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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
Publicly traded companies are building strategic reserves in digital assets like BNB and Solana. Industry leaders explain why this could be the next institutional on-ramp for crypto. Publicly traded companies are increasingly swapping traditional cash reserves for digital assets, and they’re doing it in ways designed to attract both retail and institutional investors. In the latest Byte-Sized Insight episode, Cointelegraph’s Savannah Fortis spoke with two leaders in this space: David Namdar, CEO of the newly renamed BNB Network Company (formerly CEA Industries), and Joseph Onorati, CEO of DeFi Development Corporation (DFDV). “This is a story that hasn’t been told well… a lot of people, particularly in the US, really haven’t seen the growth of BNB Chain or how massive Binance is globally,” said Namdar. Read more
Stability DAO said it had identified two CrediX Finance team members and was working with other projects and authorities to recover the stolen funds. The team behind the decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol CrediX Finance seems to have disappeared following a $4.5 million exploit that drained funds from the platform, raising suspicions of an exit scam. On Monday, blockchain security firms flagged the exploit and determined that crypto assets worth $4.5 million had been taken from the platform. In response, the DeFi protocol paused its website to prevent users from depositing any more funds. Blockchain security firm SlowMist wrote that six days before the exploit, the attackers accessed the protocol’s multisig admin and bridge wallets. The access was used to mint crypto that was used as collateral to drain the DeFi protocol’s liquidity pools. Read more
Despite aggressive bullish bets, market odds imply under 3% chance of $200,000 BTC price by December of this year. Key takeaways: Diagonal and butterfly spreads benefit from BTC near $160,000. $200,000 year-end call options imply less than 3% chance of profit. Read more
Trump’s executive order opening 401(k)s to crypto has drawn a mix of praise, caution and criticism from industry leaders and skeptics alike. United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday opening the door for Americans to include crypto and other alternative assets in their 401(k) retirement accounts and other defined-contribution plans, a policy shift that has sparked optimism and caution from the crypto industry. Trump’s executive order directs the US Labor Department to reevaluate restrictions on alternative assets like crypto, private equity and real estate in 401(k)s and other defined-contribution plans. As of the first quarter of 2025, US retirement assets totaled $43.4 trillion, according to the Investment Company Institute and the Federal Reserve Board. Defined-contribution plans, including $8.7 trillion in 401(k)s, accounted for more than $12 trillion. Read more
Trump’s move may change US retirement plans. Bitcoin could soon be part of your 401(k), and Wall Street is getting ready. Trump's forthcoming executive order could open the $9 trillion US retirement market to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The order aims to give 401(k) providers legal protection when offering crypto investment options. Major asset managers like BlackRock and Apollo are reportedly developing crypto retirement products in anticipation of regulatory clarity. Read more
While you can’t literally split a private key, there are secure legal and technical methods to share or divide control of crypto assets during divorce. A private key cannot be split in half. It must remain whole to access crypto. Splitting it manually risks permanent loss of funds. Cryptocurrency is marital property. Courts in many countries, including South Korea and the US, treat crypto like any other divisible asset in divorce. Crypto can be shared securely. Methods like Shamir’s Secret Sharing, multisignature wallets and custodial agreements allow safe, collaborative access and division. Read more
As trust in crypto exchanges remains low, Binance’s new custody deal with BBVA marks a shift toward traditional finance safeguards. Binance has partnered with BBVA, one of Spain’s biggest banks, to act as an independent custodian for customer funds, according to a Friday report in the Financial Times citing two people familiar with the arrangement. The move reportedly aims to restore confidence in centralized crypto investing following scandals such as the FTX collapse and Binance’s own regulatory troubles. The FT report said Binance users can now custody assets with BBVA, offering enhanced security through bank-backed collateral. Binance has also partnered with Switzerland’s Sygnum and FlowBank to serve as independent custodians. Read more
Bitcoin’s energy-based “fair value” sits at $167K, 45% above its current price, as record hash rate data shows BTC trading at a deep 31% discount. Key points: Bitcoin is heavily undervalued vs its “fair” price based on miner output. The Energy Value metric calculates that BTC should be trading at almost $170,000. Read more
Standard Chartered’s Hong Kong arm and Animoca Brands have launched a joint venture, Anchorpoint Financial, to develop a licensed Hong Kong dollar stablecoin. The Hong Kong subsidiary of major bank Standard Chartered has partnered with Web3 software company Animoca Brands to develop a Hong Kong-dollar stablecoin. According to a Friday announcement from Animoca Brands, the two companies jointly established Anchorpoint Financial Limited in Hong Kong to apply for a local stablecoin issuer license. The shared subsidiary will be tasked with building a business model focused on issuing and advancing licensed stablecoins. Per the announcement, Anchorpoint Financial already indicated formal interest in obtaining a stablecoin license with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority on Aug. 1. This followed the regulator’s implementation of its new stablecoin framework through a six-month transition period with special rules. Read more
Vitalik Buterin says public companies that buy and hold Ether broaden the token’s access to a wider range of investors, but cautioned on leveraging too heavily. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has thrown support behind so-called Ether treasury companies, but warned the trend could spiral into an “overleveraged game” if not handled responsibly. In an interview with the Bankless podcast released on Thursday, Buterin said the growing number of public companies buying and holding Ether (ETH) was valuable as they expose the token to a broader range of investors. “There’s definitely valuable services that are being provided there,” Buterin said. He added that companies buying into ETH treasury firms instead of holding the token directly gives people “more options,” especially those with “different financial circumstances.” Read more
ISPs in the Philippines have blocked access to exchanges including OKX, Bybit and Bitget; Singapore exchange sued by investors: Asia Express. Members of the crypto community in the Philippines say local internet service providers have begun blocking access to several unlicensed cryptocurrency exchanges. The move follows a warning issued Monday by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which flagged 10 exchanges, including OKX, Bybit, and Bitget, for operating without a license. Several users report they can no longer access these exchanges’ websites, though mobile apps remain functional for now. However, previous enforcement history suggests that app access may also be restricted soon. Read more
Ripple Labs and the SEC have both filed to drop their legal appeals in a yearslong court battle over the securities classification of the XRP token. The Securities and Exchange Commission and Ripple Labs are set to end a yearslong legal battle after jointly asking an appeals court to dismiss the regulator’s appeal and the blockchain company’s cross-appeal. In a brief filing on Thursday, the Second Circuit Appeals Court recognized a joint dismissal of the SEC’s appeal and Ripple’s cross-appeal in the lawsuit over XRP (XRP), noting each party will bear their own costs and fees. “Following the Commission’s vote today, the SEC and Ripple formally filed directly with the Second Circuit to dismiss their appeals,” Ripple’s chief legal officer, Stuart Alderoty, wrote to X on Thursday. Read more
From teaching himself how to code to working odd jobs in the United States after emigrating, Roman Storm’s story is anything but typical. Roman Storm, the Tornado Cash co-founder and developer, found an interest in computer software at a young age after his parents bought him a personal computer. Now, at 36 years old, he holds a guilty verdict for operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, issued by a jury on Wednesday. He remains in limbo as prosecutors could still retry him on two additional felony counts: conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate US sanctions. Storm has always been drawn to “the more technical side of things,” he said on a podcast in early July, just before his trial began in a New York district court. He spent time playing video games and teaching himself how computer programs and software worked. Read more
The brothers invested an undisclosed amount in American Bitcoin, the mining company co-founded by two of Trump's sons and others. Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the co-founders of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, have reportedly invested in American Bitcoin, the mining company tied to the US President Donald Trump’s family. According to a Thursday Bloomberg report citing Hut 8 CEO Asher Genoot, the Winklevoss twins invested an unknown amount in American Bitcoin, the mining company co-founded by Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and others. The company said in May that it was planning to go public through a merger with Gryphon Digital Mining. The reported investment was the latest connection between the Gemini co-founders and the the Trump family, including a $2-million contribution to Trump’s 2024 campaign, attending inauguration events, and participating in a March White House crypto summit. Read more8066 items