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According to Cointelegraph, Australia officially implemented the "travel rule" for local compliant cryptocurrency trading platforms starting in July. All transactions involving the sending and receiving of cryptocurrency assets must provide the name of the recipient or payer and the name of the platform. This rule is enforced by the financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC and applies to any amount, with no minimum threshold, and requires users to confirm that the address belongs to them when withdrawing to a self-custody wallet. Exchanges like Swyftx state that users can reuse the information after submitting it once, while Kraken and CoinJar have already begun implementation in advance. The regulatory goal is to enhance the traceability of on-chain funds to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and fraud activities.

According to Jinshi, European Central Bank Executive Board Member Schnabel stated that the scale and timing of further actions will depend on the Middle East conflict, inflation, and economic conditions.

According to SoSoValue data, as of 8 AM Eastern Time on June 22, 2026, the total net purchase of Bitcoin by global listed companies (excluding mining companies) for the week was $86.03 million, a decrease of 13.97% compared to last week.Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) spent approximately $34.9 million last week to purchase 520 Bitcoins at a price of $67,068, increasing its total holdings to 847,363 Bitcoins.The Japanese listed company Metaplanet did not purchase any Bitcoin last week, marking nine consecutive weeks without purchases.Additionally, four other companies purchased Bitcoin last week. The Japanese food brand DayDayCook announced on June 17 that it spent $7.43 million to purchase 95 Bitcoins at an undisclosed price, bringing its total holdings to 2,899 Bitcoins; the Brazilian Bitcoin company OrangeBTC announced on June 21 that it invested $1.15 million to purchase 18 Bitcoins at a price of $64,121, increasing its total holdings to 3,822 Bitcoins; the asset management company Strive announced from June 15 to June 21 that it spent $49.98 million to purchase 759 Bitcoins at a price of $65,850, raising its total holdings to 19,864 Bitcoins.As of the time of writing, the total amount of Bitcoin held by the global listed companies (excluding mining companies) in the statistics is 1,142,276 Bitcoins, an increase of 1.87% compared to last week, with a current market value of approximately $7.417 billion, accounting for 5.7% of the circulating market value of Bitcoin.

According to Digital Asset, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of South Korea proposed at the FATF plenary meeting to expand the applicability of the virtual asset Travel Rule to small transactions and suggested implementing transaction restrictions on high-risk unregistered virtual asset service providers.The South Korean delegation emphasized that as the money laundering risks associated with cross-border digital asset transactions increase, member countries should apply the Travel Rule to both sending and receiving VASPs and expand its applicability to small transactions. In response to the increasing cases of criminal organizations utilizing overseas and unregistered VASPs, South Korea recommended strengthening customer identification obligations and considering transaction restrictions on high-risk unregistered VASPs.The FIU had previously advanced similar regulatory measures in the amendment to the enforcement decree of the Specific Financial Information Act, which is planned to be implemented in August, expanding the applicability of the Travel Rule from transactions over 1 million won to those under 1 million won.

CryptoQuant data shows that Bitcoin network activity has risen to a level approximately 7% away from the historical peak in September 2024, and has broken through the long-term trend line for the first time since mid-2024, primarily driven by a large number of small transactions rather than traditional economic payment activities. The daily number of Bitcoin transactions in 2026 has exceeded 800,000, more than doubling from the low point in 2025, approaching the cycle peak from 2023 to 2025.CryptoQuant believes that this growth has structural characteristics rather than being a short-term fluctuation. Among these, small transactions below 0.01 BTC now account for about 80%, significantly higher than about 44% in 2023. This change is closely related to the usage of OP_RETURN, which is near historical highs. CryptoQuant points out that protocols such as Runes, Ordinals, BRC-20, and data timestamp services generate a large number of low-value transactions by writing data to the blockchain, with some transaction amounts as low as 546 satoshis.As inscription activities increase, the number of transactions in the Bitcoin mempool has risen to about 128,000, the highest level since February 2025. Although still below the extreme congestion levels of September 2023 and November 2024, the report suggests that non-financial use transactions are occupying an increasing amount of Bitcoin network throughput, and if this trend continues, it may drive up transaction fees for time-sensitive economic transactions.Meanwhile, the rise in on-chain activity contrasts with the flow of funds. There has been a net outflow of over $528 million from Bitcoin and Ethereum spot funds; however, institutional investors still view ETF fund flows as the core driving force of this cycle and maintain the benchmark expectation that Bitcoin will reach $150,000 by the end of the year.

CryptoQuant's research director Julio Moreno stated that transactions below 0.01 BTC currently account for about 80% of the total daily transaction volume on the Bitcoin network, significantly higher than approximately 44% in 2023.Moreno pointed out that this growth is mainly driven by on-chain data protocols based on OP_RETURN, such as Runes, Ordinals, BRC-20, and data timestamp services. These protocols generate a large number of small transactions, with some transaction sizes even as low as 546 satoshis (about $0.35), thereby continuously increasing the number of low-value transfers. In addition, the Bitcoin network activity index has been steadily rising since January of this year and has now reached its highest level since the end of 2024.

According to Cryptopolitan, India's financial intelligence agency has requested three major local cryptocurrency exchanges to provide information on over-the-counter (OTC) cryptocurrency transactions valued at over $10,000.The directive requires exchanges to maintain OTC records since January 2026, focusing on beneficial ownership, particularly transactions where private companies or intermediaries may conceal the true owners of funds. OTC transactions are negotiated directly between the platform and clients, helping large buyers avoid public market price fluctuations, but also increasing the risk of lack of transparency, thus being viewed by regulators as high-risk channels for money laundering, tax evasion, and cross-border capital flows.India remains one of the largest cryptocurrency markets globally, but there is no official data on the size of the OTC market.

According to SlowMist's YuXian monitoring, Aztec is suspected to have been hacked again, with its Private Rollup Bridge 0x737...A2ba showing three suspicious transactions, totaling approximately $2.15 million, involving 1,158 ETH, 150,000 DAI, and 0.46963295 renBTC.

According to the official announcement, Binance Wallet has launched the Web3 API, which is a comprehensive set of API endpoints that allows developers, institutions, and advanced on-chain traders to access on-chain trading and market data through a single integrated programming interface.The API supports multiple chains (including Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Plasma, Arbitrum, Polygon, Base, Monad, Optimism, Linea, and Solana), providing real-time market data, aggregated exchange quotes, and on-chain trading execution capabilities.Key features include: market data API (real-time token prices, K-line data), trading API (aggregated quotes, token exchanges, built-in MEV protection), non-custodial architecture (does not hold private keys, user local signing), and enterprise-level reliability.Currently, there are zero service fees and zero slippage fees, with all price improvements returned to users. This API is suitable for developers building DApps, on-chain trading bots, and AI agents.

WeChat Pay has announced the launch of the "AI Exclusive Card" feature. This feature allows users to directly express their spending needs during conversations with the AI Agent, and the Agent assists in completing the entire process from smart recommendations to final order payment.It is reported that the WeChat Pay AI Exclusive Card has initially been integrated into the WorkBuddy platform (Mac version must be upgraded to 5.1.1). Users can purchase group coupons and redeem them in-store through the "Meituan Life Assistant" Agent on this platform. The official statement indicates that in the future, this exclusive card will be planned to open access to more Agent platforms.In terms of fund security and authorization mechanisms, the AI Exclusive Card is completely isolated from the user's main WeChat Pay account, and all spending by the Agent is limited to the balance within the exclusive card. Users can independently control the inflow and outflow limits of funds in the card, and the system requires that every transaction order must be confirmed by the user’s final authorization before payment can be completed.

According to the official announcement, to meet users' demand for round-the-clock trading, Bitget stock spot (rToken) has officially launched weekend trading functionality. The first batch supports 20 popular U.S. stock assets, including rAAPL (Apple), rNVDA (NVIDIA), and rTSLA (Tesla).During the U.S. stock market's off-hours, the platform will generate weekend continuous trading prices based on Friday's closing price, market maker quotes, and market expectations. This feature supports limit orders and take profit/stop loss settings. To prevent abnormal fluctuations, the system has a protection limit of approximately ±20% for weekend limit orders.The rToken, identified by the letter r + stock code (e.g., NVIDIA as rNVDA), is issued by Reality, a licensed RWA protocol under Bitget, and is directly connected to global liquidity pools such as NASDAQ and NYSE through collaboration with compliant broker Alpaca.

According to Bloomberg, the Hungarian government will abolish criminal penalties for cryptocurrency transactions, revoking the regulations tightened during the tenure of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.Last year, Hungary tightened the rules for cryptocurrency asset exchanges, requiring that cryptocurrency-to-fiat and cryptocurrency-to-cryptocurrency transactions go through an approved verification process; otherwise, related violations could face imprisonment.

According to Jinshi News, SD Ventures Chief Investment Officer Alexander Lis stated that the U.S. CPI data overall met market expectations, with both year-on-year growth and core data basically in line with expectations. Although the data is not strong, it is also not enough to reassure the market. This is the last release of inflation data before the next Federal Reserve monetary policy committee meeting, and the market is paying attention to the Federal Reserve's response. Next week, it will be known whether inflation is sufficient to prompt the Federal Reserve to signal an interest rate hike.

Russian Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov stated that Russia may introduce fees, recommendations, and technical protection mechanisms for "unfriendly" cryptocurrency transactions to protect Russian investors. During the preparation for the second reading of the cryptocurrency market regulation bill, one of the core topics is whether to allow specific digital assets (including USDT and BNB) to participate in trading. Ivan Chebeskov pointed out that the operation of such tools may pose high risks to Russian users, and therefore additional protective measures are being considered, including economic incentives such as fees or recommendations to encourage citizens to hold other assets.Previously, the Russian Ministry of Finance considered excluding USDT from the cryptocurrency market regulatory framework, but industry participants expressed their willingness to bear the risks of using the tool themselves. Additionally, in the regulatory concept proposed by the Central Bank of Russia last December, it was suggested that digital currencies and stablecoins be classified as foreign exchange assets, allowing buying and selling but prohibiting their use for domestic payments for goods and services. Ineligible investors may purchase the most liquid cryptocurrencies after passing specific tests, and the annual limit for purchasing assets through a single intermediary does not exceed 300,000 rubles.

Recently, the global memory chip sector has been active, with the expansion of AI computing power and the ongoing construction of data centers continuously driving market demand for high-performance storage products, attracting widespread attention from investors. According to Gate market data, Micron Technology (MU) reached a high of $933.49 in 24 hours, currently reported at $906.52, with a 24-hour increase of 3.49%; SK Hynix (SKHYNIX) reached a high of $1348.10 in 24 hours, currently reported at $1318.40, with a 24-hour increase of 8.31%. According to CoinGlass data, the trading volume of Gate MU (Micron Technology) contracts reached $11.3353 million in 24 hours, and the trading volume of Gate SKHYNIX (SK Hynix) contracts reached $3.9042 million in 24 hours, both ranking among the industry leaders, with the trading heat of related assets continuing to rise.

According to Cointelegraph, the Illinois State Legislature has passed the budget for the fiscal year 2027, which includes a provision to impose a 0.2% tax on cryptocurrency transactions, to be collected by digital asset brokers. This measure, referred to as the "privilege tax," is part of the amendment to the "Digital Asset Privilege Tax Act," which includes registration requirements for any digital asset broker operating in Illinois.Starting from January 1, brokers who fail to comply with the relevant regulations may be classified as a Class 3 felony in the state, facing two to five years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $25,000. The budget has been approved by the state legislature on Monday but still requires the signature of Governor JB Pritzker to take effect. JB Pritzker has publicly stated multiple times that he plans to sign the bill as soon as possible, but as of Friday morning, he has not yet signed it. Legislators expect that the cryptocurrency tax will generate $60 million in revenue for the state.

Michael Saylor, founder and executive chairman of Bitcoin Strategy, published an article on the X platform, stating that the Bitcoin ecosystem is gradually differentiating into four core ideologies: Bitcoin Maximalists, Bitcoin Capitalists, Bitcoin Technologists, and Bitcoin Fundamentalists.Among them, Maximalists emphasize Bitcoin as the globally dominant digital currency network; Capitalists advocate for Bitcoin's deep integration into banks, enterprises, and capital markets; Technologists support cautiously advancing protocol upgrades to enhance scalability, security, and functionality; and Fundamentalists focus on self-custody, node operation, decentralization, and protocol immutability.Saylor believes that the four ideologies correspond to the four forces of "belief, adoption, innovation, and guardianship." The future of Bitcoin should not choose between purity and adoption rate, or innovation and stability, but should achieve balance through "disciplined expansion": maintaining the stability and decentralization of the underlying protocol while placing most innovations on top of layer two networks, custody, credit, and capital market infrastructure.

The cryptocurrency project World Liberty Financial (WLFI), supported by the Trump family, stated that in light of recent updates to sanctions measures, WLFI maintains a risk-based sanctions compliance control mechanism to support legal and regulatory obligations applicable within relevant jurisdictions. Transactions involving sanctioned individuals, entities, or related wallet addresses may face enhanced scrutiny, denial, restrictions, or other appropriate compliance measures.Users should ensure that the source of funds and the original wallet address are not related to sanctioned individuals or prohibited activities when transferring digital assets. If transactions or accounts are affected during the compliance review process, its support team will assist users in taking subsequent steps.

According to Infobae, 10 judicial departments in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina coordinated a large-scale operation with security forces from various locations, which included 90 simultaneous raids. The operation resulted in the arrest of 24 individuals and the seizure of over 8 million USDT and nearly 60 million dollars in cash. Additionally, 80 mobile phones, computers, tablets, and processors were confiscated.The case investigates alleged investment fraud, which is believed to have caused losses of nearly 3 billion dollars. The coordination of this operation was handled by the Crypto Assets Assistance and Coordination Group of the Buenos Aires Attorney General's Office. According to the group's report, the seized amount exceeded the previous record held by this specialized group: during the RainbowEx operation in 2024, over 2 million dollars were seized.