controversy

According to BFM News, the Johor state government of Malaysia has requested the federal government to investigate the Network School, founded by former Coinbase Chief Technology Officer Balaji Srinivasan, due to allegations that some Israeli citizens participated in the project using third-country passports. The Johor state government has asked the Ministry of Home Affairs and relevant law enforcement and security agencies to verify the identities, nationalities, and entry purposes of the individuals involved, and to investigate whether the operation of Network School requires registration or approval under Malaysian law.At the same time, authorities will also review whether the project complies with relevant regulations regarding site permits, building usage, land use, accommodation operations, and commercial activities. If any violations are found, actions will be taken in accordance with the law. It is understood that Network School is located in Forest City, Malaysia, founded by Balaji Srinivasan, and is a private residential community built based on his "Network State" concept, with membership fees starting at $1,500 per month, offering services such as accommodation, dining, fitness, and shared office space.

In response to the recent market controversy regarding the reduction of Stabledrop shares, Cap founder Benjamin issued a statement of apology and provided a detailed response. He stated that the team prematurely committed to an airdrop scale of 11 million before the funding was fully secured, but subsequent changes in the market environment led to a fundraising amount that fell short of expectations, resulting in the actual airdrop pool shrinking to 4.2 million.To avoid substantial principal losses for early YT (Yield Token) holders, the team temporarily adjusted the originally planned linear distribution scheme to a "capital protection but no profit" restructuring model, ensuring that no one incurs losses. This rule applies equally to all wallets. Meanwhile, in response to community concerns about a related whale address allegedly engaging in "internal score manipulation," Benjamin clarified that the wallet belongs to a former colleague and is not operated by the team, and that project treasury funds have not been utilized. Additionally, he emphasized that the Cap protocol is still operating healthily, and the decline in TVL that occurred over the weekend was mainly due to the surge in USDM lending rates on Aave for MegaETH, causing arbitrageurs to exit, which is unrelated to this airdrop incident. All redemptions have been processed smoothly.

After a meeting with Islamic scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani, Bilal bin Saqib, the chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, stated that stablecoins, tokenized RWA, and other blockchain products should undergo separate technical and Islamic law assessments and should not be regarded as the same category.Previously, scholars including Usmani issued a fatwa declaring that USDT and other cryptocurrencies do not constitute wealth recognized by Islamic law, rendering transactions for purchasing physical goods or digital services invalid. Pakistan passed the Virtual Assets Act in March of this year, requiring exchanges, custodians, and token issuers to ensure compliance with Islamic law under the guidance of an Islamic finance scholars committee. At the same time, the country is advancing sovereign stablecoins, national asset tokenization, and licensing for cryptocurrency trading platforms.

A five-day public debate between ether.fi CEO Mike Silagadze and KAST CEO Raagulan Pathy has brought KAST's user deposit terms into the spotlight. Silagadze publicly shared screenshots showing that KAST's terms treat users' deposited stablecoins as sold to KAST, with ownership immediately transferred to the company, and the original terms did not mention that users could request redemption.According to The Defiant, verified through the Wayback Machine, these terms have been in place at least since June 25. As of July 7, KAST updated its terms to include users' right to redeem unspent balances, but the legal structure remains unchanged—deposits are still defined as sales, with the company's total liability capped at $500, registered in Comoros, Anjouan Island, and governed by Seychelles law.Additionally, KAST previously promised that points would be exchanged for tokens on a one-to-one basis, but on July 2, this was changed to conversion into tokenized equity, causing dissatisfaction among users. Research account Decentralisedco pointed out that KAST can earn about 4-5% annualized returns from idle balances by counting users' stablecoins as company assets, a structure that differs from competitors like ether.fi, which settle through user-controlled smart contracts.

In response to the online incident of "Gate being hacked for 1.7 million," the platform's founder and CEO Dr. Han tweeted: The details of the incident are all here. After reading, it will be clear. Regarding this incident, the official Gate account has already provided a complete disclosure and review of the events earlier.

The recent voting results of the ENS DAO, which governs the Ethereum Name Service, have sparked controversy within the community, as some members pointed out.In the latest on-chain vote, ENS founder Nick Johnson cast approximately 3.26 million votes against the proposal to extend the security committee's term for two years. This proposal had previously passed a Snapshot community vote, but the on-chain execution proposal did not receive support.As the controversy escalated, some community members expressed concerns about the degree of decentralization in the ENS DAO governance mechanism. However, there are also viewpoints suggesting that this incident reflects more on the distribution structure of governance tokens rather than a failure of the protocol itself.

The Ethereum community is debating the proposal to tax staking rewards. The newly established EthLabs has received support from institutions such as BitMine, providing off-chain funding alternatives for ecological development.

Bitcoin mining company Hut 8 has agreed to pay $2.35 million to settle a securities class action lawsuit filed by investors. The lawsuit alleges that Hut 8 made misleading disclosures regarding operational risks and potential issues related to the merger with U.S. Bitcoin Corp. in 2023.The focus of the lawsuit involves power and network connectivity issues at the King Mountain Bitcoin mining project in Texas. Investors claim that Hut 8 exaggerated the merger benefits and did not adequately disclose the associated operational risks. According to the settlement agreement, Hut 8 does not admit to any wrongdoing or liability.Documents show that the $2.35 million settlement amount represents approximately 19.6% of the plaintiffs' estimated maximum recoverable losses of $12.08 million. The settlement plan is still subject to final court approval.

According to CoinDesk, major lobbying organizations in the U.S. cryptocurrency industry jointly sent a letter to the House Ways and Means Committee, urging the advancement of the "Tax Clarity for Mining and Staking Act," advocating for tax treatment options for cryptocurrency miners and staking income recipients. The bill was introduced by Republican Congressman Mike Carey, and its core content allows taxpayers to choose the timing of taxation when they receive new mining or staking assets—either paying taxes at the time the assets are generated or deferring taxes until the final sale.Industry associations, including the Blockchain Association, Digital Chamber, and Crypto Council for Innovation, have expressed support, arguing that the current tax system may force users participating in network security maintenance to bear tax burdens before they have realized the assets. Supporters claim that the proposal does not provide "indefinite deferral," but rather avoids immediate taxation on income that has not yet realized liquidity, thereby alleviating cash flow pressure on miners and validators.However, Democratic lawmakers and some external critics are concerned that this mechanism could be exploited by large mining companies for long-term tax deferral, especially in the context of some publicly listed or politically connected companies participating in mining operations, raising potential policy arbitrage disputes. Meanwhile, the industry's focus remains on the broader "Digital Asset Market Structure Act" (Clarity Act), but tax issues have become the second key battleground, expected to continue advancing in tandem with regulatory framework legislation in the coming weeks.

According to Forbes, in the 2026 U.S. Congressional primary elections, the Democratic PAC "Protect Progress," supported by Coinbase, Ripple, and Andreessen Horowitz, is making a large-scale intervention in several Black district primaries. The PAC invested over $4.9 million in Maryland candidate Adrian Boafo, helped Christian Menefee in Texas defeat anti-crypto Congressman Al Green (spending over $5 million), and invested about $4 million in Georgia to support Jasmine Clark's victory.The related campaign advertisements did not mention the cryptocurrency industry background. Journalist Joy Reid characterized this operation as "Blackwashing"—delivering funds from the crypto industry to Black districts under the guise of progressiveness while deliberately hiding the identity of the funders.Analysts point out that the core logic of this network is not based on race, but rather on supporting allies and suppressing critics, with the ultimate goal of influencing the legislative direction of the pending "Digital Asset Market Clarification Act" (CLARITY Act).

According to Cointelegraph, Bitcoin has dropped about 40% since Strategy launched the Bitcoin financing tool STRC. STRC has fallen below the $100 par value, sparking discussions in the market about the sustainability of Michael Saylor's Bitcoin "flywheel" model. Strategy currently holds over 846,000 BTC, but the recent buying pace has noticeably slowed. Data shows that the company increased its holdings by 1,550 BTC worth approximately $101 million in the week ending June 8; in the week ending June 15, it added another 1,587 BTC worth about $100 million. In contrast, in April 2026, it bought 34,164 BTC in a single week, amounting to $2.54 billion, indicating a significant decrease in recent capital inflows.Meanwhile, Strategy previously sold 32 BTC to meet dividend obligations. Although this amount is small compared to its overall holdings, the market believes this indicates that when STRC's financing efficiency declines, the company's cash flow pressure may increase. STRC was originally designed as a preferred stock tool trading close to the $100 par value, attracting investors through dividend adjustments and helping Strategy raise funds to purchase Bitcoin. Currently, the STRC price has fallen to a historical low, having once dropped to $82.53, and then closed at $88.59, about 13% below par value. Critics argue that the STRC price falling below par value means that Strategy's financing channels are under pressure.Long-time Bitcoin critic Peter Schiff described STRC as "like a typical centralized Ponzi structure," believing that the model relies on continuous financing or selling Bitcoin to maintain operations. Crypto trader DonAlt also questioned STRC's recent performance, stating that its trading behavior resembles a "Ponzi structure." However, some analysts believe that the decline in STRC is more due to leveraged liquidations rather than a deterioration in Strategy's fundamentals. STRC had previously maintained a price around $99 to $100, attracting investors to use leveraged trading, and the price falling below this critical level triggered forced liquidations, exacerbating the decline.Analyst Scott Melker pointed out that STRC's current yield has actually increased due to the discount. Since dividends are calculated based on a $100 liquidation preference, if the STRC price is $90, the 11.5% annualized dividend corresponds to an actual yield of about 12.8%; if the price drops to $85, the yield could exceed 13%. Strategy is expected to announce the next STRC dividend adjustment on June 30. The market is currently focused on whether STRC's discount will persist and whether Strategy's model of relying on capital markets for financing to continue increasing BTC holdings can remain stable.

10x Research analysis points out that the Bitcoin yield-enhanced exchange-traded fund BITA launched by BlackRock may have design flaws in its strategy. By generating income through selling call options, it may lead investors to underperform against spot Bitcoin in most market environments, or fail to achieve ideal absolute returns.10x Research believes that BITA executes the call option selling strategy monthly according to fixed rules, and regardless of whether Bitcoin rises, consolidates, or falls, investors may make unfavorable trade-offs between income and upside potential; its proposed framework emphasizes "timing and conditional execution," obtaining option premiums only when market conditions are favorable. The high volatility of Bitcoin mainly stems from information asymmetry among market participants and a highly marketed market environment. For a long time, many investors have attempted to capture this volatility return through systematic strategies, but most have not succeeded.

Binance responded on platform X regarding the news related to the EU license, stating that the company remains committed to serving European users and will continue to operate in accordance with applicable laws. Binance indicated that as the MiCA transition period is about to end, the company is adopting a user-prioritized cautious strategy to minimize the impact of business adjustments, and will disclose subsequent arrangements and options to users after obtaining more information, with plans to release further updates by June 30, 2026.In addition, Binance stated that it has maintained constructive communication with regulators over the past 18 months and has actively participated in the MiCA approval process. According to its understanding, the Greek regulatory authority has completed its review of the relevant application and believes it meets MiCA requirements, and the application has also been accepted for review at the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) level. Binance also mentioned that any delays or deviations in the MiCA authorization process could undermine market liquidity, competition, and user choice, and push some activities outside the EU. The company will continue to seek a compliant operational path under the MiCA framework and will keep users informed of progress.

Mike Selig, the Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), posted on the X platform to clarify several misunderstandings in the market regarding perpetual futures contracts and to address the controversy arising from the recent approval of related contracts by the CFTC. Mike Selig stated that the Commodity Exchange Act and relevant CFTC rules do not explicitly require that "futures contracts" must have a fixed expiration date or delivery date. Since Congress has not clearly defined this term, the identification of futures contracts is primarily based on judicial precedents and CFTC interpretations, and a fixed expiration date is not a necessary condition.In response to the claim that "the CFTC-approved BTCPERP contract allows U.S. users to use 250 times leverage," high leverage is not a characteristic of the perpetual contract structure itself, but rather a feature of the previous offshore trading model. Perpetual contracts regulated by the CFTC will adhere to the same leverage limits as other regulated futures products.Regarding the criticism that "the CFTC did not provide opportunities for industry participation and feedback," the CFTC publicly solicited opinions on "perpetual contracts" and "24/7 trading" in April 2025 and received over 100 responses from industry participants, including several CFTC-registered entities. Additionally, concerning the view that the funding rate mechanism is believed to incur high costs and induce undesirable market behavior, after considering the costs of opening positions and rolling over traditional term futures contracts, the annualized holding cost of the perpetual contract funding rate is roughly equivalent to that of traditional futures. The funding rate mechanism actually helps maintain price anchoring.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. government's export controls and access restrictions on Anthropic's models Fable 5 / Mythos 5 partly stem from Amazon's cybersecurity research and AWS CEO Andy Jassy's communications with the White House.It is reported that the research submitted by Amazon indicated that through a series of prompt tests, researchers were able to induce Fable 5 to output sensitive information that could potentially be used for cyberattacks, raising security concerns. Subsequently, Andy Jassy reported the relevant findings to the U.S. government, prompting the White House to take further restrictive measures, including banning foreign users from accessing the model.At the same time, former U.S. Department of Commerce official Kate Koren revealed that the White House's existing policy stance on Anthropic may also have influenced this decision-making judgment, as there are differences between Anthropic and the White House on AI safety boundary issues, including the refusal to use the model for large-scale surveillance or lethal autonomous weapon systems. Although both sides had eased tensions and expanded cooperation earlier this year, this incident may once again exacerbate the strained relationship.

Alex Thorn, the Research Director at Galaxy, stated that the UK's decision to include the entire HTX on the sanctions list is controversial, as there are still a large number of legitimate users on the platform. He also pointed out that there are significant differences in the standards and timing of asset freezes among different stablecoin issuers, and suggested paying attention to the potential impact of stablecoin freeze mechanisms on user assets.