Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

Ctrl Wallet has scheduled a deprecation that ends full app services on Aug. 2, with sending, receiving, swaps, and dApp connections stopping on Aug. 3. The notice lists dates but no exact cutoff time or timezone, so waiting for a specific moment on Monday could cause users to miss the transfer window. For traders and users, the key risk is losing a reliable route into on-chain accounts after the app stops opening. Ctrl says installed copies should keep functions through Aug. 2, but it cannot guarantee the app will continue to work beyond Aug. 3. Ctrl emphasizes that ownership remains on-chain, and the recovery phrase is the only way to reopen accounts in a compatible wallet. Users have two practical options: (1) export the 12- or 24-word recovery phrase and import it into a compatible wallet; or (2) transfer assets to addresses they already control before Aug. 3. Ctrl warns that “migration tokens,” “compensation” airdrops, and refunds are scams, and that any request for the recovery phrase is fraudulent. Ctrl also advises checking wallet compatibility details: unsupported derivation paths can lead to missing expected accounts even with a valid phrase. Confirm accounts, networks, and balances before relying on the new wallet. Ctrl Wallet to shut core functions Aug. 3—so traders should prioritize asset migration or phrase export now to reduce operational and phishing exposure.

Iran says it is close to finalizing a Strait of Hormuz shipping-management deal with Oman, aiming to restore transit to pre-tension levels within about a month. The Strait handles ~20 million barrels per day (~20% of global seaborne oil). Oman proposed a 50-50 split of lanes with joint regional oversight, but Iran rejected it, demanding full control of one lane and partial oversight of the other. Gulf states reportedly back Oman’s joint oversight approach. For crypto traders, the key new angle is the payment mechanism. An April 2026 draft protocol referenced tolls denominated in crypto or yuan, and the reports now frame Bitcoin (BTC) and stablecoins as potential assets for Hormuz transit toll collection. This would support a sanctions-resistant, non-dollar settlement narrative. What to watch: whether the final Hormuz shipping deal explicitly allows BTC/stablecoin payments, which assets are permitted, and how settlement and compliance are handled—factors that could influence recurring real-world-linked demand and liquidity expectations for BTC.

The Squad has endorsed Abdul El-Sayed ahead of the Michigan Democratic Senate primary, days before voters choose between El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens. The seat is open after retiring Sen. Gary Peters, making this Michigan Democratic Senate primary a potential ideological test for the Democratic Party ahead of the November elections. Prediction-market prices are shifting toward El-Sayed. Market odds suggest a higher likelihood of El-Sayed winning by a 10–15% margin, with YES shares for the 10–15% range rising to about 30.5%. However, the Oakland County sub-market looks more mixed: YES shares for El-Sayed’s victory by margin still show Stevens leading on YES at roughly 77%, despite El-Sayed’s endorsement boost. Traders tracking the Michigan Democratic Senate primary should watch new polling and endorsement announcements that could reinforce or challenge the current pricing for the 10–15% margin. Turnout signals—especially among younger and progressive voters—may also alter the expected outcome in both statewide and Oakland County contracts. Overall, the endorsement is a near-term catalyst for sentiment, but the sub-market indicates uncertainty remains.

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is gaining momentum in the UK as illegal migration becomes a central political flashpoint. The party has made immigration a core part of its platform, including plans for an ICE-style deportation agency. Recent national polling shows Reform UK either leading or close to the top, with many supporters citing trust in its illegal migration approach as a key reason for backing the party. The article links this shift to expectations for the upcoming Clacton by-election, where Farage is a candidate. Prediction-market pricing for the Clacton contest appears to reflect improved odds for a strong performance by Farage. The provided market snapshot also indicates movement in contract odds consistent with the higher likelihood of Reform UK outperforming prior expectations. What traders should watch next is whether polling changes around illegal migration, and how rival parties respond to Reform UK’s immigration stance. Any campaign-driven shifts in sentiment could quickly reprice by-election odds in prediction markets. Note: the piece frames its conclusions as analysis of publicly available information and prediction-market data, not investment advice or a direct crypto signal.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs ended July with a modest improvement after two tough months of large outflows. After net outflows of about $2.43B in May and $4.5B+ in June (nearly $7B combined), inflows returned early in July (about $200M in week 1, then +$76M and +$34M). However, the last week turned red with -$61.53M, including a worst day Friday (-$265M net). July closed at roughly +$172.42M. Bitcoin ETF flows recovered, but not enough to offset recent losses. Ethereum ETFs showed stronger persistence. After losses of $541M in May and $529M in June, Ethereum ETFs attracted net inflows of $365.17M in July—more than 2x Bitcoin ETF inflows. ETH ETFs finished all four full weeks in the green, with only one red day in the final week. This ETF demand aligned with a market rebound: ETH rose about 20% in July, its best month in roughly a year. Traders should watch whether August confirms this rotation from BTC to ETH via ETF inflows. A continued inflow trend into Ethereum ETFs could support upside momentum, while renewed outflows in Bitcoin ETFs would cap broader risk-on attempts.

On-chain tracking firm Lookonchain says Trump Media has sold another 2,628 BTC, worth about $165.07M, by transferring holdings to Crypto.com. The move continues a multi-month reduction of its Bitcoin treasury. Trump Media originally bought 11,542 BTC for about $1.37B (avg. $118,522). As sales progressed over roughly seven months, recent disposals occurred at far lower prices. Earlier in the year, the company sold 2,650 BTC for about $205M. Cumulatively, it has now sold 7,281 BTC since starting de-risking, with an average selling price under $75,000. Lookonchain estimates total losses have grown to roughly $555M. For traders, persistent BTC treasury selling can add incremental sell pressure and sustain headline-driven volatility, especially if it coincides with weaker demand or rising risk sentiment.

The US OFAC designated two Iranian maritime insurance firms—HormuzSafe Marine Services Authority and Persian Gulf Marine Insurance Company (PGMIC)—on July 29 under Executive Order 13902. The listing can freeze any US-linked property and generally prohibits US persons from dealing with the entities, unless OFAC authorizes. US Treasury alleges the firms support a “safe passage” scheme for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, where vessels must buy passage insurance. OFAC also claims HormuzSafe accepts Bitcoin and other digital assets as payment to help Iran bypass Western sanctions. The notice does not provide specific wallet addresses or payment volumes. A key new detail in the later report: the same enforcement action included additional Iran petroleum-sector designations, covering eight companies and eight vessels as blocked property, separate from the two insurance entities. For crypto traders, this is a clear example of sanctions enforcement intersecting with Bitcoin settlement/payment for maritime “tolls.” While this headline is unlikely to change Bitcoin fundamentals directly, it can raise compliance scrutiny and counterparty risk for any firms touching shipping finance, routing, or insurance claims tied to the region involving Bitcoin.

The Coldcard wallet bug triggered the largest Bitcoin movement since FTX, complicating on-chain read-throughs for traders. Coinkite (Coldcard’s parent company) warned that affected Coldcard firmware produced seed phrases with far less randomness than intended. Galaxy Research/ Galaxy Digital’s Alex Thorn linked the issue to three suspected attack waves, draining 1,367.05 BTC (about $89 million) across 4,585 addresses. The stolen BTC remains in attacker-controlled wallets, but smaller thefts were already moving through “peel chains,” cross-chain routes, and other services. Because fixed firmware can’t repair existing compromised seed phrases, users must create new wallets and transfer funds to fresh addresses. That migration has driven market-wide “noise” that can look like selling in typical bearish indicators: - 77,402 BTC from older unspent-output bands moved after the vulnerability went public. - CryptoQuant data showed transactions involving outputs under 1 BTC jumped to 39,600 BTC on July 31 (largest daily total since Nov 2022). - Bitcoin daily active addresses rose from ~645,000 (July 30) to nearly 1 million (July 31). - Exchange deposits under 10 BTC climbed to 7,300 BTC. CryptoQuant analyst Julio Moreno cautioned that this does not necessarily indicate broad long-term holder capitulation. Instead, the Coldcard wallet bug appears to have forced older coins to move as users “secure their savings,” distorting LTH supply change, coin days destroyed, and spent output age band charts. Market sentiment also worsened: Santiment said the ratio of positive to negative social commentary fell to the lowest since modern tracking began (0.58 bullish per bearish). Separately, Thorn said US AI guardrails limited tracing attempts, so investigators used the open-weight GLM 5.2 model (from Z.ai) to reconstruct timelines and extract indicators of compromise.

Strategy Inc. kept the STRC preferred dividend at 12% annualized for the Aug. 2026 record date, even though STRC closed around $89.46 in late July—more than 10% below its $100 stated value. With the stock trading at a discount, the implied yield is materially higher than the 12% rate, but management says STRC will not automatically raise the STRC preferred dividend just because price stays below par. In the latest update, the company detailed cash coverage and capital actions: it reported about $3.75B in U.S. dollar reserves that can cover roughly 2.1 years of expected preferred dividends and debt interest. Strategy also repurchased about 288,930 STRC shares for ~$25M at an average ~$86.53 during July 20–26, while keeping most of its remaining $1B STRC buyback authorization. For crypto traders, the key linkage is Bitcoin funding needs. Strategy’s Q2 net loss was $8.22B, driven mainly by an $8.32B unrealized Bitcoin loss. Because the STRC preferred dividend must be paid in USD, the firm authorized Bitcoin sales to replenish reserves, including prior sales totaling about $218.4M BTC-equivalent through July 26. This can reduce the near-term probability of additional BTC accumulation tied to STRC liquidity. Next payment timing remains: the scheduled distribution is Aug. 15 after the July 31 record date.

Banco BPM has ended merger talks with Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), shifting the situation toward a potential Banco BPM takeover. On July 31, Banco BPM cited a lack of definitive progress and pushback from its largest shareholder, Crédit Agricole. The timeline began in early June with Banco BPM’s “merger of equals” pitch. The combined group was discussed around €50bn market cap, with valuations of ~€27.3bn for MPS and ~€20.3bn for Banco BPM. But on June 8, Intesa Sanpaolo made an unsolicited €30.6bn ($35.3bn) takeover bid for MPS, immediately reshaping negotiations. Crédit Agricole then became a key obstacle, as it reportedly resisted any deal that would dilute its influence. By late July, Banco BPM’s board concluded there was no viable path and terminated the talks. Now MPS is in an unusual position: rather than seeking a merger partner, it is evaluating strategic options that include pursuing a Banco BPM takeover response alongside the competing pressure from Intesa Sanpaolo’s offer. The article also notes Italy’s government previously reduced its stake in MPS to 11.7% (after selling 15% for €1.1bn), and regulators may consider the political preference for domestic consolidation. For investors, Intesa’s €30.6bn offer implies a potentially clean outcome for MPS shareholders, while Banco BPM investors face new deal uncertainty if MPS pursues a hostile or semi-hostile approach. Overall, this is a major reshuffle in Italy’s banking landscape, with deal dynamics likely to remain volatile.

Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy, hinted via social media that the company could announce another Strategy Bitcoin purchase after a five-week pause. Saylor’s Sunday posts have previously acted as precursors to Strategy’s Bitcoin buying announcements. The last confirmed disclosure was in June 2026, when Strategy bought 1,587 BTC for about $100 million. After a sale in July, Strategy’s reported holdings were around 843,775 BTC. Traders are reacting to the hint through prediction-market pricing. In the market “Will STRC hit $100 by December 31?”, the “YES” probability rose to 36% from 32% the day before. Market participants appear to interpret the potential Strategy Bitcoin purchase as supportive of Bitcoin’s perceived value and, by extension, confidence in Strategy’s share-linked token momentum. Key watchpoints are any official Strategy confirmation of additional Bitcoin accumulation this week, plus further comments from Saylor or other executives. If Strategy signals a large buy, it could tighten sentiment around Bitcoin exposure and lift odds in the STRC $100 contract; if not, the current jump in market odds may fade.

Bitcoin self-custody is falling for the first time in the asset’s history. Using Glassnode data cited by Bitcoin Magazine, the share of Bitcoin supply held directly by individuals in private wallets has dropped to roughly 49%, from about 78% in late 2022. Where the coins went: Spot Bitcoin ETPs and ETFs now hold around 1.3 million BTC, about 6.4% of circulating supply. Public corporations are also accumulating, with more than 1 million BTC held across entities where each position is at least 1,000 BTC. The article links this shift to the post-FTX era. After FTX’s collapse in November 2022, “not your keys, not your coins” became a widely cited warning about counterparty risk. Yet Trezor’s analysis suggests only around 10% of roughly 600 million crypto users engage in self-custody. Hardware wallet usage is estimated at 12–13 million people (around 2% of users), implying many investors prefer custodial routes. Trading implications: Bitcoin self-custody declining toward ETF and corporate custody can reduce retail operational friction and increase market participation, but it also changes the risk profile—less direct wallet security management, more exposure to fund custody and regulatory headlines. In the short term, flows into ETFs may remain a key driver of BTC demand. In the long run, sustained ETF and corporate accumulation could strengthen institutional bid support, while any custodial or regulatory shock could create abrupt sentiment swings.

Ripple (XRP) spot ETFs posted a solid month in July despite market uncertainty, with weekly performance improving into month-end. According to SoSoValue, only 1 of the 10 most recent weekly days showed no reportable net flows pattern; the key acceleration came late in the week. Net inflows were about $0.6M on Monday and Wednesday, then surged to $6.0M on Thursday and $7.7M on Friday, taking the week to +$14.86M. On a monthly basis, XRP ETF investors added $27.29M in net inflows. This also pushed cumulative total net inflows to a new all-time high above $1.5B (as of Friday close). Bitwise’s XRP ETF led Canary Capital’s XRPC by net inflows of $511M vs $467M. However, the “bad” side is that July’s $27.29M is only the second-worst month so far (better than January’s $15.59M), while June (~$60M) and May (~$132M) were much stronger. The “ugly” part: liquidity participation softened. SoSoValue data showed 11 of 22 trading days (half the month) with no reportable net flow days, aligning with the modest monthly total. Price momentum for XRP remains a headwind. Even after defending the $1.05 support level, XRP stayed below $1.10 and is down more than 3% month-to-date. Historically, August has been painful for XRP, adding to near-term trading caution around XRP ETF flows.

Chainlink TWAP feeds have gone live on mainnet (31 Jul 2026), providing TWAP pricing via Chainlink Data Streams with 30- and 60-second windows. Compared with single-snapshot pricing, Chainlink TWAP feeds average the price over a short period, making expiry/settlement in fast DeFi derivatives harder to manipulate. Polymarket will adopt these Chainlink TWAP feeds from 7 Aug 2026 (00:00 UTC) to settle crypto up/down markets. The mechanism shifts from “last price at expiry” to a window-averaged settlement price, targeting 5-minute, 15-minute, and 4-hour contracts that are most sensitive to expiry-window trading. Chainlink says developers can test via earlier testnet versions and that soak testing continues through 4 Aug. Selected feeds start around $150/month. Polymarket also plans an RTDS WebSocket release on 4 Aug and will run $1 million liquidity incentives across affected markets during August. Trader impact: stronger oracle robustness can reduce manipulation-driven spikes around settlement times, potentially lowering short-term event risk for market participants. LINK is trading around $8.39 (+2.5% over 24h at publication), which may support sentiment tied to major oracle integrations.

A crypto commentator, Ash Crypto (@AshCrypto), shared a viral comparison of XRP versus eggs to kick off August. The post claims that $10,000 invested in XRP eight years ago is now worth about $3,000. It cites XRP moving from roughly $3.40 (eight years ago) to about $1.05 now, a drawdown near 69%. In the same graphic, eggs are shown rising far faster: from about $0.26 to $1.13 over one month (around +335%). Traders used the contrast to argue that XRP’s recovery has lagged short-term inflation/commodity-style gains. Community reactions ranged from jokes (“we got outperformed by eggs”) to pushback on the timeframe mismatch (one month vs. eight years). Some also highlighted traditional-market constraints, pointing to CME futures and ETFs as potential reasons the wider crypto market—especially Bitcoin—never reached certain bullish targets. The article’s “math” notes XRP would need to reach roughly $4.57 to mirror the egg move from XRP’s ~$1.05 level, which would be above XRP’s cited all-time high around $3.65 (July 2025). Net effect: the news is mostly sentiment-driven and meme-like, with traders watching whether XRP can reclaim prior highs, while some see current prices as a potential opportunity for buyers who missed 2018.

Coinkite is facing customer anger after the Coldcard hardware wallet bug enabled theft of more than 1,000 BTC, with losses estimated at 1,367 BTC (about $88M), according to Galaxy Research. To warn potentially affected buyers, Coinkite emailed addresses tied to purchases dating back to 2019, after seed-generation randomness problems emerged. However, controversy quickly shifted from the vulnerability to privacy and data-retention practices. Customers criticized Coinkite for keeping email records despite prior claims that customer data would be deleted 90 days after purchase. CEO Rodolfo Novak said the firm retains purchase emails to support account logins and stated there is no clear data deletion schedule, adding that the emails are kept “for now.” Coldcard also confirmed that batches of emails were being sent through Coinkite’s store and newsletter systems and urged recipients to verify legitimacy. Meanwhile, Novak previously said Coinkite offered anonymous purchases and deleted customer data after 90 days, framing the incident as a serious security matter. For traders, the key issue is reputational and operational risk: a major wallet exploit plus disputed customer-data handling can trigger short-term sentiment hits toward hardware-wallet vendors and may increase caution around custody and hot-transfer behaviors.

The Coldcard Bitcoin exploit is still ongoing, according to Galaxy Research, which says a third wave of sweeps has pushed observed losses to about 1,367 BTC (~$88.6M) across 4,585 addresses. In this latest wave, 207.73 BTC was drained to attacker-controlled wallets. Galaxy’s Alex Thorn called the transfers “deliberate” and likely programmatic, possibly orchestrated with an LLM. He warned that every single-signature Coldcard address created after the March 2021 firmware flaw will eventually be emptied, even if funds have sat untouched for years (average dormancy cited: 3.18 years). The firm also flagged roughly 600 suspected attacker addresses to federal investigators and compliance/cyber-investigation partners, based on victims sharing transaction details that helped map on-chain patterns. The Coldcard Bitcoin exploit stems from a March 2021 Coinkite firmware randomness error that made seed phrases generate private keys that were easier to guess. Despite security best practices, victims reported being swept quickly even when their Coldcard devices were not connected to the internet. Traders should note the market reaction risk: the breach has triggered an unusual rush to move BTC off self-custody and back onto centralized exchanges (e.g., Coinbase, Binance), potentially increasing sell pressure from affected long-term holders in the short term.

Coldcard seed migration warning has been issued after suspected firmware flaws left some Coldcard seed phrases vulnerable. Galaxy Research estimated three attack waves drained 1,367.05 BTC (about $88.6M) from 4,585 addresses, later rising from earlier totals as more affected groups were identified. Dogecoin community contributor Mishaboar urged all Coldcard users to migrate immediately: do not reuse any affected Coldcard seed phrase, and never enter recovery words into an online computer. The official Coinkite advisory is narrower: it covers Mk2/Mk3 on firmware 4.0.1–4.1.9, and Mk4/Mk5 seeds created before standard 5.6.0 or Edge 6.6.0X (with Q-track fixes). Mk1 and some Coldcard products (TAPSIGNER, OPENDIME, SATSCARD) are stated as unaffected. Coinkite confirms firmware updates can fix seed generation for new wallets, but cannot “repair” already-created seeds or remove the weakness by simply moving the same phrase to another wallet. Users are advised to install fixed firmware first, generate a new backup seed, verify the receiving address on-device, send a small test transaction, and only then move remaining balances. A limited exception may apply if at least 50 dice rolls were added before final seed words. For crypto traders, this Coldcard seed migration warning is mainly a self-custody risk event: it can trigger short-term volatility around BTC due to headline-driven fear, but it does not break Bitcoin’s protocol or consensus.

The UAE reportedly urged former US President Donald Trump to take more decisive action against Iran amid heightened regional tensions. The UAE says it is pushing for sustained military pressure, especially as Iran is considering preemptive strikes if diplomacy fails. Market data suggests the lobbying may reduce the chance of a successful US-Iran ceasefire. The probability of a US-Iran ceasefire by July 31 is priced at 51.5%, and traders should expect volatility if diplomatic signals worsen. Key watch items include statements or moves by Trump and Iranian officials, given the risk of preemptive action. Mediators such as Qatar and Pakistan will also be monitored for outcomes that could point to either escalation or de-escalation. For traders, this development reinforces a scenario where military pressure increases rather than decreases, keeping geopolitical risk elevated and potentially worsening sentiment around the US-Iran relationship—factors that can spill over into broader risk assets, including crypto.

The US Senate has a five-day window to advance the Crypto Clarity Act before the summer recess, a bill designed to draw clear jurisdictional lines between the SEC and CFTC. After more than a year of stalled movement, odds remain low: congressional prediction markets estimate only a 30–38% chance of passage before year-end. Key legislative milestones: the House passed the Crypto Clarity Act (H.R. 3633) on July 17, 2025, by a 294–134 bipartisan vote. The Senate Banking Committee then advanced it on May 14, 2026 with a 15–9 vote. A 616-page updated merged text was released on July 22, 2026, adding provisions on ethics requirements and an asset classification framework. What the Crypto Clarity Act would do: it proposes a regime that classifies some digital assets as commodities under the CFTC, while others fall under SEC securities oversight. Under the proposed rules, BTC and ETH are likely to be treated as CFTC commodities. The bill also addresses stablecoins and decentralized finance (DeFi). It includes measures aimed at providing stronger protections for DeFi developers. Market context: BTC has been trading in a tight range around $64,650–$65,000 in early August 2026. With passage probabilities in the 30–38% band, traders may avoid large directional bets ahead of the short deadline, preferring to watch headlines on SEC/CFTC jurisdiction and potential committee floor scheduling.

A growing number of DeFi protocols are abandoning consumer-facing products and repositioning as backend “DeFi-as-a-service” for large tech and fintech companies. The article says this shift has accelerated since at least 2023, when some protocols began offering white-label solutions for financial services.\n\nThe push is driven by a recurring adoption problem: even user-friendly DeFi apps can still require crypto literacy that many mainstream users lack or do not want to learn, despite years of industry promises about a “DeFi consumer app” boom starting around 2020.\n\nFor token holders, the impact is mixed. Enterprise contracts could bring steadier recurring revenue, which may support governance token valuations. However, becoming infrastructure can reduce public visibility and weaken the narrative appeal that retail users once powered. The article also highlights a token utility risk: governance tokens were often designed for communities where retail users vote on protocol parameters. If enterprise clients negotiate via legal contracts instead, the token’s role may become less clear.\n\nNo specific protocols are named, but the theme is a strategic transition in DeFi business models—potentially reshaping how DeFi tokens trade around sentiment toward “enterprise adoption.”

Humanity (H) is up more than 10% in 24 hours, but traders are watching a $4.24M token transfer to Bybit. On-chain data shows a wallet moved 67.08M H tokens to the exchange, a move that often raises fears of future sell pressure. Despite the Bybit inflow, H price held instead of breaking down immediately, suggesting buyers absorbed the impact. The article also highlights derivatives positioning: Binance top traders still favor longs, with a Long/Short ratio of 1.41 and 58.49% of top accounts staying long. Funding remains constructive for Humanity (H). The OI-weighted funding rate is about 0.0191%, implying long positions are paying to maintain exposure, but not at extreme levels that typically signal overheating or imminent liquidations. Price action remains tied to a demand zone around $0.0568–$0.0859. Buyers defended the lower boundary, and +DI (22.15) is above -DI (17.66). However, ADX near 6.41 suggests trend strength is still developing. Key level: a decisive reclaim above $0.0859 would strengthen the recovery narrative; rejection there would likely keep Humanity (H) consolidating within the current range.

Ripple’s senior stablecoin executive said July was a breakout month for RLUSD, with rapid momentum driven by enterprise adoption and wider market access. Jack McDonald highlighted several milestones: Ripple Mint, a unified platform for institutions to mint, redeem, manage, and access RLUSD via a dashboard or API, aimed at banks and corporate treasuries. Ripple also plans to integrate RLUSD into Notabene’s B2B payments network (reported $2T+ annualized transaction volume) to support compliant, blockchain-based cross-border settlement. On the enterprise side, Nuvion integrated RLUSD into its global banking and cross-border payments platform, targeting faster settlement and improved liquidity/treasury efficiency. RLUSD availability expanded through exchange listings on Mobee, Korbit, Upbit Global, and Bithumb, boosting access especially in South Korea. Ripple further pushed RLUSD into the AI payments theme with an AI Starter Kit enabling x402-powered payments using XRP and RLUSD, positioning RLUSD for machine-to-machine transactions. Market participation also got a boost as Binance, Bybit, and OKX introduced RLUSD reward programs. In institutional finance, BNY Mellon tested after-hours U.S. Treasury settlement backed by RLUSD reserves. Overall, the report frames RLUSD as evolving from a traditional dollar-backed stablecoin into an enterprise settlement asset—supported by product infrastructure, institutional partnerships, AI-enabled payment use cases, and additional exchange liquidity.

Evernorth COO Meg Nakamura said Japan’s institutional adoption of XRP is still trapped in a “chicken-and-egg” problem. Speaking at WebX Asia 2026 in Tokyo, she said many banks see blockchain value, but hesitate to fund XRP-related deployments until broader peers commit first. The same wait-and-see cycle is driving limited rollout strategies: firms prefer pilot programs, collaborations, and small-scale tests rather than being first movers. Nakamura linked the caution to Japan’s culture of regulatory compliance, operational resilience, and long-term risk management. She also argued the industry focus is moving beyond digital payments. While stablecoins dominate discussions for faster settlement, tokenization is expected to become the key blockchain use case—digitising real-world assets such as bonds, equities, real estate, private credit, commodities, and funds. If regulation stays clear, Nakamura expects institutions to expand, with infrastructure like the XRP Ledger supporting issuance, transfer, and settlement at scale. Overall, Nakamura framed regulatory clarity as a catalyst. As Japan’s rules mature and tokenization accelerates, today’s hesitation around XRP could fade, opening a longer-term path to wider institutional participation.

A U.S. federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on July 27, blocking Minnesota’s newly passed law that sought to ban prediction markets. The order keeps Kalshi and Polymarket operating one day before the statute was due to take effect. Judge Katherine Menendez said plaintiffs are likely to succeed in part on a federal preemption claim. She found that many event contracts offered by Kalshi and Polymarket may qualify as “swaps” under the Commodity Exchange Act, which would place them under the CFTC’s exclusive jurisdiction. The ruling prevents Minnesota from enforcing the ban against CFTC-registered designated contract markets while the related cases continue. The injunction is not a final victory. Menendez noted the platforms have not shown that every listed event contract meets the federal “swap” definition, meaning a future permanent injunction could cover fewer products. Minnesota’s Attorney General Keith Ellison reiterated that prediction markets are “gambling,” while Kalshi argued states can’t regulate activity beyond their jurisdiction. After the decision, Governor Tim Walz signed Executive Order 26-09 to reduce insider-trading risk by barring covered state employees from trading prediction-market contracts using confidential information. For crypto traders, this is another reminder of how U.S. prediction-market regulation remains fragmented. Even though it is not direct crypto spot-asset regulation, changing expectations around CFTC preemption can move sentiment toward crypto-adjacent market infrastructure—especially in the short term, before the case reaches a final ruling.

Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Eric Balchunas says the Coldcard hardware-wallet security failure is unexpectedly supportive for U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs. A technical review cited in the report links the theft to a flaw in seed generation (not phishing or physical theft). Galaxy Research estimates the incident involved three suspected attack waves totaling 1,367.05 BTC (about $88.6M) stolen across 4,585 addresses. For traders, the key takeaway is the “custody vs self-custody” trade-off. Balchunas argues spot Bitcoin ETFs may fit investors seeking long-term Bitcoin price exposure without handling seed generation, firmware updates, wallet migration, or day-to-day custody operations. In that sense, Bitcoin ETFs remove investor seed management, replacing it with institutional custody and contractual risk. However, the article stresses there is no verified evidence yet that the Coldcard drain has driven new spot Bitcoin ETF inflows. Balchunas’s comments were posted after U.S. market close, while the official ETF data referenced in the piece covers July 31. The next trading sessions’ ETF flows and BTC price action are the first real test of whether this narrative can translate into demand for Bitcoin ETFs.

Palestinian health officials say Israeli airstrikes on July 8 killed at least eight people in Gaza, including two children aged 10 and 6. The strikes followed Hamas’s agreement to terms on a disarmament framework—again putting the “ceasefire” into question. A further round of strikes on August 1 reportedly killed two more people in Gaza City and damaged medicine storage facilities near a hospital. The report frames this as a continuation of military operations throughout 2026, despite a US-brokered ceasefire deal reached in October 2025. Key uncertainty remains: Hamas’s disarmament talks are described as in limbo, with Israel not fully endorsing the framework. Without Israeli endorsement, the ceasefire “exists mostly on paper.” The article also highlights humanitarian and geopolitical risk. Damage to medical infrastructure increases the odds of a broader humanitarian crisis that could pull in additional state actors. It notes that countries such as Turkey, Iran, and Qatar have historically responded to Gaza escalations in ways that can affect regional trade and energy-related policy. For markets, the focus is on whether the US responds to the strikes with changes to military aid or diplomatic posture. The viability of the Hamas disarmament deal hinges on political endorsement, which—so far—has not arrived.

Fun CEO Alex Fine says crypto payments will outgrow today’s fiat-to-crypto on-ramps and bridges within a year. He argues purpose-built “deposit” products will route users to on-chain actions with less friction, using behavioral data and chain-specific defaults. The company claims its deposit flows generate 8x higher fiat volume than prior setups, with conversion-rate gains of 3.4x–8x versus incumbents such as MoonPay and Stripe. Fine also frames this as a shift through three eras: CEX on-ramps, iframe aggregators, and now fintech-specific deposit rails. Fun (no token, no governance coin, no airdrops) closed a $72M Series A on May 1, 2026, co-led by Multicoin Capital and SignalFire. Funding will expand engineering, open a Singapore office, and explore acquisitions. Traders should note the figures are self-reported, and the 8x claim lacks independent benchmarks, so near-term market impact may be limited. Still, better crypto payments UX and conversion efficiency could gradually shift demand toward better on-chain on/off ramps and fintech partners.

The US has redirected ships as Iran maintains its Strait of Hormuz blockade, a key chokepoint for global oil and gas shipping. The US move signals a more direct military posture in the blockade-and-counterblockade standoff and raises the risk of further escalation. Market pricing suggests low odds of Strait of Hormuz traffic normalization by Aug. 31, with a 10.5% probability of a YES outcome. Iran’s blockade scenario remains consistent with a prolonged closure of the strait, which could disrupt energy routes and raise shipping and fuel costs. Traders should watch statements from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and US President Donald Trump for signals of de-escalation or further action. Any peace-deal announcement or changes in military posture could quickly shift expectations. Live vessel-tracking updates may also provide near-real-time read-throughs that affect sentiment and risk pricing. Keywords: Strait of Hormuz blockade, US vessel redirection, oil-and-gas shipping risk.