The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has ordered licensed crypto trading platforms and online brokers to replace SMS-based authentication with phishing-resistant login methods within the next 12 months.

According to the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), virtual asset trading platforms (VATPs) and online brokers must stop relying on one-time passwords delivered through SMS, email, or app-generated codes and instead adopt stronger authentication systems that are harder for attackers to compromise.

The regulator announced the new cybersecurity requirements on Thursday as part of updated standards for customer account protection.

Under the new framework, firms will be required to introduce phishing-resistant authentication methods together with device binding. The SFC identified passkeys, registered devices secured through cryptographic verification, and hardware security keys as acceptable alternatives. All licensed platforms must complete the transition within one year.

Hong Kong tightens security standards for crypto firms

The latest rules come as Hong Kong continues to expand its regulated digital asset market while raising operational standards for licensed businesses. Earlier this week, the SFC also announced changes to the Certified Virtual Asset Platform Practitioner programme after discussions with industry representatives.

The regulator committed to separating the certification examination from its mandatory course, lowering assessment fees, and improving study materials.

Administered by the Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute (HKSI) under SFC standards, the Certification Programme for Virtual Asset Professionals serves as Hong Kong’s professional qualification for the digital asset sector. The programme covers blockchain fundamentals, digital asset products, and anti-money laundering compliance.

Recent regulatory activity has extended beyond licensing and professional standards. Last month, Hong Kong confirmed that its first regulated stablecoins are expected to enter circulation between the middle and second half of 2026 after the Hong Kong Monetary Authority granted issuer licenses to two bank-backed institutions in April.

According to the HKMA, the rollout schedule follows the institutions’ existing business plans, while the licensing framework is intended to support financial innovation, protect users, and preserve monetary and financial stability.

Returning to the cybersecurity measures, the SFC said the stronger authentication requirements respond to growing phishing and fraud risks affecting financial platforms. Data cited by the regulator showed that counterfeiting and fraud accounted for 57% of security incidents reported to the Hong Kong Cyber Security Accident Coordination Center during 2025.

Dr. Ye Zhiheng, executive director of the Intermediaries Department of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said financial institutions need coordinated prevention, detection, response, and education measures to protect customer accounts from increasingly sophisticated fraud attacks.

Phishing scams continue to drain crypto investors

The SFC’s decision follows another period of heavy losses linked to phishing and social engineering attacks across the cryptocurrency industry.

Industry data showed phishing attacks and social engineering scams accounted for $306 million of the crypto sector’s $482 million in total security losses during the first quarter of 2026.

More recently, a crypto investor reportedly lost nearly $1 million after approving a malicious phishing token transaction on Ethereum, contributing to phishing-related losses that reached $366 million during the first half of 2026.

Separate incidents have continued throughout the year. Researcher Ryan Coleman reported that a wallet holder lost about $1.65 million after connecting to a fake cryptocurrency exchange and signing a malicious contract that granted attackers unlimited access to the wallet.

Earlier, on May 25, on-chain analyst b-block warned that scammers had used Google advertisements to impersonate decentralized exchange Uniswap, with the campaign reportedly stealing more than $400,000 from victims.

Calls for stronger wallet security have also come from within the industry. Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao previously urged users to adopt better security practices after an investor lost $50 million in an address poisoning scam in December 2025.

CME Group has faced a regulatory setback after the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission delayed the immediate launch of its planned 24/7 crude oil futures trading.

According to a press release issued by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the agency invoked its authority under existing regulations to temporarily halt the listing process for CME Group’s proposed around-the-clock crude oil futures contract.

The decision came after CME chose to self-certify the product while the regulator was still reviewing the implications of continuous futures trading across U.S. markets.

CFTC has paused CME’s crude futures rollout

Earlier this year, the CFTC opened a public comment period to examine whether 24/7 futures trading is compatible with current market rules and regulatory safeguards.

CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig said the agency is evaluating whether continuously operating futures markets satisfy core regulatory principles and added that different asset classes require separate regulatory consideration rather than a single approach.

The regulator also said exchanges planning significant structural changes should work with the CFTC before introducing new products. According to the agency, CME’s filing requires additional review because of potential legal and market-related concerns tied to uninterrupted crude oil futures trading.

The latest decision adds to a series of disagreements between CME Group and the regulator. Outgoing CME Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy previously confirmed that the exchange was considering legal action after the CFTC approved crypto perpetual futures products for prediction market operator Kalshi.

CME has argued that those perpetual contracts should have been regulated as swaps rather than futures under the framework established by the Dodd-Frank Act.

As crypto.news previously reported, Jake Chervinsky, chief executive of the Hyperliquid Policy Center, criticized CME’s lawsuit against the CFTC in a June 19 post on X.

Chervinsky described the legal action as “a shocking miscalculation” and “an unforced error,” arguing that the exchange had exposed resistance to increasing competition in derivatives markets. He also claimed CME controls roughly 92% of exchange-traded derivatives volume in the United States, according to his assessment.

Treasury Link remains on schedule pending approval

While the crude oil futures proposal has been delayed, CME continues preparing another major product launch. The exchange plans to introduce Treasury Link in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approval.

According to CME, Treasury Link will connect U.S. Treasury futures with the cash Treasury market, allowing traders to execute Treasury futures and cash Treasury spreads through a single transaction. The company has positioned the platform as a tool designed to simplify execution across both markets.

Separately, Kalshi has expanded its own ambitions beyond crypto derivatives. The prediction market platform has announced plans to introduce additional derivatives products, although those offerings remain subject to regulatory approval.

For now, the CFTC’s decision leaves CME’s 24/7 crude oil futures proposal on hold while the agency continues reviewing the legal and operational implications of continuous derivatives trading. At the same time, Treasury Link remains on CME’s launch calendar, with its planned fourth-quarter rollout still dependent on receiving regulatory clearance.

XRP price has climbed about 1.6% after SWIFT announced a blockchain payments pilot involving 17 banks, including several with Ripple ties.

According to SWIFT, the pilot will evaluate whether distributed ledger technology can support international payments across participating financial institutions. Among the banks involved are Standard Chartered and UBS, both of which have existing business ties with Ripple through crypto custody services or cross-border payment infrastructure built on the XRP Ledger.

The announcement follows Ripple Treasury’s entry into the SWIFT Certified Partner Program in April 2026, a step that strengthened the company’s relationship with the global payments network. Even so, the announcement has also sparked debate over whether the project has any direct implications for XRP itself.

An analyst on X argued that the pilot should not automatically be viewed as bullish for the token because SWIFT’s proposed settlement model relies on tokenized bank deposits rather than XRP. The analyst stated that the blockchain network would use tokenized deposits as the bridge asset instead of a layer-1 gas token, suggesting the initiative does not create direct demand for XRP.

Despite those reservations, XRP (XRP) traded around $1.09 at the time of writing, posting modest daily gains as traders reacted to the banking partnership news.

Institutional demand has weakened despite the price bounce

At the same time, institutional positioning has moved in the opposite direction. Data from SoSoValue shows that spot XRP exchange-traded funds recorded $7.29 million in net outflows on July 8, the largest single-day withdrawal since March 2026.

The outflows indicate that institutional investors have reduced exposure even as XRP attempts to stabilize above the $1 level. If buying interest continues to soften, the psychological $1 support could come back into focus during the next leg lower.

Derivatives markets also paint a cautious picture. CoinGlass data shows XRP’s long-to-short ratio has slipped to 0.96, meaning bearish positions now slightly outnumber bullish bets. Open interest has also fallen from $2.58 billion on July 5 to $2.33 billion on July 9, suggesting speculative traders have been closing positions instead of opening new ones.

Technical indicators continue to favor sellers

Price action on XRP’s charts remains mixed despite the latest recovery. On the 4-hour chart, XRP is trading below the Supertrend indicator while repeatedly failing to reclaim a descending trendline. The token is also struggling near the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement level around $1.094, which has become immediate resistance after the recent selloff.

Additional resistance levels sit near the 61.8% and 50% Fibonacci retracement zones at roughly $1.114 and $1.127. A sustained move above those levels would be needed to weaken the current bearish structure.

The daily chart also suggests buyers have yet to regain control. Although the MACD remains above its signal line, the histogram has started to fade, indicating bullish momentum is slowing. At the same time, the Chaikin Money Flow has turned only slightly positive, pointing to limited capital inflows rather than strong accumulation.

Taken together, the technical setup aligns with the latest derivatives and ETF data. While the SWIFT announcement has helped lift sentiment in the short term, XRP still faces resistance from weakening speculative demand, institutional outflows, and a chart structure that continues to favor sellers unless key resistance levels are reclaimed.

TLDR:

• The CLARITY Act faces a fresh political hurdle as White House officials and Senate Democrats dispute vacant SEC and CFTC seats.
• The CFTC vacancies matter since the crypto bill could give the agency broad authority over spot digital commodity markets.
• White House officials said they requested Democratic nominee names for SEC and CFTC seats but had not received a response.
• Senate talks now include nominations, ethics language, DeFi rules, and the timeline for passing the wider crypto bill.

The CLARITY Act has moved into a new Senate pressure point as the White House and Democrats trade claims over vacant SEC and CFTC seats. White House officials told Senate leaders that the administration sought Democratic names for both agencies but had not received them.

Democrats have argued that missing commissioners weaken the agencies expected to shape digital asset rules. The dispute now lands ahead of a possible vote on the crypto bill. The CFTC issue carries extra weight since the agency could receive broad spot crypto market authority under the proposal.

CLARITY Act Enters Senate Talks With CFTC Vacancies

The staffing clash centers on the CFTC, a five-member agency now operating with only Chair Michael Selig in place. Lawmakers have pressed the White House to submit a full slate of nominees before the Senate moves further on the crypto bill.

The White House letter, sent to John Thune and Chuck Schumer, rejected Democratic claims that the administration has blocked minority-party nominees. Officials said Democrats had not supplied names despite earlier requests. They also cited other Democratic nominations to argue that the administration had not shut out opposition-party picks.

The fight has become part of a broader negotiation over the CLARITY Act. Senate Democrats still want changes tied to ethics rules, DeFi oversight, and agency staffing. Those issues matter since the bill likely needs Democratic votes to clear the Senate filibuster threshold.

CFTC vacancies also give Democrats a practical argument. A full commission could make future crypto rules look more durable and bipartisan. A single-commissioner agency may move faster, but opponents could challenge the process once rules hit courts.

Officials also pointed to Trump v. Slaughter, a recent Supreme Court ruling tied to presidential authority over independent agencies. That reference adds constitutional weight to a dispute already shaped by Senate procedure.

CLARITY Act Rulemaking Timeline Raises Agency Risk

The CLARITY Act would divide digital asset oversight between the SEC and CFTC. The CFTC would oversee spot markets for digital commodities, while the SEC would handle assets and sales that fall under securities law. That split is central to the crypto bill.

The proposal would also put regulators on a deadline. The agencies would need to write rules covering exchange registration, custody, disclosures, and market boundaries. That workload could test the CFTC if vacancies persist.

Selig has said the agency can move without a full commission. Supporters of faster rulemaking say the crypto market needs federal standards after years of enforcement-driven policy. For exchanges and token issuers, the main question is whether Congress can pass rules before another election cycle shifts priorities.

Opponents see a different risk. If the CLARITY Act hands major authority to an understaffed CFTC, the first rulebook could face political and legal attacks. That would reduce the certainty the bill aims to create.

The White House and Democrats are now arguing over who must move first. The administration says it needs Democratic names. Democrats say the president must fill the agencies that would enforce any new crypto law. The nomination fight now sits beside the Senate calendar, with the August recess approaching and the crypto bill still waiting for floor action.

Quick Summary

• PepsiCo exceeded revenue forecasts but stock declined due to sluggish North American snack performance and conservative forward guidance
• SK Hynix’s American Depositary Receipt offering received overwhelming demand, fueled by aggressive AI investor interest
• AstraZeneca stock tumbled following the failure of its experimental cardiovascular drug in late-stage clinical testing
• U.S. equity markets advanced amid geopolitical uncertainty, with AI-focused and mega-cap technology stocks leading gains
• Crude oil prices retreated, providing relief on inflation pressures and boosting airline and consumer-facing sectors

PepsiCo Surpasses Revenue Targets Yet Stock Slides

PepsiCo delivered quarterly revenue figures that topped analyst expectations, supported by robust international performance and effective pricing strategies across its portfolio of global brands.

However, the stock declined in trading. Market participants focused their attention on disappointing performance in North American snack categories and management’s conservative forward-looking commentary.

This response highlights the elevated bar companies face during this earnings cycle. Forward guidance has increasingly become the critical factor influencing stock movements rather than historical performance.

PepsiCo’s quarterly report offers valuable insight into consumer spending patterns and inflationary pressures. Analysts will be monitoring whether the North American weakness reflects company-specific challenges or signals broader consumer market trends.

SK Hynix ADR Offering Sees Extraordinary Investor Interest

Memory chip manufacturer SK Hynix experienced overwhelming demand for its U.S. American Depositary Receipt offering, with subscriptions coming in at multiple times the available shares, demonstrating robust appetite for AI-related semiconductor investments.

The South Korean company manufactures high-bandwidth memory solutions essential for AI servers and cloud data infrastructure, positioning it strategically within the ongoing artificial intelligence infrastructure expansion.

The strong market reception indicates that investor enthusiasm for premium semiconductor companies remains solid, despite recent turbulence across the broader technology sector.

AstraZeneca Shares Decline Following Clinical Trial Disappointment

AstraZeneca experienced a significant stock decline after announcing its experimental cardiovascular therapy failed to achieve its primary efficacy measure in Phase 3 clinical trials.

The disappointing outcome pressured sentiment across the pharmaceutical industry. While clinical trial setbacks are a routine aspect of drug development, market participants responded quickly to the news.

AstraZeneca maintains a robust development pipeline spanning oncology, respiratory conditions, and rare disease treatments. Market attention will now turn to forthcoming regulatory decisions and the company’s remaining advanced-stage development programs.

Equity Markets Advance Despite Global Tensions

Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq finished trading sessions in positive territory as market participants concentrated on corporate earnings and artificial intelligence stocks rather than international political developments.

Ongoing situations in the Middle East were tracked by investors but appeared to exert minimal influence on overall market trajectory during the trading day.

The market’s stability demonstrates a strategic pivot toward second-quarter corporate outlooks, which are anticipated to be the primary driver of stock valuations in coming weeks.

Crude Oil Prices Retreat from Recent Highs

Crude oil prices declined following a period of increased volatility, delivering some welcome relief regarding inflationary concerns.

Decreasing oil prices typically provide advantages to airline carriers, retail businesses, and consumer-oriented companies through reduced fuel expenses and lower operational costs. They can also diminish pressure on central banking institutions working to control inflation.

OPEC+ supply determinations and continuing geopolitical situations will continue to serve as critical variables influencing energy market dynamics in the immediate future.

The unified version of the Clarity Act — which is said by one person to have had more than 70 pages of text added — hasn’t yet solidified a position on the major sticking point: A Democrat-demanded restriction keeping senior government officials (including the president) from maintaining business ties with the crypto sector. Without a compromise on such ethics limits, several lawmakers have said they won’t vote yes on a final bill.

The merged text that may be released next week will not represent a simple combination of the two bills the respective committees voted to approve earlier this year. Both committees’ members negotiated on outstanding issues — the Agriculture Committee more so, given that bill was voted out of committee on strictly partisan lines — and the updated bill is said to reflect the results of that process, putting more emphasis on consumer protections.

The bill’s advocates expect it to reach the Senate floor as soon as the week of July 20, though the lawmakers have a lot of work left.

Beyond ethics, outstanding issues include federal preemption, and negotiators still need to come to a final agreement on filling the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Earlier Thursday, the White House sent a letter to Senators John Thune and Chuck Schumer, respectively the majority and minority heads in the Senate, saying Democrats had not put forward any names for the minority roles on these commissions.

Key Takeaways

• NATO unveils “Drone Edge” program allocating more than $40B for counter-UAV technology across five years
• Four European nations—Norway, Finland, Germany, and Denmark—commit to purchasing up to five Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance drones
• Russia’s Dronnitsa conference openly focuses its agenda on preparing for “large-scale conflict with NATO”
• Russian drone manufacturers now produce millions of unmanned systems each year, maintaining production superiority
• NATO aims to increase drone operator training fivefold before 2027 ends

Unmanned aerial vehicle technology is fundamentally transforming military readiness strategies for both NATO and Russia. From explosive-laden drones to artificially intelligent swarm systems, massive investments are flowing into UAV capabilities on both sides.

NATO Unveils Massive $40 Billion Counter-Drone Program

During this week’s summit in Ankara, NATO introduced its “Drone Edge” strategy. The comprehensive initiative allocates over $40 billion toward advanced counter-drone systems throughout the coming five years.

NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte additionally announced that member states will acquire up to five Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high-altitude reconnaissance unmanned aircraft. A letter of intent formalizing this acquisition was signed by Norway, Finland, Germany, and Denmark.

These Triton systems will augment NATO’s current RQ-4D Phoenix drone fleet, which operates from Sigonella Air Base in Sicily. Both platforms trace their lineage to Northrop’s Global Hawk design, featuring a 35.4-meter wingspan and endurance exceeding 30 hours of continuous flight.

Additionally, NATO has committed to expanding its drone pilot training programs to produce five times the current number of qualified operators before 2027 concludes.

Russia’s Military Focus Shifts Toward NATO Confrontation

As NATO strengthens its defensive posture, Russia pursues its own strategic path. The upcoming Dronnitsa conference, Russia’s primary annual drone technology forum scheduled for August, explicitly centers on preparation for “major warfare with NATO.”

Samuel Bendett, a leading drone warfare analyst advising both CNA and CNAS research institutions, emphasizes the significance of this strategic pivot. He characterizes Dronnitsa as an operationally-focused gathering where field operators collaborate with manufacturers to develop actionable tactics and viable technology.

Russian defense manufacturers now output millions of unmanned systems annually. According to Bendett, this production capacity provides Russia with a significant, though potentially temporary, quantitative advantage over Western manufacturing capabilities.

Among the technologies under development are fiber-optic controlled drones, which prove substantially more resistant to electronic warfare jamming than conventional radio-controlled variants. These innovations emerge directly from operational experience gained during the Ukraine conflict.

Understanding the Evolution of Contemporary Drone Combat

Drones have evolved dramatically from reconnaissance platforms into primary offensive weapons systems. Throughout Ukraine, coordinated drone swarms have successfully targeted Russian petroleum facilities. Across the Middle East, Iranian-manufactured Shahed drones have created significant disruption to maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormoz.

Contemporary loitering munitions cost substantially less than traditional cruise missiles while enabling mass deployment tactics. These systems can remain airborne for extended periods, engage mobile objectives, and utilize low-altitude flight profiles that evade conventional radar systems.

Looking forward, NATO analysts project that future drone warfare will incorporate artificially intelligent swarm coordination, directed-energy interception networks, underwater-launched aerial systems, and additive-manufactured munitions.

The technological competition between offensive drone capabilities and counter-drone defenses continues to intensify across both alliances.