News linked to both this project and an event.
According to IBTimes, well-known cryptocurrency investor Harry Yeh (Ye Junde) fell to his death from the 30th floor of the Jade Park luxury residential building in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, around 4:30 AM on August 8. His body was found naked and covered with a black plastic bag. Police subsequently investigated his 30th-floor apartment, finding the door wide open and the interior in a mess, but no one was present. Police also questioned his Brazilian partner Isadora de Proenca Braganholo Carvalho (residing on the 27th floor of the same building), who claimed to know nothing about the incident. Currently, police have not publicly charged anyone. Yeh was an early Bitcoin investor who entered the market in 2013, when the BTC price was around $60. He later founded Quantum Fintech Group, reporting assets under management exceeding $2.4 billion, and was deeply involved in the Fantom ecosystem and DeFi projects, serving as a founder and seed investor for projects such as LIF3 and L3 Reserve. Currently, police have not ruled out any possibilities including accident, suicide, or foul play. Forensic autopsy results are expected to provide further clues for the case, and the investigation is still ongoing.
Polymarket data shows that the probability of the CLARITY Act becoming law by December 31 stands at 21%, with related contract trading volume exceeding $5.5 million as of August 9. Galaxy Research had previously lowered its expectation for the bill's passage in 2026 from 50% to 30%. On August 8, the U.S. Senate filed a motion to invoke cloture on the motion to advance the bill, but no full chamber vote was held. Senators will return on September 14, and per procedural rules, the first cloture vote is scheduled for September 15. The CLARITY Act aims to delineate the regulatory authority of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over digital assets. Senate negotiations still involve three unresolved issues: ethics enforcement, illicit financial activity provisions, and stablecoin yield. The bill will need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.
Odaily News – Hong Kong police conducted a two-phase citywide operation from August 7 to 8, raiding multiple locations, dismantling a mule account coordination and fund processing center, and seizing a large number of bank cards, cash, electronic devices, and other evidence. A total of 147 people were arrested, bringing down a criminal network that used a large number of "mule accounts" to transfer funds, involving an amount close to HK$600 million. Police investigations revealed that the syndicate recruited individuals to provide bank accounts and used multiple accounts to split funds, conduct frequent transfers, and move money through multiple layers in an attempt to conceal the source of funds. Some account holders, after receiving payments ranging from hundreds to thousands of Hong Kong dollars, handed over their online banking login credentials to others for control.Police noted that the masterminds behind the scheme adopted a "segmented" management model, relaying instructions through close associates to avoid direct contact with the funds, and arranged for processed funds to be transferred into accounts of affiliated individuals to further obscure the flow of money. The operation led to the arrest of 147 individuals and the seizure of approximately HK$3.65 million in cash, along with luxury watches, gold ornaments, vehicles, and other valuables totaling around HK$5 million. Police stated that they have successfully disrupted the related fund chains and will continue to trace the masterminds and the flow of funds.The police remind the public not to sell, rent, or lend out personal bank accounts, as they could be exploited by criminals for illicit fund transfers, and account holders may bear corresponding legal liability. (RTHK)
According to Bifrost's monitoring, at 19:47 Beijing time on August 8, hackers exploited a vulnerability in the liquidity pool, stealing approximately $720,000 worth of assets from the vDOT single-asset pool and the vASTR/ASTR and vMANTA/MANTA pools. The stolen assets were subsequently deposited into HitBTC and eventually flowed into Binance. Bifrost has contacted Binance's security department to submit a fund freeze request and has filed a report along with a chain of custody evidence package, including transaction tracking, wallet addresses, and timestamps, with law enforcement authorities. Currently, Bifrost has halted all liquidity mining rewards and is conducting a comprehensive security review.
Odaily News: U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has filed a motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to consideration of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act), with the Senate scheduled to hold the related procedural vote on September 15. The vote is expected to take place when the Senate reconvenes at 2:15 PM ET that day. The motion requires 60 votes to pass, meaning Republican lawmakers will need Democratic support to clear the procedural threshold. The two parties are still negotiating over provisions such as ethics rules and stablecoin reward regulations, with those differences having previously prevented an agreement before the August recess. This vote only concerns whether to begin floor consideration of the bill and does not represent a final vote or passage by the Senate. The CLARITY Act aims to establish a federal market structure for digital assets, clarify the conditions under which certain crypto assets are subject to securities or commodities law, and define the regulatory responsibilities of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Odaily News: The Senate Majority Leader submitted a motion early Saturday morning to begin consideration of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, following a late-night voting session in the Senate. Due to the late timing of the motion, the Senate will not be able to vote on the crypto market structure bill before the August recess. The motion paves the way for an almost immediate preliminary vote on the bill when the Senate reconvenes next month. Lawmakers still need to reach agreements on government ethics, enforcement provisions, and issues such as stablecoin yield and rewards before the bill can move forward smoothly.
Odaily News: Justin Mateen, a director at Trump family-backed bitcoin mining company American Bitcoin (ABTC) and co-founder of Tinder, purchased company shares on two consecutive days following the release of its quarterly earnings report, with a total investment of approximately $1.93 million. Regulatory filings show that Mateen bought approximately 145,000 shares of ABTC Class A common stock on August 5, with a transaction value of about $925,000 and an average purchase price of approximately $6.40 per share. On August 6, he purchased another approximately 162,000 shares for about $1 million, at an average price of approximately $6.19 per share. Together, the two transactions totaled 306,981 shares, increasing his ABTC holdings to 492,297 shares. American Bitcoin, supported by members of U.S. President Trump's family, including Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., is a Nasdaq-listed bitcoin mining and BTC reserve company. The company adopts a strategy of "large-scale mining plus corporate treasury bitcoin holdings" to provide investors with bitcoin exposure. Financial reports show that American Bitcoin recorded a net loss of approximately $57 million in the second quarter, while its mining scale and bitcoin reserves continued to grow over the same period. The company produced approximately 932 BTC in the quarter, reaching an all-time high, with treasury bitcoin holdings increasing to over 8,000 BTC.
Odaily News, August 7 — The Senate announced that the vote on the Clarity Act has been postponed to September. Senator Lummis, a supporter of the Clarity Act, posted on X, saying, "I have put so much long and hard work into this bill, so you can imagine how frustrated I am right now. Someday I will have more to say, but for now, allow me to say this: we have come this far, and now is absolutely not the time to give up.""I will not give up, because I deeply believe in my heart that this industry deserves to thrive under clear rules on American soil; consumers deserve to be protected from fraud and have the confidence to participate in our digital economy; and law enforcement should also have the necessary tools to hold bad actors accountable.""The Clarity Act is the only way for us to achieve these goals. The status quo is flawed in every way, and I will not rest until we fix this broken system. I will continue to work hand in hand with my colleagues to reach this goal—this fight is far from over."
Odaily News: SK Hynix's stock price has recently seen a pullback. On August 3, the stock fell 8.79%. Although it rebounded slightly by 0.64% and 5.77% on August 4 and 5 respectively, it plunged another 10.37% on August 6, closing at 1.495 million KRW; on August 7, it dropped a further 4.88%, closing at 1.422 million KRW.Against the backdrop of heightened market volatility, SK Group released an advertisement quoting founder Choi Jong-gun’s famous saying: "Despair and hope are two sides of the same coin; you can turn despair into hope as easily as flipping your palm," and adapted it to: "Unease and anticipation in the AI era are also two sides of the same coin; you can turn unease into anticipation," thereby conveying confidence in the long-term development of the AI industry.Securities institutions believe that short-term stock price fluctuations have not changed SK Hynix's fundamentals, and the market should focus on its HBM4 technology leadership and the earnings stability brought by long-term supply agreements (LTAs). Specifically:1. Hyundai Motor Securities expects SK Hynix's DRAM and NAND bit growth to reach 9.7% and 1.5% respectively in the third quarter. As HBM4 sales contributions expand, even with a higher proportion of LTAs, DRAM average selling prices (ASP) are still expected to rise 19.9% quarter-over-quarter. Companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic are advancing plans to build their own hyperscale AI data centers and intend to raise funds for related construction through IPOs. Even if some large tech companies adjust capital expenditures (Capex) in the future, this could be offset by demand from other AI infrastructure. Additionally, regarding competitive concerns over China's CXMT, given the U.S. continued tightening of semiconductor equipment export restrictions, as well as Micron's expansion of domestic U.S. investment, the likelihood of major companies like Apple adopting Chinese memory chips is relatively low.2. SK Securities is also bullish on SK Hynix's competitive advantages, believing that with its leading position in HBM, partnerships with major North American GPU companies, and AI-driven LTA demand, SK Hynix's market position remains solid. Currently, the HBM supply-demand fulfillment rate is below 70%, and the core value of LTAs lies in ensuring profit sustainability and earnings stability through a "mutual binding structure" between customers and suppliers. With value-reassessment initiatives such as an ADR listing progressing, along with dividend income from the sale of SPC assets related to Kioxia, the company's goal of achieving net cash of 100 trillion KRW may be reached earlier than expected. As shareholder return policies gradually become clearer, this will help the market re-evaluate the value of the LTA model and drive a further re-rating of SK Hynix. (Daum)
The Hyperliquid Policy Center announced that HPC attended the CFTC Agriculture Advisory Committee meeting on August 7 and submitted a formal statement. The statement centered on three points: First, agricultural end-users need diversified market choices, and historical bans on agricultural options have proven the cost of excessive restrictions; Second, the CFTC's phased approach to perpetual contracts is the correct path, and end-user demand should drive the adoption of new derivatives; Third, public blockchains help modernize clearing and settlement infrastructure, while improving collateral liquidity and retaining the market integrity protection mechanisms of the Commodity Exchange Act. HPC stated it will continue to collaborate with the agricultural community to promote the regulated implementation of perpetual contracts in the U.S. market.
Odaily News: One week after the implementation of regulatory measures on single-stock leveraged and inverse ETFs in South Korea, trading activity in related products has noticeably cooled, with trading volume falling below 1 trillion KRW for two consecutive trading days.According to data from the Korea Exchange (KRX), on August 7, the combined trading volume of 16 single-stock leveraged and inverse ETFs in the Korean market stood at 941.2 billion KRW, marking the second consecutive trading day below 1 trillion KRW after the previous day's 919.8 billion KRW.Market observers believe the decline in trading volume is mainly attributed to the new regulatory measures implemented on July 31. The new rules raise the capital threshold for ordinary retail investors to participate in single-stock leveraged ETFs, increasing the base margin requirement from 10 million KRW to 30 million KRW in cash.Data shows that on the day before the regulation took effect (July 30), the trading volume of the 16 related ETFs reached as high as 12.45 trillion KRW. On the first day of regulation (July 31), it plummeted to 3.15 trillion KRW, and has continued to decline since, dropping to 1.39 trillion KRW and 1.26 trillion KRW on August 3 and 4 respectively, before falling below 1 trillion KRW in recent days.Meanwhile, the share of single-stock leveraged and inverse ETFs in the overall Korean ETF market turnover has also dropped significantly, falling to 5.6% on August 7, compared with 30% to 40% before the regulation.However, Korean securities institutions point out that investment demand has not completely disappeared. Instead, there is evidence of "regulatory arbitrage" or a "balloon effect," with funds shifting toward semiconductor leveraged ETFs and overseas-listed leveraged products.Jung Hyun-jong, a researcher at Korea Investment & Securities, stated that while single-stock leveraged ETF trading volumes have declined following the regulation, semiconductor leveraged ETF trading volume has actually increased, indicating that some capital is rotating into alternative products. Overseas market products may also become targets for capital flows. Jung noted that since overseas-listed ETFs are not subject to domestic Korean regulatory restrictions, investors may turn to overseas single-stock leveraged ETFs. Among them, the Hong Kong-listed CSOP SK Hynix Daily (2x) Leveraged Product is currently one of the largest single-stock leveraged ETF products globally by market capitalization. Domestic Korean regulatory measures alone are unlikely to fully curb investor demand for semiconductor cycles and high-leverage strategies, and the long-term effectiveness of the regulation will require continued observation. (Daum)
Odaily News: The Japan Financial Services Agency (FSA) has announced personnel appointments. As part of its organizational restructuring, the agency has established a new "Crypto Assets and Stablecoins Division" dedicated to overseeing crypto assets and stablecoins, with Toshiaki Adomi appointed as its first Director. Adomi graduated from the Faculty of Law at Osaka University in 2002 before joining the FSA. He subsequently earned an MBA from the University of Birmingham in the UK and an LLM from the London School of Economics and Political Science, holding positions in banking supervision and policy coordination. From July 2025, he served as a Counselor at the General Policy Bureau, and until August 1, 2026, held the role of Senior Counselor for Postal Savings and Insurance Supervision.
Odaily News: Airport retailer Dubai Duty Free launched Crypto.com Pay on August 5, 2026, available to eligible UAE residents, covering Dubai International Airport, Al Maktoum International Airport, and its online store. Customers can select Crypto.com Pay in-store, scan a QR code displaying the amount in UAE dirhams, and authorize the transaction through the Crypto.com App; online customers can choose this method at checkout and confirm payment. Dubai Duty Free settles transactions in UAE dirhams through regulated payment infrastructure. The payment service operates under the regulatory framework of the Central Bank of the UAE's (CBUAE) stored value facility. Crypto.com previously obtained a CBUAE stored value facility license, enabling it to provide regulated payment services in the UAE.
Senator Tim Scott stated that the U.S. Senate will hold a first vote on the Clarity for Digital Assets Market Act before the August recess, and the bill requires 60 votes to pass.
Odaily News: Summer Mersinger, CEO of the Blockchain Association and former Commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), stated that the Clarity Act prohibits payments made solely for holding stablecoins, as well as programs that are economically or functionally equivalent to interest on bank deposits, with penalties attached to such attempts in the text. She noted that an August 4 editorial on the Clarity Act acknowledged that the bill would end the regulatory gray area left by the previous administration, provide investors and banks with rules that future governments cannot arbitrarily overturn, and open pathways for innovations such as tokenized stocks and bonds.
According to Cryptopolitan, the U.S. Senate is scheduled to enter recess on August 7, leaving an extremely limited window for the CLARITY Act to pass before then. If voting is not completed this week, the next feasible window will be delayed until September, and if missed again, it could be postponed until after the midterm elections, meaning enactment may not occur until 2027. The main disagreement over the bill currently lies in the Democrats' insistence on adding crypto ethics clauses for senior government officials, but the consolidated draft has not yet incorporated relevant provisions. During the regulatory vacuum, large institutions such as Coinbase and Circle are better equipped to adapt to the uncertain environment due to their capital strength—ARK Invest increased its holdings in both companies this week, and Circle was approved for a federal national trust bank charter in July—while small and medium-sized crypto enterprises and DeFi projects continue to face pressure. In terms of the market, Polymarket data shows that the probability of the CLARITY Act passing within 2026 has dropped to 23%, a significant decline from Galaxy Research's prediction of 67%–75% in mid-May.
According to HK01, the Hong Kong Police updated information on the virtual currency "Fun Coffee" fraud case, disclosing that as of August 5, a total of 255 related reports had been received, an increase of 30 cases from earlier. The total involved losses have increased to approximately HK$104 million. In addition, the Macau Judicial Police arrested two women involving 9 cases worth about MOP 3.6 million. Regarding some TVB artists having previously hosted activities related to the Fun Coffee fraud case, the Hong Kong Police stated that they will definitely contact victims and relevant individuals during the investigation to determine the masterminds of the fraud and the roles played.
According to Globenewswire, Grayscale Investments announced on August 5 that it has completed the Q2 2026 review and rebalancing of its multi-asset funds, involving three products: the Grayscale Decentralized Finance Fund, the Grayscale Smart Contract Fund, and the Grayscale Decentralized Artificial Intelligence Fund, and disclosed the latest constituent assets and weights as of August 3, 2026.
Odaily News: The U.S. Senate has not yet indicated whether it will take up the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. With only two session days remaining before the summer recess, the Senate has also made no official statement on whether or when a vote on the bill will take place. The Senate could address the bill after returning to Washington in September, but limited working days remain before the final stretch of the 2026 midterm elections. The Senate may also extend the session, originally scheduled to end on August 7, to make room for a procedural vote on the Clarity Act.
According to Cointelegraph, U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis stated that the Senate is expected to vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act before the August recess. The bill previously passed the House of Representatives in July 2025, but currently still faces resistance in the Senate, including Democrats' demand to strengthen ethics provisions involving President Donald Trump's digital asset investments, as well as concerns from some Republican lawmakers and the banking sector regarding the relevant provisions.