The ESMA says crypto companies without MiCA authorization must stop serving EU clients from July 1, even if their licence applications remain under review. The European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation hits a hard deadline on July 1 when the transitional period ends and in-scope crypto asset service providers operating under national regimes must either hold a MiCA licence or stop serving EU clients. A spokesperson from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) told Cointelegraph that from that date, non-authorized entities “will not be allowed to operate within the EU” and should implement wind-down and client migration plans rather than rely on open-ended transitional status while awaiting a decision. The deadline could force some crypto firms to suspend EU operations while their applications remain under review, potentially affecting millions of users who continue to engage with platforms that are not yet authorized under MiCA. Read more
South Korea's FSC is preparing detailed rules for tokenized securities before a legal framework for blockchain-based securities takes effect in February 2027. South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) plans to release detailed tokenized securities rules in July as the country prepares to bring blockchain-based securities under its capital markets framework in 2027. The measures are expected to include a roadmap for tokenizing stocks, bonds and money market funds, possible changes to over-the-counter trading limits and rules allowing some fractional investment products to pool similar underlying assets, the FSC announced on Friday at the second meeting of its public-private tokenized securities council, which was launched in March to design issuance, trading, infrastructure and settlement rules before the framework takes effect in 2027. “The goal is to make an announcement in July,” said FSC Vice Chairman Kwon Dae-young, adding that the new rules will serve for the “institutionalization” of tokenized s...
Crypto ATM operators and businesses hosting the machines have until July 1 to be in compliance with the new law or risk potential fines and prison time. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has signed a bill into law that will officially ban the use and installation of cryptocurrency ATMs and kiosks in the southeastern US state, leaving only a matter of weeks for companies to be in compliance. Lee signed Tennessee House Bill 2505 into law on April 13, making the installation of a cryptocurrency kiosk a Class A misdemeanor starting on July 1. The reclassification of the machines as illegal under state law would potentially put operators and businesses hosting the machines at risk of up to 11 months and 29 days in prison and a $2,500 fine. Source: Tennessee General Assembly Read more
Strategy added 13,627 Bitcoin in a $1.25 billion purchase last week, extending its lead as the world’s largest corporate BTC holder despite recent paper losses. Corporate Bitcoin investor Strategy added another 13,627 Bitcoin to its balance sheet last week, spending $1.25 billion as it continues accumulating Bitcoin early in the year. The purchase marks the company’s biggest BTC buy since July. In a Form 9-K filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the company disclosed on Monday that its Bitcoin (BTC) stash has reached a total of 687,410 BTC, acquired at an aggregate cost of about $51.8 billion. The latest batch of BTC was bought at an average price of $91,519 per coin, well above Strategy’s total average cost basis of $75,353. Read more
The memecoin market lost almost 40% in a day before slightly rebounding, as top tokens like DOGE and SHIB remained deep in the red. The memecoin sector’s market capitalization fell to levels last seen in July, as meme-based tokens struggled to recover from losses incurred during the crypto market’s sharp crash on Friday. CoinMarketCap data showed that on Saturday, the memecoin sector dropped to a low of $44 billion, an almost 40% plunge from $72 billion the previous day. On Sunday, the memecoin market slightly recovered to $53 billion, a level last seen in July before a Solana-based memecoin frenzy ignited the sector’s late-summer rally. Over the last four months, the memecoin market cap has consistently remained above $60 billion, as meme-based tokens have maintained strong retail interest, fueled by Solana and BNB Chain. However, the recent plunge marked a shift in momentum. Read more
Animoca Brand’s gaming token TOWER grew 8X fast than Ethereum this month; gaming investment and active wallets went up in July. Web3 Gamer. A gaming crypto token created by Animoca Brands has surged 214% over the past month and caught the eye of savvy investors after the companys popular chairman, Yat Siu, gave it a social media boost. Tower was the fifth-most popular cryptocurrency among smart investors on the Base network over the past seven days, according to onchain analytics platform Nansen. Tower is a utility token used across a slew of Animoca titles, including play-to-earn mobile defense game Crazy Kings, Crazy Defense Heroes and real-time PvP fighting game Wreck League. Siu said the hype for the token came down to excitement around the reboot of Wreck League, as well as momentum from the token trending on Base and Farcaster. Read more
Animoca Brand’s gaming token TOWER grew 8X fast than Ethereum this month; gaming investment and active wallets went up in July. Web3 Gamer. A gaming crypto token created by Animoca Brands has surged 214% over the past month and caught the eye of savvy investors after the companys popular chairman, Yat Siu, gave it a social media boost. Tower was the fifth-most popular cryptocurrency among smart investors on the Base network over the past seven days, according to onchain analytics platform Nansen. Tower is a utility token used across a slew of Animoca titles, including play-to-earn mobile defense game Crazy Kings, Crazy Defense Heroes and real-time PvP fighting game Wreck League. Siu said the hype for the token came down to excitement around the reboot of Wreck League, as well as momentum from the token trending on Base and Farcaster. Read more