Bitcoin DeFi is seeing more venture capital interest as institutional investors flock to Bitcoin and its increasing yield-bearing capabilities. Bitcoin’s decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem is experiencing renewed venture capital (VC) interest, signaling more demand for the world’s first cryptocurrency as it gains utility as a yield-bearing asset. Bitcoin DeFi, or BTCFi, is a technological paradigm that seeks to bring decentralized finance capabilities to Bitcoin’s base layer. According to a new report from Bitcoin DeFi infrastructure provider Maestro, shared with Cointelegraph, the BTCFi ecosystem received $175 million worth of VC funding across 32 rounds in the first half of 2025, with increasingly more capital flowing into consumer apps and demand-driven products. Read more
A joint report due on Aug. 15 may lead to the conclusion of the nearly five-year legal dispute between the SEC and Ripple Labs. XRP, the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, rose past $3 for the first time in over a week amid speculation that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may drop its long-standing case against Ripple Labs. The XRP (XRP) token recovered above the $3 psychological mark on Thursday after rising more than 4.5% in 24 hours, Cointelegraph data showed. Investor confidence was buoyed by regulatory clarity and growing expectations of a dismissal of the SEC’s appeal. Read more
United States trade partners such as Switzerland, Brazil and India were still scrambling to get a better deal on Thursday as President Donald Trump’s higher tariff rates on imports from dozens of countries kicked in, raising the average US import duty to its highest in a century. The US Customs and Border Protection agency began collecting the higher tariffs of 10 per cent to 50pc at 12:01am EDT (09:01am PKT) after weeks of suspense over Trump’s final tariff rates and frantic negotiations with major trading partners that sought to lower them. The leaders of Brazil and India vowed not to be cowed by Trump’s hardline bargaining position, even while their negotiators sought a reprieve from the highest tariff levels. The new rates will test Trump’s strategy for shrinking US trade deficits without causing massive disruptions to global supply chains or provoking higher inflation and stiff retaliation from trading partners. After unveiling his “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, Trump has frequently modified his plan...