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Project Overview
August (previously, Fractal) is building web3 infrastructure allowing all on-chain financial assets to interact with and collateralize against each other via a universal margin account – starting with existing crypto assets and expanding to real world assets.
Ripple Prime Enters Leveraged ETF Financing Market
According to CoinDesk, Ripple Prime, the prime brokerage division under Ripple, has begun providing financing services for leveraged equity ETFs, charging financing fees to funds through total return swaps. This market was previously dominated by large banks and securities firms. In October 2025, Ripple acquired multi-asset brokerage Hidden Road for $1.25 billion, entering the clearing, financing, and cross-asset trading businesses. In August 2026, Ripple launched its Delta One business, offering total return swap products linked to U.S. equities, market indices, and digital assets, while maintaining over $1 billion in regulatory net capital and completing a $275 million senior notes issuance.
Non-binding: Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti says SEC crypto FAQ is for reference only
former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti pointed out that the SEC's crypto asset FAQ, published on September 25 and updated on September 28, is merely non-binding staff guidance that can serve as a reference but is not a "protective charm." The FAQ, issued by the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance, addresses topics including staking receipt tokens, decentralized network buyback programs, and how marketing communications fit into the Howey test, but it does not name any specific assets or protocols and only provides principle-based statements. Mariotti stated that the FAQ only reflects the views of SEC staff, has not been formally approved by the Commission, and carries no legal force; since the rule proposed on August 18 has not yet been finalized and the Clarity Act is stalled in Congress, industry participants still need to rely on staff commentary to make their own judgments regarding disclosure and token design.
Solana treasury company DFDV increased its holdings by approximately 26,200 SOL last week, bringing its total position to over 2.56 million SOL.
According to GlobalNewswire, DeFi Development (DFDV), a Nasdaq-listed Solana treasury company, disclosed that it added approximately 26,203 SOL to its holdings last week, bringing its total position to roughly 2.5642 million SOL, valued at approximately $302 million. DFDV also revealed that its SOL and equivalent asset holdings have grown by approximately 11% since reporting its second-quarter results on August 12. Additionally, it completed the initial dividend distribution for its CHAD Variable Rate Preferred Shares on October 1. This instrument is designed to generate returns through SOL staking and validator node operations to fund dividend payments and act as a financing mechanism for further SOL accumulation.
Robinhood Ventures Fund I Invests $25 Million in AI Infrastructure Company Crusoe
Odaily News: Robinhood Ventures Fund I (NYSE: RVI) announced that it purchased approximately $25 million in preferred shares in AI infrastructure company Crusoe's $3.9 billion Series F funding round. The round valued Crusoe at $30.9 billion, and the related transaction was completed on August 31.Sarah Pinto, President of Robinhood Ventures Fund I, stated that Crusoe is building vertically integrated AI infrastructure, supporting AI computing through energy, AI data centers, and cloud platforms.
Arthur Hayes: Fed rate hikes may expand the money supply in a high-debt environment.
Arthur Hayes stated that amid high government debt, Federal Reserve interest rate hikes could have a stimulative effect: rising interest on bank reserves and US Treasury yields will increase income for banks and asset holders, driving consumption and the allocation of financial assets. Although the Fed ended related asset purchases in mid-August, the expansion of bank balance sheets has still driven growth in total assets across the Federal Reserve and the banking system, thereby increasing the money supply.
Arthur Hayes: Rate Hikes or Increased Money Supply, Financial Assets Will Continue to Rise
Odaily reports: Arthur Hayes posted on the X platform that raising interest rates when government debt levels are high has a stimulative effect: bank reserve earnings increase, and the returns for holders of short-term Treasury bonds also increase, which overall will drive more consumption, especially consumption of financial assets.He stated that although the Federal Reserve stopped RMP purchases in mid-August, when accounting for bank balance sheet expansion, the combined assets of the Federal Reserve and banks are still growing and creating money. As the quantity of money increases, even if its price rises, financial assets will continue to appreciate.
Genius Group Sells All Bitcoin to Repay Debt, Then Repurchases 10 BTC
Bitcoin News posted on X platform stating that education company Genius Group purchased 10 bitcoins worth $854,000, marking the company's first repurchase since selling its entire bitcoin reserve on April 1 to repay $8.5 million in debt. As of February 2025, Genius Group had accumulated 440 bitcoins, after which it was affected by a New York injunction for approximately one year due to a dispute with LZG International. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit lifted the freeze order on August 31, and CEO Roger James Hamilton views this purchase as a signal that the company is restarting its bitcoin accumulation.
CryptoBilis is 100% owned by a Chinese national, amid investigation into suspected supply chain attack on Ledger hardware wallets
Bitcoin News posted on X platform stating that corporate records for Malaysian hardware wallet distributor CryptoBilis show that, as of August 3, an individual named Jiaming, with a registered address in Heilongjiang Province, China, holds 100% of the company's shares. The company's former co-founder confirmed that CryptoBilis completed its acquisition in March, with the original owner withdrawing from all operational, managerial, and administrative roles. The founder has been unable to learn about the company's operations since the handover but still assists with event coordination. This information emerged during an investigation into a suspected supply chain attack on Ledger hardware wallets, where affected devices were implanted with hidden components that could steal seed phrases; there is currently no conclusive evidence linking the change in CryptoBilis ownership to the compromised wallets.
Ripple Prime Enters Leveraged ETF Financing Market
According to CoinDesk, Ripple Prime, the prime brokerage division under Ripple, has begun providing financing services for leveraged equity ETFs, charging financing fees to funds through total return swaps. This market was previously dominated by large banks and securities firms. In October 2025, Ripple acquired multi-asset brokerage Hidden Road for $1.25 billion, entering the clearing, financing, and cross-asset trading businesses. In August 2026, Ripple launched its Delta One business, offering total return swap products linked to U.S. equities, market indices, and digital assets, while maintaining over $1 billion in regulatory net capital and completing a $275 million senior notes issuance.
Russia Registers First Batch of Crypto Exchanges and Custodians, Sberbank Plans to Launch Products on December 1
Odaily News: Russia has registered its first batch of cryptocurrency exchange operators and digital asset custodians under new regulations that took effect on September 1. The Bank of Russia has published the list of the first authorized operators, including 4 exchange operators and 5 custodians.Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, has been included in the custodian list alongside Atomyze, Voltari, and Cloud Infrastructure. Sberbank stated that it has applied for digital asset custodian status and plans to launch its first crypto products on December 1 through the SberBank Online, SberInvestments, and SberBusiness platforms, initially supporting Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and USDt (USDT).T-Invest Lab, Zefir, and Sistema-Crypto were included in the exchange operator list, while VTB Bank appears on both lists. The registrations are based on a cryptocurrency bill signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in August, which brings exchanges, custodians, brokers, and investors under the supervision of the Bank of Russia, and maintains the prohibition on using cryptocurrency to pay for goods and services. (Cointelegraph)
Non-binding: Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti says SEC crypto FAQ is for reference only
former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti pointed out that the SEC's crypto asset FAQ, published on September 25 and updated on September 28, is merely non-binding staff guidance that can serve as a reference but is not a "protective charm." The FAQ, issued by the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance, addresses topics including staking receipt tokens, decentralized network buyback programs, and how marketing communications fit into the Howey test, but it does not name any specific assets or protocols and only provides principle-based statements. Mariotti stated that the FAQ only reflects the views of SEC staff, has not been formally approved by the Commission, and carries no legal force; since the rule proposed on August 18 has not yet been finalized and the Clarity Act is stalled in Congress, industry participants still need to rely on staff commentary to make their own judgments regarding disclosure and token design.
Kalshi Wins Partial Preliminary Injunction Against Illinois, Sports Championship Contracts May Be Swaps
Odaily News: Prediction market platform Kalshi has won a partial preliminary injunction against the state of Illinois. On October 2, Judge Martha M. Pacold of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled that the state's sports betting licensing regime and related criminal provisions may be preempted by federal law and cannot currently be enforced against Kalshi.The ruling temporarily blocks Illinois from requiring Kalshi to hold a state license, which was originally intended to restrict traders to those aged 21 or older and physically located within the state, as well as to limit the sporting events that contracts could track. The court also declined to rule on Illinois's newly established prediction market fees.Pacold stated that contracts on championship winners may constitute swaps under the Commodity Exchange Act and should be traded on designated contract markets and subject to federal regulation. This determination differs from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' August conclusion that such contracts constitute gambling rather than swaps.This is Kalshi's first victory in federal court since July. Illinois's new budget law imposes a 1.75% fee on the first 5 million relevant transactions on exchanges, then 3.5% thereafter, plus a 15% gross revenue fee and a per-transaction fee of 25 or 50 cents; the court has asked the parties to submit supplemental briefs on the fee issue. (Bitcoin.com News)
No soft fork required: StarkWare verifies quantum-safe locking scheme on Bitcoin mainnet, but it is not yet suitable for large-scale use
Starknet has published an introduction to its Quantum-Safe Bitcoin (QSB) scheme, stating that StarkWare researchers have verified a quantum-safe locking mechanism on the Bitcoin mainnet that requires no soft fork, no new opcodes, and no changes to consensus rules. The first QSB output was spent on August 26, 2026, in Bitcoin mainnet block 964,199, with the associated GPU computation cost reduced from approximately $320 to about $50. QSB builds its locking mechanism through hash computation, but each transaction still requires substantial computation, and moving assets into the scheme still requires a traditional transaction that carries quantum risk. The transaction does not comply with Bitcoin Core's default relay rules, and there is currently no accompanying wallet, address format, or recovery process. StarkWare stated that QSB is an emergency research solution, and that the long-term solution still requires the introduction of post-quantum signature mechanisms via a soft fork. Starknet's full quantum resistance also depends on the progress of Ethereum's underlying upgrades.
Analyst: Binance Ethereum Reserves Hit 6-Month Low, Single-Day Withdrawal Transactions Hit Record High
CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost stated that the cryptocurrency market has recently entered a short-term correction phase, with the total market capitalization of altcoins excluding Bitcoin (Total2) shrinking by over $110 billion within three days; Ethereum (ETH) alone fell by 11%, erasing more than $38 billion in market value. Despite the price pullback, investors continue to accumulate and withdraw Ethereum. During this period, ETH reserves on Binance dropped from 3.57 million coins to 3.47 million coins, reaching a six-month low—a decrease of nearly 11.5% compared to the 3.92 million coins held in August. Meanwhile, withdrawal activity on the Binance platform surged significantly, with over 320,000 ETH withdrawal transactions recorded on October 6 alone, setting a new all-time high.
Analysis: Bitcoin Miners Have Stopped Mass Selling, Selling Pressure Sources Have Notably Weakened
Odaily reports: CryptoQuant posted on X platform that Bitcoin miners have recently stopped large-scale selling. Since Bitcoin hit a low of $76,000 on August 21 and miner status shifted from "extremely underpaid" to "fairly paid," no extreme miner fund outflows have occurred.CryptoQuant stated that miner selling pressure was once a significant supply source continuously affecting Bitcoin's price during the 2026 bear market, and the current disappearance of this steady selling pressure may help alleviate market supply pressure.
After losing $37.6 million, rollover trader @AguilaTrades goes long on 100 BTC on Hyperliquid after a 14-month hiatus
Odaily News: According to monitoring by on-chain analyst Ember, rollover trader @AguilaTrades (0x1f25...f925) frequently used large positions to roll over long positions on Hyperliquid from June to August last year, losing $37.6 million within 2 months, and had not opened any positions on Hyperliquid for 14 consecutive months since then. 20 minutes ago, they withdrew 500,000 USDC from Bybit to Hyperliquid, then went long on 100 BTC worth $8.29 million, with an entry price of $82,962 and a liquidation price of $78,997.
Analyst: Excluding BTC dormant for over 10 years, the market's circulating supply in profit reaches 60% and has not yet overheated.
CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost stated that after excluding Bitcoin (BTC) that has not moved in over 10 years, the proportion of the BTC supply in a profitable state has remained around 60% since August. The analysis notes that from a medium- to long-term perspective, most BTC in the market has returned to a profitable state and is far from overheated levels. Consolidation around this level is therefore a reasonable development.
Analyst: Bitcoin Breaks Above Key Cost Basis Line, Most Market Capital Now in Profit
Odaily report: Crypto analyst Darkfost posted on X with a chart, stating that compared to the end of August, the Bitcoin market trend has shown a clear shift, which can be observed from changes in the Capital Cost Basis. This metric calculates a weighted realized price based on transaction volume (USD), giving higher weight to BTC purchased at higher prices, thereby more accurately reflecting the actual cost of market capital.Data shows that at the end of August, BTC was still struggling near this key level, but Bitcoin has now closed above the capital cost basis of approximately $80,400 for several consecutive weeks. This means that most of the capital invested in the market is now in slight profit. As investor positions gradually turn profitable, market stability is strengthening by the day, which is a positive signal for the current BTC consolidation phase.
CryptoBilis is 100% owned by a Chinese national, amid investigation into suspected supply chain attack on Ledger hardware wallets
Bitcoin News posted on X platform stating that corporate records for Malaysian hardware wallet distributor CryptoBilis show that, as of August 3, an individual named Jiaming, with a registered address in Heilongjiang Province, China, holds 100% of the company's shares. The company's former co-founder confirmed that CryptoBilis completed its acquisition in March, with the original owner withdrawing from all operational, managerial, and administrative roles. The founder has been unable to learn about the company's operations since the handover but still assists with event coordination. This information emerged during an investigation into a suspected supply chain attack on Ledger hardware wallets, where affected devices were implanted with hidden components that could steal seed phrases; there is currently no conclusive evidence linking the change in CryptoBilis ownership to the compromised wallets.
Trump Rules Out Strike on Iran Before Midterms, August Securities Trading Exceeds 200 Million
Trump has explicitly stated that he will not attack Iran before the midterm elections and has repeatedly rejected military action options. US, Ukrainian, and European officials are pushing to break the Russia-Ukraine stalemate, while Trump's securities trading volume in August surpassed $200 million.
Zano Blockchain Rolled Back 30 Days Due to Over $200 Million in Illicit Tokens
Zano disclosed a validation flaw in the Gateway Addresses introduced by Hard Fork 6. An attacker minted approximately 18.4 million ZANO in a single transaction on August 29, then minted an equal amount again on September 25, and minted fUSD in the same manner.The project team stated that the value of the illicit tokens involved exceeds $200 million, with potentially affected activity involving 117,941 outputs and 65,301 transactions. Zano has restored the chain state from block 3,833,000 and disabled Gateway Addresses. All affected balances will be fully restored, and the ZANO supply and issuance schedule will remain unchanged. (Bitcoin.com News)
About $295 million in user assets stolen, Drift Foundation says 107,200 ETH still not moved
Odaily News — According to monitoring by the Drift Foundation, the Drift Foundation has released an update on fund recovery progress related to the April 1 security incident: approximately $295 million in user assets were stolen. The foundation has engaged Mandiant, zeroShadow, and SEAL 911 to conduct the investigation and trace the funds, with Mandiant identifying the attacker as the North Korean threat group UNC6862.The stolen funds were subsequently bridged to Ethereum, with approximately 130,300 ETH distributed across 4 wallets. Three of these wallets have seen no transfers to date, collectively holding 107,200 ETH; the other wallet transferred approximately 23,100 ETH to Tornado Cash on July 23.Currently, approximately $9.2 million in stolen funds has been frozen. The relevant funds had previously been transferred through Tornado Cash in August, and unfreezing and return still require cooperation with legal procedures. The Drift Foundation will transfer all assets recovered through freezing, bounties, or law enforcement channels into the DFX recovery pool, and is evaluating the subsequent path of the DRIFT token within the broader ecosystem. In addition, the foundation has partnered with Bybit to launch a public bounty program, offering a 10% bounty on successfully recovered funds.
Cosine: Bitget attacker breached third-party security products before moving laterally into wallet systems, no private key leakage found
Odaily News: Cosine disclosed the interim investigation reports by SlowMist and Google Cloud's Mandiant on the Bitget hot wallet breach. Both reports indicate that the attackers first compromised systems related to third-party security products, then moved laterally into Bitget's wallet business environment.SlowMist's investigation revealed that one of the third-party security product nodes had a zero-day vulnerability, with related malicious activity traced back to as early as August 31. On September 25, the attackers also used an internal employee identity to access the management platform of another third-party security product and used highly customized withdrawal tools to interact with the wallet system's withdrawal logic. Mandiant stated that after gaining persistent access through third-party security devices, the attackers moved laterally to production wallet task servers and deployed malicious programs.Mandiant also stated that no evidence of Bitget private key leakage has been found so far, and cold wallets were not affected. Both security teams are continuing to investigate the specific intrusion paths the attackers took between the relevant systems.
$900,000 Bitcoin Theft Case: US Seeks Forfeiture of 110,300 USDT
Odaily News: The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts filed a civil forfeiture lawsuit on September 28, seeking the forfeiture of 110,300 USDT seized from a Binance account. The case involves phishing text messages impersonating Coinbase, which led to the theft of 33.7 bitcoins, worth approximately $900,000 at the time, from a beneficiary and their family trust held in the same Coinbase account.Investigators said that between June 5 and June 15, 2023, 11.2 of the stolen bitcoins were traced to the Binance account and were quickly converted into Monero. When the FBI requested the account be frozen, it held approximately 758.55 Monero; Binance transferred 110,300 USDT to a government-controlled wallet on August 3, 2026. (Bitcoin.com News)
No soft fork required: StarkWare verifies quantum-safe locking scheme on Bitcoin mainnet, but it is not yet suitable for large-scale use
Starknet has published an introduction to its Quantum-Safe Bitcoin (QSB) scheme, stating that StarkWare researchers have verified a quantum-safe locking mechanism on the Bitcoin mainnet that requires no soft fork, no new opcodes, and no changes to consensus rules. The first QSB output was spent on August 26, 2026, in Bitcoin mainnet block 964,199, with the associated GPU computation cost reduced from approximately $320 to about $50. QSB builds its locking mechanism through hash computation, but each transaction still requires substantial computation, and moving assets into the scheme still requires a traditional transaction that carries quantum risk. The transaction does not comply with Bitcoin Core's default relay rules, and there is currently no accompanying wallet, address format, or recovery process. StarkWare stated that QSB is an emergency research solution, and that the long-term solution still requires the introduction of post-quantum signature mechanisms via a soft fork. Starknet's full quantum resistance also depends on the progress of Ethereum's underlying upgrades.
Solana plans to reduce target block time to 200 milliseconds at Epoch 1053
Odaily reports: The Solana blockchain network plans to reduce its target block time from 250 milliseconds to 200 milliseconds when it enters Epoch 1053 on Friday, completing a series of缩短 adjustments that began at 400 milliseconds in August.This upgrade will enable the network to produce 5 blocks per second, while simultaneously lowering the compute cap per block to keep overall throughput roughly unchanged.Faster block production may reduce transaction latency and transaction arbitrage activity, but it will also increase validator voting demands, put pressure on network connectivity, and shorten the transaction validity window. (CoinDesk)
Trump family-backed WLFI partners with Mesh to push USD1 onto major online platforms, plans launch this quarter
Odaily News: Digital asset project World Liberty Financial (WLFI) stated during a stablecoin panel discussion at Token2049 in Singapore that it plans to push USD1 onto major online enterprises. Mesh co-founder and CEO Bam Azizi, a payment infrastructure provider, announced a partnership with WLFI, allowing USD1 holders to use the stablecoin through its merchant network, with plans to go live this quarter.WLFI is backed by the family of U.S. President Donald Trump. Its issued USD1 is issued by BitGo, with reserves including cash, U.S. government money market funds, and other cash equivalents, aimed at maintaining a value of 1 U.S. dollar. USD1 has a market capitalization of approximately $4.45 billion.The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) conditionally approved WLFI in August to establish a national trust bank for issuing dollar-backed stablecoins and custodying digital assets. WLFI CEO Zach Witkoff stated that USD1 is currently issued through BitGo, and after obtaining the trust bank charter, WLFI will assume issuance responsibility itself. (Cointelegraph)
Russia Registers First Batch of Crypto Exchanges and Custodians, Sberbank Plans to Launch Products on December 1
Odaily News: Russia has registered its first batch of cryptocurrency exchange operators and digital asset custodians under new regulations that took effect on September 1. The Bank of Russia has published the list of the first authorized operators, including 4 exchange operators and 5 custodians.Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, has been included in the custodian list alongside Atomyze, Voltari, and Cloud Infrastructure. Sberbank stated that it has applied for digital asset custodian status and plans to launch its first crypto products on December 1 through the SberBank Online, SberInvestments, and SberBusiness platforms, initially supporting Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and USDt (USDT).T-Invest Lab, Zefir, and Sistema-Crypto were included in the exchange operator list, while VTB Bank appears on both lists. The registrations are based on a cryptocurrency bill signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in August, which brings exchanges, custodians, brokers, and investors under the supervision of the Bank of Russia, and maintains the prohibition on using cryptocurrency to pay for goods and services. (Cointelegraph)
US DOJ Cites Bitcoin Fog Precedent to Oppose Roman Storm's Acquittal Motion
Odaily reports: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), in a filing submitted on Monday, cited the appellate ruling in the case of Roman Sterlingov, the operator of cryptocurrency mixer Bitcoin Fog, as supplementary grounds for opposing Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm's acquittal motion.U.S. prosecutors stated that the ruling supports their position that the Southern District of New York is the proper venue for the trial. Prosecutors argued that Shakeeb Ahmed used Tornado Cash in a Manhattan apartment, and that this activity is sufficient to establish venue for the money laundering and unlicensed money transmission conspiracy charges against Roman Storm.Judge Katherine Polk Failla heard arguments on Roman Storm's acquittal motion in April 2026 but has not yet issued a ruling. A jury in August 2025 convicted him of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, but failed to reach a unanimous verdict on the money laundering and sanctions conspiracy charges, with a retrial tentatively scheduled for April 26, 2027. (Cointelegraph)
Kalshi's 15-minute gold market contract volume surpasses Ethereum, with approximately $5 million in fees in September
Odaily News: Prediction market platform Kalshi's 15-minute gold market recorded 542 million contracts traded in September, with estimated fees of approximately $5 million, surpassing the Ethereum market's 318 million contracts and $2.6 million; the Bitcoin market's estimated fees during the same period reached $60.4 million.The gold contract was launched in August, allowing traders to bet on whether gold would rise or fall within 15 minutes. Kalshi stated that its commodity trading volume reached $400 million within 7 months of launch, more than 4 times the trading volume of the crypto market during the same period.In the 7 days ending October 5, fees from 15-minute crypto, commodity, and financial markets reached $20.4 million, accounting for 80% of the platform's non-sports fees; this category of markets contributed 13% of trading volume and 20% of fees. (Cointelegraph)
Related news
A-share account openings in the first three quarters approached last year's full-year total, with September's new accounts falling below 2 million
Odaily reports: Data from the Shanghai Stock Exchange shows that in September, 1.9119 million new A-share accounts were opened, of which 1.8997 million were new individual investor accounts and 12,200 were new institutional accounts. The number of new individual accounts fell below 2 million for the first time this year, while new institutional accounts remained above 10,000, higher than in January, February, April, and May.Looking at the monthly trend, this year's new account data has shown a pattern of "a high start, a pullback, another surge, a pullback, stabilization, and cooling." In January, 4.9158 million new accounts were opened at the market's peak, the highest level of the year; in February, it fell seasonally to 2.523 million; in March, it rebounded to 4.6014 million. From April to August, new account numbers then fluctuated around 2.6 million, at 2.4913 million, 2.7653 million, 2.8646 million, 2.6554 million, and 2.3973 million, respectively. In September, it hit a monthly low for the year, falling below 2 million for the first time.Although September's monthly new account openings hit a new low for the year, A-share new account openings in the first three quarters reached 27.1259 million, nearly matching the full-year 2025 figure of 27.4369 million. The drop in A-share new account openings in September may be related to a temporary weakening of the wealth effect in the A-share market. (Securities Times)
Genius Group Sells All Bitcoin to Repay Debt, Then Repurchases 10 BTC
Bitcoin News posted on X platform stating that education company Genius Group purchased 10 bitcoins worth $854,000, marking the company's first repurchase since selling its entire bitcoin reserve on April 1 to repay $8.5 million in debt. As of February 2025, Genius Group had accumulated 440 bitcoins, after which it was affected by a New York injunction for approximately one year due to a dispute with LZG International. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit lifted the freeze order on August 31, and CEO Roger James Hamilton views this purchase as a signal that the company is restarting its bitcoin accumulation.
CryptoBilis is 100% owned by a Chinese national, amid investigation into suspected supply chain attack on Ledger hardware wallets
Bitcoin News posted on X platform stating that corporate records for Malaysian hardware wallet distributor CryptoBilis show that, as of August 3, an individual named Jiaming, with a registered address in Heilongjiang Province, China, holds 100% of the company's shares. The company's former co-founder confirmed that CryptoBilis completed its acquisition in March, with the original owner withdrawing from all operational, managerial, and administrative roles. The founder has been unable to learn about the company's operations since the handover but still assists with event coordination. This information emerged during an investigation into a suspected supply chain attack on Ledger hardware wallets, where affected devices were implanted with hidden components that could steal seed phrases; there is currently no conclusive evidence linking the change in CryptoBilis ownership to the compromised wallets.
No soft fork required: StarkWare verifies quantum-safe locking scheme on Bitcoin mainnet, but it is not yet suitable for large-scale use
Starknet has published an introduction to its Quantum-Safe Bitcoin (QSB) scheme, stating that StarkWare researchers have verified a quantum-safe locking mechanism on the Bitcoin mainnet that requires no soft fork, no new opcodes, and no changes to consensus rules. The first QSB output was spent on August 26, 2026, in Bitcoin mainnet block 964,199, with the associated GPU computation cost reduced from approximately $320 to about $50. QSB builds its locking mechanism through hash computation, but each transaction still requires substantial computation, and moving assets into the scheme still requires a traditional transaction that carries quantum risk. The transaction does not comply with Bitcoin Core's default relay rules, and there is currently no accompanying wallet, address format, or recovery process. StarkWare stated that QSB is an emergency research solution, and that the long-term solution still requires the introduction of post-quantum signature mechanisms via a soft fork. Starknet's full quantum resistance also depends on the progress of Ethereum's underlying upgrades.
Strategy's stock price has risen over 55% since falling to $97 in August; Donald Trump disclosed having added $1,001 to $15,000 worth of shares
According to Odaily, Bitcoin Treasuries posted on X platform that U.S. President Donald Trump disclosed that he purchased an additional $1,001 to $15,000 worth of Strategy stock in August while Strategy's share price had fallen to $97. Strategy's stock price has since risen over 55%.
Over 7 months, 90 cases recorded: France's crypto-related violent incidents may be linked to data leaks
Odaily reports, citing official French data: between January 1 and mid-August 2026, France recorded a total of 90 crypto-related kidnapping, extortion, threat, and violent theft cases, with police carrying out 223 arrests; from January to July, 126 people were imprisoned. According to Chainalysis, as of mid-2026, France had 30 publicly recorded crypto-related violent attacks; Gart.io tracked 73 real-world attacks in France during the year, higher than 66 in the United States and 27 in the United Kingdom. Eric Jardine, head of research at Chainalysis, said the increase in attacks may be related to large-scale data leaks, and the leaked information may include the identities, addresses, and asset information of cryptocurrency holders.