According to Lianhe Zaobao citing The Wall Street Journal, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth planned to announce further reductions of US forces stationed in Europe at a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels in June, but the proposal was rejected by senior White House officials, including National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, people familiar with the matter said. Instead, Hegseth said in Brussels that the US would conduct a review of its Europe force posture, a process that could last up to six months. The report said Hegseth’s planned cuts would have exceeded previously announced moves, including canceling the deployment of an armored brigade to Poland and withdrawing an infantry brigade from Romania. The White House referred a request for comment to the Defense Department; Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth sought to align his remarks with President Donald Trump’s goals and did not want to limit the president’s decision-making. A NATO leaders’ summit is scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara, where Trump is expected to attend, with US troop deployments in Europe and allied defense spending expected to be key topics.

Doubao said it will take its agent feature offline on July 15, 2026, preventing users from creating new agents and stopping previously created and saved agents from being called or run. According to ChainCatcher, the notice said that after July 15, Doubao will process data related to the agent feature, and users will no longer be able to view or restore that data within Doubao.

U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino threw out the first pitch at the Seattle Mariners’ game on Friday ahead of the USMNT’s Round of 16 match against Belgium at nearby Lumen Field, according to Yahoo Sports. Pochettino, an Argentine national, threw to Mariners manager Dan Wilson with the U.S. squad behind him; midfielder Tyler Adams and goalkeeper Matt Turner were among those involved in pre-pitch discussion and a throwing lesson. The report also noted the U.S. will face Belgium on Monday without striker Folarin Balogun, and that Pochettino has reportedly been offered a contract extension through 2030.

China released draft amendments to its E-Commerce Law that would expand coverage beyond platforms and merchants and revise rules governing the digital economy, according to Bloomberg.

SEC Chair Paul S. Atkins said on June 30, 2026 that the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) signed a memorandum of understanding to coordinate oversight of digital assets. According to NS3.AI, Atkins said the SEC is using Project Crypto to support markets moving on-chain. Atkins added that clear rules for digital assets are necessary for markets to function.

Bitcoin’s realized profit and loss (P&L) ratio has dropped to a 43-month low of -0.35, a level that CryptoQuant said reflects extreme market-wide loss conditions and has historically aligned with Bitcoin market bottoms. According to Cointelegraph, the realized P&L ratio measures the net percentage of Bitcoin in profit or loss relative to total supply, and it has not fallen this low since December 2022, shortly after FTX collapsed and pushed Bitcoin below $16,000. CryptoQuant said on Thursday that the indicator has “marked BTC bottoms with extreme precision,” adding that in 2015 and 2019 the ratio also fell below -0.35 before subsequent price rallies. The data arrives as market sentiment has repeatedly weakened during Bitcoin’s latest 50% drawdown from $126,080, set in October, though sentiment has risen cautiously over the last 10 days. Bitcoin is up more than 7% since falling to a near two-year low of $58,190 on June 25. Analysts attributed that decline to Strategy, the largest corporate Bitcoin holder, after its top perpetual preferred stock offering, Stretch (STRC), fell from its $100 par value to below $75, fueling concerns about the sustainability of its dividend model. On Thursday, Bitwise chief investment officer Matt Hougan said the STRC move helped squeeze out excess leverage and likely brought the market closer to a bottom, adding that he expects a new bull market in the fall. Swan Bitcoin analyst Adam Livingston said Bitcoin is trading only 16% above the realized price, described as the network’s aggregate on-chain cost basis, a level he said has historically coincided with strong forward returns of 41% at six months and 81% at 12 months. Livingston said buying at current levels “feels awful,” arguing that this discomfort is part of why Bitcoin is trading at a discount. He also cautioned against waiting for a definitive bottom, saying it does not announce itself, and recommended buying now rather than paying higher prices near a market top.

Aave said deposits in Aave V4 have approached $250 million, and that deposit and borrowing caps for multiple assets have been raised for a seventh time. According to Foresight News, the update was shared by Aave in a post on X. Aave did not specify which assets were affected or provide additional details in the statement.

Gestala, described as China’s first ultrasound brain-computer interface (BCI) startup, said it has raised RMB 420 million ($58.6 million) in an angel+ funding round, bringing total funding since inception to RMB 570 million, according to Jiemian News. The company was founded on January 1, 2026. On July 3, Gestala also opened its Shanghai headquarters in Minhang District’s “Brain Intelligence World” park. The company said its Chengdu global headquarters and first ultrasound BCI “super factory” began operations on June 26, forming a dual-headquarters setup with R&D and manufacturing in Chengdu and AI/algorithms in Shanghai. Founder and CEO Peng Lei said the company’s non-invasive approach uses ultrasound to modulate neurons through the skull and reads signals by capturing microvascular blood-flow changes triggered by neural activity. Peng said Gestala plans to unveil its first-generation product for chronic pain by the end of 2026 and release initial clinical trial data, research papers and AI model updates at the same time. He added the first product is a hospital-use, helmet-like device, with each non-invasive treatment lasting about 30 to 45 minutes and potentially reducing pain scores by around 50% for one to two weeks.

Jinse Finance launches its daily cryptocurrency and blockchain news bulletin, "Jinse 8 AM," issue 3109, providing you with the latest and fastest news on the digital currency and blockchain industry.

Amid the rapid evolution of AI programming tools, an internal adjustment is underway among major Chinese internet companies, focusing on the security of overseas tools and the need for domestic alternatives.

Jinse Finance launches the "Jinse Web3.0 Daily," providing you with the latest and fastest news on AI, DeFi, DAO, NFT, and the metaverse industry.

Robinhood, a well-known retail exchange, has launched its own Ethereum Layer 2 extension, Robinhood Chain.

Circle, a stablecoin, has been brought to the forefront of the Russell Index. Golden Finance reports that Circle has not completely "exited" the Russell Index.

On June 30, 2026, a very interesting piece of news emerged from the US stablecoin market.

Recently, the crypto market has been chilled again, with Bitcoin briefly falling below the $60,000 mark and mainstream crypto assets generally weakening.

The KOSPI index has surged by approximately 95% year-to-date, nearly doubling. While the South Korean stock market is soaring, another group of listed companies are gradually being squeezed out of the stock market.

Atkins stated that the SEC's role is not to control capital markets or design market outcomes, but rather to create an environment that fosters their development. Critics, however, worry that deregulation will compromise investor protection and transparency.

Bitget has launched US stock options trading for eligible users, expanding its Stock+ platform beyond crypto and tokenised assets. The new offering starts with long call and long put options as demand for US options trading continues to grow.