Crypto & Web3

CFTC Warns Prediction Markets Over Faulty Filings and Market Abuse Risks

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has raised concerns about compliance practices among prediction market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket. The regulator indicated that these platforms are developing problematic habits in their regulatory filings. According to the CFTC, these compliance shortcomings could create incentives that artificially boost trading activity. The agency warned that such practices may open the door to potential market abuse. The CFTC's remarks signal increased regulatory scrutiny over the fast-growing prediction markets industry.

Securitize shares drop 20% as tokenization revenue misses in debut earnings

Securitize saw its stock fall 20% following the release of its first earnings report since going public. Despite tokenized assets reaching a record high and trading activity increasing, the company's revenue fell short of expectations. The disappointing results were driven by tokenization revenue underperforming projections. This marked a significant setback for the firm as it faces scrutiny from public market investors for the first time.

Zerohash's U.S. Trust Bank Application Rejected, Firm Plans to Refile

Zerohash, a crypto infrastructure firm that serves as the backend provider for Morgan Stanley's E*Trade platform, has had its application to become a U.S. trust bank turned down by regulators. The company plays a key role in handling crypto operations for the financial giant's retail brokerage arm. Despite the setback, Zerohash has indicated it intends to refile its application. The firm expressed hope for a quicker resolution in its next attempt at obtaining the trust bank charter.

Goldman Sachs acquires NEOS for $2.25B to expand bitcoin income ETF business

Goldman Sachs has agreed to acquire NEOS, a bitcoin income ETF provider, in a deal valued at $2.25 billion. The acquisition will significantly expand Goldman's derivatives-based ETF platform, bringing its total ETF assets to approximately $130 billion. The move positions Goldman Sachs as a stronger competitor in the bitcoin income ETF space. According to analysts, the deal directly targets BlackRock's rival BITA fund. The buyout signals Goldman's growing ambition to capture a larger share of the rapidly expanding crypto ETF market.

Wintermute targets $1B AI expansion to diversify beyond crypto by 2027

Crypto market maker Wintermute is planning a $1 billion push into artificial intelligence to expand beyond digital assets. The firm aims to grow its non-crypto revenue share from 10% currently to over 50% by 2027. This strategic shift reflects Wintermute's ambition to diversify its business across broader financial markets. The expansion signals a growing trend of crypto-native firms seeking revenue streams outside the volatile digital asset space.

DoubleZero Integrates Kalshi Order Book Into Solana Low-Latency Data Feed

Solana-based infrastructure platform DoubleZero has partnered with prediction market Kalshi to incorporate its order book into a high-speed market data feed. The move is aimed at meeting growing institutional demand for low-latency financial data on the Solana network. By adding Kalshi's data, DoubleZero seeks to offer Wall Street-style market infrastructure to crypto participants. The integration signals a broader push to bridge traditional financial data standards with decentralized blockchain ecosystems.

Miden Launches USDCx, a Privacy-Focused Stablecoin Built on USDC

Miden has introduced USDCx, a new privacy-focused stablecoin derived from USDC. The token is designed to allow users to conduct transactions without publicly revealing their account balances, transaction histories, or the identities of counterparties. Despite its privacy features, USDCx supports selective disclosure, enabling users to share transaction details when required for regulatory compliance. The move signals Miden's strategic push into privacy-preserving financial infrastructure within the stablecoin space.

Stablecoins and Tokenization Are Reshaping How Capital Moves in Markets

LMAX Group's Jenna Wright argues that modern markets struggle not from a lack of capital but from capital being trapped in inefficient settlement cycles. She contends that risk reprices in real time while traditional infrastructure fails to keep pace. Wright makes the case that stablecoins and tokenization are emerging as the underlying infrastructure to solve this mismatch. According to her analysis, these technologies enable money to move at the same speed as the risks they are meant to support.

Smart contract blockchain Solana nearly froze Wednesday, Marinade Finance says

Standard Chartered's Anchorpoint Launches HKD Stablecoin in Hong Kong

Anchorpoint, a stablecoin initiative led by Standard Chartered, has launched a Hong Kong dollar-pegged stablecoin called HKDAP. The token is designed to serve institutional and professional investors in the Hong Kong market. HashKey Exchange and OSL Group have been designated as authorized distributors for the new digital asset. Through these platforms, eligible investors can mint and redeem HKDAP tokens as needed.

Anchorage Digital Exec Argues Crypto Firms Deserve Full US Payments Access

Anchorage Digital's Rachel Anderika has made a case for equal access to the United States payments system for qualifying financial institutions. Her argument centers on the idea that any institution meeting the standards to participate in American banking should not face barriers to the payments infrastructure. Anderika's position challenges what she views as a tiered or second-class payments framework that currently affects crypto-native firms. The op-ed raises broader questions about fairness and consistency in how US regulators treat traditional versus digital asset institutions.

US Inflation Eases to 3.4% in Line With Forecasts; Bitcoin Steady Near $64K

US consumer price inflation slowed to 3.4%, matching economist forecasts for the period. Both headline and core inflation figures came in as expected, offering no major surprises to markets. Bitcoin remained relatively stable, hovering near the $64,000 mark following the data release. Treasury yields moved lower in response to the inflation report. The figures suggest a continued gradual cooling of price pressures in the US economy.

FlightAware drops lawsuit against prediction market platform Kalshi

Flight-tracking company FlightAware has voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against prediction market platform Kalshi. The dismissal was made without prejudice, meaning the case could potentially be refiled in the future. FlightAware did not provide any reason for its decision to drop the legal action. The lawsuit had centered on a flight cancellation prediction market that Kalshi operated. Data suggests the market in question had seen little traction among Kalshi's user base.

Russia to limit retail crypto trading to Bitcoin, Ether and USDT

Russia is moving to restrict retail cryptocurrency trading to only three assets: Bitcoin, Ether, and USDT. The new rules would apply to non-qualified investors, limiting their annual crypto purchases to 300,000 rubles, roughly $3,600, per intermediary. Qualified investors, however, would face no such spending cap under the proposed framework. The measures represent a significant tightening of Russia's approach to regulating retail participation in digital asset markets.

XRP trading could get spicy after CPI report as futures bets hit highest since October

Your day-ahead look for Aug. 12, 2026

Bitcoin steady near $64,000 as markets await US inflation data

Bitcoin remained largely unchanged, hovering near $64,000 as traders adopted a cautious stance ahead of the upcoming US inflation report. Broader crypto markets were subdued, reflecting a wait-and-see mood across risk assets. Oil prices held close to $90 per barrel, adding to the steady but tense market atmosphere. Altcoins faced additional pressure following a fresh exploit targeting the Harmony blockchain protocol. The incident rattled investor confidence in smaller digital assets at an already sensitive moment for markets.

Bank of England Lab to Test Stablecoin and Digital Pound in Cross-Border Trade

The Bank of England is launching a Digital Pound Lab to explore how digital currencies can function in cross-border financial transactions. The initiative will test trade-finance interoperability between different forms of digital money. Under the proposed model, exporters would receive payment in stablecoins while importers settle their obligations using a potential digital pound. The experiment aims to assess how a future central bank digital currency could work alongside existing stablecoin infrastructure in international trade.

CoreWeave jumps 16% after $2.58B revenue quarter driven by AI infrastructure demand

CoreWeave saw its stock surge 16% following a strong quarterly revenue report of $2.58 billion, fueled by rapidly growing demand for AI infrastructure. The results signal a broader investor shift toward computing infrastructure plays over traditional cryptocurrency assets. Fellow companies IREN and CIFR also saw their stocks rise on the back of CoreWeave's strong performance. The results highlight how AI workloads are increasingly eclipsing crypto mining as the primary driver of high-performance computing investment.

Fidelity Seeks to Add Staking and Quarterly Rewards to Its Ether ETF

Fidelity is moving to introduce staking capabilities to its ether exchange-traded fund, which holds nearly $900 million in assets. The proposed changes would allow the fund to earn rewards through the Ethereum network's proof-of-stake mechanism. Investors would receive payouts on a quarterly basis under the new structure. Under the revenue-sharing arrangement, 85% of gross staking rewards would be retained by the fund, while the remaining 15% would go to service providers.

Public Bitcoin Miners Have Added $1.78 Billion in Selling Pressure to Market

Publicly listed Bitcoin mining companies have emerged as a significant but often overlooked source of selling pressure in the cryptocurrency market. These miners have collectively contributed approximately $1.78 billion worth of Bitcoin supply hitting the market. Their selling activity occurs at the margin, meaning it can have an outsized impact on price dynamics. Despite their influence, public miners are frequently underappreciated as a factor in Bitcoin's market movements.