Author: James Wilson

Myanmar’s combined Parliament approved the Anti-Online Scam Bill on July 28 after reconciling amendments adopted by its lower and upper chambers.  Summary 10-year-to-life terms cover crypto scams and scam-centre operations under Myanmar’s published May draft legislation text. Parliament approved the bill July 28 after reconciling amendments previously adopted by both legislative chambers. Final text, presidential assent and commencement date remain unconfirmed in publicly available official records online. The legislation targets digital-currency fraud, online scam centres, forced scam labour and financial infrastructure used by fraud networks. The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported that the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw approved the bill…

Crypto security losses reached $1.1 billion across 212 verified incidents during the first half of 2026, according to an H1 report published by Blockaid on July 28.  Summary 212 verified incidents caused $1.1 billion in losses during 2026’s record-breaking first six months globally. 74% of stolen funds resulted from operational security failures rather than exploited smart contract code. One DPRK-linked cluster accounted for 55% of losses alone, according to Blockaid’s verified incident dataset. Blockaid described the six-month incident count as a record and said it verified more exploits during H1 than throughout 2025. Cperational security attacks caused 74% of the…

Michael Saylor has warned that changes to Bitcoin’s consensus rules pose a greater long-term threat than rival cryptocurrencies, governments, or external competition. Summary Saylor called internal rule changes Bitcoin’s “gravest threat” after the asset gained broad market recognition. He argued that consensus rules protect property rights, scarcity, settlement, and limits on power. Saylor said proposals such as BIP-110 could weaken block-space scarcity and miners’ fee revenue. Strategy recently joined eight companies pledging $15 million toward Bitcoin security research. Saylor warns against capturing Bitcoin consensus Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor issued the warning in a series of X posts on Tuesday,…

Open interest in perpetual contracts tied to stocks, metals and oil has doubled since late May as major crypto exchanges expand beyond digital assets, CryptoQuant reported. Summary TradFi perpetual open interest has more than doubled to over $2 billion since late May. Binance, Bybit and Gate control about 70% of the emerging derivatives segment. Crypto perpetual open interest stands near $65 billion, around 20% below its previous peaks. TradFi perpetual open interest climbs above $2B TradFi perpetual contracts have become one of the fastest-growing areas of the crypto exchange market, according to CryptoQuant’s report. The products give traders continuous exposure…

Florida Rep. Mike Haridopolos has renewed his push for the CLARITY Act as Senate delays narrow the bill’s path to passage before the August recess. Summary Haridopolos warned that continued delays could push US crypto businesses and investment overseas. Senate leaders prioritized 74 federal nominees and a Russia sanctions bill over the CLARITY Act. The bill needs at least eight Democratic votes to overcome the Senate’s procedural threshold. Haridopolos warns US crypto leadership is at risk Haridopolos, a Republican member of the House Financial Services Committee, defended the CLARITY Act during a July 28 appearance on Fox Business’ Mornings with…

Regional mediators are reportedly close to a proposal that could restart the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, although Tehran continues to deny seeking renewed talks with Washington. Summary Pakistan, Egypt and Qatar are reportedly pushing a plan to revive the US-Iran MoU. Iran and Oman have reportedly accepted a proposal addressing disputes over the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran denies requesting negotiations and wants greater control over shipping routes through the strait. Brent crude fell 4.8% to $84.09 as markets responded to reduced hostilities. Mediators push US-Iran MoU revival Pakistan, Egypt and Qatar have stepped up efforts to revive the US-Iran framework…

Prediction markets are lowering the chances of the CLARITY Act becoming law in 2026 as the Senate turns to Russia sanctions and federal nominations before its August recess. Summary Polymarket traders place the bill’s 2026 passage odds at about 34%, down from 53% on July 21. Galaxy Digital’s Alex Thorn estimates a 30% chance of passage, citing vote math and limited floor time. Republicans may need support from at least 10 Democrats if three GOP senators remain unavailable or opposed. Bitcoin traded near $63,800 as regulatory uncertainty added to broader pressure across crypto markets. CLARITY Act loses its place on…

Elon Musk has set an early August target for Grok 4.6 and disclosed plans for a larger Grok 4.7 model as SpaceXAI steps up its competition with OpenAI, Anthropic, and China’s Moonshot AI. Summary Grok 4.6 is scheduled for around Aug. 7, according to Musk. The upcoming model will have 1.5 trillion parameters and improved post-training. Grok 4.7 could arrive weeks later with 2.1 trillion parameters. Grok 4.5 ranked first for cybersecurity price-performance in a Vercel assessment. Grok 4.6 targets an Aug. 7 release Musk disclosed the timeline in a July 28 post on X, saying Grok 4.6 would be…

SBI Holdings has restructured a wholly owned subsidiary around the Canton Network, extending its institutional blockchain strategy beyond Ripple and the XRP Ledger. Summary SBI Digital Practice will build financial infrastructure and applications on the Canton Network. SBI said Canton connects more than 600 institutions and supports over $6 trillion in assets. The restructuring adds Canton to SBI’s work across XRP Ledger, Solana, stablecoins, and tokenized securities. Canton’s link to tokenized U.S. Treasuries gives the Japanese expansion a direct U.S. market connection. SBI creates dedicated Canton Network business SBI Holdings announced on July 28 that SBI Security Solutions had changed…

Clear Creek Financial Management disclosed about $15.1 million across Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana exchange-traded funds in its latest US regulatory filing. Summary Bitcoin ETFs accounted for about $10.4 million, led by Bitwise’s BITB fund. Clear Creek reported nearly $4.3 million across three Ethereum ETFs. XRP and Solana products expanded the firm’s disclosed crypto allocation beyond BTC and ETH. The filing provides a quarter-end snapshot, meaning Clear Creek may have changed its positions since then. Clear Creek’s Bitcoin ETF holdings top $10 million Clear Creek’s largest disclosed crypto position was the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB). The investment adviser reported owning…