Today's news tips:
US CFTC to use Nasdaq surveillance system to expand cryptocurrency regulation
Linea will hold a TGE in September and launch native ETH earnings in October
Nvidia's revenue beat expectations but outlook remains flat, and it approves a $60 billion buyback.
Goldman Sachs leads institutional Ethereum ETF holdings with $721 million
Azuki founder: A big new project will be launched later this year
Binance HODLer Airdrop Now Available: Dolomite (DOLO), the 33rd Airdrop
Regulation & Policy
US CFTC to use Nasdaq surveillance system to expand cryptocurrency regulation
According to The Block, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is adopting Nasdaq's surveillance program to play a greater role in regulating digital assets. In a statement on Wednesday, the CFTC stated that Nasdaq's program will protect markets from fraud, abuse, and manipulation. Acting Chairwoman Caroline Pham stated that the new surveillance system will equip the agency with automated alerts and cross-market analysis capabilities, and that the CFTC is also preparing for the growth of the cryptocurrency market. Earlier this month, the agency launched its "Crypto Sprint" initiative, focusing on crypto futures trading and the recommendations outlined in the President's Task Force on Digital Asset Markets.
Project News
Nvidia's revenue beat expectations but outlook remains flat, and it approves a $60 billion buyback.
According to Jinshi Data, Nvidia's revenue for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 reached $46.7 billion, exceeding market expectations of $46 billion, and announced the approval of an additional $60 billion in share repurchases. However, its third-quarter revenue outlook was $54 billion (with a fluctuation of 2%), slightly higher than the market expectation of $53.46 billion, sparking market concerns about slowing spending growth in the artificial intelligence sector. Nvidia's data center business became its core growth engine, with revenue increasing 56% year-on-year to $41.1 billion in the second quarter. Cloud service providers are purchasing its latest generation of Blackwell chips, and sales of the chip increased by 17% compared to the first quarter. Despite the impressive performance, Nvidia's US stock price fell 5% after the market closed.
According to The Big Whale, The Sandbox founders Arthur Madrid and Sébastien Borget have stepped down from day-to-day operations, with Animoca Brands executive Robby Yung taking over as CEO. Borget will serve as a global ambassador, while Madrid will become non-executive chairman. Concurrently, the company has laid off over 50% of its staff, affecting teams in Argentina, Uruguay, South Korea, Thailand, and Turkey. The company plans to close its Lyon, France, office, with further layoffs in Paris. This restructuring is seen as a strategic shift driven by technological advancements. Furthermore, The Sandbox is gradually de-emphasizing its Metaverse business and shifting towards broader Web3 applications, including the memecoin launch platform based on Base.
Hong Kong-listed EDA Group announced it will launch a stablecoin payment solution
According to an announcement from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, EDA Group, a Hong Kong-listed company, announced that it has reached a cooperation with UTCPAY on digital asset transactions, Web3 technology and blockchain applications, and will launch technical services including stablecoin payments, optimize payment solutions, and promote the widespread application of stablecoins in payment scenarios in the cross-border e-commerce logistics industry.
Linea will hold a TGE in September and launch native ETH earnings in October
According to Linea's official documents, Linea will launch a token generation event (TGE) in September 2025 with an initial valuation of approximately US$2 billion. It also plans to support the growth of the ecosystem's total locked value (TVL) through a series of liquidity incentives, with a target of more than US$1.8 billion. In addition, Linea will also launch a 10-week "Linea Ignition" incentive program and launch a native ETH income function in October. Linea is currently the number one zkRollup solution in terms of TVL, having completed 283 million transactions and has 7 million wallet addresses. Its design is highly compatible with Ethereum, including an ETH staking vault, ultra-low fees, and a 20% fee destruction mechanism. Its token economic model is community-centric, and 85% of the token supply will be allocated to the ecosystem and developers.
According to the Avalanche Foundation, the second round of funding for the Retro9000 program has been announced, with eight projects receiving over $250,000 in funding. These projects have all launched on the Avalanche mainnet and are driving ecosystem development across multiple sectors, including Layer 1 blockchain and infrastructure tool development. The list includes: Artery Chain: Focusing on building an AI-native Web3 gaming ecosystem, launching gas-free transactions and a unified token economy. CodeNekt: Building a vehicle identity and lifecycle management blockchain, with deployed vehicle NFT smart contracts. Tixbase: Developing blockchain-based ticketing solutions. zeroone: Focusing on innovative Avalanche Layer 1 blockchain development. NUMINE: Providing mining pool-related infrastructure tools. Letsbuyhealthcare: Exploring the application of blockchain in healthcare. Bango: Building developer tools for the Avalanche ecosystem. Quboid: Developing infrastructure tools to support the Avalanche ecosystem.
Azuki founder: A big new project will be launched later this year
According to official news from Opensea, Azuki founder Zagabond shared the original intention of the Azuki project and its future development direction in an interview. Zagabond said that Azuki aims to introduce tokenization into mainstream culture through storytelling and character IP, while promoting users to jointly create content with the "Garden" community as the core. In addition, Zagabond introduced the vision of Animecoin, a token designed to reward fans and independent creators who have long supported anime culture and build an open anime universe. He revealed that Azuki is preparing the Anime.com platform to strengthen interaction among anime fans. Azuki recently launched an introductory card set for the trading card game, which received positive market feedback and the team plans to further expand the series. In addition, Azuki is also preparing a major new project, which is expected to be released later this year.
Hyperliquid staff stated in the Discord community that, based on user feedback, the Hyperliquid contract mark price will use the conventional mark price formula, combined with the price of external pre-launch perpetual swaps (PERPs), if any. This will have no noticeable impact on the vast majority of users and use cases, but will improve the robustness of the system. It should be clarified that this will not affect funding rates or realized profit and loss.
Eligible for HODLer airdrops and Launchpool rewards.
According to The Block, Avail, a modular blockchain infrastructure project backed by Founders Fund, has acquired Arcana, a chain abstraction protocol aimed at improving multi-chain scalability. This acquisition marks Avail's first, and Arcana's chain abstraction and developer tools will be integrated into the Avail technology stack. As part of the transaction, the Avail Foundation has acquired 100% of Arcana's XAR token supply, with existing holders able to redeem them for AVAIL at a 4:1 ratio. Unlocking will be phased in over 6 to 12 months, while Arcana team tokens will vest over three years. The majority of Arcana's leadership and staff will transfer to Avail, bringing the team size to over 55 people, with plans for further hiring.
According to Reuters, American Bitcoin, a Bitcoin mining company backed by US President Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, plans to go public on the Nasdaq in early September through an all-stock merger with Gryphon Digital Mining. Asher Genoot, CEO of Hut 8, the company's largest investor, stated that the merger is nearing completion and that the company will retain the name "American Bitcoin" and trade under the ticker symbol ABTC. Genoot revealed that founders Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., along with Hut 8, will collectively hold a 98% stake in the new company. American Bitcoin is exploring opportunities to acquire crypto assets in Hong Kong and Japan to expand its global reach. Genoot stated that these are still early stages and no specific projects have been committed. Hut 8 initially focused on cryptocurrency mining, but since co-founding American Bitcoin with the Trump brothers, it has gradually shifted its focus to energy infrastructure and data centers.
Binance HODLer Airdrop Now Available: Dolomite (DOLO), the 33rd Airdrop
Binance has officially announced the 33rd HODLer Airdrop, featuring Dolomite (DOLO), a decentralized money market protocol and DEX. Users who subscribe to guaranteed principal earning (fixed and/or demand deposits) or on-chain earning products using BNB between 08:00 AM on August 3, 2025, and 07:59 AM on August 7, 2025, will receive the airdrop.
Later news, Binance: The total number of DOLO HODLer airdrop tokens is 15 million, accounting for 1.5% of the maximum supply of tokens .
Binance Alpha Launches Second Wave of Dolomite (DOLO) Airdrops
Binance Alpha has officially launched the second wave of Dolomite (DOLO) airdrops. Eligible Binance users can use Binance Alpha Points to claim 166 DOLO tokens on the Alpha event page within 24 hours of trading. The Binance Alpha airdrop will be distributed in two phases: Phase 1 (first 18 hours): Users with at least 260 Alpha Points will be eligible to claim. Phase 2 (last 6 hours): Users with at least 230 Alpha Points will be eligible to participate in the second phase of the airdrop on a first-come, first-served basis. The score threshold will automatically decrease by 15 points every hour while the event continues. Please note that claiming the airdrop will cost 15 Binance Alpha Points.
Hemi (HEMI) will be listed on Binance Alpha and Binance Futures
According to an official announcement, Binance Alpha will launch and open trading for Hemi (HEMI) at 12:00 PM (GMT+8) on August 29, 2025. Additionally, Binance Futures will launch HEMIUSDT perpetual contracts at 12:30 PM (GMT+8) on August 29, 2025, with up to 50x leverage. As a launch bonus, all eligible Binance users can use their Binance Alpha points to participate in the Booster event to receive token airdrops.
Earn 248 or more Binance Alpha Points to Participate in the Mitosis (MITO) TGE
Binance announced that users with 248 or more Alpha Points can participate in the Mitosis (MITO) TGE event through the Alpha event page. Participation in the event will cost 15 points.
According to a recent report released by AI infrastructure company Anthropic, its AI chatbot, Claude, is being used by cybercriminals to carry out large-scale cyberattacks, with some demands reaching as high as $500,000. The report notes that despite Claude's "sophisticated" security measures, criminals were able to circumvent these restrictions through social engineering techniques known as "vibe hacking." This method leverages AI to manipulate human emotions, trust, and decision-making, enabling attackers with limited technical skills to carry out sophisticated cybercrime. In one case, a hacker used Claude to steal sensitive data from at least 17 organizations, including healthcare, government, and religious groups, and demanded Bitcoin ransoms ranging from $75,000 to $500,000. Furthermore, Claude was used to help North Korean IT workers create fake identities, pass technical tests, and secure remote positions at top US tech companies. The proceeds were used to support the North Korean regime. Earlier reports indicated that Anthropic was in talks to raise up to $10 billion in new funding, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Blum (BLUM) is now listed on Binance Alpha, with an airdrop threshold of 230 credits.
According to an official announcement, Binance Alpha has now listed Blum (BLUM). Users holding at least 230 Binance Alpha Points can claim an airdrop of 700 BLUM tokens. This airdrop is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The minimum score will automatically decrease by 15 points every hour while the promotion is ongoing. Please note that claiming the airdrop will cost 15 Binance Alpha Points. Users must confirm their claim within 24 hours on the Alpha promotion page; otherwise, they will forfeit the airdrop.
On-chain detective ZachXBT posted on the X platform that he had previously assisted in a theft incident caused by an XRP Ledger issue, but would no longer provide any assistance to the XRP community. ZachXBT believes that the XRP community, aside from providing exit liquidity for insiders, has not brought any value to the industry and is therefore unworthy of support. He also stated that this view applies to projects such as Cardano (ADA), Pulsechain, and Hedera.
Andrei Grachev, co-founder of crypto market maker DWF Labs, wrote on the X platform: "If you can persuade a Nasdaq-listed company to establish a crypto treasury reserve for your project token, DWF Labs will be happy to invest 10-20% of the target fundraising amount."
According to an announcement from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Shuntai Holdings (01335.HK) announced plans to expand its cryptocurrency business, allocating approximately HK$70 million from internal financial resources to cryptocurrency trading. The company has already acquired several pieces of related equipment and purchased a number of Filecoin tokens, trading at $2.1 to $2.3 per unit. A dedicated team has been established to manage its virtual asset business, primarily investing in cryptocurrencies with a history of at least five years and good liquidity, including BTC, ETH, BNB, and Filecoin (FIL). USDT and USDC will form a significant portion of its investment portfolio, with stablecoins comprising at least 5% of the portfolio.
Investment and Financing
Web3 smart hardware project MAGNE.AI completes $10 million in strategic financing
Web3 smart hardware project MAGNE.AI has officially announced the completion of a $10 million strategic funding round, with participation from Castrum Capital, DuckDAO, TB Ventures, and Becker Ventures. The funding will accelerate the development of its L1+L2 dual-chain mobile-native Web3 infrastructure, as well as the mass production and optimization of its AI+blockchain security chip. MAGNE.AI is a leading US-based technology company dedicated to building AI-native Web3 smartphones and next-generation mobile infrastructure for the decentralized internet.
According to Blockworks, the team behind the former prediction market platform Polymarket has launched a new project, The Clearing Company, and has completed a $15 million seed round led by Union Square Ventures (USV). Other investors include Haun Ventures, Variant, Coinbase Ventures, and Compound. Co-founder Toni Gemayel stated that prediction markets, leveraging the collective wisdom of the internet age, can overcome the slowness and bias of traditional polls. The project aims to build an on-chain, permissionless, and regulatory-compliant prediction market while providing convenient participation for retail users.
Crypto asset lending platform Ledn and Swiss crypto bank Sygnum have completed the refinancing of a $50 million Bitcoin-collateralized loan, which was twice oversubscribed and partially tokenized through its Desygnate platform.
Institutional holdings
According to Businesswire, German listed company Nakiki SE announced that its management board is assessing interest from professional investors and expects to raise "tens of millions of euros" through a rights issue. The proceeds will be used for strategic investments in Bitcoin. Nakiki SE previously announced its full adoption of a Bitcoin treasury strategy, aiming to become the first publicly listed company in Germany to implement a pure Bitcoin reserve asset business plan.
Goldman Sachs leads institutional Ethereum ETF holdings with $721 million
According to Cointelegraph, according to 13F filings, Goldman Sachs ranks first among institutional Ethereum ETF holdings with $721 million in exposure, followed by Jane Street with $190 million and Millennium with $186 million. Earlier news reported that Goldman Sachs recently increased its BTC holdings by $194 million, bringing its total holdings to $470 million.
Strive Funds plans to purchase over $700 million in Bitcoin after its IPO
According to BitcoinTreasuries.NET, Matt Cole, CEO of investment management company Strive Funds, said that the company plans to purchase more than $700 million worth of Bitcoin after its public listing.
Viewpoints & Analysis
Arthur Cheong, CEO and CIO of DeFiance Capital, recently expressed his dissatisfaction on social media with the way some Web3 startups have handled their closures. He stated that many Web3 startups that received investment in 2021 and 2022 shut down without notifying investors, calling this "quiet exit" unacceptable. He argued that even if a company fails, investors should at least receive an email with an apology and a thank you. Cheong cited a post analyzing the problems of the current venture capital model, including a lack of oversight, weak accounting fundamentals at startups, minimal decision-making power for investors, and a tendency for investors to focus on successful projects while ignoring those that fail. This model relies on the integrity of founders, but in a bull market with abundant capital, founders may benefit themselves through various means, such as paying high salaries and bonuses, using company funds for lavish travel, renting their own offices to companies, or paying for contracts with affiliated companies. The post pointed out that these practices not only benefit founders but also enhance their resumes, while investors' returns may be significantly reduced or even negative. Cheong agreed, stating that this situation remains unacceptable.
Important data
Tether Treasury mints 1 billion new USDT on Ethereum
Infini founder suspected of selling 2477 ETH, or has completely liquidated
A whale bought another $10 million in WBTC and $3.19 million in ETH
A whale/institution pledged another 1.5 million SOL, worth approximately $319 million
A whale unstaked another 110,000 SOL and deposited them into Binance
