U.S. Crypto Regulation Drama Update: Congress Stalls, SEC Takes the Lead

The “savior” that the crypto industry had been waiting for over a year — the CLARITY Act (Digital Asset Market Clarity Act) — passed the House and cleared the committee stage. But when it reached the full Senate vote… it got delayed.  (The postponement was confirmed on August 6, with a new vote expected on September 15.)  On Polymarket, the probability of the bill passing this year plunged from 82% to 21%. A brutal reversal, to say the least.  With Congress stuck, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins decided to take a different route.  On August 14, the SEC will push forward the Regulation Crypto proposal, whose core idea is that the SEC is shifting from its previous approach of “enforcement after the fact” to “leading with clear rules.”  Instead of forcing companies to rely on lawyers interpretations, the SEC aims to tell the industry what the rules are and how exemptions can be obtained.  But dont celebrate too early:  The August 14 vote only decides whether the proposal will be released for public comment.  The rules would not take effect until at least 2027.  So for now, it is more of a signal:  Regulatory certainty is emerging through the executive branch.  In the short term, the market impact may be limited.  But in

08-13Deep Dive

Copper expands into US with regulated crypto custody and trading services

Digital asset infrastructure provider Copper has established a regulated US presence after Copper Markets (US) Inc. became an SEC-registered broker-dealer and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, opening a route for the company to provide institutional custody and trading services in the country.  According to Coppers Wednesday announcement, its US subsidiary has been accepted as a FINRA member, giving the company a regulated entity through which it can bring its custody, collateral and trading infrastructure to institutional clients in the United States.  FINRA records also identify personnel registered with Copper Markets (US), including staff working across finance, compliance, operations and revenue functions. The company said the approval allows its US business to operate as a broker-dealer while building its presence as a qualified custodian for institutional digital assets.  Copper US arm gains regulated broker-dealer status  Copper Markets (US) plans to provide qualified custody alongside staking, financing and over-the-counter services, according to the company. Institutional clients will also gain access to Coppers ClearLoop Network, its infrastructure for managing collateral while assets remain in custody.  Under the model, institutions can pledge crypto and tokenized assets as collateral between counterparties without relying on the conventional process of moving the assets to a trading venue before each

08-13Industry

South Korea sentences Delio CEO to 15 years in prison for $50 million crypto fraud: report

Quick TakeA Seoul court has sentenced Delio CEO Jeong Sang-ho to 15 years in prison on cryptocurrency fraud charges.The sentence is shorter than the 20-year term that prosecutors sought, as the judge acquitted Jeong of a primary charge.  South Korea has reportedly sentenced Delio CEO Jeong Sang-ho to 15 years in prison on cryptocurrency fraud charges.  According to local news outlet Newsis, the Seoul Southern District Court, presided over by Judge Jang Chan, found Jeong guilty on most charges of defrauding customers of roughly 70 billion Korean won ($49.2 million) in crypto assets.  The court found the defendant largely guilty on charges of embezzlement and of using false documents to register as a virtual asset service provider.  However, it acquitted him on the primary indictment alleging fraud of roughly 250 billion won ($175.6 million) from about 2,800 people, ruling that evidence obtained through a search and seizure of a server operator was illegally collected, according to the report. Prosecutors previously sought a 20-year sentence for Jeong.  “The defendant committed the crime of defrauding a large sum from numerous victims, and given the methods and means employed, and the scale of the damage, the crime is extremely grave, the court said. ”[Jeong] has also failed to

08-13Industry

Copper US arm becomes FINRA member, SEC-registered broker-dealer

Digital asset infrastructure provider Copper has established a regulated presence in the US after its local entity became a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).  Copper announced Wednesday that Copper Markets (US) Inc. had been accepted as a FINRA member, allowing the firm to expand its institutional custody and trading infrastructure into the US market.  FINRA BrokerCheck records show Copper Markets with an approved SEC registration status dated Aug. 7. The records also identify FINRA as the companys self-regulatory organization.  Copper said its US arm will offer qualified custody, staking, financing and over-the-counter services, as well as access to its ClearLoop Network, which allows institutions to pledge and move crypto and tokenized assets as collateral between counterparties.  The company described the expansion as establishing its US presence as a “Qualified Custodian.” Under SEC rules, registered broker-dealers that hold client assets in customer accounts can qualify as custodians.

08-13Industry

Securitize falls 16% after earnings miss, tokenization revenue drops

Securitize shares sank in premarket trading on Thursday after the tokenization platform missed Wall Street revenue estimates.  Securitize reported $14.4 million in total revenue in its second-quarter earnings, down 5% compared to the same period last year, according to its quarterly results published on Wednesday.  The revenue came in below the Wall Street consensus estimate of $20.6 million, according to analyst estimates compiled by Yahoo Finance. Securitize shares traded at $6.62 in premarket trading as of 8:10 am UTC, down about 16% from Wednesdays $7.86 close.  Securitize reported $7.8 million in quarterly revenue from tokenization, down 12% from $8.9 million in the second quarter of 2025.  The BlackRock-backed company also reported a record average tokenized AUM of $4.3 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 16% from the second quarter of last year.  Securitize posted a net loss of $21.7 million for the quarter, widening from $6.1 million a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA swung to a $5.5 million loss from a $1.8 million profit.  Across the broader tokenized real-world asset market, the number of asset holders has climbed to more than 1.7 million, while distributed asset value stands at roughly $38 billion, according to data provider RWA.xyz.

08-13Industry

Bitwise CIO sees market repricing as crypto embraces 'revenue fever'

Quick TakeBitwise‘s Matt Hougan said crypto assets are trading at prices that look “too low” as investors have yet to recognize the market’s shift to a revenue-driven model.The CIO noted that valuations could “double or more” as the market catches up with the change.  Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan is bullish on crypto assets outside Bitcoin (BTC), arguing that investors are underpricing tokens as protocols increasingly capture revenue, with valuations potentially doubling or more as the market catches up.  In a note published Wednesday, Hougan said crypto is moving beyond an era when successful networks generated substantial economic activity without returning much of that revenue to token holders.  “That era is over,” Hougan said. “Were now in a stage where, outside of Bitcoin, the value of crypto assets will increasingly be defined by the same metric that defines stocks and bonds: revenue.”  Hougan noted that the shift is increasingly visible across DeFi protocols and newer crypto projects that use fees and other revenue to buy back or burn their native tokens.  He pointed to Hyperliquid, which generated more than $800 million in revenue last year and used about 99% of its fee revenue to buy and burn HYPE. Since launching its token in November 2024, the

08-13Industry

Mirae Asset injects 50B won into Korbit after takeover

Mirae Asset Group is preparing to inject 50 billion won, roughly $35 million, into the operator of South Korean crypto exchange Korbit less than a month after completing its takeover of the company.  SummaryMirae Asset will inject 50 billion won into Digital X following its completed Korbit acquisition.Digital X will issue 10,078,614 new shares at 4,961 won each to Mirae Asset Consulting.Mirae Asset Consulting owns 97.15% of Digital X after completing the crypto exchange takeover recently.Korbit recorded a 15.4 billion won operating loss in 2025 despite higher annual revenue growth.South Korea approved the acquisition after finding little competition risk from Korbits market position domestically.  Digital Xs board approved the capital increase on Aug. 12, with payment scheduled for Aug. 27, News1 reported Thursday.  Digital X will issue 10,078,614 common shares at 4,961 won each through a third party allotment. All new shares will go to Mirae Asset Consulting, the Mirae affiliate that already controls 97.15% of the company. Digital X said the proceeds are intended to improve its financial structure and meet immediate management funding needs.  Mirae Asset backs Korbit with 50B won after acquisition  You might also like:  South Koreas Korbit becomes Digital X under Mirae Asset ownership  Mirae Asset adds fresh capital weeks after buying

08-13Industry

South Korea tightens crypto transfers to overseas exchanges

South Korea will tighten transfers between domestic crypto platforms and overseas exchanges or self-hosted wallets under anti-money laundering rules approved by the Cabinet on Aug. 11.  The Financial Services Commission said registered virtual asset service providers will have to apply risk-based controls to such transfers and operate internal suspicious-transaction monitoring for amounts of 10 million won or more.  The final framework is less rigid than a March proposal that would have treated every transfer above 10 million won to an overseas exchange or personal wallet as automatically suspicious. After industry objections, the FIU shifted to a system in which each registered provider assesses risk under its own controls rather than filing a suspicious transaction report solely because the amount crosses the threshold.  South Korea will grade overseas crypto transfers by risk  Under the approved framework, transfers to low-risk overseas exchanges may proceed. Transfers involving other overseas exchanges or self-hosted wallets will generally be permitted only when the sender and recipient are the same person, while transfers involving high-risk counterparties can be prohibited, according to the FSC.  The rules also strengthen checks around larger transfers. News1 reported that domestic exchanges may seek additional evidence such as proof that an overseas account belongs to the customer, the

08-13Industry

New “Zoomsday” exploit could expose crypto users to zero click attacks

A newly disclosed set of Zoom vulnerabilities has shown how attackers could take control of another meeting participants device without any action from the victim, creating a fresh security risk for crypto users who have repeatedly been targeted through video calls.  SummaryA Security said a researcher used fewer than 20 AI prompts to find three Zoom vulnerabilities and build a working exploit in under 24 hours.The Zoomsday attack could take control of a meeting participants device without requiring any action from the victim.Crypto users face added risk as hackers have previously used compromised Zoom meetings to steal wallet data and other sensitive information.Zoom released fixes between June 22 and July 20, but users on older versions still need to update their apps.  According to Israeli cybersecurity firm A Security, a researcher used fewer than 20 prompts with publicly available artificial intelligence models to uncover the flaws and build a working attack in less than 24 hours. The firm named the attack “Zoomsday” and said the vulnerabilities affected Zooms annotation system, which lets meeting participants draw or add notes to shared content.  Once exploited, the flaws could allow malicious code to run on another participant‘s device without requiring the person to download a file,

08-13Industry

BitGo Q2 revenue rises 80% to $4.3B as loss hits $19M

BitGo Holdings reported $4.33 billion in second quarter revenue on Aug. 12, up 79.6% from $2.41 billion a year earlier, as digital asset sales and its stablecoin business expanded.  SummaryBitGos revenue rose 79.6% year over year to $4.33 billion, led by digital asset sales.Net loss reached $19 million, reversing $38.3 million profit, partly reflecting digital asset valuation swings.Client count grew 26% to 5,833 while normalized platform assets reached $65.2 billion during quarter.Stablecoin-as-a-Service revenue increased 148% to $38.8 million, while staking revenue fell 28.8% year over year.CFO Ed Reginelli will resign September 15, while BitGo conducts a formal search for successor.  The company nevertheless recorded a $19 million net loss, compared with $38.3 million in net income a year earlier, according to its release. The loss narrowed sharply from $60.7 million in the first quarter.  The results provide a more mixed picture than the headline revenue increase suggests. Most of BitGos revenue comes from digital asset sales that are reported on a gross basis and carry nearly matching direct costs. The quarter also brought a 15% workforce reduction, continuing internal control weaknesses and a forthcoming change in chief financial officer.  You might also like:  BitGo switches WBTC from LayerZero to Chainlink CCIP  BitGos $4.3B revenue came with

08-13Industry
1
...
7678
...
1000