Author: John Smith
Strategy has spent $635.2 million repurchasing its STRC perpetual preferred stock as the security continues to trade below its $100 par value despite recovering from a low near $71. Summary Strategy has spent $635.2 million buying back STRC, which remains below its $100 par value at around $97. The latest STRC repurchase totaled $151.8 million at an average price of $97.48 per share. Strategy returned to Bitcoin buying with a $369.7 million purchase of 4,603 BTC, taking its holdings to 845,050 BTC. Strive’s SATA offers a 13% annualized dividend with daily payments, compared with STRC’s 12% rate paid twice monthly.…
The London Stock Exchange has partnered with Kraken parent Payward to bring shares of the 100 largest London-listed companies onto the xStocks tokenization framework, opening the door for the products to eventually trade through the exchange’s planned 24-hour venue. Summary London Stock Exchange and Kraken parent Payward will bring the 100 largest LSE-listed companies to the xStocks framework. The tokenized shares will be available to investors across more than 110 countries, though xStocks remain unavailable to UK investors. LSE plans to support xStocks trading on its LSE 24 venue, subject to regulatory approval. Payward and LSE will explore shares issued…
Protocol 26 tightened the smart contract layer, Protocol 27 is bringing automated market making to testnet, and a decentralized exchange is planned for September; the token has not moved above nine cents. Summary Pi Network completed its Protocol 26 mainnet upgrade by August 11, 2026, hardening contract security, state management, and cryptographic capabilities across 421,000 active nodes, and the Pi Core Team called it a major step before the “final planned upgrade,” Protocol 27. Protocol 27, currently on testnet, adds smart contract authentication, RPC server infrastructure, and an automated market maker (AMM) liquidity pool, with the Pi Core Team targeting…
Intercontinental Exchange agreed on Aug. 31 to invest in tZERO and license its blockchain patents as the companies develop infrastructure for an upcoming NYSE-affiliated tokenized securities platform. Summary ICE and tZERO signed agreements covering platform design, financing, patent licensing and potential collateral applications. tZERO will help develop transfer-agent and broker-dealer infrastructure supporting on-chain settlement for tokenized securities markets. ICE will invest in tZERO’s financing round, although both companies withheld the investment’s value publicly. NYSE’s planned platform still requires regulatory approvals before offering round-the-clock trading and immediate blockchain settlement. tZERO says its licensed portfolio contains 103 patents across 23 families covering…
Hyperliquid Labs and Kraken parent Payward have entered advanced talks to offer selected Hyperliquid-linked perpetual futures to U.S. traders through CFTC-regulated exchange Bitnomial. Summary Payward has presented the CFTC with an outline of the proposed arrangement. Bitnomial would list selected contracts rather than provide access to Hyperliquid’s decentralized platform. The parties still need regulatory clearance before making the products available. HYPE traded near $84 after gaining more than 60% since the start of August. Hyperliquid could reach U.S. traders through Bitnomial Bloomberg reported on Aug. 31 that Hyperliquid Labs and Payward are discussing a structure that would place selected crypto…
Wallets linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group have sold more than $30 million in Bitcoin through Hyperliquid over three weeks as U.S. officials and Payward explore regulated access to the platform. Summary Lazarus-linked wallets sold more than $30 million in Bitcoin through Hyperliquid, Arkham data showed. The wallets used the proceeds to buy Ethereum and Solana before transferring the assets to exchanges. Payward is reportedly discussing a structure that could offer selected Hyperliquid perpetuals to U.S. traders. Hyperliquid has processed $5.19 trillion in cumulative perpetual trading volume, according to DefiLlama. Lazarus-linked wallets convert Bitcoin into ETH and SOL Arkham blockchain…
Kalshi has permanently banned former U.S. Representative George Santos and imposed a $71,356 penalty after finding that he manipulated an attendance market to earn $17,839.57. Summary Kalshi permanently suspended Santos from accessing its exchange either directly or indirectly. Santos earned $17,839.57 from contracts tied to his State of the Union attendance. Public statements by Santos moved contract prices in favor of his positions, Kalshi found. A separate CFTC order imposed a three-year trading ban and over $35,000 in payments. Kalshi’s Aug. 28 disciplinary notice said Santos placed large trades between Feb. 2 and Feb. 25 in contracts that paid according…
GRAM has rebounded toward $1.40 after Telegram began releasing its self-custodial Gram Wallet to selected users, while trading volume jumped about 137% around the announcement. Summary GRAM gained about 2% over 24 hours after briefly approaching $1.46. Telegram will release Gram Wallet gradually to its billion-plus users. The wallet supports self-custody, fee-free transfers, and Telegram Collectibles. GRAM faces immediate resistance near $1.39, followed by $1.45. Telegram begins phased Gram Wallet release Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said the company had started giving selected users access to Gram Wallet before expanding availability over the next several weeks. “We’ll be gradually rolling it…
Hyperliquid has faced a potential 10-to-12-month regulatory process to enter the U.S. market even if federal agencies move quickly, according to former SEC senior counsel Ashley Ebersole, after President Donald Trump said regulators were working on a compliant route for the perpetual futures platform. Summary Ebersole told crypto.news that bringing Hyperliquid to the U.S. would require more than a single CFTC registration or approval. The CFTC would likely oversee most crypto perpetuals, while securities-linked contracts could fall under SEC jurisdiction. Ebersole estimates that building a regulatory pathway could take 10 to 12 months even if both agencies actively pursue it.…
HKDAP could move the Hong Kong dollar beyond payments and into cross-border settlement, corporate treasury management and tokenized finance as regulated stablecoins gain a role in Hong Kong’s on-chain financial system, according to a HashKey researcher. Summary HashKey senior researcher Tim Sun sees HKD stablecoins becoming an on-chain settlement vehicle rather than simply another payment method. Insurance has emerged as an early HKDAP use case, with HashKey and YF Life already completing a live transaction using real funds. Trade settlement, corporate treasury management and tokenized assets could provide additional uses as HKDAP’s institutional network expands. Sun said HKD stablecoins could…