Report | Crypto

Binance’s UK arm has been barred from offering regulated activities in the country since June 2021, but the company will reportedly move to secure licensing under new crypto rules. Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is reportedly planning to apply for a license with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in a move expected to relaunch certain services for residents in 2027.  According to a Saturday report from The Telegraph, Binance will apply for the UK license as new digital asset laws are set to take effect in the country. The FCA said in June 2021 that Binance’s UK arm, Binance Markets Limited, was “not permitted to undertake any regulated activity in the UK,” and the exchange announced in 2023 that it would halt onboarding of new users in response to the UK watchdog’s rules on financial promotions. A Binance spokesperson told Cointelegraph that the exchange “does not comment on speculation surrounding potential licence applications.” The company did not respond to questions on its existing operations in...

Reuters reported that Binance supplied transaction records and identity documents later used in a terrorism-financing case against Yuri Belenkiy. Binance reportedly provided Russian authorities with transaction records and personal information belonging to a customer accused of financing terrorism via cryptocurrency donations to Ukrainian fundraising campaigns. Russian investigators used information supplied by Binance as evidence against IT specialist Yuri Belenkiy, who was detained in September 2025 and is awaiting trial in Russia, according to law enforcement documents reviewed by Reuters. Russia’s Investigative Committee alleged Belenkiy sent more than $700 in crypto between January 2023 and March 2024 to the Ukrainian military and a banned organization that Reuters identified as the group known at different times as the Azov Brigade and the Azov Regiment. Read more

RedotPay’s US IPO has reportedly been delayed as it seeks regulatory approvals, while the company says it secured a US money transmitter license. RedotPay’s plans for a US stock market debut have reportedly been delayed as the stablecoin payment company prepares to expand into the country. The company delayed plans for a US initial public offering (IPO) while it seeks regulatory approvals and contends with legal disputes involving Binance, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. A RedotPay representative declined to comment on the timing of an IPO to Cointelegraph. The representative instead pointed to the company’s US expansion, saying RedotPay obtained a money transmitter license in the US this week and is preparing to launch its product in the country. Read more

JPMorgan Chase reportedly cut banking ties with Polymarket in October 2025 over regulatory concerns but remains open to an underwriting role if the platform goes public. JPMorgan Chase ended a banking relationship with Polymarket over regulatory concerns, according to the Financial Times. JPMorgan notified the prediction market platform in October 2025 that it needed to find a new bank, the Financial Times reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Polymarket now works with an unidentified lender. Still, JPMorgan has maintained other ties with Polymarket. The bank is allegedly keen on a potential underwriting role should Polymarket attempt to go public. Polymarket reportedly said that it continues to have a “close, active relationship” with JPMorgan. Read more

Wintermute will reportedly invest $1 billion in AI infrastructure and high-frequency trading as part of its expansion into traditional finance. Crypto market maker Wintermute reportedly plans to invest up to $1 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) data center infrastructure and high-frequency trading over the next five years. The plans include scaling up Wintermute’s non-crypto market activity to account for over 50% of its business by the end of 2027, up from the current 10%, Wintermute CEO Evgeny Gaevoy told Bloomberg. Wednesday’s report said that as part of the plans, Wintermute will also double the staff in its 17-person New York office next year and expand its global headcount by about 40%. Cointelegraph has approached Wintermute for more details surrounding its expansion plans. Read more

Anthropic reportedly struck a $9 billion deal with Riot for 191 megawatts of capacity from the Bitcoin miner’s Rockdale campus in Texas. Bitcoin miner Riot Platforms said it secured a 20-year agreement to supply 191 megawatts of capacity from its Rockdale, Texas, campus to a “leading frontier AI” company, according to a Monday press release. The customer is Anthropic and the deal is valued at about $9 billion, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. Cointelegraph has approached Anthropic and Riot for comment. Read more

The UK’s FCA is reportedly preparing a regulatory framework for tokenized gold and how these products may be used as collateral assets in wholesale markets. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has reportedly held talks with banks and other industry participants over potential rules for tokenized gold. The FCA has also sought feedback on the use of tokenized gold as collateral in wholesale markets, people familiar with the matter told the Financial Times. The regulator is reportedly preparing to outline plans for new regulatory standards for tokenized gold. Cointelegraph has approached the FCA for comment on the matter. Read more

As the chairman of the Reform UK calls for an investigation into a FTX-linked political donation, the party’s leader prepares to face voters amid his own crypto-related scandal. The chairman of the UK’s Reform party has called for an investigation following reports of a $50,000 political donation linked to former FTX CEO Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried. According to a Friday report from the Telegraph, Reform UK chair Lee Anderson called for the parliamentary commissioner for standards to probe Defense Secretary Wes Streeting over reported $50,000 in donations from a think tank in 2022 and 2023. The reported donations came from Labour for the Long Term, whose founder reportedly accepted a $675,000 gift from Bankman-Fried before sending funds to Streeting. Notably, Reform leader Nigel Farage is set to face voters next week in a by-election triggered by his resignation as a member of parliament amid his own crypto scandal. The UK politician received $6.7 million in donations from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne ...

Situational Awareness reportedly made a $400 million investment in an undisclosed company, days after the hedge fund nearly collapsed following July’s AI stock crash. Situational Awareness, the hedge fund founded by former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner, reportedly invested $400 million in a privately held company days after it nearly collapsed under margin calls. The fund invested $100 million in the same unnamed company in July, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The latest investment was completed on Tuesday. Cointelegraph has approached Situational Awareness for comment. Read more

The lawmaker reportedly sent a letter to the Commerce Secretary demanding answers about the administration’s treatment of the UAE following investments in the Trump family’s crypto company. Senator Elizabeth Warren has reportedly asked the US Commerce Department to explain the administration’s policy toward the United Arab Emirates following the country’s investment in President Donald Trump’s family-backed cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial. Read more

Binance-linked companies sued RedotPay, accusing it of diverting more than 470,000 Binance Card users under a commercial deal and seeking nearly $473 million in damages. Binance-affiliated companies have sued the founders of Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency payments company RedotPay, alleging it diverted more than 470,000 users from Binance Card in breach of their commercial agreement. The plaintiffs seek nearly $473 million in damages, alleging the conduct contributed to RedotPay’s valuation as the company considers a potential initial public offering, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing a Hong Kong court filing it obtained. RedotPay said it is defending the proceedings and rejected what it described as “unfounded allegations” against the company and its co-founders. “RedotPay is strenuously defending the proceedings,” a RedotPay spokesperson told Cointelegraph, adding that it will respond through the appropriate legal process. Read more

A key architect of the Trump administration’s digital asset agenda is leaving the Treasury Department as Congress struggles to advance landmark crypto legislation. Tyler Williams, a senior US Treasury official overseeing digital asset policy and a key adviser to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, has left the department, according to a Monday report by Punchbowl News. In a statement shared with Punchbowl, Bessent confirmed that Williams’ last day at the Treasury Department was Friday, saying he had been “instrumental” in advancing the Trump administration’s vision of making the US the “crypto capital of the world.” Williams joined the Treasury Department in early 2025 after serving as head of policy at Galaxy Digital. During his tenure, he played a central role in shaping the administration’s digital asset agenda. According to the report, Williams is expected to return to the private sector. Read more

According to Bloomberg, the digital asset prime broker is refocusing its Singapore strategy and withdrawing its local license application as crypto companies continue to trim costs. FalconX, the digital asset prime brokerage that acquired crypto ETF issuer 21shares last November, has laid off roughly 10% of its global workforce as it prepares for a prolonged downturn in the cryptocurrency market, Bloomberg reported Monday. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg said FalconX is also reshaping its strategy in Singapore by focusing on crypto derivatives trading and plans to withdraw its license application with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The company intends to maintain its presence in Asia while expanding its European business. FalconX employed about 350 people across the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Hong Kong before the layoffs. Read more

Stablecoins have been flowing out of South Korean exchanges for 18 consecutive months as regulators weigh tighter oversight of cross-border crypto activity. South Korea saw 560.3 billion won ($367 million) in stablecoin outflows to overseas exchanges in June, extending the country’s streak of monthly net stablecoin outflows to 18 consecutive months.  The figure comes from Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) data obtained by Yonhap News Agency through People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jong-wook. South Korea’s five major crypto exchanges — Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax — transferred 2.7 trillion won ($1.81 billion) in stablecoins offshore in June and received 2.2 trillion won ($1.44 billion) from foreign platforms. Market participants cited by Yonhap attributed the transfers to demand for products restricted or unavailable on domestic exchanges, such as overseas derivatives, tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), decentralized finance and staking products.  Read more

Pump.fun co-founder Noah Tweedale reportedly attributed the layoffs to the company growing too quickly. Solana-based memecoin launchpad Pump.fun reportedly fired employees two months before they were due to receive PUMP tokens worth millions of dollars. According to a Friday Sandmark report, at least one Pump.fun worker was due to receive PUMP tokens worth in the seven-figure range. The news outlet reported that Pump.fun co-founder Noah Tweedale said the company “grew too quickly,” resulting in layoffs of an undisclosed number of employees.  The employees were reportedly fired in April, just two months before they were due to start receiving the company’s tokens based on agreements signed in 2025. The agreements, according to documents viewed by Sandmark, said that Pump.fun would unlock a quarter of the employees’ allocated tokens in one year, scheduled for June 2026. Read more

The window to pass a comprehensive crypto market structure bill before the Senate breaks for a month-long recess is closing, with ethics a dividing issue for many lawmakers. Two US senators on opposite sides of the political aisle have reportedly sent revised ethics guidelines to the White House as part of discussions over a cryptocurrency market structure bill in Congress. According to a Thursday PunchBowl report, Senator Thom Tillis and Senator Ruben Gallego submitted a counteroffer to the Trump administration that included a change to ethics provisions in the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act. The changes would reportedly address concerns from many lawmakers in the first draft by allowing state authorities to enforce a ban on federal officials issuing or sponsoring tokens rather than the US Attorney General. Gallego, a Democrat, previously said that provisions around ethics, consumer protection, illicit finance, conflicts of interest and market integrity “must be strengthened” and he would continu...

A White House crypto adviser said that the proposed changes to the CLARITY Act were “not even close” to the administration’s position, signaling another fight over the bill. Organizations representing law enforcement officials in the US have reportedly proposed changes to a comprehensive cryptocurrency market structure bill under consideration in the Senate, with only days left until the chamber breaks for a month-long recess. According to a Tuesday Politico report, the National Association of Assistant US Attorneys and the National District Attorneys Association sent a letter to the White House asking for changes on provisions regarding developers in the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act. The changes proposed to the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA) within the CLARITY Act included that guidelines on developers not “create, expand, or modify criminal liability under Federal law.” In response to reports on the proposed changes, White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt said that the provisions ...

A CoinGecko study points to rising demand for tokenized equities and commodities on centralized exchanges, with perpetual futures driving most of the market’s trading activity. Intense competition from traditional brokerage and decentralized exchanges is pushing crypto exchanges to expand beyond digital assets into tokenized stocks, commodities and precious metals, CoinGecko said. A study, released by the crypto data provider on Wednesday, found that the market capitalization of tokenized traditional assets, including precious metals, US stocks, commodities, global indexes and forex, grew to $6.6 billion in June 2026 from $1.4 billion in January 2025. The analysis covers activity across Binance, OKX, Bybit, Bitget, Gate and MEXC. The market’s initial growth was fueled largely by tokenized precious metals before expanding into US equities. By mid-2026, US stock perpetual futures had overtaken precious metals in both trading volume and open interest, driven by investor interest in semiconductor stocks and antic...

Daily NK reported that North Korea arrested former state cyber operators accused of hacking two state banks and laundering funds through crypto. North Korean authorities have reportedly arrested a group of former state cyber operators and IT specialists accused of hacking two state banks and laundering stolen funds through cryptocurrency. South Korean outlet Daily NK reported Thursday, citing an anonymous source in Pyongyang, that the group allegedly hacked the internal networks of North Korea’s central bank and the Foreign Trade Bank, converting stolen state funds into cryptocurrency before laundering them through China-based brokers. Cointelegraph could not independently verify the report. Read more

Ten tokenized dairy cows backed a $19,600 loan registered on Brazil’s B3, in one of Brazil’s first uses of tokenized livestock as loan collateral. Brazil’s B3 stock exchange has reportedly found a new use for dairy cows by backing a loan with tokenized cattle. The transaction involved a loan of 100,000 Brazilian reais ($19,600) secured by 10 dairy cows from Fazenda Engenho Velho in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná, valued at about 120,000 Brazilian reais ($23,500). The deal was structured by Brazilian investment fund Target FIDC, according to CNN Brasil. Each cow received a unique digital token linked to an encrypted digital identity, while AI-powered smart collars from agriculture tech company Cowmed monitor each animal’s health, reducing the need for physical inspections. Read more