Bank Leumi2026-08-14 17:14:02Bank Leumi and Galaxy Digital Plan New Bitcoin Trading Launch in Israel for Early 2027Bank Leumi, Israel’s largest bank, has partnered with Galaxy Digital to bring cryptocurrency trading to customers through Pepper, its digital investment arm. The planned service would let Leumi and PEPPER users buy, hold, and sell selected digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana, inside the Leumi Trade capital markets app, with launch targeted for early 2027. The rollout still requires approval from the Bank of Israel. The move revives an earlier effort from 2022, when Pepper Invest said it would offer BTC and ETH trading through Paxos. That service never went live because the required regulatory approval did not arrive. Since then, Israel’s crypto rules have shifted. In mid-2026, the Bank of Israel removed deposit delays and barred blanket refusals of funds from licensed crypto providers, while the Capital Market Authority introduced wallet-security, capital, and customer-asset segregation requirements. An August 1 circular also expanded eligible trading to the top 50 coins by market capitalization above a $500 million threshold. Galaxy will provide both execution and custody infrastructure through GalaxyOne Institutional and GK8. Leumi serves about 2.5 million retail customers.1280
Bank Leumi2026-08-14 12:21:48Bank Leumi to Launch Bitcoin and Digital Asset Trading Services in 2027Israel’s Bank Leumi said it has entered a partnership with Galaxy Digital and plans to offer digital asset trading services to clients starting in 2027. The initial lineup of supported assets will include Bitcoin, Ether and Solana, according to the announcement cited by Odaily. The report also said Bank Leumi will become the first bank in Israel to provide digital asset trading services to customers. In addition to the trading rollout, Leumi will connect to Galaxy’s digital asset custody infrastructure platform, which will serve as the underlying security architecture for the bank’s digital asset offering. The disclosure was attributed to PRNewswire.1450
Bank Leumi2026-08-14 12:22:48Bank Leumi teams up with Galaxy Digital to launch crypto trading services in 2027Bank Leumi, an Israeli bank, has partnered with Galaxy Digital to offer customers trading in digital assets starting in 2027, according to PR Newswire. The initial lineup will include Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. The announcement also says Bank Leumi will become the first bank in Israel to provide digital asset trading services to its clients. In addition to the trading rollout, Leumi will integrate Galaxy’s digital asset custody infrastructure platform, which will serve as the security architecture supporting the bank’s digital asset offering. The partnership sets out both the customer-facing trading service and the underlying custody-related infrastructure that will support it.1270
Policy and Re2026-08-14 02:48:52Israel repeatedly warned of an alleged Iranian plot against Trump, but CIA could not independently verify itMultiple current and former U.S. officials said Israel repeatedly warned U.S. intelligence agencies and the White House over the past year that Iran was plotting to assassinate Donald Trump. The warnings reportedly described possible attack methods including snipers, assassins and a shoulder-fired missile strike. Those alerts began ahead of the June 2025 Israel-Iran conflict and increased sharply before the U.S. decision in February to take military action against Iran. One July warning said Iran might target Air Force One with a shoulder-fired missile while Trump was attending a NATO summit in Ankara, prompting U.S. security officials to move him to another aircraft. People familiar with the matter said the Central Intelligence Agency was never able to verify the specific assassination intelligence through independent channels and rated it as low confidence. Turkish authorities also said their intelligence service found no evidence at the time to corroborate the alleged threat. Even so, the intelligence still shaped Trump administration policy toward Iran, with one person saying the Israeli warnings were among the factors considered before Trump approved military action in February. U.S.-Iran tensions are now extending into the economic arena as Treasury Secretary Bessent said major new measures against Iran would be announced next week.1500
Iran2026-08-10 14:41:47Iranian President Says US, Israel Using AI Data to Attack IranIranian President Pezeshkian said the United States and Israel are using artificial intelligence data to attack Iran, according to ChainCatcher.1920
Decart2026-08-10 06:36:43Israeli AI Startup Decart in Advanced Sale Talks at $6B-$7B; SpaceX Eyed as BuyerIsraeli AI startup Decart is in advanced talks to sell itself to an international tech giant at a $6 billion-$7 billion valuation, with a deal possible next week, according to an exclusive report from CTech (Calcalist) cited by ChainCatcher. Decart, founded in 2023, develops real-time video generation models and has roughly 100 employees. Total funding stands at around $450 million, including a $300 million round in May that valued the company at $4 billion. Negotiations began with Nvidia but changed course after another tech giant stepped in near the finish line. The likely buyer is believed to be SpaceX, while Amazon and Nebius have also been linked to the deal. Decart's edge is generating video at far lower cost than rivals. Musk tested Oasis, a game based on Decart's tech, in 2024 and has since stayed in touch with co-founder Dean Leitersdorf. Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire, who organized Musk's post-war Israel trip, has backed Decart since seed. If SpaceX buys the company, it would open SpaceX's first R&D center in Israel. SpaceX previously acquired Cursor for $60 billion after its IPO, and absorbing Decart would strengthen its AI infrastructure ambitions.3350
Iran2026-08-09 06:53:35Iran FM Vows to Neither Forget Nor Forgive After US, Israel StrikesOn Aug. 9 local time, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during remarks on recent regional conflicts that Iran had been targeted by military strikes from the United States and Israel and had suffered casualties. He said Iran would not forget the dead from the recent conflicts. "We will neither forget, nor forgive," Araghchi said. He then said that, in the face of external pressure, Iran would continue to maintain its resistance stance and protect the country's national independence and dignity. The remarks were originally reported by China Central Television and distributed as a news flash by Odaily, with the flash timestamped Aug. 9, 2026 at 06:53 UTC. No additional details were given about the number of casualties or the scope of the military action. The foreign minister's comments did not outline any specific policy steps, but they make clear that Iran intends to hold to its position under external pressure. The flash item itself was brief, focusing entirely on Araghchi's statement without additional analysis.1820
Strait of Hor2026-08-06 15:57:39Fars News Agency: US, Israeli Vessels Barred From Strait of HormuzIran's Fars News Agency reported that, under an agreement, U.S. and Israeli vessels are barred from transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Countries and individuals that have caused damage to Iran will not be granted passage through the strait or the Persian Gulf until they compensate for the losses.1700
