This week’s most important crypto business developments all point in the same direction: more of the industry’s value is being routed through financial infrastructure rather than pure onchain speculation. BlackRock, for example, has introduced tokenized money market products aimed at stablecoin reserve use under the US GENIUS Act framework.

At the same time, tokenized real-world assets are proving their resilience in volatile markets, even if their decentralized finance (DeFi) adoption still looks modest. Elsewhere in the sector, Tether reported a sharp rise in profits tied to US Treasury income, while a public Bitcoin miner linked to the Trump family posted improved production and narrower quarterly losses.

Key takeaways

• BlackRock launched two tokenized money market products designed to help stablecoin issuers satisfy reserve requirements under the US GENIUS Act.
• RedStone data suggests tokenized gold performed relatively well during a sharp gold sell-off, but only a small fraction of tokenized gold supply is used as DeFi collateral.
• Tether reported $1.5 billion in second-quarter net operating profit, supported primarily by interest from US Treasury holdings and related arrangements.
• American Bitcoin reported record second-quarter production of 932 BTC, improving revenue and narrowing losses, though it remains unprofitable.

BlackRock moves to tokenize stablecoin reserves

BlackRock introduced two tokenized money market products intended to support stablecoin issuers with reserve requirements under the US GENIUS Act, expanding its involvement in tokenized financial infrastructure. According to earlier coverage by Cointelegraph, one product tokenizes exposure to BlackRock’s existing Treasury liquidity strategy on Ethereum, allowing approved investors to transfer ownership onchain while the underlying assets stay invested in cash and short-term US government securities.

The second product is described as a new institutional money market vehicle for digital asset markets. It is positioned as compatible with multiple blockchains and designed to automatically reinvest income—an approach that aligns with how reserve managers typically seek operational continuity rather than manual redemptions and reinvestment cycles.

For market participants, the practical significance goes beyond the novelty of tokenization. Stablecoins need credible, auditable reserves, and a product built around short-term government assets creates a clearer bridge between traditional compliance expectations and blockchain-based settlement. It also reinforces BlackRock’s growing footprint in tokenized Treasurys, where it already runs BUIDL, described as the industry’s largest tokenized Treasury fund.

This launch also reflects a broader institutional trend: Wall Street firms are increasingly entering tokenized markets not only as issuers, but as infrastructure providers for the assets that underwrite onchain finance. With GENIUS establishing a federal framework for payment stablecoins, the demand for reserve-grade solutions is likely to become more structured—potentially benefiting tokenization platforms that can translate “what reserves should be” into “how those reserves can be managed on-chain.”

Tokenized gold shows stress tolerance, but DeFi use is still limited

Tokenized bullion continues to draw attention, but its DeFi footprint remains small relative to its overall market. A report by RedStone, referenced in earlier Cointelegraph coverage, found that tokenized gold held up during periods of sharp price movement—specifically during gold’s sell-off.

RedStone’s analysis points to a key asymmetry in the sector: trading activity can surge while borrowing and lending adoption lag. While spot trading volume reportedly reached $90.7 billion in Q1 as gold futures rallied above $5,600 per troy ounce, RedStone estimated that only about $63 million of Tether Gold and PAX Gold is used as collateral on Aave v3 and Morpho. That figure is roughly 1.5% of their combined $4.2 billion market cap, indicating that most tokenized gold remains outside major onchain collateral pipelines.

The report also highlighted how collateral behaved during stress. On March 23, Aave processed what it described as its largest cluster of XAUT liquidations without disruption after gold dropped roughly 10% in a week—an event characterized by JPMorgan’s Greg Shearer as an “extremely brutal flush.” RedStone’s broader takeaway was that tokenized gold looked resilient, even as the findings underscored an infrastructure gap as tokenized real-world assets scale.

Since that period, gold futures have fallen more than 20% from January peaks, influenced by expectations of higher US interest rates. In that environment, the value proposition for tokenized gold is partly about reliability during volatility: the question for investors and DeFi builders now is whether liquidity and collateral usage can grow fast enough to match the expanding market for tokenized bullion itself.

Tether’s Treasury-linked earnings power another strong quarter

Tether reported a second-quarter performance that is closely tied to US Treasury income. According to its latest quarterly attestation, Tether generated $1.5 billion in net operating profit, driven primarily by interest earned on its US Treasury holdings and repurchase-related arrangements.

The attestation also points to reserve strength. As of June 30, Tether reported a reserve buffer of $4.11 billion, with assets exceeding liabilities by that margin. In parallel, even as the broader stablecoin market contracted, USDT circulating supply increased by $446 million to $184.6 billion. The result preserved Tether’s market share—DeFiLlama data cited in the earlier reporting placed USDT’s market value around $307 billion and suggested Tether still accounts for more than 60% of global stablecoin supply.

From an investor perspective, the most important implication is that stablecoin profitability continues to depend heavily on short-term interest rates. When Treasury bill yields and cash-equivalent returns are elevated, reserve-based income can become a major earnings driver, which is what appears to have happened in this quarter.

However, the same dynamic also raises a forward-looking risk: if rate expectations change or stablecoin demand slows further, Tether’s income could face pressure. This quarter’s stronger profit and reserve surplus therefore doesn’t eliminate near-term uncertainty for the stablecoin sector—it clarifies what factors are currently supporting earnings, and what could reverse them if macro conditions shift.

American Bitcoin improves production and reduces losses

Bitcoin mining remains highly sensitive to production economics and balance sheet decisions, and the latest quarterly results from American Bitcoin reflect that reality. In earlier Cointelegraph coverage, the company—linked to the Trump family and Nasdaq-listed—reported record second-quarter production of 932 BTC, improving mining revenue compared with the first quarter.

American Bitcoin reported mining revenue of $67 million in Q2, up from $62.1 million in Q1. The company also narrowed its net loss to $57.2 million, improving from an $81.8 million loss in the previous quarter. The production milestone matters because it is one of the few levers miners can control in the short term—hash rate and operational efficiency translate directly into how much Bitcoin is produced, even when market prices are volatile.

But the company’s financial picture is still constrained. American Bitcoin remains unprofitable, and it recently completed a 1-for-15 reverse stock split to maintain its Nasdaq listing after its share price fell below the exchange’s minimum bid requirement. Its balance sheet also includes pledged Bitcoin: the miner held roughly 8,002 BTC as of June 30 and had pledged about 3,090 BTC as collateral under equipment purchase agreements with Bitmain.

That pledge introduces additional sensitivity to Bitcoin price movements. Even when production improves, a decline in BTC could complicate collateral dynamics and funding conditions—an issue that investors should keep watching as the company attempts to stabilize its public-market footing.

Across these stories, a shared theme emerges: crypto businesses are increasingly evaluated on how they monetize financial assets—Treasury exposure, tokenized reserves, tokenized collateral, and operational production—rather than on token price narratives alone. The next watchpoints are straightforward: whether stablecoin-related tokenized reserve products expand beyond pilots, whether tokenized gold’s DeFi collateral usage grows beyond its current small share, and how earnings trajectories for issuers like Tether and miners like American Bitcoin respond if interest-rate and Bitcoin-price assumptions turn.

Gold has rallied 28% over the past year from $3,400 to $4,330, outperforming digital rival BTC by over 70 percentage points.

Over the same time period, BTC has suffered an embarrassing 44% decline from $117,000 to $65,000.

In fact, across the past three years, owning so-called “digital gold” instead of the real thing would have returned a couple fewer percentage points despite 36 months of patience.

BTC has crashed off a financial peak, not just a psychological one. It hit an all-time high near $126,200 on October 6, 2025 but has since declined 48%.

Gold achieved its own record shortly after. Spot prices surged to $5,589 per ounce on January 28, 2026, a nominal high that also sat well above the metal’s inflation-adjusted 1980 peak. 

The precious metal has since pulled back from that spike, but it never came close to giving up its year-over-year gain. BTC, in stark contrast, halved.

Boomer gold beats BTC

Evangelists have spent a decade comparing BTC to a global store of value. Its performance over the past few years has certainly stalled that pitch.

The comparison is nowhere close to a financial reality over the past year. Indeed, a dollar saved in gold a year ago is worth about $1.28 today. A dollar saved in BTC is worth about $0.55. 

The metal BTC was supposed to dethrone maintained its strength.

U.S. authorities sanctioned crypto exchanges Shelbit and Aban Tether after alleging that the platforms helped Iran evade restrictions and move funds connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

OFAC targets Shelbit and Aban Tether

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the sanctions on Aug. 7 as part of Washington’s effort to disrupt Iran’s access to international financial markets.

OFAC accused Shelbit and Aban Tether of facilitating illicit cryptocurrency transactions and sanctions evasion. The agency said the Iranian government relied on exchanges with limited or no regulatory oversight to move digital assets through corporate networks and an online gambling operation.

The sanctions also cover Iranian national Siavash Kayvanpour and companies tied to him in Georgia, Poland and the United Arab Emirates. Treasury described Kayvanpour as the operator of a network of front companies connected to Shelbit.

IRGC-linked addresses sent more than $1 million in crypto to Shelbit, according to Treasury. Shelbit-linked wallets allegedly transferred more than $2 million to addresses controlled by the IRGC.

Wallets owned or controlled by Kayvanpour also sent over $2 million to Nobitex, Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Treasury said.

“Whether in dollars, rials, or crypto, Treasury will hunt down and dismantle the illicit financial networks that keep the regime afloat,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

Aban Tether processed funds for sanctioned exchanges

OFAC separately accused Iran-based Aban Tether of processing millions of dollars in transactions involving entities already under U.S. sanctions.

Those entities included Nobitex, Wallex, Bitpin and Ramzinex. The four Iranian exchanges were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in June after officials accused them of helping restricted entities access digital asset markets.

Chainalysis estimated that Nobitex accounts for roughly half of Iran’s cryptocurrency trading activity. The exchange has denied having a direct relationship or contractual arrangement with the IRGC, Iran’s central bank or other government bodies.

Shelbit has also rejected claims that it knowingly participated in money laundering, terrorism financing or sanctions evasion. Its former management said the company stopped accepting new business in December 2025 and completed its customer wind-down in January.

The sanctions represent administrative designations rather than criminal convictions. However, they block property and interests in property belonging to designated parties when those assets enter U.S. jurisdiction.

US widens Iran crypto crackdown

The latest action expands a U.S. campaign targeting exchanges, wallet addresses and companies accused of helping Iran bypass restrictions during its military conflict with Washington.

In July, U.S. authorities froze $131 million in Iran-linked crypto held in wallets connected to the country’s central bank. That followed an April action in which Tether froze approximately $344 million in USDT across two Tron addresses linked by authorities to Iranian networks.

Bessent previously said the United States had seized or frozen nearly $1 billion in cryptocurrency connected to Iranian exchanges and wallets since the conflict began.

The use of centralized stablecoins gives authorities an enforcement tool that does not exist with assets such as Bitcoin. Issuers can block transfers from designated addresses, while transactions involving decentralized assets generally require control of the private keys.

What the sanctions mean for crypto firms

U.S. persons and companies are generally prohibited from providing funds, services or other economic benefits to the sanctioned exchanges and individuals. Entities owned at least 50% by one or more blocked parties are also covered, even when they are not named separately.

Foreign exchanges, stablecoin issuers and payment providers may also face secondary sanctions exposure if they knowingly process certain transactions involving the designated parties.

OFAC published several Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tron and Solana addresses as part of the action. Crypto companies will need to add those identifiers and the sanctioned entities to their transaction-screening systems as Washington continues tracing Iran-linked digital asset flows.

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