Recent headlines from the sources AlphaScala monitors. AlphaScala analysis is published in the main market section.
South Korea's crypto tax starts Jan 1, 2027, Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol confirmed. Gains above 2.5M won face 20% tax. Loss carryforward not included.
Samsung SDS CEO says Dunamu collaboration covers stablecoin infrastructure and AI payments, as cloud revenue jumps 75% and AI capacity targets 800MW by 2031.
DTCC processed live tokenized trades with 40+ firms, including BlackRock and JPMorgan. The pilot covers equities and Treasuries under a three-year SEC no-action letter.
Senate Majority Leader Thune said the Clarity Act won't pass before September, effectively killing the bill until 2029. The bill's complex design also drew criticism from industry analysts.
The Major Cities Chiefs Association endorsed the CLARITY Act after revisions. Senate odds remain at 30% as Democrats push amendments on ethics and DeFi.
Senate Majority Leader Thune said the bill likely lacks time before August recess. White House adviser Witt called out banks for opposing a stablecoin ban they demanded.
Wintermute's H1 2026 OTC report shows derivatives doubled in 2025 and kept rising. Bitcoin and Ethereum dominate institutional flow; altcoins lose liquidity.
The yen jumped 2% on intervention talk, reviving memories of the August 2024 carry trade unwind that hit Bitcoin. Traders are watching USD/JPY for signs of a broader de-leveraging.
JPMorgan analysts say the Clarity Act's 37% passage odds threaten crypto adoption; tokenization benefits could shift to traditional finance if Senate delays persist.
Roughly 50% of companies citing the EU AI Act have no legal duty to comply, a sign the law's reach extends beyond Europe. Blockchain firms exploring compliance tools face a compound regulatory environment.
Robinhood Chain overtook Solana in tokenized stock volume after memecoin launchpads began using tokenized NVDA as quote assets. The design carries untested gap risk.
Grayscale says onchain vaults, holding $7.26B across 3,008 vaults, could become a mainstream financial product. Regulatory uncertainty remains a hurdle.
VanEck's NODE ETF increased crypto-adjacent holdings after April and May losses, using its zero-leverage structure to avoid forced selling. Year-to-date return hit 12.39%.
Dune lets enterprise clients settle invoices in digital dollars via Stripe, bypassing SWIFT and FX fees. The analytics firm is among the first EU companies using Stripe's stablecoin billing tools.
CoinGecko's new MCP server plugs into Claude for live prices, volume, and on-chain data via natural language. Free and Pro tiers available.
Robinhood's prediction market segment generated $156M in Q2 revenue, overtaking crypto and equities. 13.6B contracts traded. Regulatory risk and sustainability questions remain.
Trust Wallet has overtaken MetaMask and Phantom in 24-hour HyperliquidX builder-code revenue, per a social media post. The self-custody wallet captured a larger share of fees from the derivatives exchange. Prediction markets imply a 21.5% probability of Hyperliquid reaching $100 by end-2026, up from 20%.
X Money is live in the US with P2P payments and a Visa debit card, but no cryptocurrency support. The launch surprises crypto watchers given Elon Musk's history with Dogecoin and Bitcoin.
Luno CEO James Lanigan confirmed a 20% staff reduction amid weaker retail trading. The exchange is pivoting toward institutional clients and white-label infrastructure for banks and fintech firms.
Bitcoin fell 52% from its 2025 peak as the ECB, Fed, and other major central banks pivoted back to tightening. Ether and Solana sold off around policy announcements. The Bank of England meets Aug. 7.
Luno cut 20% of staff, citing automation and institutional focus. Twelve crypto firms shed jobs in July, with 7,254 cuts across 47 companies in 2026.
Samsung SDS closed up 0.71% after announcing a Dunamu stablecoin partnership. Cloud revenue jumped 17% with external sales surging 75%. AI capacity roadmap targets 800MW by 2031.
The revised conflict-of-interest language tightens federal official involvement with digital assets. Most senators have not reviewed it, and passage odds before recess sit at 27%.
Braveheart Bio, an eight-month-old biopharma, files for a $319M Nasdaq IPO backed by a16z. The Phase 2 drug BHB-1893 faces a binary Phase 3 readout.
Anchorage Digital Bank told the Fed its proposed limited payment account cannot replace a master account, citing missing FedACH access, balance caps, and no interest on reserves.
On‑chain investigator Specter says Triple‑A's hot wallet losses have reached $11.8M, and new deposits continue to be drained. The company has not shut off the affected addresses.
BNY's blockchain transfer agency platform goes live with Baillie Gifford, BlackRock as early adopters, handling subscriptions and redemptions onchain.
Samsung SDS CEO Lee Jun-hee said the IT arm is discussing stablecoin infrastructure and AI payment models with Dunamu, operator of crypto exchange Upbit. Cloud revenue jumped 75% in Q2.
Luno cuts ~20% of global staff as CEO Lanigan cites automation investments; exchange pivots to B2B and non-US stablecoins. Second layoff round since 2023.
Seoul plans 22% tax on crypto gains above $1,740 from Jan 1, 2027. Opposition warns of capital flight, pushes repeal. Subcommittee to decide.