News linked to both this project and an event.
According to Cointelegraph, Robinhood is negotiating with crypto trading platform Crypto.com to expand its prediction market business, planning to integrate yes/no event contract products provided by Crypto.com. People familiar with the matter stated that both parties are still in the discussion phase, and specific cooperation arrangements have not yet been finalized. Robinhood launched prediction market services in March 2025, initially offering related products through Kalshi to comply with regulatory requirements of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and subsequently integrated ForecastEx and Rotella. Bernstein analysts recently raised the price target from $130 to $160 due to optimism regarding Robinhood's development in the prediction market and tokenized stock sectors, and predicted that prediction market business revenue could reach $1.7 billion in 2028. However, the U.S. prediction market industry currently still faces legal disputes between state and federal regulators.
OdailyOdaily reports that the European Union has further tightened restrictions on crypto assets concerning Belarus, prohibiting Belarusian citizens and residents from owning, controlling, or managing crypto service providers regulated under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation.According to Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/1847, adopted by the Council of the European Union on July 24, this measure is an extension of the EU's sanctions framework targeting Belarus's involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The new rules will take effect on July 24, with the expanded restrictions on the crypto industry slated for implementation from August 25.As defined by MiCA, the affected services include operating crypto trading platforms, exchanging crypto assets, executing and transmitting customer orders, crypto asset issuance services, asset transfer services, investment advisory, and portfolio management. These restrictions come as the MiCA transitional period ended on July 1. The EU had previously required unauthorized crypto firms to cease relevant operations or face regulatory enforcement.The EU stated that this expansion is part of its efforts to combat the use of crypto platforms to evade sanctions against Russia. Earlier, in its 21st round of sanctions against Russia, the EU had extended trading bans to 14 foreign crypto service platforms and established a mechanism to potentially prohibit transactions with any foreign crypto service providers deemed to be assisting Russia in sanctions evasion.Market participants point out that with the full implementation of the MiCA regulatory framework, the EU is further tightening its oversight of the crypto industry through licensing systems and sanction mechanisms. (Cointelegraph)
According to Cointelegraph, US Senate Republicans released the draft text of the "Digital Asset Market Transparency Act" (CLARITY Act) on Wednesday, which includes ethical clauses prohibiting all federal officials (including President Trump) from issuing or sponsoring digital assets. Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego strongly criticized this, calling the draft "not a serious effort," and stated he would collaborate with Republican Senator Thom Tillis and others to propose a counter-proposal. Republican Senator Bernie Moreno maintained that the draft contains "the strongest ethical language in US history."
According to Cointelegraph, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that legislators have entered the "final sprint" phase on the Clarity Act, urging Congress to pass the bill before recess.
According to Cointelegraph, Vietnam promulgated Decree No. 284/2026/NĐ-CP on July 16, officially establishing an administrative penalty framework for cryptocurrency violations, providing a legal basis for enforcement for the upcoming regulated crypto market. Under the decree, investors trading through unlicensed platforms face maximum fines of 50 million Vietnamese dong (approximately $1,900); unauthorized issuance of crypto assets and serious anti-money laundering (AML) violations face maximum fines of 200 million Vietnamese dong (approximately $7,700); authorities are also authorized to suspend relevant activities, revoke licenses, and confiscate assets. The decree will officially take effect on September 1. In terms of background, Vietnam opened applications for domestic crypto exchange licenses this January, and Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Duc Chi previously stated that the first batch of regulated activities is expected to launch in the third quarter.
According to Cointelegraph, blockchain company Consensys onboarded a software development consultant using the alias Tyler Knapp through a reputable third-party service provider earlier this year, and a subsequent investigation revealed ties to North Korea. The individual had access to certain company systems for approximately one month, and the incident led Consensys to temporarily halt product releases and launch an internal investigation.
Odaily Planet Daily reported that the District Court of Rotterdam, Netherlands, has declared the cryptocurrency trading platform Knaken Cryptohandel BV and its affiliated foundation bankrupt. Earlier, the public prosecutor's office stated that approximately 7 million euros (around 8 million US dollars) in client assets from the platform are unrecoverable. The court ruled on Thursday that since Knaken has suspended its platform services and restricted user access to accounts, initiating bankruptcy proceedings will facilitate an orderly liquidation of the company's assets. The court noted that the company's current assets are insufficient to fully repay user funds, and users also lack sufficient information to assess their own legal rights.The Dutch Public Prosecution Service filed the bankruptcy petition on June 30, having already launched a criminal investigation into the missing funds. The Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) also raided Knaken's offices in late June, seizing related equipment and assets.Knaken was founded in 2017, headquartered in Rotterdam, and ceased operations in early June this year. According to Dutch media NL Times, the company was not listed on the register of authorized crypto asset service providers maintained by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM).The AFM previously stated that after the Netherlands concluded the transition period for the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) on June 30, 2025, it has begun taking regulatory and enforcement actions against unauthorized crypto asset service providers. (Cointelegraph)
ARK Invest’s Head of Research, Lorenzo Valente, recently publicly refuted a16z Crypto’s assertion that “traditional finance needs blockchain, not DeFi,” arguing that financial institutions are more likely to be built on open DeFi infrastructure in the future. Public blockchains have already demonstrated their advantages over private blockchain solutions. The growth of tokenized assets on open networks like Ethereum highlights the stronger network effects and scalability potential of public blockchains.Lorenzo Valente pointed out that the builders of the next generation of financial infrastructure may not be traditional financial institutions, but rather crypto-native enterprises, such as Circle and Coinbase.Earlier, a16z Crypto presented a differing view, suggesting that traditional financial institutions are not truly embracing DeFi, but are selectively adopting blockchain technologies that meet their existing compliance, governance, and operational requirements. Banks and asset management firms will build “programmable financial infrastructure” in the future, leveraging core capabilities of blockchain like tokenization and atomic settlement, but while maintaining permissioned management and institutional control.Sentora co-founder Jesus Rodriguez also raised objections to a16z’s stance. He argued that financial institutions might eventually adopt the underlying DeFi infrastructure and layer compliance, custody, and enterprise-grade control mechanisms on top of it.With the rapid development of RWA tokenization, on-chain settlement, and institutional-grade financial applications, the debate over the future dominance of “open DeFi architecture” versus “permissioned blockchain systems” is intensifying. (Cointelegraph)
British fintech company Revolut announced that it has received in-principle approval from the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) to conduct crypto asset-related business in the UAE. The scope of Revolut’s approval includes brokerage and dealing, asset management and investment, as well as cryptocurrency trading services. Revolut stated that in the future, users in the UAE will be able to buy, sell, and hold digital assets through the Revolut App and the Revolut X trading platform. (Cointelegraph)
: The U.S. Department of the Treasury and HM Treasury have released recommendations from the Transatlantic Future Markets Working Group, covering stablecoin activities and tokenized finance. Both sides suggest that relevant agencies consider establishing private sector-led groups to test cross-border use cases for tokenized assets, and that U.S. financial institutions work with the Bank of England to determine a common approach to regulating tokenized assets. The U.S. and UK also issued a joint statement on stablecoins, stating their intention to promote regulatory coordination and build cross-border dynamic stablecoin markets. The statement also indicates that stablecoins should be fully backed by high-quality liquid assets at a minimum 1:1 ratio. Additionally, according to a report by an industry working group supported by the UK government, if the UK becomes a leading jurisdiction for tokenization, tokenization expands globally, and domestic adoption increases, tokenization could add up to $44 billion to the UK's annual economic output by 2035. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News: The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association stated on July 10 that it has submitted a letter to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee supporting the CLARITY Act, while calling for amendments to strengthen decentralized finance (DeFi) accountability and preserve investigators' existing powers. This bill has previously received support from the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, marking the second endorsement from a major U.S. law enforcement organization. (Cointelegraph).
the Bank of Thailand is strengthening stablecoin regulation to combat money laundering, illegal financing, and "grey capital" in the country. The central bank is collaborating with the Securities and Exchange Commission to review high-value stablecoin transactions, focusing on USDt (USDT), cash transactions, and foreign exchange dealings to identify and prevent illicit fund flows. Thailand will also expand the compliance responsibilities of commercial banks in areas such as cash networks, foreign exchange services, gold trading, and suspicious stablecoin transactions. In 2025, Thailand suffered losses of 115 billion Thai baht (approximately $3.4 billion) due to scams, recording about 173 million fraudulent calls and text messages. Cash deposits exceeding 5 million Thai baht will also require full disclosure. Bitkub, Thailand's largest exchange, processes a daily trading volume of approximately $26 million, nearly 40% of which is foreign exchange trading, with the USDT/THB trading pair being the most popular. In 2025, Thailand's banking sector froze 3 million bank accounts as part of efforts to crack down on nominee accounts, grey capital, and suspicious activities. (Cointelegraph).
Vitalik stated the biggest divide on AI is not about policy, but about whether superintelligence is imminent or just another technology. (Cointelegraph)
U.S. prosecutors have recently filed criminal charges against a man currently serving a prison sentence, accusing him of transferring and laundering approximately $290,000 in crypto assets that had been ordered confiscated by a court.According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bulgarian national Rossen Iossifov is charged with, in January 2024, conspiring with others to withdraw and transfer a batch of cryptocurrency assets from his Kraken-registered account that had previously been ordered forfeited by a federal court. Prosecutors allege that these funds were subsequently funneled through cryptocurrency mixing services and trading platforms in an attempt to conceal the source and destination of the funds before the U.S. government could complete the seizure.The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky stated that these crypto assets were held in a Kraken account under Iossifov's name and had been restricted by judicial authorities during the related investigation. The DOJ has not yet disclosed how the account was accessed or whether the involved funds have been recovered.Iossifov was previously convicted of conspiracy to commit extortion and conspiracy to commit money laundering for his involvement in an online auction fraud ring. Prosecutors allege that his cryptocurrency exchange platform, RG Coins, helped the criminal network convert illicit proceeds into cryptocurrencies and cash, with the network defrauding at least 900 U.S. victims. Previous investigations showed that Iossifov processed nearly $5 million in crypto asset money laundering transactions in less than three years.A court had previously ordered Iossifov to pay over $2.6 million in restitution and to forfeit the related crypto assets. The new charges include obstruction of property seizure, aiding and abetting, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 25 years in prison.The U.S. Department of Justice emphasized that the indictment represents only charges and that Iossifov is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. (Cointelegraph)
According to Cointelegraph, the European Parliament passed the "Chat Control 1.0" extension bill on July 10 local time, allowing tech companies to scan user messages to detect Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), with validity extended to 2028. Voting results showed 276 votes in favor and 314 against, but since blocking the bill required 361 votes, the bill was ultimately passed. Notably, the Parliament also passed an amendment explicitly excluding end-to-end encrypted communications from the scanning scope, seen as an interim victory for privacy advocates. The amended version of the bill will be submitted to the EU Council for deliberation, while negotiations on the permanent "Chat Control 2.0" bill are expected to restart in September.
According to Cointelegraph, crypto-friendly digital banking platform Revolut announced that it will cease support for USDT in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss markets by August 31, 2026, with other markets remaining unaffected. Revolut stated that this move stems from regular reviews of crypto services and risk considerations under the EU MiCA regulatory framework. Currently, Revolut has already removed USDT trading pairs for EEA users from its Revolut X trading platform. It is worth noting that Switzerland is not a member of the EU or EEA and is not directly bound by MiCA, yet Revolut has not provided an explanation for including Switzerland in the affected markets. This delisting decision aligns with the overall trend of crypto platforms in the EU—since Tether chose not to apply for authorization under the MiCA framework, multiple platforms have successively delisted USDT.
According to Cointelegraph, Telegram founder Pavel Durov was questioned by French investigators for more than six hours due to an ongoing criminal investigation. His lawyer stated that authorities do not yet possess evidence supporting the relevant charges.
Kraken has begun allowing eligible users to use select tokenized stocks and ETFs as collateral for futures and margin trading, enabling them to open leveraged positions without selling their existing holdings.The initial offering includes 10 tokenized stocks and ETFs, featuring Apple, Nvidia, Tesla, Strategy, SPDR S&P 500 ETF, and Invesco QQQ Trust. This feature is currently only available to eligible users outside the United States.Kraken has also set collateral limits for different assets, with a maximum collateral value of $1 million for large-cap ETFs, $250,000 for most individual stocks, and $100,000 for tokenized gold and Circle stock. The platform stated that collateral limits and haircut rates will be reviewed periodically and may be adjusted based on market conditions. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily Planet Daily reports that digital bank and fintech platform Revolut has notified some users that it will officially delist the dollar stablecoin Tether (USDT) after August 31, 2026, and will automatically convert users' remaining holdings into their base fiat currency at the exchange rate of that day.According to the official notice, Revolut will suspend USDT purchase services starting July 6, and will halt USDT deposits after July 30, at which point any incoming USDT transfers will be directly rejected.If users have not sold or withdrawn their USDT by the end of August, their holdings will be automatically converted by the system into the account's base currency. The company attributes this adjustment to "regulatory and risk-related considerations," but has not specified the exact regulatory framework triggering the move.This move reflects the trend of fintech platforms continuously tightening the scope of access to related assets amid the changing global regulatory environment for stablecoins. Previously, trading platforms including Coinbase have delisted USDT in the European market to comply with the EU's MiCA regulatory framework.Currently, Revolut has not clarified whether this policy applies to all regions, but the company has obtained an EU Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) license, indicating it is strengthening its compliance-oriented product structure adjustments. (Cointelegraph)
the Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), in a letter to U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott and Senator Elizabeth Warren, stated that after some of its concerns regarding Section 604 of the bill were addressed, it has shifted its stance on the CLARITY Act to "neutral." Section 604, concerning the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, aims to protect developers from liability for illegal activities conducted by users on their decentralized platforms. The MCSA had previously stated that Section 604 could provide loopholes for criminals to exploit, making it more difficult for law enforcement to investigate crypto-related crimes. The MCSA indicated that it still hopes the CLARITY Act will amend Section 309 to include state law enforcement agencies. This section requires the U.S. Treasury Department to study decentralized finance and illicit finance risks. (Cointelegraph).