Crypto

SBI Holdings unveiled plans for exchange-traded products, including a gold-crypto ETF and a Bitcoin-XRP dual ETF. Japanese financial giant SBI Holdings plans to launch the country’s first dual-asset cryptocurrency exchange-traded fund (ETF), offering exposure to both Bitcoin and XRP. In its earnings report Thursday, the company outlined plans for two crypto-based ETF products. The first product proposal combines gold and crypto asset ETFs bundled into a trust.  According to the company, this would allocate 51% into gold-based ETFs and 49% into crypto-asset ETFs, such as Bitcoin ETFs; this will be publicly offered as an investment trust in Japan. Read more

It appears the SEC is accelerating their efforts to turn Project Crypto into reality, and soon...

Satsuma Technology secured $217.6 million in its latest raise, with over half settled in Bitcoin, drawing support from top crypto funds and UK institutional investors. London-listed tech firm Satsuma Technology locked in 163,660,000 British pounds ($217.6 million) in gross proceeds from its second convertible loan note round, with nearly $125 million settled in Bitcoin, to boost its Bitcoin treasury strategy. The raise, which closed on July 28, overshot its minimum $129 million target by more than 63%, driven by strong interest from crypto-native and traditional institutional investors, the company said in a Wednesday announcement. “This moment represents a landmark validation of our core belief: that fusing a Bitcoin-native treasury with decentralised AI is a paradigm shift in corporate value creation,” said Satsuma CEO Henry Elder. Read more

Dubbed the “Glacier Drop,” the airdrop is live as of Wednesday and available to wallets that held at least $100 in native tokens on Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, Cardano, Avalanche, XRP Ledger, or Brave as of a June 11 snapshot.

All key cost basis models are trending higher, reinforcing strong on-chain support and investor confidence.

The initiative is aimed at modernizing payment infrastructure and reducing settlement risk, Marex said.

The short-term outlook for Bitcoin remained cautious, with a possibility of a trip toward $105,000, which one analyst called a “hidden danger zone” for BTC price. Key takeaways: Bitcoin onchain metrics converge around $105,000, signaling a hidden risk zone. Elevated open interest keeps BTC’s market structure at risk of sudden volatility. Read more

UK-listed Smarter Web Company raised $21 million via Bitcoin-denominated bonds, backed by Tobam, offering a new model for crypto-aligned fundraising. The Smarter Web Company, a publicly traded UK-based company holding Bitcoin on its corporate balance sheet, raised $21 million through a Bitcoin-denominated bond offering, marking a rare move in British capital markets. In a Wednesday London Stock Exchange announcement, The Smarter Web Company disclosed it had launched a Bitcoin-denominated bond that has already raised 15.8 million British pounds ($21 million). The bond was offered in a fully subscribed round backed by the French asset management giant Tobam. The new product, “Smarter Convert,” was designed in partnership with Tobam, with the French company investing through three of its managed funds. Tobam CEO Yves Choueifaty said that the company “is driven by a commitment to long-term alignment.” Read more

Crypto scammers are switching from code to exploiting human vulnerabilities that don’t require breaking through complex cybersecurity guardrails. A cryptocurrency investor lost $3 million in a phishing scam after signing a malicious blockchain transaction without verifying the contract address, highlighting the risk posed by digital asset scams. A single wrong click was all it took to drain $3 million worth of USDt (USDT) from an investor who failed to verify the contract address before signing the blockchain transaction. “Someone fell victim to a phishing attack, signed a malicious transfer, and lost 3.05M $USDT,” according to a Wednesday X post from blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain. “Stay alert, stay safe. One wrong click can drain your wallet. Never sign a transaction you don’t fully understand.” Read more

The Payments Association’s Riccardo Tordera told Cointelegraph that lifting the ETN ban allowed individual investors to make their own choices at their own risk. The United Kingdom’s financial regulator lifted a ban on crypto exchange-traded notes (cETNs) for retail investors in a move welcomed by industry leaders as a step toward aligning the UK with global crypto markets as a digital asset hub. On Friday, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) reversed the ban on retail access to cETNs, with regulatory changes taking effect from Oct. 8. The ban was enforced in January 2021, citing extreme volatility and “lack of legitimate investment need.”  Lifting the cETN ban reflects a change in the regulator’s approach to crypto assets. In a statement, an FCA executive said the decision reflected how the market had evolved and how crypto-related products are better understood. Read more

South Korea’s BDACS has rolled out institutional custody support for XRP, following its partnership with Ripple and integration with top South Korean exchanges. South Korean crypto custodian BDACS has launched institutional custody support for XRP following its February partnership agreement with Ripple. The move provides institutions with regulated access to one of the world’s most actively traded digital assets. The rollout, announced via BDACS’s X account on Tuesday, enables institutions to securely store and manage XRP (XRP) using Ripple Custody, Ripple’s enterprise-grade custody solution. “We’re thrilled to offer custody support for XRP, one of the most popular digital assets in Korea, to our institutional clients,” BDACS wrote. “This launch strengthens our long-standing partnership with Ripple and underscores our commitment to the Korean market.” Read more

CZ argued that a Delaware court has no authority over him in a case tied to 2021 crypto transfers from Sam Bankman-Fried.

China’s security agency warned that biometric data collection by crypto firms, including iris scans, may endanger personal privacy and be exploited for espionage. China warned of the increasing use of biometric data by crypto-linked projects, cautioning that iris-scanning programs operating under the guise of digital asset distribution may threaten personal privacy and even national security. In a public security bulletin published Wednesday, China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) outlined several emerging risks associated with biometric recognition technologies, including facial, fingerprint and iris data collection. The MSS cited an unidentified overseas company that, “under the guise of issuing cryptocurrency tokens, scanned and collected iris information from users worldwide and then transferred the data source.” Officials said this posed “a threat to personal information security and even national security.” Read more

Michigan’s state pension fund tripled its exposure to Bitcoin in Q2, signaling growing institutional adoption despite recent ETF outflows.

Chirag Tomar, convicted in the U.S. for a $20M crypto scam using fake Coinbase websites, ran a phishing network targeting global victims.

Bitcoin’s August rebound faces resistance as long-term holders cash out and institutional sentiment begins to cool for the month.

Federal agents seized plans to skirt export laws using false documents and shipments to Singapore and Malaysia.

Fischer’s claim that liquid staking could trigger a Lehman-style collapse sparked ire from crypto leaders, who say the risks are overstated.

As crypto equity markets become overcrowded and illiquid, Architect bets on building a Moody's-like credit rating system to unlock new pools of institutional capital.

BDACS launches XRP custody for institutions in Korea, deepening Ripple partnership and boosting regulatory alignment for XRP’s global institutional use.