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Can US Policy Clarity Emerge This Week? Bitcoin Eyes $80K

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Crypto Breaking News

Momentum behind the US CLARITY Act appears to be fading as political and ethics concerns collide with a potential Senate push. Polymarket places the odds of the bill passing this year at about 40%, citing objections from Democratic lawmakers and raising the possibility that the ethics controversy could derail broader bipartisan work.

Beyond Washington, crypto’s second quarter showed a split: mainstream trading activity continued to contract, while prediction markets hit record volumes. At the same time, France moved to block Polymarket, underscoring how regulation is shaping where and how prediction markets can operate.

Key takeaways

  • Polymarket estimates roughly a 40% chance that the CLARITY Act clears the Senate this year.
  • Senate Majority Leader John Thune said a vote will be held before Aug. 10, but ethics-related disputes are complicating Democratic support.
  • CoinGecko’s Crypto Industry Report shows spot trading on the top 10 centralized exchanges fell from $2.7T in Q1 to $1.95T in Q2.
  • Prediction markets bucked the trend, reaching $113.8B in notional volume in Q2, while France’s gambling regulator ordered Polymarket access blocked.
  • Tokenized stocks recorded a new high at $2.3B in global market cap, led by Ethereum (34%) and BNB Chain (30%).

CLARITY Act vote faces an ethics-driven test

Several Democrats have signaled resistance to the CLARITY Act, according to Cointelegraph’s earlier reporting on Senate opposition from lawmakers including Chris Murphy, Jeff Merkley and Chris Van Hollen (see linked coverage). The concern centers on how the bill intersects with the politics of crypto advocacy and potential conflicts of interest.

Cointelegraph reports that Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated a crucial vote could happen as early as this week and would definitely take place before Aug. 10. But the political calendar alone may not be enough: Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren is attempting to “spoil the vote” by spotlighting alleged links between President Donald Trump and crypto profits, Cointelegraph says.

Warren’s push builds on claims that Trump earned more than $1 billion from crypto last year, based on a 2025 disclosure. Cointelegraph also notes that this is why Senate Democrats may be unwilling to support the bill unless it includes language barring elected officials from promoting or issuing cryptocurrency.

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“Ethics is the big elephant in the room.”

The quote is attributed to Summer Mersinger, CEO of the Blockchain Association and a former commissioner at the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, in Cointelegraph’s linked coverage (see linked coverage).

“For my members and what we are advocating for on the Hill… look, whatever you decide on ethics, that’s really not our concern. That is politics. That’s Congress. That’s elected officials. But please don’t let it kill all the hard work that we put in the rest of the bill.”

For investors and builders, the practical risk is straightforward: even if the CLARITY Act advances on substantive market-structure provisions, passage could hinge on whether lawmakers accept ethics guardrails that satisfy Democratic conditions. Readers should watch whether negotiators offer a specific ban on officials’ crypto activity—or whether the bill’s schedule slips despite Thune’s stated timeline.

Q2 revealed a divergence: spot weakness, prediction market strength

Crypto markets were weak in Q2 overall, but prediction markets stood out as an exception. CoinGecko’s Crypto Industry Report, cited by Cointelegraph, shows spot trading volume across the top 10 centralized exchanges dropped from $2.7 trillion in Q1 to $1.95 trillion in Q2.

Derivatives also softened. CoinGecko data cited in the report indicates CEX perps volume declined 10% to $12.7 trillion, while the stablecoin market fell 1.6% to $305.1 billion.

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Against that backdrop, prediction markets recorded their strongest quarter on record, reaching $113.8 billion in notional volume. Cointelegraph links that performance to Polymarket’s specific categories as well: the platform’s World Cup winner market has attracted more than $3.3 billion in trading volume, and contracts tied to the 2028 US presidential election rank among the platform’s largest markets, according to Polymarketscan data (polymarketscan).

France blocks Polymarket as regulation tightens

While prediction markets appear to be drawing record engagement, regulatory actions are limiting access. Cointelegraph reports that France’s National Gambling Authority ordered internet service providers to block access to Polymarket after concluding that prediction markets may fall under illegal gambling.

The report adds that Polymarket is blocked in 33 countries, while users can still often access via tools such as VPNs—an important reminder that enforcement patterns can vary and that compliance risk can shift as regulators act.

For market participants, the implication is that prediction-market growth may be constrained not only by liquidity and user demand, but by whether regulators treat the platform as a sportsbook, a financial product, or something in between. Upcoming legal clarity in France and elsewhere will likely influence where future liquidity concentrates.

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Tokenized stocks reach $2.3B as traditional finance experiments continue

Tokenized equities also chalked up a milestone. Cointelegraph cites Token Terminal data saying global market capitalization of tokenized stocks rose to a record $2.3 billion on Wednesday.

Ethereum led with a 34% share, followed by BNB Chain at 30% and Solana at 23%, according to the same Token Terminal dataset shared in a post on X by Token Terminal (see post).

Growth was driven by issuer and exchange-specific activity. Cointelegraph points to Kraken exchange’s xStocks representing $507 million and Binance’s bStocks at $334 million, while Ondo Finance remained the largest tokenized stock issuer with $955 million in onchain equities, based on Token Terminal data (Token Terminal explorer).

The custody and infrastructure layer remains a key battleground for legitimacy and scaling. Cointelegraph notes that the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), described as custodian of $114 trillion in assets, launched a trial of tokenized securities in partnership with more than 40 financial firms.

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Separately, Cointelegraph mentions Robinhood Chain’s ambition to lead in tokenized stocks, while also noting that its volume to date has been driven largely by memecoins—an observation that highlights how tokenized equity momentum may still depend on user acquisition beyond the “equities” narrative itself.

Regulatory alignment on stablecoins, compliance clock still ticking

US and UK authorities are seeking alignment on parts of tokenized finance. Cointelegraph reports that the US Department of the Treasury and HM Treasury in the UK issued four joint recommendations on digital assets (see linked coverage).

The task force recommends that regulators consider a private-sector-led group to test cross-border use cases for tokenized assets, while also asking US financial agencies and the Bank of England to identify shared regulatory approaches for tokenized assets.

On stablecoins, the statement says they “should be fully backed, on at least a one-to-one basis, by high-quality, liquid assets,” aligning with the structure in US law.

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However, Cointelegraph also reports that, shortly afterward, it emerged that US regulatory agencies missed a Saturday rulemaking deadline for the GENIUS stablecoin act. Cointelegraph clarifies that missing a statutory deadline does not void the GENIUS Act, but could compress the time available for issuers to comply ahead of rules taking effect in January.

What to watch next

The next few weeks may determine whether the CLARITY Act can move past ethics-driven objections in the Senate, while the global pattern for prediction markets and tokenized assets will depend on how regulators translate policy into enforcement. Keep an eye on the CLARITY vote timetable, France’s follow-through on Polymarket restrictions, and how stablecoin compliance timelines evolve after the GENIUS rulemaking slip.

Risk & affiliate notice: Crypto assets are volatile and capital is at risk. This article may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure

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Citi Keeps 10,000 KOSPI Target Despite Market Selloff

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KOSPI Performance on July 21

Citigroup has reaffirmed its KOSPI price target of 10,000, projecting that the recent sell-off in South Korean stocks could soon reverse.

The index has shown notable volatility in 2026, forcing the Korea Exchange to trigger sidecars and circuit breakers across repeated sessions.

Why Citi Sees a Buying Opportunity For KOSPI

The KOSPI has slid into a broader decline since setting a record closing high of 9,114.55 on June 22. Citi remains bullish on a revival. 

The bank’s analysts told clients in a Monday note that the market’s headwinds have peaked. Citi argues that strong economic fundamentals and a market-friendly policy mix can drive the recovery.

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“We think the recent share price pullback of KOSPI equities, led by KR memory suppliers, is more of a technical correction driven by market-wide profit-taking and therefore could represent a potential buying opportunity,” the analysts stated.

Meanwhile, the index posted another red session on Monday, dropping more than 4%. It reversed sharply on Tuesday. The surge tripped a buy-side sidecar at 12:41 p.m., a curb that briefly suspends program buy orders when KOSPI 200 futures rise 5% or more for at least a minute.

The KOSPI closed Tuesday up 3.56% at 6,747.95. From that level, Citi’s 10,000 target implies a 48% gain, and it sits nearly 10% above the previous closing record.

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KOSPI Performance on July 21
KOSPI Performance on July 21. Source: Google Finance

Notably, volatility remains the KOSPI’s defining feature. Volatility on the index has topped 60% this year, almost double Japan’s Nikkei 225 and higher than Bitcoin (BTC).

The turbulence forced the Korea Exchange to trigger circuit breakers seven times through mid-July, up from none in 2025.

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Tuesday’s rebound closed part of the distance Citi flagged. Whether it holds remains to be seen.

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The post Citi Keeps 10,000 KOSPI Target Despite Market Selloff appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Pi Network (PI) Rises 25% in a Week But Warning Signs Point to Another Possible Pullback

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Pi Network’s PI has emerged as one of the strongest performers in the top-100 crypto ranking over the past week, outpacing countless major digital assets.

However, this rally may prove short-lived and could be followed by another sharp pullback in the near future.

PI Flashes Green

In mid-July, the native token of the controversial crypto project tumbled to a new all-time low of around $0.07, while its market capitalization slipped well below the $1 billion psychological level.

Since then, though, the bulls have stepped in, and now PI trades at around $0.093 (per CoinGecko), representing a roughly 25% increase on a weekly basis.

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The exact catalyst of the resurgence remains unclear since Pi Network’s team has been rather silent over the past few days and has not unveiled any new ecosystem updates. Of course, one potential factor could be the overall revival of the crypto market, where Bitcoin (BTC) crossed $66,000, while Ethereum (ETH) aims to reach $2,000.

Many analysts are now optimistic that PI can post further gains. X user Crypto With Gopal claimed that the asset is printing a “Falling Wedge” after a prolonged downtrend where selling pressure is fading, and the price is “squeezing toward the wedge apex.” They believe this formation often signals that momentum is shifting back to the bulls.

“Buyers are quietly defending support while lower highs continue to compress. A strong breakout above the wedge resistance could spark a sharp relief rally as sidelined buyers step in. If bulls reclaim the trendline with volume, PI could be setting up for a major expansion move. Market sentiment is cautiously turning bullish,” they added.

Prior to that, OxNeena argued that after months of selling pressure, PI has finally shown signs of accumulation. They believe that if buyers step in, this could mark the beginning of a strong trend reversal, with $0.20 and $0.32 set as potential upside targets.

Brace for Potential Drop

PI investors should remain cautious, as previous pumps like this have often been abruptly ended by another major move downward. The prolonged bear market and the concerning condition of the entire crypto sector reinforce those fears.

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Meanwhile, the PI community must take other factors into account, including the upcoming token unlocks. Around 127.5 million coins are set for release in the next 30 days: a development that doesn’t guarantee a price drop but increases selling pressure.

PI Token Unlocks
PI Token Unlocks, Source: piscan.io

X user Travladd told their nearly 500,000 followers on X that PI is “looking cooked,” noting that there is too much supply. “Won’t catch me buying into any relief rally,” they added.

The post Pi Network (PI) Rises 25% in a Week But Warning Signs Point to Another Possible Pullback appeared first on CryptoPotato.

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Spot Bitcoin ETFs Continue Inflow Streak, BTC Crosses $66,000

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Crypto Breaking News

US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded their fifth consecutive day of inflows, their longest streak since May, as the flagship cryptocurrency crossed $66,000. Strong inflows suggest price action and investor sentiment could be stabilizing after a period of sustained outflows.

Bitcoin (BTC) has regained momentum over the past seven days, reclaiming $65,000 on Monday and extending its gains on Tuesday to surpass $66,000. BTC registered an increase of over 3% in the past 24 hours and is currently trading around $66,158.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs Extend Inflows

Spot Bitcoin ETFs registered their fifth consecutive day of inflows, recording $226.80 million on Monday, the highest single-day inflow since July 6, as institutional demand returned. The ETFs have recorded a total net inflow of $727.3 million over the five-day streak and posted back-to-back positive weeks for the first time since May.

BlackRock’s IBIT recorded the highest inflows on Monday with $116.5 million, followed by ARK Invest’s ARKB with $72.7 million. Fidelity’s FBTC recorded $24.1 million in net inflows, while Bitwise’s BITB added $8.8 million and VanEck’s HODL registered $1.8 million in net inflows. Morgan Stanley’s MSBT recorded inflows of $6.9 million. However, Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust recorded $45.4 million in outflows. Those outflows were offset by Grayscale’s Mini Bitcoin Trust, which recorded $41.4 million in net inflows.

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Institutional Interest Returning?

Consistent inflows have returned after a period of sustained outflows as institutional investors pulled capital from Bitcoin ETFs. Analysts believe the inflows suggest returning institutional interest in Bitcoin and their preference for ETFs for crypto exposure. However, Simon-Peter Massabni, the head of business development at XS, believes the inflows indicate easing sell-side pressure rather than returning institutional interest and demand. According to Massabni, BTC must break and hold above $65,000 to strengthen the bullish argument.

Richard Galvin, executive chairman of DACM, believes the inflows suggest Bitcoin was beginning to find a bottom. BTC is trading above $66,000, a level it must sustain to convince the market of a sustained uptrend. The flagship cryptocurrency has largely traded between $60,000 and $65,000 in recent weeks amid geopolitical and macroeconomic headwinds.

Damien Loh, CIO at Ericsenz Capital, warned of rising inflation and interest rate hikes if the conflict between the US and Iran continues dragging on. Loh believes this could make institutional investors reluctant to put capital in BTC and other risk assets. However, he added that if the CLARITY Act passes before the August recess, it could provide the catalyst needed to push prices higher.

Strategy Building $3.23 Billion Warchest

Rising ETF inflows come amid Strategy’s efforts to improve its liquidity. The Bitcoin treasury company sold some of its Bitcoin holdings for the first time since June 2022, as it attempts to mitigate the impact of BTC’s recent decline and meet its dividend obligations. BTC is down nearly 50% from its October 2025 high of $126,000, and recently sold $263.5 million in common stock. However, it did not use the proceeds from that sale to purchase additional BTC. Instead, the company used the funds to bolster its dollar reserve.

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Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

Risk & affiliate notice: Crypto assets are volatile and capital is at risk. This article may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure

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Robinhood Chain Booming, Bernstein Puts Higher Target on HOOD

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eth logo

Bernstein just raised its price target on Robinhood stock to $160, and the key driver is not crypto trading volume. Instead, the firm sees long-term value in Robinhood’s blockchain infrastructure. Robinhood Wrapped ETH on Robinhood Chain has gained about 2% over the past week, while daily trading volume sits near $44 million. Those numbers suggest the network is attracting steady activity rather than short-lived hype.

Ethereum (ETH)
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Bernstein analysts, led by Gautam Chhugani, lifted their HOOD target from $130 to $160, based on a 2028 EPS estimate of $4.56 and a 35x forward P/E multiple. The firm expects prediction markets, perpetual futures, and Robinhood Chain to generate 18% of total revenue by 2027, rising to 23% in 2028. Prediction markets alone could contribute $1.7 billion by 2028.

Discover: The Best Crypto to Diversify Your Portfolio

Robinhood, The Stock Platform Juggernaut

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Robinhood’s second-quarter earnings arrive on July 29, and Bernstein expects new businesses to soften any slowdown in crypto trading revenue. That fits a growing trend across the market. Investors increasingly reward companies building the rails for digital assets instead of simply benefiting from speculative token rallies. Building the highway often pays better than collecting tolls during rush hour.

Robinhood Chain could also benefit the crypto market beyond its own ecosystem. More Layer 2 infrastructure gives users cheaper transactions and faster settlement while helping Ethereum scale. As more developers deploy applications and liquidity spreads across new networks, on-chain activity becomes easier to access for retail users. Fresh competition rarely hurts innovation, especially in crypto.

Bernstein just raised its price target on Robinhood stock to $160, citing long-term value in the company's blockchain infrastructure.
Robinhood Chain Dex Volume, Defillama

For traders, the takeaway is simple. Robinhood Chain appears to be gaining real usage, and that matters more than any single token’s price action. If network adoption keeps climbing, it could strengthen Ethereum’s ecosystem and encourage more capital to flow into decentralized finance. In crypto, the flashiest coin grabs headlines, but the strongest infrastructure often wins the longest race.

Bridge to Robinhood Chain With The Lowest Fee Using RocketX

LiquidChain Targets Cross-Chain Infrastructure as HOOD Token Tests Lows

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The Robinhood Chain story is a reminder that chain-level infrastructure can capture value before native tokens catch up. That gap is exactly where early-stage infrastructure finds its pitch. Investors rotating out of speculative token exposure are increasingly looking at what’s being built at the execution layer.

LiquidChain is positioning as a Layer 3 infrastructure project with a specific structural thesis: fuse Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana liquidity into a single execution environment. The USP is architectural with a Unified Liquidity Layer with Single-Step Execution, Verifiable Settlement, and a Deploy-Once framework that lets developers access all three ecosystems without rebuilding for each chain.

The presale is live at $0.01482 per $LIQUID, with $915K raised to date. As covered in earlier presale reporting, the project is approaching the $1M milestone.

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Research LiquidChain here before sizing any position.

Trade Memecoins like DOGE on Bybit and Get a Chance to Win Our $1,000 USDT Airdrop

The post Robinhood Chain Booming, Bernstein Puts Higher Target on HOOD appeared first on Cryptonews.

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Tether Rethinks XXI’s Bitcoin Treasury Model After Just 7 Months

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Twenty One Capital Among Top 100 Public BTC Treasuries. Source: Bitcoin Treasuries

Twenty One Capital (XXI) CEO Jack Mallers stepped down on Monday, seven months after the company went public. Tether also dropped its plan to merge the Bitcoin treasury firm with Strike, Mallers’ payments company.

The bigger story is the new game plan. Twenty One listed five fresh priorities, and buying more Bitcoin (BTC) is not one of them.

Why Tether Is Rewriting Its Bitcoin Treasury Playbook

Back on April 29, Tether pitched a grand plan. It wanted to fold Twenty One, Strike, and Elektron Energy, a Bitcoin mining firm, into a single Bitcoin platform.

Galaxy Research said the combined group could rival Strategy’s dominance among corporate holders. Now, Jack Mallers is leaving, and has announced his step-down as CEO of Twenty One.

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That vision lasted less than 12 weeks. Strike now stays independent. A deal with Elektron is still possible, but talks are early. There is also a catch. Tether owns majority stakes on both sides, so any deal would face extra review as a related-party transaction.

The timing is no accident. Digital asset treasury (DAT) companies, firms that mainly buy and hold crypto, are under pressure. Bloomberg reported that Bitcoin’s price slump has brought losses and job cuts across the sector.

XXI has felt that pain. The stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in December after a rocky market debut. It closed Monday at $5.32, down about 43% this year. The company is now worth about $1.85 billion.

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Zagury Takes Over With a Cash Flow Mandate

New CEO Raphael Zagury comes from the money side of the business. He held senior roles at Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and Merrill Lynch. He later ran finances at OpenCo, once among Brazil’s largest fintech lenders.

His plan reads simply. Buy and build businesses that earn money, and keep the Bitcoin. The company compared its new model to Berkshire Hathaway. It also wants to lend against Bitcoin, so holders can access cash without selling.

“My job is to build the operating company around it, with the discipline, governance, and executional rigor of an institution. I believe our business will perform best when we also focus on the cash flow we generate and the rigor with which we allocate capital, not only by the Bitcoin we hold,” Zagury said in a statement.

Tether saw this coming. It took full control in May by buying SoftBank’s 25% stake. Twenty One still holds 43,514 BTC, second only to Strategy in BitcoinTreasuries.net data. It also keeps its strict Bitcoin-only treasury stance.

Twenty One Capital Among Top 100 Public BTC Treasuries. Source: Bitcoin Treasuries
Twenty One Capital Among Top 100 Public BTC Treasuries. Source: Bitcoin Treasuries

The big question is what happens next. If the second-largest Bitcoin treasury needs more than Bitcoin, others may follow. The Elektron talks should offer the first clue.

The post Tether Rethinks XXI’s Bitcoin Treasury Model After Just 7 Months appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Twenty One Capital CEO steps down as Tether’s plans to merge three bitcoin firms falls

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Twenty One Capital CEO steps down as Tether's plans to merge three bitcoin firms falls

Tether-controlled Twenty One Capital (XXI) named Raphael Zagury as CEO, replacing Jack Mallers, and dropped Strike from a proposed three-way merger, the companies said.

Mallers stepped down effective July 20 to focus on Strike, the bitcoin payments firm he founded. Strike will remain independent and is no longer being considered for a business combination with Twenty One, according to a press release.

Tether, Twenty One’s controlling shareholder, confirmed the changes in a separate announcement.

Tether proposed combining Twenty One, Strike and Elektron in April, seeking to place bitcoin treasury, financial services and mining under one listed company.

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Twenty One’s revised strategy will focus on acquiring operating businesses, expanding capital markets capabilities and developing bitcoin-backed lending.

XXI is little changed in pre-market trading.

CoinDesk has reached out to all three companies, but hasn’t heard back at the time of writing.

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Tether-backed Twenty One, Strike merger plan scrapped: Bloomberg

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Tether-backed Twenty One, Strike merger plan scrapped: Bloomberg

Tether-backed Twenty One, Strike merger plan scrapped: Bloomberg

Strike will remain a standalone company after the proposed three-way merger was scrapped, while Twenty One Capital and Elektron continue discussions, Bloomberg reported.

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Brian Armstrong Warns Traders Against Treating His X Account as “Alpha”

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Brian Armstrong Warns Traders Against Treating His X Account as “Alpha”

Coinbase (COIN) CEO Brian Armstrong told followers on X that his personal account carries no trading signals. He distanced himself from the BRIAN meme coin frenzy his profile picture swap triggered on Base last week.

The clarification arrived after Base community members accused Armstrong of offering too little support. Armstrong called the criticism fair. Still, he made clear that his account should never guide a meme coin trade.

A Profile Picture That Moved the Meme Coin Market

Armstrong swapped his X avatar on July 16 for artwork tied to BRIAN, a meme coin nicknamed Coinbase Man. The token runs on Base, Coinbase’s layer-2 network built on top of Ethereum.

Within hours, the token’s market cap jumped 37x. It climbed from roughly $1 million toward $37 million as traders chased the signal.

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The rally reversed the moment Armstrong restored his prior picture. Market cap collapsed by more than 85% in under a day. BeInCrypto data now shows the meme coin holding near $224,000, well below its pre-pump level. The swing highlights meme coin trading risks tied to founder attention rather than fundamentals.

Armstrong Draws a Line on Trading Signals

Armstrong addressed the swings directly in a lengthy X post.

“If you’re treating my X account as alpha, you are doing so at your own risk, against my wishes. I would never recommend this.”

He said he supports the economic freedom to trade meme coins. So he will keep posting content he personally finds funny. Still, he stressed that his posts and profile pictures represent no endorsements or commitments to any project.

Armstrong. Source: X

Neither he nor Base creator Jesse Pollak will promote coins on demand, Armstrong added. Compliance and regulatory rules already block many tokens from listing on Coinbase’s exchange, he said.

What Base Actually Supports Beyond the Meme Coin Craze

Armstrong pointed to past Base coin experiments that failed to deliver lasting value. That list includes a content-coin push he ended weeks earlier after admitting the strategy had flopped.

He said genuine backing flows through builder grants, Coinbase Ventures, and the Base Ecosystem Fund. Viral meme coin attention plays no role in that support, he added.

However, regulatory limits shape which tokens Coinbase can list. That constraint differs from the Base app promotion concerns raised earlier this year. Armstrong’s push toward tokenized stocks and payments echoes his broader stablecoin vision for crypto.

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Whether traders heed the disclaimer remains uncertain. Base meme coins tied to Armstrong’s dog and family photos have reacted to his posts before, sometimes gaining triple digits within a day. His account will likely keep moving meme coin prices regardless of any warning attached to it.

The post Brian Armstrong Warns Traders Against Treating His X Account as “Alpha” appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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Cardano’s 7% Pop Looks Like Bait, and the Pros Aren’t Biting

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Top Traders Short, Retail Long

Cardano (ADA) price jumped about 7% on July 21, stretching its gain to roughly 9% over the past month.

But the rally may be a trap. The largest and most experienced traders are quietly betting against it, even as smaller retail traders pile in long.

Top Traders Are Short While Retail Goes Long

The clearest warning comes from Cardano positioning. On the top-trader long/short ratio, which compares how the biggest accounts are positioned against everyone else, the warning surfaces. The top traders (whale and smart money) sit near 0.93, meaning more short than long. All accounts together, including retail, sit at 2.08, heavily long.

Top Traders Short, Retail Long
Top Traders Short, Retail Long: Charlie Quant Lab

So the crowd and the smart money are on opposite sides. That gap, a divergence of about 1.15, is unusually wide, and when retail and pros diverge like this, the rally often fades or reverses.

Derivatives Show a Crowded Long Bet

The ADA futures market tells the same story. Open interest, the total value of active futures bets, sits near $1.11 billion across 94 perpetual markets, according to CoinGecko data.

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Meanwhile, the ADA funding rate is positive at about 0.01%. Funding is the small fee traders pay to hold a position, and a positive reading means longs are paying shorts to stay in.

Cardano Derivatives Positioning
Cardano Derivatives Positioning: BeInCrypto

So the crowd is paying up to bet on higher prices, aligning with the retail move, a classic sign of a stretched move.

The Cardano Price Rally Outran a Still-Weak Network

Yet the fundamentals have not caught up. Cardano activated its Van Rossem hard fork on July 18, its first upgrade approved fully through on-chain governance, and it makes smart contracts cheaper to run.

However, the network itself remains quiet. Activity recently fell to a 45-day low, and the value locked in Cardano’s apps has slid to about $69 million, down roughly 24% in a month and nearly 90% below its two-year peak. So the price is running well ahead of real usage.

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Cardano DeFi TVL Decline
Cardano DeFi TVL Decline: Charlie Quant Lab

That leaves Cardano price at a crossroads. If the top traders are right, the 7% pop unwinds and crowded longs can feel the ‘squeeze’. If retail wins and shorts are forced to cover, the same pressure could spark a quick move higher. Therefore, the split between top traders and retail is the line that decides which way this breaks.

The post Cardano’s 7% Pop Looks Like Bait, and the Pros Aren’t Biting appeared first on BeInCrypto.

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UK MPs Investigate Bank Barriers Affecting Crypto Firms

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Crypto Breaking News

Concerns over “debanking” and banking access for the UK crypto sector have moved onto the parliamentary agenda, with a new inquiry set to examine whether crypto firms and consumers face barriers to core financial services.

On Monday, the Crypto and Digital Assets All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) announced it will investigate how restrictions on account access and crypto-related transactions may affect investment, competition, and broader economic growth. The group says it will assess whether any limits are proportionate and has opened written submission requests to banks, payment providers, crypto businesses, and other stakeholders until Aug. 31, ahead of publishing its findings and recommendations.

Key takeaways

  • The APPG inquiry will focus specifically on access to banking services for UK crypto businesses and consumers, including limits that may restrict crypto-related payments and transfers.
  • UK Cryptoasset Business Council (UKCBC) data cited by the inquiry claims banks blocked or delayed 40% of transactions to crypto platforms across 10 exchanges in a January survey.
  • Most surveyed exchanges reportedly saw more customers experiencing blocked or limited transfers over the prior year and described the UK banking environment as increasingly “hostile.”
  • UKCBC is urging the FCA to require banks to differentiate between firms based on regulatory status and controls rather than applying uniform restrictions.
  • Industry commentary warns that the upcoming UK crypto licensing framework could lose practical value if approved firms still struggle to access mainstream banking.

A parliamentary inquiry into banking access

The Crypto and Digital Assets APPG’s announcement frames the debate around whether barriers to banking services are limiting the sector’s ability to grow within the UK. According to the group, the review will examine how restrictions influence investment decisions, competitive dynamics, and economic outcomes—and whether existing banking practices meet a proportionality standard.

The inquiry also signals a potential policy collision: while the UK is moving toward a new regulatory approach for crypto firms, banks and payments providers may still treat many crypto activities as inherently high risk. The APPG’s request for submissions will allow financial institutions and market participants to make the case for both sides, including how fraud and money-laundering risk assessments are applied in practice.

UKCBC survey highlights blocked transfers and reduced willingness to invest

A January survey conducted by the UK Cryptoasset Business Council (UKCBC) is central to the debate. The council’s report (linked in the APPG-related coverage) states that, among 10 crypto exchanges surveyed, banks blocked or delayed 40% of transactions to crypto platforms.

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It also claims that 70% of respondents said the restrictions had reduced their willingness to invest, expand, or hire in the UK. The exchanges referenced in the survey include Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, OKX, Bitpanda, Luno, Uphold, Wirex, Zumo and Xapo Bank.

Within that same survey, eight of the 10 respondents reported increased instances over the prior year where customers experienced blocked or limited transfers. Seven described the overall banking environment for digital asset businesses as becoming more “hostile.”

The survey further alleges that one exchange observed nearly £1 billion (about $1.35 billion) in transactions declined by banks over a year. The figure, as described in the referenced material, covers rejected card payments and transfers initiated through open banking, while abandoned or blocked transactions via other channels were excluded.

Industry pressure: banks should distinguish by risk, not blanket restrictions

UKCBC has urged the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to push banks toward more targeted approaches—requiring differentiation between exchanges based on regulatory status, governance, and fraud controls rather than applying the same constraints to every platform.

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Yuriy Brisov, a partner at London-based consultancy Digital & Analogue Partners, told Cointelegraph that while banks have legitimate obligations to manage fraud and money-laundering risks, he argues that controls should scale with risk level rather than be applied uniformly. He said proportionality should depend on whether measures distinguish between high-risk and low-risk cases, adding that, in his view, current practices do not consistently do so.

Brisov cited blanket policies and fixed transaction caps that may apply regardless of where funds are destined—whether to an FCA-registered exchange or an unlicensed offshore platform.

He also pointed to potential incentives created by payment fraud reimbursement rules. Since October 2024, payment providers have generally been required to reimburse eligible fraud victims for losses of up to £85,000 per claim under faster payments-related requirements described by the UK Payment Systems Regulator (PSR). Brisov argued this can encourage banks to block crypto-linked transactions rather than assess them individually, effectively shifting the risk-management burden away from case-by-case evaluation.

Licensing timeline raises a “hub” inconsistency

The APPG inquiry comes as the FCA prepares to accept authorization applications from crypto firms starting Sept. 30. Brisov said this scheduling creates a contradiction between the government’s stated ambition to build a global crypto hub and the continued use of banking restrictions against exchanges, including firms already registered under the FCA framework.

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His core argument is that once a regulator licenses a firm, banking decisions should not treat that entity as unknowable in risk terms. He said supervisors should ask banks to provide written reasons if they still consider regulated firms effectively “untouchable,” suggesting that clearer justification could become a key theme of any parliamentary or regulatory follow-up.

Policy changes are already in motion. HM Treasury laid the Cryptoassets Regulations before Parliament in December 2025, with the full regime expected to take effect in October 2027. The industry question, according to Brisov, is whether regulatory authorization will translate into practical access to the payment system.

Brisov argued that licensing would have limited value if approved crypto businesses remain unable to access mainstream banking channels. In his view, a country positioning itself as a crypto hub cannot keep its payment infrastructure effectively closed to the industry it licenses.

What to watch next

As the APPG collects submissions through Aug. 31 and the FCA moves toward crypto authorization applications beginning Sept. 30, the key uncertainty for the sector is whether policymakers can drive a more risk-sensitive approach from banks and payment providers—or whether restrictions will persist even after new licensing rules take effect. Investors and builders will likely look for signals around whether any guidance or enforcement will target “proportionality” in a measurable, bank-by-bank way.

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Risk & affiliate notice: Crypto assets are volatile and capital is at risk. This article may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure

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