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Crypto startups completed USD 11.2 billion in funding in the first half of 2026, with all disclosed capital flowing to regulated, licensed enterprises. Payments and stablecoins, prediction markets, exchanges, and trading platforms received the most funding. Major backers include Wall Street and large global financial institutions, whose investment focus is on licensed and compliant companies. Investors and founders increasingly view regulatory licenses as scarce and defensive assets, while retail investors still primarily trade on unlicensed or alternative platforms. (CoinDesk)
According to The Block, the New York City Council has launched an investigation into four prediction market platforms—Kalshi, Polymarket, Coinbase, and Gemini Titan—alleging they employed "false, deceptive, or abusive" marketing tactics targeting young users. Among them, Polymarket was accused of paying social media creators to film videos placing fake bets on counterfeit websites, an incident first disclosed by The Wall Street Journal in June this year. Additionally, prediction market platforms face insider trading allegations; New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order in April prohibiting state government employees from using confidential government information to place bets on prediction markets.
Odaily News: Gurinder Singh Josan, Co-Chair of the UK Parliamentary Crypto and Digital Assets All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), along with Lord Vaizey of Didcot, has written to the CEOs of all major UK banks, demanding clarification on how they treat crypto and digital asset businesses. The letter raises six questions covering banks' current policies, whether they provide services to crypto businesses, related transaction restrictions and the factors determining them, and asks whether practices will be adjusted once the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulatory regime takes effect. The group noted that many crypto businesses struggle to open bank accounts in the UK, with some banks also restricting related payments. The letter stems from a parliamentary inquiry into banking service access launched on July 21, with written submissions open until August 31. A January survey by the UK Cryptoasset Business Council estimated that banks block or delay around 40% of transactions to crypto exchanges. HSBC, NatWest, Monzo, and Nationwide cap monthly transfers to crypto exchanges at between £5,000 and £10,000, while Starling and Chase UK prohibit such transfers altogether. UK Treasury Economic Secretary Lucy Rigby stated that the government does not want FCA-licensed firms to face banking restrictions solely because of their industry; the FCA completed related rules in June, with the regime becoming mandatory in October 2027. (Decrypt)
The South Korean State Council approved the Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Specific Financial Information Act, expanding the crypto asset Travel Rule from currently applying only to transfers above 1 million KRW to all transfers to prevent splitting transactions to evade regulation. The new regulations also tighten VASP admission, expand the scope of major shareholder review, and add new financial requirements such as a debt ratio not exceeding 200%; transfers with overseas exchanges and personal wallets will be managed differentially according to risk levels, and high-risk transactions may be prohibited. The Travel Rule and related regulations will be implemented six months after publication.
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.
According to South Korean media NATE, the South Korea Regulatory Rationalization Committee has proposed amendments to the Enforcement Decree of the Specific Financial Transaction Information Act to exclude minor violations from the eligibility restrictions for major shareholders of Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), sparking market discussions on exchange M&A, new business entry, and regulatory fairness. This relaxation proposal also involves issues regarding the boundaries of authority under the Enforcement Decree.
Odaily News: Patrick Hansen, Senior Director of EU Strategy and Policy at Circle, stated that since the full implementation of the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), licenses have been granted to 35 electronic money tokens from 21 issuers, with local issuers making good progress in implementation. Patrick Hansen pointed out that MiCA's strict requirements have made it impossible for most major stablecoin issuers, including Tether, to meet operational requirements. Currently, only USDG, USDC, and EURC comply with the framework's requirements, leaving other stablecoins outside MiCA's regulatory scope and leaving EU users either unprotected or unable to access them. He believes that the upcoming MiCA review should address this issue and provide foreign issuers with a more pragmatic operational path. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union launched a public consultation on May 20 to assess whether the current framework remains fit for purpose, with the consultation set to run until September 30.
According to Korean media Daum, volatility in the South Korean stock market has recently intensified, investor risk appetite has clearly cooled, and funds are flowing back from the stock market to safe-haven assets such as banks. Due to adjustments in the semiconductor sector and stricter regulation on leveraged investment, idle funds in the South Korean stock market are withdrawing rapidly, and the market is exhibiting a phenomenon of "reverse capital migration". Data shows that as of the end of July, the time deposit balance at South Korea's five major banks (KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori, NH Nonghyup) reached 973.49 trillion won, an increase of 24.09 trillion won from the end of the previous month, marking the largest single-month increase this year. Funds related to the stock market also showed significant contraction. According to data from the Korea Financial Investment Association, investor securities account deposits (idle funds for stock trading) reached a historical high of 139.69 trillion won on June 4, but as of July 28, had fallen to 107.20 trillion won, a decrease of over 32 trillion won in less than two months. The balance of credit transaction financing, representing the scale of market margin trading, fell to 33.19 trillion won during the same period, a decrease of about 4.5 trillion won from the peak of 37.72 trillion won set on July 2, a decline of approximately 12%.
Circle's Senior Director of EU Strategy and Policy Patrick Hansen (@paddi_hansen) stated in a post that since the implementation of the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), approximately 35 Electronic Money Tokens (EMT) from 21 institutions have obtained compliance certification, with banks and electronic money institutions entering the market and strong momentum in local issuance. However, among the top 50 global stablecoins, currently only USDC, USDG, and EURC comply with MiCA requirements; the rest remain outside the regulatory framework, leaving EU users facing a dual dilemma of lacking protection or having access forcibly cut off. Hansen believes that for MiCA to truly become a global regulatory blueprint, it must achieve two goals simultaneously: first, to promote local EMTs to go global through a competitive regime; second, to establish a recognition mechanism for overseas compliant stablecoins, attracting global issuers into the MiCA regulatory framework, rather than making local issuance the only access path.
: The Financial Services Commission (FSC) of South Korea plans to draft a unified "Basic Digital Assets Act" together with the ruling Democratic Party. The content will cover stablecoin issuance and circulation, digital asset business rules, exchange listing requirements, information disclosure, internal controls, and system resilience standards. Currently, there are 10 pending bills related to digital assets and stablecoins in the South Korean National Assembly. The FSC has yet to decide on the timing and method for submitting the unified bill. Major points of disagreement include whether banks should hold a majority stake in issuers of Korean won-pegged stablecoins, and whether major crypto exchanges should be subject to ownership restrictions. The National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee plans to deliberate on a proposed amendment to the Income Tax Act put forward by the opposition party, which aims to abolish the crypto income tax before its implementation on January 1, 2027. Under the current arrangement, income exceeding 2.5 million Korean won from the transfer or lending of crypto assets each year is subject to a 20% tax plus a 2% local income tax.
According to Korean media Asiae, six top Silicon Valley VC firms, including Sequoia Capital, a16z, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, General Catalyst, and NEA, announced the signing of a strategic investment cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the South Korean National Pension Service (NPS), planning to jointly explore investment opportunities, share investment information, and strengthen their global venture capital layout. Additionally, with the South Korean government accelerating policies to attract overseas venture capital, coupled with the launch of the 200 trillion won "National Growth Fund," the market expects the Korean venture capital sector to see simultaneous inflows of policy funds, private capital, and overseas capital, with strategic industries such as AI and semiconductors expected to receive more investment. However, industry insiders warn that if a large amount of capital concentrates on a few popular enterprises, it may push up corporate valuations and create bubbles, potentially facing valuation correction pressure during future IPO and M&A exits, affecting fund return rates.
Odaily News Japanese regulators are advancing adjustments to the legal framework for digital asset investments, with spot Bitcoin ETFs potentially receiving approval for listing as early as 2028. However, the timeline remains subject to progress in regulation, product review, and tax reform. On July 15, Japan's Diet approved the transfer of Bitcoin and approximately 105 other crypto assets from the framework of the Payment Services Act to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, removing a major legal barrier for related funds to list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Major Japanese financial groups such as SBI Holdings and Nomura are preparing digital asset products. Japan also plans to adjust the crypto asset tax system from a miscellaneous income tax of up to 55% to a separate self-assessment tax rate of approximately 20.315%.
Odaily Planet Daily reported that South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Coinone announced on July 22 that it had received approval from the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to complete its major shareholder change declaration, formally establishing a new shareholder structure centered around Korea Investment & Securities, OKX Ventures, and Com2uS Holdings. Coinone stated that it will leverage the enhanced compliance and technical capabilities of its new shareholders to upgrade digital asset trading services and accelerate its transition into a comprehensive blockchain financial platform. (EDaily)
According to official social media channels, Huobi HTX will host a themed debate competition at 20:00 today titled "Life-or-Death Showdown Between Privacy and Regulation: Will Privacy Coins Ultimately Be Eliminated, or Will They Surge in the Darkest Hour?" During the event, Yige, Goubao, Draco, and Qiangge, as representatives of the affirmative side, will debate against negative side representatives DaDa, ZuoZuoMuXingYe, Huoshange, and FomoDao, engaging in a fierce exchange on hot topics such as the future development of privacy coins, regulatory pressure, technical value, and market demand.
a16z partner and head of a16z crypto, Chris Dixon, stated on the X platform that the U.S. should push for the passage of the CLARITY Act. Dixon noted that the GENIUS Act has proven that clear regulation can drive market growth, with the stablecoin market currently valued at approximately $315 billion, growing over 50% in the past year. Major institutions including BlackRock, JPMorgan, Visa, and Mastercard are deeply investing in blockchain infrastructure.He believes that while stablecoins currently represent only a part of the crypto market, the underlying blockchain networks they rely on still lack a unified regulatory framework. The CLARITY Act would establish clear rules for blockchain networks, clarify regulatory responsibilities in the digital asset market, and set unified standards to promote transparency, risk control, and market competition. The bill can also draw on traditional financial regulatory principles to reduce the risk of incidents similar to FTX.Dixon concluded that if the CLARITY Act passes, the U.S. will once again lead the future, just as it did during the commercial internet era. Without action, innovation may move to other countries and follow rules set by others there.
David Sacks, Chairman of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, stated on the X platform that using regulatory uncertainty as a competitive tool is "completely unacceptable," and regulatory decisions should be based on facts, logic, and evidence, rather than deliberately creating fear and uncertainty (FUD). He is unsure whether venture capitalist and AI policy researcher Dean Ball is admitting to a "regulatory capture" strategy or merely predicting its occurrence, but in any case, leveraging regulatory agencies to issue "soft law" warnings, creating market panic, and thereby forcing regulated companies to stay away from Chinese open-source models should not be tolerated.David Sacks pointed out that Dean Ball believes there is no need to directly ban Chinese open-source models; simply guiding regulators to issue relevant warnings can influence corporate decisions by generating enough doubt and uncertainty, and these reasons "don't even need to be very solid."In response, Sacks argued that any regulatory decision must be well-founded, rather than implementing policies in disguise through "manufactured doubt." He warned that bypassing public deliberation processes in this way would not only erode the foundation of the rule of law but could also open the door to future regulatory abuses targeting any enterprise or individual.Sacks further stated that AI policy is currently at a critical turning point. Major closed-source labs, which have already formed a duopoly in AI model revenue, are now attempting to use government power to eliminate open-source competitors.He called on other companies and developers in Silicon Valley that still support open competition to take a clear stance and jointly safeguard an open ecosystem in the AI field.
the US CPI fell 0.4% month-on-month in June, the largest monthly decline since April 2020; the annual rate dropped to 3.5% from 4.2% in May, below the expected 3.8%. Core CPI fell to 2.6%, below expectations, and was flat month-on-month. Major crypto assets rose after the data release, with BTC rising from approximately $62,000 to $64,900, ETH gaining 7% to $1,884, and about $300 million in short positions liquidated. Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh stated during congressional testimony that the Fed has "zero tolerance" for persistently high inflation; if policy is correct, the inflation surge of the past five years will become a thing of the past. When asked about the CPI data, he said he does not share the view that the "mission is accomplished" and did not provide guidance on the next policy steps.
Cumberland, a crypto trading and liquidity service provider, announced on X that its Singapore subsidiary, Cumberland SG Pte. Ltd., has obtained a Major Payment Institution (MPI) license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). This license authorizes the company to provide Digital Payment Token (DPT) services and cross-border money transfer services.
According to the Federal Reserve's official website, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh announced on July 9 the establishment of five monetary policy task forces, led jointly by external economists, business leaders, and former central bank officials, operating independently and providing research results to the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The research directions of the five task forces are as follows: • Communication Mechanism: Led by former Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King and others • Balance Sheet Policy: Led by Harvard University Professor Karen Dynan, University of Chicago Professor Raghuram Rajan, and others • Quality of Economic Data: Led by Harvard University Professor Raj Chetty, former Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, and others • Productivity and Employment: Led by a16z Co-founder Marc Andreessen, Microsoft Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, and others • Inflation Framework: Led by Harvard University Professor and former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Greg Mankiw, Nobel Laureate in Economics Thomas Sargent, and others Warsh stated that the Federal Reserve's commitment to price stability and maximum employment is unwavering, and these task forces aim to evaluate and optimize policy tools and analytical methods to address the current important economic situation.
the Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), in a letter to U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott and Senator Elizabeth Warren, stated that after some of its concerns regarding Section 604 of the bill were addressed, it has shifted its stance on the CLARITY Act to "neutral." Section 604, concerning the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, aims to protect developers from liability for illegal activities conducted by users on their decentralized platforms. The MCSA had previously stated that Section 604 could provide loopholes for criminals to exploit, making it more difficult for law enforcement to investigate crypto-related crimes. The MCSA indicated that it still hopes the CLARITY Act will amend Section 309 to include state law enforcement agencies. This section requires the U.S. Treasury Department to study decentralized finance and illicit finance risks. (Cointelegraph).