Category: crypto

Lawson is expanding its stablecoin payment pilot to include USDC, USDT, and JPYC at two Tokyo stores, testing POS-based payments without the need for separate terminals. They will evaluate payment speed, integration with POS systems, and store operations before considering wider adoption. Another proof of concept is scheduled for later in August.

Intesa Sanpaolo reduced its position in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust by 93.7% during the second quarter while increasing its exposure to BlackRock’s Staked Ethereum fund. The bank added put exposure tied to 500,000 IBIT shares and tripled its iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF holding to 349,600 shares.

Apple has reinstated Telegram on the App Store after briefly removing it due to content violating child sexual abuse material policies. The associated Gram token’s value recovered after a temporary drop. Telegram has removed many CSAM-related groups and channels. The platform faces legal challenges in Russia, Australia, and France over moderation practices.

Coinbase will transfer institutional clients’ International Exchange accounts, balances, and positions to Deribit on September 9. Clients who do not want to participate must close their positions and accounts before the August 28 deadline. The migration will involve canceling open orders, crystallizing profit and loss, and recreating positions at identical prices.

India has expanded its FATCA and CRS reporting rules to include specified crypto-assets, CBDCs, and digital money products. High-value accounts with balances above $1 million will face enhanced due diligence. The revised framework follows regulatory actions that increased oversight of crypto transactions. The changes aim to strengthen tax reporting requirements for digital assets.

Ripple President Monica Long announced that financial institutions are transitioning tokenized assets from pilot programs to production, creating a demand for operational infrastructure. Ripple invested in ZILO and Licuido to enhance transfer agency, issuance, and collateral mobility tools. The transition to production is exemplified by Aviva Investors launching a tokenized fund share class on the…

BlackRock has launched tokenized share classes for European institutional money market funds managing $311 billion in assets. This allows approved investors to transfer fund shares between eligible wallets while traditional fund records remain in place. The initiative expands BlackRock’s tokenization efforts beyond the U.S. and is intended for treasury management and other institutional use cases.

Bitdeer Technologies Group’s Tydal Data Center signed a 16-year colocation agreement with Volta Tydal AS in Norway, expected to generate $4.7 billion in revenue. The agreement covers 121 MW of IT capacity, with a potential total contract value of $8 billion over 24 years. Bitdeer plans to shift from Bitcoin mining to AI colocation. Financing,…

BitGo has chosen Chainlink CCIP for $7.3 billion WBTC cross-chain transfers, replacing LayerZero. The migration brings the total value of announced transitions to Chainlink CCIP to $14.6 billion. BitGo retains control over WBTC token contracts and cross-chain settings. The move standardizes WBTC deployments around Chainlink’s CCT standard.

OKX reported record exchange inflows after Coldcard hardware wallet exploit, prompting users to move assets from self custody. OKX prevented $26.3 million in scam losses and protected $1.1 billion in customer assets. Galaxy Research confirmed 1,596 BTC theft across three attack waves. Industry calls for independent testing of hardware wallet firmware.