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American Bitcoin Director Invests $1.9 Million to Increase Company Stock Holdings
According to Cryptopolitan, the stock price of American Bitcoin (NASDAQ: ABTC), a Bitcoin mining company associated with the Trump family, rose about 10% in a single day on Monday, from $6.47 to $7.11. Triggering this rebound was a disclosure in regulatory filings: company director and Tinder co-founder Justin Mateen purchased a total of 306,981 shares over two consecutive days from August 5 to 6, totaling approximately $1.93 million, marking the largest insider purchase within the company in the past 12 months.
South Korea FSS Upgrades Anti-Fraud System, Crypto Assets Included in Voice Phishing Compensation Coverage
According to Cryptopolitan, South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has launched a three-month fraud refund system reconstruction project with a budget of approximately 119 million Korean won. This upgrade aims to align with the revised "Telecommunications Fraud Damage Compensation Act" amended on March 31 this year—the bill will officially take effect on October 1, formally incorporating virtual assets into the scope of "damaged property" and "refundable property." The new system will support calculating compensation amounts based on token type and quantity, using the Korean won value at the time funds were frozen as a reference benchmark, while also possessing the ability to disentangle mixed fraud funds across multiple accounts. Major exchanges such as Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and GOPAX will be required to assume anti-fraud and victim relief obligations equivalent to those of banks at that time, including verifying transaction purposes, monitoring suspicious funds, and freezing suspected accounts.
CLARITY Act Feared Delayed Until 2027, Large Crypto Enterprises May Leverage Regulatory Vacuum to Expand Advantage
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.
Bank of Russia Releases Draft Regulatory Rules for Crypto Exchanges and Custodians
According to Cryptopolitan, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has released a draft of supporting regulatory rules for the cryptocurrency market, covering registration and operational requirements for crypto exchanges, digital depository institutions, and token issuers. The draft stipulates that the minimum net assets of digital depository institutions must range between 50 million and 250 million rubles (approximately $600,000 to $3 million), depending on the nature of the business. These rules will supplement the "Law on Digital Currency and Digital Rights" passed by the Russian State Duma earlier this month, which is expected to officially take effect on September 1, 2026. Under the new framework, non-qualified investors are limited to purchasing mainstream assets such as BTC, ETH, and USDT annually, with a cap of $4,000; industry participants will have a transition period until March 1, 2027, to complete compliance and approval procedures.
US Texas Crypto ATM Fraud Losses Reach $56.8 Million, Calls for Regulation Intensify
According to Cryptopolitan, approximately 1,200 people in Texas, USA lost a total of $56.8 million last year due to crypto ATM scams, the highest in the nation. The report noted that local crypto ATMs have long lacked state-level regulation, with scammers often impersonating law enforcement officers, courts, or utility companies to induce victims to deposit cash at the machines and convert it into cryptocurrency.
Kalshi Sues Illinois, Challenging Prediction Market Licensing Law
According to Cryptopolitan, prediction market platform Kalshi has filed a lawsuit against Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul, among other officials, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois over the state’s newly signed SB3019 bill. The bill requires prediction market platforms to obtain state-level operating licenses and imposes a 0.2% tax on digital asset transactions involving Illinois residents; it is set to take effect on July 1. Kalshi argues that, as a CFTC-registered platform, it is protected under the Commodity Exchange Act, which grants the CFTC exclusive jurisdiction over exchange-traded derivatives—a federal authority that conflicts with the state-level regulatory framework. The company has also sought both a temporary restraining order and a permanent injunction to prevent the bill from taking effect as scheduled.
“Godfather” cryptocurrency kidnapping case mastermind pleads guilty, faces up to 35 years in prison
According to Cryptopolitan, Adam Iza—a 25-year-old cryptocurrency entrepreneur from California, nicknamed “The Godfather”—formally pleaded guilty on June 1 to orchestrating the kidnapping of a couple from Connecticut. The incident stemmed from the couple’s son, Veer Chetal, who allegedly stole 4,100 bitcoins (valued at approximately $245 million) via social engineering. In response, Iza planned to kidnap Chetal’s parents to recover the stolen funds. On August 25, 2024, the criminal group staged a rear-end collision near Danbury High School, forcibly abducted the victims, and assaulted them. However, the operation quickly unraveled after multiple witnesses called the police and nearby FBI agents intervened; all six participants were apprehended and have since pleaded guilty. Additionally, in a separate case in California, Iza also pleaded guilty to charges including wire fraud, tax evasion, and directing law enforcement officers to conduct illegal surveillance for extortion purposes. California prosecutors are separately seeking a 35-year prison sentence.
North Korean hacker group Lazarus Group deploys fileless RemotePE Trojan to target cryptocurrency firms and banks
According to Cryptopolitan, the North Korea–linked hacker group Lazarus Group has been found deploying the fileless remote access Trojan RemotePE, primarily targeting banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, and fintech companies. This malware runs entirely in memory and employs process hollowing, anti-analysis detection techniques, and encrypted C2 communications—making it difficult for traditional antivirus and forensic tools to detect. The report states that attacks typically begin with Telegram-based social engineering: attackers impersonate employees of trading firms and lure victims into installing malicious software using forged Calendly and Picktime links, ultimately executing the payload without touching the file system.
RWA DeFi Deposits Surpass $3.98 Billion, 6x Growth in One Year
According to Cryptopolitan, data from the on-chain data platform DefiLlama shows that as of August 18, the active deposit size of Real World Assets (RWA) in DeFi protocols has reached $3.98 billion, representing an approximately 6-fold increase compared to $651 million a year ago; three years ago, this figure was only $12 million. The current total issuance of tokenized RWA is $34.55 billion, but the actual on-chain utilization rate is only about 11.5%. Of this, private credit accounts for over half of the active total with $2.13 billion, bonds contribute $799 million, and reinsurance contributes $406 million. In contrast, the utilization rate of tokenized treasury bonds is extremely low—BlackRock BUIDL issuance reaches $2.74 billion, but on-chain deployment is only $18 million, with a utilization rate of only 0.66%; Franklin Templeton BENJI utilization rate is zero. Analysis points out that such products are designed specifically for institutional cash management, where holders pursue treasury yields rather than lending capabilities; tokenization only improves settlement efficiency and does not convert them into collateral.
Compound Approves $52 Million Budget for Full Transition to Institutional DeFi
According to Cryptopolitan, DeFi lending protocol Compound approved a record $52 million two-year development budget via DAO voting and completed leadership restructuring, announcing a full pivot to the institutional market. The COMP token subsequently rose over 10% within 24 hours, currently trading at around $18. Regarding the budget, $14 million has been authorized for immediate use, with the remaining funds unlocked in batches based on milestones. In terms of fund allocation, approximately $28 million is designated for operations and R&D for the new version Compound V4, and $24 million for growth, of which $8 million to $10 million is specifically allocated for institutional partnerships. The V4 core adopts a "hub-and-spoke" architecture, centralizing fund scheduling through a central hub to meet higher institutional requirements for risk control. Currently, over 10 partners have confirmed joining, with another 20+ currently in negotiations.
Former Bitcoin Miner IREN Completes First Milestone of $9.7 Billion Microsoft AI Contract
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.
South Korea FSS Upgrades Anti-Fraud System, Crypto Assets Included in Voice Phishing Compensation Coverage
According to Cryptopolitan, South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has launched a three-month fraud refund system reconstruction project with a budget of approximately 119 million Korean won. This upgrade aims to align with the revised "Telecommunications Fraud Damage Compensation Act" amended on March 31 this year—the bill will officially take effect on October 1, formally incorporating virtual assets into the scope of "damaged property" and "refundable property." The new system will support calculating compensation amounts based on token type and quantity, using the Korean won value at the time funds were frozen as a reference benchmark, while also possessing the ability to disentangle mixed fraud funds across multiple accounts. Major exchanges such as Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and GOPAX will be required to assume anti-fraud and victim relief obligations equivalent to those of banks at that time, including verifying transaction purposes, monitoring suspicious funds, and freezing suspected accounts.
Keel Infrastructure Shuts Down All US Bitcoin Mining Facilities, Sells Over 1,000 BTC to Pivot to AI Data Centers
According to Cryptopolitan, Bitcoin mining company Keel Infrastructure (formerly Bitfarms) released its Q2 2026 financial report this Monday, disclosing that the company has completed the shutdown of all its US Bitcoin mining farms, and sold 1,085 BTC between April 1 and August 7, cashing out approximately $75 million, and currently still holds 1,861 BTC on its balance sheet, valued at approximately $121 million. Financially, Keel's Q2 revenue was $30 million, down 50% year-over-year, mainly dragged down by weak Bitcoin prices and the shutdown of the Moses Lake mining farm; operating loss reached $141 million (including $84 million in non-cash depreciation), net loss from continuing operations was $64 million, and adjusted EBITDA was negative $24 million. Following the announcement, KEEL stock price fell more than 11% in a single day. In terms of strategic transformation, Keel is converting its core sites in Pennsylvania, Washington State, and Quebec into high-performance computing data centers; currently, permitting approvals for the three priority sites are nearly complete, and negotiations with potential tenants are underway. The company's current liquidity is approximately $819 million, including $698 million in unrestricted cash and $121 million in Bitcoin, and during the quarter, it also raised $458 million through convertible notes.
Bank of Russia Releases Draft Regulatory Rules for Crypto Exchanges and Custodians
According to Cryptopolitan, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has released a draft of supporting regulatory rules for the cryptocurrency market, covering registration and operational requirements for crypto exchanges, digital depository institutions, and token issuers. The draft stipulates that the minimum net assets of digital depository institutions must range between 50 million and 250 million rubles (approximately $600,000 to $3 million), depending on the nature of the business. These rules will supplement the "Law on Digital Currency and Digital Rights" passed by the Russian State Duma earlier this month, which is expected to officially take effect on September 1, 2026. Under the new framework, non-qualified investors are limited to purchasing mainstream assets such as BTC, ETH, and USDT annually, with a cap of $4,000; industry participants will have a transition period until March 1, 2027, to complete compliance and approval procedures.
Related news
OpenAI CFO Confirms 2027 IPO, Strong Business Could Lead to Early Listing
According to Cryptopolitan, OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar stated at an all-hands meeting that the company will officially go public in 2027, and if business growth continues to accelerate, the possibility of an earlier listing cannot be ruled out. Friar characterized the IPO as "a milestone rather than a finish line." Data shows that OpenAI's current annualized revenue run rate has reached $40 billion, quarterly revenue grew 35% quarter-over-quarter, enterprise revenue growth rate reached 50%, and enterprise revenue has surpassed consumer revenue.
RWA DeFi Deposits Surpass $3.98 Billion, 6x Growth in One Year
According to Cryptopolitan, data from the on-chain data platform DefiLlama shows that as of August 18, the active deposit size of Real World Assets (RWA) in DeFi protocols has reached $3.98 billion, representing an approximately 6-fold increase compared to $651 million a year ago; three years ago, this figure was only $12 million. The current total issuance of tokenized RWA is $34.55 billion, but the actual on-chain utilization rate is only about 11.5%. Of this, private credit accounts for over half of the active total with $2.13 billion, bonds contribute $799 million, and reinsurance contributes $406 million. In contrast, the utilization rate of tokenized treasury bonds is extremely low—BlackRock BUIDL issuance reaches $2.74 billion, but on-chain deployment is only $18 million, with a utilization rate of only 0.66%; Franklin Templeton BENJI utilization rate is zero. Analysis points out that such products are designed specifically for institutional cash management, where holders pursue treasury yields rather than lending capabilities; tokenization only improves settlement efficiency and does not convert them into collateral.
Compound Approves $52 Million Budget for Full Transition to Institutional DeFi
According to Cryptopolitan, DeFi lending protocol Compound approved a record $52 million two-year development budget via DAO voting and completed leadership restructuring, announcing a full pivot to the institutional market. The COMP token subsequently rose over 10% within 24 hours, currently trading at around $18. Regarding the budget, $14 million has been authorized for immediate use, with the remaining funds unlocked in batches based on milestones. In terms of fund allocation, approximately $28 million is designated for operations and R&D for the new version Compound V4, and $24 million for growth, of which $8 million to $10 million is specifically allocated for institutional partnerships. The V4 core adopts a "hub-and-spoke" architecture, centralizing fund scheduling through a central hub to meet higher institutional requirements for risk control. Currently, over 10 partners have confirmed joining, with another 20+ currently in negotiations.
Former Bitcoin Miner IREN Completes First Milestone of $9.7 Billion Microsoft AI Contract
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.
American Bitcoin Director Invests $1.9 Million to Increase Company Stock Holdings
According to Cryptopolitan, the stock price of American Bitcoin (NASDAQ: ABTC), a Bitcoin mining company associated with the Trump family, rose about 10% in a single day on Monday, from $6.47 to $7.11. Triggering this rebound was a disclosure in regulatory filings: company director and Tinder co-founder Justin Mateen purchased a total of 306,981 shares over two consecutive days from August 5 to 6, totaling approximately $1.93 million, marking the largest insider purchase within the company in the past 12 months.
South Korea FSS Upgrades Anti-Fraud System, Crypto Assets Included in Voice Phishing Compensation Coverage
According to Cryptopolitan, South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has launched a three-month fraud refund system reconstruction project with a budget of approximately 119 million Korean won. This upgrade aims to align with the revised "Telecommunications Fraud Damage Compensation Act" amended on March 31 this year—the bill will officially take effect on October 1, formally incorporating virtual assets into the scope of "damaged property" and "refundable property." The new system will support calculating compensation amounts based on token type and quantity, using the Korean won value at the time funds were frozen as a reference benchmark, while also possessing the ability to disentangle mixed fraud funds across multiple accounts. Major exchanges such as Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and GOPAX will be required to assume anti-fraud and victim relief obligations equivalent to those of banks at that time, including verifying transaction purposes, monitoring suspicious funds, and freezing suspected accounts.