A federal judge has denied the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s bid to block Wisconsin from enforcing its state gambling laws against prediction market platforms. The ruling complicates the agency’s attempt to assert exclusive federal authority over event contracts, suggesting that state regulators retain significant power to police sports betting.
Brent crude surged nearly 8% and Wall Street indices tumbled after Iran launched ballistic missiles at U.S. military installations in Jordan. President Donald Trump responded to the escalation by vowing to hit Tehran "very hard," signaling a volatile shift in Middle Eastern security that has rattled global financial markets.
Tether has expanded its US-focused USAT stablecoin to the Celo blockchain, enabling native minting and burning directly on the network. This deployment marks the token’s second mainnet integration after Ethereum, positioning the asset for broader adoption within Celo’s established ecosystem for digital-dollar payments and payroll services.
By deploying autonomous AI agents to manage invoices, negotiations, and payments, Freehand has closed a $75 million funding round. The startup, which emerged from stealth only in February, aims to replace traditional back-office outsourcing with software capable of running supply-chain operations for global giants like Meta and Unilever.
White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt has publicly challenged a coalition of 134 banking executives, accusing them of obstructionism as the CLARITY Act faces a record-low 27% probability of passing the Senate. The dispute centers on whether current legislative language is sufficient to prevent stablecoins from functioning as savings products.
Aviva Investors has moved its partnership with Ripple into production, launching a tokenized share class for its US Dollar Liquidity Fund on the XRP Ledger. The Ireland-domiciled money market fund, which targets low-risk returns through short-term debt, now allows eligible investors to manage holdings via digital wallets.
Hong Kong retail investors gained direct spot access to XRP on July 29, as OSL Digital Securities became the city’s first platform licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission to offer the asset. The rollout establishes a regulated fiat on-ramp, bypassing the need for offshore exchanges previously relied upon by local traders.
Traders on Polymarket have slashed the probability of the CLARITY Act becoming law by 2026 to a record-low 27%. The shift follows a decision by Senate leadership to prioritize a Russia sanctions package and federal nominations, leaving the crypto market structure bill sidelined ahead of the August recess.
With 85.71% validator support, the XRP Ledger has officially activated the fixCleanup3_2_0 amendment, rendering any node operating on version 3.1.0 or older obsolete. Infrastructure providers must now migrate to version 3.2.0 to maintain network compatibility and prevent service interruptions across the mainnet.
As a global tech sell-off rattled markets on July 28, Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest deployed $40.2 million to scoop up shares in Tesla, SpaceX, and Nvidia. The aggressive buying spree suggests the firm is doubling down on its conviction in autonomous technology and computing infrastructure despite mounting investor anxiety.
BNY has launched a digital transfer agency platform that shifts fund ownership records onto a shared blockchain ledger. By modernizing the infrastructure that tracks 7.6 million investor accounts, the New York-based custodian aims to eliminate the need for fragmented, multi-party reconciliation in the $8.6 trillion fund administration business.
Users in Spain and Latvia report the Binance application has disappeared from the Google Play store, sparking fresh uncertainty over the exchange's compliance with the European Union’s new Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework as the company scrambles to address localized access restrictions.
As major cryptocurrencies like BTC and XRP face significant market turbulence, London-based Long DeFi is promoting its AI-powered cloud mining platform as a stabilizer. The company claims its automated analytics helped users navigate recent price swings by providing real-time hedging advice to protect their assets from further devaluation.
The Bank of Russia has unveiled draft operating rules for crypto exchanges and digital depositories, marking a definitive shift toward a regulated market by September 1. The framework centralizes oversight under the regulator, establishing capital requirements for custodial institutions while granting trading platforms autonomy over specific operational procedures.
Hungary’s Parliament has voted to scrap a controversial mandatory validator requirement for cryptocurrency transactions, ending a regulatory hurdle that had forced multiple firms to suspend operations. The move signals a pivot toward the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, effectively reopening the country to digital asset service providers.
A coalition of 44 state attorneys general has demanded the Commodity Futures Trading Commission withdraw its proposed rule on event contracts, asserting the agency is overstepping its constitutional bounds. The filing claims that regulating sports betting remains a traditional state responsibility, directly challenging federal efforts to exert exclusive control over the sector.
Evernorth, a digital asset treasury company built to hold XRP, is heading toward a Nasdaq listing while carrying an unrealized deficit exceeding 50%. With the token trading near $1.10 against an average acquisition cost of $2.54, the company’s success depends entirely on whether SPAC shareholders choose equity over cash.
The U.S. Senate confirmed former Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence on July 28, approving his nomination in a narrow 51-47 party-line vote. Clayton now moves to oversee the country’s 18 intelligence agencies, replacing acting Director William Pulte following a contentious confirmation process.
Gabriel Perez, a long-time White House teleprompter operator, has departed the federal government following allegations that he exploited advance access to Donald Trump’s speeches to profit from prediction market bets. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission continues to investigate whether Perez improperly leveraged confidential data for financial gain.
Rob Witoff, an early engineer who helped architect the exchange’s foundational systems, has been named chief technology officer at Coinbase. The appointment arrives as the company aggressively pivots toward AI-assisted workflows, a transition that saw the exchange reduce its headcount by 14% earlier this year to streamline operations.
Under a presidential resolution effective April 20, Uzbekistan has designated the entire Republic of Karakalpakstan as the Beshkala Mining Valley. The initiative creates a regulated environment for cryptocurrency mining, pairing significant tax incentives with a push to integrate digital asset revenue into the national banking system.
The UK Financial Conduct Authority has concluded that stablecoins offer little appeal for domestic retail payments, identifying cross-border transfers as their only robust practical application. While consumers remain satisfied with existing payment methods, merchants may find value in the technology’s potential for lower transaction costs and faster settlement.
Russian authorities have placed Telegram founder Pavel Durov on an international wanted list, accusing him of facilitating terrorist activity. This move intensifies a global legal struggle for the executive, who remains under criminal investigation in France for failing to curb illegal content and criminal abuse on his messaging platform.
Institutional clients at Gate US can now trade while keeping their assets in segregated custody at BitGo Bank & Trust, following the exchange's integration into BitGo’s Go Network on July 28. This move separates trade execution from asset storage, aiming to mitigate counterparty risk for U.S. market participants.
Passengers residing in the UAE can now settle Emirates flight bookings using digital assets through the Crypto.com Pay platform. The launch, which took effect July 28, marks a shift toward broader digital payment adoption within the aviation sector, aligning with Dubai’s ambitious push to transition toward a cashless economy by late 2026.
Jump Capital has finalized its seventh venture fund, securing $350 million to intensify its commitment to blockchain infrastructure, decentralized finance, and Web3. The firm, which has completed over 100 investments since 2012, intends to deploy this capital toward early-stage technology startups while expanding its footprint in digital asset markets.
Galaxy Digital has acquired 500 acres in McGregor, Texas, marking the site of its second major high-performance computing campus. The company plans to launch an initial 74-megawatt phase by 2028, positioning the project just below the state’s regulatory threshold for large-load electricity customers.
Zcash has officially activated its Ironwood network upgrade at block height 3,428,143, effectively replacing the Orchard shielded pool with a formally verified alternative. This transition aims to permanently resolve concerns regarding supply integrity following the discovery of a theoretical vulnerability that could have enabled undetectable counterfeiting.
Reporting $11.63 billion in quarterly revenue, Visa is pivoting toward a comprehensive blockchain infrastructure model. The payments giant is integrating stablecoin settlement, AI-powered commerce, and tokenized bank deposits into its core operations, aiming to serve as the primary bridge between traditional finance and decentralized networks.
Myanmar’s Pyidaungsu Hluttaw has finalized the Anti-Online Scam Bill, imposing severe penalties ranging from ten years imprisonment to life sentences for those involved in digital currency fraud. The legislation targets the sprawling network of scam centers, forced labor, and financial infrastructures that have proliferated across the country.
