According to an official announcement, the crypto exchange BitMEX will officially shut down on September 23, 2026, at 12:00 (Beijing time) and has immediately ceased new user registrations. BitMEX stated that the board of directors of its parent company, HDR Global Trading Limited, decided to close the exchange after a strategic review.

The platform will continue normal operations until the closure date, but from August 26, 12:00 (Beijing time), it will restrict opening new positions, with users only allowed to reduce existing positions. Any remaining positions after the closure time will be forcibly liquidated. KYC users who do not withdraw their assets before the closure time will be charged an account management fee of $50 per month or 1% of the balance, whichever is higher, and this fee is subject to increase.

Multiple Self-Media Accounts Violating Virtual Currency Rules Permanently Banned; Shenzhen Cites Typical Cases

The Shenzhen Branch of the People's Bank of China, the Shenzhen Securities Regulatory Bureau, the Municipal Internet Information Office, and the Municipal Local Financial Administration have continuously carried out special rectification efforts, urging local website platforms to strictly fulfill their main responsibilities and dispose of a number of illegal self-media accounts according to laws and regulations. Some typical cases include accounts such as "USDT Merchant Group Chat," "Group Play Virtual Currency," "Search Bitcoin," "WeChat Alipay Fast Exchange," "Middle Chain Old Nine," "Sleep Badly," "Little Goldfish 9884," and "User 0767527971." These accounts illegally provided marketing and promotional information related to virtual currency business activities to domestic users, inducing the public to participate in illegal virtual currency financial activities. According to relevant policy regulations such as the "Notice on Further Preventing and Dealing with Risks Related to Virtual Currency," these accounts have been permanently banned by the platforms in accordance with laws and agreements.

US Initial Jobless Claims for Week Ending July 18: 187,000 vs. 212,000 Expected

For the week ending July 18, the number of initial US jobless claims was 187,000, the lowest since the week ending September 24, 2022. The market expectation was 212,000, while the previous value was revised from 208,000 to 209,000.

Industry News

EU Imposes Sanctions on Over 100 Banks and Crypto Operators

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, stated that sanctions have been imposed on over 100 banks and cryptocurrency operators, more than 40 shadow fleet vessels, and several oil refineries in Russia and Belarus.

Argentina Plans to Relax Capital Market Controls, Allow Mutual Funds to Invest in Crypto

The Argentine government is advancing plans to relax capital market controls, proposing to allow Common Investment Funds (FCI) to invest in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, and to permit virtual assets as collateral for pledges. The measure stems from a draft "Deregulation Bill" drafted by Economy Minister Federico Sturzenegger, which is currently awaiting President Javier Milei's signature before being submitted to Congress. The draft explicitly allows FCIs to allocate assets to virtual assets and establishes funds for "qualified investors." The Argentine National Securities Commission's oversight of FCIs is limited to legality and technical solvency reviews. The central bank will have exclusive regulatory authority over infrastructure for the registration or transfer of cryptocurrencies and tokenized assets. The draft also explicitly allows securities such as stocks and convertible bonds to be issued, stored, and traded via crypto networks.

Project News

90% of Circulating WLD is Held in 100 Wallets; Grayscale Filing Reveals Worldcoin Governance Still Largely Led by World Foundation

A Grayscale SEC filing for the Worldcoin ETF disclosed that approximately 90% of the circulating WLD tokens are concentrated in 100 wallets. The filing also acknowledged that the World Chain sequencer is operated in a centralized manner, upgrade functions are controlled and coordinated by a small group of participants from the World Foundation, Tools for Humanity, and Optimism, and governance remains largely directed by the World Foundation.

Moonshot AI Responds to K3 Distillation from Fable Allegations: Only 15 Days Between Launches

Moonshot AI employee Randy responded on X to comments from White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios regarding Moonshot AI using Anthropic's Fable to distill and develop the K3 model. He stated that Fable was publicly unveiled on July 1st, and K3 was launched on July 15th. The team trained a brand new frontier model in just 15 days, which he called a Guinness World Record level feat.

Bitcoin to Undergo eCash Hard Fork on August 21

In April of this year, Bitcoin developer Paul Sztorc announced the activation of the Bitcoin eCash hard fork at block height 963,648 (around August 21), which will spawn a new chain called eCash. eCash will airdrop its native token, ECX, on a 1:1 basis to all addresses holding Bitcoin before block height 963,648. No registration or prior claim is needed, but users must transfer their BTC to an eCash self-custodial wallet. As of now, community support for this hard fork within the Bitcoin ecosystem remains low.

CXMT: Company Stock to List on Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market on July 27, 2026

CXMT (Changxin Memory Technologies): The company's stock will list on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market on July 27, 2026.

Michael Saylor Announces Bitcoin Security Consortium with $15 Million Commitment

Michael Saylor announced on X that multiple Bitcoin ecosystem companies and financial institutions, including BlackRock, Coinbase, Block, and Strategy, have formed the Bitcoin Security Consortium. The consortium aims to support the long-term security and resilience of the Bitcoin network, with a particular focus on areas like Post-Quantum Cryptography. The consortium is initiated by institutions including Anchorage Digital, ARK Invest, BlackRock, Block, Blockstream, Coinbase, Fidelity Digital Assets, Galaxy, and Strategy, with members covering Bitcoin holders, custodians, trading platforms, infrastructure service providers, and asset management companies.

Funding News

K25.ai Completes Series A Funding with Strategic Support from Amber Group

K25.ai announced the completion of its Series A funding round, with strategic support from Amber Group, achieving a post-money valuation of $200 million. The investment will be used to accelerate product development, global expansion, institutional liquidity infrastructure, and creator ecosystem building. The project's main business combines AI with live streaming content, allowing users to predict outcomes in sports, esports, entertainment, etc., in real-time. It uses proprietary AI infrastructure for real-time market generation, content monitoring, and result adjudication.

Stablecoin Issuer Mandela Digital Secures $5 Million Funding with Datavault AI Participation

Stablecoin issuer Mandela Digital announced the completion of a $5 million funding round with participation from Datavault AI. The new capital will be used for stablecoin infrastructure development, compliance, exchange integration, liquidity, market promotion, and accelerating the launch of its 1:1 USD-pegged stablecoin, the Mandela Dollar (MUSD). MUSD aims to promote financial inclusion, cross-border remittances, and digital payments in the Global South. Datavault AI will also provide technical support for MUSD, including its AI platform, blockchain tokenization, SanQtum quantum-resistant cryptography, and Real World Asset (RWA) frameworks.

AI Chip Startup Etched Raises $300 Million in Series C, Valuation Hits $10.3 Billion

AI chip startup Etched announced the completion of a $300 million Series C funding round, valuing the company at $10.3 billion. The round was led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from institutions including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), SK hynix, Jane Street, and Diffusion Capital.

People & Voices

Bitwise CIO: Crypto Market Has Bottomed; Focus on HYPE and HOOD for New Bull Run

Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise, posted on X that the crypto market has shown signs of bottoming out. Since July 1st, Bitcoin has risen 9%, while the Nasdaq 100 has fallen 6%. ETF flows have turned positive, and market sentiment is improving.

He also stated that the next bull run in the crypto market should focus on Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Robinhood (HOOD), as they exemplify the convergence of traditional finance and cryptocurrency. He described Hyperliquid as a crypto financial application with real revenue and a good token economic model, and Robinhood as an excellent existing company building a business on crypto technology.

Arthur Hayes Bids Farewell to BitMEX: Will Responsibly Close Platform in Our Own Way, Satoshi for Life

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes bid farewell to the platform in a post, thanking partners, all BitMEX employees, and all customers. "It's been a hell of a ride. We made something special together, and I'm proud of what we achieved."

Hayes stated that BitMEX will responsibly shut down the platform in its own way. He also reiterated his long-held crypto philosophy, stating his opposition to traditional finance and banks, and signed off with "Satoshi for life."