Cryptocurrency
Coldcard exploit sparks shift from self-custody to centralized exchanges
A major security flaw in Coldcard hardware wallets has triggered a wave of investor migration back to centralized exchanges, reversing the industry-wide trend toward self-custody. As victims reckon with the theft of nearly 1,600 Bitcoin, users are increasingly prioritizing the managed security infrastructure offered by platforms like OKX.
BitGo Shifts $7.3 Billion Wrapped Bitcoin to Chainlink CCIP
BitGo has replaced LayerZero with Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol as the exclusive provider for Wrapped Bitcoin transfers. This transition, involving assets worth $7.3 billion, marks a significant infrastructure overhaul for the largest tokenized version of Bitcoin, aiming to centralize control over cross-chain token contracts and security parameters.
Bitdeer Secures $4.7B Norway Data Center Deal to Drive AI Expansion
A 16-year colocation agreement with Volta Tydal AS positions Bitdeer Technologies Group to capture $4.7 billion in revenue. The deal transforms the company's Norwegian Tydal campus into a high-performance computing hub, signaling a strategic pivot from Bitcoin mining toward the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure market.
Bitcoin Climbs as Market Shrugs Off Cramer’s Quantum Exit
Bitcoin rose 1.6% to trade near $63,700 on August 4, appearing unfazed by CNBC host Jim Cramer’s announcement that he plans to liquidate his holdings. Cramer cited potential quantum computing threats as his primary motivation, echoing recent warnings from IBM CEO Arvind Krishna regarding the long-term security of digital assets.
BlackRock Expands Tokenized Liquidity to $311B in European Funds
BlackRock has launched tokenized share classes for its European institutional money market funds, bringing $311 billion in assets onto the Ethereum blockchain. The initiative, powered by the Kinexys by JPMorgan platform, allows approved institutional investors to manage fund shares directly via digital wallets while maintaining traditional regulatory compliance.
Ripple bets on infrastructure as tokenized funds exit pilot phase
Financial institutions are officially transitioning tokenized assets from experimental pilot programs into live production environments, according to Ripple President Monica Long. This shift has triggered an urgent demand for the technical infrastructure required to manage regulated assets on public blockchains, moving beyond isolated proofs of concept to full-lifecycle market operations.
India Expands Tax Reporting to Include Crypto and CBDCs
India’s Central Board of Direct Taxes has overhauled its international tax reporting standards, mandating that financial institutions include crypto-assets, central bank digital currencies, and digital money products within their disclosures. This move aligns digital asset oversight with long-standing global protocols for cross-border information sharing.
Apple Briefly Removes Telegram Over Child Safety Policy Violations
Apple pulled Telegram from the App Store this week, citing the discovery of content that violated its strict policies against child sexual abuse material. The messaging platform was reinstated shortly after Telegram banned the account responsible for the offending content, though the brief blackout rattled the crypto market and drew fresh criticism from industry rivals.
Coinbase sets September 9 deadline for institutional Deribit migration
Coinbase will shift its International Exchange institutional accounts, balances, and open positions to Deribit on September 9. The move marks a significant consolidation of the firm’s global derivatives infrastructure following its $2.9 billion acquisition of the options exchange, forcing clients to overhaul their technical and financing setups before the cutover.
Intesa Sanpaolo pivots crypto strategy with major IBIT, ETHB adjustments
Italy’s largest banking group, Intesa Sanpaolo, significantly reshuffled its digital asset holdings in the second quarter of 2026, cutting its stake in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) by nearly 94% while simultaneously tripling its investment in the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust (ETHB).
Lawson expands stablecoin pilot to include USDC and USDT in Tokyo
Japanese convenience store operator Lawson is scaling its retail payment experiment by integrating USDC, USDT, and JPYC into its existing checkout infrastructure. By bypassing the need for dedicated hardware, the retailer aims to process digital asset transactions directly through standard point-of-sale registers at two Tokyo locations this month.
Nigeria Mandates Crypto Tax Withholding for Exchanges and P2P Platforms
Nigeria’s revenue authority has unveiled a rigorous tax framework for digital assets, shifting the burden of collection onto exchanges and peer-to-peer marketplaces. Under the new rules effective this August, platforms are now required to withhold levies directly from transactions, marking a significant escalation in the government's oversight of virtual currency activity.
George Santos Banned From Trading After CFTC Market Manipulation Probe
Former U.S. Representative George Santos has agreed to pay over $35,000 and accept a three-year trading ban following a Commodity Futures Trading Commission investigation into his activity on the prediction platform Kalshi, where he allegedly manipulated market prices regarding his attendance at the State of the Union address.
South Korea Pushes Ahead With 22% Cryptocurrency Tax for 2027
South Korea has finalized its 2026 tax reform package, omitting any further delays for the long-debated levy on digital assets. Starting January 1, 2027, investors will face a 22% tax on annual cryptocurrency gains exceeding 2.5 million won, marking the end of a multi-year cycle of repeated postponements.
Jump Capital Closes $350M Fund to Target Enterprise AI Infrastructure
Jump Capital has secured $350 million for its eighth institutional fund, shifting its focus toward the technical foundations of artificial intelligence. The firm intends to back startups that are rebuilding enterprise software, securing autonomous workflows, and constructing the production-ready infrastructure necessary to move AI beyond the experimental phase.
South Korea Crypto Exchanges Expand Offerings with Four New Markets
South Korea’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, Upbit and Bithumb, opened four new trading markets on August 4, granting local retail investors direct access to the HOME, META2, and USDG tokens. The simultaneous listings highlight a concentrated effort to capture interest in cross-chain DeFi platforms, futarchy governance protocols, and stablecoin assets.
Coldcard Security Breach Losses Estimated at $130 Million
A vulnerability in Coldcard hardware wallets has resulted in the confirmed theft of 1,596 Bitcoin, with total losses projected to reach 2,055 BTC—roughly $130 million—if a suspected fourth wave of attacks is verified by investigators tracking the movement of stolen assets across the blockchain.
BitGo Launches Centralized Control Layer for Institutional Crypto Assets
Institutional trading and treasury teams can now manage capital across disparate platforms through a single interface, as BitGo Holdings officially launched BitGo Link on August 3. The new product aims to eliminate the friction of navigating multiple exchange accounts by consolidating custody, reporting, and transfer controls into one dashboard.
Treasury loses lead crypto adviser as CLARITY Act stalls in Senate
Tyler Williams, a senior digital asset adviser to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, exited the department on July 31. His departure comes at a precarious moment for the CLARITY Act, as Senate leaders prioritize government funding legislation over the administration’s flagship proposal to establish a federal framework for crypto markets.
Boltz suspends swap operations following persistent AI-driven attacks
The noncustodial Bitcoin swap provider Boltz halted all services indefinitely on August 3, citing an escalating wave of automated, AI-assisted security breaches. The firm claims attackers are currently refining their methods faster than its development team can deploy defensive patches, forcing a complete shutdown of its infrastructure.
NEAR Protocol Eyes Sovereign Fund to Curb Inflation
NEAR Protocol co-founder Illia Polosukhin has proposed establishing a sovereign treasury backed by 30 million tokens, valued at approximately $57 million. The initiative aims to shift the network away from simple token burns, instead leveraging protocol revenue to generate yields that fund public goods and network security.
POAP Shuts Down After Five Years of Digital Badge Issuance
After five years of documenting digital history through blockchain-based attendance badges, Proof of Attendance Protocol (POAP) is ceasing operations. Co-founder Isabel Gonzalez confirmed the wind-down on August 3, citing an inability to build a sustainable business model without compromising the project’s original ethos and community-driven mission.
Kalshi CEO invokes Nasdaq defense in $36B New York legal battle
New York state is seeking at least $36 billion in damages and penalties from prediction market operator Kalshi, alleging the firm functions as an unlicensed gambling platform. In response, CEO Tarek Mansour has moved the case to federal court, framing the company’s operations as a financial exchange akin to Nasdaq.
Blockchain Association pushes back against sheriffs over CLARITY Act
Conflict persists over the CLARITY Act as the Blockchain Association challenges claims from the National Sheriffs’ Association that the bill creates dangerous loopholes for digital asset criminals. The industry group argues that the proposed legislation successfully balances developer protections with necessary oversight of financial intermediaries.
FBI Agent Accused of Stealing $1M in Crypto and Consulting ChatGPT
A former FBI supervisory special agent faces charges of stealing $1 million in cryptocurrency, allegedly using the funds for personal gain while turning to ChatGPT to plan his flight to Portugal. Patrick Yaroch, once a key figure in counterintelligence, now finds himself on the other side of federal law enforcement.
FalconX slashes 10% of global staff amid market contraction
Institutional prime broker FalconX has cut approximately 35 jobs, representing 10% of its global workforce, as the firm pivots its strategy to weather a prolonged cryptocurrency downturn. The restructuring coincides with a significant shift in the company’s Asian operations and a sharpened focus on European expansion.
Mastercard Finalizes $1.8 Billion Acquisition of Stablecoin Firm BVNK
Mastercard has officially integrated BVNK into its global network, finalizing an acquisition valued at up to $1.8 billion. The move grants the payments giant direct control over infrastructure designed to bridge the divide between traditional fiat banking systems and the burgeoning world of blockchain-based stablecoin assets.
Trump Presses Exxon and Chevron to Cut Prices Amid Record Earnings
“They’re making too much money based on a shortage,” President Trump said Monday, publicly rebuking ExxonMobil and Chevron. The oil giants reported a combined $26.5 billion in second-quarter profits, a surge fueled by supply volatility in the Strait of Hormuz and the ongoing conflict with Iran.
CLARITY Act Stalls as White House Ethics Silence Deepens
With the Senate nearing its recess and no cloture motion filed, the CLARITY Act’s path to law has hit a wall. Legislative momentum evaporated after the White House failed to respond to a bipartisan ethics compromise, causing betting markets to slash the bill’s 2026 passage probability to just 27%.
Ankr Deploys Global Node Infrastructure for XRP Ledger
The XRP Ledger Foundation has partnered with Ankr to launch a suite of globally distributed public nodes, streamlining network access for developers. By providing free mainnet and testnet JSON-RPC endpoints across four continents, the initiative aims to lower entry barriers for builders ahead of the upcoming v3.3.0 software release.