Russia says its long-awaited digital ruble is ready for nationwide use from Sept. 1, with major banks and retailers prepared to support the country's central bank digital currency. But while the technology may be ready, convincing Russians to actually use it could prove to be the bigger challenge.

Stripe-owned Bridge secured MiCA and EMI licences in Luxembourg, allowing it to operate regulated stablecoin and payment services across the European Union. The licences enable businesses to issue euro-backed stablecoins and offer cross-border euro payment services through a single platform.

Lei Jun increased his stake in Kingsoft Corp (3888) to 26.35% after buying shares on June 29 and July 2-3, according to Ming Pao. Equity disclosure filings showed Lei bought 1.2872 million shares at an average price of HK$21.9994 on June 29, 896,000 shares at HK$22.5 on July 2, and 200,200 shares at HK$22.74 on July 3. His holding rose from 26.18% to 26.35%.

The Danish krone is trading at all-time lows against the euro, fueling speculation that Denmark’s central bank may have shifted its strategy for defending the currency peg, according to Bloomberg.

Federal Reserve Chairman Warsh made it clear at the ECB forum that the Fed will abandon forward guidance on interest rates and will rely entirely on real-time economic data for future decisions.

Ping An increased its holding in Agricultural Bank of China (1288) by 170 million shares on June 30 at an average price of HK$5.3 per share, lifting its stake from 25.84% to 26.39%, according to Ming Pao.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has reportedly supported a containment approach for digital assets aimed at shielding banks and other financial institutions from exposure to cryptocurrencies and privately issued stablecoins, as lawmakers prepare a report on India’s digital asset policy. According to Cointelegraph, RBI Deputy Governor Rohit Jain and Executive Director P. Vasudevan presented the central bank’s position to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance on Thursday, as reported by The Economic Times. In a background note submitted to the panel, the RBI reportedly said prohibition remained a recognized policy option and recommended preventing the use of crypto in payments and settlements while restricting banking-sector exposure. The central bank also reportedly argued that applying traditional regulation to crypto could legitimize speculative assets and create a false perception of safety among users. At the same time, it urged policymakers to distinguish crypto from tokenized government securities, corporate bonds, and other regulated financial instruments so that restrictions would not hinder tokenization. The RBI’s reported stance comes as India ranked first in Chainalysis’ 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index, though the central bank reportedly challenged the methodology behind private-sector adoption rankings. The latest proposal also echoes the RBI’s earlier approach from 2018, when it directed regulated financial institutions to stop dealing in crypto or providing services to individuals and businesses involved in crypto activity. That move effectively cut off crypto exchanges from India’s banking system without prohibiting individuals from owning or trading crypto. India’s Supreme Court overturned the circular in March 2020 after a challenge brought by exchanges and the Internet Mobile Association of India. While the court recognized the RBI’s authority to take preventive action, it found the measure failed the test of proportionality, noting the central bank had not shown harm suffered by entities it regulated. In May 2021, the RBI clarified that banks could no longer cite the invalidated circular when cautioning customers against crypto transactions, while stating that regulated institutions could continue applying know-your-customer, anti-money laundering, and foreign-exchange compliance requirements.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $221.7 million in net inflows on Thursday — the strongest single-day intake since early May and the first daily total above $200 million in over six weeks — snapping a 10-day outflow streak that had totaled more than $2.7 billion. Bitcoin reclaimed the $61,000 level as the flows reversed, with the global crypto market cap climbing 2.4% to $2.22 trillion. The inflow day is the most constructive ETF data point of the entire June correction — and it arrived with one notable exception: BlackRock's IBIT, the largest Bitcoin ETF by assets, kept bleeding. The Numbers Behind the Rebound Fidelity's Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund led Thursday's recovery with $166 million in net inflows — accounting for roughly 75% of the day's total and the largest single-fund daily inflow in weeks. ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF followed with $91.8 million. VanEck's HODL attracted $4.4 million and Valkyrie's BRRR added $1.7 million. The $221.7 million total ends a 10-day outflow streak and represents the first clear reversal of the June outflow pattern that produced a record $4.5 billion in monthly redemptions — the worst month for Bitcoin ETFs since their January 2024 launch. A single strong inflow day does not confirm a sustained reversal, but the scale of Thursday's figure — the first above $200 million since early May — provides the first data point of genuine institutional re-engagement that every bottom-signal framework has identified as a necessary condition for confirmed recovery. BlackRock's IBIT Is Still Bleeding — The Divergence That Matters The most analytically significant detail in Thursday's flow data is the divergence between Fidelity and BlackRock. While FBTC attracted $166 million, BlackRock's IBIT posted $40.4 million in net outflows — its 11th consecutive session of redemptions since June 17 and part of a streak that has now cost the fund more than $2.2 billion in cumulative outflows. IBIT is the largest US spot Bitcoin ETF by assets and the product most closely associated with institutional and financial advisor allocation to Bitcoin. Its continued outflow streak even on a day when Fidelity and ARK attracted over $250 million combined suggests the institutional re-engagement seen Thursday is not yet broad-based. Fidelity and ARK buyers skew more toward crypto-native and active investors; IBIT's buyer base is more heavily weighted toward traditional financial institutions and RIA platforms. A sustained inflow recovery that does not eventually include IBIT — or that depends on IBIT's outflows slowing to zero rather than turning positive — would represent a partial rather than complete reversal of the institutional exit that defined June. Altcoin ETFs Join the Recovery The rebound extended beyond Bitcoin. US spot Ether ETFs attracted $29.1 million on Thursday, following $14.9 million in inflows the day before — two consecutive positive sessions for a product that had been bleeding alongside Bitcoin throughout the June correction. XRP ETFs returned to net inflows at $6.6 million after two consecutive sessions of outflows. The simultaneous recovery across Bitcoin, Ether, and XRP ETF products suggests Thursday's inflow day reflects a broader sentiment shift rather than rotation from one crypto asset to another. The Fear and Greed Context Crypto market sentiment on Friday was measured at an "extreme fear" reading by Alternative.me's Fear & Greed Index — the same sentiment zone that has historically marked accumulation opportunities in prior cycles. Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan publicly suggested the market could be nearing a bottom in a note to clients, citing the STRC and MSTR dynamics alongside end-of-cycle indicators as evidence that the structural stress has been sufficiently priced in. Extreme fear sentiment combined with a first $200 million-plus ETF inflow day since May is the combination that bottom-signal frameworks have been waiting for throughout June — but the IBIT outflow streak, the Reuters poll consensus of no Fed cuts through 2027, and Thursday's nonfarm payrolls data arriving simultaneously mean Thursday's inflow figure needs to be confirmed by sustained follow-through before it can be characterized as the inflection point rather than a single constructive data point in an otherwise bearish trend.

Lukang Biochemical said its current production and business operations are normal and have not seen any major changes after its shares met the criteria for abnormal trading fluctuations. According to Jin10, the company issued a volatility announcement stating that over three consecutive trading days—July 1, 2026, July 2, 2026, and July 3, 2026—the cumulative deviation in its closing price increase reached 20.66%. Under relevant provisions of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange Trading Rules, this falls under abnormal stock trading fluctuations. The company said it has noticed that market attention has recently increased for sectors related to livestock and poultry breeding and the veterinary drug industry chain, with trading activity in those sectors rising. Lukang Biochemical said its main business covers the research and development, production, and sales of animal health products, plant protection products, and food additives. It reiterated that its current production and operating conditions are normal and that no major changes have occurred.

A comprehensive analysis of Circle's core business and valuation logic: The OUSD panic and market correction triggered a short-term overreaction; below $60 may present a good opportunity for left-side entry and a strategic negotiation on legislation.

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Prediction, Crypto Markets, Prediction Markets: From Platform-Based Review to Open Protocols - Jinse Finance: "The effectiveness of prediction markets depends on their ability to discern the truth."

Netflix used AI company ElevenLabs to recreate late actor Gene Wilder's voice for its new reality series, *Wonka's The Golden Ticket*, with approval from his estate. The decision has sparked debate, with some fans praising the tribute while others criticised the use of AI to revive a beloved actor's voice.

US authorities have stepped up their crackdown on the notorious Scattered Spider hacking group after extraditing an alleged member from Finland to face charges linked to an $8 million cryptocurrency ransom scheme.

Dubai has strengthened its position in the race to become a leading global crypto hub after its Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) issued its 50th virtual asset service provider (VASP) license, putting the emirate ahead of rival jurisdictions Hong Kong and Singapore by licensed firms.

Anthropic is in early discussions with Samsung Electronics to manufacture a custom AI chip, with Samsung's 2-nanometre process and advanced packaging technologies under consideration. No agreement has been reached, and Anthropic has not yet decided whether the chip will be used for AI training or inference workloads.