Cryptocurrency
Samsung SDS pivots to stablecoin infrastructure with Dunamu partnership
South Korea’s Samsung SDS is moving beyond passive investment, leveraging its recent stake in Dunamu to build the backbone for next-generation digital finance. President Lee Joon-hee confirmed the company is actively developing stablecoin infrastructure and AI-powered payment systems, marking a shift toward deep integration with the operator of the Upbit exchange.
Aave Plans Withdrawal From Six Networks in $98 Million Cleanup
The Aave lending protocol is preparing a sweeping reduction of its footprint, targeting the closure of six blockchain deployments and the removal of 50 low-adoption asset reserves. Founder Stani Kulechov confirmed the plan on July 30, citing a need to streamline operations and phase out underperforming liquidity pools.
OpenSea CMO Adam Hollander Steps Down After 18-Month Tenure
Adam Hollander is departing his role as chief marketing officer at OpenSea after an 18-month run, citing a need to prioritize his health and family. The executive confirmed his exit in a public post this week, clarifying that he is not transitioning to another firm or seeking new employment.
China Business Journal warns of Bitcoin extortion scheme
Executives are being targeted by an impersonation campaign where scammers pose as China Business Journal reporters to solicit Bitcoin. Using Proton Mail, the perpetrators threaten to publish damaging investigative reports unless companies pay to suppress the findings, a tactic that leverages the publication’s reputation to intimidate business leaders.
Ostium Identifies Off-Chain Breach as Source of $23.75M Exploit
A $23.75 million drain from Ostium’s liquidity vault was not caused by code flaws, but by an intruder infiltrating the protocol’s off-chain infrastructure. The attacker manipulated BTC-USD price reports to fabricate trading profits, bypassing security checks while leaving the protocol’s core smart contracts entirely intact.
SEC Prepares Regulatory Pivot as CLARITY Act Stalls in Senate
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins has signaled that the agency is prepared to establish its own crypto market framework should the CLARITY Act fail to secure a Senate vote. While Atkins continues to support the legislative path, he maintains that the SEC remains ready to act unilaterally.
Australia Sues Telegram Over Failure to Remove Extremist Content
The Australian eSafety Commissioner has launched Federal Court proceedings against Telegram, alleging the platform repeatedly ignored notices to remove videos of mass shootings. If found in violation of national safety standards, the company faces civil penalties reaching A$54.6 million for failing to curb extremist material.
BitGo Deploys Quantum-Risk Controls for Institutional Bitcoin Wallets
Institutional custodian BitGo has introduced four new risk management controls designed to measure and mitigate public-key exposure in Bitcoin wallets. While current quantum computing power remains insufficient to threaten the network, these tools allow institutions to proactively manage data visibility before future cryptographic vulnerabilities materialize.
Binance.US Pivots to Prediction Markets with CFTC License Bid
Binance.US intends to apply for a Commodity Futures Trading Commission license this August to launch a regulated prediction market platform. CEO Stephen Gregory confirmed the move at the Rare Evo conference in Las Vegas, marking a aggressive effort to move beyond spot crypto trading and regain lost U.S. market share.
Visa Keeps Stablecoin Strategy Open as Open USD Launch Looms
As the Open USD stablecoin prepares for its debut, Visa CEO Ryan McInerney has signaled that the payments giant will not abandon its agnostic approach to digital assets. Despite joining a consortium of 140 companies backing the new token, Visa maintains that its infrastructure remains focused on neutral multi-chain support.
South Korea Considers Interim Rules for Stablecoins
South Korean policymakers are facing pressure to introduce interim stablecoin licensing guidance, potentially decoupling the sector from the slower legislative progress of the broader Digital Asset Basic Act. A recent policy report argues that waiting for comprehensive legislation leaves local businesses without the clarity needed to operate won-backed payment services.
U.S. Targets Iranian Maritime Insurers Over Bitcoin Payment Allegations
The U.S. Treasury Department has blacklisted two Iranian maritime insurance firms, accusing them of operating an extortion scheme that accepts Bitcoin to bypass international sanctions. While officials claim the platform supports Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps revenue, the government provided no on-chain evidence to verify specific cryptocurrency transactions or volumes.
Luno Joins Wave of Crypto Layoffs With 20% Workforce Cut
Crypto exchange Luno is cutting 20% of its global workforce, a restructuring move confirmed by CEO James Lanigan to pivot resources toward institutional and business-to-business services. The decision follows a broader industry trend that saw at least 12 crypto-related companies announce staff reductions throughout July.
Gumi and SBI Launch ¥3 Billion Crypto Fund
Starting August 1, Japanese developer Gumi and SBI Financial Services are pooling ¥3 billion to bet on Bitcoin and major altcoins. The move signals a deepening corporate commitment to digital assets, even as the partners keep specific custody details and individual investment allocations under wraps.
Ethereum Foundation Expands Board With Security Specialist
The Ethereum Foundation has appointed Pascal Caversaccio, co-founder of the emergency response service SEAL 911, to its four-member governing board. This voluntary one-year term signals a strategic shift for the organization, which is increasingly prioritizing privacy, censorship resistance, and hardened security protocols within its governance framework.
American Arbitration Association Opens Specialized Web3 Dispute Panel
When blockchain protocols, smart contracts, and autonomous transactions collide with traditional legal expectations, the American Arbitration Association is stepping in to mediate. The organization launched a dedicated Web3 panel on July 29, assembling a roster of experts to untangle the complexities of decentralized finance and digital asset ownership.
Robinhood Revenue Hits $1.31B as Prediction Markets Outpace Crypto
Robinhood Markets posted record second-quarter revenue of $1.31 billion, a 32% year-over-year surge driven by explosive growth in event contracts. While the platform’s new prediction-market offerings eclipsed its crypto transaction business, the company faces ongoing regulatory uncertainty as it pivots its revenue mix toward high-frequency trading and subscription services.
BitRiver Founder Igor Runets Jailed in Billion-Ruble Fraud Probe
A Moscow court has ordered BitRiver founder Igor Runets into pretrial detention for two months, escalating a high-stakes fraud investigation. Authorities allege that Runets’s firm, Fox Group, pocketed nearly 1 billion rubles in advance payments for cryptocurrency mining equipment that was never delivered to a subsidiary of the En+ Group.
Wisconsin Court Deals Blow to CFTC Prediction Market Oversight
A federal judge has denied the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s bid to block Wisconsin from enforcing its state gambling laws against prediction market platforms. The ruling complicates the agency’s attempt to assert exclusive federal authority over event contracts, suggesting that state regulators retain significant power to police sports betting.
Trump Promises Retaliation Against Iran as Oil Prices Surge
Brent crude surged nearly 8% and Wall Street indices tumbled after Iran launched ballistic missiles at U.S. military installations in Jordan. President Donald Trump responded to the escalation by vowing to hit Tehran "very hard," signaling a volatile shift in Middle Eastern security that has rattled global financial markets.
Tether Brings USAT Stablecoin to Celo Network
Tether has expanded its US-focused USAT stablecoin to the Celo blockchain, enabling native minting and burning directly on the network. This deployment marks the token’s second mainnet integration after Ethereum, positioning the asset for broader adoption within Celo’s established ecosystem for digital-dollar payments and payroll services.
Freehand Secures $75 Million to Automate Enterprise Supply Chains
By deploying autonomous AI agents to manage invoices, negotiations, and payments, Freehand has closed a $75 million funding round. The startup, which emerged from stealth only in February, aims to replace traditional back-office outsourcing with software capable of running supply-chain operations for global giants like Meta and Unilever.
Patrick Witt Challenges Banking Coalition Over Stalled CLARITY Act
White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt has publicly challenged a coalition of 134 banking executives, accusing them of obstructionism as the CLARITY Act faces a record-low 27% probability of passing the Senate. The dispute centers on whether current legislative language is sufficient to prevent stablecoins from functioning as savings products.
Aviva Investors debuts tokenized fund share class on XRP Ledger
Aviva Investors has moved its partnership with Ripple into production, launching a tokenized share class for its US Dollar Liquidity Fund on the XRP Ledger. The Ireland-domiciled money market fund, which targets low-risk returns through short-term debt, now allows eligible investors to manage holdings via digital wallets.
OSL Opens XRP Trading to Retail Investors in Hong Kong
Hong Kong retail investors gained direct spot access to XRP on July 29, as OSL Digital Securities became the city’s first platform licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission to offer the asset. The rollout establishes a regulated fiat on-ramp, bypassing the need for offshore exchanges previously relied upon by local traders.
CLARITY Act passage odds drop to record 27% as Senate stalls
Traders on Polymarket have slashed the probability of the CLARITY Act becoming law by 2026 to a record-low 27%. The shift follows a decision by Senate leadership to prioritize a Russia sanctions package and federal nominations, leaving the crypto market structure bill sidelined ahead of the August recess.
XRP Ledger Enforces Mandatory Node Upgrade to Version 3.2.0
With 85.71% validator support, the XRP Ledger has officially activated the fixCleanup3_2_0 amendment, rendering any node operating on version 3.1.0 or older obsolete. Infrastructure providers must now migrate to version 3.2.0 to maintain network compatibility and prevent service interruptions across the mainnet.
Cathie Wood Seizes Market Rout to Bulk Up on Tesla and Nvidia
As a global tech sell-off rattled markets on July 28, Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest deployed $40.2 million to scoop up shares in Tesla, SpaceX, and Nvidia. The aggressive buying spree suggests the firm is doubling down on its conviction in autonomous technology and computing infrastructure despite mounting investor anxiety.
BNY Moves Institutional Fund Records to Blockchain
BNY has launched a digital transfer agency platform that shifts fund ownership records onto a shared blockchain ledger. By modernizing the infrastructure that tracks 7.6 million investor accounts, the New York-based custodian aims to eliminate the need for fragmented, multi-party reconciliation in the $8.6 trillion fund administration business.
Binance App Vanishes From Google Play in Parts of Europe
Users in Spain and Latvia report the Binance application has disappeared from the Google Play store, sparking fresh uncertainty over the exchange's compliance with the European Union’s new Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework as the company scrambles to address localized access restrictions.