Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

London Stock Exchange's LSE 24 signals a bet on digital, AI-driven markets: TD Cowen

Quick TakeThe London Stock Exchange will launch LSE 24, a 24/5 overnight trading venue running 17:00 to 07:50 Monday through Friday, with client testing by the end of 2026 and exchange-traded products as the first asset class in the first half of 2027.TD Cowen argues the venue‘s real significance lies not in the extended hours but in its ties to LSEG’s forthcoming Digital Securities Depository and its emphasis on agent-based trading workflows.　　The London Stock Exchange will launch LSE 24, a new 24/5 trading venue built to support digital, algorithmic and agent-based trading, the exchange said Tuesday.　　The venue will run from 17:00 to 07:50 Monday through Friday, with a 30-minute pause each evening for end-of-day processing, operating separately from the exchanges Main Market, which keeps its existing 08:00 to 16:30 hours.　　LSE 24 will be available for client testing by the end of 2026, with exchange-traded products launching as the first asset class in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approval. The exchange intends to expand the venue into equities as a next step, drawing on central limit order book and request-for-quote functionality to support price transparency and on-demand liquidity.　　“The launch of LSE 24 marks an important step in the

07-21Industry

Bitcoin defies recent tech stocks sell-off: Are bulls eyeing $70K rally？

Key takeaways:Bitcoin futures and options show whales still prefer hedging downside risks as socio-economic risks mount.Rising Treasury yields and declines in AI stocks fuel risk aversion, yet BTCs strength signals continued decoupling.　　Bitcoin (BTC) showed relative strength over the past week, despite failing to break above $65,500. More importantly, the cryptocurrency has decoupled from traditional markets as investors took profits in memory-chip makers amid fears of excessive valuations in the artificial intelligence sector. Still, judging by Bitcoins derivative metrics, top traders are not particularly confident about a rally toward $70,000.　　Bitcoin perpetual futures annualized funding rate. Source: Laevitas　　The Bitcoin perpetual futures annualized funding rate stood at a neutral 8% mark on Monday, flat from one week prior. Excessive demand for bullish leverage drives the indicator above the 12% level, which last occurred on July 10. It is unclear if Bitcoin traders lack of optimism is somewhat related to contagion fears from the sell-off in tech stocks or the war in Iran.　　Nasdaq-100 futures (left) vs. Bitcoin/USD (right). Source: TradingView　　The tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 Index dropped below 28,800 on Friday for the first time in five weeks, while Bitcoin displayed strength over the weekend and eventually broke above $65,000 on Monday. Strategy announced a successful raise

07-21Industry

CoinShares debuts Bitcoin mining ETF in Europe entrance

CoinShares has launched its first UCITS exchange-traded fund (ETF) in Europe, which tracks publicly listed Bitcoin mining companies, giving European investors exposure to the sector through an Irish-domiciled fund listed on Deutsche Börse Xetra.　　The CoinShares Bitcoin Mining UCITS ETF began trading Tuesday under the ticker MINE. The physically replicated fund tracks the CoinShares Bitcoin Mining Index, a rules-based basket of listed Bitcoin miners administered by Solactive AG, the asset manager said in an announcement.　　The ETF was last trading at 19.50 euros ($21.74) per share. Deutsche Börse Xetra data showed 60 units traded for a turnover of 1,184 euros. The similar US-traded CoinShares Bitcoin Mining ETF (WGMI) has net assets of $343.6 million.　　CoinShares said the UCITS fund has a total expense ratio of 0.65% and rebalances quarterly.　　UCITS, or Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities, is the EUs regulatory framework for investment funds. UCITS funds are widely used by European asset managers because they can be marketed across multiple jurisdictions under a harmonized regulatory regime.　　Related: Grayscale plans regular cash payouts from ETH, SOL staking rewards

07-21Industry

Morpho launches fixed-rate lending protocol on Base

Lending protocol Morpho has launched Morpho Midnight on Base, adding fixed-rate, fixed-term loans to its onchain credit network alongside the variable-rate markets offered through Morpho Blue.　　In an announcement sent to Cointelegraph, Morpho said the offer-driven protocol lets lenders and borrowers propose their own interest rates, maturities and other loan terms instead of relying on a protocol-defined utilization curve. Loans are issued as fixed obligations, with terms set through competing offers rather than algorithmic pool pricing.　　Predictable rates and defined maturities are standard features of traditional credit markets. However, they remain uncommon in decentralized finance (DeFi), where borrowing costs generally fluctuate based on market utilization. Fixed terms could make onchain lending more attractive to institutions and businesses that need to manage funding costs, returns and risk exposure in advance.　　A Morpho spokesperson told Cointelegraph that Midnight is live on the Base mainnet, initially supporting cbBTC and USDC across multiple maturity dates. The spokesperson said Morpho deliberately kept the launch contained as part of a progressive rollout that prioritizes security.　　The spokesperson said crypto-native lenders, borrowers and curators already active on Morpho Blue had shown interest in Midnight. Several unidentified enterprises and institutions are also building products on the protocol in beta, with announcements expected

07-21Industry

Robinhood-backed DEX Arcus expands with tokenized assets, perps

A decentralized exchange (DEX) backed by Robinhood is expanding into tokenized stocks and derivatives as platforms compete to build onchain markets for traditional assets.　　Arcus, a DEX built by the team behind decentralized trading platform dYdX and backed by Robinhood Crypto, launched tokenized stocks and perpetual futures on Robinhood Chain on Tuesday, according to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph.　　The company previously launched spot markets when Robinhood Chain went live on July 1. Arcus offers more than 95 stock tokens, perpetual markets and crypto assets through a self-custodial trading account, with Paxos-issued stablecoin USDG serving as its primary collateral and settlement asset.　　The launch comes as crypto companies and financial platforms increasingly compete to build infrastructure for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), while regulatory questions around access and product structure remain a key challenge for the sector.　　Related: Bernstein raises Robinhood price target, cites tokenization and prediction markets　　Self-custody shapes approach to onchain trading　　Arcuss launch includes tokenized versions of stock in major US companies such as Nvidia, Tesla, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google and Amazon, as well as perpetual markets tied to equities, exchange-traded funds, commodities, indexes and crypto assets.　　The platform uses a self-custodial model, allowing users to retain control of their assets rather than deposit them

07-21Industry

Aztec upgrades to V5 in alpha, adding full private execution environment to decentralized Ethereum L2

Quick TakeAztec v5 is a full execution environment for the Ethereum scaling layer that Vitalik Buterin said has entered Stage 2 decentralization.V5 focuses on supporting “client-side proving,” enabling computation-heavy ZK proofs on simple devices like phones and laptops.　　Crypto privacy project Aztec has released its v5 upgrade in alpha, taking a step toward making fully private transactions “the default” in the Ethereum ecosystem, Aztec co-founder Zac Williamson told The Block in an interview.　　The update, passed by token-holder governance and executed onchain on Tuesday, enables users to generate end-to-end private transactions directly on their own devices, like their phones and consumer laptops, while retaining the censorship resistance and decentralization of crypto.　　This “client-side proving” process differs from the approach used by most other ZK projects, where zero-knowledge proofs are generated in centralized data centers, Williamson said.　　“Weve been ruthlessly saying we need to prove things on phones, on consumer laptops, on some random $500 Lenovo piece of junk, if this technology is going to actually have an impact,” Aztec co-founder Zac Williamson told The Block in an interview.　　According to a press release on Tuesday, the upgrade reduces private transaction proving times by more than 2x, cuts the average cost of a fully private transaction

07-21Industry

Jito rolls out JTX self-custodial trading platform for Solana tokens and RWAs

Quick TakeJito Labs launched JTX, a self-custodial Solana trading platform featuring professional trading tools alongside spot trading for tokens and tokenized real-world assets.　　Blockchain infrastructure developer Jito Labs announced the launch of JTX, a self-custodial trading platform built for professional traders on Solana.　　The platform debuts with spot trading supporting Solana assets including cbBTC, SOL, HYPE and memecoins, alongside tokenized real-world assets such as equities and exchange-traded funds. JTX also includes professional trading features designed for onchain markets, Jito said in a statement shared with The Block on Tuesday.　　According to the statement, JTX is designed to close the gap between self-custody and execution quality by offering professional-grade order tools, including resting limit orders, automated execution, and conditional orders.　　“It combines self-custody with execution tools that have typically only been available through more advanced trading platforms,” Jito Labs CEO Lucas Bruder said. “Users hold their own keys, settlement happens onchain, and there are no custody tradeoffs.”　　JTX charges a fee on each trade, with 80% of trading fee revenue allocated to the Jito DAO to buy back and burn JTO tokens, per the statement. The remaining 20% is distributed to referrers based on trading activity generated by them or their referrals.　　Jito Labs said JTX joins

07-21Industry

Russia passes sweeping crypto market law with cross-border trade rules

Russias State Duma has approved a broad cryptocurrency market bill in its second and third readings, moving the country closer to a regulated system for crypto trading, custody and cross-border transactions.　　SummaryRussias State Duma approved crypto market rules covering licensed intermediaries, investor limits, and foreign trade.Domestic crypto payments remain banned, while approved digital assets can support regulated cross-border commercial settlements.Major Russian banks are preparing custody and trading services ahead of the new regulatory framework.　　Bill No. 1194918-8, titled “On Digital Currency and Digital Rights,” creates rules for companies operating in Russias digital asset market. The framework covers exchanges, brokers, custodians and other intermediaries while placing the Bank of Russia at the center of market supervision. The legislation still requires approval from the Federation Council before it can reach President Vladimir Putin for signature.　　The vote follows months of revisions after lawmakers approved the bill in its first reading in April. As previously reported, lawmakers scheduled the final State Duma readings for July 21 after the Financial Market Committee backed the updated text.　　BREAKING: ???????? Russias State Duma passes bill to allow companies to use crypto for cross-border trade.　　The bill now heads to the Federation Council for approval, then to President Putin for signature.　　You might

07-21Industry

Robinhood Chain nears $9B DEX volume within weeks of launch: FalconX report

Robinhood Chain has attracted $431 million in total value locked and nearly $400 million in stablecoin market capitalization within three weeks of launch, while memecoins have accounted for more than 80% of decentralized exchange activity despite the networks long-term focus on tokenized real-world assets.　　SummaryRobinhood Chain has reached $431 million in total value locked and nearly $400 million in stablecoin market cap within three weeks of launch.FalconX said memecoins account for more than 80% of decentralized exchange volume even as Robinhood positions the network around tokenized real world assets.Robinhood Earn, tokenized stock offerings, and Morpho powered lending have emerged as early drivers as the company works to bring more users onchain.　　According to a research primer published Monday by FalconX, the Ethereum Layer 2 network has rapidly become one of the busiest blockchains after its July 1 mainnet launch, processing about 6 million transactions a day and serving more than 250,000 daily active users.　　Citing Artemis data, FalconX said Robinhood Chain has even surpassed Coinbases Base on some activity metrics while cumulative DEX trading volume has climbed toward $9 billion.　　Early growth centers on memecoins as RWA plans take shape　　Although trading activity has surged really quickly, FalconX said higher-risk memecoins continue to dominate the

07-21Industry

Galaxy Commits Up to $5 Million to Prepare Bitcoin for Quantum Threat

In briefGalaxy Digital launched a Bitcoin Quantum Readiness Initiative built on three pillars: up to $5 million in developer grants for post-quantum solutions, a research program through Galaxy Research, and a Quantum Advisory Council of academic experts.The effort targets “Q-Day,” when a quantum computer could use Shors algorithm to forge Bitcoin signatures and drain vulnerable wallets.Momentum is building industry-wide: Project Eleven projects a cryptographically relevant quantum computer by 2030-2033, Coinbases advisory council is urging developers to start migration work now, and Trump signed executive orders moving the federal post-quantum deadline to December 2031.　　Galaxy Digital on Tuesday launched a Bitcoin Quantum Readiness Initiative, pledging up to $5 million in developer grants, a research program, and a new advisory council to help harden the network against the eventual arrival of powerful quantum computers.　　The Nasdaq-listed firm said the multi-pillar effort will fund work on post-quantum cryptographic solutions, publish analysis through Galaxy Research, and convene a Quantum Advisory Council whose inaugural members include University of Calgary professor Barry Sanders, MIT Sea Grant Knauss Fellow Damien Bérubé, and Boston University computer science professor Eran Tromer. Galaxy said it expects to begin accepting grant applications immediately.　　“As leaders in the digital assets space, we believe its important

07-21Industry

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