Bitcoin stayed above $81,000 with market cap over $1.62 trillion, while XRP and SOL led major altcoins higher. Mid-cap tokens posted sharper gains as trading activity picked up across the crypto market.
Japan PM Takaichi reportedly urged BOJ Governor Ueda against further rate hikes, sending the yen lower. Market expectations for a March rate hike fade, easing liquidation risks for crypto assets tied to yen carry trades.
US spot Ethereum ETFs recorded $712.55 million in net outflows over three weeks, while ETH/USDT fell to $2,020 in May. Even with market pressure rising, developers continue to view Ethereum as core global blockchain infrastructure.
Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan projects Circle could be worth $75 billion by 2030, driven by stablecoin adoption and regulatory momentum.
Hyundai Card ran a live pilot moving $20,000 between Hyundai Motor subsidiaries through Avalanche, completing the transfer and conversion cycle in about seven minutes. The company said a Europe-focused follow-up pilot is scheduled later this month.
On-chain sleuth Specter flagged a suspected Hedera exploit on July 11, with more than $3.7 million bridged to Ethereum through LayerZero. The stolen WBTC is being swapped into ETH, while Hedera and LayerZero had not responded by publication.
El Salvador launched Bitcoin Diploma 2.0 on Feb. 24, making bitcoin and financial literacy part of public school education with three required hours per week and Grok AI tutors in 5,000 schools.
Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital, faces renewed scrutiny over a 2011 poker scandal involving identity fraud, multi-accounting, and chip-dumping. The controversy was reignited after a co-founder publicly disputed Qureshi's account of the firm's early history. Some industry players cite Qureshi's past as a reason to approach collaboration with Dragonfly cautiously.
