Author: John Smith

A testnet is a separate blockchain network that mirrors a production chain’s rules and functionality but uses tokens with no monetary value. It is where developers break things, test upgrades, and discover bugs before those bugs can cost anyone real money. Summary A testnet is a blockchain network that runs the same software as a mainnet but uses valueless tokens, allowing developers to test smart contracts, protocol upgrades, and applications without financial risk. Ethereum has run multiple testnets over its history, with Sepolia and Holesky serving as the primary public testing environments as of 2026 after the deprecation of Goerli.…

A mainnet is the production version of a blockchain network where transactions carry real economic value and are permanently recorded. When a cryptocurrency project launches its mainnet, it moves from concept to reality, and every line of code becomes a financial commitment. Summary A mainnet is a fully operational blockchain network where tokens have real market value, transactions are irreversible, and the consensus mechanism secures actual economic activity. Mainnet launches are milestone events that typically follow months or years of testnet development, security audits, and community governance processes. Hard forks and protocol upgrades on a mainnet are high stakes operations…

Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest bought 109,129 Circle shares after the stablecoin issuer secured a limited-purpose trust charter in New York. Summary ARK acquired about $6.83 million in Circle shares across three exchange-traded funds. Circle received a limited-purpose trust charter from the New York Department of Financial Services. CRCL closed 2.54% lower at $62.61 on July 31 despite the regulatory approval. Circle plans to gradually transfer USDC issuance to its New York trust entity. 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…

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. Summary SpaceX shares fell 3.41% to $108 on July 31, their lowest close since the June IPO. SPCX lost about 36% in July, extending its decline from the July 1 price of $171. About 911.5 million insider shares are expected to become eligible for sale on Aug. 6. The one-hour chart places immediate support at $107.10, with resistance near $121.09. SpaceX stock extends its post-IPO decline SpaceX stock closed July 31 at $108,…

Bitget has upgraded its Bitcoin-backed BGBTC asset with daily BTC-denominated rewards, cross-chain transfers through Chainlink CCIP, and independent oversight from Gauntlet. Summary BGBTC holders will receive daily rewards denominated in Bitcoin following the upgrade. Chainlink CCIP will serve as BGBTC’s canonical cross-chain infrastructure. Gauntlet will independently oversee the asset’s underlying yield strategies. BGBTC remains backed by Bitcoin at a 1:1 ratio, according to Bitget. 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…

Strategy shares fell 4.56% to $93.28 on July 31 after the company reported an $8.22 billion quarterly loss and prioritized restoring its STRC preferred stock to its $100 par value. Summary Strategy stock closed at $93.28, approaching its lower Bollinger Band at $90.31. The company reported an $8.22 billion net loss after recording an $8.32 billion unrealized Bitcoin loss. Michael Saylor said Strategy would hold both cash and Bitcoin instead of directing all available capital toward BTC. Analysts at Benchmark and H.C. Wainwright maintained their buy ratings despite the sell-off. Strategy stock slides after $8.22B quarterly loss Strategy stock traded…

Trading volume across South Korea’s five major won-based crypto exchanges fell 54.6% year over year in the first half of 2026 as liquidity became increasingly concentrated on market leader Upbit. Summary Five major exchanges recorded $366.58 billion in first-half trading volume. Combined volume fell 54.6% year over year, according to NexBlock. Upbit expanded its July market share to 67.4% despite lower trading activity. South Korea will introduce a 22% crypto gains tax on Jan. 1, 2027. South Korea crypto volume drops below $367B Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax generated about $366.58 billion in combined trading volume during the first…

XRP Ledger developers are preparing five proposed amendments for the upcoming xrpld 3.3.0 release, targeting privacy, atomic settlement, and easier institutional onboarding. Summary Five proposed amendments are expected to accompany the xrpld 3.3.0 software release. Confidential MPT would support private token balances and transfer amounts using cryptographic proofs. Batch transactions would enable delivery-versus-payment and atomic settlement across multiple accounts. Amendments require validator approval before they can activate on the XRP Ledger. XRP Ledger v3.3.0 targets institutional transactions Jazzi Cooper, head of product at RippleX, outlined the proposed changes in a post on X. The xrpld 3.3.0 release is anticipated next…

Tether generated approximately $1.5 billion in net operating profit during the second quarter of 2026 as returns from US Treasury holdings and repo operations supported its earnings. Summary Tether recorded about $1.5 billion in quarterly operating profit, according to its BDO attestation. USDT supply reached approximately $184.6 billion, representing over 60% of the stablecoin market. The company reported $187.7 billion in assets and about $4.1 billion in excess reserves. Tether reduced secured loans by $2.4 billion while adding 14 tons to its gold holdings. Tether reports $4.1B in excess reserves Tether’s total assets stood at approximately $187.7 billion at the…

The largest tokenized securities platform cleared its SEC probe, secured FINRA authorization, and put BlackRock’s IVV onchain. Now it is shopping for a target worth up to half a billion dollars while the market it helped build outgrows it. Summary Ondo Finance is exploring an acquisition valued between $250 million and $500 million to expand into wealthtech and adjacent financial sectors, though no formal advisers have been appointed and no target has been identified. The company’s SEC-registered broker-dealer subsidiary received additional FINRA authorizations in July 2026, covering tokenized corporate equities, ETFs, and other investment products. Ondo debuted the SEC’s third-party…