NFT founder accused of using millions from investor funds to finance DJ hobby, gambling

Quick TakeMiami resident Taj Tarsha, 34, was charged with securities fraud and wire fraud, each of which could mean a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.Tarshas case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan of New York. Kaplan presided over the sentencing of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.  An NFT startup founder is facing federal fraud charges after prosecutors alleged he stole millions of dollars from investors to bankroll his personal lifestyle, including a loan for a Miami condominium and his DJ hobby.  On Wednesday, Miami resident Taj Tarsha, 34, was charged with securities fraud and wire fraud — each of which could mean a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Prosecutors alleged that Tarsha made deceptive claims about how he planned to use investor funds through his company Few and Far Limited.  The company was pitched as a decentralized marketplace for NFTs, funded by “Simple Agreement for Future Tokens”, or SAFTs, where investors paid for the rights to those tokens to obtain later on. Tarsha raised over $10 million by selling 95 million of those tokens to almost 70 investors, prosecutors said.  However, right after getting investors funds, prosecutors say Tarsha used them instead for gambling, to buy speculative digital assets, and

08-06انڈسٹری

SpaceX stock falls 11% as AI spending hits $15.8B

SpaceX stock fell as much as 11% on Wednesday after record AI investment, and an approaching share unlock overshadowed the companys stronger-than-expected second-quarter revenue.  SummarySpaceX generated $7.8 billion in Q2 revenue, up 92% from a year earlier.AI-related capital expenditure jumped to $15.8 billion, compared with $749 million a year ago.Piper Sandler cut its SPCX price target to $140 from $156while retaining a Neutral rating.SPCX faces further pressure as its tradable share count could rise by more than 140%.  SpaceX revenue beats Wall Street estimates  SpaceX reported $7.8 billion in second-quarter revenue, exceeding Wall Street‘s estimate of about $6.8 billion. Revenue rose 92% from $4.1 billion in the same period last year, marking a strong first earnings report since the company’s June Nasdaq debut.  Starlink remained the company‘s main financial engine. Revenue from the satellite connectivity business rose 66%, while SpaceX’s AI revenue increased by about 250% from a year earlier. The companys total operating loss narrowed to $143 million from $970 million, according to Reuters.  However, investors focused on how much SpaceX spent to generate that growth. Total quarterly capital expenditure climbed above $18 billion, including $15.83 billion allocated to AI infrastructure. That compared with only $749 million in AI spending during the year-ago period.  Finance

08-06انڈسٹری

Coldcard exploit could boost demand for regulated bitcoin exposure, analysts say

SummaryCantor said the Coldcard wallet exploit could provide a positive read-through for crypto-related equities tied to institutional adoption.FRNT Financial said the exploit could increase demand for bitcoin ETFs as some investors seek alternatives to self-custody.Both firms said the long-term impact is likely to be adaptation rather than abandonment, with cold wallet providers improving security while some investors gravitate toward ETFs.  The Coldcard wallet exploit, which saw investors bitcoin drained from their cold wallets, highlights the risks some investors face with self-custody and could bolster demand for spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and be positive for some crypto-related equities, according to Wall Street analysts.  Investment bank Cantor said the breach may reinforce the appeal of publicly traded crypto firms linked to institutional adoption.  The bank said the exploit could drive Coldcard users toward managed custody providers, potentially benefiting firms including Robinhood Markets (HOOD), Coinbase Global (COIN), BitGo Holdings (BTGO), Bullish (BLSH), eToro Group (ETOR) and Gemini Space Station (GEMI) through increased customer inflows.  “The read-through is second-order but we would expect that token flows to custodians and exchanges will increase following the hack,” Nico Pasquariello, a digital asset specialist, said in the Wednesday note to clients.  The exploit allowed attackers to steal bitcoin from users who had

08-06انڈسٹری

Gold hits six-week highs on China demand as Bitcoin ignores fresh S&P 500 record

Bitcoin (BTC) stayed wedged at $64,000 on Wednesdays Wall Street open as gold hit six-week highs.  Key points:Gold analysis eyes Chinese demand as the precious metal hits its highest levels in six weeks.Bitcoin sees a second day of lackluster performance against US stocks as the S&P 500 builds on all-time highs.  China in spotlight as gold rebounds past $4,200  Data from TradingView showed continued BTC price inertia contrasting with upside for both precious metals and US equities.  BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView  Gold gained 2.8% on the day to hit $4,213 per ounce, its highest levels since June 22. Chinese appetite spurred the upside, with Bloomberg reporting 14 consecutive days of inflows for domestic gold-backed exchange-traded funds (ETFs).  China gold ETF inflows data. Source: Bloomberg  These products saw their worst month of outflows on record in June per data from the World Gold Council. The year-to-date inflows to Chinese ETFs fell to 40 billion yuan ($5.6 billion). However, this is still the second-best H1 performance on record.  “Demand for gold ETFs stayed robust amid growing geopolitical and economic uncertainties, while the PBoC‘s non-stop gold purchases continued to provide a supportive backdrop for sentiment. Institutional investor participation in Chinese gold ETFs has also risen, supporting demand for these products,”

08-06انڈسٹری

Circle stock reverses 7% rally after mixed Q2 results

Circle stock erased an early 7% rally and fell nearly 3% after mixed second-quarter results and renewed concerns about weaker USDC activity and shrinking margins.  SummaryCircle reported $701 million in revenue, missing Wall Streets $717 million estimate.Earnings per share reached $0.18, narrowly beating the $0.17 consensus.Mizuho maintained its Underperform rating and $45 price targeton CRCL.CRCL trades near critical support at $58.04as bearish momentum persists.  Circle earnings beat on profit but miss on revenue  Circle Internet Group reported mixed results for the second quarter of fiscal 2026, giving investors competing signals about the USDC issuers financial performance.  Quarterly revenue reached $701 million, falling short of the $717 million expected by Wall Street. However, earnings per share came in at $0.18, slightly above the consensus forecast of $0.17.  Net income also exceeded expectations. Circle generated $48 million in profit during the quarter, compared with analysts estimate of $45.8 million.  The initial reaction was positive, with CRCL shares rising about 7% shortly after the report. The rally faded as investors assessed the revenue miss and weaker operating trends underneath the headline profit figures.  Circle stock subsequently fell around 3%, trading near $61.39 after reaching $63.25 during the previous session. The shares have now lost more than 20% since the beginning

08-05انڈسٹری

Ondo Finance has hired Blockchain.coms former CFO as finance chief

Ondo Finance has appointed former Blockchain.com executive Adam Schlisman as its chief financial officer, adding another senior Wall Street and crypto finance veteran as the tokenized-assets company expands its institutional business.  According to a company press release issued Wednesday, Schlisman will oversee Ondo Finances financial operations after joining from global macro hedge fund Monashee Investment Management, where he served as chief financial officer. His appointment comes as the company continues building products and infrastructure for tokenized capital markets.  More details ↓https://t.co/YWllNEZGpA  — Ondo Finance (@Ondo) August 5, 2026  Ondo Finance adds another senior executive  Before joining Monashee, Schlisman spent several years as chief financial officer at Blockchain.com, where he managed finance, treasury and risk during a period of rapid expansion. Earlier in his career, he worked for nearly a decade at Graham Capital Management in portfolio management and risk-related roles.  Founded in 2021 by former Goldman Sachs executives, Ondo has grown into one of the largest tokenized real-world asset platforms. The company offers blockchain-based exposure to U.S. Treasuries, tokenized stocks and other financial products, with more than $3.5 billion across its platform, according to the release.  Commenting on his appointment, Schlisman said Ondo had reached a stage where institutional adoption was accelerating across multiple business lines.  “Ondo has

08-05انڈسٹری

ZIGChain Laser Digital partnership targets institutional onchain finance

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.  ZIGChain has secured a strategic investment from Laser Digital to expand institutional-grade investment products onchain.  SummaryLaser Digital invested in ZIG and will support institutional risk governance for ZIG Markets products.ZIGChain targets at least $100 million in total value locked across planned institutional-grade vault products.The partnership plans onchain private credit, PayFi, invoice financing, SME financing, and stablecoin infrastructure products.  ZIGChain announced that Laser Digital has made a strategic investment in ZIG and partnered with ZIG Markets. Laser Digital, the digital assets arm of Nomura Group, will help structure products and design risk controls. The ZIGChain Laser Digital partnership aims to bring private credit, PayFi, invoice financing, small-business funding, and stablecoin-based services onchain for institutions and everyday users.  ZIGChain Laser Digital partnership sets governance role  Under the agreement, Laser Digital will provide product structuring support, risk framework design, and governance for a pipeline of ZIG Markets vault products. ZIG Markets serves as the product and access layer within the wider ZIGChain ecosystem. Its role includes finding and developing financial opportunities in regional markets. The partnership focuses on emerging-market origination rather than adding another source of onchain

08-05انڈسٹری

Kraken parent Payward shifts position on tokenized equities and voting rights

Quick TakeWhile previously xStocks holders had no voting rights on the underlying shares, a collaboration with Broadridge will enable eligible investors to submit proxy voting preferences.  Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, is changing its approach to how holders of tokenized equities can participate in corporate governance.  While xStocks holders previously had no voting rights for the underlying shares, a collaboration with Broadridge will now allow eligible investors to submit proxy voting preferences, according to a Wednesday release.  “The endgame for tokenization was never just building faster programmable capital markets. Its about giving people across the world everything that comes with owning a piece of a company, including a voice in how its run,” Payward Chief Commercial Officer Mark Greenberg said. “Working with Broadridge is a step in that direction, unlocking opportunities for xStocks holders to participate in corporate governance, while closing the gap between tokenized equities and traditional shares.”  Issued by Backed, xStocks are tokenized equities available to eligible investors outside the U.S. Broadridge provides digital asset infrastructure, including proxy voting, post-trade services, wallets and custody.  Currently, xStocks are not available to investors in the United States or the United Kingdom, or to U.S. persons. However, last month, Payward said it partnered

08-05انڈسٹری

CLARITY Act delay pushes passage bets into 2027

Prediction markets are shifting expectations for the CLARITY Act into 2027 after Senate leaders declined to start the procedural process needed for a vote before the August recess.  CLARITY Act odds shift toward 2027  Kalshi traders have become more doubtful that Congress will complete work on the CLARITY Act in 2026 as the Senates pre-recess window narrows.  A contract tracking whether the legislation will take effect before July 1, 2027, dropped eight percentage points to 41% on Tuesday. The decline suggests traders increasingly expect the process to extend beyond 2026, although the contract does not measure passage during 2026 alone.  The probability of the bill taking effect before Oct. 1, 2027, stood at 58%. Odds for enactment before Jan. 1, 2028, rose to 65%, showing that bettors still expect the legislation to advance over a longer timeframe.  More than $5.42 million has been traded across the Kalshi market. The shift followed another day without a cloture filing from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, preventing the chamber from starting the formal countdown toward a procedural vote.  Senate delay narrows the voting window  The Senate‘s Aug. 4 floor schedule did not include H.R. 3633, and the chamber’s official list of pending cloture motions named two unrelated measures. No motion

08-05انڈسٹری

WOO X Signs Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Payward Services

15 JULY, 2026– WOO X, a leading global centralized digital asset exchange, and Payward Services, the B2B infrastructure platform from Payward, the company behind global crypto platform Kraken, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to bring crypto trading to WOO Xs European users through Payward Services trading-as-a-service offering.  Under the agreement, the companies intend to enable spot crypto trading for WOO X‘s EU users powered by Paywards regulated European infrastructure and licensing. WOO X will join a growing roster of financial institutions using Payward Services’ trading-as-a-service offering, including bunq, one of Europes leading neobanks.  “Were excited to bring WOO X the power of fifteen years of Paywards regulated infrastructure, creating an easy path to meet customer demand with an expanded trading offering and the right licenses to unlock crypto trading across the EU. When partners work with Payward Services, they can launch crypto trading in a few weeks without building complex in-house infrastructure,” said Mark Greenberg, Global Head of Payward Services.  The MOU serves as a foundational framework for future cooperation. Both entities will share further operational updates as specific initiatives are finalized.  About WOO X  WOO X is a leading global centralized digital asset exchange built by traders, for traders. Backed by YZi

08-05انڈسٹری
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