August 2, 2026 @ 6:01 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Total deposits held with Hong Kong’s authorized institutions rose 0.1% in June from the previous month, as growth in Hong Kong dollar deposits offset a decline in foreign currency deposits, while bank lending continued to strengthen, official data showed. Figures released by the Hong Kong… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 5:33 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) have launched an industry-wide taskforce to strengthen the financial sector’s cyber and technology resilience against threats posed by frontier artificial intelligence (AI) models. The AI-Driven Cyber and Technology Risk Taskforce (ACT),… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 5:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The XRP Ledger is advancing toward its next core software release, xrpld version 3.3.0, expected in the coming week. This update will place five proposed amendments before network validators, expanding support for tokenized assets, institutional operations, privacy protections, and more flexible transaction handling. Two of… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 5:23 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Elliptic has pointed out that A7A5 emerged as a specialized digital asset designed to help Russian firms navigate international restrictions. Pegged to the ruble and launched in early 2025 by entities tied to sanctioned Russian interests, including a state-linked bank and a controversial figure with… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 5:20 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR), the Bitcoin treasury company led by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor, has confirmed it will keep the annual dividend rate on its Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Stretch Preferred Stock (STRC) steady at 12% for the August period. This decision comes even as the… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 4:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Blockchain security firm CertiK has noted that on July 23, 2026, an attacker successfully targeted the Ethereum cross-chain bridge of the Verus Protocol, extracting roughly $7.44 million in assets that included ETH, tBTC, various stablecoins, and MKR. The exploit hinged on a fundamental difference in… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 3:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on two Iranian companies central to what it describes as an illicit insurance program targeting commercial ships navigating the Strait of Hormuz. Announced on July 29, 2026, the designations target… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 3:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Circle Internet Group (NYSE: CRCL), the company issuing the widely adopted USDC stablecoin, has taken another significant step in strengthening its regulatory standing. On July 31, 2026, the firm announced that the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) granted a limited purpose trust charter to its… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 1:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

CoinGecko declares that crypto exchanges are no longer confined to digital assets as these platforms diversify their services. A recent research report, developed in collaboration with MEXC, shows how leading centralized platforms are aggressively expanding into traditional finance (TradFi) products—including stocks, precious metals, commodities, and… Read More

August 2, 2026 @ 12:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

BNB Chain has announced it is taking legal steps against a former employee who allegedly used a wallet originally set up for an educational video to release a new memecoin without any company approval. The blockchain network, linked to the Binance ecosystem, stressed that it… Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 6:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The xStocks platform has announced that it has exceeded $600 million in assets under management. This figure encompasses tokenized shares, exchange-traded funds, and initial public offering-related instruments. The achievement highlights accelerating interest in bringing conventional equity exposure onto blockchain networks. Over the preceding twelve months,… Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 6:56 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Visa (NYSE: V) CEO Ryan McInerney declined to position the Open USD stablecoin as a direct competitor to Tether’s USDT or Circle’s USDC during the company’s fiscal third-quarter 2026 earnings conference call. He instead emphasized a deliberately neutral stance focused on supporting the broader stablecoin… Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 6:55 pm By Michael Wong  |  

TBC Bank Group said its acquisition of OLX Uzbekistan is a long-term strategic investment that will help expand its digital ecosystem beyond banking while opening the door to future embedded finance offerings on one of the country’s largest online marketplaces. The comments came in an… Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 12:33 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Private equity (PE) investment in Southeast Asia declined sharply in the second quarter of 2026, as investors remained selective amid geopolitical uncertainty and a subdued dealmaking environment, according to EY-Parthenon. The region recorded 10 private equity deals worth $935.5 million during the quarter, compared with… Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 11:31 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Immunefi indicated that a recent incident involving BonkDAO highlights a troubling shift in how digital assets are being compromised. An individual invested approximately $4 million to acquire sufficient voting power, enabling the passage of a malicious governance proposal during a period of limited participant engagement…. Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 10:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Allfunds, a global wealth technology platform specializing in fund distribution and dealing, has reported a solid first half of 2026 marked by significant growth, operational progress, and continued network expansion. The company highlighted strong momentum across key financial and strategic metrics during the six-month period…. Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 10:25 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has indicated that the market for digital asset exchange-traded funds has reached a significant milestone, with total capitalization now climbing past the $184 billion mark. This expansion has unfolded at a steady pace across the last three years and continues to… Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 10:24 am By Omar Faridi  |  

As financial markets grapple with shifting expectations around monetary policy, attention is turning to whether the intense speculative fervor surrounding artificial intelligence has already crested. A new report has indicated that rising interest rates and tighter financial conditions are reshaping investor calculations, with implications that… Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 10:23 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Grayscale Investments, known as one of the more active platforms dedicated to digital asset investments based on assets under management as of late July 2026, has appealed to the US Senate urging lawmakers to schedule a full chamber vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity… Read More

August 1, 2026 @ 1:29 am By Michael Wong  |  

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) plans to invest up to 750 million euros ($866 million) in an unfunded risk-sharing facility with Deutsche Bank to support trade finance transactions involving emerging market banks, according to a project disclosure seen by CrowdFund Insider. The proposed GTLP DB… Read More