JOON HYOUNG LEE

Trump Says Iran Ceasefire MOU Appears to Be Over, Doesn’t Want Talks

President Donald Trump said a memorandum of understanding on ending the conflict with Iran appears to be over, signaling he may effectively abandon ceasefire negotiations. Trump made the remarks on July 8 while meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rut

Saylor Says Strategy Can Fund Stretch Dividends Indefinitely if Bitcoin’s Long-Term Return Exceeds 3.3%

Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy, said the company could effectively fund dividends indefinitely if Bitcoin’s long-term rate of appreciation exceeds 3.3%. Writing on X on July 8, Saylor said one of Strategy’s most misunderstood metrics

Iran Condemns Renewed US Airstrikes, Says Ceasefire Deal Has Been Effectively Nullified

Iran said the US has effectively nullified prior understandings by resuming airstrikes on the country. Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on July 8 that terms of an agreement in the Strait of Hormuz had been violated, according to Odaily and

Musk Says xAI to Launch Grok 4.5 on July 9 as Opus-Level Model

Elon Musk said xAI, the artificial intelligence startup he leads, will launch its next-generation AI model on July 9. Writing on X on July 8, Musk said xAI plans to release Grok 4.5 the following day. Grok 4.5 is the next version of the company’s Gro

US Reimposes Iranian Crude Sanctions, Leaving 63 Million Barrels Stranded at Sea

About 63 million barrels of Iranian crude are being held at sea after the US withdrew sanctions relief for the oil. BlockBeats reported on July 8 that roughly 63 million barrels of Iranian crude remained stranded offshore as of that day. The backlog

BlackRock-Backed Securitize Lists on NYSE, Tokenizes $300 Million of Its Own Shares

Securitize, a U.S. real-world asset platform backed by BlackRock, tokenized its own shares as it debuted on the New York Stock Exchange on July 2. The move highlights how the center of gravity in the RWA industry is shifting from bonds and funds to s

Crypto Bank Erebor Seeks New Funding at More Than $8 Billion Valuation

U.S. crypto bank Erebor is seeking new funding at a valuation of more than $8 billion. Erebor has entered early-stage talks to raise fresh capital at a valuation above $8 billion, according to The Block and other media reports on July 2. The precise

The Information: Anthropic in Talks With Samsung on Custom AI Chips

Anthropic, the US artificial intelligence company behind Claude, is in talks with Samsung Electronics Co. on manufacturing custom AI chips, The Information reported on July 2. The technology publication said Anthropic has recently entered the early s

CFTC Commissioner Slams Illinois Crypto Transaction Tax as ‘Sin Tax’

Michael Selig, a commissioner at the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, sharply criticized Illinois over its move to tax cryptocurrency transactions. Writing on X on July 2, Selig said the Illinois legislature was “jeopardizing Chicago’s future

JPMorgan Says Strategy Bitcoin Sale Option Adds Two-Way Market Risk

JPMorgan said Strategy’s decision to allow potential Bitcoin sales is adding unnecessary uncertainty to the cryptocurrency market. CoinDesk reported on July 2 that JPMorgan said in a note the policy could create “two-way risk” and increase volatility

Ondo Finance Tokenizes Micron Stock, BlackRock’s IVV in Broadridge Partnership

Ondo Finance, a real-world asset platform, has launched custody-based tokenized securities in the US using a third-party issuance model. The company said July 2 that it partnered with Broadridge Financial Solutions to tokenize BlackRock’s iShares Cor

US June Nonfarm Payrolls Rise 57,000, Well Below Forecast

US job growth fell well short of market expectations in June. The Labor Department said July 2 that nonfarm payrolls increased by 57,000 from a month earlier. That was 57,000 fewer than the market forecast of 114,000 and 72,000 below the revised May

US Initial Jobless Claims at 215,000, Slightly Below Forecast

U.S. initial jobless claims came in slightly below market expectations last week. The U.S. Labor Department said July 2 that initial claims for unemployment benefits totaled 215,000 last week. That was 4,000 below economists’ forecast of 219,000 and

OpenAI Discusses Giving US Government 5% Stake Ahead of IPO

OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, is discussing a plan to give the US government a 5% stake in the company, the Financial Times reported on July 2. OpenAI floated the idea in early talks with the Trump administration, the newspaper said. The company is w

Solana Launches On-Chain Governance, Requires 100,000 Staked Tokens to Submit Proposals

Solana has formally launched an on-chain governance system. CoinDesk reported on July 2 that Solana unveiled its Solana Governance Proposals, or SGP, system on GitHub. Any validator staking at least 100,000 Solana tokens on the network can submit pro

Strategy Jumps 5.04% Premarket as Crypto-Linked Stocks Rise

Strategy, the world’s largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, jumped in premarket trading. BlockBeats and other outlets reported on July 2 that the stock rose 5.04% from its previous close in premarket trading. Other crypto-linked stocks also advanced b

Circle, Standard Chartered Roll Out Institutional USDC Minting, Redemption Service

Circle, the issuer of dollar-backed stablecoin USDC, has launched an institutional service with Standard Chartered. Circle said July 2 that the companies had introduced institutional USDC minting and redemption services through their partnership. Und

Taiko Restores Bridge 10 Days After Hack, Token Jumps More Than 90%

Taiko, an Ethereum layer-2 project, has resumed bridge operations about 10 days after a major hack hit the platform. The recovery news sent the Taiko token sharply higher. CoinDesk reported on July 2 that Taiko's cross-chain bridge had been fully res

Bitget Adds Seven Hong Kong Stocks Including Tencent, Xiaomi With 20x Leverage

Global cryptocurrency exchange Bitget is adding more Hong Kong-listed stocks to its platform. Odaily reported on July 2 that Bitget would add seven Hong Kong stocks, including Tencent, Xiaomi and NetEase, that day. All seven stocks will trade against

FSS Chief Urges Crypto Exchange CEOs to Strengthen Internal Controls

Lee Chan-jin, governor of South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service, met with chief executives from the country’s virtual-asset industry and urged them to strengthen internal controls. Lee held a meeting on July 2 with the CEOs of 15 major virtual-

Japan's Metaplanet Buys 2,823 More Bitcoin, Lifting Holdings to 43,000

Metaplanet, often dubbed Japan's version of Strategy, bought about 2,800 more Bitcoin. In a post on its official X account, the company said it purchased 2,823 Bitcoin. The latest buy increased Metaplanet's total Bitcoin holdings to 43,000. Metaplane

South Korea Says It Has Ample Capacity to Tackle FX Volatility, Vows Swift Action on Excessive Moves

South Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance said it has ample capacity to respond to the recent increase in foreign-exchange market volatility. Second Vice Finance Minister Huh Jang made the remarks at the second meeting of the International Financ

Venice AI Raises $65 Million in Series A, Reaches $1 Billion Valuation

Privacy-focused artificial intelligence platform Venice AI has raised $65 million in a Series A funding round. BlockBeats and other outlets reported on July 1 that Venice AI had completed the round, marking its first external fundraising. The company

Tangem Says Two-Thirds of Crypto Users See Self-Custody as Important

Two out of three cryptocurrency users view self-custody as important, according to a new report, underscoring how hardware wallets such as cold wallets are evolving beyond simple storage tools into gateways to the on-chain economy. Swiss hardware wal

Ethereum Institutional Launches to Accelerate Adoption by Institutions

A nonprofit organization formed to support institutional adoption of Ethereum has launched. Ethereum Institutional said on its official X account on July 1 that it is an independent nonprofit dedicated to accelerating institutional adoption across th

Warsh Says Inflation Risk Has Eased, Expectations Fell in Past Four Weeks

Kevin Warsh, chair of the Federal Reserve, said inflation risks have eased. Walter Bloomberg reported on July 1 that Warsh made the remarks during a panel discussion at the Sintra Forum, often described as Europe’s version of Jackson Hole. Inflation

EU Opens MiCA Review Just After Full Rollout, With Stablecoin Rules in Focus

The European Union has started reviewing possible changes to its Markets in Crypto-Assets, or MiCA, framework just as the bloc completes the rulebook's full rollout. CoinDesk reported on July 1 that the European Commission opened a public consultatio

Crypto Hack Losses Fell to $75.9 Million in June, With Humanity Hit Hardest

Cryptocurrency industry losses from hacks edged lower in June from the previous month. The Block reported on July 1 that blockchain security firm PeckShield identified about 40 hacking incidents across the crypto industry in June. Total losses amount

Ark Invest Bought More Than $77 Million of Crypto Stocks Last Month in Market Slump

Cathie Wood's Ark Invest bought more than $77 million of cryptocurrency-related stocks last month. CoinDesk reported on July 1 that Ark bought more than $77 million of shares in crypto companies including Coinbase, Circle and Bullish during the month

Goldman Sachs Sees Broader Global Stock Rally in Second Half on Tech Earnings

Goldman Sachs expects the global stock-market rally to continue in the second half of this year, with earnings growth at technology companies providing a key tailwind. Peter Oppenheimer, the bank’s chief global equity strategist, said on July 1 that