News linked to both this project and an event.
According to Bitcoin.com, Binance's investigation team, jointly with India's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), successfully dismantled the darknet drug trafficking organization "Team Kalki". Reportedly, the gang used cryptocurrencies, the encrypted communication platform Session, the darknet forum Dread, and "dead drop" methods to distribute drugs within India, with supply originating from overseas suppliers; authorities have seized a large quantity of drugs from domestic and international packages. Binance and DSCI assisted law enforcement officers in identifying and freezing crypto assets related to the gang through blockchain analysis and wallet tracking technology. Binance Asia-Pacific Head S.B. Seker stated that the public transparency of blockchain makes illegal transactions easier to track and investigate.
According to Bitcoin.com, digital asset wealth platform Nexo announced the completion of an upgrade to its European Economic Area (EEA) operational structure to comply with the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR). Nexo chose to partner with two entities regulated by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) rather than directly applying for a single MiCAR license: Tangany holds a MiCAR license and is responsible for providing segregated digital asset custody infrastructure; DLT Finance holds both MiCAR and MiFID II authorizations and is responsible for providing brokerage and execution infrastructure. Currently, all of Nexo's services in the EEA are operating seamlessly without any interruption.
According to Bitcoin.com, U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis is pushing hard for the CLARITY Act to complete Senate voting before Congress adjourns. Section 303 of the bill grants the Treasury Department the authority to impose targeted digital asset sanctions on foreign jurisdictions, while Section 305 allows exchanges to freeze suspicious transactions for up to 180 days. On-chain data shows that North Korea's Lazarus Group stole approximately $643 million in the first half of 2026, accounting for two-thirds of the total global crypto theft during the same period ($972 million), including a $285 million attack on Drift Protocol in April and a $292 million attack on the KelpDAO cross-chain bridge. The group's cumulative theft amount has reached $6.75 billion since 2019. Currently, Galaxy Research has lowered the probability of the CLARITY Act passing within 2026 to 30%. The bill still requires 60 votes to advance, meaning at least 7 Democratic senators need to vote across party lines in support.
According to Bitcoin.com, the Kenyan government is investigating the hacking incident of President William Ruto's official website. The attackers temporarily tampered with the homepage content and demanded a payment of 5 Bitcoins, threatening to leak undisclosed information otherwise.
on July 13, the Czech Ministry of Finance added Polymarket to its list of unauthorized internet gaming platforms, identifying it as an unlicensed gambling platform. Internet service providers are required to block access to the platform within 15 days. The Czech Institute for Gambling Regulation stated that Polymarket settles payments using the USDC stablecoin and operates as a decentralized exchange, without providing services through licensed local operators. The institute noted that several EU countries have recently restricted or blocked Polymarket; Italy has reinstated it on the blocklist, while the Netherlands has dismissed the platform's appeal. Separately, this month, the EU market regulator ESMA warned that event contracts meeting the definition of financial instruments are already prohibited from being sold to retail investors under existing binary options rules. Gibraltar has introduced a dedicated regulatory framework for prediction markets this week, while Malta has indicated it is exploring a similar regime. (Bitcoin.com News).
: White House Crypto Council Executive Director Patrick Witt will conclude his final working day at the White House on July 18. He will begin attending the Georgia Army National Guard Judge Advocate Officer training on July 27. Witt was previously responsible for negotiations on the CLARITY Act, which is expected to face a full Senate vote around July 20. Deputy Director Harry Jung will take over the relevant negotiations and will also lead efforts on the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and the GENIUS Act. The consolidated draft of the CLARITY Act is expected to be released this week. The bill needs 60 votes to pass the filibuster threshold, requiring at least seven Democratic supporters. Democrats are demanding the inclusion of ethics clauses regarding the president's personal crypto asset exposure. Disclosure information shows that Trump earned over $1.4 billion from crypto-related businesses last year. (Bitcoin.com News)
According to Bitcoin.com, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis launched a nighttime special operation in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police Department, seizing multiple luxury vehicles using forged or unregistered license plates, with drivers all claiming to be cryptocurrency and forex "traders". Among them was a Mercedes-AMG GLE valued at over $153,000 (approximately 2.5 million South African rand), which was fraudulently registered as a white BMW. Authorities pointed out that such "financial influencers" are accustomed to flaunting wealth with luxury cars on social media platforms like TikTok, luring victims into investing in fraudulent platforms. A report released in March had previously identified Cape Town and Johannesburg as hubs for organized crypto fraud, where criminal groups employ technologies such as deepfakes and cloned apps to commit fraud, and illicit funds are laundered through crypto wallets and physical assets. To address increasingly complex financial crimes, the mayor has established an independent Metropolitan Police Detective Unit to enforce the law independently, bypassing the under-resourced national police system.
Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad responded on X on July 11 to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren's criticism of the CLARITY Act, stating that the bill would not weaken national security but would instead bring digital asset platforms under stronger regulation. Elizabeth Warren had previously stated on July 8 that the current draft of the CLARITY Act could provide opportunities for evading sanctions. Faryar Shirzad stated that the bill would require crypto platforms to comply with stricter national security standards and allow platforms to freeze suspicious transactions upon request from law enforcement. U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis previously stated that the CLARITY Act includes 16 illicit finance safeguards and warned that the bill may represent the last major opportunity for the U.S. Congress to pass comprehensive digital asset rules before 2030. (Bitcoin.com News).
The Singapore Police Force's Anti-Scam Centre and Cybercrime Department, in a six-week joint anti-scam operation from April 16 to May 31, 2026, collaborated with Coinbase, Coinhako, Gemini, Independent Reserve, OKX, StraitsX, and Upbit. Using blockchain analysis tools from Chainalysis and TRM Labs, they identified potential scam victims and conducted over 145 targeted interventions via phone and in-person visits, preventing potential losses exceeding $4.2 million. Coinbase Singapore stated in a post on X on July 10 that it worked with the Singapore police to prevent over 145 individuals from losing a combined total of more than $4.2 million due to scams. The Singapore Police Force stated that it will continue to work with cryptocurrency exchanges and other private sector entities to combat cybercrime. (Bitcoin.com News).
According to Odaily, Bitcoin is set to undergo two fork events in 2026. Developer Paul Sztorc plans to launch an intentional hard fork called eCash, expected to activate around August 21 at block height 964,000. Another controversial soft fork proposal, BIP-110, has the potential to inadvertently cause a chain split during the August signaling window. A Bitcoin chain split replicates the UTXO set, giving holders 1:1 assets on both ledgers. The usability of a forked coin depends on replay protection, mining difficulty, and market conditions. Self-custodial holders, who control their private keys at the time of the snapshot, can typically sign transactions on either chain; custodial holdings, where private keys are controlled by exchanges at the time of the snapshot, mean users' eligibility for the forked coin depends on the platform's policy. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, urging that any version of the "Digital Asset Market Clarity Act" considered by the Senate retain Section 604 to protect non-custodial blockchain developers who do not control user assets. Ron Wyden stated that developers should not be considered money transmitters simply because they create or publish software that allows users to manage their own digital assets. Coin Center Executive Director Peter Van Valkenburgh, the DeFi Education Fund, and Galaxy Digital Head of Research Alex Thorn have expressed support for this stance. Alex Thorn also noted that supporting developer protections does not mean Ron Wyden will endorse the entire CLARITY Act. Ron Wyden further stated that the provision does not protect developers involved in illegal activities and can direct law enforcement resources toward criminals and unlicensed money transmission businesses, rather than neutral software developers. (Bitcoin.com News).
Kraken parent company Payward has asked the Delaware Court of Chancery to enter a final judgment against Mazars USA after an arbitrator ruled in its favor, awarding $22 million in damages. Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi stated that the case involves debanking, regulatory pressure, and the need for clear rules in the U.S. crypto market, and called on Congress to pass the CLARITY Act. (Bitcoin.com News).
Coinbase stated it has obtained UK investment service authorization, allowing it to offer cryptocurrency, stock, and derivative services under the same platform and login system. The authorization was granted by the UK Financial Conduct Authority under the MiFID framework, permitting regulated companies to provide investment services and trade financial instruments, including stocks and derivatives. Coinbase said that advanced traders will be able to access perpetual futures related to cryptocurrencies, stocks, and commodities, while retail investors will be able to trade stocks. Stablecoin payments, savings, lending, cryptocurrencies, derivatives, and stocks will also be available on Coinbase, and tokenized real-world assets are on its roadmap. Coinbase also holds a UK Electronic Money Institution license and a crypto asset service provider registration. (Bitcoin.com News).
Polymarket traders estimate a 23% probability that the U.S. government, through legislation, executive orders, export controls, or other formal actions taken before December 31, 2026, will prevent the American public from accessing major Chinese AI models. Multiple departments within the U.S. Department of Commerce have already banned employees from using Deepseek on work devices due to data security concerns, and Virginia, Texas, and New York have also imposed Deepseek device bans on state employees. (Bitcoin.com News).
the Brazilian Association of Crypto-Economics (ABcripto) has requested the Brazilian Central Bank to suspend a proposal that would introduce a 24-hour delay for large stablecoin transfers. The association opposes the Central Bank's previous recommendation to impose a 24-hour lockup window for stablecoin transfers exceeding $10,000, stating that the measure would impact transparent market participants using regulated entities, while illicit actors would remain unaffected. ABcripto's members include Binance, Coinbase, Crypto.com, and Tether.The Brazilian Central Bank cited Chainalysis' crypto crime report, noting that illegal transaction volumes reached an all-time high in 2025. ABcripto President Julia Rosin stated that illegal actors typically avoid regulated institutions, preferring platforms that do not require identity verification, mixers, cross-chain bridges, and other less transparent structures.ABcripto also stated that the lockup measure could undermine the near-instant settlement use case for stablecoins and push users towards unregulated service providers. Currently, the Brazilian Congress is discussing specific regulations for stablecoins, and the Brazilian Central Bank plans to classify stablecoins as electronic money, rather than under the current digital asset classification. (Bitcoin.com News).
according to rwa.xyz data, Securitize Corp. currently holds the top position in tokenized stocks with $270.6 million in on-chain equity. Its stock ticker, SECZ, began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on July 2. On the same day, Securitize tokenized its own common stock on Solana and Avalanche through its regulated platform. The distributed value of the tokenized stock sector stands at $1.96 billion, up 31.84% in 30 days; monthly transfer volume reached $8.47 billion, up 92.77%; total holders reached 403,650, up 17.18%; monthly active addresses decreased by 84.37% over the same period. (Bitcoin.com News).
the South African Revenue Service (SARS) released a draft guideline on crypto asset taxation on July 1, 2026, aiming to establish compliance rules for approximately 5.8 to 6 million cryptocurrency users in South Africa. The public comment period is open until August 31, 2026. According to the updated framework, crypto assets are classified as intangible assets, not as foreign currency or traditional money. Taxpayers holding these assets are not required to pay tax on unrealized gains or losses. Tax obligations arise upon the disposal of the asset. If an individual’s crypto activities are deemed to resemble business operations or short-term day trading, the profits will be classified as gross income and taxed at marginal rates ranging from 18% to 45%. If crypto assets are held as long-term investments, gains from disposal are subject to capital gains tax, with effective personal tax rates ranging from 18% to 36%. The draft also treats exchanges between different crypto assets as barter transactions, with tax consequences arising immediately at the time of the exchange based on local market value. SARS stated that it has deployed a Crypto Revenue Augmentation Unit to track and audit digital wallets and urged taxpayers who have not previously disclosed their crypto earnings to complete their filings through a voluntary disclosure program to avoid administrative penalties following stricter enforcement after the August deadline. (Bitcoin.com News).
the Central Bank of Brazil stated during a hearing at the Congressional Economic Development Committee that stablecoins should be treated as electronic currency instruments, not digital assets. Fábio Araújo, an advisor to the Financial System Regulation Department of the Central Bank of Brazil, stated that digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum possess characteristics such as scarcity, transferability, and verifiability. Stablecoins, however, are different and should be understood as monetary instruments when they exhibit features of a means of payment. The Brazilian Congress is preparing to deliberate Bill No. 4308/2024, proposed by Congressman Aureo Ribeiro in 2024, to clarify rules for stablecoins. The Brazilian crypto economy association Abcripto opposes this classification. Its members include Binance, Coinbase, Fireblocks, Visa, Tether, OKX, and Ripio. Abcripto stated that this classification will lead to regulatory conflicts, affect stablecoin adoption among both institutional and retail users in Brazil, and hinder virtual asset service providers. The Central Bank of Brazil also recently issued a new resolution, elevating its supervision of virtual asset service providers to the same level as securities institutions. (Bitcoin.com News).
Odaily Planet Daily reported that Alex Thorn, Head of Research at Galaxy Digital, stated in a research report on July 3rd that Strategy should explore generating income from its BTC holdings rather than directly selling spot BTC. Strategy previously launched the five-part Digital Credit Capital Framework, which includes a dollar reserve policy, a revised STRC dividend policy, a $1 billion preferred stock repurchase authorization, a $1 billion MSTR stock repurchase authorization, and a BTC monetization plan, while raising the annual STRC dividend rate from 11.5% to 12%. Strategy currently holds 847,363 BTC and has raised over $1 billion through common stock sales, extending its cash coverage period to approximately 17 months. Thorn stated that Strategy could allocate a small portion of its BTC for conservative lending or options strategies, generating income while retaining most of the upside exposure. Strategy still faces preferred stock obligations and $6.7 billion in outstanding convertible debt maturing between 2027 and 2028. (Bitcoin.com News).
the Central Bank of Brazil has issued Resolution No. 580/2026, classifying companies providing virtual asset services and their controlling groups as Type 3 institutions, subjecting them to the same requirements as securities brokers, securities distributors, and foreign exchange brokers. Starting January 1, 2027, relevant institutions must comply with prudential requirements such as risk management rules, capital requirements, and information disclosure policies. By June 30, 2028, VASPs will be placed under Segment 4 regardless of their size and will not be eligible for the simplified compliance regime of Segment 5 for low-risk institutions. (Bitcoin.com News).