Crypto News

Japanese convenience store operator Lawson will test payments with the yen-denominated JPYC stablecoin in early August. The company will run the trial at its Takanawa Gateway City store in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. HashPort, a digital asset wallet provider, will support the payment system and process balance changes linked to purchases. Lawson described the project as Japan’s “first” stablecoin payment trial connected directly to a point-of-sale system.

The stablecoin market has lost about $10 billion since reaching a record high in May 2026. Total supply fell by $7.7 billion during June to about $312 billion, marking the largest monthly decline in dollar terms since the TerraUSD collapse in May 2022. The decrease equaled roughly 2.4% for June and about 3% from the May peak. Current DefiLlama data places the market near $312.23 billion. The dashboard shows Tether’s USDT at about $184.15 billion and Circle’s USDC at roughly $73.41 billion.

Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor has renewed speculation about the company’s next Bitcoin transaction. In a July 12 post, he shared Strategy’s familiar acquisition chart and wrote, “Orange dots tell only part of the story.” The chart marks past Bitcoin purchases, but the message did not say whether Strategy had bought, sold, or taken no action during the latest reporting period. Saylor has often posted the chart before Strategy publishes a Monday filing.

Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority Chairman Bilal bin Saqib has called for continued discussion on digital assets under Islamic law. His statement followed a meeting with scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani on July 11. Saqib said both sides shared one aim: protecting Pakistanis from fraud, exploitation, and financial harm. In his public statement, Saqib said blockchain, stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets, and other digital assets cover different technologies and uses.

The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance has estimated Ethereum’s annual electricity consumption at 7.87 gigawatt-hours. That equals a continuous power demand of about 0.90 megawatts. The study places Ethereum near the lower end of energy intensity among major proof-of-stake blockchains when researchers adjust electricity use for market value. Cambridge also estimated annual emissions of about 2.37 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Thailand’s central bank plans stricter checks on large cash deposits and high-value stablecoin transactions as part of a campaign against hidden capital flows. The Bank of Thailand will require customers depositing 5 million baht, about $150,000, or more in cash to explain and document where the money came from. Officials expect the rules to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. The central bank is also working with Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission to examine large USDT transactions.

BlackRock’s USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund, known as BUIDL, has passed $900 million in assets on Avalanche. The figure rose from about $464 million within seven days, adding roughly $436 million and marking a 105% weekly increase.Wu Blockchain cited current RWA.xyz data when reporting the move on July 12. RWA.xyz’s BUIDL dashboard places the fund’s total asset value at about $2.87 billion across supported networks. Its Avalanche position now represents close to one-third of the full fund.

Strategy executive chairman Michael Saylor described Bitcoin as an “emergent network” shaped by three groups. In a post on X, he said wallets carry weight through the satoshis they hold. Nodes gain weight through the commerce they serve, while miners gain weight through the hashrate they provide. He added that capital, consensus, and security remain in “dynamic equilibrium.” The statement presents Bitcoin as a system without one formal center of control.

Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad has rejected claims that the CLARITY Act would weaken U.S. national security. In a July 11 post on X, he said unclear crypto rules give bad actors room to operate outside firm regulatory boundaries. Shirzad argued that the bill would move more digital asset activity into a federal compliance system rather than leave it under fragmented oversight. Shirzad said the proposal would place crypto brokers, dealers, and exchanges under Bank Secrecy Act duties.

EDX Markets closed a $76 million Series C funding round led by Japan’s SBI Holdings. The Chicago-based company announced the deal on July 7, 2026. EDX said it will use the capital to expand trading, clearing, and settlement services. It also plans to speed up product development and grow its operations outside the United States. SBI acted as the sole investor in the equity round, according to EDX chief executive Tony Acuña-Rohter. The company did not disclose its valuation or other deal terms.