Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

Project Eleven says it has built a post-quantum cryptographic method to help Bitcoin users prove wallet ownership after “Q-Day”, when quantum computers can break elliptic-curve signatures. The company’s core claim is that the real issue is not stopping quantum attacks, but proving you still control the wallet once an attacker can forge signatures. Project Eleven’s approach uses the wallet’s key derivation path so users can demonstrate knowledge of the parent key used to generate their private key—without revealing the key itself. The firm argues a quantum attacker cannot reconstruct that parent key, letting the system distinguish legitimate owners even if the wallet’s private key has been compromised. Key figures include CEO Alex Pruden and Binius maintainer Jim Posen, with the work based on “signature lifting” research by Alon Sattath and Robert Wyborski. Project Eleven states the prototype is unaudited and would require blockchain protocol support before deployment. The announcement lands amid rising industry focus on quantum readiness. Coinbase’s quantum advisory council has urged developers to plan post-quantum migrations now, including addressing what happens to users who never migrate to quantum-safe addresses. The report also references Bitcoin development progress such as BIP-360 moving into formal review, BTQ Technologies’ Bitcoin Quantum testnet work, and broader government steps to accelerate post-quantum cryptography.

Morgan Stanley has launched E*TRADE crypto trading for eligible customers, enabling them to buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL) alongside stocks. Trades and custody are handled through Zero Hash rails, using linked Zero Hash accounts rather than Morgan Stanley holding assets on its own balance sheet. E*TRADE crypto trading is priced with a 50-basis-point fee. Morgan Stanley also said digital-asset transfer functionality is expected later this year, and clients can view crypto holdings inside the E*TRADE platform. The rollout follows earlier crypto moves by Morgan Stanley, including SEC filings tied to spot Bitcoin and Solana ETFs (and later amendments for spot Ether and Solana ETF fees). For traders, the key takeaway is that E*TRADE crypto trading expands mainstream spot access via established brokerage infrastructure, which could support incremental liquidity and sentiment for BTC, ETH and SOL as availability broadens.

T. Rowe Price has launched an active crypto ETF on NYSE Arca under the ticker **TKNZ**. The fund is described as the first actively managed multi-token spot crypto exchange-traded product in the market. **TKNZ** provides one listed wrapper for exposure to several major assets. Its eligible universe includes **Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), BNB (BNB), XRP, Solana (SOL), Hyperliquid (HYPE)** and other digital assets. The fund differentiates from many single-coin or passive-index products by using active management to respond to market rotations, momentum, and emerging crypto trends. The strategy includes proof-of-stake network investment flexibility, but the ETF initially will not stake holdings for yield (staking may be considered later). On launch, **TKNZ** allocated about **40.75% to BTC** and **18.42% to ETH**. **BNB** received **11.01%**, while **SOL** and **XRP** were **9.44%** and **9.37%** respectively. **HYPE** accounted for **6.45%**. Additional allocations included **XLM (3.00%)**, **DOGE (1.28%)**, **USDC (0.16%)**, and cash equivalents near **0.11%**. The ETF started with roughly **$15 million** in assets and carries a **0.75% management fee**. Portfolio management is led by Blue Macellari, with four co-portfolio managers. T. Rowe Price’s ETF head Tim Coyne framed the launch as a step for the firm’s active investment platform. Initial commentary from Bloomberg Intelligence’s Eric Balchunas suggested the opening weights were **underweight BTC** and relatively **overweight** other tokens, especially **HYPE**.

Base creator Jesse Pollak said Base’s strategy to drive adoption via web3 social platforms failed. In an X post, Pollak described Q1 2026 as a “punch in the face” for the network’s plans, saying onchain-native social experiences (including Farcaster, Zora, and creator coins) “disintegrated completely.” He also admitted they fell behind competitors in prediction markets, perpetual contracts, and enterprise tokenization. As a result, Base will pivot for the rest of 2026 toward global finance use cases. The priorities are: (1) trading, (2) global payments using stablecoins, and (3) AI agents. Pollak also returned management of the Base app to Coinbase, with the app to be led by “Cobie” to expand beyond the Base ecosystem. The shift follows Coinbase’s May 5, 2026 workforce reduction of about 14%, which eliminated regional growth and developer support roles across Asia-Pacific. Base’s Southeast Asia expansion teams were impacted, including Base Philippines. The local country lead Eli Becislao confirmed he was affected, and the Base Philippines X account was updated to say it is “no longer active.” Before the restructuring, Base Philippines reported a builder pipeline of 15,200+ people across 50 Philippine cities, 40+ university partnerships, and $150,000+ in grants to local crypto.

SheFi, a global educational initiative for women in Web3 and DeFi, held its private Manila event on July 11, 2026, officially launching the SheFi Philippines chapter. The program aims to create a localized space for Filipino women to learn, network, and lead in blockchain and decentralized finance (DeFi). SheFi Philippines Chapter Lead Krystelle Galano said the event reached full capacity despite bad weather, reflecting rising demand for safe and inclusive communities for women in Web3. During the gathering, attendees used YODL, a web3 payments and rewards app, to claim digital rewards and buy beverages, positioning the integration as a practical blockchain utility demo. The launch also included partner and panel support from web3, media, and finance entities, including LBank, Miden, EMW Global, Cryptita Plays, 9Catgroup, BD Ventures, Captain Capital, and BitPinas. A panel discussion featured industry representatives Myrtle Anne, Crescenda Babiera, Thara Fajardo, Pearl Sy, and Pauliza J. In the broader context, SheFi (founded in 2020 by Maggie Love) runs multi-week cohorts covering blockchain fundamentals, wallet security, and decentralized protocols. The organization says it has expanded to 100+ countries and 30,000+ members, targeting the gender and education gap in crypto—an area where women remain underrepresented as investors and founders. This Women in Web3-focused chapter adds community-driven onboarding momentum in the Philippines’ web3 and DeFi ecosystem.

Crypto.com said it secured a $400 million investment from market maker Citadel Securities, valuing the exchange at $20 billion. The funding is meant to help Crypto.com expand across “all asset classes,” including tokenized securities and derivatives. CEO Kris Marszalek said crypto is becoming “the rails for finance.” Citadel Securities president Jim Esposito added that the convergence of traditional markets and digital-asset infrastructure could improve market efficiency. For traders, this is supportive for the broader institutional/regulated exchange narrative and tokenization themes, but it is not a direct catalyst for a specific token. Key watch items are Crypto.com’s product rollout and any follow-through in spot volumes, derivatives activity, and tokenized asset issuance.

Bitcoin liquidation heatmap data suggests BTC’s next direction is being driven by futures positioning and where leveraged liquidations cluster. Despite open interest cooling more than 3% from a recent peak and funding moving toward neutral, BTC is holding near $64,000 as buy-side spot and futures flows have edged higher over the past week. In the Bitcoin liquidation heatmap, the largest short-liquidity cluster sits between $65,500 and $66,000 (about 3% above spot). A move through $65,600 could trigger faster upside and open a path toward $67,000. Below current levels, support liquidity appears in bands around $63,500–$63,750 (closest, ~1% down), plus larger pools at $63,000–$63,250 (~1.5% down) and $62,500–$62,750 (~2.3% down). Across the tracked window, long-side liquidity outweighs short-side by nearly 2-to-1, implying much of the leverage built over the past month may not yet be fully unwound. The bearish tail risk is also visible: a wider liquidation band near $55,000 built across the full month lookback. If support around $62,500–$63,750 fails, that “magnet” could pull price lower. Overall, price action and aggregate open interest/funding suggest BTC may keep ranging between $60,000 and $67,000, with liquidity magnets setting the most likely breakout and breakdown zones.

A Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance study (via The Block) found Ethereum node activity is geographically concentrated. The US hosts about 31% of activity, while the EU (excluding the UK) holds around 39%. The report warns of finality risk: serious disruption is unlikely until roughly one-third of validators go offline at the same time. At that point, Ethereum checkpoints may fail to complete finalization and stall parts of the consensus process. It also flags layered concentration risks. Nodes and validators are not one-to-one, making per-operator exposure hard to quantify. Infrastructure is clustered around a small set of cloud providers, including Hetzner, AWS and OVH. Client software concentration is another vulnerability: a flaw in a major client could impact many participants. Separately, the study estimates Ethereum post-The Merge energy use at about 7.9 GWh per year (around 1 MW continuous) and ~99.98% lower than pre-Merge levels, with sustainable energy above 56%. For traders, the key watchpoints are market narratives on Ethereum reliability and decentralization, plus sentiment around consensus finality and infrastructure risk.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson reiterated the Fed’s commitment to a data-driven approach as inflation pressures continue. He said the Fed will adjust policy if the economic outlook or the balance of risks changes, aiming to return inflation to the 2% target. The latest inflation figures cited were Total PCE at 4.1% YoY and Core PCE at 3.4% YoY. The federal funds rate remains at 3.50%–3.75%, reflecting a cautious stance by the FOMC. Jefferson’s message reinforced the market view that further rate decisions depend on incoming data. This data-driven approach implies potential tightening if inflation fails to ease as expected, fitting the broader “higher-for-longer” environment amid ongoing inflation concerns and geopolitical tensions. Market pricing via prediction markets suggests a moderate probability of additional tightening: about a 33% chance of a rate hike by the September 2026 meeting, down slightly from earlier expectations. For the July 2026 meeting, expectations are largely for no change, with a 96% probability of maintaining current rates. What to watch next includes upcoming inflation releases (e.g., CPI and employment data) and communications from Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other voting members. The September 2026 meeting is the key focal point if inflation data does not improve.

Argentina’s president Javier Milei said he will skip the 2026 World Cup final for superstition, wearing an YPF jacket for luck. The news is now spilling into crypto markets. Argentina’s fan token $ARG (Socios.com) surged more than 96% during the tournament as the national team advanced, with daily trading volumes reportedly reaching the millions. Crypto prediction markets also saw strong activity: the England vs. Argentina semi-final generated over $3 million in total trading volume across crypto prediction platforms. The article also flags Milei’s prior crypto controversy. In Feb 2025, he promoted $LIBRA, which briefly exceeded a $2B market cap before falling nearly 90%, with investor losses reported above $250M. Argentina remains a high-adoption crypto market due to inflation and currency controls, where stablecoins are framed less as speculation and more as a store of value. For traders, this looks like a sports-driven catalyst for sentiment in specific derivatives (fan tokens and prediction contracts) within crypto markets, but it also highlights how political figures and token promotions can amplify volatility quickly.

Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan said current Fed interest rates (3.5%–3.75%) are not restrictive enough to bring inflation back to the 2% target. She warned the path to 2% is “tenuous” and that waiting could force steeper hikes later. Her July 16 remarks in Houston reaffirm earlier late-June signals that rate hikes could still be needed before end-2026. For crypto traders, the key catalyst is the FOMC meeting on July 28–29. Logan’s stance raises the risk she could dissent if the Fed keeps rates unchanged, even though she did not mention crypto directly. The market translation is higher Treasury yields and tighter liquidity expectations, which typically pressure Bitcoin and risk assets via increased opportunity cost for non-yielding holdings. Watch the 2-year Treasury yield as early feedback on “Fed interest rates” repricing. Then monitor subsequent Fed messaging on the inflation vs. employment trade-off for confirmation of the tightening bias and any broader market risk-off/risk-on shift. DeFi note: higher rates can widen lending risk premia, potentially weighing on protocol revenues and TVL, reinforcing the risk-sensitive backdrop.

A CNN investigation says President Donald Trump promoted more than 20 companies, including Nvidia, Tesla and Apple, within days of buying their stock. Key claims involve Nvidia. CNN reports Trump bought $200,000–$500,000 in Nvidia shares shortly before announcing faster AI permits that would help Nvidia and similar firms build US AI supercomputers. CNN also links the timing of later public comments to other holdings, including Tesla and Apple. The White House said Trump does not manage the accounts involved, claiming assets sit in discretionary accounts run by independent third-party institutions. CNN noted the arrangement does not meet the requirements of a blind trust. CNN found no evidence Trump personally ordered the trades or government actions tied to raising his holdings, and it reported no finding of federal securities law violations. Lawmakers are now using the stock timeline to press for ethics and conflict-of-interest limits in the CLARITY Act, a bill under debate to shape crypto market structure. The dispute centers on whether senior officials—including the president—should be restricted from profiting from crypto-related activities during their term. Separately, Trump’s 2025 annual disclosures reportedly show crypto-related earnings as high as $1.4 billion, which critics cite when arguing for stronger rules. The report is expected to follow Trump into meetings with senators about the CLARITY Act, where provisions are still unresolved. For crypto traders, this creates near-term regulatory headline risk around the CLARITY Act and could influence sentiment as markets react to perceived governance and conflict-of-interest concerns tied to policy timing.

A DeFi crisis is unfolding as Coinidol reports that in June 2026, eleven major protocols suffered catastrophic breaches, collectively siphoning over $74 million from investor liquidity pools. The DeFi crisis highlights a widening threat surface: not only smart-contract bugs, but also operational and key-management failures. Attack vectors split into two patterns. Some cases involved technical flaws, such as a Syscoin Bridge “relay proof validation” weakness that enabled attackers to mint about $10 million in tokens. Other incidents were driven by human compromise: the Humanity Protocol exploit allegedly involved stealing a developer’s device access to hot-wallet private keys and bridge admin accounts, without directly altering the smart contract code. After breaches, stolen funds were typically laundered quickly using cross-chain hopping (often from Ethereum to Solana or BNB Chain) and mixers to obscure on-chain origin. Recovery was described as difficult without immediate coordination with centralized liquidity providers. For traders, this DeFi crisis signals elevated counterparty and smart-contract risk, which can increase volatility around affected ecosystems and spill over to broader DeFi liquidity during the aftermath. Operational takeaways emphasized include protecting seed phrases offline, enabling 2FA on exchanges, avoiding unsafe key storage, using verified URLs/bookmarks, and isolating keys via cold wallets.

Uber has agreed to acquire Delivery Hero SE for $14.8B in an all-cash deal, offering €41.50 per share—a ~34% premium versus prior trading. The combined group will operate across 99 countries, aiming for projected 2025 gross merchandise value (GMV) of about $236B. Uber already owned roughly 25% of Delivery Hero, with reported interest up to 36.8%. The bidding process began with an indicative offer of around €33 per share in May 2026, but Delivery Hero’s board pushed for a higher price before accepting the €41.50 final offer. Additional shares were reportedly acquired from Prosus in April 2026 as part of EU antitrust compliance tied to the Just Eat Takeaway transaction. The deal still requires regulatory approval and a minimum shareholder acceptance threshold of 50% plus one share. Uber also committed to keeping Delivery Hero’s Berlin headquarters and workforce intact until at least 2029. For strategy, Delivery Hero operates in about 50 markets with strength in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America—complementing Uber Eats rather than heavily overlapping. Rival DoorDash is also expanding via acquisitions (including Wolt), and Uber’s scale outside China is positioned as a significant competitive advantage.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, raising concerns of heightened military posturing between Israel and Iran. The move comes as a ceasefire between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels collapses, adding to regional instability. Analysts say the visit may signal a shift toward more direct confrontation, potentially complicating diplomacy tied to the US-Iran nuclear deal. Prediction markets reflect the change in sentiment sharply. The probability that a US-Iran nuclear deal is finalized by Aug. 13, 2026 has fallen to 1.6% from prior levels. Traders are also pricing lower chances that key terms will be included, suggesting skepticism that diplomatic outcomes can hold amid rising military posture. Within the market, the odds of Iran Reconstruction Funding being part of the US-Iran nuclear deal are priced at 26%, while other related terms show similarly limited expectations. What to watch: further military actions or official statements from Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Also watch potential U.S. and Iranian positions and any international mediation efforts that could alter the negotiation trajectory and, in turn, move prediction-market pricing for the US-Iran nuclear deal.

A dormant Bitcoin whale wallet has reactivated after a long sleep since 2017, moving 5,908 BTC (about $383M) on July 16 from a legacy “1” address to a newly created address. Lookonchain and Arkham data indicate the recipient still holds the full balance. For traders, there is no on-chain evidence that this Bitcoin whale transfer went to a known exchange deposit address, which reduces odds of an immediate sell signal. However, intent is still unclear, so watch for follow-on moves. The report also ties the activity to a wider pattern: earlier this week, another dormant wallet transferred 2,931 BTC (~$188M) after more than seven years. Analysts suggest wallet security upgrades, legacy-to-SegWit (starting with “bc1q”) migration, or preparation for OTC transfers as possible causes. Market monitoring remains focused on exchange inflows; CryptoQuant cited an exchange whale ratio near 0.99, a metric that can historically align with sell pressure. Bottom line: this Bitcoin whale event is more a liquidity and sentiment signal than confirmed exchange-driven supply for BTC—near-term impact depends on whether any subsequent transfers reach exchange wallets.

Visa has launched the Visa Stablecoin Platform (VSP), an enterprise solution that helps financial institutions, fintechs, and crypto firms mint, manage, and transfer stablecoins. The Visa stablecoin platform is currently in beta with selected clients and is designed to plug stablecoin workflows into Visa’s existing payment infrastructure without requiring firms to build their own blockchain systems. VSP begins with support for Open USD (OUSD). Visa says clients can mint, redeem, hold, and transfer OUSD within a managed environment, including treasury management, payment settlement, and liquidity operations. A Wallet-as-a-Service feature lets institutions either use Visa-managed wallets or connect their own wallets, covering minting/burning, secure storage, and transfers. Visa also highlighted enterprise controls and security features such as dual-approval workflows, audit logs, secure passkeys, and transfer allow lists. Institutions can connect bank accounts and set user permissions before initiating stablecoin transactions, targeting regulated operational needs. Notable supporters cited for the Open Standard initiative behind OUSD include Visa, Mastercard, Coinbase, Google, and U.S. Bank. Visa said stablecoins are “programmable money,” but operational complexity remains a key adoption challenge. For traders, the announcement is more about institutional infrastructure and regulated stablecoin rails than immediate spot-token catalysts.

The U.S. CFTC is investigating White House teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez over reported profits of more than $90,000 from Kalshi trading. ABC News says Perez bought Kalshi “mentions” contracts—bets on whether President Trump will say specific words or topics during speeches. The CFTC reportedly flagged trades tied to Trump’s State of the Union and, over roughly three months, alleged Perez traded contracts linked to more than a dozen events (including a December prime-time address, Trump’s Davos World Economic Forum speech, and a March Medal of Honor ceremony). Kalshi detected the activity, froze most of Perez’s gains, and referred the case to the regulator. ABC reports Perez acknowledged some trades and is cooperating. Federal prosecutors reportedly did not open a criminal case, but the CFTC focus remains on whether Perez used nonpublic information. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the probe and said Perez was put on paid administrative leave, with another operator covering the scheduled scripts. This follows a separate prediction-market dispute: in April, the U.S. DOJ charged a soldier for allegedly using classified information to trade Polymarket contracts tied to Nicolás Maduro’s capture. Separately, Trump Media began selling a “Truth API” to financial firms, highlighting how political messaging can become market data. Crypto-trader takeaway: the Kalshi probe raises regulatory and reputational risk for prediction-market style derivatives. If regulators broaden “insider trading” interpretations, sentiment can worsen for POL and similar venues, especially around event-based contracts.

US forces carried out strikes in Iran’s Lorestan and Bushehr provinces, including areas in the Veysian district and near the city of Bushehr. The attacks raise geopolitical risk because Bushehr hosts Iran’s only nuclear power plant and sits close to the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil chokepoint. The US campaign reportedly targeted around 140 military sites in a recent wave and executed more than 300 strikes across multiple nights. The US Central Command said the operations targeted military infrastructure, while Iranian officials reported damage to both military bases and nearby civilian areas. Hostilities intensified after a mid-June 2026 ceasefire collapsed in early July. Iran has retaliated by disrupting shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz, which threatens global oil supply chains. Crypto reaction has been cautious. Bitcoin (BTC) is trading roughly between $62,000 and $63,800, with about 2% daily swings. Ethereum (ETH) is also muted but biased lower. Liquidation trends suggest traders are trimming positions to limit downside during escalation. The key transmission channel for traders is energy. If Hormuz disruptions push oil and electricity costs higher, Bitcoin mining economics could worsen, especially where miners rely on grid power. Higher energy prices can also pressure inflation and central bank policy, tightening liquidity conditions for crypto. Traders should watch oil prices as the leading indicator and monitor whether BTC’s correlation shifts back toward traditional safe havens like gold and US Treasuries, since earlier phases of this conflict saw gold outperform while BTC behaved more like a risk asset.

Polygon CEO Marc Boiron says Polygon job cuts are coming as the company completes its $250M acquisition of crypto exchange Coinme and wallet infrastructure provider Sequence. In an X post, Boiron said Polygon will “say goodbye to many of [its] colleagues” as it shifts from a blockchain foundation to a blockchain-enabled payments business aimed at profitability in 2027. Boiron framed the layoffs as organizational transformation, not a judgment on employee quality. He did not disclose how many people will be affected, but the restructuring follows prior rounds over the past three years, totaling more than 200 affected. For crypto traders, the key question is how these Polygon job cuts align with the post-acquisition payments strategy. Execution changes can raise short-term uncertainty, and repeated workforce reductions may weigh on sentiment around Polygon’s payments narrative. Cointelegraph asked for more layoff details but did not receive an immediate response.

Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest bought roughly $51M of SpaceX stock, adding to its long-term exposure through ARKK, ARKQ, ARKW and ARKX ETFs in the week ending July 10. The move followed a drop of SpaceX shares back below the June IPO offer price of $135, after the stock surged post-IPO (peaking near $225.64) and then slid about 42% to around $131.11. For crypto traders watching SpaceX-linked liquidity, the key derivative link is SPCX on Hyperliquid, where the HIP-3 perpetual reportedly logged about $1.4B in volume on day one of public trading. That institutional buying narrative can add marginal support sentiment, but near-term technicals remain weak: TradingView points to a descending channel, with support cited around $128–$130 and resistance around $133–$135. Risk factors also remain in focus. Reuters cited valuation at ~49x revenue versus Tesla ~15x, and highlighted potential downside from upcoming expirations of employee/early-investor restrictions in August, including a reported potential first lockup release of 911.5M shares after earnings. Bottom line for traders: SpaceX’s institutional bid (via ARK Invest) is a positive sentiment input, but the mixed setup—weak trend plus looming supply/lockup headlines—suggests no immediate, clean bullish reversal for SpaceX-linked crypto derivatives tied to SPCX.

The Zcash Foundation says NU6.3 will activate this month, and every node operator must use NU6.3-capable software before activation. It urges operators to upgrade immediately if they run Zebra. Key technical updates: Zebra 6.0.0 was released on July 10 and fully supports the Ironwood network upgrade, scheduled to activate on Mainnet at block height 3,428,143 (around late July). With zcashd reaching end of life, operators are required to move off zcashd ahead of the NU6.3 event. New implementation: Valar Group and Project Tachyon announced Zakura, a Zcash full node built from the Zebra codebase. The Foundation calls it a positive development, highlighting faster initial sync, pruning, snapshot bootstrapping, and an operator compatibility path for zcashd migrations. Independent verification guidance: The Foundation recommends that if infrastructure moves to Zakura, operators keep a Zebra node running alongside it. It frames this as low-cost, standard practice for critical consensus networks, improving security through independent verification. Long-term strategy and governance: Zcash Foundation will maintain Zebra as the independently governed reference implementation. It plans cross-implementation conformance testing and differential testing to detect consensus divergences before they reach mainnet. It also reiterates that the Zcash protocol evolves via the open ZIP process under community governance—not any single organization, including the Foundation. For traders, this is a network-infrastructure and upgrade coordination update focused on reducing upgrade risk ahead of NU6.3 and Ironwood.

Argentina beat England 2-1 in the 2026 World Cup semifinal on July 15. Shortly after Lautaro Martínez’s 92nd-minute winner, $ARG fan token saw 24-hour volume surge to roughly $19M–$21M, trading near ~$0.30. The move matches a repeatable knockout-game pattern: $ARG volumes have historically spiked about 300% versus baseline days during key matches. The article ties this specific surge to strong defensive impact from Cristian Romero (including a yellow card at 51’), which helped disrupt England’s attack and amplify late-match sentiment. Beyond $ARG, Argentina’s run also lifted sports collectibles activity, including Panini Prizm World Cup cards and Sorare trading. For traders, the key takeaway is that $ARG often reacts fast to headline football results, but these pumps can fade quickly—raising exit-liquidity risk for late entries.

President Trump met with several senators to address the Senate deadlock over the Digital Asset Market **CLARITY Act**. The bill is stuck over an unresolved ethics provision that would restrict senior officials, including Trump, from having business ties to the crypto sector. The White House previously vetoed similar restrictions, making the final wording the key dispute. As the August recess nears, lawmakers are trying to move the **CLARITY Act** before the break. If it misses the vote window, enactment could slip to mid-2027. Prediction-market data tracked by Vera shows a change in odds: the probability the **CLARITY Act** is signed by the end of 2026 has risen by about 5 points. Traders will watch for post-meeting signals from Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott. A workable path likely requires a compromise on the ethics language, potentially through a revised bill backed by the White House. Any official announcement would be the near-term catalyst.

Alchemix Finance introduced its v3 “Transmuter” as a fixed yield primitive to stabilize pegs and turn price discounts into predictable returns. The Transmuter converts discounted alAssets (alUSD/alETH) into their underlying assets at a guaranteed 1:1 ratio over a preset term. Depositors lock alUSD or alETH, wait the transmutation period, and then redeem 1 unit of the underlying per 1 deposited alAsset; the deposited alAssets are burned. Returns come from borrower behavior. Borrowers mint alAssets at face value and often sell them, pushing market prices below par. Even if alUSD trades at a discount in the market, the Transmuter payout settles at 1:1, so the gap becomes the fixed return. Example from the article: with alUSD at 0.96 and a 90-day term, swapping USDC for ~10,416 alUSD (from 10,000 USDC), then redeeming after maturity yields ~416 USDC, about 4.16% for three months (≈16.6% annualized). Key v3 change: scheduled redemptions. Unlike v2, where exits depended on protocol-wide activity, v3 earmarks borrower collateral when deposits are queued, creating a defined exit path and enabling fixed-duration guaranteed redemptions. The article links this to downstream features such as 90% LTV vaults and temporal leverage. Traders and LPs to note: capacity is chain-specific with deposit caps; early exits are allowed but reduce fixed-rate outcomes via governance-set early-exit fees. If bad debt exists, redemptions may be pro-rata until debt is restored (haircut like 0.97:1). Payouts arrive as MYT (usually unwrap to USDC/ETH immediately); users can delay unwrap if UI indicates high slippage. Overall, this fixed yield primitive aims to tighten the peg and provide a known-date, 1:1 exit that monetizes discounts rather than relying on variable protocol yield.

Pi Network Protocol v25 is set for July 22, giving PI traders a dated catalyst after a prolonged sell-off. PI is holding above $0.073 and is trading near $0.0765, after an intraday range of $0.0723 to $0.0839. Technically, PI is compressing in a 4-hour symmetrical triangle. A 4-hour close above the upper trendline and $0.080 would confirm a bullish breakout, with targets near $0.085 and then $0.10. However, momentum looks weak: Aroon suggests limited trend strength, and Chaikin Money Flow is around -0.20, pointing to ongoing capital outflows despite buyers defending support. Downside risk remains if PI loses the $0.07324 area, which could weaken the rebound and push price toward $0.070. A deeper support reference sits near a Murrey Math bullish-reversal level around $0.061. Fundamentally, Pi Network says Protocol v25 aims to improve network stability and reliability and introduces BN254 cryptography plus Poseidon hashing to enable more efficient privacy-preserving smart contracts. The real PI impact will likely depend on developer adoption and post-upgrade network performance. For trading, the key line is $0.080 (bullish confirmation) versus $0.073–$0.070 (breakdown risk) into the Pi Network Protocol v25 event.

Steak ’n Shake reported about 16% same-store sales growth in July and credited “Bitcoiners” alongside loyal customers. The chain says its Bitcoin payments can cut transaction costs versus credit cards, and it reinvests those savings into healthier ingredients. Key timeline: Steak ’n Shake began accepting Bitcoin at U.S. locations in May 2025 and later said it would add received BTC to a strategic reserve. At Bitcoin 2026, executive Michael Boes claimed Bitcoin transactions cost roughly 50% less to process than card transactions, and that switching all credit-card customers to Bitcoin could save about $6 million per year. He also said the company’s total customer count rose by around 2 million year-over-year after the rollout. However, the company has not disclosed the figures traders and analysts would need to measure real impact: the share of orders paid with Bitcoin, Bitcoin sales value, actual aggregate fee savings, or store/cohort comparisons isolating Bitcoin payments from promotions, menu changes, and broader sales trends. The article notes marketing activity during the same period, including “Liberty Meals” pricing and other promotions, which may confound attribution. Overall, the evidence supports a potential cost advantage from Bitcoin payments at the transaction level, but it does not confirm whether enough customers used Bitcoin to materially drive margins or growth. For crypto markets, this is a case study in merchant adoption claims versus measurable on-rail usage.

Bitcoin outlook improves after a week marked by a ~6% gain, with BTC buyers returning across spot, futures, and Bitcoin ETFs. Spot and futures order flow showed a $925M net buying day on July 15, absorbing the post-CPI pullback rather than triggering a broader breakdown in price or leverage. Bitcoin ETFs added $107.7M in net inflows on July 15 (following $181M on July 14). Funding cooled from roughly 0.10%–0.22% to 0.048% and open interest fell 3.4% from Tuesday’s peak, suggesting leverage unwinding without a matching price collapse (BTC was down only ~1.5% over the same stretch). Traders appear to be stepping back from the local $65K–$66K range highs. However, sentiment has not confirmed the rally. The Fear & Greed Index remains near 26 (“Fear”), and spot ETF flows are still negative for the year. The article also flags possible positioning risk: a cluster of long liquidations sits about 1.5% below current price (~$63,200). Near-term macro/geopolitical catalysts remain: renewed US–Iran war concerns, oil above $85, and Fed hike expectations by September 2026 still above 44%. Overall, the Bitcoin outlook is improving, but the data is not yet decisive for a sustained breakout.

Bitget has launched a Cross-Asset Unified Account (UTA) that combines cryptocurrencies and tokenized U.S. stocks (rTokens) into one unified margin pool. The Cross-Asset Unified Account supports 370+ eligible assets, including 100 tokenized US equities such as Apple, Amazon, Nvidia, Microsoft, Tesla, Meta, JPMorgan, Walmart, and ETFs tracking the Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500. Traders can hold rTokens for equity exposure while using the same assets as collateral for futures and margin trading. Supported rTokens can also back stablecoin loans without forcing position sales, and may include cash dividend distributions where applicable. Bitget says collateral discount rates can reach up to 95%, while borrowing rates are market-driven and adjust hourly based on supply and demand. The exchange frames the Cross-Asset Unified Account as an extension of its Unified Trading Account design, moving beyond crypto-only shared collateral into a framework where tokenized equities actively support trading and leverage. Bitget’s Reality rToken ecosystem reportedly surpassed $100M AUM in its first month and generated $671M cumulative trading volume (figures not independently verified). Bitget plans to expand the number of supported assets as it integrates tokenized securities and crypto further.