Crypto World
Credit card giant JCB teams up with Circle to bring stablecoins to regular stores
They highlighted that stablecoins bring a wide range of benefits, including “reducing the burden of currency exchange for inbound tourists, further improving the efficiency of fund settlement, and improving cash flow for merchants.”
Tourists in Japan primarily use bank cards for payments, but there are spending limits, which can be bypassed with stablecoins, according to a report by Nikkei.
The collaboration is part of a growing wave of stablecoin initiatives in Japan following regulatory changes that have opened the market to broader adoption. Circle has said it would partner with Nomura to develop a USDC-based foreign exchange settlement service for Japanese businesses as early as 2027.
Lawson, one of Japan’s largest convenience store chains, will accept stablecoins at its stores as part of a pilot that starts in August, according to a separate Nikkei report. The retailer plans to begin trials at its Lawson Takanawa Gateway City store in Tokyo with telecom operator KDDI and digital asset wallet provider Hashport, using KDDI’s yen-denominated stablecoin, JPYC, the report said.
More than 4,585 BTC wallet owners are victims of Coinkite’s firmware bug and its compromised Coldcard hardware wallets, including devices with and without passphrases.
At time of writing, no one has publicly confirmed the identity(ies) of the hacker(s).
If you’re a victim, it is important to take immediate action to protect any remaining funds and document your loss for legal and criminal procedures.
The flaw traces to faulty firmware (on-device software) on Coldcards from March 2021 through late last week. Thousands of customers bought and trusted the devices to secure untold sums of money.
Founder Rodolfo Novak, known as “NVK,” apologized on social media, saying, “I’m sorry and I’m devastated,” pledging Coinkite is “committed to working with affected users who want to pursue a police report, insurance claim, or their own investigation.”
Coldcard victims should report to law enforcement
US residents can always call their local police department to file a complaint. Formal local police reports are important for many reasons, since a report often precedes insurance claims or civil suits.
Although police departments vary in crypto expertise by location, anybody making a complaint will need to provide any evidence that a police officer requests, such as transaction IDs, the drained addresses, balance screenshots, receipts, or a written timeline.
When filing the report, ask the police officer whether you should also file a complaint with the FBI, or whether they will submit one on your behalf.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, IC3, is the primary federal intake point for crypto theft. Victims of the Coldcard hack may access https://complaint.ic3.gov and submit their documentation.
Victims over the age of 60 who have visual difficulty accessing this website can also call the FBI’s Elder Fraud Hotline at (833) 372-8311.
Again, residents of any municipality may ask for assistance from their local police officer.
Beware fake ‘law enforcement’ inquiries
IC3 states it “does not work with any non-law enforcement entity, such as law firms or crypto services, to recuperate lost funds,” and warns it “will never directly contact victims for information or money.”
Don’t trust any unsolicited inbound call, text, email, or other message from someone claiming to work for the FBI or IC3. Victims should initiate a report themselves, not respond to an unsolicited inquiry from someone who might be faking credentials.
After submitting these police and FBI report(s), sophisticated victims may consult their attorney as to the suitability of their loss for filing a fraud report at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov regarding Coinkite’s advertising or business practices.
Victims should also consult their tax professional or attorney regarding the suitability of documenting or timestamping evidence of their loss for IRS tax forms.
Protos doesn’t offer legal or tax advice. Please consult a licensed professional for personalized legal advice that suits your individual situation.
Read more: Ledger scammers are sending letters to steal your recovery phase
Considerations for civil legal actions
Outside of the criminal legal system, victims may consider civil claims against Coinkite.
The most important consideration regarding lawsuits, including class action suits, is to ensure that your attorney is licensed, reputable, and in good standing with their state’s bar association.
Lawyers are licensed by a state agency, not on a federal level. The American Bar Association has links to all 50 states here so that you can check the license status of your attorney.
Don’t trust unsolicited messages from phone calls, text, direct messages, emails, or other methods of contact. Independently verify the license status and contact information of an attorney through a state bar association.
AI websites, official-looking credentials, and social media clout can mislead victims into revealing personal information to scammers pretending to be attorneys. Be careful to call an attorney on a phone number registered with their state bar association.
The FBI has already issued a public service announcement about fictitious law firms targeting crypto scam victims.
Coinkite Inc. is a small, Toronto-based private company, according to the Better Business Bureau. Co-founders Rodolfo Novak and Peter Gray built it as a self-funded hardware maker.
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“While most people recover from cyclosporiasis, individuals with underlying medical conditions or those in higher-risk groups may be more susceptible to serious complications, especially if prolonged diarrhea results in dehydration,” says Wade Syers, a food-safety specialist at Michigan State University Extension. “Anyone experiencing persistent diarrhea, signs of dehydration, or worsening symptoms should seek medical attention, particularly if they are in a higher-risk group.”
People who are elderly or have weakened immune systems, including people who are undergoing chemotherapy or who have advanced HIV, are at greater risk of cyclosporiasis complications, says Rohde. Early diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics, along with aggressive fluid replacement when needed, can significantly reduce the risks of complications, he says.
To reduce potential exposure to Cyclospora, food-safety experts recommend buying intact heads of lettuce and whole fruits and vegetables over bagged, boxed, or pre-cut produce. They also advise people to wash produce thoroughly under running water and follow other food-safety best practices, such as keeping raw meat and vegetables separate when preparing and cooking food. Cooking food to an internal temperature of at least 158°F can kill Cyclospora.
The Sunday morning minor relief rally couldn’t continue for long, and bitcoin dived below $63,000 again on Monday and even dipped to $62,200 for the second time in just a few days.
The larger-cap alts have joined the ride, with ETH sliding below $1,850, and XRP heading towards a familiar support level.
BTC Dips Toward $62K
The previous business week began on a significantly more positive note, with BTC defending the $64,000 support and jumping to $65,600 on a couple of occasions. However, the second rejection was quite painful, pushing the cryptocurrency to under $62,800 just a day before the FOMC meeting.
Bitcoin’s volatility intensified in the hours before and after the event, in which the Fed ultimately maintained the rates unchanged, despite numerous calls for a hike. BTC jumped on Friday morning once again, reaching $65,400, where the bears stepped up a lot more viciously and drove it south hard.
In the following hours, the asset lost roughly three grand and dropped to $62,400. It rebounded to $63,000 on Saturday but dipped to $62,200 later that day. US President Trump’s canceled attacks against Iran and the promise of a new deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz brought a relief rally on Sunday morning, but BTC was halted at $63,700.
The leg down on Monday was also unfavorable for the bulls, driving the cryptocurrency south to $62,200 once again. Although that level has stopped the free-fall, BTC remains over 4% down weekly. Its market cap has tumbled to $1.250 trillion, while its dominance over the alts is below 56.5% on CG.
Alts Back in Red
Ethereum was rejected at $1,980 during the July rally, and now struggles below $1,850 after another minor daily decline. XRP fights to stay above $1.05, a support level that was categorized as its ‘battlefield.’ If held, the token still has the chance for a major rebound, analysts asserted.
SOL, DOGE, RAIN, ADA, and XMR are also in the red, while HYPE and BNB have posted insignificant gains. Pi Network’s PI impressed over the weekend, posting some notable gains of 5-6% even as the market stalled. Today, though, its progress has stalled, and the asset is down over 5% to under $0.084.
MemeCore and Algorand are among the few alts in the green daily, while BEAT has plunged by 24%, followed by ONDO’s 6% crash.
The total crypto market cap has shed around $40 billion in a day and is down to $2.220 trillion on CG.
The post Pi Network (PI) Rally Fades, Bitcoin (BTC) Loses $63K: Market Watch appeared first on CryptoPotato.
Michael Saylor, co-founder, former CEO, and current Chairman of the world’s largest corporate holder of bitcoin, spoke after the company announced its third BTC sale in the past few months.
He weighed in on a statement he had made countless times in the past: “Never sell your bitcoin,” but noted that it was meant for “savers.”
Saylor assured that he, as an individual investor, has never sold a single BTC, but Strategy is a public company, “not my wallet.”
“Since 2020, it has disclosed it may buy or sell BTC to manage capital. Our shared conviction in Bitcoin remains unchanged.”
Strategy disposed of another 1,638 BTC in the past week, which builds on the 3,588 units sold at the end of June.
The company also used the capital to repurchase more of its own STRC shares. This reinforced the asset’s price, which has climbed to $92. Although it’s still below its par price of $100, it has rebounded swiftly from the recent lows of $75.
The post Michael Saylor Breaks Silence After Strategy’s Third BTC Sale (Flash News) appeared first on CryptoPotato.
After the highly expected weekend in which supporters of the bill expected some sort of an advancement, Eleanor Terrett reported that the White House has failed to respond to a key counterproposal.
The popular journalist noted a few days ago that Senator Thom Tillis and Senator Ruben Gallego had pushed for stronger ethics provisions, indicating that state attorneys general should enforce laws against federal officials.
However, she updated on Monday that the White House has failed to respond to the counterproposal after citing a source familiar with the matter.
“A deal on the CLARITY Act’s biggest outstanding issue has yet to materialize heading into the week of a potential vote,” she added.
The odds for approval of the legislation continue to decline as there’s no real progress made. Current data from Washington experts and prediction markets show that the percentage is down to 28%. It used to be at roughly 70% earlier this year.
The post Another Setback for CLARITY Act as White House Stays Silent (Flash News) appeared first on CryptoPotato.
Michigan, where Donald Trump won both times he reached the White House, is a useful miniature of what the loitering gallery of presidential aspirants face across the country in two years. Not all lessons will be welcome for the would-be candidates, nor will they be fully understood until we know the outcome in November.
But if the tone in this race’s final days is a hint, it signals that the win-at-all-costs footing that has defined the era of Trump has crept into the Democratic ether. Acrimony doesn’t even begin to get at the mood on the ground, according to operatives in both camps. In a recent podcast interview, El-Sayed called Stevens “the least capable candidate in America.” Stevens responded with a message on her social media on Thursday that showed how raw feelings have become: “Everyone in America understands you want to blame all of your problems on Jewish Americans.”
This primary is about as perfect a snapshot as you could find of the tensions playing out among Democrats. In a swing state like Michigan, Stevens was widely acknowledged as the stronger candidate to go against the presumptive Republican nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers. Her supporters include outgoing Sen. Gary Peters, and party heavyweights like Chuck Schumer (but not, notably, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who was Stevens’ former House colleague, but has stayed out of the primary). Meanwhile, El-Sayed—who would be the country’s first Muslim U.S. Senator—has captured the imagination of the left wing of the Democratic Party, drawing visits from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. At the same time, his unrelenting criticism of Israel has opened wounds inside the Jewish community in Michigan—and beyond—as his detractors say he is venturing into dangerous anti-semititic territory. Add in the race and religion factors animating the race, and Tuesday’s primary in Michigan could lay bare which litmus tests are likely to shape the 2028 presidential contest.
President Donald Trump called on ExxonMobil and Chevron to cut US fuel prices after the oil majors earned roughly $26.5 billion combined during the second quarter.
Summary
- ExxonMobil earned $14.5 billion, more than double its profit from the same quarter last year.
- Chevron posted $12.1 billion in earnings, nearly five times its year-ago result.
- Trump said the companies were making “too much money” from an oil shortage.
- US gasoline prices have risen more than 30% since the Iran war began.
Trump demands lower fuel prices
Trump criticized ExxonMobil and Chevron at the White House on Monday, arguing that supply pressure linked to the Iran war had allowed the companies to earn excessive profits.
“They’re making too much money based on a shortage,” Trump told reporters. “I don’t like it.”
The president urged both companies to pass part of their gains back to consumers through lower retail prices.
“Chevron, too much money. ExxonMobil, too much money,” Trump said. “They’re going to give some of that back to the public.”
The remarks marked an unusual rebuke of two companies that have generally benefited from Trump’s support for expanded US oil and gas production. Trump also criticized Chevron CEO Mike Wirth, claiming he had not given the administration enough credit for policies that supported the company’s operations in Venezuela.
Exxon and Chevron profits surge
ExxonMobil reported second-quarter earnings of $14.5 billion, or $3.48 per share, compared with $7.1 billion a year earlier. Adjusted earnings reached $14.7 billion, while operating cash flow totaled $23.6 billion.
The company returned $9.4 billion to shareholders through $4.3 billion in dividends and $5.1 billion in share buybacks, according to its quarterly results.
Chevron earned $12.1 billion during the same period, up from about $2.5 billion in the second quarter of 2025. The company also reported record US production and a 20% increase in worldwide output, according to Chevron.
Higher crude prices and wider refining margins helped both companies offset rising costs. The Iran war pushed West Texas Intermediate crude as high as $109.64 per barrel during the quarter, compared with $65.17 before the conflict intensified.
Iran war keeps pressure on US consumers
US gasoline prices have climbed by more than 30% since the United States and Israel began strikes against Iran, increasing pressure on household budgets ahead of the midterm elections.
The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the price outlook because it serves as a major route for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Restrictions, tanker attacks, and the US blockade have disrupted normal traffic through the waterway.
The American Petroleum Institute defended the industry’s earnings, saying fuel prices reflect global market conditions rather than decisions by individual producers. Crude oil costs, refining margins, distribution expenses, and taxes all contribute to retail gasoline prices.
Trump said prices would fall sharply if the war ended. However, the administration has no direct authority to set the retail prices charged by oil companies or independent fuel stations.
Oil falls as Trump pauses Iran strikes
Oil prices dropped on Monday after Trump called off another planned strike against Iran and said negotiations could reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
WTI crude fell more than 5% to around $80 per barrel, while US gasoline futures also declined nearly 5%. The retreat reflected expectations that a diplomatic agreement could restore more shipping activity and reduce supply risks.
Trump described the negotiations as Iran’s “last chance” to secure an agreement. He said the proposed talks would address the strait first before moving to Iran’s nuclear program.
Tehran disputed Trump’s account, saying it was not negotiating directly with Washington. Iranian officials said they were instead holding discussions with Oman over a temporary safe route through the strait, leaving the timing and scope of any agreement uncertain.
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XRP price is down about 2% on the day, yet it just bounced roughly 4% off its August low as South Korea keeps stacking bids under the market.
The bounce is not a confirmed reversal. XRP price still trades inside a falling channel that has capped every rally since May 14, 2026. South Korea, however, is flashing an unusually tidy set of early signals.
South Korea is Buying XRP
XRP ranks third among 275 Korean won markets on Upbit by 24-hour trading volume, behind only Tether and Bitcoin. Few altcoins matter more to South Korea’s retail traders.
Rank measures attention, not direction, so the order book fills the gap. Within 1% of the market price, combined Upbit and Bithumb bids outweigh asks by roughly two to one, a gap of about 34%.
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That ratio simply compares resting buy orders against sell orders near the current price. A two-to-one skew means buyers have posted far more nearby liquidity than sellers, a sign of real demand.
Korea is also paying a small premium to the global price on Bybit, near the top of its seven-day range. The lean is bullish, though still too thin to call a full premium event.
Heavier Korean bids indicate who is buying, but momentum indicates whether selling is finally fading.
Momentum is Turning as XRP Price Stops Falling Hard
XRP price keeps making lower lows, but the selling is losing power. Since early June, price carved a marginally lower low into August while momentum made a higher low.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI), a momentum gauge that tracks how fast recent moves are running, climbed from below 20 in early June to the low 40s at the August low. That split between falling price and rising momentum is a classic bullish divergence.
Price already reacted, rebounding about 4% from its August 1 low, echoing a recent surge in dip buying.
Leverage is not driving it either. Bybit perpetual funding sits near +0.006%, only mildly positive. Funding is the fee long traders pay shorts to hold a position, and this reading is far from overheated.
If momentum is turning, the next test is whether large holders and funds agree.
Whales and ETFs Back the South Korea Signal
The turn is not standing alone. Santiment data shows the share of XRP held by the 100 million to 1 billion cohort jumped from 10.66% to 11.98% around August 1.
Those are wallets holding between 100 million and 1 billion XRP, and the move suggests large holders may have added to weak momentum, though such shifts can also reflect wallet relabeling.
Fund demand is improving too. XRP spot ETF inflows reached $14.86 million in the week ending July 31, the strongest in four weeks.
The run improved from a $7.18 million outflow to $6.78 million, then $8.15 million, then $14.86 million, matching the broader August XRP outlook.
Institutions are not flooding in, but the direction of demand has clearly changed.
Bids, momentum, and flows all point one way, leaving a single barrier on the chart.
XRP Price Levels That Decide the Reversal
Here, the setup is won or lost. XRP price needs a daily close above $1.09 to break the falling channel and confirm the shift.
A clean break opens room toward $1.16, then the July swing near $1.18, with $1.29 as the extended target. Traders can weigh those against the full XRP price forecast.
The floor matters just as much. XRP must reclaim $1.08, the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement, to keep the bounce alive.
Staying under $1.08 on a daily close would expose $1.03, then $0.95, which sits near the channel midline. South Korea’s visible bid can also vanish if those orders are pulled.
A daily close above $1.09 separates a South Korea-led XRP price reversal from another rejection back toward the channel midline.
The post The 80-Day XRP Price Downtrend Meets a Wall of Korean Bids appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Palantir Technologies (PLTR) beat Wall Street on every headline figure in the second quarter and lifted its full-year outlook. Shares climbed more than 7% in after-hours trading on Monday.
The data analytics firm reported $1.94 billion in revenue, up 93% from a year earlier. Adjusted earnings reached 41 cents per share, above the roughly 35 cents analysts had modeled.
Palantir Earnings Beat Every Major Estimate
Revenue landed well above the $1.81 billion consensus and the company’s own guidance of about $1.80 billion. Growth also accelerated from the 85% pace set in the first quarter.
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U.S. commercial customers did most of the work. That segment rose 149% year over year to $764 million. Government revenue gained 90% to $809 million, despite Democratic scrutiny of contracts earlier this summer.
Profitability moved in step. GAAP net income reached $1.06 billion, a 55% margin, while adjusted operating margin hit 62%. The company’s Rule of 40 score, which adds revenue growth to operating margin, climbed to 155%.
Deal flow expanded alongside it. Palantir closed 220 contracts worth at least $1 million and booked a record $2.13 billion in U.S. commercial total contract value, up 153%.
Remaining deal value in the same segment reached $6.24 billion, more than double the year-ago figure. That backlog gives management visibility into 2027 revenue.
Guidance Raise Points to Sovereign AI Demand
Management now expects full-year revenue between $8.150 billion and $8.158 billion, roughly 82% growth. The previous range topped out near $7.66 billion.
Adjusted operating profit guidance moved to about $4.89 billion, comfortably ahead of the $4.51 billion analysts had penciled in. Adjusted free cash flow is now guided to $4.5 billion to $4.7 billion.
Chief Executive Alex Karp framed the quarter around what he called demand for AI sovereignty, meaning customer control over their own data and decisions rather than reliance on outside models.
“Demand for AI sovereignty has now been unleashed. And Palantir is the only company that has demonstrated it can transform tokens into actual economic value. Our customers trust us to provide them with maximal control over their operations, data, and decisions,” Alex Karp, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Palantir Technologies, in the company’s earnings release.
Palantir Stock Still Trails Its 12-Month High
Shares closed regular trading at $125.65, up 2.10%, then jumped to $135.12 after the release. Options traders had priced an 11% swing in either direction.
Even after that move, the stock sits far below its 12-month high of $207.52. Palantir entered Monday down about 31% for the year, as investors questioned AI stock valuations across the sector.
Bulls argue the spending cycle is still early, a view echoed in the debate over AI capex that has split Wall Street since June.
Palantir guided third-quarter revenue to roughly $2.16 billion. Whether the guidance raise holds the stock above $135 depends on how quickly commercial bookings convert into recognized revenue.
The post Palantir Just Crushed Wall Street by $125 Million: How Will Stock React? appeared first on BeInCrypto.
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