News & Research

UK and Singapore officials convened in London this week for the 10th UK-Singapore Financial Dialogue, where they agreed to strengthen cooperation in digital finance, particularly in tokenized assets and artificial intelligence (AI), Decrypt reported. The two nations committed to advancing Project Guardian, a joint initiative between regulators and the investment sector focused on exploring the real-world potential of tokenized financial assets. Plans are underway to broaden industry participation through organizations such as the UK Investment Association and the Investment Management Association of Singapore. The dialogue also covered the Global Layer One (GL1) project, which aims to facilitate cross-border trading of tokenized assets by addressing regulatory and technical challenges.

As per a recent survey by HarrisX, a market research and consulting services company, 73% of U.S. crypto investors support President Donald Trump's cryptocurrency policies. According to PR Newswire, the poll was carried out among 1,096 U.S. adults who have invested in crypto, and 81% of those respondents said they are familiar with the Trump Administration's cryptocurrency policies. In addition, 73% of them approve of Trump's work in the crypto sector.

iMBank, formerly known as Daegu Bank, has filed for a series of trademarks related to Korean won-based stablecoins, according to Newsis. The bank submitted applications for 12 trademarks, including names like iMKRW, iMST and KRWiM. These combine “KRW,” the currency code for the Korean won, with “iM,” reflecting the bank’s new corporate identity after its transition from a Daegu-based regional bank to a commercial bank. Other major financial institutions, such as the Industrial Bank of Korea, Shinhan Financial Group, Toss Bank, KB Kookmin Bank, KakaoBank and Naver, have also filed for won stablecoin-related trademarks in recent years.

A Bitcoin (BTC) investment consortium, led by backers of Metaplanet, plans to acquire Thai retailer DV8, marking a move to expand Bitcoin treasury strategies in Southeast Asia, Decrypt reported. The group includes Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich and investors from UTXO, Sora Ventures and Kliff Capital. The acquisition aims to integrate Bitcoin into Southeast Asia's public markets, but experts warn that financially struggling companies adopting Bitcoin as a treasury strategy may face risks.

Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas highlighted via X that BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, $IBIT, is now the third-highest revenue-generating fund out of 1,197, just $9 billion away from the top spot. He noted this achievement for the 1.5-year-old ETF, calling it an impressive statistic.

Bitcoin (BTC) miner Riot Platforms (RIOT) mined 450 BTC in June, worth around $49.26 million at current prices, marking a 76% increase year-over-year (YoY) from 255 BTC in June. However, the firm's June output was down 12% from the 514 BTC mined in May. Riot now holds 19,273 BTC and sold $41.7 million worth of Bitcoin in June. The firm also diversified its operations in January by shifting some power capacity from its Corsicana, Texas facility to AI and high-performance computing, The Block reported.

On-chain data platform CryptoQuant analyzed on X that Bitcoin's (BTC) real demand is showing a decreasing trend. The platform noted that while U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have bought 377,000 BTC and Strategy (MSTR) has purchased 371,000 BTC, the apparent demand has dropped by 857,000 BTC. CryptoQuant emphasized that Bitcoin will need rising demand to break its all-time highs.

Bo Hines, Executive Director of the Trump administration's crypto advisory group, predicts that the passing of the Genius Act, expected soon, could lead to a $15-$20 trillion crypto market. Hines, in an interview with Fred Thiel, CEO of Bitcoin (BTC) miner MARA Holdings, emphasized that the legislation would modernize financial systems, allowing for instant settlements, cost-effective payments and enhanced transparency. He believes the law will boost the U.S. dollar's global dominance and inject substantial capital into the crypto industry, potentially increasing its value by over 300%, according to TheCryptoBasic on X.

In the first half of 2025, stablecoins accounted for 74.6% of all institutional over-the-counter (OTC) crypto trades, a significant jump from 46% in 2024, according to Finery Markets, cited by The Block. The report highlights a 154% rise in stablecoin transactions, with USDC trading volumes surging 29-fold, aided by Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) regulation. CEO Konstantin Shulga warned that while stablecoins drive growth, increasing issuers and market fragmentation heighten systemic risks, with a potential depeg triggering widespread issues.

Crypto-based prediction market platform Polymarket is facing allegations of market manipulation, as high-stakes bettors are reportedly colluding to influence outcomes in their favor, according to DL News, citing four active participants. The users claim that some traders coordinate via Discord, social media and comment sections, allegedly using multiple accounts to create a false sense of consensus. As of the time of reporting, Polymarket had not responded to requests for comment.