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According to The Block, Kraken's parent company Payward's co-CEO Dave Ripley stated that the company is exploring becoming a "full-service bank" outside the United States to expand services such as payments, lending, yield, and custody.Payward is also building asset management capabilities and transforming its infrastructure into a series of services accessible to banks, brokerages, and fintech companies.

According to monitoring by BitcoinTreasuries.NET, Gulf International Bank, which is controlled by the Saudi Arabian government, disclosed that it holds 19,842 shares (worth $2.27 million) of the Bitcoin treasury company Strategy (stock ticker: MSTR).

According to The Block, Ethereum ecosystem core contributor Nethermind announced that after a "comprehensive review," it will exit the LayerZero decentralized validation network (DVN) business and migrate its cross-chain infrastructure to the Chainlink network. Nethermind stated that it has ceased operations of LayerZero's DVN and joined the Chainlink network as a node operator and strategic technology provider.In the future, Nethermind will provide engineering tools, infrastructure services, and integration support for blockchain application developers. It is reported that this shift occurred after the LayerZero ecosystem experienced a security incident. In April of this year, the rsETH cross-chain bridge of Kelp DAO was attacked, resulting in a loss of approximately 116,500 rsETH, valued at about $292 million at the time. Following this incident, several companies have begun to shift their cross-chain operations from LayerZero to Chainlink. However, Nethermind did not explicitly state whether this migration is directly related to the Kelp DAO incident, nor did it disclose any specific technical issues with LayerZero or changes in commercial terms between the two parties.

According to CoinDesk, Rob Nichols, President and CEO of the American Bankers Association (ABA), stated that the goal is to strengthen rather than block the passage of the CLARITY Act. He believes that the digital asset industry needs a clear regulatory framework, but a key provision in the bill regarding stablecoin rewards still needs to be tightened further. Nichols pointed out that the GENIUS Act, set for 2025, has already prohibited stablecoin issuers from paying interest or returns to holders, and the current controversy revolves around whether related parties, such as cryptocurrency exchanges, can offer similar interest-like rewards.He believes that if stablecoin wallets attract bank deposits out through such mechanisms, it could weaken the funding base that banks use for small business loans, housing mortgages, and agricultural financing. The American Bankers Association suggests amending the relevant statements in the bill to prohibit stablecoin rewards that are "substantially similar" to interest payments and to remove certain wording that may cause ambiguity. Nichols stated that these modifications would not prevent crypto companies from offering other reward programs but could avoid the reward mechanism evolving into a disguised form of deposit interest.He also mentioned that the American Bankers Association is pushing for senators to amend the relevant provisions before the vote in September and believes that the U.S. can be both a global banking center and a global crypto center, provided that clear and consistent regulatory rules are established.

According to CoinDesk, HSBC and Standard Chartered have completed the first real-time tokenized deposit transaction on the Swift blockchain ledger. This transaction marks progress for traditional financial institutions in utilizing blockchain technology to handle tokenized deposits, with both parties achieving real-time transfer and settlement of deposit tokens through Swift's distributed ledger infrastructure.As a global interbank messaging and clearing network, Swift is promoting the application of its blockchain ledger in tokenized asset and deposit scenarios to enhance the efficiency of cross-border and inter-institutional funds. As major international banks, the collaboration between HSBC and Standard Chartered demonstrates the feasibility of tokenized deposits in practical business, helping to explore further integration of traditional finance and blockchain infrastructure.

According to btctreasuries, Canada's largest bank, the Royal Bank of Canada, recently increased its holdings in the Bitcoin treasury company Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy, $MSTR) by 46,001 shares, valued at approximately $4.45 million. After the increase, the bank holds a total of 385,002 shares of Strategy, with a total value of about $37.2 million, representing a 13.5% increase in its shareholding ratio.Strategy is known for its corporate treasury strategy of holding large amounts of Bitcoin, and its stock price performance often correlates with Bitcoin prices. As a leading financial institution in Canada by asset size, the disclosed increase in holdings has drawn market attention to traditional banks' attitudes toward allocating Bitcoin-related assets.

According to Bloomberg, Standard Bank is negotiating to acquire a stake in Nigerian fintech company OPay, with plans to complete the transaction before its IPO in the U.S. OPay, supported by SoftBank Group, Sequoia Capital, and others, is working with Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, and JPMorgan to advance its listing in New York. Reports indicate that the two parties have not yet reached a final agreement, and the transaction carries uncertainties.Founded in 2018, OPay has approximately 50 million users in markets such as Nigeria, with plans to double its transaction volume to $35.8 billion and achieve profitability by 2025. It is also operating in countries like Egypt and Pakistan.McKinsey estimates that Africa's fintech revenue could reach $47 billion by 2028, with mobile payments in sub-Saharan Africa reaching $1.4 trillion, accounting for about 66% of the global total.

According to Business Wire, Citi Investor Services has launched Custody+, a modular solution designed for near real-time and real-time custody needs, aimed at adapting to the operational demands brought about by continuous trading markets, settlement cycle compression, and technological changes.Citi stated that its U.S. market has completed the deployment of patented Single Event Processing (SEP) technology, with over 80% of the total events processed in real time.

According to Bank of America’s global fund manager survey in August, 27% of the surveyed fund managers have a higher allocation to U.S. stocks than the weight of U.S. stocks in the global benchmark index, indicating that investors expect better performance from U.S. stocks.This is the highest percentage since December 2024, an increase of 3 percentage points from July. The S&P 500 index has risen 13% this year, while the STOXX Europe 600 index has increased by 10%.

According to Nikkei News, SoftBank Group is preparing to issue corporate bonds aimed at individual investors, with an issuance scale expected to be 1 trillion yen, which will become the largest corporate bond issuance for individual investors in Japanese corporate history.This move aims to utilize sources of funds such as Japanese personal savings against the backdrop of intensified global competition in artificial intelligence investment and rising funding demands. The bond has a term of 7 years, and the interest rate and other issuance conditions are expected to be determined in early September.

Ripple officially announced that Jeonbuk Bank has become the first local bank in South Korea to deploy Ripple Payments, providing its corporate clients with near real-time, 24/7 cross-border settlement services to replace the time-consuming SWIFT transfers. This collaboration will help the bank enhance its cross-border payment efficiency and service capabilities.This is Ripple's third partnership in South Korea this year, having previously collaborated with Kyobo Life Insurance and Kbank on custody, wallet infrastructure, and payment services. Several leading financial institutions in South Korea are continuing to advance cooperation with Ripple in the fields of payments and related infrastructure.

Bank of America Q2 13F filing shows that as of June 30, its position in Strategy (MSTR) decreased from approximately 3.97 million shares at the end of the first quarter to about 1.18 million shares, representing a reduction of about 70% in terms of share count.At the same time, its BlackRock spot Ethereum ETF (ETHA) position increased from approximately 67,500 shares to about 1.98 million shares, with the number of shares increasing to nearly 29 times prior, with a reported value of approximately $23.6 million at the end of Q2.

On July 23, the European Union passed the 21st round of sanctions against Russia, expanding the trading ban to 14 cryptocurrency service platforms located in Georgia, Panama, the UAE, the Marshall Islands, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus, and adding 4 new sanctions measures targeting the A7 Russian ruble network. The new regulations will take effect on August 25, prohibiting Russian and Belarusian citizens from holding, controlling, or serving in positions within MiCA cryptocurrency asset service providers in the EU, with the scope extending to services such as consulting, portfolio management, and transferring cryptocurrency assets on behalf of clients.The new regulations also allow the EU to impose a comprehensive ban on cryptocurrency transactions against third countries that have not prevented relevant sanction evasion activities. The list of relevant countries is currently empty and only includes third countries identified by the EU Council as having continuously and systematically failed to prevent the provision of cryptocurrency asset services or the operation of related platforms.

According to Bitcoin.com, the Central Bank of Russia has released a draft regulation requiring professional market participants such as brokers, trust institutions, forex traders, and cryptocurrency exchanges to include cryptocurrency holdings when calculating their own capital, and the proportion of cryptocurrency assets must not exceed 25% of total capital. Holdings must be registered with a cryptocurrency custodian for national verification of their authenticity.The Central Bank of Russia stated that this measure aims to assess credit and market risks, ensuring the financial resilience of intermediaries in cryptocurrency transactions. This draft is a continuation of the process of legalizing cryptocurrency assets in Russia, providing investors with a reference to assess the financial status of licensed institutions. Previously, the State Duma approved comprehensive cryptocurrency regulatory legislation, allowing both qualified and unqualified investors to trade cryptocurrency assets, but the latter has an annual purchase limit of 300,000 rubles (approximately $3,800). The use of cryptocurrency as a means of payment is still prohibited domestically, while importers and exporters can use it without restrictions in cross-border settlements.

According to Bloomberg, SoftBank Group invested $200 million in Swiss construction robotics startup Gravis Robotics, completing its Series A funding.Gravis originated from ETH Zurich and primarily develops autonomous hardware and software for earthmoving construction equipment, enabling heavy machinery to operate autonomously and allowing remote supervision of robotic fleets.

NVIDIA announced it will invest $1.5 billion in SB Energy, a subsidiary of SoftBank, and ensure that the Ports-Pike Technology Park in Ohio is dedicated to supporting its artificial intelligence computing business.According to the agreement, SB Energy will operate the data center under a 20-year lease agreement signed with OpenAI, which will become a customer of the project's 8 IT gigawatt capacity; NVIDIA will also provide credit support for the project's first 4.25 IT gigawatt phase and retain the option to add an additional 3.75 IT gigawatt capacity.The Ports-Pike project is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs and establish an $80 million community fund, with OpenAI also contributing an additional $40 million to the community welfare fund. Meanwhile, market news indicates that after reaching a deal with NVIDIA, Groq's valuation in the new round of financing has reached $3.5 billion.

The Central Bank of Russia has released a regulatory draft proposing to include digital currencies in the asset scope for calculating capital adequacy ratios and other prudential regulatory indicators for professional participants in the financial market, applicable to institutions such as brokers, asset management companies, forex traders, and cryptocurrency exchanges.The draft stipulates that relevant institutions may only include cryptocurrencies approved for circulation on exchanges when calculating their own funds, with their value not exceeding 25% of the total assets included in the calculation, and they must be registered and held by a crypto custody institution. The Central Bank of Russia stated that this move aims to incorporate the risks of crypto assets into capital regulation and enhance the financial stability of financial intermediaries.

According to Decrypt, the Dutch prosecution has sold the seized crypto assets from the bankrupt cryptocurrency platform Knaken, raising approximately $2.5 million to repay creditors.The bankruptcy trustee stated that the funds invested by clients are estimated to be between $12 million and $14 million, and the proceeds from the sale are currently the main available funds in the bankruptcy estate.

To implement the decision-making deployment of the "14th Five-Year Plan" regarding the "steady development of digital renminbi" and to further enhance the inclusiveness of digital renminbi services, continuously responding to the public's demand for safe, convenient, and efficient digital renminbi services, the People's Bank of China has added Ping An Bank, Hengfeng Bank, Bohai Bank, Shanghai Bank, Hangzhou Bank, Huishang Bank, Changsha Bank, and Guangxi Beibu Gulf Bank as operational institutions for bank-related digital renminbi services, and has connected to the central bank's digital renminbi system.The newly added institutions will commence digital renminbi operations after completing business and technical preparations. Currently, the number of operational institutions for digital renminbi services has expanded to 30. In the next step, the People's Bank of China will orderly promote the expansion of operational institutions according to market-oriented and rule-of-law principles, further stimulating the enthusiasm and creativity of market entities, and building an open, inclusive, and fair competitive environment for the development of digital renminbi.