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According to CoinPost, JCB has reached a partnership with a Circle affiliate, planning to test USDC payments at a store in Tokyo that attracts many foreign tourists within the year and evaluate the promotion to more franchise merchants.The pilot aims to reduce the currency exchange process for tourists and lower payment transaction fees. JCB has previously tested USDC and JPYC offline payments with Digital Garage, Resona Holdings, and others; Japan has also accelerated stablecoin merchant payment trials recently, including Lawson's plan to test JPYC in-store settlements in August.

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.

Coinbase Institutional stated that U.S. non-farm employment was far below expectations, but the escalation of conflicts in the Middle East has brought inflation risks back into focus for the market. The market is shifting towards pricing "higher interest rates for a longer duration," financial conditions are tightening further, long-term risk assets are under pressure, and the probability of another interest rate hike within the year is also increasing.Amid multiple negative factors, BTC only fell by about 2%, and this relatively resilient performance may indicate that the market is undergoing a bottoming process.

According to Jinshi reports, the Joint Maritime Information Center led by the U.S. Navy stated that the maritime blockade implemented by the U.S. covers the entire coastline of Iran, including but not limited to various ports and oil terminals in Iran.

According to Jinshi reports, Federal Reserve Governor Waller stated that the labor market is stable and close to the Federal Reserve's maximum employment goal.

Uniswap announced that teams can now directly configure and initiate Uniswap Auctions in the Uniswap Web App. This feature is supported by Continuous Clearing Auctions (CCA), which are used for on-chain token distribution, price discovery, and liquidity guidance.According to reports, CCA is now live on the Robinhood Chain, allowing teams to run token auctions on-chain, discover more market-oriented issuance prices, and launch liquidity on Uniswap v4 after the auction ends. Previously, projects like Aztec and Cap have used Uniswap Auctions for permissionless and transparent on-chain token distribution.Uniswap stated that the new launch process supports importing existing tokens or creating new tokens, and allows for configuring auction parameters and liquidity pool settings after the auction. The current interface supports Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, and Unichain, with plans to expand to more chains in the future.

According to The Block, the Benchmark Report released by Borderless.xyz for Q2 2026 shows that the delivery quotes for stablecoin cross-border payments in each month of the second quarter were all below the interbank foreign exchange rate midpoint. Data covering 108 countries and 260 payment corridors indicates that the median "parity spread" for the quarter was -3.2 basis points, further widening to -5.9 basis points in June, marking the deepest negative value of the year.The report also shows that the typical delivery cost for a $10,000 cross-border payment in the second quarter was approximately $27, and it has remained around this level for five consecutive months. If companies only connect to a single service provider in the long term, they will pay an average of about $2,330 more compared to the optimal quote for every $1 million payment scale, known as the "routing tax."Regionally, the African market showed the most significant fluctuations, with the price point spread widening by 166 basis points to 512.8 basis points; Latin America compressed to 89.0 basis points, while Asia remained relatively stable at 6.1 basis points. In specific corridors, Malawi experienced a one-day repricing of 5.8% on April 9, with the typical spread jumping from about 296 basis points to 1975 basis points.

Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett posted on the X platform that Patrick Witt, the Executive Director of the White House Cryptocurrency Council, stated that this week will be a "critical week" in the advancement of the U.S. CLARITY Act. As the crypto industry prepares to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the GENIUS Act officially becoming law, the construction of the U.S. digital asset regulatory framework has once again become a focal point for the market.Patrick Witt mentioned that the current U.S. crypto policy is at an important stage, and the advancement of the CLARITY Act will have significant implications for the market structure of digital assets, the division of regulatory responsibilities, and the future development direction of the industry.Previously, the CLARITY Act was regarded as one of the important legislations for establishing comprehensive regulatory rules for the U.S. crypto market, aiming to clarify the classification of digital assets, the authority of regulatory agencies, and the compliance requirements for market participants.Market participants believe that if the bill makes substantial progress, it could further enhance regulatory certainty for the U.S. crypto industry and impact the future strategies of exchanges, stablecoin issuers, and blockchain companies.

According to CoinDesk, as the competition for tokenization in the capital markets heats up, the Securities Transfer Association (STA) recently submitted a letter of opinion to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), warning that stock tokens issued by third-party organizations may undermine market integrity and calling on regulators to prioritize support for tokenized securities authorized by publicly listed companies in future rule-making.The STA represents several Wall Street transfer agents, whose members believe that true tokenized stocks should be formally authorized by the issuing company and recorded in the official shareholder register, rather than created as "packaged" token products by independent platforms.The association pointed out that third-party stock tokens may confuse investors about the actual rights they hold and expose them to risks related to platform credit, custody, and operations, without establishing a direct legal relationship with the publicly listed company. Therefore, any innovative exemptions, pilot projects, or permanent regulatory frameworks for tokenized securities should prioritize the issuer-supported model.The STA also urged the SEC to reform the existing Direct Registration System (DRS), arguing that the current U.S. securities custody system is inadequate to meet the real-time transfer and settlement needs of on-chain securities, and suggested that regulators collaborate with the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) to optimize the digital securities infrastructure.Currently, the global market for tokenized stocks, valued at approximately $2 billion, is primarily dominated by third-party models, including products launched by Ondo Finance and Kraken, while organizations like Securitize and Figure adopt the issuer authorization model.

According to Bloomberg, several major banks in the United States, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and HSBC, have announced the formation of a joint network operated by The Clearing House, using blockchain to connect tokenized bank deposits in response to the rapid expansion of dollar stablecoins represented by USDT and USDC in the payment and clearing sectors.The network is scheduled to launch next year, aiming to achieve interoperability among the internal blockchain systems of various banks, with a priority on wholesale payments and liquidity management scenarios.Data from Artemis Analytics shows that the trading volume of stablecoins is expected to reach approximately $33 trillion by 2025, and Bloomberg Intelligence predicts that related payment flows could exceed $50 trillion by 2030. The banking industry believes that this trend has already posed direct competitive pressure on traditional deposit and payment businesses.

At the WebX 2026 conference held in Tokyo, Japan, B.AI announced the latest developments of its platform for global developers and innovators, focusing on showcasing its full-stack capabilities that encompass cutting-edge AI models, highly scalable APIs, and developer tools. B.AI is committed to lowering the application threshold of advanced AI technology, helping businesses and individual developers conveniently and efficiently access cutting-edge intelligence through continuous iteration of products and services. We sincerely invite partners from all sectors to visit the B.AI booth to learn more about the latest developments and explore AI-driven innovation opportunities together.

Bitget officially launched the platform-level yield product "Cash Plus," providing users with a brand new stablecoin savings service, initially supporting USDT / USDC. This product balances yield, liquidity, and capital efficiency, allowing users to enjoy daily compound earnings during the holding period, with 1:1 redemption available at any time, real-time fund arrival, and zero fees with no wear and tear. The initial annualized yield rate referenced at the product launch is 4% APR, and actual earnings will be dynamically adjusted based on market conditions.According to the plan, Cash Plus will be further integrated into Bitget's Unified Trading Account (UTA) in the third quarter. After the integration, the Cash Plus balance will continue to generate earnings while being directly used as trading margin, achieving a "trade while earning interest" capital reuse experience.

Global stablecoin payment infrastructure service provider WasabiCard today announced its participation as an official sponsor at WebX 2026, the top Web3 event in Asia, to be held on July 13-14 at the Prince Park Tower Hotel in Tokyo. As an industry flagship summit hosted by Japan's largest crypto media CoinPost, this year's WebX is expected to attract over 15,000 attendees to discuss the deep integration of Web3 and traditional finance.With the explosive growth of stablecoin applications in global commerce, WasabiCard is committed to connecting stablecoin liquidity with the traditional financial system, providing efficient and compliant cross-border payment channels for global enterprises. At booth S26, WasabiCard will focus on showcasing its core B2B solutions for enterprise-level scenarios, covering global corporate card issuance, real-time settlement of stablecoins and fiat currencies, as well as cross-border issuance capabilities that span over 200 countries and regions and support more than 30 fiat currencies.During the exhibition, WasabiCard's core executive team will be stationed at the booth to discuss customized white-label card issuance and global expansion plans with partners worldwide.

According to the second quarter industry report from the Australian cryptocurrency exchange Swyftx, the global gig and freelance payment market is expected to reach $2.1 trillion by 2033, with AI-native practitioners contributing $775 billion.Under the assumption of approximately 33% adoption rate, Swyftx's benchmark model predicts that $262 billion of this will be settled through stablecoins. Swyftx's Chief Market Analyst Pav Hundal stated that micro-enterprises with fewer than five people are becoming the fastest adopters of AI, giving rise to a group of independent entrepreneurs operating cross-border and invoicing at high frequencies, currently numbering about 6 to 10 million globally, expected to increase to 17 million within a decade.Traditional cross-border payment fees are high and settlements take several days, while transferring stablecoins via Ethereum Layer 2 networks can reduce costs by 80% to 90%. Swyftx added that if the predictions come true, the institutional settlement layer providing off-exchange liquidity, custody, and yield services for these payments could capture up to $1.3 billion in new revenue by 2033. The market capitalization of stablecoins has doubled in the past two years, with June trading volume reaching a historic high of $1.79 trillion.

Japan's SBI Group plans to launch a lending service that offers a 3% annual yield on the JPYSC stablecoin held by users. The service is expected to go live as early as this month.

According to Coinglass data, the cryptocurrency Fear and Greed Index is currently at 27, up 2 points from yesterday. The average over the past 7 days is 23, and the average over the past 30 days is 19.

According to BLOCKMEDIA, the South Korean police are investigating a case of political interference in the competition of the cryptocurrency market. A former assistant to independent lawmaker Kim Byung-ki is accused of pressuring the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) in February last year to force Upbit to terminate its fee waiver activities for $USDC and $USDT, in order to alleviate the financial pressure on its competitor Bithumb, which was suffering due to a zero-fee promotion.The suspicion arises from the fact that the assistant obtained an informal advisory position at Bithumb months after the interference, while at the same time, the lawmaker's son was also hired by the exchange as an intern. Bithumb denies any knowledge of political interference and insists that the fee adjustments were independent business decisions.