News linked to both this project and an event.
Odaily News Rapid7, a cybersecurity firm, has disclosed a crypto phishing campaign named Operation Asterix that targets approximately 885,000 phone numbers across multiple countries, redirecting victims to fraudulent wallet service websites. A total of 5,576 phone numbers have been matched with Binance user accounts and placed on the attack queue.The attackers steal seed phrases through fake apps impersonating Ledger, Trezor, and Exodus, while also contacting victims via fraudulent customer support emails and phone calls. Rapid7 also found that among over 316,000 phone numbers in Germany, 43,066 were matched with crypto trading accounts, representing a hit rate of approximately 13.6%.The related attacks also include a bulk phone number verification tool targeting Kraken accounts, and the investigation revealed that AI tools are being widely used in phishing operations. According to data from blockchain security firm Hacken, phishing attacks and social engineering scams caused $306 million in losses in the first quarter of this year, accounting for the majority of the $482 million total losses in the crypto industry. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News: Standard Chartered and HSBC have completed the first real-time cross-border transaction executed via the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) blockchain ledger. The transaction exchanged payment messages through the SWIFT ledger, with the corresponding debts recorded respectively on HSBC's Tokenised Deposit Service and Standard Chartered's tokenised deposit infrastructure.The SWIFT ledger matches and nets off the debts of both parties before final settlement, with the ultimate settlement still completed through existing payment systems. The ledger is designed to connect tokenised deposits issued across different banking infrastructures, supporting round-the-clock cross-border payments while retaining existing settlement, compliance, and risk control mechanisms. (Cointelegraph)
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)
据 Cointelegraph 报道，比特币政策研究所（BPI）联合 Anchorage Digital、BitGo、Bitwise、Blockstream、Kraken、Ledger、MARA、Trezor 等多家加密机构，发布公开信敦促各大前沿 AI 实验室为比特币及开源软件开发者建立或扩展可信访问计划。 信中指出，Bitcoin Core 等开源维护者目前缺乏对 AI 实验室网络安全程序的访问渠道，被迫依赖能力较弱的开源模型，而比特币网络当前保护着逾 1 万亿美元资产，任何开源基础设施漏洞均可能危及用户毕生积蓄。BPI 同时披露，已收到多份报告显示包括潜在境外势力在内的复杂攻击者正借助先进 AI 能力持续发动攻击。
Odaily News: Hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger has stated that the recent Coldcard vulnerability indicates the hardware Bitcoin wallet industry needs to reassess its security model. Ledger CTO Charles Guillemet stated that Ledger devices were not affected, as their recovery phrases are generated by a hardware random number generator built into a certified secure element. Coldcard manufacturer Coinkite disclosed last week that its air-gapped Coldcard Bitcoin hardware wallet contains a vulnerability traceable to firmware versions from March 2021. The vulnerability uses a software fallback mechanism to generate wallet recovery seeds, allowing certain private keys to be guessed, with related losses reaching approximately $130 million. Coinkite released a fixed firmware on Sunday and urged affected users to transfer funds to newly generated wallets. Charles Guillemet stated that open source is different from being audited — the flaw had existed in public code for over five years, and AI is enabling attackers to scan code and identify vulnerabilities at machine speed. Charles Guillemet also said that over the past two years, Ledger has combined AI with security engineers and cryptography experts to review code and identify vulnerabilities. He believes that when evaluating hardware wallets, users should understand how randomness is generated and whether that process has received independent certification.
According to Bitcoin.com, a recent survey report released by Bearingpoint shows that 23% of Swiss adults use cryptocurrency at least occasionally, far higher than 11% in Germany and 18% in Austria. The survey was conducted by YouGov in June 2026 among over 4,000 adults in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The report points out that Switzerland's leading advantage stems from its Distributed Ledger Technology Act (DLT Act) officially effective in 2021, which provides a clear legal framework for crypto assets, attracting a large number of enterprises to establish operations, and driving the expansion of the "Crypto Valley" ecosystem to 1,749 blockchain companies. Additionally, 37% of Swiss respondents consider cryptocurrency an asset worth investing in, and 45% support it becoming an international reserve currency, both leading Germany and Austria. In contrast, regarding Germany, although retail adoption rates lag behind, the "meinkrypto" platform under DZ Bank and Dekabank's crypto services for the savings bank network are expected to cover approximately 80 million customers, potentially gradually narrowing the gap with Switzerland.
Ripple announced strategic investments in UK fund technology company ZILO and FCA-regulated tokenized trading platform Licuido, integrating regulated digital transfer agency, asset issuance, and collateral liquidity capabilities into the XRP Ledger. Ripple stated that the relevant infrastructure will support tokenized funds as collateral from the issuance stage and enable atomic settlement via XRPL, while RLUSD can serve as the regulated cash leg in delivery versus payment transactions. The investment amount was not disclosed.
Odaily News: Ripple announced strategic investments in ZILO and Licuido, stating that these deals will bring regulated transfer agency, securities issuance, and collateral liquidity features to its XRP Ledger-based infrastructure.
Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas commented on the Coldcard wallet security incident, questioning whether a company with only about 5 employees is suitable to undertake such critical Bitcoin storage responsibilities. He stated that the number of employees behind Coldcard "seems unbelievably low," asking whether people would be willing to store their life savings in a bank with only 5 employees headquartered in Canada. In the crypto industry, this might be viewed as a feature, but from a traditional finance perspective, it becomes a clear risk signal. Balchunas further stated that, in comparison, institutions with larger teams such as Coinbase and Ledger may hold advantages in security investment and operational capabilities, even if users need to bear higher transaction costs. Bitcoin ETFs offer another option: investors can obtain the security guarantees provided by large, professional, regulated financial institutions while also enjoying lower management fees.
According to ESMA's official website, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) officially launched a Common Supervisory Action (CSA) targeting Crypto-Asset Service Providers (CASPs) on July 8, 2026, focusing primarily on digital operational resilience in the custody services sector. This action will assess the framework maturity of CASPs regarding risks related to Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), covering core topics such as governance arrangements, key and storage management, transaction controls, event detection and response, smart contract risks, and third-party dependencies. National Competent Authorities (NCAs) will conduct risk-based sampling surveys on authorized CASPs, with the survey period spanning from the second half of 2026 to the first half of 2027, and the final report is expected to be submitted to the ESMA Supervisory Board in the second half of 2027.
According to an announcement by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) jointly announced on June 29 that they have completed the first-phase review on promoting the further application of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in Hong Kong's fixed income market. The review results confirmed that Hong Kong's existing legal and regulatory environment is sufficiently flexible to support the issuance of tokenized bonds. The Companies Registry released frequently asked questions on the same day, clarifying that registers of debenture holders maintained using DLT comply with the relevant provisions of the Companies Ordinance. The next phase of the review will commence in the second half of this year, focusing on legal optimization issues such as allowing electronic signatures to execute tokenized bond issuance documents, as well as the "possession" and "transfer" of tokenized fixed income products, to promote the wider application of DLT in the fixed income market and the digital asset sector.
Ripple is advancing the addition of a lending infrastructure layer on the XRP Ledger (XRPL), enabling institutions to raise funds using on-chain tokenized assets as collateral. The protocol will automatically execute loan terms, while credit evaluation and lending decisions remain handled by off-chain institutions.According to disclosures, the proposal is named the XRPL Lending Protocol (corresponding to XLS-65 and XLS-66 standards). It is currently in the technical draft stage and will require approval through validator voting before launching on the mainnet, but developer testing has already been opened on the test network.The protocol’s design splits the lending process into two parts: on-chain management of liquidity pools, interest calculation, repayment execution, and default handling; while borrower credit assessment and loan term setting remain with traditional financial institutions to meet compliance requirements across different jurisdictions.Ripple states that the mechanism is primarily aimed at institutional short-term liquidity needs. For example, in cross-border payment scenarios, temporary financing through stablecoins or collateral assets can be obtained before settlement is completed, thereby improving capital efficiency.Analysts believe that while the plan attempts to introduce a “rule-enforced lending infrastructure” similar to traditional finance while maintaining XRPL's open network attributes, it will still face competition from established on-chain lending protocols such as Aave, Compound, and Maple. (CoinDesk)
According to Ledger Insights, Federated Hermes—a U.S.-based asset management firm with $907 billion in assets under management—has announced the launch of the Federated Hermes Money Market Management Digital Treasury Fund, a money market fund compliant with the GENIUS Act’s stablecoin regulatory requirements. Primarily targeting stablecoin issuers, the fund is also open to institutional and retail investors. Its collateral assets have maturities of no more than 93 days, and its investment scope includes cash and U.S. Treasuries—highly liquid assets.
According to CoinDesk, Consensys—an Ethereum application developer—has postponed its initial public offering (IPO) plans due to the significant downturn in the cryptocurrency market in February 2026. Sources familiar with the matter said Consensys had originally planned to confidentially file its S-1 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) around the end of February this year—a step typically marking the first formal stage of the IPO process. In response, a Consensys spokesperson stated that the company does not comment on market speculation. The report notes that although improved regulatory clarity in the U.S. has prompted several crypto firms to plan for public listings, prolonged market weakness has led companies including Kraken and Ledger to pause their IPO plans.
According to PRNewswire, market analysis reports indicate that Coinbase and Kraken together account for 22% of all AI mentions across the cryptocurrency category—Coinbase accounts for 13%, and Kraken for 9%—holding a lead over other U.S. trading platforms by more than threefold. Gemini ranks third with 5.5%, Robinhood Crypto fourth with 5%, and BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), IBIT, fifth with 4.5%, dominating queries related to “Bitcoin ETFs.” Additionally, hardware wallets are losing influence in AI responses: while Ledger and Trezor still dominate queries related to “cryptocurrency wallets,” AI increasingly recommends custodial solutions offered by regulated trading platforms when addressing questions about the “best way to store cryptocurrency assets.” (Note: “AI mentions” refers to how frequently an AI chatbot references a particular brand, product, or company when responding to user queries.)
: According to official sources, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has officially released new industry guidance, clarifying the standards and requirements for enterprises to compliantly use Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) within the current regulatory framework. The new rules simultaneously optimize the fund trading mechanism, introducing an optional Direct-to-Fund (D2F) model that allows investors to directly engage in transactions with both traditional funds and tokenized funds, significantly improving circulation efficiency. These rules were jointly developed by the FCA and the industry, balancing financial innovation while maintaining regulatory bottom lines, helping the asset management industry reduce costs and increase efficiency, and accelerating the implementation of traditional asset tokenization.
Bitget Wallet has launched a Labor Day QR code payment campaign, running from April 28 to May 7, further driving the adoption of stablecoin payments in everyday consumption and travel scenarios across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. During the campaign, users who complete offline QR code payments using USDT or USDC will receive RLUSD cashback for each transaction. From May 1 to May 7, Bitget Wallet will randomly select one paying user per day to receive an additional 1,000 RLUSD cashback. To lower the barrier to first-time usage, Bitget Wallet will also airdrop XRP to eligible participants—serving as the account reserve required to activate RLUSD withdrawals. RLUSD is a compliant U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Ripple and regulated by the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). This campaign marks Bitget Wallet’s first real-world consumer application following its integration of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) mainnet and onboarding of the RLUSD payment ecosystem at the end of March—and represents a key milestone in advancing Bitget Wallet’s Everyday Finance strategy.
According to Le Monde, France’s National Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (PNACO) revealed that ransom kidnappings linked to cryptocurrencies have surged sharply since 2023—18 cases in 2024, escalating to 67 in 2025, and reaching 47 so far in 2026, totaling 135 cases. Among the 12 ongoing investigations, 88 individuals—including over 10 minors—have been formally charged, and 75 have been placed in provisional detention. Prosecutor Vanessa Pereira noted that investigations have identified multiple suspects repeatedly involved across several cases, revealing the existence of a structured criminal network. Representative cases include: in December 2025, three masked assailants in Charente forced a couple to transfer approximately €8 million worth of cryptocurrency; and in January 2025, David Balland, co-founder of cryptocurrency hardware wallet company Ledger, was kidnapped. PNACO stated it will continue intensifying nationwide criminal enforcement efforts.
According to Bloomberg, 39 signatories—including Nasdaq, the Boerse Stuttgart Group, and fintech associations from multiple countries—have called on the European Commission and the European Parliament to expedite the review of the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) Pilot Regime as a standalone piece of legislation and to separate it from the EU’s Market Integration and Supervision program. The signatories warned that if the overall negotiation process drags on, Europe risks falling behind the United States in DLT adoption. They urged the removal of asset-class restrictions, an increase in the aggregate transaction volume cap to €150 billion, and the elimination of license time limits. The letter also noted that the U.S. has already established a stablecoin regulatory framework through the GENIUS Act and is rapidly establishing leadership in tokenized assets. The European Commission is currently pushing for a swift resolution of the entire regulatory package, viewing it as a key component of its Capital Markets Union initiative. Financial Services Commissioner Maria Luisa Albuquerque has previously called repeatedly for all legislative proposals to be adopted simultaneously.
Odaily News Ripple has announced a phased roadmap, planning to advance the XRP Ledger towards a quantum-resistant upgrade by 2028. The plan includes formulating a "Quantum-Day" contingency plan to address potential sudden threats from quantum computing and will involve preliminary testing and validation in collaboration with Project Eleven. Ripple stated that this initiative aims to prepare in advance for the transition to post-quantum security, with the entire plan to be implemented in four phases:Phase 1: Q-Day Emergency Preparedness (Initiated). Establish a Quantum Day (Q-Day) emergency response mechanism. If existing classical cryptographic systems are suddenly compromised, the network will immediately stop accepting traditional public key signatures and enforce a mandatory migration to quantum-safe accounts.Phase 2: Risk Assessment & Algorithm Testing (First Half of 2026). Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the impact of post-quantum cryptography on the XRP Ledger's network performance, storage, and bandwidth. Collaborate with Project Eleven to perform validator-level testing and Devnet benchmarking, deploy the NIST-standardized ML-DSA quantum-safe signature scheme, and develop a prototype for a post-quantum custody wallet.Phase 3: Devnet Hybrid Integration (Second Half of 2026). Integrate candidate post-quantum signature schemes in parallel with existing elliptic curve signatures on the Developer Network (Devnet), allowing developers to test performance and system impact without affecting the mainnet. Simultaneously explore post-quantum zero-knowledge proof primitives and homomorphic encryption technologies for Confidential Transfers, to advance the privacy and compliance capabilities for tokenized real-world assets on the XRPL.Phase 4: Mainnet Full Upgrade (Target 2028). Submit a formal protocol Amendment. Upon approval through validator voting, natively enable full post-quantum cryptography on the mainnet. (Cointelegraph)