📈 Bitcoin Holds Firm Above $100K as ETF Inflows Surge:
• Bitcoin (BTC) continues to trade above $100,000, supported by institutional demand via spot ETFs.
• BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust reported record weekly inflows of $1.2B, boosting market confidence.
🇪🇺 EU Finalizes MiCA 2.0 Regulation:
• The European Union passed MiCA 2.0, tightening oversight on DeFi platforms, stablecoins, and crypto privacy tools.
• Major exchanges like Kraken and Binance are adjusting KYC and reporting standards in response.
🚀 Ethereum Layer-2 Boom: Base, zkSync, and Optimism Hit New TVL Records:
• Total Value Locked (TVL) across Ethereum Layer-2s has crossed $100B, with Coinbase’s Base leading growth.
• zkSync has launched its zkPorter upgrade, drastically reducing gas fees and improving UX.
🔒 US Treasury Sanctions Another Crypto Mixer:
• The U.S. Treasury’s OFAC added OrbitalBridge, a new privacy-focused cross-chain mixer, to its blacklist.
• The move is part of a crackdown on crypto tools allegedly aiding ransomware and sanction evasion.
🧠 AI & Crypto Merge: OpenAI’s Sora Chain Announced:
• OpenAI revealed plans for Sora Chain, a blockchain layer for provenance and authenticity in AI-generated content.
• Integrates cryptographic proof of ownership for videos and media generated by Sora AI.
🪙 DOGE Pumps 14% After Musk Mentions It at Tesla AI Day:
• Elon Musk made a casual remark linking DOGE payments to Tesla's new Optimus bots.
• The memecoin surged on X (formerly Twitter), trending #1 worldwide within minutes.
🌎 CBDC Race: Brazil Launches Digital Real Nationally:
• After years of pilots, Brazil officially launched its CBDC "Drex" for public use, tied to the real.
• Integration with public services and banks has started, modeled after China's digital yuan rollout.
