Global

August 20, 2026 @ 11:51 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Two international banks have completed the inaugural live interbank transaction involving tokenized deposits on a blockchain-enabled platform developed by Swift. The milestone, announced on August 19, 2026, underscores growing progress toward seamless, round-the-clock cross-border payments using regulated bank-issued digital money. Standard Chartered (LON: STAN) and… Read More

August 20, 2026 @ 11:14 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority has issued a warning for investors regarding “risky” investments such as Mini-bonds and Loan Notes. The regulator cautions that these securities typically set a term for a return of the principal, along with interest, but if the firm goes bust,… Read More

August 20, 2026 @ 9:47 am By JD Alois  |  

Tandem Bank, a UK challenger bank, has announced significant executive changes following a board refresh earlier this year. In March, Tandem announced that Stephen Jones would become Chair, succeeding Paul Pester. Jones is currently Executive Chair of Investment Banking at Panmure Liberum. He previously held… Read More

August 20, 2026 @ 9:28 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A planned revival of the stalled Bitcoin (BTC) network focused BIP-110 minority chain is once again drawing attention to longstanding risks tied to contentious Bitcoin forks, including chain splits and the absence of replay protection. BIP-110, known formally as the Reduced Data Temporary Softfork, aimed… Read More

August 20, 2026 @ 8:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Binance reported that its internal monitoring systems identified and helped neutralize a suspicious governance proposal targeting a decentralized autonomous organization. The DAO proposal, which appeared designed to compromise access to the project’s treasury holdings valued at approximately $1.2 million, was reportedly detected with fewer than… Read More

August 20, 2026 @ 8:10 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Japanese firm Metaplanet is expanding its bitcoin strategy into the United States by taking a controlling interest in Nasdaq-listed Super League Enterprise. Under a definitive agreement announced on August 18, 2026, Metaplanet will transfer 2,100 bitcoin—valued at roughly $132.1 million—plus $2.5 million in cash. In… Read More

August 19, 2026 @ 9:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Shares of  surged nearly sixfold on their first day of trading in Shanghai, marking a key moment for China’s humanoid robotics industry. The Hangzhou-based company, widely regarded as the country’s leading maker of advanced robots, opened at 1,100 yuan on the technology-focused STAR Market—far above… Read More

August 19, 2026 @ 12:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

UHY Hacker Young Group, a UK accounting network, reports that in the past 12 months, HMRC has sent 81,000 warning letters to crypto investors, warning them they may have underpaid their taxes or not paid them at all. Last year, UHY said 65,000 crypto investors,… Read More

August 19, 2026 @ 12:12 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Xceptor, a provider of data automation tools tailored for capital markets, has expanded its cloud-based software delivery model by introducing sovereign-grade Software-as-a-Service options in Switzerland and Japan. This development addresses the heightened needs of financial organizations in these regulated environments, where strict rules govern data… Read More

August 19, 2026 @ 8:37 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Quartr, a Stockholm-based provider of specialized financial data and research tools, has closed an $18 million funding round. Longtime backer Altos Ventures led the investment, with additional participation from new investor SEB. As a result of this round, Altos has become the company’s largest shareholder, underscoring strong… Read More

August 19, 2026 @ 7:38 am By Omar Faridi  |  

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes has announced his return to a hands-on leadership role, taking the helm as CEO of Flop Labs. The new venture centers on developing Flop Network and its native token, FLOP, positioned as essential infrastructure for what Hayes describes as the coming… Read More

August 19, 2026 @ 6:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

PPRO announced a collaboration with BLIK aimed at advancing agentic commerce capabilities specifically for domestic payments in Poland. The partnership focuses on integrating the popular Polish mobile payment system into the growing ecosystem of AI-driven shopping experiences, where autonomous agents handle discovery, selection, and transactions… Read More

August 19, 2026 @ 12:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

South Korea’s regional banking landscape is taking a step forward in digital finance. Jeonbuk Bank has entered a partnership with Ripple to implement Ripple Payments for international remittances, positioning the lender as the first regional bank in the country to adopt the platform for this… Read More

August 18, 2026 @ 6:02 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Australia’s corporate regulator has issued a strong alert about the growing misuse of generative artificial intelligence to construct elaborate webs of fake online content designed to lure people into fraudulent investment schemes. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) reports a sharp increase in scams… Read More

August 18, 2026 @ 5:08 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Decentralized finance protocol Compound has secured formal approval for a substantial two-year development allocation aimed at accelerating its shift toward institutional participants. The Compound decentralized autonomous organization endorsed a $52 million program—the largest funding commitment in the protocol’s history—to develop infrastructure that supports on-chain credit… Read More

August 18, 2026 @ 4:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Binance reportedly provided personal and transaction details belonging to one of its clients to Russian law enforcement agencies. The information later formed part of the evidence in a terrorism-financing case linked to donations supporting Ukrainian causes. This occurred well after the exchange publicly declared it… Read More

August 18, 2026 @ 12:09 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has recently pushed back against ongoing criticism from parts of the crypto community after the company completed its first full independent financial audit. In comments made shortly after the results were disclosed, Ardoino said persistent skepticism from detractors does not concern… Read More

August 18, 2026 @ 11:45 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The tokenized equities sector continues to expand as one of the more active areas within real-world assets, with platforms such as Ondo Finance, Binance’s bStocks, and xStocks accounting for the majority of current trading and investment activity. Recent data show the category’s share of the… Read More

August 18, 2026 @ 10:44 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Chinese manufacturers of humanoid robots have solidified a commanding position in the global market, with shipments in the first half of 2026 underscoring the scale of their lead over American competitors. Industry data indicates that firms based in China accounted for more than 97 percent… Read More

August 18, 2026 @ 9:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Ethereum’s development community is now actively defining the contents of its next major network upgrade, Hegotá, which is scheduled for delivery in 2027. According to Ethereum Foundation researcher Toni Wahrstätter, developers currently have 66 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) under consideration. Over the coming series of… Read More