President Donald Trump’s positive comments on U.S.-Iran negotiations have lifted crypto markets, pushed oil below $70, and added more than $74 billion to gold’s market value as investors reposition for easing geopolitical risks.

According to President Donald Trump, relations with Iran have remained positive and ongoing negotiations in Qatar are progressing well, prompting a swift reaction across financial markets as traders reassessed the likelihood of a prolonged Middle East conflict.

Speaking on Wednesday, Trump said Iran’s “denuclearization is well on its way” and described the meetings as “excellent” before adding, “We’ll see.” His remarks followed a Truth Social post earlier this week in which he said U.S. officials would meet Iranian representatives in Doha at Tehran’s request.

Crypto extends gains as geopolitical tensions ease

While diplomatic discussions continued in Qatar, Bitcoin climbed more than 3% to an intraday high of $60,401 before easing to $60,120 at press time. Ethereum gained 2.8% to $1,620, XRP added 1.5%, and Solana outperformed with a 5% advance. The total cryptocurrency market capitalization also increased about 2% to $2.14 trillion.

The rally came as investors reduced demand for traditional safe-haven assets tied to geopolitical uncertainty. Gold added more than $74 billion in market value during the session, while U.S. benchmark WTI crude oil fell more than 2% for the first time since tensions between the United States and Iran intensified, closing below the $70 level.

Analysts nevertheless urged traders to remain cautious despite the rebound, noting that negotiations are still underway and that market direction will continue to depend on diplomatic developments.

Earlier this week, as reported by crypto.news, renewed attention also returned to comments from Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki, whose March prediction that Ethereum could reach $95,000 by mid-2027 resurfaced across crypto social media.

Kiyosaki argued that a major global financial crisis could trigger a sharp repricing of alternative assets, forecasting Ethereum at $95,000, Bitcoin at $750,000, gold at $35,000 per ounce, and silver at $200 following such an event.

Markets remain focused on the outcome of Doha negotiations

Diplomatic efforts have continued beyond Trump’s latest remarks. U.S. representative Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff are in Qatar for another round of discussions, while Qatar and Pakistan are serving as mediators during the negotiations.

Separate talks have also taken place between Iran and Oman, which recently established a joint committee to address issues surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and other ceasefire-related matters. Those discussions have added to expectations that negotiations are expanding beyond the immediate nuclear issue.

Prediction market Polymarket currently assigns a 62% probability that the United States and Iran will extend their 60-day negotiation period. Although that estimate suggests traders expect diplomacy to continue, it does not guarantee an agreement.

For now, Trump’s latest comments and the ongoing meetings in Doha have encouraged investors to price in a lower risk of further escalation. At the same time, market participants continue watching for concrete progress, since a formal agreement could extend the current rally across risk assets, while another breakdown in negotiations or the expiration of the 60-day deadline without an extension could reverse recent moves in cryptocurrencies, oil, and other global markets.

To support its case, the report highlighted Ethereum’s technical track record, noting that the network has maintained uninterrupted uptime since launching in 2015. Citing a recent OpenZeppelin report, the foundation said Ethereum was secured by roughly $76 billion worth of staked ETH as of March 2026, while emphasizing its geographically distributed validator network, multiple independent client implementations and large developer ecosystem.

Beyond technical metrics, the report framed Ethereum as digital public infrastructure rather than simply a financial network. It pointed to existing deployments, including decentralized identity initiatives in Bhutan and Buenos Aires and Ethereum-based land registry projects in India, as examples of governments already experimenting with the technology.

The publication comes as governments around the world increasingly explore blockchain-based infrastructure for identity, asset tokenization and public records. The Ethereum Foundation said policymakers should distinguish between decentralized public blockchains and networks that remain controlled by corporations or foundations, arguing that governance structures will play a critical role in determining which platforms are suitable for long-term public sector use.

Read more: Ethereum gets a new nonprofit focused on institutional adoption

Bitcoin has made its way back into market conversations following some interesting developments in South Korea’s equity markets, which could indicate that investors are gradually increasing their appetites for risky assets. In particular, while the benchmark KOSPI has seen wide-ranging losses from various companies listed, the tech-heavy KOSDAQ saw an impressive rally.

This contrast may lead market participants to speculate whether the improvement in risk appetite could possibly move into other asset classes, including digital currencies like Bitcoin. There is no indication of any capital inflow into cryptos at the moment, but previous developments have been similar in nature.

Rotation of Capital Pushes Up KOSDAQ Index

According to market information provided by CryptoSavingExpert, about $65 billion worth of market capitalization was lost by firms listed on the KOSPI during the latest market trading session. On the other hand, KOSDAQ gained over $100 billion worth of market capitalization while appreciating by roughly 7.5%.

The trend did not indicate a general pullback from the South Korean stock market. Instead, it pointed to investors shifting their capital from big companies to small companies with high growth prospects. It indicated growing confidence among speculators and their preference for companies with higher risks but potentially bigger gains.

Pressure on Large-Cap Stocks From All Sides

Market heat maps highlighted weaknesses of major stocks in the Korean market, showing mostly red across major industry groups.

Samsung Electronics, the biggest listed firm in South Korea based on its market capitalization, saw a decline of 0.93%, which was one of the causes of weakness for the KOSPI index. The list of weak firms includes many others.

Among the biggest losers:

• Samsung Electronics – 0.93%
• SK Hynix – 0.97%
• Kumho Tire – 1.30%
• Hyosung – 0.90%

The companies belong to various industries, such as technology, manufacturing, automotive, and industrial. This indicates that institutions were selling off large-cap stocks rather than anything specific going on within a certain company.

Bitcoin Under Investor Watch Again

The equity rotation cycle has put the spotlight back on Bitcoin, as the question remains whether improved risk sentiment will extend into crypto assets.

It has been observed in the past that during periods of high interest in risky assets, crypto assets—especially Bitcoin—have occasionally seen positive performance, as they are considered high-risk assets. When investors start being more risk-tolerant, their attention tends to move towards alternate asset classes outside traditional stocks. Nevertheless, there is no certainty involved.

Prices of cryptocurrency will still be determined by a host of other factors, such as liquidity conditions in the global economy, monetary policies, macroeconomic trends, institutional involvement, and investor positioning in general. Equity rotation alone will not suffice in driving flows into Bitcoin.

Market Sentiment Might Give Early Indications

Even though Bitcoin has not enjoyed any particular upside because of changes in South Korea’s market dynamics, there is another way changing investor sentiment can be tracked through equity rotation.

The performance of the KOSDAQ and selling pressure in the KOSPI are indicators that investors have become more comfortable taking risks following a period when they preferred safe havens.

Market players will keep track of how far this changing sentiment spreads into other financial markets around the world before it starts affecting cryptocurrencies. If speculative demand strengthens, Bitcoin might be one of the coins set to gain as investor sentiment shifts toward risky assets.

Beyond the Robinhood Chain ecosystem, the company announced several additional product launches and international expansion efforts. Robinhood said it is expanding perpetual futures trading in Europe to include commodities, ETFs and foreign exchange markets alongside crypto. It also plans to launch crypto trading in the U.K. and said its services are now available in Canada following its acquisition of WonderFi.

The company also unveiled Agentic Accounts for crypto, an AI-powered trading tool that will allow eligible U.S. users to connect AI models to Robinhood’s trading infrastructure while retaining control over capital allocation and trading parameters.

“Decentralized finance unlocks possibilities beyond what traditional finance can offer, but historically, it has required technical expertise to navigate,” Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood’s senior vice president of crypto.

Robinhood’s product push shows how the lines between crypto and traditional finance are continuing to blur. The brokerage has steadily expanded beyond stocks and spot crypto trading into tokenized equities, derivatives and event contracts, better known as prediction markets. That strategy fits into the race for the “everything exchange” to host all kinds of trading and financial activity under one roof, increasingly on top of blockchain rails.

At the same time, the company also said last month it would lay off 10% of its workforce, some 290 employees, to streamline its organization and management structure.

Crypto ATM availability is shrinking in the United States as new state laws designed to curb fraud and tighten consumer protections move into force. Tennessee and Georgia are the latest states to impose restrictions effective this week, following earlier actions in Indiana and upcoming enforcement in Minnesota.

The changes reflect a broader pattern: regulators and lawmakers across the US are targeting kiosks after scammers used them—often to trick vulnerable residents—into sending funds. For operators, the result is a more complex compliance landscape and, in some cases, an unsustainable business model.

Key takeaways

• Tennessee has implemented a statewide ban that prohibits the use and installation of crypto ATMs and kiosks.
• Georgia allows crypto ATMs to operate but introduces transaction caps, customer warnings, and reporting requirements, with provisions that can include refunds in certain fraud cases.
• Earlier state bans include Indiana (effective in March), while Minnesota is set to enforce a ban on Aug. 1.
• Regulatory pressure is already showing up financially, with Bitcoin Depot filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after signaling “substantial doubts” about its future.

Tennessee and Georgia tighten rules on crypto kiosks

Georgia and Tennessee each passed crypto ATM legislation that takes effect on Wednesday, but the approaches differ sharply. Tennessee’s law—signed by Governor Bill Lee in April—implements a complete prohibition on both installing and using cryptocurrency ATMs and kiosks.

Georgia’s law is more permissive while still aiming to reduce consumer harm. It requires operators to limit the amount of money sent by users, issue warnings to customers, and in some scenarios refund people who may have been defrauded.

Before Tennessee’s statewide ban took effect on July 1, CoinATMRadar data cited by CoinATMRadar’s Tennessee listing indicates there were 185 crypto ATMs and kiosks operating in the state.

Why lawmakers are moving from “local bans” to statewide action

The Tennessee and Georgia measures follow a wave of earlier regulatory efforts aimed at crypto ATM operators. Cointelegraph previously reported that multiple jurisdictions and municipalities have begun cracking down on kiosks, largely in response to scams in which victims—particularly older adults—were persuaded to send cryptocurrency through ATM-style machines.

Delaware and New Jersey, for example, have considered proposals that would impose complete bans, according to earlier coverage referenced in the original reporting. The direction of travel is consistent: lawmakers increasingly view crypto ATMs as high-risk access points for fraud rather than neutral on-ramps.

As these restrictions expand, operators face more than just reduced machine counts. Compliance obligations—such as monitoring transactions, handling fraud-related disputes, and meeting consumer protection requirements—can increase costs while limiting revenue options.

Regulation’s downstream effects: bankruptcy risk for operators

For the industry, the regulatory tightening is not only theoretical. The restrictions may have already contributed to at least one major operator’s distress.

In May, Bitcoin Depot filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In the days leading up to the filing, the company disclosed that it had “substantial doubts” about its future amid a challenging regulatory environment and ongoing litigation.

Roshan Dharia, CEO of Echo Base and a restructuring adviser, told Cointelegraph after the Chapter 11 filing that Bitcoin Depot’s bankruptcy likely foreshadows broader pressure on the crypto ATM sector. Dharia argued that the traditional operator model relied on relatively high transaction spreads and fewer regulatory constraints, which helped offset the high costs of compliance, cash logistics, fraud remediation, and retail revenue-sharing arrangements.

That equation, Dharia said, is breaking down as states increasingly impose consumer-protection standards. Those standards can compress fees while increasing operator liability for scam-related activity and raising expectations for transaction monitoring and reimbursement—factors that can strain business viability, especially for operators with thinner margins.

Canada signals a wider policy debate

While the latest developments are focused on US states, Canada’s regulatory conversation is also moving toward harsher restrictions. Earlier, federal policymakers in Canada proposed a total ban on crypto ATMs across the country.

The proposal would still allow Canadians to buy digital assets from brick-and-mortar money services businesses, but it would remove the kiosk pathway. Officials described crypto ATMs as the “primary method” used by scammers to defraud victims and as a channel for criminals to put cash proceeds of crime into the digital asset ecosystem.

What to watch next

With Tennessee now operating under a full ban and Georgia enforcing limits and reporting, attention will likely shift to how quickly other states follow suit—particularly Minnesota ahead of its Aug. 1 deadline—and whether operators adjust by exiting certain markets or restructuring their compliance and fraud-handling processes.

Reform UK has removed a proposed crypto bill from its website amid ongoing controversy around billionaire Tether investor Christopher Harborne’s secret £5 million “gift” to the party’s leader, Nigel Farage.

The Cryptoassets and Digital Finance Bill was announced last year during the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas. However, The Nerve reports that the bill was scrubbed from the website on May 30 this year. 

The Nerve also notes that the bill’s PDF can still be found online but is no longer present on Reform UK’s own website.  

A month before the bill’s removal, The Guardian revealed that Reform leader Farage was given £5 million by billionaire Christopher Harborne before he ran for election in June 2024. 

Anchorage Digital says it has integrated its off-exchange settlement system with Binance, enabling select institutional clients to trade on Binance without depositing their crypto or cash directly onto the exchange. Instead, clients’ assets and funds can remain in qualified custody at Anchorage—a federally chartered US crypto bank—until settlement.

The arrangement is built around margin and collateral mechanics: institutions can use crypto assets or US dollar deposits held with Anchorage to satisfy Binance’s margin requirements, without moving those holdings to Binance first. Anchorage and Binance framed the workflow as a separation of custody from trade execution, aiming to reduce the operational friction—and counterparty exposure—that can come with pre-funding trades on exchanges.

Key takeaways

• Anchorage integrated its off-exchange settlement platform with Binance to support institutional trading while keeping custody at Anchorage.
• Clients can use Anchorage-held crypto or US dollar deposits as collateral for Binance margin without transferring assets to the exchange.
• The model is positioned as a response to exchange counterparty risk and aims to improve capital efficiency by avoiding pre-funding.
• Anchorage’s Atlas platform is cited as the infrastructure behind this first off-exchange settlement implementation.
• Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

How the Anchorage–Binance model changes custody and collateral

In traditional exchange-based workflows, institutions typically pre-fund trading accounts—transferring assets to the venue where trades are executed. Anchorage’s stated objective with this integration is to shift that balance. Under the collaboration, institutional clients can maintain crypto and cash in qualified custody with Anchorage while accessing trade execution through Binance.

Practically, the integration focuses on margin: Binance’s margin requirements are met using collateral held with Anchorage. The companies say this keeps assets in an independent custodian until settlement, rather than routing custody into the exchange account itself. By design, it also reduces the need for institutions to move holdings between custody providers and the trading venue ahead of every trade.

Anchorage said the rollout is available initially to select institutional clients, marking the first off-exchange settlement deployment for its Atlas platform—an infrastructure Anchorage describes as supporting institutional trading, settlement, lending, and collateral management using custody-based building blocks.

Why “off-exchange settlement” is drawing institutional attention

Exchange counterparty risk has long been one of the main frictions for institutions considering larger allocations to crypto trading. When assets must be deposited to an exchange to enable trading, risk is concentrated at the execution venue. Off-exchange settlement attempts to address that by keeping custody separate from the trading leg, with settlement handled via a different mechanism.

Anchorage and Binance framed their setup as moving closer to the custody-and-execution structure common in traditional financial markets, where institutions can separate where assets are held from where trades are executed and settled. The proposed benefit is twofold: it reduces exposure tied to pre-funding and may also improve capital efficiency by relying on custody-based collateral rather than tying funds to exchange balances.

While the companies did not disclose financial terms, they emphasized the core operational change: trades can be executed on Binance while crypto and cash remain with Anchorage through settlement—an approach intended to make institutional participation smoother without requiring full custody migration to the exchange.

Off-exchange settlement expands across major venues

This Anchorage–Binance integration sits within a broader industry pattern. Off-exchange settlement has been gaining traction among institutional crypto trading platforms throughout 2026, with multiple firms announcing similar custody-and-trade separation approaches.

According to earlier coverage from Cointelegraph, in April BitMEX partnered with Zodia Custody to allow institutional clients to trade derivatives while keeping collateral in segregated custody rather than depositing it onto the exchange. Under that structure, traders could access perpetual swaps and futures while collateral remained with Zodia and was mirrored for trading. BitMEX said the design eliminated the need to prefund exchange accounts and improved capital efficiency, while also reducing operational risks tied to moving assets between custody and trading venues.

In June, Bitget adopted a comparable model by integrating Fireblocks Off Exchange. Bitget said that its integration enables clients to execute trades from MPC-based wallets while keeping assets in trader-controlled collateral vaults rather than transferring them to the exchange. The company also claimed the platform can verify trading accounts are fully collateralized in real time without taking custody of client assets.

Separately, KuCoin Institutional expanded its custody offering earlier in the year by integrating Ceffu’s MirrorX platform in January. That system, according to the linked Ceffu and KuCoin Institutional material, is designed for institutional trading while digital assets remain in third-party custody, with funds mirrored for trading and settled off-chain every four hours.

Taken together, these deployments show a recurring theme: institutions increasingly want the flexibility of exchange liquidity and execution alongside custody structures that better match their risk controls. Off-exchange settlement is becoming a practical pathway to combine those priorities—at least for use cases offered through specific integrations between exchanges, custodians, and settlement platforms.

What investors should monitor next

For institutions, the most important questions now are likely operational and risk-related: which collateral types are supported end-to-end for margin, how settlement timing works in practice for different product categories, and how widely Anchorage’s off-exchange service will be rolled out beyond the initial select client group. Readers should also watch whether more major venues add similar custody-separated settlement layers, as that trend would further define how institutional crypto trading infrastructure evolves.

Key Takeaways

• Walmart shares plummeted more than 5% Wednesday, reaching their lowest point in eight months following a six-session losing streak
• Cleveland Research identified a deceleration in U.S. comparable store sales that may threaten analyst consensus figures, especially in July
• Shares began trading at $113.26, significantly beneath the 50-day moving average of $123.25
• Company insiders offloaded more than $1.06 billion worth of shares during the previous three months without any reported purchases
• Wall Street maintains a Moderate Buy rating with a consensus price target of $138.85, though valuation concerns have emerged

Shares of Walmart began Wednesday’s session at $113.26, representing a decline exceeding 5% and positioning the stock for its weakest closing price in eight months. This marked the sixth straight trading day of declines for WMT.

Walmart Inc., WMT

The catalyst behind the selloff was research from Cleveland Research, which identified signs of decelerating U.S. comparable store sales. The research firm cautioned that this trajectory may negatively impact consensus forecasts, with July’s performance being particularly critical.

In response to inventory challenges, Walmart has implemented price reductions and leveraged tariff refunds to cushion margin pressure. While this represents a strategic response, it underscores the genuine cost and demand challenges confronting the retailer.

The share price deterioration persists even after a robust first-quarter performance. The company delivered earnings of $0.66 per share in May, aligning with analyst projections, while revenue of $177.75 billion surpassed the anticipated $174.84 billion — representing a 7.4% year-over-year gain. Management also maintained its fiscal 2027 guidance of $2.75–$2.85 in earnings per share.

However, investors appear focused on future challenges rather than recent accomplishments.

Significant Insider Transactions Draw Attention

Insider trading patterns have been notably lopsided. Throughout the past quarter, company insiders divested more than $1.06 billion in WMT shares. No insider purchases were documented during this timeframe.

Executive Vice President Christopher Nicholas disposed of 2,900 shares at $123.92 on May 21st. Fellow EVP Latriece Watkins subsequently sold 11,000 shares at $118.97 on May 28th. Both transactions occurred through pre-established Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangements.

Although scheduled sales are standard practice, the substantial magnitude of insider selling has attracted investor scrutiny.

The stock currently trades at a P/E ratio of 39.74 — representing a premium valuation that several analysts question in light of potential growth deceleration. While its GF Score of 86/100 indicates strong long-term fundamentals, near-term momentum has turned decidedly negative.

Analyst Community Maintains Optimistic Stance

Notwithstanding the downturn, Wall Street analysts haven’t abandoned Walmart. The stock maintains a Moderate Buy consensus rating with an average price objective of $138.85 — substantially above present trading levels.

Recent analyst ratings feature a $145 Buy target from BTIG, $140 from Truist, and $137 Outperform ratings from both Wolfe Research and Royal Bank of Canada. Among 36 tracked analysts, 31 maintain Buy ratings and four recommend Hold. A single analyst assigns a Strong Buy rating.

Several institutional investors expanded positions during the first quarter. Littlejohn Financial Services established a fresh $2.81 million position, while Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA increased its holdings by 253.3%.

Walmart’s 52-week high stands at $135.15. The stock’s 200-day moving average rests at $122.22, a threshold now breached to the downside.

With a 1-year low of $94.23, there’s context for evaluating potential downside if selling momentum persists.