Prediction markets reached a record $113.8 billion in notional volume in Q2 as spot CEX trading, derivatives volume and stablecoin market cap declined. Cryptocurrency markets struggled broadly in the second quarter of 2026, with declines across stablecoins, spot trading and derivatives, but prediction markets reached record highs. Spot trading volume across the top 10 centralized...Continue Reading

Users spent a record $324 million on onchain gacha in June, even as Bitcoin hit a 21-month low. The thrill of scoring a top Pokemon card from a random pack is becoming big business June 2026 was brutal for the crypto market. Bitcoin (BTC) fell more than 20%, hitting a 21-month low, while spot Bitcoin...Continue Reading

The market capitalization of tokenized stocks rose to a record $2.3 billion, as investors sought exposure to the growing list of tokenized equity products launched by cryptocurrency exchanges. The global market capitalization of tokenized stocks rose to a record $2.3 billion on Wednesday, as more investors sought exposure to blockchain-based equity products. The Ethereum network...Continue Reading

The global task force said criminal networks are using stablecoins and developing proprietary tokens to evade asset freezes as countries struggle to enforce crypto AML rules. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) warned that criminals are increasingly exploiting stablecoins for illicit finance, with most identified onchain criminal activity now involving the dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies. In its...Continue Reading

MoonPay acquired Glide, a crypto infrastructure startup founded by former Robinhood Wallet engineers, to expand cross-chain crypto deposit infrastructure. MoonPay has acquired the crypto infrastructure startup Glide, integrating Glide’s deposit and routing technology, the companies said in a joint announcement shared with Cointelegraph on Thursday. MoonPay, a financial technology platform that provides fiat-to-crypto payment services,...Continue Reading

ARK Invest’s director of research disputed a16z crypto’s thesis that traditional finance will adopt permissioned blockchain infrastructure instead of decentralized finance, saying institutions will increasingly rely on DeFi rails. ARK Invest’s director of research pushed back against investor a16z crypto’s thesis that traditional finance will adopt blockchain through permissioned infrastructure rather than decentralized finance (DeFi)....Continue Reading

Visa and Artemis found that infrastructure bottlenecks are preventing broader commercial adoption of the autonomous AI agent economy. Artificial intelligence (AI) agents are posing a challenge to the incumbent global card payments infrastructure that is struggling to process high-frequency micropayments, according to a joint report released by payments giant Visa and investment thesis platform Artemis....Continue Reading

The Senate approved a resolution opposing clemency for former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried as prediction markets put the odds of a Trump pardon by July 31 below 1%. The US Senate has adopted a resolution opposing executive clemency for former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, the convicted crypto executive behind one of the industry’s largest collapses....Continue Reading

Bitcoin realized losses appeared to be copying a reversal structure that marked previous bear-market bottoms, with $69,000 a new BTC price battleground. Bitcoin (BTC) “cycle peak buyers” could already be pointing the way to the next bear-market bottom. Key points: Read moreContinue Reading

Tether reportedly invested $20 million into Ualá, as part of the Argentine neobank’s $197 million funding round announced earlier in March. Stablecoin giant Tether reportedly invested $20 million in the Argentine neobank Ualá, as part of its broader push in Latin America. The investment formed part of a $197 million equity funding round announced by...Continue Reading