Today's news highlights:
The U.S. Treasury is soliciting innovative regulatory ideas for stablecoins under the GENIUS Act.
Korean regulators have requested cryptocurrency exchanges to suspend lending services.
The SEC has once again delayed the approval of Truth Social and several cryptocurrency ETFs.
Upbit has launched API3 trading pairs in Korean won and USDT.
Chamath Palihapitiya returns to the SPAC market, planning to raise $250 million.
The cryptocurrency exchange LBank is suspected to have initiated plans for a U.S. listing.
BlackRock holds 3.49 million ETH, accounting for 58.03% of all Ethereum ETFs.
Yesterday, Ethereum spot ETF saw a net outflow of $197 million; Bitcoin spot ETF saw a net outflow of $122 million.
Regulation & Macro
The U.S. Treasury is soliciting innovative regulatory ideas for stablecoins under the GENIUS Act.
The U.S. Treasury, under the GENIUS Act, is publicly soliciting innovative methods for financial institutions to detect illegal activities involving digital assets, including API, artificial intelligence, digital identity verification, and blockchain monitoring. The public is required to submit opinions by October 17 (within 60 days), which will be used to evaluate the effectiveness, costs, privacy, and cybersecurity of the tools.
Ukraine proposed to purchase $100 billion in U.S. weapons in exchange for security guarantees.
The Trump administration stated it would discuss acquiring a 10% stake in Intel.
Korean regulators have requested cryptocurrency exchanges to suspend lending services.
The Korean Financial Services Commission (FSC) has notified local digital asset exchanges to suspend cryptocurrency lending services until relevant regulatory guidelines are issued. The FSC pointed out that the related services are in a legal gray area, posing risks of user losses. Previously, exchanges such as Upbit and Bithumb had launched cryptocurrency lending services, and some users were forcibly liquidated due to price fluctuations. The FSC will allow repayments and extensions for existing contracts and plans to conduct on-site inspections of exchanges that do not comply with the guidelines.
Illinois has signed two cryptocurrency regulatory bills to strengthen consumer protection.
The Governor of Illinois has signed the Digital Assets and Consumer Protection Act and the Digital Asset Self-Service Terminal Act, requiring cryptocurrency exchanges to accept state regulation, implement anti-fraud and cybersecurity measures, and set up registration, fraud refund, 18% fee cap, and a daily limit of $2,500 for new users for ATM operators. The governor criticized the Trump administration for relaxing federal cryptocurrency regulations. In 2024, Illinois suffered $272 million in cryptocurrency fraud losses.
The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency encourages community banks to collaborate with stablecoin companies to drive innovation.
The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) stated that community banks can collaborate with companies developing stablecoins to promote innovation and launch new products. The OCC will review and update its regulations and supervisory policies as needed to support innovation in the banking sector and the development of community banks. OCC Director Jonathan V. Gould stated that stablecoins help community banks better meet payment needs.
Project Updates
The SEC has once again delayed the approval of Truth Social and several cryptocurrency ETFs.
The SEC has postponed its decision on the Truth Social Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs until October 8 and has also delayed the approval of CoinShares Litecoin ETF, CoinShares XRP ETF, and 21Shares Core XRP ETF this Monday. Related proposals for XRP trusts and 21Shares Core Ethereum ETF staking have also been postponed. The SEC stated it needs more time to review the related rule changes and issues involved.
Volkswagen Singapore has partnered with FOMO Pay to support digital currency payments, allowing payments for vehicles and services using BTC, ETH, and stablecoins.
Volkswagen Singapore (VGS) announced on August 14 that it has partnered with payment institution FOMO Pay to launch digital currency payment services. Consumers can now use BTC, ETH, and stablecoins (USDT, USDC, etc.) to pay for vehicles and service fees. The daily payment limit for each customer is set at 4,500 Singapore dollars, with a cumulative limit of 13,500 Singapore dollars.
Public company BNC announced that its BNB holdings increased from 200,000 to 325,000.
Binance Wallet has launched the Mitosis token Booster event and TGE pre-sale.
Binance has announced the launch of two exclusive events regarding Mitosis (MITO) in the Binance Wallet: the Booster event and the Token Generation Event (TGE). The Booster event will take place from August 19, 2025, 08:00 to August 26, 07:59 (Beijing time), where users can complete multi-phase tasks to share airdrop rewards amounting to 1.5% of the total MITO token supply, totaling $1 million. Rewards will be distributed on the day of the TGE, and if the total token value is insufficient, it will be supplemented the next day. The TGE event allows eligible users to prioritize the subscription of MITO tokens.
ETHZilla's stock code has been changed from 'ATNF' to 'ETHZ', having accumulated 94,675 ETH.
Swedish cryptocurrency company Safello will launch a physically-backed TAO ETP.
Swedish cryptocurrency company Safello has announced plans to launch the first physically-backed TAO exchange-traded product (ETP) in the European market, which is intended to be listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange SIX, the Paris and Amsterdam Euronext, and the Deutsche Börse Xetra.
XT Exchange: undergoing system upgrades, user funds are secure.
Cryptocurrency exchange XT Exchange announced that it is undergoing a system upgrade aimed at improving service and trading experience. The official statement indicates that the team is accelerating the restoration of all services, ensuring user funds are secure. Previously, some users reported that BTC loan orders were forcibly liquidated due to system issues, requesting the platform to compensate or restore orders. The website displayed significant anomalies in token prices.
According to the official announcement, XT will undergo system upgrade maintenance starting at 11:00 on August 19. During this period, functions such as spot trading, account withdrawals, financial product subscriptions, and inter-account transfers will be suspended, and users may encounter trading delays, order failures, and abnormal asset displays. The recovery time will be announced separately.
Upbit has launched API3 trading pairs in Korean won and USDT.
According to Upbit's announcement, API3 has been added to the KRW and USDT markets, supporting the Ethereum network.
The cryptocurrency exchange LBank is suspected to have initiated plans for a U.S. listing.
According to crypto KOL @FORAB, a second or third-tier exchange (depicted as LBank) has initiated plans for a U.S. listing, distributing 250 shares of original stock to invited employees and requiring them to register their passport and identity information. However, due to regulatory reasons, employees with mainland Chinese passports cannot participate in the original stock incentives. This restriction is consistent with another cryptocurrency company planning to list in the U.S., but it has not disclosed information about that company.
Hong Kong has established a Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Professional Committee, with participants including SlowMist and Round Coin.
The non-profit organization Hong Kong Digital Assets Anti-Money Laundering Professional Committee (DAAMC) announced its establishment with the support of the Hong Kong Virtual Asset Industry Association, with participants including SlowMist and Round Coin. This organization is committed to formulating and promoting anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) standards and practices by facilitating collaboration among regulated financial institutions. DAAMC will respond to the guidelines issued by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing for licensed stablecoin issuers and will explore research on global compliance standards related to on-chain identity verification.
The bitcoin.org domain celebrates its 17th anniversary.
According to WHOIS records, the bitcoin.org domain was officially registered by the anonymous registration service Anonymousspeech on August 18, 2008, at 21:19:55 (Beijing time). This domain was one of the earliest important online portals established by Satoshi Nakamoto for the Bitcoin project and has now reached its 17th anniversary.
Financing news
The AI compliance platform IVIX, which combats crypto financial crimes, has completed a $60 million Series B financing, led by OGVP.
The AI compliance platform IVIX announced the completion of a $60 million Series B financing, led by OG Venture Partners (OGVP), with participation from Insight Partners, Citi Ventures, Team8, Disruptive AI, Cardumen Capital, and Cerca. The new funds are intended to accelerate its R&D capabilities to combat financial crimes in complex cryptocurrency networks, blockchain anonymous transactions, and high-frequency trading, with its AI graphical analysis revealing hidden connections behind financial crimes.
Chamath Palihapitiya returns to the SPAC market, planning to raise $250 million.
Former Facebook executive (billionaire) Chamath Palihapitiya has launched a SPAC after nearly three years, with his American Exceptionalism Acquisition Corp. A submitting a $250 million IPO application, planning to list on the NYSE, focusing on energy, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and defense sectors. The new SPAC does not have warrants, and founder shares vest only when the stock price rises 50% above the offering price. AEXA Sponsor LLC will subscribe to 175,000 Class A shares for $1.75 million. Palihapitiya warned retail investors about risks, stating that only SoFi Technologies Inc. has a trading price above the offering price, while the rest of the SPACs average a loss of 75%. This issuance is co-led by Banco Santander SA, with the stock ticker AEXA.
KindlyMD has completed a $200 million convertible bond financing to increase Bitcoin holdings.
KindlyMD announced the completion of a $200 million convertible bond financing, which will be used to purchase Bitcoin and for general operations. The company previously merged with Nakamoto Holdings and continues to operate under the KindlyMD name, having raised $540 million through a PIPE. KindlyMD stocks are traded on NASDAQ under the ticker NAKA.
Important Data
The number of ETH in the Ethereum PoS network's exit queue has increased to over 900,000 coins, with a waiting time of about 15 days and 18 hours.
According to validatorqueue website data, the number of ETH in the Ethereum PoS network's exit queue has increased to 907,229 coins, with an estimated waiting time of about 15 days and 18 hours. Meanwhile, the ETH waiting to enter the network is 265,593 coins, with an expected activation delay of about 4 days and 15 hours.
In the past 5 days, among the top 25 liquid stocks in the U.S. stock market, 5 are related to the cryptocurrency field, including Strategy and BitMine.
Public companies globally added a net $280 million in Bitcoin last week, bringing the total holdings to 714,010 coins.
BitMine's cryptocurrency holdings exceed $6.612 billion, including 1.52 million ETH and 192 BTC.
BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) announced that its cryptocurrency reserves have exceeded $6.612 billion, including 1,523,373 Ethereum (ETH) and 192 Bitcoin (BTC), with ETH reserves increasing by $1.7 billion this week, adding 373,000 coins. BitMine is now the world's largest Ethereum reserve holder and the second-largest cryptocurrency reserve holder, second only to Strategy Inc (MSTR).
The company's goal is to hold 5% of the total ETH supply, supported by top institutional investors including ARK, Founders Fund, and Pantera. Additionally, BMNR stocks have an average daily trading volume of $6.4 billion, making it the 10th largest liquid stock in the U.S.
BlackRock holds 3.49 million ETH, accounting for 58.03% of all Ethereum ETFs.
According to CryptoQuant data, BlackRock currently holds 3.49 million ETH, with its Ethereum ETF (ETHA) accounting for 58.03% of all Ethereum ETFs, becoming a market leader.
Yesterday, the Ethereum spot ETF saw a total net outflow of $197 million, the second-highest in history.
Yesterday, the Bitcoin spot ETF saw a total net outflow of $122 million, with only the Bitwise ETF BITB achieving net inflow.
