Ether taps $4,000 for the first time in eight months in a further win for ETH bulls and the broader altseason, while Bitcoin dominance fades. Key points: Ether hits $4,000 for the first time since December 2024 in a key milestone for the year. ETH price optimism continues with Ether taking chunks away from Bitcoin’s crypto market cap dominance. Read more
Web3 AI projects often force blockchain integration to access capital, harming innovation by prioritizing ecosystem compatibility over practical AI solutions. Opinion by: Samuele Marro, PhD student in machine learning at the University of Oxford The Web3 AI space has fallen into a trap. Somewhere along the way, “decentralized AI” became synonymous with “blockchain AI.” This false equivalency actively harms innovation. Excellent decentralized AI projects contort themselves into blockchain frameworks, not because it makes technical sense, but because that’s the only way to access Web3 funding, expertise and communities. The blockchain-first mentality isn’t just limiting what decentralized AI could become; it’s cannibalizing it. Read more
Bitcoin’s resurgence as an institutional asset is reshaping crypto venture capital, but July also spotlighted tokenization, stablecoin infrastructure and settlement startups. The crypto venture capital landscape has made a decisive pivot back to Bitcoin, driven largely by its growing success as an institutional asset. As Cointelegraph reported, the emerging Bitcoin (BTC) DeFi sector attracted $175 million across 32 VC deals in the first half of the year. At the same time, Bitcoin treasury companies are injecting billions into the market by acquiring BTC for long-term strategic reserves. Beyond Bitcoin, several recurring VC themes remained prominent in July. Investors continued to back startups in tokenization, stablecoin infrastructure and settlement technology. Read more
Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm’s conviction misapplies money transmitter laws, crypto industry group says. The conviction of Tornado Cash co-founder and developer Roman Storm could set a “dangerous” precedent for developers and privacy, legal observers in the crypto space say. Storm was found guilty of operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business on Wednesday, Aug. 6. The crime carries a maximum sentence of five years. The jury could not reach a consensus on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate US sanctions. Federal prosecutors could still retry him on these two charges. While Storm is yet to face sentencing, other crypto-related cases, including former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried and OneCoin co-founder Karl Greenwood, were tried and found guilty in the same district and ended up serving prison time. Read more
As the adoption of digital assets grows rapidly, there has been a significant increase in the amount of funds lost to scams and hacks. In the fast-evolving landscape of blockchain and the digital assets ecosystem, stories of overnight riches often overshadow the darker side: sophisticated scams that prey on the inexperience and trust of victims. One such cautionary tale unfolded in Thailand when a retired Australian police officer, Michael Reinecke, reported to the authorities on July 18, 2025, that he had fallen victim to a cryptocurrency scam that cost him nearly 40 million Thai baht, approximately $1.2 million. Read more
Chinese regulators ordered local firms to halt seminars and research on stablecoins, citing concerns over potential fraud and herd-driven speculation. Chinese authorities told local firms to stop publishing research or holding seminars related to stablecoins, according to a Friday report from Bloomberg. Chinese financial regulators reportedly instructed local brokers and other entities to cancel seminars and halt the promotion of research on stablecoins. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg said the authorities were concerned that stablecoins could be exploited as a tool for fraudulent activities. Christopher Wong, a currency strategist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. in Singapore, said Beijing may be aiming to prevent a speculative surge among retail investors. Read more
XRP price may continue to climb toward $4.50 over the next few months as it breaks out of a classic bullish continuation pattern. Key takeaways: XRP futures volumes have popped by over 200% in the last 24 hours. XRP price chart bull flag targets $4.50 by September or October. Read more