₿itcoin News and Finance: What You Need to Know

  Bank of Montreal’s $303.65 billion consolidated securities filing reports $2,970 of XRP fund shares, split between two exchange-traded products. The disclosure traces both positions to a controlled investment adviser without identifying their beneficial owner. Key Takeaways A Bank of Montreal-controlled investment adviser managed about $3,000 worth of XRP fund shares. The filing does not identify the beneficial owner or investment strategy. One fund seeks to follow XRP, while the other targets twice its daily move. Two Line Items Inside a 14,271-Position Filing Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO) filed a consolidated report containing $2,970 of XRP-linked fund shares in the quarterly holdings report it submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Aug. 12. The document covers positions as of June 30 and spans 14,271 entries worth $303.65 billion. Two entries carry the whole exposure, and both are attributed to Stoker Ostler Wealth Advisors Inc., a Bank of Montreal-co...

The Securities and Exchange Commission has further delayed its long-awaited tokenization “innovation exemption,” with the holdup tied to unresolved negotiations over the CLARITY Act’s tokenization provisions in Congress. Key Takeaways The SEC’s tokenization innovation exemption has been “further delayed,” per reports. The holdup is linked to Section 10505 of the CLARITY Act, which governs how tokenized securities are regulated. The SEC separately postponed a Friday vote on crypto startup exemptions, citing a scheduling issue. Another Delay for the Innovation Exemption The SEC’s tokenization “innovation exemption,” a proposed framework that would let firms test blockchain-based trading of tokenized U.S. equities without meeting the full slate of standard exchange and broker-dealer requirements, has been pushed back again, per crypto policy

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  Binance has launched a centralized yield hub that consolidates on-chain yield products for VIP users. The initiative is part of its broader push toward a multi-asset “financial super app” alongside services like Binance Wealth and over-the-counter execution. Key Takeaways Binance launched new product to give VIP users higher quotas and 10% to 20% higher APRs on 20+ tokens. Exchange platforms are shifting toward multi-asset models to keep institutional capital unified on-chain. Binance plans to expand SAPI integrations for algorithmic asset strategies across its institutional suite. Lowering Barriers for High-Tier Users Binance has launched a dedicated yield hub designed to unify selected earning opportunities, including on-chain yield products, into a single centralized platform. Known as VIP Earn, the new initiative offers Binance VIP users access to preferential annual percentage rates, up to 10% to 20% higher than standard retail rates. Eligible users also gain access to sign...

 XRP wallets holding at least 1 million tokens grew by 32 over the past three months, even as the token’s market capitalization fell 29% in the same window, per Santiment. Whale Wallets Keep Climbing Despite the Slump The XRP Ledger’s wealthiest addresses are still adding to their positions even as the broader market struggles. Onchain analytics firm Santiment noted that the number of wallets holding at least 1 million XRP increased by 32 over the last three months . Over that same period, XRP’s total market capitalization dropped by a sizable 29%

  Switzerland has turned financial regulation into a competitive machine, pairing the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, better known as FINMA, with specialized regulatory pathways that have helped make the country one of the world’s premier destinations for finance, fintech, cryptocurrency, and blockchain businesses. Key Takeaways FINMA oversees a Swiss financial sector that generated CHF 74 billion in 2024. Switzerland counted 1,766 blockchain firms in 2025 under its layered regulatory model. Switzerland’s proposed crypto-institution regime remained pending on Aug. 11, 2026. The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) sits at the center of that machine. Created under legislation passed in 2007 and operational since Jan. 1, 2009, the independent regulator combined Switzerland’s banking, insurance, and anti-money-laundering (AML) supervisors under a single authority. Its reach now extends across banks, securities firms, insurers, asset managers, financial-m...

  As far as digital asset regulation is concerned, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is not waiting around for Congress. The agency has scheduled an open meeting for Friday, Aug. 14, to weigh a proposal that could make it easier for crypto companies to raise money without enduring full securities registration. Key Takeaways The SEC votes Aug. 14 on new crypto fundraising rules for startups and other issuers. The Senate’s Clarity Act faces a 60-vote cloture test on Sept. 15 after stalling in August. CFTC Chair Michael Selig says the agency will write crypto rules regardless of Congress. According to a report from Bloomberg , the vote lands while a much bigger piece of crypto legislation remains jammed in the Senate. The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which cleared the House last year with bipartisan support, has yet to reach a floor vote. Senate Majority Leader John Thune filed a procedural motion just before lawmakers bolted for the August recess, setting up a vo...

A federal judge denied Kalshi’s request for a preliminary injunction against Connecticut regulators, holding that its sports-event contracts are not swaps under the Commodity Exchange Act, so the CFTC’s exclusive jurisdiction never attached. Coinbase Financial Markets lost a companion motion on the same reasoning despite never having received a cease-and-desist. Not Swaps, and Not Preempted […]

Mysten Labs co-founder and chief cryptographer Kostas Chalkias says he has quietly leased a factory to mass-produce quantum-resistant hardware wallet cards for Sui, aiming to keep users safe from a threat that just cost bitcoin holders roughly $130 million. A Personal Mission Kostas “Kryptos” Chalkias, co-founder and chief cryptographer at Mysten Labs, the company behind […]

Empery Digital sold 1,635 BTC for $102.2 million after the second quarter, cutting its bitcoin holdings to 1,279 BTC. With most of the remaining BTC pledged against debt and a potential $62.1 million property commitment ahead, the company’s liquidity flexibility has tightened. Empery Cuts Bitcoin Holdings to 1,279 BTC Empery Digital is drawing down its […]

Russian authorities disrupted nine foreign-coordinated cryptocurrency channels operating out of the Moscow City business district. Over 20 employees from unregistered crypto exchanges and several couriers were detained for their involvement in the laundering operation. Foreign Crypto Laundering Ring Dismantled Russian authorities recently dismantled a financial laundering ring operating out of the Moscow City business district, […]

  Moneygram has launched its Ramps service on Solana, giving wallets and applications on the blockchain a direct connection between cryptocurrency and the company’s global cash network. Key Takeaways Moneygram launched Ramps on Solana on Aug. 11, with Rift as its first wallet integration. Moneygram Ramps offers cash withdrawals in more than 170 countries and territories. Solana developers can integrate Moneygram Ramps as adoption expands beyond 1 wallet. Rift is the first Solana wallet to integrate the service, Moneygram explained on Tuesday . The move expands Ramps across multiple blockchain ecosystems as the payments company pushes beyond its traditional money-transfer business and deeper into digital assets. Moneygram Opens Its Cash Network to Solana Moneygram Ramps acts as a bridge between traditional money and cryptocurrency. Users can deposit cash and receive digital assets, or convert supported digital assets back into local currency for withdrawal through Moneygram’s networ...

  Keel Infrastructure has decommissioned all of its U.S. bitcoin mining operations as it converts power-rich sites for AI and high-performance computing. The transition comes with weaker earnings and continued bitcoin sales, but the company says $819 million of liquidity gives it room to fund development. Key Takeaways Keel shut all U.S. bitcoin mining as Q2 revenue fell 50% to $30.4M during its AI pivot. Keel sold 1,085 BTC, leaving $819M in liquidity as miners chase higher AI infrastructure returns. Keel’s next test is signing AI tenants for 3 priority U.S. sites after its 18-month transition. Keel Sells 1,085 BTC as Revenue Falls 50% in Second Quarter Keel Infrastructure has completed the shutdown of its U.S. bitcoin mining operations, marking one of the clearest breaks yet from the industry that built its energy portfolio.

While Senate Democrats have their own issues with the CLARITY Act, community bankers would be leveraging their ties with Senate Republicans to explain the effects that enshrining stablecoin rewards would have on their deposit volumes and credit capabilities. Community Bankers Rise Against CLARITY Act On Stablecoin Rewards While the issue of stablecoin rewards in the […]

The Dutch gambling authority (Kansspelautoriteit) has granted new five-year online licenses to five of the eight operators that opened the regulated market in 2021, with the current permits expiring Sept. 30. Betcity, bet365, and GGPoker have not announced renewals, and bet365 holds the broadest license of the eight. The cabinet is separately studying a cap […]

Bitdeer reports Q2 2026 financial results, highlighting strong revenue growth while cost of revenue outpaced total sales, despite a significant sequential slowdown in expense growth. Top-Line Growth Bitdeer Technologies Group released unaudited financial results for the second quarter (Q2) of 2026, Aug. 10, demonstrating strong top-line revenue growth accompanied by persistent cost pressures. While the […]

NYSE President Lynn Martin says the exchange is building a platform for onchain settlement of tokenized securities, joining Wall Street’s clearinghouse in a push to move stock trading onto blockchain rails. NYSE’s Latest Onchain Push NYSE President Lynn Martin said the exchange is developing an onchain settlement platform for tokenized securities and confirmed NYSE participated […]

  Ethereum developers have proposed a mechanism that would gradually burn validator issuance as more ETH is staked, reducing net rewards to zero at roughly 50% of supply. Aave founder Stani Kulechov argues the plan could weaken institutional demand, DeFi activity and Ethereum’s competitiveness. Key Takeaways Ethereum developers proposed tapering validator issuance to 0% near a 50% staking ratio. Aave’s Stani Kulechov warns the 50% cap could hurt institutional staking and DeFi demand. Ethereum may phase the change over 18 months, with debate shaping its next network upgrade. Aave Founder Warns 50% Staking Cap Could Weaken ETH Demand Ethereum’s long-running debate over staking economics has taken a sharper turn, with developers proposing a new mechanism that would gradually eliminate validator issuance as the share of staked ETH approaches 50%.

Arthur Hayes argues the artificial intelligence buildout is a leveraged real estate bubble that he says will end in a government bailout larger than 2008. He expects the resulting liquidity creation to carry bitcoin past $1 million. What Hayes Thinks the AI Buildout Really Is Arthur Hayes, co-founder of Bitmex and chief investment officer at […]

Polymarket traders now price the CLARITY Act at a 21% chance of becoming law this year. The Senate filed a cloture motion on Aug. 8 after missing its pre-recess vote, pushing the fight into September. Why Is the CLARITY Act Priced at 21%? Polymarket traders assigned the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act a 21% chance […]

This week’s metrics show tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) have cracked another ceiling, with total value locked (TVL) blowing past $38 billion and hitting $38.17 billion on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. The RWA sector is now just $1.83 billion shy of punching through the $40 billion mark. Tokenized RWAs Push Deeper Into TradFi The tokenized RWA […]

BIP-110 proponents are debating whether to change the proof-of-work algorithm on their stalled minority chain after it managed to mine only two blocks before Bitcoin’s enormous difficulty effectively brought activity to a signficant crawl. The BIP-110 chain split from Bitcoin after mandatory signaling began at block 961632 on Aug. 8. Nodes enforcing BIP-110 began rejecting […]

  Federal prosecutors charged three St. Louis men over a plan to storm a Connecticut home and force a transfer of bitcoin tied to a theft worth hundreds of millions. Each faces up to 20 years in prison. Key Takeaways Three St. Louis men face up to 20 years over a bitcoin robbery plot. The trio stalked a family for two days with air rifles and rental cars. A Florida crew arrived next, carjacking and kidnapping the parents. Grand Jury Returns Second Superseding Indictment in New Haven U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan for the District of Connecticut announced Aug. 4 that a grand jury in New Haven had charged three St. Louis men with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery. Sedric Louis, 32, John Davis, 34, and Martel Williams, 27, each face up to 20 years in prison under the Hobbs Act charge.

  Ripple says the regulatory groundwork for its European crypto business is now in place, shifting its focus from winning approvals to scaling. The push follows full MiCA authorization as Europe tightens rules for crypto service providers. Key Takeaways Ripple says its European crypto business is now ready to scale. Full MiCA authorization gives Ripple a regulated base in the EEA. Stablecoin payments are central to its next phase of expansion. Ripple Declares Europe Ready for Its Next Phase Ripple said in an Aug. 5, 2026, insight that the regulatory groundwork for its European expansion is now in place . With MiCA authorization secured, the company is shifting its focus toward scaling digital asset payments, stablecoins, and institutional services across the region.

  At 7:56 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Following Bitcoin’s chain split at block height 961632, BIP-110-aligned mining pool Roughnecks managed to squeeze out a second block at height 961633, while the main chain has already left it in the dust at 961651. Key Takeaways Roughnecks mined BIP-110 blocks 961632 and 961633 as Bitcoin’s dominant chain raced ahead. Bitcoin’s 127.48 trillion difficulty leaves Roughnecks’ minority chain facing painfully slow blocks. Simple Mining mined Bitcoin block 961634, showing Ocean-linked hashrate was divided. After two years of bitter bickering, Bitcoin has blown past the BIP-110 signaling line at block 961632 , and reality is now doing the talking as BTC blocks keep stacking. BIP-110 supporters appear stunned by the outcome, while the Bitcoin Knots creator Luke Dashjr has issued a notice to everyone.

The U.S. Senate is positioning the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act for a potential Sept. 15 procedural vote, moving the major crypto market structure bill closer to floor consideration. CLARITY Act Faces Sept. 15 Senate Procedural Test Digital asset legislation will return to the center of the Senate agenda as lawmakers prepare for a key […]

An ethereum whale who bought in during 2022 and 2023 capitulated on August 8, selling at a loss now exceeding $19 million, the same day a separate fresh wallet received $87.28 million in bitcoin from Galaxy Digital. Three Years, One Capitulation Onchain sleuths flagged the exit, tracking a wallet that had held its Ethereum position […]

The aggregate crypto market cap rose from under $2.2 trillion to $2.9 trillion during the first week of August 2026. Bitcoin gained over 3% to peak above $65,300, pushing its market cap past $1.3 trillion while Cardano logged a second week of double-digit gains. Bitcoin Reclaims $65,000 Despite CLARITY Act Setback The first week of […]

Onchain data confirms the BIP-110 activation period is live, and Bitcoin’s blockchain has fractured into two versions. Stats show Bitcoin block 961632 was mined by mining heavyweight Antpool, while BIP-110 supporter Roughnecks produced a rival version of block 961632. Rival Miners Split Bitcoin at Block 961632 Several monitoring sites, including forkwatch.tv and the web portal […]

  Genius Sports signed official-data, integrity, and marketing agreements with Polymarket on Aug. 4 and Kalshi on Aug. 5, putting one supplier underneath the settlement layer of both rival prediction platforms. The company’s second-quarter results, published a day later, already credit prediction markets with an incremental contribution to margin. Key Takeaways Genius Sports signed Polymarket on Aug. 4 and Kalshi on Aug. 5. Genius booked prediction-market revenue in Q2, before either deal was signed. Q2 revenue rose 65% to $195.5M; Genius still posted a $76.7M net loss. One Data Supplier Playing Both Sides of the Prediction-Market Rivalry Genius Sports will supply Kalshi with real-time official data across its full soccer portfolio, including the English Premier League, Serie A, Liga MX, the Argentine Primera División, and French Ligue 1, under an agreement announced Aug. 5 . Kalshi will use the verified feeds as a single source of truth for settling sports event contracts, join Ge...