Hey crypto addicts,

Bitcoin is showing signs of renewed liquidity, with its realized capitalization increasing by more than $4.6 billion over the past week as BTC recovered from around $63,000 to above $80,000. The move suggests fresh capital is entering the market and supporting the recent recovery.

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs have also recorded $2.57 billion in inflows across seven consecutive sessions, providing another indication that demand is returning. However, the liquidity recovery still needs confirmation, as the 30-day realized-cap growth rate remains relatively modest.

For Bitcoin, the next major test is whether this liquidity expansion can continue. Sustained realized-cap growth alongside strong ETF inflows could provide the foundation for another leg higher, while a reversal in liquidity or repeated rejection around the $81,000 region could signal that the recovery needs more time to develop.☕

What we’ve covered for you today:

Stablecoin-powered card spending has crossed $10.9 billion cumulatively, with July becoming the first month to surpass $1 billion in spending. The growth highlights how stablecoins are moving beyond trading and into everyday payments, including groceries, subscriptions, travel and other real-world purchases.

Dollar-backed stablecoins dominate the sector, with USDC and USDT accounting for the majority of tracked card activity. Monthly crypto card spending reached roughly $759 million in July, while nearly 9 million purchases were made, showing that adoption is increasingly being driven by practical transactions rather than speculation.

The momentum is also attracting ambitious growth forecasts, with stablecoin card spending potentially reaching $50 billion annually by 2028. While still small compared with traditional card networks, the rapid expansion suggests stablecoins could become an increasingly important bridge between digital assets and everyday global payments. ☕

Kalshi has suffered a major legal setback after a federal appeals court ruled that Nevada regulators can oversee its sports prediction markets, challenging the CFTC's claim of exclusive federal jurisdiction. The decision conflicts with an earlier ruling that sided with Kalshi, increasing the possibility that the dispute could eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

The ruling could have broader implications for the rapidly expanding prediction-market industry. States argue that sports contracts function as gambling and should fall under state gaming laws, while the CFTC maintains that these products are federally regulated financial derivatives.

With multiple states challenging prediction platforms and courts delivering conflicting decisions, the regulatory landscape remains highly uncertain. The outcome could ultimately determine whether prediction markets operate primarily under federal commodities regulation or face a patchwork of state gambling rules across the U.S. ☕

Ripple has hired Joseph Thompson, the London Metal Exchange's former senior vice president and head of treasury, to join its Trading and Markets team and help advance its tokenization strategy. Thompson brings extensive experience across institutional finance, liquidity and risk management.

The appointment comes as Ripple expands beyond payments into tokenized real-world assets, custody, treasury services and institutional trading. The company is investing heavily in infrastructure designed to support asset issuance, transfers and collateral management on the XRP Ledger.

Thompson's arrival highlights Ripple's growing focus on connecting traditional financial markets with blockchain infrastructure. The hire signals that Ripple is bringing deeper traditional-market expertise into its expanding institutional and tokenization businesses as blockchain adoption continues to grow.☕

Russia’s largest bank, Sber, is preparing to expand its crypto-backed lending products by accepting Bitcoin, Ether and Tether’s USDT as loan collateral as the country moves toward a regulated crypto market. The plans are tied to new legislation taking effect in September, with Russia’s central bank proposing BTC, ETH and USDT for regulated exchange trading based on factors including market capitalization.

Stellar’s tokenized real-world asset (RWA) market has exploded in 2026, growing roughly 360% to nearly $4 billion from $868.8 million at the end of 2025. The growth reflects increasing institutional adoption, with assets spanning US Treasurys, private credit, public credit and foreign government debt. Major players including Spiko, Realiz, Tradable, Franklin Templeton and Ondo now account for a large portion of the market.

A Trump-linked crypto brand promoted the Solana-based “Trump Digital GOLD” token shortly before it collapsed by roughly 99%, raising questions about the legitimacy of the launch. Blockchain analytics firm Lookonchain reported that the developer and 15 newly created wallets controlled around 82.45% of GOLD’s total supply before selling 224.5 million tokens for approximately $330,000.

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