Author: John Smith

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said the company seriously considered closing after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued it in December 2020. He said he and co-founder Chris Larsen discussed distributing Ripple’s XRP holdings to shareholders on a pro rata basis and dissolving the business. Garlinghouse described that choice as the easier path against an agency with “infinite power and resources.” Summary Ripple considered dissolving and distributing XRP to shareholders before choosing to fight the SEC lawsuit. Garlinghouse said the company protected hundreds of jobs despite spending about $150 million on litigation. The case ended in 2025, while Ripple’s penalty…

Empery has sold 1,400 Bitcoin for about $87.1 million since May, using the proceeds to reduce debt, fund acquisitions, cover legal costs, and strengthen its cash position while scaling back part of its Bitcoin treasury. Summary Empery sold 1,400 BTC for $87.1 million to reduce debt and fund operations. The company now holds 1,514 BTC and about $73.9 million in cash. Capital B and Nakamoto are pursuing different Bitcoin treasury strategies through financing and refinancing. Bitcoin sales have strengthened Empery’s balance sheet According to Empery, the Nasdaq-listed company sold the 1,400 BTC between May 7 and July 10 at an…

Morgan Stanley has increased its Bitcoin holdings by nearly 1,000 BTC over the past two weeks, lifting its tracked balance above 5,700 BTC, according to on-chain data. Summary Morgan Stanley added nearly 1,000 BTC over the past two weeks, pushing its tracked holdings to 5,761 BTC. Arkham data shows the accumulation came through multiple large transfers from Coinbase Prime rather than a single purchase. The latest buying follows Morgan Stanley’s June crypto expansion with Galaxy Digital, allowing eligible clients to convert crypto into spot investment products. According to blockchain intelligence platform Arkham, the investment bank continued adding Bitcoin through its…

In the last week of June, XRP printed its weakest price since late 2024, briefly touching $1.01 before stabilizing in the $1.05 to $1.13 range where it has traded through early July. The token is down more than 25% for the year and roughly 65% below the $3.65 cycle high it set in July 2025. On the same June days that the chart broke down, tokenized real-world assets on the XRP Ledger crossed $3.5 billion, more than triple the level at which they started the year, spot XRP exchange-traded funds extended a net inflow streak that would reach eight consecutive…

Sometime in the week of July 13, according to people briefed on the negotiations, Senate staff will release a unified draft of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, merging months of parallel work by the Banking and Agriculture Committees into a single text reportedly more than 70 pages longer than either predecessor. Floor action is targeted for the week of July 20. The Senate leaves for its August recess on the 7th, and a defense spending bill is competing for the floor time in between. Senator Cynthia Lummis, the chamber’s lead crypto legislator, has stated the stakes without decoration: this…

On July 8, Paul Grewal notified Coinbase that he was resigning as chief legal officer and corporate secretary, effective July 31. The company disclosed the departure in an 8-K filing the next day, and by Thursday evening the announcement had rolled through crypto media with the tone usually reserved for a retiring general. Grewal will move into an advisory role from August 1 through October 31, collect a lump sum equal to 3 months of base salary when the advisory period ends, keep the restricted stock units scheduled to vest on August 20, and remain on the board of Coinbase…

On July 6, Luxembourg’s financial regulator, the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier, upgraded Ripple’s preliminary Crypto-Asset Service Provider authorization into a full license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework. The approval means Ripple can passport regulated crypto services across all 30 countries of the European Economic Area, from Lisbon to Helsinki, under a single national authorization. Cassie Craddock, Ripple’s managing director for the UK and Europe, framed the moment plainly: the company enters the post-transitional MiCA era fully compliant and ready to scale. Summary Ripple secured a full MiCA license in Luxembourg, allowing it to offer regulated…

Tom Lee has reaffirmed that Ethereum will play the central role as traditional finance and cryptocurrency converge into a single market. Summary Tom Lee says traditional finance and crypto will eventually merge into one market, with Ethereum at the center. His comments come as Bitmine’s Ethereum treasury has grown to 5.74 million ETH, equal to 4.8% of the total supply. Lee also links Ethereum’s outlook to the CLARITY Act and expanding layer-2 payment activity involving Visa and Shopify. According to a post published by Bitmine chairman Tom Lee on X, he believes the line separating traditional financial markets and digital…

Binance’s monthly futures trading volume has climbed to about $1.63 trillion in June, reaching its highest level of 2026 despite cautious crypto market sentiment and the seasonal slowdown that usually weighs on trading activity. Summary Binance’s June futures trading volume climbed to $1.63 trillion, the highest level of 2026. CryptoQuant said derivatives activity stayed strong despite cautious Bitcoin sentiment and the summer slowdown. U.S. regulators continue reviewing crypto derivatives as trading activity remains elevated across major markets. According to CryptoQuant analyst JA Maartun, Binance recorded roughly $1.63 trillion in futures trading volume during June, even as Bitcoin continued to trade…

Robinhood Chain has processed 7.6 million daily transactions just 11 days after its mainnet launch, narrowing the gap with Coinbase’s Base and accelerating competition among Ethereum Layer 2 networks. Summary Robinhood Chain processed 7.6 million daily transactions just 11 days after its mainnet launch. Free gas subsidies and tokenized stocks have helped narrow the activity gap with Coinbase’s Base. Investors are watching whether network usage remains strong after fee subsidies end in September. According to on-chain data shared by MSBIntel and verified by Token Terminal, Robinhood Chain recorded 7.6 million transactions in a single day on July 11, while Base…