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According to Bitcoin News, Sberbank Deputy Chairman Anatoly Popov said regulated Russian exchanges are expected to record at least $46.43 billion in crypto trading volume during the first year, potentially rising to $87.06 billion by 2029. Russia’s central bank plans to allow investors to legally purchase crypto assets through brokers starting September 1. Non-qualified investors will be limited to purchasing up to $3,800 worth of crypto assets annually through a single licensed intermediary. Official exchanges are currently authorized to trade only Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether.

According to DeFiLlama data, Robinhood Chain generated $2.66 million in app revenue over the past 24 hours, surpassing Hyperliquid L1’s $1.7 million and Ethereum’s $1.27 million, and nearly six times Base’s $438,436. GMGN, Pons, and Uniswap ranked among the top protocols by revenue, generating $1.11 million, $930,587, and $306,877, respectively, together accounting for approximately 88% of Robinhood Chain’s total app revenue.

Arthur Hayes: How the 2008 Bailout Gave Birth to Bitcoin
In an August 23, 2026 video interview with Altcoin Daily, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes recalled that in the 2008 crisis, Washington didn't bail out Bear Stearns directly — it had JP Morgan buy the bank for $2 backed by massive loans, a sweetheart deal for JP Morgan.
Lehman then failed, and regulators found they didn't really like free markets after all. Major bank CEOs trekked to Washington and walked away with roughly $700 billion in taxpayer money, while Goldman bankers kept their bonuses and ordinary people lost their homes. He argues the U.S. broke its promise of sound money in the bailout — and Bitcoin was born as a response to that broken trust.

Token Terminal data shows that BUIDL, a tokenized U.S. Treasury fund issued by Securitize, has a market capitalization of approximately $2.8 billion, accounting for 18.5% of the $15.1 billion market. It has regained its position as the largest tokenized U.S. Treasury fund, narrowly surpassing Circle’s USYC.

The CryptoCom-linked Cronos network halted after an exploit hit lending protocol Tectonic. Onchain researcher Weilin Li estimated that the attacker pumped the price of the illiquid TONIC token roughly 100-fold, then used the inflated collateral to borrow about $75 million in other assets. Only around $6 million was bridged to Ethereum before Cronos halted, preventing most of the assets from leaving the network. Tectonic has not confirmed the amount involved or the root cause. CryptoCom said its app and exchange were not compromised.

1. Japan’s FSA Warns Against Overseas Single‑Stock Leveraged ETF Sales, Deems Them Contrary to Public Interest link
Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) revised its Q&A guidelines for financial‑instruments business on August 27. It explicitly states that selling overseas‑listed leveraged ETFs tracking Japanese individual stocks within Japan is “inappropriate from a public‑interest perspective”. The move aims to curb the de‑facto distribution of products not approved in Japan, and prevent excessive capital concentration that could distort pricing of specific stocks and trigger sharp market swings. Japan does not yet permit the listing of single‑stock leveraged ETFs. Previously, market participants were concerned that overseas issuances of such products might be sold back into Japan via the “foreign investment trust” channel.
2. Five Vietnamese Firms Pass Initial Crypto Exchange Assessment; No Licenses Yet Issued link
According to Vietnam News Agency, Vietnam has yet to issue its first crypto‑asset exchange license, though five firms have passed the first‑round evaluation. They must next meet Level‑4 information‑system security requirements and deploy minimum capital of 10 trillion Vietnamese dong (approximately $383 million). Meanwhile, new regulations imposing penalties for crypto‑asset‑market violations will take effect on September 1. Experts cited in the report note domestic investors will not face immediate penalties for using unlicensed platforms upon the effective date. Under the current pilot framework, domestic investors are required to trade solely via licensed platforms only six months after the Ministry of Finance grants the first service‑provider license.
3. Shanghai Police Dismantle Virtual‑Currency‑Facilitated Underground Banking Ring Involved in $28‑Billion‑Equivalent Cross‑Border Remittances link
According to a notice from the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, Shanghai police have recently cracked a major underground‑banking case involving illegal cross‑border foreign‑exchange transactions via virtual currencies, arresting 19 suspects with case‑related funds reaching nearly 20 billion yuan. Police stated that starting from August 2024, the gang conducted cross‑border currency exchange through the path of “Renminbi‑virtual currency‑foreign currency”. They first purchased virtual currencies with domestic funds, then sold them via overseas channels for foreign currencies which were transferred to accounts designated by clients, and collected service fees for the operations. Five key suspects have been approved for arrest on suspicion of illegal business operations and aiding information‑network criminal activities. The case remains under further investigation.
4. Security Flaw Exposes Users’ Crypto Assets on Dubai‑Based Chinese‑Focused Food‑Delivery App ComeCome link
Major security vulnerabilities have been exposed in ComeCome, a leading Chinese‑language food‑delivery app based in Dubai. Independent security analysis reveals that version 2.9.3 of the application available on the App Store embedded malicious statistical code dubbed “DKStatistics”. Upon user launch, it attempts to escape the iOS sandbox and read directories of commonly‑used crypto wallets, notes apps, WhatsApp and other applications in the background. On‑chain data shows more than 50,000 USDT was stolen from users starting August 22. The hacker’s aggregation address received approximately 1.3 million USDT in illicit funds within four days, all of which were converted into Ethereum and routed through Tornado Cash for money‑laundering purposes by August 25. Back in February 2025, Kaspersky named ComeCome when disclosing SparkCat, an espionage campaign targeting crypto users. Though the app was updated to version 2.9.5 on August 27, full removal of the malicious component remains pending further verification.
5. Pakistan Orders Crypto Platforms to Secure Licenses by Sep 5 or Cease Operations link
Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) has opened licensing applications for crypto platforms. Exchanges, custodians and other service providers already operating locally prior to the March 5 effective date of the Virtual Assets Act must submit No‑Objection Certificate (NOC) applications by September 5, or cease relevant services. Platforms that submit complete applications on time may continue operations during review, yet PVARA may impose restrictions on new‑user registration, product offerings, trading volumes or custodial services. An NOC represents only preliminary regulatory clearance and is not equivalent to a formal license. Continued operations without submitting an application will constitute an offence. Binance and HTX obtained NOCs in December 2025 and may proceed directly to apply for full formal licenses.
6. South Korea’s 2027 Crypto‑Tax Implementation Faces Petition with Over 10,000 Signatures for Delay link
South Korea’s government and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea still plan to enforce the virtual‑asset income tax starting January 1, 2027. A combined 22‑percent tax rate will apply to portions of annual gains from trading or lending virtual assets exceeding 2.5 million won. South Korea’s National Tax Service held an expert meeting this week to discuss concrete enforcement guidelines. Meanwhile, a parliamentary petition seeking a further two‑year delay of the crypto tax has garnered more than 10,000 signatures. Should it reach 50,000 signatures by September 20, it will go for formal review by a National Assembly committee. A lawmaker from the main opposition party has also tabled a bill pushing the enforcement date to 2030.
7. Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan, Plans Six Mining and Data‑Center Projects Worth $5.11‑Billion Total Investment link
Amanbay Orynbayev, Chairman of the Parliament of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan, stated that three cryptocurrency‑mining hubs and three data centers are under local construction with a total project investment of 5.11 billion US dollars. In April this year, the entire territory of Karakalpakstan was designated as Besqala Mining Valley, a special mining zone. Under Uzbekistan’s regulations, cryptocurrency mining is permitted only for legal entities and should predominantly run on renewable‑energy sources. Power drawn from the national unified grid incurs double‑rate electricity tariffs. The country’s National Agency for Perspective Projects is in charge of issuing mining licenses.
8. Standard Chartered Becomes First Distributor of Hong Kong‑Regulated HKD‑Pegged Stablecoin HKDAP link
Standard Chartered has become the first bank to distribute HKDAP, Hong Kong’s regulated Hong Kong‑dollar stablecoin. Standard Chartered plans to roll out tokenised money‑market fund subscription and settlement services with international and local asset managers in the fourth quarter. It will test intra‑group settlement using HKDAP across its network in the near term, while exploring application scenarios including cross‑border payments and treasury management. HKDAP is issued by Anchorpoint Financial, in which Standard Chartered holds an equity stake.
9. Russia’s Sberbank to Expand Crypto‑Backed Mortgages Accepting BTC, ETH and USDT link
Anatoly Popov, Deputy Chairman of Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, stated that the bank intends to further develop lending secured by digital‑asset collateral. Beyond Bitcoin, it plans to accept Ethereum and stablecoin USDT as collateral in the future. Popov noted Sberbank already has hands‑on experience with digital‑asset operations. Upon the full entry into force of the new regulatory framework, the bank will revise its existing offerings and gradually expand its product lineup. The plan remains subject to regulatory approval. Popov emphasised that assets such as ETH and USDT can only be adopted as collateral once the Central Bank of Russia permits their public circulation.
10. Abu Dhabi Royal Tahnoon and Co‑Investors Hold 49% Stake in World Liberty’s New Bank‑Holding Entity link
Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family and UAE National Security Advisor, together with co‑investors holds a 49‑percent stake in WLTC Holdings, the holding entity for World Liberty Financial’s new banking business, making them its largest shareholder. Entities affiliated with the Trump family hold approximately 38‑percent equity. The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) granted preliminary conditional approval this month for World Liberty to establish a national trust bank to issue, redeem and custody its stablecoin USD1. Last year, Tahnoon also invested 500 million US dollars into World Liberty via another entity to secure a 49‑percent stake, of which around 263 million US dollars flowed to Trump‑family‑related entities.
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According to the Vietnamplus, Vietnam’s new rules on penalties for violations involving crypto assets and markets will take effect on September 1. Vietnam has yet to issue its first crypto asset exchange license, but five companies have passed the first round of assessment and must next meet Level 4 information system security requirements and invest at least VND 10 trillion (about $383 million) in capital. Under the current pilot program, domestic investors will only be required to trade through licensed platforms six months after the Ministry of Finance issues the first license to a service provider.

Arthur Hayes: Why US Treasury Buybacks Are Pumping Bitcoin
In an August 23, 2026 video interview with Altcoin Daily, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes said Treasury Secretary Bessent announced at least doubling long-end bond buybacks, sending the 10-year yield to 4.75% with 5% possibly in sight.
He argued that despite strong inflation, steady growth and the 2-year yield running 50–60 basis points above the effective fed funds rate — all pointing to hikes — the Fed won't actually raise rates, because the Treasury must keep issuing short-term bills to keep the market functioning. Buybacks mean more liquidity, with more money chasing scarce assets like Bitcoin. He added that once the market truly fears yield curve control, Bitcoin could quickly rise to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

TASS reported that Anatoly Popov, Deputy Chairman of Sberbank, said the bank plans to further develop lending backed by digital assets and, in addition to Bitcoin, eventually accept Ethereum and Tether (USDT) as collateral. Popov said Sberbank already has practical experience working with crypto assets and will adapt its existing products and gradually expand the offering once Russia’s new regulatory framework fully takes effect. The plan remains subject to regulatory approval, with ETH and USDT only eligible as collateral after the Bank of Russia permits their public circulation.

QCP Capital reported that from an underlying market structure perspective, BTC's current rally from $63,500 to above $80,000 is backed by solid spot support. The rally from $63,500 has been supported by ~$2.8B in spot ETF inflows, while BTC-denominated futures open interest fell from ~646k BTC in mid-August to ~588k BTC alongside subdued funding rates, indicating that short covering and spot buying—rather than aggressive leveraged longs—led the move.
Macro conditions remain complex: July Core PCE held at 3.3% YoY with markets pricing a ~35% probability of a 25bp September hike, while the US Treasury's plan to double long-end liquidity buybacks to at least $4B per operation from Sept 9 and strong Nvidia earnings have buoyed risk sentiment.

BitGo announced that it completed the acquisition of NYDIG’s institutional trading business for approximately $42.5 million in a cash-and-stock transaction, consisting of $7 million in cash and approximately $35.5 million in BitGo shares. About 30 NYDIG employees and related institutional client relationships will transfer to BitGo as part of the deal. NYDIG will thereafter focus on power, Bitcoin mining, and HPC data center businesses.

According to Reuters, Bank for International Settlements (BIS) General Manager Pablo Hernández de Cos said at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium that stablecoins are not a credible means of payment at scale, while tokenized deposits offer a more compelling way to harness tokenization. He said the two could coexist, but tokenized deposits should handle most everyday payments, with stablecoins serving more specialized purposes.
De Cos said stablecoins could lower government borrowing costs by increasing demand for U.S. Treasuries, but the migration of funds from bank deposits to stablecoins could also raise bank funding costs and borrowing rates for ordinary customers. He also cited limited interoperability and difficulties in consistently enforcing anti-money laundering controls. The growing adoption of dollar-pegged stablecoins in some jurisdictions could weaken monetary sovereignty and the effectiveness of domestic monetary policy. Tokenized deposits must also overcome interoperability, governance, and legal challenges.

According to Bloomberg, ECB Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel said central banks should bring central-bank money onto blockchain infrastructure and use the programmability of distributed ledgers to modernize monetary-policy implementation, collateral management, and liquidity provision.
The ECB plans to launch its Pontes initiative next month to connect DLT platforms with existing TARGET services, while a blueprint for its longer-term Appia initiative is expected in 2028. Schnabel said the ECB is still assessing different models, including a unified ledger or connecting multiple ledgers.

CZ: I Wouldn't Advise Young People to Sell Their Home and Go All In on Crypto
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) said during the Binance Clubhouse Bali 2026 Community Q&A on August 23 that he would not advise young people to sell their home and go all in on crypto, especially if the property represents most of their wealth.
CZ said he sold his apartment to buy Bitcoin in 2014 because he had strong confidence in BTC's long-term growth, and even if Bitcoin had gone to zero, his lifestyle would not have been affected. But not everyone can afford that outcome. For most people, he recommends regularly investing just 1%–10% of their income in leading crypto assets they believe in.

Solana’s first round of on-chain governance voting has concluded, with SGP-0001, “The Solana Constitution,” and SGP-0002, “Double Disinflation,” passing, while SGP-0003, “Resource and Inclusion Fee,” failed. SGP-0001 received 85.97% support, while SGP-0002 passed with 67.00%, narrowly clearing the two-thirds approval threshold. SGP-0003 received 53.90% support. All three proposals met quorum.
SGP-0002 proposes doubling SOL’s annual disinflation rate from 15% to 30%, shortening the time needed to reach the 1.5% terminal inflation rate from approximately 5.7 years to 2.8 years and reducing SOL emissions by about 18.9 million over six years. SGP-0003 had proposed restructuring the current base transaction fee into a fixed base inclusion fee and a resource fee based on requested transaction cost, with the latter fully burned. GitHub

Avici said its card-issuing partner Rain identified a vulnerability in a version of a Solana card contract used by Avici and a small number of other programs. The contract has since been upgraded across all programs, with no further unauthorized activity observed. Avici said only the separate Solana contract holding card balances was affected, while funds in users’ self-custodial Solana and EVM wallets remained safe. A total of 1,685 users were affected, representing $500,859.22 in card balances. All affected users will receive full refunds, and Avici has filed a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

According to CNBC, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said recent PCE and CPI readings were better than expected but did not show that underlying inflation trends had meaningfully improved. He stopped short of signaling a specific rate path or policy reaction function, instead calling for a “quieter Fed” with less reliance on forward guidance and saying markets should not look primarily to the central bank for their next trade.