Sandbox founder steps down and lays off 50%, shifting focus from metaverse business to Web3 applications and Launchpad plans.
According to The Big Whale, The Sandbox founders Arthur Madrid and Sébastien Borget have exited daily operations, with Animoca Brands CEO Robby Yung taking over as CEO. Borget will serve as a global ambassador, while Madrid becomes a non-executive chairman. Meanwhile, the company laid off over 50% of its team across Argentina, Uruguay, South Korea, Thailand, and Turkey, and plans to close the Lyon office in France, with further layoffs in Paris. This restructuring is seen as a strategic adjustment driven by technological advancements. Additionally, The Sandbox is gradually downscaling its metaverse business, shifting towards broader Web3 applications, including a memecoin launch platform based on Base.
EDA Group, a publicly listed company in Hong Kong, announced that it will launch a stablecoin payment solution.
According to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange announcement, EDA Group, a publicly listed company in Hong Kong, announced a partnership with UTCPAY regarding digital asset trading, Web3 technology, and blockchain applications, and will launch technical services including stablecoin payments to optimize payment solutions and promote the widespread use of stablecoins in cross-border e-commerce logistics payment scenarios.
Nakiki SE, a publicly listed company in Germany, is evaluating a capital increase of 'tens of millions of euros' to acquire Bitcoin.
According to Businesswire, German publicly listed company Nakiki SE announced that its management board is evaluating the interest of professional investors and expects to raise 'tens of millions of euros' through a securities issuance, with proceeds to be used for strategic investments in purchasing Bitcoin. Nakiki SE previously announced plans to fully adopt a Bitcoin treasury strategy, aiming to become the first publicly listed company in Germany to implement a plan for pure Bitcoin reserve asset business.
Infini founder allegedly sold 2,477 ETH, possibly liquidating holdings.
According to Ai Yi monitoring, Christian, founder of stablecoin digital bank Infini, allegedly sold 2,477 ETH about 10 hours ago, with a total value of approximately $11.66 million, nearly selling at last night's peak. Among them, 1,257 were sold via Cowswap at an average price of $4,777.6, and another 1,220 were deposited to the Binance platform. If confirmed, this address may have liquidated its ETH holdings. Previously, it was reported that Infini stated that if the attacker returns $49.5 million, no legal action will be taken.
Decentralized protocol Swarm Network completed $13 million in financing.
According to FinanceFeeds, decentralized protocol Swarm Network announced the completion of $13 million in financing, which will accelerate the development of its decentralized AI verification protocol. Part of this funding comes from a $10 million public sale of agent licenses on the Sui network, with another $3 million in strategic capital from investors such as Sui, Ghaf Capital, Brinc, Y2Z, and Zerostage. Swarm Network is a decentralized protocol that can convert raw off-chain data into verifiable on-chain information in real time. By integrating AI agents, human intelligence, and zero-knowledge proofs, it rewards integrity and promotes transparency.
MANTRA announced the launch of its first round of OM token buybacks, with a scale of up to $25 million.
Layer 1 blockchain MANTRA, focused on RWA assets, announced on platform X the launch of its first round of OM token buyback program, with a scale of up to $25 million, supported by major investors and stakeholders. Combined with Inveniam's recent $20 million investment, the total committed funds have reached $45 million. The buyback program will be executed by MANTRA AG, transparently buying back OM tokens at prices close to market value across several centralized trading platforms over several months. The repurchased OM tokens will be extracted from trading platforms as ERC20 tokens, and then migrated to the MANTRA mainnet and staked to validator nodes. Based on current prices, the buyback program is expected to involve approximately 1.1.
Aave Labs launched the new platform Horizon, allowing institutions to borrow tokenized assets as stablecoins.
According to CoinDesk, Aave Labs launched the new platform Horizon, which aims to allow institutional borrowers to use tokenized versions of real-world assets (RWAs) such as U.S. Treasury bonds as collateral to obtain stablecoins. At launch, institutions will be able to borrow Circle's USDC, Ripple's RLUSD, and Aave's GHO in exchange for a range of tokenized assets, including short-term U.S. Treasury bonds from Superstate and crypto holding funds, Circle's yield funds, and Centrifuge's tokenized Janus Henderson products. The platform aims to provide short-term financing for qualified investors holding RWAs and enable them to deploy revenue.
Unified Ventures completed a $30 million fundraising focused on RWA and stablecoins, with Spinach as a founding partner of the fund.
Web3caff researcher Spinach (@bocaibocai_) announced his new identity as a founding partner of Unified Ventures and disclosed that Unified Ventures has just completed a $30 million fundraising, which is a fund specifically focused on RWA and stablecoin-related tracks. Spinach also stated that he is making his first public appearance today as an investor in the new project FinChain by Fosun Group; although the fund has just been established, it has already invested in several projects.
Linea will conduct TGE in September and launch native ETH yield features in October.
According to Linea's official documents, Linea will launch its Token Generation Event (TGE) in September 2025, with an initial valuation of around $2 billion, and plans to support the growth of the total value locked (TVL) in its ecosystem through a series of liquidity incentives, targeting over $1.8 billion. In addition, Linea will launch a 10-week 'Linea Ignition' incentive program and will introduce native ETH yield features in October. Linea is currently the top-ranked zkRollup solution by TVL, having completed 283 million transactions and possessing 7 million wallet addresses. Its design is highly compatible with Ethereum, including ETH staking vaults, ultra-low fees, and a 20% fee burn mechanism. Its token economic model is community-centered, with 85% of the token supply allocated to the ecosystem and developers.
Azuki founder: A major new project will be launched later this year.
According to official news from Opensea, Azuki founder Zagabond shared the original intention of the Azuki project and its future development direction in an interview. Zagabond stated that Azuki aims to bring tokenization into mainstream culture through storytelling and character IP, while promoting user-generated content centered around the 'the Garden' community. Additionally, Zagabond introduced the vision of Animecoin, which aims to reward long-term supporters of anime culture and independent creators, building an open anime universe. He revealed that Azuki is preparing the Anime.com platform to enhance interaction among anime enthusiasts. Azuki recently launched a starter deck for a trading card game, receiving positive market feedback, and the team plans to further expand this series. Furthermore, Azuki is preparing a major new project expected to be released later this year. Regarding the future of the NFT industry, Zagabond believes its evolution will focus on practicality rather than price fluctuations, emphasizing the potential of NFTs as tools for creative expression and construction. Previously, it was reported that Azuki collaborated with OpenSea to release the Mizuki short film as an ERC-1155 collectible.
Swiss crypto bank Sygnum and lending platform Ledn completed the refinancing of a $50 million Bitcoin collateral loan.
Crypto asset lending platform Ledn and Swiss crypto bank Sygnum have completed refinancing of a $50 million Bitcoin collateral loan, which was oversubscribed by two times, with part of the loan tokenized through its Desygnate platform.
Avalanche Foundation announced the second batch of funding for Retro9000: eight projects including Artery Chain received over $250,000 in funding.
According to the Avalanche Foundation, the second batch of funding for the Retro9000 program has been announced, with a total of eight projects receiving over $250,000 in funding. These projects have all launched on the Avalanche mainnet and are driving ecosystem development, covering multiple tracks, including Layer 1 blockchain and infrastructure tool development. The specific list is as follows: Artery Chain: focusing on the AI-native Web3 gaming ecosystem, launching gas-free transactions and a unified token economy. CodeNekt: building a blockchain for vehicle identity and lifecycle management, with deployed vehicle NFT smart contracts. Tixbase: developing a blockchain-based ticketing solution. zeroone: focusing on innovative Avalanche Layer 1 blockchain development. NUMINE: providing infrastructure tools related to mining pools. Letsbuyhealthcare: exploring blockchain applications in healthcare. Bango: building developer tools for the Avalanche ecosystem. Quboid: developing infrastructure tools supporting the Avalanche ecosystem. The foundation stated that funding distribution requires completion of KYB and KYC processes and has contacted various projects to coordinate next steps. Additionally, the Retro9000 program will continue to support projects with significant progress, with the next snapshot scheduled for October 14, 2025.
NVIDIA's revenue exceeded expectations but outlook is dull, approved $60 billion buyback.
According to Jin10 data, NVIDIA's revenue for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 reached $46.7 billion, exceeding the market expectation of $46 billion, and announced an additional approval for a $60 billion stock buyback. However, its revenue outlook for the third fiscal quarter is $54 billion (fluctuating by 2%), slightly higher than the market expectation of $53.46 billion, raising concerns about the slowdown in spending growth in the artificial intelligence sector. NVIDIA's data center business has become the core growth engine, with second-quarter revenue growing 56% year-on-year to $41.1 billion. Cloud service providers are procuring its latest generation Blackwell chips, with sales up 17% compared to the first quarter. Despite the bright performance, NVIDIA's stock fell 5% in after-hours trading.
The former Polymarket team secured $15 million in funding to launch the prediction market project The Clearing Company, led by USV.
According to Blockworks, the former prediction market platform Polymarket team launched a new project The Clearing Company, completing a $15 million seed round led by Union Square Ventures (USV). Other investors include Haun Ventures, Variant, Coinbase Ventures, and Compound. Co-founder Toni Gemayel stated that prediction markets leverage collective intelligence from the internet era, overcoming the slow and biased issues of traditional polling. The project aims to build an on-chain, permissionless, and regulatory-compliant prediction market while providing a convenient way for retail users to participate.
Four new wallets suspected to be related to Bitmine received $125 million in ETH, currently holding over $260 million.
According to Onchain Lens monitoring, four newly created wallets received 27,792 ETH from the crypto trading platform FalconX, valued at approximately $12.488 million. These wallets may be associated with Bitmine. Currently, these wallets hold a total of 58,215 ETH, worth about $26.158 million. Previously, it was reported that four wallets suspected to be related to Bitmine withdrew $140 million worth of ETH from FalconX in nearly 17 hours.
Tether Treasury minted an additional 1 billion USDT on Ethereum.
According to Whale Alert monitoring, at 23:23 Beijing time, Tether Treasury minted an additional 1 billion USDT on the Ethereum network.
The U.S. CFTC expands cryptocurrency regulation using Nasdaq's monitoring system.
According to The Block, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is adopting Nasdaq's surveillance program to play a larger role in regulating digital assets. The CFTC stated in a statement on Wednesday that Nasdaq's program will protect the market from fraud, abuse, and manipulation. Acting Chair Caroline Pham noted that the new monitoring system will equip the agency with automated alerts and cross-market analysis capabilities, and the CFTC is also preparing for the growth of the cryptocurrency market. Earlier this month, the agency launched the 'crypto sprint' program, focusing on crypto futures trading and recommendations outlined in the President's Digital Asset Market Working Group.
Avail, supported by Founders Fund, has acquired Arcana, offering XAR token holders a 4:1 exchange opportunity for AVAIL.
According to The Block, Founders Fund-backed modular blockchain infrastructure project Avail has acquired the chain abstraction protocol Arcana, aiming to enhance multi-chain scalability. This acquisition is the first for Avail, with Arcana's chain abstraction and developer tools to be integrated into the Avail tech stack. As part of the deal, the Avail Foundation has acquired 100% of Arcana's XAR token supply, allowing existing holders to exchange it for AVAIL at a ratio of 4:1. Unlocking will occur in phases over 6 to 12 months, while the vesting of Arcana team tokens will occur over three years. Avail co-founder Prabal Banerjee stated that acquisition negotiations began in April 2025, and the deal has now been fully completed. Aside from the token swap structure, other financial terms have not been disclosed. Most of Arcana's leadership and staff will transition to Avail, bringing the team size to over 55, with plans for further hiring. Through this acquisition, Avail aims to unify cross-chain balances, intent-based execution, and in-app user experiences. It is reported that Arcana has raised approximately $5.5 million from investors including Digital Currency Group, Republic, Sandeep Nailwal, and Balaji Srinivasan.
Binance Alpha and Binance Contracts will list Hemi (HEMI).
According to an official announcement, Binance Alpha will launch and open trading for Hemi (HEMI) on August 29, 2025, at 12:00 (UTC+8). Furthermore, the Binance Futures platform will launch HEMIUSDT perpetual contracts at 12:30 (UTC+8) on August 29, 2025, with a maximum leverage of up to 50 times. As a launch benefit, all eligible Binance users can participate in the Booster event to receive token airdrops using Binance Alpha points.
Web3 smart hardware project MAGNE.AI completed $10 million in strategic financing.
According to official news, Web3 smart hardware project MAGNE.AI announced the completion of $10 million in strategic financing, with participation from Castrum Capital, DuckDAO, TB Ventures, and Becker Ventures. The funds will accelerate the L1+L2 dual-chain development of its mobile-native Web3 infrastructure and expedite the mass production and optimization of its AI+blockchain security chips. MAGNE.AI is a technology company led by the U.S. dedicated to building AI-native Web3 smartphones and next-generation mobile infrastructure for a decentralized internet.
Binance: The total amount of tokens for the DOLO HODLer airdrop is 15 million, accounting for 1.5% of the maximum token supply.
Binance announced the details of the DOLO HODLer airdrop, with a total supply of 998,851,995 DOLO tokens, a maximum supply of 1 billion tokens, and a total airdrop amount of 15 million DOLO (accounting for 1.5% of the maximum token supply). An additional 10 million DOLO will be used for marketing activities six months after listing. The circulating supply at the time of listing on Binance will be 264,888,401 DOLO (accounting for 26.49% of the maximum token supply). The Binance HODLer airdrop is based on users' BNB holdings and historical snapshots for BNB holders to receive token airdrops. By using BNB to subscribe to principal-protected earning products (fixed and/or flexible), users will automatically qualify for the HODLer airdrop (as well as Launchpool and Megadrop rewards). By using BNB to subscribe to on-chain earning products, users will automatically qualify for the HODLer airdrop and Launchpool rewards.
Binance HODLer airdrop has launched the 33rd project Dolomite (DOLO).
According to an official announcement, the Binance HODLer airdrop has launched the 33rd project – Dolomite (DOLO), a decentralized currency market protocol and DEX. From August 3, 2025, 08:00 to August 7, 2025, 07:59 (UTC+8), users who subscribe to principal-protected earning (fixed and/or flexible) or on-chain earning products using BNB will receive airdrop allocations. HODLer airdrop information is expected to go live within 24 hours, and new tokens will be distributed to users' spot wallets at least 1 hour before trading begins. Binance will list DOLO on August 28, 2025, at 00:00 (UTC+8) and will open trading pairs against USDT, USDC, BNB, FDUSD, and TRY, applicable to seed tag trading rules. DOLO recharge channels will open at 20:30 (UTC+8) on August 27, 2025.
REX Shares and Osprey Funds submitted an application to the U.S. SEC for a spot BNB ETF that includes staking features.
According to The Block, on Tuesday, REX Shares and Osprey Funds jointly submitted an N-1A registration statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to manage the first U.S. spot BNB ETF that may include staking features. The proposed fund aims to provide direct exposure to the price of the native cryptocurrency BNB on the BNB Chain. The ETF will be listed on the Cboe BZX exchange, and its BNB holdings will be custodized by an unnamed cryptocurrency custodian, with staking operations potentially delegated to third-party validators, including validators with nominal equity held by REX Advisers affiliates. The product plans to stake most of its BNB holdings, potentially enhancing returns for investors through staking rewards obtained on the BNB Chain. The fund will handle share subscriptions and redemptions in cash rather than in-kind. However, it may also interact with liquid staking protocols that issue tradable staking derivatives, gaining staking rewards while maintaining liquidity. Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart stated that following the rapid alternative path used for the approval of the REX-Osprey Solana staking ETF, the proposed REX-Osprey BNB staking ETF could be listed as early as November 9.
WLFI on Hyperliquid spiked to $0.39, currently with a price difference of $0.05 from the CEX platform WLFI.
According to market data, WLFI on Hyperliquid spiked to $0.39, currently reported at $0.3265, while the pre-trade contract price on Binance is reported at $0.2733, with a price difference of approximately $0.05 between the two platforms.
Japanese publicly listed company Metaplanet plans to raise approximately $881 million to increase its Bitcoin holdings.
According to an official announcement, Japanese listed company Metaplanet plans to raise funds through international stock issuance, expecting to net approximately 130.334 billion yen (about $881 million), of which about 123.818 billion yen ($837 million) will be used to purchase Bitcoin, and 6.516 billion yen ($44 million) will be used for Bitcoin financial operations.
Over 100 crypto entities jointly call on U.S. lawmakers to protect software developers when regulating the crypto industry.
According to The Block, over 100 cryptocurrency entities are calling on lawmakers to protect software developers when deliberating on how to regulate the digital asset industry. The DeFi Education Fund (DEF), along with the Blockchain Association, Digital Chamber, Stand with Crypto, and several cryptocurrency companies including Coinbase, Paxos, and Uniswap Labs, urge Senate committee leaders to incorporate related requests into market structure legislation, stating that they cannot support the market structure bill without the requested protections. This letter has been sent to the leadership of the Senate Banking Committee and the Senate Agriculture Committee, both of which play key roles in cryptocurrency legislation. Cryptocurrency stakeholders stated on Wednesday that both the House and Senate versions of the market structure legislation need to add content to protect self-custody and the ability to engage in peer-to-peer transactions, urging these changes to be included. They stated: 'These protections must clearly state that no individual or entity should be regulated solely for participating in the core activities of creating, developing, publishing, and maintaining blockchain networks, nor should they be regulated solely for allowing users to access such networks while retaining custody of their funds through software interfaces.'
