China Business Journal warned on July 30 that fraudsters had impersonated the publication while demanding Bitcoin from companies threatened with negative news coverage.

According to the newspaper’s statement, the scammers contacted businesses through an address hosted by Proton Mail. They claimed that undercover investigations had uncovered damaging information about the targeted companies.

The senders allegedly threatened to publish the purported findings unless the companies transferred Bitcoin. The publication said it had not authorized the messages and considered the operation a suspected fraud scheme.

Scammers allegedly used negative coverage as leverage

The emails appeared to combine two established fraud methods: impersonating a recognized organization and threatening reputational damage to force payment.

China Business Journal said the perpetrators presented themselves as representatives of the newspaper. They then offered to suppress the alleged investigation in exchange for Bitcoin. The publication did not reproduce the full emails or identify the businesses contacted.

The allegation remains based on the newspaper’s account. No suspect has been named, and no law enforcement agency had publicly announced an arrest or criminal filing connected to the emails as of July 30.

Chinese authorities have previously prosecuted people who impersonated journalists or used negative coverage to demand money. In a 2025 case published by China’s news regulator, three people were convicted after using purported environmental reporting to extort 16 companies. 

China Business Journal says the emails were unauthorized

The newspaper said the messages did not come from its authorized reporting or business operations. It is collecting evidence and reserved the right to pursue civil and criminal action against those responsible.

The warning is intended to help companies distinguish genuine reporting inquiries from payment demands. A legitimate request for comment may contain difficult questions, but demands for cryptocurrency in exchange for suppressing publication are a clear warning sign.

China Business Journal was established in 1985. It operates under the supervision of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and is organized by the academy’s Institute of Industrial Economics.

The scammers’ use of the publication’s identity could therefore make the emails appear credible to executives unfamiliar with its official contact procedures.

The newspaper did not disclose a Bitcoin wallet address, requested amount, transaction hash or payment deadline. It also did not say whether any targeted company transferred funds.

Without a wallet address, independent researchers cannot examine the blockchain for payments linked to the alleged scheme. The available information confirms the warning, but not whether the fraudsters successfully collected Bitcoin.

The use of Proton Mail does not establish who sent the emails. Proton allows users to report suspected phishing and abusive messages to its security team. Its guidance asks recipients to preserve and submit the original message when reporting suspicious activity.

The newspaper also did not announce whether it had contacted Proton or Chinese police. Any account suspension, identification request or criminal investigation would require further action by the relevant service provider and authorities.

Companies face a familiar impersonation tactic

China’s internet regulator has previously warned that criminals sometimes pose as legitimate news organizations, threaten to publish negative material and demand payment from companies or individuals. 

The latest case adds Bitcoin to that model. Cryptocurrency allows a recipient to request direct payment without using a conventional company bank account. However, the demand itself does not prove that the scammers received funds or successfully concealed their identities.

U.S. prosecutors charged a teenager over an alleged $8 million crypto ransom scheme tied to corporate intrusions and impersonation tactics.

Additionally, Coinbase refused a $20 million ransom demand after attackers claimed they possessed stolen customer information.

China Business Journal said it would continue gathering evidence. The next verified update could come from the newspaper, Proton, police authorities or a company that received one of the emails.

Adam Hollander has announced that he has stepped down as OpenSea’s chief marketing officer after serving in the role for roughly a year and a half, saying the decision was driven by personal priorities rather than the company’s business outlook.

In a post published on X, Hollander said this week would be his last at OpenSea after discussing the decision with co-founder and CEO Devin Finzer. He said he would not be moving to another company and instead plans to spend time focusing on his health, family and personal interests while remaining involved with the platform as a user and informal adviser.

“The last year and a half running marketing for OpenSea has been a wonderful adventure,” Hollander wrote, adding that the role had “taken everything I have to give.” He said the choice to leave was “far more of a personal decision… than a professional one.”

OpenSea executive says confidence in company has grown

Although leaving the company, Hollander said his confidence in OpenSea had strengthened during his time there. He wrote that he believes in the company’s direction and has “enormous confidence” in both the products under development and the team building them.

He also made clear that his departure should not be interpreted as a move prompted by dissatisfaction with the business or by another employment opportunity.

“I’m not taking another job, and in fact, explicitly plan not to,” he said. “I’m going to take some time to focus on my health, family, hobbies, and of course I’ll be a regular OpenSea user.”

Hollander added that he intends to remain available to provide advice, product ideas, and feedback because he wants the marketplace to succeed.

Responding publicly on X, Finzer thanked Hollander for his contributions during the past 18 months.

“I’m glad to have fought alongside you,” Finzer wrote. He added that the company would continue communicating openly with its community while building new products.

Marketing team and upcoming OpenSea products remain in focus

Looking back on his tenure, Hollander said one of his proudest achievements was building a marketing team that he described as capable, entrepreneurial and deeply connected to artists, creators and collectors.

He said the group is well positioned to continue operating without him and expressed confidence that the responsibilities he handled as chief marketing officer are now in capable hands.

Attention also turned to the company’s product roadmap after Hollander suggested several upcoming releases carry work he contributed to before announcing his departure.

“There are so many exciting things being built at OpenSea right now,” he wrote. “Things I’ve always wanted to see from the platform.”

Without identifying those products individually, Hollander said he was proud that many would bear his “fingerprints” and that he looked forward to supporting the team from the sidelines after leaving.

His post concluded with thanks to colleagues, builders, collectors and traders who worked with him during his time at the company before signing off with, “For the last time as OpenSea’s CMO … sails up.”

OpenSea has expanded beyond NFTs during his tenure

Hollander joined OpenSea in early 2025, a period when the company had already begun expanding beyond its traditional NFT marketplace business.

One of the clearest examples came in June, when OpenSea signaled plans to introduce perpetual futures trading. At the time, Product Marketing Lead Zack Brenner invited users on X to request early access to perpetual contracts, pointing to a new trading product that would move the platform into on-chain derivatives.

When asked whether the feature would run on Hyperliquid’s infrastructure, Brenner replied “YES,” according to posts shared by Hyperliquid-focused accounts on X. OpenSea has not published a launch date, user terms or a full list of supported assets for the product.

The proposed integration would allow OpenSea to offer perpetual contracts using Hyperliquid’s infrastructure instead of building a derivatives exchange from scratch.

SEA token plans and trading strategy continue to develop

The perpetual futures initiative followed earlier changes to OpenSea’s product roadmap.

As previously reported by crypto.news, the company delayed the launch of its SEA token in March after citing market conditions. Finzer said at the time that the team wanted to ensure “every piece is in place” before proceeding with the rollout.

Earlier reporting also connected the token to OpenSea’s long-term “trade everything” strategy, which combines NFTs, token trading and perpetual futures within the same ecosystem.

CoinGecko’s marketplace rankings published in June placed OpenSea third among NFT marketplaces by monthly trading volume, giving it a 19.9% market share and approximately $66.52 million in monthly volume.

Outside the NFT business, Hyperliquid has also attracted institutional interest in recent months. Crypto.news previously reported that Grayscale updated its proposed Hyperliquid ETF filing with the ticker HYPG and a 0.29% management fee, joining existing Hyperliquid-related investment products from 21Shares and Bitwise.

MoonPay has introduced PayBox, a “payment vault” designed to let AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude execute crypto actions inside a conversation—while keeping users in control of their wallet permissions. The company positions the product as a safer way for AI to perform tasks like swapping tokens, bridging assets, and interacting with DeFi, using natural-language instructions from the user.

In practical terms, users connect a crypto wallet and payment methods to the AI assistant. The assistant then prepares transactions—such as token swaps, cross-chain transfers, or DeFi calls—based on what the user asks. MoonPay says approval can be handled via a passkey or through spending limits that allow the AI to carry out certain actions automatically within predefined boundaries.

Key takeaways

• PayBox aims to put consent first, offering per-transaction approval or limited autonomous execution based on user-set permissions.
• MoonPay says it protects wallet keys using multi-party computation and trusted execution environments to reduce direct access by both the AI assistant and MoonPay.
• PayBox supports multiple payment rails, including debit cards, bank accounts, Apple Pay, and PayPal, in addition to crypto wallets.
• The vault integrates with AI apps via an SDK, allowing developers to embed PayBox functionality into their own assistant experiences.
• x402 momentum continues, with public dashboards showing large recent transaction volumes across participating services.

PayBox: AI-driven crypto payments with user-controlled permissions

MoonPay’s central pitch with PayBox is control. The platform is built around the idea that an AI assistant should be able to request or construct crypto transactions from within a chat, but that the user retains authority over how those actions happen.

MoonPay says users can require approval for every transaction, or choose an approach where the AI is allowed to act automatically only within limits the user defines. Those limits can function as guardrails for autonomy—constraining what the assistant can do without additional confirmation.

To address key management and custody concerns, MoonPay states PayBox uses multi-party computation and trusted execution environments. The goal is to prevent either the AI assistant or MoonPay from independently accessing user funds. While the user initiates actions through the AI interface, the underlying design is intended to reduce the risk of unilateral fund movement.

From swaps to bridges: where PayBox fits in an AI workflow

PayBox is positioned for common “agent” behaviors in crypto—actions that are often difficult for users to execute safely or quickly. MoonPay says the system can support transaction types including:

• Token swaps initiated from chat prompts
• Cross-chain bridging and transfers across networks
• DeFi interactions constructed as transactions based on user intent

MoonPay also highlights that PayBox works with multiple blockchains and multiple payment methods. According to the company, users can combine crypto wallets with fiat-to-crypto and payment rails such as debit cards, bank accounts, Apple Pay, and PayPal.

For developers, MoonPay indicates the product can be integrated through a software development kit (SDK), suggesting a strategy beyond serving end-users directly and instead enabling other AI-driven apps to embed transaction authorization and execution flows.

PayBox’s parallel track: x402 and the push for AI-native payments

PayBox also supports x402, an open payment protocol originally developed by Coinbase. x402 is intended to enable AI agents to make internet-native payments, aligning with the broader trend of “agentic” applications that can transact without requiring users to manually navigate payment steps.

In April 2026, the x402 protocol was contributed to the Linux Foundation. The Linux Foundation said the protocol is now governed as an open, vendor-neutral industry standard, through the launch of the x402 Foundation. Earlier coverage from Cointelegraph also noted growing ecosystem activity around x402.

Why the x402 ecosystem growth matters

Coinbase has continued expanding the x402 toolset. In June, the crypto exchange launched features aimed at helping AI agents accept USDC payments, trade crypto, discover paid services through an AI marketplace, and process high-frequency micropayments more efficiently—capabilities designed to reduce friction for automated transactions.

Other industry participants have moved in the same direction. Amazon Web Services integrated x402 into its Bedrock AgentCore Payments service, while Fireblocks launched an x402-compatible payments framework for AI agents and joined the x402 Foundation. Together, these efforts point to a broader attempt to standardize how AI agents receive payment instructions and complete transactions.

Network activity is another indicator that adoption may be accelerating. According to Chainalysis, agentic payments on Coinbase’s Base network surpassed 100 million transactions within roughly nine months, as reported in a June 3 report. Chainalysis also noted early usage could have been influenced by speculative applications, underscoring that transaction volume alone doesn’t always map directly to stable commercial demand.

Still, the public x402scan dashboard shows more than 12.7 million transactions over the past 30 days across participating services, indicating that activity continues to build across the ecosystem.

What to watch next

As PayBox and x402-related infrastructure mature, the key question for users and builders is whether safety controls and key protection can scale smoothly alongside growing transaction throughput—so far, the trend suggests more AI payment workflows are moving from experiments into repeatable, permissioned execution. The next signal to monitor will be how widely these tools are adopted across real assistant experiences and whether transaction growth translates into robust, non-speculative usage.

Bitcoin traded near $63,900 on Thursday, easing slightly, as U.S. stock futures rose on strong results from Microsoft that reassured investors the heavy spending on AI is starting to pay off, per CoinDesk data.

S&P 500 futures gained 0.2% and Nasdaq 100 contracts rose 0.4% after the index had slipped into a correction, with Microsoft up 8% in premarket after its cloud unit grew at the fastest pace in four years while it held the line on spending.

That is the read the market has wanted all month. Where Alphabet last week raised its spending forecast and unsettled investors, Microsoft showed the returns arriving without a bigger bill in a sign that AI capex is converting to growth.

Bitcoin has tracked that trade closely, moving with the chip and AI complex rather than on anything crypto-specific.

Binance is moving deeper into regulated traditional finance by launching USDT-settled options on gold and silver via its Abu Dhabi exchange platform. The contracts are designed to let traders express a view on commodity price movements without taking physical delivery of the metals.

The new options will be listed through Nest Exchange Limited, a Binance-operated venue under the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) framework. For market participants, the key change is that exposure will be settled in USDT rather than the underlying commodities—potentially lowering friction for crypto-native traders who already hedge or speculate using stablecoin-denominated instruments.

Key takeaways

• Binance will list USDT-settled gold and silver options through its ADGM-regulated Nest Exchange Limited.
• Options provide commodity exposure without physical delivery of gold or silver.
• Retail users can only buy options, while eligible institutions and liquidity providers can also write (sell) options.
• The launch complements Binance’s earlier gold and silver perpetual futures, introduced in January.
• The rollout adds to a broader push across crypto firms toward regulated commodity-linked products and tokenized bullion.

How Binance’s gold and silver options are structured

According to Binance, the options will be available as USDT-settled contracts, allowing traders to position for changes in gold and silver prices while remaining within a stablecoin settlement model. The exchange says the design avoids the need for holders to physically handle the underlying metals—one reason derivatives often attract both hedgers and speculative users who want exposure without logistics.

Binance also drew a clear distinction between retail access and institutional participation. Retail users will be limited to buying options only. By contrast, eligible institutional users and liquidity providers can write options in addition to buying. The company frames this as a risk-control measure: restricting retail users to buying limits downside risk to the premium paid, while enabling institutional participants to write options can support premium collection strategies.

Regulated expansion: from perpetuals to options

This new offering builds on Binance’s earlier step into commodities derivatives. In January, the exchange introduced gold and silver perpetual futures, and the options launch signals a broader expansion of regulated access to traditional assets through crypto-native trading formats.

The shift matters because options introduce a different toolkit than perpetuals. Perpetual futures primarily support directional exposure and leverage-based strategies, while options can be used to hedge downside, structure spreads, or target volatility and payoff profiles that are harder to replicate with linear instruments. For traders operating in the USDT settlement ecosystem, moving from perpetuals to options may increase the range of risk management approaches available on regulated venues.

Still, the practical impact for most users will depend on how liquidity develops and how tight spreads and market depth look once contracts begin trading. Options markets tend to vary widely in execution quality, and those conditions can influence whether hedging or structured trading is economical for smaller participants.

Commodity-linked products beyond derivatives

Binance’s options are part of a wider trend in crypto markets: product development that ties to commodities while navigating different regulatory and market access pathways.

Alongside derivatives exchanges, companies have also focused on tokenizing physical bullion. Tether and Paxos, for example, have pursued tokenized gold products rather than exchange-traded derivatives. Tether’s XAUt—designed to represent one troy ounce of gold stored in Swiss vaults—has been working to broaden compatibility with financial institutions outside traditional crypto rails.

Recent developments include XAUt receiving Shariah certification from Amanah Advisors, an effort intended to expand adoption within Islamic finance contexts. In addition, ADGM recognized XAUt as an accepted spot commodity, allowing regulated firms to offer services tied to the tokenized gold asset in that jurisdiction.

These moves highlight an industry split in approach: exchange-traded options aim to deliver commodity exposure through contracts and stablecoin settlement, while tokenized bullion products aim to bring physical-backed assets into regulated service models for spot usage.

RWA.xyz has estimated that tokenized commodities now sit at about $4.56 billion in distributed value, with Tether Gold and Paxos Gold accounting for more than 90% of the market. That concentration suggests that, so far, the majority of tokenized commodity activity is centered around a small set of products—something that may affect how quickly new offerings gain traction.

What investors and traders should watch next

Binance’s move into USDT-settled options on gold and silver is likely to appeal to traders looking for more flexible hedging and payoff structures within a regulated framework. However, the real test will be how quickly liquidity builds on Nest Exchange Limited and whether market participants can execute strategies efficiently as volatility conditions change.

As commodity-linked crypto products continue to proliferate—ranging from regulated derivatives to tokenized physical bullion—readers should track not only product launches, but also how regulators define permitted access, how institutions participate through options writing, and whether liquidity and spreads meaningfully improve for end users over time.