News linked to both this project and an event.
According to CoinPost, Fundstrat Co-Founder and Bitmine Chairman Tom Lee stated in a special keynote speech at WebX 2026 that Ethereum is on the eve of a "Chapter 2" breakout. He pointed out that the pressure on the crypto market this year stems from four headwinds: a Federal Reserve policy shift, uncertain prospects for the U.S. Clarity Act, AI attracting large amounts of venture capital funds (accounting for 86% of U.S. VC investment), and sluggish stock prices in the financial sector. Technically, Tom DeMark analysis shows ETH trends are highly correlated with the 1987 S&P 500 (correlation reaching 89.81%), with a rebound expected in August; if it breaks through the $1,846-$1,876 resistance level, the next target price is $2,200 (up approximately 30% from the current ~$1,700). Strategically, Bitmine, founded only 12 months ago, has completed 95% of its 5% holding target, currently holding 5.76 million ETH (accounting for 4.8% of total supply), of which approximately 85% has been staked; its staking business MAVAN has become the world's largest single staking operator, with assets under management reaching $13-14 billion. Tom Lee also warned that AI wealth accumulation may threaten human economic autonomy, and blockchain is the best line of defense against AI control.
According to The Hill, the U.S. Crypto Market Structure Bill, the CLARITY Act, is facing a critical advancement milestone before the August congressional recess. Senate Majority Leader John Thune plans to push the bill to the Senate floor for consideration during the week of July 20, but it still requires support from at least seven Democratic senators.
According to Odaily, Bitcoin is set to undergo two fork events in 2026. Developer Paul Sztorc plans to launch an intentional hard fork called eCash, expected to activate around August 21 at block height 964,000. Another controversial soft fork proposal, BIP-110, has the potential to inadvertently cause a chain split during the August signaling window. A Bitcoin chain split replicates the UTXO set, giving holders 1:1 assets on both ledgers. The usability of a forked coin depends on replay protection, mining difficulty, and market conditions. Self-custodial holders, who control their private keys at the time of the snapshot, can typically sign transactions on either chain; custodial holdings, where private keys are controlled by exchanges at the time of the snapshot, mean users' eligibility for the forked coin depends on the platform's policy. (Bitcoin.com News)
According to CoinDesk, informed sources revealed that the latest consolidated draft of the U.S. "Digital Asset Market Transparency Act" (Clarity Act) may be released as early as next week, and the Senate is expected to advance deliberations during the week of July 20. The consolidated draft was jointly negotiated by the Senate Banking Committee and the Agriculture Committee, adding over 70 pages of content and strengthening consumer protection provisions. However, the bill still faces multiple obstacles: Democrats insist on restricting business ties between senior government officials (including the President) and the crypto industry, and the parties have not yet reached a compromise on this ethics provision; additionally, issues such as federal preemption and SEC and CFTC commissioner nominations remain unresolved, and the White House has not participated in the latest negotiations. For the bill to pass in the Senate, it must reach the 60-vote threshold, and the time window is extremely limited—with only about four weeks of agenda remaining for the Senate in July and early August, and continued infighting among House Republicans further increases legislative uncertainty.
According to Cointelegraph, crypto-friendly digital banking platform Revolut announced that it will cease support for USDT in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss markets by August 31, 2026, with other markets remaining unaffected. Revolut stated that this move stems from regular reviews of crypto services and risk considerations under the EU MiCA regulatory framework. Currently, Revolut has already removed USDT trading pairs for EEA users from its Revolut X trading platform. It is worth noting that Switzerland is not a member of the EU or EEA and is not directly bound by MiCA, yet Revolut has not provided an explanation for including Switzerland in the affected markets. This delisting decision aligns with the overall trend of crypto platforms in the EU—since Tether chose not to apply for authorization under the MiCA framework, multiple platforms have successively delisted USDT.
美国商品期货交易委员会（CFTC）主席迈克尔·塞利格表示，加密市场结构法案 Clarity Act “已非常接近达成”，并敦促国会在 8 月休会前完成通过。
Google has updated its Chrome Web Store developer policy, explicitly listing Prediction Markets as a prohibited product. According to the new regulations, any Chrome extension that promotes or supports real-money transactions based on predicted outcomes is not allowed for publication on the Chrome Web Store. This update also strengthens requirements for transparency in user data collection and privacy protection. The new policy will officially take effect on August 1, 2026.
BIT released a daily report stating that Bitcoin performed steadily in early July, continuing its historically relatively strong seasonal performance. US President Trump's statements, such as "the US is taking over cryptocurrency," boosted market sentiment, and investors' attention also turned to the CLARITY Act, which needs to make progress before the Senate enters summer recess on August 7.
White House advisor Patrick Witt stated in May that he hoped the Clarity Act would be signed into law on July 4th, but the bill did not meet this deadline. CoinDesk reports that the biggest risk now actually comes from the House of Representatives. Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives has faced resistance in advancing multiple agendas, including important bills like the budget proposal. Market concerns are growing that declining legislative efficiency could further slow down the progress of the CLARITY Act.Additionally, the market believes that August 7th (the last working day before the Senate's summer recess) will become an important time window for advancing the bill. (CoinDesk).
the South African Revenue Service (SARS) released a draft guideline on crypto asset taxation on July 1, 2026, aiming to establish compliance rules for approximately 5.8 to 6 million cryptocurrency users in South Africa. The public comment period is open until August 31, 2026. According to the updated framework, crypto assets are classified as intangible assets, not as foreign currency or traditional money. Taxpayers holding these assets are not required to pay tax on unrealized gains or losses. Tax obligations arise upon the disposal of the asset. If an individual’s crypto activities are deemed to resemble business operations or short-term day trading, the profits will be classified as gross income and taxed at marginal rates ranging from 18% to 45%. If crypto assets are held as long-term investments, gains from disposal are subject to capital gains tax, with effective personal tax rates ranging from 18% to 36%. The draft also treats exchanges between different crypto assets as barter transactions, with tax consequences arising immediately at the time of the exchange based on local market value. SARS stated that it has deployed a Crypto Revenue Augmentation Unit to track and audit digital wallets and urged taxpayers who have not previously disclosed their crypto earnings to complete their filings through a voluntary disclosure program to avoid administrative penalties following stricter enforcement after the August deadline. (Bitcoin.com News).
Odaily Planet Daily reports that digital bank and fintech platform Revolut has notified some users that it will officially delist the dollar stablecoin Tether (USDT) after August 31, 2026, and will automatically convert users' remaining holdings into their base fiat currency at the exchange rate of that day.According to the official notice, Revolut will suspend USDT purchase services starting July 6, and will halt USDT deposits after July 30, at which point any incoming USDT transfers will be directly rejected.If users have not sold or withdrawn their USDT by the end of August, their holdings will be automatically converted by the system into the account's base currency. The company attributes this adjustment to "regulatory and risk-related considerations," but has not specified the exact regulatory framework triggering the move.This move reflects the trend of fintech platforms continuously tightening the scope of access to related assets amid the changing global regulatory environment for stablecoins. Previously, trading platforms including Coinbase have delisted USDT in the European market to comply with the EU's MiCA regulatory framework.Currently, Revolut has not clarified whether this policy applies to all regions, but the company has obtained an EU Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) license, indicating it is strengthening its compliance-oriented product structure adjustments. (Cointelegraph)
According to the latest report from investment bank Jefferies, the U.S. "Clarity Act," although having passed a bipartisan 15:9 vote in the Senate Banking Committee, still faces significant hurdles in the subsequent legislative process. Political uncertainty may exacerbate crypto market volatility in the coming weeks. The bill aims to clarify the regulatory boundary for digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is considered a core legislative framework for the U.S. crypto market structure. Jefferies pointed out that passage would significantly boost institutional participation, while delays would prolong regulatory uncertainty.Currently, Polymarket data shows that the probability of the bill passing before the end of 2026 has dropped to 48%, a significant decline from 70% in mid-May, primarily due to disputes over ethical clauses, anti-money-laundering reviews, and a tight Senate agenda. Analysts note that with approximately only 20 legislative days remaining before Congress adjourns in August, it must complete the reconciliation of House and Senate versions, procedural votes, and submission to the President for signature. If it fails to advance before the recess, it may be delayed until next year, or even further postponed due to changes in the election cycle.Jefferies believes that if the bill is enacted, it will drive the expansion of businesses such as tokenized assets, custody, staking, lending, and crypto ETFs, benefiting the development of markets like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). However, if delayed, it could suppress institutional investment in on-chain infrastructure and crypto-related IPOs.Additionally, the market expects policy uncertainty to continue affecting the stock performance of crypto-related public companies such as Circle, Coinbase, and Bullish. Jefferies added that even as regulations gradually clarify, intensified competition in the stablecoin space could become a long-term source of pressure for companies like Circle. (CoinDesk)
the core US crypto regulatory bill, the "Digital Asset Market Clarity Act" (Clarity Act), has entered a critical two-week negotiation cycle for legislation. The Senate will be in recess until July 13. During the recess, bipartisan staff, the White House, and representatives from the crypto industry will continue to negotiate outstanding differences in the bill, focusing on resolving disputes over topics such as the integration of the two bill versions from the Senate Banking Committee and the Agriculture Committee, ethics clauses, and anti-money laundering rules.If all parties successfully reach a unified compromise version, the bill could be submitted for a full Senate vote as early as late July to early August. The market generally believes that the period before the August congressional recess is the only window for the bill to be passed this year. If the vote is not completed during this phase, the probability of the bill being enacted into law within 2026 will significantly decrease. (Crypto in America)
the Ethereum Layer 2 network Base mainnet experienced a "major failure," leading to unstable production of new blocks. According to the Base status page, the issue began around 16:03 UTC.Base resumed operations after approximately two hours of downtime. This failure previously halted block production and transaction processing.The Base team stated that an invalid block triggered the related issue. They are currently investigating the root cause and recommend that node operators restart their nodes. This incident marks another network interruption for Base following its previous downtime in August 2025.
the US Senate is attempting to advance the crypto market structure bill, the "Clarity Act," in July. However, with multiple priority agendas piling up, including the National Defense Authorization Act, the Farm Bill reauthorization, and a housing bill, the time window for the bill's passage is narrowing.The Senate's agenda is packed for the coming weeks. In addition to the annual defense and farm bills, Trump stated on Wednesday that he would not support a major housing bill unless Congress first passes legislation requiring proof of citizenship for federal election voters. The housing bill also includes provisions to ban central bank digital currencies.As lawmakers will leave Washington before the August recess, if the relevant bills fail to advance before then, the political focus will shift to the November election upon their return, further reducing the floor time available for crypto legislation.Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis stated that she expects a new version of the text to be released around July 4th for final review by lawmakers, with a vote pushed forward in July. A Senate aide also noted that the "Clarity Act" will become one of the bipartisan priorities when the Senate returns in July.However, the bill still faces multiple uncertainties, including the level of Democratic support, controversy over Trump's crypto-related conflicts of interest, the priority of other major bills, and the Senate's limited agenda scheduling.
According to Crypto in America, the National District Attorneys Association, the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Sheriffs’ Association jointly sent a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the White House Crypto Council, expressing strong opposition to Section 604 of the “Clarity Act”—the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA). Law enforcement groups argue that this provision could create regulatory loopholes exploitable by criminals for illicit activities including drug trafficking, fraud, child exploitation, sanctions evasion, and terrorist financing. Meanwhile, cryptocurrency-backed candidates achieved sweeping victories in primary elections across Maryland, New York, and Utah. Fairshake—a pro-crypto super PAC—has collectively spent over $7.6 million supporting these candidates, including $5.5 million backing Adrian Boafo, the candidate for Maryland’s 5th congressional district. Miller Whitehouse-Levine, founder of the Solana Policy Institute, warned that August 7, 2026, may be the final window for Congress to pass cryptocurrency market structure legislation. He stated that the industry is willing to make limited revisions to the BRCA provisions to address law enforcement concerns—but firmly opposes any fundamental changes that would weaken the core protections enshrined in the provision. Additionally, the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on “The Future of Payments” the same day.
Odaily Odaily News, the Hong Kong District Court today sentenced a cross-border money laundering case. A 34-year-old mainland Chinese woman was convicted of four counts of money laundering and sentenced to 47.5 months in prison for opening multiple shell accounts at a local digital bank to assist a cross-border criminal syndicate in laundering criminal proceeds, and for purchasing cryptocurrencies at a virtual asset exchange shop to conceal the source and destination of the funds.Investigations revealed that the woman laundered approximately 9.29 million Hong Kong dollars in suspected criminal proceeds between August and September 2024. Furthermore, between June and September 2024, this cross-border money laundering syndicate used 43 local bank accounts to receive proceeds from 34 fraud cases, involving approximately 18 million Hong Kong dollars. It is suspected that they used local bank accounts for cryptocurrency transactions, laundering up to 230 million Hong Kong dollars in suspected criminal proceeds. (hk01)
Odaily reports, with just over two weeks left before the U.S. Congress recesses on July 4th, senators are intensifying behind-the-scenes negotiations to push the CLARITY Act into a full Senate vote as soon as possible after the recess. Sources indicate that bipartisan senators will meet this week to discuss disputed clauses and related controversies. A key point is clarifying that non-custodial software developers “should not be held legally responsible for third-party use of their code unless they knowingly participate in illegal activities.” Previously, law enforcement agencies expressed concerns that this clause could weaken the ability to hold on-chain illegal activities accountable.Industry insiders point out that with the legislative window narrowing, the CLARITY Act is entering a critical phase. If it cannot advance by August, the process may be further delayed due to the election cycle. (Cryptoinamerica)
the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group (CME Group) announced plans to launch gold and WTI crude oil futures products available for trading 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to meet global investors' demand for around-the-clock markets. It is reported that CME Group will launch the Micro WTI Crude Oil Futures contract on August 30, which will be one-tenth the size of the standard WTI crude oil futures contract. Meanwhile, the 1-ounce gold futures contract is planned to support 24/7 trading starting July 26. However, these products are still subject to regulatory approval. They will be listed for trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and the New York Mercantile Exchange's precious metals market (COMEX), respectively, and will be cash-settled. (Bloomberg)
the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed allowing authorized investment funds (including UCITS schemes and most non-UCITS retail schemes) to allocate up to 10% of their assets to crypto Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs). This proposal is included in the FCA's Consultation Paper 52, with a five-week public and institutional comment period ending on July 13.The FCA stated that this move aims to bridge the regulatory gap between individual retail investors and authorized funds. Since the FCA lifted its four-year retail ban on crypto ETNs in August 2025, individual investors have been able to invest directly in ETNs, but funds had remained subject to an "effective ban." The FCA emphasized that the 10% limit is intentionally set, and exceeding this threshold could force a fund to be reclassified as a restricted mass-market investment product, impacting its retail fund status.Under the proposal, professional and qualified investor schemes are not subject to the cap; long-term asset funds and non-UCITS retail schemes operating as alternative investment funds are excluded. The FCA noted that cryptocurrencies do not align with the investment objectives of these funds.On the industry side, the Investment Association supports the proposal, believing that gaining exposure to crypto assets through regulated listed products is manageable in terms of risk, and that the 10% cap helps manage fund risk. Fund managers will need to ensure that holdings are consistent with the fund's disclosed investment objectives and risk profile, and disclose significant crypto ETN holdings.The FCA emphasized that it is not currently considering allowing authorized funds to hold crypto assets directly for investment purposes, and will decide after evaluating the impact of the upcoming crypto asset regulatory regime and client asset protection rules. (The Block)