Author: John Smith
Bitcoin has risen above $64,600 after U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington is not holding talks with Iran, while conflicting claims over the Strait of Hormuz kept oil above $91 per barrel. Summary Bitcoin traded at $64,611 after moving between $64,005 and $64,926 during the session. Trump said no U.S.-Iran talks are underway or scheduled as the conflict enters its sixth month. Iran maintained that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Washington meets its interim commitments. Strategy reported no Bitcoin purchases or sales last week after selling BTC for two consecutive weeks. In an Aug. 18 Truth Social…
The CFTC has opened a 45-day comment period on proposals that would double the small-pool exemption threshold to $800,000 and ease registration rules for some fund advisers. Summary The CFTC proposal would create a CPO exemption for qualifying SEC-registered investment advisers. A related change would extend registration relief to certain commodity trading advisers. The small-pool capital threshold would rise from $400,000 to $800,000. Comments will remain open for 45 days after publication in the Federal Register. CFTC proposal would reduce duplicate fund registration The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in an Aug. 18 regulatory announcement that it had proposed amendments…
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed two registration exemptions, including a $75 million annual pathway, under its new Reg Crypto framework for certain crypto investment contracts. Summary The larger exemption would allow qualifying issuers to raise up to $75 million in 12 months. A separate pathway would permit offerings of up to $5 million across four years. The proposal includes a conditional safe harbor and disclosure requirements for participating issuers. Stakeholders will have 60 days to submit comments on the proposed framework. SEC Reg Crypto rules create two offering exemptions The SEC said in an Aug. 18 press…
Cypherpunk Technologies has acquired a 4.2 GSol/s Zcash mining fleet for $33.33 million, giving the Nasdaq-listed company about 18% of the network’s total computing power. Summary The acquired Bitmain Z15 Pro fleet produces roughly 7,800 ZEC per month. Cypherpunk paid through a pre-funded warrant covering 43.29 million common shares. The equipment operates at hosting facilities across the United States. Cypherpunk holds 323,394 ZEC, equal to about 1.92% of the circulating supply. Cypherpunk Technologies said on Aug. 18 that it had launched Cypherpunk Mining after purchasing the equipment and related hosting agreements from entities affiliated with Winklevoss Capital. The fleet consists…
Citi has unveiled its Custody+ platform and confirmed plans to launch institutional digital asset custody later in 2026, beginning with Bitcoin. Summary Citi expects its institutional Bitcoin custody service to go live later this year. Custody+ brings digital assets and traditional securities into one custody framework. More than 80% of Citi’s asset-servicing events are now processed in real time. Citi invests over $2 billion each year in its Services platform strategy. Business Wire reported on Aug. 18 that Citi Investor Services had launched Custody+, a collection of near- and real-time custody services for institutional clients operating across continuous markets and…
Bitcoin has held above its $63,200 median realized price as Bitfinex analysts identified $67,176 as the breakout level that could raise the chances of an upside volatility expansion. Summary Bitcoin’s $63,200 median realized price has provided support during the past two weeks. A move above $67,176 would return recent buyers to profit and test overhead resistance. US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $385.2 million in weekly net outflows. Stablecoin supply has fallen 4.5% from its May peak to $300.7 billion. Bitfinex analysts said thin participation could amplify relatively small buying or selling flows. Bitfinex analysts told crypto.news that Bitcoin’s prolonged defense…
Goldman Sachs has agreed to buy LCN Capital Partners for up to $410 million, adding about $3 billion in commercial real estate assets to its investment management business. Summary Goldman will pay $260 million upfront, with up to $150 million tied to future targets. About 80% of the acquisition price will be paid in Goldman Sachs stock. LCN manages sale-leaseback, build-to-suit, and triple-net lease investments across North America and Europe. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to regulatory approval. Goldman Sachs said in an Aug. 18 announcement that the transaction will bring LCN’s investment…
Bitway token extended its seven-day gain beyond 100% on Aug. 18, trading near $0.37 as reward campaigns drew demand, but overbought conditions and concentrated liquidation levels raised the risk of a sharp reversal. Summary Bitway gained more than 100% in seven days and briefly traded above $0.40. Ecosystem staking incentives and Binance Wallet’s Bitway Booster campaign supported demand. Daily RSI reached 76.85, placing BTW firmly in overbought territory. Liquidation liquidity is concentrated near $0.30 and between $0.42 and $0.44. According to data from CoinMarketCap, the BTW rally followed the introduction of Bitway’s incentivized decentralized traditional finance staking program on Aug.…
Forget short-term price charts – Washington’s digital asset framework is the legal authorization that conservative wealth managers have been waiting for before they can put trillions to work. Summary The CLARITY Act is a legal “permission structure” that allows conservative compliance officers and fiduciaries to safely allocate capital. Decentralized networks like Bitcoin and Litecoin don’t need a law to function; the institutions that want to hold and custody them need one. While Congress stalls before recess, capital and talent are not waiting. They are actively migrating offshore to jurisdictions with clear, actionable rulebooks. Everyone seems to be watching the CLARITY…
BitBox has released a firmware update fixing two severe vulnerabilities that could have exposed hardware wallet users to malicious firmware or caused Bitcoin to be locked to an unintended address. Summary BitBox has patched two severe vulnerabilities affecting its BitBox02 and BitBox02 Nova hardware wallets. One flaw could have allowed malicious firmware installation, while another could have locked Bitcoin to an unintended address. BitBox said neither vulnerability had been exploited and no user funds were reported lost. The fixes follow a Coldcard firmware flaw linked to more than $112 million in Bitcoin thefts. BitBox said in a security disclosure on…