News linked to both this project and an event.
According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), stablecoin issuer Circle has been criminally charged by Wisconsin prosecutors for refusing to comply with a court order to assist in recovering funds for fraud victims. A victim in Wisconsin was defrauded of approximately 381,000 USDC. Last December, the court issued an order requiring Circle to transfer the frozen assets to a law enforcement wallet, but Circle refused to comply, citing "technical inability to burn and reissue tokens." Previously, New York prosecutors also wrote to the U.S. Senate, accusing Circle of repeatedly refusing requests to freeze assets without a court order and questioning its profit motive—Circle currently holds at least 119 million frozen USDC, from which it can continue to earn interest income. In response, Circle denied the allegations, stating that the Wisconsin court lacks jurisdiction, and indicated that it has reached a preliminary agreement with federal prosecutors regarding a victim compensation mechanism. Cryptocurrency tracking experts pointed out that Circle could achieve token burning and reissuance by updating code, casting doubt on its claim of technical inability.
Patrick Hansen, Senior Director of EU Strategy and Policy at Circle, cited the MiCA provisional registration data from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), releasing the compliance statistics one week after the regulation's full implementation. Currently, the EU has 21 authorized Electronic Money Token (EMT) issuers, distributed across 12 member states, collectively issuing 35 EMTs pegged to 8 types of fiat currencies. Among them, France leads other member states with 6 licensed issuers. Meanwhile, the number of approved Asset-Referenced Token (ART) issuers remains at 0, while the total registered Crypto Asset Service Providers (CASP) under the MiCA framework has exceeded 270.
According to TechFlow Research, minutes from Goldman Sachs' July 5 Circle management meeting indicate that stablecoin growth has decoupled from crypto market cycles, with use cases rapidly expanding towards cross-border payments, consumer e-commerce, capital market settlement, and AI agent payments. USDC accounts for approximately 99% of trading volume in the x402 agent payment protocol. Circle pointed out that the "digital dollarization" trend in emerging markets is accelerating, with USDC becoming a tool to replace local currencies and unreliable banking systems. If passed, Circle believes the CLARITY Act will be a catalyst rather than a headwind; the bill allows issuers to continue revenue sharing to incentivize distribution and encourages usage-based reward mechanisms rather than passive holding.
Odaily报道 According to data from Visa's on-chain data platform, USDC has expanded its lead over USDT in stablecoin transaction volume during the first half of 2026. Data shows that the adjusted stablecoin transaction volume in June rose to $1.79 trillion, an increase of 63% month-over-month and 125% year-over-year from June 2025, setting a new all-time high. Visa's statistics have excluded non-genuine economic activities such as bot transactions and internal exchange transfers.The total stablecoin transaction volume for the first half of the year reached $8.82 trillion, surpassing the full-year 2024 level of $5.8 trillion, but still below the record $10.8 trillion set in 2025.Structurally, USDC accounted for approximately 70% of the volume in the first half of 2026, while USDT accounted for about 25%, indicating a significant shift in market share towards compliant stablecoins.Analysis points out that as banks and institutions increasingly use stablecoins for settlement and fund management—with institutions like Standard Chartered and BNY Mellon accelerating integration into the USDC ecosystem—stablecoin infrastructure is entering a phase of institutional expansion. (CoinDesk)
Kraken has begun allowing eligible users to use select tokenized stocks and ETFs as collateral for futures and margin trading, enabling them to open leveraged positions without selling their existing holdings.The initial offering includes 10 tokenized stocks and ETFs, featuring Apple, Nvidia, Tesla, Strategy, SPDR S&P 500 ETF, and Invesco QQQ Trust. This feature is currently only available to eligible users outside the United States.Kraken has also set collateral limits for different assets, with a maximum collateral value of $1 million for large-cap ETFs, $250,000 for most individual stocks, and $100,000 for tokenized gold and Circle stock. The platform stated that collateral limits and haircut rates will be reviewed periodically and may be adjusted based on market conditions. (Cointelegraph)
Sui posted on X platform, stating that this week's highlights include ensuring data privacy, expanding decentralized capital markets, and welcoming new teams into the network development pipeline. LoquaApp has launched a privacy-first AI agent messaging app on Sui, supporting users in sending messages, interacting with AI agents, and conducting peer-to-peer token transfers within chats; RipStationxyz has deployed a graded Pokémon card platform on Sui for on-chain trading and physical redemption; suidevelopers held a technical meeting, where kostascrypto and abhinavg6 analyzed the cryptography behind protocol-level confidential transfers; 0xfluid has chosen Hashi to build an institutional-grade Bitcoin credit market, enabling native BTC to be used as collateral through formally verified contracts on Sui; realtbook has partnered with paga to create a compliant financial bridge, offering tokenized real-world assets to African consumers and businesses; six early-stage development teams, including AssetoFinance, audricai, gendotpro, kash_bot, predikt_gg, and transact_sh, have completed the third cohort of the Sui Hydropower Fellowship; tradeonhudi announced the upcoming launch of 7×24 hour leveraged perpetual contracts on Asia-Pacific stocks, targeting markets in Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong; Turbos_finance released its Q2 2026 report, having launched its CLMM and once became the highest-volume AMM DEX with a single-day SUI-USDC trading volume exceeding $17 million. The upcoming Sui Tunnels experiment will be opened for system testing of the network's TPS limit under load.
Decentralized privacy protocol Hinkal Protocol announced that it has detected abnormal activity involving USDC on the Ethereum network within its system. Currently, only the Ethereum blockchain is affected, while other chains remain unaffected. As a precautionary measure, the affected smart contracts have been paused, and a comprehensive investigation and analysis of relevant on-chain transactions and activities is currently underway. The investigation is still ongoing, and updates will be released once information is confirmed.
According to official news, Standard Chartered Bank announced a partnership with Circle to launch USDC minting and redemption access capabilities for institutional clients, becoming the first global systemically important bank to offer such integrated services. Eligible institutional clients can use USDC through a single onboarding and service process without needing to open a Circle account directly. The service will initially be provided through Standard Chartered's business in the Dubai International Financial Centre, supporting scenarios such as on-chain settlement, treasury management, and liquidity management, with plans to expand to more markets subsequently upon obtaining regulatory approval.
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire stated that stablecoin competition is essentially a long-term competition of platforms and network effects, with the core lying in application access, liquidity networks, and global compliance infrastructure. Citing Artemis data, he noted that in Q1 2026, USDC processed nearly $30 trillion in on-chain transactions, accounting for 80% of the total USD stablecoin transaction volume, USDT accounted for the remaining 20%, and other USD stablecoins combined totaled less than 0.5%.
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)
blockchain analytics platform Bubblemaps released an investigation report on the Solana Meme token LIBRA. On February 14, 2025, after Argentine President Javier Milei publicly supported the launch of LIBRA, the token's market cap briefly reached approximately $4 billion in less than two days before rapidly crashing, resulting in investor losses exceeding $250 million. The incident has been dubbed "Cryptogate."Bubblemaps stated that multiple abnormal signals emerged within the first hour of LIBRA's launch:82% of the token supply was concentrated in a single wallet cluster, a stark deviation from typical Meme token issuance patterns;No tokenomics information was provided, with no details on lock-ups, fund allocation, or roadmap disclosed;Abnormally high liquidity pool fees were generated, with over $25 million in fees accumulating within the first hour of trading, far exceeding normal retail trading levels.The investigation revealed that the deployer did not directly dump $LIBRA on the open market. Instead, they added a one-sided liquidity pool containing only $LIBRA on Meteora while simultaneously withdrawing USDC and SOL from the original pool, enabling low-slippage fund transfers. Bubblemaps noted that, by the time the public warning was issued, the team had already extracted approximately $87 million in assets through this mechanism. Subsequently, Bubblemaps discovered a financial link between LIBRA and another controversial token, $MELANIA. Through on-chain evidence such as cross-chain transfers and overlapping exchange deposit addresses, analytic firms suggest both projects may be operated by the same team, which has been traced back to Kelsier Ventures and its head, Hayden Davis.The report indicates that this team has subsequently been linked to multiple Meme token projects, including $HOOD, $TRUST, $KACY, and $VIBES. Their common pattern includes: holding a large concentration of tokens during the deployment phase, using multiple wallets to front-run purchases, rapidly inflating market cap, and then exiting to cash out.Bubblemaps stated that the uniqueness of the LIBRA incident lies not in its technical methods, but in securing the public endorsement of Javier Milei, which amplified a routine Meme token operation into a globally watched event. The firm believes that indicators such as wallet cluster analysis, supply concentration, and on-chain fund flows had already flashed risk signals early on, and it will continue to monitor related address activity in the future.
that, according to official news from Bitget, the platform has officially launched its direct US stock connection product, "Bitget US Stocks," allowing users to buy and sell over 10,000 real US stocks and ETFs directly using USDC. The service executes settlements through licensed US brokers, granting users full shareholder rights including cash dividends and voting rights. It covers pre-market, regular, and after-hours trading sessions, and supports the seamless transfer of existing stock holdings from other brokerage platforms into Bitget. This move is another key step in Bitget's US Stock 2.0 strategy, following the launch of the Reality protocol and rToken-based US stock tokens in early June, aimed at providing a more intuitive trading interface for users accustomed to traditional brokerage experiences.To coincide with the new product launch, Bitget is simultaneously rolling out an accelerated stock transfer program. During the promotional period, users who transfer US stock holdings from external brokerages such as Futu, Tiger Brokers, moomoo, Longbridge, Webull, and IBKR into Bitget have the chance to receive a transfer fee subsidy of up to $10,000. The registration period runs from June 22, 19:00 to July 10, 23:59 (UTC+8), and subsidies will be distributed to eligible users every Monday. Transferred assets can be held or traded directly within the Bitget account.On June 5th, Bitget announced the listing of US stock tokens launched by its compliant RWA protocol. It currently supports over 500 US stocks and ETFs, including SpaceX, Tesla, and Nvidia, with assets under management (AUM) exceeding $50 million. The launch of direct US stock connection further completes Bitget's US stock product matrix, offering users accustomed to traditional brokerage experiences a more intuitive trading interface and experience.
Digital asset company AllUnity has launched SEKAU, a stablecoin backed by the Swedish Krona. The token is issued in accordance with the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and operates as an electronic money token under MiCA.SEKAU is backed by segregated Swedish Krona reserves and is designed for institutional settlement and cross-border payments. Banking Circle will hold and manage the reserves backing the token, with Sweden's Marginalen Bank serving as the banking partner for the launch, while Trust Anchor Group provides infrastructure integration.SEKAU's initial launch covers five blockchain networks: Ethereum, Solana, Base, Tempo, and Polygon. AllUnity stated that it plans to expand SEKAU to more blockchain networks later in 2026. (Cointelegraph)
Range, a stablecoin compliance startup, announced the completion of an $8.3 million Series A funding round, with participation from TX Ventures, SixThirty, Maven 11 Capital, Onigiri Capital, and others. The project's total funding to date has reached $11 million.Range provides a unified platform for companies operating both stablecoins and fiat currencies. Its core products include Unify, a real-time ledger system, and Protect, an on-chain transaction screening tool. Its clients include Circle, Solana Foundation, Stellar, Squads, and Jupiter, among others. The funds from this round will be used to expand the Unify and Protect products, grow the engineering and business development teams, and increase integrations and network coverage. (The Block)
According to Cryptopolitan, Ivan Chebeskov, Deputy Minister of Finance of Russia, stated during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2026) that USDC will be added to Russia’s regulated cryptocurrency list alongside BTC, ETH, and USDT—previously approved cryptocurrencies. He also revealed that smaller stablecoins pegged to currencies of “friendly jurisdictions,” such as the Russian ruble or the UAE dirham, may also be granted market access. Russia’s draft “Law on Digital Currency and Digital Rights” must be finalized by July 1; upon enactment, non-accredited investors will gain legal access to cryptocurrency investments for the first time—though with an annual investment cap of 300,000 rubles (approximately USD 4,000).
a joint letter initiated by Stand With Crypto, in collaboration with the Blockchain Association, the Crypto Council for Innovation, and The Digital Chamber, has been submitted to U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, urging a full floor vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (the "CLARITY Act") as soon as possible.Over 200 crypto enterprises, industry associations, and community organizations, including Coinbase, Ripple, Kraken, a16z, Circle, and Binance.US, have participated in signing the letter. The joint letter points out that the CLARITY Act would establish a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for the digital asset market, clearly delineate regulatory responsibilities, provide feasible registration pathways, protect software developer innovation, and simultaneously promote the return of more digital asset businesses to the U.S. market.The signatories stated that the bill would help retain innovation, jobs, investment, and market activity within the United States, further solidifying America's leading position in the global digital asset innovation sector.It is understood that the CLARITY Act received bipartisan support and passed committee review in the Senate Banking Committee last month. Senator Cynthia Lummis subsequently stated that the next step for the bill is to enter the full Senate deliberation stage.Additionally, 160 former national security and law enforcement officials have previously signed a letter supporting the bill. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House Crypto Advisor Patrick Witt have also publicly called for advancing the legislative process. However, the issue of conflicts of interest between the Trump family and the crypto industry is still regarded as one of the main obstacles to the bill's progress. (The Block)
According to Cointelegraph, Coinbase and Better Home & Finance announced they will launch a cryptocurrency-backed mortgage program in summer 2026, enabling qualified borrowers to use bitcoin (BTC) or USDC as collateral to fund down payments on mortgages backed by Fannie Mae. This initiative follows the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) directive in June 2025 instructing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to include crypto assets in mortgage risk assessments—without requiring conversion into fiat currency. Other lenders, including Newrez, have already begun adopting similar measures. However, some U.S. senators have expressed concerns that cryptocurrency price volatility could threaten housing market stability. Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis has introduced the “21st Century Mortgage Act,” aiming to codify this policy into law.
a new stock guru, Serenity, posted on X platform, stating that with the progress of US crypto regulatory policies, crypto-related stocks such as Coinbase (COIN), Robinhood (HOOD), and Circle (CRCL) may once again attract attention.Serenity believes that if the CLARITY Act advances in its current direction, it may be more favorable for the traditional banking system, potentially limiting certain innovations in the crypto space and products that compete with banking services. Additionally, related policies could impact market liquidity, but may strengthen the position of the US dollar.Serenity stated that for swing traders, the current valuation levels of these stocks appear to be attractive once again.
Ivan Chebeskov, Deputy Minister of Finance of Russia, stated that the ministry does not wish to allow dollar-denominated stablecoins to circulate in the Russian market.Chebeskov pointed out that issuers of foreign stablecoins like USDT and USDC have the capability to freeze wallet assets held by users. Once such wallets engage in transactions with platforms licensed by the Central Bank of Russia, the risk of asset freezes for holders will significantly increase. He revealed that dollar stablecoins held by Russian legal entities have previously been frozen by issuers, while no similar incidents have occurred with Bitcoin and Ethereum due to the lack of relevant technical means.The Russian Finance Ministry believes it is necessary to establish a regulatory framework specifically for stablecoins, prioritize supporting the development of stablecoins pegged to the ruble and currencies of friendly nations, and grant the Central Bank of Russia the authority to adjust the list of related assets. (Bits.media)
Mastercard is expanding its settlement network to support regulated stablecoins, planning to introduce stablecoin settlement, intraday settlement, as well as weekend and holiday settlement services to meet the demand for real-time fund movement.According to the introduction, the new settlement framework will operate in parallel with the existing fiat settlement system, providing financial institutions with more flexible liquidity management solutions. The first supported stablecoins include Circle-issued USDC, Paxos-issued PYUSD, USDG and USDP, Ripple-issued RLUSD, and SoFiUSD.The related services will cover blockchain networks such as Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum, and XRPL. (CoinDesk)