The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced an August 20 advisory committee meeting to discuss crypto regulation, AI, and prediction markets following congressional delays on digital asset legislation.
Kazakhstan approved a new framework for large-scale crypto mining, linking electricity access to contributions to a state-backed digital asset reserve. Strategic miners must meet strict infrastructure requirements and transfer part of their mined crypto to Astana Hub.
Bitcoin reached its highest level since mid-June, prompting bullish options trading in crypto-related stocks. Traders are piling into calls for the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT), MicroStrategy, and Coinbase Global, signaling confidence in a potential crypto market recovery.
South Africa's Revenue Service (SARS) has released draft guidelines clarifying crypto asset taxation under existing income and capital gains tax laws. Most crypto activities like trading, swapping, and spending are considered disposals triggering tax events, with taxpayer intention being a key factor in classification.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is urging a ban on politicians and their spouses from issuing or promoting crypto assets, including meme coins, following President Trump's disclosure of over $1.2 billion in crypto earnings last year.
US Congress is nearing a federal rulebook for digital assets, potentially boosting crypto tokens linked to high-revenue applications. Legislation like the CLARITY Act could attract traditional finance firms, favoring tokens from trading, lending, and financial services platforms that currently trade at low revenue multiples.
Illinois has enacted a $55.9 billion budget featuring a first-of-its-kind 0.2% tax on crypto assets, set to take effect in January 2027. The Digital Asset Tax Act will levy a privilege tax on digital asset brokers for customer transactions, drawing sharp criticism from industry leaders concerned about discriminatory practices and potential capital flight.
Grayscale Research forecasts Aave's native cryptocurrency could reach $175 within a year, applying traditional finance valuation models to DeFi tokens. The report estimates Aave's fair value at $80-$100 and projects significant income growth by 2026.
Aztec Connect, a deprecated DeFi platform, lost approximately $2.1 million in crypto on Sunday after an attacker exploited its transaction verification function. Aztec Labs confirmed the incident, stating it did not affect the current Aztec network users or assets. The exploit highlights the risks associated with abandoned DeFi contracts.
Japan's Lower House has passed a bill to regulate crypto assets under its financial instruments framework, potentially leading to lower taxes and the introduction of crypto ETFs. The changes, expected to take effect next year, will move crypto under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the seizure of approximately $1 billion in Iranian crypto assets, marking an early test for Donald Trump's proposed Strategic Bitcoin Reserve framework for 2025. The classification of these assets hinges on legal forfeiture status and asset type, determining if they enter the reserve or a separate stockpile.
A report by the Finance Innovation Lab charity estimates that over £325bn of illicit money flows through the UK annually, equivalent to 10% of GDP. The figure rises to £788bn when including UK overseas territories. The report urges government action to tackle economic crime and calls for a pause on plans to make London a crypto hub.
SBI Group plans to launch Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs in Japan, pending regulatory reforms on crypto funds and taxation. The asset manager aims for a $31.5 billion AUM target within three years, leveraging Japan's large household savings and existing investment infrastructure.
The tokenized real-world assets (RWA) market is valued at nearly $30 billion on-chain, but only $2.47 billion is actively used in DeFi protocols. This gap is largely due to permissioned architectures and compliance constraints that limit composability, with bond and money market funds being the largest category outside of DeFi.
Analysis by blockchain intelligence firm Nominis suggests some wallets recently seized by US Treasury for alleged Iran ties may not be linked to the Islamic Republic. The $340 million+ seized by OFAC shows behavioral patterns that diverge from previously observed IRGC-linked wallets, potentially indicating involvement of other state actors like China. The US has seized nearly $500 million in Iranian crypto assets under Operation Epic Fury.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US has seized nearly $500 million in Iranian crypto assets, surpassing the previously reported $344 million freeze.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced OFAC sanctioned crypto wallets tied to Iran, freezing $344 million in cryptocurrency. The wallets were linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah. The action follows Tether's freeze of the same amount at US authorities' request and comes as tensions escalate over the Strait of Hormuz.
