Crypto World
Bitcoin rebounds after Strategy BTC sale as funding rates climb to 9%
Bitcoin’s rebound gathered speed after a sharp dip tied to Strategy’s announced Bitcoin sales, with price quickly recovering from the $61,300 area to around $63,500. The move came despite a noticeable shift in leverage indicators, suggesting that while traders remained cautious, demand for exposure wasn’t completely broken.
Derivatives data showed a mixed picture: perpetual futures funding rates climbed to a positive level, while options pricing reflected only mild stress. At the same time, US spot Bitcoin ETF flows showed a potentially important counter-signal—net inflows after a streak of outflows—raising the odds that any bounce could find support beyond short-term trading.
Key takeaways
- Perpetual futures funding rates rose to around 9% annualized on Monday, indicating leverage demand was more balanced than during the prior negative-funding period.
- Deribit’s put-to-call premium ratio moved to roughly 1.15, a level below typical stress thresholds (often above 2), pointing to contained—not escalating—options anxiety.
- US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $223 million in net inflows on Friday (the first after 10 straight outflow days), countering sentiment hit by June’s record outflows.
- On-chain data highlighted sellers’ exhaustion near the $60,000 support zone, though derivatives traders may still wait for repeated ETF inflow confirmation before pressing higher targets.
Selloff fades as leverage metrics stabilize
After Strategy’s Bitcoin sale announcement, Bitcoin dipped to approximately $61,300 and then moved swiftly back upward. The rapid recovery mattered for two reasons: it suggested the market absorbed supply without triggering a prolonged cascading liquidation wave, and it highlighted that trader positioning did not fully align with a “bear-control” narrative.
Perpetual futures provide one of the clearest near-term gauges of leveraged sentiment. According to Laevitas funding data, the Bitcoin perpetual futures annualized funding rate jumped to 9% on Monday. Positive funding generally implies that traders using perpetuals are paying for long exposure—often seen when the market is no longer dominated by bearish leverage.
Importantly, this change moved the indicator away from the bearish momentum seen on Saturday, when funding rates were negative. While 9% annualized doesn’t automatically signal strong bullish conviction on its own, the shift does indicate that the balance between long and short leverage tightened rather than deteriorated.
Options offered a second, slightly different read on risk. Laevitas data referenced through Deribit showed the put-to-call premium ratio at about 1.15 on Monday. This metric compares the relative pricing of downside-focused puts versus upside calls. The ratio had been lower in the previous days, but on Monday put premiums started to outweigh calls again—though only modestly.
Historically, periods of acute market stress often push this ratio above 2. With the indicator staying around 1.15, the implication is that while some participants were paying for downside protection, they were not pricing an immediate breakdown scenario.
ETF flows return after outflows—momentum traders may take notice
One of the strongest supporting signals for a sustained recovery is spot ETF flow behavior. Earlier coverage noted that US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $223 million in net inflows on Friday, according to reporting linked in the source. That day marked the first inflow after 10 consecutive outflow sessions, which had compounded bearish sentiment.
The broader context is crucial: the record-high $4.51 billion net outflows in June left traders bracing for continued selling pressure. In that environment, a single inflow day can be easy to dismiss—but repeated inflows tend to matter more for the market’s ability to hold higher levels without constant hedging demand.
The market’s reaction to derivatives positioning appears aligned with this framework. Even though funding and options stabilized, the bounce to roughly $63,500 did not immediately translate into “bullishness” strong enough to erase all caution among leverage traders. That pattern fits the idea that ETF buyers may need to show persistence before derivatives market participants fully commit to a higher-range outlook.
Strategy overhang: cash buffer versus unrealized loss pressure
The selloff pressure connected to Strategy’s Bitcoin sales remains a key variable for short-term sentiment. The source attributes part of the recent bearish tone to strain around Strategy preferred perpetual equity Stretch (STRC US), which had offered holders an attractive yield. It also notes that new stock issuance occurs only at a fixed $100 price, meaning the company may have fewer channels at times to support dividend-related expectations.
Even so, the article emphasizes that Strategy still holds enough cash to cover about 17 months of dividends. That detail complicates the “forced selling” storyline: if dividend coverage is secure for a meaningful period, investors must reassess how urgent additional Bitcoin sales truly are.
However, the same analysis points to why bears still have room to press the market. Strategy’s debt leverage is described as extremely low (around 8%), yet the company is facing approximately $8 billion in unrealized losses from prior Bitcoin purchases. In practice, unrealized drawdowns can still influence market psychology—particularly when investors connect Bitcoin exposure decisions to broader equity and preferred-structure stability.
That combination helps explain why derivatives traders may remain skeptical. For them, Strategy is not only a cashflow story; it’s also a persistent factor in how markets interpret the future supply of Bitcoin linked to corporate decisions.
On-chain seller exhaustion strengthens $60,000, but confirmation is still needed
Beyond derivatives and ETF flows, the source highlights on-chain evidence suggesting that selling pressure is not expanding. It references Glassnode data showing that transfers from long-term holders to exchanges have fallen to an average of 4,130 BTC per day. The figure is down from about 8,040 BTC per day one week prior.
This kind of decline matters because it often signals that long-term holders are less willing—or less able—to move coins toward exchanges. In the article’s framing, that seller exhaustion supports the $60,000 support level.
Yet the piece also cautions that on-chain stabilization alone may not be enough to sustain a large upside move. Unless spot Bitcoin ETFs begin a sequence of relevant net inflows, derivatives traders may keep risk management switched on—reducing the likelihood of a sustained rally above $65,000.
In other words, the market may be able to bounce due to reduced exchange-bound supply, but it still needs buy-side confirmation from spot demand channels to convert a rebound into a durable trend.
For now, investors should watch two things closely: whether ETF inflows become a multi-day pattern rather than a one-off turn, and whether derivatives stress indicators—funding and options pricing—continue to ease as price holds the $60,000 area.
Crypto World
SpaceX set to unlock $4.3B in forced buying with Nasdaq-100 entry
SpaceX has been scheduled to enter the Nasdaq-100 Index on July 7, a move that JPMorgan estimates could generate about $4.3 billion in automatic buying from passive investment funds.
Summary
- SpaceX is set to join the Nasdaq-100 on July 7, with JPMorgan estimating $4.3 billion in passive fund buying.
- Index-tracking ETFs and mutual funds are expected to buy SpaceX shares automatically during the benchmark’s rebalancing.
- Investors are also watching SpaceX’s Bitcoin holdings, ARK Invest’s purchases, and its recent $25 billion bond sale.
According to a Nasdaq announcement, SpaceX will join the Nasdaq-100 before the market opens on July 7 after becoming eligible under updated index rules that allow some of the largest newly listed companies to qualify after just 15 trading days.
The accelerated inclusion follows the company’s June 12 public market debut and places it among the benchmark’s constituents with an index weighting expected to remain below 1%.
Passive index funds are expected to drive billions in demand
JPMorgan estimates that exchange-traded funds and index funds tracking the Nasdaq-100 will need to purchase roughly $4.3 billion worth of SpaceX shares once the company joins the index.
The largest of those vehicles, including the Invesco QQQ Trust, must rebalance their portfolios to match the updated benchmark regardless of their view on the company’s valuation or future earnings.
Most of that buying activity is expected to take place around the July 6 market close and the July 7 opening as index-tracking portfolios complete their scheduled rebalancing. The purchases are mechanical rather than discretionary because passive funds are required to mirror the index composition.
The planned addition drew attention across financial and crypto markets after DogeDesigner highlighted the inclusion on X while citing JPMorgan’s estimate of approximately $4.3 billion in passive inflows. Nasdaq separately confirmed the upcoming index change in its official release.
SpaceX’s inclusion follows changes to Nasdaq’s eligibility framework that allow certain top-ranked companies to qualify more quickly after listing. The revision enabled the aerospace company to bypass the longer waiting period that many newly public firms previously faced.
Bitcoin exposure adds another layer to investor interest
Trading in SpaceX shares has remained volatile since the IPO. After retreating by more than 18% from earlier highs, the stock has recovered to around $158 in recent sessions as investors continue to assess its valuation following the public debut.
Buying activity from institutional investors has also attracted attention. Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest has accumulated tens of thousands of SpaceX shares while simultaneously adding to positions in crypto-related companies including Coinbase, Circle, and Robinhood. The purchases suggest ARK has continued to treat the post-IPO weakness as a buying opportunity despite elevated volatility.
Not all developments have been viewed positively. Market participants have closely watched SpaceX’s recent $25 billion bond offering, with some analysts warning that large debt sales can temporarily pressure equity sentiment even when the underlying business remains financially strong.
Another factor distinguishing SpaceX from most Nasdaq-100 constituents is its digital asset treasury. The company reportedly holds 18,712 Bitcoin on its balance sheet, making it one of the few index members with direct exposure to the cryptocurrency. Some equity analysts have cited that Bitcoin position as one factor supporting a $190 price target on the stock ahead of its Nasdaq-100 debut.
For crypto investors, the upcoming index inclusion could also increase institutional exposure to companies holding Bitcoin as a treasury asset. Market observers have compared the dynamic to previous index additions involving companies with large Bitcoin reserves, where passive fund inflows increased the visibility of corporate crypto holdings even though the purchases were tied to index rebalancing rather than direct investment in digital assets.
Crypto World
Robinhood bucks crypto selloff as Trump launches child accounts
Robinhood shares have climbed more than 2% after the Trump administration officially launched the Trump Accounts savings program, even as the broader crypto market turned lower.
Summary
- Robinhood gained over 2% as the Trump Accounts program officially launched.
- Wall Street firms kept Buy ratings and lifted Robinhood price targets.
- Trump hinted Bitcoin could join the program in the future, but not yet.
The White House officially launched the Trump Accounts initiative on Monday with a ceremony attended by President Donald Trump, who rang the opening bells at both the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange. The program has also gone live on Robinhood’s platform, with the brokerage and BNY Mellon serving as the U.S. Treasury’s official partners for the rollout.
Robinhood traded near $114 following the announcement, gaining over 2% on the day and extending its five-day advance to more than 13%, according to data from Yahoo Finance. The move stood out against weakness across digital assets, with Bitcoin slipping below $62,000 during the same session.
Wall Street keeps raising expectations for Robinhood
The Trump Accounts launch arrives as Wall Street analysts continue to grow more optimistic about Robinhood’s long-term outlook despite the stock’s recent rally.
As previously reported by crypto.news, Piper Sandler reaffirmed its Buy rating on Robinhood and maintained a $135 price target, indicating the firm believes additional upside remains. BTIG also reiterated its Buy rating while keeping a $125 target price.
Meanwhile, Mizuho increased its price target to $130 from $115 while maintaining a Buy rating, making it one of the latest brokerages to lift expectations for the online trading platform.
The Trump Accounts program provides a federally funded $1,000 starting contribution for eligible children born between 2025 and 2028. Families can make additional contributions over time, creating long-term investment accounts designed to grow alongside the beneficiaries.
Speaking during the White House ceremony, Michael Dell said that he and Susan Dell are contributing $6.25 billion for 25 eligible American children through the initiative. The launch also coincides with celebrations surrounding the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Bitcoin remains outside the program despite crypto support
Although President Trump has repeatedly expressed support for digital assets, cryptocurrencies are not currently included in the Trump Accounts program.
During the launch event, Trump indicated that future changes remain possible. Asked whether Bitcoin could eventually become part of the accounts, the president replied, “Something could happen.” He also reiterated that he is a supporter of cryptocurrencies and repeated his goal of making the United States the global crypto capital.
Not everyone welcomed the program. Economist and longtime Bitcoin critic Peter Schiff argued in a post on X that the government-funded contributions are financed through additional federal borrowing rather than new revenue.
According to Schiff, each $1,000 contribution effectively comes with additional public debt, meaning the same children receiving the benefit will also inherit part of that debt burden in the future. He added that reducing government spending would be a better policy than expanding borrowing to finance the initiative.
The criticism follows Schiff’s recent comments on Strategy’s reported $216 million Bitcoin sale, where he argued the company exited part of its holdings at a loss. While the Trump Accounts program currently focuses on traditional investment savings, Trump’s latest remarks suggest the administration has not ruled out adding digital assets at a later stage if policy develops in that direction.
Crypto World
While ADA, ETH sink to multi-year lows, money is rotating into AI, Stargate LLM leads the charge with 50x potential
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
As Ethereum and Cardano face steep declines, investors are increasingly exploring AI-focused blockchain projects such as Stargate LLM.
Summary
- Ethereum and Cardano remain under pressure as Stargate LLM promotes its AI-focused crypto presale to investors.
- Stargate LLM highlights its AI token presale as Ethereum and Cardano continue searching for market support.
- AThe project is gaining attention amid prolonged weakness in Ethereum and Cardano prices.
Ethereum spent 2025 in the room with the majors, trading near $5,000 and trading places with Bitcoin as the asset every altcoin measured itself against. It’s now sitting at $1,700, down 66% in less than a year, still searching for a floor.
Cardano’s story is quieter but just as brutal: a 40% drop in June alone dragged it to territory it hasn’t traded at since 2020, even as whales keep buying the exact dip that’s scaring everyone else out. Neither of these declines happened because the technology broke. They happened because capital moved somewhere else, and it’s worth asking where.

The honest answer this year is AI, a sector on track to more than double into a $1.2 trillion market by 2030, pulling in investment on a scale crypto’s current downturn simply isn’t matching. Stargate LLM is where that rotation is actually landing: a presale still in its early batches, priced at $0.0005 against a $0.025 launch target, a 50X gap that ETH and ADA buyers would need years of recovery to even approach.
Stargate LLM: Positioned for the AI capital rotation
While ADA and ETH search for support levels, Stargate LLM is running a presale built around the opposite dynamic: escalating price batches designed to reward early entry rather than punish it. The presale runs across ten batches, starting at $0.0005 and climbing through $0.0015, $0.002, $0.0025, $0.003, $0.003, $0.0035, $0.0045, and $0.007, before reaching $0.0125 in the final batch, building toward a $0.025 launch price target. That structure puts Batch 1 participants at a 50x price ratio to the launch target, a stark contrast to buying ETH or ADA today and hoping for a bounce back toward levels they’ve already visited before.
This is why Stargate keeps surfacing on lists of the best crypto to buy now: it isn’t asking investors to bet on a recovery. It’s offering ground-floor pricing into a sector, AI, that’s growing independently of the broader crypto market’s current weakness. Of the fixed 150 billion coin supply, 96% is allocated to community, ecosystem, and presale participants, with staking rewards, governance votes, and Proof of Usage rewards built into the coin’s utility from day one.
For anyone scanning the market for the best crypto to buy now while ETH and ADA remain stuck in drawdowns, Stargate’s presale batches represent a structurally different kind of entry point, priced for early participation rather than recovery speculation.

Ethereum price: Stuck below $1,900 support
The Ethereum Price picture through early July remains bearish across nearly every timeframe. ETH is trading near $1,700, roughly 66% below its August 2025 all-time high of $4,951.66, and sits below its 20-day, 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day exponential moving averages, a technical setup showing sustained weakness rather than a temporary dip. The 14-day RSI near 29 places Ethereum close to oversold territory, and while some analysts point to ETH spot ETF inflows and continued protocol development as longer-term positives, near-term price action tells a story of consolidation, not recovery. Vitalik Buterin’s own sale of ETH holdings earlier in 2026 added further pressure during the slide. Ethereum’s fundamentals as a smart contract platform remain intact, but the immediate technical structure offers little for investors looking for near-term upside.
Cardano News: Whale buying meets falling activity
The biggest Cardano News this week is a split between accumulation and decline. ADA closed June at $0.1453, down nearly 40% for the month, even as wallets holding 10 million to 100 million ADA grew their share of supply from 37.66% to 38.13%, signaling whale conviction despite the drop. But on-chain activity tells a weaker story: daily transactions fell to around 17,400, a 45-day low, and smart contract transactions dropped sharply from a June 5 peak near 26,000.

A separate exploit drained roughly $2.4 million in ADA from 374 addresses in late June, though EMURGO has confirmed a recovery path for affected wallets. Support sits near $0.1435, with resistance at $0.1596, leaving ADA in a fragile technical position heading into July.
The bottom line
Ethereum and Cardano will likely recover eventually; they usually do. But “eventually” isn’t a strategy, and right now both are stuck defending support levels with no clear catalyst in sight, while an entirely different sector is pulling in capital at a pace neither can currently match. That’s the actual choice in front of anyone deciding where to put money this month: wait for two established assets to rebuild what they’ve lost, or get positioned early in a category still building its floor upward instead of downward. Stargate LLM’s presale, running Batch 1 at 50X below its launch target, is built specifically for that second option. ADA and ETH aren’t going anywhere. The question is whether the next twelve months belong to them catching back up, or to whoever got into AI before the rotation finished.
For more information, visit the official website, buy Stargare, X, and Telegram.
Disclosure: This content is provided by a third party. Neither crypto.news nor the author of this article endorses any product mentioned on this page. Users should conduct their own research before taking any action related to the company.
Crypto World
US Bitcoin Reserve Faces Hurdles as Federal Agencies Clash Over Control: Bloomberg
The Trump administration’s plan to create a US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) is reportedly running into an unexpected hurdle: an internal dispute over the reserve’s legal structure and which federal agency should hold primary oversight of the Bitcoin assets. The disagreement centers on how the reserve would be organized and managed, according to reporting from Bloomberg and people familiar with the matter.
While US President Donald Trump’s March 2025 executive order envisioned housing the SBR within the Treasury Department—with other agencies supporting tasks tied to asset seizures—questions have emerged about whether Treasury has the legal authority to manage Bitcoin holdings. Bloomberg reported Monday that these issues are part of the reason the plan has not moved forward as smoothly as originally outlined.
Key takeaways
- Bloomberg reports a roadblock in the SBR effort due to disagreements among the Commerce and Treasury departments over structure and oversight.
- Legal concerns have been raised about whether Treasury can manage Bitcoin directly, given the asset’s volatility and the scope of its authority.
- Commerce has reportedly emerged as a potential alternative for primary oversight, with the Justice Department also assessing legally available options.
- Congress is pursuing parallel legislation—such as the BITCOIN Act and ARMA Act—that aims to establish a Bitcoin accumulation plan over five years.
- Industry advocates view the SBR concept as creating a new “capital allocation” category, even as execution details remain unsettled.
Treasury vs. Commerce: the dispute behind the reserve
Trump’s executive order calls for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve housed in the Treasury Department, with other agencies playing supporting roles in building the reserve through asset seizure mechanisms. However, Bloomberg’s Monday report indicates that the departments are now at odds over how the reserve should be structured and which agency should have primary oversight of the holdings.
Central to the reported problem is a question of authority. Bloomberg cited concerns about whether Treasury has the legal power to manage the Bitcoin assets themselves, pointing to the asset’s volatility as part of the legal and regulatory complexity. The report also says Commerce may be positioned as an alternative lead agency, while the Department of Justice is working alongside relevant departments to identify options that are legally available.
For investors and market participants, the significance is not just bureaucratic. If the reserve’s governance framework ends up different than originally proposed, it could affect how assets are safeguarded, how decisions about holding or selling are made, and what kinds of legal constraints apply over time.
Why the SBR concept matters for US policy
The SBR proposal is designed to reposition Bitcoin within government financial planning. Rather than treating Bitcoin primarily as an asset to be seized and liquidated under court processes, the administration’s approach—at least in intent—would treat it as a strategic reserve asset. The White House has framed this as a shift toward making the United States a more central “crypto capital” by formalizing Bitcoin’s role.
In comments to Cointelegraph, a White House spokesperson, Liz Huston, said the administration continues to evaluate “the best structure for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and US Digital Asset Stockpile,” emphasizing that the effort is still underway. That statement is consistent with the reported internal review described by Bloomberg, which suggests the plan is still in a formative stage.
Bitcoin held by the US already exists in practice. The US currently holds 328,372 Bitcoin, valued at $21.1 billion, making it the largest known nation-state Bitcoin position. Over the years, the government has sold portions through court-ordered actions, underscoring that the operational reality of state-held Bitcoin is shaped by ongoing legal processes—not only by policy ambitions.
Congress moves in parallel: BITCOIN Act and ARMA Act
While the executive branch works through interagency questions, lawmakers are also attempting to codify the reserve through legislation. Efforts referenced in Cointelegraph’s coverage include the BITCOIN Act and the ARMA Act, introduced in May, both aimed at acquiring a total of 1 million Bitcoin over five years using budget-neutral strategies.
ARMA is described as a step that builds on prior proposals. One of the White House’s top crypto advisers, Patrick Witt, characterized ARMA as “Version 2” of the BITCOIN Act and said the White House had spent significant time examining the legal implications of establishing a Bitcoin reserve. In the same context, Witt said it was a “breakthrough” for putting the program on a legally sound footing and ensuring safeguards for the assets.
Under ARMA, Bitcoin would be held for at least 20 years unless sold to reduce America’s national debt, which is near $40 trillion. That framework highlights a key tension investors may watch: the policy aims to create durability and strategic value over the long term, yet it also provides a pathway for eventual use in debt reduction. How such sell-down authority is implemented could be influenced by the same legal and oversight questions now reportedly complicating the executive branch’s structure.
Industry reaction: “validation” rather than just accumulation
Even with reported disagreements inside government, industry observers continue to see the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve as potentially bullish for Bitcoin’s broader role. Advocates argue that formalizing Bitcoin as a strategic reserve could reinforce its legitimacy as an investment and policy asset—moving it closer to how traditional institutions treat reserve categories.
Tim Kotzman, host of the Bitcoin Treasuries Podcast, commented that the SBR is not only supportive of Bitcoin, but “validates an entirely new category of capital allocation.” He added a comparison between earlier adoption by public companies and the idea that nation-states are now moving in the same direction.
That perspective aligns with the existing landscape of state-level Bitcoin holdings. Cointelegraph’s earlier coverage noted that 15 nation-states hold Bitcoin, but El Salvador is singled out as the only country that has formally established a Bitcoin reserve and makes routine purchases.
For readers, the practical takeaway is that the debate now appears to be shifting from whether the reserve should exist to how it should be governed—particularly which agency leads, what legal authority applies, and how long-term safeguards and eventual liquidity mechanisms would work.
What to watch next is whether the interagency review resolves the legal authority questions quickly, and whether Congress’s ARMA framework—and its long-hold rules tied to debt reduction—moves toward becoming a binding structure that can reduce uncertainty around who controls the reserve in practice.
Crypto World
Microsoft Cuts 4,800 Jobs as Xbox Loses 3,200 Roles in Reset
Microsoft is cutting 4,800 jobs, about 2.1% of its global workforce, and Xbox will absorb a large share of the reduction.
The company laid off 1,600 Xbox workers on Monday, July 6. It expects another 1,600 cuts later this fiscal year, raising Xbox’s total to roughly 3,200 roles.
Xbox CEO Cites Margin Gap
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma took over the gaming unit in February after Phil Spencer’s retirement. She told staff the division’s economics no longer hold up.
“Our business today is not healthy.”
Asha Sharma, Xbox
Sharma said Xbox’s margins run three to ten times lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses. She blamed a worsening hardware crisis as console component costs climb, intensifying competition with Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo’s Switch.
Sony also plans to end physical disc production in January 2028. The shift mirrors a broader industry pivot toward digital distribution that Xbox appears to be following.
Microsoft is also spinning off four studios it once acquired. Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions will go independent, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs will move to new owners.
The moves unwind part of the Activision Blizzard portfolio Microsoft built through its $69 billion deal three years ago.
Cuts Follow Buyout Program
Chief People Officer Amy Coleman said fast-changing technology drove the decision. She noted Microsoft offered buyouts in April, and more than a third of eligible employees accepted them.
The reduction follows a broader trend. Tech and finance jobs have fallen at a steady monthly pace in 2026 as companies lean further into AI.
The gaming reset lands as Microsoft shares have slid roughly 19% over the past six month. Investors are weighing whether heavy AI spending is paying off amid broader pressure on tech stocks.
Xbox’s restructuring runs through fiscal 2027. That leaves open how much further the division will shrink before Sharma’s reset takes hold.
The post Microsoft Cuts 4,800 Jobs as Xbox Loses 3,200 Roles in Reset appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Crypto World
ESMA Warns Prediction Market Event Contracts May Fall Under EU Binary Options Ban

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU's securities regulator, said in a statement that many prediction market event contracts may already fall within the bloc's existing ban on marketing binary options to retail investors. The regulator reminded firms they must assess whether… Read the full story at The Defiant
Crypto World
Vitalik Buterin Outlines 'Lean Ethereum' Roadmap, a Three-to-Four-Year Protocol Overhaul

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin published a new set of takeaways on "Lean Ethereum," the multi-year plan to rebuild most of the network's protocol, in a post on X on July 4. Buterin said the update follows a meeting of Ethereum researchers in Berlin two weeks earlier, which continued… Read the full story at The Defiant
Crypto World
Belgian Regulator Identifies 6 Unapproved Crypto Providers After MiCA Deadline
Belgium’s financial regulator has escalated enforcement under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework by issuing a fresh warning to consumers about six crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) it says are operating without authorization. The notice comes days after the EU’s MiCA transitional period ended, pushing regulators across member states into a more active licensing enforcement phase.
On Monday, the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) published a list of entities it identified as unauthorized CASPs active in Belgium. The regulator named Aurum Foundation, Bank Bit, Bithf Pro, Dxago, Global Dynamic Trade, and ZeriaFunding, and said it has added them to its roster of fraudulent CASPs.
Key takeaways
- FSMA warns consumers not to engage with six named crypto firms it says are not authorized under MiCA in Belgium.
- The regulator urges users to verify a provider’s status using the official FSMA CASP register before depositing funds or trading.
- MiCA entered into force at the end of 2024, and Belgium’s transitional licensing window closed on July 1.
- FSMA reiterates that crypto assets are volatile, may face liquidity constraints, and are not protected by compensation schemes that could reimburse losses.
FSMA names six unauthorized CASPs in Belgium
FSMA’s consumer warning is anchored in the idea that MiCA authorization is now the gatekeeper for crypto services offered in the country. In its notice, the regulator points out that the specified CASPs are operating without the required permission and therefore fall outside the legal perimeter set by Belgium’s MiCA guidance.
The FSMA advised consumers to reject offers from the named companies and to check whether any crypto-asset provider appears on its official CASP register. That emphasis matters for users because it shifts the compliance question from “is this company active?” to “is it authorized to operate what it claims to offer in Belgium?”
FSMA also reminded readers that even legitimate crypto activity carries risk: crypto assets can be highly volatile, liquidity can be limited, and—critically—losses are not covered by a compensation scheme that would reimburse clients in the event of provider failure.
MiCA licensing moves from transition to enforcement
MiCA entered into force at the end of 2024 and establishes a harmonized EU-wide framework for CASPs and issuers. According to FSMA’s guidance, authorized CASPs are the only entities permitted to offer a range of crypto asset services in Belgium, including custody, trading platforms, exchange services (both crypto-to-fiat and crypto-to-crypto), order execution, transfer services, advice, and portfolio management.
Belgium’s transitional regime expired on July 1—the same day by which existing providers across the EU were generally required to obtain authorization or stop offering crypto-asset services. In practice, that timing is what turns the MiCA deadline into an enforcement moment: regulators can more clearly differentiate between entities actively complying with authorization requirements and those that continue to market services without approval.
Earlier coverage from Cointelegraph noted that the transition period gave some companies time to apply and adjust operations ahead of the formal licensing cut-off. As that period ended, enforcement actions like FSMA’s warning suggest regulators are now leaning harder into compliance checks rather than relying on transitional cover.
Pressure on European crypto firms around July 1
The July 1 deadline has been a recurring stress point for crypto businesses that planned to operate within the EU while navigating authorization requirements. In June, Cointelegraph reported that Binance withdrew its MiCA application in Greece and intended to seek authorization in another EU jurisdiction just before the deadline.
At the time of the withdrawal, Binance said it was “not leaving Europe,” while acknowledging that some users could be affected during the compliance process. That episode illustrated a broader pattern: the closer firms got to July 1, the more authorization strategies became dependent on selecting the right jurisdiction and meeting local procedural requirements under the broader MiCA regime.
While FSMA’s latest warning focuses on unauthorized entities, the Binance case highlights the difference between firms that are actively attempting to route compliance correctly versus those that continue operating without authorization at all. For investors and users, that distinction is practical: the risk profile changes when a provider is unlicensed under the regime designed to regulate custody, exchanges, and related services.
What Belgium users should do now
FSMA’s notice is straightforward in its consumer orientation. The regulator’s advice is to avoid the named companies and to verify any crypto-asset provider through the official CASP register before sending funds or relying on services such as custody or trading access.
Given FSMA’s reminder that crypto exposures are not protected by compensation schemes, the regulator’s warning underscores a key investor takeaway: authorization is not just paperwork—it can signal that the provider falls under a supervisory perimeter, which matters when liquidity problems or platform disruptions occur.
Readers should watch how FSMA’s enforcement posture evolves in the weeks ahead, particularly whether additional CASPs are added to its warnings list and how quickly consumers see authorization status reflected in the regulator’s CASP register following the end of the transitional period on July 1.
Crypto World
Trump’s Bitcoin Reserve Stalled By Interagency Clash: Report
The Trump administration’s push to establish a US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve has reportedly hit a roadblock, as the Commerce and Treasury departments are at odds over how the reserve should be structured and which agency should have primary oversight of the holdings.
US President Donald Trump’s March 2025 executive order called for the SBR to be housed inside the Treasury Department, while other agencies would assist with asset seizures to build the reserve.
However, concerns have emerged over whether the Treasury has the legal authority to manage the Bitcoin (BTC) holdings, partly because of its volatility, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Commerce Department has emerged as a contender to oversee the reserve, they said. The Department of Justice is also reportedly working with the departments to determine legally available options, they added.
The Bitcoin reserve is a key part of Trump’s plan to make the US the “crypto capital of the world,” marking a major shift in the government’s approach to digital assets by positioning Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset rather than a seized commodity.
“To deliver on the President’s vision, the Trump administration continues to evaluate the best structure for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and US Digital Asset Stockpile,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston told Cointelegraph.

Source: Cointelegraph
The US currently holds 328,372 Bitcoin worth $21.1 billion — the most of any nation-state — but has sold portions through court-ordered actions over the years.
Senators look to codify the Bitcoin reserve
Efforts have been made to codify the Bitcoin reserve in Congress through the BITCOIN Act and ARMA Act, introduced in May, which seek to acquire 1 million Bitcoin over five years using budget-neutral strategies.
Related: Has Strategy’s capital overhaul put an end to ‘death spiral’ fears?
One of the White House’s top crypto advisers, Patrick Witt, described ARMA as “Version 2” of the BITCOIN Act and said the White House had spent significant time examining the legal implications of creating a Bitcoin reserve.
“It’s a breakthrough as far as getting everything in place — legally sound — properly safeguarding the assets,” Witt said at the time.
Under ARMA, Bitcoin must be held for at least 20 years unless it is sold to reduce America’s national debt, which is nearing $40 trillion.
Bitcoin reserve developments viewed bullishly
Despite the interagency issues, many industry advocates say the SBR could strengthen the case for Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset.
“The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve isn’t just bullish for Bitcoin. It validates an entirely new category of capital allocation,” Tim Kotzman, host of the Bitcoin Treasuries Podcast, said.
“Public companies moved first. Nation-states are beginning to follow.”
While 15 nation-states hold Bitcoin, El Salvador is the only country that has formally established a Bitcoin reserve and is making routine purchases.
Magazine: Does ‘Paper Bitcoin’ mean there’s an unlimited supply of BTC?
Crypto World
CertiK Says H1 2026 Web3 Losses Topped $1.31B, Up 28% Excluding Bybit Baseline

Web3 security incidents cost the industry more than $1.31 billion across 344 events in the first half of 2026, according to CertiK's Hack3D H1 2026 Report, published Monday. Net losses stood near $1.2 billion after frozen and recovered funds, the blockchain security firm said. Headline totals show… Read the full story at The Defiant
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