Author: James Wilson

BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust has secured a major regulatory win after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a fourfold increase in the ETF’s options position limit from 250,000 to 1 million contracts. Summary SEC has approved raising IBIT options limits from 250,000 to 1 million contracts. NYSE Arca says the higher cap matches strong trading demand and improves liquidity. The approval comes after BlackRock reported 31% year-over-year revenue growth in Q2. According to a notice published by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a rule change submitted by NYSE Arca has become effective immediately, allowing the exchange to raise…

Base creator Jesse Pollak has acknowledged that the network’s multi-year bet on onchain social products did not deliver the expected growth and has redirected Base toward trading, payments, and AI-powered financial infrastructure. Summary Jesse Pollak admitted Base’s onchain social strategy failed to drive expected crypto adoption. Base will prioritize trading, stablecoin payments, and AI agent infrastructure through 2026. JPMorgan warned growing USDC revenue sharing could pressure Coinbase and Circle profits. Base returns to infrastructure after social experiment falls short According to a post published by Jesse Pollak on Wednesday, the first quarter of 2026 became a turning point after Base…

Senate Democrats have intensified scrutiny of Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche during his confirmation hearing, accusing him of weakening crypto enforcement while President Donald Trump’s digital asset businesses have expanded. Summary Dick Durbin accused Todd Blanche of dismantling DOJ crypto enforcement to benefit Trump’s crypto businesses. Senate Democrats linked Blanche’s nomination to demands for stricter ethics rules in crypto legislation. Blanche defended the DOJ’s new approach while saying he would review the Binance pardon process if confirmed. According to proceedings from the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, Senator Dick Durbin used his opening remarks to argue that Blanche…

A new academic study has found that Polymarket’s five-minute Bitcoin prediction contracts have created incentives for sophisticated traders to manipulate spot prices and profit at the expense of ordinary participants. Summary Stanford researchers link Polymarket’s five-minute Bitcoin markets to settlement-price manipulation. The study estimates about $1.28 million shifted from retail traders to sophisticated participants. Researchers say longer settlement windows and improved pricing methods could reduce manipulation risk. According to researchers from Stanford University and Singapore Management University, the structure of Polymarket’s short-duration Bitcoin markets encourages traders to influence the cryptocurrency’s spot price shortly before contracts settle. Their paper concluded that…

Ostium has halted trading after an exploit tied to a compromised oracle signer key drained nearly $18 million USDC from its liquidity vault, according to blockchain security firm Blockaid. Summary Blockaid linked Ostium’s $18 million exploit to a compromised oracle signer key. The attacker drained up to 28% of the protocol’s $63 million liquidity vault. Ostium halted trading as investigators probe the oracle-based attack. Blockaid reported that the attacker gained control of an oracle signer private key, allowing them to bypass the protocol’s verification process and submit future-dated price reports that favored their trades. Using a registered PriceUpKeep forwarder, the…

SpaceX stock has steadied above its IPO price after Needham raised its price target to $250 despite growing warnings that an AI stock bubble could threaten financial markets. Summary Needham raised its SpaceX price target to $250 and maintained a buy rating despite growing AI bubble concerns. Bank of England Governor David Bailey warned an AI stock crash could spill into the economy and affect monetary policy. SpaceX stock is holding above $135 support, with technical indicators showing fading bearish momentum inside a descending channel. According to Needham, the investment bank lifted its target on SpaceX shares from $200 to…

BlackRock has joined a Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation pilot that has begun tokenizing stocks and U.S. Treasuries within a market infrastructure that safeguards about $114 trillion in assets. Summary DTCC has launched a tokenization pilot with BlackRock, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and nearly 40 financial firms. Microsoft, Circle, QQQ, SPY, and BlackRock Treasury ETF are among the first assets being tokenized. The pilot uses Hyperledger Besu and Canton, while Stellar-based custody tokenization is planned for 2027. According to a Wall Street Journal report, BlackRock, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Vanguard, the New York Stock Exchange, and nearly 40 financial firms are participating…

Binance has unveiled an $800,000 XRP airdrop campaign for eligible Ripple USD holders, introducing weekly rewards designed to encourage activity around Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin. Summary Binance will distribute $800,000 in XRP to eligible RLUSD holders through weekly airdrops until Aug. 14. Users must hold RLUSD and meet Binance’s Margin or Futures trading requirements to qualify for rewards. The campaign comes as Ripple expands RLUSD adoption through its x402 Foundation partnership for AI payments. According to a July 15 announcement from Binance, users holding RLUSD in Binance Earn, Margin, or Futures accounts between July 17 and Aug. 14 will qualify for…

EU AML watchdog has warned that the end of MiCA’s transitional period has increased the risk of compliance pressure on crypto firms as customers move to licensed providers across the bloc. Summary EU anti money laundering chief warned that customer migration after MiCA could strain compliance at crypto firms. AMLA said licensed providers should maintain strong anti money laundering controls as they onboard new users. The authority plans to publish a crypto money laundering risk report this year while expanding its blockchain analytics capabilities. According to Bruna Szego, chair of the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of…

Solana price has climbed to around $78 on July 15 after a 250 million USDC mint on the network, combined with softer U.S. inflation data, injected fresh buying momentum across crypto markets. Summary Solana price jumped toward $78 after a 250 million USDC mint boosted on-chain liquidity and risk appetite improved. Technical charts show a breakout above a descending channel, with $80 emerging as the next key resistance. Rising active addresses, institutional developments, and liquidation clusters support upside, while $70-$75 remains critical support. The move gathered pace after the USDC Treasury minted 250 million USDC on Solana, adding immediate liquidity…