Today's News Reminder:
Standard Chartered Bank launches Bitcoin and Ethereum spot trading services for institutional clients
JPMorgan CEO may 'fully invest in cryptocurrency'
Standard Chartered Bank launches Bitcoin and Ethereum spot trading services for institutional clients
Community Report: Backpack will open a debt claim channel for FTX users in China and Russia
Binance Wallet will conduct Hyperion (RION) Bonding Curve version TGE on July 16
Binance Alpha will launch Caldera (ERA) on July 17
Movement: $MOVE repurchase has been fully completed, the foundation repurchased approximately 180 million $MOVE tokens
Bit Digital plans to raise $67.3 million through a targeted issuance to purchase Ethereum
Regulation/Macro
Community Report: Backpack will open a debt claim channel for FTX users in China and Russia
According to AB Kuai.Dong reports, multiple sources indicate that Backpack plans to launch a bond market feature to accommodate the previously unrecognized debts of FTX users in China and Russia. Users will need to synchronize their FTX account information to the Backpack platform to initiate claims, and this feature is expected to launch soon. Another X user, 'Neighboring Mountain', pointed out that the credibility of this news is relatively high, as Backpack's official has not denied it, and the founder Armani Ferrante has liked related tweets. Previously, it was reported that the $380 million FTX debts of Chinese users are unlikely to be repaid, accounting for 82% of the total debts of $470 million from restricted regions.
The previously reported $100 million investment in WLFI governance tokens by Aqua 1 has been revealed to be associated with Web3port
According to Beincrypto, the funding sources of the decentralized finance project World Liberty Financial (WLFI), supported by Trump, have come under scrutiny. Previously, a mysterious donor named 'Aqua 1' announced a $100 million investment in the project, claiming it came from the UAE. However, the latest investigation revealed that 'Aqua 1' is actually a shell company related to the controversial firm Web3port. It is reported that Web3port is a market maker that has been banned from several decentralized exchanges in 2023 for suspected market manipulation. Its founder, 'Dave Lee', only appears online with an anime avatar, and their true identity remains a mystery. Furthermore, 'Aqua 1' was not registered in the UAE and has not disclosed the information of its responsible persons. Although this funding was promoted for 'digital freedom infrastructure', it was actually transferred through opaque wallets and offshore accounts, directly linked to Web3port. Previously, it was reported that Aqua 1 announced a strategic investment of $100 million in WLFI governance tokens.
Standard Chartered Bank launches Bitcoin and Ethereum spot trading services for institutional clients
According to Reuters, Standard Chartered Bank has launched Bitcoin and Ethereum spot trading services for institutional clients through its UK branch to meet the growing demand for crypto assets. This UK-based bank has become the first global systemically important bank to provide secure, compliant, and scalable Bitcoin and Ethereum spot trading services. Standard Chartered stated that institutional clients, including corporations, investors, and asset managers, can now trade digital assets through a familiar forex trading interface and will offer non-deliverable forward trading services in the future. Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters emphasized that as customer demand accelerates further, Standard Chartered aims to provide clients with secure, efficient, and compliant digital asset trading and risk management pathways.
Xinhua News Agency: China's economy grew by 5.3% year-on-year in the first half of the year.
According to Xinhua News Agency, China's economy grew by 5.3% year-on-year in the first half of the year. Preliminary calculations show that the GDP in the first half of the year reached 66.0536 trillion yuan, with a year-on-year increase of 5.3% at constant prices. By industry, the added value of the primary industry was 3.1172 trillion yuan, an increase of 3.7%; the added value of the secondary industry was 23.9050 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.3%; and the added value of the tertiary industry was 39.0314 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.5%. In terms of quarters, the GDP grew by 5.4% year-on-year in the first quarter and by 5.2% in the second quarter. In terms of quarter-on-quarter, GDP grew by 1.1% in the second quarter.
The U.S. House of Representatives will hold key votes on cryptocurrency market structure and stablecoin legislation this week
According to CoinDesk, the U.S. House of Representatives will welcome "Crypto Week" this week, with a vote on the Clarity Act on Wednesday and on the GENIUS Act on Thursday morning. If the GENIUS Act passes, it will become the first major cryptocurrency-related law in the U.S. Additionally, the House plans to review a bill prohibiting the U.S. central bank from issuing digital currency (CBDC).
Gemini adds tokenized stocks of well-known companies such as Nike, McDonald's, and Starbucks for EU investors
According to Crowdfund Insider, digital asset platform Gemini announced that it has added a batch of tokenized stocks of well-known U.S. companies for EU investors, including Nike, McDonald's, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and Yum! Brands. These tokenized stocks are issued through the Arbitrum blockchain and are pegged 1:1 to the real stocks, allowing investors to conduct fractional trading and buy or sell at any time without needing a U.S. brokerage account.
Opinion
CICC: Internet layout in stablecoins has advantages
CICC research report states that we judge that the spread of stablecoins will have limited impact on existing businesses such as WeChat Pay; the domestic third-party payment essentially relies on a 'quasi-stablecoin' mechanism anchored to the RMB, which depends on legal reserves to ensure the stability of currency value, and the domestic fee rate is as low as a few thousandths, far better than the several percent of overseas platforms. Therefore, we believe that under the current efficient and low-cost mature third-party payment system, the necessity for independent blockchain stablecoins to spread domestically is not high, thus having limited impact on existing businesses. On the other hand, internet companies related to cross-border payments are more actively laying out in the stablecoin field. We believe that internet companies have advantages in the layout of stablecoins: 1) User scenarios: Companies like Amazon have hundreds of millions of users and mature payment scenarios (such as cross-border e-commerce), which can quickly promote the application of stablecoins; 2) Technical capabilities: Internet companies have the capability for technological research and development; 3) Ecological synergy: The B-end (supply chain) + C-end (retail payment) closed loop can enhance the network effect of stablecoins.
JPMorgan CEO may 'fully invest in cryptocurrency'
According to Watcher.Guru, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon previously called cryptocurrencies a scam and a Ponzi scheme, but according to Jim Cramer, Dimon may now 'fully invest in cryptocurrency'.
Trump: The Federal Reserve should lower the interest rate to below 1%
U.S. President Trump: The Federal Reserve should lower the interest rate to below 1%. Additionally, Trump will announce a $70 billion artificial intelligence and energy investment plan in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, which is the latest move by the White House to accelerate the development of emerging technologies. According to a government official, Trump will unveil the details of these new plans at an event outside Pittsburgh. Investments from multiple companies will cover the construction of new data centers, expansion of power generation capacity, upgrading of grid infrastructure, and the launch of artificial intelligence training programs and apprenticeship programs. This event will be hosted by Republican Senator McCormick, with leaders from the AI and energy industries, including up to 60 corporate executives, expected to attend. A spokesperson for McCormick stated that Blackstone Group President Gray will announce a $25 billion plan for data center and energy infrastructure construction at the event, which is expected to create about 6,000 construction jobs and 3,000 long-term jobs each year. Blackstone Group has not commented on this matter.
Project Updates
Binance Alpha Points first phase over 224 can claim 1,875 TAC tokens
Eligible users can claim 1,875 TAC tokens using Binance Alpha Points. The airdrop is distributed in two phases: the first phase is for the first 18 hours, where users holding at least 224 Alpha Points can claim; the second phase is for the next 6 hours, where users holding at least 140 Alpha Points can participate. Previously, it was reported that Binance Alpha and Binance Contracts will launch TAC (TAC).
Binance Wallet will conduct Hyperion (RION) Bonding Curve version TGE on July 16
Binance Wallet announces the exclusive launch of Bonding Curve version token generation events (TGE), with the first project being Hyperion (RION). It is reported that the subscription activity will take place from 4 PM to 6 PM Beijing time on July 16, 2025, and eligible users need to participate in the subscription using Binance Alpha Points.
Binance Futures will launch CUSDT and VELVETUSDT perpetual contracts
According to Binance's announcement, Binance Futures will launch USDⓈ-M CUSDT and VELVETUSDT perpetual contracts on July 15, 2025, with up to 50 times leverage. The CUSDT contract will go live at 09:00 (UTC), and the VELVETUSDT contract will go live at 09:15 (UTC), both supporting 24-hour trading and multi-asset modes, with USDT as the settlement asset and a funding rate cap of ±2%, settling every four hours.
PeckShield: ArcadiaFi suffered an attack with losses of approximately $2.5 million
According to PeckShieldAlert, Arcadia Finance platform suffered a hacker attack, resulting in losses of approximately $2.5 million in crypto assets. The attacker has exchanged the stolen funds for about 840 ETH and transferred them from the Base to the Ethereum network via a cross-chain bridge.
Binance Alpha will launch Caldera (ERA) on July 17
Binance Alpha will be the first platform to launch Caldera (ERA) on July 17. Eligible users can claim airdrops using Alpha Points after trading begins via the Alpha Events page.
Movement: $MOVE repurchase has been fully completed, the foundation repurchased approximately 180 million $MOVE tokens
According to a Movement Network foundation announcement, the $MOVE repurchase has been fully completed, with the foundation repurchasing about 180 million $MOVE tokens at an average price of approximately $0.21.
Important Data
Ethereum spot ETF had a net inflow of $259 million yesterday, marking seven consecutive days of net inflow
According to SoSoValue data, on July 14, the total net inflow of Ethereum spot ETFs was $259 million, marking the seventh consecutive day of net inflow. Among them, BlackRock ETF ETHA had a net inflow of $151 million, with a total historical inflow of $6.443 billion; Grayscale ETH ETF had a net inflow of $43.7863 million, with a historical total inflow of $868 million. Currently, the total net asset value of ETH spot ETFs is $13.767 billion, accounting for 3.8% of the total market value of ETH.
A certain whale transferred 5,360 BTC to Galaxy within half an hour, with a total transfer amount reaching $4.16 billion BTC
According to ai_9684xtpa monitoring, within the past half hour, a certain whale transferred 5,360 bitcoins to Galaxy in batches. Currently, this whale's total transfer amount has reached 35,370 BTC, valued at approximately $4.16 billion, accounting for 44.2% of its total holdings.
Bitcoin spot ETF had a net inflow of $297 million yesterday, marking eight consecutive days of net inflow
According to SoSoValue data, on July 14, Eastern Time, the total net inflow of Bitcoin spot ETFs was $297 million, marking the eighth consecutive day of net inflow. BlackRock ETF IBIT had a net inflow of $395 million, with a total historical inflow of $54.799 billion; Grayscale BTC ETF had a net inflow of $12.747 million; ARKB had a net outflow of $99.5699 million. Currently, the total net asset value of Bitcoin spot ETFs is $153.295 billion, accounting for 6.41% of the total market value of BTC.
Two multi-signature wallets that may belong to the same entity spent over $100 million to purchase 33,366 ETH
According to Onchain Lens, two multi-signature wallets (possibly belonging to the same entity) collectively spent $100.54 million to purchase 33,366 ETH at an average price of $3,013 each. Among them, the '0x08d' address spent $57.5 million to purchase 19,088.6 ETH, while the '0x5f3' address spent $43.05 million to purchase 14,277.6 ETH.
Institutional Increase
SharpLink Gaming buys another 24,000 ETH, bringing total holdings close to 300,000
According to Yu Jin reports, SharpLink Gaming continued to purchase 24,371 ETH through Coinbase Prime five hours ago, valued at approximately $73.21 million. Since early June, when it started accumulating ETH in a micro-strategy mode, the company has purchased about 294,000 ETH, with an average purchase price of approximately $2,695, currently with a floating profit of $91.83 million.
Bit Digital plans to raise $67.3 million through a targeted issuance to purchase Ethereum
According to The Block, Nasdaq-listed Bit Digital announced plans to raise about $67.3 million by issuing 22 million shares of common stock to institutional investors. The funds will be used to purchase Ethereum. The company has previously converted all its Bitcoin reserves into Ethereum, holding approximately 100,603 ETH valued at about $301 million as of July 7. Additionally, Bit Digital disclosed that its preliminary expected revenue for the second quarter will be between $24.3 million and $26.9 million.
Bitcoin skeptic Vanguard Group becomes a major shareholder of Strategy, holding over 20 million shares
According to The Block, despite the Vanguard Group previously publicly criticizing Bitcoin as an 'immature asset' unsuitable for long-term investors, this asset management giant, which manages $10 trillion, has become a major shareholder of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) through its fund, holding 20 million shares, accounting for 8% of the outstanding shares. Vanguard is likely to surpass Capital Group in the fourth quarter to become the largest shareholder of Strategy. Founded by Michael Saylor, Strategy is a major holder of Bitcoin, having recently purchased 4,225 Bitcoin, bringing its total holdings to 601,550.
Public company Sequans spent $79 million to increase its holdings by 683 Bitcoin, bringing its total holdings to 1,053
According to the official announcement, French IoT semiconductor company Sequans Communications (NYSE: SONS) announced that it has purchased an additional 683 Bitcoin for approximately $79 million, with an average purchase price of about $116,213 per Bitcoin, including various fees. As of July 14, 2025, the company holds 1,053 Bitcoin, with a total purchase price of about $120 million.
Public company Click Holdings plans to build a Bitcoin and Solana asset reserve of up to $100 million
According to official news, human resources and elder care solutions provider Click Holdings (NASDAQ: CLIK) plans to build a Bitcoin and Solana asset reserve with a maximum scale of $100 million, integrating cryptocurrency payment methods into employee salary distribution and customer transaction processes to promote the modernization of its elder care business. It is currently unclear how the company will raise the $100 million, as of December 31, 2024, its current market value is $13 million, and cash reserves are $544,000.
Public company Matador Technologies applies to raise 900 million Canadian dollars within 25 months, with purposes including accumulating Bitcoin reserves
According to the official announcement, Canadian public company Matador Technologies Inc. has submitted a preliminary simplified prospectus to provincial securities regulators in Canada, excluding Quebec. If approved, the final simplified prospectus will allow Matador to issue up to 900 million Canadian dollars of common shares, debt securities, warrants, subscription rights, securities, or any combination thereof within 25 months. The company's management believes that the simplified prospectus will allow the company to efficiently raise funds to seek future growth opportunities, conduct strategic acquisitions, and accumulate Bitcoin asset reserves.
Strategy spent about $472.5 million last week to increase its holdings by 4,225 Bitcoin
According to official news, Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) spent approximately $472.5 million to purchase 4,225 Bitcoin at a price of $111,827 each between July 7 and July 13; as of the beginning of 2025, its Bitcoin investment return has reached 20.2%. As of July 13, 2025, the company holds 601,550 Bitcoin, which were purchased at an average price of about $71,268, with a total cost of approximately $42.87 billion.
Public company BitMine disclosed that its ETH holdings are approximately 163,100, worth over $500 million
According to a press release, NYSE-listed BitMine Immersion announced that as of July 14 Eastern Time, the company's ETH holdings reached 163,142, valued at over $500 million based on a price of $3,072.67.
