Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

OFAC sanctions 134 ISIS-K crypto wallet addresses as Tether freezes funds

The US Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 134 cryptocurrency wallet addresses identified as belonging to ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), which has been a Specially Designated Global Terrorist since September 2015.　　The wallet addresses were added to the OFACs Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list on Wednesday, which includes individuals, entities and digital asset addresses linked to terrorism, narcotics trafficking and other illicit activity.　　Stablecoin issuer Tether has frozen the balances associated with 131 Tron addresses, while the remaining three sanctioned addresses were on the Monero network, blockchain forensics company Chainalysis said in a Wednesday report.　　The development comes over a week after the OFACs previous round of sanctions against ISIS-supporting financiers using cryptocurrency. On June 22, the OFAC sanctioned three individuals and six entities across Europe, the Middle East and West Africa, including Syria-based MSB Bitcoin Xchange and Turkish MSB Spider.　　OFAC said the previous round of sanctions targeted “key facilitators who enable ISIS to move funds among its regional affiliates.”OFAC update to SDN list, new wallets included. Source: OFAC　　131 wallets linked to ISIS-K received $1.4 million in donations　　ISIS-K has historically solicited crypto through donation campaigns on various websites and messaging platforms, Chainalysis said.　　The report said that the 131 Tron addresses

07-02Industry

Ezra Reguerra

Aave brings V3 lending and GHO stablecoin to Monad　　Aave launched its V3 lending protocol on Monad with 12 supported assets as the network commits $15 million in first-year incentives to build liquidity and adoption.

07-02Industry

SBI Crypto shuts Bitcoin mining pool after 5-year run

SBI Crypto, a cryptocurrency-focused division of Japanese financial conglomerate SBI, is shutting down its Bitcoin mining pool after a five-year run.　　The company announced Wednesday that it will end mining pool operations on July 31 and will stop accepting mining shares at the same time. It did not provide its rationale for closing the pool.　　SBI Crypto said miners should keep directing hashrate to the pool until the cutoff so final payouts can be calculated correctly before operations end. “We would sincerely appreciate your continued support by mining with us until the final day of operation,” it said.　　The shutdown marks the end of one of Japan‘s better-known corporate mining pool operations and is the latest sign of SBI’s intentions to expand its broader cryptocurrency strategy beyond mining.　　SBI Cryptos BTC mining pool ranks No. 12 globally　　SBI Crypto launched its Bitcoin mining pool in March 2021, entering a market that at the time was dominated by operators such as Poolin, F2Pool and Binance Pool.　　Data from SimpleMining shows SBI Crypto currently ranks as the 12th largest Bitcoin mining pool globally, with about 21.46 exahashes per second (EH/s) of hashrate and roughly 2.24% of total Bitcoin network share.Source: SimpleMining　　That places it far behind leaders like Foundry

07-02Industry

Yield-bearing stablecoin slowdown ends 3-year run for crypto-native products

Yield-bearing stablecoin supply fell by more than $3.5 billion in the second quarter of 2026, reversing nearly three years of quarterly growth as crypto-native products contracted and Treasury-backed tokens expanded.　　Crypto exchange CEX.IO reported Thursday that the category declined by 15% during Q2. Ethena‘s sUSDe lost 52% of its supply, shedding nearly $2 billion, while Sky’s sUSDS declined by 16%.　　Treasury-backed products moved in the opposite direction. BlackRocks BUIDL grew by 2%, Circles USYC increased by nearly 16% and Ondo Finances USDY rose by over 66%, highlighting a widening divide between crypto-native yield assets and products backed by traditional assets.　　The divergence came as the broader stablecoin market recorded its first quarterly contraction since the third quarter of 2023, according to CEX.io. Total supply fell to $312 billion in Q2, while adjusted transaction volume declined by 5.5%.　　Supply growth per quarter, compiled by CEX.io. Source: CEX.io　　Stablecoin slowdown deepens after weaker Q1 signals　　The Q2 decline marks a sharp reversal from the start of 2026. In Q1, stablecoin supply increased by about $8 billion to a record $315 billion, with yield-bearing products among the main growth drivers.　　However, signs of weakening organic demand had already emerged early in the year. During the first quarter, retail-sized transfers fell

07-02Industry

Anchorage Digital adds Lido support, giving institutions access to wstETH

Quick TakeThrough the integration, institutional clients gain direct access to Lido‘s wrapped staked ETH token, wstETH, via Anchorage’s platform.Perhaps the added access to wstETH could bolster Lido revenues, which declined last year.　　Federally regulated crypto bank Anchorage Digital said Thursday it has added support for Lido, Ethereums dominant liquid staking protocol.　　Through the integration, institutional clients gain direct access to Lidos wrapped staked ETH token, wstETH, via Anchorages platform, the company said in a statement.　　Anchorage clients can connect to the Lido dApp and mint and burn wstETH. In this manner, Anchorage users gain exposure to liquid Ethereum while simultaneously taking advantage of Anchorages custody and governance controls, according to Thursdays statement.　　“Liquid staking has become one of the most important building blocks for institutional participation in Ethereum,” Anchorage co-founder and CEO Nathan McCauley said. “By integrating with Lido, were giving institutions access to wstETH without the operational or security tradeoffs that have historically kept large allocators on the sidelines.”　　Perhaps the added access to (wstETH) could bolster Lido revenues, which declined last year. In March, Lido said that in 2025 revenues fell over 20% as users withdrew funds and staking yields declined.　　Traditional Ethereum staking requires locking up ETH for extended periods while running validator

07-02Industry

'Accumulation beneath the surface': Bitcoin rebounds above $61,000 as long-term holders accumulate amid steady ETF outflows

Quick TakeBitcoin trades back above $61,000 after bottoming near $57,800 this week, even as spot ETFs posted a $296 million net outflow on July 1.Glassnode and Bitfinex analysts both say long-term holders are quietly accumulating beneath the selloff, even as ETFs turned net sellers of bitcoin for the first time this cycle.　　Bitcoin traded above $61,000 on Thursday, clawing back some ground after tumbling to a 21-month low earlier in the week, according to The Blocks prices page.　　U.S. spot bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds recorded a net outflow of $296 million on July 1, according to data compiled by The Block.　　The Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF posted the largest single-day inflow among the group at $36.3 million. Spot ether (ETH) ETFs fared better, taking in a net $14.8 million, led by BlackRocks ETHA at $36.6 million.　　The moves follow The Blocks report that spot bitcoin ETFs shed $4.5 billion in June, their worst month since launching in January 2024, with BlackRocks IBIT alone accounting for $3.55 billion of it.　　Accumulation signals　　Glassnode analyst Chris Beamish wrote that long-term holders have returned to accumulation after an extended period of distribution, with buying activity broadening across wallet cohorts, including smaller holders and entities holding 100 to 1,000

07-02Industry

'I think we're nearing the bottom': Bitwise CIO says Strategy's STRC selloff is part of bitcoin's end-of-cycle dynamics

Quick TakeSTRC, Strategys preferred stock, traded as low as $75 from its $100 par value before Strategy overhauled its framework on June 29 and let the price float instead of defending $100.Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan called the STRC selloff a classic “end-of-cycle” pattern and said he expects a new bitcoin bull market to begin this fall.　　Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan said the sharp sell-off in Strategys STRC preferred stock is a “painful but necessary” part of the current crypto market cycle and argued it reflects the kind of end-of-cycle deleveraging that typically precedes a market bottom.　　Bitcoin fell below $60,000 in late June, its lowest level since 2024, a decline Hougan attributed largely to turmoil around STRC, the perpetual preferred equity instrument Strategy (MSTR) uses to help fund its bitcoin purchases.　　A preferred stock under pressure　　STRC launched last year, targeting a $100 par value, initially paying a 9% yield.　　Strategy said it would raise that yield by 0.25 to 0.50 percentage points whenever the price drifted below $100 to draw buyers back toward par. The mechanism worked for a while, since the rate climbed to 11.5%, the price held near $100, and investors poured $10.5 billion into the instrument, helping to fund

07-02Industry

Taiko reopens bridge after $1.7M exploit, says users made whole

Ethereum layer-2 blockchain Taiko reopened its bridge and restored full operations after a June exploit drained up to $1.7 million.　　On Thursday, Taiko announced that users could once again move funds to and from the network after completing the final stage of its four-step recovery plan. The project said it had made all victimized users whole and that any remaining withdrawal limits are temporary safeguards that do not affect normal usage.　　The reopening ends an 11-day disruption following the implementation of security fixes and the restoration of the bridges 1:1 backing.　　The exploit occurred on June 21 after an attacker compromised Taikos chain-state verification mechanism, allowing forged proofs to be accepted and enabling unauthorized withdrawals from its Ethereum vault. Blockchain security companies said that up to $1.7 million in crypto assets were taken.Taiko’s seven-day token chart. Source: CoinGecko　　Its token, TAIKO, briefly surged to about $0.35 following the bridge reopening, before retreating to roughly $0.14.　　Taiko restores bridge backing before reopening　　Taiko outlined its recovery plan on Sunday, saying it would bring the network back through four stages. The project said it had deployed fixes and verified that the chains finalized state contained no forged checkpoints or attacker claims that could still be executed.　　According to Taiko,

07-02Industry

OpenAI weighs 5% stake for US government amid Trump talks: FT

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has reportedly discussed giving the US government a 5% equity stake as artificial intelligence oversight in Washington intensifies.　　The company raised the idea in early discussions with the Trump administration as it seeks to navigate a tougher political environment ahead of a potential public listing, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.　　OpenAI CEO Sam Altman argued that giving the public a financial stake in the company would be the best way to share the economic benefits of the booming AI industry.　　The report comes weeks after OpenAI announced it had confidentially submitted an S-1 for a US initial public offering, joining Anthropic in preparing for a Wall Street debut this year. It also comes as the US government takes a more active role in overseeing advanced AI models.　　Proposal extends to other AI companies　　The proposal would see several leading US AI companies contribute a 5% equity stake to a public investment vehicle. However, it remains unclear whether companies such as Anthropic, Google and Meta would support the idea.　　The Financial Times reported that Altman modeled the proposal on Alaskas Permanent Fund, which invests the states oil revenue into stocks and pays dividends to residents.

07-02Industry

Yield-bearing stablecoin slowdown ends three-year run for crypto-native products

Yield-bearing stablecoin supply fell by more than $3.5 billion in the second quarter of 2026, reversing nearly three years of quarterly growth as crypto-native products contracted and Treasury-backed tokens expanded.　　Crypto exchange CEX.IO reported Thursday that the category declined by 15% during Q2. Ethena‘s sUSDe lost 52% of its supply, shedding nearly $2 billion, while Sky’s sUSDS declined by 16%.　　Treasury-backed products moved in the opposite direction. BlackRocks BUIDL grew by 2%, Circles USYC increased by nearly 16% and Ondo Finances USDY rose by over 66%, highlighting a widening divide between crypto-native yield assets and products backed by traditional assets.　　The divergence came as the broader stablecoin market recorded its first quarterly contraction since the third quarter of 2023, according to CEX.io. Total supply fell to $312 billion in Q2, while adjusted transaction volume declined by 5.5%.　　Supply growth per quarter, compiled by CEX.io. Source: CEX.io　　Stablecoin slowdown deepens after weaker Q1 signals　　The Q2 decline marks a sharp reversal from the start of 2026. In Q1, stablecoin supply increased by about $8 billion to a record $315 billion, with yield-bearing products among the main growth drivers.　　However, signs of weakening organic demand had already emerged early in the year. During the first quarter, retail-sized transfers fell

07-02Industry