Articles by Khal
Latest from Khal
-
Visa Launches Stablecoin Platform for Banks and Fintechs
Visa introduced a stablecoin platform enabling financial institutions to issue, hold, and transfer stablecoins through its payments network, supporting Open USD, USDC, and USDG at launch.
-
Citadel Securities invests $400M in Crypto.com at $20B valuation
Market maker Citadel Securities invested $400 million in Crypto.com in the exchange's first institutional funding round since its 2016 founding, valuing the Singapore-based platform at $20 billion and funding expansion into tokenized securities and derivatives.
-
Satsuma Technology shareholders vote on 668 BTC sale and LSE delisting
Satsuma Technology passed its proxy deadline for a proposal to sell its entire 668.48 BTC treasury and delist from the London Stock Exchange. A July 20 general meeting will decide two interdependent resolutions, each requiring 75% approval.
-
Visa launches stablecoin platform backed by Open USD, pressuring USDC
Visa announced the Visa Stablecoin Platform, an enterprise service for banks and fintechs to issue and manage digital dollars through its payments network, backed by Open USD and supported by Visa, BlackRock, Alphabet and Coinbase.
-
XRP Whale-Retail Gap on Binance Falls to Two-Month Low
XRP's whale-to-retail trading divergence on Binance hit its lowest level in roughly two months on July 16, dropping to 35.1%, while the gap on other exchanges remains significantly wider at 38.4%.
-
MoneyGram Joins Stellar as Tier 1 Validator, Deepening Blockchain Ties
Payments giant MoneyGram has joined the Stellar network as a Tier 1 validator, marking a deepening of its blockchain infrastructure partnership. Figure Markets and Range will also begin operating validators by mid-August.
-
Spain vs Argentina World Cup final: de la Fuente faces Scaloni
Luis de la Fuente, who mentored Lionel Scaloni through his coaching license in 2017, will face his former protégé on July 16 when Spain and Argentina clash for the World Cup trophy.
-
US-Iran ceasefire collapse drives crude oil to $80/barrel
Crude oil prices rose this week following the collapse of the US-Iran ceasefire, triggered by attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude reached $80.09 per barrel, though economists expect minimal impact on US gas prices due to supply buffers.
-
Crypto equities surge 23% while tokens fall 36% in H1 2026
Bitwise data shows publicly traded crypto companies gained 23% in H1 2026 while crypto assets fell 36%, a 59-percentage-point gap that reflects diverging bets on adoption and revenue capture.
-
$1.45B Bitcoin and Ethereum Options Expire Friday on Deribit
Approximately $1.45 billion worth of Bitcoin and Ethereum options are expiring Friday on Deribit, with $1.23 billion in BTC contracts and $218 million in ETH options maturing at 08:00 UTC. The expiry could trigger increased market volatility as traders close, roll, or hedge positions.
-
Arsenal signs Christos Tzolis for €40M amid football's crypto shift
Arsenal agreed to pay Club Brugge €40 million for winger Christos Tzolis as both clubs deepen partnerships with blockchain platforms and crypto firms, reshaping how professional football engages with digital assets.
-
Fed adviser Rogers sentenced 38 months for China data breach
John Harold Rogers, a former senior adviser to the Federal Reserve Board, was sentenced to 38 months in prison after a jury found him guilty of repeatedly making false statements during a counterintelligence investigation into his covert relationship with a Chinese intelligence operative.
-
US jobless claims fall to 208K, complicating Fed rate-cut case
Initial jobless claims dropped to 208,000 from 216,000, with continuing claims easing to 1.8 million. The stronger labor market reading reduces the likelihood of near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts, adding pressure to risk assets including cryptocurrency.
-
Onchain Pokémon gacha hits $324M as Bitcoin sinks to 21-month low
Users spent a record $324 million on onchain gacha packs in June 2026, even as Bitcoin fell more than 20% and spot ETFs saw record outflows. The tokenized card market is booming despite crypto's downturn.
-
BOJ's $146B balance-sheet cut mirrors Warsh playbook, tightens global liquidity
The Bank of Japan's quantitative tightening program—shrinking its balance sheet by $146 billion in Q2 2026 alone—mirrors Fed-style normalization and carries risks for carry trades and crypto markets dependent on cheap yen funding.
-
Ledger launches AI agent toolkit requiring hardware approval for transactions
Ledger introduced Ledger Agent Stack, an open-source toolkit that lets AI agents analyze crypto wallets and propose transactions but requires explicit approval on a Ledger hardware device before executing sensitive actions.
-
XRP Ledger Reaches 8 Million Activated Accounts
The XRP Ledger Foundation announced Monday that the network has crossed 8 million activated accounts, reflecting steady daily growth of roughly 2,500 new accounts and expanding use cases in tokenized assets, DeFi, and enterprise stablecoins.
-
VARREL defeats Team Secret in EWC 2026 Pacific Qualifier upper final
Japanese Valorant squad VARREL advanced through the upper bracket of the Esports World Cup 2026 Pacific Qualifier by defeating Team Secret 2-1 on May 12, in a tournament notably free of crypto sponsorships and blockchain partnerships.
-
Trust Wallet launches AI-powered financial intelligence for self-custody users
Trust Wallet rolled out an AI-powered financial information layer that provides personalized portfolio analysis, market updates, and token research while maintaining user control over assets and requiring explicit approval for all transactions.
-
EU Commission drafts banking reforms to unlock €475 billion in capital
The European Commission has prepared sweeping banking reforms designed to free up approximately €475 billion in capital and liquidity currently trapped by national ring-fencing rules, with final legislative proposals expected in Q1 2027.
-
Galaxy Digital Launches Galaxy Curator, Morpho-Based Institutional Yield Platform
Galaxy Digital has launched Galaxy Curator, an institutional vault curation platform built on Morpho that provides access to onchain yield strategies for Fireblocks' 2,400+ institutional clients seeking returns on idle stablecoin balances.
-
Energy stocks surge 20% in 2026 as geopolitical tensions sustain oil prices
Energy stocks gained 20% in 2026, significantly outperforming the flat S&P 500, as geopolitical tensions involving the US, Israel, and Iran kept crude oil prices elevated and disrupted global shipping routes.
-
ZachXBT: iPhone beats hardware wallet for crypto security
Crypto security analyst ZachXBT claims a dedicated iPhone offers better protection than a hardware wallet, sparking debate in the security community. The real vulnerability lies not in key storage but in what a valid signature can do once it exists.
-
ORANGE JUICE raises $40M for permanent capital firm with bitcoin treasury
ORANGE JUICE, founded by bitcoin venture partners including Jeff Booth and Lyn Alden, raised $40 million to acquire and permanently own American businesses while building a bitcoin treasury, diverging from traditional private equity fund structures.