India arrests 3 more in $58M crypto Ponzi probe India’s Enforcement Directorate said it arrested Milan Garg, Sukhdev Thakur and Abhishek Sharma in a widening probe into an alleged $58 million crypto Ponzi that defrauded more than 248,000 investors. The agency said the scheme used fake platforms including Korvio, DGT, Hypenext and A-Global, while alleged mastermind Subhash Sharma remains missing.
Group-IB warns RedHook malware is hijacking Android via Wireless Debugging Group-IB says a new RedHook variant is infecting Android devices by abusing Wireless Debugging to gain shell-level access, letting attackers steal passwords, stream screens, capture lock-screen codes and show fake banking prompts. Victims in Vietnam and Indonesia are being lured via calls and messages posing as banks or government agencies to fake Google Play pages serving malicious apps from GitHub and Amazon cloud servers.
South Dakota man indicted on 29 counts in alleged $20M crypto fraud A federal grand jury charged Benjamin Paul Wiener, 43, of Sioux Falls with 29 counts including wire fraud, money laundering, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft over an alleged scheme that prosecutors say cost investors about $20 million. The DOJ says Wiener misled dozens of victims in South Dakota and Minnesota about how their money would be used, then routed funds through banks and crypto platforms; he has pleaded not guilty, and trial is set for September 2026.
SEC approves higher limits for BlackRock IBIT options The SEC approved a NYSE Arca rule change raising position and exercise limits for options on BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust from 250,000 to 1,000,000 contracts. The fourfold increase gives institutional traders more room to hedge and build larger positions around the spot Bitcoin ETF market, further embedding IBIT options in regulated trading infrastructure.
Sui launches gas-free transfers for supported stablecoins Sui has rolled out stablecoin transfers that do not require users to hold SUI for gas, targeting one of crypto payments’ biggest UX hurdles. The feature, implemented through Sui’s Move API with gas set to zero for the user, supports USDC, USDsui, suiUSDe, AUSD, FDUSD, USDB and USDY, shifting the fee burden away from the end user.
Cardano to activate van Rossem hard fork on July 18 Cardano’s van Rossem hard fork is set to enact automatically at the next epoch boundary on July 18, 2026 at 21:44:51 UTC after meeting ratification thresholds on July 13 and being ratified at Epoch 643. The intra-era upgrade moves the network to Protocol Version 11, with Plutus and cost model improvements, tighter ledger consistency, stronger node security, and groundwork for the later Dijkstra era hard fork.
SlowMist details macOS malware that hijacks Telegram sessions and swaps wallet apps SlowMist says a newly analyzed macOS malware sample can steal Telegram’s local “tdata” session files, letting attackers open an already authorized account on another Mac without a phone code or two-step verification. The malware, linked to a fake BuilDAO app campaign reported July 8, also copies data from at least 16 desktop wallets and can replace Ledger Live, Ledger Wallet, and Trezor Suite with phishing lookalikes that ask for recovery phrases, PINs, or passphrases.
Grayscale moves GSOL to quarterly cash payouts from Solana staking Grayscale filed with the SEC to amend its Solana Staking ETF, GSOL, so staking rewards are sold for cash at least once a quarter and paid to shareholders net of expenses, instead of simply accruing in NAV. The filing says SOL staking is yielding about 6.1% annually, but payouts will vary; the changes are set to take effect on August 7.
Trusted Volumes attacker returns 1,122 ETH after May exploit A wallet tied to the May 7 Trusted Volumes hack sent 1,122 ETH back to the protocol’s inventory, partially recovering funds from an exploit that drained about $5.9 million via a signature-check bypass in its RFQ swap proxy. On-chain data indicates the attacker kept roughly $2 million in ETH, in what appears to be a bounty-style settlement rather than a full return.
Russia’s draft crypto bill would restrict purchases of foreign stablecoins to professional and qualified investors, carving stablecoins out as a separate legal category rather than treating them like other cryptocurrencies. The proposal would also limit retail access to foreign digital instruments to products approved by the Bank of Russia, while the central bank separately wants all stablecoin trades routed through licensed exchanges or authorized exchange offices under state supervision.
France orders ISPs to block Polymarket France’s gambling regulator ANJ ordered internet service providers to block Polymarket after saying the platform kept operating without authorization despite a November 2024 ban on financial transactions. The agency said the site logged 578,751 visits from French IPs over the past month, and warned that promoting an unauthorized gambling site is a criminal offense punishable by fines of up to €100,000.
Australia approves 2027 overhaul of capital gains tax Australia has passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026, ending the 50% capital gains tax discount for crypto, shares and real estate from July 1, 2027. Gains realized after that date will instead use cost-base indexation and face a minimum 30% CGT rate, while gains earned before the deadline keep the current treatment. Investors will need detailed records to separate pre- and post-July 2027 gains.
SBI Holdings buys controlling stake in Singapore crypto exchange Coinhako SBI Holdings has completed its acquisition of a majority stake in Singapore-based crypto exchange Coinhako after securing approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The July 16 deal, done through SBI Ventures Asset, includes a capital injection and share purchases from existing investors, making Coinhako a consolidated subsidiary as SBI expands its push into stablecoins, tokenization and cross-border digital asset services in Asia.
Consensys pauses releases after North Korea-linked contractor accessed systems Consensys temporarily halted product releases after a consultant using the alias “Tyler Knapp” gained access to its systems for about a month and worked on core MetaMask code, including parts tied to third-party fiat onramps. The company said an internal investigation found no stolen assets, exposed data, malicious code, or user harm, and it is now reviewing contractor screening and third-party hiring controls.
Dutch court bankrupts crypto platform Knaken after €7M in customer funds goes missing The Rotterdam District Court has placed Knaken Cryptohandel BV and its affiliated customer protection foundation into bankruptcy after prosecutors said the firm could no longer protect customer interests. Investigators believe about €7 million ($8 million) in customer funds is unaccounted for, around 30,000 users cannot access their assets, and prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation while administrators start liquidation.
FTX to pay $900M to creditors on July 31 in fifth bankruptcy payout FTX Trading and the FTX Recovery Trust said they will distribute about $900 million to eligible creditors on July 31, pushing total estate repayments above $10 billion. Dotcom and US customer claims will reach 105% of allowed claim value, while general unsecured and digital asset loan claims rise to 103%; payments will be sent within 1-3 business days via BitGo, Kraken, or Payoneer for creditors who met the June 16 record date.
Revised Ethereum anti-correlation penalty proposal targets staking outages A new revision to Ethereum’s EIP-7716 argues the current correlated-attestation penalty design barely changes validator costs: a 10%-of-stake outage lasting 24 hours would still cost about $6.17 per 32 ETH validator, the same as an uncorrelated miss. The proposed rewrite switches to an EMA-based offline reference and would raise that 10%/24h event to about $69, while keeping solo stakers’ uncorrelated penalties unchanged and scaling costs up to the finality threshold.
Tinubu signs executive order to unify Nigeria’s virtual asset oversight Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu signed an executive order that takes immediate effect, creating a Virtual Asset Council led by the central bank to coordinate crypto oversight and crack down on unregistered operators. The order keeps existing agencies in place, splits supervision between the NSEC and CBN by asset type, and gives the new council 30 days to set the rollout framework.
Ripple Payments Europe added to ESMA MiCA register ESMA’s latest MiCA register update added Ripple Payments Europe SA as an authorized crypto-asset service provider, bringing the total number of approved firms to 294. The approval gives Ripple’s European payments unit passporting rights across 29 EU countries and, alongside its Luxembourg EMI license, lets it offer regulated crypto asset and stablecoin payment services to banks, fintechs and corporate clients across the EEA.
Numerai completes third NMR buyback, taking total repurchases to $3.2M Numerai said it bought another $1.2 million of Numeraire (NMR) on the open market, its third strategic buyback in a year and part of a $3.2 million total. The company said the purchases replenish treasury holdings used for tournament rewards and staking incentives; this latest buyback was executed through Coinbase Institutional over several weeks. Numerai also said assets under management have grown to about $700 million from about $560 million at the end of 2025.
Augur relaunches with Lituus dispute-resolution layer and REP migration test The Lituus Foundation has relaunched Augur with a proposed decentralized settlement layer for disputed prediction-market outcomes, plus a live two-month “Moon Fork” test that requires REP holders to migrate tokens to the version they support. The foundation says the system is designed to resolve contested markets without relying on a company, committee, multisig or governance council, as scrutiny of prediction markets intensifies.
FTX sets July 31 for nearly $900M creditor payout FTX said it will make its fifth creditor distribution on July 31, returning nearly $900 million to holders of approved claims in the Convenience and Non-Convenience Classes under its Chapter 11 plan. Creditors had to complete all pre-distribution steps by the June 16 record date, and payments will be sent via Kraken, Payoneer, or BitGo. FTX will also distribute $18 million to eligible Preferred Equity Holders the same day.
Bolivia weighs recognizing USDT for payments and savings Bolivia is reviewing a framework that would recognize Tether’s USDT as a payment currency, Economy and Public Finance Minister Jose Gabriel Espinoza said. The proposal would let USDT circulate alongside the boliviano and the US dollar for payments and savings, with anti-money laundering safeguards, as demand for dollar-denominated alternatives rises amid the country’s prolonged US dollar shortage.
Morpho Midnight to launch publicly in coming days on Base Morpho said its fixed-rate, fixed-term lending protocol Midnight will exit beta and go live “in the coming days,” starting with a single cbBTC/USDC market on Base across multiple maturities. Day-one trading is limited to direct lenders and borrowers as the protocol is stress-tested live, but multi-market offers will be available at launch so liquidity providers can quote across multiple isolated markets at once.
Nigeria brings crypto exchanges under SEC licensing regime Nigeria’s Investments and Securities Act 2025 classifies digital assets as securities and puts exchanges, custodians and other crypto service providers under SEC oversight. From 2026, platforms serving Nigerian users are expected to be licensed; using unlicensed exchanges can mean blocked naira deposits and withdrawals, possible domain restrictions, and no legal recourse if funds are lost.
Dash activates Orchard privacy system on Evolution chain Dash has activated Orchard-based shielded pools on its Evolution mainnet, letting users send DASH without revealing the sender, receiver or amount. The new system replaces PrivateSend’s coin-mixing approach with Zcash’s zero-knowledge proof tech, and Dash said it can confirm transactions in about one second and sync a wallet in roughly 20 seconds. Shielded stablecoins and other assets are planned next.
Cardano to hand core development to external teams through 2027 Input Output will start transferring control of Cardano’s Haskell node, Plutus, Hydra and other core components to independent specialist teams from August through 2027, in a push toward full decentralization. Charles Hoskinson called it the final stage of the Voltaire era, with groups including Se7en Labs and Teragone taking over parts of the stack under community oversight while IO shifts toward research and new ventures.
Foundry opens hashrate vote on Bitcoin soft fork BIP-110 Foundry Digital said its mining clients will vote with their hashrate on whether the pool signals for BIP-110, a proposed Bitcoin soft fork that would temporarily restrict non-monetary data in transactions. The pool starts at “No” and will switch only if “Yes” votes top 51% of voting hashrate; the signaling window is expected to run through early August at block 961,632. Foundry controls about a third of Bitcoin network hashrate.
Aave V4 implements Round 10 cap increases via Security Council Aave V4 has executed Round 10 of its Add Cap and Draw Cap adjustments through the Aave Security Council, lifting total Add Cap capacity by about $29 million to roughly $618 million. The update targets constrained markets after deposits rose 9% week over week to about $262.2 million, with key increases including USDC, WETH and cbBTC on Core, WETH on Prime, sUSDe on Plus, and the USDG credit line from $15 million to $20 million.
Russia delays crypto prison bill until after September elections Russia’s State Duma has pushed the second and third readings of a bill criminalizing unlicensed cryptocurrency exchange to the new parliament’s autumn session after the Sept. 20 elections. The proposal would ban crypto exchange outside Central Bank-registered entities and set penalties of up to seven years in prison, with the rules due to take effect on July 1, 2027; committee head Anatoly Aksakov said penalty calibration is still unresolved.
ECB says stablecoins could weaken eurozone banks’ deposit base ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone warned that growing stablecoin use could further erode commercial banks’ retail deposits as digital payments shift activity, fees and transaction data to non-European providers. He said a digital euro would help preserve the role of public money and keep banks involved in payments, as the ECB prepares a pilot with 36 payment service providers in the second half of next year ahead of a possible issuance decision as early as 2029.
July DeFi exploits hit $57M as attacks spread beyond Ethereum Protocol exploits caused $57 million in crypto losses so far in July after more than $75 million was stolen in June, with recent attacks increasingly tied to smart contract logic flaws, oracle manipulation, front-end bugs and governance abuse. DeFi Llama data cited in the report shows Solana lost over $21 million in July, Arbitrum over $18 million, Base more than $14 million and Ethereum about $7 million.
Taiwan court jails alleged BitShine ringleader for 22 years A Taiwan court sentenced Shih, identified as the alleged mastermind behind crypto exchange BitShine, to 22 years in prison after convicting him of fraud, money laundering and illegally operating virtual asset services. Prosecutors said the scheme caused more than NT$1.27 billion ($39 million) in losses to 1,539 victims and laundered over NT$2.3 billion ($71 million), with victims’ cash converted into USDT and sent overseas.
macOS malware can hijack Telegram Desktop and target crypto wallets SlowMist warned that a macOS info-stealer can copy authenticated Telegram Desktop session data and wallet files, letting attackers access Telegram without a phone code or two-step verification and try to decrypt stolen wallet databases offline. The malware also replaces Ledger and Trezor apps with fake versions to steal recovery phrases, and targets wallets including Exodus, Atomic, Electrum, Wasabi, Monero, and full-node clients like Bitcoin Core.
Polygon Labs cuts staff as Coinme deal nears close Polygon Labs is laying off staff as it reorganizes around the near-complete acquisition of Coinme and shifts from a blockchain foundation model toward a blockchain-enabled payments business, CEO Marc Boiron said. He said the move is part of a broader merger process aimed at making Polygon Labs profitable in 2027, and that affected employees will get severance and job-search support.
Argentine judge orders urgent freeze on wallets tied to Libra token Federal Judge Marcelo Martinez ordered the urgent identification and freezing of 25 crypto wallets that moved funds after the launch of Libra, the token promoted by President Javier Milei on social media. A federal cybercrime report said at least 10 of 17 traced transactions passed through Binance, with other wallets linked to Bybit, OKX and Bitfinex, potentially helping identify users behind about $8.2 million via KYC records.
Kalshi crypto contracts hit record $217.98M daily volume Kalshi’s crypto event contracts posted a record $217.98 million in daily volume on July 15, up from about $5 million on Jan. 1, a roughly 44x increase in seven months, Artemis data shows. The surge comes even as BTC is down about 30% year to date, with Kalshi now controlling roughly 84% of crypto-prediction volume after taking share from Polymarket.
Ondo and SBI partner to tokenize Japanese equities Ondo Finance and Japan’s SBI Group said July 16 they will tokenize Japanese stocks and distribute them through SBI’s financial services ecosystem, with settlement in JPYSC, SBI’s yen-denominated stablecoin regulated under Japanese law. The deal also covers distribution of Ondo’s existing tokenized US equities and fixed-income products to SBI customers, giving Ondo a major local institutional channel and yen-based settlement.
T. Rowe Price’s TKNZ starts trading as first US spot multi-asset crypto ETF T. Rowe Price’s Active Crypto ETF, ticker TKNZ, began trading on NYSE Arca on July 16 as the first US spot ETF holding a basket of crypto assets rather than a single token. Bloomberg Intelligence’s Eric Balchunas said the initial mix includes bitcoin at 40.75%, Ethereum at 18.42% and BNB at 11.01%, with the fund actively managed and able to change holdings quickly.
Rotterdam court declares Dutch crypto exchange Knaken bankrupt A Rotterdam court has declared Dutch crypto exchange Knaken bankrupt after prosecutors alleged about €7 million in customer funds had gone missing. The court said Knaken had a significant shortfall in customer assets, did not inform users, and had already blocked access to the platform, leaving around 30,000 customers unable to reach their accounts.
London jails three in £4M fake-police crypto scam Anthony Ikenwe, Kevin Nwamma and Hamza Bashir were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court after posing as police officers and using fake police websites to trick eight victims into handing over more than £4 million ($5.4 million) in crypto, the Metropolitan Police said. The Met has seized over £1 million and said it is still working with UK and overseas agencies to identify others in the conspiracy and recover more assets.
Congress weighs Clarity Act as broad U.S. crypto market structure bill Congress is considering the Clarity Act, a bill that would create a federal framework for digital asset markets, pairing clearer operating rules for crypto firms with consumer and investor protections. Former House Financial Services Committee chair Patrick McHenry called it a chance to move beyond “reactive regulation,” arguing the measure could strengthen law enforcement tools and help keep U.S. crypto capital and innovation from moving to markets with clearer rules.
US ITC opens Netlist patent probe into Samsung, Google, Nvidia and others The US International Trade Commission will begin an investigation on July 16, 2026 into whether Samsung Electronics, Google, NVIDIA, Broadcom and Super Micro Computer infringe Netlist patents tied to HBM and DDR5 memory products. The case targets memory used in AI servers, and if the ITC finds a violation it can block imports of the affected goods into the US.
Pakistan regulator seeks Shariah carve-out for asset-backed digital tokens Pakistan’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority is asking Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi to clarify the difference between speculative cryptocurrencies and asset-backed digital tokens after a fatwa declared crypto purchases unlawful. Chairman Bilal bin Saqib said PVARA is working with scholars to define at least two Shariah-safe token categories, including blockchain-recorded sukuk and gold-backed tokens with enforceable claims, as it builds a licensing framework and advances stablecoin and real-world asset tokenization plans.
Bitpay wins MiCA license for EU-wide crypto payments The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets has authorized Bitpay B.V. as a crypto-asset service provider under the EU’s MiCA rules, giving the company a regulatory base to offer cryptocurrency and stablecoin payment services across all 27 EU countries. Bitpay said the approval, granted on July 16, covers payment processing, cross-border transfers, consumer spending, and partner-supported buying, selling, and swapping.
Bitcoin and Ether ETFs log second day of inflows with zero outflows U.S. crypto ETFs stayed positive on Wednesday, July 15, with spot bitcoin funds taking in $107.8 million and ether funds adding $53.83 million, marking a second straight session with no outflows in either category. BlackRock’s IBIT led bitcoin inflows with $80.82 million, while ETHA brought in $45.29 million on the ether side; HYPE ETFs added $2.13 million, while Solana ETFs lost $707,080.
Zano plans 2027 shift to pure proof-of-stake with Zenith Zano said it is implementing Zenith, a privacy-preserving pure proof-of-stake protocol, with a network transition targeted for 2027 pending testing. The proposed upgrade would cut block time from about one minute to 15 seconds, reduce typical confirmation time to 60-90 seconds, and end proof-of-work mining, removing roughly 720 newly created ZANO per day from issuance.
Crypto.com secures $400M from Citadel Securities at $20B valuation Crypto.com said it has raised a strategic $400 million investment from Citadel Securities, valuing the 10-year-old exchange at $20 billion. The company said the funding will support expansion across asset classes including tokenized securities and derivatives, while both firms framed the deal as a step toward deeper institutional adoption of crypto. CRO jumped nearly 25% to about $0.07 after the announcement.
Visa launches Stablecoin Platform for banks and fintechs Visa has unveiled the Visa Stablecoin Platform, a new system for banks, fintechs, and payment providers to issue, hold, and transfer stablecoins through Visa’s network. The platform combines minting, redemption, wallet infrastructure, and treasury management, supports OUSD alongside USDC and USDG, and is entering beta with select customers before a broader rollout.
US Senate unanimously opposes clemency for Sam Bankman-Fried The U.S. Senate on July 15 unanimously approved S.Res. 772, a bipartisan resolution opposing any presidential pardon or commutation for former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried while his clemency petition is pending. Introduced by Sens. Ruben Gallego and Cynthia Lummis, the nonbinding measure says clemency would undermine confidence in U.S. financial markets and the message sent to victims after his conviction on seven counts and 25-year sentence.
