Russia is tightening its cryptocurrency mining rules by expanding a ban that will apply in Moscow and surrounding areas. The restriction takes effect on Aug. 15, 2026, and is scheduled to run through Dec. 31, 2032, according to a government resolution published on Pravo.ru.

The updated measure, signed July 25, 2026 by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, amends earlier restrictions adopted in December 2024. It broadens the list of regions where mining is prohibited, citing electricity supply and demand pressures in power-constrained territories.

Key takeaways

• Russia’s Resolution No. 936 (signed July 25, 2026) extends crypto mining restrictions to Moscow and the Moscow Region.
• The Moscow-area ban starts Aug. 15, 2026 and runs through Dec. 31, 2032.
• Additional affected areas include several territories within Russia’s Kursk Region, plus eight municipal districts and the city of Lgov.
• The Kremlin-linked restrictions build on an earlier Dec. 2024 mining curbs order, and follow region-by-region bans introduced since early 2026.

Resolution expands mining ban into Moscow and nearby territories

Under the revised framework, mining restrictions now include Moscow, the Moscow Region, and multiple areas within Russia’s Kursk Region. The document also lists eight municipal districts and the city of Lgov as part of the restricted zone.

The changes are formalized in Resolution No. 936, referenced in records published on Pravo.ru. The resolution amends an earlier order issued in December 2024, which had already established limitations on cryptocurrency mining in specific parts of Russia.

Electricity demand remains the policy rationale

Russian officials have previously connected mining restrictions to grid strain and rising electricity demand. According to reporting by TASS, the Moscow Region’s energy authorities said a ban was needed as consumption increased.

TASS also cited power infrastructure figures, stating that Moscow and the Moscow Region have 65 data centers linked to the grid with a combined capacity of 734 megawatts (MW). Within that total, 19 data centers are located in the Moscow Region, totaling 233 MW of capacity.

While the new resolution expands the restricted geography, the underlying logic mirrors earlier steps: authorities are attempting to limit additional load from mining activities in areas where power supply and demand are already under pressure.

Earlier regional restrictions set the stage for a broader move

This Moscow-focused expansion follows a broader pattern of state action against crypto mining in selected regions. The updated rules amend the December 2024 restriction order, which had already begun shaping where mining could operate.

Earlier restrictions were also introduced in parts of Russia, including areas in Buryatia and Zabaykalsky Krai. As described in the Pravo.ru records, those bans were set to run from April 1, 2026 through March 15, 2031.

In other words, Russia is not simply imposing a new nationwide approach; it is layering restrictions by region—first in selected territories and now into major urban and power-dependent areas like Moscow and its surrounding region.

What to watch next for miners and operators

For mining companies and energy-intensive operators, the key practical implication is that compliance will depend heavily on location rather than a single countrywide rule. With the start date set for Aug. 15, 2026 and a long time horizon through 2032, operators in or near the newly restricted areas will need to plan for regulatory compliance well ahead of implementation.

Investors, traders, and builders should watch whether authorities continue expanding the banned geography beyond Moscow and Kursk, and whether grid-capacity reporting becomes more central to future policy decisions. Additional region-specific amendments would further reinforce Russia’s approach of using electricity supply constraints as the deciding factor for mining permissions.

Bitget has upgraded its Bitcoin-backed BGBTC asset with daily BTC-denominated rewards, cross-chain transfers through Chainlink CCIP, and independent oversight from Gauntlet.

Bitget adds daily Bitcoin rewards to BGBTC

Bitget said the upgraded BGBTC will distribute daily rewards denominated in BTC to token holders. The asset is designed to maintain a 1:1 peg with Bitcoin while allowing users to earn yield without selling their underlying exposure.

BGBTC just got a major upgrade.

Backed 1:1 by BTC, it now offers daily BTC rewards, fast redemption at scale, and utility across trading, margin, loans, Launchpool, and PoolX.

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— Bitget (@bitget) July 31, 2026

The exchange is positioning BGBTC as an alternative to holding idle Bitcoin or moving BTC into separate yield strategies. Those strategies can require users to transfer assets between platforms, manage additional protocols, or accept reduced liquidity.

BGBTC already has several uses within the Bitget ecosystem. Holders can use the asset as futures margin, lending collateral or for participation in the exchange’s Launchpool and PoolX products.

The upgrade also introduces support for large-volume and faster redemptions, according to Bitget. The company said it has added institutional-grade risk controls and greater transparency, although specific reward rates and redemption thresholds were not provided in the announcement.

Rewards remain tied to the performance and sustainability of the underlying yield strategies. A Bitcoin-backed token can also carry platform, custody, smart-contract and liquidity risks that differ from holding BTC directly.

Chainlink CCIP supports cross-chain BGBTC transfers

Bitget selected Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol as the canonical infrastructure for distributing BGBTC across multiple blockchain networks.

CCIP provides the messaging layer needed to move the asset between supported chains. The integration could allow holders to access decentralized applications and financial services outside Bitget’s centralized platform while retaining exposure to the Bitcoin-backed token.

Bitget already uses Chainlink Proof of Reserve to verify the assets supporting BGBTC. Proof of Reserve provides on-chain data intended to help users assess whether sufficient collateral exists behind the issued supply.

Combining Proof of Reserve with CCIP addresses two separate functions. The reserve system focuses on collateral verification, while CCIP handles communication and token transfers across blockchains.

Bitget did not identify every blockchain that will initially support BGBTC through CCIP or provide a schedule for additional network deployments.

Gauntlet will oversee BGBTC yield strategies

Gauntlet has been appointed as BGBTC’s independent curator and will supervise the strategies used to generate rewards for holders.

The quantitative risk-management firm will monitor the underlying portfolio, assess risks and help determine how capital is deployed. Bitget said the framework is intended to support the long-term sustainability of BGBTC’s yield rather than relying on an unmanaged set of strategies.

Independent curation adds another layer of oversight, but it does not eliminate losses. Reward levels may change based on market conditions, available strategies, and the performance of the assets or protocols involved.

Bitget is also working with infrastructure providers, including Chainlink and Morph, as it seeks to connect centralized and decentralized financial services through a broader Bitcoin yield network.

The company cited USDGO Holderyield as another part of its effort to let users earn returns from assets that would otherwise remain idle.

What the upgrade means for Bitcoin holders

BGBTC combines Bitcoin exposure, daily rewards and cross-chain utility in a single token. Users can potentially earn BTC-denominated returns while deploying the asset as collateral, margin or capital in supported decentralized applications.

For US investors, access to BGBTC and related Bitget services may depend on geographic and product restrictions. Users should confirm whether the exchange, token, and associated yield products are available in their jurisdiction before transferring funds.

Yield paid in BTC may also create tax-reporting obligations for US holders, depending on how the rewards are classified and when users gain control of them. Bitget did not announce any US-specific rollout or regulatory approval alongside the upgrade.

Future adoption will depend on the reward rate, redemption performance, supported networks, and transparency around the underlying strategies. Bitget has not yet disclosed a fixed annual yield or a complete cross-chain deployment timeline.

SpaceX stock remained under pressure near a record low as traders prepared for the company’s first post-IPO earnings report and the release of 911.5 million insider shares.

SpaceX stock extends its post-IPO decline

SpaceX stock closed July 31 at $108, down 3.41% during the session and about 36% from its July 1 price of $171. The decline left the shares at their lowest closing level since the company’s June 12 initial public offering.

SPCX has now fallen by more than 50% from the record high of $225 reached on June 16. The sustained pullback has raised the prospect of a move below $100 as two major catalysts approach.

SpaceX is scheduled to publish its first quarterly results as a public company on Aug. 4. Two days later, restrictions covering 911.5 million insider shares are expected to expire, allowing their holders to sell the stock.

Those events could produce large price swings because investors must assess the company’s operating performance while preparing for a possible increase in available supply.

Earnings and short sellers drive the move

Wall Street expects SpaceX to report quarterly revenue of between $6.72 billion and $6.9 billion. Results above that range could ease concerns about the company’s valuation and encourage buyers to return after four consecutive weeks of losses.

A revenue miss could have the opposite effect, particularly because the stock has not established a reliable support base. Traders will also watch management’s guidance for Starlink, launch operations, and the company’s emerging data-center business.

Short positioning has added pressure. S3 Partners data showed that investors had shorted 219.3 million shares, representing about 39% of the stock available for public trading.

The large position means short sellers could continue benefiting if SPCX falls. However, unexpectedly strong earnings could force some traders to cover their positions, creating a short-term rebound.

Bernstein recently maintained an outperform rating and a $239 target after SpaceX completed its 13th Starship test flight. William Blair also reportedly increased its adjusted earnings-per-share estimate from $8.20 to $8.60, citing potential growth from the company’s data-center operations.

Share unlock threatens to increase selling

The Aug. 6 unlock represents the main downside risk because it will make 911.5 million insider shares eligible for sale. At a price of about $108, those shares would carry a market value approaching $98.4 billion, although eligibility does not mean that all holders will sell.

S3 Partners research director Sam Pierson argued that the additional supply could outweigh a positive earnings report.

“There won’t be anything announced on earnings that will overcome the volume of unlocked shares coming to market,” Pierson said.

Actual selling will depend on insider decisions, liquidity and market demand. Even so, the scale of the unlock may discourage investors from buying before Aug. 6, particularly while short interest remains elevated.

For US investors, both events fall within the same trading week. That concentration could increase volatility, widen intraday price ranges and make execution prices less predictable around the earnings release and unlock date.

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SpaceX stock tests $107.10 support

The one-hour SPCX chart shows the stock trading around $108.39 after declining within a broad descending channel. Price is now testing the $107.10 Fibonacci level, which forms the most immediate support.

A confirmed break below $107.10 would remove the final marked retracement support on the chart. That could expose the psychological $100 level, followed by the descending channel’s lower boundary near $97.

Trend indicators continue to favor sellers. Aroon Down stands at 92.86%, compared with Aroon Up at 7.14%, showing that recent lows are occurring much more frequently than recent highs.

The Awesome Oscillator is also negative at minus 3.98. Its red histogram bars indicate that bearish momentum remains active as SPCX trades near the bottom of its recent range.

The first upside barrier sits at the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement level of $121.09. Reclaiming that price would weaken the immediate bearish setup, but it would not reverse the broader downtrend.

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Further resistance appears at $132.08, corresponding to the 61.8% retracement, followed by $139.80 at the 50% level. SPCX would need to move above the descending channel and hold those levels before the chart supports a more durable recovery.

What comes next for SPCX

The near-term direction will likely depend on whether earnings demand can absorb the potential supply created by the share unlock. A revenue beat and stronger guidance could help SPCX defend $107.10 and challenge $121.09.

Failure to hold $107.10 would increase the risk of a decline below $100. Conversely, a sustained break above $121.09 would provide the first meaningful technical evidence that selling pressure is easing.

With earnings due Aug. 4 and the unlock expected Aug. 6, traders face two separate catalysts capable of moving the stock sharply. Until SPCX reclaims nearby resistance, its descending trend and negative momentum indicators leave sellers in control.

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Russia is tightening its cryptocurrency mining policy again, extending restrictions beyond the regions it targeted earlier and adding Moscow and nearby areas to a long-running ban schedule. A new government resolution takes effect on Aug. 15, 2026, with the prohibition set to run through Dec. 31, 2032.

The update is set out in Resolution No. 936, signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on July 25, 2026, according to records published on Pravo.ru. It revises an earlier mining restriction order from December 2024 and updates the list of places where mining activities are limited due to local electricity concerns.

Key takeaways

• Resolution No. 936 introduces a mining ban for Moscow, the Moscow Region, and parts of Russia’s Kursk Region, beginning Aug. 15, 2026.
• The restrictions will remain in force through Dec. 31, 2032, effectively creating a multi-year compliance horizon for operators.
• The rules follow earlier regional bans launched in December 2024 and other orders that began in 2026 across select parts of Buryatia and Zabaykalsky Krai.
• Officials have previously justified the approach by citing rising electricity demand and the power grid pressure associated with growing data-center loads.

Moscow and Kursk move into the restricted zone

Under the amended framework, the restricted geography expands to include Moscow, the Moscow Region, and additional territories listed within Russia’s Kursk Region. The rules also cover eight municipal districts and the city of Lgov in that region, broadening the affected footprint beyond the original set of localities.

The stated objective remains consistent with earlier restrictions: to limit cryptocurrency mining in areas considered to be facing strain on electricity supply. For miners and infrastructure providers, the practical impact is straightforward—new or continued mining operations in the designated areas may need to pause or restructure well before the Aug. 15, 2026 start date to avoid enforcement risks.

Resolution No. 936 revises the December 2024 order

Resolution No. 936 was signed on July 25, 2026 and amends an earlier prohibition order issued in December 2024. According to Pravo.ru, the change is not a one-off ban: it updates the list of jurisdictions where mining restrictions apply and extends the same restriction concept to additional regions.

That matters for market participants because Russia’s approach is being refined through successive legal instruments rather than replaced wholesale. In practice, operators are being pushed to manage regulatory uncertainty through long planning windows and contingency plans, especially in data-center-heavy regions where power allocation decisions can determine feasibility.

Why authorities linked the bans to power demand

In an earlier statement covering the Moscow Region’s rationale, the energy ministry said the ban was needed because of growing electricity demand. As reported by TASS, the ministry estimated that Moscow and the Moscow Region have 65 data centers connected to the power grid, with a combined capacity of 734 megawatts (MW). The same reporting cited 19 data centers in the Moscow Region with 233 MW of capacity.

Even though the mining restrictions are aimed at cryptocurrency operations, the logic used by officials is tied to the overall electricity system—particularly the growing load from digital infrastructure. For miners, that creates an indirect but significant link between crypto activity and broader regional power planning: where electricity is already earmarked for data centers and other high-consumption uses, regulators may treat mining as additional pressure that the grid cannot easily absorb.

Not the first wave: bans already planned in other regions

This latest expansion builds on restrictions introduced earlier in other parts of Russia. The earlier framework referenced by Pravo.ru points to mining restrictions being introduced in several regions in a prior phase, including parts of Buryatia and Zabaykalsky Krai.

As indicated in the published records, the bans in those areas are scheduled to run from April 1, 2026 through March 15, 2031. That staggered timing creates a rolling pattern: some jurisdictions begin restrictions in 2026 while others—like Moscow—enter a later phase starting Aug. 15, 2026, but continuing for longer overall through 2032.

Investors and operators watching Russia’s policy direction should note the implication: rather than lifting restrictions once an initial window expires, the government is instead layering in additional territories and sustaining multi-year prohibitions. That tends to shift mining activity away from restricted power grids and toward jurisdictions not covered by the latest legal orders—or toward arrangements that can demonstrate compliance with local limits.

For the next phase, the key question is how enforcement will work in the newly included jurisdictions, and whether regulators will continue expanding the restricted map beyond Moscow and Kursk or refine exemptions for specific infrastructure arrangements. Miners with assets near the updated boundaries should monitor local implementation details closely as Aug. 15, 2026 approaches.

Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest bought 109,129 Circle shares after the stablecoin issuer secured a limited-purpose trust charter in New York.

ARK Invest adds 109,129 Circle shares

ARK purchased 77,103 Circle shares through its flagship ARK Innovation ETF, according to the firm’s daily trade disclosures. The ARK Next Generation Internet ETF added 22,238 shares, while the ARK Fintech Innovation ETF acquired another 9,788.

Together, the purchases totaled 109,129 shares. They were worth approximately $6.83 million based on Circle’s July 31 closing price of $62.61.

The investment extended ARK’s exposure to Circle as the company expands its regulated stablecoin infrastructure in the United States. It also followed ARK’s roughly $40.2 million purchase of Tesla, SpaceX and Nvidia shares on July 28 during a broader technology-sector sell-off.

ARK made several other purchases on July 31, including 298,243 CoreWeave shares, 12,512 shares of the 3iQ Solana Staking ETF, 7,500 Pony AI shares and 2,700 Kodiak AI shares.

The firm reduced its positions in Shopify, Cloudflare, CrowdStrike, Snowflake, 10x Genomics, Komatsu, Brera Holdings, Iridium Communications and Figma.

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Circle secures New York trust charter

ARK’s purchase followed Circle’s receipt of a limited-purpose trust charter from the New York Department of Financial Services. The approval covers Circle Internet Trust Company LLC, which will operate as Circle New York Trust.

A New York limited-purpose trust company can conduct approved virtual currency activities and exercise fiduciary powers. Unlike a BitLicense holder, it can also provide money transmission services in the state without obtaining a separate money transmitter license.

Circle said it plans to gradually move USDC issuance to the New York entity. Circle New York Trust will operate alongside Circle National Trust, the federally chartered national trust bank authorized to provide custody and collateral trustee services.

Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire described the New York approval as a long-term objective for the company.

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“Earning a New York trust charter has been a longstanding objective for Circle given the regulatory clarity that comes with it.”

He added that the charter places USDC within a strong regulatory framework as digital dollars become more widely used in the global financial system.

Circle builds state and federal oversight

Circle’s New York authorization follows the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s final approval on July 10 for the company to establish Circle National Trust.

The federal trust bank will initially provide fiduciary digital asset custody services to Circle and its affiliates. Circle has also identified management of USDC reserves as a possible future capability, subject to its approved business plan and regulatory requirements.

The two charters give Circle separate state and federal regulatory structures. NYDFS will supervise the New York entity’s approved virtual currency and fiduciary activities, while the OCC will oversee the national trust bank.

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For U.S. investors, the approvals strengthen Circle’s position within the regulated stablecoin market. However, the charters do not remove risks tied to USDC growth, interest-rate changes, competition or Circle’s share valuation.

Circle stock falls despite regulatory progress

Circle stock ended July 31 at $62.61, falling $1.63, or 2.54%, during the session. The decline suggests investors did not immediately treat the New York charter as a reason to reverse the stock’s recent weakness.

CRCL had gained about 10% on July 10 after Circle announced final OCC approval for its national trust bank. The shares subsequently surrendered those gains as the broader technology and digital-asset sectors came under pressure.

ARK’s latest purchase comes as the investment firm expects consolidation across crypto businesses. ARK digital assets research director Lorenzo Valente said on July 28 that revenue and investment were becoming concentrated among fewer companies.

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Valente predicted more acquisitions, bankruptcies, shutdowns and talent-focused deals. However, his post did not identify the dataset, category definitions or measurement period supporting its revenue concentration figures.

Circle is scheduled to report its second-quarter 2026 financial results on Aug. 5, giving investors another measure of whether regulatory progress is translating into stronger USDC activity and company revenue.

Russia has expanded its cryptocurrency mining restrictions to Moscow, with the ban set to take effect on Aug. 15, 2026, and remain in place through Dec. 31, 2032.

Russia’s Resolution No. 936, signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on July 25, 2026, amends an earlier mining restriction order issued in December 2024, according to records published on Pravo.ru.

The updated rules add Moscow, the Moscow Region and several territories in Russia’s Kursk Region to the list of restricted areas. The measure expands existing restrictions on cryptocurrency mining in areas facing electricity supply concerns. The ban also covers eight municipal districts and the city of Lgov in Kursk Region.

Earlier restrictions were also introduced in several Russian regions, including parts of Buryatia and the Zabaykalsky Krai, where a mining ban is set to run from April 1, 2026, through March 15, 2031.

The Moscow Region’s Energy Ministry previously said a mining ban was needed because of growing electricity demand, according to TASS. The ministry estimated that Moscow and the Moscow Region have 65 data centers connected to the power grid with a combined capacity of 734 megawatts (MW), including 19 data centers in the Moscow Region with 233 MW of capacity.

Related: BitRiver founder charged in Russia over alleged $8M fraud

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