US considers a 20% toll on cargo in the Strait of Hormuz amid tensions with Iran. Toll by July 31, 2026 at 0.7% YES.

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Larne FC's Champions League qualifier against Red Star Belgrade exposes the growing divide between football's crypto haves and have-nots in

The post Champions League qualifying highlights the growing gap between football’s digital haves and have-nots appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

China continues its 20-month gold buying spree to avoid financial issues like Russia's. Gold hitting $10,000 by December at 2.8% YES.

The post China’s 20-month gold buying spree aims to avoid Russia’s 2022 financial woes appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Iran targets radar systems in Kuwait amid ongoing military campaign. Military action against a Gulf state on July 22 at 72.5% YES.

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Iran targets US radar systems near Kuwait, escalating military tensions. Military action against a Gulf state on July 22 at 72.5% YES.

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Bitcoin Magazine

White House Presses Senate Democrats To Accept Trump Ethics Deal On Clarity Act

The White House is pushing Senate Democrats to accept a conflict-of-interest agreement that President Donald Trump worked out with Republicans, a move that negotiators hope will settle the last major dispute in the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act.

A White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told CoinDesk that Trump “has agreed to the most comprehensive and wide-ranging ethics provision in history.” 

No details have emerged on what crypto restrictions Trump has consented to, and Democrats have been kept out of the loop on the provision.

The ethics section would restrict senior government officials from personal business ties to the crypto industry, including Trump, whose family holdings have generated more than $2 billion in new wealth since he returned to office, according to Reuters. Release of the final draft has stalled for several days as negotiators work through the language.

Democratic lawmakers have not received a briefing on the concession, though Republicans and the crypto industry have begun a sales campaign that casts Democrats as the obstacle.

“If Senate Democrats block this historic legislation after the administration has bent over backward to accommodate their concerns, stakeholders should make no mistake: It is the Democrats who are blocking this legislation because they were never serious about a legislative outcome,” the White House official said.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has added his voice to the push, saying that lawmakers stood at the “1-yard line” on the Clarity Act and urging Congress to pass the bill before the recess.

Clarity Act updates coming out of the White House

Democratic negotiators such as Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Ruben Gallego and Angela Alsobrooks have not seen details of the agreement with Trump, who met with Republican senators at the White House last week.

Many of the Democrats have drawn a line that the ethics provision needs to be strong. Trump has pressed the Senate to pass the Clarity Act, and his disclosure that he made more than $1 billion from crypto in 2025 has given critics fresh ammunition.

The Clarity Act’s text cleared the Senate Banking Committee in a 15-9 vote, with Gallego and Alsobrooks joining Republicans to advance it. 

Both said in May they would not back the final passage without an ethics provision. During the committee markup, an amendment from Senator Chris Van Hollen to bar the president, vice president and members of Congress from crypto business ties failed 11-13.

The industry expects full circulation of the legislative text this week, according to CoinDesk. 

The Senate has fewer than three weeks to finish the bill and clear a floor vote before Majority Leader John Thune’s August 7 deadline, when lawmakers break for their reelection campaigns and enter a narrow stretch to finish the bill. 

Galaxy Research puts the odds of passage at 50-50.

This post White House Presses Senate Democrats To Accept Trump Ethics Deal On Clarity Act first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Hyperscale Data Buys More Bitcoin, Bridging Holdings to Over $72 million

Hyperscale Data, Inc. has announced that it’s upped its Bitcoin holdings to over 1,000 digital coins. 

The New York Stock Exchange-listed company said Tuesday that it had over 1,087.4527 BTC as of Sunday — or $72.4 million based on today’s prices.

The holdings are split across the company’s wholly owned subsidiaries, Sentinum, Inc. and Ault Capital Group, Inc. (ACG). During the week ended July 19, ACG added roughly 51.5 bitcoin through open-market purchases.

The latest disclosure marks a significant acceleration in Hyperscale Data’s accumulation strategy. The AI data center company held just 627.9 BTC in late March 2026 — meaning it has nearly doubled its position, adding about 460 BTC in under four months.

The buildout is part of the company’s goal of establishing a $100 million digital asset treasury and reaching full parity between its Bitcoin holdings and market capitalization. With a market cap of roughly $63 million, that threshold has now been crossed — the company’s bitcoin alone is worth more than the company itself, before counting cash or its operating businesses.

Executive Chairman Milton “Todd” Ault III leaned into that disconnect, stating, “We now hold more than $70 million in Bitcoin.” He argued the market is assigning zero value to the company’s cash, its Michigan data center, and its portfolio of operating businesses, and said Hyperscale will keep executing while highlighting the widening gap between its market capitalization and underlying value.

At the time of writing, GPUS is trading near $0.13 a share.

Hyperscale is following the Bitcoin treasury strategy playbook

Strategy Inc. (MSTR) has become the flagship case study in the evolution of Bitcoin treasury strategies in the corporate world.

Under the leadership of Michael Saylor, Strategy shifted from a traditional software business to buying Bitcoin and allowing investors to get exposure to the asset via its shares which trade on the Nasdaq. 

This model has inspired other corporations like Hyperscale Data to add the leading cryptocurrency to their treasuries — though Hyperscale’s case is unusual in that its holdings now exceed its entire market cap, a situation more commonly seen in deeply discounted treasury plays.

This post Hyperscale Data Buys More Bitcoin, Bridging Holdings to Over $72 million first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

Bitcoin Magazine

U.S. Senator: Clarity Act is ‘Almost There,’ Treasury Secretary Puts It at the ‘1-Yard Line’

Senator Kevin Cramer said the Senate has moved close to a deal on the Clarity Act, the crypto market-structure bill, with a fresh set of amendments on ethics and enforcement before Democrats for review.

The North Dakota Republican, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, told Fox Business on Tuesday that the bill grows “clearer” as “each issue gets dealt with,” and that “we’re almost there.” He said the largest holdup is Democrats reading the new amendments, “some of them relevant to the ethics piece.”

The central compromise Cramer described concerns who enforces the law. He said there appears to be “some agreement that the Department of Justice would be the prevailing enforcer,” a structure he backed as the source of uniform rules. Democrats, he said, had preferred a role for state attorneys general, an approach he argued would create “too disparate a situation” for the clarity the industry seeks.

Ethics fight over President Trump

That enforcement question sits at the heart of a months-long ethics fight over President Trump’s crypto ventures. 

Senator Cynthia Lummis, who chairs the Banking Committee’s digital assets subcommittee, had floated language that would let state attorneys general sue exchanges that list tokens issued by public officials, a provision aimed at holdings tied to the president and his family. 

Democrats on the committee have pressed for enforceable conflict-of-interest rules, and an amendment to bar the president, vice president, and members of Congress from crypto business ties failed on a party-line vote during the committee markup. 

Trump has met with senators over the ethics dispute as the White House and negotiators work toward terms. The shift Cramer outlined would route that enforcement to federal prosecutors rather than to fifty separate state offices, a change that narrows the paths available to challenge a listed token but centralizes the decision to act in the Justice Department.

Cramer said the Senate has “a couple more weeks” before the August recess, and echoed Lummis in the push for passage before the break. 

“We have to get this done,” he said about the Clarity Act. 

Lummis, in an interview last week, said the bill was “ready” and that it was “very important” to move it across the finish line before the recess, so that markets could see “the stability that will be provided to them if they remain on shore in the United States.”

Cramer flagged one more sticking point beyond enforcement: the definition of securities intermediaries. “The industry doesn’t like that,” he said, and noted a preference for a definition built around decentralization. He cast the remaining gaps as matters of “small details.”

Lots of clarity about the Clarity Act

The Clarity Act would split oversight of digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, set disclosure rules for certain tokens, and extend anti-money-laundering and sanctions rules to crypto exchanges. The House passed its version a year ago, and the measure has waited in the Senate since. 

The Senate Banking Committee advanced its version of the Clarity Act in a 15-9 vote this spring, with two Democrats crossing over.

The timeline is tight. Majority Leader John Thune has aimed to bring the bill to the floor before the work period ends in early August, and House members have urged the Senate to act within the window. 

The CFTC chair called the bill “so close”, while Galaxy Research cut its passage odds to 50-50 as the clock ran down. 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen: Clarity Act on ‘1-yard line’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added his voice to the push, telling Bloomberg that lawmakers stood at the “1-yard line” on the Clarity Act and urging Congress to pass the bill before the recess.

The bill competes for floor time with a continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown at the end of September and a reconciliation package, priorities Cramer ranked ahead of other items in the same interview. President Trump has pressed the chamber to pass the crypto measure, a message he has paired with warnings about competition from China.

For all the optimism, Cramer stopped short of a firm date. “I don’t know that we get to it this week,” he said, a caveat that leaves the bill’s fate to the narrow stretch of Senate days before lawmakers leave Washington.

This post U.S. Senator: Clarity Act is ‘Almost There,’ Treasury Secretary Puts It at the ‘1-Yard Line’ first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Price Closes in on $67,000, Lifting Strategy and Other Crypto Stocks

Bitcoin’s price jumped Tuesday to its highest in over one month, bringing crypto stocks like Bitcoin treasury’s Strategy with it. 

The Bitcoin price was recently priced at $66,886, up nearly 3% in 24 hours. Over the past seven days, the leading cryptocurrency has risen by close to 6%. 

Its rise comes as stocks also trade higher — despite tensions in the Middle East flaring up again. 

Nasdaq-listed Strategy (MSTR), formerly MicroStrategy, also jumped above $100 per share on Tuesday. 

The price jump comes even as the Bitcoin juggernaut on Monday revealed it did not make its usual crypto buy, instead reporting the sale of a $225 million in MSTR shares, which it used for its dollar reserve. 

Strategy stock plunged with the price of Bitcoin last year, and is currently well below its November 2024 peak of $473.83. 

The software company, which started buying Bitcoin in 2020 as an inflation hedge, holds at 843,775 BTC, a position worth around $56.2 billion at current prices. 

Other Nasdaq-listed crypto stocks, including America’s biggest crypto exchange, Coinbase (COIN) and Bitcoin miner Marathon Digital (MARA), also surged on Tuesday. COIN at the time of writing was up 11% and MARA was trading over 6% higher. 

Middle East flare up 

Bitcoin’s price has taken a hit so far in 2026, and is currently down nearly 24% year-to-date. Since the leading crypto notched a new record of $126,080 in October, it has shed close to 50% of its value. 

The asset first got hit hard in October when the biggest crash in the history of the industry liquidated more than $19 billion in crypto bets. 

Then, crypto markets got hit harder after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February, driving oil prices higher and deepening uncertainty around global inflation. 

Investors are now not expecting the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates anytime soon. More inflation comes less chance of interest rate cuts, which restricts the liquidity that Bitcoin needs to surge.

Iran and the U.S. continue to fight, ending a truce, but Bitcoin seems immune to the latest flare up. 

As of July 20–21, the U.S. carried out its 10th straight night of strikes on Iranian military targets, with Trump vowing retaliation for three American service members killed and the Pentagon reporting nearly 100 U.S. troops injured over two weeks. 

This post Bitcoin Price Closes in on $67,000, Lifting Strategy and Other Crypto Stocks first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.

Bitcoin Magazine

U.S. Treasury Freezes $130 Million Iran-Linked IRGC Crypto Wallet, Tracks Ayatollah’s Assets

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox News on Tuesday that the United States froze a crypto wallet linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps worth $130 million, part of a campaign to track the assets of Iran’s supreme leader around the world.

“We are tracking these accounts all over the world,” Bessent said, in remarks that framed the Treasury work as one prong of an “economic fury” push against Tehran alongside a blockade. “We froze a crypto wallet linked to the IRGC the other day.”

He said investigators had “found the money man for the Ayatollah” and were tracing the holdings of Ali Khamenei, including properties he valued at more than $100 million. Bessent said the Treasury hopes to publish the addresses of those properties. He cast the seizures as a transfer of value to the American people and a squeeze on the regime.

Iran’s economy in ‘freefall’

Bessent also described a collapse in Iran’s economy. He said the rial sits at an all-time low against the dollar and called it in “freefall,” with an inflation rate he put “upwards of 180%.” His account tracks the rial slide that has pushed some Iranians toward bitcoin.

The comments extend a Treasury campaign that has run through the war between Iran, Israel, and the United States. The department has sanctioned Iran’s largest crypto exchange and said the U.S. has seized $1 billion of Iran’s crypto. Blockchain analysts have tied billions in on-chain flows to IRGC-linked wallets, with such wallets receiving more than $3 billion in 2025, a rise from over $2 billion the year before. 

In a separate move, the stablecoin issuer Tether froze $344 million in USDT across two blockchain addresses tied to the IRGC, one of the largest single actions in the sequence.

Bitcoin’s design draws both sides of the fight. It settles without a correspondent bank or a reserve-currency issuer, a trait that lets Iran monetize oil access outside the dollar system and lets Treasury trace and freeze value on a public ledger.

The conflict has reshaped how crypto figures into the region. Since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began, bitcoin use inside the country has surged as residents moved value out of the banking system. 

Tehran, for its part, reportedly moved to accept bitcoin from tankers seeking passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a $1-per-barrel toll that turns its grip on the chokepoint into settlement revenue. The strait carries a fifth of the world’s oil.

The war has repriced bitcoin as well. 

Treasury has not published documentation of the $130 million wallet freeze or the property addresses Bessent referenced. The inflation and currency figures came from his remarks rather than from Iranian data.

This post U.S. Treasury Freezes $130 Million Iran-Linked IRGC Crypto Wallet, Tracks Ayatollah’s Assets first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Newly filed federal election records show Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss gave $10.018 million in Bitcoin to MAGA Inc., the super PAC aligned with President Donald Trump, on June 19, 2026.

The gifts came 23 days after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced that it had joined the brothers’ crypto exchange, Gemini, in seeking relief from a 2025 judgment.

The FEC filing shows that the committee sold the donated Bitcoin through Gemini. The donation came 23 days after the CFTC joined Gemini’s effort to undo parts of its 2025 judgment, although the filing offers no evidence linking the two events.

The dates establish a sequence, but the records provide no clear evidence that the donations caused or influenced the CFTC’s action, that the agency coordinated with the donors, or that a quid pro quo occurred.

Cameron’s records total $5,006,604.47 and Tyler’s total $5,011,860.44. Four June 19 rows naming Gemini add up to exactly the same $10,018,464.91 and say the Bitcoin was sold through the exchange to unknown purchasers.

FEC rules require a political committee selling donated Bitcoin to name the exchange. The buyer can remain anonymous and does not count as a contributor.

Why the CFTC changed course

The CFTC said its review concluded that the complaint against Gemini would not have been filed under current enforcement standards.

The agency cited credibility problems with a whistleblower account and weaknesses in the evidence, including supporting material requested by a commissioner but not supplied before the case was authorized. It also said privilege and relevance objections impeded Gemini’s defense and that regulatory authority had been used improperly as settlement leverage.

The CFTC also pointed to Gemini’s status as a fraud victim and a change in federal digital-asset policy.

In an amended joint motion, the parties asked the court to vacate the consent order or, alternatively, lift its remaining prospective provisions, including a permanent injunction. The $5 million penalty imposed in 2025 had been paid, remained satisfied, and would not be returned to Gemini.

Related Reading

Gemini settles CFTC Bitcoin futures case for $5 million

Under the settlement terms, Gemini did not admit or deny any wrongdoing. 

Jan 7, 2025 · Gino Matos

The June gifts extend the brothers’ earlier support for MAGA Inc. A July 2025 filing attributed about $1.015 million in January bitcoin records to the twins. Their newly disclosed amount is nearly ten times larger.

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Winklevoss twins donate $21M to new crypto PAC targeting 2026 midterms

The PAC advocates for "thoughtful Market Structure legislation" through what Winklevoss describes as a "Skinny Market Structure Bill."

Aug 20, 2025 · Gino Matos

That concentration is likely to hone scrutiny of CFTC independence as lawmakers debate giving the agency a larger role in crypto market structure.

It illustrates how a small number of industry executives now place large sums into political committees while their companies remain affected by enforcement policy. Twenty-three days is close enough to raise eyebrows, but timing alone is not evidence of influence.

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Trump puts Senate on a 24-day clock to find 60 votes for America’s crypto CLARITY Act rulebook

The CLARITY Act still faces unresolved ethics provisions, a difficult vote count and a shrinking congressional calendar.

Jul 14, 2026 · Oluwapelumi Adejumo

The post Winklevoss twins gave Trump’s super PAC $10 million 23 days after CFTC joined Gemini relief bid appeared first on CryptoSlate.

A US-based crypto mining venture raised about $22 million from more than 380 investors, then spent just 13 cents of every dollar on its purported mining operation, the SEC alleges.

The regulator filed partially settled charges on July 20 against Zan Shaikh and Bright Vision Distribution LLC, doing business as Mining Automatic. According to the SEC complaint, the defendants promised guaranteed monthly returns between approximately June 2023 and May 2025 even though the purported mining operation was not set up to generate those levels of returns.

The SEC alleges Shaikh and Mining Automatic took in at least $20 million more than they repaid to investors. It said investor money was used largely for marketing to solicit new investors, along with Shaikh’s personal expenses and unrelated business expenses.

Shaikh and Mining Automatic agreed to proposed permanent injunctions, subject to court approval. Shaikh also agreed to an officer-and-director bar and a conduct-based injunction. If the court approves the consent judgments, disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and civil penalties would be decided later on an SEC motion. Any investor distribution or recovery remains unannounced and uncertain.

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Mining Capital Coin CEO charged with $62M crypto fraud

Mining Capital Coin CEO Luiz Capuci Jr. faces multiple charges and may be sentenced to up to 45 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

May 10, 2022 · Jinia Shawdagor

FBI outreach could widen the known pool

A separate FBI victim-information page says the bureau’s Boston Division is seeking potential victims connected to Shaikh, Bright Vision Distribution, YT Automatic and Mining Automatic.

The questionnaire also names RankOne Ecommerce and Replic8 among companies affiliated with Shaikh and associates, without defining each relationship, and says investors were primarily targeted from 2022 through 2025.

The FBI’s outreach casts a wider net than the SEC’s case, which covers more than 380 investors allegedly promised guaranteed returns from around June 2023 to May 2025. More victims may now come forward, but the FBI has not updated the total or suggested anyone will get their money back.

Related Reading

SEC filings reveal the multi-million dollar trap hiding inside ‘exclusive’ WhatsApp crypto investment clubs

The SEC's complaint maps the playbook of group chat "signals," phony STOs, and a withdrawal-fee twist, plus how to verify licenses in minutes.

Dec 30, 2025 · Gino Matos

The FBI says submissions are voluntary, may aid the investigation and may lead agents to request more information. It says victims may be eligible for services, restitution and rights under federal or state law. Submitting the form remains an information-gathering step, with formal claim status left unspecified.

The next formal step is court review of the proposed judgments. If they are approved, the SEC can move for the court to set monetary relief, while the amount investors might ultimately recover remains unknown.

The post 380 investors face Bitcoin mining losses after alleged $22M US scheme put just 13% into mining appeared first on CryptoSlate.

President Donald Trump has reportedly agreed to proposed ethics restrictions tied to sweeping US cryptocurrency legislation, addressing one of the biggest obstacles in months of negotiations and shifting the next decision to Senate Democrats who have demanded limits on how public officials can profit from digital assets.

The agreement came after Trump met last week with Republican Sens. Bernie Moreno of Ohio and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt to discuss ethics provisions for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, or CLARITY Act.

No agreement emerged from the July 16 meeting, but Trump subsequently approved proposed language on Monday, according to reports.

Moreno told CNBC's Emily Wilkins that Trump had accepted what he described as “the most aggressive ethics language” in US history and said Republicans and Democrats were expected to continue talks.

The development does not guarantee Democratic support because lawmakers involved in the negotiations had not yet reviewed the newly approved text when Trump’s position was reported.

That makes the president’s decision less an end to the ethics fight than a change in who must act next.

Democrats now face the compromise

The CLARITY Act would establish a federal framework for digital-asset markets, expanding Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) oversight of digital commodities while preserving Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) authority over securities. It would also impose registration and customer-protection requirements on crypto intermediaries.

But Trump’s concession alone does not provide the votes needed to pass it.

The House passed an earlier version of H.R. 3633 by a 294-134 vote in July 2025. The Senate Banking Committee advanced its version 15-9 on May 14, with Democratic Sens. Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland joining Republicans.

Both Democratic senators, however, made clear that their committee votes did not guarantee support when the legislation reached the Senate floor.

Alsobrooks said after the committee vote that lawmakers still needed an ethics agreement covering not only the president and vice president but members of Congress. She also identified financial-crime provisions as unfinished business.

Republicans would need Democratic support to overcome a filibuster, which requires 60 votes. The committee bill received support from only two Democrats, leaving its sponsors needing several more votes if the measure encounters procedural opposition on the floor.

Senators are also working through other disputes, including decentralized finance and illicit-finance provisions. An agreement on ethics would therefore eliminate a major source of disagreement without resolving every remaining issue.

Before last week’s White House meeting, Democrats involved in the talks had objected to Republican ethics proposals they considered insufficient.

Gallego, one of the Democratic lawmakers most closely involved in negotiations, had previously criticized Republican language as too weak.

Democrats were not represented at the July 16 White House meeting where Republican lawmakers presented their approach to Trump.

The next test is whether the language Trump accepted closes enough of that gap.

Trump’s crypto income raised stakes of ethics fight

The dispute has taken on greater significance because Trump is not merely overseeing an administration developing crypto policy. His family has substantial financial interests in the industry.

Trump’s annual financial disclosure for 2025 showed more than $1.4 billion in income connected to family cryptocurrency ventures, including World Liberty Financial and businesses associated with the TRUMP memecoin. Companies linked to Trump received almost $800 million from World Liberty alone, including proceeds from token sales and the sale of interests in the company.

Those figures strengthened Democratic demands for rules governing crypto holdings and business relationships involving presidents, vice presidents, lawmakers and other senior federal officials.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, one of the bill’s most persistent critics, has argued that approving market-structure legislation without stronger ethics protections could allow Trump to continue benefiting financially from an industry affected by decisions made by his administration.

The issue had already surfaced during the Senate Banking Committee’s May markup. An amendment proposed by Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland that sought restrictions on crypto business ties involving senior government officials failed 11-13. Ethics negotiations continued after the committee advanced the overall bill.

Trump’s willingness to accept new restrictions was therefore viewed by negotiators as an important condition for a broader agreement.

The president had repeatedly called for Congress to pass crypto market-structure legislation, but until the latest negotiations it was uncertain how far he would go in supporting provisions that could affect his own family’s business interests.

Senate clock adds another obstacle

Even if Democrats and Republicans reach an ethics compromise, lawmakers have little room left for delay.

The Senate’s scheduled August state work period begins Aug. 10, meaning supporters effectively have only the remainder of July and the first week of August to assemble the necessary votes under the current calendar. The approaching midterm elections could make reviving the legislation later in the year more difficult.

The Banking Committee’s May vote moved CLARITY substantially closer to the Senate floor, but passage there would still not send the legislation directly to Trump.

The Senate version contains changes from the bill approved by the House, and lawmakers must also deal with provisions falling under the jurisdiction of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees the CFTC.

Any final Senate package that differs from the House-approved measure would need to be reconciled before the legislation could reach the president.

Lummis has said she expects the Senate to move ahead with CLARITY and has pushed for action before lawmakers leave Washington.

Therefore, the compressed timetable means even an ethics agreement would only reopen a path to passage rather than guarantee one. Lawmakers would still need to settle remaining policy disputes, secure enough Democratic votes and complete the legislative process before the August break.

Crypto industry increases pressure for a deal

Industry groups and executives have meanwhile intensified pressure on lawmakers to prevent the ethics disagreement from derailing the broader regulatory package.

Kristin Smith, president of the Solana Policy Institute, said the legislation had changed substantially since its House passage, including additions covering illicit finance, consumer protection and oversight of trading platforms.

She described ethics as the largest remaining issue and argued that restrictions should apply across government rather than solely to Trump.

Prediction-market traders also became more optimistic after reports that Trump had accepted the proposed restrictions.

A Polymarket contract asking whether CLARITY will become law in 2026 priced the probability at about 42%, up from roughly 32% last week. The contract has generated more than $2 million in trading volume.

The move suggests traders see Trump’s concession as improving the bill’s prospects, though pricing remains below even odds and reflects continued uncertainty over whether negotiators can convert the proposal into a bipartisan agreement.

The remaining question is no longer whether Trump will accept an ethics restriction.

It is whether Democrats consider the restrictions he accepted strong enough to provide the votes CLARITY still needs before the Senate leaves Washington.

The post Trump backs crypto ethics limits, putting CLARITY Act decision in Democrats’ hands appeared first on CryptoSlate.

For most of the month, traders had a pretty good explanation for Bitcoin's refusal to budge. A dense cluster of options contracts, they argued, was holding the price in a cage between $60,000 and $65,000, with dealers buying dips and selling rallies to stay hedged.

Friday's expiry cleared roughly $1.2 billion of that exposure, and the aftermath was supposed to settle the question. If the options were pinning Bitcoin near $63,000, price should start drifting once they vanished.

And it did. Bitcoin was trading around $66,200 on Tuesday, up about 2.9% on the day and roughly 5% on the week, pressing against a $65,700 resistance-turned-support level it hasn't held all month. You could call this vindication: remove the wall of options suffocating price, and the market breathes.

But the more accurate take is that the expiry was never doing the heavy lifting, and the fuel behind this week's move actually came from somewhere else.

The options wall came down, and the demand walked in

About 19,000 Bitcoin options contracts settled on July 17 with a notional value near $1.2 billion, a put-call ratio of 0.9 and a maximum-pain level at $63,000. Ethereum added 123,000 contracts worth roughly $230 million, carrying a much heavier 1.61 put-call ratio that reflected a month of demand for downside protection. Combined, about $1.43 billion in crypto options rolled off.

However, the notional number here can be a bit misleading. That $1.2 billion isn't $1.2 billion of buying or selling pressure; it's the face value of the underlying exposure, and the premium actually at risk is a small fraction of it. The 0.9 put-call ratio signaled slightly more appetite for calls than puts, and the $63,000 max-pain level marked where option sellers would have paid out the least.

Max pain is a bookkeeping reference for where positioning concentrates, and it's a poor guide to where price lands. Recent quarterly expiries on Deribit have shown little evidence of any consistent pinning effect.

The number that carries real weight is how much open interest the expiry removed, and this one was pretty small by recent standards. The comparable July 10 batch cleared about 7% of outstanding options, a sliver of the monthly and quarterly settlements that reset billions at once. An expiry this size was never going to force a lasting move.

The return of demand usually follows an expiry of this size. US spot Bitcoin ETFs have logged five consecutive sessions of inflows and two straight weeks of net positive flows, led by BlackRock's IBIT after an eight-week stretch that pulled billions out of the funds. The turnaround gathered pace once softer US inflation data and a rebound in Asian technology stocks restored some risk appetite following last week's semiconductor selloff.

Larger holders have been absorbing supply for weeks underneath those flows. Data from CryptoQuant shows wallets holding between 1,000 and 10,000 BTC added roughly 66,700 coins over the past 60 days, the strongest accumulation from that cohort since February.

When those buyers step in while smaller holders sell, the available supply thins, and it takes less fresh capital to lift the price. We saw that demand materialize before Friday's contracts ever expired.

If options gamma had genuinely suppressed price, the recovery we saw this week should have come from spot, with contained funding and rising volume. That's more or less what the data shows: futures open interest has climbed to about $32 billion, and volume jumped more than 80% on the day, paced by ETF inflows and whale buying.

However, the confirmation is thin, and the market isn't all that convinced we're up for a prolonged period of recovery. The Fear & Greed Index sits near 29, still in fear territory even as price climbs.

July's cumulative ETF inflows total roughly $200 million against $4.5 billion of June outflows, replacing only a few percent of what left. Spot volumes are thin, a $2.3 billion stablecoin liquidity drain has shrunk the dry powder available to defend higher levels, and oil above $91 keeps a macro tail risk in play before the Fed's July 28-29 meeting. A slip below $64,000 would put $62,000 back in view.

Either way, the point stands. Before Friday, the options concentration offered a plausible reason for Bitcoin's narrow range.

After Friday, the range broke, and it broke on capital flows, driven by an expiry too small to move anything on its own. The more complex explanation, that Bitcoin lacked buyers until this week, is the one the price is now testing.

The post The $1.2 billion options wall came down, and this time Bitcoin actually moved appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Jack Mallers is stepping down as chief executive of Twenty One Capital to focus on Strike, while Twenty One and the Bitcoin payments company abandon a contemplated combination.

Raphael Zagury, a Twenty One board member with experience in capital markets and Bitcoin infrastructure, will take over as CEO. The change puts him in charge of building cash-generating operations around one of the largest corporate Bitcoin treasuries as weaker prices and tighter financing test the wider sector.

Mallers said he had decided to step down after the role clarified what he wanted to build. “My life's work remains Bitcoin. My Bitcoin company is Strike. The work continues,” he wrote.

Tether, Twenty One’s controlling shareholder, confirmed that Zagury would succeed Mallers and that the companies were working toward an orderly handover.

The Strike combination is no longer on the table

The split closes off a strategy Twenty One outlined less than three months ago.

On April 29, the company announced an operating plan centered on possible acquisitions of Strike and Elektron, a Bitcoin mining and energy infrastructure business associated with Zagury.

Related Reading

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Traders mistaking this 43,033 BTC custody transfer for a fresh buy order risk misinterpreting the flow, as the coins were sourced and priced long before the alert.

Dec 8, 2025 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

The plan was never a completed deal. Twenty One’s March-quarter filing, filed in May, said there were no binding commitments or agreements for either acquisition and that its board had not approved a transaction.

Tether’s announcement says Twenty One and Strike are no longer contemplating a combination because Strike is best positioned as an independent business. That makes the transition more consequential than a simple change at the top. Mallers is returning his attention to Strike, while Twenty One must develop its operating model without the payments company that had been central to its expansion proposal.

Twenty One is still one of the largest corporate Bitcoin holders. Its historical March 31 balance-sheet snapshot quantifies the exposure Zagury inherits.

As of March 31, the company reported 43,514 BTC with a fair value of about $2.95 billion, along with approximately $114.1 million in cash. Those figures are a dated quarterly snapshot, not a current July balance.

The same filing recorded a rounded $847.8 million fair-value loss on the Bitcoin position during the quarter. It also said approximately 16,116 BTC were pledged as collateral to convertible notes. The loss did not, by itself, represent an equivalent cash outflow, but it showed how directly Twenty One’s reported results move with Bitcoin.

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Bitcoin treasuries already faced two collateral calls in 2026 and some loans can liquidate after just 12 hours

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Jul 14, 2026 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

The data show the scale of the treasury model Zagury is being asked to develop. Twenty One has said it wants to increase Bitcoin per share while building financial services, lending, capital markets products and other cash-generating operations around its holdings.

In Tether’s announcement, Zagury said Twenty One should be measured by the cash flow it produces and the discipline with which it allocates capital. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino also emphasized Zagury’s experience building businesses with cash flow and disciplined execution.

The mandate shifts the performance test beyond the size of the Bitcoin stack.

Treasury financing raises the stakes

That emphasis arrives during a difficult market for companies financing large Bitcoin holdings.

Businesses that presented Bitcoin as a permanent reserve have had to weigh debt payments, collateral requirements, dividends and buybacks against continued accumulation. As CryptoSlate reported in May, those obligations can turn Bitcoin from a passive reserve into a source of corporate liquidity when financing conditions tighten.

Pressure has also reached the securities treasury companies use to raise money. Major treasury-linked preferred shares traded below their stated value during a June selloff, even as dividends continued and the market remained operational.

This month, new corporate Bitcoin credit initiatives were still moving forward, leaving investors to assess whether the financing structures can endure prolonged volatility.

Related Reading

One Bitcoin treasury’s paper loss just made Strategy’s stress everyone’s problem

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Jul 8, 2026 · Liam 'Akiba' Wright

Those conditions are not Twenty One’s stated reason for the leadership change. Mallers described his departure as a decision to focus on Strike, and Tether framed the handover as the end of the company’s founding chapter.

They do, however, make Zagury’s cash-flow and capital-allocation mandate more immediate. A treasury can grow when capital is readily available, and Bitcoin is rising. Building a durable listed company through a downturn requires operating cash flow and financing structures that do not rely entirely on a higher Bitcoin price.

With Strike remaining independent, Twenty One now has to prove that its Bitcoin balance sheet can support that broader business on its own.

The post Jack Mallers leaves Twenty One as Strike tie-up ends and Bitcoin treasury pressure builds appeared first on CryptoSlate.

XRP is having a strong day. The Ripple-linked token climbed about 4% over the last 24 hours to trade near $1.13, and this time the move has real drivers behind it — a major regulatory win, widening institutional access, and a broader market lifted by a resurgent Bitcoin. The rally has also pushed $XRP above a descending trendline that has capped every attempt to recover since its $1.54 high.

Let's start with why it's moving, then look at what the chart says.

Why is XRP Price up today?

Three things are working in XRP's favor at once.

First, regulation. Ripple has secured full MiCA approval to operate across 30 European countries, which strengthens its appeal to banks and payment providers and removes a layer of uncertainty that had kept institutions cautious. Second, access is widening: investors can now buy 21Shares XRP through most brokerages without needing to hold the coin in self-custody — a meaningful lowering of the barrier for traditional money. Third, momentum from the broader market: XRP posted its fourth straight green daily close on Monday, with the move powered in large part by a rebounding Bitcoin dragging the majors higher.

Put together, that's a mix of structural and momentum drivers rather than a one-off spike.

XRP Price Analysis: Is XRP UP?

Now the technicals. From the $1.54 high, XRP carved out a clean downtrend — a series of lower highs, each rejected right at the same descending line (the yellow arrows on the chart mark those failed attempts). Price bottomed near the $1 support zone, bounced, got rejected at the trendline again, and pulled back.

Today breaks that pattern. The latest green candle has pushed through the descending line near $1.1361 instead of bouncing off it. That resistance has defined XRP's price action for roughly two and a half months, so clearing it is the first genuine technical win the bulls have had in a while. Analysts note the move also lines up with a symmetrical-triangle breakout that traders had been watching, with $1.13 as the key trigger level.

XRP Prediction: Where does XRP go from here?

Breaking a trendline is a start, not a confirmation. On the daily chart, XRP is still inside a larger descending channel, with the 100-day and 200-day moving averages sitting overhead around $1.12-$1.13 and again near $1.24. That makes the $1.24-$1.28 zone the real test — it lines up with both the channel's upper boundary and the major moving averages. Clear it decisively, and analysts see $1.35 coming into focus.

On the downside, support sits firmly around $1.02-$1.06, where buyers have repeatedly stepped in over recent weeks. A loss of that zone would undo the breakout and potentially expose the $0.88-$0.92 area.

The takeaway: XRP has fundamentals and momentum aligning with a technical breakout — but it needs to hold above $1.13 and eventually crack $1.24-$1.28 to turn today's move from a breakout attempt into a real trend reversal.

The crypto market has flipped green again. After weeks of Extreme Fear and a bruising sell-off, the total market capitalization has climbed back above $2.2 trillion, gaining roughly 1.7% in the last 24 hours. Bitcoin reclaimed the $65,000 threshold, rising 0.77%, while Ethereum surpassed $1,900 with a 1.54% gain. Most majors are participating, with $XRP, $Solana, and $TRON all posting modest advances alongside the two market leaders. 

So what's actually behind the move? Let's break it down.

Why is the crypto market up today?

The single biggest catalyst is a shift in inflation expectations. Market concerns over a potential resurgence in inflation are gradually subsiding, and this cooling has lifted both Bitcoin and Ethereum back above key levels. Crucially, this is happening despite ongoing geopolitical tension: crude oil prices have cooled even with the situation in the Middle East, which has helped fade fears of a second inflation wave. 

Since oil feeds directly into headline inflation, easing crude removes one of the market's biggest overhangs. Lower inflation pressure means the Federal Reserve has less reason to stay hawkish, and that improved macro backdrop is exactly the kind of environment where risk assets like crypto tend to perform.

Are institutions buying again?

Yes, and this is the structural part of the story. U.S. spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs have reported consecutive net inflows, underscoring sustained institutional demand and renewed confidence despite lingering macroeconomic uncertainty. The disappearance of institutional demand was a major driver of the earlier correction, so its return is one of the more meaningful signals beneath today's price action.

Investor sentiment has shifted as both safe-haven and risk-tolerant capital flowed into liquid crypto assets — a sign that money is rotating back into the space rather than fleeing it.

Is this rally sustainable?

That's the key question. Sentiment has recovered from June's Extreme Fear lows but remains fragile, and the broader market still sits well below where it started 2026. For the move to hold, Bitcoin needs to defend the $65K–$66K zone as support rather than treat it as a ceiling, and ETF inflows need to stay consistent. Traders are also watching upcoming Fed signals and pending U.S. crypto legislation, including the CLARITY Act, as the next potential catalysts.

For now, the setup looks constructive: cooling inflation fears, returning institutional flows, and broad participation across majors rather than a single-coin bounce.

Want to trade the majors as sentiment turns? You can buy and hold crypto directly on Bitpanda using code CRYPTOTICKER.

Russia's push to bring digital assets into international commerce is moving forward, though not as quickly as first planned. After passing its first reading back in April, the government's crypto bill has been revised and cleared for its next stage. Russia's State Duma committee has approved a revised cryptocurrency regulation bill for its second reading, removing a proposed requirement to declare crypto wallet addresses while adding provisions for crypto-funded investments and new transfer controls.

The headline feature for businesses is unchanged: crypto stays banned for domestic payments but is permitted for cross-border trade. Meanwhile, Bitcoin is flashing strength of its own, closing above key long-term support for a third straight week. Below, we cover both the regulatory update and what the BTC chart is signaling.

Where does Russia's crypto bill actually stand right now?

It has passed one of three required readings. The bill, formally titled "On Digital Currency and Digital Rights," passed its first reading with 327 of 340 deputies voting in favor. Since then it has been reworked. Russia's Financial Markets Committee approved the revised bill for its second reading, with Chairman Anatoly Aksakov saying the proposal removes wallet address reporting while strengthening legal protections for crypto owners.

Importantly, the second-reading floor vote hasn't taken place yet. The committee endorsement was announced through Aksakov's Telegram channel, and records on the State Duma website had not yet been updated since the bill cleared its first reading in April. Two Duma readings, Federation Council approval, and a presidential signature are still required before it becomes law.

What changed in the revised bill?

Several things. The updated draft no longer requires cryptocurrency holders to declare wallet addresses; instead, users would only need to report wallet balances and transaction volumes. Aksakov said the revision is intended to reduce the risk of sensitive information being exposed in ways that could be used against Russia.

New investment and control provisions were also added. Investors would be allowed to purchase Russian securities and Digital Financial Assets using cryptocurrencies, and licensed Russian brokers and asset managers could eventually gain access to approved foreign crypto exchanges, subject to additional conditions. Retail investment limits remain unchanged, while the bill introduces a new provision allowing authorities to delay certain large outbound crypto transfers for up to two days. The retail cap holds at 300,000 rubles annually.

Why does the cross-border trade angle matter?

Because it hands Russian companies a settlement route outside sanctioned banking channels. The bill maintains crypto's ban for domestic payments while carving out its use in foreign trade and, in the revised text, covering investor eligibility, consumer protections, cross-border crypto transactions, and the use of digital assets in Russia's financial markets. The scale is significant: Russian exporters and importers moving goods across an estimated $240 billion in trade volume and facing payment friction would gain a legal pathway to settle contracts in cryptocurrency.

Only major assets are expected to qualify. Only cryptocurrencies with market caps above 5 trillion rubles (around $66.6 billion) and a five-year trading history would be eligible, with Bitcoin and Ethereum the expected first approvals.

When will the law take effect?

Later than originally targeted. Finance ministry official Alexey Yakovlev told Interfax the bill is largely ready but unlikely to be adopted by the initial July 1, 2026 target, having been sent back for committee review before its second reading. No firm replacement date has been confirmed, so the timeline now hinges on how quickly the remaining readings and approvals proceed.

Bitcoin Price Analysis: Why s Bitcoin Price UP?

Bitcoin just delivered its highest weekly close in five weeks. More notably, $BTC closed above its 200-week moving average support for the third consecutive week — resilience that stands out given the Nasdaq 100 fell more than 4% over the same period. That divergence from tech equities at a major support zone is exactly what bulls want to see.

The technical picture is constructive. The MACD has turned bullish, the RSI bullish divergence remains valid, and the Stochastic RSI is showing positive momentum. The bullish engulfing candle from three weeks ago is also still holding — a pattern that has appeared three times this cycle, each time followed by a strong rally.

Which Bitcoin levels matter most?

The map is clean on both sides. Resistance sits at $67,000, then $83,000. Support sits at $58,000, then $49,000.

Two scenarios stand out. If BTC holds above $58K, it could break toward $67K and then $83K. If instead BTC closes below $58K on the weekly chart, the next meaningful support is around $49K. With price currently trading near $64K, the $58K weekly close is the line in the sand to watch.

Memecoins Sold for Profit: What Tax Rules Apply to Small Coins

Memecoins like Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, Pepe, or Bonk can experience significant price fluctuations in a short period. Those who invest early and sell after a strong increase may achieve a high profit. However, the same tax rules that apply to more well-known cryptocurrencies generally apply to memecoins as well.

It does not matter whether a coin has a high market value, is only trending for a short time, or was originally created as an internet joke. What matters most are the acquisition date, the sale date, and the total profit realized.

Memecoins are Taxed as Cryptocurrencies

The Federal Ministry of Finance treats cryptocurrencies in private assets as so-called other economic goods. This includes not only Bitcoin and Ether but also smaller altcoins and memecoins.

If an individual sells a memecoin for a profit within one year of purchase, it may be considered a private sale transaction under § 23 of the Income Tax Act. The tax name or technical design of the coin is usually less important than whether it was acquired and later sold.

Therefore, the basic tax rules also apply to coins that have a low market capitalization or are traded on decentralized trading platforms.

The One-Year Holding Period is Crucial

For privately held cryptocurrencies, there is generally a holding period of one year. If more than twelve months pass between acquisition and sale, any profit made is usually tax-free under current law. However, if the sale occurs within one year, it must be determined whether the profit is taxable.

Example:

An investor buys memecoins for 2,000 euros on January 10. On June 1 of the same year, he sells the coins for 7,000 euros. The profit, before considering any possible fees, is 5,000 euros. Since less than a year has passed between the purchase and sale, the transaction generally falls under the category of private sale transactions. If the sale were to occur after the one-year holding period, the profit would generally be tax-free in private assets.

Not Just Sales in Euros Matter

Many investors assume that only the payout to their bank account is tax-relevant. However, this is a common misconception. A disposal can not only refer to the sale of a memecoin for euros. Exchanging it for another cryptocurrency can also be treated as a sale for tax purposes.

Tax-relevant transactions can include:

• Selling memecoin for euros
• Exchanging memecoin for Bitcoin
• Exchanging memecoin for Ether
• Exchanging memecoin for a stablecoin like USDT or USDC
• Using memecoin for goods or services

For example, if someone exchanges Dogecoin for a profit in USDT, they realize the profit at the time of the exchange. The fact that the stablecoins remain on the crypto exchange afterward does not prevent potential tax liability. The Federal Ministry of Finance clarifies that exchanging one cryptocurrency for another is generally considered a disposal of the cryptocurrency given and an acquisition of the cryptocurrency received.

The Exemption Limit is 1,000 Euros

For profits from private disposals, there is an annual exemption limit of 1,000 euros. This is not a tax allowance. If the total profit from all private disposals in the calendar year remains below 1,000 euros, it remains tax-free. If the limit is reached or exceeded, the entire taxable profit can be assessed.

Not only individual memecoin sales are considered. The total profit from all private disposals in the relevant calendar year is generally what matters. In addition to various cryptocurrencies, other private disposals may also be included in the calculation under certain conditions. Therefore, investors should not consider each coin in isolation. The statutory exemption limit of 1,000 euros is derived from § 23 of the Income Tax Act.

Example of the Exemption Limit

An investor achieves the following results within a year:

• 700 euros profit with Dogecoin
• 450 euros profit with Pepe
• 200 euros loss with Shiba Inu

The total profit amounts to 950 euros. If there are no other relevant private disposals, the total profit remains below the exemption limit of 1,000 euros. However, if a total profit of 1,050 euros is generated, not only the amount above 1,000 euros is taxable. In principle, the entire profit of 1,050 euros can be tax-relevant.

How is the profit calculated?

The taxable profit is simply derived from the difference between the sale proceeds and the acquisition costs. Fees directly related to the transaction can also play a role in the calculation.

Simplified formula:

• Sale price
• minus acquisition costs
• minus deductible transaction costs
• equals taxable profit or loss

If an investor buys memecoins for 1,500 euros and later sells them for 4,000 euros, there is initially a profit of 2,500 euros. Fees for buying and selling can accordingly change the taxable result. The calculation becomes more complicated when coins are purchased in multiple partial transactions at different prices and later sold only partially.

Multiple purchases complicate allocation

Memecoins are often bought in several tranches. For example, investors may initially invest a small amount, buy more after a price drop, and later sell only a portion of their holdings.

It must then be clear which coins are considered sold and which acquisition costs and holding periods are assigned to those coins. The BMF letter on cryptocurrencies contains guidelines for determining and documenting such transactions. Depending on the case, individual assessments or simplified allocation methods may be relevant. It is especially important that the chosen and used calculation is documented in a traceable and consistent manner.

Those who hold the same memecoins on multiple exchanges and wallets should not mix their holdings without verification. Transfers between one's own wallets are generally not considered sales but must be documented to avoid being mistakenly classified as taxable transactions.

Losses from memecoin sales can be relevant

Not every memecoin increases in value. Many projects lose a significant portion of their market capitalization shortly after launch or are hardly traded anymore. If a memecoin is sold or exchanged at a loss within the one-year holding period, a tax-deductible loss from a private sale may arise.

Such losses can generally be offset against profits from other private sales. However, free offsetting against wages, business income, or capital gains is generally not possible. If losses remain, a loss carryback or loss carryforward may be applicable under legal conditions within this type of income. However, a mere price loss is not sufficient. As long as the coins are merely sitting in the wallet and have not been sold, the loss is generally not realized for tax purposes.

Worthless coins are a special case

Memecoins that have become practically worthless or can no longer be traded are particularly challenging. This applies, for example, after a rug pull, project abandonment, or removal of the token from trading platforms.

An economic total loss does not automatically lead to the tax office accepting a tax-deductible loss. It is often crucial whether there is actually a verifiable sale or another tax-relevant realization event. Sales at a very low price, token swaps, abandoned projects, and technically inaccessible coins should therefore be examined individually. Especially for larger amounts, tax advice may be advisable.

Airdrops and gifted memecoins require special examination

Memecoins do not always enter the wallet through a traditional purchase. Some investors receive coins through airdrops, promotions, community rewards, or free token distributions. In such cases, the tax treatment cannot be assessed solely based on the rules for a normal purchase. It must be examined, among other things, whether taxable income arose at the time of receipt and what value can later be set as acquisition costs.

The start of the holding period may also depend on the specific circumstances. Therefore, investors should document when and for what reason they received the coins and what market value they had at that time.

Commercial trading may be taxed differently

The rules described primarily apply to occasional sales from private assets. In cases of extensive, systematic, and permanently profit-oriented activities, a commercial activity may exist. A high number of trades alone does not automatically lead to a business operation. The overall picture of the activity is always decisive.

A commercial classification can have significant consequences. These include, among other things, different profit determination rules, potential trade tax, and the loss of tax-free sales after the one-year holding period. Those who operate automated trading systems, manage third-party capital, consistently act like a professional trader, or additionally offer extensive services related to trading should have their classification examined early.

What documents investors should secure

With memecoins, complete documentation is particularly important. Small coins are often traded on multiple exchanges, through decentralized platforms, or directly via wallets. Some projects or trading venues disappear shortly after launch.

Therefore, investors should secure the following as soon as possible:

• Date and time of each purchase
• Number of coins purchased
• Purchase price in euros
• Cryptocurrency used in an exchange
• Date and value of each sale or exchange
• Transaction and network fees
• Exchange statements and CSV files
• Wallet addresses and transaction hashes
• Proof of transfers between own wallets
• Information on airdrops or gifted coins
• Exchange rates and price sources used

Screenshots alone are often not sufficient but can be helpful as a supplement. Complete transaction histories, blockchain data, and traceable calculations are better. The BMF explicitly emphasizes the obligations to cooperate and record income from cryptocurrencies in its letter from 2025.

Small coins do not automatically mean small tax amounts

The term memecoin can be misleading, as it can lead to significant taxable amounts. Early buyers can achieve profits that are significantly above the exemption limit during strong price increases. The tax office does not fundamentally distinguish whether a project is serious, technically innovative, or merely temporarily popular. Profits from speculative coins can also be taxable. Therefore, investors should check before selling when the coins were acquired and what tax consequences a sale or exchange could trigger.

Conclusion

For memecoins, the same tax rules generally apply in private assets as for other cryptocurrencies. If the sale or exchange occurs within one year after purchase, the profit may be taxable. After the one-year holding period, the profit is generally tax-free under current law.

Moreover, exchanging for Bitcoin, Ether, or stablecoins can already be considered a sale. Additionally, investors must observe the annual exemption limit of 1,000 euros for all private sales.

Especially for small and short-term traded coins, comprehensive documentation is crucial. Exchanges can close, tokens can disappear, and historical price data can sometimes be difficult to obtain. Those who secure purchases, sales, fees, and wallet transfers early can make their later tax return significantly easier and more traceable.

Bitcoin just went through one of its roughest stretches in years. After starting 2026 above $93,000, BTC bled through the first half of the year and dropped roughly 20% in June alone, sliding to around $58,000 on July 1 — its lowest level in more than 21 months. It even closed a full week below its 200-week moving average for the first time in about four years, a line that has historically only broken during deep bear phases.

So why is anyone talking about altcoins right now? Because the market has since steadied, with $BTC clawing back toward the $60,000–$65,000 zone, and because July has historically been one of Bitcoin's stronger months — green in 9 of the last 13 years with an average return north of 7%. If that seasonal pattern plays out and Bitcoin turns its recent low into support, capital tends to rotate down the risk curve into altcoins. That's where the bigger percentage gains usually show up.

This article focuses on five altcoins that fit three strict filters: a market cap under $2 billion (room to grow), a price under $10 (no psychological "too expensive" barrier), and genuine, demonstrable utility (not just hype). Every price and market cap below reflects early-July 2026 levels and will move — treat them as a snapshot, not a promise.

A necessary reality check first: this is a conditional setup, not a confirmed bull run. Bitcoin is still trading below major moving averages, spot ETFs saw record outflows in June, and several banks have cut their targets. Small-cap altcoins fall harder than Bitcoin when the market turns risk-off. Everything below assumes the recovery continues — if BTC loses its recent lows instead, these coins would likely drop faster than the market. Position accordingly.

Why do altcoins sometimes outperform Bitcoin?

When Bitcoin is falling or uncertain, money hides in BTC or leaves crypto entirely. But when Bitcoin stabilizes and confidence returns, traders start hunting for higher returns, and that capital flows into altcoins. Because these projects have far smaller market caps than Bitcoin, a relatively small amount of new money can move their prices sharply — the same dynamic that makes them fall harder on the way down. This rotation is what people mean by "altseason," and it typically favors coins with real usage and a clear story, not just the biggest names.

1. Render (RENDER) — decentralized GPU power for the AI boom

• Price: ~$1.48
• Market cap: ~$768 million
• Sector: AI / decentralized compute (DePIN)

Render connects people who need heavy graphics and AI computing power with those who have spare GPUs to rent out. As demand for AI training and rendering explodes, decentralized compute networks are one of the clearest "picks and shovels" plays in crypto. Render recently expanded its network capacity significantly through a governance proposal that added tens of thousands of GPUs via a new subnet, directly boosting what the network can handle. With AI infrastructure being one of the hottest narratives heading into the second half of 2026, Render sits right in the middle of it — and at under $1B, it has room to run if that theme keeps attracting capital.

2. Ondo (ONDO) — bringing real-world assets on-chain

• Price: ~$0.35
• Market cap: ~$1.7 billion
• Sector: Real-world asset (RWA) tokenization

Ondo is a leader in tokenizing real-world assets — think U.S. Treasuries, stocks, and ETFs turned into on-chain tokens. It has built serious institutional credibility, with partnerships and pilots involving names like BlackRock, JPMorgan, and Mastercard, and its platform now spans hundreds of tokenized equities. RWA is widely seen as one of the most durable long-term narratives in crypto because it connects blockchain to trillions of dollars in traditional finance. The one thing to watch: Ondo has significant token unlocks scheduled through 2028, which can add selling pressure even when fundamentals are strong.

3. Injective (INJ) — the finance-focused Layer 1

• Price: ~$5.03
• Market cap: ~$504 million
• Sector: DeFi Layer-1 blockchain

Injective is a blockchain built specifically for financial applications — decentralized exchanges, derivatives, prediction markets, and lending. It offers fast, low-cost transactions and a fully on-chain order book, and it's interoperable with major chains like $Ethereum and $Solana. With one of the smaller market caps on this list (under $500M) but a mature, working ecosystem and over a billion transactions processed, Injective is the kind of established-but-undervalued project that can move fast if DeFi activity picks back up in a recovery.

👉 Compare the best exchanges to buy INJ and other altcoins in our broker comparison.

4. Kaspa (KAS) — one of the fastest proof-of-work networks

• Price: ~$0.027
• Market cap: ~$766 million
• Sector: Layer-1 (proof-of-work, now programmable)

Kaspa is a proof-of-work Layer 1 built on its GHOSTDAG protocol, designed for extremely fast block times and high throughput. Its big recent catalyst is the Toccata hard fork (activated June 30, 2026), which added native smart contracts and token support — transforming Kaspa from a pure payments chain into a programmable one. That upgrade opens the door to a whole new wave of apps and developer activity. Kaspa also had a fair launch with no pre-mine and its emissions are winding down toward zero, which reduces future dilution — a rare structural positive among small-caps.

5. XTB-listed majors as your recovery anchor

• Sector: Diversified exposure

Not every allocation in a recovery needs to be a small-cap moonshot. Pairing the higher-risk picks above with exposure to established assets — and using a regulated platform — is how experienced traders manage the downside if the recovery stalls. If you want to trade crypto-related instruments alongside stocks and ETFs on a regulated, MiCA-era-compliant broker, XTB is one option worth reviewing.

👉 Trade on a regulated platform: Open an account with XTB.

Which altcoin is the best buy in July 2026?

There's no single "best" — it depends on which narrative you believe in most. If you're betting on AI, Render is the cleanest exposure. If you want the most durable long-term story, Ondo and RWA lead. If you want a small, established DeFi network with room to grow, Injective stands out. And if you're drawn to a freshly upgraded, fair-launched Layer 1, Kaspa just became a lot more interesting. The smart move for most people is diversification across narratives rather than betting everything on one coin.

As Gemini 3.5 Pro stalls in testing limbo, Google ships 3.6 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite, and a restricted cybersecurity model—and quietly teases Gemini 4.

The Tiger Global-led round values the startup at $1 billion as it wires stablecoin rails directly into a federally chartered bank, aiming to modernize the correspondent-banking plumbing behind cross-border payments.

Codenamed Frozen v2, Google's new server chip would bake part of Gemini's architecture directly into hardware for a projected 6–10x efficiency gain.

The Ripple-linked token just had its best day in weeks, as Washington may finally be delivering what the XRP Army has been waiting for.

XXI stock dropped nearly 18% after the company's co-founder stepped down and Tether's plan to combine three Bitcoin firms officially fell apart.

Ripple Prime has received four nominations at the Hedgeweek US Awards 2026.

Shiba Inu sellers are increasingly exiting the market as its exchange activity shows that the meme coin is back in demand and more tokens are being moved off exchanges.

Trading volume on Robinhood Chain recovers back to $428 million following the official rollout of AI agent accounts.

Galaxy has committed up to $5 million to help future-proof Bitcoin against the long-term threat of quantum computing.

Midnight Foundation updates on $9 million Cardano bridge exploit as Binance, OKX, and five other giants freeze 515 million stolen NIGHT tokens.

Key Takeaways

• IBM’s stock experiences decline despite announcing expanded Singapore defence collaboration.
• Partnership targets quantum applications for military logistics and operational planning.
• Singapore military gains access to IBM’s quantum infrastructure and technical expertise.
• Defence agencies aim to build quantum computing capabilities for future operations.
• Collaboration reinforces IBM’s position in cutting-edge defence technology sector.

Shares of IBM (IBM) closed at $211.68, registering a 0.62% decrease during trading. The modest decline occurred alongside news of an enhanced quantum computing alliance with Singapore’s military institutions. This strategic partnership centers on developing quantum solutions for operational planning, supply chain optimization, and next-generation digital infrastructure.

International Business Machines Corporation, IBM

Singapore Military Strengthens Quantum Technology Alliance With IBM

On July 21, IBM formalized an enhanced partnership with Singapore’s Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) and the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA). This strategic arrangement focuses on investigating quantum computing capabilities for sophisticated defence operations. Furthermore, the collaboration seeks to cultivate indigenous quantum computing talent within Singapore’s defence sector.

Through this agreement, DIS and DSTA technical teams will gain direct access to IBM‘s quantum computing infrastructure and professional guidance. IBM’s technical experts will provide hands-on mentorship as Singapore’s engineers develop quantum optimization solutions. The teams will test these technologies against realistic military planning scenarios.

Singapore’s defence organizations aim to evaluate quantum computing’s potential for future operational requirements. They plan to investigate potential enhancements in asset deployment and supply chain coordination. This initiative represents a component of Singapore’s comprehensive strategy to advance digital military capabilities.

Defence Applications Target Complex Operational Challenges

The initiative investigates how quantum optimization technologies might enhance intricate military planning workflows. Such workflows typically encompass numerous assets, scheduling constraints, and operational parameters. Quantum computational methods offer novel frameworks for managing extensive calculations.

Supply chain management represents a prime candidate for quantum computing applications in defence. Military planners routinely coordinate distribution networks spanning multiple destinations and transportation modes. Sophisticated computational tools could identify optimal distribution patterns.

The partnership additionally examines potential applications involving autonomous systems and materiel operations. Quantum computing platforms could enable accelerated evaluation of complex operational situations. Singapore’s defence teams will acquire hands-on technical expertise through sustained engagement with IBM specialists.

Defence Partnership Reinforces IBM’s Quantum Computing Strategy

IBM continues broadening its quantum computing network through collaborations with commercial and governmental entities. The Singapore defence agreement introduces another sector-specific application domain for the company’s technology portfolio. IBM delivers quantum computing access via its cloud-based infrastructure.

Quantum computing technology continues evolving with prospective applications spanning diverse industries. Beyond military applications, Singaporean organizations are investigating quantum solutions for maritime logistics and financial sectors. These domains confront complex challenges involving operational optimization, security protocols, and information management.

Singapore’s investment in quantum capabilities demonstrates broader preparedness initiatives for emerging computational paradigms. Additionally, IBM’s partnership facilitates skill development among Singapore’s technical workforce. The collaboration underscores IBM’s commitment to advancing transformative computing technologies.

IBM stock experienced downward pressure notwithstanding the collaboration announcement. Nevertheless, the technology firm maintains its focus on establishing strategic alliances centered on quantum computing and enterprise technology platforms. The Singapore defence project complements IBM’s ongoing initiatives to broaden its technological footprint internationally.

The post IBM (IBM) Stock Declines Despite Singapore Military Quantum Computing Partnership Expansion appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Highlights

• SpaceX (SPCX) stock climbs following the successful launch of 24 Starlink satellites via Falcon 9.

• The Starlink 17-39 mission proceeds smoothly after initial engine ignition issue causes delay.

• Company continues expanding satellite constellation for global broadband coverage.

• B1082 booster achieves successful recovery following its 23rd flight operation.

• Mission represents SpaceX’s 85th Falcon 9 deployment in current calendar year.

Shares of Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SPCX) reached $123.44, posting a 3.00% increase following the completion of another Starlink satellite deployment. The aerospace company successfully placed 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit despite encountering technical difficulties during an initial launch attempt. This mission continues SpaceX’s aggressive expansion of its orbital communications network through its reliable Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., SPCX

Technical Challenge Overcome as Falcon 9 Successfully Executes Starlink 17-39 Launch

The company launched its Starlink 17-39 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 4 East in California. Liftoff occurred at 7:49 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Tuesday, marking a one-day delay from the originally scheduled Monday launch window. The postponement became necessary after an engine ignition anomaly triggered an automatic shutdown sequence.

SpaceX successfully executed the rescheduled launch attempt with no additional technical complications during pre-flight operations. The rocket followed a south-southwesterly trajectory to achieve a 97-degree inclination orbit. The payload of 24 Starlink satellites separated from the upper stage approximately 62 minutes after departing the launch pad.

This particular mission utilized Falcon 9 first-stage booster B1082, achieving its 23rd successful flight and recovery. This veteran booster has previously supported numerous missions, including NROL-145, USSF-62, and OneWeb Launch 20. The first stage executed a controlled descent and landing on the autonomous droneship Of Course I Still Love You stationed in the Pacific Ocean.

SpaceX Accelerates Starlink Constellation Growth Through Consistent Deployment Schedule

This launch represents SpaceX’s 85th Falcon 9 mission during the current year. Of those missions, 67 have been dedicated to deploying Starlink satellites. The constellation currently comprises over 10,800 operational spacecraft orbiting Earth at various altitudes.

SpaceX is developing Starlink to deliver high-speed internet connectivity to underserved areas across the globe. The service focuses on locations with inadequate infrastructure while also enabling applications such as aviation connectivity. The company has recently enhanced its offerings with direct-to-cellular capabilities through strategic partnerships with telecommunications providers.

The addition of satellites through the Starlink 17-39 mission enhances both coverage footprint and network throughput. As a result, SpaceX maintains its position as a leader in commercial space transportation through consistent Falcon 9 operations. The organization’s commitment to reusability technology continues to drive down per-launch expenses while enabling rapid launch cadence.

Proven Reusability Strategy Reinforced Through Another Successful Booster Recovery

The B1082 first stage completed its 23rd successful landing following the Starlink deployment. This recovery marked the 212th booster touchdown on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You. The landing also contributed to SpaceX’s impressive total of 640 successful first-stage recoveries across all missions.

SpaceX is gearing up for upcoming testing activities involving its next-generation Starship launch system. The company has scheduled the 13th test flight of the massive Starship rocket following a scrubbed attempt caused by separate technical considerations. This upcoming test flight underscores SpaceX’s multi-faceted approach to space exploration extending beyond satellite operations.

Ultimately, the recent Falcon 9 mission showcased SpaceX’s operational resilience in managing and resolving technical setbacks while maintaining launch schedule integrity. The successful satellite deployment advances the company’s commercial internet service objectives and reinforces its dominant position in the launch services market. Consequently, SPCX stock experienced upward movement as investors responded positively to another successful mission execution.

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TLDR

• WYNN stock trades at $95.11 as company collects extensive 2026 accolades across multiple categories
• Forbes Travel Guide grants 18 Five-Star Awards to Wynn properties and amenities
• Corporate distinctions include Fortune, Forbes, Newsweek, and TIME Magazine recognitions
• Culinary achievements highlighted by James Beard Award for Casa Playa’s executive chef
• Recognition portfolio spans hospitality, dining, entertainment, and workplace environment standards

Wynn Resorts posted a stock price of $95.11, reflecting a 0.57% decline, while simultaneously accumulating an extensive portfolio of prestigious industry accolades throughout early 2026. The international luxury hospitality company garnered recognition from prominent organizations spanning travel, culinary arts, workplace standards, and business leadership categories. This comprehensive acknowledgment underscored the operator’s performance metrics across guest satisfaction, culinary operations, accommodation standards, entertainment offerings, and organizational culture.

The recognition portfolio encompassed three primary segments within the company’s operational framework. These comprised organizational-level distinctions, property-specific accolades, and awards celebrating amenity and culinary venues. This diverse recognition pattern solidified Wynn Resorts’ competitive positioning within the premium hospitality sector.

Wynn Resorts, Limited, WYNN

Company Accumulates Forbes Five-Star Awards and Corporate Distinctions

Wynn Resorts secured 18 Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Awards in February 2026, continuing an impressive track record of excellence. Wynn Tower Suites at Wynn Las Vegas achieved its milestone twentieth consecutive year earning Five-Star status. Meanwhile, Encore Boston Harbor retained its standing as the continent’s largest regional property holding this prestigious designation.

Throughout 2026, the organization appeared on numerous influential business rankings and corporate reputation lists. Notable inclusions featured Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies, Fortune 1000, Forbes America’s Best Companies, and Forbes Most Trusted Companies in America. Newsweek’s recognition portfolio encompassed workplace culture excellence, diversity initiatives, women’s employment practices, mental health support, environmental sustainability, and state-level workplace distinction.

TIME Magazine included Wynn Resorts on its America’s Best Companies roster for 2026. Business Insider featured the company within its America’s High Growth Companies compilation. This multifaceted recognition demonstrated sustained excellence extending beyond hospitality service delivery into broader corporate governance and leadership domains.

Las Vegas Properties and Culinary Programs Earn Distinguished Accolades

Wynn Las Vegas sustained its reputation as a premier luxury destination through multiple high-profile acknowledgments. Condé Nast Traveler featured the property in its first-ever Triple Crown collection. Additional honors arrived from Travel + Leisure, Men’s Health, Smart Meetings, and U.S. News & World Report.

The company’s culinary and entertainment portfolio captured significant industry recognition. Chef Sarah Thompson, leading Casa Playa’s culinary program, received the prestigious 2026 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southwest. Forbes Travel Guide bestowed Five-Star designations upon Wynn Las Vegas Tower Suites, Encore Las Vegas Tower Suites, The Spa at Wynn, The Spa at Encore, and Wing Lei restaurant.

The Southern Nevada Hotel Concierge Association presented awards to multiple Wynn establishments. Honored venues included Awakening, Delilah, PISCES, Wing Lei, SW Steakhouse, Wynn Golf Club, Encore Beach Club, and XS Nightclub. These accolades reinforced the resort’s comprehensive excellence across dining operations, entertainment programming, nightlife venues, and recreational facilities.

Award Portfolio Reinforces Strategic Positioning for Expansion

Encore Boston Harbor secured a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Award for The Spa at Encore Boston Harbor, adding to the property’s collection of luxury hospitality credentials. Wynn Resorts maintained its trajectory of delivering award-recognized experiences throughout its geographic footprint.

The operator’s current property collection features Wynn Las Vegas, Wynn Macau, Wynn Palace, Wynn Mayfair, and Encore Boston Harbor. Active development continues on Wynn Al Marjan Island located in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. This integrated destination property maintains its projected 2027 opening timeline.

The extensive recognition portfolio demonstrated consistent operational excellence spanning hospitality service delivery, organizational culture, environmental responsibility, culinary innovation, and guest service standards. These accolades enhanced Wynn Resorts’ competitive position within the international luxury hospitality marketplace. The organization continues advancing premium experience offerings while preserving elevated operational benchmarks throughout its worldwide property portfolio.

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Key Takeaways

• Fiserv shares decline 1.80% following Datavault AI partnership announcement

• Company secures exclusive embedded finance agreement with Datavault AI

• Partnership brings integrated banking and payment solutions to digital exchanges

• Deal includes digital wallet and card program deployment across marketplaces

• Fiserv penetrates NIL athlete sponsorship and data asset trading platforms

Shares of Fiserv, Inc. (FISV) closed Tuesday’s trading session at $50.75, representing a 1.80% decrease. The stock movement followed the company’s disclosure of an exclusive embedded finance collaboration with Datavault AI. This strategic arrangement brings Fiserv’s comprehensive payment and banking infrastructure to emerging digital commerce platforms and tokenized transaction environments.

Fiserv, Inc., FISV

Datavault AI designates Fiserv as sole embedded finance partner

Through this exclusive arrangement, Fiserv has been selected to deliver comprehensive embedded financial services and payment processing for all Datavault AI operations. The collaboration encompasses complete banking infrastructure, payment processing systems, card program administration, and digital financial product delivery throughout Datavault AI’s various marketplace offerings. This integration enables users to conduct all financial activities directly within the platforms where their commercial transactions take place.

The collaboration leverages Fiserv’s proprietary Embedded Finance technology platform to facilitate seamless digital commerce operations. This infrastructure will deliver comprehensive banking functionality, advanced payment processing, and digital asset program management for all Datavault AI customers and stakeholders. The technical integration is designed to eliminate friction in financial transactions within specialized digital marketplace environments.

Additionally, Fiserv brings its established payments processing network and card issuance technology to the partnership. The company anticipates this framework will serve diverse user groups including purchasers, vendors, athletes, and corporate sponsors utilizing Datavault AI’s various platforms. Consequently, all participants will execute transactions through seamlessly integrated financial services rather than relying on disconnected external payment solutions.

Digital wallets and payment systems integrated into NIL Exchange platform

Datavault AI is preparing to introduce its NIL Exchange, designed as a dedicated marketplace for qualifying high school and collegiate athletes. This platform will enable athletes to capitalize on their name, image, and likeness rights in jurisdictions where governing laws and regulations authorize such activities. Educational institutions and talent agencies will facilitate connections between athletes and potential sponsorship partners.

Fiserv will deploy digital payment wallet technology and debit card programs utilizing its embedded finance infrastructure. This payment architecture will empower athletes to receive, control, and utilize sponsorship compensation without encountering traditional banking obstacles. The unified system is intended to eliminate friction in payment processing and distribution throughout the marketplace ecosystem.

According to Datavault AI, merging commerce functionality with payment processing within a single platform delivers superior operational efficiency. The organization anticipates that integrated financial service delivery will boost engagement and activity throughout the exchange. Simultaneously, embedded payment technology facilitates accelerated transaction settlement between corporate sponsors and qualifying athlete participants.

Financial services infrastructure extended to Information Data Exchange

Fiserv’s services will additionally power Datavault AI’s Information Data Exchange, a specialized marketplace dedicated to data asset transactions. The financial services provider will deliver demand deposit account functionality combined with payment card capabilities for all marketplace participants. Both purchasers and vendors will execute transactions utilizing integrated financial service infrastructure.

The Information Data Exchange operates using proprietary patented technology designed to enable data asset commercial activities. Fiserv’s technical infrastructure will embed financial services directly within these commercial workflows. This collaboration reinforces Datavault AI’s core approach of merging financial technology with innovative digital asset marketplace platforms.

The embedded finance sector continues experiencing accelerated growth throughout digital commerce as organizations increasingly integrate payment capabilities directly into user experiences. Fiserv has systematically expanded its market position through strategic collaborations with technology companies spanning numerous industry verticals. The Datavault AI partnership represents another significant implementation of its embedded finance technology while simultaneously establishing presence in emerging digital marketplaces centered on tokenized assets, data commerce, and NIL monetization platforms.

The post Fiserv (FISV) Stock Dips Despite Securing Exclusive Datavault AI Finance Partnership appeared first on Blockonomi.

Key Highlights

• AST SpaceMobile finalizes $1.15B convertible notes offering to fuel satellite infrastructure.

• ASTS shares rise following successful completion of major financing transaction.

• Convertible notes offering delivers low-cost capital with 1.625% interest rate.

• Capped call transaction limits potential shareholder dilution to under 2%.

• Company’s cash position exceeds $3.8 billion following the capital raise.

Shares of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (ASTS) reached $62.83, posting a 9.43% increase following the successful closure of its $1.15 billion convertible notes offering. This substantial capital infusion enhances the company’s financial resources and accelerates development of its innovative satellite-to-smartphone connectivity platform. The financing structure delivers growth capital while minimizing shareholder dilution concerns.

AST SpaceMobile, Inc., ASTS

The company confirmed completion of a $1 billion issuance of convertible senior notes maturing in 2034. Underwriters exercised their overallotment option, purchasing an extra $150 million in principal. Final settlement of the additional notes awaits fulfillment of customary closing requirements.

AST SpaceMobile is pioneering a satellite constellation designed to provide cellular broadband connectivity directly to standard mobile phones. The technology serves both commercial customers and government entities requiring reliable satellite communications. The company’s mission centers on eliminating mobile coverage gaps through space-based infrastructure deployment.

Capital Infusion Pushes AST SpaceMobile’s Cash Reserves Above $3.8 Billion

Following completion of the offering, AST SpaceMobile’s combined cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash totaled more than $3.8 billion on a pro forma basis. This figure reflects the company’s financial status as of June 30, 2026. The enhanced liquidity position provides substantial runway for continued network buildout and operational activities.

The convertible senior notes bear interest at just 1.625% annually, representing the company’s most favorable borrowing rate to date. Noteholders can convert at an effective price of $149.20 per share. This arrangement provides AST SpaceMobile with attractively priced growth financing.

Concurrent with the notes issuance, the company entered into a capped call transaction as a dilution mitigation strategy. Consequently, this hedge elevates the effective conversion threshold and minimizes potential share count expansion. Management anticipates total dilution from the convertible instrument will stay below the 2% threshold.

AST SpaceMobile Allocates Proceeds Toward Satellite Constellation Deployment

Management intends to deploy the fresh capital toward expansion initiatives and preserving its vertically integrated production capabilities. Moreover, AST SpaceMobile will allocate funds to obtain additional orbital capacity. These strategic investments align with the company’s objective of establishing comprehensive global cellular connectivity from space.

The company has concentrated efforts on engineering satellites capable of communicating directly with conventional smartphones. Development continues on infrastructure engineered to deliver broadband connectivity without requiring specialized user terminals. This strategy distinguishes its platform from legacy satellite communication architectures.

The convertible notes structure grants AST SpaceMobile operational flexibility regarding future conversion settlements. When conversions occur, the company may fulfill obligations through cash payment, Class A common stock issuance, or a hybrid approach. Thus, this optionality enables management to navigate future capital structure decisions strategically.

This financing represents one of AST SpaceMobile’s largest capital raises as it progresses toward commercial satellite network deployment. The company maintains focus on expanding strategic relationships and technical capabilities supporting service launch. The transaction fortifies its balance sheet during a critical phase of infrastructure development and market preparation.

The post AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) Stock Jumps Following $1.15 Billion Convertible Notes Completion appeared first on Blockonomi.

The team behind the popular meme coin tried to settle an interesting competition, but instead became the subject of criticism from its community.

SHIB’s price has finally rebounded, while several bullish factors suggest a much more substantial rally could be on the horizon.

The SHIB Army Demands Action

Inspired by Spain’s victory in the FIFA World Cup, Shiba Inu’s official X account tried to settle “the real competition,” asking where on Earth the meme coin has the strongest presence.

Some of the answers included Brazil, Japan, the USA, and Turkey, yet the vast majority of users found the question totally inappropriate, suggesting that SHIB’s team should focus on more pressing matters instead.

Many showed their frustration at the recent inactivity of the entire ecosystem, urging the developers to act fast before they lose even more traction. One X user, named Mehmet, said Shiba Inu’s team has been “mocking” people who trusted the project, adding that he regrets the moment when he learned about SHIB.

“People trusted you and invested. I really regret the day I learned about Shib. Leash has turned to trash. The value of Treat and Bone keeps dropping every day. Shame on you.”

Others went even further, labeling Shiba Inu as a scam and a dead project.

Good Days Ahead?

Besides the stalled ecosystem developments, SHIB’s holders are perhaps even more frustrated by the meme coin’s price collapse. It currently trades at around $0.000004272, representing a 72% decline on a yearly scale. On the bright side, this is a 4% increase over the past week, while certain elements signal that the bulls may stage a more decisive comeback in the short term.

The first is the resurgence of Shiba Inu’s burning mechanism. The burn rate has soared by nearly 280% over the last month, indicating that many tokens have been effectively removed from circulation. Still, SHIB’s supply remains extremely large, meaning that both the team and the community will need to ramp up their efforts in that field to support a stronger rally.

Next on the list is the meme coin’s declining amount on exchanges. According to CryptoQuant, the figure has dropped to a fresh five-year low, signaling that numerous investors have abandoned centralized platforms in favor of self-custody wallets, thereby reducing immediate selling pressure.

The post Shiba Inu (SHIB) Team Faces Backlash Over Controversial Social Media Campaign: Details appeared first on CryptoPotato.

NIGHT, the token behind Cardano’s privacy-focused Midnight network, plunged more than 43% earlier today to hit an all-time low of $0.01524.

Speculation then mounted that the Midnight blockchain may have been hacked, causing the steep selloff, but according to The Midnight Foundation, the price drop came after roughly 2% of NIGHT’s supply was moved out of a two-year-old contract tied to Wanchain’s Cardano-to-BNB Chain bridge.

Foundation Says Blockchain Was Not Hacked

Independent on-chain researcher Paul was among the first to flag the withdrawal and noted in his preliminary findings that between 14:46 and 14:55 UTC on Monday, some 515 million NIGHT tokens had been withdrawn from a contract identified as Wanchain’s Cardano-side bridge lock address, which backs the Wanchain-wrapped NIGHT on BNB. Nothing else in that contract, including Mynth, XER, and WMT, was touched.

According to his analysis, around 290 million tokens were then sold across decentralized exchanges, sending the price down, while another 200 million were transferred to a second wallet, leaving what he described as a large unsold overhang. Furthermore, he said that the total NIGHT supply itself did not change, meaning no new tokens had been minted.

Soon after, the Midnight Foundation published a community update on X, saying it was aware of reports involving the Wanchain Cardano-to-BNB bridge and stressed that the available information pointed to a cross-chain bridge issue and not a problem with the Midnight network. It also urged users to only rely on official updates and to watch out for phishing attempts while investigations were going on.

In a second statement, issued a few hours later, the organization confirmed that Midnight’s protocol, validator network, consensus mechanism, and core infrastructure were all operating normally.

CoinGecko data shows that before the plunge, NIGHT had traded as high as $0.026, with the sudden sale of 290 million tokens dragging it down to $0.01524, its lowest ever price level. It has since pulled back some of those losses and was trading more than 28% above that ATL at the time of writing, although it was still 27% in the red over 24 hours. It has also erased all the gains it had made in the last year and is about 34% lower than where it was a week ago.

Bridge Security Back in the Spotlight

Cardano co-founder Charles Hoskinson also weighed in, saying an automated alert on his phone had flagged NIGHT’s unusual price action, after which the Midnight Foundation and other parties set up an informal war room to track the situation as it unfolded.

His message boiled down to three points: that Midnight’s own smart contracts had kept on running without interruption; the problem came from one of the four components in Wanchain’s bridge architecture; and that the industry needs to be more vigilant given how fast AI tools can now find such flaws.

According to Hoskinson, bridge infrastructure is one of the weakest points in crypto because it depends on trust assumptions outside the underlying blockchain. But he believes that technologies, including zero-knowledge proof-based bridges and trusted execution environments, as well as multisig systems, could reduce such risks.

His point on AI is something OpenZeppelin co-founder Manuel Aráoz touched on in late May, when he warned people to get out of DeFi, saying AI-powered coding agents have tilted the security game in favor of attackers, making it difficult for any protocol to hold user funds with any level of confidence. DeFi Investor, an analyst who monitors the sector, repeated the warning recently when Anthropic announced the launch of its Mythos AI, which experts say is extremely good at finding software vulnerabilities.

The post Cardano’s NIGHT Hits All-Time Low After 290M Token Dump appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Bitcoin is attempting to extend its recovery after rebounding sharply from the June lows. The asset is now pressing into an important confluence of resistance, where a descending trendline aligns with a major supply zone.

While buyers have regained short-term momentum, the coming sessions will determine whether this move develops into a broader trend reversal or another lower high within the prevailing structure.

Bitcoin Price Analysis: The Daily Chart

On the daily timeframe, BTC continues to trade below its long-term moving averages, with the 100-day MA positioned around the $70K region and the 200-day MA closer to $73K. Both averages remain downward sloping, indicating that the broader market structure still favors sellers despite the recent recovery.

Following the sharp decline toward the $57K to $60K support area, Bitcoin established a sequence of higher lows inside a narrowing descending channel. The recent rally has carried the price toward the upper boundary of this formation, which coincides with the $66K to $67K resistance zone.

A decisive breakout above both the descending trendline and the $66K to $67K supply area would represent the first meaningful structural improvement since the correction began. Such a move could expose the next resistance level around $74K, where the 200-day moving average and another major supply zone converge.

However, rejection from current levels would reinforce the descending structure and could trigger another pullback toward the $60K support region. Below that, the major demand zone around $55K remains the most important higher timeframe support visible on the chart.

BTC/USDT 4-Hour Chart

The 4-hour chart presents a more constructive picture. Bitcoin has been respecting a well-defined descending channel since early June, but recent price action shows buyers steadily reclaiming higher support levels after defending the channel’s lower boundary around $58K.

The market has already broken above several intermediate resistance zones at roughly $58K and $61K before advancing toward the current resistance cluster around $66K. This area also aligns with the channel’s upper trendline, making it the key short-term battleground.

Unlike previous tests, the latest advance has been accompanied by stronger momentum, with RSI pushing toward the overbought territory near 70. This reflects increasing buying pressure but also raises the possibility of a short-term pause or local pullback if profit-taking emerges at resistance.

If the breakout above the channel holds, it could invalidate the current bearish corrective structure and pave the way for an advance toward the next higher timeframe resistance around $72K to $74K.

Conversely, failure to overcome this ceiling would likely keep Bitcoin oscillating inside the channel, with initial support located near $61K followed by the stronger demand region around $58K.

On-Chain Analysis

The Bitcoin Net Unrealized Profit/Loss (NUPL) metric currently sits around 0.18, well below the euphoric levels observed during previous market peaks.

NUPL measures the aggregate unrealized profits and losses across the network. Elevated readings generally indicate widespread investor optimism and increasing profit-taking risk, while lower values suggest that market participants are holding significantly smaller unrealized gains.

The recent recovery in NUPL from deeply depressed levels indicates that profitability across the network is gradually improving alongside price. However, the indicator remains firmly within the lower sentiment bands and is still far from the overheated conditions that historically accompanied cycle tops.

This suggests that, from an on-chain perspective, the market has not yet entered an excessive profit-taking phase. If Bitcoin manages to break above its current technical resistance, continued improvement in NUPL would likely support a healthier and more sustainable recovery. On the other hand, a rejection at current levels could temporarily stall the metric’s recovery without necessarily invalidating the broader rebuilding process.

The post Bitcoin Price Analysis: Is $70K Next After BTC Broke Above $66K? appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Bitcoin is displaying the same technical conditions that have historically marked major market bottoms, even as some on-chain indicators continue to point to the possibility of further downside.

In his latest analysis, crypto analyst Ali Martinez said that metrics such as MVRV and Cumulative Value-Days Destroyed (CVDD) still place BTC’s potential cycle bottom in the $40,000 to $50,000 range. However, the crypto asset’s monthly chart is now showing a technical setup that has consistently appeared near the end of previous bear markets.

Rare Technical Trifecta Returns

According to Martinez, this pattern consists of three important signals occurring together: the monthly Relative Strength Index (RSI) falling to around 43.65, the Chande Momentum Oscillator (CMO) dropping to roughly -71, and Bitcoin testing its 50-month moving average.

In the three previous market cycles, this combination coincided with major long-term bottoms. For example, back in March 2015, the setup appeared when BTC traded at $235. Although the price later briefly declined to $162, Martinez said the signal preceded an 8,300% macro expansion.

A similar pattern emerged in January 2019, when the crypto asset was near $3,333, slightly above the cycle low of $3,124 recorded a month earlier, before beginning a rally of 1,911%. The same technical cluster also appeared in December 2022, when it stood at $16,270, just above the $15,473 cycle bottom while hovering near the 50-month moving average. The analyst said that move was followed by a 675% rally.

Interestingly, Bitcoin’s correction to $58,000 last month triggered the same historical setup once again.

According to the analysis, the monthly RSI has now fallen below 43.65, the Chande Momentum Oscillator has cooled to -71, and Bitcoin is trading around its 50-month moving average. While Martinez acknowledged that on-chain indicators still leave room for the crypto asset to revisit the $40,000 to $50,000 range in what he described as a “sweep of the CVDD floor,” he said the current technical alignment has represented a dominant accumulation zone.

Based on that combination of signals, Martinez stated,

“Shifting focus away from short positions and toward spot BTC accumulation offers a highly favorable risk-to-reward ratio at these levels.”

Buying Opportunity

Martinez is not alone in seeing the current market as a buying opportunity. Crypto analyst Doctor Profit also recently noted that investors waiting for a traditional four-year cycle bottom in September or October could miss the opportunity. While he acknowledged that a large liquidity zone remains around $54,000 and said Bitcoin could still decline about 15% from current levels, he does not expect the crypto asset to fall below $50,000.

Instead of waiting for lower prices, Doctor Profit suggested accumulating Bitcoin gradually rather than investing all at once. He also said the next major rally is unlikely to begin immediately. The analyst said several upcoming events could strengthen market sentiment before the asset reaches its expected cycle low.

These include the planned rollout of tokenized stocks involving BlackRock, the New York Stock Exchange, the S&P, Nasdaq, and the DTCC. He also mentioned speculation surrounding the CLARITY Act’s possible passage in August.

The post Bitcoin Just Triggered Three Rare Signals That Previously Marked Market Bottoms appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Bitcoin’s move above $66,000 comes hot on the heels of softer inflation data, higher ETF demand, and geopolitical conditions.

Why Is Crude Oil Price Rising?

The market is reacting to the Iran-US war in real time, with oil now up 20% this month.

President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Truth Social with retaliation for the deaths of US service members killed in a drone strike on July 17. Today, Iran reported a cruise missile attack on an Amazon data center in Bahrain as part of a campaign to disrupt US infrastructure.

Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over! This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military. President DONALD J. TRUMP

( TS:… pic.twitter.com/UtLRT8G5Gm

— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) July 20, 2026

Brent crude futures now stand at $91.58, the highest since early June. The situation was exacerbated yesterday by Houthi militants allied with Iran announcing a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, threatening Red Sea oil exports which have played a key role in oil supply following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

What It Means for Bitcoin

Higher crude oil leads the market to expect increased inflation, limiting how much the Federal Reserve can cut interest rates. Elevated interest rates make cash and Treasuries more appealing, and can often have a bearish impact on BTC.

For now, however, BTC is rising alongside crude oil prices, with the latest developments in the war potentially already priced into the volatile crypto markets. BTC ranged between $63,100 and $65,666 earlier in the day and has now risen to $66,670, holding onto a 5-week high.

Spot ETF inflows hit $227 million on July 20, giving the bulls a comfortable base from which to build support.

However, whether Bitcoin will continue to rise in this environment remains to be seen. If history is any indication, it’s likely that crude oil prices remaining above $90 for an extended period contribute to weaker sentiment in BTC.

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