Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

Japans spot Bitcoin ETF could hit $18B in 2 years after debut: Report

According to Japan-based DeFi asset management platform xWin Finance, Bitcoin spot ETFs (exchange-traded funds) could top $18.4B. According to the firm, this was a bullish scenario based on Japans crypto adoption and market participation.　　It added,　　Japan‘s household financial assets total roughly $14.6 trillion. A $18.4 billion Bitcoin ETF market would represent only about 0.13% of that amount. It would also equal approximately 1% of Japan’s public equity investment fund market, which exceeds $1.8 trillion.　　The report noted that the demand for Japan spot BTC ETFs could be from three players. First, existing crypto investors, who are estimated to be about 5 million or 4% of the overall Japanese population.　　Second and third demand lines would come from new retail investors via securities accounts and allocation from institutional players (corporations and financial firms). In fact, this was the trend observed after U.S. Spot BTC ETFs went live in early 2024.　　Can Japan get a third of U.S Spot BTC ETF flows？　　For comparison, U.S spot BTC ETFs hit a cumulative flow of about $56B as of early 2026, two years after their debut.　　If Japans product hit the projected $18.4B flow by the second year, that would mean a third of U.S Spot BTC ETF demand. The

07-25Industry

CLARITY Act Has Two Weeks to Clear the Senate — Or Risk Getting Lost in Midterm Politics

Key TakeawaysThe CLARITY Act confronts a narrow window before the Senates August recess.Ethics restrictions covering public officials remain the principal obstacle to bipartisan agreement.Failure in Congress prolongs regulatory uncertainty for crypto businesses, developers, and investors.　　August Recess Creates a Critical Deadline　　Lawmakers enter a decisive two-week stretch as bipartisan negotiators attempt to settle their remaining differences before the Senate begins its August recess.　　In a July 23 research note, Grayscale Investments, a digital asset investment manager, warned that the legislation faces a narrowing window for passage. Zach Pandl, the firms head of research, wrote:　　“The bill needs to clear the US Senate in the next two weeks (before the August recess), or it will likely get drowned out by midterm election politics.”　　U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), chair of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Digital Assets, released revised legislative text July 22 that incorporates proposals from two Senate committees. The updated CLARITY Act merges provisions drafted by the Senate Banking and Agriculture committees into a single negotiating framework. The proposal would more clearly divide oversight of digital asset markets between the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).　　Supporters argue that defined jurisdiction, registration standards, disclosure rules, and customer safeguards

07-25Industry

Samsung Wallet Will Add Stablecoin Support, Including USDC

In briefSamsung said Samsung Wallet will add native stablecoin support at Galaxy Unpacked in London on July 22, showing a mockup with Circles USDC.The move builds on a 2019 Knox-based crypto wallet, 2021 hardware wallet support, and an October 2025 Coinbase integration that reached 75 million U.S. Galaxy owners.It landed alongside the Galaxy Card, Samsungs first credit card with Barclays and Visa, as the global stablecoin supply sits near $310 billion under the year-old GENIUS Act.　　Samsung wants stablecoins living next to your boarding pass. At Galaxy Unpacked in London on July 22, the company said Samsung Wallet—the app that already stores payment cards, IDs, and hotel keys—will add native support for stablecoins. Samsung didnt name a launch date, an issuer, or which blockchain the tokens would run on.　　“Samsung Wallet will expand beyond cash and savings. It will embrace New forms of digital value, including stablecoins,” said Lee Dinham, Samsungs product manager, on stage, adding that the move would make the company one of the first major smartphone brands to offer native stablecoins.　　“This will make Samsung one of the first major mobile brands to bring native stablecoins to a Smartphone, enabling fast and trusted digital value transfers,” Dinham said.　　Stablecoins are tokens

07-25Industry

WLD Token Sale Raises $52.5M for World ID Expansion

Sam Altmans biometric identity startup World has closed a $52.5 million WLD token saleto a group of institutional investors, with every token purchased locked up for a full year — a structural detail that says as much about investor conviction as it does about where digital identity is heading in the AI era.　　Key takeawaysThe World Foundation raised $52.5 millionthrough a strategic locked WLD token sale led by Pantera Capital.All purchased WLD tokens are subject to a one-year lockup, preventing buyers from selling or trading during that period.Participating investors include Bain Capital Crypto, Eightco Holdings, Selini Capital, and Susquehanna Crypto.Funds will support the expansion of World IDacross enterprises, consumers, and AI agents.The World Network has surpassed 39 million members, with over 18 million verified by an Orb and more than 475 million World ID proofs issued to date.　　World Foundation Raises $52.5 Million Through a Locked WLD Token Sale　　The fundraise, announced Friday, flows directly to the World Foundation — an exempted limited guarantee foundation registered in the Cayman Islands that stewards the expansion of the World Network. The sale was led by Pantera Capital, with additional participation from Bain Capital Crypto, Eightco Holdings, Selini Capital, and Susquehanna Crypto, according to reporting from

07-25Industry

Gen Z Dominates Binances Stablecoin-Based Stock Trading, Accounting for 44% of Users

Gen Z holds 44% share of Binance Direct Stocks and bStocks users industry-wide currently.Gen Zs new TradFi user share climbed from 41% in January to 47% by July 2026.Gen Z generated roughly $80 billion in TradFi volume with 24% monthly compounding growth.Leveraged ETFs made up only 5.9% of Gen Zs trading volume, lowest among all generations.　　Gen Z has emerged as the dominant force behind Binances stablecoin-based stock trading products, according to new data from Binance Research.　　The generation accounts for 44% of users on both Binance Direct Stocks and bStocks, marking it as the single largest cohort across these offerings.　　Gen Z also holds roughly 45% of TradFi perpetual users, placing it on par with Millennials in that category.　　Gen Z Leads Adoption Across Binances TradFi Suite　　Binance Research data shows Gen Zs dominance extends beyond individual products. Among traders who have adopted all three TradFi offerings, a signal of genuine engagement rather than casual testing, Gen Z represents 48% of that group. Millennials follow at 33.6%, with Gen X and Baby Boomers trailing well behind at 13.6% and 4.9%.　　Gen Z Dominates Binances Stablecoin-Based Stock Trading, Accounting for 44% of Users　　Binance Research said Gen Z is the largest user group for its stablecoin-based stock

07-25Industry

FBI used Google cookies, 500 food orders and a Monero seed phrase to identify Steam malware funder

A 15-page federal criminal complaint details how investigators combined a Bitcoin trail with Google cookies, phone records, and more than 500 Uber Eats deliveries to identify Zyaire Dontaevious Zamarion Wilkins as the alleged financier and marketer of a Steam malware campaign. A later search uncovered a Monero seed phrase tied to roughly $382,000 in cumulative transaction activity.　　Federal agents arrested Wilkins, 21, in Florida on July 14. The complaint, entered the following day, charges him with one count of conspiracy to obtain information by computer for private financial gain.　　The allegations concern the same eight-game campaign CryptoSlate reported on July 19. The FBI and the complaint allege that the campaign infected approximately 8,000 devices, accessed about 80 cryptocurrency wallets and stole at least $220,000.　　The complaint also lays out how investigators connected campaign funding to Wilkins and what they found after obtaining a residential search warrant.　　Messages describe Wilkins alleged financing role　　Prosecutors allege that another participant created the developer accounts and launched the games, while Wilkins supplied funding and helped market them.　　The games were promoted through Discord, Telegram, X and LinkedIn, while bots allegedly identified people with large crypto holdings for targeted messages.　　Messages cited in the complaint include discussions about spending $10,000 on a

07-25Industry

Audiera – THIS breakout could send BEAT to $4 ONLY IF…

Audiera [BEAT] has attracted enough capital inflow to push its valuation sharply higher, with market capitalization up 17% and the asset worth roughly $970 million at the time of this analysis.　　That performance heading into the weekend leaves one question open—whether the rally survives into the new week. Several factors argue for continuation, and a handful of risks sit directly against them.　　BEAT chart points to unfinished upside　　The 4-hour chart suggests BEAT has more room ahead of it than the current move implies, and the case rests on the pattern the asset has just exited.　　BEAT broke out of an ascending triangle, a structure which typically precedes an extended rally, with the measured move often carrying price back toward the point where the consolidation first began.　　Source: TradingView　　Applied here, the extension puts BEAT on course for $4.0, returning the asset to territory it held before the consolidation set in.　　The route there is far from clean, since two levels stand between BEAT and that target. The asset must first absorb supply at $3.2, then clear $3.6, before the final objective comes into play.　　Momentum currently supports the attempt, with volume confirming the move higher, up 82% at $32.87 million, according to CoinMarketCap.　　Liquidation heatmap keeps pressure on　　The

07-25Industry

Cardano co-founder Hoskinson says Bitcoin could lose top spot if governance fails quantum test

Quick TakeHoskinson said quantum computing poses a major test for Bitcoin, warning that BTC could lose its top ranking if the networks governance proves unable to adapt.Cardano addresses issues related to BTC that Satoshi was unable to solve, according to Hoskinson.　　Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson got his start in crypto through Bitcoin 15 years ago. Now he says that a possible quantum-computing threat could test Bitcoins ability to coordinate upgrades and ultimately cost BTC its position as the worlds largest cryptocurrency.　　At the same time, he argues Cardanos formal onchain governance and ability to enact upgrades make it better equipped to respond to existential technical threats.　　“The issue with Bitcoin is it‘s frozen in time. It’s very difficult to change anything,” Hoskinson told The Starting Block on Friday. He said early frustration with Bitcoin‘s inflexibility helped motivate the creation of Ethereum. Hoskinson was one of Ethereum’s original co-founders alongside Vitalik Buterin.　　Hoskinsons comments fed into a broader argument that Cardano preserves Bitcoins founding principles while remaining adaptable.　　“Cardano is, in many ways, a spiritual successor [to Bitcoin]. It reflects correcting a lot of things that I think that Satoshi couldnt get around to because of expertise or time but was directionally moving there,” he said.　　Cardano

07-25Industry

World Foundation Locks Up $52.5M WLD Sale Led By Pantera Capital To Expand World ID

World Foundation closed a $52.5 million strategic token sale on Friday, selling WLD tokens to a group of venture capital heavyweights led by Pantera Capital, according to a market update from WuBlockchain. The deal comes with a strict one-year lockup on all purchased tokens, a structure designed to remove immediate sell pressure from WLDs circulating supply. Bain Capital Crypto, Eightco Holdings, Selini Capital, and Susquehanna Crypto also joined the round, bringing together a mix of deep-pocketed funds and quantitative trading firms.　　The foundation has stated it will channel the entire sum into expanding World ID, its biometric-based digital identity system. The stated target includes enterprise adoption, consumer verification, and, notably, AI agent authentication—a growing niche that sits at the intersection of decentralized identity and autonomous systems.　　The one-year lockup is the defining feature of the raise. By agreeing to keep tokens off exchanges until at least mid-2027, the investors are signaling a long-term view that usually weeds out short-term speculators. For existing WLD holders, the structure caps near-term dilution at a time when altcoin markets remain sensitive to sudden token unlocks. Any large unlock event can trigger cascading sell-offs, so locking tens of millions of dollars worth of tokens for twelve months

07-25Industry

Coinbase reshuffles top ranks amid push into stocks and predictions

Coinbase has replaced or reassigned four senior leaders after cutting 14% of its workforce, as the exchange builds a platform spanning crypto, stocks, derivatives and prediction markets.　　SummaryCoinbase is replacing or reassigning four senior leaders during its multi-asset expansion.Dominique Baillet is expected to succeed Lawrence Brock as chief people officer.Stocks and prediction markets are growing as weak crypto conditions pressure COIN.　　A Coinbase regulatory filing states that Chief People Officer Lawrence Brock will leave his position on Aug. 17 and remain with the company through Sept. 1 to transfer his duties. Coinbase expects to appoint Dominique Baillet as Brock‘s successor, placing her in charge of the company’s hiring, retention and workplace operations during a period of product expansion.　　Brock will continue providing advice from Sept. 2 through Nov. 30 under an agreement signed on July 23, according to the filing. The arrangement gives him a payment equal to three months of his current base salary after the advisory period, along with continued vesting of restricted stock units scheduled for Nov. 20. Coinbases filing does not give a reason for his departure.　　His exit follows several changes across Coinbase‘s legal, institutional and Base teams. CertiK Pulse reported that Greg Tusar, co-head of Coinbase Institutional, has

07-25Industry

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