Key Events to Watch (June 29 – July 5)
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the June nonfarm payrolls report on Wednesday, July 2. Consensus estimates point to an addition of 168,000 jobs, slightly up from 154,000 in May, with the unemployment rate expected to hold at 4.1%. This is the final major labor market data point before the Fed’s July FOMC meeting. A stronger-than-expected reading could reinforce the Fed’s hawkish stance, weighing on risk assets including cryptocurrencies, while a miss could revive bets on a September rate cut.
The EU Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation enters full force after the transitional period ends on June 30. Crypto asset service providers operating in the EU must now be fully authorized or have submitted a complete application. Many smaller exchanges, wallets, and DeFi intermediaries without a license will be forced to halt operations in the bloc. Already, firms like Bitstamp and Coinbase have secured a head start, while others scramble to find compliant partners or exit.
On the regulatory front, Russia’s State Duma is advancing a bill to ban cryptocurrency mining, with a second reading expected in early July. In the United States, Tennessee has introduced a bill to prohibit the placement of Bitcoin ATMs in public spaces, citing consumer protection and money laundering concerns. Separately, Hikvision announced a price increase for its hard drives effective July 1, citing rising component costs — a move that may affect crypto miners and decentralized storage networks.
Polygon Labs confirmed that its zkEVM Beta network will be shut down on July 5 as part of a planned upgrade to a more performant architecture. Users are advised to bridge assets back to Ethereum or Polygon PoS before the cutoff. Meanwhile, Securitize, a leader in real-world asset tokenization, received approval for a NYSE listing of its tokenized US Treasury fund, bridging traditional finance with DeFi rails. Finally, former U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign opened user registration for a new fundraising platform that will accept cryptocurrency donations starting mid-July, a move that could amplify crypto's political relevance ahead of the 2026 midterms.