Articles by Khal
Latest from Khal
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Trad.Fi and W3 compress equipment loans from months to one day with AI
Trad.Fi and W3 are working to move $650 million of equipment-finance origination onto blockchain rails over four years using AI to automate underwriting, but loan performance still hinges on collateral, servicing, and investor liquidity outside the token.
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Bitwise Chief: TradFi Advisors Prioritize Stablecoins and Tokenization Over Bitcoin
Bitwise investment chief Matt Hougan said traditional finance advisors are more interested in stablecoins and tokenization than Bitcoin, citing real-world applications reshaping capital markets and payments.
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Canadian arrested in $13M crypto scam using social engineering
Trenton Richard David Johnston, 20, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy tied to $13.04 million in stolen digital assets after using social engineering to impersonate tech support and trick victims into surrendering wallet access.
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Israeli airstrikes break Iran ceasefire, triggering crypto selloff
Israeli forces struck Iranian military and petrochemical sites across southern Iran and near Tehran on June 8–10, breaking a six-week ceasefire and sparking sharp declines in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and altcoins as markets priced in renewed geopolitical risk.
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Gold rebounds from six-month low as inflation data looms
Spot gold rebounded from a six-month low of $4,022 per ounce after a brutal monthly selloff, but traders remain cautious ahead of inflation data that could reshape the precious metal's near-term direction.
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Bitcoin holds steady as May CPI inflation peaks, altcoins slip
Bitcoin rose 1.9% to $62,600 on Thursday after May inflation data showed headline gains at the fastest pace since April 2023, though core inflation came in softer than expected. Ether and major altcoins remained down 6% to 8% for the week.
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DOJ seeks dismissal of Halkbank criminal case after deferred prosecution deal
The US Department of Justice moved to dismiss its criminal case against Turkish state-owned Halkbank after reaching a deferred prosecution agreement filed in March 2026. The bank must pass a 90-day compliance review focused on Iran-related transactions to avoid trial on charges of laundering roughly $20 billion for Iran through front companies.
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EU Overhauls Diplomatic Service, Cuts Delegations to 18 Hubs
EU member states are debating a major restructuring of the European External Action Service, including folding it into the Commission and cutting its global footprint from 140 delegations to roughly 18 hubs.
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3Jane launches Ethereum credit protocol for fintech lenders
3Jane, an Ethereum-based credit protocol, opened on June 10 with a $10 million warehouse facility from LendSwift and an $8.5 million forward-flow deal with Slope, targeting $50 million total. The protocol's native token USD3 offers yields around 8.5%, but loan performance remains a critical risk.
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Delaware, New Jersey advance crypto ATM bans amid fraud surge
Delaware and New Jersey lawmakers have advanced legislation to ban cryptocurrency ATMs entirely, following three other states that have enacted similar bans in response to rising fraud complaints and steep transaction fees that disproportionately harm older Americans.
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US strikes Iran; Bitcoin drops 2% amid $1B crypto liquidations
The United States launched military strikes against Iranian targets on June 10, triggering a 2% Bitcoin decline to $61,000 and nearly $1 billion in crypto market liquidations within 24 hours, continuing a pattern of geopolitical volatility impacting digital assets.
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Ukraine approves record $35 billion defense budget increase for 2026
Ukraine's parliament approved a 1.56 trillion hryvnia ($34.7 billion) defense budget increase for 2026, bringing total military and security spending to $66.3 billion—over 27% of GDP. The nation faces a $45 billion funding gap that will require international aid and alternative channels, including crypto donations.
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US strikes Iran, Bitcoin drops 2% amid geopolitical tensions
US Central Command launched strikes against Iranian targets on June 10, prompting a 2% Bitcoin drop to around $61,000 and broader market caution. The escalation underscores crypto's short-term sensitivity to geopolitical risk, though investors remain divided on whether Bitcoin functions as a hedge or risk-off asset.
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Strategy CEO Phong Le calls Bitcoin sale a systems test
Strategy sold 32 BTC worth $2.5 million in late May as a process validation exercise, its first sale in over three years. CEO Phong Le framed the move as a systems test, while the firm continues accumulating toward a 1 million BTC target.
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FIFA reveals 16 stadiums for 2026 World Cup across US, Mexico, Canada
FIFA officially disclosed seating capacities for all 16 stadiums hosting the 2026 World Cup, the first tournament to expand to 48 teams. Venues range from 43,000 to over 90,000 seats across 11 US locations, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada.
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US Congress investigates UK demand for Apple encryption backdoor
The US House Judiciary Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee are investigating the UK's February 2025 demand for Apple to weaken encryption on iCloud backups. Apple withdrew the feature rather than comply, and US lawmakers have requested a UK briefing by March 11, 2026.
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Iran IRGC strikes 18 US military sites; crypto sheds $80B
Iran's Revolutionary Guard launched two waves of missile and drone strikes against US military facilities in the Gulf region, triggering a $80 billion crypto sell-off as oil prices surge and geopolitical tensions escalate.
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US strikes on Iran spark oil price surge amid supply risks
Oil prices surged following US military strikes on Iran in April 2026, though betting markets suggest traders view near-term escalation as contained, with only 2.5% odds of crude reaching new all-time highs by June.
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Iran closes Strait of Hormuz, adopts Bitcoin for shipping tolls
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz and launched retaliatory missile strikes following US military action, while simultaneously requiring Bitcoin payments for shipping tolls—a move that triggered cryptocurrency volatility and prompted US Treasury sanctions on $344 million in Iranian-linked digital assets.
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Iran accuses US of striking Qeshm Island water facility; attribution disputed
Iran claims a US military strike on March 7 hit a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, a facility supplying drinking water to roughly 30 villages. The US and Israel deny involvement. Legal scholars note the incident raises questions under international humanitarian law, though attribution remains contested.
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Anthropic CEO Amodei calls for binding AI safety rules amid IPO push
Dario Amodei published an essay calling for mandatory government oversight of frontier AI models, even as Anthropic launches new restricted and public versions of Claude that drew developer criticism.
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Bitcoin miner profits hit record low as BTC trades near $60,000
Bitcoin miners face an all-time low in daily returns, with profit margins collapsing as the world's largest cryptocurrency trades near $60,000. Some miners are pivoting to AI data center operations to survive.
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Nasdaq cuts Nasdaq-100 entry to 15 trading days, chasing mega-cap IPOs
Nasdaq's new fast-track rules compress Nasdaq-100 inclusion from three months to 15 trading days starting May 1, 2026, aiming to lure blockbuster listings like SpaceX and OpenAI. The move risks early volatility and reweighting pressure on existing index constituents.
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FCA proposes 10% crypto ETN cap for UK mutual funds
The UK Financial Conduct Authority is consulting on allowing UCITS and retail funds to hold crypto exchange-traded notes up to 10% of scheme property, while keeping direct crypto holdings prohibited. Comments close July 13, 2026.