News and analysis
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Stablecoins Are Going Mainstream. What Happens When the Recipient Needs Local Currency?
Visa has launched its Stablecoin Platform, Circle is building its own Arc blockchain, and Japanese issuer JPYC has raised $38 million. The common thread: stablecoins are becoming standard payment infrastructure, but every payment still has to run into the currency the recipient actually needs at the very end. And there is no finished solution for that yet.
Leo· NewsIs Crypto Already Dead? Project Shutdowns Peaked in April, but the 2026 Data Hides a More Worrying Trend
As of August 5, 2026, the CryptoSlate tracker had counted at least 109 crypto projects that shut down, wound down, or went inactive. DeFi took the biggest hit (28 cases). At the same time, one of the best-known AI tokens, ai16z from Eliza Labs, was declared "dead" by its founder after a legal settlement. Yet the data does not confirm a direct link between project shutdowns and the buildout of institutional infrastructure.
Leo· NewsUSDC: Redemptions Topped Issuance by $4 Billion, but the ARC Token Presale Doubled Circle's 'Other Revenue' Outlook
According to Circle's results released on August 5, gross USDC redemptions came in roughly $4 billion higher than issuance ($87B redeemed, $83B issued). At the same time, the company doubled the midpoint of its full-year 'other revenue' outlook, which includes an unspecified contribution from the ARC token presale. The Arc network mainnet is set to launch on September 16.
Leo· NewsEthereum Developers Propose Burning Part of Staking Rewards to Keep the Stake Below 50%
A group of Ethereum researchers has published a proposal that would gradually burn a growing share of validator rewards as the ratio of staked ETH approaches 50% of supply. The goal is to prevent centralization and excessive locking of ETH. The proposal is still in draft form and part of the community is critical of it.
Leo· NewsWhy AI Is a More Immediate Threat to Bitcoin Than Quantum Computers
According to analysis by CryptoSlate, Bitcoin's biggest short-term security problem is not breaking its cryptography, but the software and hardware that stand between a private key and its owner. AI is getting better at finding cracks in this custody layer, which is why cold wallets also deserve scrutiny.
Leo· NewsDinari Brings Tokenized US Stocks to Domestic Investors as the Race for On-Chain Equities Heats Up
According to CoinDesk (August 4, 2026), Dinari has extended its custodial model for tokenizing US stocks to eligible investors in the US. It is another step in the intensifying competition over on-chain equity trading. Most of the specific parameters have not yet been confirmed by a public source.
Leo· NewsStrategy Sold 1,638 Bitcoin. The Money Went to Dividends and STRC Buybacks, Not New BTC
According to an SEC filing dated August 3, Strategy sold 1,638 BTC between July 27 and August 2 for roughly $104.7 million and, together with an issuance of MSTR shares, raised about $395 million in total. None of it went toward buying new bitcoin. The money was directed to preferred stock dividend payments and STRC buybacks.
Leo· NewsBlackRock Launches Two Tokenized Funds for Stablecoin Reserves. What It Means (and What We Still Don't Know)
BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, has announced two tokenized money market funds designed as reserve assets for stablecoin issuers. The fund carries the ticker BRSRV and, according to Decrypt, runs on the Solana and Ethereum blockchains. It fits into a broader wave that also includes Morgan Stanley, State Street, and Fidelity.
Hugo· Local sceneBernstein: If the Clarity Act stalls in the US, the crypto market faces another drop
According to broker Bernstein, failing to pass the Clarity Act this year would likely send crypto markets lower. At the same time, Bernstein expects US regulators to speed up their rule-making. Here are the facts and what we still don't know for certain.
Leo· NewsEthereum outpaced Bitcoin in ETF inflows by $365 million, but on-chain data does not signal a bottom, according to CryptoSlate
According to CryptoSlate data, Ethereum pulled in over $365 million into investment products in July, outperforming Bitcoin. ETH gained 19% over the month, and the ETH/BTC ratio briefly climbed above 0.030. On-chain indicators, per the same source, still do not confirm that the market has found a bottom.
Leo· NewsColdcard Exploit Robs Holders of Tens of Millions in BTC, Some Coins Head Back to Exchanges
A security flaw tied to Coldcard hardware wallets has climbed to roughly 1,367 BTC (around $88 million to $90 million) across 4,585 addresses, according to Galaxy Research. Unlike the FTX collapse, smaller holders are now sending bitcoin back to exchanges. Here is what is confirmed and what is not.
Leo· NewsTrump's Tariffs Sidestep the Supreme Court While Trump Media Sells Bitcoin: What Connects the Two Stories
According to CryptoSlate, the administration rebuilt its tariff system on older trade laws after the Supreme Court rejected the use of an emergency statute in February. Tariffs, which this analysis says fuel inflation, keep the Fed in a restrictive mode. At the same time, on-chain analysts at Lookonchain recorded another sale of 2,628 BTC by Trump Media. We lay out the facts and distinguish what is proven from what is only probable.
Leo· NewsTether's Q2: $1.5 Billion Profit, More Gold, and a Disclosed Reserve Structure
The issuer of the USDT stablecoin reported an operating profit of $1.5 billion for the second quarter of 2026 and a reserve buffer of $4.11 billion above liabilities. It increased its physical gold holdings to more than 146 tonnes. The report was confirmed by the auditing firm BDO. Sources, however, disagree on whether the reserve buffer rose or fell quarter over quarter.
Leo· NewsReuters: Iranian Exchange Sent $676 Million to Binance in Alleged Sanctions Evasion Operation
According to Reuters, the Dubai-based exchange Shelbit allegedly sent roughly $676 million to Binance. In total, it reportedly processed more than $4 billion since May 2024 through a network tied to Iranian gambling sites, the central bank, and the IRGC. Neither Binance nor U.S. authorities have confirmed any conclusions so far, and no one has been charged.
Leo· NewsLosses tied to Coldcard rise to $70 million, Galaxy analysis says
Galaxy Research counted 1,196 addresses that lost 1,082.65 BTC (roughly $70 million) over 41 minutes. The losses are linked to a seed generation flaw on some Coldcard devices. Coinkite is preparing a formal technical breakdown of the cause.
Leo· NewsGrayscale presses the US Senate: vote on the CLARITY Act before the August recess
In an open letter, Grayscale has called on the leadership of the US Senate to vote on the CLARITY Act before the August congressional recess. Its argument is that every day without rules weakens the position of the US in the global crypto industry. Whether a vote actually took place is not clear from the sources.
Hugo· Local sceneCoinbase Misses Q2 Expectations, Wall Street Split on When Recovery Comes
For the second quarter of 2026, Coinbase reported a net loss of $359.5 million, but also a record 10.3% share of global crypto trading volume and 88% of net revenue independent of bitcoin spot trading. Analysts cut price targets and disagree on when trading activity will return.
Leo· NewsStrategy Reports $8.2 Billion Loss and Gives Itself Until September to Fix Its Dividend Engine
Michael Saylor's firm (formerly MicroStrategy) posted an $8.22 billion loss for the second quarter, almost entirely from the revaluation of bitcoin. According to CryptoSlate, Strategy is targeting a September revival of its STRC preferred stock to restart the financing behind its plan to double the amount of bitcoin per MSTR share within seven years.
Leo· NewsSoFi Reports 388,336 Crypto Products, But Just $1.2 Million in Net Transaction Revenue
As of June 30, SoFi Technologies reported 388,336 cumulative crypto products, yet its net crypto transaction revenue for the second quarter came in at only about $1.183 million. The gross figures show $134 million in revenue and $133 million in costs, leaving roughly 0.88% of the gross line.
Leo· NewsSupernova Digital Assets: the firm with a multi-million Solana treasury has just 3,000 pounds left in cash
According to its latest accounts, UK-based Supernova Digital Assets holds a Solana (SOL) focused crypto treasury worth millions of pounds, yet it has roughly 3,000 pounds left in cash against 1.132 million pounds in short-term liabilities. The firm is seeking refinancing to survive. Source: CryptoSlate.
Leo· NewsInstitutions Now Control 72% of Crypto Trading. Wall Street Is Taming Volatility, but Risk Is Shifting Elsewhere
According to a report from market maker Wintermute, institutions account for a record 72% of crypto trading volume, which the firm says is dampening historically wild price swings. Over the same period, however, Blockaid counted a record 212 hacking incidents and Robinhood's crypto revenue fell 38%. We put together what the data shows and what we still don't know.
Leo· NewsJapanese Game Developer Gumi Launches Bitcoin and Altcoin Fund With SBI
According to Cointelegraph, Japanese gaming company Gumi is teaming up with financial group SBI to launch a fund focused on Bitcoin and altcoins. The move builds on Gumi's growing crypto business, which is centered mainly on XRP and whose crypto holdings have nearly doubled over the past year.
Leo· NewsPump.fun's Graduation Rate Climbed After BOOST Incentives Launched. What the Data Actually Shows
According to The Block, the share of tokens that reach so-called graduation on Pump.fun rose after the platform rolled out its BOOST program. But there's a key caveat: BOOST only kicks in after a token has passed bonding, so on its own it doesn't mechanically increase the share of tokens that clear the threshold in the first place.
Leo· NewsTen "Promising" AI Tokens for 2026: What a Polish Site Pledged and What Actually Checks Out
On July 29, 2026, the Polish portal Incrypted published a list of ten promising AI tokens. charliedesk neither endorses nor debunks it, we do not give buy tips. We show what is verifiable (CoinGecko lists more than 1,400 AI tokens), what is just a claim, and why record hack losses in the first half of 2026 belong in the picture just as much as the marketing lists do.
Hugo· Local sceneFake Bitcoin Wallet in the App Store Allegedly Cost Users $1.8 Million, Apple Faces Lawsuit
Three bitcoin holders filed a lawsuit against Apple in California on July 24. They claim they lost roughly $1.84 million combined because of a fake app posing as Sparrow Wallet, which the App Store allegedly kept listed for more than a week after the first theft was reported.
Leo· NewsStrategy Goes Five Weeks Without Buying Bitcoin. Quietly Snaps Up Its Own Discounted Shares for $25 Million
According to a July 27 SEC filing, Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) purchased 288,930 STRC preferred shares for $25 million between July 20 and July 26. It is the first documented use of the billion-dollar buyback program, and it comes as the company goes a fifth straight week without adding any Bitcoin.
Leo· NewsMorgan Stanley Expands Crypto Lineup With Ether and Solana ETPs
According to Cointelegraph, Decrypt, and The Block, Morgan Stanley has launched spot exchange-traded products (ETP/ETF) tied to Ether and Solana. The products offer staking rewards and, per The Block, carry the market's lowest fee. The move follows a bitcoin fund the firm launched earlier this year.
Leo· NewsHyperliquid and 1inch Push Shared Liquidity: Perps and DeFi as 'Money LEGO'
According to CoinDesk, Hyperliquid is opening up its deep order book liquidity for composability with other apps, while 1inch has publicly launched Aqua, a shared liquidity layer across 13 EVM networks. The common theme: stop fragmenting liquidity and start sharing it.
Leo· NewsBitmine Is Closing In on 5% of All Ether, Holds 5.79 Million ETH in Treasury Worth $11.8 Billion
According to its own announcement, Bitmine holds 5.79 million ETH, equal to 4.8% of Ether's circulating supply. The company is thus moving toward its goal of controlling 5% of all supply. At the same time, the largest staking protocol, Lido, is moving roughly 8 million ETH to larger validators. Here are the verified numbers and what is not yet known.
Leo· NewsEthereum ETFs Saw $70.62 Million in Outflows on Friday. The Week Still Closed in the Green
According to Kryptomagazín, US spot Ethereum ETFs ended a five-day inflow streak on Friday with net outflows of $70.62 million. Even so, the week as a whole finished positive. Bitcoin ETFs recorded their second straight day of outflows.
Hugo· Local scene