July 5, 2026 @ 3:49 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Security firm Microblink’s report Mapping the Rise of AI-Powered Identity Fraud describes how AI’s widespread availability and ease of use have changed how criminals commit fraud, and how security companies stop them. AI has erased human limitations. It is now easy to operate across multiple… Read More

July 5, 2026 @ 3:24 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company behind the Claude family of large language models, is reportedly in early-stage discussions with Samsung Electronics to explore the manufacturing of a custom-designed AI processor. According to reports from technology news outlets, the San Francisco-based firm has initiated preliminary work… Read More

July 5, 2026 @ 2:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) experienced net redemptions of approximately $527 million across the four trading days concluding on July 2, 2026. This figure, drawn from data compiled by SoSoValue, now extends a challenging run for these investment vehicles, marking their eighth consecutive week… Read More

July 5, 2026 @ 2:42 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and China’s securities regulator have signed a staff exchange agreement to deepen regulatory cooperation as the two authorities expand collaboration on capital markets, digital assets, and cross-border investment initiatives. The agreement was signed during the 10th annual supervisory roundtable… Read More

July 5, 2026 @ 12:45 pm By Michael Wong  |  

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Golomt Bank have signed a $64 million loan agreement to expand sustainable finance and increase lending to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), including women-owned businesses, in Mongolia. The financing package comprises $60 million from ADB’s ordinary capital resources… Read More

July 5, 2026 @ 11:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

UK Finance has shared a blog post authored by Craig Oliver, Third-Party Risk Management and Supplier Assurance Lead, PA Consulting and Karan Chao, Third Party Risk & Digital Trust Expert, PA Consulting. As clarified in an update shared with CI,  the opinions expressed here are… Read More

July 5, 2026 @ 8:58 am By Omar Faridi  |  

As a key step for the blockchain- and smart contracts-focused crypto sector, Ethereum Institutional has officially launched as an independent non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the adoption of Ethereum and its broader ecosystem among large financial institutions. This new entity aims to serve as a trusted resource for… Read More

July 4, 2026 @ 9:53 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Companies across Asia-Pacific are accelerating investments in artificial intelligence, but many are doing so with limited evaluation of returns as competitive pressure and fear of falling behind outweigh proven business outcomes, according to an IDC InfoBrief commissioned by Expereo. The survey of 800 technology leaders… Read More

July 4, 2026 @ 4:50 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Russia’s central bank has completed all necessary preparations for the large-scale rollout of its digital ruble, with support for transactions set to begin on September 1, 2026. Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina confirmed during a recent financial congress that the technological infrastructure is fully… Read More

July 4, 2026 @ 4:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Bitcoin ecosystem continues its steady integration with traditional finance as Bitcoin Standard Treasury Company (BSTR) prepares to debut on the Nasdaq. Under the direction of its co-founder and chief executive Adam Back, the company is positioning itself as a major player focused on accumulating… Read More

July 4, 2026 @ 4:30 pm By Michael Wong  |  

Dutch development bank FMO plans to provide a $30 million senior loan to Paraguay’s Ueno Bank S.A. to expand financing for micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses operating in the agricultural value chain. According to project documents accessed by Crowdfund Insider, the funding will be on-lent to… Read More

July 4, 2026 @ 2:04 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

This week, Digital minds were focused on acronyms – AI, MiCA, BTC and OUSD. AI “Everyone is focused on whether OpenAI or Anthropic reaches the public markets first, but that assumes the future of AI will be decided by model providers. Whether that’s the right assumption… Read More

July 4, 2026 @ 1:51 pm By Nick Morgan  |  

If you could build a time machine and drop in on Benjamin Franklin, what would he make of modern markets and regulations that grant some investors broad access to risk, diversification, and upside while restricting others from participating? That was essentially the premise of a… Read More

July 4, 2026 @ 1:29 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise Asset Management, believes the cryptocurrency market is on the verge of a significant shift. In a July 1, 2026, memo, he outlined why he expects a fresh bull market for Bitcoin and the wider digital asset space to… Read More

July 4, 2026 @ 8:55 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Interest in tokenized equities, commodities, pre-IPO shares, and platforms enabling continuous trading is accelerating sharply. According to a recent update shared by David Shuttleworth, Ecosystem Lead at Anchorage Digital, this momentum is driving unprecedented activity in perpetual futures tied to real-world assets (RWAs). Perpetual contracts… Read More

July 4, 2026 @ 8:44 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Maxim Moris, Co-Founder and CEO at Cicada, highlighted what he calls a sweeping consolidation in Europe’s crypto sector following the full rollout of the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. According to Moris, MiCA has effectively forced the closure or exit of roughly 80% of… Read More

July 4, 2026 @ 8:26 am By Omar Faridi  |  

A research report indicates that the US private credit and middle-market sector wrapped up the second quarter of 2026 with notably subdued buyout and direct-lending activity. This, according to PitchBook’s update which also noted that while the overall deal flow remained light, a handful of… Read More

July 4, 2026 @ 8:01 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Circle (NYSE:CRCL), the digital assets focused firm serving as the issuer of the USDC and EURC stablecoins, announced on July 1, 2026, that eligible partners using its Circle Mint France service can now access automated stablecoin payout capabilities. Through the Payouts API, these partners can send… Read More

July 4, 2026 @ 7:35 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published its first post-transition update to the interim Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) register. This latest refresh incorporates 37 newly authorized crypto-asset service providers (CASPs), bringing the overall count of MiCA-compliant entities across the European Union to 280…. Read More

July 4, 2026 @ 6:39 am By Omar Faridi  |  

CoinShares (NASDAQ: CSHR) has indicated that Bitcoin demonstrated notable sensitivity to U.S. economic data this week, rebounding from a cycle low near $57,000 following weaker-than-expected employment figures. According to CoinShares’ latest analysis, June nonfarm payrolls added just 57,000 jobs against consensus expectations of 115,000, while… Read More