BNP Paribas said U.S. Treasury yields are likely to keep rising as markets price in expectations for future Federal Reserve tightening. The bank expects the Fed to begin a series of three rate hikes starting in December. It also said investors are likely to keep questioning the central bank’s credibility after policymakers left rates unchanged last week despite three dissenting votes in favor of a hike. The update was cited by BlockBeats on Aug. 3 and attributed to Jin10.

A broad risk repricing swept across markets on July 30, linking sharp losses in China’s semiconductor names, divergent reactions to earnings from Microsoft and Meta, a record retail selloff in U.S. equities, a spike in crude prices after a Middle East escalation, and deleveraging pressure in South Korea. In mainland China, the STAR 50 fell 5.38% and the ChiNext Index lost 3.97%, while 83 stocks hit limit down and 3,635 declined. Semiconductor packaging, PCB, AI chip and optical module names were hit across the board, with Zhongji Innolight posting 59.7 billion yuan in turnover, its highest ever for a single day. In the U.S., Microsoft beat revenue expectations and reported Azure annual revenue above $100 billion, while Meta topped revenue forecasts but missed on earnings per share and saw Reality Labs lose $4.6 billion in the quarter. Vanda Research said retail investors logged their largest one-day net sale since the March 2020 COVID crash. Elsewhere, reports in the article said Iran fired ballistic missiles at the U.S., pushing WTI and Brent sharply higher. In South Korea, Samsung Electronics posted record second-quarter revenue and operating profit, yet local equities still traded lower as the market focused on deleveraging.

Corporate use of stablecoins and blockchain rails is moving well past small-scale crypto experiments and into payment operations, collateral management and debt issuance. The article contrasts that shift with a much older form of financial engineering: in the 1970s, U.S. companies exploited check-clearing delays to keep cash on their books for a few extra days when interest rates were above 10%. Today, the same underlying corporate goal — freeing trapped liquidity and speeding settlement — is being pursued with tokenized money and digital ledgers instead of distant bank branches and mailed checks. The piece points to several examples. Siemens first issued a €60 million bond on Polygon in February 2023 with a two-day settlement period, then completed a €300 million issuance in September 2024 via SWIAT and settled it in minutes using the Bundesbank’s trigger solution. Deel, which handles payroll for more than 40,000 companies and 1.5 million workers across more than 150 countries and territories, now lets firms use stablecoin treasuries for payroll and has introduced DLUSD. JPMorgan’s Kinexys processes roughly $5 billion a day and has cleared $3 trillion in total, while Tether generated $10.09 billion in profit in 2025 with a team of about 300. The central argument is that automation can remove operational friction in moving cash, collateral and securities, but it does not erase the cost of judging counterparties. Credit assessment, KYC, fraud reviews and margin calls still require people, even as the pipes become faster.

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure pushes European banks to accelerate euro-pegged stablecoins, citing dollar dominance. ING, UniCredit and BNP Paribas target a 2026 launch, but weak demand and structural hurdles persist.

Digital Asset raises $355 million at a $2 billion valuation, with a16z crypto contributing $100 million. Funds will accelerate the Canton Network for institutional tokenization and settlement.

PANews said Wall Street was hit by three pressures at once: a new U.S. tariff plan, escalating tension in the Middle East, and growing scrutiny over whether massive AI spending can generate returns fast enough. The Trump administration has launched a new 10%-12.5% tariff schedule covering about 60 economies, while concerns over energy transport disruptions pushed Brent crude futures up 7.1% intraday above $100 before a sharp reversal. U.S. equities fell across the board, with the Dow down 0.97%, the S&P 500 off 1.21%, and the Nasdaq dropping 2.15%. Treasury yields moved higher as inflation fears intensified. The 2-year yield rose to 4.37%, the 10-year climbed to about 4.70%, and the 30-year reached around 5.2%, staying above 5% for 14 straight sessions. CME data cited by PANews showed the implied probability of a 25-basis-point Federal Reserve rate hike next week jumped from 10% to 38% in one week. Tech shares were under pressure even though AI demand remained firm. Investors focused instead on free cash flow and the pace of capital spending. The Magnificent Seven all fell, led by Tesla at 14.52% and Google at 7.13%, erasing nearly $800 billion in market value in one session, according to the report.

French central bank deputy governor Denis Beau publicly calls for mobilizing both public and private sectors to develop tokenized money, clashing with ECB President Lagarde's preference for a central bank digital euro. The rift exposes Europe's anxiety over "digital dollarization" eroding euro sovereignty.

A consortium of 10 European banks has formed Qivalis to launch a euro-pegged stablecoin in the second half of 2026, pending regulatory approval, with crypto trading settlement as its first use case.