A significant protocol upgrade for the XRP Ledger (XRPL), introducing long-anticipated amendments, is set to enter validator voting in approximately two weeks. The upcoming release is expected to deliver key improvements in efficiency, reliability, and network functionality.
Major protocol amendments and performance optimizationsThe new package will introduce a mix of functional and infrastructural enhancements to the XRPL ecosystem. Among the major updates, Batch will allow users to group multiple transactions together, streamlining processing and reducing resource demands on the network.
Another notable addition, Confidential Transfers, will enable users to hide transaction amounts while maintaining the transparency and verification standards of the XRPL ledger. This aims to strike a balance between privacy and public accountability.
Permission Delegation, also included in this round of amendments, will give users the option to delegate specific permissions to others without granting full access or control of their accounts. Meanwhile, Dynamic MPT introduces upgrades to the Multi-Purpose Token (MPT) standard, broadening token-related capabilities on the network.
Vet, an active contributor to XRPL development, stated that recent security initiatives temporarily paused ongoing feature development. However, with those concerns addressed, progress on protocol amendments has resumed.
If everything proceeds smoothly, the amendments should be ready for validator voting within two weeks, according to Vet’s post on X. Vet described the upgrade as a “sweet mix” of performance improvements, new features, and technical fixes.
Mini dictionary: XRPL (XRP Ledger) is a decentralized blockchain powered by a global network of validators and designed for fast, low-cost cross-border payments and tokenization. It is the foundational technology behind the digital asset XRP.
Reserve requirement debate and network resource protectionAlongside technical upgrades, XRPL’s governance community is also debating whether to lower the network’s current reserve requirements. These reserves are quantities of XRP required to activate and sustain accounts on the network, intended as a deterrent against spam and potential denial-of-service attacks.
Historically, the cost to open an XRPL account was set at 1,000 XRP during the early “create fee” era, before co-founder Jed McCaleb reduced the requirement to 200 XRP in 2013. Multiple subsequent reductions have brought the current base reserve to just 1 XRP.
YearAccount Reserve Requirement (XRP)Key ChangeInitial1,000Launch (“create fee” era)2013200Reduction led by Jed McCalebCurrent1Progressive reductions by validatorsVet emphasized that, despite supporting earlier reductions, current high demand for computing power and storage, particularly amid the rise of artificial intelligence workloads, means network resources are more valuable than ever. As a result, he opposed further lowering the reserves at this stage.
The original architects deliberately designed the reserve mechanism to defend the network’s storage and memory against spam and DDoS risks, according to Vet.
The upcoming validator vote on the protocol amendments and the ongoing debate over resource management signal a period of change for XRPL, as developers and the community work to balance innovation with long-term network security.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
The XRP Ledger ($XRP) could be weeks away from a significant protocol upgrade, as validators prepare to vote on a new amendment package flagged by prominent XRPL validator Vet. If the vote clears the network's required threshold, the changes could activate in roughly two weeks.
What the Amendment Package Includes The proposal bundles four headline features: batch transactions, confidential transfers, sponsored fees, and permission delegation. Vet also noted the release includes performance improvements and bug fixes aimed at making the network faster and more reliable.
According to Vet, an XRP Ledger validator, batch transactions could become one of the network's most important infrastructure upgrades, allowing multiple blockchain actions to be combined into a single, cryptographically signed transaction. Currently, users must execute actions such as swapping tokens, transferring XRP, purchasing NFTs, and adding liquidity as separate transactions, each requiring its own signature, fee, and confirmation. The Batch amendment streamlines this by allowing multiple operations to be bundled into one.
On the privacy front, confidential transfers for Multi-Purpose Tokens (MPTs) introduce confidential balances and hidden transfer amounts while preserving public supply verifiability. Existing transparency on XRP Ledger limits adoption in institutional and privacy-sensitive contexts, and confidential MPTs aim to address this gap by introducing encrypted balances and confidential transfers while preserving existing token semantics.
How XRPL Amendments Get Activated Under the XRPL amendment process, fully functional transaction changes are introduced as amendments and put to a validator vote. An amendment passes and applies permanently if it receives more than 80% support for two consecutive weeks. That bar means validator momentum matters as much as the technical readiness of the code.
The batch transaction feature has had a complicated history on the ledger. In February 2026, a critical logic flaw was identified in the signature-validation logic of the original XRPL Batch amendment. The bug could have allowed an attacker to execute inner transactions on behalf of arbitrary victim accounts without their private keys, though the amendment had not been activated on mainnet and no funds were at risk. A full logic fix has since been implemented and is the basis of the revised BatchV1_1 amendment now moving toward a vote.
The new amendment package arrives as the XRP Ledger continues to expand its capabilities across DeFi, tokenization, and institutional payments. The areas of XRPL's protocol roadmap covered by recent development include batch transactions, permission delegation, MPT DEX integration, confidential transfers for MPT, and sponsored fees.
Sources:
XRP Ledger: How Amendments Work (XRPL.org)
XRPL Vulnerability Disclosure: Batch Amendment Bug (XRPL.org)
XLS-0096: Confidential Transfers for Multi-Purpose Tokens (XRPL Standards)
Key Takeaways XRP currently sits at $1.09, showing a 0.99% gain over 24 hours with market capitalization reaching $68.46 billion Technical analyst Bird identified a weekly MACD momentum reset on XRP Dominance metrics — a signal that historically preceded significant upward movements on two prior occasions A classic inverse head-and-shoulders formation is developing on daily timeframes, with the critical neckline positioned between $1.10 and $1.12 Price action remains beneath the 20, 50, 100, and 200-day simple moving averages, indicating continued bearish pressure The Relative Strength Index registers 34.06, nearing oversold conditions and potentially signaling weakening downside momentum XRP maintains its position at $1.09, consolidating around a significant support zone while multiple technical formations capture market attention. The digital asset has posted a 0.99% increase during the past day, recording $925.26 million in 24-hour volume alongside a $68.46 billion market valuation.
XRP Price Throughout 2026, the token has experienced sustained downward pressure following its peak above $2 earlier this year. Multiple attempts by bulls to establish stability have encountered persistent resistance, capping each recovery effort at key overhead levels.
On July 19, 2026, cryptocurrency analyst Bird drew attention to the XRP Dominance metric. Unlike price charts, this indicator tracks XRP’s percentage share within the broader cryptocurrency market. Bird pinpointed a weekly MACD momentum reset emerging on this chart — a technical development with historical precedent. According to Bird’s analysis, this exact pattern materialized twice previously, and both instances preceded substantial increases in XRP dominance.
One chart I've been watching very closely is XRP Dominance on the weekly timeframe.
The three blue lines all mark the point where the weekly MACD completes its reset.
The first two led to explosive moves in XRP Dominance.
Now we're seeing the exact same setup after nearly a… pic.twitter.com/m0AEGRpOTB
— Bird (@Bird_XRPL) July 19, 2026
Bird explained that prolonged bearish phases typically reset momentum indicators, creating conditions where renewed buying pressure can trigger rapid rather than gradual price movements. He proposed this configuration might represent the initial stage of a trajectory toward $27, while emphasizing that pattern recognition alone doesn’t guarantee such outcomes.
In a separate observation, analyst MikybullCrypto published commentary on X characterizing XRP as “the best low-risk play right now” featuring “at least 5x target,” highlighting increasing analytical focus on the token’s technical positioning at present price levels.
Bullish Reversal Pattern Emerges on Daily Timeframe Daily chart analysis reveals a developing inverse head-and-shoulders configuration. The formation’s head establishes around $1.05–$1.07, while the neckline stretches across $1.10–$1.12. This zone represents the critical confirmation threshold. A sustained break above $1.12 would validate the bullish reversal scenario.
Source: TradingView The identical chart displays XRP contained within a descending wedge formation. These two technical patterns converge, generating technical confluence. Should XRP successfully breach $1.12, subsequent resistance zones emerge at $1.15 followed by $1.18–$1.20. Measured projection targets derived from a confirmed breakout suggest potential movement toward $1.25–$1.35.
Examining the 4-hour timeframe, XRP encountered rejection at $1.12–$1.13 before retracing toward $1.06. Maintaining support above $1.06 preserves the structural integrity of the recovery attempt.
Major Moving Averages Indicate Persistent Bearish Control XRP is trading beneath every significant moving average. The 20-day simple moving average stands at $1.2885, the 50-day at $1.8896, the 100-day at $1.9167, and the 200-day at $1.2127. Each represents overhead resistance from current price levels.
The 14-day Relative Strength Index registers 34.06, positioned slightly above the oversold boundary at 30. The signal line reads 34.82. These readings confirm recent seller dominance while suggesting potential deceleration in downward momentum.
The XRP/BTC ratio has also reached a significant SuperTrend retest zone. The monthly SuperTrend indicator transitioned to bullish territory in 2024 after an extended bearish period. Successful defense of this support could signal XRP’s emerging relative strength versus Bitcoin.
At publication time, XRP was exchanging hands at $1.09, with the $1.10–$1.12 neckline zone remaining the critical threshold for determining near-term directional momentum.
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Ahmed Barakat is a journalist and copywriter based in Georgia with a growing focus on blockchain technology, DeFi, AI, privacy, digital assets, and fintech innovation.
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XRP is trading around $1.09 with little price change over the past 24 hours, but the prediction worth watching is not from the chart. It is in the premium spread. Korean exchanges are discounting Bitcoin more heavily than XRP, a subtle but telling divergence. When Korean traders hold one coin tighter, it often hints at stronger local conviction. That gap could matter more than the next flashy candle.
Over the past 48 hours, crypto markets have been trapped in a narrow range. Bitcoin hovers around the mid $64,000 area, while Asian altcoin activity has remained surprisingly lively despite the lack of a clear trend. South Korean exchanges, long known for driving retail momentum, continue showing stronger relative demand for XRP than for Bitcoin.
Meanwhile, macro events still call the tune. Inflation data and central bank comments remain the biggest catalysts for risk appetite across crypto. Even so, XRP has managed to defend the $1.05 area, keeping the current structure intact. That gives bulls something to work with, even if nobody is popping champagne yet.
The technical setup remains tight. The next resistance test should reveal whether the Korean bid is an early clue or just another market quirk. Either way, conviction usually shows up before the fireworks, not after.
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XRP Price Prediction: Can it Push Toward $1.30 on Korean-Driven Volume?XRP is trading around $1.09, posting a modest weekly gain of about 1%. That is constructive, although nobody would call it a sprint. Its market capitalization sits near $68 billion, backed by roughly 62.4 billion circulating tokens. Trading volume remains fairly subdued, which is the honest catch. The Korean premium reflects positioning, not a volume-fueled breakout.
The chart still favors patience, as the $1.05 area has repeatedly attracted buyers, gradually building a solid base instead of a reversal. Meanwhile, resistance sits around $1.13, with a stronger ceiling between $1.20 and $1.30. Price action continues to hover just above $1.09, leaving momentum balanced rather than committed.
The bull case is straightforward. Korean demand strengthens, fresh regulatory headlines improve sentiment, and XRP clears $1.13 before challenging the $1.20 to $1.30 zone. If momentum traders join the move, that ceiling could finally crack. Markets rarely send engraved invitations, so the first breakout often feels awkward.
The base case remains a sideways grind between roughly $1.05 and $1.13 as traders wait for macro data. The bear case appears if Bitcoin stumbles on a hawkish surprise and XRP loses the $1.05 support zone. That would weaken the current base and delay any breakout story. XRP’s all-time high near $3.84 remains the long-term benchmark, but reaching it would require a very different market backdrop.
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LiquidChain Targets Early-Mover Positioning as XRP Tests Key LevelsXRP consolidating at $1.09 with a $68 billion market cap means the upside math is real but not dramatic at the current entry. A move to $1.30 is a 19% gain, worthwhile, but it requires macro tailwinds, regulatory news, and sustained Korean volume all cooperating simultaneously.
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The architecture includes a Unified Liquidity Layer, Single-Step Execution, Verifiable Settlement, and a Deploy-Once model for developers (one build, full ecosystem access). The presale is currently priced at $0.01481, with $910K raised to date.
The infrastructure thesis of solving cross-chain fragmentation rather than adding another chain is a credible problem statement at a stage where price reflects early positioning rather than market validation. Research LiquidChain here if the L3 infrastructure angle fits your current thesis.
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The number of daily payments on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) has now crashed 80% from the May 2026 highs of over 1.69 million.
This comes amid the ongoing market-wide downtrend that has dealt a blow to investor sentiment. Notably, since hitting the $3.6 peak in July 2025, XRP has collapsed more than 70%, currently trading for $1.08. As a result, bearish sentiments recently hit extreme levels.
XRP Payment Volume Slumps 80% Data from XRP Scan, a leading XRPL explorer, confirms that these bearish sentiments have now begun impacting on-chain activity.
Specifically, the number of payments from one account to another on the XRP Ledger dropped to a low of 325,888 on Saturday, July 18. This represents the lowest reading recorded on the network since the crash to 28,760 on Oct. 2, 2025, which occurred as a result of an unprecedented event.
XRP Ledger Payment Crash After that October 2025 crash, the number of XRPL payments remained above 500,000 every day until late June, when they dropped to around 400,000. Now, this figure has reduced further to a 9-month low of 325,888, indicating that payment activity has continued to decline.
Following the drop to 325,888 on Saturday, payment volume recovered slightly to 327,497 the next day, but this marked a drop below the 400,000 mark.
Importantly, the 325,888 figure represents an 80.7% crash from the recent highs of around 1.694 million daily payments recorded on May 28, 2026. Moreover, it also marks an 85% decline from the yearly peak of 2.188 million payments from February 2026.
The May 2026 High Slowdown in Overall XRP On-chain Activity Meanwhile, further data confirms an overall slowdown in XRPL on-chain activity besides the crash in the number of daily payments, as prices continue to hit lows around the $1 psychological mark.
For instance, the number of active users on the XRPL, when considering source tags and destination tags, dropped to a low of 123,986 on Sunday, coinciding with the crash in payment volume.
In addition, the number of transactions executed on the network also slumped to 1.129 million that day. This represented a 78% crash from the yearly peak of 5.172 million transactions executed on April 6, 2026.
XRP Seeing Bearish Price Action As earlier mentioned, this overall slowdown in network activity has been largely due to the broader market downturn that has led to increased selling pressure surrounding XRP.
After recovering to $2.41 on Jan. 6, 2026, XRP witnessed one of its steepest declines over the next few weeks, crashing to a low of $1.11 in early February before rebounding above $1.40. The asset maintained this level until early June, when it lost the support area from $1.1 to $1.4.
Now, XRP changes hands below $1.1, down nearly 41% this year despite seeing a 4.85% gain in July 2026 so far. XRP must hold above the $1 level to hedge against any steeper declines from here, which could push prices down to the $0.7 to $0.8 range.
DisClamier: This content is informational and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author's personal opinions and do not reflect The Crypto Basic opinion. Readers are encouraged to do thorough research before making any investment decisions. The Crypto Basic is not responsible for any financial losses.
XRP recorded a sharp surge in open interest in the last few days, surpassing Hyperliquid’s HYPE token. The recent capital inflow into XRP from whales, spot ETFs, and derivatives traders has also kept prices stable. This indicates growing signs of institutional engagement in the XRP ecosystem.
XRP Futures Open Interest Surpasses HYPE According to CoinGlass data, XRP perpetual and futures open interest climbed significantly, reaching $2.60 billion as of July 20. A rise in open interest signals derivatives traders’ growing conviction and capital flow in XRP.
Derivatives market data showed massive buying in past 24 hours. The total XRP futures open interest jumped more than 10% to $2.60 billion. Futures OI across crypto exchanges climbed in the past 4 hours.
The crypto asset has surpassed HYPE to become the fourth largest in terms of total open interest. HYPE futures open interest dropped more than 2.50% to $2.57 billion in past 24 hours.
Total XRP Futures Open Interest. Source: Coinglass HYPE, the native token of the Hyperliquid, previously overtaken XRP in futures open interest earlier. HYPE open interest skyrocketed above $3 billion after Kalshi launched CFTC-regulated HYPE perpetuals.
Traders looking to take advantage of these volatile open interest swings can compare the best crypto futures trading platforms to evaluate margin rules, funding rates, and available leverage.
Rising Demand Among Institutions Fuels Momentum The major catalysts behind the recent growing institutional appetite for XRP include Ripple’s partnerships with many tradfi and crypto native firms, inflows into spot ETFs, and demand from derivatives amid low funding rates.
Jack McDonald, SVP Stablecoins at Ripple, told Grayscale about the company Ripple’s institutional strategy, and RWA adoption of RLUSD and XRP. Ripple has partnered with Ondo Finance, Mastercard, JPMorgan, and OKX to build the future of finance.
Ripple is partnering with @Mastercard, @jpmorgan, @okx, and @OndoFinance to build the future of finance for both traditional and digital assets.@_JackMcDonald_ joins Grayscale to discuss @Ripple's institutional strategy, real-world adoption of $RLUSD and $XRP, and what's next. pic.twitter.com/e98EgpiiJk
— Grayscale (@Grayscale) July 19, 2026
Moreover, spot ETFs recorded renewed inflows amid capital inflows into the crypto market. Cumulative net inflows and AUM have reached $1.49 billion and nearly $1 billion. Whereas HYPE ETF total assets under management reached $301.34 million, with significant outflows last week.
As CoinGape reported earlier, whales accumulated 70 million XRP in a week as US inflation cooled. The massive whale accumulation sent XRP price higher, alongside a notable surge in futures open interest.
XRP price has remained below $1.10 as renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities, surging oil prices, and weakness across technology stocks have kept crypto traders cautious.
Summary
XRP price trades near $1.09 as rising oil prices and geopolitical tensions weigh on crypto sentiment. A confirmed breakout above $1.12 could trigger short liquidations and open a move toward $1.17. Losing the $1.07 support level would weaken the recovery setup and expose XRP to a deeper decline. XRP (XRP) price traded near $1.09 at the time of writing, down about 0.2% over the past 24 hours but up 1.3% on the week. Trading volume rose 22.5% to roughly $828 million, while its market capitalization stood at $68.3 billion, according to CoinGecko.
Risk appetite deteriorated after Brent crude briefly reached $91.42, its highest price since June 11, as attacks disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Oil later retreated to $87.94 after Iran acknowledged proposals from mediators, but traffic through the waterway remained restricted.
According to UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo, the prospect of renewed diplomacy erased oil’s early advance even though shipping volumes remained depressed.
“Comments from Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson saying that the country has received new proposals from mediators have seen oil prices giving up all earlier gains, though flows through the Strait of Hormuz remain depressed.”
Only four vessels crossed the strait on Sunday, down from eight one day earlier, LSEG data showed. About 20% of global oil supplies passed through the route before the war, which leaves energy markets exposed to further attacks or a prolonged disruption.
Higher fuel costs have also complicated the Federal Reserve outlook. Futures markets now expect at least one rate increase before year-end despite softer U.S. consumer inflation data last week. The 10-year Treasury yield reached 4.55%, while the 30-year yield moved above 5%, raising the return available from fixed-income assets.
Technology stocks supplied another source of pressure. South Korea’s chip-heavy equity index lost 4.1% on Monday after falling almost 9% last week, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index has dropped 20% from its June record. Investors have reassessed expensive AI companies following Moonshot AI’s release of its open-weight Kimi K3 model.
Institutional demand has not disappeared during the market retreat. U.S. spot XRP ETFs attracted $6.78 million last week, according to data aggregated by SoSoValue. The seven listed products now hold about 971 million XRP, although their combined assets have fallen near $1 billion as the token’s market price declined.
Bitwise chief investment officer Matt Hougan previously described XRP demand from professional investors as resilient despite weak crypto conditions.
“Despite a challenging overall crypto market, we’ve seen consistent inflows into XRP ETFs, including hundreds of millions from institutional and professional investors.”
ETF accumulation has yet to generate enough spot demand for a breakout. XRP remains roughly 70% below its record high, while the Crypto Fear & Greed Index at 35 shows that traders still favor defensive positioning.
XRP price must close above its descending resistance to regain momentum XRP’s daily chart places the token directly above the Murrey Math trading-range floor at $1.0742. Buyers defended the area several times in July, but every recovery has stopped beneath a descending trendline drawn from the May and July swing highs.
XRP price daily chart — July 20 | Source: crypto.news A daily close above that trendline and the $1.10–$1.12 supply zone would provide the first technical confirmation of a reversal. The next Murrey resistance sits at $1.1719, followed by the top of the trading range at $1.2695. A sustained move through both levels would expose the stronger pivot at $1.3672.
On the 4-hour chart, XRP has traded inside a descending channel since its July 4 peak near $1.18. Price now sits close to the channel’s upper boundary, while lower support runs through approximately $1.04. The structure permits a breakout attempt, but recent candles show little expansion in either direction.
XRP price 4-hour chart — July 20 | Source: crypto.news Momentum readings remain undecided. The 4-hour relative strength index stands at 49.49, almost exactly at the neutral midpoint, while its signal average is 49.73. MACD has moved marginally above its signal line, though the histogram reading of 0.0004 shows that bullish momentum remains weak.
The daily Aroon readings provide a slightly stronger setup. Aroon Up stands at 50%, compared with Aroon Down at 0%, which gives buyers a modest advantage without confirming a durable trend. No conventional moving-average overlays appear on the supplied charts, making the descending trendline, channel boundaries, and Murrey pivots the clearest trend gauges.
CoinGlass’s weekly liquidation heatmap shows the largest nearby concentration of leveraged positions around $1.11–$1.115. A move through that band could force short liquidations and accelerate a run toward $1.13, where another dense liquidity zone has formed. Below market price, notable long-liquidation pockets sit around $1.08 and $1.06.
XRP liquidation heatmap | Source: CoinGlass Loss of $1.07 would invalidate the immediate recovery setup XRP’s bullish case would weaken if sellers push price below the $1.0742 daily pivot and the 4-hour channel support. Such a move would expose $1.04 before the stronger Murrey reversal level at $0.9766.
A close below $0.9766 would invalidate the current consolidation thesis and place $0.8789 back in play. Extended weakness could eventually send XRP toward the chart’s ultimate support at $0.7813.
Escalating attacks near Hormuz remain the principal external risk. Another oil spike could revive inflation expectations, lift Treasury yields, and reduce demand for altcoins. XRP therefore needs both a confirmed close above $1.12 and an improvement in global risk appetite before buyers can target the higher resistance levels.
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Ethereum spot ETFs pulled in $105 million in net inflows during the week of July 13-17, marking the strongest weekly performance for the category since April 2026. The number represents a meaningful acceleration from the prior week’s roughly $84 million in net inflows, which itself was notable for being the first positive week after two straight months of redemptions.
Breaking the outflow streak The $105 million weekly figure carries extra weight when you consider what came before it. Ethereum spot ETFs had endured an eight-week stretch of net outflows. The prior week’s $84 million in inflows snapped that streak, and last week’s acceleration to $105 million suggests the reversal might have some staying power.
BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust ETF, trading under the ticker ETHA, has been doing the heavy lifting. The fund has consistently accounted for the majority of daily net positive flows across the Ethereum ETF landscape.
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Ethereum was trading at approximately $1,845 during the inflow week, reflecting a modest price recovery. The $1,800 to $1,900 range has served as a critical zone for ETH, with buyers stepping in consistently near the lower end.
What changed the momentum Data from flow-tracking platforms like SoSoValue and Farside Investors confirms the trend of renewed institutional interest, contrasting sharply with the prolonged redemption period that preceded it.
What this means for investors The $105 million figure, while the best since April, still represents relatively modest flows compared to the peaks that Ethereum ETFs have seen during more euphoric periods.
The concentration of flows in BlackRock’s ETHA means the health of the entire Ethereum ETF category depends heavily on a single product. If ETHA flows slow, the broader category could easily tip back into net outflow territory.
For investors watching Ethereum’s price action, the $1,800 level has become a key support zone. Sustained ETF inflows tend to provide a floor under prices, as the ETFs need to purchase actual ETH to back their shares. If weekly inflows continue at the $80-105 million pace, that represents consistent buy pressure that didn’t exist during the outflow streak.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Influential Wall Street investor Jordi Visser expressed his bullish stance on Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) on Saturday, highlighting its potential in the realm of AI and tokenization.
During an interview with entrepreneur and investor Anthony Pompliano, Visser noted that Ethereum has surged nearly 20% since July began and has outperformed Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) during that time.
“We’re at a point where I think you should start seeing more and more people as they get more focused on Ethereum,” said Visser, head of AI Macro Nexus Research at 22V Research.
Visser tied Ethereum’s significance to the growth of AI-driven agentic finance and tokenization, describing it as the “energy inside the revenue side of cryptocurrency.”
‘Start Of Something New’Visser shared that he’s actively trading Ethereum as part of his strategy and is closely watching for the bottom.
“Once we get above the 200-day moving average, I believe we’re at the start of something new,” he added.
Visser revealed that his cryptocurrency portfolio currently includes Bitcoin, Ethereum and Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ:MSTR)
Will Ethereum’s Rally Sustain?Visser’s comments followed Ethereum reclaiming $1,900 after cooler-than-expected inflation data triggered heavy buying in futures markets.
Similar to Visser, experts highlighted key structural tailwinds, including rising stablecoin adoption, the growing tokenization of real-world assets, and increasing regulatory clarity.
However, they cautioned that while this rally was primarily driven by short-term speculative positioning, it does not yet confirm a sustained bullish trend.
BitMine Immersion Technologies Inc. (NYSE:BMNR) Chair Tom Lee said last week that Ethereum is bottoming and entering the next phase of mainstream adoption.
Price Action: At the time of writing, ETH was exchanging hands at $1,854.54, down 0.69% over the last 24 hours, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
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A major US crypto exchange is introducing streamlined options contracts aimed at unlocking broader adoption in the derivatives space.
Kraken says it has launched European-style, USD-settled Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) options on its Pro platform, starting with request-for-quote functionality for eligible international clients.
Expansion to a public order book, Europe,and more assets are planned next.
The new offering integrates into existing accounts with portfolio margin and supports collateral in over 30 currencies to lower barriers for retail traders.
Kraken says the simplified structure aims to make derivatives more accessible without requiring complex setups.
“Crypto options activity is still a fraction of what it is in traditional markets but the gap is closing as professional and institutional capital continues to move into digital assets.
The existing options market in crypto has been built for a narrow slice of the trader base. Our offering broadens access through a straightforward, dollar-settled contract design that tracks the underlying asset directly, in the same account clients already use for spot and futures.”
Kraken says future phases will broaden availability and add liquidity through order books.
AllBridge halted its core protocol after a flaw in its liquidity pools was exploited, resulting in a $1.65 million loss. The hack draws attention to the increasing threats to the security of cross-chain bridges with sizable liquidity pools. Cross-chain platform AllBridge Core shut down its operations following a security issue that resulted in the loss of $1.65 million on Sunday. The hack specifically occurred within the AllBridge Core deployment on the Solana blockchain. The attacker transferred the funds stolen via the bridge from Solana to the Ethereum blockchain. The hacker swiftly transferred the stolen funds through privacy pools to cover his tracks.
The perpetrator executed a well-thought-out flash-loan strategy to influence the exchange rate in the pool for stablecoins. As per on-chain data, the hacker took out a loan of $1.12 million in USDC from the lending platform Kamino. Quick switching between USDC and USDT led to a price imbalance within the pool balance. This price imbalance created a favorable arbitrage opportunity for the perpetrator.
The exploiter then took the liquidity from the pool at exaggerated prices to gain huge profits. The profit earned after repayment of the Kamino loan was retained by the perpetrator as loot. The entire trade reveals major flaws in the mathematical equation of the automated market maker pricing system.
Allbridge Core is experiencing a security incident.
We have paused the protocol as a precaution while we investigate.
If you have liquidity in affected pools, please withdraw now.
The resulting pool imbalance created a temporary positive arbitrage window. If you took advantage… pic.twitter.com/Ovg7yT35SM
— Allbridge (@Allbridge_io) July 19, 2026 Recurrent Cross-Chain Bridge Attacks This particular event marks the second instance of an attack on Allbridge Core via a flash loan hack, after a previous $573,000 heist targeting its BNB Chain pools in April 2023. In addition, pausing the bridge would mean that there are operational delays, with the process of sending funds across chains coming to a temporary halt. This would have implications not only for trading operations but would reduce the possibility of the liquidity needed by traders and institutions being moved across.
At the same time, there is a threat that long-term protocol outages will mean the loss of revenue streams due to reduced transactions, thus making users and liquidity providers consider alternative means of bridging. Finally, security pauses in cross-chain protocols act as a reminder about the security challenges associated with liquidity pools, thus requiring investors to change their risk management strategy for bridges.
Highlighted Crypto News:
FTX Bankruptcy Estate Plans $900 Million Distribution, Total Payouts Hit $10 Billion
I specialize in Web3 and crypto writing, producing clear, research-driven content on blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and market trends.
Key Highlights Ethereum is currently trading at $1,867.98 following a decisive break above the critical $1,820 resistance level Market analysts project a potential move toward $2,500 if current support levels remain intact Major whale wallets liquidated 72 BTC to establish leveraged long positions totaling 12,000 ETH Spot Ethereum ETFs attracted $105 million in cumulative net inflows during the week of July 13–17 Extended chart projections suggest potential targets of $4,865, $6,089, and eventually $8,300–$10,000 Ethereum has successfully breached a significant resistance barrier around $1,820, with the cryptocurrency now changing hands at $1,867.98. Daily trading volume has reached $6.63 billion, while the network’s market capitalization stands at $225.48 billion.
Ethereum (ETH) Price This upward movement represents a 1.60% increase during the past 24-hour period. Market participants successfully defended the breakout zone when price action retested the area, a development that technical analysts view as reinforcing the bullish narrative.
Cryptocurrency analyst Michael van de Poppe observed that Ethereum has transitioned into a more favorable technical setup following its clearance of the $1,820 barrier. He emphasized that maintaining price action above this threshold solidifies positive sentiment throughout the broader cryptocurrency market.
This is the right direction for $ETH.
It broke above the resistance zone of $1,820.
Quick retest of that area for support and currently holding above it.
The path is really simple: if this holds, then we're going to see a run towards $2,500.
Most likely, the Clarity Act will… pic.twitter.com/AEvOAa86Ov
— Michaël van de Poppe (@CryptoMichNL) July 19, 2026
Market analysts suggest Ethereum could advance toward the $2,500 price point assuming current support zones hold firm and accumulation activity intensifies. Market participants are simultaneously monitoring the forthcoming Clarity Act, which is anticipated to be introduced in the coming week.
Examining the weekly timeframe, Ethereum is positioned at the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement level near $1,843. This identical technical level previously sparked a substantial rally in May 2025, during which ETH advanced from approximately $1,379 to nearly $4,865.
Ethereum temporarily declined to $1,510 before recovering to this Fibonacci support zone. Maintaining price action above $1,843 on a sustained basis would represent the initial confirmation signal for an extended recovery trajectory.
Large Holder Activity Supports Bullish Thesis Blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain has identified two recently created wallet addresses that liquidated a combined 72 BTC before establishing leveraged long positions encompassing 12,000 ETH. This capital rotation from Bitcoin into Ethereum is attracting significant attention from market participants regarding its influence on overall sentiment.
Although substantial leveraged positions introduce liquidation vulnerability, the magnitude of this transaction demonstrates considerable confidence in Ethereum’s short-term price appreciation potential.
Market analyst Daan Crypto Trades highlighted on X that the ETH/BTC trading pair has been steadily climbing, which could provide tailwinds for tokens within the Ethereum ecosystem. He emphasized that nearly twelve months have elapsed since Ethereum demonstrated genuine relative strength versus Bitcoin, describing the current price zone as critical — particularly with Bitcoin simultaneously establishing support.
$ETH These are the high timeframe levels where you should start paying close attention.
If this move sustains into next week and ETH/BTC keeps grinding higher, that should bode well for many primarily ETH ecosystem coins.
It's been almost a year since ETH put in any real… https://t.co/7nf4nvJ5Dx pic.twitter.com/Pp9kvkquH9
— Daan Crypto Trades (@DaanCrypto) July 19, 2026
Exchange-Traded Fund Inflows Strengthen Upward Momentum Data reported by Wu Blockchain indicates that Ethereum spot exchange-traded funds registered $105 million in cumulative net inflows throughout the July 13–17 trading week. This persistent institutional allocation provides an additional foundation supporting the current price architecture.
Ethereum Spot ETFs Recorded $105M in Net Inflows Last Week
From July 13 to 17 (ET), Ethereum spot ETFs recorded net inflows of $105 million, Bitcoin spot ETFs $75.67 million, SOL spot ETFs $948,200, and XRP spot ETFs $6.78 million, while HYPE spot ETFs saw $7.26 million in net… pic.twitter.com/SMyaIyrQBH
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) July 20, 2026
Analyzing extended timeframes, a validated breakout from the multi-year triangular consolidation pattern would establish an initial objective in the $4,865–$4,900 range. Subsequently, Fibonacci extension calculations indicate $6,089 as a secondary target, with long-term projections approaching $9,145.
Ethereum must successfully recapture moving average resistance within the $2,400–$2,900 corridor before the overarching technical structure transforms into an unambiguously bullish configuration.
A weekly candle close beneath $1,510 would compromise the current technical setup and indicate the corrective phase remains incomplete.
Cryptocurrency prices remain under pressure on Monday, as Bitcoin (BTC) falls toward $64,000. Altcoins, including Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP), uphold a weakening technical structure. ETH is trading sideways between support at $1,826 and resistance at $1,937. Meanwhile, XRP hovers below the pivotal $1.10 level, edging lower toward the primary $1.00 support.
US-Iran war persists weighing on risk assetsThe United States (US) and Iran escalated hostilities over the weekend, intensifying military tensions across the region. The US military confirmed a ninth consecutive night of strikes targeting Iranian command centers, defense installations, communication hubs, and missile sites.
Iran retaliated by striking US military assets in Kuwait and Bahrain, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported two oil tankers attempting an unsafe passage through the Strait of Hormuz were disabled following explosions.
The Crypto Fear & Greed Index edged up to 29 on Friday, shifting out of Extreme Fear and signaling a cautious uptick in market sentiment. This gradual improvement in risk appetite underscores the persistent US-Iran attacks.
Crypto Fear & Greed Index | Source: AlternativePrice analysis: Bitcoin's short-term outlook stays bearish Bitcoin trades above 64,000, retaining a capped bias as it holds below the key moving averages. The 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at $65,002 and the Parabolic SAR at $65,420 sit just overhead, reinforcing near-term upside friction, while the 100-day and 200-day EMAs at $68,127 and $74,008 respectively outline a broader bearish structure.
Meanwhile, momentum is more constructive, with the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) remaining in positive territory and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) hovering slightly above the midline, hinting at mild buying pressure that has yet to overcome the stacked resistance band.
BTC/USDT daily chartOn the topside, immediate resistance is clustered between the 50-day EMA at $65,002 and the Parabolic SAR at $65,420, and a daily close above this band would be needed to open the way toward the 100-day EMA at $68,127 and then the 200-day EMA near $74,008. On the downside, structural support is traced back to the broken descending trendline region around $52,994, where a deeper correction could look for buying interest if the current consolidation resolves lower, though that zone remains distant from present price action.
Altcoins outlook: Ethereum and XRP extend consolidationEthereum trades at $1,865, holding above the 50-day EMA at around $1,817 while still capped below the 100-day EMA near $1,937. This configuration, alongside a Parabolic SAR reading at roughly $1,826, suggests the pair retains a cautious constructive tone as it respects nearby trend-following support but has yet to retake its broader medium-term moving-average barrier.
The RSI hovers around 59, hinting at mildly positive momentum without entering overbought territory, while the MACD histogram remains positive, reinforcing a modest bullish bias so long as price sustains above the nearest support band.
ETH/USDT daily chartOn the topside, initial resistance appears at the 100-day EMA around $1,937, and a sustained break above this level would expose the more distant 200-day EMA near $2,178 as the next significant hurdle for buyers. On the downside, immediate support is seen around the current pivot area near $1,865, with additional demand emerging from the Parabolic SAR zone at about $1,826 and the 50-day EMA clustered close by near $1,818. A daily close below this confluence would weaken the current constructive bias and open the door to a deeper corrective phase.
XRP holds below the key moving averages , with the 50-day EMA around $1.15, the 100-day EMA near $1.24 and the 200-day EMA closer to $1.45, keeping the broader tone bearish despite the recent rebound. The Parabolic SAR at roughly $1.06 now trails price on the downside, suggesting that while downside pressure dominates, the immediate trend has stabilised, a view mildly reinforced by a slightly positive MACD reading and a RSI hovering just below the midline.
XRP/USDT daily chartInitial resistance lies at the 50-day EMA near $1.15, and a break above this level would expose the 100-day EMA around $1.24, with the 200-day EMA near $1.45 acting as a more distant cap. On the downside, the Parabolic SAR offers initial support around $1.06. A decisive drop below this trailing level would reopen the path toward lower lows, while holding above it would keep XRP consolidating beneath the EMA cluster.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
Bitcoin, altcoins, stablecoins FAQs Bitcoin is the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, a virtual currency designed to serve as money. This form of payment cannot be controlled by any one person, group, or entity, which eliminates the need for third-party participation during financial transactions.
Altcoins are any cryptocurrency apart from Bitcoin, but some also regard Ethereum as a non-altcoin because it is from these two cryptocurrencies that forking happens. If this is true, then Litecoin is the first altcoin, forked from the Bitcoin protocol and, therefore, an “improved” version of it.
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to have a stable price, with their value backed by a reserve of the asset it represents. To achieve this, the value of any one stablecoin is pegged to a commodity or financial instrument, such as the US Dollar (USD), with its supply regulated by an algorithm or demand. The main goal of stablecoins is to provide an on/off-ramp for investors willing to trade and invest in cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins also allow investors to store value since cryptocurrencies, in general, are subject to volatility.
Bitcoin dominance is the ratio of Bitcoin's market capitalization to the total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies combined. It provides a clear picture of Bitcoin’s interest among investors. A high BTC dominance typically happens before and during a bull run, in which investors resort to investing in relatively stable and high market capitalization cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. A drop in BTC dominance usually means that investors are moving their capital and/or profits to altcoins in a quest for higher returns, which usually triggers an explosion of altcoin rallies.
Ethereum price has held above $1,850 as strong spot ETF inflows countered risk-off pressure from renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities and volatile oil prices.
Summary
Ethereum price holds $1,850 support as ETF inflows counter geopolitical and oil-market risks. A breakout above $1,938 could open the path toward the key $2,000 level. Losing $1,850 may expose lower support zones at $1,781 and $1,730. According to data from crypto.news, Ethereum (ETH) traded near $1,865 at press time, down about 0.3% on the day but 4.2% higher over the past week. Market sentiment remained cautious after the token failed to retain gains from its midweek rally to $1,944, though buyers continued to defend an ascending support line formed from the June low.
A softer-than-expected U.S. inflation report initially helped ETH reach its highest price in several weeks. June core CPI rose 2.6% from a year earlier, while futures traders assigned only a 10% probability to a Federal Reserve rate increase at its July meeting, according to Reuters.
Gains stalled as the conflict between the United States and Iran disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude touched $91.42 before retreating below $88 after Iran’s foreign ministry left the door open to negotiations. Only four vessels passed through the strait on Sunday, down from eight a day earlier, Reuters reported.
Higher energy costs could raise inflation and keep monetary policy restrictive for longer, a setup that tends to reduce demand for cryptocurrencies and other speculative assets. The pullback in oil from its session high offered some relief, but the military conflict and shipping disruptions remain unresolved.
Ethereum price needs to clear $1,938 before challenging $2,000 Ethereum’s daily chart places the first major resistance at $1,938, a horizontal level that acted as support between February and early June. ETH briefly approached that barrier last week but failed to close above it, leaving the former support zone in sellers’ control.
Ethereum price daily chart — July 20 | Source: crypto.news An ascending trendline drawn from the June bottom now passes through the $1,850 area. Price has tested the line several times during July without recording a daily breakdown. A close above $1,938 would complete a recovery of the lost range and open a direct path toward the psychological $2,000 level.
Momentum remains constructive on the daily timeframe. The MACD line stands at 38.27, above its 27.83 signal line, while the positive histogram reads 10.44. Chaikin Money Flow sits at 0.16, showing that net capital has continued to enter ETH during the latest recovery.
According to analyst Ted Pillows, whale accumulation has accompanied the defense of $1,850.
“If Ethereum holds above this, a rally towards $2,000 could happen in a few weeks.”
The 4-hour chart places ETH just above the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement at $1,853.92. Holding that level would keep $1,946.65, the top of the measured recovery range, within reach. A breakout there would also confirm a move beyond the daily resistance pocket.
Ethereum price 4-hour chart — July 20 | Source: crypto.news Short-term momentum carries less conviction. The 4-hour ADX has dropped to 13.57, a level associated with weak trend strength. Stochastic RSI has also turned lower, with its faster line at 56.09 below the slower line at 72.93, which leaves ETH vulnerable to further consolidation before another breakout attempt.
Institutional flows have provided a counterweight to weak spot momentum. U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs attracted $105 million between July 13 and July 17, their strongest week since April and a second consecutive week of inflows. BlackRock’s ETHA contributed $135 million, while Fidelity’s FETH recorded a $21.56 million outflow, according to SoSoValue data.
Relative strength against Bitcoin may provide another catalyst. Trader Daan Crypto Trades identified ETH/BTC’s attempt to break above a descending channel that has controlled the pair for almost a year.
“If this move sustains into next week and ETH/BTC keeps grinding higher, that should bode well for many primarily ETH ecosystem coins.”
Loss of $1,850 would weaken the recovery structure Ethereum’s bullish setup would lose its immediate foundation if price closes below the ascending trendline and the $1,853 Fibonacci level. The next 4-hour support sits at $1,781, the 61.8% retracement, followed by $1,730 at the midpoint of the June-to-July advance.
A deeper decline would expose $1,679 and $1,615. The June low at $1,513 remains the full invalidation level for the recovery, as a return to that area would erase nearly all gains accumulated since late June.
CoinGlass’ Hyperliquid liquidation map shows limited leverage directly around the current price. Long-liquidation exposure starts to increase below $1,810 and becomes denser around $1,665 and $1,500, which could accelerate a breakdown if support fails.
Source: CoinGlass Above the market, short-liquidation leverage rises sharply near $2,180 and expands around $2,700 to $2,860. Those clusters remain distant, but a confirmed break above $2,000 could force leveraged bears to cover and add momentum to the advance.
For now, $1,850 and $1,938 define Ethereum’s decision range. ETF inflows, positive daily capital flow and an improving ETH/BTC pair support another test of $2,000, while weak 4-hour trend strength, elevated oil prices and unresolved geopolitical risks leave the breakout dependent on a clean daily close above resistance.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
Spot gold rallied 20 USD in the short term, international crude oil prices moved lower, and tensions in the Middle East have eased.
According to Bitget market data, spot gold rallied $20 in the short term, currently trading at $4,039.58 per ounce. Both U.S. WTI and Brent crude oil fell by over $1 in the short term: WTI crude oil broke below $81 per barrel, down 1.69% on the day, while Brent crude oil dropped 1.00% on the day, currently at $85.33 per barrel. On the news front, a senior Iranian source stated that mediators have proposed a 10-day pause in strikes to explore ways to revive the temporary agreement between Iran and the U.S.
10 minutes ago
The three major U.S. stock index futures advanced, with Nasdaq 100 Index futures surging more than 1%.
According to Bit.com market data, U.S. stock index futures of the three major benchmarks rose: Nasdaq 100 futures gained more than 1%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.57%, and Dow Jones futures increased 0.43%. On the news front, a senior Iranian source stated that mediators have proposed a 10-day pause in strikes to explore ways to revive the temporary agreement between Iran and the United States. This may signal a short-term de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East, driving a rebound in risk markets.
10 minutes ago
WTI and Brent crude oil continue to slump, with both down over 2% intraday.
According to Bitget market data, both US and Brent crude oil continue to slump. Brent crude has fallen below $85 per barrel, down more than 2% on the day; WTI crude oil dropped over $2 intraday, currently trading at $80.29 per barrel, a 2.5% decline.
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SemiAnalysis: Kimi K3 Ranks Third Globally, Could Reveal Hidden Profit Margins of OpenAI and Anthropic
SemiAnalysis analysts Jordan Nanos and Max Kan recently analyzed Kimi K3, the model developed by Chinese AI startup Moonshot AI, concluding that it outperforms Google Gemini in comprehensive benchmark tests. This not only reflects the narrowing gap between Chinese and U.S. AI models but also offers new insights into the business models of closed-source AI firms like Anthropic and OpenAI. According to SemiAnalysis’s overall assessment, Kimi K3 currently ranks third globally, trailing only Fable 5 and GPT-5.6, and surpassing Google Gemini. The analysts noted that while this result does not signal major issues for Google’s AI business, Kimi K3’s publicly disclosed parameter count, performance, and pricing provide a reference for external estimates of the economic value of closed-source models. Kimi K3 has 2.8 trillion parameters, far exceeding most open-source models. Jordan Nanos stated that a model of this size cannot be deployed on a single NVIDIA B200 GPU, requiring higher-spec hardware such as GB300, B300-class systems, or AMD MI355X. Based on this, he speculated that Anthropic and OpenAI’s flagship closed-source models likely operate at a similar parameter scale, rather than holding an order-of-magnitude advantage. In terms of business models, Kimi K3’s launch price is close to Anthropic’s Sonnet series: input pricing is approximately $3 per million tokens, and output pricing is around $15 per million tokens, a roughly threefold increase over the previous Kimi generation. Max Kan argued that if Moonshot AI is not operating at a long-term loss, then Anthropic and OpenAI charging higher prices for models of comparable size suggests their API business may have high profit margins. “Selling API tokens could be more profitable than SaaS,” he said. However, the two analysts emphasized that these judgments are not based on the AI companies’ public financial data, but rather on reverse inference drawn from Kimi K3’s parameters, pricing, and performance.
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Goldman Sachs warns that inflationary pressures are spreading across the US, with Fed Chair Walsh facing mounting pressure to raise interest rates.
Goldman Sachs’ latest research report shows that U.S. inflationary pressure is spreading from a narrow set of sectors to a broader range of areas. While current inflation levels have not yet hit their 2022 peak, the expanding scope of price increases is posing greater challenges to the Federal Reserve’s policy efforts. Goldman Sachs economist Jessica Rindels analyzed the extent of inflation spread using the six-month annualized change rate of the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, a key metric closely watched by the Fed. The data shows that, compared to the average inflation level between 1990 and 2019, the pressure index for inflation categories exceeding 3% has reached around 6, while it stood at 10 during the 2022 inflation peak. The report points out that sectors such as audio-visual equipment, financial services, healthcare, and transportation have become key drivers of current price increases. Meanwhile, housing rent inflation, which carries a significant weight in the PCE index, is projected to fall below 3% in the fourth quarter of this year, potentially serving as a key factor easing inflationary pressure. Goldman Sachs’ analysis aligns with recent concerns from new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh about the "broadening of inflation". Warsh stated that preventing price hikes from spreading to more sectors of the economy is a key task for the Federal Reserve. However, unlike former Chair Jerome Powell’s relatively clear policy communication style, Warsh has so far refused to provide specific interest rate path guidance. Jeremy Schwartz, senior U.S. economist at Nomura Securities, noted that the Fed is reducing forward guidance to the market, and this policy uncertainty has heightened concerns on Wall Street. Meanwhile, hawkish voices within the Fed are growing. Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan has expressed support for moderate interest rate hikes, arguing that the current economic resilience is inconsistent with inflation risks.
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Iranian sources: Mediators have proposed a 10-day pause on strikes to seek ways to restore the temporary agreement between Iran and the United States.
Senior Iranian sources said the mediator has proposed a 10-day pause in strikes to find ways to revive the interim agreement between Iran and the U.S. (Jinshi)
Retail investors holding Grayscale’s cryptocurrency trusts could soon see quarterly cash payouts flowing from staking rewards, moving beyond simple price exposure. The asset manager is preparing to amend the trust agreements for its Ethereum Staking ETF (ETHE) and Solana Staking ETF (GSOL) to allow the conversion of staking rewards into cash and subsequent distribution to shareholders, according to a report shared by WuBlockchain. If the changes go through, the first distributions could kick in as early as August 7, with payment timing and amounts dependent on staking rewards earned, fund expenses, and tax considerations.
The move formalizes what Grayscale has already experimented with. ETHE previously converted staking rewards accrued between October 6 and December 31, 2025 into cash, distributing approximately $9.39 million — or roughly $0.083 per share. That earlier distribution, while modest, set a precedent. Now the firm wants to make quarterly payouts a standard feature of the funds, turning a one-off event into a recurring income stream for holders.
Competitive Pressure and Institutional Demand Grayscale’s decision doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Ethereum and Solana both rely on proof‑of‑stake consensus, meaning validators earn rewards for helping to secure the networks. For ETF providers, capturing those rewards and passing them to investors is becoming a competitive differentiator. As reported in BlockchainReporter’s recent Top 10 Blockchains by Developer Activity This Week, Ethereum and Solana continue to lead in developer engagement, underscoring the durability of those networks’ staking mechanisms. The more active the network, the more predictable the reward flow — and the easier it is to build a reliable distribution model.
While some crypto‑native exchanges and staking services already offer yield products, regulated fund structures have been slower to embrace direct reward distributions. Grayscale’s approach mirrors, in certain ways, the institutional staking momentum seen elsewhere. For instance, a Nasdaq‑listed firm’s staking involvement was a key driver behind the SUI token’s 18% surge, as detailed in a separate BlockchainReporter analysis. The cash distribution model, however, is distinct: it detaches the yield from the underlying token’s volatility, offering a fixed‑ish payout in dollars rather than accumulating staking derivatives. That simplicity could attract advisors and conservative investors who want yield without the operational headache of managing staking themselves.
What Remains Unclear Despite the clear product logic, significant questions linger. Grayscale specifically notes that payouts will depend on tax considerations, and the tax treatment of staking rewards — particularly when funneled through a trust or ETF — remains a grey area in the US. The Internal Revenue Service has issued some guidance on staking income, but applying that to a publicly traded fund structure with quarterly distributions adds layers of complexity. A misstep here could saddle investors with unexpected tax obligations, something the fund’s disclosures will need to address bluntly.
Regulatory posture is another unknown. The SEC has historically been cautious about staking services within exchange‑traded products, and while Grayscale’s ETFs have already launched, the shift to regular cash distributions might invite a closer look. If the agency interprets these payouts as a securities‑like dividend rather than a straightforward return of blockchain rewards, it could demand additional safeguards. For now, Grayscale appears to be moving ahead, betting that the operational details and disclosure framework will satisfy both the SEC and investors’ demand for yield in a low‑volatility wrapper.
What’s certain is that the clock is ticking toward August 7. If the amendments take effect, ETHE and GSOL holders will find themselves in the unusual position of earning fiat‑denominated income from assets that exist purely in code. That alone rewrites expectations for what a crypto ETF can be.
AUTHOR
Freelance writer and crypto enthusiast with a focus on Web3, delivering clear and engaging articles. Known for his well-researched articles and insightful analysis, Shayan covers a broad range of topics including market trends, blockchain technology, decentralized finance (DeFi), and emerging crypto projects. His writing aims to educate both beginners and experts, providing clear, engaging content that helps readers stay informed about the fast-evolving crypto space. Shayan's expertise and dedication make him a trusted voice in the blockchain community.
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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Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital and a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency market, recently made noteworthy comments regarding Ethereum and its co-founder, Vitalik Buterin.
The renowned CEO stated that Ethereum founder Buterin deserved the “crypto hero” award, while also saying that declining activity was harming ETH.
Speaking at a recent event, Mike Novogratz stated that Buterin’s vision and technical leadership played a decisive role in Ethereum’s current position, adding that Buterin’s influence on the industry is undeniable.
However, Novogratz added that Buterin’s recent decline in activity has been detrimental to the Ethereum ecosystem.
At this point, Novogrtaz argued that Buterin’s more visible and active leadership would significantly contribute to the Ethereum community and the network’s development.
While the Ethereum ecosystem has remained in the spotlight recently due to network updates, institutional interest, and increasing competition, Novogratz’s statements have reignited debates within the community regarding Buterin’s leadership role.
Vitalik Buterin has gradually withdrawn from daily updates and public announcements over the past two years. While this stance has been the subject of debate, it has been interpreted within the industry as an attempt to allow the Ethereum community to become more self-sufficient and decentralized.
*This is not investment advice.
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Dogecoin (DOGE) is drawing fresh attention from technical analysts after forming a bullish chart pattern, raising expectations for a potential price reversal and renewed upside momentum. Despite recent consolidation in the broader crypto market, the meme-inspired cryptocurrency continues to demonstrate unique institutional support, most notably from Tesla.
Tesla stands by Dogecoin as sole crypto payment optionTesla, the electric vehicle manufacturer led by Elon Musk, remains the only major corporation to integrate Dogecoin as a payment option for select merchandise on its official store. Bitcoin, which was previously accepted for a limited period, no longer appears as a payment option for any Tesla product.
Recent observations indicate that all references to Bitcoin have been completely removed from Tesla’s platform, cementing Dogecoin as the exclusive cryptocurrency payment method currently supported by the company. This move has fueled speculation about Tesla’s long-term strategy and its ongoing commitment to supporting Dogecoin.
The continued availability of Dogecoin payments, despite the absence of any new official announcements, has raised questions about whether Tesla is preparing for broader integration of cryptocurrency transactions in the future.
Mini dictionary: Tesla is a US-based electric vehicle and clean energy company founded by Elon Musk. Besides vehicles, it offers solar panels, battery storage, and technology-driven products, and sometimes accepts cryptocurrency payments for its merchandise.
Analysts predict potential upside for DOGEDOGE is currently trading at $0.07196, with a 24-hour trading volume of $303.59 million and a total market capitalization standing at $11.16 billion. Over the past 24 hours, Dogecoin recorded a 1.1% gain, reflecting renewed investor interest as a bullish chart structure begins to form.
Javon Marks, a well-known cryptocurrency analyst, highlighted that Dogecoin’s current macro chart pattern resembles those seen prior to previous breakout cycles. Technical analysts are optimistic that this consolidation phase could reflect healthy accumulation by buyers rather than waning momentum.
According to these analysts, Dogecoin’s next significant price markers are identified at $0.653, above $0.70, and an extended target at $1.25. While such targets are not guaranteed, these levels represent key points where bullish price action may accelerate if historical patterns repeat.
Technical analysts have noted that Dogecoin’s chart pattern closely mirrors prior pre-rally conditions, with consolidation often preceding significant price movements.
DOGE Key MetricCurrent ValuePotential TargetPrice$0.07196$0.653, $0.70+, $1.25Market Capitalization$11.16 billion–24h Trading Volume$303.59 million–Market outlook and trajectoryDespite the bullish chart structure and Tesla’s ongoing support, Dogecoin is still trading below its previous highs and remains within a prolonged downtrend. However, sentiment across the crypto sector is showing signs of improvement, and observers note that positive market conditions could facilitate a strong rebound in Dogecoin’s price.
Market participants are closely monitoring Dogecoin’s movement, especially as large token holders, often referred to as “whales,” reportedly continue to accumulate substantial amounts during this period.
While analysts have expressed confidence in the potential for a major breakout, they caution that cryptocurrency markets remain volatile and price prediction is inherently uncertain.
Industry observers point out that even with optimistic forecasts, actual market performance may differ due to changing sentiment and unpredictable external factors.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
Dogecoin (DOGE) is today at the center of a new technical debate. At the heart of the controversy: the dependence of the world’s most capitalized memecoin on Litecoin. Some developers argue that the crypto project must fully control its infrastructure. Conversely, others (more pragmatic!) remind that this synergy guarantees an unparalleled level of security.
In brief On July 18, 2026, developer Paulo Vidal reignites the debate about Dogecoin’s dependence on Litecoin for its security. Crypto developer Chromatic X corrects him: Dogecoin depends on all Scrypt cryptocurrencies mined in merge, not Litecoin alone. Co-founder Billy Markus reminds that Dogecoin remains the most profitable Scrypt crypto to mine. The Dogecoin Foundation highlights an inverse dependency. A crypto developer reignites a twelve-year-old debate On July 18, 2026, Dogecoin Foundation developer Paulo Vidal published a question on X. Enough to awaken a technical controversy: Dogecoin does it really need to depend on Litecoin for its security or could it one day free itself?
According to Paulo Vidal, Dogecoin encourages merged mining with other networks. However, it does not have its own independent mining. He deduces that the crypto network’s security therefore remains tied to another blockchain: Litecoin (LTC). The PoW algorithm of this project created by Charlie Lee in 2011 is identical to that of Dogecoin.
Crypto analysts agree on one point: this question is by no means trivial. It indeed touches the core of what makes the robustness of a PoW-based crypto blockchain: the higher the hashrate, the more complex and costly a 51% attack becomes to carry out.
Crypto developer Chromatic X quickly nuances Vidal’s observation In a post published on X on July 19, he strongly argues that Dogecoin does not depend on Litecoin in particular, but on all layer 1 (L1) cryptocurrencies using the Scrypt algorithm and practicing merged mining. This distinction changes the nature of the risk. In other words, Dogecoin is not hostage to a single project. It would rather be the beneficiary of a shared crypto mining ecosystem.
Chromatic X goes even further, stating:
Dogecoin should be able to secure itself alone from a purity philosophical position, rather than a technical necessity.
Explanation: strictly autonomous mining would be more of an ideological principle than a security requirement, since the current system already fulfills this function effectively.
Merged mining between Dogecoin and Litecoin is not new Merged mining allows a crypto miner to validate blocks simultaneously on several different blockchains without additional computational power or hardware expenditure. They must nonetheless share the same proof-of-work algorithm.
Technically, it is based on a protocol called Auxiliary Proof-of-Work (AuxPoW). The principle is as follows: the block mined on Litecoin includes a cryptographic proof verifiable by the Dogecoin network. So, no need for any “social” validation by Litecoin. Dogecoin nodes only verify that the PoW meets their own rules.
Besides Dogecoin and Litecoin, other crypto projects using the Scrypt algorithm use the same mechanism. Notably, Namecoin is one example.
The merged mining between Dogecoin and Litecoin was activated in August 2014, after a proposal by Charlie Lee in the spring of the same year. Before that date, Dogecoin had too low a hashrate to withstand a 51% attack sustainably.
Adopting AuxPoW immediately changed the situation: Dogecoin’s hashrate reportedly jumped about 1,500% within a month, according to a case study published by Binance Research. Twelve years later, this mutual dependence remains structural. Market estimates indicate that over 70% of Dogecoin’s hash power today comes from merged mining with Litecoin.
What exactly do the 2026 hashrate figures for Dogecoin and Litecoin reveal? The hashrate represents the total computational power dedicated to crypto mining. Data published in June 2026 allows concretely measuring the balance of power between Dogecoin and Litecoin.
Dogecoin’s hashrate ranged between about 2.7 and 3.4 petahashes per second (PH/s) during this period, after peaking at 8.72 PH/s in February 2026 before stabilizing. Meanwhile, Litecoin displayed a hashrate close to 2.7 PH/s in early June 2026. This simply means that the two crypto networks operate on comparable scales. In other words, their combined security is based on a largely shared miner base rather than on simple submission of Dogecoin to Litecoin.
This proximity is partly explained by the deployment of new models of specialized integrated circuits (ASIC) compatible with Scrypt. These prove more powerful than previous generations. Enough to simultaneously strengthen mining activity on both crypto blockchains.
Graph showing Dogecoin’s hashrate over a 3-month period (Source: CoinWarz) Dogecoin co-founder also gives his point of view Known by the pseudonym “Shibetoshi Nakamoto,” Billy Markus also joined the exchange. According to him, Dogecoin remains the most profitable Scrypt cryptocurrency to mine. A remark that shifts the debate’s focus: it is not so much Dogecoin that would depend on Litecoin but vice versa. He argues that many Scrypt miners are attracted to Litecoin precisely because it lets them earn DOGE at no additional cost.
This observation is echoed by Timothy Stebbing, director of the Dogecoin Foundation. According to him, most Scrypt assets mined in merge would actually depend on Dogecoin’s monetary issuance to remain economically viable to mine. Giving up merge mining would therefore not only weaken Dogecoin but also the Scrypt miner ecosystem that has built around this interdependence since 2014.
This approach questions the idea that one blockchain is above the other. Indeed, this is not a one-way dependency. It is rather an economic balance where each crypto network brings something to the other: Litecoin provides hashing power and Dogecoin attractive mining profitability.
What would happen if Dogecoin left merged crypto mining? Crypto analysts envisage three possible scenarios.
Scenario 1 Dogecoin disables AuxPoW: Scrypt miners continue to mine Litecoin but lose DOGE rewards. Scrypt hashrate drops. Dogecoin must attract dedicated miners. This would cost millions in infrastructure and electricity. Probability: near zero, as no key developer supports this idea. Scenario 2 a hybrid transition: the “Sakura” project mentioned by the Dogecoin Foundation explores a hybrid PoW/PoS model. But developers have repeated that it is not about abolishing mining, only adding staking incentives on layer 2. PoW would remain the basic security mechanism. Probability: possible, but long-term. Scenario 3 merged mining continues: Scrypt hashrate grows. Dogecoin remains the most profitable Scrypt crypto. This is the most probable scenario, supported by economic and technical arguments of current crypto developers. In any case, the debate around merged mining does not call into question Dogecoin’s current security. It rather reveals two visions of its future: preserving a proven model or aiming for total independence.
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Referring to Satoshi's Bitcoin white paper, Dogecoin co-founder Billy Markus, who goes by "Shibetoshi Nakamoto" on X, pushes back on recent arguments about Dogecoin's security with respect to its merge mining with Litecoin.
The discussion was sparked by Dogecoin Foundation developer Paulo Vidal, who outlined several questions he believes deserve attention: first, is Dogecoin currently dependent on Litecoin for its security? Second, if Litecoin stopped operating tomorrow, what would happen to Dogecoin's security? Third, are miners securing Litecoin alone, or are the additional rewards from Dogecoin and other AuxPoW networks a significant part of the incentive?
Vidal pointed out that while AuxPoW has historically benefited Dogecoin, the question now is whether it remains the right long-term solution.
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"for example, if Litecoin disappeared tomorrow, why do you believe Dogecoin's security would be unaffected?"
bro read satoshi's white paper
miners mine for reward
you've argued long enough that i don't think you're interested in how things work
— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) July 19, 2026 The second question, "If Litecoin stopped operating tomorrow, what would happen to Dogecoin's security?" did not sit well with the Dogecoin co-founder, who addressed it outright, pointing back to pseudonymous Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto's white paper.
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According to Markus, miners mine for reward, highlighting the characteristic of merge mining, which Dogecoin utilizes. Rejecting the concerns outright, the Dogecoin co-founder replied that none of the arguments made by Vidal were valid.
Dogecoin merge mining attracts debateMerge mining, or Auxiliary Proof of Work (AuxPoW), allows users to mine two or more coins with the same hash power and proof of work with no splitting required.
The recent conversation around merge mining has exposed differing opinions within the Dogecoin and broader crypto community.
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David Schwartz (Dasch), director of projects and strategic partnerships at the Litecoin Foundation, believes that merge mining is still the best option for Dogecoin: "Honestly, even if Dogecoin did not have these benefits to Litecoin, I would still advocate that it stay merge mined to Litecoin because it was the right thing to do back then and it's the right thing to do now."
DOGE co-founder Billy Markus believes Dogecoin should stay merge mined: "I think it should stay merge mined and moving it off would be dumb and pointless."
Cardano has activated its van Rossem hard fork as of Saturday, upgrading the Cardano mainnet to version 11, which is expected to lower smart contract execution costs and lay the groundwork for Ouroboros Leios, a major scalability upgrade for the protocol.
Onchain data from Cardanoscan shows the network moved from Protocol Version 10 in epoch 643 to Version 11 in epoch 644.
“As well as Plutus improvements and Plutus Cost Model enhancements, this upgrade lays the foundation for the next upgrade, the Dijkstra era hard fork, which will introduce Ouroboros Leios to Cardano,” Input Output wrote in a weekly development report on Friday.
Ouroboros Leios is a scaling proposal for the Ouroboros proof-of-stake consensus used by Cardano, expected to launch in late 2026. Its goal is to drastically increase transactions per second without weakening Ouroboros’ security guarantees.
The van Rossem upgrade is also the first governance-driven hard fork in Cardano’s history, unlike previous upgrades that were coordinated by Input Output, the engineering company that designed and built the Cardano blockchain.
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.
Cardano has activated its van Rossem hard fork as of Saturday, upgrading the Cardano mainnet to version 11, which is expected to lower smart contract execution costs and lay the groundwork for Ouroboros Leios, a major scalability upgrade for the protocol.
Onchain data from Cardanoscan shows the network moved from Protocol Version 10 in epoch 643 to Version 11 in epoch 644.
“As well as Plutus improvements and Plutus Cost Model enhancements, this upgrade lays the foundation for the next upgrade, the Dijkstra era hard fork, which will introduce Ouroboros Leios to Cardano,” Input Output wrote in a weekly development report on Friday.
Ouroboros Leios is a scaling proposal for the Ouroboros proof-of-stake consensus used by Cardano, expected to launch in late 2026. Its goal is to drastically increase transactions per second without weakening Ouroboros’ security guarantees.
The van Rossem upgrade is also the first governance-driven hard fork in Cardano’s history, unlike previous upgrades that were coordinated by Input Output, the engineering company that designed and built the Cardano blockchain.
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.
Cardano has activated the van Rossem hard fork, moving its mainnet to Protocol Version 11 after the upgrade took effect at the epoch boundary on July 18.
Summary
Cardano activated Protocol Version 11 after governance approval moved the van Rossem hard fork forward. The upgrade improves Plutus costs while preparing Cardano for Ouroboros Leios and higher future throughput. Van Rossem is Cardano’s first hard fork ratified through onchain governance, marking a governance milestone. Intersect confirmed that the hard fork had been successfully enacted after weeks of testing, infrastructure updates, and governance voting.
The upgrade follows its ratification on July 13 by Cardano’s delegated representatives, stake pool operators, and Constitutional Committee. The Cardanoscan governance record shows that the proposal called for Protocol Version 11. Intersect reported 77.63% DRep support and 52.7% SPO support when the required thresholds were met.
Van Rossem is an intra-era hard fork, so Cardano remains within the Conway era while updating parts of its protocol. The upgrade introduces new Plutus capabilities and cost model changes designed to make some smart contract operations cheaper. It also includes technical updates aimed at improving Plutus performance and other parts of the network.
The mainnet activation followed earlier testing on the Preview and Preprod networks. Preview moved to Protocol Version 11 in May, while the Preprod upgrade followed in June after developers addressed tooling compatibility issues. As previously reported by crypto.news, the mainnet proposal arrived in June after those testing and preparation stages.
Dijkstra and Ouroboros Leios come next The van Rossem hard fork also prepares Cardano for its next planned protocol upgrade. Input Output said, “As well as Plutus improvements and Plutus Cost Model enhancements, this upgrade lays the foundation for the next upgrade, the Dijkstra era hard fork, which will introduce Ouroboros Leios to Cardano.”
Leios is a proposed upgrade to Cardano’s Ouroboros proof-of-stake system that aims to raise transaction throughput while keeping its existing security model. Development remains underway. According to the latest Cardano weekly report, the consensus team has continued stabilizing the Leios testnet, released two new prototype builds, and worked on changes intended to improve block certification rates. Crypto.news previously reported that Leios forms part of Cardano’s wider protocol development roadmap.
Onchain governance takes control of the upgrade process Van Rossem also marks the first Cardano hard fork to move through the network’s Voltaire onchain governance system rather than relying on the earlier coordination model led by founding development groups. Cardano said the final decision to ratify and execute the upgrade rested with DReps, SPOs, and the Constitutional Committee after technical teams completed the required preparation.
The process follows Cardano’s broader move toward community-led decisions. The same system has also produced different outcomes for funding proposals. As crypto.news reported earlier, the community rejected a 7.8 million ADA request for the 2026 Cardano Summit, leading to its cancellation. Meanwhile, other treasury funding has supported protocol work that includes Leios, Hydra, and Mithril.
With van Rossem now active, Cardano is operating on Protocol Version 11 while development continues on Dijkstra and Ouroboros Leios. The network has not announced a final mainnet launch date for Leios, although recent ecosystem coverage has placed the planned scaling upgrade later in 2026.
Cardano (ADA) stalls at $0.165 on Monday after a modest rebound in the previous week. The activation of the Van Rossem hard fork on Saturday marked Cardano’s first protocol upgrade approved entirely through onchain governance, which introduced Protocol Version 11 with improvements aimed at reducing smart contract costs. Despite this bullish development, mixed derivatives metrics among the traders cap ADA’s recovery.
Van Rossem hard fork boosts Cardano’s long-term outlookCardano activated the Van Rossem hard fork on Saturday, marking the network’s first major upgrade fully approved and ratified through onchain governance.
The upgrade introduces new Plutus capabilities and cost-model improvements intended to lower smart-contract execution costs, while laying technical groundwork for the Dijkstra era.
This development could serve as a positive catalyst for ADA in the long term, enhancing Cardano’s smart contract capabilities and network efficiency. However, in the short term, it failed to lift sentiment, with the ADA price trading sideways around $0.165 on Monday after a mild recovery the previous week.
Mixed sentiment caps recoveryDerivatives metrics show mixed sentiment among Cardano traders. Coinglass’s Funding rates data for ADA flipped positive on Friday, with a reading of 0.0061% on Monday, indicating that longs are paying the shorts and highlighting improving sentiment.
Cardano funding rate chart. Source: CoinglassHowever, Coinglass’ long-to-short ratio for ADA read 0.90 on Monday. The ratio being below one, indicates bearish sentiment, as traders are betting the asset’s price will fall.
Cardano long-to-short ratio chart. Source: CoinglassCardano Price Forecast: ADA trades sidewaysCardano price trades at $0.165 on Monday, following a mild recovery in the previous week. Despite the mild rebound, ADA maintains a bearish bias as price remains well below the 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs), clustered between roughly $0.180 and $0.270. The pair has stalled after its early-July rebound, with sellers defending the lower Fibonacci retracements of the April–June downswing, while the Relative Strength Index (RSI) flatlines just under the 50 mark, hinting at a lack of directional conviction. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator hovers marginally in positive territory but remains muted, suggesting only modest upside momentum against a still-dominant overhead structure.
On the topside, initial resistance is seen at the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement at $0.173, followed closely by the 50-day EMA at $0.177, forming a nearby cap that bulls would need to clear to extend recovery attempts. Further up, the 38.2% retracement at $0.195 and the broken downtrend trigger zone near $0.202 align with the 100-day EMA at $0.205, ahead of a denser band of resistance between the $0.231–$0.245 area and the longer-term 200-day EMA at $0.273.
On the downside, immediate support emerges at the horizontal level of $0.150, with the prior swing low around the 0.0% Fibonacci anchor at $0.138 envisaged as a deeper bearish target if selling pressure resumes.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
Key Highlights Van Rossem hard fork went live on Cardano this past Saturday, bringing Protocol Version 11 to the network Marks the first protocol upgrade in Cardano’s existence to be ratified via fully onchain governance mechanisms Enhanced Plutus functionality targets reduced costs for executing smart contracts ADA price remains stagnant at $0.165, trading beneath its 50, 100, and 200-day exponential moving averages Trader positioning shows bearish bias with a long-to-short ratio of 0.90 Cardano (ADA) continues to hover around $0.165 on Monday, maintaining a relatively stable position following a modest uptick in the previous week. The token’s price remains unmoved even after a significant protocol enhancement was deployed across the network this past weekend.
Cardano (ADA) Price The Cardano blockchain successfully implemented the Van Rossem hard fork on Saturday, transitioning from Protocol Version 10 to Version 11. Blockchain records from Cardanoscan verify that the network progressed from epoch 643 into epoch 644 as part of this upgrade cycle.
NEWS: V11 (van Rossem) hardfork is now officially live on Cardano $ADA mainnet.
It brought new Plutus capabilities, faster/cheaper smart contracts, and protocol prep for Leios.
Congratulations to the entire Cardano ecosystem on another successful upgrade! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/KLJtAaV9Uy
— Cardanians (CRDN) (@Cardanians_io) July 19, 2026
This particular protocol enhancement represents a historic milestone—it’s the first hard fork on Cardano to receive approval and implementation exclusively through decentralized onchain governance processes. Earlier network upgrades were managed and executed directly by Input Output, the technology development company responsible for creating Cardano’s blockchain infrastructure.
The Van Rossem upgrade delivers enhanced Plutus functionality along with optimized cost-model adjustments. The central objective centers on minimizing the expenses associated with running smart contracts on Cardano’s network.
In their Friday development update, Input Output explained: “Along with Plutus enhancements and refined Plutus Cost Model parameters, this protocol upgrade establishes the technical foundation for the subsequent Dijkstra era hard fork, which will bring Ouroboros Leios capabilities to the Cardano ecosystem.”
Looking Ahead: The Path Toward Ouroboros Leios Ouroboros Leios represents an advanced scaling solution designed to complement Cardano’s current proof-of-stake consensus infrastructure. The technology is projected to deploy in the latter part of 2026, with the objective of substantially boosting transaction throughput while maintaining the robust security architecture of the existing protocol.
The Van Rossem protocol enhancement serves as essential infrastructure preparation for that future implementation, positioning it more as a foundational building block than a final destination.
Market reaction to the upgrade has been notably subdued. ADA’s valuation continues to track significantly below its 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day Exponential Moving Averages, which are currently positioned in the $0.180 to $0.270 range.
Source: TradingView Futures Market Signals Trader Hesitation According to Coinglass funding rate metrics, the indicator turned positive on Friday and currently registers at 0.0061% as of Monday. When funding rates enter positive territory, it signals that traders holding long positions are compensating those in short positions, suggesting a modest improvement in market sentiment.
Source: Coinglass That said, ADA’s long-to-short ratio currently stands at 0.90 on Monday. Any reading beneath the 1.0 threshold reveals that a greater number of market participants are betting on downward price movement rather than upward momentum.
The Relative Strength Index currently sits just underneath the neutral 50 level, reflecting an absence of definitive directional strength. Meanwhile, the MACD indicator shows marginally positive readings but lacks conviction.
Looking at potential price levels, ADA confronts immediate resistance at the $0.173 mark, with the 50-day EMA creating another barrier at $0.177. Additional resistance zones are identified at $0.195 and $0.202. On the downside, support levels are positioned at $0.150 and $0.138.
Following the Van Rossem hard fork deployment, Cardano’s ADA token trades at $0.165 with a long-to-short ratio of 0.90 as of Monday’s trading session.
Cardano has successfully activated the V11 (van Rossem) hard fork on its mainnet, marking one of the blockchain’s most significant network upgrades to date.
The upgrade went live on July 18, 2026, officially transitioning Cardano from Protocol Version 10 to Protocol Version 11. Intersect, the member-based organization that supports Cardano’s development and governance, confirmed the successful activation after months of ecosystem-wide preparation and coordination.
Meanwhile, on-chain data from Cardanoscan shows that the upgrade took effect as the network moved from epoch 643, which ran Protocol Version 10, to epoch 644, where Protocol Version 11 became active.
Cardano Van Rossem Hard Fork Goes Live Intersect Highlights Ecosystem-Wide Collaboration Following the successful deployment, Intersect praised the efforts of the Hard Forking Working Group, which coordinated the upgrade across the Cardano ecosystem.
According to the organization, the group worked closely with stake pool operators (SPOs), decentralized application (DApp) teams, developers, exchanges, and other ecosystem partners across multiple test and production networks. This extensive collaboration ensured the hard fork was activated safely and seamlessly without disrupting network operations.
Furthermore, Intersect emphasized that the successful transition reflects months of planning, testing, and coordination among technical teams and ecosystem participants.
Notable Features of V11 Upgrade Beyond its governance milestone, the van Rossem hard fork delivers several important technical improvements.
Most notably, Protocol Version 11 is expected to reduce the execution costs of smart contracts, making decentralized applications more efficient while lowering operational expenses for developers building on Cardano.
As a result, developers can deploy and run smart contracts more cost-effectively, potentially improving the overall user experience across the Cardano ecosystem. In addition to immediate performance improvements, the V11 hard fork introduces foundational infrastructure for Cardano’s next major scalability upgrade—Ouroboros Leios.
For context, Leios is designed to dramatically increase Cardano’s transaction throughput while preserving the network’s core principles of security and decentralization. By activating Protocol Version 11, Cardano now has the technical framework required to integrate future Leios enhancements as development advances.
Leios Testnet Already Live Ahead of Mainnet Rollout The activation of V11 comes shortly after Cardano launched the Leios testnet last month.
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson previously revealed that the protocol is expected to reach the mainnet before the end of the year.
Unlike traditional blockchain architectures that rely on a single slot leader to collect, order, and process transactions sequentially, Ouroboros Leios separates transaction propagation from block sequencing. It achieves this by introducing parallel transaction processing alongside multiple specialized block types.
This architectural redesign aims to solve the blockchain trilemma by significantly improving scalability without sacrificing security or decentralization. Once fully implemented, Leios is expected to substantially increase Cardano’s transaction capacity while maintaining the network’s robust security guarantees and decentralized consensus model.
DisClamier: This content is informational and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author's personal opinions and do not reflect The Crypto Basic opinion. Readers are encouraged to do thorough research before making any investment decisions. The Crypto Basic is not responsible for any financial losses.
The evolution of blockchains now depends as much on their governance as on their technical advances. In this context, Cardano has just reached an important milestone with the activation of the Van Rossem update, presented as the first hard fork in its history wholly validated by an on-chain governance process. This evolution, deployed without network interruption, brings several improvements aimed at developers, strengthens the security of the protocol, and prepares the next technical developments of the ecosystem.
In brief Cardano activates Van Rossem, its first hard fork fully validated by on-chain governance, without network interruption. The update introduces five CIPs aimed at reducing the costs of Plutus smart contracts and improving performance. The network strengthens its security with new rules on VRF keys used by staking pools. Large ADA holders accumulate more, while the market remains cautious after the update activation. Van Rossem prepares Ouroboros Leios, a future evolution aimed at greatly increasing the network’s processing capacity. Cardano Reaches a New Milestone With a Hard Fork Validated by On-Chain Governance On July 18, 2026, Cardano activated the Van Rossem hard fork, evolving the network to version 11 of its protocol. The deployment took place without any reported incidents and is part of the continuity of the Conway era. Unlike a complete overhaul of the network’s institutional functioning, this evolution modifies several internal components of the ledger while preserving the existing governance architecture.
This hard fork is particularly notable for its adoption method. For the first time, all stages, from the proposal to the activation, relied on the on-chain governance system. Delegates approved the proposal at 77.63%, well above the required 60% threshold. Staking pool operators also gave their approval with 52.7% of the votes, while the Constitutional Committee approved the update with six favorable votes.
The various votes concluded on July 13, five days before the official activation. This procedure marks an important evolution in how the network now makes decisions, since major updates no longer depend on centralized coordination ensured by input/output but on a vote directly recorded on the blockchain.
Technical Improvements Aimed at Developers and Smart Contracts With this evolution, Cardano integrates five improvement proposals (CIP) aimed at strengthening the network’s performance and enriching the tools available to developers. The goal is to reduce the execution cost of Plutus smart contracts, speed up several processes on the blockchain, and integrate new cryptographic capabilities directly into the protocol.
The five improvements introduced are as follows:
CIP-133: adds multi-scalar multiplication on the BLS12-381 cryptographic curve, allowing the verification of a large number of digital signatures simultaneously. CIP-138: Introduces a native array type to store and manipulate on-chain data more efficiently. CIP-153: optimizes the management of multi-asset tokens to improve their processing on the network. CIP-132: Speeds up list handling through the new dropList function. CIP-109: integrates modular exponentiation used in some advanced cryptographic operations. These evolutions respond to the needs expressed by decentralized application developers. They notably enable more efficient execution of smart contracts while simplifying certain operations that previously required off-chain computations. Teams working on zero-knowledge proofs, multi-signature wallets, or compliance tools now have functionalities directly integrated into the protocol.
At the same time, these optimizations enhance the overall performance of the Plutus environment. According to developers, they reduce script execution costs while accelerating their processing. This evolution also prepares the network to host more complex applications without changing the governance function introduced with this update.
Enhanced Security and a Network Better Prepared for Future Volumes Beyond performance, Cardano also strengthens several mechanisms related to ledger security. Node operators must now comply with a new rule concerning verifiable random function keys, better known as VRF.
Each staking pool must now use a unique VRF key associated with its own identity. This measure prevents the reuse of the same key across multiple pools and thus removes a potential vulnerability that could be exploited in attacks targeting the network. This evolution helps reinforce the overall integrity of the blockchain’s operation.
The hard fork also improves ledger consistency rules to maintain perfect synchronization between nodes, even as transaction volumes increase. Before activation, Intersect MBO, responsible for coordinating the working group dedicated to this update, monitored the readiness level of staking pools as well as that of exchange platforms. Both categories of actors showed a high level of participation before the final deployment.
Investors Accumulate While the Network Already Prepares Its Next Evolution After activation, Cardano saw the ADA price evolve in a relatively calm market. The token was established at 0.16462 dollars, down 0.88% over twenty-four hours. At the same time, the trading volume dropped by 54.81% to reach 179.93 million dollars, reflecting limited short-term investor reaction.
On-chain data published by Santiment show, however, a different dynamic among the largest holders. Wallets holding between 100,000 and 100 million ADA raised their reserves to their highest level since 2023. Together, they now control more than a quarter of the circulating supply, while holders of smaller volumes reduced their positions during the same period.
The hard fork also represents a necessary technical step before the arrival of Ouroboros Leios. This future evolution of consensus, currently tested until 2026, aims to significantly increase the network’s throughput with a declared goal of more than 1,000 transactions per second.
Developers working with Aiken and other Plutus-compatible languages can already exploit the new integrated features, while the Lace wallet has published a compatible version. Pool operators must now use an updated version of the software to stay synchronized with the network.
The next few weeks will mainly allow observing whether these technical evolutions promote increased activity on the blockchain. Indicators related to total value locked, number of transactions, and deployment of new decentralized applications should offer a first measurement of the real adoption of the improvements introduced by Van Rossem.
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USDT’s dominant position in crypto markets is entering its most uncertain regulatory window. A new timeline emerging from the original report on the GENIUS Act suggests that Tether and other foreign stablecoin issuers have until July 2028 to meet a set of US compliance standards—or risk becoming ineligible for listing on American centralized exchanges. The practical effect is a three‑year runway that redefines how the $110‑billion stablecoin approaches its relationship with US markets.
The legislation, part of a larger push to bring stablecoins under federal oversight, forces a reckoning that many exchanges and market makers have quietly prepared for. While the deadline itself is not new, the clarity around what compliance might actually require—OCC registration, mandatory adherence to US freeze and seizure orders, and potentially restructuring USDT’s reserve composition—gives the industry something concrete to work against. That’s notable because federal regulators have not yet finalized the implementing rules, leaving firms to interpret a moving target.
What the GENIUS Act asks of Tether For Tether, the most disruptive demand may not be OCC registration. It’s the compulsory compliance with US freeze and seizure orders. USDT has historically operated in a legal gray area where its issuer can cite technical infeasibility or jurisdictional limits when a court orders asset freezing. The GENIUS Act apparently closes that gap. From a market structure angle, this shifts the stablecoin from a neutral settlement layer to a regulated payments intermediary with clear legal obligations to US authorities.
The reserve question is just as important. Tether’s attestations have shown a mix of Treasury bills, commercial paper, secured loans, and other assets. If Washington expects changes—and the source material explicitly raises that possibility—then the next three years may see USDT’s backing transformed. That could affect everything from redemption stress during volatility to how counterparties perceive the asset in repo markets. A bill like this was bitterly contested by bank lobbyists just days before a key Senate vote, as covered in the fight over US crypto legislation. That resistance has not gone away, and any softening in final rules could alter the timeline or scope, though the general direction remains.
What three years actually buy A 2028 deadline is generous by crypto regulatory standards. It gives Tether plenty of time to adjust its operating model while keeping USDT listed on major venues like Coinbase, Kraken, and Gemini. The market doesn’t have to panic. But a multi‑year transition is also an information game: every attestation and every disclosure from here on will be read as a signal about whether Tether can—or wants to—meet the requirements.
Exchanges themselves are not waiting. Several US platforms have already begun shifting their stablecoin liquidity structure, adding USDC and newer entrants while quietly running compliance simulations. If Tether ultimately cannot or will not comply, the delisting that would follow in 2028 does not create a vacuum—it simply redistributes volume. The $20‑billion on‑chain RWA milestone highlighted in a recent tokenization roundup shows how deeply real‑world assets and stablecoin‑like instruments are becoming entwined, which makes the regulatory question even more acute for incumbents.
Networks and fragmentation risk USDT is not one chain’s asset. It lives across Ethereum, Tron, Solana, and more than a dozen other networks. Activity on those networks varies wildly, and any compliance overhaul has to be implemented per‑chain, per‑contract. An upgrade that works for USDT‑ETH might break on Tron or be impossible without a token migration. Developers are already stretched, and the broader ecosystem’s recent rankings in weekly developer activity metrics show that the human capacity to patch, audit, and upgrade is finite. If regulators demand something the underlying chain cannot support, some USDT versions could simply be phased out.
That kind of fragmentation matters. Liquidity on US‑licensed exchanges would naturally consolidate toward compliant stablecoins, while USDT volumes may shift to offshore venues and DeFi protocols that do not enforce a KYC‑style gate. This doesn’t kill USDT—it just redraws the map. The 2028 deadline could end up reinforcing a two‑tier stablecoin market: one fully licensed and exchange‑listed, the other functioning outside the US permissioned sphere but still massive in global OTC and non‑KYC flows.
What remains unsettled is whether the final rules provide any grandfathering or safe harbor for existing stablecoins that predate the GENIUS Act. The source material makes clear that Washington hasn’t locked down the details. The only safe bet for market participants right now is that the compliance clock is running, and every quarter that passes makes the eventual outcome harder to reverse.
AUTHOR
Nicholas Otieno is a fintech writer specializing in cryptocurrency markets. Since 2019, he has written articles to educate readers about cryptocurrency and its substantial positive impact on global prosperity. Nicholas is a Bitcoin holder, believing firmly in its fundamentals. His work has been featured in publications such as Finance Magnates, Blockchain.News, Bitcoin Magazine, Coincub, and among others. When he's not writing, Nicholas enjoys performing domestic tasks, spending time with friends, listening to music, and watching football.
Tether has faced renewed scrutiny over whether USDT can remain available on U.S. crypto platforms unless the stablecoin issuer meets the requirements of the GENIUS Act before its compliance window closes.
Summary
Tether could face restrictions on USDT in the United States if it does not meet GENIUS Act requirements before the 2028 compliance deadline. Legal experts say foreign stablecoin issuers still have time to comply, though some obligations may begin once the law takes effect. Tether has continued expanding USAT, enterprise payments and Latin American investments while U.S. stablecoin rules are still being finalized. According to a CoinDesk report, the first anniversary of the GENIUS Act has brought renewed attention to Tether’s regulatory path as the company remains the largest stablecoin issuer by market value while U.S. regulators continue working on rules needed to fully implement the law.
President Donald Trump signed the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act into law one year ago. Although the legislation introduced a three-year transition period for compliance, questions remain over how some of its deadlines apply to foreign-issued stablecoins such as Tether’s USDT.
While U.S.-based Circle has moved to align itself with the incoming framework, Tether has not publicly detailed how it intends to bring USDT into full compliance. The report also noted that Tether did not respond to multiple requests for an updated position before publication.
Paolo Ardoino during a CNBC interview. Source: CNBC. Last July, Tether chief executive Paolo Ardoino said the company intended to comply with the GENIUS Act. Speaking to CoinDesk after the bill was signed at the White House, Ardoino said, “Tether will comply with the GENIUS Act,” adding that the company planned to launch a separate U.S.-focused token while also ensuring USDT satisfied the law’s foreign issuer requirements.
Incredibly honored and grateful for the invitation to watch @POTUS sign the Genius Act today.
Tether has already brought over 160 billion USDT to over 500 million users worldwide.
Now that President Trump has led the United States to embrace digital assets, we believe we can… pic.twitter.com/94IEnd0FUi
— Paolo Ardoino 🤖 (@paoloardoino) July 18, 2025 Questions remain over compliance timeline Even with two years remaining before the law’s general transition period expires in July 2028, lawyers continue to debate whether foreign issuers receive the same grace period as domestic companies.
Justin Levine, a lawyer at Davis Polk who advises clients on stablecoin regulation, told CoinDesk that foreign issuers will need to comply immediately with provisions allowing authorities to freeze and seize assets linked to illicit activity once the law becomes effective, which is expected around January. However, he said additional requirements tied to continued U.S. exchange listings would likely have a longer implementation period.
“Upon the effectiveness of the GENIUS Act, foreign issuers will need to immediately comply with lawful orders to seize and freeze coins held by illicit actors, but they will have a runway of approximately two more years to prepare for the additional requirements so that their coins may remain eligible for listing on U.S. centralized trading platforms,” Levine said.
He added that one of those future obligations, registration with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, would likely require a “significant undertaking.”
“So they do have time, as long as they comply with seize and freeze orders,” Levine said.
“But those that want to have their coins continue to be traded on U.S. centralized platforms and have that liquidity should still be thinking about it right now, even if it’s not imminent that they’re going to get delisted.”
CoinDesk also reported that an earlier legal interpretation published by law firm Paul Hastings had suggested foreign issuers could face a different compliance timeline. After the publication sought clarification, the report said the interpretation was removed from the firm’s website, while representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Further guidance from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has also left room for interpretation. CoinDesk said an OCC proposal includes a footnote indicating that 2028 remains the general compliance deadline but notes that certain requirements for foreign issuers begin once the law takes effect. These early obligations appear to center on cooperation with law enforcement requests involving asset freezes and seizures, while broader requirements would follow later.
Beyond these initial measures, foreign issuers are expected to satisfy additional conditions, including OCC registration, maintaining reserves at U.S. financial institutions, and operating under home-country supervision that the U.S. Treasury determines is comparable with the American regulatory framework.
Reserve structure draws attention CoinDesk also pointed to Tether’s latest reserve disclosures, saying approximately one-quarter of USDT’s backing remained invested in assets that would not qualify under the GENIUS Act’s reserve standards. According to the report, those assets include bitcoin holdings, precious metals, and lending exposure.
The legislation instead requires qualifying stablecoins to be backed by highly liquid assets such as cash and short-term U.S. Treasury securities.
Although regulatory questions continue, Tether has already introduced USAT, a U.S.-focused stablecoin issued through banking partner Anchorage Digital with American compliance standards in mind. Adoption of the token has remained relatively limited compared with USDT.
Kevin Wysocki, head of policy at Anchorage Digital, told CoinDesk the company expects institutional adoption to move ahead of the legal deadline.
“Non-compliant stablecoins cannot be used by U.S. institutions when the safe harbor expires in 2028, but we don’t expect the market to wait,” Wysocki said. He added that Anchorage expects institutions to migrate toward “compliant, bank-issued digital dollars well ahead of that deadline.”
Expansion continues as regulation develops Even as compliance discussions continue in the United States, Tether has expanded both its investment activity and enterprise payment strategy across several markets.
Earlier this month, the company led a $7 million funding round for Pact Labs to integrate USAT into payroll infrastructure serving a U.S. payroll market processing more than $11 trillion annually. Tether said the partnership is intended to allow employers to settle wages using blockchain payment rails instead of relying solely on conventional banking systems.
Outside payroll, Tether has also increased its focus on corporate treasury operations. Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai Motor Mexico recently completed a pilot cross-border treasury payment using USDT over the Avalanche blockchain, settling a $20,000 transfer in about seven minutes through infrastructure provided by Axiym, while Hyundai Card managed the compliance and operational framework for the transaction.
Latin America has remained another priority. Over recent weeks, Tether has invested $20 million in Brazilian exchange Mercado Bitcoin and another $20 million in Argentine digital bank Ualá as part of its latest funding round. The company also previously led a $14 million investment in Argentine crypto platform Belo to expand crypto payment products and financial services across the region.
Meanwhile, Bolivia is evaluating a proposal that would recognize USDT alongside the boliviano and the U.S. dollar within parts of its payment system. Local reports have indicated that Banco Unión and Banco FIE already provide services connected to USDT, although authorities have yet to publish a final legal framework.
Despite those international expansion efforts, the regulatory picture inside the United States remains unfinished. Federal agencies have yet to finalize the implementing rules required under the GENIUS Act, leaving stablecoin issuers without a complete regulatory framework to follow even as the first compliance obligations approach.
Trevor Tanifum, managing principal at consulting firm FS Vector, was cited in the report saying that some trading platforms with lower risk tolerance could choose to delist non-compliant stablecoins early, while larger exchanges with stronger legal resources may continue supporting them until regulators provide definitive guidance.
“It’s pretty much what has happened, I think, at every major crypto hurdle,” Tanifum said. “These platforms still count on a lot of transaction volumes, liquidity from non-U.S. issuers, and so I can’t see them giving up those volumes without a fight.”
At the same time, much of the crypto industry’s policy focus has shifted toward the proposed CLARITY Act, which lawmakers continue to debate in Congress. If enacted, the legislation could revise parts of the GENIUS framework, adding another layer of uncertainty as Tether, Circle and other stablecoin issuers prepare for federal oversight in the months ahead.
WTI and Brent crude oil continue to slump, with both down over 2% intraday.
According to Bitget market data, both US and Brent crude oil continue to slump. Brent crude has fallen below $85 per barrel, down more than 2% on the day; WTI crude oil dropped over $2 intraday, currently trading at $80.29 per barrel, a 2.5% decline.
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SemiAnalysis: Kimi K3 Ranks Third Globally, Could Reveal Hidden Profit Margins of OpenAI and Anthropic
SemiAnalysis analysts Jordan Nanos and Max Kan recently analyzed Kimi K3, the model developed by Chinese AI startup Moonshot AI, concluding that it outperforms Google Gemini in comprehensive benchmark tests. This not only reflects the narrowing gap between Chinese and U.S. AI models but also offers new insights into the business models of closed-source AI firms like Anthropic and OpenAI. According to SemiAnalysis’s overall assessment, Kimi K3 currently ranks third globally, trailing only Fable 5 and GPT-5.6, and surpassing Google Gemini. The analysts noted that while this result does not signal major issues for Google’s AI business, Kimi K3’s publicly disclosed parameter count, performance, and pricing provide a reference for external estimates of the economic value of closed-source models. Kimi K3 has 2.8 trillion parameters, far exceeding most open-source models. Jordan Nanos stated that a model of this size cannot be deployed on a single NVIDIA B200 GPU, requiring higher-spec hardware such as GB300, B300-class systems, or AMD MI355X. Based on this, he speculated that Anthropic and OpenAI’s flagship closed-source models likely operate at a similar parameter scale, rather than holding an order-of-magnitude advantage. In terms of business models, Kimi K3’s launch price is close to Anthropic’s Sonnet series: input pricing is approximately $3 per million tokens, and output pricing is around $15 per million tokens, a roughly threefold increase over the previous Kimi generation. Max Kan argued that if Moonshot AI is not operating at a long-term loss, then Anthropic and OpenAI charging higher prices for models of comparable size suggests their API business may have high profit margins. “Selling API tokens could be more profitable than SaaS,” he said. However, the two analysts emphasized that these judgments are not based on the AI companies’ public financial data, but rather on reverse inference drawn from Kimi K3’s parameters, pricing, and performance.
1 seconds ago
Goldman Sachs warns that inflationary pressures are spreading across the US, with Fed Chair Walsh facing mounting pressure to raise interest rates.
Goldman Sachs’ latest research report shows that U.S. inflationary pressure is spreading from a narrow set of sectors to a broader range of areas. While current inflation levels have not yet hit their 2022 peak, the expanding scope of price increases is posing greater challenges to the Federal Reserve’s policy efforts. Goldman Sachs economist Jessica Rindels analyzed the extent of inflation spread using the six-month annualized change rate of the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, a key metric closely watched by the Fed. The data shows that, compared to the average inflation level between 1990 and 2019, the pressure index for inflation categories exceeding 3% has reached around 6, while it stood at 10 during the 2022 inflation peak. The report points out that sectors such as audio-visual equipment, financial services, healthcare, and transportation have become key drivers of current price increases. Meanwhile, housing rent inflation, which carries a significant weight in the PCE index, is projected to fall below 3% in the fourth quarter of this year, potentially serving as a key factor easing inflationary pressure. Goldman Sachs’ analysis aligns with recent concerns from new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh about the "broadening of inflation". Warsh stated that preventing price hikes from spreading to more sectors of the economy is a key task for the Federal Reserve. However, unlike former Chair Jerome Powell’s relatively clear policy communication style, Warsh has so far refused to provide specific interest rate path guidance. Jeremy Schwartz, senior U.S. economist at Nomura Securities, noted that the Fed is reducing forward guidance to the market, and this policy uncertainty has heightened concerns on Wall Street. Meanwhile, hawkish voices within the Fed are growing. Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan has expressed support for moderate interest rate hikes, arguing that the current economic resilience is inconsistent with inflation risks.
1 seconds ago
Iranian sources: Mediators have proposed a 10-day pause on strikes to seek ways to restore the temporary agreement between Iran and the United States.
Senior Iranian sources said the mediator has proposed a 10-day pause in strikes to find ways to revive the interim agreement between Iran and the U.S. (Jinshi)
1 seconds ago
OKX's World Cup prediction campaign has concluded, with the X Layer ecosystem recording over 136 million total transactions in the past 30 days.
According to official data, OKX’s World Cup prediction campaign officially concluded on July 19 alongside the final match, drawing a total of 433,590 participants, with a prize pool of approximately $4.2 million and covering 104 matches. As of July 20, the total number of transactions in OKX’s X Layer ecosystem over the past 30 days reached 136,048,079, with on-chain latency and block settlement frequency both under 100 milliseconds. It is reported that OKX’s World Cup prediction campaign launched on June 3, and was the first self-operated application of Exchange OS, the trading infrastructure built by OKX based on X Layer. Leveraging match prediction as its use case, the campaign further demonstrates X Layer’s capabilities in high-frequency interaction, low-latency settlement, and on-chain trading infrastructure.
1 seconds ago
Hacken: Crypto institutions no longer rely solely on audits; security assessments are shifting to continuous monitoring and operational resilience.
Blockchain security firm Hacken has released a report stating that crypto institutions are re-evaluating project security standards, as traditional smart contract audits and operational histories are no longer sufficient as trust benchmarks. Investors are now focusing on continuous monitoring, signature permission management, and incident response capabilities. According to Hacken’s Q2 2026 Security & Compliance Report, among the 1,427 projects it tracks, only 9% have deployed third-party continuous monitoring mechanisms, and just 4% have all three elements: monitoring, bug bounty programs, and security audits. The report shows that of the approximately $764 million in crypto asset losses recorded in Q2 2026, 88.3% came from private key leaks, signature permission issues, and infrastructure security problems, rather than smart contract vulnerabilities. Hacken noted that institutional investors are increasingly adding assessments of signer changes, collateral support, third-party dependencies, incident response capabilities, and audit scope and timeliness to their due diligence processes. The report points out that the 14 projects attacked in Q2 had all undergone audits before, but most losses stemmed from areas outside the coverage of traditional audits, including signature devices, cross-chain bridge validation nodes, backend infrastructure, administrator keys, and old contracts still in operation. Hacken stated that as institutional capital enters the crypto market, projects lacking continuous security proof may face higher risk premiums, fewer investment opportunities, and greater difficulty obtaining insurance and partner support. Federico Bagiotti, Head of Risk Management at Abraxas Capital, said that whether a project’s security level matches its funding scale has become a key criterion for institutional investment, surpassing project potential.
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Zilliqa, a high-performance layer 1 blockchain built to deliver fast, low-cost transactions, on Monday announced that one of its exchange partners suffered a security breach in which ZIL tokens were stolen from a cold wallet.
According to the project, the incident is under investigation as it works alongside the relevant parties to identify the cause of the attack and determine its overall impact.
Advertisement
We have been made aware of a security incident involving one of our exchange partners, in which ZIL was stolen from a cold wallet.
The incident is under active investigation, and we are working with the relevant parties to establish the root cause and full scope. As a…
— Zilliqa (@zilliqa) July 20, 2026
In response, exchanges have been alerted and requested to temporarily halt ZIL deposits and withdrawals as a safeguard against the movement or liquidation of stolen assets on centralized exchanges.
The team said more details will be released once confirmed information becomes available.
ZIL fell from around $0.0028 to a low of $0.0024 before rebounding to $0.0026 by press time, marking a 7% decline over the past 24 hours, per CoinGecko.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Vivian Nguyen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Stellar (XLM) has attracted renewed analyst attention following the emergence of a long-term bullish chart pattern, sparking fresh comparisons with XRP as traders weigh the potential for a breakout toward $2.50.
Analyst highlights major technical setup for XLMCrypto analyst Celal Kucuker published a monthly price chart of XLM on X, pointing to a robust ascending triangle that he regards as one of the strongest technical formations in the market today. This formation has developed over several years, supporting the case for an upside move if resistance can be cleared.
The monthly chart shows Stellar with by far the strongest setup. The price pattern suggests it could aim for $2.50, potentially following momentum previously seen in XRP and climbing to much higher levels.
The ascending triangle pattern is defined by a series of higher lows converging against horizontal resistance, which currently sits in the $0.90 to $1.00 price range. Over the past years, Stellar has repeatedly tested this zone, but each breakout attempt has been rejected at the ceiling.
A potential breakout above this resistance would activate a bullish projection, which analysts estimate as high as $2.50 based on Fibonacci extension levels. However, XLM remains below that threshold, and the breakout scenario is contingent on a sustained close above the historical resistance area.
Stellar is a blockchain-based network designed to facilitate fast, low-cost cross-border payments and asset transfers. Its native token, XLM, is used for transaction fees and as a bridge currency within the network.
Mini dictionary: Ascending triangle, a bullish chart pattern marked by a flat resistance line and upward-sloping support, suggesting a potential breakout when price breaches resistance.
AssetResistance levelProjected targetCurrent price*XLM (Stellar)$0.90 – $1.00$2.50Below $1.00XRP$1.10 (support)N/AAbout $1.10*Actual price may vary; see market data for latest updates.
XRP maintains market attention amid ecosystem growthThe XLM analysis arrives as XRP remains a point of focus in the crypto market. Recently, XRP traded at approximately $1.10, while daily trading volumes rose and its market capitalization held above $68 billion, according to CoinMarketCap.
Technical analysts are closely monitoring the $1.10 region, which aligns with important moving averages that traditionally indicate trend direction. Additional support for XRP has come from ecosystem developments, such as the introduction of Ripple‘s RLUSD stablecoin and increasing institutional engagement within the XRP Ledger.
The frequent comparisons between XLM and XRP are rooted in their shared development history as blockchain networks supporting cross-border payments. Yet, each asset now faces distinct market pressures and developments.
Mini dictionary: XRP Ledger, an open-source blockchain launched by Ripple to enable fast and inexpensive cross-border transactions, also supporting tokenized assets and decentralized applications.
Investors track technical levels for confirmationKucuker’s chart outlines a possible bullish scenario for XLM, but confirmation requires price to close above long-standing resistance. Until this happens, traders remain cautious, aware that multi-year patterns can yield large moves only after confirmed breakouts.
Some market participants continue to associate the XLM move with XRP’s recent recovery. However, this parallel is seen more as market sentiment than as an indicator of a direct relationship, as trading conditions for each asset differ.
Both Stellar and XRP remain under close observation as developments in their respective networks and broader crypto market sentiment continue to shift. Analysts and traders are set to watch whether Stellar can decisively break out and test higher levels while XRP’s support at $1.10 is closely monitored for further trend signals.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
A Two-Year Window for the World's Largest StablecoinTether's $USDT, the world's largest stablecoin by circulation, is facing a shrinking window to secure its position on U.S. crypto platforms. The GENIUS Act, formally known as the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act, was signed into law one year ago. The law included a three-year grace period for compliance, and two years now remain, after which U.S. crypto platforms will not be able to offer stablecoins whose issuers have not met all the regulatory requirements.
The law demands that stablecoin issuers serving U.S. individuals must be permitted entities holding 1:1 reserves in U.S. dollars or equivalent liquid assets, publish monthly reserve disclosures, and comply with the Bank Secrecy Act, including full anti-money laundering and know-your-customer requirements.
Tether's most recent disclosures suggest that a meaningful share of USDT's reserves remains in assets that may not meet the law's expected standards, including precious metals, lending exposure, and bitcoin holdings. The central question is whether the largest issuer in the market can adapt its main product to a U.S. framework built around cash, Treasury bills, and formal regulatory oversight.
There is also a legal grey area around timing. Some lawyers assume that Tether gets until July 18, 2028 to comply, but others have suggested that foreign issuers would have to comply the moment the GENIUS Act officially goes live, which is likely six months from now in January. The one-year mark was also supposed to see federal financial regulators finishing their stablecoin rules, but none have done so yet, leaving some compliance uncertainty.
Circle Moves First, Tether Hedges With a New TokenDespite assurances last year from CEO Paolo Ardoino that the stablecoin giant would achieve U.S. compliance for USDT, the company has not yet revealed a sharp turn toward the demands of the GENIUS Act. Instead, Tether has taken a different approach for the domestic market. On January 27, 2026, Tether launched USA₮, a new stablecoin designed specifically to comply with the GENIUS Act's requirements, issued through Anchorage Digital Bank, a federally chartered crypto bank. USDT continues circulating globally for the international market, while USA₮ targets the U.S. market with full compliance. For USDT itself to remain accessible in the U.S., Tether would need to qualify as a compliant foreign issuer, a path that requires a reciprocity determination from the U.S. Treasury. As of mid-2026, that determination remains pending.
Rival Circle has taken the opposite approach. Circle proactively aligned its reserves, custody, and disclosure practices ahead of the law, which requires 1:1 backing by liquid assets and monthly reserve reports. The GENIUS Act validated Circle's architecture as the regulatory standard, meaning other stablecoins now have to retrofit themselves to match what USDC was already doing.
For Tether, the next two years are a compliance test. The company can restructure USDT to meet foreign-issuer standards, rely more heavily on USAT for the U.S. market, or risk seeing regulated platforms shift liquidity elsewhere.
Sources
CoinDesk: Tether's USDT hits 2-year countdown threatening its position on U.S. crypto platforms
Crypto Briefing: Tether faces US ban by 2028 if it fails to comply with GENIUS Act
Finance Feeds: USDT's US Problem: Tether Faces the GENIUS Act Clock
SemiAnalysis: Kimi K3 Ranks Third Globally, Could Reveal Hidden Profit Margins of OpenAI and Anthropic
SemiAnalysis analysts Jordan Nanos and Max Kan recently analyzed Kimi K3, the model developed by Chinese AI startup Moonshot AI, concluding that it outperforms Google Gemini in comprehensive benchmark tests. This not only reflects the narrowing gap between Chinese and U.S. AI models but also offers new insights into the business models of closed-source AI firms like Anthropic and OpenAI. According to SemiAnalysis’s overall assessment, Kimi K3 currently ranks third globally, trailing only Fable 5 and GPT-5.6, and surpassing Google Gemini. The analysts noted that while this result does not signal major issues for Google’s AI business, Kimi K3’s publicly disclosed parameter count, performance, and pricing provide a reference for external estimates of the economic value of closed-source models. Kimi K3 has 2.8 trillion parameters, far exceeding most open-source models. Jordan Nanos stated that a model of this size cannot be deployed on a single NVIDIA B200 GPU, requiring higher-spec hardware such as GB300, B300-class systems, or AMD MI355X. Based on this, he speculated that Anthropic and OpenAI’s flagship closed-source models likely operate at a similar parameter scale, rather than holding an order-of-magnitude advantage. In terms of business models, Kimi K3’s launch price is close to Anthropic’s Sonnet series: input pricing is approximately $3 per million tokens, and output pricing is around $15 per million tokens, a roughly threefold increase over the previous Kimi generation. Max Kan argued that if Moonshot AI is not operating at a long-term loss, then Anthropic and OpenAI charging higher prices for models of comparable size suggests their API business may have high profit margins. “Selling API tokens could be more profitable than SaaS,” he said. However, the two analysts emphasized that these judgments are not based on the AI companies’ public financial data, but rather on reverse inference drawn from Kimi K3’s parameters, pricing, and performance.
1 minutes ago
Goldman Sachs warns that inflationary pressures are spreading across the US, with Fed Chair Walsh facing mounting pressure to raise interest rates.
Goldman Sachs’ latest research report shows that U.S. inflationary pressure is spreading from a narrow set of sectors to a broader range of areas. While current inflation levels have not yet hit their 2022 peak, the expanding scope of price increases is posing greater challenges to the Federal Reserve’s policy efforts. Goldman Sachs economist Jessica Rindels analyzed the extent of inflation spread using the six-month annualized change rate of the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, a key metric closely watched by the Fed. The data shows that, compared to the average inflation level between 1990 and 2019, the pressure index for inflation categories exceeding 3% has reached around 6, while it stood at 10 during the 2022 inflation peak. The report points out that sectors such as audio-visual equipment, financial services, healthcare, and transportation have become key drivers of current price increases. Meanwhile, housing rent inflation, which carries a significant weight in the PCE index, is projected to fall below 3% in the fourth quarter of this year, potentially serving as a key factor easing inflationary pressure. Goldman Sachs’ analysis aligns with recent concerns from new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh about the "broadening of inflation". Warsh stated that preventing price hikes from spreading to more sectors of the economy is a key task for the Federal Reserve. However, unlike former Chair Jerome Powell’s relatively clear policy communication style, Warsh has so far refused to provide specific interest rate path guidance. Jeremy Schwartz, senior U.S. economist at Nomura Securities, noted that the Fed is reducing forward guidance to the market, and this policy uncertainty has heightened concerns on Wall Street. Meanwhile, hawkish voices within the Fed are growing. Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan has expressed support for moderate interest rate hikes, arguing that the current economic resilience is inconsistent with inflation risks.
1 minutes ago
Iranian sources: Mediators have proposed a 10-day pause on strikes to seek ways to restore the temporary agreement between Iran and the United States.
Senior Iranian sources said the mediator has proposed a 10-day pause in strikes to find ways to revive the interim agreement between Iran and the U.S. (Jinshi)
1 minutes ago
OKX's World Cup prediction campaign has concluded, with the X Layer ecosystem recording over 136 million total transactions in the past 30 days.
According to official data, OKX’s World Cup prediction campaign officially concluded on July 19 alongside the final match, drawing a total of 433,590 participants, with a prize pool of approximately $4.2 million and covering 104 matches. As of July 20, the total number of transactions in OKX’s X Layer ecosystem over the past 30 days reached 136,048,079, with on-chain latency and block settlement frequency both under 100 milliseconds. It is reported that OKX’s World Cup prediction campaign launched on June 3, and was the first self-operated application of Exchange OS, the trading infrastructure built by OKX based on X Layer. Leveraging match prediction as its use case, the campaign further demonstrates X Layer’s capabilities in high-frequency interaction, low-latency settlement, and on-chain trading infrastructure.
1 minutes ago
Hacken: Crypto institutions no longer rely solely on audits; security assessments are shifting to continuous monitoring and operational resilience.
Blockchain security firm Hacken has released a report stating that crypto institutions are re-evaluating project security standards, as traditional smart contract audits and operational histories are no longer sufficient as trust benchmarks. Investors are now focusing on continuous monitoring, signature permission management, and incident response capabilities. According to Hacken’s Q2 2026 Security & Compliance Report, among the 1,427 projects it tracks, only 9% have deployed third-party continuous monitoring mechanisms, and just 4% have all three elements: monitoring, bug bounty programs, and security audits. The report shows that of the approximately $764 million in crypto asset losses recorded in Q2 2026, 88.3% came from private key leaks, signature permission issues, and infrastructure security problems, rather than smart contract vulnerabilities. Hacken noted that institutional investors are increasingly adding assessments of signer changes, collateral support, third-party dependencies, incident response capabilities, and audit scope and timeliness to their due diligence processes. The report points out that the 14 projects attacked in Q2 had all undergone audits before, but most losses stemmed from areas outside the coverage of traditional audits, including signature devices, cross-chain bridge validation nodes, backend infrastructure, administrator keys, and old contracts still in operation. Hacken stated that as institutional capital enters the crypto market, projects lacking continuous security proof may face higher risk premiums, fewer investment opportunities, and greater difficulty obtaining insurance and partner support. Federico Bagiotti, Head of Risk Management at Abraxas Capital, said that whether a project’s security level matches its funding scale has become a key criterion for institutional investment, surpassing project potential.
1 minutes ago
The total accounts on #Tron has surpassed 394M. Active accounts reached 4,646,026, up 4.64% in the past 24 hours.
The total accounts on #Tron has surpassed 394M. Active accounts reached 4,646,026, up 4.64% in the past 24 hours.
Allbridge, a decentralized cross-chain bridge, suffered a $1.65 million exploit that forced the suspension of Allbridge Core. This is after the attacker secured a $1.12 million USD Coin [USDC] flash loan and later manipulated the USDC/USDT pool ratio.
That distortion let the attacker withdraw liquidity at favorable exchange rates before moving the stolen assets from Solana [SOL] to Ethereum [ETH]. Later on, the protocol quickly halted Allbridge Core and urged liquidity providers to withdraw funds from affected pools.
Source: X Those measures aimed to limit further losses while developers investigated the cause of the breach. Instead of exploiting cross-chain transfers, the attacker targeted the bridge’s liquidity pricing mechanism.
This attack demonstrated that flash-loan-type exploits can still affect DeFi applications with robust security features.
Additionally, it highlighted the need for improved pricing resilience and protection of liquidity in cross-chain environments as they continue to grow and become increasingly attractive destinations for large amounts of capital.
Flash loan triggered the liquidity drain The exploit unfolded after the attacker secured a $1.12 million USDC flash loan from Kamino. This enabled them to manipulate the Allbridge stable coin pool without risking their own capital.
Using the borrowed funds, the hacker then did repeated USDC to Tether [USDT] swaps. As a result, this caused distortion in the price of the stablecoin pool.
Source: X As the imbalance widened, each swap increased the value available for withdrawal under the manipulated exchange ratio. The attacker capitalized on that window by extracting 948,927.53 USDT.
The transaction trail then recorded a $2.24 million USDC movement through the Allbridge bridge, illustrating how the manipulated liquidity quickly translated into one of the protocol’s largest single transfers before the funds moved beyond Solana.
Allbridge Core’s TVL remained relatively stable near $21.61 million before the exploit disrupted liquidity conditions. However, the protocol’s suspension quickly accelerated withdrawals as liquidity providers responded to the heightened risk.
Source: DeFiLlama That pressure pushed TVL sharply down to $12.78 million, marking one of its steepest single declines. The drop reflected more than lost funds because users also reduced capital exposure during the uncertainty.
Consequently, recovery now depends on restoring confidence through stronger security measures, transparent updates, and renewed liquidity participation. Sustained TVL growth will ultimately signal whether users trust the protocol again.
Final Summary Allbridge’s $1.65 million exploit exposed how flash-loan attacks can manipulate bridge liquidity and pricing mechanisms. Allbridge’s recovery now hinges on restoring TVL, strengthening security, and rebuilding user confidence.
SemiAnalysis: Kimi K3 Ranks Third Globally, Could Reveal Hidden Profit Margins of OpenAI and Anthropic
SemiAnalysis analysts Jordan Nanos and Max Kan recently analyzed Kimi K3, the model developed by Chinese AI startup Moonshot AI, concluding that it outperforms Google Gemini in comprehensive benchmark tests. This not only reflects the narrowing gap between Chinese and U.S. AI models but also offers new insights into the business models of closed-source AI firms like Anthropic and OpenAI. According to SemiAnalysis’s overall assessment, Kimi K3 currently ranks third globally, trailing only Fable 5 and GPT-5.6, and surpassing Google Gemini. The analysts noted that while this result does not signal major issues for Google’s AI business, Kimi K3’s publicly disclosed parameter count, performance, and pricing provide a reference for external estimates of the economic value of closed-source models. Kimi K3 has 2.8 trillion parameters, far exceeding most open-source models. Jordan Nanos stated that a model of this size cannot be deployed on a single NVIDIA B200 GPU, requiring higher-spec hardware such as GB300, B300-class systems, or AMD MI355X. Based on this, he speculated that Anthropic and OpenAI’s flagship closed-source models likely operate at a similar parameter scale, rather than holding an order-of-magnitude advantage. In terms of business models, Kimi K3’s launch price is close to Anthropic’s Sonnet series: input pricing is approximately $3 per million tokens, and output pricing is around $15 per million tokens, a roughly threefold increase over the previous Kimi generation. Max Kan argued that if Moonshot AI is not operating at a long-term loss, then Anthropic and OpenAI charging higher prices for models of comparable size suggests their API business may have high profit margins. “Selling API tokens could be more profitable than SaaS,” he said. However, the two analysts emphasized that these judgments are not based on the AI companies’ public financial data, but rather on reverse inference drawn from Kimi K3’s parameters, pricing, and performance.
1 minutes ago
Goldman Sachs warns that inflationary pressures are spreading across the US, with Fed Chair Walsh facing mounting pressure to raise interest rates.
Goldman Sachs’ latest research report shows that U.S. inflationary pressure is spreading from a narrow set of sectors to a broader range of areas. While current inflation levels have not yet hit their 2022 peak, the expanding scope of price increases is posing greater challenges to the Federal Reserve’s policy efforts. Goldman Sachs economist Jessica Rindels analyzed the extent of inflation spread using the six-month annualized change rate of the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, a key metric closely watched by the Fed. The data shows that, compared to the average inflation level between 1990 and 2019, the pressure index for inflation categories exceeding 3% has reached around 6, while it stood at 10 during the 2022 inflation peak. The report points out that sectors such as audio-visual equipment, financial services, healthcare, and transportation have become key drivers of current price increases. Meanwhile, housing rent inflation, which carries a significant weight in the PCE index, is projected to fall below 3% in the fourth quarter of this year, potentially serving as a key factor easing inflationary pressure. Goldman Sachs’ analysis aligns with recent concerns from new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh about the "broadening of inflation". Warsh stated that preventing price hikes from spreading to more sectors of the economy is a key task for the Federal Reserve. However, unlike former Chair Jerome Powell’s relatively clear policy communication style, Warsh has so far refused to provide specific interest rate path guidance. Jeremy Schwartz, senior U.S. economist at Nomura Securities, noted that the Fed is reducing forward guidance to the market, and this policy uncertainty has heightened concerns on Wall Street. Meanwhile, hawkish voices within the Fed are growing. Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan has expressed support for moderate interest rate hikes, arguing that the current economic resilience is inconsistent with inflation risks.
1 minutes ago
Iranian sources: Mediators have proposed a 10-day pause on strikes to seek ways to restore the temporary agreement between Iran and the United States.
Senior Iranian sources said the mediator has proposed a 10-day pause in strikes to find ways to revive the interim agreement between Iran and the U.S. (Jinshi)
1 minutes ago
OKX's World Cup prediction campaign has concluded, with the X Layer ecosystem recording over 136 million total transactions in the past 30 days.
According to official data, OKX’s World Cup prediction campaign officially concluded on July 19 alongside the final match, drawing a total of 433,590 participants, with a prize pool of approximately $4.2 million and covering 104 matches. As of July 20, the total number of transactions in OKX’s X Layer ecosystem over the past 30 days reached 136,048,079, with on-chain latency and block settlement frequency both under 100 milliseconds. It is reported that OKX’s World Cup prediction campaign launched on June 3, and was the first self-operated application of Exchange OS, the trading infrastructure built by OKX based on X Layer. Leveraging match prediction as its use case, the campaign further demonstrates X Layer’s capabilities in high-frequency interaction, low-latency settlement, and on-chain trading infrastructure.
1 minutes ago
Hacken: Crypto institutions no longer rely solely on audits; security assessments are shifting to continuous monitoring and operational resilience.
Blockchain security firm Hacken has released a report stating that crypto institutions are re-evaluating project security standards, as traditional smart contract audits and operational histories are no longer sufficient as trust benchmarks. Investors are now focusing on continuous monitoring, signature permission management, and incident response capabilities. According to Hacken’s Q2 2026 Security & Compliance Report, among the 1,427 projects it tracks, only 9% have deployed third-party continuous monitoring mechanisms, and just 4% have all three elements: monitoring, bug bounty programs, and security audits. The report shows that of the approximately $764 million in crypto asset losses recorded in Q2 2026, 88.3% came from private key leaks, signature permission issues, and infrastructure security problems, rather than smart contract vulnerabilities. Hacken noted that institutional investors are increasingly adding assessments of signer changes, collateral support, third-party dependencies, incident response capabilities, and audit scope and timeliness to their due diligence processes. The report points out that the 14 projects attacked in Q2 had all undergone audits before, but most losses stemmed from areas outside the coverage of traditional audits, including signature devices, cross-chain bridge validation nodes, backend infrastructure, administrator keys, and old contracts still in operation. Hacken stated that as institutional capital enters the crypto market, projects lacking continuous security proof may face higher risk premiums, fewer investment opportunities, and greater difficulty obtaining insurance and partner support. Federico Bagiotti, Head of Risk Management at Abraxas Capital, said that whether a project’s security level matches its funding scale has become a key criterion for institutional investment, surpassing project potential.
1 minutes ago
The total accounts on #Tron has surpassed 394M. Active accounts reached 4,646,026, up 4.64% in the past 24 hours.
The total accounts on #Tron has surpassed 394M. Active accounts reached 4,646,026, up 4.64% in the past 24 hours.
SemiAnalysis: Kimi K3 Ranks Third Globally, Could Reveal Hidden Profit Margins of OpenAI and Anthropic
SemiAnalysis analysts Jordan Nanos and Max Kan recently analyzed Kimi K3, the model developed by Chinese AI startup Moonshot AI, concluding that it outperforms Google Gemini in comprehensive benchmark tests. This not only reflects the narrowing gap between Chinese and U.S. AI models but also offers new insights into the business models of closed-source AI firms like Anthropic and OpenAI. According to SemiAnalysis’s overall assessment, Kimi K3 currently ranks third globally, trailing only Fable 5 and GPT-5.6, and surpassing Google Gemini. The analysts noted that while this result does not signal major issues for Google’s AI business, Kimi K3’s publicly disclosed parameter count, performance, and pricing provide a reference for external estimates of the economic value of closed-source models. Kimi K3 has 2.8 trillion parameters, far exceeding most open-source models. Jordan Nanos stated that a model of this size cannot be deployed on a single NVIDIA B200 GPU, requiring higher-spec hardware such as GB300, B300-class systems, or AMD MI355X. Based on this, he speculated that Anthropic and OpenAI’s flagship closed-source models likely operate at a similar parameter scale, rather than holding an order-of-magnitude advantage. In terms of business models, Kimi K3’s launch price is close to Anthropic’s Sonnet series: input pricing is approximately $3 per million tokens, and output pricing is around $15 per million tokens, a roughly threefold increase over the previous Kimi generation. Max Kan argued that if Moonshot AI is not operating at a long-term loss, then Anthropic and OpenAI charging higher prices for models of comparable size suggests their API business may have high profit margins. “Selling API tokens could be more profitable than SaaS,” he said. However, the two analysts emphasized that these judgments are not based on the AI companies’ public financial data, but rather on reverse inference drawn from Kimi K3’s parameters, pricing, and performance.
1 minutes ago
Goldman Sachs warns that inflationary pressures are spreading across the US, with Fed Chair Walsh facing mounting pressure to raise interest rates.
Goldman Sachs’ latest research report shows that U.S. inflationary pressure is spreading from a narrow set of sectors to a broader range of areas. While current inflation levels have not yet hit their 2022 peak, the expanding scope of price increases is posing greater challenges to the Federal Reserve’s policy efforts. Goldman Sachs economist Jessica Rindels analyzed the extent of inflation spread using the six-month annualized change rate of the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, a key metric closely watched by the Fed. The data shows that, compared to the average inflation level between 1990 and 2019, the pressure index for inflation categories exceeding 3% has reached around 6, while it stood at 10 during the 2022 inflation peak. The report points out that sectors such as audio-visual equipment, financial services, healthcare, and transportation have become key drivers of current price increases. Meanwhile, housing rent inflation, which carries a significant weight in the PCE index, is projected to fall below 3% in the fourth quarter of this year, potentially serving as a key factor easing inflationary pressure. Goldman Sachs’ analysis aligns with recent concerns from new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh about the "broadening of inflation". Warsh stated that preventing price hikes from spreading to more sectors of the economy is a key task for the Federal Reserve. However, unlike former Chair Jerome Powell’s relatively clear policy communication style, Warsh has so far refused to provide specific interest rate path guidance. Jeremy Schwartz, senior U.S. economist at Nomura Securities, noted that the Fed is reducing forward guidance to the market, and this policy uncertainty has heightened concerns on Wall Street. Meanwhile, hawkish voices within the Fed are growing. Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan has expressed support for moderate interest rate hikes, arguing that the current economic resilience is inconsistent with inflation risks.
1 minutes ago
Iranian sources: Mediators have proposed a 10-day pause on strikes to seek ways to restore the temporary agreement between Iran and the United States.
Senior Iranian sources said the mediator has proposed a 10-day pause in strikes to find ways to revive the interim agreement between Iran and the U.S. (Jinshi)
1 minutes ago
OKX's World Cup prediction campaign has concluded, with the X Layer ecosystem recording over 136 million total transactions in the past 30 days.
According to official data, OKX’s World Cup prediction campaign officially concluded on July 19 alongside the final match, drawing a total of 433,590 participants, with a prize pool of approximately $4.2 million and covering 104 matches. As of July 20, the total number of transactions in OKX’s X Layer ecosystem over the past 30 days reached 136,048,079, with on-chain latency and block settlement frequency both under 100 milliseconds. It is reported that OKX’s World Cup prediction campaign launched on June 3, and was the first self-operated application of Exchange OS, the trading infrastructure built by OKX based on X Layer. Leveraging match prediction as its use case, the campaign further demonstrates X Layer’s capabilities in high-frequency interaction, low-latency settlement, and on-chain trading infrastructure.
1 minutes ago
Hacken: Crypto institutions no longer rely solely on audits; security assessments are shifting to continuous monitoring and operational resilience.
Blockchain security firm Hacken has released a report stating that crypto institutions are re-evaluating project security standards, as traditional smart contract audits and operational histories are no longer sufficient as trust benchmarks. Investors are now focusing on continuous monitoring, signature permission management, and incident response capabilities. According to Hacken’s Q2 2026 Security & Compliance Report, among the 1,427 projects it tracks, only 9% have deployed third-party continuous monitoring mechanisms, and just 4% have all three elements: monitoring, bug bounty programs, and security audits. The report shows that of the approximately $764 million in crypto asset losses recorded in Q2 2026, 88.3% came from private key leaks, signature permission issues, and infrastructure security problems, rather than smart contract vulnerabilities. Hacken noted that institutional investors are increasingly adding assessments of signer changes, collateral support, third-party dependencies, incident response capabilities, and audit scope and timeliness to their due diligence processes. The report points out that the 14 projects attacked in Q2 had all undergone audits before, but most losses stemmed from areas outside the coverage of traditional audits, including signature devices, cross-chain bridge validation nodes, backend infrastructure, administrator keys, and old contracts still in operation. Hacken stated that as institutional capital enters the crypto market, projects lacking continuous security proof may face higher risk premiums, fewer investment opportunities, and greater difficulty obtaining insurance and partner support. Federico Bagiotti, Head of Risk Management at Abraxas Capital, said that whether a project’s security level matches its funding scale has become a key criterion for institutional investment, surpassing project potential.
1 minutes ago
The total accounts on #Tron has surpassed 394M. Active accounts reached 4,646,026, up 4.64% in the past 24 hours.
The total accounts on #Tron has surpassed 394M. Active accounts reached 4,646,026, up 4.64% in the past 24 hours.
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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KuCoin, the renowned crypto exchange, has unveiled the Tomorrowland Visa KuCard as a limited-edition product. Tomorrowland Visa KuCard combines Web3-driven payments with a prominent electronic music festival. As per KuCoin’s official X announcement, it is launching the new payment card via KuCoin EU for worldwide music enthusiasts who are going to attend Tomorrowland. Tomorrowland is one of the world’s largest annual electronic dance music (EDM) festivals, held in Belgium. The blend of everyday spending and digital asset use cases underscores KuCoin’s endeavors to make crypto-powered payments widely accessible.
Carrying the future of Web3 payments in your pocket. 💳
Meet the Limited Edition @tomorrowland Visa KuCard powered by KuCoin EU —the ultimate custom asset designed for global music lovers.
Want yours? Spot a Guardian on-site or head to our website to secure your spot on the… pic.twitter.com/Iprm4UTGiu
— KuCoin (@kucoincom) July 19, 2026 KuCoin Tomorrowland Visa KuCard Enables Web3 Payments for Music Fans The limited-edition Tomorrowland Visa KuCard from KuCoin benefits music enthusiasts going to attend the Tomorrowland music festival. The interested consumsers can locate specified Guardians at the venue of the festival or join the event’s official waitlist via the website of KuCoin to get the special-edition card. The card is reportedly more than only a payment card. It serves as a unique digital asset symbolizing the convergence of advanced financial convenience, music culture, and blockchain technology.
With the latest branding of the card, it is anticipated to appeal to crypto consumers and festival attendees alike. The rollout underscores the growing importance of cutting-edge Web3-focused payment solutions for daily transfers. Such crypto-related payment cards have become widely popular as they permit consumers to spend compatible digital assets at places where conventional card ecosystems are accepted.
As a result, this notably removes the friction linked with the conversion of crypto assets into fiat currencies ahead of making buyouts. KuCoin’s partnership with Tomorrowland targets a worldwide audience that goes beyond the conventional crypto community. Additionally, Tomorrowland grasps the attention of numerous visitors from across the globe each year, becoming ideal for making mainstream users aware of next-gen blockchain-led financial products.
Enabling Dual Access to Limited-Edition KuCard According to KuCoin, the attendees of the Tomorrowland festival can access the limited-edition Visa KuCard by registering via the online waitlist or spotting allocated Guardians on-site. The respective dual distribution approach enables both interested consumers outside the festival and the event participants to express their interest in getting the new card. Overall, with this move, KuCoin is broadening its footprint in the world of Web3 payments, merging practical payment capabilities with new branding for a worldwide audience.
AUTHOR
Umair Younas is a cryptocurrency-related content writer linked with this work since 2019. Here, at Blockchainreporter, he serves as a news and article writer. He is a crypto, blockchain, NFTs, DeFi, and FinTech enthusiast. He has strong command over writing authentic reviews about brokers and exchanges and he has collaborated with our education team to write educational content as well. He has a dream to raise awareness among people about digital currencies. His works are well-researched and brimmed with information hence they provide fresh insights. Stay tuned to his posts if you want to stay up-to-date with the crypto-verse.
Zcash’s infrastructure has entered a new phase as the network completes its transition away from its original software implementation. That evolution took nearly a decade, beginning with zcashd’s 2016 launch before Zebra’s 2024 release introduced a Rust-based alternative.
After the 2024 deprecation notice, node operators had enough time to switch over before the planned retirement. On the 18th of July, zcashd reached end of support at block height 3417100.
Source: X Meanwhile, Zakura completed the new node ecosystem. Rather than simply replacing legacy software, the transition strengthens maintainability, prepares the network for Ironwood, and reduces long-term operational risk.
Zcash’s adoption remains intact Completing Zcash’s infrastructure transition did not remove the market’s biggest question. Instead, it shifted attention to whether users still trusted the network after the Orchard vulnerability. Early activity suggests that confidence largely held.
Although shielded balances declined 14% to 4.42 million ZEC, users continued relying on private transactions, which rose 11.1% QoQ to 131,584.
Source: Zcash on X This trend became even more significant as the anonymity set for ZCash expanded by 325,127 units to 124.08 million.
This indicated an increase in participants using ZCash for privacy purposes. In addition, average daily trading volume increased by 33.8% QoQ to $373 million. This further reinforces that overall use of the network has been increasing.
Rather than reflecting weakening adoption, these trends point to cautious capital repositioning while confidence in Zcash’s privacy infrastructure remained intact.
Formal verification reinforces protocol integrity Even resilient blockchain networks are ultimately judged by how they respond to critical security threats. Zcash faced such a test when researchers found a flaw in Orchard shielded pools that secured roughly 85% of shielded value.
But the flaw stayed contained because disclosure was coordinated, and developers were able to release an emergency fix within days. More importantly, this flaw allowed forgery inside Orchard rather than inflating the total supply of ZEC.
The turnstile mechanism prevented forged funds from leaving the pool other than legitimate deposits. Looking ahead, Ironwood strengthens this protection through formal verification and quantum recovery too.
Together these upgrades move Zcash from reactive fixes towards stronger assurances of long-term security and confidence within the ecosystem.
Final Summary Zcash [ZEC] completed its migration to Zebra and Zakura, strengthening infrastructure while maintaining resilient network activity. Zcash enters the Ironwood era with formal verification and quantum recovery, reinforcing long-term protocol security.
