A broad set of policy, market-structure, ETF, stablecoin and exchange developments shaped the latest 24-hour cycle in crypto. RootData said the industry logged $9.081 billion in total fundraising across 259 deals in the first half of 2026, with primary-market financing, excluding IPOs, post-IPO rounds and M&A, reaching $8.658 billion. That segment was down 26.1% year over year, while deal count fell 28.5%. March and May were the busiest months by activity, and the data pointed to a market still functioning but increasingly driven by a smaller number of larger rounds, more concentrated venture participation, and heavier interest in DeFi, infrastructure, CeFi, AI, payments and RWA. Japan moved to the front of the regulatory agenda after the upper house approved revisions to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. The overhaul would classify crypto assets as financial products, add insider-trading restrictions, toughen penalties for unlicensed operators, and set up the legal framework for crypto ETFs. The tax treatment is also set to change. From Jan. 1, 2028, gains from crypto trading are expected to shift from a comprehensive regime with rates of up to 55% to a separate self-assessed tax system of about 20%, matching stocks, with loss carryforwards of up to three years. Elsewhere, the U.S. and U.K. published a joint digital-asset roadmap centered on regulated stablecoins and tokenization, South Korea said it plans to push a Digital Asset Basic Act in the second half, spot Bitcoin and Ether ETF flow data stayed active, and exchanges including OKX and Binance announced new tokenized equity products and collateral expansions.

Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth, used a recent TheStreet podcast to lay out what he sees as the right playbook for the next pullback in U.S. equities. His answer was not to abandon technology, but to rebalance it. Hogan said investors whose Nvidia positions have grown sharply should consider trimming oversized tech exposure and shifting part of those gains into three sectors he believes are set up to outperform: industrials, financials and healthcare. He said the second quarter could mark the first time in five quarters that all 11 S&P 500 sectors post positive earnings growth. Hogan kept his official year-end target for the S&P 500 at 7,800 and said the index could reach 8,000 if this earnings season brings broad guidance upgrades and higher full-year EPS expectations. On the tech side, he named Apple, Microsoft and Nvidia as his top picks, while warning against trying to predict the ultimate winners in large language models. In his view, the better trade is to own the companies selling the tools. He also pointed to the biggest downside risk: a prolonged Iran conflict that keeps WTI crude in the $75-$80 range into Labor Day, pushes gasoline toward $5, lifts inflation pressure and cuts into earnings growth. In that scenario, Hogan said S&P 500 earnings growth could slow sharply in the third quarter.

Gate said its gStocks section will list 16 tokenized securities for spot trading at 16:00 on July 15 (UTC+8), according to an official announcement cited by ChainCatcher. The lineup includes VOOG and IVVG, along with tokenized versions tied to Caterpillar, Bank of America, Lam Research, Costco, UnitedHealth Group, General Electric, Chevron, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, HSBC Holdings, Home Depot, Arm, Netflix and Goldman Sachs. Gate said the gStocks tokenized securities product is backed by 1:1 full native reserves. The company also said the offering gives users one-stop access to 7×24 securities trading.

Binance said it will launch 10 bStocks tokenized securities on July 15, 2026 at 21:30 Beijing time, adding exposure to names including Applied Optoelectronics, Arm, Broadcom, Alibaba, Robinhood, IBM, Marvell Technology, Nokia, Rocket Lab and TSMC. According to the exchange’s announcement, the new pairs will receive zero maker fees from the time of listing through Sept. 1, 2026 at 07:59 Beijing time. Binance also said users will be able to convert directly held shares into bStocks at a 1:1 ratio, with no conversion fee. The update covers both the list of tickers and the fee schedule tied to the rollout.

Binance said it will add 10 bStocks spot trading pairs on July 15, 2026, according to an official announcement cited by Odaily. The new listings, scheduled for 13:30 UTC, are AAOIB/USDT, ARMB/USDT, AVGOB/USDT, BABAB/USDT, HOODB/USDT, IBMB/USDT, MRVLB/USDT, NOKB/USDT, RKLBB/USDT, and TSMB/USDT. At the same time, the exchange will enable spot algo orders bot services for these pairs. Binance also said the listed pairs will receive zero maker fees through Aug. 31, 2026, at 23:59 UTC. Deposit and withdrawal functions for the pairs are set to open on July 15, 2026, at 14:30 UTC.

Bitget has added support for 39 stock-backed tokens, or rTokens, as collateral in its crypto lending section, according to an official announcement cited by ChainCatcher. The newly supported assets include names such as rAMD, rSMH, rARM and rSKHY, spanning U.S. stocks and ETFs across sectors including semiconductors, finance, healthcare and energy. Users holding these tokenized stock products can now pledge them to borrow major assets such as USDT and USDC without selling their positions, giving them a way to unlock liquidity while retaining exposure. Bitget said the feature is already live on the web version, while app support is expected to arrive within the week. The company also said the rTokens are issued by Reality, a licensed RWA protocol under Bitget, and connected to liquidity pools including Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange through a partnership with licensed broker Alpaca. Bitget said the products are backed 1:1, dividends are distributed in token form on a 1:1 basis, and corporate actions such as stock splits and reverse splits are mirrored.

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev used a wide-ranging appearance on the Master Investor podcast to lay out how he views today’s market, why he believes retail investors are often more durable than institutions, and where Robinhood wants to push next in crypto and private markets. Tenev argued that many institutional investors have become overly driven by macro signals, tariffs, and portfolio rebalancing, while retail traders tend to stay focused on company products, revenue growth, margins, and long-term conviction. He also said today’s market looks different from the 2020-2021 meme-stock era because Robinhood users are now concentrating more on large, profitable, industry-leading companies such as Nvidia, Tesla, SpaceX, and chip names, rather than businesses tied to nostalgia trades during the pandemic era. On crypto, Tenev described Robinhood Chain as an Ethereum Layer 2 built with Arbitrum technology and aimed at real-world assets. He said the company plans to launch stock tokens in more than 120 countries and regions, starting with about 2,000 U.S.-listed equities available for 24/7 trading, with support for both non-custodial wallets and Robinhood Wallet. He said those tokens will be backed 1:1 by real underlying assets. Tenev also discussed Robinhood Ventures, a closed-end fund structure designed to give retail investors access to private companies including Stripe, OpenAI, SpaceX before IPO, and Revolut. On AI, he said better tools matter, but human beings will continue to make trades, even as automation gets more sophisticated.

Escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran rippled across global markets, pushing oil sharply higher, weighing on U.S. equities and dragging Bitcoin lower. According to BlockBeats, the U.S. said it had carried out strikes on Iran for a third straight night and had begun blocking Iranian ports, while multiple locations in Iran were hit. The United Arab Emirates said two of its oil tankers were struck by two Iranian cruise missiles south of the Strait of Hormuz, and Yemen’s Houthi forces also exchanged attacks with Saudi Arabia. President Donald Trump, while keeping military pressure in place, said in a national address that a deal with Iran remained possible and that Iran had resumed contact with the U.S. Markets showed little confidence in that message. Bitget data showed crude oil prices surged nearly 10% in a single day, while gold briefly fell below the key $4,000 level. In U.S. trading, the Nasdaq fell 1.55% to 25,873.18, underperforming the Dow and the S&P 500 and closing below its 50-day moving average. Semiconductor names were broadly sold, including Nvidia, Broadcom, AMD and ARM. HTX market data showed Bitcoin fell more than 2%, briefly dropping below $62,000 before rebounding to $62,316. The report also cited Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller, who said in New York that the FOMC could consider tightening policy soon if this week’s core inflation reading comes in hot again.