Crypto

SBI partners with Circle, Ripple and Startale to launch stablecoin ventures and a tokenized asset trading platform in Japan. Japanese financial conglomerate SBI inked new blockchain partnerships with USDC issuer Circle, XRP developer Ripple and the Web3 company Startale. SBI Group announced the three separate partnerships on Friday, including stablecoin-related collaborations with US companies Circle and Ripple, and a new tokenization project with Singapore-based Startale. In cooperation with Startale, SBI plans to build an onchain trading platform for tokenized stocks and real-world assets (RWAs) to enable 24/7 trading. Read more

The provision introduced by House Republicans highlights America’s outlier stance as global adoption of CBDCs accelerates.

Taiwanese prosecutors reportedly indicted 14 people accused of orchestrating the country’s biggest money laundering case involving cryptocurrency. Update, Aug. 22, 12:54 pm UTC: This article has been updated to include CoinW exchange’s response to the indictment. Taiwanese prosecutors reportedly indicted 14 people in what they say is the country’s biggest-ever cryptocurrency money laundering case, involving more than 1,500 victims and over $70 million in illicit funds. The Shilin District Prosecutor’s office indicted the 14 on charges related to fraud, money laundering and organized crime, requesting the confiscation of 1.275 billion New Taiwan dollars ($39.8 million), which was allegedly obtained from victims through fraud, according to a Friday report from local media outlet UDN. Read more

The GENIUS Act's passage caught many in Europe off guard and sparked concerns dollar-backed stablecoins could tighten America’s grip on cross-border payments.

AUSTRAC has ordered Binance Australia to appoint an external auditor after identifying serious shortcomings in the exchange’s Anti-Money Laundering controls. The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) ordered the local unit of crypto exchange Binance to appoint an external auditor over concerns about its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF) systems. The regulator said Friday the decision was made “after identifying serious concerns” with Binance’s AML/CTF controls. Matt Poblocki, Binance Australia and New Zealand general manager, told Cointelegraph, “Binance Australia acknowledges AUSTRAC’s decision,” adding that the move was “one of their supervisory review measures and not an enforcement action.” Read more

In separate meetings, executives from Shinhan, Hana, KB Financial and Woori Bank will explore the role of dollar-pegged and won-pegged stablecoins in the country.

Binance Australia has 28 days to nominate external auditors for AUSTRAC's consideration.

Spot Ether ETFs now hold 6.42 million ETH worth $27.66 billion, equal to 5.31% of the asset’s circulating supply. US spot Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) funds drew $287.6 million in net inflows on Thursday, snapping a four-day outflow streak, according to data from crypto ETF tracker SoSoValue. The rebound follows a period of sustained outflows, with funds shedding over $924 million between Aug. 15 and Wednesday. The largest withdrawal came on Tuesday, when spot Ether (ETH) ETFs saw $429 million exit, the second-largest daily net outflow seen this month, following the $465 million that left the market on Aug. 4.  Asset manager BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) led Thursday with $233.5 million in inflows, while the Fidelity Ethereum Fund (FETH) followed with $28.5 million. Other ETFs averaged around $6 million in net inflows for the day.  Read more

Powell is scheduled to speak Friday morning at the Fed’s annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium.

Crypto markets remain on the defensive as investors weigh macro pressures, rising ETF outflows and Powell’s upcoming remarks at Jackson Hole.

The two plan to roll out a U.S. dollar stablecoin in Japan under new rules that open the market to foreign issuers.

ASIC is expanding its fraud crackdown, moving from website takedowns to social media ads as crypto scams remain a key source of losses.

Bitcoin traders are positioning cautiously, with options data suggesting a defensive tone and uncertainty around rate path guidance.

A $50 million Trump-linked acquisition of a DOGE mining firm, Wyoming’s launch of a state-backed stablecoin, and comments from Federal Reserve officials signaling a softer stance on digital assets all converged to trigger fresh institutional flows.

SBI VC Trade, a licensed Electronic Payment Instruments Exchange Service Provider, said it expects RLUSD to go live in Japan during the first quarter of 2026.

The CFTC is now into its third crypto sprint, widening its review beyond spot trading as it works with the SEC to shape U.S. crypto rules.

ASIC Deputy Chair Sarah Court said the regulator has now beefed up its scam enforcement to include monitoring social media ads. Australia’s markets regulator is set to expand its crackdown on online scams after taking down 14,000 online scams since July 2023, with over 3,000 purporting to involve crypto.  The online scams include investment scams, phishing websites and are found in online advertisements. ASIC Deputy Chair Sarah Court said in a statement that ASIC’s investment scam enforcement efforts will now be expanded to include social media ads. Worldwide losses from crypto hacks, scams, and exploits hit $2.47 billion in the first half of 2025, representing a nearly 3% increase compared to the $2.4 billion stolen in 2024. Read more

Microsoft’s AI leader and DeepMind co-founder says humanlike systems could spark demands for AI rights while distorting human relationships.

Buyers of the SuiPlay0X1 gaming handheld are being slapped with unexpected import duties, some as high as nearly $350 per device.

A Bitcoiner fell victim to a social engineering attack after being approached by impostors posing as hardware wallet support, losing 783 BTC worth $91 million. A Bitcoiner lost $91 million in a single transaction to a social engineering attack on Tuesday, with funds then sent to a privacy-focused Bitcoin wallet, according to blockchain investigator ZachXBT. The victim was deceived by impostors posing as crypto exchange and hardware wallet support, losing 783 Bitcoin (BTC) in a single transaction, ZachXBT said in an X post on Thursday. Blockchain data shows the theft occurred on Tuesday at 11:06 am UTC, and the exploiter started laundering the stolen funds a day later through the Bitcoin privacy-focused Wasabi Wallet to conceal the trail of the stolen funds, ZachXBT said.  Read more