WuBlockchain on July 23 published a daily roundup covering U.S. labor data, the planned closure of BitMEX, a new EU sanctions package against Russia, Strategy’s Bitcoin security initiative, and an administrative penalty in China tied to USDT-related fund transfers.
U.S. initial jobless claims came in at 187,000
U.S. initial jobless claims for the week ending July 18 were 187,000, compared with an expected 212,000. The previous reading was revised to 209,000 from 208,000.
BitMEX says it will close on Sept. 23
Crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX said on July 23 that it will formally shut down at 04:00 UTC on Sept. 23. The platform has already stopped registering new users.
BitMEX said it will stop allowing new positions from Aug. 26 and will then move through a phased forced-liquidation process.
The exchange was founded by Arthur Hayes and was described in the report as the first to invent and launch perpetual futures. After action by the U.S. government, Hayes gradually stepped back from BitMEX operations. Its market share was later overtaken by offshore exchanges including Binance and Bybit. Over the past several years, BitMEX had also sought a buyer, but no transaction was completed.
EU approves 21st sanctions round against Russia
Representatives of EU member states reached agreement on a 21st package of sanctions against Russia.
The new measures place 94 Russian financial institutions and the Moscow Exchange under full sanctions, broaden trading bans to cover more crypto-asset platforms, and for the first time sanction vessels that assist Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
The Russian oil price cap will remain at $44.10 per barrel for 12 months.
Strategy launches Bitcoin Security Consortium
Strategy said it has launched the Bitcoin Security Consortium. Founding members include BlackRock, Coinbase, Galaxy, Anchorage, ARK Invest, Blockstream, Block, and Digital Asset.
The group committed $15 million over the next three years to support Bitcoin developers and security research.
According to the announcement, its first priority will be the potential impact of quantum computing on Bitcoin cryptography. The consortium also said it will not direct Bitcoin development and will instead support the long-term work of existing open-source developers and researchers.
Man in Hunan given administrative penalty over lending payment accounts
In Tongdao County, Hunan, a man seeking profit from reselling U coins lent out relatives’ real-name verified WeChat payment QR codes, Alipay accounts, and bank cards to others for receiving and transferring funds.
Police determined that the conduct constituted the illegal leasing or lending of payment accounts and imposed an administrative penalty under the Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law.