Clients of Ticino-based BancaStato can now trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Solana directly through their existing banking applications. The integration marks a milestone for the 1915-founded cantonal bank, which has partnered with Sygnum and Avaloq to bring regulated digital asset services into its established retail environment.
Coinbase has opened a new office at One Raffles Quay in Singapore, signaling a strategic commitment to the region. The crypto exchange plans to grow its local headcount by one-third, reaching approximately 200 employees by the end of 2026, even as it navigates global volatility and shifting regulatory landscapes.
South Korea’s financial giant Mirae Asset has finalized its acquisition of cryptocurrency exchange Korbit, securing a controlling stake as traditional institutions deepen their foothold in the digital asset sector. The move marks a milestone for the industry, as a major domestic financial group takes direct ownership of a regulated exchange.
“Perfect can’t be the enemy of good,” Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse declared this week, urging Congress to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. Despite his push and support from Coinbase’s Brian Armstrong, the legislation faces a stalled path as a group of Senate Democrats demand stricter ethics and consumer safeguards.
The Verus Ethereum Bridge suffered a $7.54 million breach on July 23, marking the second time the protocol has been targeted by an exploit this year. Security firm Blockaid identified that the attacker leveraged the same bridge contract and import path that allowed a previous theft in May.
Circle has signed separate memorandums of understanding with Kakao Group and fintech operator Toss to explore the integration of stablecoin payments and blockchain settlement within South Korea, marking a strategic push to align USDC infrastructure with the country’s evolving digital asset regulatory framework.
The Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System has expanded its indirect exposure to Bitcoin, increasing its holding in MicroStrategy to 21,300 shares. Regulatory filings reveal the $16.3 billion pension fund added 700 shares during the second quarter, signaling a continued, albeit modest, commitment to the software company’s crypto-heavy balance sheet.
Revolut has surged to a $115 billion valuation following a new secondary share sale that prices individual units at $2,017. This latest transaction offers employees and existing shareholders a significant liquidity event, pushing the fintech firm’s private market value well beyond that of traditional banking giants like Barclays.
A critical vulnerability in the Zilliqa Ledger application has forced the network to suspend native ZIL transactions, as researchers confirmed that flawed signature generation allowed attackers to reconstruct private keys. The security breach, which persisted for years, leaves any account with roughly five or more native signatures permanently compromised.
Moving financial activities to a blockchain does not grant immunity from federal regulation. Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioner Hester Peirce warned on July 22 that crypto vaults and onchain lending platforms may fall under existing securities laws, depending on how operators structure their management and investment strategies.
Fifty-two verified "wrench attacks" occurred globally in the first half of 2026, marking a 33% increase in frequency and a staggering 1,079% jump in financial exposure. According to CertiK, the trend highlights a dangerous shift as criminals bypass digital encryption by targeting the physical safety of crypto holders.
With over $37 billion in transaction volume already processed, Payward is moving its xStocks platform beyond U.S. borders. By partnering with fintech provider GTN, the Kraken parent aims to tokenize equities across more than 90 international markets, starting with assets listed in Hong Kong to challenge traditional financial fragmentation.
With 232,000 jobs supported across the national economy, the cryptocurrency sector is carving out a significant niche in the American labor market. A new report commissioned by the National Cryptocurrency Association projects the industry will contribute $55 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product by the end of 2026.
A political action committee linked to the crypto industry has poured nearly $1 million into Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, launching a dual-pronged campaign to bolster incumbent Representative Shri Thanedar while funding attack advertisements against his primary challenger, state Representative Donavan McKinney.
A security breach targeting a third-party bridge operated by the trading protocol AFX resulted in the theft of $24.15 million in USDC on July 22. The attacker swiftly moved the illicit funds across chains, converting the stablecoin into 12,467.5 ETH, leaving the protocol’s infrastructure under intense scrutiny.
Japan is moving to integrate cryptocurrency into its formal financial system, with regulators aiming to clear the way for Bitcoin exchange-traded funds by 2028. The shift marks a transition in how the country classifies digital assets, moving them from payment tools toward recognized financial investment products.
S&P Dow Jones Indices and Pantera Capital have unveiled an 18-asset benchmark that strips away Bitcoin and XRP, favoring blockchain networks based on protocol revenue. By shifting the focus from market capitalization to tangible fee generation, the index aims to mirror traditional equity metrics for professional digital asset portfolios.
The UK Treasury has set a Q1 2027 deadline for its inaugural tokenized sovereign bond, but the project hinges on a critical technical gap: the absence of a unified, regulated on-chain mechanism to settle the cash leg of the transaction alongside the digital security.
Tesla held its position of 11,509 Bitcoin steady through the second quarter, opting against liquidating assets despite a $112 million after-tax loss caused by crypto market volatility. The company’s decision maintains a holding pattern that has persisted since the major sell-off of its original crypto reserves in 2022.
Bitcoin’s sharp retreat from its $125,000 cycle peak could reach a definitive floor if the Federal Reserve halts its interest rate hikes. Zach Pandl, head of research at Grayscale, suggests that shifting macroeconomic conditions are now more critical to the asset's recovery than historical four-year cycle patterns.
Two securities transfer groups are urging the SEC to establish a clear regulatory divide between issuer-backed tokens and unauthorized third-party versions. They warn that unaffiliated products—which often lack a direct legal link to the underlying company—risk undermining shareholder protections, voting rights, and the integrity of corporate record-keeping.
A 15-percentage-point drop in 2026 passage odds for the CLARITY Act signals that President Donald Trump’s recent concession on crypto ethics has failed to break the legislative deadlock. Democratic resistance, led by Senator Angela Alsobrooks, centers on the bill's reliance on the Department of Justice to police potential conflicts of interest.
Five days after French authorities ordered internet service providers to block access to Polymarket, the crypto-based prediction platform is fighting back. The company announced it will contest the National Gambling Authority’s decision in court, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle over the classification of event-based trading.
Donald Trump’s warning to target Iranian infrastructure, coupled with the collapse of the Islamabad Memorandum, has sent oil prices surging above $95 per barrel. This sudden geopolitical volatility is forcing traders to recalibrate their outlook on Federal Reserve interest rates, dragging Bitcoin down to $65,700 in the process.
Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, has accused Beijing-based Moonshot AI of surreptitiously utilizing proprietary technology from Anthropic to develop its Kimi K3 model. The allegations follow the Chinese system’s recent surge to the top of the Frontend Code Arena benchmark.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has agreed to a $150,000 settlement with Coinbase after failing to preserve nearly 11 months of text messages from former Chair Gary Gensler. The deal brings a long-standing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to a close, forcing the regulator to overhaul its internal record-retention policies.
With or without the proposed CLARITY Act, Bitget is moving forward with plans to enter the United States market. CEO Gracy Chen confirmed the exchange has abandoned its previous sideline strategy, shifting focus toward securing necessary money-transmitter, derivatives, and broker-dealer licenses for a standalone American entity.
South Korea has kicked off a 9.6 billion won project to integrate deposit tokens into everyday retail payments, signaling a shift from experimental wholesale trials toward public use. The initiative leverages existing banking infrastructure to lower transaction costs for small merchants without requiring a complete hardware overhaul at point-of-sale terminals.
BNB Chain users face a temporary loss of visibility into on-chain activity as BscScan, the network’s primary block explorer, undergoes scheduled maintenance. Starting July 22 at 6:00 a.m. UTC, the three-to-four-hour service window affects website and API access, though the underlying blockchain remains fully operational and continues processing transactions as usual.
The U.S. Department of Justice has moved to forfeit more than $25 million in cryptocurrency tied to five distinct international fraud operations. These cases, which targeted victims across the United States and Canada through elaborate investment and romance scams, highlight the reach of syndicates operating out of Southeast Asia.
