Author: John Smith

Bitcoin traded near $62,800 on Monday as investors prepared for a packed week of economic releases and geopolitical news.  Summary Bitcoin faces inflation data, Iran tensions, retail reports and major bank earnings in coming days. Oil prices and rate expectations could decide whether Bitcoin holds $60,000 or retests resistance again. ETF inflows offer support, but traders still need a confirmed breakout above $65,000 soon. The largest cryptocurrency stayed above the $60,000 support area, even as Asian shares fell and oil prices rose. Bitcoin was down about 1.4% over 24 hours, while its seven-day change remained close to flat.  That kept…

Ross Gerber has renewed his criticism of Strategy founder Michael Saylor, saying the company’s financing model is hurting Bitcoin.  Summary Gerber says Strategy’s leveraged Bitcoin model creates selling pressure instead of lasting value for investors. Strategy sold Bitcoin to fund dividends, weakening Saylor’s long-standing image as a permanent corporate holder. Supporters argue limited sales show balance-sheet flexibility while Strategy remains Bitcoin’s largest public corporate holder. The chief executive of Gerber Kawasaki made the claim after Saylor posted an AI-generated video titled “The Right to Bear Arms.” Gerber replied that Saylor was “destroying Bitcoin,” but he did not provide data showing…

Japanese convenience store operator Lawson will test payments with the yen-denominated JPYC stablecoin in early August.  Summary Lawson will connect JPYC payments directly to its POS system during a single-store Tokyo trial. Customers will scan mobile wallet barcodes, while HashPort updates balances using verified checkout transaction data. Japan’s megabanks are also preparing yen stablecoins, widening competition across regulated digital payment networks nationwide. The company will run the trial at its Takanawa Gateway City store in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. HashPort, a digital asset wallet provider, will support the payment system and process balance changes linked to purchases. Lawson described the project…

Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad has rejected claims that the CLARITY Act would weaken U.S. national security. In a July 11 post on X, he said unclear crypto rules give bad actors room to operate outside firm regulatory boundaries. Shirzad argued that the bill would move more digital asset activity into a federal compliance system rather than leave it under fragmented oversight. Summary Shirzad says CLARITY Act applies bank-style AML rules and gives Treasury stronger enforcement tools nationwide. Warren warns current language could preserve crypto loopholes that foreign actors use for sanctions evasion. Senate negotiators target a merged draft…

BlackRock’s USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund, known as BUIDL, has passed $900 million in assets on Avalanche. The figure rose from about $464 million within seven days, adding roughly $436 million and marking a 105% weekly increase.Wu Blockchain cited current RWA.xyz data when reporting the move on July 12. Summary BlackRock’s BUIDL assets on Avalanche doubled within one week, passing the $900 million mark today. Avalanche now holds the second-largest BUIDL allocation behind Ethereum, according to the latest RWA.xyz data. BUIDL’s total value reached about $2.87 billion as tokenized Treasury demand continued growing across blockchains. RWA.xyz’s BUIDL dashboard places the…

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance has estimated Ethereum’s annual electricity consumption at 7.87 gigawatt-hours. That equals a continuous power demand of about 0.90 megawatts. The study places Ethereum near the lower end of energy intensity among major proof-of-stake blockchains when researchers adjust electricity use for market value. Cambridge also estimated annual emissions of about 2.37 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Summary Ethereum ranks second-lowest in market-value-adjusted energy intensity among the major proof-of-stake networks Cambridge studied globally. Cambridge measured 8,522 nodes and calculated electricity demand of roughly 105 watts per node. The Merge cut Ethereum’s power demand by over 99.9%,…

Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor has renewed speculation about the company’s next Bitcoin transaction. In a July 12 post, he shared Strategy’s familiar acquisition chart and wrote, “Orange dots tell only part of the story.” The chart marks past Bitcoin purchases, but the message did not say whether Strategy had bought, sold, or taken no action during the latest reporting period. Summary Saylor’s orange-dot post leaves Strategy’s next Bitcoin move unclear after last week’s major corporate sale. Strategy sold 3,588 BTC for $216 million, funding preferred dividends and rebuilding its dollar reserve. MSTR remains bearish near support, while weak momentum…

The stablecoin market has lost about $10 billion since reaching a record high in May 2026. Total supply fell by $7.7 billion during June to about $312 billion, marking the largest monthly decline in dollar terms since the TerraUSD collapse in May 2022. The decrease equaled roughly 2.4% for June and about 3% from the May peak.  Summary Stablecoin supply lost $10 billion since May as USDT and USDC redemptions reduced crypto liquidity. June recorded the largest monthly dollar decline since Terra, but the market contracted only 3%. Transaction volumes remained strong while tokenized assets expanded, showing blockchain finance activity…

Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority Chairman Bilal bin Saqib has called for continued discussion on digital assets under Islamic law. His statement followed a meeting with scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani on July 11. Saqib said both sides shared one aim: protecting Pakistanis from fraud, exploitation, and financial harm. Summary Pakistan’s crypto chief seeks technical and Shariah reviews instead of one broad digital asset ruling. Mufti Taqi Usmani’s ruling rejects crypto purchases because tokens allegedly lack recognised Shariah wealth status. Pakistan continues licensing crypto firms while religious concerns add another layer to its regulatory rollout. In his public statement, Saqib said…

Thailand’s central bank plans stricter checks on large cash deposits and high-value stablecoin transactions as part of a campaign against hidden capital flows. The Bank of Thailand will require customers depositing 5 million baht, about $150,000, or more in cash to explain and document where the money came from. Officials expect the rules to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. Summary Thailand will require source checks for cash deposits worth five million baht or more nationwide. Regulators are reviewing large USDT trades for hidden ownership and bypassed domestic remittance channels now. Existing withdrawal checks cut high-value cash activity, prompting…