Author | Wu Talks Blockchain
This week's news Top10
1. The Bitcoin core development team is scheduled to change OP_RETURN in October link
The Bitcoin core development team announces that it will modify the default settings of OP_RETURN in the upcoming Core 30 version to increase the data carrier limit from 80 bytes to nearly 4MB. This decision marks a significant victory for the reformists led by Antoine Poinsot in their long-standing dispute with conservatives like Luke Dashjr.
2. U.S. May unadjusted CPI annual rate is 2.4%, expected 2.50% link
U.S. May seasonally adjusted CPI monthly rate is 0.1%, expected 0.20%, previous value 0.20%. U.S. May unadjusted CPI annual rate is 2.4%, expected 2.50%, previous value 2.30%. U.S. May unadjusted core CPI annual rate is 2.8%, expected 2.90%, previous value 2.80%. U.S. May seasonally adjusted core CPI monthly rate is 0.1%, expected 0.30%, previous value 0.20%. CPI is broadly below expectations, prompting traders to increase bets on a Fed rate cut in September.
3. The U.S. Senate plans to hold a final vote on the GENIUS Act on June 17 link
The U.S. Senate plans to hold a final vote on the GENIUS Act on June 17 (Tuesday), with the specific time to be determined by the majority leader. Previously, the U.S. Senate passed a procedural motion on the amendment to the GENIUS Act with a vote of 68 to 30, paving the way for a final vote.
Previously, the U.S. Senate passed a procedural motion (cloture) on the amendment to the GENIUS Stablecoin Act with a vote of 68 to 30, paving the way for a final vote. The Senate had previously attempted to advance the bill in May but was unsuccessful, and about a week later, it again passed the procedural motion with a vote of 66 to 32. The bill requires stablecoins to be fully backed by dollars or equivalent highly liquid assets and mandates annual audits for issuers with a market cap exceeding $50 billion.
4. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins: Self-custody is a fundamental American value link
Paul Atkins, Chairman of the U.S. SEC, stated at a special cryptocurrency task force roundtable on June 9 that self-custody of private property is a "fundamental American value" that should not be lost due to the use of the internet. He supports giving market participants greater flexibility in self-custodying crypto assets, especially when intermediaries bring unnecessary transaction costs or restrict on-chain activities like staking.
5. SEC requests Solana ETF applicants to update S-1 documents, approval could come as early as July link
The U.S. SEC has requested institutions planning to issue a Solana spot ETF to submit updated S-1 documents within a week and will provide feedback within 30 days. The updates include statements regarding physical redemption and staking mechanisms, and the SEC is open to incorporating staking into the ETF structure. An informed source stated that this might lead to the approval of the Solana ETF within 3 to 5 weeks, potentially as early as July.
6. Strategy announced the repurchase of 1,045 Bitcoins link
Strategy announced the repurchase of 1,045 Bitcoins, costing approximately $110 million, with a unit price of about $105,426. As of June 8, Strategy holds a total of 582,000 Bitcoins, with a cumulative purchase cost of approximately $40.79 billion and an average purchase price of about $70,086.
7. Bloomberg: Ant Group plans to apply for stablecoin licenses in Hong Kong and Singapore link
Ant Group's international business unit plans to apply for stablecoin licenses in Singapore and Hong Kong. Informed sources say that Ant International, headquartered in Singapore, will immediately apply for a Hong Kong stablecoin issuer license after the Stablecoins Ordinance takes effect in August. In addition to Singapore, the company also plans to seek a license in Luxembourg. Sources indicate that this move aims to strengthen the company's blockchain business to support its cross-border payment and fund management services. They stated that Ant Financial handled over $1 trillion in global transactions last year, one-third of which were processed by its blockchain-based Whale platform.
In response to reports that Ant International is planning to apply for stablecoin licenses in Hong Kong and Singapore, Ant International stated that it is accelerating investments and expanding collaborations in global treasury management, putting our innovations in AI, blockchain, and stablecoins into real and reliable large-scale applications. "We welcome the Hong Kong Legislative Council's passage of the Stablecoin Ordinance, which will take effect on August 1, and we hope to submit our application as soon as the relevant channels are opened, contributing more to the construction of Hong Kong as a future international financial center," said Ant International.
8. Walmart and Amazon are assessing the feasibility of issuing their own stablecoins in the U.S. link
According to the Wall Street Journal, Walmart and Amazon are assessing the feasibility of issuing their own stablecoins in the U.S. or adopting third-party stablecoins, aiming to reduce payment fees and improve settlement efficiency. This plan is expected to advance after the Genius Act stablecoin bill clarifies the regulatory framework. Sources say both companies are also considering joining a merchant-led stablecoin alliance.
9. The asset management scale of crypto funds reached $167 billion in May, a historic high link
The assets held by crypto funds reached an all-time high in May. Data from Morningstar on 294 crypto funds shows that these funds attracted a net inflow of $7.05 billion last month, the highest level since December of last year, bringing total managed assets to a record $167 billion. In contrast, Lipper data shows a net outflow of $5.9 billion from global equity funds in May, while gold funds experienced their first net outflow in 15 months, amounting to $678 million.
10. Ethereum developers and foundation directors had a dispute, with the EF being accused of offering $5 million to detach the Geth development team link
Ethereum developers Péter Szilágyi and Tomasz Stańczak, co-executive director of the Ethereum Foundation, had a dispute. Szilágyi claimed that the foundation had previously offered $5 million for the Geth (Go Ethereum's main client software) team to operate independently from the foundation, but the team refused. Additionally, the foundation had also offered $5 million in funding to Parity to promote client diversity and reduce reliance on Geth. Previously, co-executive director Tomasz Stańczak had stated that there are currently no plans to remove Geth and that support for its development will continue.
Key financing events
SBI Holdings and its subsidiaries invest $50 million in Circle link
Layer2 protocol RISE Chain announces $4 million investment from Galaxy Ventures link
Web3 investment firm JDI announces full acquisition of blockchain project Moonchain link
Pompliano intends to serve as CEO of ProCapBTC, planning to raise $750 million through SPAC to acquire Bitcoin link
DeFi Development Corp. secures $5 billion in equity financing to increase its holdings of SOL link
Trident Digital plans to raise $500 million to establish XRP reserves link
Wallet infrastructure company Turnkey completes $30 million Series B financing link
Stablecoin startup Noah completes $22 million financing link
Web3 security company Hypernative completes $40 million Series B financing link
Consumer loyalty platform Try Your Best completes $11 million Series A financing link
OneBalance announces completion of $20 million Series A financing link
The Blockchain Group completes €9.7 million financing, plans to increase holdings of about 80 Bitcoins link
OpenTrade completes $7 million strategic financing, led by Notion Capital and Mercury Fund link
Silhouette announces completion of $3 million Pre-Seed round financing led by RockawayX link
Orange Cap Games completes $3.5 million seed round financing, led by 1kx and Yuga Labs link
For more industry financing events, visit crypto-fundraising.info.
