News linked to both this project and an event.
Odaily News: UAE-based foundation Aqua1 Foundation purchased $100 million worth of governance tokens from decentralized finance project World Liberty Financial (WLFI) on June 26, marking the largest single publicly disclosed purchase of the token to date. The funds trace back to Chinese businessman Guren "Bobby" Zhou, with up to $75 million flowing to entities linked to the Trump family and World Liberty Financial co-founder Zach Witkoff. WLFI tokens confer governance and voting rights and do not represent equity in the company. Zhou was arrested in the UK in March 2021 on suspicion of money laundering, with UK law enforcement investigations still ongoing as of late July 2026. Two of his long-time employees were indicted in September 2025, one of whom has pleaded guilty, with trial scheduled for 2028. Zhou has not yet been formally charged. Zhou met with Eric Trump in Dubai to discuss the investment and described it as participation in the "Trump family's crypto project." The source of the $100 million Aqua1 used to purchase WLFI remains unclear, and public information does not indicate any direct link between these specific funds and money laundering activities. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: Part of hardware wallet manufacturer Coldcard's firmware had a random number generation vulnerability in 2021, causing some mnemonic phrases generated by the devices to carry predictable risks. The vulnerability was only discovered years later, and by then approximately 5,200 addresses and around 2,000 BTC had been stolen, with losses totaling about $130 million. Following the incident, some investors turned to Wall Street custody products. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw net inflows of approximately $626 million within days of the event. ETF analyst Eric Balchunas noted that security incidents like this could further drive capital flows into ETFs. The Bitcoin core community continues to uphold the principle of self-custody. Casa co-founder Jameson Lopp said recent events should not weaken user confidence in self-custody, as third-party custody carries risks as well. Early Bitcoin Core developer Peter Todd stated that self-custody has a better long-term security track record than centralized institutions. Michael Tanguma, co-founder of Bitcoin custody platform Onramp, said both approaches have flaws: concentrating large amounts of assets in a single institution creates a "honey pot," while hardware wallets face risks related to supply chains, firmware, and random number generation. Michael Tanguma proposed a "multi-institution custody" approach, in which multiple regulated institutions each hold keys through a multi-signature mechanism, and any transaction requires joint signing by multiple institutions to reduce the risk of single points of failure. Critics argue that while multi-institution custody improves security, it also introduces permissioned management, which conflicts with the decentralized ideals Bitcoin originally pursued. As Bitcoin enters pension funds, trusts, and institutional asset allocation, the industry is seeking custody solutions suitable for long-term wealth management. How to strike a balance among security, decentralization, and usability remains a challenge facing the Bitcoin ecosystem.
According to Cointelegraph, the Australian anti-money laundering regulator AUSTRAC has suspended cryptocurrency ATM operator Cryptolink's Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registration for three months due to "ongoing violations," with its 96 Bitcoin ATMs ceasing operations effective immediately. AUSTRAC stated that Cryptolink failed to fulfill basic reporting obligations (particularly threshold transaction reports) and refused to respond to the regulator's information requests. Previously, Cryptolink had signed an enforceable undertaking with AUSTRAC in October 2025 and paid a fine of $56,340. Cryptolink's ATMs are mainly distributed in major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
Odaily News: The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) has announced the suspension of digital asset ATM operator Cryptolink's Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registration for a period of 3 months, effective from Sunday, during which its Bitcoin ATMs must not operate. AUSTRAC stated that Cryptolink failed to meet basic reporting requirements, particularly by not submitting threshold transaction reports and failing to respond to information requests. The agency said it continues to have concerns about Cryptolink's ability to manage high-risk transactions processed through cryptocurrency ATMs. This measure comes after Cryptolink entered into an enforceable undertaking with AUSTRAC in October 2025. Previously, the Cryptocurrency Taskforce found suspected late transaction reporting and inadequate risk assessments, and AUSTRAC additionally issued a penalty notice of $56,300, which Cryptolink has paid. The company operates 96 ATMs across Australia, with the majority located in major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News: On August 5, the minority staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs stated that the July 22 version of the CLARITY Act fails to meet five minimum standards. The bill, numbered H.R. 3633, aims to divide digital asset regulatory authority between the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The analysis suggests that the bill's two-tier system could remove certain blockchain assets from SEC oversight, allowing issuing companies to self-certify exemptions from securities regulation. Healthy Markets and five labor organizations have raised concerns over pension protections and securities law loopholes, while minority staff also noted that investors' private right of action and state and tribal enforcement powers could be weakened. Minority staff stated that DeFi-related companies could be exempt from anti-illegal financing obligations even if they earn millions of dollars from platform transactions; some crypto mixers may circumvent U.S. sanctions by exploiting the "Tornado Cash loophole." The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) warned that stablecoin yields could drain deposits from community banks, and the Systemic Risk Council has flagged related banking activities as potential bailout risks. Minority staff noted that Donald Trump alone earned over $1.4 billion from crypto businesses in 2025, with related enforcement solely under the purview of his Attorney General, and that obligations would terminate upon his departure from office. Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal, citing $3.8 billion in investor losses, have separately called on the SEC to investigate Trump memecoin. The Senate is scheduled to hold a cloture vote on September 15 on the motion to proceed, with the bill needing 60 votes to advance. (Bitcoin.com News)
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.
Odaily News: Grayscale Head of Research Zach Pandl said that even if the Digital Asset Market Structure Clarity Act (CLARITY Act) is not passed, the operation of major blockchains, demand for Bitcoin as a store of value, and growth of stablecoin payments will not be immediately affected. Regulators will fill regulatory gaps through rulemaking. Zach Pandl noted that the lack of comprehensive market structure legislation could dampen new investment activity in the US, prompting crypto industry participants and startups to move to overseas jurisdictions with clearer regulatory frameworks. The US government will continue to support the development of the crypto ecosystem. Strategy co-founder and Executive Chairman Michael Saylor previously stated that regardless of whether the CLARITY Act is passed, Bitcoin will continue to develop, but the US needs regulatory clarity for digital assets. Senator Bernie Moreno said that Senate Democrats and Republicans have concluded related negotiations, and a vote will follow.
Odaily News – A body of a Chinese national was discovered outside the Jade Park high-rise apartment complex in the Trinidad district of Asunción, Paraguay. Preliminary identification suggests it is Harry Chun Tak Yeh, founder and managing partner of Quantum Fintech Group. Police stated that he is suspected to have fallen from the 30th floor of the building, and his body was found naked and covered with a black plastic bag. Investigators found the door of his suspected residence on the 30th floor wide open, with the interior in severe disarray, and confirmed that he also owned another apartment on the 27th floor of the same building. Criminal forensic technicians have collected evidence from the exterior of the building and both apartments, and relevant physical evidence has been handed over to the prosecutor's office. The prosecutor's office is currently investigating multiple possibilities in parallel, including accident, suspected suicide, and homicide. The judicial authorities will determine the specific cause and circumstances of death through an autopsy.It is reported that Chinese-American crypto investor Harry Yeh entered the Bitcoin market in 2013, when BTC was trading at $60. He launched his first fund with $250,000, and his investment network claims to manage over $2.4 billion in assets, with close ties to Fantom, Tomb Finance, Lif3, ZooCoin, L3 USD, and L3 Reserve. (Latribuna)
Odaily Odaily News: Bitcoin Red Team member @Rob1Ham stated that OpenAI has blocked him from continuing security analysis of the Bitcoin codebase, after he had responsibly disclosed real vulnerabilities found within it. Rob1Ham said he had previously completed identity verification and onboarding processes related to OpenAI's cybersecurity capabilities, but is currently unable to continue investigating whether the fixes are sufficient or whether other vulnerabilities still exist. He stated that he will now resume Bitcoin security research using an open-source Chinese AI model. Rob1Ham commented: "Black hat hackers won't attack these issues, white hat hackers will." He also added: "For those who don't follow the rules and engage in harmful behavior, intelligence is unrestricted, while those committed to reducing harm are being excluded." (Bitcoin News)
Odaily News BIP-110 has sparked community controversy over its attempt to restrict non-financial data storage on the Bitcoin blockchain. Supporters of this proposal plan to push for the rule change through a User-Activated Soft Fork (UASF), but current miner support is far from meeting the activation requirements. The market is watching whether this controversy will further escalate into a split within Bitcoin's network governance.Blockstream CEO Adam Back criticized the arguments of BIP-110 supporters in a post on the X platform, stating that the claim "Bitcoin supports spam data" is incorrect and noting that all Bitcoin participants dislike network spam. Adam Back pointed out that Bitcoin cannot achieve absolute censorship at the mathematical level, and the BIP-110 proposal itself has numerous flaws that prevent it from functioning effectively, which is why it has not gained network consensus. He emphasized that forcibly pushing rule changes without consensus could ultimately lead to a fork outcome similar to Bitcoin SV (BSV).
Grayscale Head of Research Zach Pandl stated that due to the Senate schedule and election-year political factors, the likelihood of the U.S. bipartisan crypto market structure bill, the CLARITY Act, passing this year has significantly decreased. The article suggests that the bill's failure to pass will not impact the operation of major blockchains or demand for Bitcoin as a store of value in the short term, nor will it hinder the growth of stablecoin payments.
: Bitcoin News posted on the X platform stating that Foundation has released KeyOS 1.3.1 for Passport Prime, adding a mnemonic generation feature. Users can input the first 11 or 23 words of a BIP39 mnemonic, and the device will generate a valid final word that meets checksum requirements. Users can manually generate mnemonics by rolling dice, flipping coins, or other methods, and complete mnemonic generation directly on the Passport Prime without the need for external tools. Foundation stated that AI security reviews conducted using Claude Fable Max and ChatGPT 5.6 Sol Extra High found no serious security issues.
: Bitcoin News posted on the X platform stating that Senate Majority Leader John Thune has filed a cloture motion on the motion to proceed with consideration of the CLARITY Act. This procedural step is used to end prolonged debate and push the Senate toward a vote in September on whether to formally begin considering the bill. This does not mean the CLARITY Act has passed. A cloture motion typically requires 60 votes to succeed; if the motion passes, the Senate can move forward with debate and consideration of the bill.
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: Polymarket will replace single-price snapshots with time-weighted average prices in short-term cryptocurrency markets for settling related contracts. This follows research and trader complaints indicating widespread manipulation in its settlement process. A study on 5-minute Bitcoin contracts found that some large Binance trades occurred in the final seconds before settlement and appeared to drive price movements; within potentially manipulated settlement windows, the majority of losses were borne by retail traders. The new system will use Chainlink Data Streams and short-duration TWAP windows. This mechanism is similar to the safeguards used by competing platform Kalshi, which relies on regulated price indices and moving averages to increase the difficulty and cost of short-term price distortion.
Odaily News The U.S. labor market has shown notable signs of cooling. Data shows that U.S. non-farm payrolls decreased by 23,000 in July, far below the market's previous expectation of an increase of 85,000, missing expectations by 108,000 — marking the third-largest monthly decline since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. Meanwhile, June's non-farm payroll figures were revised down by 37,000, further signaling a weakening trend in the labor market.Following the release of the employment data, market expectations for a September rate hike by the Federal Reserve quickly declined. Data indicates that the probability of a September rate hike dropped sharply from roughly 70% to 40%, prompting investors to reprice the future path of Fed policy. Analysts suggest that a lower probability of rate hikes typically benefits risk assets, but the underlying reasons — weakening economic growth and a softening labor market — could also heighten market risk aversion. At the same time, gold prices have surpassed $4,400, reflecting rising demand for safe-haven assets.For Bitcoin, the current market presents a dual impact: on one hand, a shift toward looser Fed policy could boost risk appetite, which is positive for crypto assets; on the other hand, continued deterioration in the labor market could limit upside potential for the market. The market will be watching next month's non-farm payroll data to see whether it further confirms the trend of slowing employment. If labor weakness persists, it could reinforce expectations of a Fed pivot toward easing — but it could also intensify concerns of an economic recession.
The U.S. Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act) failed to seize a critical advancement window before the Senate's summer recess, and the market is now focusing on whether the U.S. crypto industry can continue to develop even if the bill ultimately fails.Analysts believe that if the CLARITY Act fails to pass, it would be a significant setback for the crypto industry, but not a fatal blow. The bill was designed to clarify the boundaries between securities, commodities, and other categories of digital assets, determine the agencies responsible for overseeing related businesses, and grant the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) clearer regulatory authority over crypto commodity trading.Currently, the bill's progress has stalled, and the likelihood of comprehensive crypto market structure legislation being enacted before the end of the year is declining. This means the U.S. may still lack a clear digital asset regulatory framework, particularly regarding oversight of trading in major crypto assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), where jurisdictional gaps remain between the CFTC and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).However, industry insiders point out that even if the CLARITY Act fails, the SEC and CFTC are still likely to continue advancing industry development through policy statements, regulatory guidance, and existing enforcement authority.In recent years, both agencies have issued multiple pieces of guidance clarifying the regulatory boundaries of business models such as crypto mining, Meme coins, and staking rewards. One of the most significant measures among these is the digital asset taxonomy framework, which seeks to establish standardized regulatory classifications for different types of digital assets. (CoinDesk)
Odaily News: Strategy founder Michael Saylor stated that Bitcoin does not need the CLARITY Act—America does. Earlier today, it was reported that the U.S. Senate has postponed the vote on the CLARITY Act to September.
Odaily News: Bitcoin Red Team, a volunteer security audit team composed of Bitcoin developers and security researchers, has released its latest audit findings. In approximately 30 hours, the team reviewed 391 Bitcoin-related codebases and identified a total of 4,962 security issues, of which 720 were rated as high-risk or critical vulnerabilities. Only one codebase was found to have no issues at all. Currently, only 147 vulnerabilities have been submitted to project maintainers for resolution.Bitcoin Red Team is a volunteer security audit team made up of Bitcoin developers and security researchers, initiated following the Coldcard hardware wallet vulnerability incident. Key contributors include Calle, a developer of the Cashu protocol, among others. (Beincrypto)
Odaily News – Bitcoin mining companies MARA Holdings and CleanSpark have released their latest quarterly earnings reports, with both companies posting double-digit year-over-year revenue declines. MARA reported Q2 revenue of $174.9 million, down 27% year-over-year, while CleanSpark reported fiscal Q3 revenue of $138 million, down 30.5% year-over-year.Despite the earnings pressure, both companies continue to expand their high-performance computing (HPC) and AI infrastructure businesses. As the AI industry grows and Bitcoin mining difficulty continues to rise, both companies are investing resources to expand their HPC business lines. MARA stated it will expand its AI computing capabilities through the acquisition of power and data center assets, with its future power portfolio potentially reaching 4.8 GW. CleanSpark, meanwhile, said it currently controls more than 1.8 GW of power, land, and data center resources.To date, MARA holds approximately 35,577 BTC, while CleanSpark holds approximately 13,924 BTC, ranking fourth and eleventh respectively among publicly traded companies' Bitcoin holdings. (The Block)