The event underscores regional instability, potentially affecting Iran's internal dynamics and market perceptions of regime durability.

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The slight dip in mortgage rates may boost buyer confidence, potentially easing the housing market's stagnation and benefiting first-time buyers.

The post US mortgage rates fall for second straight week to 6.65% appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

The failed bond buyback highlights the limits of fiscal interventions amid soaring national debt and geopolitical tensions, risking market stability.

The post Dow falls 700 points as Treasury’s bond buyback plan fails to calm markets appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Invesco's fee cuts and capital commitments aim to stabilize investor confidence, but may strain revenue and highlight market volatility challenges.

The post Invesco cuts management fees by 20% for $13B real estate fund as redemption queue swells appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Stricter NAIC oversight on private credit ratings could stabilize insurers' portfolios, mitigating systemic risks and enhancing market integrity.

The post Moody’s urges tougher NAIC treatment for private credit ratings appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Bitcoin Magazine

Iranian Hacking Crew Charged in Sprawling Theft Case — Including $6M Bitcoin Ransom 

Feds have hit 17 Iranians with criminal charges for allegedly conducting a years-long campaign of cyber attacks — including trying to extort HBO for $6 million in bitcoin.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that the 17 individuals were working with the Mabna Institute, which carried out hacking campaigns on ​behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian ​government and university clients.

Hundreds of U.S. and ⁠international universities, dozens of companies, and at least five ​state and federal government agencies were targeted in the campaign. 

Part of the indictment mentioned Behzad Mesri, who was previously charged with hacking entertainment giant Home Box Office — HBO — and stealing proprietary data. The crime then saw Mesri try and extort approximately $6 million worth of Bitcoin. 

Prosecutors added that five other defendants — Saeid Houshyar, Manouchehr Hashemloo, Keyvan Fayaz, Saber Shahbazi Ballojeh, and Arman Kahzadian — were directly involved in the hack. 

The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program is now offering up to $10 million for information on the location of the defendants. 

“Today’s charges, which include eight additional defendants, reveal the broader network allegedly behind a sweeping, state-sponsored campaign to steal research and intellectual property from American universities, businesses, and government institutions,” U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York said in a statement. 

Founded around 2013 by Gholamreza Rafatnejad and Ehsan Mohammadi, the Mabna Institute allegedly worked at the behest of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian clients. 

The stolen research didn’t just go to Tehran’s intelligence services. Prosecutors say it was resold through two websites, Megapaper.ir and Gigapaper.ir, the latter renting out hijacked professor logins so Iranian customers could walk straight into foreign university libraries. 

U.S. institutions had spent some $3.4 billion acquiring the material in the first place. Separate victims racked up more than $20 million cleaning up the breaches.

This post Iranian Hacking Crew Charged in Sprawling Theft Case — Including $6M Bitcoin Ransom  first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin ETFs Add Over $1B as Investor Sentiment Turns Bullish

Bitcoin exchange-traded funds have taken in over $1 billion in fresh cash over the past three days, helping propel the leading cryptocurrency to nearly $73,000. 

Just on Wednesday, investors bought over $500 million worth of shares in the funds managed by BlackRock, Fidelity, and Grayscale, according to data from Farside Investors. 

Bitcoin’s price has surged this week, and on Thursday reached $72,659 before dropping slightly. It was recently priced at $72,606, a 10% 24-hour rise. Bitcoin is currently a little over 40% below its October record of $126,080. 

President Trump on Wednesday held a meeting at the White House with crypto executives like Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, as well as regulators like Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins. 

At a press conference after, the president said that the Clarity Act was a “very, very powerful” piece of legislation and urged lawmakers to pass it. 

The crypto market structure bill was passed by the House of Representatives last year but has largely remained in deadlock this year. Some lawmakers were hoping for a vote in August but that will now go ahead in September. 

Crypto businesses have long called for clear rules in the industry; the Clarity Act aims to establish a framework for distinguishing between digital assets that are securities, commodities or payment stablecoins. 

The lion’s share of this week’s investment has been taken in by BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, which has received $588.5 million since Monday. 

Other funds, like Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin Trust, also experienced significant trading action. The flurry of buying comes after investors last week cashed out over $385 million from the U.S. funds after tensions in the Middle East started to escalate again. The price then mostly remained flat, despite the ETF redemptions. 

Investors may be feeling bullish after the Treasury Department announcing on Wednesday that it would more than double the size of its government debt repurchases. 

Lower long-term yields reduces the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets like bitcoin and gold, and generally supports risk-on sentiment. Both soared as the dollar weakened following the announcement. 

This post Bitcoin ETFs Add Over $1B as Investor Sentiment Turns Bullish first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

Bitcoin Magazine

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Says Bitcoin Will Likely Hit $400,000 By 2030 

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has said that it’s “very likely” Bitcoin will hit between $300,000 to $400,000 by 2030. 

Speaking on Fox Business Network’s Varney & Co. show Thursday, the crypto entrepreneur also said that the U.S. was moving in the right direction with crypto legislation following a meeting at the White House. 

President Donald Trump on Wednesday hosted crypto executives and traditional finance bigwigs at the White House and urged for lawmakers to move forward with the Clarity Act. Bitcoin surged following the news and was recently up 10% over the past day after blowing past $72,000 per coin. 

“I think over the next couple of years — if I say 2030 — I think it’s very likely we’ll see $300,000 and $400,000 Bitcoin and we’ll see how it goes,” Armstrong said. 

He added: “Just yesterday, we had this meeting with the president and the top regulators at the SEC and CFTC and that was the big topic of conversation — there was a big sense of urgency from this administration: let’s get Clarity done, let’s get it over the line.”

A number of lawmakers were hoping to vote on the Clarity Act in August but after a delay, a vote will now go ahead in September. 

The long-awaited bill will establish a framework for distinguishing between digital assets that are securities, commodities or payment stablecoins — legislation that the crypto industry has long called for. 

Trump on Wednesday called for lawmakers to get the bill over the line, calling it a “very, very powerful” piece of legislation. 

The Clarity Act has been in deadlock for much of 2026 as the banking lobby clashed with crypto executives over the topic of stablecoin yield. Some banks warned that they could lose their deposit base if crypto companies pay their clients too generous rewards on the stablecoins they hold. 

But Armstrong shrugged off concerns banks may have, and said that a number of banks had praised the legislation. 

“There’s actually a number of banks who’ve come out and endorsed the Clarity Act,” he said. “Most banks recognize that it gives them new powers that allow them to grow their business with this new technology, which is great. There’s still a few holdout banks, I would say, that are against it.”

The above video and transcripts are courtesy of FOX Business Network’s Varney & Co.

This post Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Says Bitcoin Will Likely Hit $400,000 By 2030  first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Rockets Past $72,000 After Trump Pushes For Clarity Act 

Bitcoin’s price surged further on Thursday, blowing past $72,000 the day after President Trump held a meeting with crypto executives and urged lawmakers to get the long-awaited Clarity Act over the line. 

The leading cryptocurrency was trading for $71,758 at 8am in New York, after jumping nearly 12% over a 24-hour period. It touched as high as $72,344 earlier in the day. 

Bitcoin was last trading this high at the beginning of June. The coin has spent most of July and August priced under $65,000. 

The surge comes after President Trump held a meeting at the White House with crypto bigwigs, including Kraken and Coinbase CEOs, where he said that getting the Clarity Act over the line would keep the U.S. ahead of China.  

“Now we need Congress to take the next step by passing the Clarity Act — a fair version of the Clarity Act — and this landmark structure legislation,” he said at a Wednesday press conference, and even hinted that the U.S. may be open to accumulating bitcoin. 

“It’s taken a lot of pressure off the dollar, it’s been very, very good for the dollar, and I think if [regulators] came in with recommendations, I would certainly listen,” Trump added when asked about adding to the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. 

A number of lawmakers were hoping to vote on the Clarity Act in August but after a delay, a vote will now go ahead in September. 

The bill will establish a framework for distinguishing between digital assets that are securities, commodities or payment stablecoins — legislation that the crypto industry has long called for. 

Bitcoin’s price has also benefited from the Treasury Department announcing on Wednesday that it would more than double the size of its government debt repurchases. 

Lower long-term yields reduces the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets like bitcoin and gold, and generally supports risk-on sentiment. Both soared as the dollar weakened following the announcement. 

Bitcoin’s price has suffered in 2026 despite notching a new all-time high of $126,080 in October. Geopolitical headwinds, including the U.S.-Iran war, rising oil prices and a Federal Reserve reluctant to lower interest rates have all weighed on the coin’s price. 

This post Bitcoin Rockets Past $72,000 After Trump Pushes For Clarity Act  first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

Bitcoin Magazine

Trump Urges Senate to Pass Crypto’s CLARITY Act, Teases More Bitcoin Buys

U.S. President Donald Trump urged lawmakers to pass the Clarity Act on Wednesday — and also hinted that the government may accumulate more bitcoin. 

After gathering with crypto executives at the White House, President Trump said that getting the Clarity Act over the line would keep the U.S. ahead of China. 

Lawmakers were hoping to get a vote on the crypto market structure bill, or Clarity Act, in August. A vote will now go ahead in September. The bill will establish a framework for distinguishing between digital assets that are securities, commodities or payment stablecoins. 

“We’re ensuring that America remains the undisputed leader in not only Bitcoin and crypto, but also technologies like prediction markets, artificial intelligence and much more,” President Trump said. 

He added: “Now we need Congress to take the next step by passing the Clarity Act — a fair version of the Clarity Act — and this landmark structure legislation. It’s a very, very powerful structured legislation which will keep us ahead of China, and keep us ahead of everyone else.”

When asked if the U.S. government would be accumulating bitcoin, President Trump said: “It’s been talked about — it’s taken a lot of pressure off the dollar, it’s been very, very good for the dollar, and I think if [regulators] came in with recommendations, I would certainly listen.”

President Trump signed an executive order to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve last year. The order states that the U.S. cannot sell any of the bitcoin it has, most of which has been seized in law enforcement operations. But the EO does not commit to buying the asset. 

Nevertheless, the president has recently spoken highly of bitcoin: Just last week, Trump said in an interview with Punchbowl News that “you see people paying with bitcoin and they don’t even know about cash anymore.”

Despite being passed by the House of Representatives last year, the Clarity Act has been in a deadlock for most of this year after the banking lobby clashed with lawmakers and crypto businesses over whether platforms like Coinbase should be able to pay customers yield. 

Some lawmakers have sought to change wording in the bill regarding ethics. A new bill started circulating in July, banning government officials from promoting and making money from crypto. 

Other lawmakers said it still fell short, and a number of pro-crypto Republicans accused Democrats of deliberately playing politics and delaying the bill. 

This post Trump Urges Senate to Pass Crypto’s CLARITY Act, Teases More Bitcoin Buys first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

Antalpha’s facilitated loan book shrank by $696 million in the second quarter as losses on tokenized gold holdings at its subsidiary, Aurelion, pushed the digital asset financing group into the red.

According to the firm's filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), its total loan book fell 34% to $1.35 billion as of June 30, from $2.05 billion a year earlier and $1.71 billion at the end of March.

As a result, the company's revenue fell 28% to $12.2 million, while net income attributable to Antalpha swung to a $12.5 million loss from a $700,000 profit.

Meanwhile, the lending contraction spread across both sides of Antalpha’s business. The firm said its supply-chain loan TVL fell 46% to $384 million, while margin-loan TVL dropped 27% to $969 million.

Indeed, Galaxy Digital had pointed out that the broader crypto lending market had contracted for a third straight quarter to $56.16 billion. This is 40.13% lower than the 2025 third quarter record high of $78.69 billion.

Antalpha attributed its market decline to lower financing activity and more selective capital deployment rather than credit deterioration, saying it has recorded no principal loss since inception.

Meanwhile, the firm suggests the revenue slowdown may extend into the third quarter.

Antalpha expects third-quarter revenue of $10 million to $12 million, below the $12.2 million reported in the second quarter, despite assuming continued solid demand for crypto-collateralized financing and broadly unchanged market conditions.

Aurelion drove Antalpha's losses

The sharper earnings hit came from Aurelion, which Antalpha has consolidated since taking control in October 2025. Aurelion is Antalpha’s controlled tokenized-gold subsidiary that trades publicly under the ticker AURE.

According to the filing, Aurelion recorded about $22.3 million in fair-value losses tied to its XAUt and XAUE tokenized-gold holdings, driving most of Antalpha’s $25.1 million operating loss. Roughly $21.2 million of the gold-related hit was unrealized, while about $1.1 million was realized.

Antalpha said the consolidated figures obscure the performance of its core Antalpha Prime financing platform, which remained operationally profitable on a non-GAAP basis.

Chief Financial Officer Paul Liang said the company plans to continue deploying capital selectively while investing in higher-return adjacent businesses. He added:

“We believe that disciplined operations and risk management are the foundation for creating long-term shareholder value. As such, we will deploy capital selectively, enhance our financing platform, and advance high ROI complementary capabilities such as our tokenized gold platform and Web3 AI agent, Nina.”

Already, Antalpha is positioning Aurelion as more than a vehicle for holding tokenized gold. Aurelion's Chief Executive Officer Frank Zheng said the company is transforming into a risk-control and technology layer for on-chain gold, aiming to generate recurring, technology-driven revenue.

XAUt is issued by Tether, which is also a major Antalpha shareholder. Tether also issues the largest stablecoin by market capitalization, USDT.

Tether-related entities beneficially owned 1.95 million Antalpha shares, representing about 8.1% of the company, according to a June regulatory filing. The stablecoin issuer also owns 21.5% of Aurelion Class A shares.

The post Tether-backed Antalpha’s loan TVL declined $696 million as its gold bet returned a $22 million loss appeared first on CryptoSlate.

MAYAChain's attacker moved about $1.36 million in hard assets to external chains, while the estimated impact across the network's liquidity pools approached $11 million.

The $1.36 million figure tracks assets that left the system, including roughly 20.83 BTC. The larger estimate captures a cascade inside the pools: false accounting created a huge CACAO balance, that balance became withdrawable, and CACAO's subsequent collapse repriced the network's remaining liquidity.

Maya Protocol operates MAYAChain as a cross-chain liquidity network where users trade against pooled assets. Its CACAO token connects those markets, which allowed a failure that began in one pool to spread through the value recorded elsewhere.

Founder Aaluxx said on Aug. 18 that the team would fix the incident and “recover in full.” As of the Aug. 20 reporting cutoff, Maya's official channels had not yet published a confirmed swap restart, the patch deployed on mainnet, an asset-recovery total, a final loss allocation, or comprehensive compensation terms for liquidity providers.

How an unfunded balance became withdrawable

The exploit turned an accounting entry that the reserve could never fund into a liquidity position the attacker could use.

Independent researcher Vini Barbosa traced most of the activity to one MsgDeposit transaction containing 23 messages. In his reconstruction, the final DONATE message overwrote earlier ObservedTxVoter state, including the outbound height used to match transactions.

That wrong height made MAYAChain classify legitimate outbound transfers as missing. The classification activated theft-detection logic designed to compensate a pool after a missing transfer.

The compensation path then calculated a subsidy for a near-empty ARB pool without bounding the amount to the pool's depth. Barbosa said the calculation recorded roughly 49.45 million CACAO of value even though the reserve held only about 168,000 CACAO.

The reserve lacked enough tokens to complete the module transfer, but the new pool state had already been committed. According to Barbosa, the handler continued after the failed transfer and left the inflated balance in place.

The attacker added a negligible amount of liquidity to the distorted pool and received about 99.93% of its ownership units, enabling a withdrawal of roughly 48.87 million CACAO.

The overwritten height produced false theft detection, the false signal generated an excessive subsidy, the failed subsidy survived in pool records, and the recorded balance then supported a dominant liquidity claim.

Barbosa's reconstruction attributes the exploit to that combined path. He put hard assets moved to external chains at about $1.36 million, led by 20.83 BTC. His estimate for the network-wide impact was close to $11 million.

The token fell from about $0.115 to $0.013 during the incident, an 88.7% drop.

CACAO represents one side of MAYAChain's paired liquidity pools. A sharp decline in its dollar price reduces the measured value of CACAO inventory across the system, even when those tokens remain inside a pool.

The exploit-created balance and trades executed against distorted pool prices added another layer of pool impact.

The original attacker's external haul and the value lost across the pools are separate measures. One follows assets sent out of MAYAChain, while the other captures how an accounting failure changed the value and composition of liquidity that remained available to providers.

Maya had yet to publish a final ledger dividing the total among hard-asset extraction, CACAO repricing, and trades made during the dislocation. The scale and direction of the multiplier are clear, while an exact dollar allocation for each category remains pending.

For liquidity providers, that distinction determines what recovery would require. Replacing 20.83 BTC would restore one set of assets, while pool accounting, CACAO valuation, and the allocation of trading losses would still need their own treatment.

What “recover in full” has to cover

A full recovery has at least three parts: returning or replacing hard assets, repairing pool balances, and defining how the remaining impact is allocated among liquidity providers and other participants.

Maya's network-halt documentation says HALTTRADING stops trading while MAYAChain can continue producing blocks. Chain liveness shows that consensus is running, but swap availability depends on the trading controls.

By Aug. 20, Maya's public channels had yet to supply the confirmed restart time, deployed patch version, recovered-asset total, final pool calculation, and liquidity-provider compensation scope needed to turn the recovery promise into a defined settlement.

MAYANode's public history shows that its Trade Accounts implementation drew from THORChain merge requests. That establishes shared development lineage around Trade Accounts.

The complete MAYAChain exploit depended on several conditions aligning across transaction state, outbound matching, subsidy calculations, pool-state ordering, and rollback behavior. Public documentation as of press time did not demonstrate that THORChain carries that same complete path.

MAYAChain's loss multiplier is as much an accounting and market structure story as a theft story. The attacker moved about $1.36 million in hard assets, but the false balance changed pool ownership and arrived alongside an 88.7% collapse in the token connecting the network's markets.

For liquidity providers, the decisive update will be Maya's definition of “full”: which assets return, how pool balances are rebuilt, and who absorbs the value changes and trades that recovery cannot simply rewind.

The post MAYAChain’s $1.36 million exploit spiraled into nearly $11 million of pool damage appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Cosmos Health’s crypto treasury was down about 46% at the end of June as the Nasdaq-listed company warned that recurring losses and reliance on outside financing raised substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern over the next 12 months.

The company held 474.85 ETH and 15.66 BTC worth a combined $1.66 million against a $3.1 million cost basis, leaving about $1.44 million in unrealized losses. Ethereum accounted for $1.25 million, or 87%, of the shortfall.

The holdings stem from an August 2025 financing agreement with ATW Digital Asset Opportunities VII that allowed Cosmos to issue up to $300 million of senior secured convertible notes.

Cosmos initially issued an $8 million note carrying a $720,000 original-issue discount and 9% annual interest. It also recorded $736,250 of direct issuance costs and fees.

Under the August 2025 financing agreement, Cosmos was required to direct 72.5% of net note proceeds into crypto, with the remainder available for working capital and general corporate purposes.

Cosmos later disclosed that it had used about $3.1 million to buy Ethereum and Bitcoin and about $1.8 million for working capital

As of June 30, another $644,219 remained restricted for future crypto purchases. The assets bought with note proceeds are also subject to collateral and custody arrangements securing the financing.

The losses come as Cosmos’s underlying business continues to consume cash. It reported an $8.89 million net loss and used $2.79 million in operating cash during the first half.

The company ended June with $1.80 million of unrestricted cash and said revenue remained insufficient to fund operating expenses and meet debt obligations as they come due.

The going-concern warning reflects those broader financial pressures rather than the crypto losses alone.

Financing deal drives dilution

Meanwhile, the convertible note has also pushed more stock into the market.

Cosmos issued 22.9 million shares during the first half through conversions of the August note, settling about $4.52 million of principal and interest. After the quarter, another 20.48 million shares were issued to satisfy $3.69 million of obligations, leaving just $82,500 of principal outstanding.

Cosmos’s outstanding share count rose from 41.07 million at the end of 2025 to roughly 100.6 million by Aug. 18.

The result is a financing structure that directed capital into a crypto treasury now deeply underwater, while the company continues to depend on external funding and shareholders absorb substantial dilution.

The post Nasdaq-listed company warned it may not survive 12 months after its crypto treasury crashed 46% appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) faces an Aug. 20 deadline to submit a plan for distributing a $123.1 million fund paid by Jump Crypto subsidiary Tai Mo Shan to investors harmed by Terra's 2022 collapse.

The proposal is expected to determine who qualifies for compensation, how losses will be calculated, whether investors must submit claims, and how eventual payments will be made.

An SEC order issued in February gave staff until Aug. 20 to submit the proposed distribution plan after granting additional time to develop the methodology and coordinate with recoveries stemming from separate Terraform Labs litigation.

The deadline does not mean investors are due to receive money Thursday. Instead, any payout would depend on the distribution framework and subsequent steps required by the regulator.

Tai Mo Shan has already paid the full $123.1 million ordered by the SEC, including $73.45 million in disgorgement, $12.92 million in prejudgment interest and a $36.73 million civil penalty.

The money, plus accrued interest, is being held in a Fair Fund for eventual distribution to eligible investors.

The SEC created the fund after finding that Tai Mo Shan negligently misled investors during TerraUSD's May 2022 depeg and acted as a statutory underwriter for certain Terra LUNA sales. Tai Mo Shan settled without admitting or denying the findings.

Meanwhile, determining how to distribute the money has been complicated by a separate recovery process involving Terraform Labs.

When the financial regulator extended the deadline in February, it said its staff needed additional time to develop the distribution methodology and, where appropriate, coordinate with anticipated distributions from the Terraform litigation.

Terraform creditors are pursuing recoveries through the company's bankruptcy proceedings, where a separate claims process governs losses tied to the collapse.

A claim in that process does not automatically establish eligibility for the Tai Mo Shan fund, leaving the SEC to determine how the two recovery tracks interact and how eligible losses should be calculated.

The distribution plan expected Thursday should provide the first detailed framework for resolving those questions and moving the $123.1 million fund closer to investors.

The post SEC faces Aug. 20 deadline to unlock $123 million recovery fund for Terra investors appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Edward Zimbardi has been returned to the US after being deported from Fiji, putting the alleged mastermind of a $165 million crypto investment scheme back within reach of federal prosecutors.

A federal grand jury in Georgia indicted Zimbardi on July 8 on 12 counts of wire fraud, 12 counts of money laundering, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said.

Prosecutors allege Zimbardi operated The Crypto Program from June 2022 through August 2023, selling advertising packages that promised investors guaranteed monthly returns of 25%.

Thousands of investors sent more than $165 million in cryptocurrency to wallets secretly controlled by Zimbardi, prosecutors said.

Rather than using the money as advertised, Zimbardi allegedly directed more than $34 million into high-risk foreign currency trading, used funds from newer investors to pay earlier participants, and spent at least $10 million on personal expenses.

Those expenses allegedly included luxury vehicles, a home for his son, and alimony payments.

The payment structure forms the basis of the government’s Ponzi scheme allegation, with prosecutors claiming returns paid to earlier participants were funded by money from later investors rather than profits generated by the business.

California regulators had already moved against the operation while it was active.

In June 2023, the state’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation ordered The Crypto Program to stop offering the investment packages, finding they were unqualified securities and that investors had been given materially misleading information.

The alleged scheme ended about two months later.

The Justice Department said Zimbardi fled to Fiji in July 2025 after learning that the FBI was investigating him. Fijian authorities deported him to the US on Aug. 14, 2026, in coordination with the FBI and State Department.

His return closes the international phase of the case and clears the way for prosecutors to pursue the charges in Georgia.

Zimbardi was scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate judge in Los Angeles on Aug. 17, with prosecutors seeking to keep him detained pending further proceedings. The Justice Department had not disclosed the outcome of that hearing in its latest statement.

The post FBI gets alleged $165 million crypto Ponzi scheme mastermind back after year-long Fiji escape appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Anyone holding ACX has been facing a decision this week that was set at two very different places. On August 17, 2026, Binance ended spot trading of the token; since August 18, ACX deposits are no longer credited there, and withdrawals only run until October 17, 2026. At the same time, Across Protocol is preparing to swap the same token into company equity. Together, the two produce a timeline no one can look up in a single place.

This text sorts the dates, names the terms of the swap, and describes what was publicly verifiable on August 18, 2026 — and what was not.

ACX Swap into Equity: The Three Dates That Now Matter

Three dates set the room to move. August 17, 2026 has already passed: on that day, at 03:00 UTC, Binance ended spot trading for ACX, together with HFT, PIVX, PYR, VANRY and VIC. Starting August 18, 2026, the exchange no longer credits incoming ACX deposits, which in practice means an accidental transfer there can run into the void.

October 17, 2026 at 03:00 UTC is the date on which holdings on this exchange become serious. Until then, withdrawals remain open. After that, by its own announcement, Binance is no longer obliged to keep the token withdrawable. Between today and that date lie just under two months, and they are the only reliable part of the whole schedule.

The third date exists so far only as a commitment. The ACX Exchange Portal, through which the swap into equity or USDC is meant to run, has no published launch date yet. How far the project has come is set out further down in this text.

Binance Delisting on August 17: Why ACX Withdrawals Only Run Until October 17

Binance announced the move via its own Monitoring Tag, a procedure by which the exchange flags tokens whose continued listing it is reviewing. ACX had carried that flag since July 24, 2026. As reasons for the subsequent removal the exchange cites general criteria: development activity, trading volume, network performance and regulatory requirements. It has not published an individual justification for ACX, and it is not required to.

For holders, the order matters more than the reasoning. Selling was possible on this platform until August 17, no longer after. What remains is only the withdrawal to an address outside the exchange. The details of this delisting and the other five tokens affected are set out in our separate article on the Binance delisting of the six tokens from August 14, 2026.

The case does not stand on its own. In the same half of August, deadlines are running out at several providers that affect European investors, from delistings to market exits to forced swaps. Anyone holding assets across several platforms is therefore better off checking every account in one pass rather than one after the other.

The Bridge Across: What the Spring 2026 Decision Sets for ACX Holders

Behind the swap sits a governance proposal called The Bridge Across, published on March 11, 2026 in the project's forum. It proposes to wind down the existing DAO structure in favor of a US C-corporation. In the proposal, this new company carries the working name AcrossCo and is meant to hold the protocol's intellectual property and steer development. According to the calendar service CoinMarketCal, the vote ran from March 31 to April 7, 2026 and passed.

One for One in Shares, or $0.04375 in USDC

For holders, the proposal sets out two paths side by side. The first is a swap into equity at a one-to-one ratio: anyone holding 1,000 ACX would receive 1,000 shares. The second is a buyback against USDC at a fixed price of $0.04375 per token. In March 2026, that price was set as a 25 percent premium on the average price of the preceding 30 days.

The price is fixed, the market price is not. Whether $0.04375 is above or below what the token costs on the market today changes daily and can only be read off the current price. The proposal also names a time window: the swap should stay open for up to six months and, in the authors' expectation, begin within three months of the vote. Both figures are worded as intent, not as a guarantee.

Self-Custody as a Condition: Why ACX on the Exchange Does Not Count for the Swap

On August 9, 2026, Across published a short guide that names the decisive technical point. To participate in the swap, the tokens must sit in a wallet whose private keys the holder controls. A balance on a centralized exchange does not meet that condition, because there the exchange holds the keys and the holder only has a claim against it.

The guide describes the procedure in three steps: set up your own wallet, withdraw the holdings from the exchange to your own address, and check the incoming transaction before the rest follows. As wallet types the provider names browser extensions as well as hardware devices. Which type is appropriate for which size of holdings depends on the amount and on how often you actually initiate transactions; our hardware wallet comparison ranks the common devices by build, handling and price.

One warning from the same guide belongs here, because it costs money if overlooked: withdrawals cannot be reversed. Double-checking the address and network before confirming, and first sending a small test amount, is not excessive caution for a token that has just lost its largest trading venue.

250,000 ACX and a Seat Limit: Why the Share Option Is Effectively Closed for Small Holders

Here the proposal becomes more concrete than most summaries make it out to be. The path into actual equity is tiered. Anyone holding more than five million ACX should be able to swap directly into shares. Everyone below that should go through a special purpose vehicle, described in the proposal as a fee-free SPV structure, and for that route the text names a targeted minimum size of 250,000 ACX, which at the time was quoted at around $10,000.

There is also a cap on the number of participants. The proposal speaks of the first roughly 100 US and the first roughly 500 non-US investors who can take part through this structure. For holders resident in the US, the text additionally provides for a restriction to accredited investors.

Mathematically, that produces an uncomfortable clarity for a typical retail investor in Germany. Anyone holding a few thousand ACX does not reach the targeted minimum size and therefore does not even enter the share option. Anyone who does reach it competes for a limited number of seats. In both cases what remains is the buyback against USDC or the decision to simply hold the token.

All these figures come from the proposal text of March 11, 2026 and carry caveats there: the minimum size is worded as a currently targeted value, the participant numbers as approximate. Whether they apply exactly like this in the final design is therefore open, and a later change would not be at odds with the vote.

The State of the ACX Exchange Portal on August 18, 2026: What the Check Shows

Several calendar services list the portal as launched on August 1, 2026. That statement could not be confirmed. On August 18, 2026, between 03:47 and 04:00 UTC, we queried six publicly reachable addresses of the provider and noted how they answered. This check was carried out by cryptoticker.io on August 18, 2026 itself.

The address at which the portal sits answered with HTTP status 401 and demanded a simple access credential. The server described the protected area itself as a preview, and the page was additionally blocked for search engines. A subdirectory on the main domain delivered status 404; another subdomain checked did not answer at all. The provider's blog was reachable with status 200; its index carried 19 posts at that time, the most recent from August 10, 2026. None of them announces the launch of the portal. The guide from August 9 in fact still uses the future tense and describes what will be possible once the portal is open.

What this check does not cover belongs on the record. Only publicly reachable addresses were captured. Through channels requiring a login, the provider may long since have informed participants, and a closed preview area is a completely usual intermediate step before a launch. The check only says what was visible from the outside on the morning of August 18, 2026: no publicly accessible portal and no launch notice on the provider's own website.

Fake Portal Pages: Why Across Itself Warns Against Them

The guide from August 9 contains a note aimed precisely at this gap. The provider expressly warns of fake portal pages and writes that the official address will be announced through its own channels once the portal goes live. It additionally makes clear that the team does not reach out to anyone on its own and never asks for recovery phrases or private keys.

This combination is the actual risk of the coming weeks. There is a large number of holders who know a swap is coming but have neither a date nor an address. It is precisely in such phases that pages appear that mimic the expected flow and, at the end, demand a wallet connection or a recovery phrase. Anyone who finds such a page through a search engine or a direct message and connects a wallet there stands, in the worst case, to lose the entire holding, not only the ACX.

In practice: until an official announcement, connect nothing and confirm no signature that an alleged portal demands. Withdrawing from the exchange to your own wallet can be done independently of that — it does not need a connection to any portal page.

Where ACX Still Sits After the Binance Delisting: What Across Itself Names

The provider's guide links the withdrawal help pages of four venues: Coinbase, Binance, Kraken and KuCoin. That is not a trading directory and not a statement about where the token can currently be bought or sold; it is a list of the places where the provider suspects larger holdings of its users sit, coupled with a note that any centralized exchange can delist at its own discretion.

For your own situation, therefore, only one question is decisive, and it can be answered in a few minutes: on which platform do your holdings sit, and what withdrawal deadline has that platform set? For Binance it is October 17, 2026. For other providers it can be an entirely different date, or none at all. Anyone thinking about switching anyway will find in our overview of regulated crypto exchanges the providers that operate in the EU with a licence.

Tax in Germany: Why Buyback and Swap Are Not a Mere Reposting

Both paths have a tax side, and it is not trivial for either. The buyback against USDC is the simpler case: one crypto asset is swapped for another, and in Germany that is a disposal within the private disposal transactions under section 23 of the Income Tax Act. What matters are the acquisition date and the acquisition cost of the individual holding, and the one-year holding period decides whether a gain becomes taxable at all.

The swap into company shares is considerably less well-trodden for tax purposes. Here, a crypto asset is not swapped for another crypto asset but for a stake in a corporation under foreign law. How such a transaction is to be classified depends on its design and its valuation, and it is not a question that can be answered in general. Anyone seriously considering this path clarifies it beforehand with tax advice, not afterwards.

Regardless of the path chosen, the same applies as with any delisting: withdrawing from an exchange to your own wallet is not, by itself, a sale, but a change of custody. What matters is that the acquisition data are not lost in the process, because later they carry the calculation. Anyone who has spread holdings across several platforms secures the records better before the withdrawal than months later from memory.

Limits of This Research: What Could Not Be Checked

Three points remain open, and they should stay open rather than be smoothed over. First, no launch date for the portal is on record. The proposal names an expectation, not a promise, and a public launch announcement was not to be found on August 18, 2026. Second, the terms come from the proposal text of March 11, 2026; whether minimum size, seat limits and buyback price enter the final design unchanged is therefore not assured.

Third, we have no insight into non-public channels of the provider. Anyone who has already signalled interest may know more by now than what this text pulls together. And one caveat concerns the matter itself: whether a stake in a US company is practically manageable for a holder resident in Germany hangs on questions of subscription, custody and later tradability that the proposal text does not conclusively answer.

Checking the ACX Swap: What to Take Away

1. Check first where your holdings sit. If they are at Binance, October 17, 2026 at 03:00 UTC is the hard cutoff for withdrawal; trading there has been closed since August 17. If they are elsewhere, look up your provider's withdrawal deadline rather than assume it. Which platforms operate in the EU under licence is set out in our overview of crypto exchanges.
2. Move the holdings into a wallet whose keys you control. Without self-custody, participation in the swap is, per the provider's account, not possible, and the withdrawal takes lead time regardless. Send a small test amount first. If you want to start without an additional device for the moment, the free options are listed in our software wallet comparison.
3. Wait for the official address before the swap and document your acquisition data. Do not connect your wallet to any page that presents itself as the portal as long as the launch has not been announced through official channels. In parallel, keep purchase dates and acquisition costs on file, because both paths are relevant for tax purposes; the matching tax and portfolio tools take the collecting off your hands.

The evidence for this text sits in the provider's guide of August 9, 2026 on moving ACX off exchanges and in the proposal text The Bridge Across of March 11, 2026.

(As of August 18, 2026. This article is not investment advice. Prices and fee structures change; check the terms with the provider before you buy.)

Bitcoin across multiple wallets: how Austria works out the acquisition cost

Many bitcoin investors spread their holdings across several wallets: some sits on a hardware wallet, some on a crypto exchange, and further coins perhaps on an additional address. For tax purposes, the question then becomes whether Austria pools all bitcoin into a single average price.

The short answer is no. Under Austria's crypto currency regulation, the rolling average price is generally worked out for units of the same crypto currency on the same crypto currency address. If the coins are held in a wallet, the wallet as a whole can be used as the reference unit instead.

Multiple wallets can carry different acquisition costs

Anyone holding bitcoin across two separate wallets, for example, can therefore have different tax-relevant average prices.

A simplified example:

Wallet A

• 0.5 BTC bought for 10,000 euros
• average acquisition cost: 20,000 euros per BTC

Wallet B

• 0.5 BTC bought for 25,000 euros
• average acquisition cost: 50,000 euros per BTC

The two holdings are not automatically merged into a common acquisition price of 35,000 euros per bitcoin just because both wallets belong to the same person. What counts is the crypto currency address in question or, where used accordingly, the individual wallet.

What "rolling average price" means

Where bitcoin of the same type is bought one purchase after another and held at the same address, the acquisition costs are pooled.

Example:

• 0.1 BTC for 2,000 euros
• later, another 0.1 BTC for 4,000 euros

That gives a total of 0.2 BTC with acquisition costs of 6,000 euros. The tax-relevant average price is therefore 30,000 euros per bitcoin. If the investor then sells part of that stack, its acquisition costs are worked out on that average price. The rule applies to income from realised gains on crypto currencies that accrues after December 31, 2022. 

An exchange can treat the whole wallet as one unit

The Austrian rules allow a specific option: where bitcoin is kept in a crypto currency wallet, the rolling average price can be calculated instead for all units of the same crypto currency inside that wallet.

That can matter where a wallet technically uses several blockchain addresses. If a provider under the Austrian withholding obligation has decided to use the whole wallet as the reference unit, that calculation, under the crypto currency regulation, is binding for the later income tax assessment as well. There is no going back afterwards and picking a different method for the tax return.

What happens on a transfer between your own wallets?

Merely moving bitcoin from one of your own wallets to another is, in principle, not a taxable disposal. The coins are neither exchanged for euros nor for another asset. The tax-relevant acquisition costs are not lost, however. The investor must still be able to trace which bitcoin were transferred with which historic acquisition costs.

That is why clean documentation is decisive on transfers between wallets. The blockchain shows the movement of the bitcoin, but does not automatically know their original purchase price.

Do acquisition costs merge on the new wallet?

Anyone bringing bitcoin from different sources onto the same wallet may then get a new rolling average price for the tax-relevant new stack held there.

Example:

• 0.5 BTC with acquisition costs of 10,000 euros is moved to Wallet C.
• A further 0.5 BTC with acquisition costs of 25,000 euros ends up there as well.

If both holdings then sit on the same reference wallet or address, the acquisition costs for the relevant units are pooled.

Total stack:

• 1 BTC

Total acquisition costs:

• 35,000 euros
• The new rolling average price is therefore 35,000 euros per BTC.

The takeaway: a tax-neutral wallet transfer cannot itself trigger tax, but it can shift how acquisition costs are worked out later. 

Legacy holdings are not simply rolled in

One particularly important exception concerns bitcoin acquired up to and including February 28, 2021.

Under Austrian administrative practice, that legacy stock is not folded into the rolling average price of the tax-relevant new stack. Where both legacy and new holdings sit on the same wallet, they remain, in principle, separate for tax purposes. 

That matters, because legacy holdings may, under certain conditions, still be sold tax-free under the earlier Austrian tax rules. Anyone keeping old bitcoin on the same wallet as newly bought coins does not automatically lose the legacy status. The historic allocation must remain provable, however.

Flat-value bitcoin is also treated separately

A further exception covers crypto currencies where the withholding provider had to apply flat acquisition costs for lack of reliable tax data. Under Section 2 of the crypto currency regulation, such holdings likewise do not flow into the normal rolling average price. 

That can matter, for example, where bitcoin was moved from a foreign exchange to an Austrian crypto services provider and the original acquisition costs could not be evidenced in time.

Multiple exchanges likewise mean separate data pools

Anyone holding bitcoin at several crypto exchanges at once should not assume that all providers work off a common average price.

An Austrian platform, in principle, sees only the holdings and tax data available to it or supplied to it by the investor.

Anyone who, for example, holds:

• bitcoin at an Austrian exchange,
• further BTC on Binance or Kraken,
• and additional bitcoin on a hardware wallet

can therefore end up with several different tax-relevant cost bases.

On a later move between platforms, the acquisition costs have to travel with the respective holdings and be documented.

The data investors should keep

Anyone using several wallets should record, at a minimum:

• acquisition date of the bitcoin
• original acquisition costs in euros
• the BTC amount acquired in each case
• the wallet or crypto currency address
• transfers between your own wallets
• transaction IDs
• fees
• legacy or new stack status
• earlier crypto-to-crypto trades
• where applicable, the average prices used by the Austrian provider

What matters most is preserving the history before merging several wallets.

Bottom line

Austria does not, as a rule, work out the acquisition costs of bitcoin across all of an investor's wallets combined.

For bitcoin of the same type bought in sequence, the rolling average price applies at the level of the same crypto currency address. Where wallets are used, the whole wallet may serve as the reference unit instead. 

Bitcoin on different wallets can therefore start out with different tax-relevant acquisition costs. If the holdings are later brought together on a common wallet, a new average price can result for the new stack held there.

Legacy holdings from before March 2021 and certain flat-valued holdings are not simply rolled into the normal average price.

For investors with several exchanges and hardware wallets, the decisive point is one: the acquisition costs must remain traceable across every transfer.

The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry a high degree of risk.

Bitcoin jumped as much as 8 percent on August 19, but the real outlier of the day traded on the Nasdaq: Coinbase stock (COIN) gained around 11 percent according to 24/7 Wall St., ahead of Bitcoin itself, which traded up 5.8 percent at $68,361 in the European evening (CoinMarketCap, 21:45 CEST). Only the far more volatile Bitcoin treasury names like Strategy and Bitmine, both up 13 percent, moved harder.

That the stock of a trading platform rises more than the asset it trades is not an accident: Coinbase wins twice on each of the day's three triggers.

Why Coinbase is the lever on the SEC shift

The August 19 rally had three drivers: doubled US Treasury buybacks, the SEC's first dedicated token rule proposal, and the crypto summit at the White House, where Coinbase representatives sat at the table alongside SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and CFTC Chairman Mike Selig (full picture in our market briefing for August 19).

All three feed Coinbase's business model directly:

More liquidity means more trading. Coinbase earns on every transaction. Rising prices and rising volumes, Bitcoin alone traded $36.5 billion in 24 hours on August 19, drive core revenue immediately.

Clear token rules mean more products. The SEC proposal would exempt token capital raises of up to $75 million per year from full securities registration. Every project that legally enters the US through that door is a potential new listing, and listings are Coinbase's raw material.

A seat at the table means predictability. For years, the SEC was Coinbase's biggest litigation risk. When the same agency proposes rules instead of filing lawsuits, and its chairman sits next to Coinbase management at the White House, the regulatory risk premium on the stock shrinks. That premium is exactly what the market repriced on August 19.

For the record: an 11 percent daily gain also illustrates the downside potential. COIN remains a lever on crypto activity in both directions, and the SEC proposal is a proposal, not law.

What it means for you as a user: getting the most out of the platform

You do not have to be a shareholder to benefit from the platform's rise; picking the right product tier matters more. Coinbase is MiCA-licensed in the EU through its Luxembourg entity and offers one of the broadest token ranges among regulated venues. The three tiers at a glance:

How the tiers work in detail is covered in our guide What Is Coinbase One?.

Using Coinbase — the entry

Venue	Status	Note (as of Aug 19, 2026)
Coinbase	MiCA-licensed (Luxembourg)	€15 in Bitcoin for new users after the first trade via referral link

All alternatives with fees in the exchange comparison. As of: Aug 19, 2026.

Disclosure: the Coinbase link is a partner link. If you sign up through it, CryptoTicker receives a commission at no extra cost to you.

FAQ

Why did Coinbase stock rise today? COIN gained around 11 percent on August 19, 2026, per 24/7 Wall St. The drivers were the market rally after the doubled Treasury buybacks, the SEC's new token rule proposal, and the White House crypto meeting that Coinbase attended.

Does Coinbase stock always move with the Bitcoin price? The correlation is high but levered: COIN depends on trading volume and the regulatory environment, so it routinely swings harder than Bitcoin itself, in both directions.

What does Coinbase One give me? A subscription that replaces trading fees within its terms. It pays off once you trade or invest regularly; occasional buyers are usually better served by Coinbase Advanced with lower per-trade fees.

Is Coinbase regulated in the EU? Yes. Coinbase is MiCA-licensed through its Luxembourg entity, which allows it to serve the entire EU.

Sources

• 24/7 Wall St.: Strategy Rockets 13%, Bitmine Immersion Technologies Rallies 13%, Coinbase Jumps 11% as Bitcoin Surges Past $68,000 (Aug 19, 2026)
• Reuters (via Yahoo Finance): Trump to host crypto executives as SEC weighs regulations (Aug 19, 2026)
• CoinMarketCap: Bitcoin price data (Aug 19, 2026, 21:45 CEST)

As of: August 19, 2026. This article is not investment advice.

Transparency note: This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed editorially before publication. All figures were checked against the primary sources linked in the text. The featured image was AI-generated.

The information provided in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Investments in cryptocurrencies carry a high level of risk.

On Thursday, August 20, 2026, the Innovation Advisory Committee of the US derivatives regulator CFTC meets in Washington for the first time. The body has 43 members, among them the chief executives of Coinbase, Ripple, Kraken, Gemini, OKX and Solana Labs, plus the heads of CME, Nasdaq and Intercontinental Exchange.

What stands out is not the guest list but the agenda. Of the three hours, 50 minutes go to prediction markets, expressly including the ongoing proceedings with the states. Nine days before the meeting the same authority issued an emergency order on exactly this subject. And sitting on the committee are the chief executives of the two venues concerned.

What this meeting means for you depends above all on what such a committee is allowed to do at all. The answer comes further down, and it is more sober than the line-up suggests.

The Key Points at a Glance

• August 20, 2026, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Washington local time, which is 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm CEST. The meeting will be livestreamed on cftc.gov.
• 43 members sit on the body, 23 of them from crypto companies and eleven from traditional market infrastructure.
• 50 minutes go to prediction markets, the same again to crypto regulation, 35 minutes to artificial intelligence.
• August 11, 2026: the CFTC invoked its emergency authority to let the venue KalshiEX keep operating despite the lawsuit brought by the State of New York.
• Nine states have been sued by the authority in turn, among them New York, Illinois and Arizona.
• August 27, 2026 is the deadline for written submissions from the public.

What Is Coming Up in Washington on August 20, 2026

The Innovation Advisory Committee is not a new body but a renamed one. It replaces the former Technology Advisory Committee and was established in this form in January 2026. August 20 is its first meeting.

The chair is Walt Lukken, head of the derivatives association FIA. CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig acts as sponsor of the meeting; organisational leadership sits with Michael J. Passalacqua as designated federal officer. The meeting takes place at the authority's headquarters at Three Lafayette Centre in Washington.

For members it is an in-person meeting; the public can attend virtually. The Federal Register notice of August 11, 2026 gives a window of 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm for this and the option of submitting written statements until August 27, 2026.

Who Sits on the Innovation Advisory Committee

The CFTC's membership list carries 43 names. Sorted by the origin of their companies, a clear picture emerges: with 23 members the crypto industry supplies more than half the body, represented among others by Brian Armstrong (Coinbase), Brad Garlinghouse (Ripple), Arjun Sethi (Kraken), Tyler Winklevoss (Gemini), Hayden Adams (Uniswap Labs) and Anatoly Yakovenko (Solana Labs).

Eleven members come from traditional market infrastructure, among them Terry Duffy (CME Group), Adena Friedman (Nasdaq), Jeff Sprecher (Intercontinental Exchange) and David Schwimmer (LSEG). Two seats go to academia.

The most interesting group is the smallest. Five members come from the world of prediction markets and sports betting: Tarek Mansour (Kalshi), Shayne Coplan (Polymarket), Jason Robins (DraftKings), Christian Genetski (FanDuel) and Matt King (Fanatics). They are therefore advising on a regulatory area in which their own companies are parties. That is customary with committees of this kind and is contained by federal advisory committee law, but it belongs in the picture.

How the CFTC Splits Its Three Hours

The authority published the agenda on August 13, 2026 with release 9283-26. It is divided into three thematic sessions.

Session I is titled "Regulatory Evolution: From Uncertainty to Clarity" and covers, in 50 minutes, the emergence of the crypto markets, the patchwork of state licensing regimes and the absence of a nationwide framework for market structure.

Session II devotes 35 minutes to artificial intelligence in the markets, with a block of its own on autonomous agents that execute transactions and manage portfolios. Session III finally covers prediction markets, jurisdiction and the future of event contracts, again 50 minutes.

Why Session III Is the Real Point of Contention

The topic list for Session III contains an item that sets the meeting apart from a debate of principle: "Recent state litigation and enforcement actions", meaning the states' latest proceedings and enforcement measures. That puts an ongoing conflict on the agenda.

The sequence of events: the New York Attorney General filed suit against KalshiEX on July 31, 2026. It accuses the company of breaching the state's gambling law with prediction contracts on sporting events, and applied for a statewide injunction plus damages of more than $36 billion. On August 11, 2026 the CFTC responded by invoking its emergency authority and ordered that KalshiEX may continue trading in New York.

The authority takes the view that event contracts are financial instruments regulated under federal law and fall within its jurisdiction. Chairman Selig summed this up with the line that Congress had not intended to subject derivatives exchanges to a patchwork of state gambling laws. Several states see it differently and treat prediction markets close to sports betting as unlicensed gambling. The CFTC in turn has sued nine states: Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.

None of this is decided. These are ongoing proceedings, and both sides are set out here alongside each other because they cannot yet be resolved in law. How quickly this field also generates practical risks was shown by the attack on Polymarket with $3.1 million in damage. That the CFTC is dealing with the sector is not new either: back in early 2025 it served a subpoena on Coinbase in the Polymarket proceedings.

The Time Zone the Authority Contradicts Itself On

A detail that counts for diary planning and is reproduced incorrectly in several reports. The CFTC press release of August 10, 2026 states "1 p.m. EST", and the agenda PDF also carries "Eastern Standard Time". In August, however, Washington runs on Eastern Daylight Time, meaning summer time.

The official notice in the Federal Register of August 11, 2026 consistently states EDT. Since that notice is the legally authoritative one, the position is: 1:00 pm EDT corresponds to 5:00 pm UTC and therefore 7:00 pm CEST. Anyone taking the press release literally would arrive at 8:00 pm CEST and be an hour late.

What Such a Committee May Do and What It May Not

Sobriety is in order here. An advisory committee advises, it does not decide. It issues no rules, it changes no provision and it settles no proceedings. Its recommendations do not bind the commission.

What a meeting like this achieves is something else: it shows publicly which questions the authority considers to need regulation and whom it consults on them. Allocating 50 minutes to prediction markets is a statement in that sense, even if no decision comes out of it in the end.

For assessment purposes that means a remark in this meeting is not a decision by the authority, and an agenda item is not an announced rule. Anyone reading reports after August 20 that turn a spoken contribution into imminent regulation should read that distinction alongside them.

What This Means for Investors in Germany

Directly, the MiCA regulation applies in the EU, and a US supervisory authority decides nothing about German securities accounts. The matter is relevant all the same, for two reasons.

First, the body includes the companies through which German investors also trade. Coinbase, Kraken and Robinhood operate entities regulated in the EU, and their product policy is not decided in Europe alone. Second, the question of whether event contracts are financial instruments or gambling is no American peculiarity. It arises in every jurisdiction in which such products are offered, and how it is answered in the United States shapes the arguments elsewhere too. The rapprochement between the SEC and the CFTC on crypto regulation that began in March 2026 belongs in the same context.

None of this is legal advice for an individual case. Anyone trading prediction contracts should establish separately whether they are permitted at their place of residence. The position is as of August 15, 2026.

What to Keep an Eye On at the CFTC Meeting

Three points that make the difference between news and context:

1. Session III from 3:05 pm local time, meaning 9:05 pm CEST. That is where it will be settled how forcefully the authority defends its jurisdiction against the states, rhetorically at least.
2. The distinction between advice and decision. If a recommendation comes out of the meeting, that is still not a rule. Only a rulemaking procedure with a comment deadline would be one.
3. The deadline of August 27, 2026. Until then the authority accepts written submissions. What arrives there is often more revealing than the meeting itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee? An advisory body of the US derivatives regulator with 43 members. It emerged from the former Technology Advisory Committee in January 2026 and advises the commission on technology, legal and market questions. It passes no resolutions.

When exactly does the body meet and can I watch? On August 20, 2026 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Washington local time, which is 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm CEST. The CFTC livestreams the meeting on cftc.gov.

Why do some reports say 8:00 pm CEST? Because the authority's press release writes "EST", while Washington is on summer time in August. The Federal Register states EDT, and on that basis the meeting starts at 7:00 pm CEST.

What does the meeting have to do with Kalshi? The agenda for Session III expressly lists the states' latest proceedings. On August 11, 2026 the CFTC had permitted by emergency order that KalshiEX continue trading in New York after the state had sued. Kalshi's chief executive is at the same time a member of the committee.

Will new rules for crypto be adopted there? No. The body has no rulemaking power. New rules would arise only in a formal procedure of the commission.

Can I submit something as a private individual? Yes. Following the Federal Register notice, the authority accepts written submissions on the meeting until August 27, 2026.

August 20 is an interim step, not a conclusion: the proceedings against nine states continue, the deadline for submissions does not close until August 27, and whether the recommendations turn into a formal rulemaking procedure will be settled at the earliest after that. We are following the individual stages and setting out what of it is legally binding and what remains rhetoric. The ongoing coverage is on cryptoticker.io.

Sources

• CFTC: Release 9279-26, announcement of the first IAC meeting (10.08.2026, date, livestream, webinar access)
• CFTC: Release 9283-26, agenda of the IAC meeting (13.08.2026, sessions and times)
• Federal Register: Innovation Advisory Committee, notice of 11.08.2026 (window in EDT, topics, deadline for submissions)
• CFTC: Membership list of the Innovation Advisory Committee (43 members, chair, designated federal officer)
• CFTC: Release 9281-26, exercise of emergency authority (11.08.2026, KalshiEX, lawsuit by the State of New York, proceedings against nine states)

As of August 15, 2026. This article is neither investment advice nor legal advice.

Anyone holding units of the 1Valour STOXX Bitcoin Suisse Digital Asset Blue Chip ETP in a securities account has to make a decision before September 1, 2026. On August 11, 2026 the issuer, Valour Digital Securities Limited, exercised its right to a compulsory redemption and called the instrument in. Nobody has to consent to it.

What is affected here is not a balance on an offshore exchange but a security in an ordinary German securities account: the ETP trades on Xetra and, since June 2024, has also been available in Germany as a savings plan at justTRADE. The issuer's notice appeared in English, uses legal terms from the base prospectus throughout and names four dates, of which only the first leaves a genuine choice open.

This piece sorts the dates, explains the two settlement routes and identifies the tax constellation that arises. It is not an investment recommendation, and it does not replace tax advice either.

Compulsory Redemption of the Valour ETP: The Four Dates That Matter

The notice of August 11, 2026 sets out a chain of four dates. They build on one another, and the most important one comes at the beginning rather than at the end.

• September 1, 2026: Last day on which a redemption notice specifying the physical delivery option can reach the issuer. The notice gives no time of day for it.
• September 11, 2026: Last trading day. After that the instrument can no longer be sold on the exchange.
• September 15, 2026: Compulsory redemption date, meaning the cut-off of the compulsory redemption itself.
• September 16, 2026: Settlement day. It applies equally to both settlement routes, to the cash payment as well as to a delivery of the crypto assets.

In practice that means the settlement type is fixed after September 1, and after September 11 the exit via the exchange is closed too. Anyone who first looks into their account in mid-September has already handed both decisions over to the calendar. The full notice with all the dates is in the issuer's mandatory publication of August 11, 2026.

Which Instrument Is Affected: ISIN GB00BPDX1969, WKN A3G96Z, Ticker BCIX

The compulsory redemption applies to exactly one security identifier. That matters, because by its own product overview the issuer runs more than a hundred exchange-traded instruments and many of them have similar names.

Affected is the 1Valour STOXX Bitcoin Suisse Digital Asset Blue Chip ETP with ISIN GB00BPDX1969, German securities identification number A3G96Z and exchange ticker BCIX. It was launched on March 6, 2024, runs in euros and, according to the issuer, is fully physically backed, meaning with crypto assets deposited in custody with licensed custodians. It trades on Xetra, in Frankfurt and via gettex. It was issued under the base prospectus of May 13, 2024.

If you are not sure whether you hold it at all, the WKN gets you an answer faster than the product name does. Many brokers show only an abbreviated designation in the portfolio overview, and "1Valour" appears in several products.

Cash Settlement Under Condition 10.8: What Happens Automatically Without a Redemption Notice

The default case is the cash payment. The notice states that cash settlement under Condition 10.8 applies to the compulsory redemption unless the security holder has submitted a valid redemption notice specifying physical delivery by September 1, 2026 at the latest and has effected what is termed an acceptable delivery.

So anyone who does nothing at all will not be overlooked. The units are called in on the cut-off date, and on September 16, 2026 a cash amount lands in the securities account. That is the convenient route, and for most holders it will also be the only realistic one. It does, however, have two properties worth knowing: the timing of the disposal is set for you, and so is the price at which it is settled.

Anyone wanting to determine the timing themselves has an open exchange window until September 11 for that. More on this below.

Physical Delivery and Acceptable Delivery: Why the Delivery Route Usually Fails for Retail Accounts

In theory a holder can demand the deposited crypto assets instead of money. That is exactly what the redemption notice with the physical delivery option is for, and it is exactly why the deadline falls on September 1 and not on the cut-off date.

The notice, however, ties this route to an acceptable delivery. Behind that sits the requirement that the delivery can be settled cleanly in technical and contractual terms, which presupposes a receiving address of your own and a corresponding settlement capability. An ordinary securities account at a bank or at a broker from our crypto broker comparison is not set up for that: it holds securities, not coins on a blockchain.

Anyone seriously exploring this route should therefore not start with their custodian bank but ask the issuer directly what form the notice has to take and which receiving addresses are accepted. The notice gives an investor relations address for that. Expectations should nevertheless stay realistic, because a savings plan of a few hundred euros does not as a rule justify the effort.

Selling on Xetra Until September 11: The Third Route

Alongside the issuer's two settlement types there is the simplest variant, which the notice mentions only indirectly through the last trading day: selling on the exchange yourself.

The instrument remains tradable up to and including September 11, 2026. Selling in that period lets you determine the day and the price yourself, with no need for a notice and no need to wait for the September 16 settlement. Liquidity deserves attention: with an instrument whose call-in has already been announced, the spread between bid and ask can widen. A limit order rather than a market order is the more cautious choice in such phases.

Which of the three options suits an individual holder depends on portfolio size, holding period and tax starting position. This text cannot and does not want to take that assessment off your hands.

What Is Inside the Valour ETP: Seven Crypto Assets in the STOXX Blue Chip Index

The instrument tracks the STOXX Digital Asset Blue Chip X Index, a rule-based selection of large crypto assets. That explains why the redemption raises more questions for holders than a pure bitcoin product would: here an entire basket hangs on a single ISIN.

The Weighting According to the Issuer

On the issuer's product page, retrieved on August 18, 2026, the basket was spread across seven assets: bitcoin at 30 percent, ethereum likewise at 30 percent, BNB at 16.95 percent, solana at 15.41 percent, tron at 4.58 percent, chainlink at 2.23 percent and uniswap at 0.82 percent. The sum works out to 99.99 percent; the difference to 100 is a rounding.

Anyone wanting to keep the weighting after the redemption will have to rebuild it themselves in future, either through individual ETPs or by buying the coins directly. Both are possible, but both change the cost structure and, in case of doubt, the tax treatment too. How income from such products plays out in Germany is something we wrote up using staking ETPs as the example in distribution, accumulation and the tax question.

A 1.9 Percent Management Fee and Around $320,000 in Assets

Two figures from the issuer's product page put the case in context. The management fee is 1.9 percent a year. Assets under management were reported at around $319,570 on August 18, 2026.

A fund volume of that order barely carries the running costs of an exchange-listed product. The notice itself gives no reason for the call-in, and the issuer is under no contractual obligation to give one. Small products being discontinued is a familiar event in the ETP market and by itself permits no conclusion about the provider's position. That is this editorial team's assessment and not a statement by the issuer.

For holders the figure is useful all the same, because it explains why a trading window of a few weeks in such a small instrument does not necessarily mean deep order books.

Tax in Germany: Why the Compulsory Payout Is a Disposal

The point that will occupy many holders more than the deadline itself: a compulsory redemption is, for tax purposes, a disposal the investor did not choose. Anyone who would rather have picked the timing loses that choice on September 15, 2026.

Whether the rules for private disposal transactions under Section 23 EStG with their one-year holding period apply, or the taxation of investment income does, depends on how the instrument is structured. What matters is whether the note securitises a genuine claim to delivery of the deposited crypto assets. Precisely this distinction between a claim to delivery in kind and a monetary claim is the pivot, and with physically backed crypto ETPs it has been the subject of professional debate for years. The current administrative view on crypto assets is set out in the finance ministry circular of 6 March 2025.

That this product provides for physical delivery at all is a relevant circumstance for that classification. It still does not deliver a reliable answer for the individual case, because acquisition date, holding period, type of account and each custodian bank's handling of tax withholding belong to it. Anyone with further crypto transactions in the current year should look at the event together with the rest of the annual balance.

None of this is tax advice, expressly so. With larger positions, a visit to the tax adviser before September 11 is the cheaper order of events, because after that only the settlement is left.

The justTRADE Savings Plan: What Happens to the Next Instalment

The instrument had been available in Germany as a savings plan since June 2024; Valour and justTRADE announced its inclusion in the savings plan range publicly on June 4, 2024. For savings plan customers the compulsory redemption is therefore a double event: the holding is called in, and the execution of future instalments runs into the void as soon as the instrument is no longer tradable.

It therefore makes sense to end the savings plan actively or switch it to another instrument rather than wait for an automatic adjustment. How individual brokers handle savings plans on called-in securities is not uniformly regulated, and the issuer's notice says nothing about it. A short query with your own provider settles this faster than any research from outside.

If you want to keep the savings plan idea, the alternatives are in our comparison of bitcoin savings plans.

Other Valour ETPs: Which ISINs This Notice Does Not Name

The compulsory redemption concerns GB00BPDX1969 only. Other instruments from the same issuer stood unchanged in the product overview on August 18, 2026, among them the 1Valour Bitcoin Physical Staking (GB00BRBV3124), the 1Valour Ethereum Physical Staking (GB00BRBMZ190) and the 1Valour Physical Bitcoin Carbon Neutral (GB00BQ991Q22).

No assurance for the future can be derived from that. A compulsory redemption is a right the issuer holds under the contract, and it applies to other instruments in the same series just as much. Anyone holding several positions from the same provider does well to check the identification numbers one by one rather than rely on the product name. The dates in this case also belong in the same deadline overview as the current exchange cut-offs, which we collected in crypto exchange deadlines.

Limits of This Research: What We Could Not Check

Three things remain open, and they belong here so that nobody reads more into this text than it contains.

1. The notice gives no time of day for September 1, 2026. Anyone aiming for physical delivery should therefore submit several days earlier rather than bank on the final day.
2. The precise formal requirements for a valid redemption notice and for an acceptable delivery are in the terms of the base prospectus of May 13, 2024 and not in the notice itself. We did not evaluate them in full text.
3. How individual German custodian banks represent the September 16 settlement technically, and whether they withhold capital gains tax in doing so, cannot be established from outside. Only your own bank can settle that.

All the dates named, Condition 10.8 and the security identifiers come from the issuer's mandatory notice of August 11, 2026. Weighting, fee, launch date and fund volume come from the issuer's product page, retrieved on August 18, 2026.

Valour ETP Compulsory Redemption: What to Take Away

1. Check your portfolio for WKN A3G96Z, today. The product name alone is not enough, because several instruments have similar names. And while you are going through your portfolio anyway: which providers carry which crypto products is set out in our comparison of crypto exchanges.
2. Decide by September 1, act by September 11. Without a redemption notice there is cash automatically on September 16. Anyone wanting to determine the day and the price themselves sells on the exchange beforehand, sensibly with a limit.
3. Record the tax date before it catches up with you. Acquisition date, number of units and settlement amount belong in the documentation while the records are still at hand. Tools for that are in our comparison of crypto tax tools and portfolio trackers.

(As of August 18, 2026. This article is not investment advice. Prices and fee structures change; check the terms with the provider before you buy.)

Bitcoin's sharpest rally in five months flipped prediction-market odds from bearish to a coin flip—but the longer-term bets still price in a crash.

The CFTC chair said staff is already exploring a crypto market structure framework and could move quickly to propose rules if Congress fails to act.

Cloud and AI product revenue accelerated in the June quarter, but a 75% drop in net income extended Alibaba's run of profit misses to a fifth straight quarter.

The token's steepest daily and weekly gains in months rode Bitcoin's record liquidation wave—though ETF flows and futures data hint the move is running on borrowed momentum.

Seventeen alleged members of Iran-based Mabna Institute were charged over hacks targeting hundreds of universities, companies, and government agencies.

XRP has surged 24% over the past 24 hours to around $1.26, making it the best-performing cryptocurrency among the top 100 assets by market capitalization, according to CoinGecko data.

Ripple has minted another batch of RLUSD as XRP stages a sharp rally, with the token surging nearly 19% in 24 hours and briefly reaching $1.24.

Ripple enters the $10 billion credit market via XRPL upgrades with Cicada and Clearpool.

Bitcoin jumps to $72,335 as a rare chart pattern forces Peter Brandt to ditch his bearish bias.

XRP price has risen over 25%, marking two days of sharp increases.

TLDR

• Telix H1 revenue rises 22% to $477M as adjusted EBITDA jumps 146% year over year.
• Precision Medicine revenue climbs 27% as Illuccix and Gozellix drive higher sales.
• Telix invests $124M in R&D while advancing prostate, kidney and brain programs.
• Manufacturing revenue reaches $146M as Telix expands its global production footprint.
• Telix ends June with $252M in cash after generating $23M in operating cash flow.

Telix Pharmaceuticals posted stronger first-half results as revenue and adjusted EBITDA rose sharply from the previous year. TLX stock climbed 2.48% to $12.42, recovering from a mid-morning low near $12.10. The company also advanced several cancer programs while expanding its manufacturing network and strengthening its balance sheet.

Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited, TLX

Telix Revenue Rises 22% as Margins Improve

Telix reported first-half group revenue of $477 million, representing a 22% increase from the previous year. The result tracked near the upper end of the company’s full-year revenue guidance. Telix currently expects annual revenue between $950 million and $970 million.

Group gross margin increased two percentage points to 55% during the reporting period. Precision Medicine gross margin reached 65%, gaining one percentage point from a year earlier. Higher product volumes, product mix changes, and operating efficiencies supported the margin improvement.

Adjusted EBITDA jumped 146% year over year to $52 million during the first half. The figure included a $40 million non-refundable payment linked to Telix’s Regeneron collaboration. Telix continued investing heavily, directing $124 million toward research and development programs.

Precision Medicine Drives Commercial Growth

Telix’s Precision Medicine business increased revenue by 27% from the same period last year. Illuccix and Gozellix generated higher sales volumes while expanding their positions within prostate cancer imaging. As a result, segment adjusted EBITDA increased 26% to $132 million.

At the same time, Telix advanced several regulatory programs across major international markets. The company completed enrollment for an Illuccix Phase 3 study in Japan. Chinese regulators also accepted the company’s Illuccix application and started their formal review process.

Telix also moved its brain and kidney cancer imaging products through additional regulatory milestones. The FDA assigned Pixclara a September 11, 2026, decision target date. Separately, Telix continues preparing its Zircaix application for resubmission after addressing outstanding FDA requirements.

Therapeutics Pipeline and Manufacturing Expand

Telix invested $68 million of total research spending into its therapeutics pipeline during the first half. Its ProstACT Global program met initial safety and dosimetry goals for its lead prostate cancer therapy. The FDA also cleared the program to advance into the next trial stage.

Elsewhere, the OPTIMAL-PSMA Phase 2 study completed enrollment of 120 patients with advanced prostate cancer. Telix also dosed initial patients in studies involving prostate, kidney and brain cancer therapies. These programs form part of the company’s strategy to develop revenue beyond diagnostic imaging products.

Telix Manufacturing Solutions generated $146 million in total segment revenue during the period. That figure included $89 million from external sales and services, alongside $58 million in internal revenue. However, the segment recorded a $23 million adjusted EBITDA loss following higher infrastructure and logistics investment.

The company also expanded production capacity across Australia, Belgium, Japan, and the United States. Its Seneffe facility completed its first GMP production run involving a lutetium-based therapeutic candidate. Meanwhile, Telix ended June with $252 million in cash and generated $23 million in positive operating cash flow.

The post Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (TLX) Stock: EBITDA Surges 146% as Revenue Hits $477M  appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Futu Q2 net income rises 41.6% as revenue reaches HK$7.2 billion
• Trading volume jumps 78.8% to a record HK$6.42 trillion in Q2 2026
• Funded accounts grow 33.6% year over year to reach 3.84 million users
• Client assets climb 43.6% to HK$1.40 trillion as market activity rises
• Futu expands across Asia while repurchasing about $418 million in ADSs

Futu Holdings (FUTU) shares reported stronger second-quarter results as trading activity and client assets expanded across major markets. Net income rose 41.6% year over year to HK$3.64 billion during the quarter. Meanwhile, FUTU stock climbed 2.74% to $112.42 after recovering from an early drop below $110.

Futu Holdings Limited, FUTU

Futu Holdings Profit Rises as Revenue Reaches HK$7.2 Billion

Futu generated HK$7.20 billion in total revenue during the second quarter, representing 35.6% annual growth. Brokerage commission and handling income increased 30.3% to HK$3.36 billion. Higher trading activity supported the increase despite a lower blended commission rate.

Interest income rose 36.5% from the prior year to HK$3.12 billion. Higher margin financing balances and bank deposits supported that increase during the quarter. Other income also climbed 61.2% to HK$715.8 million.

Gross profit reached HK$6.21 billion, representing a 33.9% increase from the comparable 2025 period. However, gross margin declined to 86.3% from 87.4% one year earlier. Operating income increased 33.5% to HK$4.46 billion despite higher expenses.

Trading Volume Hits Record HK$6.42 Trillion

Total trading volume increased 78.8% year over year to a record HK$6.42 trillion. U.S. stock trading accounted for HK$5.02 trillion of the quarterly total. Strong activity in semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related companies supported the U.S. market increase.

Hong Kong stock trading volume reached HK$1.17 trillion during the quarter. Trading activity benefited from semiconductor companies, internet stocks and newly listed artificial intelligence businesses. Overall trading volume also increased 54.6% from the previous quarter.

Margin financing and securities lending balances rose 85.1% annually to HK$95.1 billion. The balance also increased 30.5% from the previous quarter. Strong Hong Kong IPO activity and higher leverage use supported the expansion.

Funded Accounts and Client Assets Continue Expanding

Futu ended June with 3.84 million funded accounts, marking a 33.6% annual increase. The company added about 252,000 net new funded accounts during the quarter. Malaysia generated the strongest additions, while Hong Kong and Singapore also supported growth.

Total brokerage accounts increased 26.6% year over year to 6.64 million. Meanwhile, total users rose 15.2% to 31.3 million by June 30. The figures reflect continued expansion across Futu’s international brokerage operations.

Client assets increased 43.6% annually to HK$1.40 trillion at the quarter’s end. Wealth management assets reached HK$180.2 billion, representing 10.4% annual growth. Futu expanded its investment offerings across Hong Kong and Singapore during the period.

Futu Expands Products Across International Markets

Futu continued adding financial products as it expanded its presence outside its established markets. Moomoo launched prediction markets in the United States during June. The company also secured approval for virtual asset financing services in Hong Kong.

Futu obtained a Type A license from Thailand’s securities regulator during July. The approval positions the company to launch Moomoo Thailand and expand further across Southeast Asia. These initiatives follow earlier expansion in markets including Malaysia and Singapore.

The company also continued returning capital through its existing share repurchase program. Futu had repurchased about 3.8 million ADSs by June 30 for roughly $418 million. Diluted net income per ADS increased to HK$26.08 from HK$18.24 one year earlier.

The post Futu Holdings (FUTU) Stock: Q2 Profit Jumps 42% as Trading Volume Hits Record HK$6.42 Trillion appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Skyward Group names Taryn McHarg as CFO successor ahead of Haushill retirement.
• SKWD shares fall 1.53% to $55.54 after a sharp early drop from above $57.50.
• Mark Haushill will retire as Skyward Group CFO in March 2027 after over a decade.
• McHarg brings senior finance experience from Apollo, BUPA and Ernst & Young.
• Haushill will remain a Senior Advisor through 2027 to support the transition.

Skyward Specialty Insurance Group (SKWD) fell 1.53% to $55.54 after dropping sharply during Thursday’s morning trading. The shares later recovered part of the decline after trading above $57.50 earlier in the session. Meanwhile, Skyward Group announced a planned CFO transition that will extend through the end of 2027.

Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc., SKWD

Skyward Group Names McHarg as Next CFO

Skyward Group said Chief Financial Officer Mark Haushill plans to retire from his position on March 31, 2027. Taryn McHarg, currently Apollo CFO and Skyward Group Deputy CFO, will succeed Haushill after his retirement. Therefore, the company will promote an existing executive rather than recruit an external finance chief.

McHarg has served as Apollo’s CFO for more than four years and brings extensive insurance sector experience. Before Apollo, she spent nine years at BUPA and eventually became CFO of its international markets business. Earlier, she spent seven years at Ernst & Young, strengthening her accounting and financial management background.

The appointment follows Skyward Group’s January 2026 acquisition of Apollo Group Holdings, which expanded the company’s specialty insurance operations. McHarg already holds senior finance responsibilities across the combined organization through her Deputy CFO position. As a result, Skyward expects the internal appointment to support continuity across financial planning and corporate operations.

Haushill Plans Retirement After Decade at Skyward

Haushill will retire after more than ten years with Skyward and several major changes across the company. During his tenure, Skyward completed its 2023 initial public offering and strengthened its broader capital position. He also held a central finance role during the company’s expansion and Apollo acquisition.

Skyward also improved its financial strength during the period, including progress in its AM Best financial rating. Those developments accompanied the company’s shift toward a larger and more diversified specialty insurance business. Haushill therefore leaves after overseeing several important financing, reporting, and corporate development milestones.

However, Haushill will remain involved after leaving the CFO position to support the leadership transition. He will serve as a Senior Advisor through the end of 2027 under the company’s succession plan. That arrangement gives McHarg continued access to institutional knowledge during her first months leading Skyward’s finance organization.

Skyward Builds on Apollo Integration

Skyward Group now combines Skyward Specialty and Apollo under a broader specialty insurance organization with several operating businesses. The Apollo acquisition expanded the group’s market reach and increased the importance of coordinated financial leadership. The CFO succession arrives during an important stage of the company’s integration strategy.

McHarg will inherit responsibility for financial planning as Skyward develops opportunities across the combined insurance platform. Her existing roles provide direct experience with Apollo’s finances and Skyward Group’s wider financial priorities. This background could simplify the transfer of responsibilities when Haushill formally leaves the CFO position.

Skyward described the succession structure as part of its long-term approach to executive development and corporate stability. The company has more than seven months before McHarg takes the CFO role in March 2027. Until then, Haushill and McHarg will continue working through the transition while Skyward advances its post-acquisition strategy.

The post Skyward Group (SKWD) Stock: Slightly Drop as McHarg Named Successor as CFO Plans Exit  appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• CrowdStrike stock falls 5.53% as Fal.Con 2026 partner plans take center stage
• AWS, Nvidia and OpenAI headline CrowdStrike’s record Fal.Con 2026 sponsor list
• Fal.Con 2026 expects more than 10,000 attendees from 71 countries worldwide
• CrowdStrike lines up over 150 sponsors for its major Las Vegas security event
• Fal.Con 2026 adds over 100 digital sessions alongside its live keynote streams

CrowdStrike (CRWD) shares fell 5.53% to $190.48 as the cybersecurity company outlined plans for its Fal.Con 2026 conference. The event will feature more than 150 ecosystem sponsors, including AWS, Nvidia, OpenAI, Google Cloud, and Intel. CrowdStrike expects over 10,000 attendees from 4,000 organizations across 71 countries.

CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc., CRWD

CrowdStrike Expands Fal.Con 2026 Partner Lineup

CrowdStrike said Fal.Con 2026 will feature its largest sponsor lineup since the cybersecurity conference began. Major technology companies will support the event across several sponsorship levels and partner programs. These companies include Amazon Web Services, Dell Technologies, Horizon3, Intel, and OpenAI.

Anthropic, ExtraHop, JetStream Security, and Rubrik will participate as premier sponsors during the conference. Meanwhile, Nvidia, Google Cloud, EY US, Kroll, Mimecast, Okta, and Zscaler will join as diamond sponsors. The lineup also includes Accenture, Deloitte, Fortinet, Netskope, Vanta, and several other enterprise technology providers.

CrowdStrike has built Fal.Con around its Falcon security platform and its broader partner ecosystem. Therefore, the expanded sponsorship list shows the growing scale of its relationships across cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure. The conference will also bring consulting firms, hardware companies, software providers, and security specialists into one event.

AWS Nvidia and OpenAI Headline Major Sponsors

AWS, OpenAI, Dell Technologies, Horizon3, and Intel will serve as pinnacle sponsors at Fal.Con 2026. Nvidia will participate alongside Google Cloud and several cybersecurity companies at the diamond sponsorship level. Consequently, the event will connect CrowdStrike with several leading cloud, computing, and enterprise technology providers.

The partnership structure extends beyond headline sponsors and includes platinum, gold, silver, and pavilion participants. Platinum sponsors include Accenture, Commvault, Corelight, Deloitte, Fortinet, Netskope, Tines, and Vanta. Gold sponsors include IBM, Qualcomm, CoreWeave, Proofpoint, Cognizant, Wipro, and several security technology companies.

CrowdStrike also added smaller companies through its Innovator Pavilion and Latin America Partner Pavilion. These groups broaden the conference beyond established enterprise technology companies and major cybersecurity vendors. As a result, Fal.Con will represent a wide range of security products, infrastructure providers, and service partners.

Fal.Con 2026 Starts August 31 in Las Vegas

Fal.Con 2026 will begin August 31 with CrowdStrike’s Global Partner Summit in Las Vegas. The company will then run three days of partner sessions, presentations, and activities across the conference venue. CrowdStrike expects the event to attract more than 10,000 people from 4,000 organizations.

The company said participants will travel from 71 countries for the sold-out cybersecurity conference. Fal.Con will include sessions through its partner theatre, conference hub, and dedicated breakout programs. These sessions will focus on enterprise security, platform integration, customer deployments, and technology partnerships.

CrowdStrike will also provide a digital option for people unable to attend the Las Vegas event. Registered participants can access keynote livestreams during the conference and more than 100 sessions afterward. CrowdStrike will also stream the event’s keynote presentations through its official YouTube channel.

The conference continues CrowdStrike’s effort to expand the Falcon platform through technology and distribution partnerships. Fal.Con has grown alongside the company’s push into cloud security, identity protection, endpoint security, and enterprise security operations. Therefore, the 2026 sponsor roster highlights the scale of CrowdStrike’s broader commercial ecosystem.

The post CrowdStrike (CRWD) Stock: Plunge as AWS Nvidia OpenAI Headline Fal.Con 2026 appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Synopsys shares fell 1.63% to $394.68 as it unveiled a 3D PCIe 6.0 milestone.
• Synopsys validated 64 GT/s PCIe 6.0 performance in a new stacked-die design.
• The 3D architecture targets AI accelerators, HPC systems and major data centers.
• Synopsys says the design supports higher bandwidth, lower latency and efficiency.
• The milestone extends Synopsys’ PCIe expertise into advanced multi-die packaging.

Synopsys, Inc. (SNPS) shares fell 1.63% to $394.68 as the company unveiled a major 3D PCIe 6.0 milestone. The demonstration brings high-speed PCIe connectivity into stacked-die designs built for demanding computing systems. Synopsys aims to support faster AI chips, HPC platforms, storage products, and data center infrastructure.

Synopsys, Inc., SNPS

Synopsys Advances 3D PCIe 6.0 Connectivity

Synopsys demonstrated PCIe 6.0 operating at 64 GT/s within a stacked, face-to-face chip architecture. The design delivered bandwidth reaching 128 GB/s through an eight-lane configuration using PAM4 signaling. Therefore, the test moved PCIe connectivity beyond conventional two-dimensional chip layouts.

The company used a 5-nanometer PCIe 6.0 PHY adapted for three-dimensional integrated circuit technology. Synopsys built the test chip from an existing PCIe 6.0 implementation and added changes for stacked dies. Silicon testing confirmed that the technology operated successfully after packaging, startup, and measurement.

The demonstration also showed receiver performance exceeding PCIe 6.0 bit-error requirements by wide margins. Meanwhile, the architecture shortened connections between separate dies compared with traditional side-by-side packaging. This structure can support higher bandwidth, reduced latency, improved signal integrity, and greater computing density.

3D Packaging Targets AI and Data Center Systems

Modern AI processors increasingly combine specialized functions across several dies instead of relying on one large chip. As a result, chip designers need faster links between computing, memory, networking, and storage components. Synopsys positioned its latest demonstration as one option for meeting those growing connectivity demands.

The technology can support AI accelerators, high-performance processors, SmartNICs, DPUs, storage controllers, and data center switches. It can also support systems using Compute Express Link connectivity for memory and accelerator expansion. Synopsys is extending existing interface technology toward more complex multi-die platforms.

Three-dimensional packaging creates technical challenges because engineers must manage electrical behavior across stacked components. Synopsys addressed TSV placement, die interaction, inductors, signal performance, and full-stack modeling during development. The company also worked to limit unnecessary TSV additions while maintaining PCIe 6.0 performance.

Synopsys Builds on Long PCIe Development History

Synopsys has developed PCIe technologies for more than two decades across several generations of the standard. Its portfolio includes PHY technology, digital controllers, security components, verification systems, and interoperability testing tools. The company has supported about 4,000 customer tape-outs across seven PCI Express generations.

The latest project links that established PCIe portfolio with the semiconductor industry’s shift toward multi-die architectures. Synopsys combines electronic design software with interface technologies for advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration. These tools support architecture planning, package optimization, software development, system validation, and manufacturing analysis.

The milestone also strengthens Synopsys’ position within the expanding market for advanced semiconductor packaging. AI and HPC systems continue requiring greater bandwidth while power and physical space remain major design constraints. Synopsys now offers a validated PCIe 6.0 path designed specifically for emerging three-dimensional chip architectures.

The post Synopsys, Inc. (SNPS) Stock: 3D PCIe 6.0 Breakthrough Targets AI Chips  appeared first on Blockonomi.

Grayscale has disclosed discussions with a Digital Currency Group (DCG) subsidiary over a contribution of roughly 200,000 ZEC to its Zcash Trust, in an August 18 amendment to the registration statement that would move the fund onto NYSE Arca.

Grayscale Investments Sponsors, the trust’s sponsor, said it is in discussions with DCG International Investments Ltd. for the unit to acquire shares through an authorized participant in exchange for the tokens. The filing adds that “because these discussions are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, the Potential Investor could determine to purchase more, fewer, or no Shares.”

Moreover, the trust intends to list under the ticker ZCSH, which already carries its shares on OTCQX. Net asset value was $155.2 million on June 30, when the trust held about 2.3% of circulating ZEC, and shares closed at $36.6 on August 12 at a 7% discount to NAV per share.

Since October 2021, the shares have been quoted at a discount on 700 days, with a maximum discount of 55% and a maximum premium of 240%, though the SEC has not approved or disapproved the shares.

DCG Sits on Both Sides

Grayscale’s parent would take a controlling position if the contribution is completed. DCG “may, directly and indirectly through the Potential Investor and other affiliates, own a majority of the Shares representing ownership in the Trust,” the filing states, and would hold “the ability to control the outcome of virtually all matters presented to our shareholders for their approval.”

DCG also mines the asset. Fortitude Mining, a DCG subsidiary, mines ZEC and runs infrastructure on the network, while Foundry Digital operates a ZEC mining pool that accounted for approximately 15.4% of the Zcash Network’s hash rate for the month ended July 2026.

DCG “could prioritize its own interests in these and other investments over those of the Trust,” according to the filing. Zcash itself shipped the Ironwood upgrade and its turnstile mechanism after a counterfeiting bug surfaced in the Orchard shielded pool.

Fee Line Still Blank

The Sponsor’s Fee, the only ordinary recurring expense the trust expects, appears in Amendment No. 4 with its annual rate left blank, as does the trust’s intended new name. Coinbase Custody Trust Company holds the ZEC, and Coinbase is the prime broker.

Grayscale has run this conversion before. The SEC cleared its Digital Large Cap Fund for NYSE Arca alongside generic listing standards that removed the 19(b) filing requirement, and the manager earlier filed to convert its XRP trust into an ETF on the same exchange.

ZEC traded at $550.78 on August 19, according to CoinGecko, with a market capitalization of $9.3 billion.

The post Grayscale Discloses Talks Over 200,000 ZEC Contribution to Zcash Trust From DCG Unit appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Ethereum exchange balances have continued to decline, moving in the opposite direction to Bitcoin over the same three-week period.

ETH supply on trading platforms fell from around 7.70 million on June 2 to about 6.54 million on August 18, which puts roughly 1.15 million coins off exchanges, or around 15% over eleven weeks.

ETH Moving Out

According to Santiment’s latest analysis, Bitcoin moved the other way, as its exchange balance rose about 1.8% from July 28 to August 18. Roughly 23,000 BTC was added back onto such platforms, while ETH balances fell about 2.2% over the same period.

Santiment noted that staking remains near record levels, while corporate treasuries continue adding the altcoin. BitMine Immersion Technologies alone holds close to 5% of the supply, with most of it staked. The company’s treasury holdings grew to 5,815,164 tokens. Meanwhile, Ethereum has surged nearly 20% over the past day, pushing the price above $2,300 for the first time since May.

This is being driven by a mix of stronger US crypto policy signals and heavy buying activity. President Donald Trump met with executives from Coinbase, Ripple, Gemini, and other major crypto companies at the White House on Wednesday, during which discussions focused on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, Bitcoin, and expanding crypto activity in the US.

Trump urged Congress to pass a “fair version” of CLARITY, saying the legislation could help the US stay ahead of China. He also said the US has discussed buying “sizable” amounts of Bitcoin and other crypto assets.

Fresh Institutional Buying

US spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds pulled in $189.15 million on August 19. The last time these products recorded a daily inflow of this size was October 28, 2025. The fresh money has taken August’s total past $534 million.

BlackRock’s ETHA accounted for $122 million of Tuesday’s inflows, while Fidelity’s fund brought in another $36.5 million. Grayscale Mini ETH attracted $16.04 million, while BlackRock’s staking-enabled investment vehicle brought in another $9.71 million. Morgan Stanley’s MSSE also recorded $2.25 million in inflows, and Franklin Templeton’s EZET also saw $790,000 enter the fund.

The post 1.15 Million Ethereum (ETH) Left Exchanges – And The Exodus Isn’t Slowing appeared first on CryptoPotato.

[PRESS RELEASE – Montevideo, Uruguay, August 20th, 2026]

Aligned allows fintechs and institutions to build financial products on Ethereum, with one-click solutions for wallets, rollups, interoperability, and zero-knowledge services.

Today, Aligned, a full-stack Ethereum infrastructure project, has launched $ALIGN*, the native token of its ecosystem, with listings on major exchanges. Aligned is working to turn Ethereum into the world’s financial backend, and its ecosystem is the single integration fintechs, institutions, and enterprises use to build financial products on Ethereum.

Less than one percent of the world’s assets are onchain, and most of what has moved sits on Ethereum as stablecoins, tokenized treasuries, and wrapped assets. Building on top of them is still harder than it should be. A fintech going onchain usually signs with multiple vendors, one for wallets, another for scalability solutions (including rollups and proving systems), then spends months wiring them together and keeping them in sync. There is no standard way to ship a financial product on Ethereum yet.

Aligned was built to fix that. It’s built in close collaboration with LambdaClass, a company behind key contributions across the Ethereum ecosystem, including work on Starknet, zkSync, Polygon Miden, and EigenCloud (formerly EigenLayer), as well as Ethrex (the execution client which powers Aligned’s Rollup-as-a-Service) and lambdaworks, a cryptography library written in Rust. By integrating with Aligned, users can access wallets, rollups, interoperability, and zero-knowledge services through a single stack.

Aligned ships the stack one piece at a time:

• Proof Aggregation Service: live on mainnet alpha. Batching the proofs a rollup generates so verification stays cheap as Ethereum scales.
• Wallet-as-a-Service: MVP already launched. Users sign in with Google or Face ID and get a real Ethereum wallet, with no seed phrases, extensions, or gas fees.
• Rollup-as-a-Service, the LambdaVM, and the interoperability protocol: in development. The LambdaVM is Aligned’s RISC-V zkVM (zero-knowledge virtual machine), built in collaboration with LambdaClass and 3MI Labs. Each ships as it’s ready.

The world’s assets are moving onto Ethereum, and Aligned is creating the stack that makes it easy to build on. In the future, $ALIGN will be available as an option to pay for the services across that stack, from Proof Aggregation to Wallet-as-a-Service. As more teams build on Aligned, it will be the asset they use to pay for that usage. It is a utility token. It is not equity, a share, or a claim on revenue or dividends, and it does not promise a yield or a price.

$ALIGN has a fixed supply of 10 billion tokens, with about 16% circulating at launch. The full allocation and the Genesis airdrop are laid out in the ALIGN tokenomics. The airdrop was distributed across several waves spanning developers and researchers, the Discord and Galxe communities, distinguished contributors to Ethereum and ZK such as Protocol Guild, L2BEAT, ZachXBT, and ZK Podcast, and holders of ecosystem tokens including Starknet, Mina, zkSync, Polygon, Scroll, Taiko, and EigenCloud.

Aligned is committed to Ethereum by choice, focusing all of its efforts on it. Through the rest of the year, the team plans to ship the remaining pieces of the stack and grow the number of products built on it. The longer-term goal is to make building a financial product on Ethereum a single decision, not a systems-integration project.

Check eligibility and follow the launch at community.alignedlayer.com. To hear more, read the ALIGN tokenomics at blog.alignedlayer.com and follow @alignedlayer.

About Aligned

Aligned builds the tools that turn Ethereum into the world’s financial backend. It gives fintechs, institutions, and enterprises one integration for wallets, rollups, interoperability, and zero-knowledge services, so they can build real financial products on Ethereum instead of assembling a stack from separate vendors. Users can learn more at alignedlayer.com.

*$ALIGN is the native asset of the Aligned ecosystem, built on Ethereum as an ERC-20 token and also available on Base, with a fixed total supply of 10 billion and an initial circulating supply equal to approximately 16% of the total token supply. It will be used across the Aligned stack. $ALIGN is not equity, a share, or a claim on revenue or dividends. This announcement is informational only and is not financial advice. Do your own research.

The post Aligned Launches $ALIGN, the Native Token of Its Full Ethereum Stack appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Something flipped in the cryptocurrency markets over the past 24 hours or so, and many altcoins have started to pick up the pace after bitcoin’s massive double-digit rally.

Today appears to belong to XRP. The native token of the broader Ripple universe has skyrocketed by 30% in a day or so, surging to $1.30 for the first time since June 1. Recall that the asset slipped below $1.00 just last week for the first time in nearly two years. Its subsequent rebound has been nothing short of impressive.

XRP Whales Continue Accumulating

Perhaps the most notable change in the XRP ecosystem is the recent whale behavior. As reported at the end of the previous week, these large market participants scooped up 72 million tokens in just 24 hours as the asset fought to stay above $1.00.

Citing further data from Santiment Intelligence, popular analyst Ali Martinez noted that they continued with their massive accumulation spree by acquiring over 300 million tokens since the start of the current business week. Their total holdings have skyrocketed from around 16.05 billion on August 16 to approximately 16.36 billion today.

Such large acquisitions have a twofold effect. First, they reduce the immediate selling pressure in the market. Second, they can act as an example for smaller investors who tend to follow whales.

Major Price Targets Emerge

The ever-vocal XRP Army was quick to pick up the native token’s mind-blowing recovery from the $1.00 support. JAVON MARKS celebrated the breakout, suggesting that the asset’s next major run has just started. Moreover, the analyst outlined the subsequent macro target of $15 or higher.

Dark Defender also weighed in on the price move, confirming that XRP had completed its correction. He based the analysis on the assumption that XRP had finished the leg down on all 5 waves on all timeframes.

“There is no 6th limb in the Elliott Wave Theory,” he added, before indicating that the latest rebound signals a strong reversal and a new impulse that can lead the token to $5.85 first and then $9.00.

Although these price targets sound quite optimistic, to say the least, XRP has proven in the past that it’s capable of massive moves shortly after the broader sentiment appeared broken.

The post Ripple Whales Go Crazy as XRP Price Can’t Stop Surging appeared first on CryptoPotato.

BTC broke above $70,000 after a fast recovery on August 20, with experienced trader Sykodelic putting $67,000 as the mark that bulls need to defend.

The idea is straightforward: a close above $67,000 for a week may be a sign of bottoming out for Bitcoin, allowing bulls to target $74,000.

Bitcoin Clears Levels That Analysts Have Watched

Bitcoin first reclaimed $69,000 and then started a determined move upward that, at the time of writing, had taken it above $72,000, leading to Sykodelic’s comment. In a post on X, he wrote “Hold above $67,000 this week, and $74,000 comes fast,” while adding that $60,000 had been “a strong low.”

Before that, the trader had posted, explaining why $67,000 and $69,000 matter to his setup. The latter is Bitcoin’s previous 2021 all-time high and the current cost basis for short-term holders. That cost basis represents the average price paid by recent buyers, and Bitcoin holding above it would leave many short-term holders in profit.

The analyst also compared the current move with previous bear markets, with Bitcoin historically needing several attempts to hold this area before a lasting bottom formed. He explained that the current attempt would be the third.

Another technical signal that Sykodelic noted was Bitcoin’s closing of its first daily candle above the 200-day simple moving average since November 2025. He claimed every previous break above that average in the cryptocurrency’s history coincided with the end of a bear market. However, he still wants to see the weekly close before declaring victory.

“As long as we are above $67,000, we are golden,” he wrote.

A view that fit Sykodelic’s argument came from trader Nik. While responding to a question from an X user on how to read a chart with “absolutely no structure,” they said they see no resistance until $74,000, with the next major wall around $80,000 to $83,000, and identified $65,000 to $67,000 as the more important support zone.

However, neither trader treats the move as a straight path higher, and Nik specifically warned that Bitcoin could see more “fuckery” before reaching higher levels.

Bitcoin’s run to $70,000 also came with heavy forced selling, described as its largest short-liquidation candle on record, with more than $1.2 billion in leveraged positions liquidated within an hour, $1.14 billion of that being shorts.

Crypto Market Grows By More Than $200 Billion

At the time of writing, BTC was still making huge strides, up more than 11% in 24 hours to put it above $72,000. Other timeframes were also similarly green, with the asset gaining over 12% in seven days and more than 10% in two weeks, while its one-month jump was 8%.

Nonetheless, it’s still in the red across one year at almost 37% and sits 43% below its all-time high.

The broader market has moved with the OG cryptocurrency, adding about $200 billion within 24 hours, as CryptoPotato reported. Ethereum briefly jumped past $2,300, and HYPE gained around 25% to $74, with several other large tokens turning green alongside them.

The post Bitcoin Eyes $74K After Rally as Analyst Flags $67K Support appeared first on CryptoPotato.