News linked to both this project and an event.
Robinhood has announced the official launch of the public mainnet for its proprietary Layer 2 network, Robinhood Chain. Built on the Arbitrum technology stack, the chain is positioned as an institution-grade, permissionless, AI-native network specifically designed for Real World Assets (RWA).Robinhood Chain's launch partners include Uniswap, Pleiades, Alchemy, BitGo, and Chainlink. Among them, Uniswap will deploy a dedicated AMM on the chain as the primary public liquidity protocol, while Pleiades will deploy its own AMM as the primary proprietary trading venue. The chain will also offer basic DeFi functionalities such as lending.Eligible users can trade tokenized stocks 24/7 on Robinhood Chain. Simultaneously, Robinhood Earn will introduce USDG-based decentralized lending products within the main app. In certain jurisdictions, the new version of Robinhood Wallet will also support access to Lighter's perpetual contract trading.Robinhood also announced the expansion of its European perpetual contract product range, its official entry into the Canadian market, and the acquisition of a Singapore Capital Markets Services license. Furthermore, Agentic Accounts for crypto trading are planned to begin rolling out in the US soon, allowing AI agents to participate in trading and fund management.Robinhood stated that this update represents its most ambitious global expansion and product vision to date, with the goal of establishing a more direct connection between traditional finance and DeFi, integrating stocks, crypto, RWA, perpetual contracts, and AI trading into a unified financial experience. (The Block)
According to The Block, the Legislative Yuan of Taiwan, China passed the "Virtual Asset Service Act" on July 1 upon third reading. The bill has been submitted to Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te for signature, and the implementation date is expected to be announced within 10 days. The core points of the bill are as follows: • Licensing Requirements: Virtual asset service providers must apply for permission from the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC). Platforms that have completed AML registration have a 12-month application period and a 21-month approval period. • Stablecoin Regulation: Issuing or managing stablecoins requires dual approval from both the Central Bank and the FSC, and sufficient reserves must be maintained. • Compliance Requirements: Covering aspects such as cybersecurity, segregation of customer assets, and internal controls. • Criminal Penalties: Illegal operation carries a maximum sentence of 7 years imprisonment and a fine of up to NTD 100 million (approximately USD 3.14 million); crypto market manipulation carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to NTD 200 million (approximately USD 6.28 million). Industry insiders noted that crypto businesses previously operating in legal gray areas will no longer be able to rely on regulatory ambiguity. Traditional financial institutions will also be allowed to apply for VASP licenses in the future, and existing crypto businesses may face more intense competitive pressure.
the U.S. SEC stated on Tuesday that it is publicly seeking comments on the regulatory approach for "novel ETFs," evaluating whether existing fund registration and listing processes need adjustments. This review comes amid the rapid expansion of crypto ETFs and an increase in applications for prediction market-related ETFs.SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said the regulator wants to hear market opinions to ensure that the U.S. ETF market can effectively serve investors while continuing to grow and innovate. Since Atkins took over as SEC Chairman in April 2025, the SEC has approved multiple crypto ETFs beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum, including products tracking assets like SOL and DOGE.Currently, market attention is shifting towards prediction market ETFs linked to political and economic outcomes. The SEC has not yet approved such funds for listing and trading and has delayed several related applications. Atkins previously stated that the SEC will evaluate these products in a "transparent and prudent" manner.In this request for comment, the SEC is asking whether a standardized listing framework should be established for ETFs meeting specific criteria and whether certain novel ETFs need to register as investment companies. TD Cowen analysts believe that this request for comment could potentially lead to rule changes as early as 2027, allowing the SEC to permit a wider range of ETF types, including products based on event contracts, crypto assets, and single-stock strategies. (The Block)
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seeking public comments on "novel ETFs" to evaluate its regulatory framework and market rule design. In the document, the SEC noted its ongoing attention to market interest in a variety of innovative products, including funds related to crypto assets, investment opportunities based on blockchain technology, and novel financial derivatives such as "event contracts."This request for comments is seen as a further proactive exploration by the SEC regarding the boundaries of ETF regulation. Particularly against the backdrop of sustained growth in demand for crypto ETFs, on-chain asset exposure products, and structured derivatives, regulators are attempting to find a new balance between innovation and risk control. (The Block)
According to The Block, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) officially released the final draft of the comprehensive crypto regulatory framework on Tuesday, covering prudential capital requirements, market abuse control, and stablecoin standards. The mandatory authorization regime will officially take effect on October 25, 2027. The framework applies to crypto trading platforms, custodians, stablecoin issuers, lending and staking service providers, as well as some DeFi entities with identifiable controlling entities. Market abuse rules cover insider trading and market manipulation. Stablecoin issuers must meet requirements for reserve backing, safeguarding of funds, and redemption disclosures, with the capital ratio reduced from 2% to 1%. The FCA will open the authorization application window from September 30, 2026 to February 28, 2027, and will provide pre-application support meetings starting from July this year. Existing anti-money laundering registration status will not be automatically converted, and relevant institutions must reapply for authorization. FCA Executive Director David Geale stated that the framework aims to provide regulatory certainty for the industry while preserving room for innovation.
According to The Block, JPMorgan Chase Co-Head of Global Payments Umar Farooq and CEO of Digital Assets and Blockchain Solutions Peter Muriungi jointly published an article calling for the United States to establish a comprehensive digital asset regulatory framework as soon as possible. The two executives did not directly name the Clarity Act but clearly opposed the legalization of yield-bearing stablecoins, warning they could evolve into "shadow banking," triggering bank run risks and undermining financial stability. The article emphasized that stablecoins should adhere to the same regulatory standards as traditional deposit products, and digital asset innovation should advance within the existing securities and banking rules framework.
Binance founder CZ stated that the company's MiCA license application in Greece fully met regulatory requirements before its withdrawal and was close to approval. However, the process was ultimately disrupted due to the intervention of "external political factors."In an interview, CZ mentioned that several countries within the EU had expressed interest in the license, with some even showing a degree of "competitive pursuit." Ultimately, the regulatory progress was affected by factors outside the regulatory sphere, forcing the withdrawal of the application. Binance formally withdrew its Greek application last week and stated it would pursue MiCA authorization in other EU member states. Addressing market rumors linking him to high-level EU political figures, CZ said he had not seen any verifiable documents and had only encountered similar claims online, which he could not confirm.CZ also noted that the MiCA transitional period in the EU is set to end on July 1st. After that date, platforms without a license must cease related services. National regulatory bodies have made it clear there will be no extensions. He described the outcome as a "lose-lose situation" and, citing the regulatory histories of Japan and Singapore, emphasized that compliance processes often require a longer cycle.Furthermore, when discussing Strategy's STRC preferred stock product, CZ described its structure as "too complex" and said he found it difficult to fully understand its mechanism. However, he stressed that he was not making a judgment on the credibility of its founder, Michael Saylor, whom he considers a "staunch Bitcoin supporter." (The Block)
blockchain IP project Story Protocol has announced its transition into the DATA Foundation, shifting its core focus from general intellectual property (IP) infrastructure to an AI training data network. This move addresses the rapidly growing demand for "licensable and traceable training data."Alongside this transition, the project launched a new product called Trace. As an on-chain AI training data registration and auditing system, Trace generates verifiable on-chain "contribution certificates" for each piece of data. These certificates record the source, licensing terms, user consent, and payment information, helping AI model trainers confirm data compliance and traceability. (The Block)
According to The Block, South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission fined cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb 210 million Korean won (approximately USD 136,000) for transferring users’ personal information to overseas platforms without obtaining adequate user consent.
According to The Block, Ripple’s USD-pegged stablecoin RLUSD has received regulatory approval from Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) and has officially launched in Japan, classified as a “new type of electronic payment instrument” under the Payment Services Act. The stablecoin is available to institutional and retail users via SBI VC Trade, the cryptocurrency platform operated by Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings.
According to Odaily, within the ten days leading up to the World Cup, Polymarket's soccer category trading volume exceeded $2 billion, a 300% increase compared to the previous ten days. The average daily trading volume rose from $53 million before the tournament to approximately $220 million. Meanwhile, last Thursday, Kalshi's open interest reached a record $1.16 billion, surpassing the $1 billion mark for the first time and growing 350% since the beginning of the year.Although Polymarket's open interest levels remained relatively stable during the World Cup, the open interest on Polymarket's U.S. branch only saw moderate growth, failing to reach the highs from April 2026. Kalshi's open interest has grown faster than its trading volume, indicating that its user base holds positions for longer periods and has established larger directional positions. Its CFTC-regulated channel and direct USD deposit gateway have attracted U.S. institutions and high-net-worth dollar investors. (The Block)
this week that Kalshi has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Governor JB Pritzker, and other state officials.Kalshi stated that the state's budget bill, SB3019, which requires prediction market platforms to obtain state-level licenses and is set to take effect on July 1, conflicts with the federal preemption provision of the Commodity Exchange Act, putting it in a position of either violating federal or state law. According to Kalshi, if it ceases to offer sports event contracts in Illinois to comply with the bill, it would violate the uniformity requirements of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and harm its business interests. Kalshi has requested the court to grant a temporary restraining order, a preliminary injunction, and a permanent injunction to prevent Illinois from enforcing the law. (The Block)
Ink, an Ethereum Layer 2 network incubated by Kraken, has reached a multi-year infrastructure agreement with Optimism, upgrading to OP Enterprise Fully Managed.Under the agreement, Optimism will be responsible for running Ink's production infrastructure, while the Ink Foundation will focus on ecosystem growth and new financial products. Additionally, Ink will serve as a deep design partner for OP Enterprise, jointly advancing roadmap plans including programmable block construction, one-day Ethereum withdrawals, and sequencer-level compliance tools.Currently, applications built on the Ink network generate nearly $40 million in annual revenue. This partnership makes Ink another exchange-related blockchain network to join the fully managed layer service, following Bitpanda's Vision Chain. (The Block)
According to The Block, four major U.S. law enforcement organizations—the National District Attorneys Association, the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Sheriffs’ Association—jointly wrote to the Department of Justice and the White House, warning that Section 604 of the “Clarity Act” (i.e., the “Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act”) contains regulatory loopholes. This provision offers a “safe harbor” exemption for non-custodial developers; law enforcement agencies contend that it could shield individuals or entities assisting in the transfer of crypto assets, hinder investigations and prosecutions of crypto-related crimes, and weaken the existing anti-money laundering framework.
Odaily, the decentralized cross-chain liquidity protocol THORChain has resumed trading after being down for over five weeks following a May attack. Signing, swapping, liquidity provider operations, and redemptions have all been restored.On May 15, blockchain investigator ZachXBT and security firm PeckShield identified that the protocol had likely been exploited, prompting THORChain to halt trading. The vulnerability resulted in a loss of approximately $10.7 million from one of its six Asgard vaults, while the other five vaults were unaffected.THORChain stated that each vault has now been verified, and every key share has been cross-checked. Native Monero swaps are currently undergoing end-to-end testing and will be launched subsequently. (The Block)
Range, a stablecoin compliance startup, announced the completion of an $8.3 million Series A funding round, with participation from TX Ventures, SixThirty, Maven 11 Capital, Onigiri Capital, and others. The project's total funding to date has reached $11 million.Range provides a unified platform for companies operating both stablecoins and fiat currencies. Its core products include Unify, a real-time ledger system, and Protect, an on-chain transaction screening tool. Its clients include Circle, Solana Foundation, Stellar, Squads, and Jupiter, among others. The funds from this round will be used to expand the Unify and Protect products, grow the engineering and business development teams, and increase integrations and network coverage. (The Block)
stablecoin payment infrastructure company Trace Finance has completed a $32 million Series A funding round, led by CoinFund with participation from Coinbase Ventures and others. Trace Finance plans to use this round of financing to expand its business in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region and to advance more license applications. The company stated that it has processed over $10 billion in institutional cross-border transaction volume. (The Block)
CJ Hetherington, co-founder and CEO of prediction market platform Limitless Labs, stated that he does not believe the prediction market industry will see a single dominant monopoly player. He draws a parallel to the offshore perpetual contract market, where even leading platforms have never long-term held over 90% market share. Core trading volume in the derivatives market comes from market makers and high-frequency traders, who typically operate across multiple platforms to exploit spreads for arbitrage, structurally limiting market concentration.CJ Hetherington cited Binance’s perpetual contracts as an example, noting that its market share once approached 50% but was gradually diverted by other trading platforms, leading to a multi-platform coexistence pattern. He argues that prediction markets will follow a similar path rather than a "winner-takes-all" outcome.Hetherington pointed out that future industry distribution will primarily be conducted through brokers and futures commission merchants, with institutions like Robinhood, Interactive Brokers, and Charles Schwab competing in distribution. Fees and marketing will become the core of consumer-side competition. However, the U.S. regulatory framework is an "advantage rather than an obstacle" for the prediction market industry, as CFTC oversight helps reduce contract disputes, enhance transparency, and is also more suitable for institutional participation. (The Block)
Bitcoin continues to face pressure amid macroeconomic uncertainty and institutional wait-and-see sentiment, hovering around $64,500, down approximately 2% on the day. The market is awaiting the outcome of the Fed FOMC meeting, which will be chaired by Kevin Warsh for the first time, with widespread expectations that interest rates will remain unchanged in the 3.50%–3.75% range.Analysts point out that the focus of this meeting has shifted from "whether to cut rates" to "policy path and inflation signals." Current US inflation is believed to remain near three-year highs, with energy prices and geopolitical developments keeping the market cautious about the future policy direction.Pressure is also emerging simultaneously on the chain and institutional levels. Structural concerns surrounding Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) continue to escalate, with its preferred stock STRC falling to $91.79 on June 16, over 8% below its $100 par value, seen as a sign of weakening corporate Bitcoin buying power.Although spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows of approximately $10.1 million on June 16, with BlackRock's IBIT contributing the majority, the capital scale remains significantly lower than in previous periods, indicating limited buying momentum.Market research firms Bitfinex and QCP note that the recent Bitcoin rebound appears more like a "technical recovery driven by exhausted selling pressure" rather than being fueled by new demand. In the derivatives market, rising implied volatility in options and a skew towards put protection suggest traders are pricing in tail risks.In terms of price structure, Bitcoin is considered to be oscillating in the short term within the $60,000 to $68,000 range. If the Fed signals a hawkish stance or institutional buying weakens further, a pullback to the $62,000–$63,000 range is possible.Overall, the current market presents a combination of "macro wait-and-see, marginal institutional weakening, and heightened derivatives defense." The short-term direction still depends on FOMC policy signals and the potential return of ETF and corporate capital flows. (The Block)
Benchmark has maintained a "Buy" rating for Coinbase with a $270 price target, implying approximately 59.5% upside from its Tuesday closing price of $169.27. The firm noted that Coinbase's latest "System Update" indicates it is accelerating its transformation from a crypto trading platform into an "everything exchange" that bridges traditional finance and the on-chain economy.Analyst Mark Palmer stated that this product update covers tokenized stocks, stock and crypto options, pre-IPO perpetual contracts, prediction markets, AI-driven investment tools, agent payment infrastructure, and retail financial products, signaling the continuous expansion of its business boundaries.Key progress highlighted by Benchmark also includes: the U.S. CFTC's approval for it to operate as a regulated Futures Commission Merchant (FCM), global derivatives capabilities obtained through the acquisition of Deribit, and integrating crypto perpetuals and options into a compliant framework, thereby achieving cross-market liquidity consolidation.Furthermore, the company's strategic moves in the Base ecosystem, prediction markets, and AI agent payments are also seen as key signals of its evolution from "spot crypto trading" to a comprehensive on-chain financial infrastructure. (The Block)