News linked to both this project and an event.
Odaily News: Blockchain data analytics platform Nansen released its "Starknet H1 2026 Report," stating that in the first half of 2026, Starknet completed its strategic transformation from a high-performance Layer 2 network to a "privacy-preserving execution layer." The launch of the STRK20 privacy framework and the Bitcoin asset strkBTC became the ecosystem's most significant upgrades.The report notes that as an Ethereum-based ZK-Rollup network, Starknet generates STARK proofs off-chain and verifies them on-chain, achieving high throughput and low transaction costs. Its smart contracts use the Cairo language, specifically designed for verifiable computation, and support native account abstraction functionality.In the first half of this year, Starknet launched the v0.14.2 upgrade, introducing the SNIP-36 protocol to lay the technical foundation for private transactions. This upgrade allows the network to directly verify off-chain execution proofs, enabling confidential state transitions without exposing account balances or counterparty information. Additionally, SNIP-37 adjusted the network's economic model, increasing storage costs while lowering base gas fees to optimize incentives for long-term state growth.In terms of privacy applications, Starknet launched the STRK20 privacy framework, which allows users to convert any ERC-20 asset into encrypted balances and conduct private transfers, trades, and DeFi interactions. The system is built on zero-knowledge proof technology and implements compliant auditing through an encrypted viewing key mechanism, protecting user privacy while supporting targeted information disclosure in regulatory scenarios.On-chain data shows that in Q2 2026, Starknet recorded an average daily transaction volume of approximately 239,000 and an average of about 50,000 daily active addresses. During the period, a total of 22.5 million transactions were completed, involving approximately 71,000 users. Among these, DEX aggregator AVNU contributed roughly 14 million transactions, accounting for 62.2% of total volume; gaming infrastructure Cartridge contributed 6.57 million transactions, with the two combined accounting for approximately 91% of transaction activity.
Bitfinex noted that the S&P 500 Index continues to hit record highs, while Bitcoin still hovers around $64,000. The stock rally is primarily driven by expectations of interest rate cuts, but Bitcoin relies more heavily on actual liquidity support. Since mid-May, stablecoin supply has decreased by $14 billion; before stablecoin supply resumes growth, Bitcoin's rebound still lacks funding support.
BitcoinTreasuries.NET 发文称，Strive（ASST）首席执行官 Matt Cole 表示，比特币在当前价格区间处于历史性低估水平，公司认为在此承担风险并增持 BTC 具有建设性意义。他还称，Strategy 仅出售 BTC 以支持 STRC 回归面值，从而长期以增厚收益的方式买入 BTC。
H100 released its second quarter 2026 report. The pre-tax loss for the reporting period was 98.2 million Swedish kronor, approximately 9.82 million US dollars, most of which were non-cash items, primarily from Bitcoin impairment. The company stated that actual business cash consumption was 5.1 million Swedish kronor, approximately 510,000 US dollars, in the second quarter, and 12.7 million Swedish kronor, approximately 1.27 million US dollars, for the first half of the year. As of the end of June, the company held cash of 18.1 million Swedish kronor, approximately 1.81 million US dollars.
Odaily News: Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase's x402 payment protocol has processed approximately 14 million AI agent transfers over the past 30 days, with the Base network handling 7.3 million transfers and the Polygon network processing 5.6 million. USDC covers nearly all of these transfers. x402 utilizes the HTTP 402 "Payment Required" mechanism, enabling software to automatically request and complete payments. Coinbase has expanded its related payment services to the Base, Solana, and Polygon networks, supporting USDC as the settlement asset. In July, Coinbase launched Coinbase Business, allowing enterprises to directly receive USDC payments from AI agents, with support for payment collection, reconciliation, and withdrawals. Coinbase has described agent payments as one of its "high-conviction bets." (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: Cryptocurrency platform Bitcoin.com has announced the integration of USDU into its self-custody Bitcoin.com Wallet, serving millions of wallet users. USDU, issued by Universal Digital Intl Limited (Universal), is the first USD stablecoin registered as a foreign payment token by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE). USDU is an Ethereum ERC-20 token, with each token backed 1:1 by liquid USD reserves held by regulated banks in the UAE. The reserves are independently attested monthly by a third-party accounting firm, with reports published on Universal's official website. Bitcoin.com Wallet's web and mobile versions will support self-custody holding, sending, and receiving of USDU. Bitcoin.com will accept USDU as payment for designated services and plans to enable its use for payments between users and merchants within its products. The wallet will also offer stablecoin education and Learn-to-Earn content. Exchange and buy/sell functionalities will be launched after support from third-party service providers, with availability varying by jurisdiction. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins introduced the "Regulation Crypto Assets" proposal on August 18, covering issuance pathways, disclosure obligations, and safe harbor conditions. Atkins stated that tailored exemptions could attract crypto issuers and investment back to the United States while preserving core investor protections, and expressed support for Congress's push for the CLARITY Act. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce noted that the proposal was developed through public comment and staff engagement, with feedback from both industry supporters and critics shaping the framework's design. SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda pointed out that fixed thresholds and disclosure obligations could enhance issuers' compliance expectations; the proposal has not yet taken effect. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken's payment app Krak has launched a multi-asset debit card in the US, allowing users to spend cryptocurrency and fiat currency, with up to 2% cashback in USD or Bitcoin. The card supports over 600 currencies and assets, converting holdings to USD at checkout. Individual transactions can draw from multiple balances, and users can set their own asset spending order. The card is issued by Lead Bank, connected to the Visa network, and powered by Stripe Issuing. Arjun Sethi, co-CEO of Payward, Kraken's parent company, stated that Payward is expanding its asset classes and financial services, currently offering banking services, and views tokenization as an important component of expanding financial products. Krak said that since its launch in the UK and the European Economic Area in December 2025, it has issued more than 135,000 multi-asset cards. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News: Peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading platform NoOnes announced that it will begin gradually winding down operations after running for over three years. The company stated that it had been continuously seeking to resolve and lift the sanctions imposed on NoOnes, but ultimately failed. The sanctions caused the platform to lose key partners, and blockchain monitoring firms also flagged transactions associated with NoOnes as high-risk, making it increasingly difficult for the platform to continue normal operations. According to the plan, the business contraction began on August 17, and the P2P marketplace will close at 23:59 UTC on August 21. Services such as Swap, NoOnes Visa, fiat withdrawals, the gift card store, and the Bitcoin Lightning Network will also be discontinued progressively. After that, the platform will only support withdrawals, and users will still be able to log in, view balances, and withdraw remaining assets. The company advises users to complete asset withdrawals as soon as possible, no later than August 23. Previously, on January 26, 2025, NoOnes revealed that the platform had suffered a major security breach earlier that month, resulting in losses of approximately $8 million in crypto assets. CEO Ray Youssef confirmed the news after on-chain detective ZachXBT disclosed the hacking incident on his Telegram channel.
According to CoinDesk, Cash App has integrated with crypto payment platform MoonPay, expanding its cryptocurrency services from previously primarily supporting Bitcoin and the USD stablecoin USDC to various digital assets including Ethereum, Solana, XRP, and USDT.
Odaily News: Banking giant Citigroup Inc. has announced plans to launch a Bitcoin custody service on its institutional platform Custody+ later this year, starting with Bitcoin custody. Clients will be able to use both traditional asset and crypto asset custody services within the same framework. Citi stated that its Single Event Processing system has enabled continuous processing of custody transactions, with over 80% of event volume completed in real-time and 96% of U.S. voluntary corporate actions processed within two hours. The platform also integrates settlement, foreign exchange, liquidity, tax, and market data services. Citi noted that its digital asset infrastructure supports the transfer of funds and securities beyond traditional market hours, and through Citi Token Services, enables near-instant, 24/7 movement of tokenized deposits in certain markets. In June, Citi also launched blockchain-based securities custody services representing shares of private companies. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: Payment app Cash App is expanding its cryptocurrency services through crypto payment platform MoonPay, allowing 50 million users to purchase tokens such as ETH, SOL, XRP, and USDT. Additionally, users can top up major wallets like Ledger, BitPay, Trust Wallet, MetaMask, and Uniswap through Cash App. Previously, Cash App's crypto services only supported Bitcoin, with USDC support added earlier this year. (CoinDesk)
According to Business Wire, Citi Investor Services has launched Custody+, a modular solution designed for near real-time and real-time custody needs, aimed at adapting to operational demands arising from continuous trading markets, settlement cycle compression, and technological changes. Citi stated that it has completed the deployment of its patented Single Event Processing (SEP) technology in the U.S. market, with more than 80% of the total event volume now processed in real time.
Bitcoin News posted on X platform, stating that Simon Males has launched Krackpot, a browser-based game that allows anyone to use GPU to attempt cracking the private key of Bitcoin Puzzle 71. The prize is 6 BTC. The probability of cracking depends on the number of GPUs: a single gaming GPU would take approximately 830,000 years, 1 million GPUs would take 1 year, and simultaneous participation from all Steam players would take 1 week. The game runs locally in the browser via WebGPU. If a user finds the private key, 6 BTC will be sent to their designated Bitcoin address, with the remainder going to the developer.
Odaily News: Since the launch of Sui's Hashi Bitcoin lending protocol testnet on July 22, it has processed over 1.1 million Bitcoin deposits and 165,000 withdrawals within three weeks. As of last week, more than 25 institutions had participated in the system's stress testing. Participating institutions include digital asset custodian BitGo, trading firm Cumberland, as well as Swissborg, Fluid, and Ledger, covering areas such as trading, custody infrastructure, and wealth management platforms. Hashi allows users to deposit native Bitcoin, which is confirmed by Sui validators before minting hBTC for on-chain lending and stablecoin borrowing. Deposits utilize a 2-of-2 multi-signature mechanism with MPC validator signatures, while withdrawals require review by the Guardian Layer; the project team will proceed with the 2026 mainnet launch only after this security layer completes its security audit. (Bitcoin.com News)
CryptoQuant analyst Axel Adler Jr. released an analysis indicating that Bitcoin is currently trading at approximately $64,200, 1.30 times the long-term holder cost basis of $49,400, and has remained in the low-risk zone for 78 consecutive days. Long-term holder holdings amount to 16.35 million BTC, only 58,000 less than the all-time high of 16.41 million set on July 30; over the past 90 days, this group's supply increased by 1.38 million BTC.
According to Russian crypto media Bits.media, Maria Patrikeyeva, Managing Director of the Derivatives Market at Moscow Exchange, stated that the exchange plans to launch Bitcoin and Ethereum perpetual futures contracts for professional investors and plans to gradually expand the tradable cryptocurrency varieties to 10. Perpetual futures are contracts with no fixed expiration date that are automatically rolled over daily, offering greater flexibility compared to traditional quarterly/monthly contracts. Currently, Moscow Exchange has already launched quarterly and monthly futures for five cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Ripple, and Tron, in the summer of 2025. In addition, the Russian Central Bank has recently included BTC, ETH, and USDT in the list of crypto assets allowed for trading by non-professional investors. It is worth noting that Moscow Exchange is currently on the U.S. sanctions list, with restricted access to international settlement infrastructure, and the exchange is also preparing to establish a digital settlement depository system independent of the National Settlement Depository.
According to Cryptopolitan, former Bitcoin mining company IREN announced the completion of the first milestone of its $9.7 billion, five-year contract with Microsoft — the official delivery of the Horizon 1 facility located in Childress, Texas. The facility is 50 megawatts in scale, equipped with Nvidia GB300 systems and direct chip-level liquid cooling technology, and has received the Exemplar Cloud certification awarded by Nvidia. Under the contract terms, Microsoft will complete GPU acceptance verification within five days; upon approval, IREN can commence monthly billing, with expected annualized revenue of approximately $1.94 billion after all four Horizon facilities go online. IREN plans to complete the deployment of all four phases totaling 200 megawatts by 2026, expand AI cloud computing power to 1.2 gigawatts by 2027, simultaneously exit the Bitcoin mining business, and target a full-year AI cloud revenue run rate exceeding $4 billion.
Odaily News - Bitcoin News announced on the X platform that BitBox has disclosed two severe hardware wallet vulnerabilities, stating there is currently no evidence that these vulnerabilities have been exploited or led to user fund theft. All disclosed issues have been fixed in firmware v9.26.5, and BitBox urges all users to update immediately. An internal security audit uncovered two severe vulnerabilities, along with new details regarding a previously fixed bootloader vulnerability. One vulnerability affecting BitBox Multi devices could allow a malicious host to execute arbitrary code and install malicious firmware on devices that have not yet completed setup. Another vulnerability in Silent Payments could allow an attacker to exploit a malicious host device to redirect funds to unintended addresses, resulting in Bitcoin being locked and potentially enabling extortion attacks. BitBox also disclosed that the previously fixed bootloader vulnerability could allow attackers to trick users into installing malicious firmware capable of stealing funds.
Odaily News: Binance Pay, the payment service under cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has integrated with the domestic QR code network of Bhutan's bank DK Bank, now supporting payment collection from over 3,700 merchants in Bhutan. Users scan existing merchant QR codes and make payments priced in Bhutanese Ngultrum, with transactions settled in USDT via automatic foreign exchange conversion. Applicable scenarios include tourism, accommodation, dining, and retail—covering all consumer spending supported by DK Bank's domestic QR code network. During the promotional period, users are not charged any additional fees, and this offer is expected to last until December 31. (Bitcoin.com News)