Messi's record-breaking achievement may boost Argentina's morale, but concerns linger over their consistency in high-pressure situations.

The post Messi becomes World Cup all-time top scorer despite penalty miss in win over Austria appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Microsoft's AI shift may reshape market dynamics, challenging competitors' valuations and altering the competitive landscape in AI technology.

The post Microsoft replaces OpenAI, Anthropic AI with proprietary models in apps appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Argentina's penalty decision could influence market perceptions of Messi's reliability and impact future World Cup penalty odds.

The post Argentina awarded penalty in World Cup match against Egypt appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The USMNT's World Cup exit highlights fan token volatility, underscoring speculative risks and market fragmentation in crypto sports investments.

The post US World Cup exit sends ripples through fan token markets as Belgium’s BELG surges 16% appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

MiCA's uneven enforcement risks undermining fair competition, as compliant platforms face higher costs while unregulated ones exploit gaps.

The post Gate.io CEO warns MiCA only works if every platform plays by the rules appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Bitcoin Magazine

Tether Invests $20 Million in Brazil’s Mercado Bitcoin

Tether said Tuesday it will invest $20 million in a strategic growth financing round for Mercado Bitcoin, a move that deepens the stablecoin issuer’s push into Latin America’s fast-growing market for blockchain-based financial services.

Tether, the largest company in the digital asset industry and the issuer of the USDT stablecoin, framed the deal as part of a broader strategy of backing platforms that pair regulatory licensing with market scale. 

Mercado Bitcoin, founded in São Paulo in 2013, has grown from a cryptocurrency exchange into what it describes as a full-stack on-chain financial services platform.

The company now serves 4.5 million users and says it has issued more than 2 billion reais in tokenized assets. It holds more than 10 licenses across Brazil and Europe, including a payment institution license from Brazil’s central bank, along with broker-dealer, securitization and asset management capabilities. 

Its business spans trading, tokenized investment products, credit and lending, stablecoin-based payments, and cross-border services.

“Mercado Bitcoin has built exactly that, a regulated, full-stack on-chain financial platform serving millions of users across one of the world’s most dynamic financial markets,” Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said in a statement. He said the company’s mix of licensing, tokenization infrastructure and integrated services is unmatched in the region.

Roberto Dagnoni, chairman and chief executive of Mercado Bitcoin, said the shift of finance onto blockchain rails is underway and that the focus has turned to building infrastructure for tokenization, stablecoins, payments and capital markets at scale. He said the investment strengthens the company’s ability to expand its on-chain services in Brazil and abroad.

Mercado Bitcoin’s expanded infrastructure

Mercado Bitcoin said it will use the capital to expand its payments infrastructure, scale tokenized investment offerings for retail and institutional investors, grow its lending and credit business, advance on-chain capital markets, and continue international expansion.

The investment lands as banks and consumers move toward programmable, blockchain-based systems for moving and accessing money. 

Tether pointed to Brazil as a leader in that transition, citing the country’s large financial market, high digital adoption and developing regulatory framework. Brazil has drawn attention from crypto and payments firms in part because of Pix, the central bank’s instant-payment system, which has reshaped how money moves in the country.

The deal continues an active stretch of dealmaking for Tether, whose reserves back one of the world’s most widely used stablecoins. In June, the company said it would lead a Series C round of up to $1.4 billion for the German firm NEURA Robotics, one of the largest private raises on record in humanoid robotics.

It also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre to explore work on tokenization and blockchain education. The same month, Tether said it would wind down Alloy by Tether and its aUSDT token after reviewing user activity and market demand.

Neither company disclosed the size of the full financing round or the valuation attached to the investment. Tether described its role as that of a strategic partner and investor in Mercado Bitcoin’s next phase of growth.

The transaction reflects a wider bet across the industry that tokenization and stablecoins will move into mainstream finance, and that regulated platforms in high-growth markets are positioned to capture that demand. 

For Tether, backing Mercado Bitcoin extends its reach beyond issuing USDT and into the infrastructure that companies and consumers use to hold, invest and transfer digital value.

This post Tether Invests $20 Million in Brazil’s Mercado Bitcoin first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

U.S. Bitcoin Reserve Stalls as Treasury and Commerce Vie for Control: Report

Sixteen months after President Donald Trump ordered his administration to build a federal bitcoin reserve, the White House says it is still working out how the fund should be structured, and a dispute between two departments has slowed the effort, according to recent reporting from Bloomberg.

Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 to create what he called a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, along with a separate U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile for other cryptocurrencies. 

The order directed the Treasury and Commerce departments to develop budget-neutral methods for acquiring bitcoin, ones that would not draw on taxpayer money. 

The reserve was to be funded in large part with bitcoin the government already holds through criminal and civil forfeitures.

Strategic Bitcoin Reserve obstacles

According to Bloomberg, the plan has run into two obstacles. Treasury and Commerce are each making a case to run the reserve, and questions have arisen over whether Treasury has the legal authority to manage the holdings. 

People familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to speak in public, said housing the reserve inside the Commerce Department is one option under review.

The Justice Department said its Office of Legal Counsel “is working closely with both the Treasury and Commerce departments to determine legally available options to accomplish the president’s policy.” 

A further concern is whether the government can hold bitcoin for an indefinite period, as the order intended, given the currency’s price swings.

“President Trump campaigned on a vision of cementing America as the global capital of cryptocurrency and other cutting-edge technologies,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement. “To deliver on the president’s vision, the Trump administration continues to evaluate the best structure for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile.”

The administration’s chief crypto adviser, Patrick Witt, said in April that he expected a major announcement within weeks. That announcement has not come.

Officials have said a presidential order alone cannot complete the project. The order does not carry the force of law, and Congress has not passed legislation to authorize the reserve. 

Yesterday, while speaking on the newly introduced Trump Accounts, President Trump said bitcoin could eventually be added to the accounts, saying “something could happen” when asked about the asset. Trump also said he’s “a big fan of crypto.” 

New Bitcoin legislation introduced

A bill from Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, would codify the order and set a target of acquiring 1 million bitcoin over five years through budget-neutral strategies. No such measure has advanced. If Republicans lose their House majority in this year’s midterm elections, the prospect of passage could dim.

The government’s bitcoin position ranks among the largest in the world. Estimates put it above 300,000 coins, worth more than $20 billion at current prices, according to Arkham Intelligence. The White House has said premature sales of seized bitcoin cost taxpayers about $17 billion over the years, and that a single reserve holding the asset for the long term would give the country a strategic advantage.

Timing has also worked against the plan as an investment. Bitcoin reached a record in October, a rally the administration tied in part to enthusiasm about Trump, then fell close to 50% from that peak. When Trump first called for the reserve, bitcoin traded near $93,000; it now sits above $64,000, a drop of about a third.

While the structure remains unresolved, Trump has built a personal bitcoin position of more than $50 million, according to his recent financial disclosure. 

The reserve, described by the administration as strategic, differs from a conventional strategic reserve because it is meant to be held for the long term rather than tapped during market emergencies.

This post U.S. Bitcoin Reserve Stalls as Treasury and Commerce Vie for Control: Report first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Suisse Wins Abu Dhabi License, Extends Digital Asset Push into the UAE

Bitcoin Suisse has received a Financial Services Permission (FSP) from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). The authorization, granted to Group subsidiary BTCS (Middle East) Ltd. (“BTCS ME”), clears the Swiss firm to offer regulated digital asset services across the United Arab Emirates.

The company announced the milestone earlier today.

The permission concludes a multi-stage licensing process with the FSRA, the regulator for ADGM, the international financial center of Abu Dhabi. It authorizes BTCS ME to provide a range of regulated services to institutional and professional clients in the UAE. 

Founded in Zug in 2013, Bitcoin Suisse brings more than a decade of experience to the region. The Group safeguards $3.7 billion in crypto assets and ranks as the fourth-largest staking operator in the world.

Clients under the new permission gain access to institutional-grade custody, trading of approved virtual assets, and tools for managing and hedging digital asset exposure within a compliant framework. Each client works with a dedicated relationship manager. The firm states that BTCS ME will prepare to support access to tokenized real-world assets as that market develops.

Ceyda Majcen serves as Chief Executive Officer of BTCS ME and leads the Group’s Middle East expansion.

“Receiving the FSP from the FSRA is a major milestone in our international growth strategy,” Majcen said. “The authorization reflects more than a decade of experience building resilient infrastructure, risk frameworks, and trusted client relationships. We are excited to bring our unique combination of institutional-grade capabilities and personalized service to the UAE, one of the world’s most dynamic hubs for digital assets.”

Bitcoin Suisse’s international expansion 

The license adds to a broader pattern of established crypto firms seeking a base in the Gulf, where regulators such as ADGM and Dubai’s VARA have built frameworks for virtual asset businesses. 

For Bitcoin Suisse, the UAE marks a fourth jurisdiction alongside Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Bermuda. The Group frames the step as part of a plan to become a global wealth management partner for digital assets.

Bitcoin Suisse describes itself as a premium digital assets financial services provider. It offers trading, custody, staking, and lending to institutional clients, digital asset foundations, family offices, asset managers, and high-net-worth individuals. 

The Group employs more than 200 people and keeps its headquarters in Zug. The Abu Dhabi permission gives the firm a regulated route into a market where demand for institutional digital asset infrastructure continues to grow.

This post Bitcoin Suisse Wins Abu Dhabi License, Extends Digital Asset Push into the UAE first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Trump-Backed American Bitcoin (ABTC) Pushes Treasury Past 8,000 BTC

American Bitcoin Corp (Nasdaq: ABTC) has moved its treasury past 8,000 bitcoin, the company said. The total marks a climb from about 5,401 BTC at the end of 2025, a gain of close to 50% across six months.

The company, a majority-owned subsidiary of Hut 8 Corp and backed by the Trump family, said its bitcoin reserve and its bitcoin-per-share have grown close to threefold since its Nasdaq debut. Co-founder Eric Trump has framed the growth as disciplined and large in scale.

American Bitcoin builds its stack through two channels: mining production and treasury purchases. In the first quarter of 2026, the firm mined 817 BTC and added 1,620 BTC to its reserve, a rise of about 30 percent in three months. That pace has carried into the summer.

Mining capacity has grown to match the treasury ambitions. In March, the company deployed 11,298 ASIC miners at its site in Drumheller, Alberta, a move that lifted capacity by about 12 percent and added 3.05 EH/s. The cost to mine a single bitcoin fell to about $36,200 in the first quarter, a drop of 23 percent from $46,900 in the prior quarter.

The financial picture remains mixed. American Bitcoin reported a net loss of $81.8 million for the first quarter on revenue of $62.1 million, a result that reflects a wider crypto market decline and the heavy spending behind its expansion.

American Bitcoin’s reverse stock split

The company also reshaped its share structure. A 1-for-15 reverse stock split took effect at 5:00 p.m. on July 2, with shares trading on a split-adjusted basis from July 6. Shareholders approved the measure at the annual meeting on June 22.

The strategy sets American Bitcoin apart from a segment of the mining industry that has shifted resources toward artificial-intelligence data centers. Rather than pivot, the firm has doubled down on bitcoin mining and treasury accumulation, a bet that ties its fortunes to the price of the asset it collects.

At more than 8,000 BTC, American Bitcoin ranks among the larger corporate holders of the asset, and its stack has, at points, surpassed that of Galaxy Digital. 

The company positions itself as a pure-play bitcoin accumulation platform, a structure that gives public investors exposure to both mining output and a growing reserve.

Whether the model rewards shareholders depends on the path of bitcoin and the discipline of the company’s spending. For the moment, the treasury keeps its climb.

Shares of ABTC were up 7% at time of writing. 

This post Trump-Backed American Bitcoin (ABTC) Pushes Treasury Past 8,000 BTC first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

USDT Returns to Bitcoin: RGB and UTEXO Enable Private Lightning Settlements

Tether, the company behind USDT, is preparing to issue the stablecoin natively on Bitcoin through the RGB protocol version v0.11.1. Deployed by the UTEXO software lab, USDT is set to return to the chain where it first launched in 2014 via the Omni-Mastercoin Layer. 

UTEXO, the company leading the commercial rollout, has positioned itself as the issuer and distributor of this Bitcoin-native USDT in partnership with Tether.  “Finally, after eight years of development—if not more—we are the company that is launching USDT over Bitcoin with strong support from Tether,” said Viktor Ihnatiuk, UTEXO co-founder, in an exclusive interview with Bitcoin Magazine. 

The RGB protocol combines its novel client-side validation with the Lightning network for instant, private settlements, while anchoring security to Bitcoin’s UTXO model. Users can expect to be able to handle USDT on native Bitcoin addresses as well as send and receive it over the Lightning network with compatible wallets. 

The RGB protocol on Bitcoin also offers significant privacy features to USDT users as the asset benefits from Bitcoin’s UTXO model, which standardizes fresh addresses for every transaction compared to the account-based address reused commonly in EVM blockchains like Tron, Ethereum or Solana. Address reuse is the first mistake of onchain privacy, yet most altcoins built their interfaces to reuse addresses, despite the risk it poses to users. RGB’s integration with the Lightning network further protects user privacy by moving USDT via the offchain payments network, which leaves few marks on the public blockchain. The deep integration with Tether also means that there are fewer middleman companies charging extra fees or collecting data. 

On the topic, Vktor emphasized that, “We built Utexo so that USDT could move on Bitcoin the way money is supposed to move: instantly, privately, with no surprises on costs. Our partners integrate our API once and can route USDT on the most resilient open network ever built, with full control over cost structure.”

UTEXO vs TRON

UTEXO emerged from a joint venture involving Viktor’s Boosty Venture Studio, Fulgur Ventures, and Tether Investments. The goal was straightforward: bring RGB to mainnet after years of delays under prior development teams. The protocol had been in active development since at least 2016, but failed to be ready for the 2017 bull market, giving the TRON blockchain dominance over USDT volume and usage throughout the developing world, a dominance which it still retains. 

UTEXO of specifically building “the last mile” of software needed for wide USDT deployment across the Bitcoin ecosystem, which includes a software development kit, APIs, mid-level protocols, UI design work and even a mint bridge that is live today at mint.utexo.com. This bridge lets users move USDT across popular blockchains with “deterministic low fees” and no middlemen thanks to its direct integration with Tether as the primary mint. The RGB protocol layer was developed by Bitfinex R&D Strategist Federico Tenga.

“Right now if you want to swap USDT to Bitcoin you need to pay high fees for all these wallets who charge you a one percent wallet fee plus a swap provider charge of one percent plus, and you have slippage one percent as well, so you pay three percent, and also you wait forever until the swap happens” Viktor told Bitcoin Magazine, adding that; “with USDT and Bitcoin over Lightning, for the first time you have two main assets on one chain, you can swap instantly without any slippage. You can swap decentralized USDT to Bitcoin and back on-chain. The price is almost the same as spot markets in Binance.”

Networks like Tron that are primarily used to move USDT also add extra fees, swap commissions and friction to the user experience. They require a different address type, with fees paid in an asset like TRX, which is only ever used to move the stablecoin. With most of the monetary volume in the crypto market concentrated in Bitcoin and Tether, having to buy an altcoin just to pay fees ends up feeling like red tape. 

Bitcoin, as the payment rails of USDT, also comes with blockchain levels of security that other chains simply can not offer. While USDT will always be fundamentally centralized in Tether as a corporation, the rails can also add risk, for example, if a contentious fork occurs or major bugs are found on novel blockchain systems. Bitcoin, being the oldest and most conservative blockchain, delivers a quality assurance of sorts that can not be matched by other chains. 

RGB traces its roots to Peter Todd’s single-use seals back in 2014 and was formalized in 2016 by Giacomo Zucco and Riccardo Casatta. The RGB acronym, originally derived from “Riccardo Giacomo Bitcoin,” was later rebranded “Really Good Bitcoin”. Tether explored the protocol early but faced delays with the previous team. Had RGB shipped on schedule around 2019, the stablecoin landscape and broader DeFi industry might have developed differently around Bitcoin’s UTXO model instead of Ethereum’s account-based system.

As such, bringing USDT back to Bitcoin is a core motivation for UTEXO. Viktor minced no words on the matter: “For the first time in eight years or nine years, USDT is coming back home. We have no chance to fail. If we fail, no one will think about Bitcoin as a settlement layer anymore.”

USDT on Bitcoin via RGB is expected to be launched within weeks, possibly this July, with wallets like Tether Wallet among others announcing support, and exchanges across the world announcing integrations. 

This post USDT Returns to Bitcoin: RGB and UTEXO Enable Private Lightning Settlements first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Juan Galt.

Bitcoin's dominance dropped to a one-month low of 54%, down from 58.12%, according to CoinGecko's dominance table.

Over the same stretch, the “Others” bucket, representing everything outside Bitcoin, Ethereum, and stablecoins, climbed from 19.39% to 24.68% of total crypto market cap.

BTC dipped below $58,000 last week, then recovered to find an intraday high of $63,976.16, while the Fear & Greed Index climbed from 12 to 24 this week, though it's still sitting in Extreme Fear territory.

Bitcoin's dominance had already slid from 63% to 56% over the past year, while stablecoins nearly doubled their market share over the same period, from 7% to 13%.

The rebound centers on tokens that carry real protocol fees, run buyback or burn programs, sit within Solana's on-chain trading stack, or plug into institutional distribution. Traders are pricing altcoins in a narrower bet than the “everything pumps” alt seasons of past cycles.

HYPE gained just 24% over 30 days, the smallest move of the period among the top runners, though its year-to-date run is near 200% as it trades near $71. The token sparked the selective altcoin run of the past few weeks.

Trading volume converts directly into token demand as Hyperliquid's Assistance Fund routes over 97% of fees into token buybacks.

The runners

Lighter is the biggest gainer in the group, up 83.85% over 30 days, as traders hunt for the next Hyperliquid-style perp exchange winner.

DefiLlama puts Lighter's 30-day perp volume near $40 billion, and the protocol began burning repurchased LIT once the second quarter closed, giving it the same buyback logic as HYPE.

Aave and Aerodrome are telling a similar story from different corners of DeFi, with Aave climbing 59% once Aavenomics 3.0 tied GHO and protocol revenue directly to an automated AAVE buyback.

Aerodrome gained 82.3% on an expected merger with Velodrome and a “Predictive Allocation” upgrade built to replace weekly gauge voting with faster liquidity routing on Base.

Uniswap rose 31.3% on a related bet, as Standard Chartered set a $100 target for the token in 2030, and UNI's own fee-switch-and-burn debate is still live.

Solana's own corner of the market is rotating together, as Jupiter rose 57.2% on a proposal to lift its buyback rate to 70% of fees and push into lending and on-chain stocks.

Solana itself is up 32.74% as the base layer catches that same activity, and Jito gained 45% on Solana's MEV and staking flow.

Pyth rose 46.5% on a June 30 deal to distribute Nasdaq's TotalView order-book data through its network, then an integration with Arc's testnet in early July.

Morpho climbed 21.8% on a related institutional hook, as Standard Chartered initiated coverage with a $60 target for 2030, and Robinhood picked Morpho vaults to power its Earn product using USDG balances.

Zcash added 25.2% on its own separate logic, driven by the token's Tachyon quantum-readiness roadmap on June 30, and an Ironwood mainnet upgrade lands July 21 with supply verification and shielded-pool changes.

The rotation engine

The first mechanic powering this movement is on-chain revenue, as protocols such as Hyperliquid, Lighter, and Aave now route trading fees or protocol income directly into buybacks or burns, turning usage into direct price support.

The second is institutional access, with Nasdaq's data deal with Pyth and Robinhood's use of Morpho vaults plugging two of these tokens straight into regulated finance.

If the buyback template keeps spreading, tokens without a fee or burn mechanism will need to build one to compete for capital. Traders are already rewarding protocols that can show revenue, raising the bar for new listings too.

The bull case has Bitcoin holding its price while its dominance continues to slip toward the 50%-52% range, with Others expanding past 27%. Under that path, an “Altcoin Season” becomes more reasonable.

Capital piling into HYPE, LIT, and AAVE is spreading to second-tier names still waiting for a catalyst of their own. Dominance below 53% with Others above 25% would confirm it's underway.

The bear case has Bitcoin reclaiming its share, dominance snapping back above 56%, and Others retreating below 22%. Extreme Fear doesn't need to lift much further before high-beta altcoins give back these gains.

A Bitcoin pullback, thin weekend liquidity, or a poorly absorbed token unlock could do it. Memecoins beating the revenue tokens, or Fear & Greed stuck near Extreme Fear despite climbing prices, would confirm the bear case instead.

Bitcoin's falling dominance measures a narrow set of tokens that have learned to make revenue look like a product, and traders are paying up for it.

LIT, AAVE, AERO, JUP, PYTH, and Morpho are each testing how far that template extends beyond a single exchange token.

The next month will decide whether the business-model bar becomes the actual price of admission to this rally, or the rotation slides back toward paying for beta with no fee behind it.

The post Bitcoin dominance hits one-month low as altcoin winners start breaking away appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin cleared $60,000 again the week the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported June payrolls grew by just 57,000, unemployment climbed to 4.2%, and labor-force participation slipped to 61.5%.

The dollar index dropped 0.56% to 100.83, September Fed-hike odds fell to 54% from 67%, and Bitcoin is trying to breach $64,000 as of June 6.

Stephen Coltman, head of macro at 21Shares, watched the same reversal play out across precious metals, the dollar, and Bitcoin in a single session.

The caveat is that the move only becomes durable once the Fed admits policy is already tight enough to bring inflation back to 2% without another hike, according to Coltman. That's a taller order than one soft jobs report, and it's the bar Bitcoin has to clear before the BLS puts out June's CPI number on July 14.

Policymakers are starting to treat the Iran-driven oil spike as a fading factor in inflation, giving the Fed room to stop citing it as grounds for tighter monetary policy.

Bitcoin is pricing how much weight regulators still assign to the recent oil shock, a policy judgment now being made at the Fed and the ECB.

ECB Chief Economist Philip Lane said the US-Iran agreement pushed oil prices closer to the ECB's baseline forecast, and the quick retreat in crude eased the urgency for another ECB hike.

ECB officials also warned that the energy shock hasn't fully worked its way out of the system.

Brent traded near $72.19 a barrel and WTI near $68.81, both close to pre-war levels now that Hormuz exports have resumed, Saudi Arabia has cut its own prices, and OPEC+ has raised output targets again.

The world absorbed over a billion barrels of lost supply during the war by draining its own buffers, and those buffers still sit close to empty.

Who's positioning around the fade?

Chair Kevin Warsh held rates at 3.50%-3.75% on June 17 and told reporters inflation is still running well above the Fed's 2% goal, with no room to declare victory.

San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly later described policy as only “slightly restrictive” and said the next move isn't decided yet.

The EIA's latest weekly data show refineries operating at 96.6% of capacity and producing 10 million barrels of gasoline per day. Total gasoline stocks fell by 2.3 million barrels, leaving them 7% below the five-year seasonal average.

Citi cut its 12-month price target to $82,000 from $112,000 and reduced its expected net ETF inflows to zero from $10 billion, citing ETF flows already down $3.3 billion for the year. Its own bear case: $53,000, if the economy cools and outflows keep coming.

Weak jobs data lowers the odds of a Fed rate hike, which weakens the dollar. A weaker dollar lifts hard assets like gold and Bitcoin because both become cheaper for holders of other currencies and because traders read soft labor data as room for policy easing later.

Gold hit a two-week high on the same cooling numbers, then gave back some of that once the dollar firmed again. Bitcoin has held its ground better, clearing $60,000 and staying there.

Where gasoline didn't stop

A one-year, normalized chart of RBOB gasoline futures against WTI crude shows the part of the story oil headlines skip.

Crude, in blue, spiked through the spring during the Iran war and has largely reversed since, sitting close to where it started, last near 102.66 on a normalized basis. Gasoline, in white, sits near 139.39 on the same scale, up close to 40% over the year.

Gasoline is running 40% above pre-war levels, and the BLS's May CPI report backs that up, with gasoline prices climbing 7% that month and sitting 40.5% higher year over year.

That disconnect between pump prices and the WTI number on a screen feeds directly into how households read inflation and into what the Fed hears when it studies CPI.

The New York Fed's Global Supply Chain Pressure Index tells the same story from a different angle: it eased to 1.25 in June from 1.81 as Middle East disruption faded, but stayed above its level before the Iran war started.

The July 14 test

June's CPI report lands July 14 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, the first clean read on whether May's gasoline spike was the peak or the start of a longer run.

The bull case is that June CPI shows gasoline cooling from May's pace, inventories start rebuilding, the dollar weakens further, and Fed officials start talking about policy being restrictive enough on its own.

Bitcoin gets room to retest $70,000 and beyond, with Citi's own $82,000 target as the number the market has to answer to.

The bear case consists of gasoline pass-through staying sticky, June CPI running hot, and hike odds climbing back up.

The dollar and real yields firm again, Bitcoin ETF outflows continue to drain, and Citi's bear case puts Bitcoin at $53,000 under that combination.

Bitcoin hasn't yet won the argument inside the Fed, where one voice treats 2% as untouchable and another says policy is close enough already.

Whichever way July 14 reads, what a tank of gas costs this month will decide Bitcoin's next move.

The post Bitcoin’s $70K path now runs through pump prices as Iran shock fades appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Bitcoin's rebound has cleared the first test: price recovered. The harder one starts now: proving buyers remain after the squeeze.

#1

Bitcoin BTC

$63,866.27

+0.75% (24H)

1D 7D 1M 1Y ALL

Market Cap $1.28T

24h Volume $33.06B

All-Time High $126,198.07

Sectors

Layer 1 PoW

BTC is trading near $63,195 on July 7, up 6.6% over the past seven days, according to CryptoSlate's Bitcoin market data. That puts it back above the worst levels of last week's selloff, yet the rally still needs proof of cash demand after traders caught short finish buying back positions.

The macro backdrop helps. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that US payrolls rose by 57,000 in June, while April and May were revised down by a combined 74,000 jobs. For Bitcoin, weaker labor data can ease the rate-pressure story that had weighed on risk assets.

ETF flows also improved at the right moment. Farside Investors showed US spot Bitcoin ETFs moving from $296 million of total outflows on July 1 to $223 million of inflows on July 2 and $265 million on July 6. That repaired one visible demand channel, while a lasting recovery needs broader confirmation.

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A $223 million inflow into spot Bitcoin funds offered relief to crypto markets after softer labor data reduced immediate pressure from rate expectations.

Jul 3, 2026 · Oluwapelumi Adejumo

The reason is market structure. Glassnode's Week 28 market pulse described Bitcoin as moving from aggressive distribution toward equilibrium, with spot selling pressure easing, ETF outflows cooling, and long-term holders helping anchor the market. The same report also said spot trading volumes remained subdued while futures open interest and long-side funding had risen. That leaves a cleaner market than last week, with the next leg dependent on participation beyond leverage.

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Bitcoin’s weekend rally faces a $66k trap as traders still hedge for another drop

Weak US jobs data gave Bitcoin bulls a reason to chase the rebound, but options traders are still paying for downside protection as the long weekend turns $66,000-$68,000 into the rally’s next trap zone.

Jul 5, 2026 · Gino Matos

That combination defines the immediate risk. Price can rise quickly when futures traders cover shorts or rebuild leverage, then lose support once the forced flow passes. CoinGlass showed roughly $46.7 billion in Bitcoin open interest on July 7, with 24-hour futures volume near $81.2 billion compared with about $5 billion of spot volume. Its liquidation data also shows why rallies can force shorts to buy back exposure quickly. Those figures support caution around a derivatives-heavy rebound.

The next test is simple. ETF inflows need to persist beyond one or two sessions. Spot volume has to improve without futures leverage doing most of the work. Buyers also need to defend the $61,000 to $62,000 area if Bitcoin retraces again.

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Bitcoin needs trillions to go parabolic again as ETF demand fades

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Jul 6, 2026 · Oluwapelumi Adejumo

If those signals hold, the July rebound starts to look like the beginning of a new base. If they fade, the move toward resistance will look like macro relief and short-covering arriving ahead of durable demand. For now, the burden sits with follow-through. The first leg showed sellers had lost momentum; the second has to show buyers are willing to stay.

The post Bitcoin price rebounds to $63K as leverage returns creating short term volatility risk appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Summer.fi's automated vault incident has put delegated DeFi yield back under pressure after Blockaid said on July 6 that its exploit detection system had identified an ongoing exploit and estimated that about $6 million had been drained at the time of its alert.

In a follow-up post, the security firm linked the exploit transaction, the exploiter address, the exploit contract, and the affected Summer.fi and Lazy Summer contracts.

The Etherscan transaction shows a successful Ethereum transaction at 05:17:59 UTC on July 6.

Summer.fi later said it was aware of the reported exploit, was investigating the root cause, and that protocol guardians were pausing all vaults across the Lazy Summer Protocol.

The final loss figure and cause remain unsettled until Summer.fi publishes a fuller incident review.

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THORChain exploit turns emergency chain halt into a DeFi trust test

A suspected multichain THORChain exploit and emergency halt have shifted attention from the immediate loss figure to DeFi’s cross-chain trust model.

May 16, 2026 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

The vault boundary users rarely see

The exploit turns a product promise into a design question. Summer.fi's documentation describes Lazy Summer as a set-and-forget protocol built around Lazy Vaults, auto-rebalancing, and simplified DeFi exposure.

That simplicity rests on several contract roles. Summer.fi's docs describe Lazy Vaults, also known as Fleets, as coordinated contract systems comprising a Fleet Commander, ARKs, and RAFT.

The Fleet Commander manages deposits, withdrawals, and allocation; ARKs implement yield strategies; RAFT harvests and compounds rewards.

The protocol's rebalancer adds another layer of trust. Summer.fi says Keeper AI Agents can reallocate assets across ARKs within constraints set through FleetCommander and governance, including limits on how much value can move and how often.

That layered design created the boundary that the exploit exposed.

A depositor is trusting share accounting, strategy contracts, keeper execution, governance limits, and emergency controls to behave correctly while capital moves without manual approval from each user.

Related Reading

DeFi’s old hack vectors are fading – But the new risk can hit six chains at once

The good news is that bridge hacks and flash-loan attacks are fading; the bad news is that protocol logic bugs are becoming much harder to contain.

Jun 7, 2026 · Andjela Radmilac

Automation moves user risk into systems built to monitor, rebalance, and select strategies on the user's behalf.

Summer.fi's documentation points to audits and an Immunefi bug bounty, which remain important parts of the security stack. The incident still shows why live accounting, allocation, and pause assumptions need to be legible to depositors as capital moves.

A recent CryptoSlate analysis found that known DeFi hack losses reached $780.3 million in Q2, turning exploit risk into a cost that users must price into yield.

Related Reading

DeFi hacks are turning high yields into a hidden liquidity tax

DeFiLlama data shows $780.3 million in Q2 known losses as bridges, keys and protocol logic turn security into a live cost of participation.

Jun 30, 2026 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

The Summer.fi incident is a more explicit version of that problem: the more invisible the yield machinery becomes, the more important it is for protocols to show where automation stops, and user exposure begins.

The next signal is Summer.fi's postmortem. A contained fault would make the incident a test of emergency controls. A deeper issue in vault accounting, permissions, or strategy movement would carry a broader warning for automated vault design.

The post New SummerFi DeFi exploit shows AI automation now sits above smart contract risk appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Strategy’s largest Bitcoin sale in years has put new pressure on the corporate treasury model that made Michael Saylor one of the most closely watched figures in digital assets.

On July 6, the company, formerly known as MicroStrategy, revealed that it sold 3,588 Bitcoin for about $216 million between June 29 and July 5.

Per the filing, Strategy sold the coins in two batches. It first sold 1,363 Bitcoin between June 29 and June 30 at an average price of $59,256, followed by another 2,225 Bitcoin between July 1 and July 5 at an average price of $60,773.

With the previous 32 BTC sale, the firm sold a total of 3,620 BTC in the second quarter. However, the firm remains a net buyer of the top crypto, acquiring over 85,000 BTC during the reporting period.

While these BTC sales are small compared with Strategy’s remaining 843,775 Bitcoin, it marked a notable shift for a company long associated with relentless accumulation and a public refusal to treat Bitcoin as a source of cash.

Notably, the company’s remaining Bitcoin was acquired for about $63.69 billion, or an average price of $75,476 per coin.

That means the latest sale took place well below Strategy’s average purchase price.

Blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain estimated the recent BTC sales locked in a loss of more than $55 million, based on the difference between the company’s reported sale price and its historical acquisition cost.

Meanwhile, Strategy disclosed an $8.32 billion second-quarter loss on its digital assets holdings after Bitcoin’s decline during the reporting period pushed the value of its holdings below their cost basis.

It added:

“As of June 30, 2026, the cost basis of the bitcoin held by Strategy exceeded the fair value of its bitcoin holdings. As a result, Strategy will record a valuation allowance against its deferred tax benefit and deferred tax asset associated with the unrealized loss on its bitcoin during the quarter ended June 30, 2026, offsetting these amounts in full.”

Strategy turns Bitcoin into a funding source for its preferred offering dividends

Strategy’s Bitcoin sale marked a shift in how the company uses its reserves.

In the filing, the company stated that the proceeds from the sale of 3,588 Bitcoin would fund preferred stock distributions.

Saylor stated:

The firm also added that the sales would replenish the portion of its US dollar reserve used for those payments. The reserve, which stood at $2.55 billion as of July 5, is meant to cover preferred dividends and interest on outstanding debt.

Meanwhile, the filing also showed what Strategy chose not to do during the period.

The Saylor-led company did not sell common shares through its at-the-market equity program during the week ended July 5, nor did it repurchase common or preferred shares. Its full $1.25 billion Bitcoin Monetization Program also remains available.

That leaves Bitcoin as a more visible tool in the company’s capital-management playbook. Under the framework, Strategy can sell Bitcoin to rebuild its dollar reserve, pay preferred dividends, service debt and support repurchases of common or preferred stock.

Already, market observers such as Jiang Zhuoer, the founder of the Chinese mining pool BTC.top, have suggested that Saylor could sell more coins soon. Zhuoer noted:

“That MSTR is willing to pay this price can only be interpreted as MSTR gearing up to swing trade with a massive coin position, the 20,000 coins already approved by shareholders will likely all be sold.
In this current bear market phase, MSTR—this relentless buy-buy-buy powerhouse of the bull camp— is about to defect to the sell-sell-sell bear camp. And in the bull market phase that follows, we'll witness the biggest whale of all, dumping hundreds of thousands of coins.”

This complicates what had been a simpler market story. Strategy built its reputation by raising capital to buy Bitcoin. The latest filing shows the reverse can also happen: Bitcoin can be sold to support the financing structure that helped fund the accumulation.

That puts the preferred-stock complex closer to the center of the investment case. Strategy’s preferred securities have reduced its dependence on common-share issuance, but they also created recurring cash obligations that sit ahead of common shareholders.

The structure is easier to sustain when Bitcoin is rising and Strategy’s stock trades at a premium to the value of its holdings. In that environment, the company can raise capital on favorable terms and keep adding to its Bitcoin position.

When Bitcoin falls and the stock weakens, management has to balance three competing priorities: preserving liquidity, avoiding unattractive equity issuance, and maintaining confidence among preferred holders.

The latest sale suggests Strategy is willing to use Bitcoin to manage that balance. That gives the company flexibility, but it also raises a new question for common shareholders: whether future dividends, debt costs, or reserve needs could prompt additional Bitcoin sales during periods of market stress.

Bill Miller IV of Miller Value Partners offered a more favorable interpretation, saying shareholders and Bitcoin supporters should welcome the sale because it creates tax-loss harvesting benefits and helps show ratings agencies that Bitcoin is liquid enough to support corporate liabilities.

That is the new tension inside Strategy’s model. Using Bitcoin to support preferred dividends may help validate the asset's use as collateral in traditional capital markets.

However, it also means Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings are no longer insulated from the cash demands of the company’s own financing machine.

Saylor’s Long-Term Thesis Meets a Near-Term Test

Despite the latest Bitcoin sale and the large quarterly loss, Saylor remains publicly committed to the idea that Bitcoin’s next decade will be shaped by deeper integration with global capital markets.

Over the weekend, Saylor cast Bitcoin as a form of digital capital. In his view, the asset’s future will depend less on changes to the protocol or the old four-year halving cycle, and more on the growth of financial structures built around it: ETFs, corporate treasuries, bank credit, derivatives, collateral markets and sovereign reserves.

That thesis helps explain why Strategy has moved beyond simply buying Bitcoin. The company is trying to build a capital-markets structure around its holdings, using preferred stock, debt, cash reserves and other securities to turn Bitcoin into the foundation for what Saylor calls digital credit.

The latest sale shows the practical side of that vision. If Bitcoin is going to serve as capital inside traditional finance, it must also function inside the routines of corporate finance. Dividends have to be paid. Interest costs have to be serviced. Reserves have to be maintained. Investors across the capital structure have to be reassured.

That creates a tension for Strategy. The more the company succeeds in turning Bitcoin into a productive balance-sheet asset, the less its holdings look like a one-way vault. Bitcoin can support credit products and preferred securities, but it can also be sold when those instruments require cash.

Saylor has argued that Bitcoin itself should remain slow-moving and difficult to change, while innovation develops around it through custody, lending, structured products, settlement systems and institutional balance sheets. Strategy is now testing that argument in public markets.

The company’s challenge is no longer just convincing investors that Bitcoin will rise over time. It must also convince them that a corporate financing machine built around Bitcoin can withstand periods when the asset falls.

The post Strategy faces $8.3 billion Bitcoin Q2 loss as Saylor sells over $200M in BTC appeared first on CryptoSlate.

There was no code exploit. No compromised private key. No phishing link. And yet BonkDAO says attackers stole about $20 million in BONK through a malicious governance proposal targeting its Solana treasury. 

The attacker didn't break the rules — they bought them.

What happened to BONK DAO?

$BONK is a Solana-based memecoin, and BONK DAO is the community body that governs it. Token holders vote on proposals, and if a vote passes, it executes automatically on-chain. That design is exactly what got weaponized.

The sequence began on June 30, when an anonymous wallet submitted a proposal to transfer the treasury's holdings to a wallet it controlled. That proposal was titled "BIP #76 – Sowellian BonkDAO," and it read more like a pitch than a heist: it sought to "implement Sowellian governance, install new members and council, rebuild from the ashes, monetize holdings, and stop the bleeding," and dangled a reward promising all "yes" voters would be eligible to receive BONK tokens. 

Buried underneath the marketing language sat the only line that mattered — an instruction to transfer roughly 4.4 trillion BONK straight to the attacker's wallet.

How did the attacker pass a fake proposal?

This is the part that should keep every DAO up at night. The proposal needed "yes" votes equal to 1% of BONK's supply to hit quorum. So the attacker simply went and bought it. Over July 4 and 5, a separate wallet acquired exactly that much, spending about $4.4 million to buy BONK on the exchanges Bybit and Binance. 

By the time voting closed, the numbers were almost surgically precise. The proposal passed with just seven wallets voting, against more than 18,000 members who did not — a turnout of 2.9%. It cleared quorum by the narrowest margin, 882.38 billion BONK in favor against an 879.95 billion threshold, almost exactly the stake the attacker had spent days assembling.

The result? The 99.9% "yes" result was effectively a single voter agreeing with itself. The DAO then did what it was built to do — it executed the transfer automatically, and about $20 million in BONK moved out of the treasury into the attacker's wallet. 

Bonk DAO Attack: Where did the money go?

The stolen tokens didn't stick around. More than 4.4 trillion BONK — valued at approximately $19.3 million at the time of transfer — moved out of the treasury to an address ending in "JHvQ," identified via Solscan as having been funded through a Bybit account. By 3:30 p.m. ET the same day, the tokens had been moved again, this time to a different Solana address ending in "eh42."

The promised voter rewards never materialized. The tokens were never distributed — instead they were shuffled to a second address hours later, a pattern consistent with an attacker trying to obscure the trail rather than honor any community commitment. Security firm PeckShield later flagged that roughly $148,000 worth of stolen BONK has already moved to OKX.

Was Bonk DAO Hacked?

Technically, no — and that's the uncomfortable part. The attacker didn't exploit a bug in any smart contract. The root issue was governance design, not code. Every single step was a valid, authorized on-chain transaction.

With no timelock, quorum minimum, or multisig check in place to catch an anomalous proposal before it executed, a well-funded attacker was able to turn a $4 million token purchase into control over a $20 million treasury. A timelock would have forced a delay between approval and execution, giving the community a window to spot the drain. A multisig override could have frozen it in an emergency. BONK DAO had neither.

This has reopened an old debate. Because every step was a valid transaction, some on-chain observers argued the attacker simply exploited a weak governance design rather than breaking in. The lesson stands either way: a treasury that can be drained by whoever assembles a temporary voting majority is only as secure as the cost of buying that majority — and here, that cost was a fraction of the prize.

What is BONK DAO doing about it?

BonkDAO has notified law enforcement and is working with the Solana Foundation, centralized exchanges, and network bridges to recover funds. It said it had identified the exchange wallets used to buy tokens ahead of the vote — and the involvement of law enforcement makes clear the DAO is treating this as an attack, not a clever loophole.

Recovery, though, is an uphill battle. Governance attacks are notoriously hard to reverse precisely because they run through the protocol's own legitimate machinery.

How did BONK's price react?

The market response was surprisingly contained given the scale. BONK prices are down about 7% in the past 24 hours in the aftermath of the attack. Exchanges moved fast — South Korean exchange Upbit and American exchange Kraken both paused deposits and withdrawals of the BONK token, with Upbit citing "user protection measures following the circumstances of a security incident."

Ethereum is back in the spotlight as the crypto market rebounds, but this time the main story is not only about price. While Bitcoin reclaimed the $63,000 level after President Trump’s latest pro crypto comments, a deeper institutional shift may be forming between Bitcoin and Ethereum.

BitMine, the Ethereum treasury company chaired by Tom Lee, has continued adding ETH to its balance sheet. Its latest weekly update shows that the company acquired 42,197 ETH, bringing total holdings to 5,742,237 ETH, equal to around 4.8% of Ethereum’s total supply. BitMine also said its total crypto, cash, marketable securities, and “moonshot” holdings reached $11.1 billion.

At the same time, Michael Saylor’s Strategy sold 3,588 Bitcoin for around $216 million to fund dividends on its preferred stock. Strategy still holds a massive 843,775 BTC, but the sale matters because it challenges the long running market belief that Saylor’s company only buys and never sells.

That contrast is now shaping the latest Ethereum price prediction: is institutional capital slowly rotating from Bitcoin into ETH?

BitMine Keeps Buying Ethereum

BitMine has become the biggest Ethereum treasury story in the market. The company’s strategy is clear: accumulate ETH, stake a large portion of it, and move closer to its long term goal of owning 5% of Ethereum’s total supply.

According to BitMine’s latest update, the company now owns 5.74 million ETH, with 4.87 million ETH staked. This means BitMine is not only holding Ethereum as a treasury asset, but also using it to generate staking rewards. The company said its staked ETH could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in annualized staking revenue depending on yields and full deployment.

This is important because it gives Ethereum a different institutional narrative from Bitcoin. Bitcoin is mainly seen as digital gold, a reserve asset, and a macro hedge. Ethereum, on the other hand, can be held, staked, and used as infrastructure for stablecoins, DeFi, tokenization, and smart contract activity.

That is why BitMine’s buying matters for ETH price predictions. The story is no longer just “Ethereum follows Bitcoin.” The market now has a direct Ethereum treasury buyer with a clear accumulation target.

Strategy Sells Bitcoin: Why It Matters

Strategy’s Bitcoin sale does not mean Michael Saylor has turned bearish on BTC. The company still owns more Bitcoin than any other public company and remains the largest corporate BTC holder in the world.

However, the sale changes the psychology of the market.

For years, Strategy was viewed as the ultimate Bitcoin accumulator. Every purchase supported the idea that institutional demand would keep absorbing supply. But the latest sale shows that even the largest BTC treasury company may need to sell coins when corporate obligations, dividends, or balance sheet pressure require liquidity.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Strategy sold 3,588 BTC to fund dividends on preferred stock, raising around $216 million. The company still holds 843,775 BTC, but the sale came after it unveiled a broader plan to strengthen investor confidence.

This does not destroy the Bitcoin thesis, but it does introduce a new question: if BTC stays under pressure, could Strategy sell more?

That uncertainty is exactly why Ethereum’s treasury story looks more attractive today. While Strategy is selling some Bitcoin to manage obligations, BitMine is still adding Ethereum.

Ethereum Price Prediction: Can ETH Break Higher?

Ethereum is trading near the $1,790 area in the latest market snapshot, up around 1% on the day. The key level to watch now is the $1,800 to $1,850 resistance zone.

If ETH breaks above this area with volume, the next upside targets are:

$1,900 as the first breakout confirmation level.
$2,000 as the psychological target.
$2,150 to $2,200 if the market starts pricing in stronger institutional ETH demand.

The bullish case depends on three factors. First, Bitcoin needs to hold above the $63,000 area and avoid another sharp rejection. Second, ETH needs to reclaim $1,850 and turn it into support. Third, BitMine’s accumulation story needs to remain strong enough to convince traders that Ethereum has its own catalyst.

If these conditions align, Ethereum could outperform Bitcoin in the short term.

However, the bearish scenario is still possible. If ETH fails to hold above $1,750, the price could retest the $1,700 area. A deeper correction could bring Ethereum back toward $1,620 to $1,600, especially if Bitcoin loses momentum or if investors treat Strategy’s BTC sale as a warning sign for crypto treasury stocks.

Is This the Start of a BTC to ETH Rotation?

The strongest part of this story is the contrast.

Bitcoin is rebounding after political support from President Trump and a broader market recovery. But Bitcoin is also dealing with a major treasury headline: Strategy sold BTC.

Ethereum is also recovering, but it has a cleaner institutional accumulation story. BitMine is buying ETH, staking ETH, and openly moving toward a 5% supply target. That gives Ethereum a fresh narrative at a time when traders are looking for the next crypto leader.

This does not mean Bitcoin is weak. BTC remains the largest crypto asset, the main institutional gateway, and the market’s liquidity anchor. But Ethereum may now have the more interesting short term setup because its story is shifting from underperformance to accumulation.

If Bitcoin stability combines with continued ETH buying, Ethereum could become the stronger rebound trade.

Final Thoughts

The latest Ethereum price prediction is becoming more bullish, not only because ETH is recovering, but because the market narrative is changing.

BitMine is buying and staking Ethereum while Strategy is selling part of its Bitcoin holdings to meet corporate obligations. That contrast creates a powerful headline: Bitcoin may still be the king, but Ethereum is becoming the new institutional treasury battleground.

As long as ETH holds above $1,700 and pushes toward $1,850, the next move could target $1,900 and then $2,000. But if the market loses confidence and Bitcoin falls back below key support, Ethereum could still retest lower levels before any bigger breakout.

For now, Ethereum has something it has lacked for months: a fresh institutional catalyst that could help ETH outperform if the crypto rebound continues.

Ripple, the company behind the XRP Ledger, has landed one of the most significant regulatory milestones in its European history — and $XRP has climbed roughly 8% over the past week to trade near $1.15. But before you read this as "XRP got approved," there's an important distinction worth understanding.

What exactly did Ripple get approved for?

On June 23, 2026, Luxembourg's financial regulator, the CSSF, issued Ripple a preliminary Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) license under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. The approval, in the form of a "Green Light Letter," is subject to final conditions, and will enable Ripple to scale regulated cryptoasset services to financial institutions and businesses across all 30 countries of the European Economic Area.

Here's the catch: this is a company-level license, not a token approval. $XRP the asset didn't "get approved" to do anything — MiCA licenses are granted to service providers, not to coins. Combined with Ripple's existing EU Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence, the CASP license means European banks, fintechs and corporates can access Ripple's full cryptoasset and stablecoins payments infrastructure — collect, exchange and pay out — through a single integration for the first time.

Why does "preliminary" matter?

A Green Light Letter is not the finished product. It's the CSSF's signal that a firm has met the substantive requirements, but full authorization — and with it, the ability to formally passport services across the EEA — follows only once all remaining conditions are met. There's precedent for this moving quickly, though: Ripple's EMI license went from Green Light in January to full authorization by early February 2026.

The timing is also strategic. The approval arrives just days before the July 1, 2026, hard deadline, after which unlicensed crypto firms operating in the EU are in breach of MiCA rules. By mid-2026, around 83% of EU crypto firms had not secured MiCA licenses, leaving Ripple among approximately 210 compliant firms — a pool that notably does not include Binance.

Is this actually bullish for XRP Coin?

This is where objectivity matters. The commercial engine of this approval is RLUSD, Ripple's regulated stablecoin, and Ripple Payments infrastructure — not the $XRP token directly. In Ripple's own announcement, XRP appeared essentially as boilerplate. Tellingly, $XRP actually fell around 2.9% on the day the news broke, dragged down by a broader risk-off sell-off rather than repriced by the license.

That said, there's a longer-term ecosystem argument. The XRP Ledger is the rail Ripple's payment products run on, so deeper institutional adoption of RLUSD and Ripple Payments in Europe means more activity potentially routed through the same infrastructure $XRP secures. The honest framing: this is a genuine win for Ripple's European standing that could translate into token relevance over time — but it is not a direct, mechanical demand catalyst for $XRP.

What's driving the ~8% weekly move then?

Look at the chart and the story becomes clearer. $XRP started July near $1.04 and has since recovered to around $1.15 — a roughly 8-11% weekly gain depending on the data source. This move is largely a market-wide bounce, not a delayed reaction to the two-week-old MiCA news.

A few real tailwinds are supporting the recovery: XRP ETF inflows have now run positive for eight straight weeks, with cumulative net inflows reaching roughly $1.47 billion, and on-chain data shows exchange outflows deepening — a sign holders may be pulling supply off exchanges with intent. July is also historically one of $XRP's stronger seasonal months.

But the resistance overhead is real. The first hurdle sits at the $1.18 area (the 0.382 Fibonacci level), with heavier resistance clustered around $1.20-$1.22 — the zone that has capped every recent bounce inside XRP's year-long falling channel. Below, the $1.05-$1.10 area is the critical support that bulls need to defend. A clean break and hold above $1.20 would be the first genuine signal that the downtrend is cracking.

The crypto price today is starting July on firmer footing. $BTC is trading around $63,148, up 0.70% on the day and 6.09% over the past week, as buyers step back in after a brutal first half. Bitcoin jumped above $63,000, reversing end-June losses and hitting its highest level in over a month during thin July 4 trading, with XRP up 5% in 24 hours to lead gains among majors.

Still, zoom out and the pain is visible: the bitcoin price remains down 27.84% year-to-date. Bitcoin started 2026 above $93,000 but closed June around $60,000 after falling to a fresh 21-month low in the final week of the month.

What is driving the crypto price today?

Two forces are pulling the market in opposite directions.

Why is institutional demand still weak?

On the bearish side, ETF demand cratered last month. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded their highest monthly outflow since inception, roughly $4.51 billion in June, led by BlackRock's IBIT. The scale of these crypto ETF outflows prompted Citigroup to cut its one-year $BTC target from $112,000 to $82,000.

What is fueling the BTC rebound?

On the bullish side, large holders have been buying the dip aggressively. Bitcoin whales bought $16.7 billion of bitcoin over two weeks even as ETFs bled a record $4 billion — a divergence that has appeared near past cycle bottoms. Softer macro signals fed the BTC rebound too: Bitcoin climbed back above $61,000 after Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh suggested inflation risks had eased, tempering fears of further hawkish policy.

Crypto Price Today: How the top 10 coins are performing today

The recovery is broad-based across the majors.

How is Ethereum price holding up?

$ETH (Ethereum) is trading near $1,774, up 0.57% on the day and a strong 13.25% on the week. Despite the bounce, the ethereum price remains the weakest of the top names on a YTD basis at -40.20%.

Which large caps are leading the bounce?

$BNB (BNB) sits at $583.85, up 2.30% over 24 hours and 6.38% on the week, roughly tracking Bitcoin. $XRP (XRP) is at $1.14, up 0.62% on the day and a solid 10.04% weekly — one of the clear leaders in the current bounce. $SOL (Solana) trades near $80.53, up 13.04% over seven days despite a small 0.36% hourly dip, making solana one of the strongest weekly performers among the large caps. $TRX (TRON) holds steady at $0.3287, up 1.30% on the day and notably one of the few majors in the green YTD at +15.64%.

Is Hyperliquid still the top performer of 2026?

$HYPE (Hyperliquid) is the standout of the entire top 10, trading at $71.53, up 4.52% on the day and an eye-watering 181.28% year-to-date. Hyperliquid remains by far the best YTD performer on the board while most majors sit deep in the red.

What about Dogecoin and the stablecoins?

$DOGE (Dogecoin) sits at $0.07689, up 1.26% on the day and 6.42% on the week, though dogecoin is still down 34.44% YTD as meme-coin appetite stays muted. Rounding out the leaderboard, $USDT and $USDC hold their dollar pegs near $1.00, while $LEO (UNUS SED LEO) trades at $9.36, up 2.18% on the day.

Crypto Price Analysis: Is the bottom in for Bitcoin?

That is the open question for the crypto price today. Peter Schiff warned that the $58,000 support level must hold to avoid a capitulation below $50,000, while a reversal in ETF selling could spark a rebound in the coming days. Traders are watching whether the whale accumulation and easing macro backdrop are enough to sustain July's "green month" pattern after a red June.

The most talked-about story in crypto this week isn't a price move — it's a question that strikes at the philosophical core of Bitcoin: should the network freeze Satoshi Nakamoto's untouched coins to stop a future quantum computer from stealing them? Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao put that question on the table, and the industry's biggest names have lined up on opposite sides.

Here's what's happening, why it matters, and where the debate goes from here.

What exactly did CZ propose?

Speaking on the Galaxy Brains podcast with Galaxy Research president Alex Thorn on June 18, CZ floated a hypothetical sequence rather than a formal plan. His idea: after Bitcoin eventually upgrades to quantum-resistant cryptography, holders of older, vulnerable addresses — including whoever controls Satoshi's estimated 1.1 million $BTC — would get a six-to-twelve-month window to move their coins to newly secured addresses. If those coins stayed put after that deadline, the community could then decide whether to freeze them.

His reasoning was blunt. In his words, if nothing is done with those dormant coins, the network is effectively handing them to whoever eventually hacks them. Those 1.1 million coins are worth roughly $68 billion at Bitcoin's current price near $62,000.

Crucially, CZ was careful about who gets to decide. He stressed that any such change would require a soft fork or hard fork approved by the Bitcoin community — not a decision by Binance or any single company. He also later pushed back on the idea that he personally wants to freeze Satoshi's wallet, noting that telling Satoshi's addresses apart from other early-miner addresses is technically imprecise, with roughly 22,000 addresses of about 50 BTC each grouped under the Satoshi estimate.

Why is quantum computing suddenly a Bitcoin issue?

The concern is that a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could break the cryptography (ECDSA) that protects Bitcoin wallets — scanning the blockchain for exposed public keys and mathematically deriving the private keys behind them.

This moved from sci-fi to serious developer conversation for a concrete reason. On March 30, 2026, Google Quantum AI published a 57-page whitepaper — co-authored with the Ethereum Foundation's Justin Drake and Stanford researchers — that sharply revised the estimated resources needed to break Bitcoin's cryptography, cutting the qubit requirement roughly twentyfold. Drake himself said his confidence that a quantum computer could recover a Bitcoin private key by 2032 had risen significantly after the paper, putting it at least at a 10% probability.

The scale is bigger than just Satoshi. As of March 1, 2026, more than 34% of all bitcoin in circulation have a public key exposed on-chain, making those coins theoretically vulnerable to a powerful enough quantum machine. To be clear, the gap between today's hardware and a Bitcoin-breaking machine is still enormous — Google's most advanced quantum chip, Willow, has 105 physical qubits today — but it's the direction of travel that has developers acting now.

How is the industry reacting?

This is where it gets interesting: some of the most respected voices in Bitcoin can't agree, and they've split into roughly three camps.

• Freeze the coins (the CZ / BIP-361 direction). Developer Jameson Lopp authored Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 361, which lays out a phased, five-year migration away from vulnerable signatures. Lopp frames it less as a plan to seize Satoshi's coins and more as a way to create incentives and deadlines so users, exchanges, custodians and institutions actually migrate in time. Notably, Lopp himself downplayed CZ's framing, describing it as musing on the threat rather than a formal proposal.
• Do nothing (the property-rights line). Investor Michael Terpin argues freezing anyone's coins betrays Bitcoin's foundational promise. In his view it begins a slippery slope of creating permission in a permissionless system. He also doubts consensus is even achievable, pointing out that it took years just to implement SegWit, so a quick agreement here is unlikely. His economic argument: if Satoshi is gone and only a quantum hack ever unlocks the coins, a sell-off would hurt the price but would be a one-time event that Bitcoin recovers from.
• Route around it (the legal-trust option). Bitwise's Matt Hougan rejects both letting the coins be stolen and freezing them outright. He instead backs a proposal from Castle Island Ventures' Nic Carter to place Satoshi's bitcoin into a legal trust until ownership can be proven through historical records — an approach Hougan says avoids the philosophical challenges of both CZ's suggestion and the "let whatever happens" perspective.

Why does this matter for the wider market?

Beyond the philosophy, there's a real market dimension. Those dormant coins represent a meaningful chunk of total supply, and how the network handles them touches on the deepest questions of Bitcoin's identity — is it truly immutable and censorship-resistant, or can the community override those principles when the stakes are high enough?

The timing also lands in an already-fragile market. This week's debate arrived as Bitcoin was clawing back from serious pain: it touched a 21-month low near $57,950 in late June before recovering back above $63,200, and spot Bitcoin ETFs posted their worst-ever monthly outflow of around $4 billion in June, turning year-to-date flows negative for the first time. A structural question about Bitcoin's security is exactly the kind of narrative that shapes long-term institutional confidence.

The FCA authorization lets the exchange offer equities and derivatives to UK users, a step toward its "everything exchange" ambitions.

Michael Saylor becomes a major Bitcoin seller. A memecoin gets "exploited" via governance. And Bernstein doubles down on a $150k BTC call.

The plaintiffs say Polymarket added a rule after the fact, turning their winning "Yes" bet on Strategy's Bitcoin sale into a loss.

TechnologyWire pitches guaranteed placement across tech media, alongside content tuned to be picked up by tools like ChatGPT and Gemini.

Beijing's first rules targeting emotional AI are forcing the country's biggest apps to shut down custom agents.

Solana’s Anatoly Yakovenko fights back against Bitcoin maximalism, explaining why true tokens exist and hold a unique form of ownership.

Digital Chamber files a Supreme Court brief to block a lawsuit attempting to seize 3.8 million dormant BTC under a 1958 lost-property law.

US-based spot XRP exchange-traded funds hit $1.05B as a 10.5% price jump to $1.15.

Coinbase secures major license in the UK to allow it to offer traditional investment products, including equities and derivatives, to its customers within the country.

Huge DOGE whale transfer to Binance has market watching closely.

Key Highlights

• JNJ reached a record peak of $264.98 before climbing further to $268.69, posting a 3.70% daily gain
• Year-over-year total returns stand at an impressive 71%
• Guggenheim elevated its price objective to $270 with a Buy rating, projecting Q2 sales of $25.48 billion
• The company increased its quarterly payout to $1.34 per share from $1.30, extending its dividend growth streak to 55 years
• Major institutional players including Vanguard, State Street, and Norges Bank have significantly expanded their stakes

Johnson & Johnson shares reached unprecedented territory on Tuesday, initially touching $264.98 before advancing to $268.69 — representing a 3.70% intraday increase. This valuation positions the healthcare giant’s market capitalization at approximately $646.8 billion.

Johnson & Johnson, JNJ

Over the trailing twelve-month period, shares have climbed an impressive 71%, leaving the twelve-month trough of $154.21 far behind.

At present valuation levels, JNJ shows a price-to-earnings multiple of 31.02 and a PEG ratio of 2.58. The fifty-day moving average stands at $233.72, while the two-hundred-day average registers at $231.37 — both considerably beneath current trading levels.

Tuesday’s session saw volume of 1.79 million shares change hands, notably below the 8.41 million average. Such subdued volume accompanying price appreciation often signals methodical accumulation rather than speculative momentum.

Wall Street Targets Coming Into Play

Guggenheim recently elevated its price objective to $270 while reaffirming its Buy stance. The investment firm anticipates Q2 revenues reaching $25.48 billion with earnings per share of $2.87.

Leerink upgraded JNJ from Market Perform to Outperform in May, establishing a $265 price objective — a threshold the stock has now surpassed. Wells Fargo maintains an Overweight stance with a $263 target.

The aggregate view from 27 analysts points to a “Moderate Buy” recommendation, with an average price target of $257.13. The stock’s current trading level exceeds this consensus, indicating bullish momentum is outpacing Street expectations.

Bank of America and Barclays both maintain neutral/equal weight perspectives, with price objectives of $254 and $255 respectively.

Financial Performance and Shareholder Returns

The company’s latest quarterly results, disclosed April 14, revealed earnings per share of $2.70, exceeding the $2.68 consensus estimate. Revenues totaled $24.06 billion versus projections of $23.60 billion — marking a 9.9% year-over-year expansion.

The company also enhanced its quarterly distribution to $1.34 from $1.30, with the payment issued June 9. This translates to an annualized dividend of $5.36, yielding approximately 2.0% at current prices.

J&J has now delivered dividend increases for 55 straight years, maintaining its prestigious Dividend King status. The current payout ratio stands at 61.97%.

Fiscal 2026 EPS guidance spans $11.45–$11.65, with analyst consensus at $11.57.

Institutional Accumulation and Corporate Moves

Institutional ownership comprises 69.55% of outstanding shares. Vanguard expanded its position by 3.73 million shares in Q4, elevating its total to 240.35 million. State Street increased its holdings by 1.66 million to 133.87 million shares. Norges Bank initiated a new stake valued at approximately $6.92 billion.

Moran Wealth Management boosted its position by 15.4% during Q1, acquiring an additional 12,160 units to reach 90,903 shares, worth $22.2 million.

Regarding insider transactions, EVP Kathryn Wengel divested 10,000 shares at $241.15 on June 11, trimming her stake by 8.05%. She retains 114,288 shares valued at roughly $27.6 million.

The company also disclosed an investment exceeding $1 billion in its Jacksonville, Florida facilities to enhance manufacturing capacity for its Vision segment, including expanded production of ACUVUE contact lenses.

Fresh clinical data on IMAAVY (nipocalimab-aahu) for myasthenia gravis treatment was shared across 12 research abstracts at the European Academy of Neurology 2026 Congress.

The post Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Stock Surges Past Record High as Wall Street Raises Price Targets appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Takeaways

• Caterpillar has purchased Skycatch, an artificial intelligence and spatial data analytics provider focused on mining operations
• The acquisition price remains undisclosed
• This transaction builds on Caterpillar’s earlier RPMGlobal acquisition, reinforcing its commitment to technology-driven mining solutions
• CAT shares began trading at $928.58 on Tuesday, reflecting a 4.94% decline
• Analysts maintain a Moderate Buy rating on CAT with a consensus price target of $949.41

Caterpillar (CAT) has completed its acquisition of Skycatch, Inc., a provider of spatial data collection and artificial intelligence analytics solutions tailored for the mining sector. Tuesday’s announcement did not include details regarding the transaction’s financial terms.

Skycatch specializes in developing technology that gathers frequent, highly accurate spatial information from active mining locations. The company’s artificial intelligence systems transform this data into near-instantaneous digital replicas of mine operations, seamlessly integrating with current software ecosystems.

CAT shares started Tuesday’s session at $928.58, marking a drop of almost 5%. Over the trailing twelve months, the stock has fluctuated within a range of $391.52 to $1,073.46.

Caterpillar Inc., CAT

The Skycatch transaction comes on the heels of Caterpillar’s acquisition of RPMGlobal, a provider of mine planning software solutions. These consecutive deals underscore Caterpillar’s strategic expansion into data analytics and automation technologies for mining operations.

Denise Johnson, who serves as group president of Caterpillar Resource Industries, explained that this acquisition aligns with the company’s objective to enhance customer safety, productivity and operational predictability for both manned and autonomous equipment fleets.

Richard Mathews, CEO of RPMGlobal, emphasized that Skycatch’s capability to rapidly process substantial volumes of spatial information will enable mining operations to make swift operational adjustments in response to evolving site conditions.

Christian Sanz, founder and CEO of Skycatch, characterized the acquisition as an exciting new phase for the company following a decade of independent operations.

Robust Financial Performance Supports Strategic Expansion

Caterpillar delivered $17.41 billion in first quarter 2025 revenue, surpassing analyst projections of $16.53 billion. This represented a 22.2% increase compared to the same period last year.

The industrial giant reported quarterly earnings per share of $5.54, exceeding the consensus forecast of $4.65 by $0.89. Wall Street analysts anticipate full-year EPS to reach $24.71.

Caterpillar also announced an increase to its quarterly dividend, raising the payout to $1.63 per share from $1.51 — representing an 8% bump. Shareholders of record on July 20 will receive the dividend on August 19.

Wall Street Outlook and Institutional Positioning

Evercore maintains an outperform rating on the stock with a price objective of $1,103. Jefferies recently elevated its target to $1,045 while reaffirming a Buy recommendation. HSBC has set a target of $1,100. The consensus analyst price target stands at $949.41, supported by 16 Buy recommendations and 9 Hold ratings.

Institutional investors control approximately 71% of CAT’s outstanding shares. Vanguard Group leads all institutional holders with more than 46 million shares. Bank of America expanded its stake by 16% during the fourth quarter.

Integrated Advisors Network reduced its CAT holdings by 6.5% in the first quarter, though the position remains the firm’s seventh-largest holding, representing roughly 1.6% of its total portfolio.

Regarding insider transactions, two Caterpillar executives divested shares in May. Anthony Fassino sold 16,283 shares at a price of $916.80, while Denise Johnson sold 12,605 shares at $907.91. Company insiders have collectively sold approximately $87.6 million in stock during the past 90 days.

Caterpillar currently commands a market capitalization of $427.69 billion with a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average is positioned at $921.01.

The post Caterpillar (CAT) Stock Falls 5% Following Skycatch AI Mining Acquisition appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Takeaways

• Scotiabank elevated Cloudflare (NET) to Sector Outperform from Sector Perform, pushing its price target from $225 to $300.
• Shares jumped Tuesday, opening at $259.17 versus Monday’s close of $247.55 — representing approximately a 4.7% leap.
• Analyst Patrick Colville highlighted AI traffic dynamics, Cloudflare Workers momentum, and growing enterprise traction as primary upgrade catalysts.
• The broader analyst community maintains a Moderate Buy stance, with a consensus target of $244.23 from 31 Wall Street firms.
• Institutional ownership stands at 82.68%, with notable funds increasing their NET positions during recent reporting periods.

Cloudflare experienced a gap-up opening Tuesday following Scotiabank’s upgrade announcement and establishment of a $300 price objective — marking the most optimistic Wall Street target for the cloud infrastructure provider. Shares launched at $259.17, compared to the previous session’s closing price of $247.55.

Cloudflare, Inc., NET

Mid-morning trading saw the stock hovering around $256.82 with approximately 426,000 shares changing hands.

Patrick Colville, analyst at Scotiabank, initiated the upgrade by shifting his stance from Sector Perform to Sector Outperform. His price objective climbed from $225 to $300.

Colville disclosed that he conducted over four weeks of intensive research into Cloudflare’s business model before finalizing his recommendation.

His client memo outlined four fundamental rationales for the rating change. Initially, he observed that Cloudflare Workers is emerging as the preferred infrastructure backbone for AI-generated applications, particularly those developed using OpenAI Codex Sites and Lovable platforms.

Additionally, he identified a significant shift in traffic patterns. He noted that traffic metrics historically precede revenue performance by three quarters, and the ongoing surge from agentic AI applications could enable Cloudflare to exceed Street projections by approximately five percentage points during the latter half of 2026.

Colville’s third point emphasized Cloudflare’s success in securing AI-native enterprise clients, which he interprets as confirmation of its technological architecture’s superiority. Finally, he indicated that his previous reservations regarding enterprise contract wins have diminished after conducting field research with Chief Information Officers and Chief Information Security Officers regarding Cloudflare’s SASE and edge computing solutions.

Wall Street Sentiment Varies

The analyst community doesn’t universally share this optimism. Weiss Ratings maintains a Sell recommendation on NET. Meanwhile, Cantor Fitzgerald and Susquehanna both publish Neutral ratings, targeting $230 and $200 respectively.

Among bullish voices, Piper Sandler maintains an Overweight rating. Zacks recently upgraded from Strong Sell to Hold. Overall, 22 analysts recommend buying the stock, six suggest holding, and three advise selling. The consensus price objective across all analysts registers at $244.23 — significantly beneath Scotiabank’s fresh $300 forecast.

NET’s most recent quarterly results, disclosed May 7, revealed Q1 2026 earnings per share of $0.25, exceeding expectations by $0.02. Revenue reached $639.75 million, surpassing the $620.83 million projection. This represented 33.5% year-over-year expansion.

Executive Transactions and Institutional Activity

Regarding insider transactions, Co-founder Michelle Zatlyn divested 25,641 shares on June 18 at an average price of $219.11, totaling approximately $5.6 million. CFO Thomas Seifert offloaded 10,000 shares on June 17 at $232.39, amounting to roughly $2.3 million. Both transactions occurred under predetermined Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangements.

Company insiders have liquidated approximately $149 million in stock value over the past 90 days. Collectively, insiders control 10.66% of outstanding shares.

Institutional investors command 82.68% of NET shares. Norges Bank established a fresh position valued at approximately $718 million during Q4. Jennison Associates expanded its holdings by 135.8% in Q1, elevating its position to roughly $906 million.

Cloudflare projects FY2026 EPS between $1.19 and $1.20, with Q2 expectations at $0.27.

The post Cloudflare (NET) Stock Surges on Scotiabank’s $300 Price Target Upgrade appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Takeaways

• Bank of America resumed Figma (FIG) coverage with a Buy rating and $30 price target, driving shares up approximately 5% in pre-market hours
• BofA’s Tal Liani positioned AI as a growth catalyst for Figma, arguing it will expand the platform’s reach instead of replacing it
• During Q1 2026, three-quarters of enterprise clients bought extra AI credits once they exceeded their baseline usage caps
• Citigroup ($36 target, Buy) and Goldman Sachs ($30 target, Buy) have also taken positive stances — Figma now enjoys backing from three leading banks
• Shares had plummeted approximately 85% from their 52-week peak prior to this week’s rebound

Bank of America brought Figma (FIG) back into its coverage universe on Tuesday, assigning a Buy recommendation alongside a $30 price objective that helped propel shares roughly 5% higher in early trading.

Figma, Inc., FIG

BofA’s Tal Liani issued the upgrade, positioning artificial intelligence as a growth accelerator for Figma instead of a competitive threat. Liani’s perspective suggests AI will democratize product development, pulling more users into design workflows and boosting demand for collaborative platforms like Figma.

FIG had experienced a brutal selloff from its peak. Shares tumbled around 85% from their 52-week high, pressured by fears that AI technology might erode Figma’s competitive moat.

Liani challenged that narrative head-on. “We take a more constructive view, and believe AI is more likely a tailwind, not a headwind,” he stated in his research report.

As of Tuesday morning, the stock was changing hands near $22.51, recovering from its 52-week bottom of $16.60.

Enterprise Customers Are Embracing AI Features

The BofA analysis wasn’t purely speculative — it referenced tangible usage data supporting the bullish thesis.

During the first quarter of 2026, 75% of enterprise accounts purchased supplementary AI credits after hitting their initial allocation limits. This represents clear evidence that customers are actively adopting AI capabilities rather than shunning them.

Enterprise traction remains robust across the board. Accounts generating over $100,000 in annual recurring revenue expanded 48% compared to the prior year. Net dollar retention registered at 139%, while paid-user expansion reached 54%.

These metrics reinforced Liani’s confidence in Figma’s dual pricing strategy combining consumption-based and seat-based elements, which he believes positions the company to capture expanding usage patterns.

Analyst Sentiment Is Shifting Positive

BofA isn’t standing alone in its optimism. Citigroup launched coverage on July 1 with a Buy recommendation and $36 price objective. Goldman Sachs maintains a Buy stance with a $30 target as well.

This gives Figma endorsements from three heavyweight Wall Street institutions — a meaningful change in sentiment from the pessimism that weighed on shares earlier.

Three Form 4 insider documents were filed on July 6, signaling recent ownership transactions by company insiders.

Broader market conditions weren’t helping FIG on Tuesday, with Nasdaq 100 Futures declining 0.9% before the opening bell. The stock’s advance occurred despite this challenging backdrop.

Figma’s turnaround actually started before Tuesday’s BofA report. The company’s addition to key Russell indexes during June’s annual rebalancing sparked passive fund purchases that helped lift shares from their lows.

With FIG still trading beneath the average analyst price target and enterprise performance indicators trending positively, Tuesday’s pre-market strength signals increasing institutional conviction in the turnaround narrative.

The post Figma (FIG) Stock Surges as Three Major Banks Turn Bullish on AI Growth appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Takeaways

• Tesla ($349.5M), AMD ($282.9M), and SpaceX ($179.5M) emerged as ARK Invest’s three largest positions by the conclusion of H1 2026
• Only ARKX and ARKQ managed to outperform the S&P 500’s 9.34% first-half gains
• Shares of AMD climbed 6% following news that Japanese autonomous vehicle company Turing designated it as a strategic partner and committed 10% of AI training workloads to AMD hardware
• Goldman Sachs upgraded AMD’s price objective to $640, pointing to robust AI infrastructure and server CPU momentum
• ARK divested holdings in Trade Desk, Qualcomm, Airbnb, and several others while initiating stakes in Broadcom, Cerebras, and SpaceX

As the first half of 2026 drew to a close, Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest maintained significant exposure to three major technology names: Tesla, Advanced Micro Devices, and SpaceX. These three companies collectively represented approximately 22% of ARK’s disclosed equity positions across its suite of actively managed exchange-traded funds.

Tesla commanded the largest allocation with a stake valued at approximately $349.5 million, accounting for 9.4% of ARK’s total portfolio. The electric vehicle manufacturer announced second-quarter deliveries totaling 480,126 units, surpassing analyst projections. Additionally, Tesla broadened its Robotaxi operations to include Miami. The company’s complete second-quarter financial results are scheduled for release on July 22.

Tesla, Inc., TSLA

Baird’s equity analyst Ben Kallo maintained his Outperform stance on Tesla following the delivery announcement, setting a price objective at $522. Kallo characterized the delivery performance as significantly above expectations and highlighted impressive energy storage deployment figures.

The broader analyst community holds a Moderate Buy perspective on Tesla, derived from 10 Buy recommendations, 15 Hold ratings, and 3 Sell opinions. The consensus price forecast of $399.71 suggests potential downside of approximately 4.78% from present trading levels.

AMD’s Rising Profile

AMD secured the second-largest position in ARK’s holdings at roughly $282.9 million, representing 7.6% of portfolio assets. The semiconductor stock surged 6% after Turing, a Japanese autonomous driving technology firm, announced AMD as a strategic investment partner and revealed plans to migrate 10% of its artificial intelligence training operations to AMD processors.

Goldman Sachs equity analyst James Schneider elevated his AMD price target from $450 to $640 while maintaining a Buy recommendation. Schneider emphasized accelerating server CPU adoption and sustained AI infrastructure investment as key catalysts for growth.

A highly-ranked Motley Fool investor, positioned in the top 4% on TipRanks, suggested AMD retains potential for above-market returns. The analyst highlighted the emerging trend toward agentic AI applications, which could dramatically alter the traditional GPU-to-CPU ratio from 8:1 toward 1:1 — a transformation that would substantially benefit AMD’s EPYC server processor line.

AMD currently trades at a forward price-to-earnings multiple of 73.5x, significantly exceeding the information technology sector average of 22.2x. Despite rich valuation metrics, Wall Street maintains a Strong Buy consensus with 28 Buy ratings and 7 Hold recommendations. The average analyst price target stands at $515.69, modestly below current share prices.

SpaceX Enters Major Indices

SpaceX occupied the third position at approximately $179.5 million, constituting 4.8% of ARK’s portfolio value. The aerospace company completed its initial public offering on June 12 in what became a landmark market debut and quickly gained inclusion in the Russell 1000 index. SpaceX is scheduled to join the Nasdaq-100 on July 7, potentially triggering substantial buying from passive index funds.

Arete Research analyst Andrew Beale reaffirmed his Buy rating with a $401 price target — the most bullish projection among covering analysts. Beale anticipates the Starlink V3 satellite constellation will accelerate global broadband penetration and views satellite internet services, commercial launch operations, and artificial intelligence infrastructure as durable long-term growth drivers.

SpaceX garners a Moderate Buy consensus among analysts. The average price objective of $212.63 implies approximately 32.54% appreciation potential from its current valuation.

Portfolio Rebalancing Activity at ARK

During the first half of 2026, ARK established new positions in Broadcom, Cerebras Systems, Snowflake, Figma, and Alphabet. Simultaneously, the firm completely exited stakes in Trade Desk, Qualcomm, Airbnb, DraftKings, Pinterest, and Salesforce, along with several additional holdings.

Entering the second half of the year, ARK’s portfolio exhibits heavy concentration in Information Technology at 31.4% and Industrials and Aerospace at 31.9%. Consumer Discretionary represents 18.1% of assets, while Financials and Crypto holdings account for 11.4%.

Among ARK’s fund family, only ARKX and ARKQ exceeded the S&P 500’s 9.34% first-half performance, posting gains of 13.66% and 11.63% respectively. The flagship ARKK fund registered a modest 3.21% advance for the period.

The post ARK Invest’s Leading Holdings for Second Half 2026: Tesla (TSLA), AMD, and SpaceX appeared first on Blockonomi.

Bitcoin continues to recover from its recent sell-off, but the market remains trapped beneath a major resistance cluster that has capped every relief rally since the June breakdown. While short-term momentum has improved, BTC is now approaching a decisive area where the next move could determine whether the recovery evolves into a larger trend reversal or remains a corrective bounce within a broader bearish structure.

Bitcoin Price Analysis: The Daily Chart

On the daily timeframe, Bitcoin remains in a clear downtrend, trading below the 100-day and 200-day moving averages, both of which continue to slope lower. The recent recovery from the $58K-$61K demand zone has helped stabilize the price action, but the asset is still trading beneath the major resistance area between $64K and $66.5K.

It recently formed another higher low inside the broader support region, while the RSI has continued to print higher lows despite the weakness seen throughout June. This developing bullish divergence suggests that downside momentum is fading and that buyers are gradually regaining control.

However, the market structure remains bearish until Bitcoin can reclaim the $64K-$66.5K supply zone. This area aligns with previous support turned resistance and continues to act as the primary obstacle preventing a larger recovery. A successful breakout above this region would likely expose the next major resistance near $72K-$74K, while rejection could send the price back toward the $60K support zone.

BTC/USDT 4-Hour Chart

The 4-hour chart shows a much more constructive picture. After establishing a base around the $58K-$59K demand region, Bitcoin produced a strong impulsive rally and pushed directly into the descending trendline that has defined the corrective structure since mid-June.

The asset recently swept the local liquidity resting above previous highs within the $61K-$62K region before encountering resistance near the descending trendline. This liquidity grab is important because it removed nearby buy-side liquidity and allowed the market to test a key technical level.

The current structure suggests that Bitcoin is attempting to transition from a series of lower highs into a potential breakout formation. A confirmed move above the descending trendline and the $64K-$66K resistance zone would significantly improve the bullish outlook and could accelerate upside momentum toward higher resistance levels.

Conversely, failure to break the trendline could trigger another period of consolidation between the $60K support and the $64K-$66K supply zone. As long as Bitcoin holds above the $60K-$61K support area, the short-term recovery structure remains intact.

Sentiment Analysis

The 48-hour liquidation heatmap highlights a notable concentration of liquidity above the current market price, particularly around the $64K-$66K region. This cluster aligns closely with the resistance zone identified on the 4-hour chart, reinforcing its significance as a major magnet for price action.

Importantly, the intra-range liquidity highlighted on the technical chart is also confirmed by the liquidation heatmap. The recent push into the $61K-$62K area successfully targeted nearby liquidity resting within the range, validating the idea that price has been moving between liquidity pockets rather than trending directionally.

At present, the largest liquidation concentration remains overhead near $65K-$66K, making it a logical target if buyers maintain momentum. Markets often gravitate toward these liquidity pools before determining the next directional move.

If Bitcoin manages to sweep this overhead liquidity and secure acceptance above the $64K-$66K region, it would strengthen the case for a broader recovery toward the higher resistance zones. However, if the sweep is followed by rejection and an inability to sustain prices above resistance, the move could simply represent a liquidity-driven rally before another test of lower support levels.

For now, both the technical structure and the liquidation data suggest that the path of least resistance remains slightly higher, with the overhead liquidity cluster acting as the most likely near-term destination.

The post Bitcoin Price Analysis: BTC’s Structure Remains Bearish Until This Key Level Is Reclaimed appeared first on CryptoPotato.

[PRESS RELEASE – Curaçao, Willemstad, July 7th, 2026]

Crypto casino 1win is expanding its Web3 strategy with the development of its native ecosystem token, 1win Token ($1WIN). The initiative combines a dual-chain infrastructure, Telegram-based user engagement, and an ecosystem designed to connect platform activity with token utility.

The upcoming launch represents another step in the growing convergence of blockchain technology and online entertainment. Rather than positioning cryptocurrency solely as a payment method, the company is developing a broader ecosystem in which digital assets play an active role across platform services.

Unlike traditional platform tokens that primarily function as payment instruments, 1win Token has been designed with a strong focus on iGaming utility. The token will be integrated across the 1win platform, allowing users to utilize $1WIN in casino games, sports betting, exclusive lotteries, and future platform services.

The project introduces two independent tokenomic mechanisms designed to support the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem. Through its Weekly Buyback program, 1win will use 10% of the revenue generated from gameplay conducted with $1WIN to repurchase tokens from the open market. The buyback mechanism is intended to create continuous market demand while reinforcing the token’s long-term utility within the ecosystem.

Alongside this model, the ecosystem implements a Daily Token Burn mechanism. Every day, 10 percent of all 1win Token spent across supported platform products – including games, lotteries and other ecosystem activities – will be permanently removed from circulation. By gradually reducing the total token supply over time, this mechanism is designed to reinforce long-term scarcity while supporting the broader economic balance of the ecosystem.

Beyond token utility, the launch introduces several benefits for both platform users and cryptocurrency enthusiasts. Players will have access to crypto deposit bonuses of up to 600 percent, with a combined value of up to $2,000, while cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals are expected to be processed in less than 90 seconds. Token holders will also gain access to exclusive lotteries and dedicated airdrop campaigns through the 1win Telegram Mini App, where users can complete tasks, participate in community activities, and prepare for future token distribution events.

To keep up with the 1win Token news and updates, users can follow on X.com (@1winToken) and other social media platforms.

About 1win

1win is an international iGaming platform offering sports betting, online casino entertainment, and cryptocurrency payment solutions to users worldwide. Since its launch, the company has continued to invest in blockchain technologies and Web3 products, including the development of 1win Token and its Telegram Mini App ecosystem.

Website: https://1wintoken.com

The post 1win Announces the Expansion of Its Web3 Ecosystem with the Upcoming Launch of 1win Token appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Ripple’s cross-border token is among the most polarizing, often being the center of attention within the cryptocurrency community for major price predictions (whether bullish or bearish).

One of the recent examples came from EGRAG CRYPTO, among the most optimistic XRP commentators on X, who outlined a highly favorable chart for the asset. On the other hand, shah wondered what all the hype is about the token.

XRP’s Chart Doesn’t Lie

EGRAG has made some major price predictions in the past for XRP, many of which sound unreasonable now given the asset’s struggles to remain above $1.10. However, the analyst tends to focus on the long-term price performance, trying to isolate the structure from the noise and emotion.

In their latest post on the matter, they published a chart mapping out the token’s possible future movement. It first envisions a price dip to $0.95, which aligns with other analysts’ expectations for a new low beneath $1.00, before the next major leg up.

The promising green wick for the bulls charts a run toward a new all-time high and well above. In fact, EGRAG has frequently posted targets of up to $27 for XRP during the most intense expansions of the next bull cycle.

#XRP – CHART, No Comment :

Men Lie, Women Lie But Charts and Numbers do not Lie.

Structure > Noise > Emotion. ONLY FEW pic.twitter.com/GLbM1W1Xpd

— EGRAG CRYPTO (@egragcrypto) July 7, 2026

What’s All This Hype?

In contrast to EGRAG’s bullish charts on XRP, shah asked their over 400,000 followers on X to explain all the hype around XRP. They wondered, “Why on Earth would this coin ever go to hundreds per coin?”

The comments below were quite unfavorable for the cross-border token and those who believe it may go beyond $100. Kendall Tart explained that a triple-digit price tag would require its market cap to rocket past $6 billion. This would make XRP bigger than Apple, which sounds far-fetched, to say the least, at the moment.

Others compared XRP holders to MAGA believers, indicating that Ripple’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, is “their president and his cabinet are paid influencers that say buzzword points that get regurgitated over multiple social media platforms.”

Another comment predicted that it can’t and won’t go anywhere near $100. Moreover, the user proclaimed XRP as “dead” given its tokenomics, never-ending selling pressure, and “horrible internal organization.”

The post XRP’s Chart Doesn’t Lie: Analysts Clash Over Ripple’s Next Move appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Ethereum’s slow and gradual rebound from the $1,500 lows reached recently continues, but the asset is now testing one of the most important resistance lines on its path to recovery.

Analysts are convinced that breaking through this level will open the door for a run to $2,000 and even beyond. For now, though, it remains a mirage.

Can ETH Break Through?

With ETH trading close to $1,800, analyst Ali Martinez noted that this is the key bullish trigger that needs to fall decisively. In a post on X, he explained that its significance stems from the fact that the 0.8 MVRV Pricing Band is positioned there as resistance.

He predicted that a daily close above it, followed by a successful hold as support, would “strengthen the bullish case and could open the door for a move toward Ethereum’s Realized Price at $2,245.” Recall that the altcoin hasn’t traded above $2,000 in a month, and the last time it stood at its Realized Price was in mid-May.

Martinez doubled down on the importance of the $1,800 level, suggesting that the TD Sequential resistance trendline also sits there.

“A break above both $1,796 and $1,816 could trigger a bullish breakout. From a technical perspective, such a move would also increase the probability that ETH breaks through the top of the channel at $1,844 and begins marching toward the $2,245 Realized Price.”

Fellow analyst Ted Pillows shared a similar opinion, noting that ETH recently challenged the $1,820-$1,850 resistance, only to be rejected. The good news is that it continues to trade above $1,750, and Pillows predicted a surge to $2,000 if the aforementioned resistance is reclaimed.

Insane Correlation

Michaël van de Poppe, on the other hand, outlined a rather unexpected correlation that would support the narrative for a bigger Ethereum rally soon. He noted that the “business cycle is often phrased through the copper/gold chart,” which was evident during the 2017 and 2021 cycles. Only the 2024 cycle didn’t see such a positive correlation.

He believes the chart between the precious metals is a “great indicator of market momentum” that has just broken upwards massively, and it has “flipped a 4-year-long downtrend up to an upwards trend.”

“Usually, ETH follows through, although with some lag, as there needs to be more confidence in the markets. A matter of time until the crypto markets are finally picking up momentum,” he concluded.

The post ETH’s Path Beyond $2K Depends on This One Condition: Analyst appeared first on CryptoPotato.

The largest US-based cryptocurrency exchange has expanded its scope of regulatory authorizations across the world by securing the necessary approval to provide investment services in the United Kingdom.

This is considered one of its most significant expansions in the market since launching there several years ago.

The statement from the company reveals that the approval will allow it to offer traditional financial products alongside cryptocurrencies through a single platform.

The new authorization enables the exchange to expand beyond digital assets and introduce a new set of products, such as derivatives and equities, to UK-based users.

Coinbase said institutional and advanced traders will gain access to crypto, equity, and commodity perpetual futures. At the same time, retail investors will be able to trade stocks directly on the platform for the first time.

The investment services authorization will sit alongside the exchange’s existing UK e-money license and crypto registration, which is expected to consolidate the firm’s “position as the most comprehensively regulated crypto player in the market.”

The company described the milestone as a “significant step” toward its long-term vision of building an “everything exchange,” in which users can access multiple financial products through a single account.

Aside from the aforementioned approval, Coinbase plans to introduce tokenized real-world assets as part of its broader platform strategy.

The statement also credited the UK’s regulatory approach with encouraging further investment and pointed to efforts to establish a clear legislative framework for the cryptocurrency industry.

The post Coinbase Wins UK License, Paving the Way for Stocks and Derivatives Trading appeared first on CryptoPotato.