The European Central Bank has selected 36 payment firms, including Deutsche Bank, for a digital euro pilot as Europe presses ahead with its CBDC plans.

According to a July 14 announcement from the European Central Bank (ECB), the selected payment service providers will participate in a 12-month pilot beginning in the second half of 2027. The testing program will involve the ECB, 19 national central banks and private-sector firms as officials continue preparations for a possible digital euro launch by 2029.

Among the companies chosen for the program are Deutsche Bank, Revolut Bank, Stripe and UniCredit. The pilot will examine the digital euro’s technical performance, operational processes and user experience using a beta version of the currency that will not have legal tender status.

ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone said the level of participation from payment providers demonstrates that private-sector firms are prepared to contribute to the project and support the development of Europe’s payments infrastructure.

The pilot expands testing before any launch decision

During the testing phase, some participating firms will allow users to create beta digital euro accounts and make payments through the experimental platform. According to the ECB, other providers will focus on additional services linked to the pilot instead of customer-facing features.

The central bank also said staff at participating national central banks will conduct person-to-person and person-to-business beta transactions. Those payments will be tested across physical retail locations, including Software Point of Sale systems, as well as e-commerce platforms and mobile payment channels.

The ECB stated that the pilot forms part of its ongoing preparatory work and does not represent a final decision to issue a digital euro. Officials have said any eventual launch would depend on the completion of the legislative process within the European Union.

Meanwhile, the European Parliament has already voted in favor of digital euro legislation, allowing work on the proposed CBDC framework to continue alongside the technical testing program.

Europe advances while the US continues opposing a CBDC

As European institutions continue developing a digital euro, policymakers have said the project could reduce dependence on payment networks such as Visa, Mastercard and Apple Pay. At the same time, the proposal has drawn criticism from some observers who have raised concerns over financial privacy and transaction monitoring.

The digital euro initiative is also progressing alongside the European Union’s implementation of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, under which several crypto companies, including Ripple, OKX and Coinbase, have received regulatory approval to operate in the region.

Across the Atlantic, the policy direction remains different. As crypto.news reported last week, President Donald Trump refused to sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, even though the legislation includes a provision preventing the U.S. Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency through 2031 and has remained on course to become law.

According to a Truth Social post cited by crypto.news, Trump said he was withholding his signature because the Senate had not yet passed the Save America Act, legislation he has repeatedly urged lawmakers to approve. The outlet also reported that Trump had delayed signing the same housing bill a month earlier for the same reason, describing the voting measure as a higher legislative priority.

Taken together, the developments leave the world’s two major economic blocs pursuing different paths, with the ECB expanding preparations for a possible digital euro while the United States continues debating whether the Federal Reserve should be allowed to issue a CBDC at all.

Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – Riyadh cemented its status as the world’s most vibrant sandbox for interactive media as the Global Games Show Riyadh held from 29-30th June, concluded its highly anticipated two-day B2B run. Shifting focus away from traditional console lifecycles, the event leaned heavily into technological innovations that transformed the back end of game development, including cloud gaming, AR/VR, and automated AI game design. It also focused on an emerging gaming platform: mobile phones.

Defying the challenges of the prevailing geopolitical landscape, organized by VAP Group and powered by Times Of Games, the event emerged as a resounding success. Co-located with Global AI Show Riyadh and Global Blockchain Show Riyadh, the two-day summit attracted 15,000+ registrations, welcomed 6,723 attendees, featured 100+ global speakers and 100 exhibitors, and convened a 70% CXO-level delegation from 80+ countries. Bringing together game developers, publishers, Web3 gaming pioneers, esports leaders, investors, content creators, technology providers, and policymakers, the event showcased how gaming is rapidly evolving into a multi-billion-dollar global ecosystem at the intersection of artificial intelligence, blockchain, immersive technologies, digital ownership, and entertainment. The event also witnessed the announcement of VAP Group’s most ambitious initiative yet- The launch of VAP Ventures, a strategic initiative to back 100 startups by 2030 and accelerate the next chapter of the global innovation ecosystem.

The Global Intersection For Entertainment And Digital Entertainment

The Global Games Show opened with a keynote by Johnson Yeh, Founder & CEO of Ambrus Studio, who explored the future of immersive gaming, highlighting how emerging technologies are redefining player experiences beyond traditional screens.

Also, a keynote by Virginia Villar Arribas, Director of the Private Sector Partnerships Service at the UN World Food Programme, who demonstrated how gaming and play can drive social impact by advancing global awareness, education, and humanitarian initiatives.

The Global Games Show Riyadh attracted game studios, publishers, Web3 gaming, esports, investment, technology providers, and game communities from across the globe. The event highlighted the fact that the world of gaming and digital entertainment has evolved at an unprecedented rate. Mobile-centric ecosystems took the center stage, and the discussions at the event have established this new platform as a key economic engine.

In this context, Charity Joy, CEO, Mirai said, “The future of gaming will be defined by immersive experiences, meaningful communities and the incredible talent building them. What excites us most about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the ambition, creativity and passion of its young developers. They aren’t just participating in the future of gaming, they’re helping create it!”

Mobile gaming has also altered the competitive landscape, with discussions highlighting that expensive PCs and consoles aren’t a requirement to get into esports. Games like PUBG and Mobile Legends Bang Bang set the ball rolling, and other games are following suit all over the world.

Visionaries in Gaming Defined the Next Generation of Gaming

Over the course of the event, key visionaries and thought leaders discussed key aspects of gaming and esports. These themes and agendas included:

Few Notable Speakers Included:

• Johnson Yeh – Founder & CEO, Ambrus Studio
• Nayef BinHumaid – Chairman of the Board, Saudi Baseball and Softball Federation
• Nadeem Bakhsh – Chief Executive Officer, webook.com
• Virginia Villar Arribas – Director, Private Sector Partnerships Service, UN World Food Programme (WFP)
• Hassan Yusuf – Head of Partnerships, Real Madrid Foundation – Education Football Program powered by Riyadh Schools
• Kanessa Muluneh – Chief Executive Officer, Rise of Fearless
• Yasmina Kazitani – President, Blockchain Game Alliance

Few Notable Exhibitors:

• ClubMOS Technologies LLC
• Cropr Digital Limited
• Plotdex
• JPYR
• Arkonix
• TorusChain Association
• Smartflow
• The Loopcraft
• EGS
• Setup Master the Art of Gaming
• Venn Studio

Mobile Gaming and Digital Ownership At the Core of Digital Entertainment

As mobile gaming and digital ownership rapidly evolve, their combination is redefining how digital entertainment is perceived and consumed worldwide. The agenda featured deep dives into how decentralized architectures enable new avenues for player ownership, monetization, and community engagement, rewriting the traditional dynamic between developers and their audience. Furthermore, esports pioneers and gaming founders addressed the maturity of the mobile esports ecosystem across the MENA region, Asia, and LATAM, examining the next generation of tournament structures and revenue-generation models.

“The future of gaming belongs to those who can bring together technology, creativity, and community. Global Games Show is where those conversations begin, and we’re excited to see the ideas born in Riyadh evolve into the next generation of global gaming experiences.” – Vishal Parmar, Founder & CEO, VAP Group

Building the Future of Gaming By Addressing the Foundational Pillars of Gaming

The conclusion of Global Games Show Riyadh 2026 set the foundation for the evolution of interactive gaming and digital entertainment. The positive momentum generated by attendees, exhibitors, and speakers at this event will inform the decisions that will shape the discussions at the Global Games Show 2026 Abu Dhabi.

About Global Games Show

The Global Games Show is the ultimate B2B gaming event for the next evolution of interactive entertainment. This elite event series is dedicated to uniting major industry titans, visionary developers, and investors to map out the future of gaming.

About VAP Group

With 13+ years of expertise, VAP Group is a premier global consulting and media powerhouse driving the next wave of technology-led growth.

Through its media ecosystem and flagship events, including the Global AI Show, Global Games Show, and Global Blockchain Show, VAP Group connects policymakers, enterprises, and innovators worldwide, enabling strategic communications, ecosystem-building, and talent solutions.

Media Enquiries: media@globalgamesshow.com

Humanity Protocol says it is tightening its operational security after an exploit that traced back to a compromised employee laptop and led to the theft of $36 million worth of Humanity (H) tokens. In remarks to Cointelegraph, founder Terence Kwok said the incident stemmed from production keys that were inadvertently copied onto the laptop during the company’s mainnet launch last year.

The breach underscores a broader shift in crypto hacking: rather than only targeting smart contract bugs, attackers increasingly focus on human and process weaknesses—phishing, endpoint compromise, and operational handling of sensitive keys. Security firm Quantstamp linked the phishing delivery to North Korea-linked threat actors and described malware installation that provided remote access to the affected machine.

Key takeaways

• Humanity Protocol attributes a June $36 million loss to compromised endpoint security rather than a smart contract flaw.
• Founder Terence Kwok says production keys—admin hot wallet keys and multisig owner keys—were unintentionally backed up to a laptop after last year’s mainnet launch.
• Quantstamp reported that the initial intrusion used a phishing email and a malicious attachment disguised as a Bithumb token schedule update.
• The incident fits a wider H1 2026 pattern highlighted by CertiK: phishing drove Q1 losses, while wallet compromises dominated Q2.
• Industry data in the period continues to associate major thefts with North Korea-linked activity, keeping geopolitical threat a central concern for operators.

Why Humanity is changing its security posture

Humanity Protocol’s founder framed the incident as a hard lesson in operational security. Kwok explained that the attackers gained the leverage needed to steal tokens from last year’s mainnet launch period, when several production keys were inadvertently backed up onto an employee laptop.

According to Kwok, those copied items included administrative hot wallet keys as well as a quorum of multisig owner keys across both chains. The company is now “rebuilding accordingly,” emphasizing that the defenses protecting smart contract logic must be matched by protections around key management processes and the systems employees use day-to-day.

For investors and users, this distinction matters because smart contract audits and formal verification can’t fully mitigate failures in how private keys are stored, accessed, and recovered. When key material leaks through endpoint compromise, even well-written code can become irrelevant to the attacker’s path to funds.

Details of the exploit: from phishing attachment to remote access

The compromise became public last month, when Cointelegraph reported that a compromised employee laptop enabled attackers to steal $36 million in Humanity (H) tokens. CoinMarketCap data puts the token’s current market capitalization at roughly $211 million, at the time of the report.

Quantstamp’s analysis pointed to phishing as the entry point. In its assessment, a malicious attachment delivered via a phishing email was disguised as a token lockup schedule update associated with South Korean exchange Bithumb. Once opened or processed, the attachment installed malware on the machine and gave the attackers remote access.

Operationally, that chain of events is a reminder of how quickly attackers can move from social engineering to direct access. Rather than waiting for a vulnerability in decentralized infrastructure, the threat model shifted to the environment where keys and operational access controls live.

Operational failures are becoming a dominant attack theme

The Humanity incident aligns with broader findings from blockchain security research during the first half of 2026. CertiK reported that cryptocurrency exploit losses were heavily driven by operational failures and social engineering schemes.

In the first quarter of 2026, CertiK said phishing drove the majority of losses, totaling $508 million. By the second quarter, wallet compromises emerged as the biggest attack vector, contributing $807 million in losses. CertiK also cautioned that year-over-year declines can be misleading: while hack losses fell 46.8% year-on-year to $1.32 billion in the first half of 2026, the reduction was influenced by a major outlier, the $1.4 billion Bybit hack in early 2025.

During Q2 2026 specifically, CertiK noted that more than 70% of losses came from the Drift Protocol and KelpDAO exploits—both widely attributed to North Korean state-sponsored hackers. Humanity’s experience fits this same general pattern of sophisticated actors leveraging weaknesses outside the smart contract code itself.

North Korea-linked activity remains a central risk

Quantstamp tied the phishing delivery used in Humanity’s case to North Korea-linked threat actors. The report also echoes a wider set of security observations about the scale of thefts linked to such activity.

The article notes that North Korea-linked threat actors were associated with at least $578 million of the $634 million stolen in crypto-related incidents in April alone. That concentration helps explain why many security teams keep focusing on threat intelligence and adversary capabilities—not only the technical vulnerabilities of protocols, but also the delivery mechanisms attackers use to reach systems and accounts.

For crypto organizations, the implication is clear: even if contract code is robust, attackers may still win by targeting the operational and human layers around deployment, custody, and key handling. Humanity’s stated response—rebuilding operational security after an exploit linked to misplaced key backups—directly reflects that reality.

Going forward, readers should watch how Humanity Protocol implements key management changes and whether it will publicly outline new operational controls—especially around backup procedures, access separation, and endpoint risk reduction—since those are now the obvious weak points. More broadly, the market will likely treat operational security measures as a comparable priority to smart contract audits whenever large thefts trace back to compromised systems.

Quantum computing concerns are renewing focus on Bitcoin security as institutions research long-term cryptographic protections and network resilience.

With the continued development of quantum computing technology, the future security of Bitcoin has once again become a focus of market attention.

According to Bloomberg, research by Galaxy Digital indicates that in the long term, approximately $470 billion in Bitcoin assets may face potential security risks from quantum computing, representing about one-third of the current total value of circulating Bitcoin. However, this risk remains theoretical at present, as existing quantum computers do not yet possess the practical ability to crack Bitcoin’s encryption algorithm.

Quantum security draws attention, industry prepares in advance

Bitcoin uses a public-key and private-key encryption mechanism to ensure asset security. It is widely believed in the industry that if quantum computing capabilities achieve significant breakthroughs in the future, existing encryption systems may face new technological challenges. To this end, Coinbase has established a quantum security advisory committee, and large institutions such as Strategy have begun researching related solutions to prepare for potential future network upgrades.

Although quantum computing still has a long development cycle before it truly threatens the Bitcoin network, digital asset security, infrastructure construction, and long-term sustainable development capabilities are becoming important issues of continued concern for industry investors.

Meanwhile, as market attention to digital asset security and risk management continues to grow, more and more investors are exploring more diversified ways to participate. Compared to direct Bitcoin trading, EX DeFi cloud mining provides users with an option to participate in the Bitcoin ecosystem through continuous computing power, offering a relatively reduced impact from short-term market volatility.

Cloud mining: Another way to participate in the Bitcoin ecosystem

Amidst market volatility and technological change, more and more investors are focusing on digital asset participation methods beyond direct buying and selling, hoping to explore more diversified participation paths while focusing on the long-term development of Bitcoin.

Compared to traditional mining, which requires purchasing specialized mining equipment and bearing electricity and equipment maintenance costs, the cloud mining model centralizes hardware deployment, computing power management, and operation and maintenance work, all handled by the platform. Users only need to choose the appropriate computing power plan according to their needs to participate in the Bitcoin network and receive corresponding returns according to the platform’s rules.

EX DeFi’s compliance infrastructure

As a digital asset service platform, EX DeFi has established a relatively complete compliance management system at the operational level, mainly reflected in the following aspects:

The platform is registered and operates in the UK and conducts business in accordance with relevant regulatory requirements.

The core operational architecture references relevant regulatory frameworks such as the EU’s MiFID.

The platform undergoes regular security and compliance audits by PwC.

The digital asset custody system incorporates Lloyd’s of London insurance protection mechanisms.

These measures help improve the platform’s transparency and standardization in areas such as fund management, information disclosure, and system security.

EX DeFi’s security system

In terms of security, the platform employs mechanisms such as separate storage of cold and hot wallets and multi-signature authorization to further enhance the security level of user assets.

Simultaneously, the system integrates Cloudflare enterprise-grade network protection, McAfee cloud security system, and two-factor authentication (2FA), and is equipped with real-time risk monitoring and abnormal behavior identification mechanisms, providing multi-layered security protection for platform operations.

How to join EX DeFi and participate in mining services

Step 1: Register an Account. Visit the official EX DeFi platform and complete registration. New users will receive a $17 reward upon registration.

Step 2: Complete Account Deposit

Go to the deposit page, obtain the official wallet address, and complete the transfer (minimum deposit amount is $100 USD).

Step 3: Select a Hashrate Plan

Choose a suitable mining contract based on your budget and time horizon. The system will automatically settle earnings during the contract’s execution period.

Referral rewards program

Users can also participate in the EX DeFi referral program and enjoy a 3% + 2% referral reward mechanism. By inviting friends to join the platform, you have the opportunity to earn up to $50,000 in referral commissions, further expanding your income sources and achieving long-term earnings growth.

Popular short-term mining contracts

BTC (Beginner Trial Contract): Investment of $100, Term: 2 days, Daily Yield: $4, Total Profit: $100 + $8

DOGE (Golden Shell Mini Dogecoin Pro): Investment of $500, Term: 6 days, Daily Yield: $6.5, Total Profit: $500 + $39

BTC (Canaan-Avalon-A1466): Investment of $1,000, Term: 10 days, Daily Yield: $13.4, Total Profit: $1,000 + $134

LTC (Bitmain-Antminer-L7): Investment of $5,000, Term: 20 days, Daily Yield: $73.5, Total Profit: $5,000 + $1,470

BTC (Bitmain-S19K-Pro): Investment of $10,000, Term: 30 days, Daily Yield: $161 Total Profit: $10,000 + $4,830

For more details on mining contracts, please visit the EX DeFi official website.

About EX DeFi

EX DeFi is a global platform focused on green energy cloud mining and digital asset services, headquartered in the UK and founded in 2021. The platform supports multiple mainstream digital assets such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP), and is committed to providing global users with a more convenient and efficient way to participate in digital assets through intelligent computing power and cloud computing technology.

To improve operational efficiency and practice sustainable development, EX DeFi’s data centers are deployed in areas rich in renewable energy resources, primarily using hydropower, wind power, and solar power. The platform offers a variety of flexible intelligent computing power solutions, allowing users to participate in the digital asset ecosystem through cloud mining without purchasing mining equipment or possessing professional technical skills, enjoying a simpler and more efficient user experience.

Join the EX DeFi cloud mining platform now and start the passive income journey!

Artificial intelligence now helps write more than 95% of Coinbase’s code, offering new insight into the crypto exchange’s AI strategy following its decision to cut 14% of its workforce earlier this year. 

Coinbase cut 700 staff in May. In an email to employees, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said AI has “dramatically” changed the pace of work and there was a need to “return to the speed and focus of our startup founding, with AI at our core.” 

“Effectively, 100% of our employees are using AI on a daily basis here,” Coinbase’s head of platform, Rob Witoff, told Cointelegraph. “And close to 100% of our code, probably somewhere between 95% and 100%, is written by or with LLMs today.”

The figure is more than double Coinbase’s February estimate, when the company said 40% of its code was written with AI, reflecting the accelerating pace of AI adoption across tech and crypto companies.  

Rob Witoff talks about Coinbase’s adoption of AI. Source: Cointelegraph

Witoff, however, said there is a “wide spectrum” in how it is used and the degree to which it is relied on. While writing core cryptography mainly relies on human input, prototyping is fully automated and core systems sit somewhere in the middle, he said. 

“For example, when we’re writing core cryptography, we have industry-leading cryptographers that are meticulously researching and reviewing one line at a time.”

“We’re using AI quite a bit to test and make sure the code we’ve written is working the way it should, there’s no vulnerabilities, we’re verifying the math, but that’s a much more manual part than where we’re building internal prototypes, which is now effectively a 100% automated.”

Smaller teams with “tastemakers”

The shift has allowed Coinbase to reorganize around smaller, more senior teams, Witoff said, with two or three employees now capable of handling work that previously required 10 or more people. 

“There were a lot of junior development roles that were impacted,” he said of the May layoffs, though the cuts extended across the company, including marketing, legal, customer support and compliance roles. 

“For those smaller teams to work, for people to have the taste, the judgment, I think a lot about people having the battle scars so they know how to point agents in the right direction.”

Witoff said that most Coinbase engineers now have five to 10 AI agents operating at any given time, with AI agents collectively performing the coding work of about 1,200 employees. 

By 2030, Coinbase could see AI agents doing the equivalent work of 100,000 employees, he said. 

Coinbase said its AI spend has remained “flat” despite growing token use. Source: Brian Armstrong

Related: Robinhood says its AI agent feature will ‘soon’ be assisting crypto traders

Coinbase was part of a wave of companies to lay off staff this year amid a rise in enterprise AI. In March, crypto exchange Crypto.com cut 12% of its staff, impacting roles “that do not adapt in our new world.” 

In February, Block CEO Jack Dorsey said he was cutting 40% of Block’s workforce. 

“We’re already seeing that the intelligence tools we’re creating and using, paired with smaller and flatter teams, are enabling a new way of working which fundamentally changes what it means to build and run a company,” Dorsey said on X. 

Other crypto companies that cited AI-related efficiencies in this year’s layoffs included Kraken, Gemini, Messari and Dune. 

Magazine: Robinhood L2 sparks ETH optimism, Saylor ‘muddies waters.’ Hodler’s Digest, July 5-12, 2026

Circle Internet Group shares have dropped more than 2% in pre-market trading after US banking groups urged the Senate to tighten stablecoin provisions in the CLARITY Act, adding fresh pressure to the stock.

According to a joint letter from several US banking organizations, the groups have asked Senate majority and minority leaders to revise Section 404 of the CLARITY Act before lawmakers move the bill forward.

The banks argue that the current wording could allow stablecoin issuers to offer interest-like incentives that encourage customers to move money out of traditional bank deposits and into stablecoins such as Circle’s USDC.

The letter warns that unclear language around yield-related incentives could increase deposit flight, particularly from community and regional banks.

“Ensuring that stablecoin regulations draw clear and enforceable boundaries around interest- and yield-like incentives is therefore essential.”

The renewed lobbying effort comes days after President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass the CLARITY Act in honor of Senator Lindsey Graham, who died on July 12. However, crypto.news previously reported that the bill’s chances of clearing the Senate have weakened after a key White House adviser supporting the legislation took a one-month leave.

The report added that the probability of passage has fallen to 37%, although a Senate floor vote is still expected before lawmakers begin their August 7 recess.

Selling pressure keeps Circle stock near a critical support zone

Fresh political uncertainty has coincided with continued weakness in Circle shares, which have extended their decline after retreating sharply from the stock’s June peak near $140.

The daily chart shows CRCL trading around $61, just above a major Fibonacci support level at $59.39. This area has become an important line for buyers, as a decisive break below it would leave little chart support before the psychologically important $50 level.

Momentum indicators also continue to favor sellers. The Chaikin Money Flow remains near -0.39, indicating sustained capital outflows from the stock, while the Average Directional Index sits around 24.7, suggesting the existing downtrend still carries moderate strength.

Even if buyers manage to stabilize the decline, recovery attempts would likely face resistance at successive Fibonacci retracement levels near $76.63, $90.17, $99.67, $109.18, and $120.94, making any rebound technically challenging unless market sentiment improves.

Analysts remain divided despite long-term growth drivers

Despite the recent weakness, several developments continue to support Circle’s longer-term outlook.

Circle recently secured an Office of the Comptroller of the Currency national trust bank charter, allowing the company to operate a federally regulated trust bank. Separately, ARK Invest purchased roughly $13.8 million worth of CRCL shares on July 9, signaling continued confidence from the investment firm even as the stock traded well below its recent highs.

At the same time, Baird has adopted a more cautious stance. The investment bank lowered its price target on Circle from $138 to $100, citing expectations that the company’s second-quarter 2026 revenue will fall short of Wall Street estimates.

Baird also warned that the launch of the OUSD stablecoin on June 30 could erode Circle’s share of the stablecoin market over time, potentially weighing on future demand for CRCL shares. Still, the firm maintained that Circle’s compliance with the GENIUS Act could strengthen adoption of USDC as the regulatory framework for dollar-backed stablecoins develops.

Ripple-backed Evernorth has unveiled a $44 million CEO equity package in a fresh SEC filing while advancing its merger to create a Nasdaq-listed XRP treasury company.

According to Evernorth Holdings’ fourth amended Form S-4 registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company updated executive and director compensation arrangements while advancing the paperwork required for its proposed business combination with Armada Acquisition Corp II, a special purpose acquisition company backed by Arrington Capital.

The filing sets CEO Asheesh Birla’s base salary and grants him an initial equity award valued at about $44 million, together with vesting terms. Chief financial officer Matt Frymier would receive a base salary, annual bonus eligibility and an equity award worth about $5.6 million.

Evernorth also disclosed restricted stock unit awards valued at $750,000 for executives, subject to approval by the board’s compensation committee and the company’s shareholders.

Merger filing moves XRP treasury listing closer

Beyond executive compensation, the amended filing moves Evernorth another step toward completing its merger with Armada Acquisition Corp II. If the transaction receives regulatory and shareholder approval, the combined company is expected to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker XRPN while operating what Evernorth has described in its SEC filings as the largest publicly listed XRP treasury company.

According to the filing, Evernorth has secured more than $1 billion in gross proceeds from investors including Ripple, Arrington Capital, SBI Holdings, Pantera Capital and Kraken.

Board appointments were also updated. Ripple chief legal officer Stuart Alderoty is expected to join the board alongside CEO Asheesh Birla and Ted Janus. The proposed board would also include OpenAI Foundation chief financial officer Robert Kaiden and Antalpha chief operating officer Derar Islim.

Separately, Evernorth has expanded its public communications by launching a Japanese-language social media account focused on XRP-related updates and market education. In its introductory message, the company stated that Japan had supported XRP early and that it would continue building from there. However, Evernorth did not announce a new office, regulatory license, investment, product launch, or local operating business in Japan.

The company added that the Japanese account would explain market developments in simple terms and provide professional information without discussing XRP price movements or forecasts. Evernorth has not disclosed local staffing, partnerships or services connected to the initiative, while its website continues to list San Francisco as its primary headquarters.

XRPN stock holds steady as XRP activity grows

While the merger still awaits regulatory approval, Armada Acquisition Corp II shares have largely held their gains. The stock is up about 2.25% since the beginning of the year and has gained nearly 0.5% over the past month, although it closed 0.10% lower on Monday. Its 52-week high stands at $10.91.

Evernorth has also pointed to rising XRP adoption across several areas. According to the company, tokenized real-world assets on the XRP Ledger increased from roughly $150 million to $4 billion over the past year, supported by growth in spot XRP ETF inflows and an increase in newly created XRP wallets.

Meanwhile, XRP (XRP) traded at about $1.10 after rising 2.3% over the previous 24 hours. The token fluctuated between $1.06 and $1.11 during the session, while trading volume rose nearly 16% ahead of the release of U.S. consumer price index inflation data.

Bitcoin has climbed back toward the $65,000 level after softer-than-expected U.S. inflation data sharply reduced market expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike at the July policy meeting.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the consumer price index (CPI) slowed to 3.5% year over year in June, below the 3.8% economists had expected. Monthly CPI fell 0.4%, compared with forecasts for a 0.1% decline. The inflation report triggered a fresh move higher in risk assets, helping Bitcoin recover from losses linked to renewed geopolitical tensions.

Bitcoin (BTC) rose nearly 5% to an intraday high of $64,830 on July 14 before easing to around $64,560 at press time. The recovery followed a drop below $62,000 during the previous session, when escalating conflict between the United States and Iran weighed on market sentiment.

Core inflation data also came in below forecasts. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported core CPI at 2.6% year over year and flat on a monthly basis, compared with expectations of 2.8% and 0.2%, respectively.

The latest figures improved from May, when headline CPI stood at 4.2% year over year, and core CPI reached 2.9%, adding to expectations that inflation pressures may be easing despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Cooling inflation has lowered expectations for a July rate hike

Interest-rate expectations changed quickly after the inflation release. According to CME FedWatch data, traders now assign only a 16.6% probability to a Federal Reserve rate hike at the July Federal Open Market Committee meeting.

Prediction markets also adjusted their outlook. Data from Polymarket showed the perceived probability of a July rate hike falling to 9%, down from as high as 34% previously. The platform also showed the chance of at least one rate hike during 2026 declining to 53%, compared with a recent peak of 71%.

The inflation report arrived only days after Federal Reserve Governor Chris Waller indicated he could support higher interest rates if inflation remained elevated. Against that backdrop, the weaker-than-expected CPI figures reduced expectations that policymakers would tighten policy this month, providing support for Bitcoin and other risk-sensitive assets.

Attention has now turned to Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh, who is scheduled to testify before Congress over two days. Investors are also preparing for the producer price index (PPI) report, which could influence expectations for future monetary policy and lead to fresh volatility across cryptocurrency markets.

Geopolitical risks continue to limit upside

Even with inflation easing, macro risks remain in focus. Recent weakness in Bitcoin followed renewed fighting involving the United States and Iran, while President Donald Trump’s decision to reinstate the Iranian blockade added pressure to global markets before the CPI-driven rebound.

Another source of uncertainty comes from Trump’s proposal to impose a 20% cargo fee on ships that receive U.S. assistance while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Market participants have warned that any disruption to shipping through the waterway could tighten global oil supplies and complicate the inflation outlook in the months ahead.

As a result, softer inflation has improved the immediate outlook for cryptocurrencies by reducing expectations of a July rate increase, but upcoming Federal Reserve commentary, fresh inflation data and developments in the Middle East remain key factors that could determine whether Bitcoin can extend its recovery toward the $65,000 level.