Crypto

Iran peace deal collapse, pressuring Bitcoin and Strategy as STRC breaks peg. Microsoft flags crypto risks, adding pressure on the industry. The post Crypto News, June 19: Bitcoin at Risk as Strategy STRC Cracks its Peg, Microsoft Warns Windows Crypto Users, Iran Suspends Peace Talks appeared first on Cryptonews.

Europe’s crypto rulebook is squeezing much of the industry before it has even fully taken effect, with Binance and Tether as the most visible examples of a wider scramble to remain within the bloc’s regulated market. The pressure is building ahead of the July 1 deadline for firms to secure authorization under the European Union’s […] The post Europe’s MiCA July deadline puts Binance access and USDT liquidity on the line appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The asset manager's two proposed "Bitcoin DRIP" funds would hold U.S. stocks and reinvest dividends into Bitcoin, a novel ETF structure.

[PRESS RELEASE – New York, United States, June 18th, 2026] Stratosphere, Pudgy Penguins and Streamex hosted a private Founders Table VIP Dinner in New York City during ETHConf 2026 and NYC Tech Week, bringing together leaders across digital assets, tech, AI, traditional finance and institutional capital. The invite-only dinner took place on June 9th and […]

Matt Cole says forced selling from leveraged investors pushed STRC and SATA sharply lower before both rebounded.

[PRESS RELEASE – Stockholm, Sweden, June 19th, 2026] PremiumBlock brings leveraged prediction markets, liquid 24/7 FX perpetuals, and Web3 poker together in one wallet-native platform via premiumblock.org PremiumBlock today announced the launch of its non-custodial risk hub for decentralized prediction markets, perpetual futures and Web3 poker, giving crypto users one wallet-native destination to create markets, […]

Near-record OP_RETURN usage is driving a surge in low-value Bitcoin transactions, pushing Bitcoin network activity close to all-time highs despite muted price action. Microtransactions below 0.01 Bitcoin (BTC) now account for roughly 80% of all daily transactions on the network, pushing transaction activity close to record highs despite weak price performance. The surge has pushed CryptoQuant’s Bitcoin “Network Activity Index” into positive territory for the first time since 2024, according to a Thursday report by the blockchain data company. Transactions below 0.01 BTC represented about 44% of all daily Bitcoin transactions in 2023, but their share has nearly doubled since then, fueled largely by Ordinals, Runes and other data-inscription protocols. Read more

Meanwhile, PI's price continues to struggle to stay afloat at $0.13.

The software intercepts shortcut files and directs them to install a worm that harvests private keys from the Windows clipboard and inserts its own destination wallet addresses when it detects a transfer.

On the positive side, the spot XRP ETFs continue to attract capital.

Goldman Sachs revised its year-end forecast for gold to $4,900, indicating an increase from current levels, but less than previously expected. Goldman Sachs lowered its year-end gold forecast by $500 an ounce, citing expectations that the US Federal Reserve won’t cut interest rates this year. The revised target places gold at $4,900, down from earlier estimates of $5,400. It comes on the assumption that the next Fed cuts could be pushed to March 2027 and December 2027. “Our gold price views remain structurally constructive but tactically cautious, with near-term downside risk and medium-term upside risk,” Goldman Sachs commodity analysts Lina Thomas and Daan Struyven said, according to Bloomberg. Read more

According to Cole, strong collateral can sometimes encourage excessive risk-taking instead of preventing it.

AllUnity launches Swedish krona-backed stablecoin SEKAU with multi-chain support, expanding its stablecoin portfolio regulated under the EU’s MiCA framework. Digital asset company AllUnity is launching SEKAU, a Swedish krona-backed stablecoin issued under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). The new token operates as an e-money token under MiCA, according to a statement shared with Cointelegraph on Friday. It is backed by segregated Swedish krona reserves and targets institutional settlement and cross-border payments. The launch follows AllUnity’s Swiss franc stablecoin rollout, extending its multi-currency stablecoin strategy under the EU’s MiCA framework. Read more

The end of another week has arrived, and with it another batch of expiring crypto options as spot markets turn red once again.

The proposed funds would allocate stock dividends to Bitcoin-linked investments, using a dividend reinvestment strategy to build crypto exposure over time. Global asset manager Franklin Templeton has filed for two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) designed to convert dividend income from US stocks into Bitcoin exposure, according to a June 18 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The proposed Franklin US Equity Bitcoin DRIP Index ETF and Franklin US Innovation Bitcoin DRIP Index ETF would track indexes that systematically reinvest stock dividends into a Bitcoin allocation, creating a rules-based Bitcoin exposure alongside traditional equity holdings. According to the filing, the funds would launch with a 5% allocation to Bitcoin exposure and a 95% allocation to US equities. Under the index methodology, regular and special dividends from the stock holdings would be reinvested into the index's Bitcoin allocation, while quarterly rebalances would maintain the Bitcoin allocation within predefine...

Algorand is planning new accounts and consensus mechanisms designed to be resistant to the cryptography-breaking threat of quantum computers. The layer-1 blockchain Algorand has released its plan to tackle the potential threat of quantum computing, with a roadmap to update the network’s infrastructure by the end of 2027. Algorand Foundation technology chief Bruno Martins said Thursday that the updates will aim to give the network broad quantum resilience, a threat it has been researching and preparing for several years. “Governments, standards bodies, and security experts around the world are already preparing for a future where quantum computers may break many of the cryptographic systems that protect today's digital infrastructure,” Martins said. Read more

The malware blends data theft with remote code execution, “turning a financially motivated stealer into a lightweight backdoor,” Microsoft said. Microsoft Threat Intelligence is warning Windows users about a cryptocurrency clipper strain of malware transmitted via USB drives. The malware, which has been affecting users since February, steals clipboard data to extract wallet credentials using “high-frequency clipboard theft, screenshot exfiltration, and wallet-address substitution,” Microsoft said Wednesday. The crypto clipper also hides legitimate files and replaces them with lookalike shortcuts, so victims unknowingly execute malware while a worm component propagates automatically to USB storage devices. Read more

Heavy selling pushed XRP back below a key support zone, reinforcing a downtrend that has repeatedly stalled rallies near $1.25.

About 20% of miners are now unprofitable, and publicly traded miners sold more than 32,000 bitcoin in the first quarter to cover operating costs, more than they offloaded in all of 2025.

Bitcoin traders are scrambling to buy options bets that would pay off if the selloff deepens.