Author: James Wilson

S&P Global Ratings assigned its highest principal stability fund rating to BlackRock’s new tokenized money market fund on Aug. 3, recognizing its expected ability to maintain principal stability and limit losses caused by credit risk. Summary S&P assigned BlackRock’s BRSRV its highest AAAm principal stability fund rating after Monday’s official launch. BRSRV held $50 million and maintained a $1.00 NAV as of Tuesday, according to BlackRock. The fund holds cash, short-term Treasuries and overnight repurchase agreements secured by Treasury instruments exclusively. USDT remains rated five, or weak, under S&P’s separate stablecoin stability assessment framework as published. BRSRV targets stablecoin issuers…

Circle has announced that its Arc blockchain will launch on the public mainnet on Sept. 16, with BlackRock, DTCC, Mastercard, Visa, Standard Chartered, and other global financial institutions serving as founding validators. Summary Circle has scheduled the public mainnet launch of its Arc blockchain for Sept. 16 with BlackRock, DTCC, Visa and other financial institutions joining as founding validators. BlackRock plans to deploy its BUIDL tokenized money market fund on Arc while DTCC is preparing to integrate DTC tokenized assets with the network from the second half of 2027. Arc is operating on a private mainnet with more than 100…

The MiCA Crypto Alliance launched its MiCA CASP Tracker on Aug. 5, turning public authorisation data from the European Securities and Markets Authority into a searchable directory for crypto users, businesses and compliance teams. Summary MiCA Alliance launched a searchable tracker covering authorised crypto providers listed in ESMA’s official register. Users can filter firms by country, regulator, company name, authorisation date, and licensed services online. Ten regulated services include custody, trading platforms, exchanges, order execution, advice, portfolio management, and transfers. ESMA republishes its interim register weekly, with the latest available file dated July 31, 2026. Unauthorised providers must stop onboarding…

Nearly seven in ten Russians surveyed could not identify a practical reason to use cryptocurrency, even as the country prepares to open a regulated market for digital assets. Summary 69% of surveyed Russians saw no practical cryptocurrency use cases despite the country’s legal framework. 54% said they knew almost nothing about cryptocurrencies, while only 6% reported direct practical experience. Russia’s signed law preserves the domestic payments ban while licensing exchanges, brokers, custodians, and depositories. New rules begin September 1, with licensed intermediary requirements becoming mandatory from July 2027 onward. 38% wanted honest information without quick-profit promises, showing trust matters more…

A wallet identified by onchain analytics platform Lookonchain as being associated with Strategy transferred 1,030 Bitcoin worth about $66.14 million on Aug. 5.  Summary A suspected Strategy wallet moved 1,030 Bitcoin, but no official sale has been confirmed yet. Strategy officially sold 1,638 Bitcoin last week, raising $104.73 million for preferred dividends and repurchases. Strategy reported 842,138 Bitcoin holdings, acquired for $63.51 billion at an average $75,419 per coin. MARA transferred 6,000 Bitcoin to Two Prime, where it already maintains managed institutional investment arrangements. MARA previously allocated 2,000 Bitcoin to Two Prime’s institutional yield strategies under a managed account. The…

Western Union and stablecoin payments company Rain launched Stablecard on Aug. 4, giving customers in 37 markets a way to receive, hold and spend Western Union’s USDPT stablecoin.  Summary 37 markets now offer Western Union Stablecard access, with expansion targeting more than 60 markets. USDPT remittances can fund a Visa card for spending online, in stores, or at ATMs. Anchorage Digital Bank issues USDPT on Solana and publishes monthly independent reserve attestation reports online. Western Union’s second quarter digital transactions rose 25%, supporting its wider shift toward digital services. Solana Explorer showed 5.92 million USDPT outstanding, above the amount covered…

SpaceX has expanded its partnership with NVIDIA to power Starmind, a proposed network of orbital data centers designed to process artificial intelligence workloads in space. Summary SpaceX will use NVIDIA’s Vera Rubin platform for its planned Starmind satellite network. The company has requested FCC approval for up to one million orbital data-center satellites. NVIDIA says its Space-1 module provides up to 25 times the AI compute of an H100 GPU. SPCX gained 9.8%, while NVIDIA shares rose 2.5% following the announcement. SpaceX adds NVIDIA chips to Starmind network SpaceX plans to equip its Starmind satellites with NVIDIA’s Rubin graphics processing…

Four of the largest banks in the United States are building a shared network that will let corporate clients move tokenized deposits around the clock, seven days a week. The project, coordinated through The Clearing House, is targeting a first half 2027 launch. It is the clearest sign yet that Wall Street is no longer experimenting with blockchain. It is rebuilding the plumbing. Summary JPMorgan, Citigroup, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo are building a shared tokenized deposit network through The Clearing House, targeting the first half of 2027. BlackRock has expanded its tokenized fund suite with BSTBL and BRSRV…

US and UK financial regulators have expanded talks on stablecoins, tokenization and digital asset oversight as Washington begins implementing the GENIUS Act. Summary The 13th UK-US regulatory meeting took place in London on July 8. US officials briefed UK regulators on GENIUS Act implementation and crypto market structure. Both governments support one-to-one stablecoin backing and greater cross-border regulatory coordination. The Bank of England has replaced proposed holding limits with a £40 billion issuance cap. US, UK regulators discuss stablecoin policy Senior officials from HM Treasury and the US Treasury met in London for the 13th UK-US Financial Regulatory Working Group…

Getting listed on Binance, Coinbase, or OKX is the single most consequential event in most tokens’ histories. The price reaction can be immediate and dramatic. What almost no one explains clearly is what happens before that listing announcement, how much it costs, who pays, and why the price so often falls after the listing pump. This guide covers the complete picture. Summary A centralized exchange listing involves multiple parties beyond just the project and the exchange: market makers, legal counsel, compliance teams, and often a broker intermediary who facilitates the application process. Listing fees are the visible cost, but they…