Finance
Step Finance is winding down operations after a $40 million treasury breach it could not absorb. The closure marks one of the largest single-platform failures on Solana this year, raising renewed counterparty risk concerns across decentralized finance (DeFi). Statement on Recent Security Incident In the early afternoon hours of 31
Markets
Bitcoin fell to $62,700 late Monday as the Fear and Greed Index dropped to 5. The slide signals one of the most bearish sentiment readings in crypto history, intensifying pressure on leveraged traders. The world’s largest cryptocurrency was down 3.36% over 24 hours, recovering modestly to $63,
Politics
A Trump-chaired initiative is exploring a dollar-pegged stablecoin to facilitate digital transactions in Gaza, according to the Financial Times, citing five people familiar with the discussions. The proposal would introduce blockchain-based payments into a territory where access to physical cash has largely collapsed. The effort is being examined under the
A New Layer for Data-Heavy DApps Most decentralized applications (DApps) run into the same wall sooner or later: blockchains aren’t built for heavy data processing. Smart contracts on networks like Ethereum can’t easily access historical blockchain data or information from other chains without relying on oracles or external
Markets
USD1 slipped to $0.99707 on Monday before rebounding toward its $1 peg, according to price data. The brief deviation followed claims by World Liberty Financial of a coordinated short and social media attack targeting the Trump-backed stablecoin. World Liberty Financial said attackers compromised several cofounder accounts, paid influencers to
Innovation
Solana Company (NASDAQ: HSDT) is building a high-speed validator network across four major Asian financial hubs. The expansion marks its first direct push into staking and infrastructure operations in the Asia-Pacific region. The so-called Pacific Backbone initiative will initially connect Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong through low-latency links designed
Regulation
Crypto.com has received conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to pursue a federally chartered national bank license. The move would place the exchange under federal supervision and expand its ability to custody digital assets within a unified regulatory framework. The company said
AI
Hitachi says its physical artificial intelligence systems cut automotive integration testing man-hours by 43% in a pilot involving multi-core electronic control units. The result signals that industrial incumbents are translating decades of engineering data into measurable AI productivity gains. In an interview with Nikkei Asia, Kosuke Yanai, deputy director at
Finance
Crypto exchange Backpack says 20% of its company equity will be allocated to users who stake its native token for at least one year. The structure directly links token commitment to ownership, introducing a model that blurs the line between exchange utility tokens and traditional equity. Founder Armani Ferrante outlined
Security
Australian police have charged a 42-year-old man over an alleged 5 million AUD ($3.5 million) cryptocurrency investment scam targeting more than 190 elderly and vulnerable victims. The case highlights persistent fraud risks in retail-facing digital asset channels despite tighter regulatory oversight. Detectives from the Cybercrime Squad’s Strike Force
Markets
Global crypto exchange-traded products have recorded $4 billion in cumulative outflows over five consecutive weeks, according to CoinShares. The sustained withdrawals signal a measurable cooling in institutional engagement as prices drift lower. Last week alone saw $288 million exit crypto investment products managed by firms including BlackRock, Bitwise, and Fidelity,
AI
Mastercard completed its first fully authenticated “agentic commerce” transaction in a controlled demo at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The test signals that payment networks are preparing for a future where software agents, not humans, execute transactions. According to reporting from the Times of India, the demonstration showed an