Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Super Micro Computer (SMCI) logo is seen in this illustration taken June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

SummaryCompaniesU.S.-listed Super Micro says two Taiwan employees detained in a probe regarding sale of its AI productsSuper Micro says two other Taiwan staff released on bailTaiwanese prosecutors are investigating the alleged illegal export to China of advanced AI serversTAIPEI, July 2 (Reuters) - Super Micro (SMCI.O), opens new tab said on Wednesday that two workers at its Taiwan unit had been ‌detained pending a court hearing and two others released on bail after being questioned by Taiwanese prosecutors investigating the alleged illegal export of advanced AI servers containing Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab chips.

The servers are made by Super Micro and contain Nvidia chips, which are subject to U.S. export controls prohibiting export to ​China.

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The four workers were among six people questioned earlier this week when Taiwan's Keelung District Prosecutors' Office said ​it had launched a second round of searches in the probe.

The six people were questioned over ⁠alleged document forgery and breach of trust, it said, adding searches were conducted at 12 locations, including the homes ​of six suspects and the offices of three companies.

The companies searched were Super Micro Taiwan, Albatron Technology (5386.TWO), opens new tab, Super Micro's distributor in ​Taiwan, and Chief Telecom (6561.TWO), opens new tab, a data centre operator.

In a letter to customers issued in the United States on Wednesday, Super Micro Chief Revenue Officer Matthew Thauberger said the four employees had been questioned on June 29 in connection with what he described as a Taiwanese investigation ​regarding the company's sale of products to a technology company in Taiwan.

"Two of the four employees have been detained pending ​a hearing, and the other two have been released on bail," Thauberger wrote in the letter.

"Super Micro is not a target of this investigation," ‌he ⁠said, adding that the company had been working with Taiwanese authorities for several months.

Thauberger said the company had provided Taiwan authorities access to the employees' desks and electronic devices and had immediately placed all four employees on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.

In May, Taiwanese prosecutors launched the first round of the investigation, detaining three people suspected of illegally exporting Super Micro's ​high-end AI servers, equipped with ​the Nvidia chips. Those ⁠three remain in detention.

In a statement issued in May, Super Micro said it had been cooperating with Taiwan authorities in an investigation into the alleged diversion of its AI servers to ​the restricted Chinese market. The cooperation had led to the seizure of 50 servers, the ​company said, ⁠adding that they had been deceptively acquired after being sold to an authorised reseller.

In March, the U.S. Justice Department charged three people associated with Super Micro, including one of its co-founders, with helping smuggle at least $2.5 billion worth of U.S. AI technology to China in ⁠violation of ​U.S. export laws.

Semiconductor powerhouse Taiwan is the world's largest producer of advanced ​chips used in AI applications.

Taiwan has tightened export controls in recent years to prevent advanced technology and know-how from reaching China, which claims the democratically ​governed island as its own territory despite Taiwan's strong objections.

Reporting by Wen-Yee Lee; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree and Michael Perry

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.

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Tether has frozen $USDT balances across all 131 TRON addresses linked to ISIS-K, acting on a sanctions update issued by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on July 1, 2026.

OFAC updated its ISIS-K designation on July 1, adding 134 crypto wallet identifiers, including 131 TRON addresses and three Monero addresses. Tether froze the USDT balances on all 131 of the TRON wallets named, according to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis.

What the Wallets ShowChainalysis said the 131 TRON addresses received more than $1.4 million since 2023, and the same wallets sent out more than $880,000 over that period. The blockchain analytics firm noted that several listed wallets had exposure to mainstream services and also sent funds to Syria-based crypto exchangers.

ISIS-K has leveraged crypto for fundraising through its media wing, al-Azaim Media Foundation, using digital assets as a way to move money across borders without touching traditional banking rails.

OFAC's designation covered 134 crypto wallet addresses in total: 131 on the TRON blockchain and three on the Monero network. The Monero addresses present a different problem entirely, since Monero is a privacy-focused cryptocurrency with no central issuer capable of freezing funds. Adding those addresses to the sanctions list serves more as a compliance signal to exchanges: if funds from these addresses are detected, there is a legal obligation to block them.

A Pattern of EnforcementChainalysis said the July 1 actions require virtual asset service providers and financial institutions to update sanctions screening and transaction monitoring. The firm also labeled the relevant addresses in its products, giving compliance teams a way to detect exposure to the newly listed ISIS-K wallets and related networks.

The action fits a broader pattern of Tether working alongside regulators. Tether works with more than 340 law enforcement agencies across 65 countries, and that cooperation has supported more than 2,300 cases globally, leading to the freezing of more than $4.4 billion in assets.

The move is a clear illustration of how sanctions enforcement now operates in the crypto era: a government names on-chain addresses, and a stablecoin issuer can neutralize the funds on them almost instantly.

Sources:
Crypto.news: Tether freezes USDT in 131 ISIS-K-linked TRON wallets
Crypto Times: Tether Freezes 131 ISIS-K TRON Wallets Post US Sanctions
Tether.io: Tether's Law Enforcement Cooperation

Panmure Liberum has upgraded CMC Markets PLC (LSE:CMCX, FRA:T8Q) to 'buy' from 'hold', arguing that a jump in the trading group's guidance marks a structural shift in its earnings.

The broker nearly doubled its price target on the stock, raising it to 700p from 380p.

CMC Markets, the London-listed spread betting and online trading company, on Wednesday lifted its forecast for net operating income in the financial year to March 2027.

It now expects £550 million, well above prior guidance of £460 million to £480 million.

That new figure sits at least £70 million above the top end of the previous range.

Panmure Liberum said this was not a modest beat but a re-rating of the company's whole earnings trajectory.

The analyst pointed to a disclosed earnings figure of £250 million on a measure stripping out interest, tax and other charges, implying a margin of 45%.

Crucially, the broker noted that operating costs, excluding variable staff pay, remain pinned at £280 million.

That means almost all of the extra revenue is dropping straight through to profit rather than being eaten up by higher spending.

The broker attributed the improved outlook to a run of new product launches and faster growth in the company's business-to-business arm.

It also credited the operating leverage built into the model, whereby rising revenue is not matched by rising costs.

The scale of the upgrade underlines Panmure Liberum's conviction that CMC Markets has moved onto a materially higher earnings base.

The shares rose 8% to 701.2p.

Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

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Tether has frozen USDT balances in 131 TRON wallets linked to ISIS-K after U.S. sanctions officials added more than 100 crypto identifiers tied to the group. 

Summary

Tether froze USDT balances across 131 ISIS-K-linked TRON wallets after OFAC updated its sanctions identifiers. Chainalysis said the TRON wallets received over $1.4 million and sent over $880,000 since 2023. The action adds pressure on VASPs to update sanctions screening for newly listed crypto addresses. The move places stablecoin issuer controls at the center of a new terrorism-financing action involving TRON and Monero addresses.

Chainalysis said the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control updated its ISIS-K designation on July 1. The update added 134 crypto wallet identifiers, including 131 TRON addresses and three Monero addresses. 

“Tether has frozen the balances on all 131 TRON addresses,” said Chainalysis.

OFAC updated its sanctions against ISIS-K, adding 134 cryptocurrency wallets (131 TRON, 3 Monero) as identifiers. In a separate enforcement action, OFAC targeted individuals linked to the Latin American criminal group PCC for laundering illicit proceeds via crypto. Read more…

— Chainalysis (@chainalysis) July 1, 2026 The official OFAC update lists the wallets under ISIL Khorasan, also known as ISIS-K. The group is the Islamic State’s Afghanistan and Pakistan branch. OFAC had already designated ISIS-K as a terrorist group before adding the new crypto wallet identifiers.

Chainalysis tracks Tether flows across TRON wallets Chainalysis said the 131 TRON addresses had received more than $1.4 million since 2023. The same wallets sent out more than $880,000 over that period. The blockchain analytics firm said several listed wallets had exposure to mainstream services and also sent funds to Syria-based crypto exchangers.

The report said ISIS-K’s media branch, al-Azaim Media Foundation, has used websites and messaging platforms to seek crypto donations. Chainalysis said it had collected past donation addresses on TRON, Monero, and Bitcoin. The firm also noted that earlier public terrorism-financing campaigns often used smaller donations, rather than a few large transfers.

Stablecoin freeze role keeps growing The latest freeze follows a wider rise in issuer-level enforcement around USDT. As previously reported, Tether’s T3 Financial Crime Unit passed $450 million in frozen suspected illicit assets since its 2024 launch. The unit is backed by Tether, TRON, and TRM Labs, and focuses on USDT activity on the TRON network.

Moreover, Tether froze more than $514 million across 370 addresses during one 30-day period earlier this year. Most of the frozen funds were on TRON. BlockSec data cited in that report showed Tether blacklisted 4,163 addresses in 2025, freezing $1.26 billion across Ethereum and TRON.

Sanctions pressure reaches compliance teams The ISIS-K action also comes after other terrorism-linked wallet freezes this year. Victims with U.S. terrorism judgments asked a New York court to order Tether to turn over 344,149,759 USDT held in two OFAC-blocked TRON wallets linked to Iran’s IRGC. That case centers on whether frozen stablecoins can be transferred to judgment creditors.

Chainalysis said the July 1 actions require virtual asset service providers and financial institutions to update sanctions screening and transaction monitoring. The firm also said it labeled the relevant addresses in its products. The step gives compliance teams a way to detect exposure to the newly listed ISIS-K wallets and related networks.

Tether froze USDT in 131 TRON wallets linked to ISIS K after updated US sanctions

Building a functional AI agent on a blockchain used to take weeks of wrangling with wallets, identity systems, and payment rails. BNB Chain just made that a 15-minute problem.

BNB Agent Studio launched on July 1, 2026, giving developers a streamlined path to create and deploy autonomous on-chain AI agents without configuring complex infrastructure from scratch. The platform handles wallet provisioning, agent identity, and payment systems automatically, so builders can skip the boilerplate and focus on what the agent actually does.

The pitch is simple: connect via GitHub, open Cursor or Claude Code, and have a live agent running on BNB Smart Chain in the time it takes to watch a couple of YouTube tutorials. No AWS account required to start, which lowers the barrier considerably for developers who want to experiment before committing to a full cloud setup.

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What is actually under the hood The Studio sits on top of two foundational layers. The first is AWS Bedrock AgentCore, which handles the cloud-side compute and model utilities. The second is BNB Chain’s own on-chain infrastructure, built around a set of modular standards that were established when the BNBAgent SDK went live on the BNB Smart Chain mainnet on May 18, 2026.

Those standards are worth understanding because they are the connective tissue of the whole system. ERC-8004 governs agent identity, essentially giving each autonomous agent a verifiable on-chain persona. ERC-8183 handles commerce, defining how agents interact with services and contracts. The x402 payment standard manages how agents move value autonomously.

In plain terms: each agent gets an ID, a wallet, and the ability to transact, all provisioned automatically when you deploy through the Studio.

PancakeSwap, the dominant decentralized exchange on BNB Smart Chain, is already integrated as a partner, giving agents a live trading venue to operate within.

The broader build-up to this moment The Studio did not appear from nowhere. The BNBAgent SDK, which went live two months earlier in May 2026, established the foundational standards that the Studio now packages into a developer-friendly interface.

BNB Chain has also committed to bi-weekly updates following the initial release. The free trial access via GitHub login removes the requirement for an AWS account at entry, widening the top of the funnel for experimentation.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

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STBL, a blockchain-based financial infrastructure platform, has launched $USST on Stellar, a blockchain ecosystem for financial and payment services. The launch denotes a key initiative to expand tokenized Real-World Asset (RWA) infrastructure.

As STBL revealed in its official social media announcement, the development presents $USST in the form of a settlement-focused asset to back institutional workstreams within the Stellar network. Hence, eligible consumers can seamlessly mint $USST after depositing compatible tokenized assets, beginning with $USDY, via the technical architecture.

USST has launched officially on @StellarOrg.

USST is now live on Stellar, marking another step in the growth of tokenized real-world asset infrastructure on the network.

Using STBL’s technical architecture, eligible users can deposit supported tokenized assets, beginning with… pic.twitter.com/wiWXExVDxo

— STBL (@stbl_official) July 1, 2026 STBL’s $USST Goes Live on Stellar to Accelerate Tokenized Asset Use Cases The launch of $USST by STBL on Stellar points out that the tokenized assets are gaining wider traction in the form of financial institutions. Thus, they are exploring unique methods for the transfer and management of value on-chain. Particularly, $USST is set to play the role of utility-focused assets across the RWA network of Stellar.

Apart from that, $USST enables qualified participants to leverage unique opportunities dealing with cutting-edge tokenized products. By enabling the compatible tokenized assets’ conversion into $USST, STBL seeks to streamline settlement procedures and enhance flexibility to facilitate institutional asset activities.

Leading to Exclusive Opportunities for Institutional Finance On-chain $USDY, which is a resilient tokenized product for exposure to diverse yield-generating assets, is the initial compatible asset for $USST conversion. By using it, eligible consumers can deposit authorized tokenized assets to receive $USST to use it in several approved financial and settlement applications.

According to STBL, this approach bridges blockchain-based infrastructure with conventional asset structures while maintaining a key focus on the broader institutional usability. At the same time, with its integration into the Stellar network, $USST provides another functionality layer for qualified tokenized asset holders.

By developing different routes for settlement and liquidity, the asset emerges as a part of the wider initiative to establish a comprehensive institutional-scale infrastructure through blockchain ecosystems. Overall, with this rollout, STBL endeavors to fortify the tokenized assets’ role in the Stellar network while broadening opportunities for eligible institutions and users looking for effective financial solutions on-chain.

AUTHOR

Crypto journalist with years of experience providing in-depth analysis and news on blockchain and decentralized finance. With a keen eye for detail, Shahzaib delivers insightful articles that explore the latest trends, market movements, and innovations within the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. His work focuses on educating readers while offering expert commentary on the evolving landscape of digital assets, DeFi protocols, and the broader impact of blockchain technology.

DexCom faces a pivotal transition as GLP-1 adoption threatens its core insulin-treated diabetes market. DXCM aims to expand CGM adoption to Type 2 non-insulin patients, but commercial uptake remains unproven despite positive clinical trial results. At 28x earnings, DXCM's valuation is not demanding, yet offers limited upside given execution risks and the need for evidence of new market penetration.

Robinhood Taps Chainlink for Official Oracle InfrastructureRobinhood has formally adopted Chainlink as the official data and cross-chain oracle infrastructure for Robinhood Chain, its newly launched Ethereum Layer 2 network. The integration covers Robinhood Chain and all Robinhood-issued assets, including Stock Tokens like NVDA, GOOG, and AAPL. The announcement came alongside the public mainnet launch of Robinhood Chain, an Ethereum Layer 2 network built using Arbitrum's technology stack.

Robinhood Chain is an Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain built on Arbitrum technology, designed to support tokenized real-world assets and onchain financial services. The company described Robinhood Chain as permissionless, AI-native, and purpose-built for real-world assets, with day-one partners including Uniswap, Pleiades, Alchemy, BitGo, and Chainlink.

What Chainlink Brings to the NetworkChainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), Data Streams, and Data Feeds are now live on Robinhood Chain mainnet from day one, delivering verifiable data for tokenized real-world assets and unlocking secure interoperability across the multi-chain ecosystem. Chainlink provides data feeds, interoperability tools, and compliance standards needed for advanced tokenization use cases. Oracles connect smart contracts to external data sources, which is essential for applications like tokenized stocks that require real-time pricing data from traditional markets.

Robinhood also launched new Stock Tokens, enabling eligible users to trade 24/7 directly on Robinhood Chain, as well as deploy those assets into lending pools and use them as trading collateral across the broader DeFi ecosystem. With the mainnet now live, Robinhood Wallet users in more than 120 countries can trade Stock Tokens, though availability varies depending on local regulations.

Gaetan Thabot, Director of Product at Robinhood Crypto, said the company chose Chainlink because its institutional-grade security and reliability are already trusted by the world's largest financial institutions to scale onchain ecosystems.

Sources:
PR Newswire: Robinhood Chain Launches and Adopts Chainlink
The Block: Robinhood Chain Goes Live on Mainnet
FinanceFeeds: Robinhood Opens 24/7 Stock Token Trading on Its New Layer 2 Chain

When Melyn McKay worked in South Sudan, there was not a functioning ATM in the entire country. To move humanitarian funds, she would fly to Dubai, withdraw cash from her own bank account, and carry it back across the border in her trousers, hoping no one would stop her at a checkpoint manned by armed soldiers. For 15 years, across South Sudan, Lebanon, and Myanmar, she watched the same pattern repeat. The places where help is often the most needed are the places the global financial system has quietly abandoned.

“We’ve built financial infrastructure the same way the British built railroads,” Melyn said. “They were designed to extract wealth out of the country, not to connect the people inside it.” Growing up in the US, she said, she never had to think about how money worked, because money was designed to work for her. Most of the world does not have that luxury.

Melyn is the founder of Coala Pay, a payment platform built specifically for aid delivery and a member of the Circle Alliance Program. Coala Pay moves institutional funds into high-friction corridors in minutes, using USDC as the settlement rail so that more of every donor dollar reaches the frontlines.

Built by humanitarians for the toughest corridorsCoala Pay’s team is made up of aid-sector natives. Its leadership and program staff average more than 15 years in humanitarian work, have led billions of dollars in donor-funded programming, and built systems that deployed hundreds of millions for institutions including UNICEF and the World Bank.

Melyn started Coala Pay in response to a problem she kept hitting in the field. After the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, she said traditional banking channels became dangerous overnight. According to Melyn, the junta was monitoring transactions to track and control the flow of humanitarian funds. Aid is meant to reach people in need regardless of which government is in power, and through the banks on the ground that was suddenly impossible. Coala Pay was an attempt to solve for this.

And while the junta and the banking crackdown that followed is what sparked the creation of Coala Pay, the platform itself is designed to solve for a broad range of aid-related friction. Aid organizations move money to as many as 130 countries a year, across volatile exchange rates, while working to stay accountable for every dollar of public money. It can be challenging. Melyn pointed to a recent Ebola response, when she said a large UN agency’s transfer to West Africa was routed through an intermediary bank in East Africa. That bank held the money for months, earning interest for themselves while delaying the delivery of lifesaving aid.

One interface, settlement in minutesCoala Pay replaces the fragmented chain of correspondent banks with a single settlement layer. An organization connects its treasury and funds the Coala Pay platform with a standard fiat transfer. Coala Pay works with licensed partners who handle the conversion into USDC, routes the payment through a network of vetted local offramp providers, and settles to recipients in minutes, including in corridors where conventional rails stall for weeks.

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Step Stage Who acts What happens 1 Fund Funding aid organization (INGO, UN agency, or NGO) Connects its treasury and sends a standard fiat transfer to a dedicated static IBAN; capital releases only after HQ + country-office multi-signature approval. 2 Convert and route Coala Pay Converts the fiat to USDC and routes it through vetted local offramp providers, replacing the correspondent-bank chain with a single settlement layer. 3 Settle Smart contract → offramp provider → recipient Funds settle onchain to the recipient’s account in minutes; the offramp provider then converts USDC to local currency. FX rates, timestamps, and payouts log onchain. ‍

The design reflects how aid teams actually operate. Multi-signature approvals mirror the real reporting lines of a humanitarian agency, requiring sign-off from both headquarters and country offices before any capital moves. Every step is recorded onchain. Foreign exchange (FX) rates, timestamps, and payout confirmations are captured automatically, so donor reports are generated as the money moves rather than reconstructed from spreadsheets weeks later.

The platform also adds a layer of programmability that traditional rails lack. Using an onchain oracle, Coala Pay can tie disbursements to external data, releasing funds automatically when thresholds like drought or flood levels are met. 

“Rather than waiting two weeks for funds to arrive in a community after an earthquake or a flood, we’re able to get those funds on the ground in less than 72 hours,” Melyn said. “In the aid sector, time saved is lives saved.”

Why Coala Pay chose USDC for aid deliveryFor Coala Pay, the choice of which stablecoin to use was a question of trust as much as technology. “We’re not in an industry where ‘move fast and break things’ works,” Melyn said. “We need to come to our clients with something that feels more secure than what they’re currently using, not less.”

In Melyn’s eyes, that ruled out most of the stablecoin market. “I can’t ask a UN agency to take a bet on a small token no one has ever heard of,” Melyn said. “They can’t act like VCs, deciding who is going to be around in the future.” 

Working with Circle and USDC, a regulated1 internet-native dollar, gives the treasurers she works with something they can verify rather than something they have to believe in. 

“Working with a public company that has been around a long time, that is MiCA compliant, those are the things that help a UN or INGO treasurer get comfortable with a new technology rather than taking a leap of faith,” Melyn said.

Every USDC is backed by cash and cash-equivalent reserves, with monthly attestations from a Big Four accounting firm, and it is the world’s largest regulated stablecoin1. For a treasurer moving public money into a fragile corridor to reach vulnerable populations, that combination of stability, transparency, regulatory standing, and 24/7 settlement is what makes the technology adoptable at all.

What changes on the ground when aid settles fasterIn late 2025, months ahead of the drought season, the Norwegian Refugee Council in Somalia committed $6,270 to each of its three local partners, writing the release conditions into smart contracts that drew on satellite drought data and ran against a wallet NRC controlled directly. Once the thresholds were crossed, each partner’s account was funded in about two minutes — not the minimum eight days for the quickest emergency channel NRC otherwise relies on. The early action reached 2,955 people across three districts with water trucking, hygiene kits, and cash assistance.

In Malawi, Save the Children's SHIFT initiative used Coala Pay to send a $2,000 milestone-based grant straight to a Lilongwe-based, youth-run climate group. That is exactly the kind of small, local organization that conventional grant pipelines turn away: vetting a $1,000 grant can cost more than the grant is worth. Because the funds sat in USDC until the moment of payout, the money reached the group with more of its value intact, even as the Malawian kwacha rapidly lost ground. The grant trained 160 students directly and reached more than 4,000 through peer cascade.

“In aid work, more money on the ground means more people helped,” Melyn said.

And in Kenya, the peacebuilding NGO Search for Common Ground paid 943 young survey respondents across all 47 counties with a 99.7% success rate, the slowest US payment still arriving in under two hours, and its finance team never entering a single transfer by hand. 

From last resort to first choiceCoala Pay built its reputation in corridors others shied away from — where conventional rails can stall for weeks and lifesaving money can sit in an intermediary bank earning interest while a community waits. Having proven that USDC can move value into those places in minutes instead of weeks, Melyn now sees the same rail reshaping the parts of aid finance everyone has simply accepted: the monthly FX rates and intermediary spreads that quietly erode every donor dollar long before it reaches the field.

That is the larger shift underway. The settlement layer that made early action possible in a drought — funds released automatically the moment satellite data crossed a threshold — is the same layer that can make ordinary disbursements faster, cheaper, and fully accountable across the as many as 130 countries aid flows to each year. With a regulated1, internet-native dollar as the foundation, programmability becomes the default: money that arrives in minutes, reports itself onchain as it moves, and holds its value relative to local currencies.

“For the first time, I’m coming to agencies I've worked with my whole career and saying, ‘here is a solution that will make your life easier,’” Melyn said. “If we can handle the really hard corridors, imagine how easy we can make the easy ones.”

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1 USDC is issued through regulated affiliates of Circle. A list of Circle’s regulatory authorizations can be found here.

Reference to any specific company, product, service, or website of any third party does not constitute an implied or express endorsement, recommendation, favoring or validation by Circle. The content presented is intended for informational purposes only. Reliance upon any content or information presented is at the sole discretion of the audience; Circle shall not be liable for any damage or loss relating to the use of or reliance upon any such content or information presented. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Circle.

Eligible institutional clients can access USDC through a single onboarding and service experience, without needing direct Circle accounts

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — July 2, 2026 —  Standard Chartered today announced the launch of its capability enabling institutional clients to access USDC minting and redemption, developed in partnership with Circle Internet Group, Inc. (Circle) (NYSE: CRCL), the issuer of USDC1 through its regulated entities.  

The launch makes Standard Chartered the first Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB) licensed to offer institutional clients access to USDC minting and redemption through a  single onboarding and service experience, without requiring clients to hold direct accounts with Circle. 

The capability enables institutions to move value across traditional and digital financial ecosystems with greater speed and transparency by connecting fiat banking, digital asset infrastructure and public blockchain networks within a single, bank-led solution. It supports institutional use cases such as on-chain settlement, treasury, and liquidity management, while providing the infrastructure to support payment-related use cases in the future.

By embedding USDC access directly within Standard Chartered’s institutional offering, Standard Chartered will bring together banking, custody, and digital asset services within one integrated offering and that is delivered through the risk management, compliance and governance standards expected of a leading international financial institution.

Initially available to eligible clients through Standard Chartered’s DIFC operations, the capability reinforces the UAE’s position as a leading hub for regulated digital asset activity and represents the first phase of Standard Chartered’s broader global stablecoin proposition. The Bank intends to expand the capability into additional markets, subject to regulatory approvals and market readiness.

The announcement reflects growing demand from financial institutions and corporations for regulated stablecoin infrastructure that can support a range of financial activities, including payments, treasury management, settlement, liquidity management and participation in digital asset markets.

Roberto Hoornweg, Chief Executive Officer, Corporate and Investment Banking, Standard Chartered said: “Digital assets are becoming an increasingly important component of global financial infrastructure, and institutional clients are seeking the same levels of trust and governance that underpin traditional markets. With this launch, we are extending those standards into a rapidly evolving segment of the financial system. Ultimately, this is about enabling broader institutional participation in digital asset markets through the frameworks, controls and regulatory oversight that have long supported confidence in global financial markets.”

Kash Razzaghi, Chief Commercial Officer, Circle, said: “Financial institutions are increasingly looking for trusted ways to access stablecoins and participate in blockchain-enabled financial markets. By integrating Circle’s regulated stablecoin infrastructure into Standard Chartered’s global banking platform, we are helping institutions access new opportunities to use USDC across payments, settlement and treasury operations while maintaining the compliance, governance and risk management standards they expect.”

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‍For further information please contact:

Khaled Abdulla, CFA®
Head of Communications 
UAE, Middle East & Pakistan
Corporate and Investment Bank
Standard Chartered
M: +971 55  655 7553
T: +971 4 508 3155

About Standard Chartered
We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 54 of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.
Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges.
For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

About Circle
Circle (NYSE: CRCL) is one of the world’s leading internet financial platform companies, building the foundation of a more open, global economy through programmable blockchain infrastructure, digital assets, and payment applications. Circle’s platform includes the world’s largest stablecoin network anchored by USDC, Circle Payments Network for global money movement, and Arc, an enterprise-grade blockchain designed to become the Economic OS for the internet. Enterprises, financial institutions, and developers use Circle to power trusted, internet-scale financial innovation. Learn more at circle.com.

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1 USDC is issued by regulated affiliates of Circle. See Circle’s list of regulatory authorizations at circle.com/legal/licenses.

, /PRNewswire/ -- Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co., Ltd. (06938.HK) y su filial Ribocure Pharmaceuticals AB (en adelante, "Ribo"), en colaboración con Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Madrigal, NASDAQ: MDGL), han dado a conocer el logro del primer hito de nominación de fármaco candidato dentro de su alianza en el campo del siRNA. Este hito es el resultado de una colaboración eficiente y servirá para dar paso al inicio inmediato de estudios preclínicos para la solicitud de autorización de investigación clínica (IND) que respalden los estudios clínicos planificados.

Esta alianza subraya el compromiso conjunto pleno de Ribo y Madrigal de cara a impulsar terapias de ARN de vanguardia para enfermedades hepáticas, con un enfoque principal en la esteatohepatitis asociada a disfunción metabólica (MASH), un campo con enormes necesidades médicas no cubiertas. La colaboración abarca múltiples activos preclínicos y amplía aún más el panorama terapéutico potencial dirigido al hígado para la MASH.

"Nos complace haber alcanzado el primer hito clave en nuestro programa conjunto MASH con Madrigal en tan solo unos meses. Madrigal ha consolidado una posición de liderazgo en el mercado y cuenta con una profunda experiencia clínica en el campo de MASH, mientras que Ribo posee capacidades de primer nivel en el descubrimiento de fármacos siRNA y tecnología de administración. Nuestras fortalezas complementarias sirven para impulsar el rápido progreso de este proyecto. Ambas partes están comprometidas con acelerar el desarrollo de nuestro nuevo candidato a siRNA para MASH. Tenemos previsto poder avanzar de forma conjunta en este programa de colaboración y proporcionar nuevas y prometedoras opciones terapéuticas a pacientes de todo el mundo que viven con MASH", declaró Li-Ming Gan, co-consejero delegado y presidente global de I+D de Ribo.

Acerca de Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co. Ltd. y Ribocure Pharmaceuticals AB
Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co. Ltd. (Ribo, 06938.HK) es una empresa innovadora de I+D en fase clínica que se dedica a poner en marcha el desarrollo de fármacos de ácidos nucleicos y productos relacionados basados en la tecnología de interferencia de ARN (ARNi). Gracias a sus innovadoras capacidades de I+D y a sus plataformas tecnológicas integradas verticalmente, Ribo ha desarrollado una sólida cartera de productos, con el objetivo de contribuir al tratamiento de enfermedades graves con necesidades médicas no cubiertas.
Como filial de Suzhou Ribo Life Science, Ribocure Pharmaceuticals AB (Ribocure) se dedica al desarrollo global de terapias con oligonucleótidos que salvan vidas, centrándose en el desarrollo de activos y cartera de productos, así como en nuevas ideas de dianas terapéuticas y en la creación de capacidades innovadoras para realizar ensayos clínicos y desarrollar fármacos de ARNip para abordar necesidades médicas reales no cubiertas a nivel mundial.

Si desea más información visite www.ribolia.com y www.ribocure.com.

Zcash (ZEC) maintains a mild recovery trend this week, extending gains on Thursday following a 4% surge the previous day. The privacy coin regains retail demand, with leveraged positions rising 11% over 24 hours, supported by a 17% surge in volume. Zcash should clear the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) around $450 for a clear bullish trend ahead. 

Zcash regains retail attention amid mild recoveryZcash maintains a consolidation-oriented tone after a short-term correction linked to a vulnerability in its Orchard shielded transaction pool. Although the vulnerabilities were patched immediately through emergency network upgrades, with no reported cases of exploitation, retail sentiment dipped. 

The mild recovery so far this week reflects a renewed demand for the privacy coin as US Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh's statement that “prices are too high” lifts crypto market sentiment. CoinGlass data shows that Zcash derivatives volume is up 17% in the last 24 hours, reaching $1.45 billion, indicating a boost in leveraged trading activity.

During the same period, ZEC futures Open Interest (OI) surged by over 11% to $836.17 million, indicating a positional buildup and a potential directional move ahead. In addition, the short liquidations of $2.07 million outpace the long liquidations of $369,540 over 24 hours, reaffirming buy-side dominance. 

Finally, the funding rate dipped to near-zero levels on Thursday, after maintaining a positive bias last week, indicating an easing of bullish sentiment among traders, who are now less likely to buy long positions at a premium.

Overall, the Zcash derivatives signal optimism among traders that could support a renewed recovery.

Zcash derivatives data. Source: CoinGlassMild recovery in Zcash signals a potential bullish avalanche move aheadZcash holds a steady near-term recovery above $400 on Thursday, following a rebound from the 200-day EMA around $380 last week. At the time of writing, ZEC is trading higher toward the 50-day EMA at around $451, which serves as the immediate upside barrier.

From a technical perspective, the declining 50-day EMA and the flat 200-day EMA indicate a short-term correction within a broader upward trend. However, a breakout above the 50-day EMA at $451 could reinstate the prevailing bullish trend. The 78.6% Fibonacci retracement level at $520, measured over the upswing from $184 to $690, could emerge as the primary bullish target, followed by the previous swing high of $690.

That said, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) hints at a potential bullish crossover above its signal line, with the negative histogram contracting, suggesting improving momentum. Meanwhile, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) around 46 maintains a broadly neutral bias.

ZEC/USDT daily price chart.On the downside, nearest support emerges around the 200-day EMA at $380, reinforced by the 50% retracement at $356. A loss of this zone would expose the deeper 23.6% Fibonacci retracement at $251, where longer-term buyers could attempt to reassert control.

(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool.)

Cryptocurrency prices FAQs Token launches influence demand and adoption among market participants. Listings on crypto exchanges deepen the liquidity for an asset and add new participants to an asset’s network. This is typically bullish for a digital asset.

A hack is an event in which an attacker captures a large volume of the asset from a DeFi bridge or hot wallet of an exchange or any other crypto platform via exploits, bugs or other methods. The exploiter then transfers these tokens out of the exchange platforms to ultimately sell or swap the assets for other cryptocurrencies or stablecoins. Such events often involve an en masse panic triggering a sell-off in the affected assets.

Macroeconomic events like the US Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates influence crypto assets mainly through the direct impact they have on the US Dollar. An increase in interest rate typically negatively influences Bitcoin and altcoin prices, and vice versa. If the US Dollar index declines, risk assets and associated leverage for trading gets cheaper, in turn driving crypto prices higher.

Halvings are typically considered bullish events as they slash the block reward in half for miners, constricting the supply of the asset. At consistent demand if the supply reduces, the asset’s price climbs.

Key Points U.S. Treasury’s OFAC designated 134 digital currency addresses connected to ISIS-K operations, comprising 131 TRON wallets and 3 Monero addresses These addresses processed more than $1.4 million in incoming transactions since 2023 and dispatched over $880,000 in outgoing transfers Tether immediately froze all wallet holdings on the 131 TRON-based addresses after the official designation OFAC simultaneously sanctioned two Brazilian citizens and four business entities connected to PCC criminal organization, responsible for laundering over $30 million through digital currencies Blockchain analytics companies such as Chainalysis have integrated the sanctioned addresses into their tracking systems On July 1, 2026, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), an agency within the U.S. Treasury Department, expanded its sanctions registry to include 134 digital wallet addresses associated with ISIS-Khorasan, the terror group’s branch operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Tether Freezes USDT in All 131 ISIS-K-Linked TRON Wallets

OFAC updated its sanctions list for ISIS-K, adding 134 crypto wallet identifiers, including 131 TRON addresses and three Monero addresses. Chainalysis said the TRON addresses had received more than USD 1.4 million since… pic.twitter.com/53AgCBUGKr

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) July 2, 2026

The designation encompasses 131 addresses on the TRON network and 3 on Monero. Following the announcement, Tether immediately took enforcement action by freezing assets held in all 131 TRON wallets.

ISIS-K received its initial designation as a Specially Designated Terrorist Group in September 2015. The organization maintains operations throughout Afghanistan, Pakistan, and certain Central Asian territories, conducting violent attacks against civilian populations in multiple nations.

The terror group’s propaganda division, known as al-Azaim Media Foundation, has leveraged cryptocurrency fundraising campaigns to secure operational funding. These solicitation efforts have been distributed through various websites and encrypted messaging services, accepting donations in TRON, Monero, and Bitcoin.

Transaction Activity in Sanctioned Addresses The 131 TRON wallets included in this enforcement action accumulated incoming transfers exceeding $1.4 million from 2023 onward. During the same timeframe, these addresses dispatched outgoing transactions totaling more than $880,000.

Blockchain forensic investigation reveals the wallets interacted with legitimate cryptocurrency platforms. Multiple addresses also transferred funds to cryptocurrency exchange services operating in Syria, based on data from Chainalysis.

This enforcement action represents the latest in a series of OFAC measures against ISIS cryptocurrency financing. In 2023, the agency sanctioned a Maldives-based ISIS-K operative whose TRON wallets maintained connections to Iranian crypto exchanges. A month prior to this current action, OFAC sanctioned a Syrian network of money service operations used to convert funds for ISIS financial facilitators.

PCC Criminal Network Faces Concurrent Sanctions In a coordinated enforcement measure issued the same day, OFAC imposed sanctions on two individuals from Brazil and four corporate entities linked to Primeiro Comando da Capital, commonly referred to as PCC.

PCC represents a major Latin American criminal enterprise headquartered in São Paulo with operational presence within the United States. According to OFAC’s findings, the organization processed more than $30 million in narcotics-related revenue, utilizing digital currencies to transfer illicit proceeds from the United States to Brazil.

This marks OFAC’s third enforcement action targeting PCC. The organization initially received its designation in December 2021. A subsequent action in March 2024 targeted a specific individual engaged in financial laundering activities for the criminal network.

According to monitoring conducted by TRM Labs, the aggregate transaction volume across all 134 newly sanctioned addresses exceeds $2 million.

Blockchain compliance providers, including Chainalysis, have confirmed integration of the designated addresses into their surveillance platforms, enabling financial institutions to conduct exposure assessments.

For digital asset service providers and banking institutions, these designations mandate immediate revisions to sanctions screening protocols and transaction surveillance infrastructure.

July 02, 2026 03:00 ET  | Source: Symbotic Inc.

Transaction expands Symbotic’s solution from automation execution to full-scale, AI-powered operational intelligence across the entire warehouse ecosystem

Unifies automated systems and human workflows to enable seamless operations in highly complex environments with reduced downtime and improved performance

WILMINGTON, Mass., July 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Symbotic Inc. (Nasdaq: SYM), a leader in A.I.-enabled robotics technology for the supply chain, today announced the acquisition of ARMS Innovations Ltd. (ARMS), a UK-based software company specializing in real-time operational intelligence solutions for complex automated warehouse environments. The acquisition marks a significant strategic milestone in Symbotic’s mission to transform supply chain operations by advancing a new industry category: Warehouse Operations Optimization.

By integrating ARMS’s advanced software capabilities, the Symbotic System will expand beyond industry-leading automation into a comprehensive, real-time operational solution that unifies and optimizes every element of warehouse performance – across both automated systems and human workflows.

Advancing a New Industry Category
With the addition of ARMS, Symbotic is spearheading a new industry category with a greater scope than traditional warehouse management (WMS) or warehouse execution systems (WES): enterprise-level Warehouse Operations Optimization. The acquisition will enable Symbotic to extend its capabilities from executing automated tasks to managing and orchestrating entire warehouse environments. It expects the combined solution to function as a true “operational nervous system,” delivering end-to-end visibility and control across all activities, including predicting maintenance needs, identifying disruptions in real time, and dynamically managing complex workflows.

“By combining Symbotic’s automation leadership with ARMS’s proven operational intelligence software, we are taking a major step forward in our vision of delivering a fully integrated, intelligent supply chain platform,” said Rick Cohen, Chairman and CEO of Symbotic. “With this acquisition, we can help customers accelerate the transformation of their distribution centers into smart, highly synchronized ecosystems designed to maximize productivity and uptime.”

AI-Powered Orchestration of People, Robots, and Workflows
The ARMS technology is a tested, proven solution designed to meet complex real-world operational challenges. ARMS’s software introduces a powerful layer of AI-driven warehouse operations orchestration that seamlessly coordinates people, robotics, and workflows. The solution dynamically matches tasks with the right resources – whether human or machine – based on skills, availability, and operational needs.

The system identifies who is on-site, what skills they possess, and where they are needed most. When issues arise, the technology goes beyond simple alerts: it diagnoses the problem, assigns the appropriate personnel, orders parts if needed, and manages the resolution process in real time. This helps transform operations from reactive troubleshooting to synchronized execution, enabling customers to optimize individual facilities and – ultimately – to standardize new levels of operational excellence across entire logistics networks.

“ARMS was built to solve the realities of complex automated warehouse environments, with a focus on driving continuous improvement in customers’ operations while reducing costs,” said Walt Odisho, Chief Manufacturing & Supply Chain Officer at Symbotic. “We look forward to scaling that proven expertise and bringing further transformative capabilities to organizations worldwide.”

The acquisition strengthens Symbotic’s ability to serve highly complex environments that demand continuous visibility and agile decision-making, including micro-fulfillment centers and floor-loaded inbound logistics operations. With the ARMS technology, Symbotic’s solution will be positioned to provide real-time awareness of every critical component, enabling centralized command centers to manage the demands of today’s warehouse and e-commerce environments at scale, and with unprecedented precision.

ABOUT SYMBOTIC
Symbotic is an automation technology leader reimagining the supply chain with its end-to-end, A.I.-powered robotic and software platform. Symbotic reinvents the warehouse as a strategic asset for the world’s largest retail, wholesale, food & beverage, and medical supply distribution companies. Applying next-generation technology, high-density storage and machine learning to solve today's complex distribution challenges, Symbotic enables companies to move goods with unmatched speed, agility, accuracy and efficiency. As the backbone of commerce Symbotic transforms the flow of goods and the economics of the supply chain for its customers. For more information, visit www.symbotic.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Generally, statements that are not historical facts, including statements concerning possible or assumed future actions, business strategies, events, backlog, or results of operations, are forward-looking statements. These statements may be preceded by, followed by or include the words “will,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “may,” “should,” “seeks,” “plans,” “scheduled,” “anticipates,” or “intends” or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about Symbotic’s acquisition of ARMS Innovations and new industry category, Warehouse Operations Optimization. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events, results or performance to differ materially from those indicated by such statements. Certain of these risks are identified and discussed in Symbotic’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on November 24, 2025. These forward-looking statements are expressed in good faith, and Symbotic believes there is a reasonable basis for them. However, there can be no assurance that the events, results or trends identified in these forward-looking statements will occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and are based on the beliefs, estimates, expectations and opinions of management on that date. Symbotic is not under any obligation, and expressly disclaims any obligation to update, alter or otherwise revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Readers should carefully review the statements set forth in the reports that Symbotic has filed or will file from time to time with the SEC.

MEDIA CONTACT

Matt Buckley
Vice President, Communications
[email protected]

INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT

Charlie Anderson
Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Development
[email protected]

Aave V4 just opened its first specialized liquidity hub, and it’s built entirely around one stablecoin ecosystem. The Global Dollar Hub, sometimes called the Paxos Hub, went live with PT-USDG (September 2026) as its inaugural collateral asset, giving users a new way to borrow stablecoins against fixed-rate Pendle principal tokens.

This is the first real-world test of Aave’s hub-and-spoke architecture, a modular system introduced in March 2026.

How the Global Dollar Hub actually works Users deposit PT-USDG-24SEP2026, a Pendle principal token that matures in September 2026, as collateral. In return, they can borrow USDC and USDT directly from the hub. USDG itself is available too, but through a cross-hub credit line sourced from Aave’s Core Hub.

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The governance machinery behind this moved at a deliberate pace. A proposal for onboarding PT-USDG-24SEP2026 was posted on May 19, 2026. Before that, a predecessor token, PT-USDG-28MAY2026, had been proposed back in March 2026 and listed on Aave V3.

Why USDG and why now USDG is a regulated stablecoin issued by Paxos on behalf of the Global Dollar Network. It launched in November 2024 and crossed $1 billion in market cap by December 2025. Fully backed by cash and cash equivalents, it’s designed to check the boxes that institutional compliance teams care about.

Pendle splits yield-bearing assets into principal and yield components, letting users trade future yield separately. A principal token like PT-USDG-24SEP2026 essentially locks in a fixed rate until maturity.

Rather than lumping all assets into one giant pool, the hub-and-spoke model isolates risk. Each hub operates with its own parameters. If something goes wrong in the Global Dollar Hub, it stays in the Global Dollar Hub.

What this means for investors The Global Dollar Hub creates a fairly specific opportunity set. Users comfortable with stablecoin-on-stablecoin strategies can borrow against fixed-rate collateral, effectively arbitraging the spread between their PT yield and borrowing costs.

The risk to watch is maturity concentration. PT-USDG-24SEP2026 has a fixed expiration date. As September 2026 approaches, the hub will need new collateral tokens to maintain relevance, which means ongoing governance cycles and potential gaps in coverage.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

With NiCE CXone and Copilot, Sopra Steria has a secure platform which consolidates communication channels into a single agent interface where 90% of calls are answered within 20 seconds

HOBOKEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NiCE (Nasdaq: NICE) today announced that Sopra Steria, a major European technology leader with 50,000 employees across 30 countries, is advancing its service center operations with NiCE’s leading CX AI platform, CXone, bringing agentic AI-powered assistance to its agent workforce and delivering measurable improvements in efficiency, service quality, and customer experience. With the deployment of CXone, Sopra Steria reaffirms its commitment to sustainably modernize its services and strengthen operational excellence across its platform.

CXone is fully integrated into Sopra Steria’s existing ecosystem, including ITSM tools, Active Directory, and monitoring systems. It provides intelligent routing, full interaction traceability, advanced reporting capabilities, and real-time dashboards for SLA management. Deployed across multiple countries (France, Poland, and India) and supporting more than 2,000 employees, the solution supports high standards in terms of security, regulatory compliance (GDPR), and business continuity. Its cloud architecture ensures high availability, dynamic scalability, and unified disaster recovery and business continuity plans (DRP/BCP) across all channels.

Sopra Steria has also deployed Copilot for Agents across its service centers, empowering approximately 800 agents supporting major European brands. The solution marks a significant milestone in Sopra Steria’s AI-driven transformation strategy. With CXone and Copilot, Sopra Steria now benefits from a secure platform capable of consolidating all communication channels—voice, email, chat, and digital—into a single interface for agents. This ensures a service level agreement (SLA) with 90% of calls answered within 20 seconds. This unification has significantly improved user experience, streamlined customer journeys, and enhanced the operational efficiency of support teams.

Sopra Steria’s Digital Platform Services division, which manages more than 1.2 million annual inbound interactions, is leveraging Copilot to assist agents in handling complex IT service queries. By providing real-time contextual guidance, recommended responses, and automated interaction summaries, Copilot enhances agent performance while reducing cognitive load and accelerating resolution times.

Delivered within a controlled timeline of less than three months, the project included a prototyping phase, phased deployment, and comprehensive support for teams, including training, change management, and ongoing assistance. It is already contributing directly to improved service quality, user satisfaction, and overall performance of support operations.

“NiCE is redefining Sopra Steria’s service operations by embedding agentic AI directly into the flow of work and is transforming its service centers into intelligent, adaptive environments where agents are empowered with real-time guidance to resolve complex issues faster, deliver consistent outcomes, and elevate every customer interaction,” said Darren Rushworth, President, NiCE International.

“The deployment of NiCE CXone and Copilot for Agents marks a pivotal step in our AI-driven transformation. By integrating real-time agentic AI into our service centers, we are enabling our teams to manage complexity more effectively, accelerate resolution times, and deliver consistent, high-quality service at scale,” said Xavier Deweer, CTO, Sopra Steria.

As one of NiCE’s first AI deployments in France, this collaboration highlights the growing demand for agentic AI in IT service centers and reinforces NiCE’s leadership in delivering enterprise-grade AI innovation. By embedding AI directly into the agent's workflow, NiCE enables organizations to transform service operations into proactive, intelligent experiences while maintaining a strong, human-centered approach.

About Sopra Steria
Sopra Steria, a major Tech player in Europe with 51,000 employees in nearly 30 countries, is recognized for its consulting, digital services and solutions. It helps its clients drive their digital transformation and obtain tangible and sustainable benefits. The Group provides end-to-end solutions to make large companies and organizations more competitive by combining in-depth knowledge of a wide range of business sectors and innovative technologies with a collaborative approach. Sopra Steria places people at the heart of everything it does and is committed to putting digital to work for its clients in order to build a positive future for all. In 2025, the Group generated revenues of €5.6 billion. (SOP) is listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment A)—ISIN: FR0000050809.

About NiCE
NiCE (NASDAQ: NICE) is transforming the world with AI that puts people first. Our purpose-built AI-powered platforms automate engagements into proactive, safe, intelligent actions, empowering individuals and organizations to innovate and act, from interaction to resolution. Trusted by organizations throughout 150+ countries worldwide, NiCE’s platforms are widely adopted across industries connecting people, systems, and workflows to work smarter at scale, elevating performance across the organization, delivering proven measurable outcomes.

Trademark Note: NiCE and the NiCE logo are trademarks of NICE Ltd. All other marks are trademarks of their respective owners. For a full list of NICE's marks, please see: www.nice.com/nice-trademarks.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements, including the statements by Mr. Rushworth, are based on the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of NICE Ltd. (the “Company”). In some cases, such forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “seek,” “may,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “project,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “estimate,” or similar words. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results or performance of the Company to differ materially from those described herein, including but not limited to the impact of changes in general economic and business conditions; competition; successful execution of the Company’s growth strategy; success and growth of the Company’s cloud Software-as-a-Service business; rapid changes in technology and market requirements; the implementation of AI capabilities in certain products and services, decline in demand for the Company's products; inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications; difficulties in making additional acquisitions or difficulties or effectively integrating acquired operations; loss of market share; an inability to maintain certain marketing and distribution arrangements; the Company’s dependency on third-party cloud computing platform providers, hosting facilities and service partners; cyber security attacks or other security incidents; privacy concerns; changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates, the effects of additional tax liabilities resulting from our global operations, the effect of unexpected events or geo-political conditions, including those arising from political instability or armed conflict that may disrupt our business and the global economy; our ability to recruit and retain qualified personnel; the effect of newly enacted or modified laws, regulation or standards on the Company and our products and various other factors and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting the company, refer to the Company's reports filed from time to time with the SEC, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise them, except as required by law.

Aave Wallet Growth Hits 5-Year High Even as Standard Chartered Revises Crypto Forecasts

Solana just flipped the switch on a governance system that could reshape how its protocol evolves. The Solana Foundation has activated Solana Governance Proposals, or SGPs, introducing a fully onchain, stake-weighted voting mechanism that hands decision-making power to validators and, crucially, to the people who delegate tokens to them.

Here’s the thing: only validators with at least 100,000 SOL delegated to them can actually propose changes. But the system includes a delegator override mechanism that makes it more interesting than a simple plutocracy.

How the system actually works The SGP framework operates on a two-step process. First, a qualifying validator submits a proposal onchain. Then, that proposal needs to clear a 15% cluster stake threshold just to advance to a formal vote. In English: if you can’t convince validators representing at least 15% of all staked SOL that your idea is worth discussing, it dies before it ever reaches a ballot.

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Voting itself is stake-weighted and verified through Merkle proofs, a cryptographic method that lets anyone independently confirm vote tallies without trusting a central authority.

The most consequential design choice might be the delegator override. If you’ve staked your SOL with a validator and disagree with how they voted, you can override that vote using your own stake weight.

The system went live between June 24 and June 30, with supporting infrastructure already in place. The Foundation launched a dedicated governance dashboard at governance.solana.com, documentation at docs.governance.solana.com, and open-source tooling on GitHub.

SGPs versus SIMDs: different lanes for different decisions Solana already had a process for protocol changes called Solana Improvement Documents, or SIMDs. These cover the technical nuts and bolts of how the network operates: consensus changes, runtime modifications, that sort of thing.

SGPs are designed to sit alongside SIMDs, not replace them. The distinction is intentional. SIMDs handle engineering decisions. SGPs tackle broader strategic questions about the protocol’s direction. By separating these two tracks, core developers can keep shipping code without getting bogged down in governance debates about network philosophy.

What this means for investors The 100,000 SOL threshold for proposals creates a natural filter against spam while still keeping the door open to any validator with meaningful delegation. The 15% cluster stake requirement for advancing proposals means that even well-funded validators can’t push through controversial changes without broad coalition support.

The delegator override mechanism deserves special attention. In most proof-of-stake governance systems, retail stakers delegate their tokens and effectively hand over their voting power. Solana’s approach lets delegators reclaim that power on a per-vote basis.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.

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Solana Foundation has introduced Solana Governance Proposals, a new onchain process for validators to move major network questions into stake-weighted votes. 

Summary

Solana validators can now move core governance questions into stake-weighted onchain votes through SGPs directly. A proposal needs 15% active stake support before it can enter formal network voting period. Validators need at least 100,000 SOL delegated to take an SGP onchain under current rules. The system gives validators a formal route to submit, support, and decide governance items that may shape Solana’s future protocol direction.

Meanwhile, the Solana Governance Proposals repo says SGPs are documents proposed by Solana validators for stake-weighted, onchain voting through the svmgov program. The process is for high-level questions that ask whether the network should move in a certain direction, rather than detailed technical changes. This keeps SGPs focused on broad network direction only.

1/ Solana onchain governance is live🗳️

Validators can now propose, support, and decide core protocol decisions via Solana Governance Proposals (SGPs)

These are fully onchain, stake-weighted, and verified by Merkle proof 👇 pic.twitter.com/9Lpskle5L6

— Solana Foundation (@SolanaFndn) July 1, 2026 A validator vote account needs at least 100,000 SOL staked to take an SGP onchain. The proposal then needs support from at least 15% of active stake before it can enter voting. The Solana Governance documentation says validators create proposals, other validators support them, and voting weight is proven through Merkle proofs against an onchain stake snapshot.

The process separates signals from code The SGP process sits beside Solana Improvement Documents, which cover detailed protocol design. In simple terms, SGPs ask whether Solana should pursue a direction, while SIMDs explain how a change would be built. The repo says, “A ‘yes’ on an SGP is a mandate to proceed.”

The lifecycle moves from idea to draft, support, voting, acceptance, and activation. Once a proposal reaches the 15% support threshold, it enters a fixed 11-epoch process. That includes seven epochs for discussion, one epoch for a Node Consensus Network snapshot, and three epochs for voting.

There is no quorum rule. A proposal passes only if “For” votes reach at least 66.67% of “For” plus “Against” stake. The repo also says SGPs are not mandatory for every technical change. If validators do not reach support, developers can continue through normal SIMD review.

Governance arrives as upgrades continue The launch comes as Solana continues to test large infrastructure changes. As previously reported, the Alpenglow upgrade entered community validator testing in May. Alpenglow aims to cut confirmation times to about 150 milliseconds and remove Proof of History and onchain vote transactions from Solana’s core process.

The new SGP route could give validators a clearer way to request network-wide direction before developers prepare technical work. The GitHub repo uses Alpenglow as an example of a proposal that could have first taken a directional vote before later SIMDs defined the build path. That example shows how Solana may use SGPs when validator input is needed before engineering details are complete.

Recent Solana activity adds context Solana’s validator set has also been tied to other recent network tools. As crypto.news reported, DoubleZero launched Edge in April with 379 validators publishing shreds and about 43% of Solana’s total stake covered at launch. The project aims to deliver Solana block data through private fiber paths.

Solana has also seen renewed market activity around network use. Crypto.news reported that Solana’s tokenized stock activity helped drive an 18% weekly SOL rebound in late June. Earlier, crypto.news reported that Galaxy Digital proposed a voting model for Solana inflation, showing that validator voting design has already been part of the network’s policy debate.

Updated Jul 2, 2026, 6:06 a.m. Published Jul 2, 2026, 5:22 a.m.

2 min read

Summary

Bitcoin climbed back above $60,000 after Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said inflation risks had eased, offering the crypto market its first clear boost in weeks.Solana led major tokens with a roughly 4% daily gain and about a 16% rise over the past week, while most other large cryptocurrencies were mixed.A sharp sell-off in semiconductor and AI-related stocks, driven by concerns over overbuilding and supply shifts, raised questions about whether money could rotate back from the AI trade into bitcoin and other risk assets.Bitcoin BTC$60,204.42 traded above $60,700 on Thursday after a quick overnight reversal after Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said inflation risks had eased, giving a market that spent most of June grinding lower its first clear lift in weeks.

Speaking at the European Central Bank's annual forum in Sintra, Portugal, on Wednesday, Warsh said "inflation risks have come down" while reaffirming the Fed's commitment to returning inflation to 2%.

He declined to signal what the central bank will do at its meeting later this month, saying policymakers would weigh incoming data first. Bitcoin pared earlier losses and pushed back above $60,000 after the remarks, according to CoinDesk reporting.

Solana led the majors. The token rose about 4% on the day to around $78 and is up roughly 16% over the past week, per CoinDesk data, the only large token with a meaningful weekly gain. Ether traded near $1,630, up about 3% on the day, while XRP held at about $1.06. BNB, dogecoin and Tron were softer over the week.

The bigger move was in stocks. A selloff in semiconductor shares spread to South Korea on Thursday, where the Kospi index fell almost 7% before paring losses. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix each dropped more than 6%, and Kioxia fell 13% in Japan after a rally that had lifted the stock more than 650% this year.

The declines revived worries that this year's blistering run in artificial-intelligence stocks has outpaced reality.

Two reports fed the unease. Meta is building a cloud business to sell access to spare AI computing power, Bloomberg reported, raising concerns that the company had overbuilt. Apple is in talks to buy chips from two Chinese semiconductor makers, a move that would hurt Korean suppliers.

The AI trade is where money has flowed all quarter while bitcoin fell, giving the asset a rare back-to-back quarterly loss for only the third time in history. Capital rotated steadily into chipmakers and AI infrastructure as crypto closed a losing first half, so cracks there could ease the pull that has weighed on the market.

Elsewhere, Brent crude fell to about $70.60 a barrel, its lowest since late February, before the Middle East war began, as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz recovered.

Gold rose for a second day to trade above $4,060 an ounce after Warsh's comments, and the dollar steadied after two days of gains.

Whether bitcoin's reclaim holds depends on whether the AI wobble deepens into a rotation back toward risk or proves a one-day scare.

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Zcash’s Tachyon upgrade aims to scale shielded payments, improve quantum readiness, and test whether its funding, security, and governance can hold.

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