News linked to both this project and an event.
blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis Government Solutions filed a bid protest with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on July 27, opposing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) decision to award a contract worth approximately $94.6 million to competitor TRM Labs on a sole-source basis. The contract, covering the period from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, involves blockchain forensics software and support services for Homeland Security task forces investigating fraud, cybercrime, and sextortion cases. Chainalysis argues that ICE's decision was arbitrary and unreasonable. TRM Labs joined the case as an intervenor-defendant on July 28, defending the contract alongside the U.S. government. The court has allowed Chainalysis to temporarily seal its complaint, with oral arguments scheduled for September 2. ICE stated that after approximately six days of market research, it determined that none of the eight responding companies could meet the requirements. (Decrypt)
According to the "BOK Issue Note" report released by the High Employment Research Team of the Bank of Korea Survey Bureau on the 18th, between June 2022 and June 2026, jobs for Korean youth (aged 15-29) decreased by a total of 285,000, of which 268,000 (94%) were concentrated in AI high-exposure industries, involving fields such as information services, publishing, computer programming, and professional services. Meanwhile, employment for the group aged 50 and above increased by 230,000, with 75.2% also coming from AI high-exposure industries. The report pointed out that after the release of ChatGPT, the average unemployment rate for university graduates rose to 7.0%, higher than the 5.4% for youth with associate degrees or below, whereas previously there was almost no difference between the two. The report suggested that policies should focus on building new career ladders to help youth accumulate experience and skills with AI assistance, rather than simply retaining entry-level positions.
Odaily News: Cryptocurrency exchange Binance plans to apply for a license from the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), with some services for UK residents expected to resume in 2027. The application is related to the upcoming new digital asset regulations in the UK. The FCA stated in June 2021 that Binance Markets Limited, a UK subsidiary of Binance, was not permitted to conduct regulated activities in the UK. In 2023, Binance announced it would halt new user registrations in response to UK financial promotion regulations. A Binance spokesperson said the company does not comment on speculation regarding potential license applications. Under the crypto regulatory framework published by the FCA in June, relevant firms can submit applications from September this year until February 28, 2027, with the regulatory regime officially taking effect on October 25, 2027. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News - The latest disclosure from 21Shares' Polkadot ETF (TDOT) shows that in Q2 2026, the fund sold DOT tokens to pay staking rewards, incurring approximately $4.52 in realized losses for every $1 in distributions generated.According to regulatory filings, TDOT sold 98,505 DOT in Q2, generating approximately $107,500 in cash to pay staking rewards to shareholders. However, due to the sharp decline in DOT's price, these sales confirmed approximately $485,600 in losses.Data shows that DOT fell approximately 34% in Q2 2026, with a cumulative decline of 76% over the 12 months ending June 30. Since TDOT shareholders receive USD-denominated distributions rather than DOT staking rewards directly, the fund must sell DOT to convert to cash payments, thereby locking in losses in a low-price environment. In Q2, TDOT paid shareholders approximately $0.14698 per share in distributions, but the fund's share price fell from $14.95 to $9.86 during the same period, a decline of roughly 34%. Staking yields did not offset the losses from the decline in asset prices. (Protos)
Odaily News According to reports from the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East, family offices of ultra-high-net-worth investors are significantly increasing their investments in SpaceX, with total exposure reaching approximately $3.8 billion. This shows that private wealth institutions are competing for investment opportunities in the rocket, satellite, and artificial intelligence company founded by Elon Musk.According to data compiled by Bloomberg based on regulatory filings (13F), as of the end of June, the family office of Nick Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, held a SpaceX investment position valued at approximately $1.8 billion.The report states that as SpaceX gains market attention following its initial public offering (IPO), more and more family offices are positioning themselves in the company through private market investment channels. Since SpaceX remains a high-valuation, scarce private technology asset, its equity opportunities have long been sought after by institutional investors and ultra-wealthy individuals.Investors value not only SpaceX's leading position in the commercial aerospace sector, but also its Starlink satellite internet business and its future potential in artificial intelligence infrastructure. As the AI wave prompts global capital to reassess the value of computing power, communications, and space infrastructure, SpaceX is gradually becoming an important investment target connecting the aerospace, satellite communications, and AI industries.However, due to the limited liquidity of SpaceX's private equity transactions and their high valuations, the large-scale bets by family offices also mean that investors are taking on higher long-term valuation and exit risks. (Bloomberg)
Odaily News: The Dutch Public Prosecution Service has sold cryptocurrencies seized from the bankrupt Dutch crypto platform Knaken, raising $2.5 million to repay creditors. Court-appointed bankruptcy administrator Carl Hamm stated that this amount is currently the sole source of funds in the bankruptcy estate. Knaken had offered Dutch users cryptocurrency trading and custody services through its app but failed to obtain the license required by the country's market regulator. The platform ceased operations in early June, and the Rotterdam court declared it bankrupt on July 16 after prosecutors sought liquidation on public interest grounds. Hamm estimates that customer funds totaled $12 million to $14 million and has notified approximately 6,300 customers to lower their expectations. A lawyer representing one client questioned whether prosecutors had the right to sell the relevant assets. Knaken founder Ronald J. disputed some of the investment figures and stated that the platform, operating as a broker, recorded all orders. (Decrypt)
Odaily Odaily News: In an operation codenamed "Lightning Strike," Hong Kong police arrested 14 men and 3 women aged between 20 and 54, including 13 Malaysians and 4 locals. They also raided 3 locations and seized HK$3.67 million in cash, believed to be criminal proceeds. The scam syndicate recruited Malaysians from overseas, arranging their flights and accommodation to come to Hong Kong as runners. They would pose as relatives of elderly victims, falsely claiming they had been arrested by police and demanding bail money, then arranging runners to collect the cash. Police investigations revealed that the syndicate collected a total of HK$4.67 million in fraudulent proceeds between June 4 and August 14. The case involves 22 victims, with reported losses totaling HK$2.47 million. On August 14, police arrested 5 individuals, including 2 local men, 2 local women, and 1 Malaysian man, all of whom are currently detained for investigation. Police also recovered HK$200,000 in fraudulent funds. Police stated that some foreign currency or virtual currency exchange shops were exploited by the syndicate to process or transfer fraudulent funds, and reminded these shops to verify customer backgrounds, transaction purposes, and fund sources, while also watching for abnormal cash and virtual currency transactions. Conspiracy to defraud carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. (HK01 NFT)
Odaily News: The French Finance Minister has confirmed that hackers breached the systems of the French Public Finance Directorate in late June and stole taxpayer data belonging to individuals and businesses. According to FrenchBreaches, a platform that tracks cyberattacks in France, this incident affects approximately 678,437 people, roughly 1% of France's population, though the exact number is still under investigation and has not been finalised.The compromised data reportedly includes sensitive information such as names, dates of birth, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, tax identification details, and income data. Among those affected, nearly 27,000 individuals had taxable income of at least €100,000, 386 exceeded €1 million, and another 8 surpassed €10 million.Reports indicate that the database has been listed for sale on dark web marketplaces for several thousand euros. The attacker, going by the name ZeroBytes, claims to have extracted the records using an internal search tool before being detected and having access cut off.The incident has raised concerns within the crypto industry, as France has seen a noticeable increase in "wrench attacks" targeting crypto holders in recent years. If high-income individuals' addresses and contact details are exposed, it could provide criminals with a more precise list of targets.
Gina Rinehart, Australia's first female billionaire, saw her investment company purchase approximately 8 million shares of SpaceX in the second quarter. As of June 30, the investment was valued at approximately $1.37 billion, making it the largest single holding in her portfolio.According to regulatory filings, Rinehart's increased position in SpaceX shares reached a value of $1.37 billion, accounting for a significant proportion of her overall portfolio. SpaceX remains a privately held company, with investors primarily gaining exposure through private equity transactions.In addition to SpaceX, Rinehart's investment vehicle also poured hundreds of millions of dollars into U.S. equity markets in the second quarter, further expanding its allocation to U.S. stocks. (Bloomberg)
Odaily News Since taking the helm of the Federal Reserve in May, Warsh has faced an exceptionally complex monetary policy dilemma. However, a string of recently released weak macroeconomic data could allow the Fed to maintain its wait-and-see stance for a longer period. The recent decline in inflation indicators has directly undermined the internal hawkish argument that "without rate hikes, inflation cannot be brought down." The U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday that the Producer Price Index (PPI) unexpectedly remained flat month-over-month in July. Data released the day before also showed that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded only a marginal increase in July after declining in June.When the Fed decided to hold rates unchanged last month, Cleveland Fed President Hammack was one of three policymakers who dissented. She reiterated publicly on Thursday: "I believe we need to act now because we need to bring inflation back down to the 2% target at a faster pace than the long-run downward path implied by current interest rate levels." While internal hawks apply pressure, political interference from the White House has never ceased. Trump continues to call for sharply lower interest rates and has publicly accused Warsh's "hostile" colleagues of obstructing the rate-cut process. Facing multi-sided games, Warsh has remained silent about his own plans, avoiding any form of forward guidance.In any case, the market continues to price in potential tightening. According to the CME Group's FedWatch tool, investors currently place a probability of more than 90% that the Fed will raise its policy rate by the end of the year. Caught between tolerating entrenched inflation and pushing up borrowing costs that could lead to rising unemployment, the Fed's next move remains a difficult balancing act.
According to The Block, the New York City Council has launched an investigation into four prediction market platforms—Kalshi, Polymarket, Coinbase, and Gemini Titan—alleging they employed "false, deceptive, or abusive" marketing tactics targeting young users. Among them, Polymarket was accused of paying social media creators to film videos placing fake bets on counterfeit websites, an incident first disclosed by The Wall Street Journal in June this year. Additionally, prediction market platforms face insider trading allegations; New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order in April prohibiting state government employees from using confidential government information to place bets on prediction markets.
Odaily News: Gurinder Singh Josan, Co-Chair of the UK Parliamentary Crypto and Digital Assets All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), along with Lord Vaizey of Didcot, has written to the CEOs of all major UK banks, demanding clarification on how they treat crypto and digital asset businesses. The letter raises six questions covering banks' current policies, whether they provide services to crypto businesses, related transaction restrictions and the factors determining them, and asks whether practices will be adjusted once the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulatory regime takes effect. The group noted that many crypto businesses struggle to open bank accounts in the UK, with some banks also restricting related payments. The letter stems from a parliamentary inquiry into banking service access launched on July 21, with written submissions open until August 31. A January survey by the UK Cryptoasset Business Council estimated that banks block or delay around 40% of transactions to crypto exchanges. HSBC, NatWest, Monzo, and Nationwide cap monthly transfers to crypto exchanges at between £5,000 and £10,000, while Starling and Chase UK prohibit such transfers altogether. UK Treasury Economic Secretary Lucy Rigby stated that the government does not want FCA-licensed firms to face banking restrictions solely because of their industry; the FCA completed related rules in June, with the regime becoming mandatory in October 2027. (Decrypt)
Odaily News, August 11 - Web3 security firm CertiK has released its report "Intel3D: PSAV and Brazil's New Security Standards." The report notes that as the deadline for authorization applications set by the Central Bank of Brazil (October 30 this year) approaches, local Virtual Asset Service Providers (PSAVs) are facing a wave of concentrated compliance adjustments. Independent third-party compliance and security certifications are also transitioning from industry best practices to critical requirements for market access. According to the report, CertiK has already begun conducting independent external audits in accordance with Central Bank of Brazil Normative Instruction No. 701.As one of the markets with the highest crypto adoption rates globally, the impact of Brazil's regulatory transformation may extend far beyond its domestic market. The report shows that Brazil currently ranks fifth globally in actual crypto adoption rates. Between June 2024 and June 2025, Brazil received $318.8 billion in on-chain asset value, accounting for nearly one-third of South America's on-chain activity during the same period. Stablecoins have become a critical infrastructure in the local digital asset market, representing approximately 80% of the trading volume in crypto asset transactions reported to Brazil's Federal Revenue Service.
According to Yonhap News, the phenomenon of "reverse Kimchi premium" in South Korea's virtual asset market has continued to intensify since the beginning of this year. According to monitoring by on-chain data platform CryptoQuant, the average Bitcoin Kimchi premium index in early August was -0.48%, and the Ethereum average was -0.49%, meaning domestic prices were lower than those on overseas exchanges. Of the 221 days this year, the number of days with a reverse Bitcoin Kimchi premium reached 123, marking the first time since CryptoQuant began tracking this data in July 2020 that it exceeded the number of days with a positive premium. The record for the longest consecutive streak was also recently broken—from June 20 to July 24 this year, a reverse premium was recorded for 35 consecutive days, surpassing the previous historical record of 23 days. Analysts noted that the continued expansion of the reverse Kimchi premium mainly stems from three factors: first, the South Korean stock market has continued to strengthen, attracting a large number of investors to shift away from the crypto market; second, tighter regulations have prevented new services such as derivatives from being launched, suppressing the inflow of new funds; third, the crypto asset taxation policy is about to be implemented, further depressing investment attractiveness.
Odaily News: UAE-based foundation Aqua1 Foundation purchased $100 million worth of governance tokens from decentralized finance project World Liberty Financial (WLFI) on June 26, marking the largest single publicly disclosed purchase of the token to date. The funds trace back to Chinese businessman Guren "Bobby" Zhou, with up to $75 million flowing to entities linked to the Trump family and World Liberty Financial co-founder Zach Witkoff. WLFI tokens confer governance and voting rights and do not represent equity in the company. Zhou was arrested in the UK in March 2021 on suspicion of money laundering, with UK law enforcement investigations still ongoing as of late July 2026. Two of his long-time employees were indicted in September 2025, one of whom has pleaded guilty, with trial scheduled for 2028. Zhou has not yet been formally charged. Zhou met with Eric Trump in Dubai to discuss the investment and described it as participation in the "Trump family's crypto project." The source of the $100 million Aqua1 used to purchase WLFI remains unclear, and public information does not indicate any direct link between these specific funds and money laundering activities. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: Tether's Q2 net operating profit was $1.5 billion, primarily derived from interest generated by its U.S. Treasury holdings and repurchase agreements. As of June 30, Tether's reserve buffer stood at $4.11 billion, with assets exceeding liabilities by the same amount. USDT's circulating supply increased by $446 million to $184.6 billion, accounting for over 60% of the global stablecoin market. DeFiLlama data shows the global stablecoin market size is approximately $307 billion, with Tether remaining one of the major holders of U.S. Treasury securities. Asset management firm BlackRock has launched two tokenized money market products aimed at stablecoin issuers to help meet reserve requirements under the U.S. GENIUS Act. One of the funds tokenizes shares of its existing Treasury liquidity strategy on Ethereum, while the other is an institutional-grade money market instrument designed to support multiple chains and automatically reinvest returns.
Odaily News The U.S. labor market has shown notable signs of cooling. Data shows that U.S. non-farm payrolls decreased by 23,000 in July, far below the market's previous expectation of an increase of 85,000, missing expectations by 108,000 — marking the third-largest monthly decline since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. Meanwhile, June's non-farm payroll figures were revised down by 37,000, further signaling a weakening trend in the labor market.Following the release of the employment data, market expectations for a September rate hike by the Federal Reserve quickly declined. Data indicates that the probability of a September rate hike dropped sharply from roughly 70% to 40%, prompting investors to reprice the future path of Fed policy. Analysts suggest that a lower probability of rate hikes typically benefits risk assets, but the underlying reasons — weakening economic growth and a softening labor market — could also heighten market risk aversion. At the same time, gold prices have surpassed $4,400, reflecting rising demand for safe-haven assets.For Bitcoin, the current market presents a dual impact: on one hand, a shift toward looser Fed policy could boost risk appetite, which is positive for crypto assets; on the other hand, continued deterioration in the labor market could limit upside potential for the market. The market will be watching next month's non-farm payroll data to see whether it further confirms the trend of slowing employment. If labor weakness persists, it could reinforce expectations of a Fed pivot toward easing — but it could also intensify concerns of an economic recession.
Odaily News: U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has asked the U.S. Department of Commerce to explain its policy toward the UAE, following the U.S. granting the UAE greater access to AI chip exports after UAE-linked entities invested in Trump-family-backed crypto project World Liberty Financial. In a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, it was mentioned that an Abu Dhabi entity invested $500 million in World Liberty Financial in January; another UAE-affiliated company used World Liberty's USD1 stablecoin to complete a $2 billion investment in crypto exchange Binance. The U.S. Department of Commerce previously reclassified the UAE as Country Group A:5, granting it greater access to license-free exports, including advanced chips. The department also stated it would "actively review" license applications involving exports of chips and servers to MGX, the UAE entity that completed the $2 billion Binance investment. Warren stated that the Commerce Department's actions raise significant questions about whether the president's crypto business interests could influence agency operations and national security. In June, several senators, including Warren, had already requested a hearing regarding the $500 million World Liberty Financial deal.
According to BeInCrypto, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit officially issued the mandate in the SBF case on August 4, marking the formal conclusion of Sam Bankman-Fried's appellate proceedings. The one-page order affirmed the original verdict without providing any new reasoning, leaving his 25-year prison sentence and approximately $11 billion forfeiture order unchanged. Previously, on June 12, the panel rejected SBF's appeals on all seven counts. In the opinion, Judge Parker noted that while SBF publicly assured customers, investors, and regulators of the safety of FTX funds, he misappropriated customer funds for real estate, political donations, and personal investments. Currently, SBF's only remaining judicial recourse is to petition for a writ of certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court within 90 days, but the Supreme Court's acceptance rate is extremely low. Additionally, SBF has separately submitted a clemency application to the Department of Justice, but Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ruben Gallego have jointly introduced a resolution opposing the granting of clemency to him.
Odaily News: Apple has limited the number of vulnerability reports a single researcher can submit at one time because its security team has received a large number of submissions generated by AI, many of which do not actually contain real flaws. Apple stated that researchers can request a higher limit at any time, and the company is also using AI internally to triage submissions.Bynario, a Milan-based cybersecurity startup, said it used OpenAI's ChatGPT to discover more than 50 vulnerabilities in the latest version of macOS within three weeks, including a privilege escalation chain that could give attackers full control of a Mac device.Bynario stated that it was unable to report this vulnerability because Apple had already rejected further submissions. Bynario CEO Alfredo Pesoli estimated the vulnerability's value on the criminal market at $100,000 to $200,000. Apple said it has reached out to the company and reviewed its work. In June, Apple added a submission cap and a 30-day cooldown period to its security portal. In a recent security update, Apple listed vulnerabilities discovered with the assistance of Anthropic and OpenAI software, with the number of fixes approximately five times that of a normal cycle. (Decrypt)