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According to Cointelegraph, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that there were 77 crypto-related kidnapping extortion cases in France in the first half of 2026, a significant increase from 45 cases in all of 2025. France is one of the largest hotspots for "ransomware attacks" globally, with about 11% of the population holding crypto assets. Authorities have launched a rapid alert system, with 724 people registered, and emergency measures have led to the arrest of 200 individuals. Nuñez pledged to implement a three-part plan to enhance security measures in the crypto industry, including strengthening intelligence sharing, deepening cooperation with ADAN, and improving coordination among security departments. CertiK stated that France has become a center for attacks due to several leading crypto companies and their executives being based locally, the presence of a "show-off culture and voluntary identity disclosure culture" within the community, and multiple sensitive data leaks.

The non-profit organization Ethereum Institutional has been announced, positioned as the "institutional-level unified entry point" for the Ethereum ecosystem, focusing on connecting large financial institutions worldwide with the Ethereum network, and promoting the institutional adoption of on-chain financial infrastructure. The organization has received funding support from investors including Bitmine, Sharplink, and Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin.Ethereum Institutional states that its core goal is to provide a "trustworthy and neutral interface" during the critical window for accelerating the layout of tokenized assets, stablecoins, and on-chain market infrastructure in global financial institutions, helping institutions connect with the Ethereum ecosystem throughout the entire process from evaluation and testing to large-scale deployment.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau jointly announced that the first phase review on promoting the further application of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in Hong Kong's fixed income market has been completed.The review results indicate that the current legal and regulatory environment in Hong Kong is sufficiently flexible to support the issuance of tokenized bonds. The three batches of iconic tokenized bonds issued by the Hong Kong government and the increasing number of corporate issuances (including those from issuers in Asia and the Middle East) are the best evidence of this. The next phase will involve a review of the legislation to promote the broader application of DLT in the fixed income market and the digital asset sector, including allowing the electronic execution of tokenized bond issuance documents and exploring concepts such as "custody" and "transfer" of tokenized fixed income products.

The Sentient Foundation announced an investment of $42 million through its "Open Source AGI Grant Program" to support developers and research institutions building and applying Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) in an open-source environment.It is reported that the program aims to promote open access and ecological development of key AI technologies, ensuring that AGI remains open, decentralized, and aligned with the long-term interests of humanity. The co-launch ecological partners of this program include Alibaba Cloud, Franklin Templeton, Princeton University, and the Indian Institute of Science and Technology.

On Monday, U.S. President Trump signed two executive orders aimed at accelerating the development of U.S. quantum computing capabilities and advancing the government's transition to post-quantum cryptography. Although the executive orders did not directly mention Bitcoin, industry insiders believe this could benefit the blockchain's post-quantum security research and development.The two executive orders focus on defending against advanced cryptographic attacks and promoting cutting-edge quantum innovation. They include a clear timeline: to advance the construction of quantum sensors by September 2028 and require federal high-value assets and high-impact systems to complete the transition to post-quantum cryptography by the end of 2031. Project Eleven CEO Alex Pruden stated that this means the U.S. government will invest time and resources to achieve post-quantum security goals and may extend related requirements to the entire federal contractor system, not just limited to government agencies, thereby accelerating the implementation of post-quantum cryptographic technology.At the time of this policy announcement, the blockchain industry’s concern about quantum threats continues to rise. Organizations like the Ethereum Foundation and the Solana Foundation have begun advancing post-quantum security research and development, while the Bitcoin community is also discussing potential risks. Some publicly exposed Bitcoin addresses are believed to face the risk of private keys being derived once powerful quantum computers emerge in the future. Pruden pointed out that this executive order clearly sets the deadline for adopting post-quantum cryptography as 2031, which is more binding than the previous guidance from the U.S. government that proposed phasing out traditional cryptographic systems by 2035. For Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency industry, government investment in post-quantum security may accelerate the maturity of related tools, standards, and migration paths.

According to Cointelegraph, former Bank for International Settlements President Agustín Carstens stated at the Point Zero Forum that stablecoins can promote financial innovation and inclusivity while reducing costs.He pointed out that efforts should be made to create conditions for the coexistence of fiat currency and stablecoins. If we hope to establish a global system where stablecoins interact with global currencies, this must be a global cooperative effort. Improved regulation and a fair competitive environment for issuers can help stablecoins thrive dramatically.

Binance will launch JPY spot trading pairs on June 26 at 16:00, including GIGGLE/JPY, MEME/JPY, and TRB/JPY. In addition, users will enjoy zero maker fees for the above trading pairs during the event, which runs from June 26 at 16:00 to July 26 at 15:59.

According to the Daily Economic News, the Bank of Korea (central bank) is advancing its deposit token project, with a clear goal of full commercialization, rather than being limited to the pilot phase. The Korean banking industry has expressed concerns, pointing out that the subsequent phases—including supporting peer-to-peer transfers and expanding application scenarios—require processes equivalent to launching a new business, and has requested adjustments to the advancement timeline.According to a document submitted by the Bank of Korea Federation to the office of National Power Party member Lee Hyun-seung, the central bank and commercial banks are planning to conduct follow-up tests to lay the foundation for the formal introduction and widespread application of deposit tokens, aiming to achieve uninterrupted continuous operation.

Taiko posted on platform X stating that all Proposers (nodes responsible for producing new blocks) have suspended block production. Taiko mentioned that the team is currently investigating the breach of the chain state validation mechanism and is continuously assessing the scope of the incident's impact and subsequent response measures. Previously, Taiko confirmed that its chain state validation mechanism had been compromised and advised users to immediately withdraw funds from cross-chain bridges deployed on Taiko.

Joseph Lubin, co-founder of Ethereum, stated on social media that it would be a wonderful thing if the world could have a truly trustworthy and neutral global coordination and digital asset settlement platform. It is the large-scale and rigorous decentralization achieved by the Ethereum platform that makes this vision possible. Soon, and in the near future, more organizations with trustworthy neutrality and ample funding will join in to promote this mission alongside the Ethereum Foundation.These organizations will focus on facilitating the development of the entire Ethereum ecosystem and advancing the areas of interest for many financial institutions adopting Ethereum technology, including: Ethereum Mainnet, Layer 2 networks (L2), and private Ethereum networks. In the future, these three major systems will be able to achieve near real-time interoperability and composability, while ETH will flow freely within this expanded Ethereum ecosystem landscape.

Taiko posted on platform X that it has confirmed the chain state verification mechanism of Taiko has been compromised, and the security assumptions of all cross-chain bridges deployed on Taiko are no longer reliable.Taiko is coordinating with the security committee and ecosystem partners to control the situation, suspend affected systems, and take technical and legal action. Taiko strongly advises all users to immediately withdraw funds from all cross-chain bridges deployed on Taiko.Taiko urgently requests all centralized exchanges to suspend TAIKO token deposits until further notice. The attacker's address has been disclosed. Previously, it was reported that the Taiko ERC20 Vault was attacked, resulting in losses exceeding $1 million.

The Ministry of Commerce and seven other departments officially released the "Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Development of 'Artificial Intelligence + Consumption'," proposing 17 specific measures around five major areas: commodity consumption, service consumption, business innovation, and promotion guarantees. The aim is to address structural bottlenecks on both the supply and demand sides, promoting the accelerated integration of artificial intelligence technology into households and businesses.The "Opinions" clearly state that in the commodity sector, the supply of smart terminals will be expanded, a new track for humanoid robot consumption will be established, and a "people, vehicles, homes" full-scene interactive ecosystem will be created. It also promotes the deep integration of AI with cutting-edge technologies such as brain-machine interfaces and augmented reality. In the service sector, the focus will be on five major scenarios: home care, elderly care, and cultural tourism, researching the inclusion of smart homes in the "good housing" construction guidelines, and equipping elderly care institutions with smart nursing and rehabilitation robots. Furthermore, the "Opinions" also plan to embed AI technology in retail, e-commerce, and logistics to enhance circulation efficiency, and propose the establishment of "Artificial Intelligence + Consumption" aggregation areas and experience centers, requiring close alignment with existing consumption promotion policies such as "trade-in for new" for digital products, thereby shifting the logic of consumption growth in our country from reliance on external stimuli to gradual empowerment through technology.

Binance founder Zhao Changpeng posted on the X platform that he is meeting with several national leaders and regulatory agencies in Asia to promote the development of the cryptocurrency sector, and good progress has been made. Countries should promote the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) such as stocks to allow global investors to participate in trading; at the same time, they should issue their own stablecoins to expand the use of local currencies on the blockchain.

The Kanoo family heir Abdulla Kanoo is pushing to migrate a cross-border trade market worth approximately $60 trillion to blockchain infrastructure. Currently, cross-border payments still heavily rely on traditional correspondent banking systems, resulting in long settlement cycles, limited liquidity, and uneven access to US dollars.Kanoo stated that ARP Digital, a digital asset infrastructure company he co-founded, is building a settlement network aimed at facilitating the flow of funds between emerging economies, with the goal of reducing cross-border payment costs and reliance on intermediaries, and accelerating trade financing in the "Global South." According to his estimates, trade between emerging markets will exceed $60 trillion by 2024, accounting for about a quarter of global trade, and is expected to grow to $32 trillion by 2030.

According to La Política Online, the Mexican fintech industry is seeking to promote the Fintech 2 bill reform under the leadership of the new head of the National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV), Ángel Cabrera. The industry believes that the Fintech Law passed in 2018 can no longer keep up with the pace of innovation, leading to bottlenecks in the approval process, and there is an urgent need for clearer and more flexible regulatory standards. Key demands include accelerating the authorization process, implementing tiered risk management, conditional authorizations, and comprehensive regulations for open financial models.Regarding crypto assets, Mexican financial authorities still maintain restrictions on such tools, despite the continuous growth of the global crypto market. The industry is seeking progress in the regulation of crypto assets, hoping to establish clearer rules. In addition, the industry also hopes to promote a hybrid model that allows the same platform to integrate services such as payments, credit, and insurance. Experts point out that about 85% of transactions in Mexico are still conducted in cash, and a large portion of the population is not covered by the traditional financial system; updating regulations will help accelerate financial inclusion.

According to Crowdfund Insider, the Chairperson of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), Laura Liang, stated at the Caixin Summer Summit that Hong Kong will continue to expand its digital asset regulatory framework and promote the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the financial services sector to consolidate its position as an international financial center.Laura Liang pointed out that regulatory agencies will improve the institutional framework around areas such as digital asset trading, custody, investment consulting, and asset management, while adhering to the regulatory principle of "same business, same risks, same rules," achieving a balance between innovation and investor protection.She stated that as the application of AI in the financial industry accelerates, regulatory focus will include potential risks such as model reliability, algorithm bias, data privacy, and cybersecurity, emphasizing that financial institutions need to strengthen risk management during the innovation process.In addition, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission and relevant regulatory agencies have expanded the regulatory sandbox mechanism, allowing financial institutions to test generative AI applications in a controlled environment to promote technological implementation and compliant development. Analysts believe that Hong Kong is further enhancing the openness and standardization of its financial markets through a dual regulatory framework for digital assets and AI, while also increasing its competitiveness in the global capital markets.

According to CoinDesk, Ripple is attempting to introduce XRP along with its stablecoin Ripple USD into the AI agent payment market, aiming to penetrate the on-chain micropayment system currently dominated by the USD stablecoin USD Coin. It has released the "XRPL AI Starter Kit," providing developers with a toolkit to build AI Agent payment capabilities, enabling agents to complete payments, check balances, and perform wallet operations on the XRP Ledger, and supporting automated payment processes based on the x402 protocol.However, Ripple has not yet disclosed any scaled landing customers or real production-level AI Agent payment transaction data; the solution is still in the early exploratory stage of infrastructure and developer ecosystem.