Claynosaurz's equity offer for NFT holders signals a shift towards integrating traditional financial incentives in the Web3 space.

The post Claynosaurz launches equity shares eligibility checker for NFT holders appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

AI-driven demand for memory boosts Sandisk, impacting decentralized storage economics and highlighting the effects of corporate restructuring.

The post Sandisk stock jumps 34% in June as AI demand sends memory makers soaring appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Tether's investment in Mercado Bitcoin could accelerate Latin America's digital finance evolution, challenging existing fintech dominance.

The post Tether invests $20M in Mercado Bitcoin to expand stablecoin footprint across Latin America appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The intense competition for FIFA World Cup streaming rights highlights the growing shift towards digital platforms dominating live sports broadcasting.

The post Netflix, Disney, and YouTube are battling for FIFA World Cup US rights worth up to $2B appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The missile attack on Kyiv may escalate NATO-Russia tensions, influencing military strategies and market perceptions of the conflict's future.

The post Kyiv under missile attack amid rising tensions before NATO summit appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Bitcoin Magazine

Polymarket Turns On Instant Bitcoin Deposits Via Lightning Network, Powered by Spark

Polymarket, the crypto-native prediction market, has begun supporting instant Bitcoin deposits over the Lightning Network. The feature uses infrastructure from Spark, a Bitcoin protocol built for payments and stablecoins. 

In a post on X, Spark told users they can deposit BTC to the platform with more speed and more privacy than the older method offered.

The move extends a funding push that started in October 2025, when Polymarket switched on standard on-chain Bitcoin deposits. Those deposits carried a wait: most on-chain Bitcoin transactions need three to six confirmations, a window of 10 to 60 minutes, before a platform credits an account. 

The on-chain route carried a higher minimum deposit, a reflection of bridging costs. For a trader who wants a position on a live market, both the delay and the fee are a cost.

Lightning and Spark close the gap. Spark validates a Bitcoin transaction at the moment it broadcasts, checking for double-spend risk, fee adequacy, and replace-by-fee flags. 

The protocol credits the deposit in under a second and absorbs the confirmation risk, a design Spark markets as zero-conf. 

Polymarket does not have to manage confirmation thresholds or run its own Lightning nodes; a single Spark SDK handles on-chain, Lightning, and stablecoin rails.

Spark keeps deposits self-custodial. Each wallet ties to the user’s own keys, so the protocol, not Polymarket, carries the operational load, and users retain control of funds until a trade. 

Spark counts wallet providers such as Breez, Xverse, and Cake among the teams building on the same rails, and Tether chief Paolo Ardoino has praised the protocol as a route to programmable Bitcoin over Lightning.

Polymarket’s boom over the years

Timing matters for a company in a growth phase. 

Founded in 2020, Polymarket rose to prominence during the 2024 U.S. presidential election and has added Chainlink oracles, earnings markets, and a fresh contest with regulated rival Kalshi. 

Faster, cheaper funding lowers the barrier for the Bitcoin holders who make up a large share of the crypto audience, and it hands Polymarket a fresh answer to a rival that has pressed it on volume.

This post Polymarket Turns On Instant Bitcoin Deposits Via Lightning Network, Powered by Spark first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Kraken Seeks Final Judgment After $22 Million Award Against Former Auditor

Payward, the parent company of the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, has asked the Delaware Court of Chancery to enter a final judgment against its former auditor, Mazars USA, after an arbitrator awarded the firm $22 million. 

The exchange disclosed the request on July 7 through an open letter from co-CEO Arjun Sethi and a series of posts from CEO Dave Ripley.

The dispute traces to December 2023, when Mazars withdrew from Kraken’s 2022 audit days before its completion. Mazars had audited Kraken for three prior years and issued two clean opinions, according to the company. 

In writing, Sethi said, the auditor confirmed it had no disagreement with management, no concerns about the firm’s integrity, and no findings of fraud.

Mazars attributed its resignation to legal developments, among them a complaint the Securities and Exchange Commission had filed against Kraken weeks before.

That SEC complaint was dismissed with prejudice, with no penalties and no admission of wrongdoing. Kraken said the abandoned audit cost it years and millions of dollars in legal fees to secure new auditors and reassure banks, regulators, and counterparties. The exchange said it has received a clean audit in each year that followed.

The letters come as Kraken pursues a full European banking license, reportedly through Lithuania, a move that would allow the company to offer traditional banking services across the European Economic Area and potentially become the first cryptocurrency exchange to secure a full European bank license, according to CoinDesk reporting. 

The effort is part of Kraken’s broader regulatory strategy as it expands beyond crypto into mainstream financial services, building on milestones including U.S. Federal Reserve payment access and authorization in the UAE.

Operation Chokepoint 2.0

Sethi placed the episode within what critics call Operation Chokepoint 2.0, a term for what they describe as a coordinated effort by regulators to cut lawful crypto firms off from banking and other services. In December 2022, a year before quitting the Kraken audit, Mazars Group halted proof-of-reserves work for the crypto sector and removed those reports from its website.

The letter cited a chain of actions from 2022 and 2023. On January 3, 2023, the Federal Reserve, FDIC, and OCC issued a joint statement warning that crypto business models raised safety and soundness concerns for banks. 

Documents released after a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit showed the FDIC sent at least 25 letters to two dozen banks urging them to pause or refrain from expanding crypto activity. The SEC’s SAB 121 accounting guidance required public companies holding crypto to record those assets on their balance sheets, a step that made custody uneconomical for banks. 

The Federal Reserve denied a master account to Custodia, a Wyoming bank built for digital assets. And in March 2023, the payment networks run by Silvergate and Signature shut down within days of each other.

As the debanking era ends, Kraken demands rules 

Much of that framework has come undone. The SEC rescinded SAB 121, the banking regulators withdrew the joint statement, and a House committee report concluded that regulators used vague rules and informal pressure to push banks away from lawful digital asset firms. 

Sethi also recounted the experience of Kraken founder Jesse Powell, who started the exchange in 2011. In March 2023, federal agents raided Powell’s home and seized his devices in connection with a dispute involving a nonprofit unrelated to Kraken. 

After two years, the government closed the investigation, returned the devices, and brought no charges. Powell handed the chief executive role to Ripley, and Sethi joined Ripley in leading the company.

The letter closed with a call for Congress to pass the CLARITY Act, which would establish market-structure rules for digital assets, dividing oversight between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the SEC and adding protections for software developers. 

The House passed the bill in July 2025 by a vote of 294 to 134, with 78 Democrats in support, and the Senate Banking Committee advanced its version in May. 

Sethi contrasted the U.S. timeline with the European Union, where the MiCA framework took effect across member states.

This post Kraken Seeks Final Judgment After $22 Million Award Against Former Auditor first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Vanguard Warms to Crypto With Search for Digital Assets Chief

Vanguard, one of the world’s largest asset managers and a longtime skeptic of cryptocurrency, has opened a search for a head of digital assets, a senior role that would shape the firm’s strategy across crypto and blockchain-based finance.

The job, posted this week within Vanguard Personal Wealth and based in Dallas, calls for an executive to develop the firm’s digital asset vision, identify business opportunities, and lead execution across product, technology, operations, legal, and compliance teams. 

According to the posting, the hire would serve as Vanguard’s “senior subject matter expert,” advise senior leadership on market developments, and represent the firm in discussions with regulators and industry groups. 

Vanguard also wants the executive to help shape “market standards” and build a scalable, end-to-end strategy for personal wealth clients.

The listing extends beyond crypto trading. It names tokenization, stablecoins, digital wallets, custody, and blockchain-based settlement as areas the new leader would evaluate, along with deciding whether Vanguard should build capabilities in-house, partner with outside firms, or hold off on entering parts of the market. 

The role would involve constructing a multi-year roadmap and designing governance and risk frameworks.

Vanguard’s journey into bitcoin 

Vanguard reported $12 trillion in assets under management at the end of 2025, a scale that places it second only to BlackRock. 

The move appears to mark the first time the firm has sought to hire someone dedicated to cryptocurrency strategy, and it comes after years in which the bank stood apart from rivals. BlackRock, Fidelity, and Franklin Templeton rolled out spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds and other blockchain products while Vanguard declined to follow.

The firm’s public posture has been pointed. Vanguard has described Bitcoin as an “immature asset class” ill-suited to long-term investors. 

Chief Executive Salim Ramji, who joined the company from BlackRock in July 2024 after leading its iShares business — the unit behind the large iShares Bitcoin ETF — has said the decision not to launch a Bitcoin ETF was “entirely consistent” with the firm’s investment philosophy, stressing the value of consistency in the products a firm offers.

Even so, Vanguard has not stayed on the sidelines entirely. In December, the firm began allowing brokerage clients to trade cryptocurrency ETFs and mutual funds on its platform, a shift that opened access to funds holding Bitcoin and some other crypto.

At one point last year, the bank also became the largest shareholder in Strategy, the company that holds the world’s biggest corporate Bitcoin treasury — a position that flowed from its index funds rather than an active bet on the asset.

The new search does not signal an imminent product launch, and Vanguard has maintained that it has no plans to issue its own crypto investment vehicles. 

What the posting does suggest is a broadening of focus beyond simply granting access to third-party funds, toward assessing how digital assets might fit within its wealth management business over the long term.

This post Vanguard Warms to Crypto With Search for Digital Assets Chief first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

New Hampshire’s $100 Million Bitcoin-Backed Bond Faces Final Vote

New Hampshire’s plan to issue what backers call the world’s first Bitcoin-backed municipal bond goes before the state’s Executive Council on Wednesday, the last approval the $100 million project needs before it can move forward, The Boston Globe reported today.

Governor Kelly Ayotte, who has called the effort “historic,” and the five-member council will hold a public hearing Wednesday morning at the request of James Key-Wallace, executive director of the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority. 

Key-Wallace asked the council to find the proposal feasible and beneficial to the public and to authorize the quasi-governmental agency to proceed. He has said the model would position the state as “a global leader in responsible crypto finance.”

The structure differs from a conventional municipal bond in a key respect: no public money is at stake. Rather than the government repaying investors, a private borrower does. The borrower is CleanSpark, a Bitcoin mining company that posts Bitcoin as collateral. 

Bond payments are funded from proceeds tied to that collateral, and investors gain upside exposure through additional payments linked to Bitcoin price appreciation. If the price falls below a set threshold, a trust holding the collateral can be liquidated to repay bondholders in full.

Digital asset firm Wave Digital Assets is set to administer the transaction, while BitGo would serve as custodian, holding the Bitcoin in regulated cold storage. 

Moody’s has noted that “no public funds of the State of New Hampshire or any political subdivision thereof may be used to pay amounts under the rated bonds.”

New Hampshire’s push for bitcoin

The idea is part of a broader push to draw blockchain business to New Hampshire, a state that in 2025 became the first to pass a strategic Bitcoin reserve law. Supporters argue the bond gives the Business Finance Authority a revenue stream to fund its investment programs without exposing taxpayers to Bitcoin’s price swings.

That volatility remains the central concern. Because the three-year bond relies on a fluctuating asset as collateral, a downturn could trigger an automatic liquidation before the term ends. 

Documents Key-Wallace submitted to the council argue the state is shielded because the loan agreement creates a conduit between private investors and a private borrower, with the cryptocurrency serving as collateral rather than any government guarantee.

Ratings reflect the risk. Moody’s assigned the bonds a provisional “Ba2” rating — two notches below investment grade — labeling them speculative with substantial credit risk, a tier often described as “junk.” Keith Ammon, a Republican state representative active in the state’s crypto policy, told the Granite State News Collaborative that the rating “makes sense” as a cautious starting point given the novelty involved.

Outside analysts have raised further questions. David Krause, an emeritus finance professor at Marquette University, examined the plan and found that recent Bitcoin price movements would be “highly likely” to trigger the liquidation provision, according to The Boston Globe.

While the state would be “legally insulated from direct financial liability,” Krause wrote, introducing so volatile a form of collateral challenges the transparency, predictability, and stability that municipal finance has historically emphasized, and shielding the state from liability does not remove reputational risk.

“While the bond may serve as a proof of concept for integrating digital assets into structured finance, it is not well suited as a general-purpose public finance tool,” he concluded.

A vote in favor Wednesday would clear the Business Finance Authority to issue the bond.

This post New Hampshire’s $100 Million Bitcoin-Backed Bond Faces Final Vote first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

SpaceX Nasdaq-100 Entry Brings Bitcoin Exposure to Passive Index Investors

Today (July 7, 2026) SpaceX formally joins the Nasdaq-100 Index. The inclusion comes just weeks after the company’s public debut and follows its disclosure of 18,712 BTC on the balance sheet. JPMorgan estimates that index rebalancing will drive approximately $4.3 billion in passive inflows from Nasdaq-100-tracking funds and ETFs.

This development is more than headline news. It creates a structural, rules-based channel for institutional capital to gain exposure to Bitcoin through a corporate treasury vehicle, without requiring active allocation decisions, new mandates, or direct cryptocurrency purchases.

For corporate treasury teams, capital allocators, and institutional investors evaluating Bitcoin on balance sheets, the move provides a clear data point on how the strategy can intersect with mainstream equity infrastructure.

The Mechanics of Structural Demand

Passive index funds and ETFs must hold securities in proportion to their index weighting. When a new component is added, these vehicles buy shares mechanically. In SpaceX’s case, the estimated $4.3 billion in inflows represents capital that will flow into the stock regardless of short-term views on Bitcoin or the broader crypto market.

SpaceX’s Bitcoin holdings, disclosed in regulatory filings at approximately $1.2 billion in fair value, now sit within one of the most widely held equity indices globally. This is distinct from direct Bitcoin ETF flows or voluntary corporate purchases. It is demand generated by index rules rather than discretionary conviction.

Combined with Tesla and Strategy, the Nasdaq-100 now contains three companies with material Bitcoin treasuries. While SpaceX’s initial weighting will be modest, the precedent matters: high-growth, high-visibility companies can bring Bitcoin exposure into institutional equity portfolios through existing governance and allocation frameworks.

Strategic Implications for Treasury and Allocation Decisions

Corporate Bitcoin strategies have historically been evaluated on two primary dimensions: balance sheet optionality and long-term value preservation. SpaceX’s inclusion introduces a third dimension, potential for structural equity demand tied to index membership.

For treasury operators, this suggests that Bitcoin holdings, when paired with strong underlying business fundamentals, can contribute to broader market visibility and liquidity. Index inclusion often correlates with increased analyst coverage, improved trading volumes, and easier access to capital markets.

For institutional allocators, the development offers a form of Bitcoin beta that fits within traditional equity sleeves. Many large investors already maintain significant Nasdaq-100 exposure through passive mandates. SpaceX’s addition layers incremental Bitcoin exposure into those portfolios without requiring changes to investment policy statements or new product approvals.

This aligns with patterns observed across the corporate treasury landscape. Public companies now collectively hold more than 1.26 million BTC. The strategy is expanding beyond dedicated Bitcoin-focused entities into diversified operating businesses. SpaceX’s move illustrates how the approach can scale into the core of institutional equity markets.

Hypothetical Case Study: Modeling Indirect Bitcoin Demand

To illustrate the mechanism, consider a simplified hypothetical involving a public company that adopts a Bitcoin treasury strategy and later gains meaningful index attention.

Assumptions (illustrative only):

• Company market capitalization: $12 billion
• Bitcoin holdings: 8,000 BTC at $63,000 per BTC = $504 million
• Bitcoin as a percentage of market cap: ~4.2%
• The company is added to a major equity index, triggering $800 million in passive inflows over time (scaled-down version of larger index events for clarity)

Step-by-step impact:

1. Passive funds purchase $800 million of the company’s stock to match index weighting.
2. Because Bitcoin represents 4.2% of the company’s enterprise value in this example, roughly $33.6 million of the passive inflows can be viewed as indirectly supporting the Bitcoin portion of the balance sheet ($800M × 4.2%).
3. At current prices, this equates to approximately 533 BTC of effective demand created through equity market mechanics rather than direct cryptocurrency purchases.
4. If the company’s Bitcoin holdings generate ongoing yield or optionality (through lending, collateralization, or strategic use), the passive capital provides a form of “free” liquidity support to the treasury strategy.

While the numbers are simplified and depend on actual market cap, weighting, and Bitcoin valuation at the time of inclusion, the directional point is clear: index membership can create sustained, non-discretionary buying interest that benefits the Bitcoin component of the balance sheet proportionally.

Treasury teams evaluating this path should model similar scenarios using their own projected holdings, target market capitalization, and relevant index weighting assumptions. The exercise highlights how Bitcoin treasury decisions can interact with traditional equity market dynamics in ways that pure cryptocurrency allocations do not.

Looking Ahead

SpaceX’s Nasdaq-100 entry is one data point in a broader evolution. Corporate Bitcoin adoption is moving from early experimentation toward integration with established financial infrastructure. Passive flows, index rules, custody solutions, and regulatory clarity are all contributing to this shift.

For organizations actively building or evaluating Bitcoin treasury capabilities, developments like this reinforce the importance of treating Bitcoin as a strategic balance sheet asset with multiple potential transmission channels into institutional capital markets.Key questions for treasury and allocation teams to consider:

• How would index inclusion (or the potential for it) factor into your company’s capital allocation framework?
• What disclosure and governance standards are becoming necessary as Bitcoin treasuries intersect with passive equity vehicles?
• For allocators: Does exposure through high-quality corporate treasuries warrant a distinct analytical lens alongside direct Bitcoin or ETF holdings?

The corporate Bitcoin strategy continues to mature. Events that embed Bitcoin exposure within widely tracked equity indices represent one of the more durable forms of institutional adoption currently unfolding.

Disclaimer: This content was prepared on behalf of Bitcoin For Corporations for informational purposes only. It reflects the author’s own analysis and opinion and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Nothing in this article constitutes an offer, invitation, or solicitation to purchase, sell, or subscribe for any security or financial product.

This post SpaceX Nasdaq-100 Entry Brings Bitcoin Exposure to Passive Index Investors first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Nick Ward.

Stablecoin activity is becoming a contest over which blockchains move the most tokenized dollars.

Visa Onchain Analytics showed that the adjusted stablecoin transaction volume reached about $1.79 trillion in June, surpassing its February high and rising sharply from May. The key network split was tight: Base ranked first at about $565 billion in adjusted volume, just ahead of Ethereum at roughly $562 billion.

While the edge Base might have over Ethereum might be small, it's still a significant achievement. Base is a layer-2 network built around cheaper, faster Ethereum activity. When it rises to the top of an adjusted stablecoin flow table, it shifts attention from token supply to payment distribution: wallets, fees, app integrations, and settlement availability.

Visa's dashboard separates adjusted and unadjusted activity because raw blockchain volume can include bots, high-frequency wallets, internal smart contract movement, and intra-exchange transfers. Its adjusted methodology, developed with Allium and other partners, tries to strip out that noise and get closer to activity that looks and feels like real settlement.

The filters are still a best-guess approach, and Visa says it will keep improving its methodology as labeling coverage expands. Even with that limitation, adjusted volume is more useful for the Base-Ethereum comparison than raw transfer volume alone, as it shows where meaningful stablecoin movement is happening.

The issuer split reinforced USDC’s role in stablecoin settlement. USDC accounted for roughly 67% of June's adjusted volume, while USDT accounted for about 32%. That keeps USDC at the center of stablecoin flows, particularly on Base, but the more important shift remains how volume is distributed across networks.

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Visa's broader stablecoin explainer describes stablecoins as payment infrastructure for cross-border transfers, stablecoin-linked cards, corporate payouts, and seven-day settlement. In that world, the chain that carries the dollars becomes the essential part of the product. Fees, wallet distribution, app integrations, and settlement availability all shape whether stablecoins feel usable outside trading venues.

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Visa's insights page had already pointed to a much longer L2 trend, noting that L2 networks collectively surpassed Ethereum in monthly stablecoin transaction count in August 2024 and that Base saw rapid USDC growth after launching in 2023. June’s volume data shows that the same pattern is beginning to appear in adjusted dollar flows.

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However, the lead remains narrow. Base topped Ethereum by only about $3 billion, with both networks clearing more than half a trillion dollars in adjusted volume. The next signal is whether L2s continue to capture payment-like stablecoin activity across multiple months and market conditions.

The post Ethereum is losing ownership of crypto payments as Base moves $565B in stablecoins appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Solana’s real-world asset transfer volume more than doubled over the past month, giving the network a stronger signal that tokenized assets are beginning to circulate rather than sit on-chain after issuance.

RWA.xyz showed Solana’s RWA 30-day transfer volume at $8.68 billion as of July 6, up 105.76% from 30 days earlier. Distributed asset value rose 36.27% over the same period to $3.48 billion.

Solana’s own data showed a similar increase in turnover in a related market. The network said tokenized asset spot volume across decentralized exchanges grew from $2.69 billion in the first quarter to $5.7 billion in the second quarter. A year earlier, the figure was near zero.

Those figures are becoming more important as tokenization moves beyond early pilots. A tokenized fund share, equity wrapper or cash-equivalent instrument can increase a blockchain’s reported asset value when it is issued.

Moving those assets requires users, platforms or institutions to push them through trading, settlement, collateral or liquidity-management workflows.

Stock tokens bring a trading culture to Solana

Solana’s transfer surge has been helped by a broader holder base, giving the network more than an issuer-driven growth premise.

RWA.xyz showed Solana with 293,558 RWA holders, up 7.83% over 30 days, across 2,119 tracked assets. The increase was modest relative to the jump in transfer volume, but it showed that activity expanded alongside asset value rather than coming solely from changes in reported balances.

Part of that user growth followed the mid-2025 launch of tokenized xStock equities on Solana, which added a more retail-facing lane to a market often dominated by Treasury-style and institutional products.

xStocks, issued through Backed, brought tokenized exposure to individual US stocks and indexes onto Solana. The lineup includes shares tied to companies such as Tesla and Nvidia, two of the most closely watched names among retail traders.

Those products behave differently from tokenized Treasury funds or permissioned private credit instruments. Treasury-style products often appeal to institutions seeking yield, cash management or collateral.

Tokenized equities tied to volatile technology stocks can draw traders looking for familiar market exposure on crypto rails.

Solana’s low fees help make that activity more practical. Traders can buy, hold and transfer tokenized stock exposure without transaction costs overwhelming smaller positions, giving the network an advantage for retail-sized trades compared with chains where fees can rise sharply during periods of congestion.

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The equity tokens did not create Solana’s RWA market, but they added an asset class with a stronger tendency to trade.

That gives the network a clearer explanation for why its latest RWA signal is showing up not only in asset value, but in transfer activity.

Institutional products anchor Solana’s RWA base

Solana’s RWA growth is also being supported by institutional products that add scale and credibility, even if they do not all generate the same level of transfer activity.

BlackRock’s BUIDL fund has $615 million in Solana assets, the largest RWA position tracked on the network. Ondo’s USDY has added another $181 million, giving Solana a deeper base of tokenized cash-equivalent and Treasury-style exposure.

Securitize-linked products have also become a meaningful part of the market, with nearly $300 million in assets under management on Solana.

The category includes exposure tied to regulated fund structures and credit products, adding another institutional layer to the network’s RWA footprint.

Those products bring recognizable financial names and more formal legal wrappers onto Solana.

Many operate through permissioned structures with know-your-customer requirements for minting and redemption, which can help attract institutional capital but may also limit how freely the assets circulate.

That distinction is important for the broader transfer-volume story. Large tokenized funds can lift Solana’s reported RWA value, but their contribution to market activity depends on whether holders use them for settlement, collateral, liquidity management or lending.

Private credit and specialty finance products can become more active when yield-bearing exposure moves into lending or collateral markets. Treasury-style products can support cash management and settlement, but their movement may remain more controlled because of compliance rules and investor eligibility.

The mix gives Solana a stronger institutional base, but it also keeps the transfer signal uneven.

The durability of the network’s RWA surge will depend on whether activity spreads across these products rather than remaining concentrated in a few large balances.

Solana’s edge is velocity, not scale

Solana’s recent RWA growth gives the network a clearer role in a market still led by Ethereum.

Ethereum remains the largest blockchain for tokenized real-world assets and has the deeper institutional footprint. Data from Token Terminal shows that the blockchain network controls 57.8% of all tokenized fund AUM, which currently sits at an all-time high of $35.6 billion.

This is because several traditional financial firms, including BlackRock and JPMorgan, built or tested their products on the network first, giving Ethereum an advantage in market history, integrations and institutional familiarity.

Solana is pressing a different claim. Its case rests on lower transaction costs, faster settlement and a market structure that can support more frequent movement.

Those traits become more important when tokenized assets are used for trading, collateral, liquidity management or settlement rather than simply held after issuance.

That distinction is central to Solana’s latest RWA signal. A large tokenized fund can raise a network’s reported asset value, but it does not automatically create market depth. Activity becomes more meaningful when assets move between wallets, trading venues, lending markets or collateral systems.

Solana’s stablecoin base supports that loop. RWA.xyz reported a stablecoin market capitalization on the network of $16.02 billion and a 30-day stablecoin transfer volume of $541.34 billion as of July 6.

That liquidity gives tokenized assets a cash leg for trading, settlement and collateral movement, though stablecoin holders fell over the same period, suggesting some activity may still be concentrated among larger wallets and platforms.

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However, the network’s advantage remains incomplete. Legal and compliance limits still shape how far tokenized products can circulate.

Moreover, permissioned funds, private credit tokens and equity-linked instruments operate under different restrictions, with some limited by investor eligibility, redemption rules or off-chain legal structures.

That leaves Solana with a narrower but more defined opportunity. Ethereum still holds the deeper institutional base, while Solana is building its case around assets that benefit from cheap, frequent movement.

The next test is whether that movement spreads beyond a few large products and becomes a durable layer for settlement, trading and collateral.

The post Solana’s $8.7B RWA surge shows tokenized assets are finally starting to move appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The Federal Reserve publishes the minutes of its June 16–17 meeting on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET, and the release will either validate Bitcoin's week-long recovery or pull out its foundation.

Traders bought the rebound on a single macro assumption: a weakening US labor market limits how long the central bank can stay hawkish. The minutes, the first full account of internal deliberations under Chair Kevin Warsh, will show whether officials shared that concern in mid-June, weeks before the jobs data that set the rally in motion.

The move riding on the answer is substantial. Bitcoin traded near $64,000 on Tuesday, up almost 11% from the 21-month low below $58,000 it set on July 1, and swung more than $3,400 between $61,250 and $64,659 on Monday.

The recovery began with Thursday's US jobs report, which showed employers added 57,000 positions in June, roughly half of what economists expected. Softer labor data pushed traders to trim bets on another rate hike, and Bitcoin climbed alongside gold and equities in what Barron's described as a US rates repricing.

The Bitcoin market repriced the Fed before seeing the Fed's reasoning

The June meeting gave crypto little to work with at the time. Officials held rates at 3.50%-3.75%, stripped earlier hints that cuts could come soon, and shifted the median 2026 projection toward at least one additional hike. Bitcoin spent the following two weeks grinding toward its low as markets priced tighter policy for longer.

However, the jobs report changed that. Beyond the headline miss, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revised April and May payrolls down by a combined 74,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate's dip to 4.2% came only because roughly 720,000 people left the labor force, pulling participation down to 61.5%.

Traders responded by pushing hike expectations later: CME FedWatch pricing now implies about a 76% chance the Fed holds at its July 28-29 meeting, with roughly 40% odds of an increase by December.

If the Wednesday minutes show officials already flagging labor-market softness, credit strain, or the risk of overtightening, the market's dovish shift will gain support, and the recovery will have a foundation.

If the discussion centered on persistent inflation and the conditions for another hike, which is how Warsh framed the decision publicly, then the rally loses its main pillar. Bitcoin has already priced meaningful relief, so a document that falls short of the market's dovish hopes would be enough to pressure the price. The bar for disappointment is low because the bounce came first.

One inflow day and 49,000 BTC of fresh exchange supply

We see the same kind of fragility from the ETF side of the rally as well. US spot Bitcoin ETFs took in $223 million on Thursday, their largest daily inflow since May, ending a 10-day withdrawal streak that had drained $2.73 billion from the funds.

The single session stopped the bleeding without reversing it: the products have shed nearly $8.5 billion since early May, and institutional demand needs several consecutive inflow days before the drawdown starts looking like an entry point in the data.

On-chain flows add a further caution. Whale-sized deposits to exchanges reached about 49,000 BTC as the price reclaimed $60,000, increasing the supply available to sell into any post-minutes strength.

Options positioning concentrates around the same zone, with dealer gamma clustered at $60,000 and $62,000, levels that can either pin the price or accelerate a slide depending on which way it breaks.

Holding the $62,000 area after the minutes would keep the recovery intact, and a move through Monday's high near $64,700 would confirm it. A slide back toward $58,000 would mark the jobs-driven bounce as a failed rally inside a bear market that began with October's $126,198 record high.

Bitcoin's 11% recovery was built on a guess about what Fed officials said behind closed doors three weeks ago. Wednesday afternoon replaces the guess with the transcript, and the gap between the two will set the price.

The post Bitcoin rally now depends on one Fed document coming Wednesday appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Sberbank’s December crypto wallet plan could show how far Russia is willing to bring crypto activity inside the banking system, and how much demand will still spill into offshore exchanges, peer-to-peer channels, and foreign platforms.

The majority state-owned bank plans to add a crypto wallet and digital depository to Sberbank Online and SberInvestments by Dec. 1, RB.ru reported, citing comments by Sberbank first deputy chairman Kirill Tsarev to RBC.

The timing remains contingent on the final text of Russia’s digital-currency law and the rules that follow. If the framework lands as expected, crypto access in Russia may increasingly run through familiar financial apps, licensed intermediaries, and digital depositories rather than informal workarounds.

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Russia creates crypto sanctions loophole, but cash-out routes remain ringfenced

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Jun 25, 2026 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

A legal route with bank controls

The Bank of Russia’s current concept would allow digital currencies and stablecoins to be bought and sold while prohibiting domestic crypto payments.

It also points to a tiered market: non-qualified investors would need to pass tests and remain within a 300,000-ruble annual limit through a single intermediary, while qualified investors would receive broader access, excluding anonymous cryptocurrencies.

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That design would make custody and access rules as important as the wallet itself. A Sberbank user might gain a compliant way to hold or trade crypto inside a bank app, but that access would likely come with identity checks, permitted-asset lists, transaction records, and limits that do not exist in the same form on offshore venues.

The bill is expected to take effect on Sept. 1, with implementing acts potentially ready by early November if the regulatory timetable holds, Interfax reported. That would leave banks and other market participants only a short window to convert the legal framework into usable products.

Sberbank is also considering whether it could act as an intermediary for Russians trading on foreign crypto exchanges, but that decision depends on the final domestic and foreign regulatory requirements. That is the real hinge for offshore flows.

A bank-backed route to foreign venues could pull some activity into a supervised channel. A restrictive version could leave high-volume users, sanctions-sensitive counterparties, and self-custody users on the same foreign and informal rails they already use.

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Recent CryptoSlate coverage of Russia’s cross-border crypto corridor showed the same constraint from another angle: external pressure still lands on counterparties, exchanges, wallets, stablecoin issuers, custodians, and compliance screens.

The signal to watch is whether bank custody becomes useful enough for ordinary users while remaining controlled enough for regulators. If the final rules cap retail access tightly or leave foreign-exchange routing unresolved, Russia’s new legal on-ramp may run alongside offshore workarounds for some time.

The post Russia’s legal crypto on-ramp to arrive with a state-owned bank holding the keys appeared first on CryptoSlate.

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs turned positive again on July 6, and the clearest question for Bitcoin is whether BlackRock's IBIT provided a sustained bid or just a single day of relief after recent selling pressure.

Farside Investors' Bitcoin ETF table showed $265.7 million of net inflows across the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF complex, with BlackRock's IBIT adding $209.4 million. That left IBIT as the swing buyer, while Grayscale's GBTC still posted a $44.5 million outflow and Grayscale's lower-fee BTC product added $42.3 million.

A WuBlockchain post citing SoSoValue rounded the total Bitcoin ETF inflows to $266 million and IBIT to $209 million. On X, the data quickly sparked a debate between BlackRock buying again and a single green day that could fade if redemptions return.

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Why IBIT sets the next test

The fund's size makes the July 6 flow worth watching. BlackRock's official iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF page listed IBIT at about $46.5 billion in net assets as of July 6, with the trust designed to reflect the price of Bitcoin through an exchange-traded product. A $209.4 million daily inflow is small relative to that asset base, yet it can matter at the market's edge if it signals a return of steady buyer demand.

That distinction is the core market question. One green row can improve sentiment after recent ETF selling pressure. Durability requires repeat buying, a broader mix of issuers contributing to the flow, and less drag from legacy outflows.

Concentration is the weakness in the bullish read. IBIT absorbed most of the positive flow while GBTC remained negative, so the next print needs to show follow-through from the broader ETF complex rather than a single large fund offsetting pressure elsewhere.

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The Bitcoin backdrop keeps the issue live. CryptoSlate's Bitcoin market data showed BTC near $63,018 on July 7, with a market value around $1.26 trillion, 58.0% market dominance, and a nearly 6% seven-day gain. Around that level, ETF demand is one of the clearest public signals of institutional access adding support or merely following price.

From here, the bullish interpretation needs three signals: total Bitcoin ETF flows stay positive, buying spreads beyond IBIT, and GBTC-style outflows stop absorbing too much of the bid. Those signals would make July 6 look like the return of a real ETF support channel.

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If those signals fail to appear, July 6 reads as another short reset in a market still waiting for durable demand to replace bursts of relief.

The post BlackRock put $209M behind Bitcoin’s rebound but can it last? 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 SEC updated its agenda to indicate that a key crypto rulemaking is slated to be released for public comment in July.

Brazilian crypto exchange Mercado Bitcoin has raised $20 million in fresh investment from USDT stablecoin issuer Tether.

A University of Manchester researcher says schools should move beyond AI cheating concerns and prepare graduates for workplaces increasingly shaped by automation.

Investors who purchased BIG3 NFTs expected the perks of team ownership, but allege "deceptive, fraudulent" marketing was at play.

China is reportedly building the same power to cut off its AI that the US deployed against Anthropic in June.

Clearstream, the major European post-trade services provider and subsidiary of the Deutsche Börse Group, is doubling down on its digital asset strategy by expanding its institutional cryptocurrency custody offering.

Vanguard, the $10 trillion asset management behemoth, has stunned industry analysts by launching a search for its first-ever Head of Digital Assets for Personal Wealth.

Stablecoin issuer Tether has announced a $20 million strategic investment in Latin American digital asset heavyweight Mercado Bitcoin.

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.

TLDR:

• Ethereum price forecast remains focused on the $1,800 zone, where about 4.30 million ETH previously changed hands.
• ETH could target $1,980 and $2,079 if buyers reclaim the high-volume resistance area with stronger spot demand.
• Binance ETH reserves have increased since late June, raising concerns about more available supply on the exchange.
• Derivatives data has improved, but flat open interest shows the latest ETH rebound is not mainly leverage-driven.

Ethereum price forecast remains locked around the $1,800 level as buyers attempt to reclaim a major resistance zone. ETH recently traded near $1,780 after a sharp rebound from late-June lows. The move has improved short-term sentiment, but the structure still lacks broad confirmation.

Roughly 4.30 million ETH changed hands near $1,800, based on the UTXO Realized Price Distribution data. That makes the level a major supply area. A clean reclaim could open a move toward $1,980 and $2,079. A rejection may expose thinner volume below, with the next support baseline near $1,237.

Ethereum Price Prediction Faces the $1,800 Supply Wall

Ethereum price prediction now depends on how ETH reacts near the $1,800 resistance band. The zone has become important as both volume profile data and moving averages align near the same area.

ETH also faces pressure from the 50-day exponential moving average near $1,806. The 100-day EMA sits higher near $1,970, close to the next major upside target. This keeps the recovery below the medium-term structure for now.

The daily chart shows a constructive but incomplete recovery. The RSI near 57 points to improving momentum, but it does not confirm a full bullish shift. The stochastic reading near 86 also shows that short-term upside could be stretched.

Immediate support sits near $1,741, followed by the 20-day EMA around $1,713. Deeper support levels stand near $1,524 and $1,405 if sellers regain control. A larger breakdown would bring the $1,156 area back into focus.

Ethereum price prediction would turn stronger if ETH closes above $1,806 with rising demand. The next upside levels would then sit around $1,909, $2,018, $2,108, and $2,211.

ETH Price Signals Show Demand Is Still Selective

Binance ETH reserves have increased from 3.64 million to 3.87 million since late June. That marks an increase of about 221,000 ETH, or 6.1%. Rising exchange reserves can point to higher potential sell-side liquidity.

The order-size data adds a cautious signal. ETH Average Order Size has moved into “Whale Left” territory, according to CryptoQuant analysis. That suggests larger participants are reducing their market footprint.

This creates a weaker setup beneath the recent rebound. More ETH is available on Binance, while whale-sized demand has not returned strongly. Ethereum Price Forecast therefore remains sensitive to any failed breakout near $1,800.

Derivatives data looks more positive, but it does not show excessive leverage. Ethereum has gained about 14% since Net Taker Volume turned positive on June 28. Positive Net Taker Volume signals stronger buying pressure in perpetual markets.

Open interest has stayed mostly flat across the rebound. The estimated leverage ratio has also failed to rise sharply after its June decline. That suggests the move is not driven by aggressive leveraged longs.

This lowers the risk of a major long squeeze, but it also shows caution among traders. ETH needs stronger spot demand and whale participation to confirm a healthier trend. Meanwhile, US spot ETH ETFs have recorded three straight days of net inflows, adding some support to sentiment.

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Key Highlights

• eToro introduces Tori AI assistant for real-time portfolio analysis and market alerts.

• ETOR stock declines 0.46% following the company’s comprehensive platform overhaul.

• Sub-account feature enables traders to compartmentalize investment strategies and objectives.

• eToro Edge platform delivers professional-grade desktop trading capabilities.

• Self-custody wallet integration strengthens eToro’s cryptocurrency and DeFi offerings.

Shares of eToro Group Ltd. (ETOR) closed at $41.12, declining 0.46%, following the firm’s announcement of a comprehensive platform transformation centered around its new AI assistant, Tori. The rollout represents eToro’s ambitious effort to integrate artificial intelligence, enhanced account management, and cryptocurrency self-custody into its trading ecosystem. This strategic initiative positions the company as a more competitive player in the evolving retail investment landscape.

eToro Group Ltd., ETOR

Tori AI Assistant Powers Redesigned Mobile Platform

During its Intelligence in Motion conference held in London, eToro presented its completely redesigned mobile application. The refreshed platform prioritizes speed, intuitive navigation, enhanced portfolio visualization, and comprehensive asset information pages. Additionally, traders now have access to sophisticated charting capabilities and customizable interface options tailored to individual preferences.

At the heart of this transformation sits Tori, an intelligent AI assistant engineered to proactively deliver portfolio analytics and market trend notifications. The system interprets significant price fluctuations and presents contextual explanations in real time. Consequently, traders receive actionable intelligence without actively searching for updates.

Beyond the primary mobile application, eToro intends to extend Tori’s availability across multiple platforms. The firm confirmed that traders will soon interact with Tori via WhatsApp messaging and Apple Watch integration. This multi-platform approach enables position monitoring and rapid response to market developments from virtually anywhere.

Multiple Account Framework and Professional Desktop Solution

eToro rolled out a sub-account infrastructure designed for investors pursuing multiple financial objectives simultaneously. These segregated accounts accommodate distinct strategies for home purchases, retirement planning, education funding, and other long-term aspirations. The framework enables parallel management of diverse investment portfolios within a single platform.

The company simultaneously launched eToro Edge, a comprehensive desktop solution targeting sophisticated traders. This platform delivers institutional-quality charting tools and analytical capabilities suited for high-volume trading operations. It addresses the requirements of users demanding granular market analysis and execution tools.

As part of the platform evolution, eToro introduced AI-driven portfolio management features. Traders can now construct original AI trading strategies or replicate existing ones within dedicated sub-accounts. Meanwhile, Tori maintains organizational oversight while preserving user autonomy over investment decisions.

Developer Marketplace and Cryptocurrency Custody Solutions

eToro simultaneously enhanced its App Store ecosystem, which hosts third-party trading tools and analytical applications. Through the newly established Builders’ Portal, external developers, quantitative analysts, partners, and community members can create custom applications. This gateway provides standardized API access and comprehensive development documentation.

The company integrated seamless self-custody wallet creation directly through the Tori interface. This feature leverages Zengo’s technology, which eToro recently acquired. The wallet solution grants users complete control over digital assets while facilitating participation in decentralized finance protocols.

This comprehensive platform transformation arrives amid intensifying competition among trading platforms emphasizing automation, data intelligence, and cryptocurrency integration. eToro established its market presence through social trading features before expanding into digital assets. The company now leverages Tori to unify social trading insights, portfolio management capabilities, and AI-enhanced trading functionality into a cohesive ecosystem.

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Key Highlights

• RZLV declined 1.34% following the introduction of Auditable AI technology.
• The new platform feature provides clear explanations for product recommendations.
• Rezolve targets enhanced enterprise trust in AI-powered commerce systems.
• The solution offers visibility into customer data and operational business logic.
• Company research indicates a 3.7x enhancement in transparency metrics.

Resolve AI PLC (RZLV) closed at $2.7328, declining 1.34% after pulling back from intraday highs to settle near the day’s lower range. The organization unveiled a new AI-driven feature designed to enhance transparency within commerce technology. This development extends its enterprise offerings and seeks to bolster trust in AI-powered product suggestions.

Rezolve AI PLC, RZLV

Platform expansion introduces transparent recommendation engine for enterprise users

Rezolve Ai unveiled Auditable AI as an integrated component of its enterprise commerce infrastructure. This innovation clarifies each product suggestion by referencing shopper preferences, transaction histories, product specifications, and operational guidelines. Through this approach, companies gain enhanced understanding of how recommendation algorithms arrive at specific conclusions.

The organization developed this solution to overcome transparency obstacles that have historically hindered enterprise AI implementation. Numerous current AI frameworks produce suggestions without revealing underlying logic. In response, this new functionality delivers human-readable explanations accessible to both businesses and end users.

Rezolve emphasized that this feature bolsters enterprise trust while encouraging wider commercial integration. The system additionally provides organizations with improved visibility throughout recommendation workflows during consumer engagements. As such, merchants can more effectively verify results and strengthen internal governance throughout digital commerce channels.

Enhanced platform capabilities reinforce commitment to reliable AI infrastructure

This recent introduction continues Rezolve’s ongoing platform enhancements centered on enterprise dependability. The organization previously tackled recommendation precision through specialized architecture that minimized erroneous AI outputs. Subsequently, it broadened supervision functionalities by launching monitoring solutions for autonomous AI behaviors.

Through this latest enhancement, Rezolve now delivers precision, responsibility, and clarity within a consolidated enterprise system. This comprehensive methodology supports organizations pursuing explainable artificial intelligence for business applications. Furthermore, the infrastructure aims to enhance confidence without compromising operational performance.

The organization also engineered the framework to function across various artificial intelligence architectures. Accordingly, enterprises can uphold uniform transparency benchmarks while deploying different AI technologies. This adaptability accommodates businesses managing varied technology ecosystems throughout retail and commerce operations.

Supporting studies demonstrate commercial advantages and wider sector applicability

Rezolve indicated that transparent recommendations can enhance consumer confidence throughout buying journeys. Shoppers can comprehend recommendation rationale through explanations derived from their documented preferences and prior behavior. Subsequently, retailers may deepen customer relationships while minimizing uncertainty during transactions.

The infrastructure also detects ambiguous customer signals before finalizing recommendation workflows. Rather than producing vague suggestions, the framework solicits supplementary information when required. This approach enables businesses to obtain more dependable recommendation results while minimizing unsuitable product pairings.

Based on company-sponsored studies, the technology achieved a 3.7-fold enhancement in transparency relative to traditional large language model frameworks. The supporting investigation also earned acceptance for presentation at the International Conference on Social Robotics 2026 in London. Concurrently, Rezolve intends to incorporate this technology throughout its Brain Suite platform as part of its ongoing enterprise commerce initiative.

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Key Takeaways

• Synopsys phases out manufacturing analytics software to concentrate on AI-driven chip design.
• End-of-life announced for legacy factory tools with continued maintenance support.
• Samsung confirms no disruption to operations amid software transition.
• Engineering resources reallocated to higher-profit AI design solutions.
• Major chip manufacturers increasingly develop proprietary internal software.

Shares of Synopsys, Inc. (SNPS) closed at $436.77, declining 1.24%, following a late-morning sell-off before recovering to stabilize around the $436 mark. The electronic design automation leader announced plans to discontinue certain semiconductor manufacturing software products as it pivots engineering talent toward lucrative AI-focused chip design technologies. This strategic repositioning underscores the company’s commitment to consolidating legacy offerings while fortifying its position in electronic design automation.

Synopsys, Inc., SNPS

Company Phases Out Manufacturing Analytics Platforms

Synopsys informed over a dozen semiconductor manufacturers between April and May about its intention to sunset specific manufacturing analytics software solutions. The notifications were sent as part of a deliberate portfolio rationalization effort. Recipients included major industry players such as Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Kioxia Holdings, and Qorvo.

While new version releases will cease for the discontinued products, Synopsys committed to fulfilling all existing maintenance contracts and service agreements. This ensures customers retain technical support under their current arrangements, although no additional feature enhancements will be developed.

The retirement encompasses the Equipment Engineering System and Fault Detection and Classification solutions. These platforms have been instrumental in monitoring fabrication machinery and detecting potential defects early in the production cycle. For years, these tools have served as critical infrastructure within sophisticated chip manufacturing facilities worldwide.

Strategic Realignment Toward AI Design Technologies

Synopsys has strategically refocused its investments on premium AI-powered design technologies as industry demands evolve. The decision to scale back legacy manufacturing analytics reflects this calculated shift toward higher-margin opportunities. This realignment mirrors broader investment patterns throughout the semiconductor software sector.

The company officially announced it would phase out certain older manufacturing analytics solutions while amplifying its next-generation capabilities. Synopsys has not publicly disclosed which exact software products are affected by the retirement program. Additionally, the firm has not confirmed whether personnel reductions accompanied the restructuring.

Multiple industry insiders indicated that workforce adjustments involved the departure of several dozen employees during the reorganization. Negotiations with impacted customers regarding ongoing support obligations are anticipated to wrap up by the end of July. This transition enables Synopsys to redeploy technical teams toward high-priority software innovation initiatives.

Synopsys’ involvement in manufacturing analytics began with its 2021 acquisition of semiconductor manufacturing solutions from South Korean firm BISTel. Subsequently, the company significantly broadened its software capabilities through a $35 billion purchase of engineering software provider Ansys in 2025. These strategic acquisitions diversified the technology portfolio while supporting ambitious long-term expansion goals.

Semiconductor Manufacturers Build Proprietary Software Solutions

Industry observers provided varying assessments of the potential operational consequences stemming from the software discontinuation. Two sources suggested that reduced platform updates might gradually influence manufacturing efficiency metrics. Conversely, four additional sources anticipated minimal disruption for major chip producers.

Samsung acknowledged awareness of the planned software phase-out and confirmed ongoing dialogue with Synopsys concerning the transition timeline. The electronics giant also revealed it has already engineered equivalent internal systems for manufacturing processes. Samsung anticipates zero impact on production capacity throughout the software changeover period.

SK Hynix chose not to provide commentary on the software retirement announcement. Meanwhile, neither Kioxia Holdings nor Qorvo responded to inquiries. These varied reactions highlight the different preparedness levels among affected customers.

The increasing prevalence of in-house manufacturing software development also factored into Synopsys’ strategic calculus. Several chipmakers have demonstrated growing preference for custom-built proprietary tools rather than dependency on third-party software vendors. Additionally, manufacturers have shown reluctance to share confidential production metrics essential for refining commercial manufacturing platforms.

Synopsys maintains its position as a dominant provider of electronic design automation software for semiconductor innovation. The company recently unveiled technology engineered to automate substantial portions of chip design workflows through AI-enabled functionality. Consequently, this portfolio restructuring underscores the firm’s determination to advance cutting-edge chip design capabilities while deemphasizing mature manufacturing software products.

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$PULT Early Public Round drew $2.3 million on its first day, at a token price of $0.06, representing roughly 80% of the round’s target. It follows an invite-only whitelist round that sold out within a minute of opening.

Catapult Trade is a trading platform that combines the model of a token launchpad with iGaming mechanics. Its core product, Turbo, drops the order book entirely: prices are generated by a mathematical model designed to simulate real market conditions while remaining statistically neutral. Each chart’s full price path is committed to a public cryptographic hash before trading and disclosed afterward, so anyone can confirm it was not altered. Because the path is fixed in advance, neither the team nor anyone else can move a chart once it is live: fully provably fair, with the engine audited by Halborn and Hashlock.

The project has attracted a broad group of backers over the past year. KuCoin Ventures led the investment, alongside Oddiyana Ventures and IBC Group, with angels from trading and infrastructure backgrounds. Claire “Cookie” Dang, previously in growth roles at Binance, KuCoin, and Crypto.com, joined as co-founder and VP of growth. In June, the project integrated with Binance Wallet, putting the app in front of that wallet’s users. It also ran joint reward campaigns with exchanges including Gate.

According to the company, part of protocol revenue is used to buy $PULT on the open market and permanently remove it from circulation, tying supply reduction to platform activity rather than scheduled emissions.

The token generation event is planned for the third quarter of 2026. The team says it has agreements to list $PULT on eight centralized exchanges on day one, backed by established market makers, and that the token will launch as a multichain asset, including Ethereum and Solana. Before that, a smaller public sale will run on outside launchpad platforms at a higher price, for buyers who missed the early round.

A second product, Catapult Hyper, which extends the platform into real markets, is also due for a wider release in the quarter. Its fees are expected to begin contributing to the buy-and-burn model shortly after launch.

Alongside the public sale, the project continues running a points program. According to the team, participants will receive token allocations at TGE and through a later reverse airdrop. Allocation and vesting details have not yet been disclosed.

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An anonymous wallet spent $4.4 million buying BONK tokens over two days, then used that stash to push through a governance vote that allowed it to drain $21.2 million from the BonkDAO treasury.

The incident, which saw the attacker walk away with a $16.8 million profit, has split the crypto community between those calling it a theft and those insisting the DAO did exactly what it was built to do.

How the Vote Went Through

According to blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain, preparations for the theft started on June 30 when the attacker filed a proposal asking BonkDAO to move 4.426 trillion BONK, worth about $21.2 million, to a wallet they controlled. To pass, the proposal had to be supported by at least 1% of the BONK supply, which, per data from CoinGecko, stands at just under 88 trillion tokens.

Then, from around July 4, they bought 882.285 billion BONK on Bybit and Binance, an amount that was just enough to clear the 1% requirement (879.95 billion) to make a quorum that could vote on the proposal they’d made at the end of June. They then proceeded to vote “yes” with all 882.285 billion BONK, passing the proposal, after which 4.426 trillion tokens were transferred to their wallet.

Another company that follows on-chain movements, Chainalysis, corroborated Lookonchain’s account of the incident, saying the attacker acquired their tokens between July 4 and 5, buying some from the mainstream exchanges and borrowing others through DeFi platforms.

About 9 hours after voting their way to the $21 million stash, Chainalysis says the attacker sent $188,000 to OKX (Peckshield puts that figure at $148,000) while putting the rest in a new DAO, “BONK 2.0,” that they created to govern the stolen funds. According to the analytics firm, the new DAO is controlled by the malicious voter, the exploiter wallet, and a third wallet said to have financial ties to the voter wallet.

BonkDAO confirmed the treasury loss in a statement posted on X, saying it had identified the exchange wallets that had been used to acquire the voting tokens before the proposal succeeded and that it had notified law enforcement while also coordinating with exchanges, bridges, and the Solana Foundation to “manage the situation.”

Following news of the theft, the BONK token lost some of its value, with CoinGecko showing it trading around $0.00000438 at the time of writing, a 7.4% drop in 24 hours but still up nearly 5% on the week.

A Working DAO or Fraud?

The event continues a streak reported recently by CryptoRank that has seen DeFi platforms lose nearly $1 billion to bad actors so far this year.

But not everyone agrees that a crime took place, including World Liberty Financial advisor Ogle, who questioned why law enforcement had become involved in what looked like a normal DAO function.

“Someone legitimately bought a lot of tokens, proposed a DAO vote, the vote passed with almost no opposition, and the proposal was executed,” they wrote on X.

The crypto maxi later added that reports claiming the voting website was inaccessible during the voting period, if true, would raise separate concerns but did not necessarily make the on-chain vote illegal.

However, others disagreed. Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz argued that using voting control over a shared treasury for personal gain could amount to fraud because governance participants owe a fiduciary duty to other stakeholders. Further, he stated that BonkDAO’s lack of a formal legal wrapper could expose participants to partnership-style liabilities in some jurisdictions.

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Ripple’s Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty has criticized Politico over its interpretation of a recent opinion poll, where the publication framed support for crypto legislation as “only 27%,” arguing that the figure actually represents 67 million American adults who already own digital assets.

According to him, that same percentage cited as a sign of weak public backing for crypto regulation reflects one of the country’s biggest voter groups, therefore challenging the idea that crypto supporters are a niche audience.

Polls Tell A Different Story Than That Suggested By Headlines

In a July 6 opinion piece on RealClearMarkets, Alderoty argued that the 27% from the Politico survey was about the same number as that quoted in the National Cryptocurrency Association’s 2026 State of Crypto Holders Report of 1 in 4 adults who own crypto in the country. That translates to about 67 million people.

“The framing of ‘only 27 percent’ treats a quarter of the American adult population as a rounding error,” Alderoty wrote. “That is a mistake. Sixty-seven million people are not asking Washington to do them a favor. They are asking their government to do its job.”

He pointed out that the number that had joined crypto in the past year, about 12 million per the NCA’s report, was as big as the combined populations of New York City and Los Angeles, moving the ratio from last year’s 1 in 5 to the current 1 in 4.

He also noted the demographic changes stated in the 2026 industry study, saying 42% of new holders are women, which pushed female ownership up by 10% year over year. That growth alone, in his opinion, makes it difficult to dismiss the industry as politically insignificant.

According to Politico, 45% of Americans believe digital currencies are not worth the risk, while 25% considered it worthwhile. Only 9% of respondents said they would trust a crypto platform over traditional banks with their money, compared to 47% who were in support of the traditional financial institutions.

But Alderoty claimed that those findings did not suffice as evidence of public rejection.

“A majority of Americans think the stock market is risky…Risk aversion is not the same as rejection,” he explained, adding that “69% of holders say they trust crypto, a higher share than the 65% who say the same of traditional banking.”

CLARITY Act Talks Continue

The debate comes as the CLARITY Act missed the White House’s July 4 signing target, leaving lawmakers with limited time before the August recess to complete work on the crypto market structure legislation.

As CryptoPotato reported previously, the Senate Banking Committee approved the measure in a 15-9 vote on May 14, but the bill still requires a full Senate vote and must be reconciled with a separate legislation advanced by the Senate Agricultural Committee before any version can move to the House and finally reach President Donald Trump’s desk.

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On-chain data has confirmed that June was a painful month for bitcoin (BTC), but beyond the price weakness, both spot demand and institutional flows faltered. Due to last month’s performance, there is speculation that the market may be nearing a cyclical bottom, but this remains unconfirmed.

In the meantime, analysts at the crypto exchange Bitfinex revealed in this week’s Bitfinex Alpha that historical data suggests that July could be better for BTC. However, a seasonality dynamic will not be able to sustain a recovery for BTC this month – the asset needs sustained spot and institutional demand.

Worst June in 4 Years

BTC fell to a fresh cycle low of $57,800 last month, marking the worst June since 2022 and the second-worst since 2013. Analysts say this dump was intensified by waning STRC demand and six consecutive weeks of outflows from Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the longest since their launch. The decline to $58,000 marked a 54.15% plunge from current cycle highs, and BTC ended June down 20.48%.

“June’s downside was likely deepened by the failure of both principal demand engines: waning STRC demand and ETF outflows that represented the worst streak on record. The month closed down 20.48 percent from its monthly open, far below the seasonal median of negative 1.5 percent. That sharp deviation left the market technically oversold heading into July,” analysts explained.

With BTC reclaiming the $60,000 level on July 1, market experts believe the plunge may have been a failed breakdown rather than a sustained leg lower. Additionally, the rebound indicated that spot demand had begun to return at marginal lows. Although the current setup supports a positive seasonality for July, only the return of stronger demand, particularly through renewed ETF inflows, will sustain recovery.

Will July Be Better?

In prior bear markets, June and November have been the weakest months, so July has historically been firmer. This month posted double-digit gains in 2018 and 2022 bear cycles. However, analysts believe it is too early to tell if the cycle lows are in. The stage for broader sustainable recovery is only set if the demand engines are repaired.

“Seasonality supports the current setup but will not drive it,” analysts stated.

Interestingly, the ETF market has witnessed a reprieve from the bearish regime – $223.5 million on July 2. However, analysts insist that one session of inflows is insufficient to reverse the damage from six weeks of outflows.

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Crypto analyst Matthew Hyland says the macro backdrop that punished digital currencies for four straight years is finally turning, pointing to patterns that came before crypto’s two biggest bull runs.

In a pair of posts on X, he argued that the market is entering a two- to three-year stretch of what he calls “max opportunity,” with risk appetite moving back toward crypto for the first time since 2016 and 2020.

A Repeating Four-Year Pattern

Hyland’s case rests on comparing three stretches he labels macro risk bear markets: 2014 to 2016, 2018 to 2020, and 2022 through 2026. In each of them, he says, crypto performed poorly while the wider risk backdrop stayed hostile, only for conditions to flip and set off the sector’s strongest runs. He’s now betting the current cycle is following the same script.

“Macro-Risk is now exiting the Bear Market for the first time since Mid-2016 & Mid-2020,” he wrote, adding that this kind of setup produced “max opportunity for the long term” both previous times it showed up.

He also pointed to two chart signals he sees as confirmation. Bitcoin dominance just posted a death cross for the first time since 2016 and 2020, which he treats as an early marker of the shift. He also expects altcoin dominance to follow with a golden cross this fall, something that he says would repeat what happened in those earlier cycles.

According to the market watcher, his own macro risk ratios turned at the same points in 2016 and 2020, and are turning again now, which is why he’s calling the next two to three years “the most optimal time” for crypto. However, his forecast should be taken as a market thesis and not a certainty, especially since crypto cycles have also historically been influenced by liquidity, investor sentiment, and broader economic conditions.

Wider Markets Still Sending Mixed Signals

Hyland’s call landed with Bitcoin (BTC) trading near $63,000 after earlier hitting a two-week high above $64,000, even after Strategy sold 3,588 BTC on Monday to fund dividends.

Analytics firm Swissblock described the price action as showing “signs of stabilization,” although it cautioned that a genuine recovery still needs buyers to keep showing up.

Elsewhere, analyst Credible Crypto has argued that altcoins trading 80% to 90% below their highs could outperform BTC if sentiment turns, pointing to long-term holders now controlling close to 80% of the flagship cryptocurrency’s supply. On Ethereum, trader Michaël van de Poppe said over the weekend that “the worst period for ETH is over” and cited a possible higher low against Bitcoin after three straight quarterly losses of more than 20% each.

Another market observer, Merlijn The Trader, separately flagged ETH’s dip to 0.026 against BTC, a level that foreshadowed a 230% run against Bitcoin last time it showed up. While none of these calls directly tie to Hyland’s thesis, the timing, with all landing within the same week, is hard to ignore.

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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.

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