asp

A report from the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) identifies stablecoins, particularly USDT, as a key liquidity channel supporting Iran's shadow banking system. Licensed virtual asset service providers (VASP) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region face heightened sanctions compliance pressure and need to enhance wallet ownership identification and counterparty assessment.Soham Jethani, a partner at the law firm Septten, stated that merchants settling crypto assets into local fiat currency do not necessarily avoid sanctions risks. Liability may involve designated entities, the provision of funds or economic resources, and asset handling within the transaction chain, potentially arising before the final settlement by banks. Jethani pointed out that the name of the stablecoin or the currency in which it is priced does not determine legal ownership; specific rights depend on contractual arrangements and actual payment processes.Globally circulating stablecoins may also pose secondary sanctions risks, as indirect or historical wallet associations do not automatically constitute violations and must be assessed in conjunction with applicable regulations, transaction participants, and specific facts. In regulated markets like the UAE, licensed exchange wallets are continuously monitored, and related funds can be frozen before consumption settlements, with merchants also required to complete KYC. Regulated VASPs handling deposits and withdrawals bear the responsibility for counterparty and sanctions risk assessment and corresponding controls.

The Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has issued a circular on the audit of reserve assets, clarifying the minimum requirements for independent audits of Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP). VASP must maintain reserves of no less than 100% of customer liabilities throughout the review period and hold the same virtual assets in a 1:1 ratio, conducting daily reconciliations.The audit scope must cover hot wallets, warm wallets, cold wallets, third-party wallet infrastructure, and third-party custodial assets, and verify customer asset segregation, wallet control, and whether there is any re-staking, lending, or other usage scenarios.

Aave founder Stani Kulechov expressed disappointment on the X platform regarding the responses from the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Banking Authority (EBA) to the MiCA consultation. He stated that both institutions not only advocate for banning stablecoin payment yields but also propose restrictions on crypto asset service providers (CASP) offering users access to DeFi, including services involving non-MiCA authorized stablecoin yield protocols.Kulechov indicated that the relevant opinions also involve restricting DeFi services to specific user groups through "suitability tests" and potentially establishing a certification system for DeFi lending protocols. He believes that if regulators decide which protocols are suitable for European users, it could lead to more closed ecosystems, weakening the liquidity and network effects of open DeFi, and limiting opportunities for European users to participate in on-chain finance.

According to Cointelegraph, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has released its work plan for 2027, which will coordinate the regulation of Crypto Asset Service Providers (CASP) across countries, focusing on operational resilience, outsourcing risks, liquidity, reverse solicitation, and asset classification. ESMA Chair Verena Ross stated that the focus of MiCA has shifted from rule-making to regulation and convergence.ESMA intends to unify the reports that CASPs submit regularly to national regulatory authorities and promote common risk indicators and regulatory dashboards. ESMA will advance the centralized crypto market monitoring system MIDAS, which will be used to monitor potential market abuse under the MiCA framework.The first phase of the system is expected to be fully operational by 2027. ESMA plans to enhance the analytical capabilities of MIDAS and expand the types of data available in the fourth quarter, pending approval from the Council, while incorporating regulatory experience into the European Commission's MiCA review expected to be completed by June 2027.

Attackers exploited a signature verification bypass vulnerability in the Kasplex KRC-20 off-chain indexer to transfer 186 million ZEAL and 54.398 billion NACHO without holding the private keys of the bridge custody wallet. They executed five forged transactions to mint the tokens through the Igra Labs EVM layer and Kasplex L2, then sold them to the Zealous Swap liquidity pool. The KAS side of the affected liquidity pool experienced a value loss of 94% to 99.6%.Igra has suspended iKAS withdrawals to Kaspa L1 and Hyperlane transfers, and has warned users to avoid bridging KRC-20 tokens, buying ZEAL or NACHO on the L2 DEX, and adding liquidity to the related pools. The Kaspa L1 consensus and unbridged Igra assets were not affected. Zealous Swap stated that the operators need to fix the indexer and re-index the history, rejecting transactions with empty signatures, abnormal tags, and transactions containing scripts after OP_ENDIF.

DeepSeek plans to officially release V4.1 Flash around September 10. The official statement claims that after internal and external testing, the new model has comprehensively surpassed V4 Pro in terms of performance, cost, speed, and total time.After the launch of V4.1 Flash, all requests sent to V4 Pro will automatically switch to V4.1 Flash before the release of V4.1 Pro, and will be billed at the cheaper Flash price. Users do not need to modify the original V4 Pro calling method.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has released a proposed announcement to suspend the acceptance of new applications for registration of payment system operators (OPS) for 12 months and to implement stricter controls on payment arrangements involving virtual asset service providers (VASP). The BSP stated that this move aims to conduct a comprehensive review of its classification and licensing framework.According to the draft, during the suspension period, the BSP will stop accepting and processing OPS applications. Applications submitted prior to the suspension can continue to be evaluated, but will not be approved or rejected until the suspension ends. Relevant entities are prohibited from conducting business activities that require OPS registration unless they obtain special authorization from the regulatory agency. In addition, BSP-regulated entities providing merchant acquiring services must connect licensed VASPs through direct merchant arrangements, and such relationships will be subject to enhanced due diligence, transaction and settlement limits, and other risk control measures.This requirement applies to virtual asset enterprises licensed, registered, or authorized by the BSP, the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines, or other regulatory agencies, with VASPs being categorized alongside betting, gaming, adult industry, and money service businesses. If the draft is ultimately approved, it will take effect 15 days after publication, and the BSP is currently seeking public comments.

Market maker and investment institution DWF Labs announced that its affiliated group entity has obtained regulatory approval as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) from the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (BVI FSC).

According to a report by the Korean News Agency, global virtual asset infrastructure company BitGo announced that its Korean entity BitGo Korea has received acceptance of its VASP (Virtual Asset Service Provider) registration application from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Korea on August 18, becoming the first foreign cryptocurrency corporate entity to complete VASP registration directly in Korea.BitGo Korea was established in 2024, and this time chose to directly meet regulatory requirements to enter the market, rather than adopting the industry norm of acquiring existing VASP companies. Subsequently, it will use this as a foundation to officially launch virtual asset custody and transfer services in Korea, focusing on expanding business towards financial institutions and corporate clients.

According to Bitcoin Magazine, the investigation into the large-scale theft of Coldcard hardware wallets in July 2026 has made progress. Approximately 1,082.65 BTC (about $118 million) from the first wave of attacks remains in the attackers' addresses. The investigation found that the attackers used a paid account from a certain blockchain data service provider, and the internal logs "highly match" the theft pattern. Relevant clues have been handed over to law enforcement. Galaxy Research analyst Alex Thorn stated that the identity of the first wave of attackers "may have been grasped by law enforcement."Subsequent waves of attacks resulted in a total theft of about 2,000 BTC, with the second wave accounting for approximately 76 BTC. The operational pattern was similar to the first wave, possibly indicating the same perpetrator. The incident originated from an entropy generation vulnerability introduced in Coinkite's code update in March 2021, which caused some devices using MK2 and later models, with firmware version 4.1 and above, to generate low-strength private keys that could be brute-forced. Coinkite has released a fixed firmware and advised users to migrate their assets, but the scope of the vulnerability's impact is still being assessed.

The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) announced that it has suspended the virtual asset service provider (VASP) registration of digital asset ATM operator Cryptolink for a period of 3 months, effective from Sunday, during which its Bitcoin ATMs are not allowed to operate. AUSTRAC stated that Cryptolink failed to meet basic reporting requirements, particularly by not submitting transaction reports that meet the threshold and not responding to information requests.The agency noted that it continues to monitor Cryptolink's management of high-risk transactions processed through cryptocurrency ATMs. This action was taken following the executable commitment signed between Cryptolink and AUSTRAC in October 2025. Previously, the Cryptocurrency Taskforce found that it was suspected of late reporting of transactions and deficiencies in risk assessment, and AUSTRAC issued a penalty notice of $56,300 to it, which Cryptolink has paid. The company operates 96 ATMs in Australia, mostly located in major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

According to South Korean media NATE, the Korea Regulatory Reform Committee has proposed amendments to the enforcement decree of the Specific Financial Transaction Information Act, excluding minor violations from the qualification restrictions for major shareholders of Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP).This move has sparked discussions in the market regarding exchange mergers and acquisitions, the entry of new businesses, and the fairness of regulation. The proposal to relax restrictions also involves issues related to the boundaries of the enforcement decree's authority.

According to Cointelegraph, cryptocurrency service company Blockchain.com has obtained a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) custody license issued by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA), allowing it to provide regulated crypto custody services in the Cayman Islands. The license was approved on July 22, 2026, after CIMA granted conditional approval in December 2025.The license also allows Blockchain.com to offer cryptocurrency to fiat exchange and exchange services between cryptocurrencies. Blockchain.com has held VASP registration in the Cayman Islands since May 2022.Blockchain.com Co-CEO Lane Kasselman stated that the CIMA license continues the company's recent regulatory progress, including obtaining a license under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) in Europe and completing registration with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK.

On July 31, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) updated the registration list for the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), adding 12 companies. This is the fourth update since the transition deadline on July 1, bringing the total number of authorized Crypto Asset Service Providers (CASP) under MiCA to 321.The newly added entities include three cooperative banks from Germany: Volksbank Raiffeisenbank Oberbayern Südost, VR Bank Schleswig-Holstein Mitte, and VR-Bank Landau-Mengkofen; Spain's Basque Pay and Fintech Payments; as well as France's Finary, Woorton, Blockchain Process Security, and Shares Financial Assets. ESMA also added Cervo Rendisco, Flandenzo, and Corona Fondenza to the list of non-compliant entities, with the relevant markings coming from the Italian securities regulator Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB). The non-compliant entity list currently contains 167 items.This update did not involve any other changes to the MiCA-related registration lists. The number of authorized Electronic Money Token (EMT) issuers remains at 41, and there are currently no entities on the registration list for Asset-Referenced Tokens (ART).

According to Jinshi reports, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) may suspend oil operations until it receives security guarantees from other countries; discussions are currently underway regarding an "indefinite" suspension of oil and tanker operations.

According to Jinshi News, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium decided to suspend oil loading operations after a tanker was attacked by a drone.

According to Jinshi reports, the Ukrainian Security Service stated that Ukraine attacked the Filanovsky oil platform and two cargo ships of Russia in the Caspian Sea.

Gate recently released a detailed verification statement regarding the security item changes and fund loss incident reported by customer 9****6. After an internal review, the platform confirmed that the applicant submitted materials highly matching the customer's account, including Email, phone number, real-name information, transaction records, and Alipay screen recordings. The platform pointed out that the Alipay screen recording required access to the customer's Alipay account and successfully passed multiple identity verifications, indicating that the applicant not only possessed account information but also obtained the customer's external real-name information, Alipay account, and device permissions in advance.The platform emphasized that its security unbinding review implements a four-fold verification process of "multi-channel advance notification + system risk control preliminary screening + manual multi-layer review + time protection." After notifying the customer through dual channels, the application was processed only after waiting two days without objections, and a 24-hour withdrawal prohibition protection was imposed after modification. Upon investigation, there were no information leakage logs within the platform, and some sensitive identity information provided by the applicant was external information previously unknown to the platform.Regarding fund recovery, the platform has sorted out the flow of funds and collaborated with multiple departments to conduct on-chain analysis and asset tracking, currently coordinating with third parties like Tether to advance the freezing process, and will cooperate with judicial investigations in the future. The platform advises customers to conduct comprehensive security reinforcement on their devices and expresses regret that the customer did not contact the platform within the three-day notification period.

According to The Block, Ripple announced that it has obtained a full authorization as a MiCA CASP (Crypto Asset Service Provider) issued by the Luxembourg financial regulator CSSF, allowing it to legally provide crypto asset services in all 30 countries of the European Economic Area.

According to CoinPost, bitFlyer Europe, a subsidiary of bitFlyer Holdings in Luxembourg, has obtained the CASP license under the MiCA framework issued by the Luxembourg Financial Supervisory Authority (CSSF), effective June 26. With this license, bitFlyer can provide cross-border services across all 27 member states of the European Union. bitFlyer stated that this is the first time a Japanese cryptocurrency exchange has obtained a CASP license under MiCA.