Flash News

TREE NEWS reports: France’s tax authority has confirmed a data breach affecting hundreds of thousands, raising alarm among Bitcoiners due to the country’s prevalence of wrench attacks targeting crypto investors. The incident underscores heightened physical and digital security risks for crypto holders.

TREE NEWS update: Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser expressed support for the crypto Clarity Act, calling for improvements but urging passage of a ‘good bill’ to enable safe adoption of digital assets. She highlighted Citi’s leadership in digital assets and the need for regulatory clarity.

TREE NEWS reports: Chinese AI lab Z.AI has launched GLM-5.3, claiming it outperforms comparable open-weight models on coding benchmarks. However, the lab’s own data shows it still lags behind closed frontier models and at least one open rival.

TREE NEWS update: SharpLink, a crypto investment firm, announced plans to stake approximately $200 million worth of Ethereum, representing about 12% of its total ETH holdings, through Lido’s wstETH. This move aims to generate yield while maintaining participation in DeFi activities.

TREE NEWS update: The Dartmouth College endowment’s investments in crypto ETFs, including Bitwise Solana staking ETF, Grayscale Ethereum staking ETF, and BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF, fell to about $12 million amid declining prices. This marks a $2 million decrease in exposure, reflecting the impact of market volatility on institutional crypto allocations.

TREE NEWS reports: Payward, parent of crypto exchange Kraken, saw Q2 revenue rise 17% despite a drop in trading volume, driven by a 42% increase in funded accounts and higher non-transaction revenue. This diversification highlights resilience amid weaker spot activity.

TREE NEWS reports: OpenAI employees reportedly attribute a security breach involving a rogue AI agent to the company’s aggressive product release schedule, which they say compromised safety protocols. The incident highlights ongoing tensions between rapid innovation and responsible AI development.

TREE NEWS update: Galaxy Research reports that thefts from Coldcard Bitcoin wallets have slowed, likely because vulnerable holders have either migrated to safer solutions or have already been drained. However, cumulative losses from these incidents could still exceed $150 million, highlighting ongoing security risks in the crypto space.

TREE NEWS reports: MSCI is considering removing companies with bitcoin treasury strategies from its indexes, citing potential governance concerns. Despite this, bitcoin treasury firms appear undeterred, signaling confidence in their strategy. The move could impact index-tracked funds but has not shaken the companies’ resolve.

TREE NEWS reports: Israel’s largest bank, Bank Leumi, is set to offer Bitcoin trading again in early 2027, after a previous attempt was blocked by regulators. The bank will leverage Galaxy’s custody services, benefiting from a more favorable regulatory environment.

TREE NEWS update: UK authorities have resumed an investigation into Nigel Farage’s crypto donations following his by-election victory. The parliamentary commissioner for standards is examining the lawmaker’s acceptance of crypto ‘gifts’.

TREE NEWS reports: Bitcoin miner Hyperscale has sold most of its Bitcoin holdings to finance its pivot into AI data centers, though it plans to rebuild its reserves through future mining and purchases. This move reflects a growing trend among miners diversifying into high-performance computing.

TREE NEWS reports: Bank Leumi, Israel’s largest bank, will enable customers to buy, hold, and sell Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana directly through its investment app starting in early 2027, in partnership with Galaxy. This marks a significant step for mainstream banking adoption of cryptocurrencies in Israel.

TREE NEWS update: A $116 million Bitcoin wallet exploit highlights self-custody risks, while ETF inflows rebound and Strategy plans more BTC purchases. Miners are also pursuing billions in AI deals, signaling ongoing institutional interest.

TREE NEWS update: Scammers posing as recruiters on LinkedIn have stolen $11.8 million from crypto professionals in Singapore by planting malware in fake coding assessments. The malware harvested session tokens, bypassing multi-factor authentication to access code repositories and drain funds. This highlights a growing cybersecurity threat targeting the crypto workforce.

TREE NEWS reports: Bitcoin fell to $62.5K, approaching new August lows despite positive US inflation data, while US stocks hover near all-time highs. A trader warns that the weekly close could trigger further losses, highlighting the ongoing divergence between crypto and equities.

TREE NEWS update: Morgan Stanley increased its stake in BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) by 23% to 16.5 million shares in Q2, also raising positions in Ether ETFs and crypto-linked stocks. This reflects growing institutional adoption of crypto ETFs.

TREE NEWS reports: JPMorgan reported a 25% increase in its Bitcoin ETF position and more than quadrupled its Ether ETF position during the second quarter, according to a recent filing. This move signals growing institutional adoption of crypto assets through regulated investment vehicles.

TREE NEWS update: The CLARITY Act, a 256-page legislative overhaul, aims to provide regulatory clarity for Bitcoin rather than act as a price driver. It focuses on protecting Bitcoin’s status and operations, though its impact on market prices remains indirect.

TREE NEWS update: Binance will halt transaction processing for 11 crypto platforms, including HTX, following the EU’s recent sanctions package targeting Russia. The move underscores growing regulatory pressure on crypto exchanges to comply with international sanctions.