preemptively sanctioned Russia’s digital ruble in 2025 as part of measures in response to the country’s war against Ukraine. ", "author": { "slug": "turner-wright" }, "bodyText": "Russia’s central bank governor, Elvira Nabiullina, confirmed that the country was prepared to roll out its central bank digital currency (CBDC) in two months, following the timeline it laid out last year.
According to a Thursday report from Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti, Nabiullina said that “everyone is ready” for a Sept. 1 digital ruble launch. The CBDC will launch as a complement to Russia’s fiat currency, the ruble, and will initially be accepted by financial and credit institutions.
“We want the digital ruble to be in demand by people and businesses, to be convenient, and, of course, we're constantly discussing [...] what functionality to develop,” said Nabiullina in a translated statement.
Pile of 5000 ruble banknotes next to a keyboard on a white surface, viewed from above. Source: Polina Tankilevitch, Pexels
The launch of a digital ruble, whose development began in 2021, has already been targeted by preemptive sanctions from European Union authorities, which announced restrictions on the CBDC in April. The European Council said that the sanctions package was in response to Russia’s “war of aggression against Ukraine,” which it started in February 2022.
According to the Bank of Russia’s first deputy governor, Vladimir Chistyukhin, the law allowing the digital ruble will be enacted on Sept. 1 with a transition period until July 2027.
Related: Russia targets British 17-year-old for alleging digital assets were skirting sanctions
Dr. Jack Jarmon, who worked as a USAID technical adviser for the Russian government in the 1990s, said in a February 2025 report that the country could face “structural limitations” should its digital ruble plans fail and it relies on Bitcoin (BTC) and other proof-of-work (PoW) digital currencies as methods of evading sanctions.
“While Russia is replete with a surplus of oil and gas, the rest of its energy infrastructure is not well suited to handle such significant increases in demand for energy,” said Jarmon, referring to PoW mining. “Its power grid is old and in need of investment and upgrade.”
He added:
“The sanctions that Putin seeks to circumvent have cut Russia off from financial capital and technology. It has no domestic semiconductor industry to meet its needs and must rely on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for components [...]”
In contrast to Russia, the United States is one step away from having a ban on the country’s central bank issuing or creating a CBDC until 2030. This week, US President Donald Trump received the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a housing bill containing a ban on a digital dollar as part of a package of housing affordability laws.
Although Trump has said he will not sign the bill, expecting Republicans to first pass legislation requiring voters to provide proof of US citizenship in person to register, it will automatically become law in 10 days with no action on the president’s part. This timeline would put the law into effect in July.
Magazine: Big Questions: Do we really only need 2–5 cryptocurrencies?
", "description": "A Russian law allowing the country’s central bank to issue a digital ruble will reportedly be enacted on schedule on Sept. 1, with a transition period until July 2027.", "published": "2026-07-02T20:04:55+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bank-of-russia" }, { "slug": "central-bank" }, { "slug": "digital-currency" }, { "slug": "cbdc" }, { "slug": "regulation" } ], "slug": "russia-digital-ruble-rollout-september-central-bank-governor", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273465" }, { "category": { "slug": "markets" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin price taps new July high above $62K on weak US jobs data", "leadText": "Bitcoin took daily gains to nearly 4% on the second day of \"green July\" as US labor-market signals supported an easing inflation policy from the Federal Reserve.", "author": { "slug": "william-suberg" }, "bodyText": "Bitcoin (BTC) passed $62,000 at Thursday’s Wall Street open as crypto reacted to weak US employment figures.
Key points:
Data from TradingView showed new July highs of $62,137 on Bitstamp, with BTC/USD up nearly 4% on the day.
BTC/USD four-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
The latest nonfarm payrolls data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed that the US added far fewer jobs than expected in June, at 57,000 versus the anticipated 114,000.
“Both the unemployment rate, at 4.2 percent, and the number of unemployed people, at 7.1 million, changed little in June,” an official news release stated.
US unemployment data. Source: BLS
The jobs numbers painted a weak picture of the labor market — a potential tailwind for risk assets should the Federal Reserve loosen financial policy as a result.
“May's jobs number was also revised down by -43,000 jobs,” trading resource The Kobeissi Letter noted in a reaction on X.
“The labor market remains in a volatile situation.”
As Bitcoin and altcoins headed higher, crypto trader and analyst Michaël van de Poppe was among those shifting toward a more optimistic mid-term market view.
“Inflation expectations have come down. Now, unemployment drops too. It's at its lowest level in close to a year. Those are strong, public signals about the direction of the markets,” he told X followers.
“I don't think we'll see another drop on Bitcoin if Bitcoin can clearly break through $65,000 from here.”
Other market participants also drew attention to Bitcoin bulls’ newfound strength.
Related: Bitcoin bear market ‘dead’ after first TD9 reversal signal since July 2022 fires
“Price drilling through large asks on Binance perps orderbook is actually sign of strength. Plus, we have chasing bids supporting aggressive buyers,” commentator Exitpump reported about exchange order-book data.
“Buyers are back and strong.”
BTC/USDT chart with order-book liquidity data. Source: Exitpump/X
Data from CoinGlass put 24-hour crypto short liquidations at nearly $450 million at the time of writing.
BTC/USD vs. cryptocurrency liquidations (screenshot). Source: CoinGlass
“Welcome to green July,” trader and analyst Rekt Capital continued.
As Cointelegraph reported, Rekt Capital expects a July relief rally for Bitcoin before bear-market momentum resumes in August.
An accompanying chart, which featured the 21-month and 50-month exponential moving averages (EMAs), drew comparisons to the 2022 bear market, with the implication that the cycle lows were still to come.
“And once Bitcoin turns the 50 EMA into new resistance on this relief rally, it will likely enter additional Bearish Acceleration over time,” Rekt Capital added in a separate X post.
BTC/USD one-month chart with 21, 50EMA. Source: Rekt Capital/X
", "description": "Bitcoin gets a macro boost from US jobs data as \"green July\" begins with a trip past $62,000 and nearly $500 milllion of crypto short liquidations.", "published": "2026-07-02T18:41:26+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "markets" }, { "slug": "market-analysis" } ], "slug": "bitcoin-returns-to-62k", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Market Update" } ] }, "id": "273461" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "FBI director discloses Strategy holdings months after deadline: Report", "leadText": "Strategy is a registered US government contractor, though Kash Patel claimed that “no current conflict exists” with his $100,001 and $250,000 worth of the company’s stock that he reported late.", "author": { "slug": "turner-wright" }, "bodyText": "Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) , reportedly omitted reporting exposure to Bitcoin treasury company Strategy, in violation of federal law.
According to a Wednesday report from the nonpartisan nonprofit news agency NOTUS, Patel “inadvertently omitted” a Strategy (MSTR) investment worth as much as $250,000. The purchase, which Patel conducted on Nov. 21, 2025, wasn’t included in his December 2025 financial disclosures, as required for a government official under the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act.
Source: NOTUS
Patel filed an amended report on May 26, indicating that the Strategy holdings were “inadvertently omitted” and “no current conflict exists” with the investment. Under the STOCK Act, some government officials and lawmakers must disclose financial transactions exceeding $1,000 no later than 45 days after executing the trade. Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy, is a registered US government contractor, raising concerns about conflicts of interest with Patel’s investments.
Although signed into law in 2012, the STOCK Act has come under fire from many in Congress who claim that lawmakers and White House officials who violate it do not face severe penalties. First-time violators are only subject to a $200 fine under the law, with additional penalties falling short of the hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars offered in disclosures.
Related: Apple fixes bug that allowed FBI to read deleted Signal messages
Patel isn’t the only member of Congress or policymaker to fall behind in his Strategy investment disclosures. According to Capitol Trades, a website tracking politicians’ investments, Representative Shri Thanedar waited until August 2025 to report a $15,001 to $50,000 investment in Strategy made in June 2024.
The FBI director’s reported late disclosures came in the wake of President Donald Trump's release of financial records that revealed that his cryptocurrency ventures generated more than $1.4 billion in income in 2025, exceeding that of his real estate businesses.
Many US lawmakers have criticized the president for profiting from his position while in office through his memecoin launch, his family’s crypto platform World Liberty Financial, and his sons’ Bitcoin mining venture.
Magazine: Big Questions: Do we really only need 2–5 cryptocurrencies?
", "description": "Under the federal STOCK Act, enacted in 2012, senior US government officials and lawmakers must disclose financial transactions exceeding $1,000 or face a $200 fine for first-time offenders.", "published": "2026-07-02T18:04:32+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "fbi" }, { "slug": "politics" }, { "slug": "united-states" }, { "slug": "donald-trump" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrency-investment" }, { "slug": "microstrategy" }, { "slug": "regulation" } ], "slug": "fbi-director-kash-patel-strategy-bitcoin-disclosure", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273457" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Ondo expands tokenized equities with onchain shareholder voting", "leadText": "Ondo's latest partnership adds shareholder governance to tokenized stocks as competition in blockchain-based equity offerings accelerates.", "author": { "slug": "sam-bourgi" }, "bodyText": "Ondo Finance is adding shareholder voting rights to its tokenized stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) through a partnership with financial infrastructure provider Broadridge, addressing one of the key limitations of blockchain-based securities.
The companies announced Thursday that holders of more than 250 tokenized securities issued through Ondo will be able to participate in proxy voting and access corporate communications, including regulatory filings and other shareholder documents.
The integration uses a Web3-enabled version of Broadridge’s investor communications platform, allowing users to authenticate with blockchain wallets while accessing governance services typically reserved for shareholders in traditional markets.
The move comes as tokenized equities gain momentum among digital asset companies seeking to bring conventional financial products onchain. While tokenization promises faster settlement and around-the-clock trading, questions have remained over whether investors would receive the governance rights that accompany traditional direct stock ownership.
Source: Ondo Finance
Ondo said the governance features will accompany the launch of its first US custodial tokenized securities, including tokenized versions of BlackRock’s iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and Micron Technology (MU). The company said the assets are the first issued under the US Securities and Exchange Commission's third-party custodial framework for tokenized securities.
Related: Blockchain.com deepens onchain stock offerings as tokenized equities market grows
The market for tokenized stocks has expanded rapidly this year, as its total value first surpassed $1 billion in March, according to Foresight Ventures. Data published by Ondo on Wednesday showed the market has since grown to $1.67 billion, with nearly 181,000 unique holders.
Ondo is one of several companies competing for a share of the fast-growing market. Backed Finance, which issues tokenized stocks through its xStocks platform, has also expanded its footprint, with its products now available across multiple crypto exchanges and blockchain networks.
The market for tokenized stocks has grown nearly 14-fold since May 2025. Source: Ondo Finance
Tokenization has emerged as one of crypto’s fastest-growing sectors in 2026, defying broader market weakness. A recent 21shares report attributed the trend to rising institutional adoption and improving infrastructure. Separate data from Binance showed the value of tokenized real-world assets, including stocks, has surged nearly 600% over the past year.
Related: Crypto Biz: The cost of stacking sats
", "description": "Ondo and Broadridge are adding proxy voting and shareholder communications to tokenized stocks as issuers expand blockchain-based equity offerings.", "published": "2026-07-02T17:25:01+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "investments" }, { "slug": "stocks" }, { "slug": "tokenization" }, { "slug": "rwa-tokenization" } ], "slug": "ondo-tokenized-stocks-shareholder-voting", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273453" }, { "category": { "slug": "sponsored" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Digital asset inflows surge over 5x on licensed European platforms: Here's why", "leadText": "With the European regulatory transition ending, licensed digital asset exchanges are deploying deposit incentives to capture migrating retail volume.", "author": { "slug": "nihatcan-yanik" }, "bodyText": "As the July 1, 2026, deadline for the MiCA framework has arrived, regulated exchange OKX is leveraging its compliance authorization and targeted deposit incentives to attract users migrating from non-compliant platforms across the European Economic Area.
Europe’s crypto market has been operating under the Markets in Crypto-Assets framework, known as MiCA, since January 2025. The new rulebook has established a unified authorization regime for crypto-asset service providers, replacing a patchwork of national rules with a Europe-wide standard.
The final transition window closed on July 1, 2026. Platforms without the required authorization must wind down or restrict services in the European Economic Area (EEA), while firms with approved licenses can operate across the region under a single supervisory framework.
That is already creating pressure. Many prominent crypto exchanges couldn’t maintain their footing under the new rules, scaling back products or preparing market exits as the deadline approached.
The migration risk is substantial. Based on web traffic and application-download analysis, crypto exchange OKX estimates that roughly 60% of European crypto users have historically used platforms without MiCA authorization.
According to the company, 80% of existing exchanges may not complete the compliance transition. For European users, regulatory status now sits alongside liquidity, fees and product range as a factor in choosing an exchange.
OKX Europe is among the platforms positioned for that shift. OKX Europe Limited holds a MiCA Crypto-Asset Service Provider authorization issued by Malta’s Financial Services Authority and can passport its services across the EEA. The company also holds MiFID and Payment Institution (PI) licences.
Source: OKX
User movement has already become visible in OKX’s internal figures. The exchange says inflows grew more than 5.5-fold from mid-April as users began leaving non-compliant alternatives. The increase reflects an industry shift that has moved compliance from an advantage to a legal requirement.
To address that transition, OKX has introduced a regional campaign running from June 29 through July 31. Eligible EEA residents who complete identity verification, opt in through the OKX app and make a net deposit of at least €10 can receive an 8% bonus on qualifying deposits, subject to a maximum of €20,000 in USD Coin (USDC). The original allocation was almost fully claimed within 48 hours, and OKX subsequently increased the bonus pool to €50 million.
The reward is an onboarding incentive tied to net deposits rather than a trading outcome or a claim about asset performance. Rewards are distributed biweekly across 52 weeks. Participants must maintain the required net deposit amount. The offer applies to eligible cash deposits and crypto transfers, with availability and qualification determined by the campaign terms.
A deposit incentive does not change the risks of holding or trading digital assets. It does, however, show how authorized platforms are responding to a compliance-driven migration that is already altering the European market.
https://x.com/okx/status/2072691575918919782?s=46
MiCA marks the closing of an era in which exchanges could rely on fragmented local registrations and regulatory gaps to serve European users. Competition among exchanges will increasingly center on authorization, asset segregation, disclosure standards, account usability and formal protections for users.
Europe’s exchange market is likely to become more concentrated, with fewer providers competing on clearer interfaces, transparent handling of client assets and their ability to meet common legal standards across the region. The next stage of the market will reward exchanges that can operate clearly within the European framework as users reassess where they hold and trade digital assets.
", "description": "With the European regulatory transition ending, licensed digital asset exchanges are deploying deposit incentives to capture migrating retail volume.", "published": "2026-07-02T16:00:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "europe" }, { "slug": "adoption" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrency-exchange" }, { "slug": "eea" }, { "slug": "mica" }, { "slug": "okx" } ], "slug": "digital-asset-inflows-surge-over-5x-on-licensed-european-platforms-heres-why", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Spotlight" } ] }, "id": "273445" }, { "category": { "slug": "features" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "The biggest blockchain upgrades still to come in 2026", "leadText": "From Ethereum’s Glamsterdam to Solana’s Alpenglow, 2026’s most important developments are protocol upgrades, not price charts.", "author": { "slug": "christina-comben" }, "bodyText": "Most crypto investors still obsess over price charts. But in 2026, a growing share of attention is shifting back to improving the fundamentals of the protocols.
Ethereum, Solana and Avalanche are preparing some of their largest protocol upgrades in years, while Coinbase’s Base network rolled out its Beryl hard fork last Friday in a bid to streamline the network, with a native token standard and shorter withdrawal windows.
Bitcoin development however, remains frozen, with developers still arguing over controversial covenant proposals and post-quantum computing upgrades.
Tim Sun, a senior researcher at Hong Kong-based asset manager HashKey Group, told Cointelegraph that protocol upgrades have historically focused on adding features, speed and throughput.
However, in 2026, he said the emphasis is shifting toward reliability, predictable governance, and institutional-grade infrastructure that can support large-scale financial use cases.
Here are the top five major blockchain upgrades to watch in the second half of 2026.
Glamsterdam is arguably the most consequential upgrade this year, and its already being tested on devnets. According to Ethereum’s public roadmap, Glamsterdam is designed to improve scalability, harden the layer-1, and make the network easier to use, with a mainnet launch expected sometime in the second half of 2026.
Sun said the upgrade should improve processing speeds by allowing more transactions to be processed simultaneously, expand capacity so Ethereum can handle more data at higher throughput, and reduce database bloat. Those changes should make the chain better suited for stablecoin settlement and real-world asset use cases, he said.
Related: Ethereum’s much-hated staking 'tax' may already be obsolete
Holly Atkinson, chief product and technology officer at 1inch, told Cointelegraph that Glamsterdam is viewed by many as Ethereum’s most significant upgrade since The Merge in September 2022, which transitioned the blockchain from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake.
Glamsterdam. Source: Ethereum.org
She said enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS) is a key change because most validators still depend on a small set of specialized builders and relays, which concentrates control over transaction ordering.
That setup amplifies maximal extractable value (MEV), censorship and centralization risks, she said. ePBS is designed to pull block building and proposing back into the protocol and make the process more transparent and accountable.
Pavan Kaur is a Solana Foundation judge and founder of RuleSpark, a compliance engine for digital asset marketing. She told Cointelegraph that ePBS is better understood as one step in Ethereum’s broader roadmap and does not eliminate MEV or fully solve builder centralization. “Practices like sandwich attacks may therefore migrate rather than disappear,” she said.
Solana’s biggest change this year is Alpenglow, a consensus upgrade that reworks the network’s core protocol. Alpenglow has been billed by many, including Solana ecosystem lead David Liang, as the chain’s “most significant consensus upgrade yet.”
After being overwhelmingly approved through a governance process in September 2025, Alpenglow remains under development but is expected to ship alongside the Agave 4.1 validator client release later in 2026.
Arun Krishnakumar, vice president of institutional capital at R3 enterprise software firm, told Cointelegraph that Alpenglow will be a major tailwind that will reinforce the ‘internet capital markets’ thesis even more strongly.
Solana Network Updrades. Source: Solana
At its core, Alpenglow is designed to dramatically speed up how quickly the network reaches finality. Instead of relying on Solana’s existing TowerBFT-based consensus mechanism, it introduces a redesigned system built around a new voting component called Votor.
Related: Solana treasury firms resist Forward Industries’ consolidation push
The practical impact is a major reduction in confirmation times, with finality targeted at roughly 100-150 milliseconds in optimal conditions, compared to around 12.8 seconds today.
Beyond speed, the upgrade also removes onchain vote transactions, which currently account for a significant portion of network activity. By streamlining how validators communicate and agree on the state of the chain, Alpenglow is intended to make Solana both lighter and more efficient under load.
Hadley Stern, board director, DeFi Development Corp, told Cointelegraph that removing onchain vote transactions is the “real story” for institutional allocators because it “cleans up validator economics and gives you honest telemetry, which matters when you're underwriting SOL as a treasury asset.”
He said that a network that can migrate its consensus layer as cleanly as is planned, would show the kind of “governed adaptability legacy financial infrastructure can't match.”
Base’s Beryl hard fork went live on Friday, following a short sequencer-related outage, when block production stalled for around two hours following an invalid block that triggered a temporary consensus failure.
Base co-founder Jesse Pollak said user funds were unaffected during the incident. While he stressed that “all funds are safe,” he added that “a halt is not okay” and said that lessons learned from the episode will be used to further strengthen Base as a platform for “global, 24/7 finance.”
Jesse Pollak speaks about the chain halt. Source: Jesse Pollak
According to Base’s documentation, Beryl introduces a set of changes aimed at tightening the network’s performance and reducing friction at the edges. These include the B20 native token standard, a shortening of withdrawal finality from seven days to five, and integration with Reth V2, which is expected to reduce node storage requirements while improving execution efficiency.
Related: Coinbase's Base resumes block production after 2-hour outage
Sun said Base has been moving toward a more unified “stack” approach, giving it greater control over how the network is built and upgraded, and allowing changes to ship more quickly than under the earlier Optimism Superchain model.
The trade-off, he said, is that liquidity, which once moved more freely across the broader Superchain ecosystem, may become more fragmented, even as Base deepens its integration with Coinbase’s wider user base.
Avalanche’s next chapter is less about a single branded hard fork than a broader push to improve performance while courting institutions and tokenized asset issuers.
Sun told Cointelegraph that Avalanche’s recent Etna hard fork replaced the old subnet model with sovereign Avalanche L1s, cutting the cost of launching a dedicated blockchain by more than 99% and making the network more attractive to institutional players.
It's already seen success in this regard. Sun pointed to Progmat, which he said accounts for roughly 63% of Japan’s national security token market, which migrated more than $2 billion in tokenized assets to a dedicated Avalanche L1, as well as the Avalanche Payments Collective backed by firms including Franklin Templeton, VanEck and WisdomTree.
Progmat Migrates $2B+ of its Tokenized Securities to Avalanche. Source: Avalanche
Atkinson said Avalanche is also pushing two upgrades aimed at making its C-Chain one of the fastest Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) environments.
Related: Avalanche Treasury falls 16% as it debuts on Nasdaq
She described Streaming Asynchronous Execution as a way to separate transaction execution from consensus so the chain can run more continuously and size capacity closer to normal demand. For users, she said, the practical effect should be higher throughput and lower, steadier fees during periods of heavy activity.
Bitcoin is the outlier here because its biggest developments in 2026 are not scheduled upgrades but a continuation of passionate debates over whether the protocol should become more programmable and how urgently it should be hardened against quantum threats.
Bitcoin has not activated a major soft fork since Taproot in 2020, which upgraded Bitcoin’s scripting to make transactions more flexible and improve privacy.
Since then, discussion around covenant-related proposals such as OP_CAT, CheckTemplateVerify (CTV) and Lightning-focused ideas like LNHANCE has intensified. None of these changes has an agreed path to activation.
Researchers have also been debating BIP-360 and related proposals as ways to make it easier to migrate coins into quantum-resistant spending paths, if and when the quantum computing threat becomes real.
Atkinson described Bitcoin as the wildcard of the group. She said covenant proposals could unlock safer storage and richer scripting, but the subject remains divisive and subject to much debate.
Sun said those proposals could improve self-custody security, fee management and protocols such as Lightning and Ark, while giving institutions more programmable custody logic directly on the L1.
Bitcoin development is infamously slow, and any change to the protocol is pored over from every angle. There is general agreement that no covenant opcode is on track for activation this year, and reaching consensus on proposals like OP_CAT or CTV is still some distance away.
On the post-quantum side, BIP-360’s authors estimate that a full migration to quantum-resistant addresses and signatures would take years even under optimistic assumptions. It seems unlikely at this point that a quantum-resistance upgrade will be implemented before the end of 2026.
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", "description": "From Ethereum’s Glamsterdam and Solana’s Alpenglow, to proposed post quantum security changes for Bitcoin, 2026’s key crypto upgrades are some of the most significant in years.", "published": "2026-07-02T14:30:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "hard-fork" }, { "slug": "developers" }, { "slug": "upgrade" }, { "slug": "ethereum-2-0" }, { "slug": "quantum-computing" }, { "slug": "institutions" } ], "slug": "the-biggest-blockchain-upgrades-still-to-come-in-2026", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Analysis" } ] }, "id": "273377" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "UK payments blueprint outlines tokenized payments for ‘multi-money ecosystem’", "leadText": "UK regulators published an update to a national retail payments blueprint, calling for infrastructure support for tokenization and interoperability with new forms of digital money.", "author": { "slug": "zoltan-vardai" }, "bodyText": "UK regulators are calling for tokenization and “new forms of digital money” to be part of the core infrastructure of the country's future retail payment ecosystem.
In a Thursday update to the government's roadmap for modernizing retail payment systems, HM Treasury on behalf of the Payments Vision Delivery Committee said that including tokenization and digital money would advance its efforts to create a “diverse multi-money ecosystem.”
“Programmable payments, including those that rely on tokenization,” were named as potential “product-level arrangements” that may support payment innovation in the country, the agency update said.
The update of November's National Payments Vision document calls for infrastructure that enables emerging forms of digital money to interact with traditional payment systems.
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) earlier this week published its landmark crypto regulatory framework and said that the licensing window for crypto companies will open from September until Feb. 28, 2027, before the regime goes live on Oct. 25, 2027.
Under that framework, cryptocurrency firms, including trading platforms, custodians, stablecoin issuers, staking companies and other intermediaries, must obtain FCA authorization to operate in the UK under the new framework.
Illustrative diagram of roles and responsibilities outlined in Payments Vision Delivery Committee update. Source: HM Treasury
In April, the UK government said it would revisit its payments rulebook to support the adoption of new payment technologies, including stablecoins and tokenization.
It said that would include a consultation on reforms for payment services and electronic money rules to create a single framework for traditional and tokenized payments, including stablecoins and tokenized deposits, according to an April 21 announcement by HM Treasury and Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby.
Related: Aave Labs’ Push gains UK FCA crypto registration
The following month, the Bank of England (BoE) proposed extending operating hours for its core settlement infrastructure toward near-24/7 availability, as part of a broader push with the FCA to prepare UK wholesale markets for tokenized finance.
The BoE said the expanded operating hours would support cross-border payments and new payment and settlement models as tokenization develops. The central bank is seeking public feedback on the proposal until July 3 and plans to publish a feedback statement in the summer.
Call for input on the future of tokenization in UK wholesale markets. Source: FCA
The FCA said just days earlier that tokenization and distributed ledger technologies could make fund management more efficient and support the innovation of the UK asset management sector.
Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026
", "description": "UK regulators published an update to their retail payment blueprint, highlighting the importance of supporting tokenization and interoperability between traditional payment systems and new forms of digital money.", "published": "2026-07-02T14:04:23+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "payments" }, { "slug": "bank-of-england" }, { "slug": "uk-government" }, { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "regulation" }, { "slug": "tokenization" }, { "slug": "rwa-tokenization" }, { "slug": "policy" } ], "slug": "uk-payment-blueprint-tokenized-payments-multi-money-ecosystem", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273441" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Aave brings V3 lending and GHO stablecoin to Monad ", "leadText": "Aave launched its V3 lending protocol on Monad with 12 supported assets as the network commits $15 million in first-year incentives to build liquidity and adoption.", "author": { "slug": "ezra-reguerra" }, "bodyText": "Decentralized finance (DeFi) platform Aave has deployed its V3 lending protocol on Monad, expanding the layer-1 blockchain’s lending ecosystem with support for 12 assets at launch.
On Thursday, Aave announced that the initial market supports USDT0, USDC, Aave’s GHO stablecoin, USDe, mUSD, AUSD, WETH, cbBTC, wstETH, weETH, syrupUSDC and sUSDe. It is also Aave's first deployment with Chainlink Smart Value Recapture enabled from day one, allowing part of the value generated from liquidations to be redirected back to the protocol.
The deployment expands Aave’s multichain lending network while giving Monad users and developers access to an established borrowing market, Aave’s GHO stablecoin and liquidity incentives intended to support early adoption.
Monad is compatible with Ethereum’s application environment, allowing existing Solidity contracts and Ethereum tooling to be used with minimal changes, according to Aave’s governance proposal.
Monad's total value locked as of Thursday. Source: DefiLlama
Aave’s governance documents show that the Monad Foundation committed $15 million in incentives during the first 12 months after activation. The foundation also agreed to acquire and retain 10 million GHO for over six months, while Aave DAO committed another 500,000 GHO in incentives to support adoption on Monad.
These incentives could help establish initial liquidity. However, user activity will need to persist after incentives decline. According to a risk assessment by LlamaRisk, Monad’s mainnet launched on Nov. 24, 2025, and had about $359.5 million in total value locked as of June 8. It said early network usage had compressed after a strong start and that liquidity remained concentrated in established protocols.
LlamaRisk supported the deployment with conservative initial parameters, citing Monad’s short operating history.
Related: DeFi TVL drops 39% in 2026 amid market downturn and record hack activity
The launch also comes as institutions increasingly explore bringing tokenized assets into DeFi lending markets. In June, Standard Chartered said that tokenized assets entering DeFi could drive deposits into Aave, whose deposit base reached about $75 billion at its October 2025 peak.
In April, Centrifuge revealed plans to bring tokenized Treasurys, private credit and AAA-rated collateralized loan obligations to Monad for use in lending, collateral and secondary-market activity.
Although Centrifuge has not announced that its assets will be integrated into Aave, the deployment gives Monad an established lending venue that could support tokenized assets as its ecosystem develops.
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", "description": "Aave deployed its V3 lending protocol and GHO stablecoin on Monad, launching with 12 assets and $15 million in first-year incentives.", "published": "2026-07-02T14:00:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "lending" }, { "slug": "defi" }, { "slug": "aave" }, { "slug": "monad" } ], "slug": "aave-v3-lending-gho-stablecoin-monad", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273437" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Standard Chartered, Circle bring USDC minting onto banking rails", "leadText": "Standard Chartered and Circle launch bank-led USDC minting and redemption for institutions, starting in Dubai’s DIFC with planned global expansion.", "author": { "slug": "helen-partz" }, "bodyText": "Standard Chartered and USDC issuer Circle have developed a system that lets institutional clients mint and redeem the USDC stablecoin through a bank-led onboarding process.
Standard Chartered said Thursday it is the first Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB) to offer such services for USDC, bringing stablecoin access into the same risk, compliance and governance frameworks used in traditional banking. Clients will be able to mint and redeem the US dollar-backed stablecoin directly through StanChart's platform instead of opening separate accounts with Circle.
“By embedding USDC access directly within Standard Chartered’s institutional offering, Standard Chartered will bring together banking, custody, and digital asset services within one integrated offering,” the announcement said. The initial rollout will be through the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
The collaboration comes as stablecoin infrastructure is increasingly integrated into traditional banking systems, as issuers and financial institutions compete to control how digital assets such as USDC are distributed and accessed.
Source: Circle on X.com
The capability supports institutional use cases such as onchain settlement, treasury, and liquidity management, while also providing the infrastructure to support payment-related use cases in the future.
While the service is initially rolling out through Standard Chartered’s operations in the DIFC, the bank said it intends to expand the capability to other markets, depending on regulatory approval and demand from clients.
Source: Standard Chartered
Roberto Hoornweg, CEO of corporate and investment banking at StanChart, said the goal is to bring traditional banking standards into crypto markets as demand for regulated infrastructure increases.
“Ultimately, this is about enabling broader institutional participation in digital asset markets through the frameworks, controls and regulatory oversight that have long supported confidence in global financial markets,” he said.
Related: French banking giant Crédit Agricole launches EURXT euro stablecoin
The news came in the wake of Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire's statement defending USDC’s network effects against new stablecoin entrants like Open USD (OUSD), pointing to growing competition over distribution, liquidity and revenue models in the stablecoin market.
“With OUSD, we work closely with many of the founding members, and we expect that those same members will remain large USDC partners and customers,” he said on Wednesday.
Magazine: Crypto wanted to overthrow banks, now it’s becoming them in stablecoin fight
", "description": "Standard Chartered and Circle launch bank-led USDC minting and redemption for institutional clients with initial rollout in the UAE.", "published": "2026-07-02T12:41:44+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "uae" }, { "slug": "banks" }, { "slug": "circle" }, { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "institutions" }, { "slug": "industry" }, { "slug": "standard-chartered" } ], "slug": "standard-chartered-circle-usdc-minting-banking-rails", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273429" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Solana Foundation launches framework for protocol-level governance", "leadText": "The Solana Foundation launched a framework for protocol-level governance, enabling validators with at least 100,000 delegated SOL to publish new proposals.", "author": { "slug": "zoltan-vardai" }, "bodyText": "The Solana Foundation, the Swiss organization that supports the Solana network’s development, launched a new framework for protocol-level governance that enables proposing and voting on governance decisions for the Solana blockchain.
The Solana Governance Proposals (SGPs) establish a standard that enables validators to submit core protocol proposals and vote onchain, with voting power based on their delegated Solana (SOL) stake, the Foundation announced in a Thursday X post.
“An SGP captures a stake-weighted directional decision. It records what the community wants. It is not strictly focused on the technical detail of how to build the feature,” according to the GitHub repository, launched on Thursday.
The new framework offers Solana a transparent, community-driven way to make major protocol decisions, reducing reliance on centralized coordination while keeping technical implementations, or Solana Improvement Documents (SIMDs), separate from community governance.
Other blockchain networks with similar stake-weighted governance mechanisms include Polkadot, Cosmos, Cardano, Tezos and Avalanche.
Source: Solana Foundation on X.com
A proposal must receive endorsements from validators representing at least 15% of actively staked Solana tokens to qualify for a formal onchain vote, a measure that seeks to filter out low-quality proposals.
Validators with at least 100,000 SOL delegated can open a new governance proposal via SGP. SOL stakers can delegate their stake to validators, allowing them to participate in the governance process on their behalf.
Delegators who disagree with how their validator has voted can now override the validator and submit their own vote on the proposal, hence overriding the validator’s vote for that proposal.
SGP voting information, minimum threshold. Source: GitHub
The Solana Foundation said that governance-level proposals will be SGPs, while smaller SIMD proposals will focus on technical protocol upgrades.
“SIMDs should focus on protocol changes, SGPs should be signals from the ecosystem,” wrote the Foundation.
Related: South Korea’s Shinhan Card taps Solana to test real-world stablecoin payments
In April, the Solana Foundation introduced a new security auditing framework and incident-response network for Solana-based protocols, in partnership with Web3 security firm Asymmetric Research.
The new initiative, the Solana Trust, Resilience and Infrastructure for DeFi Enterprises (STRIDE), is a “structured program for evaluating, monitoring and escalating security across Solana projects,” according to the April announcement.
Top blockchain networks by TVL. Source: DefiLlama
Solana ranks as the second-largest blockchain network with $4.92 billion in total value locked (TVL), behind Ethereum's $37.3 billion. Solana generated over $587,000 in blockchain fees during the past 24 hours, according to DefiLlama at last look.
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", "description": "The Solana Foundation launched a new framework for protocol-level governance that lets validators with 100,000 delegated SOL publish new proposals for the blockchain’s direction.", "published": "2026-07-02T11:59:43+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrencies" }, { "slug": "decentralization" }, { "slug": "voting" }, { "slug": "solana" }, { "slug": "governance-token" }, { "slug": "web3-decentralization-initiatives" } ], "slug": "solana-foundation-framework-protocol-governance", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273425" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "SBI Crypto shuts Bitcoin mining pool after 5-year run", "leadText": "SBI Crypto will shut down its Bitcoin mining pool on July 31 after more than five years, ranking 12th globally with about 2.2% of hashrate share.", "author": { "slug": "helen-partz" }, "bodyText": "SBI Crypto, a cryptocurrency-focused division of Japanese financial conglomerate SBI, is shutting down its Bitcoin mining pool after a five-year run.
The company announced Wednesday that it will end mining pool operations on July 31 and will stop accepting mining shares at the same time. It did not provide its rationale for closing the pool.
SBI Crypto said miners should keep directing hashrate to the pool until the cutoff so final payouts can be calculated correctly before operations end. “We would sincerely appreciate your continued support by mining with us until the final day of operation,” it said.
The shutdown marks the end of one of Japan’s better-known corporate mining pool operations and is the latest sign of SBI’s intentions to expand its broader cryptocurrency strategy beyond mining.
SBI Crypto launched its Bitcoin mining pool in March 2021, entering a market that at the time was dominated by operators such as Poolin, F2Pool and Binance Pool.
Data from SimpleMining shows SBI Crypto currently ranks as the 12th largest Bitcoin mining pool globally, with about 21.46 exahashes per second (EH/s) of hashrate and roughly 2.24% of total Bitcoin network share.
Source: SimpleMining
That places it far behind leaders like Foundry USA, which controls about 24.49% of the network, and AntPool at around 19.05%. Mid- and lower-tier mining pools such as ViaBTC and MARA Pool account for about 8.55% and 5.15% of the global Bitcoin mining hashrate, respectively.
SBI Crypto directed miners toward several alternative Bitcoin mining pool operators as it prepares to shut down its service, including Braiins, Luxor and NeoPool.
Among them, Braiins and Luxor are established mid-tier mining infrastructure providers, each controlling around 2%-3% of global Bitcoin hashrate, according to SimpleMining data. NeoPool is not included in the top-ranked pools by hashrate.
Source: Braiins
“Some operators may offer special programs or preferential conditions for clients transitioning from SBI Crypto,” the company said, adding that customers are encouraged to contact each operator directly for details.
Related: Bitcoin mining difficulty drops 10% in 11th largest downward adjustment
The shutdown comes as SBI Holdings continues to expand its broader cryptocurrency strategy beyond mining.
The company recently agreed to acquire full control of crypto exchange Bitbank in a 46.7 billion Japanese yen ($289 million) deal, aiming to create Japan’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.
SBI has also been increasing its focus on stablecoins, backing JPYSC, a new trust bank-backed Japanese yen stablecoin, and supporting Ripple’s rollout of the Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin in Japan.
Magazine: Bitcoin miners are pivoting to AI, so why is the hashrate near ATHs?
", "description": "SBI Crypto will close its Bitcoin mining pool on July 31, ending a five-year run while ranking 12th globally with about 21.6 EH/s and 2.2% share.", "published": "2026-07-02T11:37:14+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "japan" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-mining" }, { "slug": "mining-pools" }, { "slug": "sbi" }, { "slug": "hashrate" } ], "slug": "sbi-bitcoin-mining-pool-shutdown-five-years", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273421" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Yield-bearing stablecoin slowdown ends 3-year run for crypto-native products", "leadText": "Yield-bearing stablecoin supply fell 15% in Q2 as sUSDe and sUSDS contracted, while Treasury-backed products including BUIDL, USYC and USDY continued to grow.", "author": { "slug": "ezra-reguerra" }, "bodyText": "Yield-bearing stablecoin supply fell by more than $3.5 billion in the second quarter of 2026, reversing nearly three years of quarterly growth as crypto-native products contracted and Treasury-backed tokens expanded.
Crypto exchange CEX.IO reported Thursday that the category declined by 15% during Q2. Ethena’s sUSDe lost 52% of its supply, shedding nearly $2 billion, while Sky’s sUSDS declined by 16%.
Treasury-backed products moved in the opposite direction. BlackRock’s BUIDL grew by 2%, Circle's USYC increased by nearly 16% and Ondo Finance's USDY rose by over 66%, highlighting a widening divide between crypto-native yield assets and products backed by traditional assets.
The divergence came as the broader stablecoin market recorded its first quarterly contraction since the third quarter of 2023, according to CEX.io. Total supply fell to $312 billion in Q2, while adjusted transaction volume declined by 5.5%.
Supply growth per quarter, compiled by CEX.io. Source: CEX.io
The Q2 decline marks a sharp reversal from the start of 2026. In Q1, stablecoin supply increased by about $8 billion to a record $315 billion, with yield-bearing products among the main growth drivers.
However, signs of weakening organic demand had already emerged early in the year. During the first quarter, retail-sized transfers fell by 16%, while automated activity accounted for roughly 76% of stablecoin transaction volume.
The slowdown continued through Q2. According to CEX.io, total stablecoin transaction counts fell by 530 million to 4.48 billion, the largest quarterly decline on record. However, transfers below $250 increased by 5% to $19.39 billion, suggesting that smaller peer-to-peer payments were more resilient than larger automated and trading flows.
Related: Financial companies join forces for US dollar stablecoin, keeping reserve earnings
The stablecoin contraction also adds to broader concerns about weakening activity across crypto markets. On Wednesday, institutional data provider Talos identified declining stablecoin supply alongside spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) outflows and slower Bitcoin purchases by Strategy as three key demand channels that weakened in Q2.
Tanay Ved, senior research associate at Talos, told Cointelegraph that a recovery in stablecoin supply would signal “fresh capital coming back into the ecosystem more broadly” and help support onchain liquidity.
Ved said spot ETF flows remain the most important demand channel to watch because they tend to reflect more durable shifts in institutional appetite. However, he added that ETF flows, corporate Bitcoin purchases and stablecoin supply often move together when market momentum changes.
Magazine: Japanese pension fund tips 1% in crypto, G7 urges action on NK hackers: Asia Express
", "description": "Yield-bearing stablecoin supply fell by over $3.5 billion in Q2 as crypto-native products declined while Treasury-backed tokens continued growing.", "published": "2026-07-02T11:23:33+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "data" }, { "slug": "trading" }, { "slug": "yields" } ], "slug": "yield-bearing-stablecoins-lose-3-5-billion-q2", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273413" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "OFAC sanctions 134 ISIS-K crypto wallet addresses as Tether freezes funds", "leadText": "OFAC added 134 crypto wallet addresses linked to ISIS-K to its sanctions list, including 131 Tron addresses that received more than $1.4 million in crypto donations, according to Chainalysis.", "author": { "slug": "zoltan-vardai" }, "bodyText": "The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 134 cryptocurrency wallet addresses identified as belonging to ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), which has been a Specially Designated Global Terrorist since September 2015.
The wallet addresses were added to the OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list on Wednesday, which includes individuals, entities and digital asset addresses linked to terrorism, narcotics trafficking and other illicit activity.
Stablecoin issuer Tether has frozen the balances associated with 131 Tron addresses, while the remaining three sanctioned addresses were on the Monero network, blockchain forensics company Chainalysis said in a Wednesday report.
The development comes over a week after the OFAC’s previous round of sanctions against ISIS-supporting financiers using cryptocurrency. On June 22, the OFAC sanctioned three individuals and six entities across Europe, the Middle East and West Africa, including Syria-based MSB Bitcoin Xchange and Turkish MSB Spider.
OFAC said the previous round of sanctions targeted “key facilitators who enable ISIS to move funds among its regional affiliates.”
OFAC update to SDN list, new wallets included. Source: OFAC
ISIS-K has historically solicited crypto through donation campaigns on various websites and messaging platforms, Chainalysis said.
The report said that the 131 Tron addresses in the latest round of sanctions received over $1.4 million in crypto donations since 2023 and sent over $880,000.
Network of ISIS-K funding entities sanctioned by OFAC. Source: Chainalysis
Chainalysis identified multiple such donation addresses used by the group on Tron, Monero and the Bitcoin network. It found significant exposure to mainstream services, including some wallets that sent funds to Syria-based cryptocurrency exchanges.
Related: US sanctions Sinaloa cartel-linked Ethereum addresses
Blockchain analytics tools are playing an increasingly prominent role in financial sanctions targeting illicit activity.
Earlier in April, blockchain intelligence company TRM Labs said that onchain evidence was key to securing the conviction of three individuals for terrorism financing in Indonesia in 2024 and 2025.
“Indonesian courts have demonstrated that cryptocurrency evidence — wallet addresses, transaction histories, on-chain flows — is not only admissible but can anchor a terrorism financing prosecution,” TRM said in a statement.
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", "description": "OFAC added 134 crypto wallets linked to ISIS-K to its SDN list, which received $1.4 million in crypto donations according to Chainalysis.", "published": "2026-07-02T11:23:29+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrencies" }, { "slug": "donations" }, { "slug": "wallet" }, { "slug": "isis" }, { "slug": "terrorism" }, { "slug": "cybersecurity" }, { "slug": "tether" }, { "slug": "sanctions" } ], "slug": "ofac-134-isis-k-crypto-wallets-tether-freezes-131", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273417" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Taiko reopens bridge after $1.7M exploit, says users made whole", "leadText": "Taiko restored bridge transfers after replenishing asset backing and completing security fixes following an 11-day network disruption.", "author": { "slug": "ezra-reguerra" }, "bodyText": "Ethereum layer-2 blockchain Taiko reopened its bridge and restored full operations after a June exploit drained up to $1.7 million.
On Thursday, Taiko announced that users could once again move funds to and from the network after completing the final stage of its four-step recovery plan. The project said it had made all victimized users whole and that any remaining withdrawal limits are temporary safeguards that do not affect normal usage.
The reopening ends an 11-day disruption following the implementation of security fixes and the restoration of the bridge's 1:1 backing.
The exploit occurred on June 21 after an attacker compromised Taiko’s chain-state verification mechanism, allowing forged proofs to be accepted and enabling unauthorized withdrawals from its Ethereum vault. Blockchain security companies said that up to $1.7 million in crypto assets were taken.
Taiko’s seven-day token chart. Source: CoinGecko
Its token, TAIKO, briefly surged to about $0.35 following the bridge reopening, before retreating to roughly $0.14.
Taiko outlined its recovery plan on Sunday, saying it would bring the network back through four stages. The project said it had deployed fixes and verified that the chain's finalized state contained no forged checkpoints or attacker claims that could still be executed.
According to Taiko, the changes were submitted through its security council and reviewed by independent security experts. The network then replenished the bridge to ensure that assets issued on the network were backed 1:1 by assets held on Ethereum.
Related: DeFi TVL drops 39% in 2026 amid market downturn and record hack activity
Taiko also introduced conservative withdrawal quotas as an added precaution, saying the limits were not expected to prevent users from carrying out bridge transactions. However, it did not disclose the size of the quotas.
Taiko has not disclosed how the bridge's 1:1 backing was restored or whether any of the stolen assets were recovered. The project said it would publish a full postmortem detailing the incident and its response.
Magazine: Japanese pension fund tips 1% in crypto, G7 urges action on NK hackers: Asia Express
", "description": "Taiko reopened its bridge after a $1.7 million exploit, saying users were made whole and assets were restored to 1:1 backing.", "published": "2026-07-02T10:28:21+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "security" }, { "slug": "hackers" }, { "slug": "cybersecurity" }, { "slug": "hacks" } ], "slug": "taiko-reopens-bridge-1-7m-exploit-users-made-whole", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273409" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Metaplanet buys 2,823 BTC, surpasses 43,000 in Bitcoin holdings", "leadText": "Metaplanet bought 2,823 Bitcoin during the second quarter, reducing its average acquisition cost to $106,500 per BTC, and reported $10.9 million in revenue from its income generation strategy.", "author": { "slug": "zoltan-vardai" }, "bodyText": "Japanese investment company Metaplanet acquired 2,823 Bitcoin during the second quarter at a price below its average purchase price, as its holdings surpassed 43,000 BTC.
The company acquired its latest trove at an average price of about 12.71 million yen ($78,850 at current exchange rates), reducing its average acquisition cost to about $95,117 per BTC from $96,258, according to a Thursday announcement.
Metaplanet now holds 43,000 Bitcoin acquired for about $4.1 billion. It also reported about $10.95 million in revenue from its Bitcoin income generation strategy in the quarter, which earns premiums by selling cash-secured options and employing other Bitcoin-related yield strategies.
The purchase extends Metaplanet's aggressive accumulation strategy, which has made the company one of the world's largest corporate Bitcoin holders. The acquisition comes days after Michael Saylor's Strategy, the world's largest corporate Bitcoin holder, skipped its usual weekly Bitcoin purchase while unveiling a new capital framework designed to support dividends and expand its cash reserves.
Metaplanet Notice of Additional Bitcoin Purchase. Source: Metaplanet
Metaplanet shares closed 3.5% higher on Thursday but remain down 48% year-to-date, underperforming Bitcoin, which has fallen 31% over the same period.
While companies such as Metaplanet continue buying more Bitcoin, a handful of treasury companies are scaling back their exposure.
Nasdaq-listed South Korean company K Wave Media sold its remaining 88 BTC to repay $6 million in debt, exiting the Bitcoin treasury strategy, according to a Tuesday filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
K Wave Media, FORM F-3 filing. Source: SEC.gov
The move marked a sharp reversal as the company previously announced plans to expand its holdings to 10,000 BTC after securing $1 billion in capital capacity to drive its Bitcoin treasury strategy in July 2025.
Related: Swan's Cory Klippsten sees record Bitcoin holder supply revealing early bottom
On May 28, France-based semiconductor company Sequans Communications said it would monetize its remaining Bitcoin holdings over time. The company held 658 BTC at the time, and its shares rose about 14.5% following the announcement.
Magazine: Bitcoin, the ‘canary in the coal mine,’ XRP transaction demand falls 91.5%: Market Moves
", "description": "Metaplanet bought 2,823 Bitcoin during the second quarter below its average acquisition cost and reported $10.9 million in revenue from its Bitcoin income generation strategy.", "published": "2026-07-02T09:55:47+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "japan" }, { "slug": "digital-asset-holdings" }, { "slug": "digital-asset-management" }, { "slug": "microstrategy" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-adoption" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-reserve" } ], "slug": "metaplanet-buys-2823-btc-surpasses-43000-bitcoin-holdings", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273405" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "OpenAI weighs 5% stake for US government amid Trump talks: FT", "leadText": "OpenAI has reportedly discussed giving the US government a 5% equity stake in early Trump administration talks as Washington tightens AI model oversight.", "author": { "slug": "helen-partz" }, "bodyText": "OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has reportedly discussed giving the US government a 5% equity stake as artificial intelligence oversight in Washington intensifies.
The company raised the idea in early discussions with the Trump administration as it seeks to navigate a tougher political environment ahead of a potential public listing, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman argued that giving the public a financial stake in the company would be the best way to share the economic benefits of the booming AI industry.
The report comes weeks after OpenAI announced it had confidentially submitted an S-1 for a US initial public offering, joining Anthropic in preparing for a Wall Street debut this year. It also comes as the US government takes a more active role in overseeing advanced AI models.
The proposal would see several leading US AI companies contribute a 5% equity stake to a public investment vehicle. However, it remains unclear whether companies such as Anthropic, Google and Meta would support the idea.
The Financial Times reported that Altman modeled the proposal on Alaska's Permanent Fund, which invests the state's oil revenue into stocks and pays dividends to residents. Under a similar approach, Americans could share in the economic gains generated by AI.
According to the report, Altman has been in talks with President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He also reportedly spoke with Senator Bernie Sanders, who in June proposed a one-time 50% tax on the stock of the largest AI companies to create a nearly $7 trillion sovereign wealth fund for Americans.
Source: Vivek Sen
The White House is preparing voluntary standards for frontier AI models following its intervention in the rollout of recent systems from OpenAI and Anthropic.
The guidance is expected to be announced as early as next week and would set security benchmarks, establish review timelines and clarify who can access the most advanced AI models in the US and abroad.
The Trump administration reportedly requested a staggered rollout of OpenAI's GPT-5.6 and temporarily imposed export controls on Anthropic's latest models over cybersecurity concerns before lifting the restrictions.
Related: Anthropic to bring back Fable 5 as US lifts export controls
Cointelegraph reached out to OpenAI for comment on the reported discussions but had not received a response by the time of publication.
Magazine: The end of anonymity? AI could unmask crypto’s hidden identities
", "description": "OpenAI has discussed a 5% US government equity stake during early Trump administration talks as Washington increases oversight of advanced AI models.", "published": "2026-07-02T09:26:02+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "government" }, { "slug": "ai" }, { "slug": "donald-trump" }, { "slug": "chatgpt" }, { "slug": "openai" }, { "slug": "ai-and-hi-tech" } ], "slug": "openai-5-percent-stake-us-government-trump-talks", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273401" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Robinhood links with dYdX Labs to launch new DEX Arcus", "leadText": "The crypto protocol dYdX has rebranded as Arcus and is joining Robinhood’s new blockchain to bring perpetual and tokenized stock trading. ", "author": { "slug": "jesse-coghlan" }, "bodyText": "The company behind the dYdX decentralized exchange (DEX) has partnered with Robinhood to rebrand and launch the protocol as Arcus on the Robinhood Chain.
An X account for Arcus posted on Wednesday that “dYdX is now Arcus” and would launch on the Robinhood Chain, Robinhood’s Arbitrum-based layer 2 blockchain that went live the same day.
The dYdX Foundation said that dYdX Labs created Arcus “in partnership with Robinhood” and that the dYdX blockchain “is not affected by it in any way.” The platform is set to be blockchain’s “leading DEX” and will give users access to perpetual products and fee-free trading of 95 tokenized stocks.
Source: Charles d’Haussy
The DEX is part of Robinhood’s expanded push into tokenized assets and perpetual trading, two areas of crypto that have recently exploded in popularity as US regulators have shown interest in allowing the products to more easily come to market.
Robinhood’s embrace of perpetual trading comes as it looks to entice traders who have flocked to the crypto perpetual futures platform Hyperliquid, whose token has climbed nearly 150% so far this year as it has captured market share.
“Until now, traders have been shut out of the most valuable markets on earth — US equities, commodities, and indices — because of where they live, market hours, and institutions restricting access,” Arcus said in a blog post. “We built Arcus to reduce these barriers.”
The protocol said that it will offer perpetuals and tokenized stock trading that will go live this month, allowing tokenized stocks to be used as collateral for perpetuals and providing access to pre-IPO markets.
Related: CFTC chair says perp trading not suitable for all assets it regulates
It added that Robinhood Crypto, the company’s crypto technology arm, made an investment in Arcus but did not disclose further details.
The dYdX Foundation said that Arcus “is a distinct, independent product built on separate infrastructure” and that the dYdX blockchain would continue to operate and be owned by its community.
Major retail-focused trading platforms have been moving to expand their offerings to remain competitive. Crypto exchange Coinbase has looked to rival Robinhood and become a full-service trading platform, having added access to thousands of stocks earlier this year.
Robinhood’s blockchain also follows a similar move from Coinbase in 2023, when the latter launched its Ethereum layer-2 blockchain Base that has grown to be the fifth-largest by value locked, according to DeFiLlama.
Meanwhile, Bitget Wallet, the self-custodial wallet from the Bitget crypto exchange, said on Wednesday that it partnered with Robinhood Crypto to integrate the company’s blockchain to allow its users to trade tokenized stocks.
The decentralized exchange 1inch also said on Wednesday that it would be among the first major swap platforms to support Robinhood Chain.
Big Questions: Do we really only need 2–5 cryptocurrencies?
", "description": "Robinhood has backed Arcus, a rebrand of the dYdX decentralized exchange on its new blockchain, which is set to bring tokenized stocks and perpetuals trading.", "published": "2026-07-02T07:05:02+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "robinhood" }, { "slug": "dex" }, { "slug": "tokenization" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "robinhood-links-with-dydx-labs-to-launch-new-dex-arcus", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273397" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "France to strengthen response as crypto wrench attacks hit 77", "leadText": "French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez promised a “more ambitious” three-part plan to reinforce security measures for the crypto sector.\n", "author": { "slug": "martin-young" }, "bodyText": "French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has promised a "more ambitious" approach to tackling crypto ransom attacks after confirming there were 77 kidnapping, extortion or attempted extortion incidents linked to crypto in the first half of 2026.
Nuñez said Tuesday that the 77 incidents recorded so far this year are up sharply from the 45 recorded in all of 2025, according to local outlet BFM Business.
“These are serious matters, and your concern is legitimate,” he told the Association for the Development of Digital Assets (ADAN) as he promised more government support.
France has become one of the biggest hot spots for crypto wrench attacks, where criminals use physical violence to coerce victims into handing over crypto. Approximately 11% of French people own cryptocurrencies, according to ADAN, which equates to about 7.3 million people.
Earlier this year, French authorities launched a dedicated prevention platform and a rapid-alert and protection system for crypto holders and professionals, which has attracted 724 sign-ups so far, Nuñez said.
Nuñez said that emergency measures have resulted in 200 arrests, with one recent attacker being arrested within eight hours on Friday, thanks in part to the victim using an emergency identification hotline.
Related: StarkWare introduces 'Private KYC' to address personal data breaches
Nuñez promised a “more ambitious” three-part plan to reinforce security measures for the crypto sector. This includes stronger intelligence-sharing, since criminal networks are often based abroad, a deeper partnership with ADAN and better operational coordination between security services.
Blockchain security firm CertiK reported in May that wrench attacks globally were up 41% in the first four months of 2026, compared with the same period last year, with most attacks in Europe.
The firm said France is the “epicenter” of attacks because of the presence of several flagship industry companies and their executives, a “culture of flexing and voluntary doxxing that remains deeply embedded in the community,” and proven exposure from numerous sensitive data leaks.
David Balland, co-founder of French hardware wallet maker Ledger, was kidnapped and held for ransom along with his partner in January 2025 before being rescued by police.
Ledger suffered one of the industry’s most damaging data breaches when its customer database was hacked in 2020, resulting in the leak of more than 270,000 personal records and a wave of phishing and wrench attacks that continue to this day.
“France ranks among the most targeted countries in the world for this type of breach,” CertiK said.
Europe is becoming a hotbed for wrench attacks in 2026. Source: CertiK
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "French officials reported 77 crypto kidnapping and extortion cases in 2026 and announced new measures to protect crypto holders.", "published": "2026-07-02T06:22:40+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "france" }, { "slug": "crimes" }, { "slug": "scams" }, { "slug": "scams-and-cybercrime" } ], "slug": "french-wrench-attacks-rise-to-77-as-government-promises-more-support", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273393" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Dubai crypto market hits 50 licensed firms after new VARA approval ", "leadText": "Dubai’s VARA has licensed its 50th crypto firm, though only 39 VASPs were fully operational at the end of 2025 as the emirate’s regulated market continues to expand.", "author": { "slug": "ezra-reguerra" }, "bodyText": "The Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), Dubai's crypto regulator, has granted its 50th virtual asset service provider (VASP) license.
On Thursday, VARA said its latest approval went to tokenized assets platform Tribe Tokenisation FZE.
The milestone provides one measure of the growth of Dubai's crypto licensing regime, though license totals alone do not show how many firms are operational or the level of business they generate.
A VARA spokesperson told Cointelegraph that holding an active license does not necessarily mean a firm has completed its commercial launch. Newly licensed companies may go through a controlled operationalization period before offering services or onboarding customers.
Related: Senate Dems urge probe into $500M crypto deal between Trumps, UAE
At the end of 2025, VARA classified 39 licensed VASPs as fully operational. The spokesperson said the regulator is validating an updated figure for 2026.
Dubai has spent the past several years positioning itself as a global hub for digital asset businesses. As part of that effort, the emirate established VARA in March 2022 as a dedicated crypto regulator and has sought to attract crypto businesses through a standalone licensing framework.
Against that backdrop, Dubai's 50 licensed VASPs exceed the totals reported in Hong Kong and Singapore, two other jurisdictions competing to attract regulated crypto businesses. Each jurisdiction licenses different types of crypto businesses, meaning the headline totals do not represent identical categories of firms.
As of Thursday, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) listed 37 major payment institutions (MPI) authorized to provide digital payment token (DPT) services. Singapore regulates DPT services within its broader payments regime rather than through a standalone VASP regulator like VARA.
List of licensed virtual asset trading platforms in Hong Kong. Source: SFC
Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has listed 13 formally licensed virtual asset trading platforms. The count is narrower because the regime is specifically limited to platform operators.
The VARA spokesperson attributed Dubai's market growth to its activity-based regulatory framework and broader financial ecosystem, and said the regulator also considers transaction volumes, assets under management, employment and audited financial data when assessing market activity.
Magazine: Japanese pension fund tips 1% in crypto, G7 urges action on NK hackers: Asia Express
", "description": "Dubai’s regulated crypto market has reached 50 licensed firms under VARA, though only 39 VASPs were fully operational at the end of 2025.", "published": "2026-07-02T05:00:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "uae" }, { "slug": "middle-east" }, { "slug": "dubai" }, { "slug": "data" }, { "slug": "regulation" }, { "slug": "policy" } ], "slug": "dubai-crypto-market-50-licensed-firms-vara", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "272945" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Analyst warns BTC could drop further after worst June since 2022 ", "leadText": "The June close above realized price but below the 200-week moving average “signals the bear bottom is still ahead per prior cycles,” one analyst said. \n", "author": { "slug": "martin-young" }, "bodyText": "Bitcoin could face further downside pressure after ending June below its 200-week moving average but above its realized price, a combination that crypto analyst PlanB says suggests the market has yet to reach a bear market bottom.
Bitcoin fell 20.5% in June to close the month at $58,526 — its worst monthly performance since June 2022 — below its 200-week moving average of $62,000 but above its realized price of $52,000.
“ALL previous bear market bottoms were below realized price,” said PlanB, the creator of the stock-to-flow pricing model, on Wednesday, adding in a separate post that Bitcoin could drop to $52,000.
The price move would mean Bitcoin falling about 60% from its all-time high of $126,000 in October. The dip could be even deeper, as previous bear markets have seen Bitcoin fall even further, such as 83% in 2018 and 76% in 2022.
“Right now, price is much lower than value and indeed might go lower from here (below realized),” PlanB said. “So, Bitcoin is undervalued but can still go lower.”
Bitcoin’s realized price is the aggregate cost basis of all coins in circulation, calculated by valuing each unspent transaction output (UTXO) at the price when it last moved on-chain. It represents the average price at which holders acquired their coins, serving as a key onchain metric for support levels during bear markets.
Related: Bitcoin bounces off 21-month low, but leverage data signals caution: Was $57K the bottom?
Andri Fauzan Adziima, research lead at Bitrue Research Institute, told Cointelegraph that the June close above realized price but below the 200-week moving average “signals the bear bottom is still ahead per prior cycles.”
“I’m eyeing late-2026 capitulation there before the next leg up, though shallower this cycle due to institutions,” he said.
Lacie Zhang, research analyst at Bitget Wallet, told Cointelegraph that the current consolidation near $60,000 is “approaching a potential bottom zone, with strong historical and technical support likely forming around the $55,000 level if further downside occurs.”
ITC Crypto founder Benjamin Cowen also speculated there could be a cycle bottom for Bitcoin this year, given it is a US midterm election year. This has previously coincided with bear market bottoms in 2018 and 2022.
“The second half of midterm years usually marks the accumulation zone/market cycle bottom,” he said.
The US midterms are scheduled for Nov. 3, when all House of Representatives seats and about a third of Senate seats are up for election.
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "Bitcoin ended June below the 200-week moving average yet above realized price as PlanB and other analysts eyed further downside before a cycle bottom later in 2026. \n", "published": "2026-07-02T04:42:24+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "markets" } ], "slug": "renowned-analyst-predicts-btc-drop-to-52k-after-worst-june-since-2022", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273389" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Venice AI becomes unicorn after $65M Series A as AI privacy concerns grow", "leadText": "The funding round is Venice AI’s first external capital raise since it launched in May 2024. ", "author": { "slug": "felix-ng" }, "bodyText": "The Erik Voorhees-founded Venice AI has achieved unicorn status after raising $65 million in Series A funding at a $1 billion valuation.
Led by Dragonfly and with backing from Coinbase Ventures, F-Prime, North Island Ventures, Morgan Creek and others, the funding round announced on Wednesday marks the company's first external capital raise since launching in 2024.
The fundraising came in the same month Anthropic was forced to suddenly cut foreign access to two of its latest AI models, and comes just weeks after OpenAI was accused in a class-action lawsuit for sharing ChatGPT data with third parties, highlighting the potential appeal of privacy-focused AI platforms.
“This capital will be used to uphold the First and Fourth Amendments to the Constitution as they relate to mankind’s interaction with AI,” Voorhees said in an X post on Wednesday.
The First Amendment is part of the United States Constitution protecting five essential freedoms including the freedom of speech. The Fourth Amendment protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.
Venice AI, which claims to have 3.5 million users, offers access to over 200 AI models but adds a proxy between the user and the models and allows users to choose the level of privacy they want.
For models from OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI and Google, the proxy obscures users’ IP address, account and session data. Other models offer higher levels of privacy.
Source: Erik Voorhees
“Control over intelligence is the defining fight of the coming decade,” Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly, said on Wednesday.
“Whoever owns the AI delivery stack owns a direct window into your interior life. They log all your chats, train on them, and will hand them over when asked. And in the end, they decide the terms on which you'll get to access the most powerful systems humankind has ever built.”
Voorhees said the capital will be used to further build out its own data center infrastructure, owning the GPUs that power its platform rather than being forced to rent them at higher costs.
The remaining capital will be used to grow its customer base, enter new markets, hire talent and acquire “additive businesses,” he added.
Venice Token rose 6% on Wednesday. Source: X
The capital raise comes amid mounting concerns over user privacy when using AI models.
Earlier this year, lawyers told Cointelegraph that a user consulting an AI for legal matters could have their chat logs used against them in court.
Related: AI’s power crunch turns Bitcoin miners’ grid access into an asset
In February, Ethereum Foundation AI lead Davide Crapis and Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed a way to use zero-knowledge proofs and other methods to ensure that a user’s interactions with large language models are private.
Conversations about privacy when using AI were stirred again in May, when a proposed class action was filed in California federal court accusing OpenAI of disclosing private ChatGPT user data to Google and Meta.
The complaint alleged that OpenAI embedded Meta Pixel and Google Analytics into the ChatGPT.com website, so that when a user sends a query, the website allegedly sends duplicate data to Meta and Google alongside advertising cookies and personally identifiable information, which is then used to target advertisements to the user.
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "Erik Voorhees’ Venice AI has raised $65 million at a $1 billion valuation, with VCs betting on growing demand for privacy-focused AI.", "published": "2026-07-02T04:31:39+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "funding" }, { "slug": "venture-capital" }, { "slug": "ai" }, { "slug": "erik-voorhees" }, { "slug": "ai-and-hi-tech" } ], "slug": "venice-ai-becomes-a-unicorn-as-ai-privacy-concerns-grow", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273385" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Trumps’ American Bitcoin sinks 8.4% ahead of reverse stock split to stay listed", "leadText": "The Trump sons' American Bitcoin hit a low on Wednesday ahead of the company’s reverse stock split, which aims to buoy shares and keep it on the Nasdaq.", "author": { "slug": "jesse-coghlan" }, "bodyText": "Shares in the Trump family-backed American Bitcoin (ABTC) sank to an all-time low on Wednesday after the crypto miner set a date for a 1-for-15 reverse stock split in a bid to stay listed on the Nasdaq.
American Bitcoin said its reverse stock split will go into effect after the market closes Thursday and will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis when the market opens Monday. It would continue to trade under the ticker ABTC.
It said every 15 shares of the company’s Class A and B common stock will be reclassified as one share. The company expects its common stock to be reduced from more than 1 billion outstanding shares to about 73 million.
American Bitcoin is the only public crypto company tied to the Trump family’s sprawling interests in the sector, and a reverse stock split is typically seen as a negative, as it indicates the company is in distress and is looking to artificially boost its share price.
American Bitcoin said the split aims to prop up its shares to maintain compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid requirements, which allow the exchange to delist the company if it trades below a $1 closing price for 30 consecutive trading days.
Shareholders had approved the reverse stock split on June 22.
Shares in American Bitcoin dropped nearly 8.4% to close trading Wednesday at an all-time low of 62 cents. The stock saw a slight lift after-hours, rising 4.5% to 65 cents.
American Bitcoin’s stock tumbled to an all-time closing low of 62 cents on Wednesday. Source: Google Finance
American Bitcoin’s stock is down more than 63% so far this year and has fallen more than 92% since the brand started trading on the Nasdaq on Sept. 3.
The company was co-founded early last year by US President Donald Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.
American Bitcoin merged with the Nasdaq-listed Gryphon Digital Mining to go public, with the Trump brothers and crypto miner Hut 8 together owning around 98% of the newly formed company.
Related: Bitcoin miners need billions to fund AI ambitions, led by IREN’s $21B gap
The company’s falling share price comes amid a wider downturn in the crypto market. American Bitcoin reported in May that it lost $81.7 million in the first quarter.
Other crypto companies have also turned to reverse stock splits to prop up their share price. Bitcoin financial services company Nakamoto completed a 1-for-40 reverse stock split in May in a bid to stay listed on the Nasdaq after it reached a low of 16 cents in April.
Bitcoin (BTC) was trading at around $60,000 early Thursday, down 32% so far this year and having more than halved from its peak of more than $126,000 in October, according to CoinGecko.
Magazine: Clarity Act risks repeat of Europe’s mistakes, crypto lawyer warns
", "description": "American Bitcoin, the publicly traded crypto company backed by the Trump family, has set its 1-for-15 reverse stock split for next week as it aims to lift its share price to stay on the Nasdaq.", "published": "2026-07-02T03:38:34+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin-mining" }, { "slug": "stocks" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "trumps-american-bitcoin-sinks-ahead-of-reverse-stock-split-to-stay-listed", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273381" }, { "category": { "slug": "markets" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin tops $60K amid Fed inflation talks: Is bull trap or $65K next? ", "leadText": "Bitcoin rallied above $60,000 despite Federal Reserve rate hike fears and steady outflows from the BTC spot ETFs. Is the rally a bull trap?\n", "author": { "slug": "marcel-pechman" }, "bodyText": "Key takeaways:
Bitcoin (BTC) reacted positively to US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's remarks on stubborn inflation. Despite the gains on Wednesday, traders fear that incentives for fixed-income investments and strong earnings momentum in tech stocks will continue to pressure non-yield-bearing assets like cryptocurrencies.
US five-year Treasury yield (left) vs. Bitcoin/USD. Source: TradingView
The US five-year Treasury yield jumped to 4.22%, meaning traders demanded higher returns to hold government bonds. Even as inflation eventually eases and WTI crude oil prices fell to a 4-month low, investors anticipate monetary expansion. Regardless of how the Fed manages interest rates and its balance sheet, the US Treasury dictates debt issuance trends.
Implied odds of FED interest rates on Sept. 16. Source: CME FedWatch Tool
US government bond futures implied 64% odds of interest rate hikes by September, up from 23% one month prior. The higher expected return on fixed-income investments came as the US dollar strengthened against other major global fiat currencies, which is especially concerning for alternative hedges such as gold and Bitcoin.
Gold/USD (left) vs. US dollar strength (DXY). Source: TradingView
Despite the gains on Wednesday, gold prices are down 12% in two months, while the US dollar strength (DXY) nears its highest mark in one year. This vote of confidence in the US economy partly stems from AI sector strength, evident in the 25% gains in the Nasdaq 100 index. However, some specific tech sub-sectors have recently signaled weakness, which could act as a catalyst for Bitcoin and gold.
Micron (MU US) and SanDisk (SNDK US) shares saw intraday losses exceeding 9% on Wednesday after competitors SK Hynix (000660 KR) and Samsung (005930 KR) announced plans to expand capacity. Still, the move can hardly be deemed a trend reversal as the iShares SOX Semiconductor Index ETF (SOXX US) gained 78% in three months.
Continued outflows from US-listed spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have shattered bulls’ hopes, reinforcing a negative price spiral as negative news gets amplified while positive events barely register.
US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs daily net flows, USD. Source: SoSoValue
Regardless of the rationale behind the sales, Bitcoin’s weakness, 53% below its all-time high, does not inspire confidence in the $60,000 support level.
Strategy (MSTR US) increased its cash position to restore a healthy 17 months of dividend coverage on Monday. However, Strategy’s variable-rate Stretch preferred stock (STRC US) continued to trade far from the $100 target required for additional issuances. The STRC dividend rose to 12% from 11.5%, which was apparently not enough to entice more buyers.
Related: Bitcoin just $5K away from ‘best investment opportunity’ of bear market
Bitcoin might have temporarily benefited from Fed Chair Warsh’s concerns about persistent inflation, but rising expectations for higher interest rates and strong earnings momentum in the AI sector may continue to exert negative pressure on Bitcoin. As a result, a sustainable rally to $65,000 could take longer.
Stock and cryptocurrency trading platform Robinhood announced the launch of its public mainnet about four months after it began testing the network.
On Wednesday, the company said Robinhood Chain, a layer-2 (L2) blockchain built on Arbitrum, had officially launched after the network went live on testnet in February. The blockchain, which the company described as “AI-native and purpose-built for real-world assets,” comes amid Robinhood's expansion of crypto- and decentralized finance-related services.
According to Robinhood, it plans to launch crypto trading in the UK soon. The company also said that its tokenized stock products were live and available through its wallet app to users in more than 120 countries. CEO Vlad Tenev called tokenized stocks “inevitable” in January, arguing that offering the products could help prevent trading freezes that sometimes occur on traditional exchanges.
Source: Robinhood
The launch of the public mainnet came just a few weeks after Tenev announced that Robinhood would cut 10% of its workforce as part of a restructuring move. The company is expected to announce its 2026 second-quarter results on July 29, but reported in April that its crypto transaction revenue dropped by almost 50% year-on-year, from $252 million to $134 million.
Related: Last-minute MiCA approvals mark end of EU transition period
The company also introduced Robinhood Earn, a decentralized product that allows users to lend USDG, a dollar-backed stablecoin, through a self-custody wallet at an estimated 7% annual percentage yield. Robinhood shares rose about 8% on Wednesday.
Robinhood is entering an increasingly competitive L2 market dominated by networks such as Base, the Coinbase-backed blockchain.
In June, Base experienced two outages within hours of each other, which the engineering team later reported had been the result of a sequencer bug. The mainnet is the second-largest layer-2 network by total value secured at about $11 billion.
Magazine: AI is banking the unbanked in Africa… faster than crypto
", "description": "Robinhood said its blockchain, a layer 2 chain built on Arbitrum, had officially launched about four months after the network went live on testnet.", "published": "2026-07-01T22:38:49+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "launch" }, { "slug": "developers" }, { "slug": "robinhood" }, { "slug": "mainnet" }, { "slug": "arbitrum" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "robinhood-public-blockchain-mainnet-launch", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273369" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Tradeweb executes real-time tokenized US Treasury transaction on Canton Network", "leadText": "Franklin Templeton transferred a tokenized US Treasury to Virtu Financial in what Tradeweb said was the first real-time transaction settled against USDCx.", "author": { "slug": "nate-kostar" }, "bodyText": "Tradeweb, an institutional electronic trading platform, has executed an onchain transaction involving tokenized US Treasuries, with Franklin Templeton transferring a tokenized Treasury security to Virtu Financial in exchange for tokenized cash over the Canton Network.
Tradeweb provided execution and price discovery, while the Canton Network synchronized settlement between the tokenized Treasury and tokenized cash. The companies said the trade settled in real time, but did not disclose its size.
A Tradeweb spokesperson told Cointelegraph the deal marked the industry's first real-time purchase and sale of a tokenized US Treasury settled against USDCx, a USDC-backed stablecoin issued on Canton. Participants included Blockdaemon, Digital Asset, Societe Generale, Franklin Templeton, Tradeweb and Virtu Financial.
According to the announcement, the transaction precedes the planned launch of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) Tokenization Services later this year. DTCC said the service will allow participants to tokenize select stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and US Treasury securities while maintaining the same investor protections and ownership rights as traditional assets.
Related: Franklin Templeton launches dedicated crypto division after closing 250 Digital acquisition
The transaction is also the latest step in Franklin Templeton's expansion into tokenized financial assets. Earlier this year, the asset manager partnered with Binance to let institutions use tokenized money market fund shares as trading collateral while the assets remained in regulated custody, and with Ondo Finance to bring tokenized ETFs onto blockchain networks.
Governments have also been expanding efforts to bring sovereign debt onto blockchain infrastructure. Several jurisdictions have launched digital bond programs to test blockchain-based issuance, settlement and market infrastructure.
Hong Kong was among the first jurisdictions to issue tokenized government bonds, launching its inaugural digital green bond in 2023. The government completed its third digital green bond issuance in November 2025, raising HK$10 billion ($1.3 billion) across four currencies, which it said was the world's largest digital bond issuance at the time.
Last month, Hong Kong said it would build a digital asset platform through the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to support the issuance and settlement of tokenized bonds, with plans to expand the infrastructure to other digital assets and connect it with tokenization platforms across the region.
Elsewhere, the UK government appointed HSBC Orion to support its Digital Gilt Instrument pilot, which is designed to test blockchain-based issuance, settlement and secondary trading of government bonds.
Meanwhile, tokenized US Treasury products have grown into a $14.6 billion market, according to data from RWA.xyz. The sector spans 84 on-chain products and is the largest segment of the tokenized real-world asset market.
Tokenized US treasuries. Source: RWA.xyz
Magazine: Bitcoin decouples from tech stocks, Ether eyes ‘selling wave’: Market Moves
", "description": "Tradeweb facilitated a real-time tokenized US Treasury trade between Franklin Templeton and Virtu Financial on the Canton Network.", "published": "2026-07-01T21:38:39+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "hong-kong" }, { "slug": "united-states" }, { "slug": "united-kingdom" }, { "slug": "tokenization" }, { "slug": "rwa-tokenization" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "tradeweb-executes-real-time-tokenized-us-treasury-transaction-on-canton-network", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273365" }, { "category": { "slug": "markets" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin bounces off 21-month low, but leverage data signals caution: Was $57K the bottom?", "leadText": "Bitcoin found its footing after bulls took steps to reclaim the $60,000 level, but data casts doubt on whether it will flip back to support.", "author": { "slug": "cointelegraph" }, "bodyText": "Bitcoin (BTC) traded as high as $60,200 on Wednesday, up about 2.7% over the past 24 hours after falling to a 21-month low of $57,737 earlier in the session. Ether (ETH) and Solana (SOL) also gained, up 3% and 4.85%, respectively.
The bounce took place amid deep investor caution, with sentiment trackers gauging the balance of fear and greed in crypto markets currently reading around 11 out of 100, in “Extreme Fear” territory. Despite the rebound from the yearly low, Bitcoin remains down roughly a third since the start of the year.
Crypto Fear & Greed Index. Source: Alternative.me
Investors’ cautious stance shows up differently depending on what data is analyzed. US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have seen more money leave than enter in recent weeks, including a reported $4.5 billion total outflow in June, the largest since the funds launched.
At the same time, onchain data shows that long-term holders added roughly 270,000 BTC over the past two weeks. That is generally read as a sign that some bigger investors see the recent decline as an opportunity rather than a reason to sell.
Looking at the past few days, one useful gauge is the funding rate. That figure has stayed positive for three straight days, meaning bets on rising prices have remained crowded even as Bitcoin fell to new lows. When leverage builds up on one side of the market like this while price is weak, it can add to volatility, since more traders become exposed to being forced out of their positions if the market moves further against them.
Bitcoin open interest, funding rate. Source: Hyblock
A broader look at where leveraged positioning is concentrated, combining data from three major exchanges over the past week, shows the heaviest concentration of positioning is roughly between $57,000 and $60,500, which closely wraps around the range Bitcoin has traded in since late June. That concentration thins out noticeably above about $61,000 to $62,000, and again below about $55,000 to $56,000.
Bitcoin liquidation heatmap, three-day look back. Source: Hyblock
In practical terms, most of the leverage that could be forced to unwind sits close to the current price rather than in a distant zone, so a decisive move beyond roughly $61,000 on the upside, or $56,000 on the downside, is where forced position closures would likely have the most room to accelerate a move.
The view for the next 24 hours leans neutral and a genuine shift in positioning would likely need to show up as rising leveraged positioning alongside a rising Bitcoin price, a combination that has not yet appeared in the data.
", "description": "Bitcoin searches for a bottom as bulls step in to reclaim $60,000. Is this the start of a trend reversal?", "published": "2026-07-01T21:27:49+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "markets" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-futures" }, { "slug": "market-analysis" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-etf" } ], "slug": "bitcoin-bounces-off-21-month-low-but-leverage-data-signals-caution-was-57k-the-bottom", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Market Update" } ] }, "id": "273361" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Democrat backed by Ripple co-founder’s PAC wins Colorado primary", "leadText": "Colorado’s Democratic and Republican primaries finished on Tuesday, with at least one candidate supported by $1 million from a crypto-aligned PAC going to the November general election.", "author": { "slug": "turner-wright" }, "bodyText": "Manny Rutinel, a Democratic candidate running to represent Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, has won his party’s primary and will head to the November election after being supported by a crypto-aligned political action committee (PAC).
Early on Wednesday, Rutinel reported that he would be the Democratic nominee for Colorado’s 8th district, having won with 61.7% of the vote against Shannon Bird’s 33.6%. Before the primary, the You Can Push Back Super PAC, backed by $3.5 million from Ripple Labs co-founder Chris Larsen, reportedly spent $1 million on media to support Rutinel’s run.
The Colorado Democrat has a “strongly supports crypto” rating from the Coinbase-affiliated Stand With Crypto organization, based on his answers to questions about stablecoins, market structure and regulatory clarity. Coinbase is also a major contributor to the Fairshake PAC, which supports what it considers “pro-crypto” Democratic and Republican candidates for Congress.
Source: Stand With Crypto
On Tuesday, the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen reported that the cryptocurrency industry had spent about $189 million so far on contributions to influence the 2026 US elections, largely through PACs. In what some experts say is the industry repeating its 2024 strategy, crypto-aligned groups are expected to continue spending to elect what they consider “pro-crypto” politicians.
Related: Senate leaders push for July passage of CLARITY Act
Cointelegraph reached out to a spokesperson for You Can Push Back but did not receive an immediate response.
A new poll commissioned by Americans for Financial Reform released on Wednesday showed that a majority of Americans are concerned about the influence the crypto industry has on US lawmakers. The results followed financial disclosures showing that US President Donald Trump profited by more than $1.4 billion from his crypto investments.
“Voters have seen serious crypto corruption and high ranking government officials raking in profits while everyday people experience crypto-fueled losses and scams,” said Mark Hays, the associate director of crypto and fintech at Americans for Financial Reform. “Voters want crypto to have to play by the same kinds of rules as other financial companies, not dictate special privileges for itself.”
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said on Tuesday that neither Trump nor his family “has ever engaged — or will ever engage — in conflicts of interest.”
Among the poll’s results included a majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents being concerned about crypto-related laws being influenced by donations from those in the industry. Americans for Financial Reform concluded that voters were likely to agree that the crypto industry needs sensible regulation.
Magazine: The end of anonymity? AI could unmask crypto’s hidden identities
", "description": "With the crypto industry reportedly having spent $189 million attempting to influence the 2026 US elections so far, one Democratic candidate in Colorado won a congressional primary after help from a PAC.", "published": "2026-07-01T20:30:08+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "politics" }, { "slug": "ripple" }, { "slug": "voting" }, { "slug": "colorado" }, { "slug": "elections" }, { "slug": "regulation" } ], "slug": "democrat-ripple-co-founders-pac-wins-colorado", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273357" }, { "category": { "slug": "markets" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin bear market ‘dead’ after first TD9 reversal signal since July 2022 fires", "leadText": "Bitcoin bear-market bottom signs appear as the TD9 indicator mirrors the final stages of the 2022 BTC price downtrend.", "author": { "slug": "william-suberg" }, "bodyText": "Bitcoin (BTC) has delivered a key trend change setup in the latest sign that the macro downtrend could soon reverse.
Key points:
In an X post on Tuesday, analyst Tony Severino flagged a “perfected” buy signal on the TD9 indicator.
TD9 is a derivative of the Tom DeMark Sequential market timing indicator, which alerts traders to potential trend changes. Here, price triggers a notable signal when nine candles in a row close higher (in an uptrend) or lower (in a downtrend) than the closing price four candles prior.
“Bitcoin has ‘perfected’ a TD9 buy setup on the monthly,” Severino commented alongside data from TradingView.
BTC/USD one-month chart with TD9 indicator data. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
The setup is Bitcoin’s first in several years on monthly time frames, with the last TD9 downtrend signal coming in July 2022.
At the time, BTC/USD spent another five months ironing out its bear-market bottom, and as Severino notes, a completed TD9 setup does not "necessarily mean that the bottom is in.”
“Not a buy signal by itself. But if it holds into the close, it’s the kind of thing you pay attention to,” Tony Carrera, host of the Proof of Pain podcast, wrote in a further X post.
“TD 9s are where you stop chasing fear, zoom out, and ask: Is this where $BTC reminds everyone what happens when they think it’s dead?”
As Cointelegraph reported, consensus among market participants still favors new macro lows coming before the bear market truly reverses.
Related: Bitcoin just $5K away from ‘best investment opportunity’ of bear market
Targets differ, with $55,000 now popular, while BTC price cycle comparisons put the current bear market at just over two-thirds complete.
By contrast, bullish divergences across multiple time frames are locking in on the relative strength index (RSI) — a classic hint that trend change is due.
“Not sure I have ever seen more confirmed and potential bullish divergence with oversold RSI on more time frames, ever,” trader, analyst and podcast host Scott Melker told X followers on Wednesday.
“Divs building over multiple time frames is my favorite signal. Good odds.”
BTC/USD one-day chart with four-hour, one-day, one-week RSI data. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
", "description": "Bitcoin offers another 2022 bear-market comparison as the TD9 indicator sees its first monthly downtrend reversal signal since July four years ago.", "published": "2026-07-01T19:59:27+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "markets" }, { "slug": "market-analysis" } ], "slug": "bitcoin-tests-claims-price-is-dead-with-first-td9-reversal-signal-since-july-2022", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Markets News" } ] }, "id": "273353" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Crypto ATM bans, restrictions now in effect in Tennessee and Georgia", "leadText": "Crypto ATMs are fast disappearing in the US as Tennessee’s ban goes into effect today while operators in Minnesota have until Aug. 1 to comply with a similar law.", "author": { "slug": "turner-wright" }, "bodyText": "Update (July 2, 2:25 pm UTC): This article has been updated to a statement from CoinFlip.
Cryptocurrency ATMs are fast disappearing from the American landscape as kiosk operators in two US states face bans and restrictions as new laws go into effect.
Crypto ATM laws passed by Tennessee and Georgia went into effect on Wednesday, imposing a complete ban in the former and requiring transaction limits and reporting in the latter. The measures by the two states followed bans in Indiana, which went into effect in March, and Minnesota, set to enforce an ATM ban on Aug. 1.
The Tennessee law, signed by Governor Bill Lee in April, bans the use and installation of cryptocurrency ATMs and kiosks, while the Georgia law requires that ATM operators cap money sent for new and existing users, issue warnings to customers and in some cases refund those who may have been the victims of fraud.
There were 185 crypto ATMs and kiosks operating in Tennessee before the statewide ban took effect on July 1. Source: CoinATMRadar
Many US state governments and municipalities have individually begun cracking down on crypto ATM operators in response to incidents of residents, particularly senior citizens, being conned into sending funds to scammers. Delaware and New Jersey lawmakers have proposed similar measures completely banning the machines.
A spokesperson for crypto ATM operator CoinFlip, which had kiosks in Tennessee before the ban, said that the company was “deeply disappointed” in the move.
“The vast majority of states have established clear pathways for licensure, demonstrating that effective oversight and consumer protection can coexist with access to digital financial tools,” said the CoinFlip spokesperson.
Related: Massachusetts city to weigh crypto ATM ban, citing financial risks
The restrictions may have already contributed to at least one ATM operator going under. In May, Bitcoin Depot filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company had disclosed just days before that it had “substantial doubts” about its future amid a challenging regulatory environment and lawsuits.
“Bitcoin Depot’s bankruptcy is likely a preview of what the broader crypto ATM industry will face in the US over the next several years,” Roshan Dharia, CEO of Echo Base and a restructuring adviser, told Cointelegraph following the Chapter 11 filing. “The traditional model depended on high transaction spreads and limited regulatory scrutiny to offset unusually high compliance, cash logistics, fraud remediation, and retail revenue sharing costs. That equation is breaking down as states increasingly impose consumer protection standards that compress fees, expand operator liability for scam related activity, and raise expectations around transaction monitoring and reimbursement.”
Although not in effect yet, federal policymakers in Canada proposed a total ban on crypto ATMs across the country. The proposed policy, which would still allow Canadians to buy digital assets from brick-and-mortar money services businesses, was in response to what officials called the ATMs being the “primary method for scammers to defraud victims and for criminals to place their cash proceeds of crime.”
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "Two US states now have total ban for crypto ATM operators with a law in Minnesota set to go into effect in weeks, while other jurisdictions like Georgia have proposed transaction limits and additional reporting for companies.", "published": "2026-07-01T18:06:32+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "cryptocurrencies" }, { "slug": "fraud" }, { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "atm" }, { "slug": "scams" }, { "slug": "regulation" } ], "slug": "crypto-atm-bans-restrictions-tennessee-georgia", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273349" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Anchorage Digital brings off-exchange settlement to Binance", "leadText": "The integration addresses one of the biggest obstacles keeping institutional capital on the sidelines of crypto markets: exchange counterparty risk.", "author": { "slug": "nate-kostar" }, "bodyText": "Anchorage Digital has integrated its off-exchange settlement platform with Binance, allowing institutional clients to trade on the exchange while keeping their crypto and cash in qualified custody at the federally chartered US crypto bank rather than depositing assets directly onto Binance.
Under the arrangement, institutions can use crypto assets or US dollar deposits held with Anchorage as collateral to meet Binance's margin requirements without first transferring those assets onto the exchange. The companies said the model separates custody from trade execution, allowing assets to remain with an independent custodian until settlement.
The service is initially available to select institutional clients and marks the first off-exchange settlement implementation for Anchorage Digital's Atlas platform, which the company said is designed to support institutional trading, settlement, lending and collateral management through custody-based infrastructure.
The collaboration addresses one of the biggest obstacles keeping institutional capital on the sidelines of crypto markets: exchange counterparty risk. By eliminating the traditional requirement to pre-fund trades, this could bring crypto trading closer to the custody-and-execution model long used in traditional financial markets.
Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.
Related: ESMA MiCA warning puts Binance EU service changes under scrutiny
Off-exchange settlement has gained traction among institutional crypto trading platforms in 2026.
In April, BitMEX partnered with Zodia Custody to let institutional clients trade derivatives while keeping collateral in segregated custody rather than on the exchange. Under the BitMEX integration, traders can access perpetual swaps and futures while collateral remained in Zodia's custody and was mirrored for trading.
BitMEX said the structure eliminated the need to prefund exchange accounts while improving capital efficiency and reducing operational risks associated with moving assets between custody and trading venues.
Source: BitMEX
Bitget adopted a similar model in June by integrating Fireblocks Off Exchange. The integration allows institutional clients to execute trades from MPC-based wallets while keeping assets in trader-controlled collateral vaults rather than transferring them onto the exchange. According to Bitget, the platform can verify that trading accounts are fully collateralized in real time without taking custody of client assets.
KuCoin Institutional also expanded its institutional custody offering earlier in the year, integrating Ceffu's MirrorX platform in January. The system allows institutional clients to trade while keeping digital assets in third-party custody, with funds mirrored for trading and settled offchain every four hours.
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "Anchorage Digital and Binance launch an off-exchange settlement model that lets institutions trade while keeping assets in qualified custody.", "published": "2026-07-01T17:55:48+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitmex" }, { "slug": "binance" }, { "slug": "kucoin" }, { "slug": "bitget" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "anchorage-digital-expands-binance-access-with-off-exchange-settlement-for-institutions", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273345" }, { "category": { "slug": "markets" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin price returns to $60K as US dollar strength rejects weekly high", "leadText": "Bitcoin started July with a bang, rallying above $60,000 as traders predict a relief rally as the “base case” throughout the month.", "author": { "slug": "william-suberg" }, "bodyText": "Bitcoin (BTC) rallied to $60,000 at Wednesday’s Wall Street open as stocks moved higher and US dollar strength fell.
Key points:
Data from TradingView showed BTC/USD spiking to $60,475 on Bitstamp, taking daily gains to nearly 3%.
BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
The new monthly candle had started with a bump and a trip to new multiyear lows for the pair, and 24-hour crypto long liquidations totaled more than $200 million at the time of writing, per data from CoinGlass.
BTC/USD vs. cryptocurrency liquidations (screenshot). Source: CoinGlass
“$BTC showing a lovely pump this NY session,” trader Lennaert Snyder wrote in a response on X.
Snyder expected a low-time frame reversal to kick in, with an accompanying chart showing “exhaustion” to hit before price reached $60,700.
BTC/USDT one-hour chart. Source: Lennaert Snyder/X
Fellow trader Daan Crypto Trades saw a potential breakout on the cards should price attack either end of its low-time-frame range.
“Let’s see if this turns this $58K-$61K area into a range for the time being,” he told X followers on the day.
“I think there’s a good chance that the next attempt at the range high or low will cause a decisive break and bigger move.”
BTC/USDT perpetual contract one-hour chart. Source: Daan Crypto Trades/X
Bitcoin appeared to benefit from a drop in US dollar strength, with the US dollar index (DXY) reversing from local highs of 101.6 at the open.
US dollar index (DXY) one-week chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
Stock markets trended higher after some initial volatility, in part fueled by Meta stock, which added over 11% in the first hour.
Commenting on DXY, trading resource The Kobeissi Letter warned that a broader dollar trend change could come “soon.”
“The long US Dollar trade is crowded: Speculative long positioning in the US Dollar surged to +$34.3 billion as of June 23rd, the highest in 18 months,” it reported on X.
US dollar long position data. Source: The Kobeissi Letter/X
Other market participants continued to call for a BTC price relief rally through July.
Related: Bitcoin just $5K away from ‘best investment opportunity’ of bear market
“Bitcoin Monthly close below its long-term trendline,” trader Titan noted alongside the one-month BTC/USD chart.
“My base case: a relief rally in July before the downtrend resumes.”
BTC/USD one-month chart. Source: Titan/X
Trader and analyst Rekt Capital reiterated his belief that July would offer the opposite of June’s downside before a return to bearish moves in August.
“Red June. Green July. Red August. This is what Bitcoin price history suggests,” he summarized on the day.
“Bitcoin could possibly see some downside wicking below the new Monthly Open in early July. But history suggests price should be able expand to the upside as the month progresses.”", "description": "Bitcoin started July with a push beyond $60,000 as US dollar strength cooled, prompting renewed calls for a relief rally to continue throughout the coming month.", "published": "2026-07-01T17:47:01+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "markets" }, { "slug": "market-analysis" } ], "slug": "bitcoin-price-returns-to-60k-as-us-dollar-strength-rejects-from-weekly-high", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Market Update" } ] }, "id": "273341" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Ethereum backers launch nonprofit to lead institutional adoption efforts", "leadText": "Backed by Joe Lubin, BitMine and SharpLink, the independent organization will serve as a liaison for financial institutions exploring Ethereum as competition for institutional capital heats up.\n", "author": { "slug": "sam-bourgi" }, "bodyText": "
An Ethereum founder and some of its biggest treasury holders are behind a new independent nonprofit launched to coordinate the blockchain's institutional outreach, underscoring the ecosystem’s push to attract more banks, asset managers and financial institutions as competition from rival blockchains intensifies.
The nonprofit, Ethereum Institutional, was introduced on Wednesday with backing from Ether (ETH) treasury companies BitMine Immersion Technologies and SharpLink, as well as blockchain co-founder Joe Lubin and other contributors. It plans to expand beyond New York, London, Hong Kong and Singapore into additional financial hubs while offering education, standards development, industry research and institutional events.
In a social media post announcing the launch, Ethereum Institutional said the ecosystem has lacked “a credible, independent front door” for engaging financial institutions, arguing that such a role is needed to accelerate institutional adoption.
Source: Ethereum Institutional on X.com
The launch comes as Ethereum continues to dominate the markets for stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), even as rival blockchains step up efforts to attract institutional users. According to Token Terminal, Ethereum hosts nearly 58% of the tokenized RWA market. Data from DeFiLlama also shows the network accounts for roughly half of the $311 billion stablecoin market.
Although competition is intensifying, Ethereum remains the dominant blockchain for stablecoins. Source: DeFiLlama
To be sure, the development also comes as Ether prices remain under pressure, weighing on the balance sheets of companies with large ETH treasuries. BitMine and SharpLink are both sitting on sizable unrealized losses, with the cryptocurrency’s price recently falling to a low near $1,500.
ETH was trading at more than $1,620 at last look on Wednesday, with a market cap of $195.4 billion, Coingecko data showed. It was trading above $4,000 as recently as Oct. 27.
Nevertheless, institutional adoption remains one of the crypto industry’s strongest trends. According to 21shares, current asset prices have yet to reflect growing demand from portfolio managers, asset managers and financial institutions.
Related: Credit unions managing $25B in assets join stablecoin infrastructure program
The institutional push comes as the Ethereum Foundation undergoes a broad organizational overhaul. The nonprofit, which supports Ethereum’s core protocol development and ecosystem growth, has spent the past year navigating leadership changes, internal debates over governance and development priorities, growing competition from rival blockchains and criticism over Ether’s market performance.
Last month, co-executive director Hsiao-Wei Wang stepped down, one of roughly 19 reported departures from the foundation this year. The leadership shake-up was followed by a restructuring that included laying off 20% of the foundation’s workforce.
Amid the restructuring, the ecosystem has also seen the emergence of new independent organizations aimed at advancing Ethereum’s long-term development. In June, the same backers behind Ethereum Institutional launched Ethlabs, a nonprofit research organization focused on advancing Ethereum's scalability.
Related: Buterin fires back at Ethereum Foundation critics, recommits to neutrality
Standard Chartered's Geoff Kendrick said that today's announcement, paired with the earlier launch of Ethlabs, has “direct positive implications for both Ethereum layer 1, layer 2s and the Ethereum originated DeFi protocols.”
“Very importantly the anchor funders for both organizations are the three commercial giants in the Ethereum ecosystem,” he said in a Wednesday note to clients. “Their expertise will drive commercialisation of the Ethereum ecosystem at the time TradFi is entering at scale.”
Kendrick recently reaffirmed his ETH price forecasts of $4,000 at the end of 2026 and $40,000 at the end of 2030.
", "description": "Backed by Joe Lubin and Ether treasury companies, Ethereum Institutional aims to expand the network's engagement with banks and asset managers.\n", "published": "2026-07-01T17:39:28+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "banks" }, { "slug": "ethereum" }, { "slug": "joseph-lubin" }, { "slug": "standard-chartered" } ], "slug": "ethereum-institutional-nonprofit-launches-institutional-adoption", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273337" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "French banking giant Crédit Agricole launches EURXT euro stablecoin", "leadText": "Crédit Agricole’s CACEIS launches a euro-pegged stablecoin on Ethereum with 20.02 million tokens issued, targeting institutional flows and tokenized fund access.", "author": { "slug": "helen-partz" }, "bodyText": "[Update July 1, 2:15 pm UTC: The article has been updated to add comments from CACEIS.]
Crédit Agricole, Europe's third-largest bank by assets, has launched the EURO eXchange Token (EURXT), a euro-backed stablecoin issued through its asset servicing arm, Crédit Agricole Caisse d'Epargne Investor Services (CACEIS).
CACEIS announced the launch on Wednesday, alongside the first subscription using EURXT into a tokenized Amundi Money Market Fund.
Issued on the Ethereum blockchain, EURXT is an electronic money token (EMT) pegged 1:1 to the euro. It is initially targeted at institutional investors and corporate clients as part of Crédit Agricole’s plan to accelerate its push into tokenized finance.
The launch adds to growing competition among traditional financial institutions exploring stablecoins and tokenization, as major banks move to bring blockchain-based settlement into mainstream financial markets. HSBC and BNP Paribas, Europe's top two banks by assets according to S&P Global, last September joined the Canton Foundation to accelerate tokenization of institutional real-world assets.
According to the project’s white paper, there is no hard cap on EURXT issuance, meaning the supply can expand based on demand through its smart contract system.
“As of the date of the white paper, there is no limit on the issuance of EURXT. The number of EURXT in circulation will depend on market demand,” the white paper reads.
\n
Source: Stable-xt.io
According to data from the project’s website, there are 20.02 million EURXT tokens in circulation at launch, matched by roughly 20.02 million euros in reserves held by CACEIS Bank.
The EURXT stablecoin launches in compliance with Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), the European Union’s crypto regulatory framework targeting crypto exchanges and issuers of digital assets.
The launch comes a year after CACEIS secured a MiCA crypto-asset service provider (CASP) license from French regulators in June 2025.
\n
Source: Stable-xt.io
Cointelegraph was unable to locate the EMT approval on the register by the European Securities and Markets Authority, shown as last updated on June 26. A spokesperson for CACEIS told Cointelegraph that the French banking regulator, the Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution (ACPR), has authorized CACEIS Bank to issue EURXT and that the ESMA register has not yet been updated to reflect the authorization.
The launch of EURXT adds to a wave of fresh stablecoin launches both in Europe and globally as traditional finance and crypto-native companies compete to issue regulated digital dollars and euros.
Related: OpenPayd secures MiCA license as stablecoin adoption grows in Europe
In Europe, AllUnity has been expanding its MiCA-compliant stablecoin stack, while Quantoz Payments continues rolling out euro-denominated stablecoins.
In the US, more than 140 companies, including Visa, Mastercard, Coinbase and Ripple, have joined the Open USD (OUSD) stablecoin project, which lets participants mint the dollar-pegged token at no cost and keep all earnings from its reserves.
Magazine: Crypto wanted to overthrow banks, now it’s becoming them in stablecoin fight
", "description": "Crédit Agricole launches EURXT, a euro-pegged stablecoin on Ethereum with 1:1 reserves and 20.02 million tokens, aimed at institutional tokenized finance.", "published": "2026-07-01T15:24:19+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "france" }, { "slug": "banks" }, { "slug": "euro" }, { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "credit-agricole-eurxt-euro-stablecoin-caceis", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273321" }, { "category": { "slug": "sponsored" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Why standard security measures fail to protect digital privacy online", "leadText": "Traditional online safeguards act as a fragmented patchwork rather than a permanent cure for data tracking.", "author": { "slug": "nihatcan-yanik" }, "bodyText": "Modern privacy management feels like a second job. Consumers rotate passwords, approve multifactor authentication (MFA) prompts, accept biometric logins, reject cookies, run virtual private networks (VPNs), split wallets and hope that these measures are enough to close security exposure points.
Most of those protections secure a user's access to a platform. But they rarely protect the information generated after that access begins. MFA can keep a criminal out of an account and Face ID can unlock a device.
Platforms themselves still collect metadata, track behavior across user sessions and route activity into analytics or corporate data-sharing systems. Privacy starts leaking as soon as a user engages with digital systems, long before any added tooling can clean up the trail.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) and MFA remain effective safeguards against unauthorized account access. Account security, by itself, only determines who can enter a system. Privacy concerns begin once a user is inside, where platforms can still collect metadata, track behavior and share activity across commercial data systems.
Account protection remains a narrower goal than data secrecy. Web2 platforms were built around collection. Login systems reduce unauthorized entry; advertising stacks, product analytics and data brokers thrive on behavioral exhaust.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) raised expectations for consent, data access and user rights across Europe, yet enforcement gaps, dark patterns and corporate workarounds continue to support large-scale tracking. The data economy keeps moving.
The same burden follows users into Web3. Non-custodial wallets can increase asset security dramatically when compared to traditional financial options. However, when assets are stored on a public blockchain, this practice can actually make financial privacy worse by exposing all transaction details to the world. Public ledgers add another layer: transfers, balances and application interactions can remain traceable forever.
Temporary defenses help in narrow situations. Cookie blockers reduce browser surveillance. Wallet segmentation separates a token mint from a primary financial identity. Stealth addresses limit the visibility of a receiver.
But each method demands care, timing and technical awareness. Similarly to Web2, privacy becomes a maintenance routine for specialists, which leaves ordinary users exposed by default.
Zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) move secrecy closer to the source. The proof limits disclosure at the moment of verification, before platforms or ledgers receive the underlying data. A prover demonstrates that a statement is true. A verifier checks the claim. The underlying information stays private.
When used in the real world, the applications become obvious. Someone can prove they are old enough to access a service without handing over a full birth date. Users can confirm eligibility without publishing a name or home address.
Payment can be verified without exposing the sender, recipient or amount to every observer on the network. Public verification and private data can coexist because the proof carries the validity; raw information stays out of view.
Aleo is a blockchain that leverages ZKPs to make programmable privacy accesible for onchain applications.
The network uses a zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM) to execute general-purpose computations off-chain and records succinct proofs on-chain. The ledger receives evidence that the computation was valid rather than revealing the sensitive inputs behind it.
That architecture changes what decentralized applications (DApps) can ask from users. Retail participants can interact with payments, identity checks and decentralized finance (DeFi) flows without broadcasting every sensitive detail. Corporate users can prove authorization, compliance conditions or transaction validity without exposing internal records.
\n
Source: Aleo
In DeFi, private execution can reduce the open display of liquidation thresholds, treasury moves and trading intent, which public wallets often reveal to competitors or automated strategies.
For developers, the bigger shift is practical. At the protocol level, Aleo is designed to make it easy for developers of all skill levels to build private applications.
Builders can include both private and public logic in their designs, compile it into zero-knowledge circuits and deploy applications where confidentiality is built into the workflow.
Web3 privacy is moving beyond blunt obfuscation. Crypto mixers and one-off shielding tools can hide activity. However, they often introduce usability friction, liquidity risk, policy scrutiny, fragmented user flows and can still leak metadata.
Programmable privacy takes a more durable route: selective disclosure, verifiable rules and confidentiality are baked directly into application logic.
https://x.com/AleoHQ/status/2036473940609229188?s=20
Mainstream adoption will depend on technical privacy innovation, not just marketing hype. Systems need low fees, credible decentralization, developer tooling, audit paths and user interfaces that do not punish ordinary behavior.
This is also important from a policy standpoint. In order to mitigate risk, institutions are often required to maintain a record of transactions. Programmable privacy allows them to achieve this without exposing customer details to anyone with access to a block explorer.
Digital privacy belongs deeper than a browser extension, a burner wallet or a checklist. It has to be integrated into the systems where data is created, processed and validated. Protocols that treat privacy as infrastructure give users a better bargain: less exposure by default, fewer rituals to manage privacy and fewer trails left behind for platforms to monetize.
", "description": "Traditional online safeguards act as a fragmented patchwork rather than a permanent cure for data tracking", "published": "2026-07-01T15:00:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "technology" }, { "slug": "privacy" }, { "slug": "cryptography" }, { "slug": "web3" }, { "slug": "aleo" } ], "slug": "why-standard-security-measures-fail-to-protect-digital-privacy-online", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Use Case" } ] }, "id": "273317" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bank of Korea governor outlines tokenized bond vision, unified ledger plan", "leadText": "The Bank of Korea’s governor praised tokenized government bonds for easing the issuance and management of government debt during a panel discussion at the ECB Forum.", "author": { "slug": "zoltan-vardai" }, "bodyText": "Hyun Song Shin, the governor of the Bank of Korea, praised tokenization for its ability to simplify the issuance and management of government bonds.
Shin said during a Wednesday panel discussion at the European Central Bank (ECB) Forum on Central Banking in Sintra, Portugal, that tokenized bonds would make it easier to verify collateral, credit the asset provider's account and reverse transactions at the appropriate time.
“The big prize is tokenizing government bonds,” Shin said, adding that it is “much easier, much less prone to mistakes if you have everything tokenized.”
US Treasury debt is the largest tokenized real-world asset category, representing $14.6 billion, or about 46% of the $31.7 billion RWA market, according to data provider RWA.xyz.
Shin also outlined plans to bring tokenized government bonds, wholesale central bank digital currencies and tokenized commercial bank deposits on a unified ledger, as part of an extension to "Project Hangang," a Bank of Korea-led pilot project testing a blockchain-based wholesale CBDC system.
\n
Hyun Song Shin, governor of the Bank of Korea, speaks during a panel discussion at the ECB Forum on Central Banking. Source: YouTube
Government bond tokenization could improve market efficiency and support financial innovation, provided regulatory and infrastructure challenges are addressed, according to a July 2025 report by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
Related: Former BIS chief softens stance on stablecoins, backs coexistence with fiat
Government securities play a crucial role in the financial system, acting as a savings vehicle for households and firms and as collateral in a range of transactions, the report said, adding:
“By enabling the contingent execution of actions, tokenisation can help to enhance the efficiency of markets, reduce settlement risk, broaden investment access and spur the creation of new financial services.”
The report examined 39 tokenized bonds, including 24 issued by corporations and 15 by governments. Compared with traditional, non-tokenized bonds, the BIS found “suggestive evidence” of lower bid-ask spreads and comparable issuance costs and yields.
\n
Tokenized bonds vs conventional, non-tokenized bonds, liquidity, issuance costs. Source: BIS
Magazine: Guide to the top and emerging global crypto hubs: Mid-2026
", "description": "The Bank of Korea’s governor praised tokenized government bonds for easing the issuance and management of these financial instruments, which represent the largest category of tokenized assets.", "published": "2026-07-01T14:36:13+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "banks" }, { "slug": "central-bank" }, { "slug": "south-korea" }, { "slug": "bonds" }, { "slug": "tokenization" }, { "slug": "rwa-tokenization" } ], "slug": "bank-korea-governor-tokenized-government-bonds", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273333" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Circle CEO touts USDC's network advantage as OUSD emerges", "leadText": "Bernstein said OUSD could become the strongest new challenger to the Circle-Tether duopoly, while flagging unresolved questions around governance, operations and revenue sharing.", "author": { "slug": "ezra-reguerra" }, "bodyText": "Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire argued that USDC's decade-long network of integrations, liquidity and regulatory infrastructure gives it a structural advantage over new stablecoin entrants, while challenging key elements of Open USD's proposed business model.
In a Wednesday X post, Allaire described stablecoin networks as platform businesses driven by network effects, saying sustained investment in integrations, liquidity, regulatory approvals, banking relationships and reserve management creates competitive advantages that are difficult to replicate.
He also questioned whether permanently offering free, unlimited minting and redemption would remain sustainable at scale and said returning nearly all reserve income to partners risks “starving an infrastructure.”
The comments highlight intensifying competition among stablecoin issuers as new entrants seek to challenge USDC and USDT by offering businesses a greater share of reserve income and influence over governance.
Open Standard announced Open USD (OUSD) on Tuesday, with support from over 140 payments, banking, technology and crypto companies, including Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, Coinbase, BlackRock and Google. The stablecoin is expected to go live later in 2026.
\n
Circle’s stock performance in the last five days. Source: Yahoo Finance
Circle shares closed Tuesday at $62.63, down 17.55% from the previous session, before rising 2.44% to $64.18 in premarket trading as of 11 am UTC on Wednesday, according to Yahoo Finance data.
In a research note, analysts at Bernstein said OUSD could become the “strongest and first new entrant to challenge the duopoly of Circle and Tether,” citing its reach across payments, banking, technology and commerce.
However, Bernstein said governance, operational architecture and the revenue-sharing formula remain open questions, as coordinating more than 140 partners will require substantial work. Bernstein said Circle spends close to $500 million on marketing, infrastructure, technology and compliance, highlighting the amount of resources needed to scale a stablecoin network.
Related: MetaMask launches stablecoin yield account with card spending
Lorenzo Valente, director of research at ARK Invest, took a more skeptical view. In a post on X, Valente said that OUSD still faces the cold-start problem created by USDC and USDT's entrenched liquidity across the crypto ecosystem. He called the announcement a “giant” letter of intent and said that many participants also support competing stablecoins or operate their own infrastructure.
“The partners are backing rivals: Stripe owns Bridge and has its own stack, Coinbase is wedded to USDC, banks are building their own deposit tokens and the card networks support every token out there,” Valente wrote.
Magazine: Japanese pension fund tips 1% in crypto, G7 urges action on NK hackers: Asia Express
", "description": "ARK Invest’s Lorenzo Valente said OUSD faces a liquidity cold start and questioned whether its large consortium can turn partner support into real adoption.", "published": "2026-07-01T13:38:05+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "circle" }, { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "usd-coin" } ], "slug": "circle-ceo-challenges-ousd-revenue-sharing-governance", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273329" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Last-minute MiCA approvals mark end of EU transition period", "leadText": "A final wave of MiCA approvals expanded Europe's roster of licensed crypto firms as the transitional period came to a close.", "author": { "slug": "zoltan-vardai" }, "bodyText": "A slew of last-minute licenses were issued to cryptocurrency companies in Europe as Wednesday marked the end of the transitional period under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).
Four companies were authorized in Italy this week, including asset management platform Hodlie, crypto exchange Young Platform, trading platform CryptoSmart and crypto service provider Hercle, bringing Italy's total to eight authorized crypto asset service providers (CASPs), according to a Tuesday announcement from the Bank of Italy. The central bank said the country's financial regulator, Consob, approved the licenses in coordination with it.
The French financial markets regulator, Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), also added three new companies on Tuesday, including crypto investment platform Mereau Finance, blockchain infrastructure provider Iceblock and crypto service provider Aplo, bringing the total number of licensed CASPs to 31.
In Malta, digital asset prime broker FalconX announced Monday that it had received a MiCA license, while Venga announced on Wednesday that it had received CASP authorization from Spain.
The licenses were issued during the final stretch of MiCA's 18-month transitional period, which ended on Wednesday. By Friday, the European Securities and Markets Authority's (ESMA) interim register showed 244 authorized CASPs across the European Union and European Economic Area.
\n \n
France's whitelist includes newly licensed CASPs. Source: AMF
Related: Polish president vetoes crypto bill for third time ahead of MiCA deadline
Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange by trading volume, remains unlicensed under MiCA. The exchange applied for authorization in Greece but later withdrew its application, saying it will seek authorization in another member state.
Greece is among the EU member states that have yet to issue a MiCA license.
On June 23, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) said crypto service providers that remain unauthorized by the deadline must take “immediate” steps to wind down their EU activities.
With Binance remaining unlicensed under MiCA, the largest MiCA-authorized exchanges by spot orderbook liquidity include OKX, Coinbase, Bybit, Crypto.com, Gate and Bitstamp, according to DefiLlama data.
\n
MiCA-regulated cryptocurrency exchanges in Europe. Source: DefiLlama
Magazine: Crypto wanted to overthrow banks, now it’s becoming them in stablecoin fight
", "description": "Regulators issued a slew of last-minute licenses in EU member states as MiCA’s transitional period came to an end on Wednesday for cryptocurrency firms.", "published": "2026-07-01T13:17:54+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "france" }, { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-regulation" }, { "slug": "italy" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrency-exchange" }, { "slug": "european-union" }, { "slug": "malta" }, { "slug": "mica" }, { "slug": "regulation" } ], "slug": "new-licenses-issued-eu-mica-grace-period-ends", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273325" }, { "category": { "slug": "sponsored" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "User-first CEXs widening access and lowering friction: Here’s how", "leadText": "This crypto exchange aims to eliminate cross-market fragmentation by deploying artificial intelligence utilities alongside zero-fee equity and commodity contracts.", "author": { "slug": "nihatcan-yanik" }, "bodyText": "Combining traditional equities, physical commodities and digital assets into a single zero-fee trading environment, global exchange MEXC is utilizing AI-driven tools and expanded security reserves to eliminate cross-market investment friction.
Users who once split trades across brokerages, commodities venues and crypto apps are consolidating activity on exchanges. Investors with traditional finance backgrounds have started moving part or all of their crude oil, gold and U.S. stock trading onto crypto exchanges. Modern Web3 exchanges now combine functions that conventional finance platforms usually separate across accounts, interfaces and settlement rails.
Founded in 2018, global crypto exchange MEXC reflects the shift through a wider product base. For example, the exchange has recently opened a 0-fee channel to SpaceX-related valuation exposure through its pre-IPO launchpad.
Prior to SpaceX's official public listing, MEXC ran two rounds of SpaceX (PRE) Launchpad, attracting more than $173 million in subscriptions, with peak oversubscription reaching 30x.
Following the IPO, demand continued in the secondary market. SPCX futures recorded a peak single-day trading volume of over 800 million Tether (USDT) on June 16, while average daily trading volume during the first three days after listing increased nearly sevenfold compared with the pre-IPO period, demonstrating sustained user interest in high-growth technology assets.
https://x.com/MEXC/status/2061719471384039915?s=20
Prediction markets extend exchange access into event risk, where users can hedge outcomes inside the same account environment. MEXC has also launched RealStocks, allowing users to trade U.S. stock spot directly on the platform with 0-fees.
Stock Futures connect crypto-native traders with U.S. equity-linked contracts such as TRON, BITF, ICG and CRCL. MEXC’s gold and silver futures also bring commodities into the same trading flow.
Different markets sit behind those products, yet the user friction is similar: another account, another transfer, another workflow to learn. One-stop exchange infrastructure reduces those breaks in the process. Product depth also depends on the machinery underneath. Order books, risk controls and custody standards determine whether broader access works during active trading conditions.
Wider access becomes more useful when trading costs fall. MEXC’s “0 Fees” strategy sits inside its broader “Infinite Opportunities” framework, which links market access with reduced trading friction across spot, futures and real-world asset (RWA) products.
During its 0-Fee Festival, MEXC announced that its users saved $232 million in trading fees across hundreds of spot and futures pairs. The campaign covered crypto pairs, commodities and tokenized U.S. stock exposure, with $453 billion in total volume.
Execution quality matters beyond posted fee schedules. TradFi contracts such as gold, silver and crude oil need deep books because volatility can widen spreads. Stable slippage reduces the real cost of entering and exiting positions during fast markets. CoinGecko data showed 1,281 new listings on MEXC from January 2025 to January 2026 and 8.2% global spot market share.
Always-on markets create a practical problem. Users cannot watch every candle, headline and community trend. AI tools compress that information flow into alerts, filters and automated execution. CEXs can connect news flow, account context, portfolio data and trading controls in one interface.
MEXC’s six-tool AI suite has reached more than 1.5 million users. AI News Radar tracks real-time market movements. AI Select List filters thousands of assets for emerging momentum. MEXC-AI (Pre AI Trending Search), tracks topics the MEXC community researches in real time.
AI Smart Charts use macro events, market news and trading data for predictive analysis. MEXC AI turns market analysis into personalized position strategies and portfolio monitoring. AI Copy Trading lets users follow performance-verified AI traders.
AI Strategy is the newest upgrade in the stack. Users can describe trading ideas in natural language, monitor social media signals, generate strategies and set 24/7 automated execution. Spot Grid Trading and Futures Grid Bot add rule-based tools for predefined ranges, risk control and trading discipline during volatile periods.
Security remains a core test for Web3 exchanges, especially for users who come from regulated traditional finance. MEXC has focused on capital buffers, public reserve reporting and identity-risk controls.
The platform shared that its Guardian Fund has expanded from $100 million toward a $500 million target over the next two years. MEXC also acquired 1,000 Bitcoin (BTC) for the fund, and the reserve model combines USDT liquidity with Bitcoin holdings.
Monthly Proof of Reserves reports add visibility. The latest Hacken-audited May 2026 report showed reserve ratios of 293% for BTC, 123% for ETH, 117% for USDT and 120% for USD Coin (USDC), which indicates full coverage of user assets.
MEXC’s partnership with Sumsub adds AI-powered identity verification, biometric liveness checks, address verification and risk-based workflows against deepfake impersonation and remote fraud attacks.
Major CEXs now compete on access, cost, practical tools and asset protection. MEXC’s expansion across RWAs, U.S. stock trading, stock futures, AI trading utilities and reserve safeguards shows how user expectations are changing.
\n
Crypto-native users are becoming more multi-asset oriented, and increasingly want equity, commodity and digital asset exposure through crypto-native access. Exchange competition will increasingly depend on how much friction gets removed from the path between a user’s market view, trade execution and protected balance.
", "description": "This crypto exchange aims to eliminate cross-market fragmentation by deploying artificial intelligence utilities alongside zero-fee equity and commodity contracts", "published": "2026-07-01T12:00:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "security" }, { "slug": "adoption" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrency-exchange" }, { "slug": "asset-management" }, { "slug": "trading" } ], "slug": "user-first-cexs-widening-access-and-lowering-friction-heres-how", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Spotlight" } ] }, "id": "273313" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Crypto enters Q3 with thinner liquidity but less leverage after Q2 reset: Talos", "leadText": "Bitcoin and Ether open interest fell sharply after $8.35 billion in long liquidations, while ETF outflows, weaker Strategy purchases and declining market depth reduced liquidity.", "author": { "slug": "ezra-reguerra" }, "bodyText": "Cryptocurrency markets entered the third quarter of 2026 with less leverage but thinner liquidity after a wave of liquidations cleared speculative positions while major sources of demand weakened during the second quarter.
According to a market update from institutional data provider Talos, Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) long liquidations totaled $8.35 billion in Q2. The data provider pointed out that the deleveraging coincided with spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) outflows, reduced Bitcoin buying by Strategy and a contraction in stablecoin supply.
While the reset left the market more stable heading into Q3, Talos said reduced order-book depth weakened its ability to absorb renewed selling pressure. This means the market could be less vulnerable to a chain reaction of forced selling, but prices may still swing sharply because there's less trading activity to absorb large orders.
\n
Cross-asset performance chart. Source: Talos
At last look on Wednesday, Bitcoin was trading hands at $58.656, after trading earlier in the day to $57,742, its lowest price since Sept. 17, 2024.
Talos said the liquidation wave reduced the amount of leveraged money in the market. Bitcoin open interest, which measures the value of outstanding derivatives contracts, fell to $33.5 billion, down 32% from its Q2 peak, while Ether open interest dropped to $16.2 billion, a 40% decline, according to the data provider.
Related: Swan's Cory Klippsten sees record Bitcoin holder supply revealing early bottom
To be sure, the market became less liquid: Bitcoin’s 2% order-book depth, the value of buy and sell orders close to its market price, fell to between $35 and $40 million by late June from about $70 million in early May. Spot exchange volume also declined 28% quarter-over-quarter to $2.32 trillion, according to Talos.
Weakening demand was evident before the end of Q2. US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $696.3 million in net outflows in a single day on June 25. In total, June recorded about $4.5 billion in outflows, pushing year-to-date totals to $5.5 billion.
Strategy also purchased roughly 3,600 BTC in June, down from about 25,000 BTC in May and more than 50,000 BTC in April, according to company disclosures. The company also recorded a net sale of 32 BTC earlier in June and ended the month with 847,363 Bitcoin in its treasury, purchased at an average price of $64,103 apiece.
Magazine: Japanese pension fund tips 1% in crypto, G7 urges action on NK hackers: Asia Express
", "description": "Crypto entered Q3 with less leverage but thinner liquidity after $8.35 billion in Bitcoin and Ether liquidations and weakening institutional demand.", "published": "2026-07-01T11:59:41+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "data" }, { "slug": "microstrategy" }, { "slug": "etf" } ], "slug": "crypto-q3-less-leverage-thinner-liquidity-talos", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273309" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin ETFs lose record $4.5B in June, eclipsing Strategy's $1.25B raise", "leadText": "US spot Bitcoin ETFs logged a record $4.5 billion in June outflows, pushing year-to-date totals to $5.5 billion, signaling an unprecedented pace of withdrawals.", "author": { "slug": "helen-partz" }, "bodyText": "US-listed spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) posted a record $4.5 billion in net outflows in June, more than three times the $1.25 billion Strategy is authorized to raise through its new Bitcoin monetization program.
The record monthly withdrawals pushed US spot Bitcoin ETFs to roughly $5.5 billion in year-to-date net outflows for 2026, reducing cumulative net inflows since the funds launched to about $51.2 billion, according to SoSoValue data updated on Wednesday.
BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) accounted for about 79% of June's withdrawals, posting $3.55 billion in net outflows, according to Farside Investors.
\nMonthly flows in US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs. Source: SoSoValue
The figures highlight weakening demand for US spot Bitcoin ETFs, despite much of the market's attention remaining fixed on developments surrounding the industry's largest corporate Bitcoin treasury company.
According to SoSoValue, cumulative net inflows into US spot Bitcoin ETFs have risen 4.6% from about $49 billion a year earlier. But CryptoQuant data shows the funds now hold less Bitcoin than they did at the same time last year.
“US-based Bitcoin ETF holdings are now lower than at this same day last year,” CryptoQuant’s head of research Julio Moreno wrote on X on Tuesday.
\nSource: Julio Moreno
Moreno said overall demand for Bitcoin continues to weaken, with total holdings across US spot Bitcoin ETFs falling below 1.25 million BTC.
Related: Swan's Cory Klippsten sees record Bitcoin holder supply revealing early bottom
Strategy announced its Bitcoin monetization program on Monday as part of a broader capital framework designed to support dividend obligations tied to its preferred securities, a move widely viewed by investors as a response to growing funding pressure within the company’s structure.
\nSource: Jeff Dorman
The move drew mixed reactions across the community, with some viewing it as financial flexibility while others flagged concerns over the new capital structure's long-term sustainability and argued it could ultimately sell much more than $1.25 billion.
Strategy’s Class A common stock (MSTR) initially surged as much as 12% to above $90 following Monday’s announcement before reversing course and closing at $86.93 on Tuesday, down 6.2% on the day, according to Yahoo Finance.
Meanwhile, Strategy’s preferred stock (STRC) traded higher at $84.86 on Tuesday, according to Yahoo Finance.
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "US spot Bitcoin ETFs posted record outflows of $4.5 billion in June, far exceeding Strategy’s authorization to sell up to $1.25 billion worth of Bitcoin under its new capital framework.", "published": "2026-07-01T10:22:09+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "microstrategy" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-etf" }, { "slug": "blackrock" }, { "slug": "institutions" } ], "slug": "bitcoin-etf-4-5-billion-outflow-june-worst-on-record", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273305" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Former Goliath Ventures CEO pleads guilty in $400M crypto Ponzi case", "leadText": "Former Goliath Ventures CEO Christopher Delgado pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering and agreed to forfeit properties, vehicles, luxury goods and crypto wallets.", "author": { "slug": "ezra-reguerra" }, "bodyText": "Former Goliath Ventures CEO Christopher Alexander Delgado pleaded guilty to his role in a crypto investment scheme that prosecutors said raised at least $400 million from investors.
On Tuesday, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said Goliath promised investors monthly returns generated through digital asset liquidity pools between January 2023 and January 2026.
Prosecutors said the funds were instead used to pay earlier investors, process withdrawals, fund luxury spending and finance business events.
Delgado pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as well as wire fraud and money laundering. Under the plea agreement, he admitted the scheme caused at least $250 million in investor losses and agreed to forfeit an extensive portfolio of luxury assets purchased with investor funds.
According to the DOJ, Delgado agreed to surrender eight properties, 11 vehicles, 30 watches, over 50 luxury bags and wallets, at least 29 pieces of jewelry and bank accounts and crypto wallets. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each fraud count and up to 10 years for money laundering.
Delgado's sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 8.
\n ![\"\"\n](\"https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/pasted-image-488.jpeg\"\n)
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Excerpt of the plea agreement. Source: DOJ
The plea follows Delgado’s television appearance and public apology to investors. On May 12, Delgado appeared in an interview with Florida television station WFTV. At the time, he said investors had placed their trust in him and that he had failed them, saying he had voluntarily returned to the US and was cooperating with authorities.
Delgado said only about $160,000 remained in the company’s bank account at the time of his arrest and said that other former colleagues were involved in the operation.
Related: Florida man pleads guilty for promoting $1.8B ‘HyperFund’ crypto fraud
The case also drew scrutiny of the financial institutions that processed Goliath funds. On March 12, investors filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase, alleging that the bank ignored suspicious transactions and allowed Goliath to collect investor funds through its accounts.
The lawsuit claimed that about $253 million passed through a JPMorgan account, including about $123 million later transferred to Goliath's wallets at Coinbase. A separate federal complaint also identified flows through Bank of America and directly to Coinbase wallets.
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "Former Goliath Ventures CEO Christopher Delgado admitted to fraud and money laundering in a scheme that took in at least $400 million and caused at least $250 million in investor losses. ", "published": "2026-07-01T09:20:49+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "ponzi-scheme" }, { "slug": "fraud" }, { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "united-states" }, { "slug": "department-of-justice" }, { "slug": "regulation" } ], "slug": "goliath-ceo-guilty-400m-crypto-ponzi-case", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273301" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Taiwan’s legislature passes crypto, stablecoin regulations", "leadText": "Taiwan’s legislative branch has passed the nation’s first crypto and stablecoin rules, which aim to integrate the country with the global crypto market.", "author": { "slug": "jesse-coghlan" }, "bodyText": "Taiwanese lawmakers on Tuesday passed a law to establish a regulatory framework for crypto, which includes licensing and rules for stablecoins.
Taiwan's financial watchdog, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), said that the Legislative Yuan passed the law requiring all virtual asset service providers, or VASPs, to get approval from the regulator to operate.
The law also says stablecoins issued in Taiwan must get approval from the central bank and the FSC, and issuers must maintain sufficient reserves with a trustee and undergo regular audits.
The law is the first to regulate crypto and stablecoins in Taiwan, bringing it in line with other governments in the region, such as Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, that have long passed laws to regulate the sector in a bid to attract the industry.
The FSC said the bill further strengthens the protection of traders’ rights and that issuing stablecoins will help Taiwan integrate with the international market and secure a place in the global crypto market.
\n
Source: Cointelegraph
Taiwan’s rules outline seven types of VASPs, including exchanges, trading platforms, custodians and lenders, which will all be subject to rules for internal control and audits, cybersecurity systems, crypto listing and delisting rules, customer asset segregation and financial reporting.
The rules outlaw crypto-based fraud and price manipulation, with violators facing between three and 10 years in prison and fines ranging from about 10 million New Taiwan dollars ($300,000) to 200 million New Taiwan dollars ($6.3 million).
Those caught operating a VASP or issuing a stablecoin without a license face up to seven years in prison and fines of up to 100 million New Taiwan dollars ($3.1 million), Taiwan’s national news agency, CNA, reported on Tuesday.
Related: US ban on stablecoin yield could see others fill the void: Ledger exec
The implementation date of the bill is still to be determined, and the law will take effect only after it is published by the government’s executive branch.
The FSC said VASPs that complete anti-money laundering registration before the bill is implemented, and institutions that provide related services under the agency, should apply for a license within 12 months after the bill is implemented.
CNA reported that lawmakers also passed a resolution asking the FSC to propose a plan within a year outlining how the crypto industry can provide derivative crypto commodity services, with the aim of providing diversified investments and improving the sector’s health.
Asia Express: Japanese pension fund tips 1% in crypto, G7 urges action on NK hackers
", "description": "Lawmakers in Taiwan have passed the country’s first crypto and stablecoin laws, which the nation’s finance regulator hopes can secure Taiwan as a hub for crypto.", "published": "2026-07-01T07:15:48+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "taiwan" }, { "slug": "regulation" } ], "slug": "taiwans-legislature-passes-crypto-regulation-licensing-laws", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273293" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Anthropic to bring back Fable 5 as US lifts export controls", "leadText": "Claude Fable 5 will be redeployed with a new set of classifiers designed to identify and block a broader range of cybersecurity-related tasks. \n", "author": { "slug": "martin-young" }, "bodyText": "Artificial intelligence company Anthropic is set to restore public access to its most powerful AI models, Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5, weeks after they were pulled offline under a directive from the US government.
Anthropic’s two latest models have been restricted from public access since June 12, when the government applied export controls following a report in which researchers bypassed Fable 5’s safeguards, forcing Anthropic to pull all access to the models immediately. The government lifted those restrictions on Wednesday, stated Anthropic.
“After a series of productive conversations with the US government, we’re redeploying the model with a new set of classifiers to target and block more cybersecurity tasks,” Anthropic said.
The suspension of the models raised concerns about state control over frontier AI technology and set a dangerous precedent, according to experts and technologists. The export controls also highlighted White House concerns about a potential national cybersecurity threat if these powerful models were jailbroken and used for malicious purposes.
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said on X on Wednesday, “Over the past two weeks, we have worked closely with Anthropic to analyze and approve Fable 5 to ensure alignment across the US Government and to strengthen America’s leadership in AI.”
Meanwhile, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said on X that government priority remains to “get the best [AI] tech deployed as quickly and safely as possible.”
Related: AI researcher claims he's already bypassed Anthropic's Fable 5 guardrails
The restrictions came after the government became aware of a report in which Amazon researchers found a method of bypassing Fable 5’s safeguards, prompting the model to identify several software vulnerabilities.
In a blog post, Anthropic argued this wasn’t a risk unique to Fable 5, as weaker models could also identify the same vulnerabilities and produce the same exploit.
Anthropic has also begun drafting a consensus framework with Amazon, Microsoft, Google and other partners in its Project Glasswing — a collaboration announced in April to safeguard against AI cybersecurity threats — for “assessing the severity of AI jailbreaks.”
\n
Anthropic’s cybersecurity safety classifiers and how jailbreaks interact with safety classifiers. Source: Anthropic
The company is also scaling up collaboration with the US government on AI model testing and safeguards. “This will include pre-release access to models and safeguards for evaluation, information sharing on jailbreaks and misuse, and dedicated resources for joint research,” it stated.
A well-known AI researcher claimed to have jailbroken Fable 5 within 48 hours of its launch in June, before the government restrictions, and shared screenshots showing how he bypassed the model’s safety guardrails.
Magazine: AI is banking the unbanked in Africa... faster than crypto
", "description": "Anthropic is restoring Fable 5 and Mythos 5 access after the US lifted export controls tied to a cybersecurity jailbreak report. ", "published": "2026-07-01T07:14:32+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "us-government" }, { "slug": "ai" }, { "slug": "cybersecurity" }, { "slug": "ai-and-hi-tech" } ], "slug": "anthropic-reactivates-newest-ai-models-after-us-govt-lifts-restrictions", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273289" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Trump earned more from crypto than real estate in 2025, filings show", "leadText": "Memecoin sales and royalties made the most money for Trump last year, more than all of his golf courses combined. \n", "author": { "slug": "martin-young" }, "bodyText": "US President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency ventures generated more income for him in 2025 than his real estate and resort businesses, according to his latest financial disclosures.
Donald Trump’s annual financial disclosure report was released by the US Office of Government Ethics on Tuesday, revealing more than $1.4 billion in income from crypto-related ventures last year.
The filings show Trump has profited substantially from an industry that he’s simultaneously regulating, which critics say creates a conflict of interest. In 2025, his administration pushed pro-crypto policy, a friendlier regulatory environment and executive orders favorable to digital assets, while his family’s ventures generated vast income as crypto markets surged to an all-time high.
In a statement to the media, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said Trump had “proudly made the United States the crypto capital of the world."
"Neither the President nor his family has ever engaged — or will ever engage — in conflicts of interest," she added.
According to the 927-page disclosure, the licensing and sale of memecoins such as Trump Coin (TRUMP) generated the most income for Trump, with about $635 million coming from “royalties” in a “license agreement with Celebration Coins.”
Meanwhile, the Trump family’s DeFi platform, World Liberty Financial, was the second-biggest earner, generating about $588 million from “proceeds from token sales.”
The disclosure also revealed that Trump earned $197 million from selling equity in a stablecoin venture.
\n
This combined crypto income dwarfs the second category, real estate and resorts, with the president reporting more than $290 million in income related to revenue from his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, and various golf clubs and resorts he owns.
The filing also shows Trump owns more than $50 million of Bitcoin (BTC) and between $5 million and $25 million in Ether (ETH) stored in cold wallets, along with USDC (USDC) and USD Key (KEY).
\nSource: Galaxy Digital
The Trump Organization said in a statement that “the breadth and depth of this filing further underscores our commitment to transparency,” according to Reuters.
“At nearly 1,000 pages, it represents one of the most comprehensive financial disclosure reports ever submitted and demonstrates a level of financial transparency unmatched in presidential history.”
Related: Donald Trump has 10 days to decide on housing bill with CBDC ban
Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, called it an “obscene crypto grift” in a statement on Tuesday,
“Trump’s personal profit interest has now aligned him with the crypto industry, paving the way for dangerous legislation that will facilitate mass rip-offs and even threaten financial system stability,” said Public Citizen co-president Robert Weissman as he called on Congress to take action.
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "Trump’s 2025 ethics filing showed crypto ventures earned $1.4 billion, more than triple his real estate income.\n", "published": "2026-07-01T05:01:09+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "investments" }, { "slug": "donald-trump" }, { "slug": "defi" }, { "slug": "memecoin" } ], "slug": "trump-earned-more-from-crypto-than-real-estate-in-2025-filings-show", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273285" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Director of ‘47 Ronin’ who gambled Netflix funds on crypto gets 30 months", "leadText": "Carl Rinsch will serve two and a half years in prison for taking money meant for a Netflix show to buy Dogecoin, stocks and luxury goods.", "author": { "slug": "jesse-coghlan" }, "bodyText": "Hollywood director Carl Rinsch has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for defrauding Netflix out of $11 million, which he spent on crypto, stocks and luxury goods.
A Manhattan federal court on Monday sentenced Rinsch, known for directing the 2013 film “47 Ronin,” starring Keanu Reeves, to 30 months in prison after he was convicted in December on charges including fraud and money laundering.
“Rinsch orchestrated a scheme to steal millions by seeking $11 million from a subscription streaming service, falsely claiming that money would be used to finance a television show that he was creating,” Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement Monday.
“Instead of using the money to make the show, Rinsch made risky bets on highly speculative stock options and cryptocurrency, and spent millions of dollars on luxury goods for himself,” Clayton added. “Today’s sentence sends a deterrent message: fraud will not be tolerated.”
Rinsch’s sentence was far below the maximum possible prison time of 90 years he was facing for his seven total charges, to which he pleaded not guilty. His defense also argued that he suffered from mental health issues.
The sentence brings to a close a 15-month saga after Rinsch was arrested in March 2025 for defrauding what prosecutors referred to in court documents as “Streaming Company-1,” which multiple reports have identified as Netflix.
\n
Source: US Attorney SDNY
According to a March 2025 indictment and a November 2023 New York Times report on a confidential arbitration proceeding between Netflix and Rinsch, the company initially gave Rinsch $44 million for his sci-fi show “White Horse,” later renamed “Conquest,” but he asked for more funds to finish the show, prompting Netflix to wire an additional $11 million in March 2020.
Rinsch used $10.5 million from the fresh funding to gamble on the stock market and quickly lost about half of it in a few weeks by trading options on pharmaceutical companies and the S&P 500.
Rinsch transferred more than $4 million in remaining funds to crypto exchange Kraken and went all in on the memecoin Dogecoin (DOGE), a bet that ultimately generated around $27 million when he liquidated in May 2021, according to an account statement seen by The Times.
\n
Carl Rinsch giving an interview in 2013 for his feature directorial debut film 47 Ronin. Source: YouTube
With the DOGE winnings, Rinsch then spent about $10 million on personal expenses and luxury goods, including $1.8 million on credit card bills, $1 million on lawyers to sue Netflix, $3.8 million on furniture and antiques, $2.4 million on five Rolls-Royces and a Ferrari, and $652,000 on watches and clothes, according to the indictment.
Related: Onchain, in court: What happened in crypto legal news this week
Rinsch never finished the show or returned the funds Netflix provided to complete it.
Rinsch was convicted of one count each of wire fraud and money laundering, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, along with five counts of making monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity, each carrying a maximum of 10 years.
Prosecutors asked the court in a mid-June sentencing memo to give Rinsch five years in prison after he argued for a sentence without prison time.
Rinsch’s defense said he suffered from mental health issues, with friends and family members writing to the court to say that his behavior changed around the time of the offenses. Keanu Reeves also wrote to the court in support of Rinsch.
In addition to his two-and-a-half-year prison term, Rinsch was sentenced to three years of supervised release, $11 million in forfeiture and $700 in mandatory special assessments.
Magazine: China’s 107 Bitcoin memory thief, Bithumb CEO booked: Asia Express
", "description": "Carl Rinsch was sentenced to 30 months in prison after he took $11 million from Netflix in 2020 and gambled some of it on crypto.", "published": "2026-07-01T04:47:30+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "fraud" }, { "slug": "court" }, { "slug": "hollywood" }, { "slug": "netflix" }, { "slug": "scams-and-cybercrime" } ], "slug": "47-ronin-director-who-gambled-netflix-funds-on-crypto-gets-30-months", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273281" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "UK crypto investors sue Binance, Changpeng Zhao for $200M", "leadText": "One Binance customer said he lost the equivalent of more than $132,000 from the crypto exchange’s derivatives offerings before restrictions were imposed on Binance.", "author": { "slug": "brayden-lindrea" }, "bodyText": "Almost 1,700 UK investors are reportedly suing Binance and its founder Changpeng Zhao for 150 million British pounds ($200 million), alleging the crypto exchange offered and sold crypto derivatives without regulatory approval.
The law firm representing the investors, KP Law, said Binance’s leverage tokens, futures contracts and options offerings breached the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and that these products continued to be offered after the Financial Conduct Authority banned such products from being offered to retail customers in January 2021.
“There appeared to be no effective barrier preventing UK customers from accessing them,” the law firm said.
Binance told Cointelegraph it would “defend against these claims through the appropriate legal process” and it “remains committed to its obligations to users and to operating in accordance with applicable law.”
\n
The lawsuit adds to a growing list of legal and regulatory challenges for the crypto exchange, including recently failing to secure a Markets in Crypto-Assets-compliant license from a European Union member state before the July 1 deadline.
Binance has also been facing allegations that it facilitated $850 million in transactions tied to a sanctioned Iranian financier that flowed to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The crypto exchange strongly denied the allegations.
One of the affected customers, Tomas Sutas, was a financial controller who allegedly invested more than $132,400 into Binance’s derivatives products before the value of his investments was wiped out, the Financial Times reported.
Reuters also reported that multiple UK users lost “tens of thousands of pounds” through the products.
Related: Australia’s crypto travel rule is coming into effect: Here’s what's changing
KP Law said it is still identifying the full scope of affected customers.
“While the precise number of UK customers affected is not publicly known, Binance is one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, meaning that a substantial number of users could potentially have been exposed to these issues.”
Binance’s operations in the UK became heavily restricted in June 2021 when the FCA informed Binance Markets Limited that it couldn’t operate in the region without written consent.
Reuters noted that the lawsuit was filed in the London High Court.
The Binance-affiliated Nest Exchange and “persons unknown” were also named as defendants.
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "Nearly 1,700 British investors have sued crypto exchange Binance and its founder for allegedly offering illegal crypto derivatives products in 2021. ", "published": "2026-07-01T03:30:07+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "changpeng-zhao" }, { "slug": "united-kingdom" }, { "slug": "derivatives" }, { "slug": "binance" }, { "slug": "regulation" } ], "slug": "uk-crypto-investors-sue-binance-changpeng-zhao-for-potential-200m-payout", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273277" }, { "category": { "slug": "features" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Has Strategy’s capital overhaul put an end to ‘death spiral’ fears?", "leadText": "Strategy's latest plan includes MSTR and STRC buybacks, expanded cash reserves and even potential Bitcoin sales. Will it be enough to defuse the overheated “death spiral” fears?", "author": { "slug": "christina-comben" }, "bodyText": "With Bitcoin plunging below $60,000 and Strategy’s share price down by more than 70% from the high, some crypto investors are questioning if Strategy could become this cycle’s Terra/LUNA — a highly leveraged bet on crypto market structure that explodes under stress.
The company's response? A new capital framework released on Monday aimed at addressing investors’ fears.
The package includes up to $1 billion in buybacks for MSTR, up to $1 billion in buybacks for STRC and related securities, an increase in STRC’s dividend to roughly 12%, and a cash buffer expansion to $2.55 billion.
Of particular note for a company famed for its maximalist approach to Bitcoin, Strategy also said it may sell up to $1.25 billion in BTC holdings if required to meet dividend or debt obligations.
Markets responded positively to the news, with both STRC and MSTR shares rallying more than 12% in after-hours trading. STRC is currently trading at $84.86, a significant improvement on the $72.06 it was trading at on June 26.
\nSTRC share price rallied by over 12% in after-hours trading. Source: Yahoo Finance.
But is the plan enough to assuage fears that STRC’s structure — famously cooked up by executive chairman Michael Saylor with the help of an LLM — could expose Strategy to a “death spiral” of reflexive funding risks during periods of market stress?
STRC is part of Strategy’s capital structure linked to its broader Bitcoin treasury strategy. It sits between traditional equity and debt-like instruments, offering investors yield while maintaining exposure to the company’s Bitcoin holdings.
Related: Strategy's MSTR may plunge 80% if it repeats this dot-com-era fractal
Strategy describes STRC as a perpetual preferred stock paying a 12% annual dividend on a $100 par value, funded from its cash reserve and Bitcoin-linked capital framework.
While the structure is designed to provide financing flexibility without issuing traditional debt, analysts have questioned whether its stability depends on continued investor demand in secondary markets, particularly during periods of Bitcoin volatility or tighter liquidity conditions.
By contrast, Strategy's common stock is called MSTR and it represents an equity ownership stake in Strategy along with voting rights. The fate of the two securities is closely aligned, but they are different. Similarly, Strategy's position as the largest buyer of Bitcoin (and perhaps in future as a seller) means its fate is closely intertwined with the price of Bitcoin at present.
Perpetual goldbug and Bitcoin critic Peter Schiff has repeatedly called out Strategy’s model, pointing out that it “can’t sell Bitcoin without crashing the price of Bitcoin. Even if Strategy merely stops buying Bitcoin, that change alone would crush the market.”
\nStrategy describes STRC as a short-duration, high-yield credit. Source: Strategy
Yet Taran Dhillon, head of digital assets at Kula, told Cointelegraph that “Bitcoin volatility alone is unlikely to break a structure like Strategy's.”
He said that a more meaningful test is “whether Bitcoin remains under pressure while access to capital becomes progressively more expensive or difficult.”
Some argue that Strategy’s entire fundraising and equity model is inherently reflexive, compounding both upside and downside cycles. The same flywheel that amplifies gains in bull markets can accelerate losses during the bear, when falling Bitcoin and share prices collide with weaker demand.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse made that exact point on CNBC this week. "Financial engineering does not drive long term value," he said.
Kyle Rodda, senior analyst at Capital.com, told Cointelegraph that Strategy effectively operates as a momentum-driven Bitcoin accumulation vehicle, in which capital raises funds for Bitcoin purchases that, in turn, support the company’s valuation. However, he warned that the dynamic can reverse under stress.
“Strategy's business definitely compounds momentum in both directions,” Rodda said, adding that in weaker conditions, rising funding costs and declining investor appetite can reinforce downward pressure.
Related: Grayscale's Pandl says Strategy should sell $3B Bitcoin to restore confidence
He also argued that secondary market liquidity is a structural dependency, meaning large-scale selling or refinancing pressures could have wider spillovers into Bitcoin markets themselves.
Among Bitcoiners, Charles Edwards, the founder of Capriole Investments, is one of Strategy’s most hawkish commentators of late.
He compared stressed conditions in digital asset treasury companies to broader crypto deleveraging events, warning that feedback loops can accelerate losses when leverage and sentiment deteriorate.
“Anyone else getting LUNA 2022 vibes on MicroStrategy?” he posted on June 26.
\nComparing Strategy to Terra/LUNA. Source: Charles Edwards
While the bearish sentiment around Strategy piles up on X, Dhillon told Cointelegraph that stress would likely first appear in funding conditions, pointing to widening discounts, higher yields, and reduced issuance capacity as early warning signals.
In his view, Strategy's Bitcoin holdings are less relevant than whether the company can continue refinancing or rolling capital efficiently during periods of market stress.
And while failure of STRC to maintain its "peg" of $100 has caused much consternation, STRC isn't pegged to $100 in the way a stablecoin is pegged to the value of $1. The yield simply gets more attractive the further the price falls under $100, which in theory, should see buyers push the price back to $100 at some point.
A Bitfire Research report shared with Cointelegraph said that STRC’s recent price dislocations should not be interpreted as structural failure.
The firm argued that de-pegging events are largely driven by sentiment and liquidity conditions rather than changes to Strategy’s underlying fundamentals or solvency profile.
“Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) faces no near-term insolvency risk,” the firm wrote.
Strategy supporter Adam Livingston, a Bitcoin advocate and author, ran what he described as a “three-year MSTR stress test” under extreme conditions, including a 55% Bitcoin drawdown, closed capital markets, and sustained cash burn requiring large Bitcoin sales to meet obligations.
Related: CryptoQuant warns on Strategy's dividend coverage as cash reserve falls 38%
In his model, Strategy’s senior claims expand sharply in Bitcoin terms, while the company’s “common equity Bitcoin exposure” (CEBE) compresses significantly. He described this as “CEBE getting annihilated”, falling from 138,161 sats per share to 7,884 sats per share at the trough of the simulation.
\nDeath spiral? This model says no. Source: Adam Livingston
The model assumes no new Bitcoin purchases or equity issuance during the downturn, with approximately 115,727 BTC sold over the three years to service obligations before stabilization conditions return.
Despite the severity of the drawdown, Livingston’s model ultimately shows Strategy surviving the cycle, ending with over 700,000 BTC remaining on its balance sheet and a recovering net asset structure once market conditions normalize.
The new framework represents the most explicit attempt yet by Strategy to address concerns around liquidity and reflexivity risk.
Key components of Strategy's June 29 8-K filing that aim to restore confidence in the company, include buybacks for MSTR shares and STRC and a big focus on expanding cash reserves to pay dividends. The nuclear option of selling up to $1.25 billion in Bitcoin holdings to pay dividends is included partly as a way to assure markets Bitcoin maximalist Michael Saylor will reluctantly sell assets if he's forced to.
Related: Bitcoin price is down over 40% since STRC launched: Is Strategy 'fine'?
\nStrategy's 8-K filing, June 29. Source: US Securities and Exchange Commission
Dhillon said the framework “meaningfully improves” transparency around how Strategy would respond under stress, with the expanded $2.55 billion reserve and clearer Bitcoin monetization plan helping strengthen investor confidence.
But Schiff pointed out that the current market cap of MSTR is $30 billion, while the current value of its Bitcoin is $50 billion. “Until MSTR’s market cap rises above the value of its Bitcoin, any Bitcoin bought by issuing MSTR shares creates a negative Bitcoin yield,” he said.
While the framework strengthens Strategy’s ability to manage short-term stress, it does not eliminate its reliance on capital markets to sustain its broader Bitcoin accumulation strategy.
As Dhillon told Cointelegraph, the key test will be whether funding conditions remain accessible during periods of market stress, rather than Bitcoin price action alone.
He added that the update clarifies Strategy’s capital allocation playbook, and gives management a more defined order of operations, which makes its overall strategy more credible.
For critics like Rodda, the underlying concern persists. Strategy’s structure remains exposed to feedback loops if liquidity tightens across both equity and credit markets.
While Strategy’s move introduces clearer liquidity buffers, buybacks, and contingency options, including potential Bitcoin sales, the debate over structural reflexivity has not yet been fully resolved.
The question now is not whether STRC is inherently fragile in theory, but whether Strategy’s expanded toolkit can withstand a prolonged period of capital market stress, and whether investors still want exposure to a vehicle that amplifies Bitcoin’s cycles and adds risk, rather than simply tracking them.
Magazine: Bitcoin will not hit $1M by 2030, says veteran trader Peter Brandt
", "description": "Has Strategy’s new capital overhaul defused the fears swirling around STRC, or has it simply bought more time before the next bout of stress?", "published": "2026-07-01T00:11:09+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "peter-schiff" }, { "slug": "shares" }, { "slug": "microstrategy" } ], "slug": "does-strategys-new-capital-plan-put-an-end-to-death-spiral-fears", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Analysis" } ] }, "id": "273273" }, { "category": { "slug": "markets" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin just $5K away from ‘best investment opportunity’ of bear market", "leadText": "Bitcoin's recent selloff brought it within 10% of its realized price — a line that has marked the bottoming zone in Bitcoin's previous bear markets.", "author": { "slug": "william-suberg" }, "bodyText": "Bitcoin (BTC) is fast approaching a buying level that analysts describe as a top “investment opportunity.”
Key points:
Data from onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant shows that BTC/USD is less than 10% away from its aggregate realized price.
Realized price is the average price at which the BTC supply last moved onchain, and currently sits at around $53,300. BTC/USD has not traded below it since the end of its last bear market in 2022, according to data from TradingView.
“Looking back, every recurring bear market has brought a bleak period when Bitcoin fell below its realized price, and that has been the best Bitcoin investment opportunity,” CryptoQuant contributor Crypto Sunmoon commented.
\nBTC/USD one-week chart with realized price data. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
Realized price comes in various iterations, reflecting the aggregate cost basis of various Bitcoin investor cohorts.
Market participants, however, are eagerly awaiting the return of the broader cost basis, given its role as a potential bear-market bottom marker.
“If that moment comes again, where price falls below the realized price, invest for the new cycle,” CryptoQuant suggested.
In recent months, PlanB, the pseudonymous creator of the Stock-to-Flow BTC price models, has listed a drop below the realized price as one of two key conditions that must be met to secure a trend reversal.
Related: Bitcoin price risks drop below $58K as US dollar hits 40-year high against yen
The other, closing candles below the 200-week moving average (WMA), began several weeks ago.
“Market is 50/50 on if February $60k was the bottom, or the bear will continue,” he wrote in an X post at the start of June.
“IMO data is telling us that we have not seen bottom formation yet, and that there is a >50% probablility that we go lower (below 200wma $61k or realized price $53k).”\n
Bitcoin realized price data. Source: PlanB/X
In a later post, PlanB added that Bitcoin would “likely bottom below” the realized price.
Continuing on realized price, commentator Aaron Bennett said that a drop to the key level was still possible despite the presence of institutional holders who were absent from previous bear markets.
“I'd be surprised if we don't touch this, or go below it for a few weeks,” he told X followers last week.
", "description": "Bitcoin analysis says that just like previous bear markets, BTC will \"likely bottom below\" its realized price, currently near $53,000.", "published": "2026-06-30T22:49:08+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "markets" }, { "slug": "predictions" }, { "slug": "market-analysis" } ], "slug": "bitcoin-is-just-a-5k-drop-away-from-its-best-investment-opportunity-analysis", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Markets News" } ] }, "id": "273269" } ] } } }, "extensions": { "state": "[{\"name\":\"top_promo_post_rotation_state\",\"value\":{\"selectedTopPromoPostId\":null},\"expiresAt\":1783108915}]" } }