KuCoin Ventures said in its latest weekly report that the market is reassessing crypto projects through balance-sheet quality, governance, real revenue and cash burn rather than headline funding rounds or token narratives. The report pointed to Movement Labs and Storj Labs, both now in Chapter 11 proceedings, as two different stress cases: one tied to token launch structure and internal controls, the other to legacy debt and long-running operating pressures. It argued that the broader shakeout is not just about highly funded projects failing, but about capital efficiency from the previous cycle being tested in a harder financing environment. The report also focused on macro conditions. Brent crude briefly moved back above $100 a barrel, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea remained disrupted, and U.S. Treasury yields rose as markets priced inflation risk alongside fiscal and term-premium concerns. In crypto, Bitcoin briefly touched $65,504 on July 27 before slipping back toward $65,100, while spot Bitcoin ETF trading volume fell to about $8.05 billion for the week, the lowest for a full trading week since October 2024. Ethereum spot ETFs, by contrast, posted about $103 million in net inflows, topping Bitcoin ETFs for a second straight week. KuCoin Ventures also highlighted stablecoins and private funding. Global stablecoin market capitalization stood at about $310.36 billion, while Galaxy Research data showed roughly 355 crypto funding deals totaling about $4 billion in the first quarter of 2026, with around 57% going to later-stage projects. Among recent deals, Augustus raised $180 million in a Series B at a $1 billion post-money valuation.

Markets are heading into a packed week from July 27 to Aug. 2, with monetary policy decisions, major U.S. earnings, crypto distributions, token unlocks and a growing list of project shutdowns all landing within a few days of each other. The U.S. Federal Reserve is scheduled to release its FOMC rate decision at 02:00 on July 30, followed by a press conference by Fed Chair Waller at 02:30, while the Bank of England will announce its own decision, minutes and monetary policy report later the same day. On the crypto side, FTX said it will begin its fifth round of distributions on July 31, sending roughly $900 million to eligible claim holders under the reorganization plan, while eligible preferred shareholders are set to receive a second payment. Coinbase plans to suspend Across Protocol (ACX) trading on July 28. Polygon’s Ithaca hard fork is expected to go live on mainnet on July 29, and Binance said it will suspend POL deposits and withdrawals ahead of the upgrade. At the same time, several crypto platforms and products are winding down or closing. The list includes Tropykus, Dango, Odos, Pingu Exchange, YGG Play, Zero Network, Oxium, Exchange Art, Moonbeam-related bridge access, and SBI Crypto’s bitcoin mining pool. Users across these services have been asked to repay loans, close positions, bridge assets out, export keys, or withdraw funds before the stated deadlines.

European payments company Augustus has raised $180 million at a $1 billion post-money valuation and secured conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a U.S. national bank charter. The company began life as Ivy, an open-banking checkout product aimed at merchants, then expanded through integrations with Mollie, Kraken, and Circle into institutional money movement, stablecoin settlement, and dollar infrastructure. That shift has pushed Augustus beyond merchant payments and toward a much broader ambition: becoming what can best be described, for now, as a wholesale bank built for the stablecoin era. The transition is strategically clear but operationally unresolved. A bank built around APIs can hold customer balances, control its ledger, connect to payment rails directly, and reduce reliance on sponsor banks that may pull back from crypto or cross-border fintech clients. At the same time, Augustus is attempting to combine payments software, deposits, agency banking, treasury management, digital asset infrastructure, tokenized deposits, lending, and compliance into one regulated stack. Public information does not yet show that its Marble platform lowers operating costs, that payment volume can turn into durable banking revenue, or that its planned U.S. banking setup is already handling live dollar flows. The company’s story is advancing fast. Its full banking model remains in buildout.

Binance's Word of the Day for March 25 releases all answers under the AI Trading theme. Players can guess crypto-related words across 3–8 letters to earn points and claim BNB rewards and voucher tokens.

Nexo reentered the U.S. on February 16, 2026, offering regulated yield, exchange, and crypto-backed credit products through partners, with trading infrastructure supplied by Bakkt.

Open Standard launched Open USD on July 1, supported by over 140 firms including Coinbase, Ripple, Visa, Mastercard, and BlackRock. The stablecoin offers fee-free minting and redemption, shared reserve earnings for partners, and a collaborative governance model with an independent board.

In-depth 2026 review of Gemini: NYDFS-regulated trust company offering custody, staking, and a credit card. Standard trading fees hit 1.49% plus spread, while ActiveTrader cuts costs. Ideal for security-focused users, but high fees may deter cost-conscious traders.

CryptoComLearn ranks 10 penny cryptos for 2026, including eCash, Nervos Network, Zilliqa, Ankr. The report highlights real use cases and risks, urging DYOR before investing.