Banks, Revolut, Stripe, New Digital Banks: Ultimately, They Must Return to the Essence of Banking. Golden Finance: As the tide recedes, the surviving digital banks have all embarked on the path of becoming licensed banks.

According to the official announcement, Binance will cease support for deposits and withdrawals of BitTorrent (BTTC) and TRON (TRX) via the BNB Smart Chain network effective June 24, 2026 at 08:00 UTC. Any deposits of these tokens sent through BNB Smart Chain after the deadline will not be credited and may result in permanent asset loss. Binance noted that both tokens remain supported for deposits and withdrawals through other networks currently available on the platform, and users are advised to migrate activity to those alternatives ahead of the cutoff.

It was the day the superstars took centre stage. Lionel Messi delivered a hat-trick for the ages to equal the all-time World Cup scoring record, Kylian Mbappé wrote his name into French football history, and Erling Haaland wasted no time making his long-awaited World Cup debut count. Four matches, four decisive results, and a day that will live long in the memory.In Group J, the world held its breath — and then erupted. Lionel Messi, 38 years old and making a record sixth World Cup appearance, marked the occasion with a hat-trick as Argentina swept past Algeria 3–0 at Kansas City Stadium. It was a night dripping in symbolism: exactly 20 years after his World Cup debut as an 18-year-old at Germany 2006, Messi delivered what may be the defining individual performance of this tournament. His first goal arrived in the 18th minute, a sumptuous curling strike from 25 yards that fizzed into the top corner past Luca Zidane — son of the great Zinedine — who could only get fingertips to it. A composed finish on the hour made it two, and substitute Nico González teed up the hat-trick in the 76th minute. The treble drew Messi level with Germany's Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time World Cup scoring charts on 16 goals. As his name echoed around Kansas City, thousands of Argentina fans in blue and white refused to leave long after the final whistle. "Everything I'm experiencing now is a bonus," Messi said afterwards. "I've been fortunate enough to achieve all my dreams."Also in Group J, Austria claimed their first World Cup victory since 1990 in a dramatic 3–1 win over debutants Jordan at San Francisco. Romano Schmid's stunning 21st-minute strike gave Austria the lead, but Jordan — ranked 67th in the world — showed tremendous spirit and levelled through Ali Olwan's curled effort five minutes into the second half. Marko Arnautović thought he had restored the lead, only to be denied by VAR for a handball in the build-up. Austria's persistence paid off on 76 minutes when Yazan Al Arab turned the ball into his own net from a corner, and Arnautović sealed the win from the penalty spot deep into injury time. Managed by former Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick, Austria — back at the finals for the first time since 1998 — made an authoritative statement in what promises to be a fiercely competitive group.Group I delivered its own blockbuster. Kylian Mbappé produced a brace as France overcame a stubborn Senegal 3–1, with the Real Madrid forward surpassing Olivier Giroud to become Les Bleus' all-time leading scorer, reaching 58 international goals at just 27. France were far from their fluent best in the first half, with Senegal matching them in intensity and physicality. But Mbappé's class proved the difference, his two goals cutting through the West African side's resistance with clinical efficiency. A third France goal settled the contest, though Senegal pulled one back to make for a nervy closing spell. "He will beat every single record," said Giroud himself, watching from the BBC pundit's chair with characteristic grace.Norway's opening match in Group I was the day's other feast of goalscoring. Erling Haaland — who has made a habit of marking debuts with goals at every club he has played for — continued that tradition on the grandest stage of all, scoring twice as Norway beat Iraq 4–1 at Boston Stadium. It was Norway's first World Cup appearance in 28 years, and Haaland's first goal arrived just after the half-hour mark, sliding home David Møller Wolfe's low cross at the far post. Iraq, in only their second-ever World Cup, levelled through a powerful Aymen Hussein header, but Haaland struck again when he charged down a hesitant clearance from goalkeeper Jalal Hassan, the ball rebounding into the net. Leo Østigård headed in a corner on 76 minutes to give Norway breathing room, and Hussein's late own goal rounded off the scoring. "I had a good feeling before the game," Norway manager Ståle Solbakken said. "He lived up to the occasion — it wasn't too big for him." With 57 goals in 51 appearances, Haaland is quickly becoming the tournament's most feared presence.Upcoming Matches for June 17 (all times EST):1:00 PM, Houston Stadium - Portugal vs. Congo DR (Group K)4:00 PM, Dallas Stadium - England vs. Croatia (Group L)7:00 PM, Toronto Stadium - Ghana vs. Panama (Group L)10:00 PM, Mexico City Stadium - Uzbekistan vs. Colombia (Group K)

Robinhood is laying off 10% of its workforce as a sharp decline in crypto trading revenue forces the retail brokerage to tighten operations, adding it to a growing list of firms feeling the effects of the industry's prolonged downturn.

Coinbase launched new products including 1:1-backed tokenised US stocks and a USDC-backed credit card. The tokenised shares will be available first outside the US.

Just four days after completing the largest IPO in history, SpaceX announced its first major acquisition since going public: it will acquire Anysphere, the parent company of AI programming startup Cursor, in a $60 billion all-stock deal.

After thousands of hours of security testing, and with two models whose performance far surpassed that of their predecessors, access was restricted in just three days after the official release. Even Anthropic itself hadn't anticipated this pace.

China’s push to internationalize the yuan appears to be gaining traction, with a new Bank of China survey showing a major adoption of the Chinese currency for cross-border transaction among global companies, as global payment patterns slowly shift beyond the U.S dollar.

Strategy’s Executive Chairman Michael Saylor defended the firm’s sale of 32 Bitcoin, saying it was done to support credit obligations and not a change in its long-term Bitcoin strategy. He also said wider market pressure from a surge in AI investment is pulling capital away from Bitcoin for now.

Pan Gongsheng, Governor of the People's Bank of China, stated in his keynote speech at the 2026 Lujiazui Forum that China's financial market will continue to build a standardized, open, vibrant, and resilient modern financial market, focusing on five key areas.

The world is waiting for the information that Kevin Walsh’s debut will release, information that will eventually pass through the dollar index, US Treasury yields and global stock markets, and land on the balance sheets of ordinary people.

Warsh's first FOMC meeting stance is unclear and may impact interest rate expectations; Washington's direct ban on AI models and the "weaponization" of regulation are changing the valuation logic of tech stocks; SpaceX's largest IPO in history, coupled with the listing of Anthropic and others, raises questions about whether the market can absorb the massive supply.