Cryptocurrency
Standard Chartered Becomes First Bank to Distribute HKDAP Stablecoin
Standard Chartered Bank Hong Kong has officially become the first traditional financial institution to distribute HKDAP, the city's inaugural regulated local-currency stablecoin. The move marks a significant shift in institutional finance, granting eligible corporate clients and professional investors direct access to the asset on the Ethereum blockchain.
Blockchain Association seeks P2P exemption in stablecoin ID rules
The Blockchain Association is pushing five federal agencies to clarify that customer identification requirements under the GENIUS Act apply strictly to direct issuer relationships. The group argues that extending these bank-style verification mandates to independent, downstream peer-to-peer stablecoin transactions would be both impractical and outside the intended regulatory scope.
Arthur Hayes bets on Bitcoin bull run as Treasury expands buybacks
BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes declared the start of a new Bitcoin bull market, pointing to the U.S. Treasury’s decision to double its long-end bond buyback caps. As Bitcoin surged past $80,000, Hayes argued that the liquidity-support measures effectively act as a catalyst for risk assets, despite Treasury officials framing them as debt management.
Cosmos EVM Chains Halt Operations Following Security Breach
Cosmos Labs urged operators of Cosmos EVM-based chains to pause block production on August 25 after a series of exploits targeted the shared software stack. The emergency measure aims to prevent further unauthorized asset movement while engineering teams scramble to isolate a vulnerability currently affecting multiple independent networks.
Super League raises $2.23M in ATM offering ahead of Metaplanet deal
Super League Enterprise has secured approximately $2.23 million through its first at-the-market stock offering, a move that provides fresh capital as the Nasdaq-listed firm prepares to transition into a U.S. Bitcoin treasury platform under the control of Japan’s Metaplanet.
Coinbase Brings Tokenized Stocks to Base Network
Coinbase has launched four 1:1-backed tokenized stock products on its Base layer-2 network, granting non-U.S. investors around-the-clock exposure to Apple, NVIDIA, Meta, and Alphabet. These B20-standard tokens represent beneficial interests in actual shares held in regulated custody, moving the exchange’s stock offerings into an open, decentralized environment.
US Treasury Launches Operation Economic Outcast Against Iran
The U.S. Treasury Department has initiated Operation Economic Outcast, a wide-reaching campaign designed to sever Iran’s international financial lifelines. By targeting cryptocurrency exchanges, shipping networks, and gold markets, Washington aims to isolate Tehran from global capital and disrupt funding for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Stand With Crypto Backs 32 Lawmakers Tied to CLARITY Act
The Coinbase-backed advocacy group Stand With Crypto has officially endorsed 32 House incumbents seeking reelection, centering its political strategy on support for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. By prioritizing legislative records over party affiliation, the organization aims to solidify a congressional bloc capable of influencing future digital asset regulation.
Strategy’s Treasury Tactics Loom Over Bitcoin’s Latest Rally
Bitcoin has surged past Strategy’s $75,385 average acquisition cost, yet the company’s silence in the market has turned its massive treasury into a pivotal test for the ongoing rally. With 840,447 BTC held, analysts at Bitfinex are watching for whether the firm pivots back to accumulation or begins shedding supply.
CME Group Adds ENA Reference Rates Across Three Global Regions
CME Group has incorporated Ethena’s ENA token into its cryptocurrency benchmark suite, establishing standardized U.S. dollar pricing across London, New York, and APAC markets. Effective August 24, these regional reference rates and real-time indices aim to provide institutions with consistent valuation metrics that align with specific local trading hours.
Ethereum developer proposes standard for tokenized asset status
Ethereum developer Eric Conner has introduced ERC-8392, a proposed interface designed to bridge the gap between continuous blockchain activity and the restricted operating hours of traditional stock markets. The standard aims to provide smart contracts with real-time, actionable data regarding market sessions, trading halts, and asset redemption availability.
Bitcoin Holds $79K Despite Trump’s 50% Tariff Threat on Canada
Bitcoin briefly dipped toward $78,200 before rebounding to $79,300, showing resilience after President Donald Trump announced plans to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian automotive and steel imports starting January 1, 2027. The move follows the collapse of trade negotiations between Washington and Ottawa earlier this week.
Crypto groups launch legal battle against Illinois 0.2% digital asset tax
Two major industry trade groups have filed a lawsuit against Illinois state officials, seeking to dismantle a 0.2% tax on digital asset transactions scheduled to take effect in 2027. The Blockchain Association and Crypto Council for Innovation argue the levy is unconstitutionally vague and unfairly discriminates against digital commerce.
WBT hits record high as Whitechain infrastructure shifts to Ethereum
WBT has climbed to a new all-time high above $72, surpassing its previous $64.11 record set in December 2025. This milestone for the four-year-old token arrives as WhiteBIT pivots its infrastructure toward the Ethereum ecosystem, signaling a broader transition in how exchange-linked assets function within the digital market.
Gravity Team targets the stablecoin settlement bottleneck
While stablecoin transfers cross borders in seconds, the final mile of converting them into spendable local currency remains a fragmented, slow-moving process. Gravity Team CEO Mārtiņš Beņķītis argues that true efficiency in cross-border payments depends less on blockchain speed and more on the underlying fiat liquidity infrastructure.
CleanCore Pivots to AI Infrastructure After Liquidating Dogecoin Treasury
CleanCore Solutions has offloaded its remaining 463 million Dogecoin holdings for approximately $33.4 million, signaling a definitive end to the company’s brief tenure as a major crypto-treasury holder. The firm is now redirecting its capital toward an aggressive expansion into artificial intelligence infrastructure projects.
Hyperliquid Pushes Regulators to Legalize Equity Perpetual Contracts
The Hyperliquid Policy Center is urging the SEC and CFTC to classify equity perpetual contracts as security futures, a move that would integrate the high-volume instruments into the existing U.S. regulatory framework. The proposal follows a surge in trading activity, with HIP-3 markets recording over $480 billion in volume in ten months.
Strategy Raises $2 Billion in Stock Sales, Holds Bitcoin Steady
Strategy has bolstered its liquidity with a $2 billion infusion from common stock sales, opting to keep its Bitcoin treasury unchanged while prioritizing cash reserves. Between August 17 and August 23, the company funneled the proceeds into a new cash account and preferred stock repurchases rather than acquiring additional digital assets.
Flowra Launches Competitive Block-Building Auction for Solana
Solana validators are gaining a new mechanism to manage transaction inclusion and capture MEV revenue as Flowra rolls out its Open Orderflow Auction. The framework shifts block construction from closed, private channels toward a transparent bidding system, aiming to decentralize the network’s currently concentrated market for blockspace.
Gemini Titan to integrate prediction markets into Apex brokerage network
Gemini Space Station and Apex Fintech Solutions have signed a letter of intent to make Gemini Titan the exclusive regulated venue for crypto prediction contracts distributed through Apex’s futures commission merchant. The deal aims to streamline execution and clearing for brokerage firms while expanding Gemini’s reach in the U.S. market.
Germany Extends EU Crypto Licensing Lead with Six New Bank Approvals
Germany has further cemented its dominance in the European Union’s crypto regulatory landscape, with the addition of six cooperative banks to the official register bringing the nation’s total count of authorized crypto asset service providers to 79.
Bernstein maintains $140 Circle target despite legislative uncertainty
Bernstein analysts have reaffirmed their Outperform rating and $140 price target for Circle Internet Group, signaling a projected 59% upside from Friday’s $87.98 close. The firm asserts that Circle’s growth trajectory remains robust, driven by institutional adoption and autonomous agent payments, regardless of the pending CLARITY Act’s fate in September.
BNB Chain Set for Pasteur Hard Fork Upgrade
The BNB Smart Chain is scheduled to initiate the Pasteur hard fork on August 25, 2026, at 02:30 UTC. This mandatory network upgrade focuses on tightening bridge security and validator governance, while implementing architectural shifts designed to optimize block processing capacity across the mainnet.
Ethereum Outperforms Bitcoin as Analyst Calls for Rotation
Ethereum climbed to $2,463 on August 24, marking a 29.3% weekly gain that significantly outpaced Bitcoin’s 21.4% advance. Fundstrat co-founder Tom Lee points to this shift as evidence that a long-awaited rotation into the asset has finally begun, fueled by renewed institutional interest and evolving network utility.
Real-world asset deposits triple as DeFi activity cools
Deposits of tokenized real-world assets (RWA) into decentralized finance platforms surged to $7.4 billion in the second quarter of 2026, marking a threefold increase from $2.3 billion a year prior. This growth occurred even as the broader DeFi sector experienced a 15% decline in total deposits over the same period.
South Korea Pushes for Fall Passage of Digital Asset Framework Act
South Korean regulators are accelerating work on the second phase of the nation’s virtual-asset framework as lawmakers demand a swift legislative timeline. Financial Services Commission Chairman Kim Byoung-hwan pledged to intensify consultations following pressure from the National Assembly to prevent the country from lagging behind global peers in crypto regulation.
Wintermute-linked wallet holds $10M short against XRP rally
A cryptocurrency wallet widely attributed to market maker Wintermute has built a $10.19 million short position against XRP, even as the asset sustains a 47% weekly surge. The move is part of a broader $190.77 million short book on the Hyperliquid exchange that includes heavy bets against Ethereum and Bitcoin.
Solana Validators Weigh Major Governance Overhaul
Solana validators and delegators are currently casting stake-weighted votes on three pivotal proposals that could reshape the network’s constitutional framework, monetary policy, and transaction economics. Voting concludes at the end of epoch 1023, expected around 15:30 UTC on Thursday, August 27, marking a significant test for the blockchain’s governance maturity.
Bitcoin Faces Volatility Test as Economic Data Looms
After a blistering 22% rally that propelled Bitcoin toward the $80,000 threshold, the cryptocurrency now faces a critical junction. Traders are shifting focus from momentum-driven gains to a barrage of U.S. macroeconomic indicators and central bank commentary that could dictate the next major move for risk assets.
Fake Hyperliquid Google Ad Leads to $550,000 Crypto Theft
A Google sponsored advertisement for the decentralized trading platform Hyperliquid served as a gateway for a sophisticated phishing attack, resulting in the theft of 550,000 USDC from an unsuspecting user. Security firm Salus traced the underlying infrastructure to a professional drainer-as-a-service network tied to the Inferno ecosystem.