Japan is preparing a sweeping overhaul of its cryptocurrency tax rules, shifting from one of the world’s harshest regimes to a more investor-friendly framework. Currently, crypto gains are taxed progressively at rates up to 55%, far higher than the flat 20% rate applied to equities. Under the new proposal, starting in fiscal year 2026, crypto trading profits would be taxed at a uniform 20% rate, aligning digital assets more closely with traditional investments like stocks.

The long-anticipated GOP crypto bill has run into political headwinds after Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) warned that lawmakers are “not ready” to move forward. The bill, designed to establish a regulatory framework for digital assets in the U.S., aimed to clarify oversight between the SEC and CFTC, while also providing guidelines around stablecoins and consumer protections.

Dutch digital asset company Amdax has raised €20 million (about $23 million) as part of its plan to build one of Europe’s largest Bitcoin treasuries, with ambitions to match the corporate accumulation strategy of U.S.-based MicroStrategy. The firm aims to raise an additional €10 million in the coming months, bringing the total to €30 million, and has signaled plans for a potential Euronext Amsterdam listing to make its Bitcoin-focused treasury strategy more accessible to Euro

Japan-based digital entertainment and blockchain investment firm Gumi has committed $17 million to XRP as part of its strategy to expand into global payment and remittance networks. The company sees Ripple’s XRP Ledger and its underlying token as crucial infrastructure for enabling cross-border payments at scale, particularly given XRP’s established liquidity and presence in financial ecosystems.

Tether has reversed its earlier decision to freeze USDT circulating on older, less active networks. Instead, these blockchains—including Omni, Bitcoin Cash SLP, and Kusama—will now be classified as “unsupported.” This means that while no new USDT will be issued or redeemed on these platforms, existing tokens won’t be frozen, allowing holders to retain use of them on secondary markets.

Circle has announced a new partnership with Finastra, a global financial software firm, to expand the use of its USDC stablecoin in cross-border payments. Through this collaboration, Circle’s USDC will be integrated into Finastra’s Global PAYplus (GPP) platform, which supports nearly $5 trillion in annual global transactions used by thousands of financial institutions worldwide.

In Q2 2025, investment advisors significantly increased their exposure to Ethereum ETFs, driving a surge of 388,301 ETH worth roughly $1.35 billion. This push brought total Ethereum exposure from institutional advisory firms to more than 539,757 ETH, highlighting growing confidence from professional money managers in crypto-backed investment products. The trend emphasizes that Ethereum, alongside Bitcoin, is becoming a core digital asset allocation within institutional portfo

Ripple’s XRP has been consolidating between $2.80 and $3.10 since peaking at $3.5 two weeks ago, but market sentiment has taken a bearish turn as whales offloaded large amounts of tokens. On August 26, whale-to-exchange transactions surged to a three-week high before tapering off, with data showing a 40 million drop in whale holdings over a 90-day moving average.

Aave, one of the largest decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocols, has reached a record $41.1 billion in total value locked (TVL), according to CryptoSlate. This milestone makes Aave comparable in size to the 54th-largest commercial bank in the United States.

Global financial watchdogs, including the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), have urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to take a tougher stance on tokenized stocks. In a joint letter to the SEC’s Crypto Task Force, they argued that tokenized equities are marketed as equivalent to real stocks but lack the investor protections of regul

A phishing attack exploiting Ethereum’s recent EIP‑7702 upgrade drained nearly $1 million in tokens from a single investor after they signed a deceptive batch transaction that appeared to be a Uniswap swap. EIP‑7702 (part of the Pectra upgrade) was designed to give external accounts temporary “smart‑contract” capabilities—batching transactions, gas sponsorship and spending limits—to improve user experience.

SBI Holdings, a major Japanese financial group, and Startale Group, a Singapore‑based blockchain infrastructure firm, announced a strategic joint venture to build an on‑chain trading platform for tokenized stocks and real‑world assets (RWAs).

The Philippines has joined a small but growing club of countries considering Bitcoin as part of their national reserves. House Bill No. 421, also called the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act, was filed in June by Representative Miguel Luis Villafuerte and surfaced in the press this week. If it becomes law, the central bank—Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)—would be required to purchase 2,000 bitcoin (BTC) every year for five years, amassing a 10,000-BTC reserve currently worth ab

A coalition of major crypto exchanges, payment platforms, law enforcement agencies, and security researchers has launched the Beacon Network, a real-time crypto crime response system designed to track and freeze stolen digital assets. Spearheaded by TRM Labs, the Beacon Network enables verified members to flag suspicious wallet addresses, trace illicit funds across blockchains, and share information instantly with participating exchanges and authorities.

China is considering a significant policy shift by allowing the use of yuan-backed stablecoins to promote the global adoption of its currency, according to recent reports. The State Council, China’s top government body, is expected to review a roadmap that would set targets for international yuan usage, assign regulatory responsibilities, and establish risk management guidelines.

Circle plans to launch its new Arc layer-1 blockchain with “day one” institutional access through Fireblocks, the custody and tokenization platform used by over 2,400 banks, asset managers, and fintechs. Arc is positioned as an enterprise-focused chain for “stablecoin finance,” aiming to provide predictable fees, compliance-ready features, and institutional-grade tooling.

Gemini filed for a Nasdaq IPO under the ticker GEMI, revealing steep losses and a new credit arrangement. The exchange reported a net loss of about $282.5 million for the first half of 2025, a sharp widening from roughly $41.4 million in H1 2024.

Despite SOL dropping about 6% in the last 24 hours, Solana stood out with a 58% jump in daily trading volume to $5.84 billion and strong weekly performance. Capital inflows over the past week surpassed $400 million, spanning Solana-based investment products and bridged assets, even as the broader crypto market cap fell roughly 3.6%.

Ronin, the gaming-focused blockchain created by the Axie Infinity team, will migrate back to the Ethereum ecosystem as a layer-2 network, targeting a full transition by Q2 2026. Originally spun off from Ethereum in 2021 to achieve faster, cheaper transactions for Axie Infinity, Ronin now says Ethereum’s performance improvements—and its growing institutional credibility—make it the right base again.

U.S. authorities have moved to seize more than $2.8 million in cryptocurrency, along with $70,000 in cash and a luxury vehicle, from a wallet controlled by Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko, who is charged with conspiring to commit computer fraud and money laundering. Unsealed warrants allege the assets are proceeds of ransomware activity or were used to launder such proceeds.