News linked to both this project and an event.
Odaily News: Data submitted by the FBI to a legislative committee shows that in 2025, losses related to cryptocurrency kiosks in Texas reached $56.8 million, involving 1,179 complaints, ranking first among all U.S. states. Nationwide, related complaints totaled 13,460, with reported losses surging 58% year-over-year to $389 million. Cryptocurrency kiosks accept cash and convert it into cryptocurrency, typically located at gas stations and convenience stores. According to Texas Tribune data, there are approximately 4,000 such machines in Texas. Scammers often trick victims into withdrawing cash from their bank accounts and depositing it into the machines. Jesse Saucillo, Deputy Commissioner of the Texas Department of Banking, stated that once funds are transferred out, recovery is nearly impossible, as the money typically flows to non-custodial wallets and then into mixers and other channels. He added that AI-generated impersonation content of police and state agencies has made phone-based scams more deceptive. AARP data shows that since 2023, around 30 U.S. states have enacted laws related to cryptocurrency kiosks. Indiana imposed a full ban on such machines in March, with Tennessee and Minnesota following suit. Texas House Committee Chairman Rep. Cole Hefner said the state will consider measures that go beyond the scope of regulation.
According to TechFlow Research, minutes from Goldman Sachs' July 5 Circle management meeting indicate that stablecoin growth has decoupled from crypto market cycles, with use cases rapidly expanding towards cross-border payments, consumer e-commerce, capital market settlement, and AI agent payments. USDC accounts for approximately 99% of trading volume in the x402 agent payment protocol. Circle pointed out that the "digital dollarization" trend in emerging markets is accelerating, with USDC becoming a tool to replace local currencies and unreliable banking systems. If passed, Circle believes the CLARITY Act will be a catalyst rather than a headwind; the bill allows issuers to continue revenue sharing to incentivize distribution and encourages usage-based reward mechanisms rather than passive holding.
the bond market is signaling increasingly restrictive interest rate expectations, which may continue to weigh on risk assets like Bitcoin. The spread between the U.S. 2-year and 10-year Treasury yields has narrowed to approximately 28 basis points, its tightest level since April 2025, indicating a clear flattening of the yield curve. This shift is widely interpreted as a heightened market expectation of tighter monetary policy or “higher for longer” interest rates.Skanda Amarnath, Executive Director of the policy research organization EmployAmerica, noted that this flattening trend is "one of the clearest market signals that the Federal Reserve is becoming more hawkish." In a more hawkish interest rate environment, the market anticipates rates remaining elevated for a longer period, which enhances the appeal of fixed-income assets and diminishes the investment demand for non-yielding assets such as Bitcoin.Beyond the 10-year to 2-year spread, the gap between the 30-year and 5-year Treasury yields has also fallen to its lowest level since last April, further reinforcing the overall flattening trend of the yield curve.Market participants believe this change represents a significant reversal from the environment earlier this year, which was characterized by a steepening curve and bets on rate cuts. In the latest round of policy signals, the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady, but its dot plot indicated a higher projected path for future rates compared to previous forecasts, with median interest rate expectations shifting upward across the board, strengthening the “higher for longer” narrative.Analysts suggest that if the high-interest-rate environment persists, risk assets like Bitcoin may struggle to stage a strong upward trend in the short term. The market could enter a phase of volatile downward pressure, intersecting with certain bottoming expectations tied to the halving cycle. (CoinDesk)
Odaily News The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has released the final draft of its crypto asset framework. The new rules are scheduled to bring most crypto activities under the regulatory scope of the Financial Services and Markets Act by October 25, 2027. According to the proposal, any institution holding customer crypto assets for more than 24 hours or possessing the ability to revoke customer permissions will be considered a regulated custodian and must hold a full safeguarding license. Validators and node operators offering value-added functions such as staking rewards or reward reinvestment will lose their technical exemption. Furthermore, stablecoin issuers operating within the UK must control the entire lifecycle from issuance to redemption. Relevant institutions are required to submit authorization applications between September 30, 2026, and February 28, 2027.
HashKey Group Chairman Xiao Feng stated in an exclusive interview with the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po that Hong Kong’s issuance of the first batch of stablecoin licenses represents a significant milestone for the local digital asset market. He noted that this move further accelerates Hong Kong’s tokenization of fiat currency and completes a critical piece of infrastructure—clearing and payment systems—for its digital financial ecosystem. Beyond facilitating cross-border payments and trade settlements, Hong Kong-issued stablecoins will also serve as core mediums of exchange for digital asset transactions. Xiao Feng added that, in the long term, their greater value lies in enabling micro, cross-border, and programmable payments among AI agents, while synergizing with real-world assets (RWA), on-chain clearing, and other use cases—thereby helping Hong Kong secure a more pivotal role in the global evolution of digital assets and digital finance. He also emphasized that HashKey’s trading platform will adhere to principles of openness and regulatory compliance, supporting stablecoin issuers and related products that meet supervisory requirements to jointly foster healthy ecosystem development. Currently, HashKey is actively engaging in substantive cooperation discussions with licensed stablecoin issuers and welcomes institutions planning to launch compliant stablecoins in Hong Kong to establish partnerships. As a core participant in Hong Kong’s digital asset market, HashKey will leverage its existing licensed and compliant framework, fiat on-ramps, and industry resources to support compliant stablecoins across listing, liquidity provision, payment scenario expansion, and the implementation and refinement of related applications—driving orderly industry ecosystem development.