Fed Chair Kevin Warsh held rates steady in his debut FOMC meeting but delivered a sharply hawkish surprise, with nine of 18 participants projecting a 2026 rate hike and the statement stripping out its easing bias.

The Federal Reserve left the federal funds rate unchanged at 3.50%-3.75% on June 17, 2026 — the fourth consecutive hold, fully priced by markets.

Statement Shifts to Neutral

The FOMC removed previous references to “additional rate adjustments,” adopting a purely data-dependent neutral stance.

This marks a clear policy pivot amid persistent inflation hovering around 4.2% YoY.

Nine of 18 FOMC participants now pencil in at least one rate hike for 2026, a dramatic shift from prior projections that leaned toward cuts or extended holds.

This validates warnings from Citadel Securities about rising September hike risks fueled by strong wages, resilient demand, supply strains, and AI-driven investment.

Warsh’s Debut Under Scrutiny

In his first press conference, Warsh leaned into his preference for a “quieter” Fed with reduced forward guidance.

Fidelity managers had warned of potential bond market volatility from tone uncertainty, early reactions showed higher Treasury yields and USD gains.

The outcome challenges dovish expectations tied to Warsh’s appointment and highlights a vigilant committee focused on inflation control.

Market Impact: Stocks and Bonds Sell Off

Wall Street turned lower after the decision as investors digested the more hawkish tone.

The S&P 500 fell 0.6%, the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.7%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 160 points (0.3%) by mid-afternoon.

Treasury yields climbed on the news. The 2-year yield rose nearly 11 basis points to 4.153%, while the 10-year yield increased 4 basis points to 4.469%.

The outcome highlights ongoing division risks at the Fed amid the Iran-related energy shock, which is driving both higher inflation and growth uncertainty.

The post Warsh Hawkish Shock: 9 Fed Officials Signal 2026 Rate Hike appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Congressional negotiators have folded a statutory ban on a Federal Reserve central bank digital currency into a bipartisan housing package, blocking any Fed-issued retail digital dollar until December 31, 2030. The text is the most durable legislative CBDC prohibition yet assembled in Washington…. Read the full story at The Defiant

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HYPE – the native token of the decentralized crypto exchange Hyperliquid – has been on a tear lately, hitting a new all-time high even as most digital assets continue to struggle in the prolonged bear market.

It recently surpassed Dogecoin (DOGE) to become the 10th-biggest cryptocurrency, so we decided to ask three of the most popular AI-powered chatbots whether flipping Ripple’s XRP is also plausible sometime this year. Here are their answers.

Low Probability

Earlier this week, HYPE’s price soared to a historic peak of around $77, while its market cap pumped to approximately $16 billion. Despite the substantial increase, it remains far below XRP, whose capitalization currently stands at around $74 billion.

Given the huge gap, ChatGPT described the scenario in which HYPE surpasses its rival as a low probability. At the same time, OpenAI’s platform outlined several catalysts that could help the asset explode to such levels. Some of those include the rising popularity of Hyperliquid and its future expansion to the point where it becomes a Binance competitor, and backing from prominent industry figures.

Recall that Arthur Hayes (co-founder of BitMEX) was heavily invested in the token, yet he recently sold all his positions. Shortly after, the blockchain-tracking platform Lookonchain suggested he might have spent over $2 million to buy back nearly 34,000 HYPE. However, Hayes rejected the claim.

According to ChatGPT, another factor that may have a positive influence is the institutional interest in the coin. Data show that inflows into spot HYPE ETFs have exceeded outflows recently, with cumulative net inflows of approximately $180 million. Still, this figure is far below the $1.44 billion that exchange-traded funds with XRP as the underlying token have attracted since their launch in late 2025.

Perplexity shared a similar theory, saying that such a rise by HYPE is only possible in “a narrow sense.” It noted that, in addition to its market-cap lead, XRP has a vast and devoted community, which could make a potential flip even harder.

“In 2026, HYPE can plausibly flip XRP on price momentum, narrative strength, or even short-term market cap at times, but XRP has a much larger base to overtake, so a full sustained flip is less likely without a major rotation in capital,” it added.

‘A Massive Uphill Battle’

Google’s Gemini was even less optimistic, claiming that the biggest hurdle for HYPE isn’t its utility but pure math. It praised XRP for being “a highly liquid, large-cap legacy asset,” whose market cap hovers in the tens of billions of dollars even during market corrections, “sustained by deep institutional plumbing and international remittance use cases.”

“For HYPE to flip XRP, it would need to see an astronomical influx of capital, multi-billion-dollar daily trading volumes, and massive speculative retail FOMO – all while XRP would have to severely stagnate or decline,” it concluded.

The post Can Hyperliquid (HYPE) Flip Ripple (XRP) in 2026? 3 AIs Weigh in appeared first on CryptoPotato.

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The Bitcoin price moved past the $66,000 threshold on Wednesday as US President Trump explained the Iran deal in his press address at G7 Summit.

Meanwhile, the oil price slid lower as Trump’s remarks shed more light on the US-Iran deal ahead of the formal signing in Switzerland.

Trump Addresses Iran Deal In G7 Summit Press

President Trump delivered a high-stakes update on the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding during the G7 summit press conference on June 17, 2026, driving immediate market moves across risk assets.

Trump confirmed the framework includes a ceasefire, full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, limited sanctions relief, and Iran’s pledge against nuclear weapons.

A formal signing is expected soon in Switzerland.

“If Iran doesn’t honor the agreement, back to bombing them,” Trump stated bluntly. He added that some understandings remain unwritten and praised the impact of recent U.S. strikes: “Amazing what bombs can do.”

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President Trump also highlighted market surges tied to Iran peace signals during the G7 summit press conference.

“Every time we talked about possibility of peace, market shot up like a rocket ship,” Trump declared. “Never really went down. The stock market is more brilliant than anybody.”

He linked these rallies to the U.S.-Iran MOU, which includes a ceasefire, Strait of Hormuz reopening, and limited sanctions relief, while warning of renewed strikes if Iran fails to comply.

The “peace through strength” narrative, backed by explicit military leverage, has reduced short-term volatility premiums.

The post Trump G7 Summit Press Pumps Bitcoin as Oil Crashes appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Two US lawmakers on opposite sides of the political aisle are backing a resolution that “under no circumstances should Samuel [SBF] Bankman-Fried receive executive clemency, including a pardon or commutation.”

In a resolution to be introduced Wednesday, Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis and Democratic Senator Rubén Gallego warned that should US President Donald Trump grant SBF’s request for a pardon, it would “erase [his] conviction […] weaken deterrence, and send a deeply damaging message that perpetrators of large-scale financial fraud can escape permanent accountability.” The resolution would be non-binding, as a US president’s pardon power is enshrined in the Constitution.

“[The US Senate] affirms that the 25-year sentence imposed upon Bankman-Fried reflects the extraordinary scale and deliberateness of his crimes, his lack of remorse, and the catastrophic harm inflicted upon millions of victims, and that such a sentence serves the interests of justice,” read the resolution.

Source: Senator Rubén Gallego

The resolution came after Bankman-Fried formally applied for a pardon from Trump of his conviction on seven felony counts related to the misuse of FTX user funds. Last week, a federal appeals court upheld that conviction and sentence, leaving his only legal path forward a presidential pardon or an appeal to the US Supreme Court.

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Bankman-Fried was convicted in November 2023 following the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX a year earlier, which resulted in investor losses totaling billions of dollars. He was later sentenced to 25 years in prison. 

Related: Onchain, in court: What happened in crypto legal news this week

Following his sentencing in March 2024, the former CEO posted several messages to social media aligning with Trump’s political agenda, including US military actions in Venezuela and Iran. However, in a January interview with the New York Times, the president said he had no plans to pardon Bankman-Fried.

Source: Sam Bankman-Fried

Cointelegraph sought comment from Gallego’s office but did not receive an immediate response. A spokesperson for Lummis said that the senator “wants him to know that her and her colleagues think Mr. Fried is right where he belongs” by introducing the resolution.

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Other FTX figures still serving time

Although some of the former executives of the defunct cryptocurrency exchange were sentenced to time served in exchange for their cooperation and testimony at SBF’s trial, one is still in federal prison, and another was released earlier this year. 

Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research, received a two-year sentence in 2024 and was given an early release in January after 14 months. FTX former engineering director Nishad Singh and co-founder Gary Wang were both sentenced to time served. All testified against SBF at trial.

Ryan Salame, the co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, was sentenced to 90 months in prison related to unlawful political contributions and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business. His wife, Michelle Bond — though not an FTX employee — was recently indicted on charges related to her 2022 run for Congress allegedly financed with illegal campaign contributions from the crypto exchange.

Magazine: The end of anon? AI could unmask crypto’s hidden identities

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Coinbase used its latest "System Update" on Tuesday to push deep into territory long held by retail brokerages, rolling out an SEC-registered AI investment advisor, stock and ETF trading on its professional platform, and options markets for both equities and crypto. The bundle moves the exchange's… Read the full story at The Defiant

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After generating $5.5 billion in trading volume in two weeks, Kalshi is pushing to extend its CFTC-regulated perpetual futures beyond crypto into a wider range of asset classes. Kalshi's perpetual futures business crossed $5.5 billion in trading volume in its first two weeks, according to… Read the full story at The Defiant

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Grayscale Research has named five decentralized finance tokens it believes offer real value as crypto markets reward revenue and cash flow over speculation.

The asset manager flagged Hyperliquid (HYPE), Aave (AAVE), Uniswap (UNI), Sky (SKY), and Maple (MAPLE) in a research report published June 16. Each shows strong relative value based on fundamentals.

Why Grayscale Sees Value in DeFi

Crypto markets have fallen since January. Grayscale argues in its report that investors can now value many tokens like financial assets rather than commodities.

The firm sorts tokens on a spectrum. Bitcoin trades like a commodity, while protocols with recurring revenue resemble cash flow businesses.

Since 2023, DeFi protocols have generated nearly $25 billion in cumulative fees from real users. That activity has driven rising on-chain fee revenue across exchanges, lending, staking, and derivatives.

Price multiples across DeFi lending have also compressed. Grayscale reads that as maturing business models now trading at attractive valuations.

Revenue Now Drives Token Value

Protocol revenue alone does not set token value. Grayscale says burns, buybacks, rebates, and staking decide how much reaches holders.

By that test, Uniswap and Hyperliquid stand out. The report says both return almost all earnings to holders through transparent DeFi payout models.

Hyperliquid routes trading fees straight into buying and burning HYPE. That model helped lift it into the top 10 by market cap this year.

Aave sits alongside them as the largest DeFi lender, after Grayscale called the AAVE token undervalued near $75.

How the Tokens Stack Up

HYPE trades near $72, ranking as the 10th-largest crypto and well ahead of its peers over the past year.

UNI sits around $3.30 after a 9% daily gain, with its value tied to fee distributions back to holders.

SKY trades near $0.06, where Grayscale says its onchain collateral-backed stablecoin keeps finding product-market fit.

Maple rounds out the list through institutional lending, which the firm says has delivered strong risk-adjusted returns.

“…crypto is repricing from narrative → fundamentals Protocols with real revenue, disciplined capital allocation, and transparent token economics are outperforming Grayscale flags HYPE, AAVE, UNI, SKY, and MAPLE as showing strong relative value on this basis,” Grayscale stated.

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The throughline is a market repricing from narrative to fundamentals.

Grayscale says protocols that turn real revenue into token value are pulling ahead.

The post Grayscale Names 5 DeFi Altcoins With Real Utility appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Ethereum's Glamsterdam hard fork reached its final devnet stage Tuesday, locking in the EIP bundle that core developers expect to carry the network through public testnets and on to mainnet activation in the second half of 2026. The release is being framed as the largest protocol change since the… Read the full story at The Defiant

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