Author: James Wilson

Ostium has halted trading after an exploit tied to a compromised oracle signer key drained nearly $18 million USDC from its liquidity vault, according to blockchain security firm Blockaid. Summary Blockaid linked Ostium’s $18 million exploit to a compromised oracle signer key. The attacker drained up to 28% of the protocol’s $63 million liquidity vault. Ostium halted trading as investigators probe the oracle-based attack. Blockaid reported that the attacker gained control of an oracle signer private key, allowing them to bypass the protocol’s verification process and submit future-dated price reports that favored their trades. Using a registered PriceUpKeep forwarder, the…

Base creator Jesse Pollak has acknowledged that the network’s multi-year bet on onchain social products did not deliver the expected growth and has redirected Base toward trading, payments, and AI-powered financial infrastructure. Summary Jesse Pollak admitted Base’s onchain social strategy failed to drive expected crypto adoption. Base will prioritize trading, stablecoin payments, and AI agent infrastructure through 2026. JPMorgan warned growing USDC revenue sharing could pressure Coinbase and Circle profits. Base returns to infrastructure after social experiment falls short According to a post published by Jesse Pollak on Wednesday, the first quarter of 2026 became a turning point after Base…

Senate Democrats have intensified scrutiny of Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche during his confirmation hearing, accusing him of weakening crypto enforcement while President Donald Trump’s digital asset businesses have expanded. Summary Dick Durbin accused Todd Blanche of dismantling DOJ crypto enforcement to benefit Trump’s crypto businesses. Senate Democrats linked Blanche’s nomination to demands for stricter ethics rules in crypto legislation. Blanche defended the DOJ’s new approach while saying he would review the Binance pardon process if confirmed. According to proceedings from the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, Senator Dick Durbin used his opening remarks to argue that Blanche…

A new academic study has found that Polymarket’s five-minute Bitcoin prediction contracts have created incentives for sophisticated traders to manipulate spot prices and profit at the expense of ordinary participants. Summary Stanford researchers link Polymarket’s five-minute Bitcoin markets to settlement-price manipulation. The study estimates about $1.28 million shifted from retail traders to sophisticated participants. Researchers say longer settlement windows and improved pricing methods could reduce manipulation risk. According to researchers from Stanford University and Singapore Management University, the structure of Polymarket’s short-duration Bitcoin markets encourages traders to influence the cryptocurrency’s spot price shortly before contracts settle. Their paper concluded that…

BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust has secured a major regulatory win after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a fourfold increase in the ETF’s options position limit from 250,000 to 1 million contracts. Summary SEC has approved raising IBIT options limits from 250,000 to 1 million contracts. NYSE Arca says the higher cap matches strong trading demand and improves liquidity. The approval comes after BlackRock reported 31% year-over-year revenue growth in Q2. According to a notice published by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a rule change submitted by NYSE Arca has become effective immediately, allowing the exchange to raise…

XRP Ledger has entered the final two-week activation countdown for its fixCleanup3_2_0 amendment after validator support exceeded the network’s required 80% approval threshold. Summary XRP Ledger’s fixCleanup3_2_0 amendment has entered its two-week activation countdown. The upgrade bundles protocol fixes for lending, permissioned domains, and the Permissioned DEX. Activation is scheduled for July 29 if validator support stays above the 80% threshold. According to XRP Ledger governance data, the bundled maintenance amendment currently has 85.71% validator support, with 30 validators voting in favor and five against. Under the network’s governance rules, an amendment must maintain at least 80% support for two…

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only. Institutional crypto OTC markets are evolving beyond block trades as firms demand liquidity, settlement, and cross-border infrastructure services. Summary Institutional crypto OTC desks are evolving beyond block trades into full-service execution and settlement infrastructure. Growing institutional demand is reshaping crypto OTC desks into providers of execution, settlement, and treasury infrastructure. Crypto OTC markets are expanding beyond large trades as institutions seek integrated execution and liquidity solutions. For most of its early history, the institutional crypto OTC market was defined…

Circle has secured a court-backed arbitration win after records made public in a Boston federal court detailed why the stablecoin issuer suspended Heka Funds’ USDC minting and redemption services over suspected market manipulation involving Tether. Summary Circle has won an arbitration case after an arbitrator ruled it lawfully suspended Heka Funds’ USDC minting and redemption services. Court records said Heka did not disclose Tether’s role as the fund’s main investor and Circle reasonably suspected possible market manipulation. The ruling comes as Circle continues expanding its institutional business with new banking initiatives and partnerships in the United States and South Korea.…

Solana price has climbed to around $78 on July 15 after a 250 million USDC mint on the network, combined with softer U.S. inflation data, injected fresh buying momentum across crypto markets. Summary Solana price jumped toward $78 after a 250 million USDC mint boosted on-chain liquidity and risk appetite improved. Technical charts show a breakout above a descending channel, with $80 emerging as the next key resistance. Rising active addresses, institutional developments, and liquidation clusters support upside, while $70-$75 remains critical support. The move gathered pace after the USDC Treasury minted 250 million USDC on Solana, adding immediate liquidity…

BitMine Immersion Technologies generated $45.7 million from Ethereum staking and validation during the three months ended May 31, making staking its main source of revenue. Summary Ethereum staking generated $45.7 million, accounting for 98% of BitMine’s total quarterly revenue in May. BitMine now stakes 4.9 million ETH, equal to roughly 85% of its Ethereum treasury holdings. Tom Lee projects $284 million in annual rewards once BitMine fully stakes its ETH treasury. The figure represented 98% of the company’s $46.5 million in total quarterly revenue, according to its latest 10-Q filing with the SEC. A year earlier, BitMine reported total quarterly…