Articles by Khal
Latest from Khal
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Visa merges VisaNet settlement data with blockchain lending for stablecoin cards
Visa announced Tuesday that it's combining VisaNet settlement records with onchain lending infrastructure to finance stablecoin card programs, as payment volume on its network surges 200% year over year.
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TD Synnex shares surge 50% on AI infrastructure pivot
TD Synnex posted $19.6 billion in fiscal Q2 2026 revenue on June 25, up 31% year-over-year, with shares jumping over 50% as investors repriced the distributor's shift toward high-margin AI and hyperscale data center infrastructure.
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US Treasury Pushes G7 Coordination on China's $1.2T Trade Surplus
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is pushing G7 allies to coordinate a response to China's $1.2 trillion goods trade surplus, signaling that bilateral tariffs alone won't reshape global trade dynamics.
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Sality botnet disrupted, but EggJagger clipboard malware persists on infected devices
A Justice Department operation on Aug. 31 cut off the Sality botnet's ability to deploy fresh malware to 33,000+ infected machines, but CrowdStrike warns that already-installed address-swapping software continues to redirect cryptocurrency payments to attacker-controlled wallets.
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Bitcoin ETFs pull $31M inflow as Ethereum products bleed $48M
Bitcoin ETFs recorded a $31 million inflow on September 2 while Ethereum products suffered a $48 million outflow, snapping a 12-session winning streak and signaling a potential shift in institutional appetite for risk.
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MicroStrategy halts Bitcoin buying, deploys $176M to stock buybacks
Strategy halted Bitcoin purchases in the week to September 7 and spent $176.3 million repurchasing its own preferred stock instead, while doubling the authorization for its buyback program to $2 billion.
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Rigetti Computing secures $100M CHIPS Act award for quantum R&D
Rigetti Computing has secured up to $100 million in federal funding from the US Department of Commerce under the CHIPS Act to advance superconducting quantum systems, with the government receiving equity as part of the deal.
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Strategy pauses Bitcoin buys, repurchases $176M STRC shares
Strategy, the largest corporate Bitcoin holder, skipped its weekly Bitcoin purchase to repurchase $176 million of its STRC preferred stock and doubled its digital securities repurchase program to $2 billion.
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Ethereum defers staking rewards decision to broader ecosystem process
The Ethereum Foundation's Protocol cluster declined to include a proposal to cut validator rewards in the Hegotá upgrade, instead calling for broader ecosystem input on issuance policy. The decision leaves unchanged a tension between high staking yields and dilution for unstaked holders.
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Google warns of lower quality in revamped Europe search results
Google rolled out sweeping search changes across Europe on September 8, 2026, in response to the EU's Digital Markets Act, with executives warning the overhaul represents the largest reduction in search quality in the company's nearly three-decade history.
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UK sanctions Israeli West Bank settlements, prepares trade ban
The UK designated six entities and one individual for asset freezes in June 2026, then began preparing an outright trade ban on West Bank settlement goods by September under Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, framing the measures as pro-peace rather than anti-Israel.
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Liquid recovers 3,400 BTC as hacker returns $47 million in partial restitution
Bitcoin's Liquid sidechain recovered 3,400 BTC into its federation wallet on September 7 after a reserve drain, though attackers retained roughly 598.5 BTC worth $47 million. Blockstream's status page still listed an active security incident and major outage the following morning.
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Circle acquires Tazapay for $400M to expand USDC B2B payments
Circle signed a definitive agreement to acquire Singapore-based cross-border payments firm Tazapay in an all-stock deal valued at $400 million, expected to close in 2027 pending regulatory approval. The acquisition gives Circle direct control over USDC integration across 100+ markets where Tazapay already processes $25 billion in annualized volume.
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Ledger and Trezor push responsible vulnerability disclosure, warn against 'attention farming'
Hardware wallet makers Ledger and Trezor are pushing for more responsible vulnerability disclosure, citing a 90-day fix window as standard and cautioning researchers against publishing findings before vendors have time to patch.
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Polish Court Detains Fifth Suspect in Zondacrypto Exchange Probe
A Polish court approved pretrial detention for Roman Ż. on September 7, 2026, in connection with the Zondacrypto exchange investigation. Four suspects had already been detained, and prosecutors allege an organized group stole at least $2 million from 1.3 million clients.
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Starknet launches Shieldnet privacy framework for 45 ERC-20 assets
Starknet deployed Shieldnet, a zero-knowledge privacy system for ERC-20 tokens on its Ethereum layer 2 network, enabling selective regulatory disclosure while keeping transaction details encrypted. The framework now shields 45 assets and has processed over 14,000 deposits totaling $350K.
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Cronos confirms $9.2M escaped network during Tectonic exploit
Cronos released a post-mortem of the Tectonic exploit, confirming that $9.19 million in funds were transferred off its blockchain before validators halted the network, with a rollback recovering $111.2 million of the $120.4 million affected.
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Zcash posts 2 major technical signals as 50% rally shows strain
Zcash (ZEC) has rallied approximately 50% to above $1,200, but bearish RSI divergence and extended price levels relative to moving averages suggest momentum may be fading and a correction could be imminent.
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Como secures first Champions League berth in 119-year history
Como clinched a fourth-place finish in Serie A on May 24, 2026, securing the club's first European competition berth in its 119-year history. Coach Cesc Fabregas built the team around young talent development rather than marquee signings, finishing with 71 points and the league's best defensive record.
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Hyper Foundation controls 49% of staked HYPE, raising centralization concerns
The Hyper Foundation's validators control roughly 49% of all staked HYPE tokens, concentrating governance power and creating security risks on Hyperliquid's Layer 1 blockchain. No announced plan exists to diversify validator control.
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CHFD Swiss franc stablecoin sandbox adds SIX and TWINT
Nine Swiss companies, including financial market operator SIX and payment app TWINT, have begun sandbox tests of CHFD, a Swiss franc stablecoin designed for programmable payments and digital asset settlement.
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ASML, TSMC achieve 2D material transistor breakthrough on standard wafers
ASML, TSMC, and imec jointly demonstrated the first scaled complementary transistors built from 2D materials on industry-standard 300mm wafers with 94% yield, marking a significant step toward post-silicon semiconductor manufacturing.
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Huawei invests in DUV lithography to cut China's semiconductor reliance
Huawei is coordinating a network of domestic suppliers and equipment makers to develop deep ultraviolet photolithography systems, aiming to reduce China's dependence on foreign semiconductor tools amid US export restrictions.
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AUSTRAC cancels 45 crypto and remittance registrations in regulatory sweep
Australia's financial regulator AUSTRAC canceled, suspended, or refused renewal of 45 remittance dealer and virtual asset service provider registrations over 12 months, citing dormancy, insolvency, and money-laundering risks.