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\n 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 victim 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.
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 Charter's Geoff Kendrick said that today's announcement, paired with the earlier launch of Ethlabs, “have 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,” StanChart's global head of digital assets research 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 for the end of 2026 and $40,000 for 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": "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, the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) transition period comes to an end.
EU regulators issued a final wave of crypto licenses as the deadline took effect, Taiwan passed its first crypto and stablecoin laws and Strategy's new Bitcoin capital framework drew Wall Street support even as traders question long-term demand risk.
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
Taiwan’s lawmakers on Tuesday passed a law to establish the country’s first regulatory framework and licensing regime for crypto and rules for stablecoins, requiring all crypto platforms to get approval from the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) to operate.
The law outlines that stablecoins issued in the country must get approval from the central bank and the FSC, and issuers must maintain sufficient reserves with a trustee and undergo regular audits, which the FSC said would help Taiwan integrate with the international market and secure a place in the global crypto market.
Crypto fraud and price manipulation carry punishments of up to 10 years in prison and fines of up 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).
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.
Michael Saylor’s Strategy won support from some Wall Street analysts after unveiling a new capital framework, but the changes also sparked debate over the company’s long-term Bitcoin strategy and sustainability.
Benchmark Equity Research on Monday reiterated its Buy rating on Strategy’s Class A stock MSTR and maintained a 12-month price target of $570, according to a report reviewed by Cointelegraph.
Strategy's common Class A stock, MSTR, rose 12.6% to about $92.70 on Monday, while its STRC preferred shares climbed 12.2% to around $83.70, according to TradingView and Yahoo Finance.
However, both stocks edged lower in premarket activity on Tuesday as some investors and industry observers remained skeptical about the durability of the new capital model.
\n![\"\"\n](\"https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/pasted-image-1782.png\"\n)
\n Source: TradingView
", "description": "Today in crypto: EU regulators issued a final wave of crypto licenses as the MiCA deadline took effect, Taiwan passed the nation's first crypto and stablecoin laws and Strategy's new Bitcoin plan got a Wall Street endorsement.", "published": "2026-07-01T14:12:41+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "business" }, { "slug": "taiwan" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "what-happened-in-crypto-today", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "110589" }, { "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" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Massachusetts AG files amended lawsuit against Kalshi over sports betting after court ruling", "leadText": "The amended complaint, granted by a judge on Tuesday, included allegations that Kalshi targeted users under 21 years old through social media and marketing on university campuses.", "author": { "slug": "turner-wright" }, "bodyText": "Prediction markets platform Kalshi’s legal battle against Massachusetts will continue after a judge ruled that state authorities could add allegations against the company over sports betting.
In a Tuesday filing in Suffolk County Superior Court, Associate Justice Peter Krupp allowed state authorities to file a 71-page amended complaint, building on a filing alleging that Kalshi engaged in sports wagering in violation of state laws.
The amended complaint included allegations that Kalshi “targets those under 21 years of age and does little to stop them from using its platform,” citing the company’s marketing to university campuses and presenting images in ads of people who “appear to be younger than 21 years old.”
“Kalshi allows anyone who is at least 18 years old to create an account and wager on sports events by purchasing event contracts,” alleged Massachusetts authorities.
\n![\"\"\n](\"https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/screenshot-2026-06-30-at-40328-pm.png\"\n)
\n Source: Massachusetts Superior Court
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced the lawsuit against Kalshi in September 2025, alleging that the company needed to be licensed by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to comply with state laws on online sports wagers. In January, a judge granted a preliminary injunction barring Kalshi from offering sports event contracts as the case was under review.
Related: US senators push to end CFTC ‘assault’ on state oversight of prediction markets
The Massachusetts case is just one of many involving state-level authorities and prediction markets companies like Kalshi and Polymarket, who offer users the ability to trade using event contracts on a variety of outcomes related to sports, politics and current events.
While Kalshi has been blocked from offering sports bets in some jurisdictions, it also has support from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which in April filed a brief in Massachusetts arguing the agency had “exclusive jurisdiction” over prediction markets. The CFTC, under Chair Michael Selig, has claimed that event contracts on the platforms amount to “swaps” covered by the Commodity Exchange Act and were not subject to state regulation.
“Congress has entrusted the CFTC with the sole authority to regulate commodity derivatives markets, including prediction markets,” said Selig. “To any state that seeks to nullify federal law and seize authority over these markets, I say again: we will see you in court.”
Cointelegraph reached out to Kalshi for comment but did not receive an immediate response. Following the initial complaint in September, a spokesperson said that the company was “ready to defend” itself in court.
While one of the cases between a prediction markets platform and US state authority could ultimately reach the US Supreme Court given the arguments over federal and state laws, some groups are looking to Congress for solutions.
Earlier this month, national gaming and tribal organizations and labor groups called on US senators to add language “that explicitly prohibits event contracts tied to sports and casino-style gaming” to the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act. The bill, under consideration in the Senate, is expected to give the CFTC more regulatory authority over digital assets.
Magazine: Does ‘Paper Bitcoin’ mean there’s an unlimited supply of BTC?
", "description": "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts will continues its case against prediction markets platform Kalshi in state court after a judge allowed an amended complaint with new allegations.", "published": "2026-06-30T22:44:48+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "cftc" }, { "slug": "court" }, { "slug": "sport" }, { "slug": "regulation" }, { "slug": "kalshi" }, { "slug": "prediction-markets" } ], "slug": "massachusetts-lawsuit-kalshi-sports-betting", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273265" }, { "category": { "slug": "markets" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitmine Ether buys eclipsed by $345M ETH ETF outflows: Is sub $1.5K next?", "leadText": "Tokenization and RWA TVL growth highlight Ethereum’s fundamentals, but stagnant DApps and spot ETF outflows keep the pressure on ETH price. \n", "author": { "slug": "marcel-pechman" }, "bodyText": "Key takeaways:
Ether (ETH) has failed to sustain prices above $1,600 since Thursday, following the broader cryptocurrency market's downtrend. Lower oil prices created a positive tone that fueled investors’ hopes for more expansionist monetary policy. That setup favors stocks and pushes bond yields higher.
Traders now fear that ETH will not hold the $1,500 support level for long. Spot Ether ETF outflows void the impact of accumulation from Ether treasury companies.
\n
ETH/USD (orange) vs. Total crypto market cap (blue). Source: TradingView
Ether price has declined 31% since May and underperformed the total cryptocurrency market capitalization by 8% over that period. US-listed Ether ETFs saw $345 million in net outflows since June 17, which more than offset the $182 million in ETH accumulation from BitMine Immersion (BMNR US) and Sharplink (SBET US) during the same period.
Several factors appear to have held back investor appetite, including regulatory uncertainty in the United States. Meanwhile, the stock market continues to draw attention thanks to strong earnings and lower inflation expectations.
The Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act has awaited a Senate vote since May 15. The bill ends regulation-by-enforcement and clarifies which tokens count as securities. Yet it has faced pushback from lawmakers over provisions regarding stablecoin yields and anti-money-laundering standards.
Democratic lawmakers voiced ethical concerns about the Trump family’s ties to crypto and its role in the World Liberty Financial platform. Most view the CLARITY Act as a positive catalyst for the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector. So ongoing uncertainty around approval hurts institutional demand for ETH.
The artificial intelligence sector now competes with blockchain for data processing as cloud providers deliver services through agentic architectures. Enterprise software leader SAP (SAP DE) has integrated autonomous, modular AI agents natively across multi-vendor clouds, enabling peer-to-peer collaboration.
Ether investors also feel disappointment from stagnant Ethereum network fees and decentralized applications (DApps) revenues. As a result, ETH supply becomes inflationary, staking yields remain limited, and fewer incentives exist for ecosystem growth, since part of DApps' revenue flows back to users.
\n
Ethereum monthly network chain fees vs. DApps revenue, USD. Source: DefiLlama
Ethereum network fees reached only $10.7 million in June, down from $24.4 million in April. DApps revenue hit $51.7 million in June, down from $64.8 million two months earlier. Top contributors included Sky (formerly Maker) at $12.7 million, Titan Builder at $7.2 million, and Chainlink at $4.6 million.
Ethereum supporters argue that tokenization remains in its early innings. The long-term growth potential should create enough blockchain demand to support a much higher ETH valuation.
Related: Ether treasury Sharplink bought $62.4M ETH last week
\n
Ethereum real world assets (RWA) active market capitalization, USD. Source: DefiLlama
While real world assets (RWA) show real promise, the $14.5 billion in tokenized market cap on Ethereum has yet to spark meaningful DeFi activity. With a 2.7% staking yield and weak onchain metrics, the odds of ETH breaking below $1,500 remain in play.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has requested public comment on exchange-traded funds (ETFs) investing in novel asset classes or using new investment strategies, as the agency reviews how such products should be regulated.
The consultation seeks feedback on whether existing rules adequately address novel ETFs, how such funds should be regulated and whether changes to the registration process are needed as new products enter the market.
According to the regulatory agency, the request focuses on funds investing in innovative asset classes or employing new investment strategies, where it is evaluating whether existing regulations remain appropriate.
The public comment period will remain open for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register, giving market participants an opportunity to weigh in before the SEC considers potential regulatory changes.
Exchange-traded funds have grown rapidly in recent years, with assets under management increasing from about $4 trillion in 2019 to more than $12 trillion at the end of 2025, according to the SEC.
Related: Spot Bitcoin ETFs bleed $1.7B as outflow streak hits four weeks
The request follows another recent consultation by US market regulators. Last week, the SEC and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) sought public feedback on harmonizing portfolio margin rules across securities and derivatives markets.
In recent months, crypto ETF issuers have increasingly expanded beyond simple price-tracking products, introducing funds tied to staking, stablecoin reserves and more specialized investment strategies.
In June, ProShares introduced the GENIUS Money Market ETF, a Treasury-focused fund designed around reserve assets permitted under the GENIUS Act for payment stablecoins, while Grayscale launched the Hyperliquid Staking ETP, offering exposure to HYPE (HYPE) while seeking to generate staking rewards.
Bitcoin investment products are becoming more specialized as well. BlackRock proposed an options-based Bitcoin income ETF in January, followed by Goldman Sachs in April with a fund combining spot Bitcoin products and covered-call strategies.
\n![\"\"\n](\"https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/screenshot-2026-06-30-at-20356-pm.png\"\n)
\n BlackRock’s Bitcoin Premium Income ETF filing. Source: SEC.gov
Earlier this month, Franklin Templeton proposed two ETFs that would systematically reinvest stock dividends into Bitcoin-linked investments, combining US equities with a rules-based Bitcoin allocation. The proposed funds would gain Bitcoin (BTC) exposure through instruments including exchange-traded products, futures, options and Bitcoin-backed depositary receipts.
ETF issuers are also experimenting with portfolios that combine digital assets with traditional asset classes. In January, Bitwise launched an actively managed ETF pairing Bitcoin with gold, precious metals and mining equities.
Magazine: Bitcoin decouples from tech stocks, Ether eyes ‘selling wave’: Market Moves
", "description": "The SEC is seeking public feedback on regulating novel ETFs as issuers introduce increasingly sophisticated crypto investment products.", "published": "2026-06-30T21:38:51+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "gold" }, { "slug": "sec" }, { "slug": "united-states" }, { "slug": "regulation" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-etf" }, { "slug": "etf" }, { "slug": "genius-act" } ], "slug": "sec-seeks-public-comment-on-regulating-novel-etfs", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273257" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Financial companies join forces for US dollar stablecoin, keeping reserve earnings", "leadText": "The project, supported by Visa, Mastercard and many crypto companies, could be in a position to challenge Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC, currently the two largest stablecoins by market capitalization.", "author": { "slug": "turner-wright" }, "bodyText": "More than 140 companies have signed onto a US dollar-pegged stablecoin project that allows them to “receive all of the earnings” from its reserves.
In a Tuesday notice, Open Standard said it was launching the Open USD (OUSD) stablecoin, a US dollar-pegged coin supported by financial companies including Visa and Mastercard, as well as crypto companies Coinbase, Ripple, OKX and Bybit. The project will allow businesses to mint OUSD “at no cost and with no artificial limits on volume,” and keep earnings from the coin’s reserves.
“When Visa, Stripe, Mastercard, Coinbase and Google coordinate on a new stablecoin, the signal is unmistakable,” said Rhino.fi co-founder and CEO Will Harborne. “Open USD is the first launch with a real chance to win share from USDT and USDC, because reserve revenue flows back to everyone who holds it. But that same incentive is what drives fragmentation at scale.”
\n![\"\"\n](\"https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/screenshot-2026-06-30-at-13958-pm.png\"\n)
\n Source: Open Standard
Because it’s backed by so many high profile companies, the coin could be in a position to challenge Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC, currently the two largest stablecoins by market capitalization. The share price of Circle Internet Group dropped by more than 16% on Tuesday to $63.63.
Related: Business use of stablecoins set for growth surge: Cybrid report
According to Open Standard, OUSD will launch “later this year.” The current size of the stablecoin market, according to DefiLlama, is more than $312 billion and projected to reach up to $4 trillion by 2030.
In a Tuesday X post following the announcement, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire said that the company welcomed “continued innovation and competition in the space,” adding that it would soon expand support for US dollar-pegged and non-US dollar stablecoins.
“[We] look forward to remaining laser-focused on building the best stablecoin infrastructure possible and driving more customer and partner success,” said Allaire.
US President Donald Trump signed a bill to establish a regulatory framework for payment stablecoins, called the GENIUS Act, into law last year. Many experts expect that the legislation, awaiting federal authorities finalizing regulations for implementation, could pave the way for the stablecoin market to grow as companies potentially begin issuing and accepting digital assets more easily.
Magazine: Does ‘Paper Bitcoin’ mean there’s an unlimited supply of BTC?
", "description": "The company behind the Open USD stablecoin, expected to launch sometime in 2026, said it would allow firms to keep the earnings from reserves and mint at no cost.", "published": "2026-06-30T20:31:41+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "coinbase" }, { "slug": "visa" }, { "slug": "stripe" }, { "slug": "payments" }, { "slug": "mastercard" }, { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "financial-companies-us-dollar-payment-stablecoin", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273253" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Nasdaq brings proprietary market data onchain through Pyth", "leadText": "The partnership extends distribution of Nasdaq's TotalView market data to blockchain applications and other software platforms through Pyth's marketplace.", "author": { "slug": "nate-kostar" }, "bodyText": "Nasdaq has selected Pyth, an onchain financial data network, to distribute its proprietary market data to blockchain applications and other software platforms.
The partnership initially covers Nasdaq TotalView, the exchange’s depth-of-book data feed, which includes every displayed buy and sell order across all price levels as well as order imbalance data around the opening and closing auctions. The feed is widely used by professional traders because it provides a more complete view of market liquidity than standard market quotes by displaying the full order book.
According to Pyth, the marketplace gives software applications access to first-party market data through a single integration. The company said the service is intended for blockchain applications, digital asset exchanges, prediction markets, trading systems and other software platforms.
Nasdaq joins a group of publishers on Pyth that includes exchanges Euronext and OTC Markets, electronic trading platforms Tradeweb and Kalshi, market data provider Exchange Data International, Singapore Exchange’s SGX FX and the US Department of Commerce.
Related: Coinbase lets users transfer stock portfolios as exchange expands beyond crypto
Nasdaq’s partnership with Pyth is the latest in a series of moves by established exchange operators to expand their digital asset businesses through cryptocurrency products, blockchain infrastructure and new market services.
In March, Nasdaq has expanded its tokenization efforts through a partnership with crypto exchange Kraken and its infrastructure affiliate Backed to develop infrastructure linking traditional equities with blockchain networks. The initiative builds on the exchange operator’s broader push to integrate tokenized assets with traditional market infrastructure.
The following month, the SEC approved Nasdaq’s proposal to list Bitcoin index options tied to the Nasdaq Bitcoin Index, paving the way for trading pending approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Nasdaq also partnered with CME Group to launch cryptocurrency index futures tracking a basket of seven digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ether, Solana and XRP, expanding its regulated crypto derivatives lineup.
Other exchange operators have pursued similar initiatives. ICE, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, partnered with crypto exchange OKX in May to launch perpetual futures tied to its Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate oil benchmarks, marking the first product announced under the companies' broader partnership.
\n![\"\"\n](\"https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/screenshot-2026-06-30-at-115604-am.png\"\n)
\n Source: OKX
Later, ICE CEO Jeffrey Sprecher called on regulators to allow traditional exchanges to offer 24/7 onchain perpetual futures, arguing regulated venues should be able to compete with crypto-native platforms already offering the products.
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "Nasdaq will distribute its proprietary TotalView market data through Pyth, making the network one of the first onchain platforms to carry the exchange’s market data.", "published": "2026-06-30T19:46:29+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "kraken" }, { "slug": "nyse" }, { "slug": "nasdaq" }, { "slug": "data-exchange" }, { "slug": "data" }, { "slug": "okx" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "nasdaq-brings-proprietary-market-data-onchain-through-pyth", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273249" }, { "category": { "slug": "markets" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin price risks drop below $58K as US dollar hits 40-year high against yen", "leadText": "Bitcoin faced downside pressure as the US dollar hit its highest levels against the Japanese yen since 1986, while BTC price analysis revealed \"capitulation\" by 2025 top-buyers.", "author": { "slug": "william-suberg" }, "bodyText": "Bitcoin (BTC) fell toward $58,000 around Tuesday’s Wall Street open as the clock ticked down to a brutal quarterly close.
Key points:
Data from TradingView showed downside gaining the upper hand as volatility increased into the US session.
\nBTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
With $60,000 increasingly looking lost as support, commentators saw the tussle between bulls and bears continuing on short time frames.
“Open Interest pumping, noticed some large longs entering on this dip, it's about to get spicy,” commentator Exitpump wrote in fresh analysis on X.
\nBTC/USD order-book data. Source: Exitpump/X
Trader Killa eyed a repeat of weekly price patterns, in which Mondays formed the swing low or high of the following week.
https://x.com/KillaXBT/status/2071953116916842981
“$BTC Keeps consolidating in this price range. Marginally higher lows and equal highs,” trader Daan Crypto Trades continued.
“Look out for whichever direction breaks first, I think a quick move should follow after that seeing how compressed this is becoming.”\n
BTC/USDT perpetual contract one-hour chart. Source: Daan Crypto Trades/X
Bitcoin thus reinforced its divergence from US stocks with total Q2 losses nearing 20%.
By contrast, trading resource The Kobeissi Letter noted the S&P 500 was up 14% over the quarter, marking its best performance since 2020.
“This would mark the 2nd-largest quarterly gain since the 2008 Financial Crisis recovery,” it added in an X post alongside data from Bloomberg.
“At the same time, the Nasdaq 100 is up +25%, on track for its strongest quarter in 5 years. This would also mark the Nasdaq 100's 2nd-best quarterly performance in 25 years.”\n
US stocks performance comparison. Source: The Kobeissi Letter/X
Kobeissi described an “accelerating” global stocks rally, with the US providing the impetus.
In a potential headwind for crypto, the US dollar hit new multidecade highs against the Japanese yen, increasing the odds of government intervention.
USD/JPY reached 162.50 on the day, its highest since the mid 1980s.
\nUSD/JPY 12-month chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView
“Whether it’s Japan, India, South Korea or MSTR, It’s the same problem,” analyst and YouTube personality George Gammon summarized to X followers on the day.
“You’ve got dollar liabilities and not enough dollars. So you sell assets to get dollars putting downward pressure on the asset. Yen, Rupees, Won, or Bitcoin.”
In new research, onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant warned of a fresh round of Bitcoin investor “capitulation.”
Related: BTC price RSI prints key 2026 signal: Five things to know in Bitcoin this week
At sub-$70,000 levels, contributor Crypto Sunmoon warned that those who had bought BTC around all-time highs were now selling at a loss.
“Since the break below $70K, exchange inflows have risen sharply, with the majority of this volume consisting of coins held for roughly six to twelve months, coins most likely accumulated near the cycle highs,” they wrote in a Quicktake blog post.
“This pattern is consistent with capitulation among cycle-top buyers, as holders appear to be cutting losses rather than continuing to hold through the drawdown.”\n
Source: CryptoQuant
CryptoQuant data showed onchain movements increasingly involving coins that last moved around all-time highs, along with increasing inflows to exchanges.
“For some, this will be a painful stretch. That said, capitulation events of this kind among cycle-top investors have historically coincided with long-term bottom formation, a pattern observed in both the 2018 and 2022 cycles,” Crypto Sunmoon added.
", "description": "Bitcoin is \"about to get spicy\" as open interest spikes and $58,000 reappears on the horizon as BTC price analysis flags \"capitulation\" by those who bought the top.", "published": "2026-06-30T19:17:56+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "markets" }, { "slug": "market-analysis" } ], "slug": "bitcoin-price-slumps-to-near-58k-as-us-dollar-hits-40-year-high-against-yen", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Market Update" } ] }, "id": "273245" }, { "category": { "slug": "features" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "AI’s power crunch turns Bitcoin miners’ grid access into an asset", "leadText": "Bitcoin miners have the power sites AI companies need, but turning old mining campuses into real data center revenue is no easy pivot.", "author": { "slug": "artem-g" }, "bodyText": "By the end of 2025, the power capacity tied to artificial intelligence data centers worldwide had reached about 29.6 gigawatts (GW), enough to run all of New York state at peak demand, according to Stanford University’s annual report on the AI industry.
The report, released in April, suggests that compute itself is abundant and getting cheaper. Permitted, grid-connected, ready-to-draw electricity is in high demand, but the sources to power it are much harder to come by. One industry has spent the past decade quietly building exactly that infrastructure for a different reason: Bitcoin mining.
\n
AI data center power capacity reached about 29.6 GW by the end of 2025, comparable to New York state at peak demand. Source: Stanford University
The economics of chips are moving in the opposite direction. Stanford said the cost of GPU computation has dropped more than 99% since 2006, while leading chips now perform far more work per watt than they did a decade ago. But efficiency gains have not reduced total demand. They are instead poured back into larger models rather than banked as savings, keeping the pressure on the power grid.
\n
The cost of GPU computation has fallen more than 99% since 2006, even as total power draw climbed. Source: Stanford University
Stanford estimates that the most demanding training runs, including for systems such as Llama 4 Behemoth, have pulled upward of 100 megawatts (MW), comparable to a small power plant. Capacity dedicated to AI has risen some 200-fold in three years, from under a gigawatt in 2022, and data center electricity use is projected to keep rising through 2030.
The squeeze is geographic as much as numerical. The United States hosts 5,427 data centers, more than 10 times any other country, according to Stanford.
Chips can be ordered and delivered in months, but energizing a site, with its substation, interconnection approval and cooling, takes years.
Counted across full systems rather than the accelerators alone, AI’s cumulative power demand through 2024 reached an estimated 9.4 GW, close to the national electricity use of Switzerland or Austria and about half the estimated draw of Bitcoin mining.
\n
Estimated all-in AI power demand (through 2024) sits near half of Bitcoin mining's. Source: de Vries-Gao, Stanford University
But Bitcoin miners cannot just hand their machines to an AI lab. Mining ASICs (the chips that solve Bitcoin calculations) do one narrow job and are useless for training or inference. What does transfer is everything around the chips, such as the energized sites, power contracts, grid hookups and the shells to cool dense racks.
A Bitcon miner that already has a grid connection has infrastructure ready to fill the gaps for the AI developers, and renting that capacity beats starting over. Miners also tend to sit where AI wants to be anyway, in cheap-power US states like Texas and the Gulf Coast.
Mining economics is itself a numbers-crunching game. JPMorgan recently estimated Bitcoin’s all-in production cost at about $78,000 per coin, well above BTC’s market price of around $53,400 at the time of writing, down by more than 34% year-to-date, according to CoinGecko.
\nBitcoin is down by around 34% in 2026. Source: CoinGecko
Cointelegraph previously reported that hashprice had fallen below breakeven for many miners, putting about 20% of the industry in unprofitable territory.
Some major contracts between miners and AI infrastructure operators followed. In November 2025, Iren signed a five-year GPU cloud deal with Microsoft worth about $9.7 billion, served from a 750-megawatt campus in Childress, Texas. In December, Bitcoin miner Hut 8 signed a 15-year, $7 billion lease with Fluidstack for 245 megawatts at its River Bend site in Louisiana, with the payments backstopped by Google.
TeraWulf reported $12.8 billion in contracted high-performance computing (HPC) revenue and now earns more from leasing than mining. Core Scientific has expanded its CoreWeave agreement to $10.2 billion over 12-year terms. Across the listed miner sector, CoinShares counts more than $70 billion in announced AI and HPC contracts, but much of the value is years out. Hut 8's River Bend site, for example, is not due to start commissioning until the second quarter of 2027.
Related: TeraWulf doubles AI revenue but posts $427M quarterly loss as mining income declines
Investors have nonetheless rewarded the shift. Hut 8 stock jumped about 20% in premarket trading the day its lease was announced, Reuters reported, and across the sector, valuations are increasingly tied to compute pipelines rather than the Bitcoin price alone. Indeed, CoinShares said the miners with HPC contracts were trading at 12.3 times the value of their 12-month revenue vs 5.9 times for pure play miners. CoinShares' projects listed miners could derive as much as 70% of revenue from AI by the end of 2026, up from roughly 30% in Q1.
However, the conversion is far from cheap, and is not just a matter of plug-and-play. CoinShares estimates that mining infrastructure costs about $700,000 to $1 million per MW, while AI-grade, liquid-cooled infrastructure can cost $8 million to $15 million per MW. Hyperscalers also demand power density, redundancy and uptime guarantees that many mining facilities were never designed to provide.
Related: Celsius-linked Bitcoin miner Ionic Digital seeks Nasdaq direct listing amid AI pivot
Miners are covering that gap with debt and new capital raises. Iren had already disclosed about $3.75 billion in convertible note debt at the end of March, then raised another $3 billion through a new convertible note sale in May.
The sector is also leaning on a small group of hyperscalers and AI infrastructure buyers. If demand cools, customers renegotiate or projects slip, miners that have torn out ASICs may have fewer options to fall back on.
Whether that shift away from BTC mining pays off remains an open question. Signing multibillion-dollar AI contracts is one thing, but delivering the earnings investors expect is another.
For now, the market is placing a premium on miners making the transformation rather than those that simply produce new BTC. If AI demand continues to outpace electricity supply, those assets could prove more valuable than the machines they were originally built to support. If not, some of today’s biggest AI plans could prove to be costly bets, rather than real second acts for former Bitcoin miners.
Magazine: Bitcoin miners are pivoting to AI, so why is the hashrate near ATHs?
", "description": "AI data centers are straining power grids, turning Bitcoin miners’ energized sites into valuable infrastructure for HPC and cloud deals.", "published": "2026-06-30T18:44:31+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "technology" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-mining" }, { "slug": "ai" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "bitcoin-miners-ai-data-centers-power-infrastructure", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "Analysis" } ] }, "id": "273241" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Crypto companies have spent $189M so far on 2026 US election cycle: Report", "leadText": "The crypto industry, Big Tech and gambling interest groups are betting big on politicians in the 2026 primaries and elections, with almost $300 million shelled out so far.", "author": { "slug": "turner-wright" }, "bodyText": "The US consumer advocacy group Public Citizen on Tuesday reported that the cryptocurrency industry had contributed $189 million toward the 2026 election cycle, following its 2024 playbook.
According to a report released Tuesday, the nonprofit organization said that about 37% of all corporate contributions in the 2026 US election cycle could be traced to crypto companies, totaling about $189 million so far, with more than four months until the November election.
While the watchdog group said that the crypto-aligned political action committee (PAC) Fairshake was responsible for spending more than $82 million so far, the MAGA Inc. Super PAC, largely backed by Crypto.com, had spent more than $56 million.
“These super PACs prioritize the interests of their business backers over either major political party or any candidate,” said Public Citizen. “Following the crypto playbook, they are set up to engage in both Democratic and Republican primaries and to support or attack candidates of either major party in the general election.”
\n![\"\"\n](\"https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/screenshot-2026-06-30-at-104820-am.png\"\n)
\n Source: Public Citizen
Fairshake and its affiliates Defend American Jobs and Protect Progress are backed by cryptocurrency companies Coinbase and Ripple, and reported a $193 million war chest as of January. Entities aligning with industry interests have also been formed since 2024, including the Fellowship PAC backed by Cantor Fitzgerald.
Altogether, the PACs’ combined spending has already exceeded that in 2024, when companies contributed $170 million toward electing what it considered “pro-crypto” candidates to Congress.
Related: Senate leaders push for July passage of CLARITY Act
Cointelegraph reached out to a Fairshake spokesperson for a comment on the report but did not receive an immediate response.
Colorado voters head to the polls today in primaries for Republican and Democratic candidates, with the state’s 8th congressional district potentially being influenced by crypto PAC spending.
The You Can Push Back Super PAC backed by Ripple Labs co-founder Chris Larsen reportedly spent $1 million on media to support Democrat Manny Rutinel. The committee’s last big bet — $3.3 million — was on Democrat Alex Bores in New York’s 12th Congressional District. He lost his primary last week to Micah Lasher, who had criticized Larsen’s involvement in the race.
Magazine: SBF will never get a pardon, Trump peace deal boosts Bitcoin: Hodlers Digest June 14-21
", "description": "According to a Public Citizen report compiling FEC data, the crypto-aligned Fairshake was responsible for spending more than $82 million to support candidates in 2026, building on its efforts in the previous election cycle.", "published": "2026-06-30T18:19:17+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "politics" }, { "slug": "united-states" }, { "slug": "voting" }, { "slug": "elections" }, { "slug": "regulation" }, { "slug": "companies" } ], "slug": "crypto-companies-spent-2026-us-election-cycle-public-citizen", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273237" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Business use of stablecoins set for growth surge: Cybrid report ", "leadText": "The majority of businesses surveyed are likely to use stablecoins within the next 12 months, while regulatory clarity remained the biggest barrier to wider adoption.", "author": { "slug": "nate-kostar" }, "bodyText": "Business use of stablecoins is poised to surge in the next 12 months as adoption of the digital currency goes mainstream, according to a new report from payments infrastructure firm Cybrid.
The report found 42% of businesses surveyed are already using stablecoins for cross-border payments and 88% of respondents said they are likely or very likely to use stablecoins within the next 12 months. Still, only 2% identified as committed users of traditional payment rails.
Businesses using stablecoins reported average cross-border payment cost savings of 35%, with companies processing more than $100 million in monthly payment volume reporting average savings of up to 47%, according to the survey.
\nSource: Cybrid report
The global stablecoin market cap is now at $307.64 billion, led by Tether's USDT, at $184.7 billion, and Circle's USDC, at $73.51 billion, Coingecko data shows. Fueled by recent legislation, GENIUS Act-compliant stablecoins have reached a market cap of more than $76 billion. That established the first federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins in the United States.
The report is based on a survey of 468 executives and business leaders conducted between April 28 and May 4.
Payroll and contractor payments were the most common stablecoin use case among respondents, followed by supplier payments, customer payments, investment and yield generation, vendor payments, and treasury and liquidity management.
Regulatory clarity was also a top factor respondents said would increase their confidence in expanding stablecoin use, with 71% identifying it as more important than trusted infrastructure providers or integration with existing systems.
Respondents came from the technology, financial services and ecommerce sectors in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, including C-suite executives, finance and treasury managers, and payments and operations leaders.
Related: Breez launches Bitcoin-to-stablecoin payments across more than 30 blockchains
Separate industry data points to the same trend. In June, payments infrastructure provider Paybis said business customers accounted for nearly 98% of stablecoin payout volume processed through its platform during the first four months of 2026, up from 36% in 2023.
Paybis also cited McKinsey research estimating that business-to-business transactions accounted for roughly 60% of the $390 billion in global stablecoin payment volume recorded in 2025.
Companies have continued expanding infrastructure to support growing business demand. In May, Falcon Finance debuted the dollar-backed stablecoin fUSD through Anchorage Digital Bank's federally regulated issuance platform, targeting institutional trading, collateral and treasury workflows.
On Monday, BNY expanded its digital asset custody platform to support Circle's USDC, allowing institutional clients to store, transfer, mint and redeem the stablecoin directly through the bank.
\nSource: DefiLlama
Magazine: AI is banking the unbanked in Africa… faster than crypto
", "description": "Cybrid found 42% of businesses surveyed already use stablecoins for cross-border payments, while 41% plan to adopt them within a year. ", "published": "2026-06-30T17:34:31+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bny-mellon" }, { "slug": "enterprise" }, { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "genius-act" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "42-of-businesses-surveyed-use-stablecoins-for-cross-border-payments-cybrid-report", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273233" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "MetaMask launches stablecoin yield account with card spending", "leadText": "MetaMask launches Money Account it says offers up to 4% variable APY on mUSD stablecoin balances and card spending, with DeFi-powered yield via vaults, excluding the UK and sanctioned jurisdictions.", "author": { "slug": "helen-partz" }, "bodyText": "Update, June 30, 6:13 pm UTC: This article has been updated to correct the availability of MetaMask Money Account. Consensys said the Money Account is unavailable in the United Kingdom and sanctioned jurisdictions, not the European Union.
MetaMask, a self-custodial wallet developed by Consensys, is launching a new product that it says lets users earn yield on its MetaMask USD (mUSD) stablecoin and spend it via a card exclusively on the Monad blockchain.
The company on Tuesday announced the launch of Money Account, a product it says offers up to 4% variable annual percentage yield (APY) on eligible stablecoin deposits in supported jurisdictions.
“Your balance earns the moment you add funds, and you can spend the moment you need to,” Consensys CEO Joe Lubin said in a statement seen by Cointelegraph.
The launch comes amid ongoing debate over yield-bearing stablecoin products in the US, where the CLARITY Act includes provisions restricting the payment of interest or yield on payment stablecoins when tied to holding.
Money Account generates yield through decentralized finance (DeFi) lending strategies rather than issuer-paid interest, MetaMask senior director of product Johann Bornman told Cointelegraph.
The system relies on two entirely separate mechanisms, separating how the stablecoin is backed from how yield is generated, Bornman said.
\n
A preview of MetaMask’s Money Account. Source: ConsenSys
The first mechanism involves stablecoin backing. Bridge, a Stripe company, holds US dollar reserves and short-term Treasury bills that back mUSD on a 1:1 basis. Under this structure, the issuer does not pay any yield to holders.
The second mechanism is the DeFi yield layer. When users deposit into a Money Account, funds are routed through onchain vault provider Veda, which allocates capital into established lending protocols such as Aave and Morpho.
“Simply put, mUSD’s reserve backing and the yield users earn are structurally separate,” Bornman said, adding: “The yield doesn’t come from the issuer, it comes from DeFi protocol activity.”
The Money Account is rolling out globally on Tuesday, except in the United Kingdom and sanctioned jurisdictions, Bornman said.
As MetaMask operates a self-custodial wallet, the platform itself does not require Know Your Customer checks, but KYC is required for any features that interact with regulated services, including fiat on-ramps and the MetaMask Card.
Related: Trezor adds native USDt, USDC yield via Morpho integration
“Money Account itself does not require KYC, users can hold mUSD and earn yield with the click of a button,” Bornman said. “Where KYC is required, those checks are carried out by third-party providers that operate those regulated services, not by MetaMask,” he added.
The launch comes less than a year after MetaMask officially launched its wallet-native mUSD stablecoin in September 2025.
\n
MetaMask USD (mUSD) market capitalization since launch. Source: CoinGecko
The stablecoin’s market capitalization briefly peaked above $100 million shortly after launch before slipping below $30 million, according to CoinGecko data.
At the time of writing, mUSD’s market cap stood at $32 million, placing it among smaller US dollar-pegged stablecoins by market size.
Magazine: Bitcoin decouples from tech stocks, Ether eyes ‘selling wave’: Market Moves
", "description": "MetaMask introduces Money Account enabling yield on its mUSD stablecoin and global card spending via DeFi vaults on Monad with up to 4% APY.", "published": "2026-06-30T15:00:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "consensys" }, { "slug": "defi" }, { "slug": "metamask" }, { "slug": "self-custody" }, { "slug": "yields" }, { "slug": "industry" }, { "slug": "monad" } ], "slug": "metamask-money-account-musd-stablecoin-yield", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273205" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "OKX launches AI marketplace for autonomous agent economy", "leadText": "OKX launched a beta marketplace for the agentic economy, enabling AI agents to autonomously find work and collaborate with other agents.", "author": { "slug": "zoltan-vardai" }, "bodyText": "Cryptocurrency exchange OKX has rolled out the beta launch of its marketplace for artificial intelligence (AI) agents.
The OKX AI platform enables users to list their own AI agents, enables AI agents to find work, transact autonomously and build an onchain reputation, according to a Tuesday announcement shared with Cointelegraph.
The platform connects two marketplaces: An agent marketplace where builders can earn income by listing their AI agents for services and a task marketplace where agents post work and find other agents for their tasks.
Agentic AI is expected to drive a 24-fold increase in token consumption, that is units of compute, by 2030 as consumers and enterprises adopt the technology, Goldman Sachs Research said last month. OKX is the latest crypto platform to venture into AI infrastructure, following similar initiatives from Coinbase, MetaMask and Nansen.
The marketplace will remain in beta until “consistent, repeat usage patterns” emerge among users, with trading, onchain activity and research tasks expected to become the primary early categories on the platform, a spokesperson for OKX told Cointelegraph.
“OKX is economic infrastructure for agentic commerce. Nobody is combining identity, reputation, payments, and a skills marketplace into one platform,” explained the spokesperson.
\n
OKX AI agent marketplace. Source: OKX.ai
AI agent builds will be paid in Stablecoins, initially Tether's USDT (USDT) and Paxos' Global Dollar (USDG). Payments will settle through escrow-based contracts for complex work or instant pay-per-call transactions for standardized services.
Disputes will be resolved by a staked network of evaluators, instead of a central entity. All types of tasks will contribute to the same onchain reputation of AI agents, which is managed through the OKX Agentic Wallet.
The marketplace launches with support from companies including Amazon Web Services (AWS), AltLayer, CertiK, the Ethereum Foundation, the Solana Foundation, Opentensor Foundation and StraitsX.
The onchain reputation and escrow system is built to create trust in AI agents by tracking their work history. Agents with no track record or a history of failed or disputed work will be less likely to get hired by other agents.
For larger projects, payment sits in escrow until the task is completed and verified, which aims to “limit” the damage a bad actor can cause in a single transaction.
A spokesperson for OKX said that the onchain reputation system will prevent agents from hiring other malicious agents, especially as more transaction history accumulates.
The spokesperson said the platform is working on additional defense layers, including more sophisticated dispute resolution and an anomaly detection system against coordinated bad-actor behavior.
Cryptocurrency platforms are venturing into autonomous AI infrastructure. On June 12, Coinbase launched a tool that allows AI agents to make payments and trade crypto on behalf of users.
Days earlier, MetaMask launched a self-custodial cryptocurrency wallet that enables AI agents to transact across decentralized finance protocols within user-defined spending and security limits, as reported by Cointelegraph on June 8.
In January, crypto analytics platform Nansen launched autonomous cryptocurrency trading tools that enabled users to execute trades through natural language prompts, instead of traditional charts or order books.
Related: Not every AI agent needs its own cryptocurrency: CZ
Agentic payment activity on Coinbase’s Base network topped 100 million transactions on June 3, signaling that machine-to-machine payments have moved beyond the proof-of-concept.
\n
Cumulative agentic transfer volumes on Base. Source: Chainalysis
The x402 protocol allows software agents to make onchain payments directly through web requests.
Magazine: ‘Accidental jailbreaks’ and ChatGPT’s links to murder, suicide
", "description": "OKX launched a beta marketplace for the AI agent economy, enabling AI agents to autonomously find work and collaborate with other agents.", "published": "2026-06-30T14:39:39+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "marketplace" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrency-exchange" }, { "slug": "ai" }, { "slug": "defi" }, { "slug": "okx" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "okx-ai-marketplace-autonomous-agent-economy", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273229" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Strategy's new plan divides industry observers even as MSTR, STRC climb", "leadText": "Strategy’s new Bitcoin capital framework draws Wall Street backing from Benchmark with a $570 per share target even as traders question long-term demand risk.", "author": { "slug": "helen-partz" }, "bodyText": "Michael Saylor’s Strategy won support from some Wall Street analysts after unveiling a new capital framework, but the changes also sparked debate over the company’s long-term Bitcoin strategy and sustainability.
Benchmark Equity Research on Monday reiterated its Buy rating on Strategy’s Class A stock MSTR and maintained a 12-month price target of $570, according to a report reviewed by Cointelegraph.
Strategy's common Class A stock, MSTR, rose 12.6% to about $92.70 on Monday, while its STRC preferred shares climbed 12.2% to around $83.70, according to TradingView and Yahoo Finance.
However, both stocks edged lower in premarket activity on Tuesday as some investors and industry observers remained skeptical about the durability of the new capital model.
With its latest capital framework update, Strategy authorized potential Bitcoin (BTC) sales of up to $1.25 billion to raise capital instead of relying solely on issuing stock or debt.
The amount is equal to roughly 21,082 BTC at current prices, according to CoinGecko, or about 2.5% of the company's total holdings of 847,363 BTC.
\n
Source: TradingView
While Strategy has long described itself as a long-term accumulator of Bitcoin, the move is not the first time it has sold the biggest cryptocurrency. The company sold 32 BTC for $2.5 million in May 2026 and previously sold 704 BTC in 2022 as part of a tax-related transaction strategy, later repurchasing a similar amount of BTC.
Benchmark argued the new framework addresses the main concerns investors had raised following weeks of volatility, giving the company more flexibility to manage its capital structure.
In the report, the research analysts said the changes transform Strategy from a "one-way" Bitcoin accumulation vehicle into an active manager of both sides of its balance sheet.
\n
Source: Benchmark Equity Research
"The upshot is that Strategy is now an active manager of both sides of its capital structure, an approach that we view as a significant positive for its shareholders," Benchmark's analysts wrote.
Related: Grayscale's Pandl says Strategy should sell $3B Bitcoin to restore confidence
Investor Simon Dedic said the move could mark a local bottom, suggesting that recent concerns around the company’s structure may have been overdone. The Moonrock Capital founder and managing partner also suggested some of the recent selling pressure may have come from Strategy preparing liquidity in advance of the update.
Not everyone viewed the new framework as a positive. Trader and investor Scott Melker said Strategy appears to be making the changes investors wanted to see, including building a larger cash reserve and adopting a more flexible capital strategy.
However, he cautioned that "only time will tell" whether the new framework restores investor confidence, adding that Strategy has been the market's main Bitcoin buyer.
Arca chief investment officer Jeff Dorman said that Strategy may need to sell about $2 billion to $3 billion worth of Bitcoin to eliminate a “constant overhang” on the market.
\n
Source: Jeff Dorman
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse also criticized the company's approach, arguing that "financial engineering doesn't drive long-term value." He told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" that Michael Saylor's team "wasn't focused on the right stuff" and that the strategy had "hurt the overall market."
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "Strategy shares rose after unveiling a new Bitcoin capital framework, but premarket weakness and investor debate raised questions over sustainability.", "published": "2026-06-30T14:14:47+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "stocks" }, { "slug": "microstrategy" }, { "slug": "michael-saylor" } ], "slug": "strategy-new-plan-split-community-mstr-strc-climb", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273225" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Theo becomes first crypto-native investor in Fidelity tokenized fund", "leadText": "The onchain capital markets platform allocated $20 million to Fidelity International's tokenized liquidity fund as tokenized Treasury products continue to attract institutional capital. ", "author": { "slug": "nate-kostar" }, "bodyText": "Theo, an onchain capital markets platform, has invested $20 million in Fidelity International's USD Digital Liquidity Fund (FILQ). Theo said the investment makes it the first crypto-native platform to allocate capital to the asset manager's tokenized fund.
Executed through Sygnum, a Swiss digital asset bank that provides regulated banking, custody and tokenization services for institutional clients, the allocation adds FILQ to Theo's institutional tokenized Treasury product, thBILL.
FILQ is a Moody's Aaa-mf-rated tokenized US dollar liquidity fund built on Sygnum's Desygnate platform that invests in diversified short-term money market instruments designed to preserve capital and liquidity. Chainlink provides onchain net asset value and distribution data for the fund through its Runtime Environment, while JPMorgan receives and approves the daily NAV data, according to the release.
Fidelity International managed $1.06 trillion in total assets as of March 31, according to the company, while Theo said its products have processed more than $1 billion in cumulative trading volume across more than 80,000 users in over 60 countries.
RWA.xyz data shows FILQ currently manages about $55.1 million in onchain assets, suggesting Theo's $20 million allocation represents a significant share of the fund.
\nSource: RWA.xzy
Related: Franklin Templeton launches dedicated crypto division after closing 250 Digital acquisition
Tokenized US Treasury products have become the largest segment of the tokenized real-world asset market. According to RWA.xyz, the sector has more than doubled over the past year, growing from about $6.9 billion in distributed value in late June 2025 to approximately $14.6 billion as of late June 2026.
RWA.xyz tracks 83 tokenized Treasury products held by more than 64,000 investors, with offerings from Circle, BlackRock, Ondo, Franklin Templeton and Securitize each managing more than $2 billion in distributed value.
\nTokenized US Treasuries. Source: RWA.xyz
The market's growth has been accompanied by new fund launches and distribution partnerships from traditional financial firms. In May, JPMorgan launched JLTXX, a tokenized government money market fund on Ethereum (ETH) that invests in US Treasury bills and overnight repurchase agreements.
The following month, Franklin Templeton partnered with MoonPay to expand institutional access to its BENJI tokenized money market fund, allowing eligible institutions to move between supported stablecoins and tokenized fund exposure through an onchain trading workflow.
Magazine: Bitcoin decouples from tech stocks, Ether eyes ‘selling wave’: Market Moves
", "description": "Theo invested $20 million in Fidelity International's tokenized liquidity fund, becoming the first crypto-native platform to allocate capital to the onchain investment product.", "published": "2026-06-30T14:00:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "banks" }, { "slug": "asset-management" }, { "slug": "digital-asset-management" }, { "slug": "rwa" }, { "slug": "rwa-tokenization" }, { "slug": "institutions" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "fidelity-tokenized-fund-first-crypto-native-investor", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273157" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Swan's Cory Klippsten sees record Bitcoin holder supply revealing early bottom", "leadText": "The record Bitcoin supply held by long-term holders may suggest that the crypto market bottom will come early, according to Swan’s Cory Klippsten.", "author": { "slug": "zoltan-vardai" }, "bodyText": "The Bitcoin holding level of long-term investors has reached a record high of 14.7 million Bitcoin, which could suggest that the crypto market bottom will come early, according to Cory Klippsten, CEO of Swan Bitcoin.
“We're at an all-time high of BTC held in addresses of long-term holders,” Klippsten told Cointelegraph in an interview, which he said has “marked cycle lows historically.”
Bitcoin (BTC) supply held by long-term holders reached 14.7 million BTC on Wednesday, an all-time high that “signals continued conviction” among seasoned investors, according to crypto analytics platform Glassnode.
Klippsten said these figures suggest that Bitcoin may find its cycle bottom earlier compared to previous cycles. That stands in contrast to several other analyses, including Lebit Mining Pool founder Jiang Zhuoer, who predicted that Bitcoin would only bottom between October and December 2026, or about six months after Strategy's Multiple to Net Asset Value (mNAV) found its cycle low.
“MSTR's mNAV has already dropped to 0.72,” approaching the lowest point of 0.7 seen on May 11, 2022, wrote Zhuoer, adding that Bitcoin may bottom with a six-month gap following Strategy’s mNAV, which may result in a cycle low near $42,000 to $44,000.
The mNAV measures a company’s stock market value compared to the intrinsic value of its treasury holdings. Both predictions suggest that Bitcoin’s price may sink lower, offering cheaper entry points for investors.
\n
Cointelegraph's Ciaran Lyons (left) and Swan Bitcoin CEO Cory Klippsten (right), during an interview. Source: Cointelegraph
Long-term holders restarted their Bitcoin accumulation at the end of 2025, nearly two months after early October's record $19 billion liquidation event.
The supply of Bitcoin held by long-term holders was 16.65 million BTC at publication time, up 14% from 14.6 million BTC on Nov. 26, data provider Coinglass shows.
\n
Bitcoin long-term holder supply chart. Source: Coinglass
Coinglass tracks Bitcoin held by long-term holders, or addresses that held BTC for at least 155 days. Increases in that cohort are often seen as a sign of confidence in Bitcoin’s future value, showing reluctance to sell at current prices.
Related: DeFi TVL drops 39% in 2026 amid market downturn and record hack activity
Other regulatory developments may also influence Bitcoin’s price action, such as the uncertainty about the passage of the CLARITY Act, according to crypto-focused asset manager Grayscale.
If the CLARITY Act doesn’t pass this year, Strategy and other treasury companies may continue to further “deleverage,” causing Bitcoin to “fall moderately further,” wrote Grayscale’s head of research, Zach Pandl, in a Friday report.
On Monday, Galaxy Digital cut its odds of the CLARITY Act becoming law in 2026 to 50%, warning that the US Senate is running out of time to move the crypto market structure bill before its August recess.
The legislation is set for a House of Representatives committee hearing on July 17. The bill aims to establish the first regulatory framework for digital assets in the US, but has faced pushback from the banking industry over allowing yield on stablecoin holdings.
Magazine: Bitcoin, the ‘canary in the coal mine,’ XRP transaction demand falls 91.5%: Market Moves
", "description": "The record Bitcoin supply held by long-term holders may suggest that the crypto market bottom will come earlier than in previous cycles, according to Swan’s Cory Klippsten.", "published": "2026-06-30T13:44:21+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-price" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-analysis" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-regulation" }, { "slug": "predictions" }, { "slug": "grayscale" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-adoption" } ], "slug": "record-bitcoin-holder-supply-early-bottom-swan-ceo", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273221" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "StarkWare unveils Starknet quantum roadmap, says industry has no excuse ", "leadText": "“The crypto industry shouldn’t need wake-up calls from the White House or anyone else,” said StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson.\n", "author": { "slug": "martin-young" }, "bodyText": "Zero-knowledge scaling company StarkWare has released a quantum-resistant roadmap for Starknet, arguing that other chains will remain exposed if the industry is “too stubborn or stupid” to act.
In an announcement on Tuesday, Starknet framed its three-phased quantum-resistant roadmap as evidence that the crypto industry has no excuse for remaining vulnerable to future quantum computing attacks.
“The tried-and-tested cryptography exists to secure every crypto key in the world, if necessary changes are made, and the only reason anyone will remain vulnerable is if heads remain buried in the sand,” said Eli Ben-Sasson, CEO at StarkWare.
Efforts to quantum-proof blockchains are accelerating as some researchers warn that quantum computing could outpace blockchain’s defenses and cryptographically relevant quantum machines could be ready before 2030.
The Bitcoin community remains divided on how to approach securing old coins against the quantum threat, while other networks are forging ahead with quantum roadmaps.
Ben-Sasson said Starknet can become resistant to quantum attacks by “seizing on its architecture advantage,” pointing to its zero-knowledge STARK (Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge) proofs, which are “inherently post-quantum safe.”
“There’s an awful irony in the notion that a young industry born from rejecting the way things have always been done is stalling and procrastinating about making changes for quantum security.”
Speaking to Cointelegraph, Ben-Sasson said that "we are currently in a position where the necessary cryptographic tools to secure our future actually exist."
We aren't waiting for a miracle invention; we have the solutions. It is legitimate for people to hesitate before taking on the human coordination required. That concern is real and valid. But the issue is that if we don't address this, we will have missed the chance.
Related: Trump signs orders for quantum computer, cryptography upgrades
He added that crypto has an “elliptical illusion,” distorting reality around elliptic-curve cryptography, the current standard for securing blockchains.
Believing that this will be quantum resistant is “false confidence” that is leaving the industry “dangerously complacent,” he said.
"The migration paths we're discussing are objectively difficult," he said. "There are hard technical trade-offs, complex governance decisions, and a massive amount of human coordination involved. The changes needed are definitely not trivial, and I fully acknowledge the scale of the task ahead."
“The crypto industry shouldn’t need wake-up calls from the White House or anyone else. We should all be acting and seizing on the best cryptography that exists.”
The first phase involves swapping out some of its current security math (Pedersen hashing) for quantum-resistant versions and adding quantum-resistant signatures.
Phase two focuses on migration tooling that quietly upgrades existing smart contracts to the new quantum-safe standard, without forcing developers to manually rebuild apps.
Phase three covers dependencies that Starknet cannot resolve alone, which largely depend on Ethereum’s quantum upgrade roadmap.
Circle, Ethereum, Solana, Tezos and Algorand have all proposed quantum-proof roadmaps, while the Bitcoin community remains at loggerheads.
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "StarkWare's CEO outlined a phased plan to quantum-proof the Starknet network, calling on other blockchain networks to act now. \n", "published": "2026-06-30T13:30:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "quantum-computing" }, { "slug": "zk-stark" } ], "slug": "starkware-ceo-blasts-crypto-complacency-in-quantum-threat-elliptic-illusion", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273181" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Spiko links EU regulated T-bill funds to Coinbase stablecoin rails", "leadText": "Spiko integrated Coinbase Payments into two EU regulated UCITS Treasury funds, enabling USDC and EURC subscriptions and redemption payments through Base.", "author": { "slug": "ezra-reguerra" }, "bodyText": "Investment firm Spiko has integrated Coinbase’s stablecoin payment infrastructure into two regulated EU Treasury-bill funds, allowing eligible investors to fund subscriptions and receive redemption proceeds using USDC and EURC.
Coinbase said Tuesday the integration covers Spiko’s EU T-Bills Money Market Fund and US T-Bills Money Market Fund. Both are structured as Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities, or UCITS. Coinbase Payments will provide the payment, wallet and application programming interface (API) infrastructure, with the transactions settling on Base, Coinbase’s layer-2 network.
The exchange said the products are the first UCITS funds in Europe to accept direct stablecoin payments.
The move into UCITS funds comes as net sales of the assets rebounded in April, the latest data from trade group EFAMA showed on Monday. UCITS saw net inflows of 104 billion euros that month, compared to net outflows of 41 billion euros in March. Net sales reached a new record in 2025, totaling 828 billion euros and surpassing the previous 2021 high of 813 billion euros.
Coinbase described the integration as an example of how stablecoins could reshape payments infrastructure for mutual funds by removing bottlenecks for investors as they enter and exit a product. It positions stablecoins as settlement infrastructure, connecting onchain capital with regulated investment funds.
Investors can submit subscriptions at any time, including weekends and holidays. At the same time, redemption proceeds can be delivered to a stablecoin wallet within minutes after a position is liquidated.
Despite this, round-the-clock stablecoin transfers do not necessarily mean that the underlying fund continuously processes subscriptions and redemptions. Spiko said the Coinbase integration introduces a new payment method rather than changing the funds themselves.
Coinbase said it was preparing a response to Cointelegraph's request for comment but did not provide one before publication.
Related: Coinbase, Kraken and OKX move to swoop up EU users affected by MiCA restrictions
Other asset managers have tested ways to provide 24/7 access to tokenized funds. In February, WisdomTree received approval for round-the-clock secondary trading and instant USDC settlement of its tokenized Treasury fund, with liquidity supplied by its broker-dealer while primary fund processes remained unchanged.
Tokenized money market funds are also increasingly being used as infrastructure beyond subscriptions and redemptions. In February, Franklin Templeton and Binance introduced a program allowing institutions to pledge tokenized fund shares as off-exchange trading collateral while the assets remain in regulated custody
Magazine: China’s 107 Bitcoin memory thief, Bithumb CEO booked: Asia Express
", "description": "Spiko’s regulated Treasury funds now accept USDC and EURC through Coinbase Payments, although fund orders remain subject to daily processing.", "published": "2026-06-30T13:21:03+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "blockchain" }, { "slug": "coinbase" }, { "slug": "europe" }, { "slug": "stablecoin" }, { "slug": "tokenization" } ], "slug": "spiko-coinbase-stablecoin-payments-treasury-funds", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273217" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Solana Company to back Kazakhstan’s $6B crypto megacity ambition", "leadText": "Nasdaq-listed Solana Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kazakhstan's Alatau City, which seeks to become a key crypto hub in Central Asia. ", "author": { "slug": "felix-ng" }, "bodyText": "Nasdaq-listed crypto treasury firm Solana Company signed an agreement to support the development of Alatau City, Kazakhstan’s planned digital-first megacity.
The company signed a memorandum of understanding to advise and help build Alatau City’s blockchain and crypto infrastructure during the Alatau City Roadshow in Shenzhen and Hong Kong in June, which reportedly secured 30 cooperation agreements with a combined investment potential of over $6 billion.
“We look forward to deepening this partnership and expanding the Solana ecosystem's footprint across the region,” said Solana Company chair and CEO Joseph Chee.
The deal further pushes Kazakhstan into Solana’s corner. Last year, Kazakhstan launched Central Asia’s first Solana Economic Zone in the country’s capital of Astana with the Solana Foundation.
The Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) launched its first Solana ETF last week, giving investors regulated exposure to Solana (SOL) through one of the biggest stock exchanges in Central Asia.
The Solana Foundation also signed a memorandum of understanding with Alatau City to develop its blockchain capabilities during the China roadshow.
The collaboration between Solana Company and Alatau City will cover four areas: digital asset treasury, blockchain infrastructure, accelerating the institutional adoption of blockchain and platform development.
Alisher Abdykadyrov, CEO of the Alatau City Authority, said the MOU will also see Solana Company participate in the development of the Alatau Crypto Cluster, a dedicated pilot zone and special economic area in the upcoming city where crypto will be permitted for everyday transactions.
The Alatau City megaproject was first unveiled to an international audience by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in May 2024. The city is still primarily in early development and planning stages.
\n
The village of Zhetygen, pictured in March 2023, before it was designated a city and renamed to Alatau. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Planners envision it as a fully integrated smart city with low-altitude aircraft, robotaxis and autonomous drones handling urban transportation and deliveries, with hydrogen energy powering its economy.
During the Solana Summit Kazakhstan 2026, Arman Tastanbekov, deputy CEO of the Alatau City Authority, said that Alatau City would be built with artificial intelligence, digital identity and blockchain technology from the beginning.
It hasn’t come without its challengers, however, with Kazakhstan’s National Bank and Financial Monitoring Agency reportedly expressing concerns about the constitutional changes required to support a crypto-based economy, The Diplomat reported in March.
Other independent news reports suggest that the current residents of Alatau City are still dealing with a lack of gas, water, electricity and internet connectivity, suggesting the futuristic city is still far from reality.
Cointelegraph reached out to Alatau City for comment.
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "Solana Company signed an agreement to help build blockchain infrastructure for Kazakhstan's planned Alatau City, a digital-first megacity backed by more than $6 billion in potential investment.", "published": "2026-06-30T12:00:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "investments" }, { "slug": "kazakhstan" }, { "slug": "smart-city" } ], "slug": "solana-company-to-back-kazakhstans-6b-crypto-megacity-ambition", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273177" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "ESMA MiCA warning puts Binance EU service changes under scrutiny", "leadText": "ESMA said EU crypto clients must be served through a MiCA-authorized entity as Binance faces questions over its servicing model in the region after the MiCA deadline.", "author": { "slug": "helen-partz" }, "bodyText": "European Union crypto clients should be served through a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA)-authorized legal entity after the bloc’s July 1 transitional deadline, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) told Cointelegraph, adding to questions over how global exchanges can keep servicing users in the region.
Crypto asset service providers (CASPs) must hold MiCA authorization to serve clients across the EU and European Economic Area, an ESMA spokesperson told Cointelegraph on Monday.
“EU clients should be serviced through a MiCA-authorized entity,” the ESMA representative said, adding that MiCA protections apply only to the legal entity that is licensed in the EU.
The clarification came shortly after Binance told its users it was adjusting services in certain EU countries, including Poland, France, Spain and Italy, as part of its MiCA transition. Binance said users in other countries would not need to take action if they were not based in a jurisdiction where the exchange operates through a local registered entity, saying in those cases that “no action is required at this time.”
The ESMA said CASPs based outside the EU cannot provide their services to local customers unless they fall under the “narrow exemption” of reverse solicitation provided by Article 61 of MiCA.
Article 61 allows a non-EU crypto company to serve an EU client without a MiCA license only when the client initiates the relationship entirely on their own, without any solicitation, marketing or promotion by the company.
However, the regulation makes clear that the exemption does not apply if a third-country company solicits clients in the EU.
"MiCA established that where a third-country firm solicits clients or prospective clients in the Union [...] it shall not be deemed to be a service provided on the client's own exclusive initiative," an ESMA spokesperson told Cointelegraph.
\nExcerpt from ESMA's list of examples of solicitation by third-country companies. Source: ESMA
The regulator also cited its official solicitation guidelines, which include activities such as operating websites, mobile apps, social media, online advertising, sponsorships and influencer campaigns targeting EU users.
Screenshots of Binance customer support messages circulating on social media appeared to suggest that some EU users could be serviced through Binance’s Abu Dhabi Global Market entity.
Yuriy Brisov, a lawyer at Digital & Analogue Partners, said an Abu Dhabi license has no effect under MiCA because the jurisdiction is treated as a third country, alongside markets such as the United States or Singapore.
\nSource: Satoshi Club
"Being regulated in Abu Dhabi does nothing for Binance under MiCA," Brisov said. "When Binance says some EU users are serviced through the ADGM entity, in MiCA terms that means a non-EU company is serving those users,” he added.
Related: Germany leads MiCA crypto authorization race as Europe’s deadline looms
Brisov said that the reverse solicitation exemption was designed for isolated cases where an EU customer independently approaches a non-EU company, not for maintaining an existing customer base built through years of marketing.
Binance did not respond to repeated Cointelegraph requests for clarification on whether any EU users would be serviced through its ADGM entity after the MiCA deadline.
Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026
", "description": "ESMA says EU crypto users must be served through a MiCA-authorized entity and points to Article 61's narrow reverse solicitation exemption.", "published": "2026-06-30T11:25:48+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "europe" }, { "slug": "esma" }, { "slug": "european-union" }, { "slug": "binance" }, { "slug": "mica" }, { "slug": "regulation" } ], "slug": "esma-challenge-binance-serving-certain-eu-users-post-mica", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273209" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Michigan judge blocks Kalshi from allowing residents to place sports bets", "leadText": "A Michigan Judge has temporarily blocked Kalshi from offering sports betting contracts to residents, escalating the state-federal fight over prediction markets and gambling laws.", "author": { "slug": "zoltan-vardai" }, "bodyText": "A Michigan judge temporarily blocked prediction market Kalshi from allowing residents to place bets on sporting events, after the state's attorney general accused the platform of violating gambling laws.
Kalshi was hit with a temporary restraining order from Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who said the platform would be fined $120,000 for each day it fails to comply with the order’s geolocation requirements, according to a Monday court filing. The order lasts for 14 days and expires on July 13.
Aquilina wrote that Michigan residents would suffer irreparable harm from being “exploited by Kalshi's sports betting operation masquerading as an investment opportunity.”
The move adds to the growing regulatory scrutiny on prediction market sports betting. It makes Michigan the second US state to enact a court-ordered ban on Kalshi’s sports event contracts, after Nevada issued a temporary ban on Kalshi earlier in March.
On June 17, Kentucky sued five prediction market platforms, including Kalshi and Polymarket, accusing them of operating unlicensed sports betting platforms. More than a dozen other states have taken prediction market operators to court.
The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has sued several states, arguing that federally regulated event contracts fall under its exclusive authority.
Cointelegraph has approached Kalshi for comment on how the platform will respond to the verdict.
\n
State of Michigan vs. Kalshi, court filing. Source: Law360
Sports betting activity has been rising on prediction markets since the beginning of the FIFA World Cup.
Daily taker volume, which measures contracts bought or sold by traders filling existing orders, reached a record $713 million on June 20, according to Dune data. The milestone came more than a week after the World Cup started on June 11.
\n
Daily prediction market taker volume. Source: Dune
Looking at monthly prediction market volume, sports betting was the leading category on the two largest prediction markets, rising 40% to $9.5 billion on Kalshi and 175% to $5.3 billion on Polymarket, Defirate data shows.
A June 11 Bernstein report predicted that the 2026 FIFA World Cup would generate more than $3 billion in incremental sports betting handle and between $5 billion and $10 billion in additional consumer prediction market volume.
Related: Kalshi in early IPO talks with investment banks: Report
The World Cup winner contract alone has generated over $3.5 billion in trading volume on Polymarket, according to platform data.
\n
World Cup Winner event contract. Source: Polymarket
The growing betting activity helped Polymarket emerge as an onboarding layer for new cryptocurrency users, as about 60% of World Cup bettors interacted with the blockchain for the first time during their prediction market entry, according to a Bitget Wallet study of 857,000 users, shared with Cointelegraph.
Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026
", "description": "A Michigan Judge blocked Kalshi from offering sports betting contracts to residents, making it the second US state to enact a court-ordered ban on the platform.", "published": "2026-06-30T10:08:26+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "football" }, { "slug": "united-states" }, { "slug": "court" }, { "slug": "regulation" }, { "slug": "polymarket" }, { "slug": "kalshi" }, { "slug": "prediction-markets" } ], "slug": "michigan-judge-blocks-kalshi-sports-bets", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273201" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Celsius-linked Bitcoin miner Ionic Digital seeks Nasdaq direct listing amid AI pivot", "leadText": "The Celsius-linked Bitcoin miner is seeking a Nasdaq direct listing as it repurposes mining infrastructure for AI and high-performance computing workloads.", "author": { "slug": "ezra-reguerra" }, "bodyText": "Bitcoin miner-turned-AI infrastructure company Ionic Digital has filed for a Nasdaq direct listing that could give former Celsius creditors a public market for shares they received through the bankrupt lender’s restructuring.
Registered stockholders may sell up to 10.8 million Class A shares under the proposed IOND ticker, according to a registration statement filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday.
Ionic was formed in 2024 to acquire Celsius Mining’s assets through the bankrupt lender’s restructuring. In the filing, Ionic said it started repositioning itself in 2025 from a pure-play Bitcoin miner into a broader digital infrastructure company serving artificial intelligence and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads.
The proposed direct Nasdaq listing will not raise new capital for Ionic, according to the filing. Instead, the listing will establish a public market for existing shareholders, including former Celsius creditors who received Ionic shares through the bankruptcy plan.
Ionic’s AI pivot revolves around its 234-megawatt Ward County property in Texas, originally developed for Bitcoin mining. In October 2025, the company leased the site to AI infrastructure provider Nscale under a 126-month agreement representing nearly $2 billion in contracted revenue.
Ionic said the agreement could be expanded to include an additional 89 MW if the company secures the required capacity and approvals. This potentially increases its contracted revenue to about $2.6 billion, according to the company.
Related: Celsius’ Mashinsky gets permanent trading ban in CFTC settlement
The shift has started to appear in Ionic’s financial results. The company recorded $44 million in digital infrastructure leasing revenue in the first quarter of 2026, while Bitcoin mining revenue fell 82% year over year to $7.4 million as it repurposed Ward County and reduced the number of active miners, according to its SEC filing on Monday.
\n
Ionic Digital’s reported revenue. Source: SEC filing
The filing follows Ionic’s completion of a $400 million equity private placement on Friday. Ionic said the proceeds would be used for general corporate purposes, while its CEO, Andy Stewart, said the funds would support the continued development of its digital infrastructure assets.
Magazine: Bitcoin decouples from tech stocks, Ether eyes ‘selling wave’: Market Moves
", "description": "Ionic Digital filed for a Nasdaq direct listing as the Celsius-linked Bitcoin miner pivots toward AI infrastructure after a $400 million raise.", "published": "2026-06-30T09:16:46+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "nasdaq" }, { "slug": "sec" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-mining" }, { "slug": "ai" }, { "slug": "celsius" } ], "slug": "ionic-digital-nasdaq-direct-listing-ai-pivot", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273193" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Australia’s crypto travel rule is coming into effect: Here’s what's changing", "leadText": "From July, crypto exchanges operating in Australia will prompt for additional information on all outgoing and incoming transfers.", "author": { "slug": "jesse-coghlan" }, "bodyText": "Crypto exchange users in Australia will soon face stricter rules on all transfers as the country’s travel rule is set to come into force on Wednesday, aligning it with similar rules in the EU, US and UK.
From July, all crypto sent and received on locally-regulated crypto exchanges will require users to provide additional information, such as the name of the person the crypto is being sent to or received from, and the name of the platform.
Gabby Lewis, the head of fraud and financial crime at Swyftx, told Cointelegraph that for most exchange users, “the impact should be very limited. They’ll provide the required details once, and then these will be saved for future use.”
The rules are set to bring Australia in line with other countries that have implemented the travel rule for years, which the Financial Action Task Force, an international policy-making body, first extended to crypto in 2019.
Crypto users have long expressed concern that the rule would impact the anonymity of the technology and the risks of data linking crypto transfers to personal information being leaked.
However, Lewis said that the “travel rule isn't crypto-specific. It already applies across financial services and has been implemented in areas including Singapore, the United States, New Zealand and the UK. Australia is now following suit.”
The rule aims to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing and scams by increasing the traceability of crypto transfers. It will be enforced by the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), the country’s financial intelligence agency.
Transfers from a regulated crypto exchange to a self-custodial address, such as a cold storage wallet, will also prompt a user to verify and declare that they are the owner of that address.
“We’re generally talking about a quick confirmation that the wallet is theirs,” Lewis said. “The additional steps mainly come into force for transfers that involve another party or another exchange.”
Australia’s travel rule has no minimum value threshold, meaning a transfer of any size will require an exchange to gather information, aligning it with countries including France, the Netherlands and Japan that have no minimum.
\n
Source: Sam Green
Other countries have set minimum reporting thresholds, such as the US, which only collects information on transfers starting at $3,000.
Some crypto exchanges operating in Australia have already begun to implement the travel rule, such as Kraken, which started on March 31, and CoinJar, which started on Tuesday.
Related: Australia passes digital asset bill bringing crypto platforms under licensing
Crypto users online have recently given mixed reactions to the rule, which the Australian parliament passed into law in 2024.
“With these new rules, you can forget about sending crypto anonymously,” a Reddit user wrote earlier this month.
“New travel rule is insane,” another Reddit user wrote earlier in June. “Thinking of moving everything to cold storage instead now.”
In response, one Reddit user said that “the regulated platforms were never anonymous.”
“This is less of a problem than you're making it out to be unless you're involved in activities the authorities would be interested in already,” another user wrote.
Magazine: Crypto scammers face death, Aussie CGT makes Asian hubs attractive: Asia Express
", "description": "Australia will implement a travel rule for crypto starting Wednesday, with regulated exchanges required to ask for additional information on all transfers to and from their platforms.", "published": "2026-06-30T07:29:02+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "australia" }, { "slug": "regulation" } ], "slug": "australias-crypto-travel-rule-takes-effect-on-july-1-whats-changing", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273189" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Cathie Wood’s ARK adds $43.5M in crypto stocks amid market dip", "leadText": "ARK Invest's biggest crypto stock purchases over the past three trading days were Coinbase and Circle, whose shares have fallen 17% and 27.6%, respectively, over the past month.", "author": { "slug": "brayden-lindrea" }, "bodyText": "Tech-focused asset manager ARK Invest has capitalized on the recent crypto market downturn, buying a combined $43.5 million worth of shares in crypto firms such as Coinbase and Circle over the past three trading days.
Data from ARK Invest shows the asset manager bought another 122,544 shares in Coinbase (COIN) worth about $18.6 million since Thursday, while adding another 169,777 shares in Circle (CRCL) worth roughly $12.9 million over the same time frame.
The firm also purchased nearly $5.2 million worth of shares in crypto exchange Bullish (BLSH) and added another $5.12 million in brokerage firm Robinhood (HOOD), which has pushed aggressively into the crypto tokenization space in recent months. It also bought $1.69 million worth of shares in crypto-friendly bank SoFi Technologies (SOFI) on Monday.
ARK’s purchases come as investors have turned bearish on these crypto-related stocks. CRCL, COIN and BLSH have fallen 27.6%, 16.9% and 26.3%, respectively, over the past month. During that time, Bitcoin (BTC) slipped to a near two-year low of $58,190, while confidence that the CLARITY Act will pass before the US midterm elections in November has faded.
\n
Most of the newly purchased shares were added to the ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK), the firm’s flagship fund, followed by the ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW).
Related: Kiwoom eyes Bithumb stake as Korean brokerages push into crypto: Report
The ARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF) was also topped up with crypto-related stocks.
ARK also added to its positions in Elon Musk’s SpaceX (SPCX) and software intelligence platform Palantir (PLTR) over the past three trading days.
Over the same period, ARK reduced positions in Alibaba (BABA), Roku (ROKU), Strata Critical Medical (SRTA) and several other companies.
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "ARK Invest has purchased $43.5 million worth of shares in Coinbase, Circle and other crypto companies over the past three trading days, taking advantage of the latest market dip.", "published": "2026-06-30T06:49:50+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "coinbase" }, { "slug": "circle" }, { "slug": "stocks" }, { "slug": "asset-management" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "cathie-woods-ark-scoops-up-43m-worth-of-crypto-stocks-amid-market-dip", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273185" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitmine lifts Ether holdings to 5.7M as it joins Russell 1000", "leadText": "Bitmine purchased about $43 million worth of Ether last week as it entered the Russell 1000 Index, bringing it closer to its goal of owning 5% of ETH’s supply.", "author": { "slug": "jesse-coghlan" }, "bodyText": "Ether treasury company Bitmine Immersion Technologies added more than 27,000 Ether to its holdings last week as the firm joined the Russell index tracking the largest 1,000 US companies.
Bitmine said Monday that after its latest $43 million purchase, it held just over 5.7 million Ether (ETH) bought at an average price of $1,569 per token and held 4.7% of the ETH supply of 120.7 million tokens, closer to its goal of owning 5% of Ether’s supply.
Bitmine chairman Tom Lee said the past week “was a challenging one for crypto investors as ETH fell by 8%, even as Ethereum witnessed notable positive developments such as the creation of Ethlabs, and even the Bank of England softened its stance around stablecoins.”
The latest Ether purchase adds to Bitmine’s lead as the largest public corporate holder of Ether. Meanwhile, its inclusion in the Russell 1000 means more investor demand for Bitmine shares, as many mutual funds, ETFs and pension funds track the Russell 1000 and must buy the stock once it's added.
Related: Bitmine eyes dividend-paying preferred shares, echoing Strategy’s playbook
“Being added to the Russell 1000 is expected to add hundreds and possibly thousands of additional institutional investors as equity owners of Bitmine," Lee said.
Lee had said in May, when Bitmine was first considered for the Russell index, that up to 25% of the market cap of a stock included in the index is held by passive index funds.
Shares in Bitmine (BMNR) gained 1.7% Monday to end trading at $13.80, but the company’s stock has slid 9% over the past trading week alongside Ether.
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Shares in Bitmine rose Monday, stemming losses over the past trading week. Source: Google Finance
Meanwhile, rival crypto treasury firms Sharplink and Forward Industries, along with crypto exchange Gemini and crypto services firm Galaxy Digital, were also added to the Russell 3000 Index on Friday, which tracks the largest 3,000 US companies.
Ether fell below $1,600 last week, with Lee commenting that “it is not surprising to see 'window dressing' leading to investors reducing their holdings in assets that have fallen in the past three months.”
Magazine: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 but onchain data promising: Market Moves
", "description": "Bitmine said it now owns 4.7% of Ether’s supply after its latest $43 million purchase, which came the same week it entered the Russell 1000 Index.", "published": "2026-06-30T05:03:33+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "business" }, { "slug": "stocks" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "bitmine-lifts-ethereum-holdings-to-57m-as-it-joins-russell-1000", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273173" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Sovereign funds see Bitcoin discount as entry point: MidChains CEO", "leadText": "It sends “a very clear signal” to other institutions that may be sitting on the sidelines and looking at these larger funds as leaders, said MidChains CEO Basil Al Askari.\n", "author": { "slug": "martin-young" }, "bodyText": "Sovereign wealth funds have been accumulating spot Bitcoin, a sign that Bitcoin’s current price level is becoming attractive to institutional investors, according to MidChains CEO Basil Al Askari.
While there has been a slowdown in retail crypto market participation, the opposite is being seen on the institutional and corporate side, Basil Al Askari said on Cointelegraph’s Chain Reaction podcast on Monday.
“I would be able to confirm that one, at least one, and possibly in the coming weeks, two sovereign wealth funds have been accumulating spot Bitcoin specifically,” he said.
A sovereign wealth fund is a state-owned investment fund, typically capitalized by a country’s reserves, so the move signals state-level conviction, not just private speculation. Sovereign wealth funds collectively control more than $13 trillion globally.
Al Askari, who heads MidChains, a regulated crypto trading platform focused on retail and institutions based in Abu Dhabi, said this low price point is seen very much as an “entry level for a lot of those mega funds” that have the patience to accumulate over an extended period of time.
\n
The potential impact on Bitcoin’s price is not going to be a massive cascade on the market immediately, he said, but it sends “a very clear signal” to other institutions that may be sitting on the sidelines and looking at these larger funds as leaders, seeking a “way to experiment and start to get involved” with Bitcoin.
Related: Bullish Bitcoin RSI divergence has analysts calling for 2022-style bear market bottom
“I do think this is what will happen, is that over the longer term period, we'll start to see Bitcoin becoming more and more scarce as a result of larger holders with much longer time horizons on their holding periods as far as looking at investments.”
Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Investment Company invested $437 million in BTC via BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) shares in February 2025, while Bhutan's Druk Holding and Investments is one of the earliest and most direct sovereign holders of the asset, but it has been selling some this year.
Coinbase’s head of institutional strategy, John D’Agostino, told CNBC earlier this month that the dip is being welcomed by institutional investors.
“I just got off a plane from the Middle East, and I can tell you that the family offices in the UAE and the government and sovereign funds that are putting the effort into buying this asset class are not unhappy at being able to buy it at a discount,” D’Agostino said.
The current situation has been mixed, with sustained US spot BTC exchange-traded fund outflows exceeding $4.1 billion so far this month. Meanwhile, corporate treasuries, primarily Strategy, which has scooped up 3,657 BTC this month, continue to accumulate.
Magazine: AI is banking the unbanked in Africa... faster than crypto
", "description": "UAE sovereign wealth funds have been buying spot Bitcoin at a discount, signaling growing institutional confidence, says MidChains CEO.\n", "published": "2026-06-30T04:53:34+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "bitcoin" }, { "slug": "uae" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrency-investment" }, { "slug": "institutions" } ], "slug": "sovereign-funds-see-bitcoin-discount-as-entry-point-midchains-ceo-says", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273169" }, { "category": { "slug": "latest-news" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "SEC wins $5.4M judgment in NanoBit crypto fraud case", "leadText": "The SEC alleged that NanoBit’s crypto trading platform was fake and that hundreds of thousands of dollars in investor funds were misappropriated.", "author": { "slug": "brayden-lindrea" }, "bodyText": "The US Securities and Exchange Commission has won its fraud suit against crypto platform NanoBit Limited, nearly two years after the agency accused it of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from at least 18 investors between 2023 and 2024.
The announcement by the SEC on Monday came nearly two weeks after the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York entered a final judgment against four entities and two individuals tied to the NanoBit fraud case on June 16.
The SEC alleged that NanoBit’s operators impersonated financial professionals in WhatsApp groups to trick investors into depositing funds on the fake platform. Instead, the funds were allegedly diverted to scheme participants, the SEC said.
The case is another example of the SEC’s continued crackdown on crypto-themed fraud under the Trump administration, even as the agency has softened its regulatory approach to crypto companies and revised what it considers to be a securities offering.
On May 29, the SEC charged a Texas man with allegedly running a fraud scheme that raised more than $12 million from roughly 150 investors by falsely claiming to use AI-powered trading bots to generate guaranteed returns.
In April, the SEC also charged crypto executive Donald Basile and two companies he controlled for raising roughly $16 million from hundreds of investors through false claims tied to a crypto token called Bitcoin Latinum.
The New York court found that the defendants violated US securities laws and issued permanent injunctions against them, prohibiting them from engaging in the issuance, purchase or sale of securities.
Related: Crypto scammers exploit World Cup ticket demand, TRM warns
NanoBit was ordered to pay a $1.18 million fine, disgorgement of more than $532,000 for the ill-gotten gains and prejudgment interest of nearly $81,200, totaling nearly $1.8 million.
NanoBit’s affiliates — Radiant Horizons, Sweet Karma and Zhao Deli — were each ordered to pay a $1.18 million fine, while one of the scheme’s main orchestrators, Jiajie Liu, was ordered to pay about $120,000 in penalties, disgorgement and prejudgment interest.
In the September 2024 complaint, the SEC alleged that NanoBit investors were solicited on social media, such as Instagram, before being added to the WhatsApp groups.
Investors were allegedly shown a fake dashboard depicting rising returns, creating the illusion that their funds were growing.
It allegedly persuaded investors by falsely claiming that its affiliate, NanobitUS Securities, was an SEC-registered broker, while also promoting fake initial coin offerings (ICOs) promising substantial returns.
However, “no transactions took place on the NanoBit platform and investors’ funds in fact went to scheme participants who wired more than $2 million to bank accounts in Hong Kong and misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of investors’ crypto assets,” the securities regulator alleged.
The SEC alleged that investors who sought to withdraw funds were met with excuses and asked to pay large fees, while others were removed from the WhatsApp groups for questioning the platform’s legitimacy.
Magazine: The end of anonymity? AI could unmask crypto’s hidden identities
", "description": "The SEC has resolved its fraud case against crypto platform NanoBit Limited, which was ordered to pay $5.4 million worth of fines for allegedly stealing funds from at least 18 investors between 2023 and 2024.", "published": "2026-06-30T04:06:34+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "fraud" }, { "slug": "scams" }, { "slug": "cryptocurrency-investment" }, { "slug": "industry" } ], "slug": "sec-wins-54m-judgment-in-nanobit-crypto-fraud-case", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273165" }, { "category": { "slug": "features" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Singapore's Hyperliquid warning, Indonesia's FinFluencer license: Asia Express ", "leadText": "Hyperliquid follows Bybit onto Singapore's \"naughty\" list, Indonesia's new scheme to certify social media influencers promoting crypto: Asia Express.", "author": { "slug": "andrew-fenton" }, "bodyText": "The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the city-state's central bank and financial regulator, has added decentralized perpetuals exchange Hyperliquid to its Investor Alert List.
The entry, added on Friday, includes the Hyper Foundation website and the Hyperliquid trading app.
The Investor Alert List is a consumer protection measure that identifies entities that may be wrongly perceived as licensed or regulated by MAS. Inclusion on the list does not constitute a ban or enforcement action.
MAS added crypto exchange Bybit to the list on June 17 and KuCoin and Bitget also appear.
Hyperliquid said that it has never claimed to be licensed or authorized by MAS and that nothing about its permissionless infrastructure has changed.
\nDon't look at this if you are in Singapore. (Hyperliquid)
Indonesia’s financial regulator has introduced certification requirements for influencers who recommend crypto and other digital financial assets, as the country expands oversight of financial promotions on social media.
Under Financial Services Authority Regulation No. 6 of 2026, announced Wednesday, individuals recommending digital assets must obtain competency certifications unless they are already subject to a separate licensing requirement.
Influencers may recommend only digital assets listed on authorized exchanges, while any service provider they recommend must also be licensed. Marketing campaigns must be conducted through regulated financial services businesses, which are responsible for the promotional content, and distributed through their official communication channels.
Indonesia joins a growing number of jurisdictions tightening oversight of financial influencers, also called finfluencers, with Australia and the United Kingdom introducing broader rules for investment promotions and the Philippines adopting crypto-specific marketing restrictions.
South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb was order to pay a $136,000 fine after it was found to have breached personal information protections rules when it sent user data overseas.
In a Thursday notice, the country's Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) said that its investigation into Bithumb found that the exchange had “transferred personal information overseas without the separate consent of the data subjects during the process of order book sharing and virtual asset transfer with overseas virtual asset exchanges.”
The incident was connected to Bithumb sharing its Tether (USDT) order books between September and November 2025 with BingX, despite obtaining consent to share the data with Stellar, as well as sharing user information with 13 overseas exchanges.
\nSource: PIPC
Japan’s SBI Holdings has signed agreements to acquire full control of crypto exchange Bitbank through a 46.7 billion Japanese yen ($289 million) transaction, advancing a deal first disclosed in May that would create the country's biggest crypto exchange.
SBI expects the transaction to close around October, subject to regulatory clearance.
The acquisition would expand SBI’s regulated crypto exchange footprint and customer base, giving it another potential distribution channel for the stablecoins, tokenized assets and onchain financial products.
Bitbank's daily trading volume has hovered below $50 million for most of the last four months, CoinGecko data showed. Volume is dominated by the BTC/JPY pair (39.5%), followed by XRP/JPY and ETH/JPY (both at 19.7%).
SBI said combining Bitbank with SBI VC Trade would give the group about 1.1 trillion yen in assets under custody and roughly 2.92 million crypto accounts, meaning the combined business would rank first among Japanese crypto exchanges.
Chainlink has joined a working group with European and South Korean banking organizations to explore the use of stablecoins for foreign exchange (FX) settlement.
The protocol has announced Project Pangea alongside South Korean digital asset infrastructure company FairSquareLab, the Unified Korea Alliance (UniKA) — a consortium that includes more than a dozen Korean commercial banks — and Qivalis, a euro stablecoin consortium backed by 37 European banks.
Project Pangea aims to bring together financial institutions across Europe and South Korea to evaluate direct, atomic swaps of euro- and South Korean won-denominated stablecoins using Chainlink’s data infrastructure alongside FairSquareLab’s onchain foreign exchange settlement technology.
The initiative is another example of financial institutions evaluating stablecoins for wholesale financial infrastructure rather than consumer payments. According to the Bank for International Settlements, the global foreign exchange market processes roughly $9.6 trillion in daily trading volume.
South Korea’s financial regulator folded token securities infrastructure into a broader overhaul of the country’s capital markets, alongside plans for faster settlement, longer trading hours and greater use of artificial intelligence.
On Tuesday, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) said it had launched a capital market infrastructure review meeting to coordinate reforms across government agencies and market operators. According to the FSC, plans for token securities will be further discussed separately through a public-private council before being linked to the wider initiative.
The initiative includes a roadmap for shortening the securities settlement cycle, expected by October, and a Korea Securities Depository (KSD) system for settling over-the-counter trades in unlisted shares and fractional investment products by the end of 2026.
Stablecoin issuer Circle and Japan's largest investment bank Nomura have reportedly partnered to enable instant foreign exchange settlement for Japanese companies as early as 2027.
The service would enable companies to convert yen into dollar-denominated stablecoins for cross-border transactions and instant settlement, reducing delays caused by banking hours and time zone differences, Nikkei reported on Thursday.
The partnership would bring one of the world's largest dollar stablecoins into Japan's corporate foreign exchange market, expanding the use of stablecoins for business-to-business cross-border settlement.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has given digital asset businesses another three months (to September 30) apply for licenses required under its updated regulatory guidance.
The extension applies to businesses seeking an Australian Financial Services (AFS) license, as well as companies that may require market or clearing and settlement authorizations.
The regulator said it has received about 30 license applications since updating its digital asset guidance in October 2025 to clarify that many crypto products are financial products under the law and require an AFSL.
It noted its recent court victory against BlockEarner emphasized that point.
Update, June 30, 10:49 am UTC: This article has been updated to include comments from Brickken's Edwin Mata and Coinbase's Katie Harries.
The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published its landmark crypto regulatory framework, marking the completion of its crypto roadmap seeking to bring digital assets under the regulator's purview.
Significant new elements include mandatory licensing for crypto firms, capital stress-testing requirements, improved market manipulation and insider trading rules, as well as simplified capital requirement standards for stablecoin issuers, according to a Tuesday press release shared with Cointelegraph.
The licensing window for crypto companies will open from September until Feb. 28, 2027, before the regime goes live on Oct. 25, 2027.
The new framework means that crypto companies in the UK will be held to “similar standards” as other financial service providers in the country, wrote David Geale, executive director of payments and digital finance at the FCA, adding:
“We’ve created a framework that doesn’t force firms to choose between regulatory certainty and room to innovate – this regime means they can have both in a stable, competitive home to build and grow.”
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.
The framework comes nearly a month after the regulator concluded its consultation window on the guidelines for the country’s future crypto regime on June 3.
The draft marks a significant step in moving the UK crypto market from an “enforcement-led environment into a full financial services regime,” illustrating the FCA's efforts to make crypto firms operate akin to “regulated financial institutions,” Edwin Mata, lawyer and CEO of tokenization platform Brickken, told Cointelegraph.
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Overview of FCA crypto regime, next steps and savings provisions. Source: FCA
Katie Harries, Coinbase's head of policy in Europe, praised the final rules for helping preserve access to “global liquidity” and the “innovative licensing structure,” but highlighted two pressing issues. She told Cointelegraph:
“While the FCA has made welcome changes to its prudential framework, it is an open question as to whether these changes have gone far enough to ensure the cost of doing business in the UK is not materially higher vis-a-vis other jurisdictions. ”
She added that the UK's future approach to DeFi regulation was her second concern, as earlier proposals amounted to a “de facto ban on centralised platforms providing access to DeFi applications.”
Crypto firms with existing authorization under the money laundering regulations will not have their licenses automatically converted and will have to obtain new authorization.
Certain companies already operating in the UK may continue specified activities for a limited period as they seek authorisation under the framework’s transitional “savings provisions.”
The FCA said that pre-application support meetings for companies will be available starting next month.
The regulator will set out its policy statements during a webinar on July 17. It will also publish a further policy statement in September to establish how the regulatory perimeter applies to cryptoasset activities.
Related: Aave Labs’ Push gains UK FCA crypto registration
The FCA has maintained the core stablecoin framework but made minor adjustments, including simplifying the backing asset composition requirement by no longer requiring estimated redemption forecasts, adding requirements for statutory trust over reserves and removing unallocated backing fund accounts.
The guidelines will also require issuers to offer specific withdrawal rights to users, permit a 5% excess to be held in the backing asset pool and allow limited intragroup custody subject to safeguards.
The FCA noted that this establishes a “baseline regime for stablecoin issuance” and added that it will consult with the Bank of England later this year on how the the agency's rules will apply to stablecoin issuers recognized as systemic by HM Treasury.
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New guidelines for stablecoin issuance. Source: FCA
Later this year, the FCA will also host a separate consultation on decentralized finance (DeFi) guidance and operational resilience guidelines for firms using distributed ledger technology (DLT).
It also plans to consult on updates to the Financial Crime Guide relevant to crypto asset firms.
“We’re going to continue to work on DeFi,” said Matthew Long, director of payments & digital assets at the FCA, adding that they are seeking a case-by-case approach as “true DeFi” with “no identifiable person undertaking the activity” will fall out of the scope of the regulation.
Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026
", "description": "The UK’s financial regulator has published its crypto regulatory framework, setting the authorization deadline for cryptocurrency firms for February 2027.", "published": "2026-06-30T00:01:00+01:00" }, "tags": [ { "slug": "law" }, { "slug": "bitcoin-regulation" }, { "slug": "uk-government" }, { "slug": "united-kingdom" }, { "slug": "web3" }, { "slug": "regulation" } ], "slug": "uk-crypto-rules-2027-fca-authorization-deadline", "postBadge": { "postBadgeTranslates": [ { "title": "News" } ] }, "id": "273129" }, { "category": { "slug": "markets" }, "postTranslate": { "title": "Bitcoin faces critical test as bulls aim to hold $60K: Did BTC bottom?", "leadText": "Bitcoin’s loose hold on $60,000 and soft futures markets raise questions about whether BTC has bottomed.", "author": { "slug": "cointelegraph" }, "bodyText": "Bitcoin (BTC) trades at an important inflection point as retail investors are selling, big institutions are on hold despite the discounted valuation and the market is paused at $60,300, awaiting the next significant move. The situation reveals two very different investor groups making opposite bets.
Retail investors sell, TradFi watches
The general mood is fearful, with the Crypto Fear & Greed Index sitting at 36 out of 100, indicating fear but not total panic. This number masks a sharp divide. In June alone, investors pulled $4.4 billion from US spot Bitcoin ETFs — the worst month this year. At the same time, Strategy continues to buy BTC, although the pace and size of its purchases have slowed. While ETF flows and Bitcoin treasury accumulation are not in a buying phase, a majority of corporate BTC treasuries have not reduced their existing positions.
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Spot Bitcoin ETF net flows. Source: SoSoValue.com
Leverage unwinds, but slowly
The aggregate open interest in Bitcoin futures contracts across all exchanges is $19.92 billion. Two weeks ago, it was $20.1 billion. This unwinding — when traders close positions to reduce risk — is happening in an orderly way, not in a panic.
The borrowing costs for holding long positions have dropped from 0.25% to 0.12%, suggesting that the worst of the forced selling is over. However, longs are still paying to hold their positions, meaning traders believe in a recovery but aren't willing to bet their full account on it.
The current danger zone is $58,800, Bitcoin's low for the day. If the price breaks below this level, the next $500 million worth of traders holding long positions could be forced to close their trades, sending Bitcoin toward $56,000. That move may extend the selling pressure into next week.
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Bitcoin open interest, funding rate. Source: Hyblock
The market is waiting, not acting
When fresh capital flows into Bitcoin, volume spikes and the action shows up in the data. Right now, it doesn't, as trading volume is down, and open interest changes are small. This suggests the market is in an indecisive phase where retail traders may be done selling, but nobody is confident enough to buy in size yet. That's not surprising.
Related: Bitcoin balances $60K tightrope as US stocks rebound on fresh Iran peace deal hopes
MicroStrategy, which has accumulated Bitcoin for corporate reserves, did buy 3,600 Bitcoin in June for $236 million, betting on a recovery. But overall, institutions are holding rather than aggressively buying. This pause could break in either direction: lower (if one more wave of sellers emerges) or higher (if confidence returns).
For Bitcoin to move meaningfully higher, it needs to reclaim $62,000. The risk is real: a macro news event at any point in the week, like the June employment report or the resumption of military action in Iran, could weigh on investor sentiment and tip BTC back under the $60,000 handle.
US President Donald Trump has about 10 days to decide whether or not to sign bipartisan housing legislation containing a ban on a central bank digital currency (CBDC) into law after saying he planned to prioritize a controversial voting bill.
According to reports, House Speaker Mike Johnson sent the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act to Trump’s desk on Monday, kicking off a 10-day timeline for the president to decide whether to ignore, sign or veto the bill under the US Constitution, excluding Sundays. The bill, passed by the House of Representatives last week, included language barring the Federal Reserve from issuing or creating a CBDC “or any digital asset that is substantially similar” until the end of 2030.
\n![\"\"\n](\"https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/screenshot-2026-06-29-at-40428-pm.png\"\n)
\n Donald Trump signing executive orders on Monday. Source: The White House
Trump reportedly called the legislation a “yawn” and sarcastically referred to the situation as a “big deal.” He canceled the signing ceremony for the bill on Wednesday, saying that Republicans in Congress should focus on passing the SAVE America Act. The legislation would require voters to provide proof of US citizenship in person to register, potentially disenfranchising millions of people.
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act received significant bipartisan support from Democrats and Republicans, with members of both parties lauding progress ahead of Trump’s potential signature. Sponsored by Senator Elizabeth Warren, the Democrat-led legislation included a CBDC ban in an attempt to garner support from Republicans and the White House.
Related: Senate leaders push for July passage of CLARITY Act
“We should be celebrating a bipartisan housing law,” said Warren on Monday. “Instead, we have a call to action. Mr. President: sign the damn bill.”
The US Senate broke on Friday for state work periods, with lawmakers expected to return by July 13. The chamber’s calendar gives lawmakers about four weeks to address the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act before another state work period in August.
Trump said in March that he would “not sign other bills” until the SAVE America Act was passed, but also made a social media post signaling that he supported CLARITY. Should the president veto the bill, Congress could override his action with a two-thirds majority in both chambers.
Magazine: SBF will never get a pardon, Trump peace deal boosts Bitcoin: Hodlers Digest June 14-21
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