1. Japanese listed company Metaplanet increased its holdings by 42.47 bitcoins
Japanese listed company Metaplanet announced that it has increased its holdings of 42.47 bitcoins and currently holds 203.734 bitcoins.
Metaplanet previously announced that the board of directors decided to issue a second tranche of ordinary bonds worth 1 billion yen (approximately US$6.26 million), and the funds raised will be used to purchase Bitcoin.
2. Robinhood has submitted a change of control application to the New York Department of Financial Services regarding the acquisition of Bitstamp
According to Bitcoin.com, Robinhood is moving forward with its acquisition of Bitstamp. As part of this process, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) received a change of control application submitted by Robinhood Crypto on July 3. This is one of several regulatory steps required for the acquisition, and upon approval, the acquisition is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025.
3. Bithumb launches a reward program for insider trading reports with a maximum reward of 300 million won
South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb has announced a reward program of up to 300 million won (about $217,000) for insider trading reports. Officials said that it is actively responding to unfair trading practices such as the use of undisclosed information, market manipulation, and fraudulent transactions before the implementation of the Virtual Asset User Protection Act (July 24).
4. Thailand plans to announce the registration procedures for digital wallet projects at the end of this month
According to Bangkok Post, Julapun Amornvivat, deputy finance minister, said at a digital wallet subcommittee meeting last Friday that the government plans to announce the registration process for the digital wallet project by the end of this month. Julapun said people without mobile phones can register using their national ID cards. In addition, the Ministry of Commerce is reviewing items that cannot be purchased with digital wallets. The digital wallet program will give 10,000 baht to each Thai aged 16 and above, with an estimated 50 million people eligible.
5. Messari CEO opposes US SEC cryptocurrency regulatory policy, saying it will challenge its legality
Messari CEO Ryan Selkis issued a statement announcing that he would no longer engage with the U.S. SEC in any formal or informal capacity and challenge its legitimacy until it reforms and replaces its leadership.
Ryan Selkis said that the SEC's approach to cryptocurrencies is ineffective. The agency's current approach to the cryptocurrency market has failed to detect high-cost (alleged) fraud by FTX, Celsius, Genesis and other U.S. market participants, while its legal cases against legitimate participants such as Coinbase, Kraken and Gemini are full of political targeting rather than fraud prevention. Secondly, Gary Gensler, chairman of the SEC, is not only incompetent, but also corrupt. He is not competent for cryptocurrency market regulation, including how to identify whether a particular asset has the key attributes of a security. In addition, after the Jarkesy and Loper-Bright cases, the SEC has no legal right to regulate the cryptocurrency market. Ryan Selkis said that continuing to obey the SEC will cause the United States to lose its leading position in the cryptocurrency field.
Ryan Selkis said the statement is currently a draft and will be revised and shared directly with SEC commissioners, congressmen and senators.
6. Ethereum community 2077 Collective received 100 Ethereum donation from Vitalik
Ethereum community 2077 Collective announced that it has received a donation of 100 Ethereum from Vitalik Buterin. 2077 Collective said it aims to increase the presence and appeal of Ethereum through innovative initiatives and community-driven efforts.
7. The Philippines’ official stablecoin PHPC is now available on Ronin Network
Ronin Network tweeted that PHPC, a stablecoin officially supported by the Central Bank of the Philippines, is now available on Ronin Network, with technical support provided by Philippine crypto trading platform Coins.ph.
8. The British Columbia Securities Commission of Canada ruled that LiquiTrade violated the Securities Act
According to Cointelegraph, Canada’s British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) ruled that LiquiTrade violated the Securities Act.
The BCSC said LiquiTrade had never been registered in any form under the Act and there was no recognized exchange or clearing house in British Columbia operated by LiquiTrade or using the LATOKEN name, and it was not authorized by the BCSC as required by the Act.
According to court documents, the penalty against LiquiTrade will be finalized on August 14 and could include a fine and a service ban.
9.CoinShares: Digital asset investment products received $441 million in inflows last week
CoinShares’ latest weekly report shows that digital asset investment products saw total inflows of $441 million last week, with recent price weakness triggered by Mt Gox and selling pressure from the German government likely to be seen as a buying opportunity.
Bitcoin saw $398 million in inflows, but only accounted for 90% of the total as investors chose to invest in a wider range of altcoins. Blockchain stocks did not reflect the improvement in investor sentiment, with another $8 million in outflows last week.
Exchange-traded product (ETP) volumes remained relatively low at $7.9 billion for the week, reflecting the typical seasonal pattern of lower volumes during the summer.
Regionally, inflows were led by the United States, which received $384 million, but speculative buying also occurred in many other countries, most notably Hong Kong, which received $32 million, Switzerland, and Canada, which received $24 million and $12 million, respectively. Germany was an exception, with outflows of $23 million.
Bitcoin saw inflows of $398 million, but unusually only accounted for 90% of total inflows as investors chose to invest in a wider range of altcoins. The most notable of these was Solana, which saw inflows of $16 million last week, bringing year-to-date (YTD) inflows to $57 million, making it the best performing altcoin from a flow perspective. Ethereum sentiment appears to have turned, with inflows of $10 million, but it remains the only ETP to have seen net outflows YTD.
10. HashKey Chain mainnet will be launched in the fourth quarter
HashKey tweeted that the HashKey Chain mainnet will be launched in the fourth quarter. HashKey Chain uses ZK-proof technology to provide users with low-cost, efficient and developer-friendly on-chain solutions, and will incentivize ecosystem contributors through HSK.
11. Futu Securities is approved to provide virtual asset trading services to Hong Kong investors
According to Dongwang, Futu Securities' Type 1 regulated activity (securities trading) license has been upgraded by the Hong Kong Securities Regulatory Commission, allowing it to provide virtual asset trading services to professional and retail investors in Hong Kong. Futu launched a new comprehensive account function last Saturday (6th), allowing investors to trade investment products in multiple markets such as Hong Kong stocks, US stocks, A-shares, and Japanese stocks through one account, and announced that it will gradually launch Singapore stocks, Australian stocks, Canadian stocks, etc., but has not yet disclosed a specific timetable.
12. Canadian digital asset custodian Balance established a special purpose trust subsidiary and injected $10 million
According to CrowdFundInsider, Canadian digital asset custodian Balance established Balance Trust Company this week as a special purpose trust company under the Alberta Loan and Trust Company Act. Balance invested $10 million in regulatory capital in the newly established wholly-owned subsidiary to become a qualified Canadian and US custodian. Over the past 18 months, Balance has worked closely with the Alberta Fiscal Board and the Ministry of Finance (ATBF) to complete financial statement audits, asset independence certification, SOC 2 Type 2 certification, system penetration testing, and expansion of the management team. In the coming weeks, Balance will focus on registering Balance Trust Company in order to begin operations as a qualified custodian.
