house

According to Russian media bits.media, Igor Runets, the founder of Russia's largest mining company BitRiver, has been transferred from house arrest to detention pending trial by the Zamoskvoretsky Court in Moscow due to allegations of fraud amounting to 100 million rubles. He will be held in custody for at least two months. The charges are based on Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation—"particularly large-scale fraud committed by an organized group."The investigation claims the case involves the supply of mining equipment, causing nearly 100 million rubles in losses to the metallurgical and energy companies under the En+ Group. Investigators requested the detention of Runets on the grounds that he might influence witnesses, and the court approved this request. Representatives of BitRiver and Runets' lawyer have not yet commented on the court's ruling, and the progress of the case will depend on the equipment appraisal and witness testimonies from En+. In February of this year, Russian law enforcement suspected Runets of concealing assets to evade taxes, leading to his arrest and house arrest on charges of tax evasion. BitRiver is facing bankruptcy and ownership risks, with its owner Fox Group having debts of approximately 9.2 million dollars, and assets insufficient to repay the debts, prompting a bankruptcy application.

According to Jinshi, the U.S. Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index fell from a revised 92.2 in June to 90.8 in July, below the forecast of 92.3. Households' views on the labor market remain generally weak.The Conference Board's Chief Economist, Dana Peterson, stated that consumer feedback on economic factors in July remained predominantly pessimistic, with a slight increase in mentions of employment and unemployment.

The sports merchandise platform Fanatics will acquire the federally regulated exchange and clearinghouse under BGC to launch and settle its own prediction market business.Fanatics and BGC also plan to develop new market data products that combine prediction market activities with traditional financial market data. This deal allows Fanatics to enter the prediction market space, competing alongside platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket.

According to Jinshi reports, a logistics warehouse in Saudi Arabia belonging to the U.S. military was attacked by drones, and explosions were heard at the scene.

According to The Bitcoin Historian (@pete_rizzo_), White House officials recently stated that negotiations on the crypto clarity bill are progressing positively. The consistent strategy of the Democrats is not to express their stance in advance, but they often reach an agreement at critical moments.The official stated that "we are very close to passing it," and bipartisan support is continuing to grow.

Bitcoin Treasuries.NET posted on platform X that the listed company Farmhouse FMHS has purchased an additional 1 Bitcoin, bringing its total holdings to 12.209 Bitcoins.

U.S. Congressman Bryan Steil expressed optimism on Fox News that the CLARITY Act is expected to pass in the Senate next week, emphasizing that the U.S. needs to establish a regulatory gold standard in the digital asset space. Bryan Steil currently serves as the Chairman of the House Administration Committee and also chairs the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion within the Financial Services Committee.

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 a report by South Korea's "Daily Economic News" on July 12, driven by the stock market investment boom and sustained housing demand, the five major commercial banks in South Korea (KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori, NH Nonghyup) saw a surge in household loans in the first half of this year. As of the end of June, the household loan balance of the five major banks (excluding policy loans) reached 647.57 trillion won, an increase of about 3.7 trillion won compared to the end of last year. This means that in just half a year, the five major banks have exhausted 85.3% of the annual new loan limit set by financial regulatory authorities (approximately 4.33 trillion won), with two banks even exceeding the annual new limit ahead of schedule.To meet the strict overall control targets set by financial regulatory departments, banks are currently accelerating the tightening of credit thresholds. For example, KB Kookmin Bank recently significantly lowered the maximum limit for housing loans from 600 million won to 300 million won, while other banks are focusing on limiting new credit loans and reducing overdraft account limits. However, in just the first nine days of July, the household loan balance of the five major banks increased by over 1 trillion won. Industry insiders point out that against the backdrop of a severely limited remaining quota, banks will have to adopt stricter lending measures in the second half of the year to control the annual growth rate, and the South Korean market is expected to face a severe "credit winter."

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated that after the SEC sued in 2020, he and co-founder Chris Larsen seriously considered shutting down the company and distributing their XRP holdings to shareholders. Garlinghouse mentioned that they chose to fight the SEC instead of closing the company, a decision that preserved hundreds of jobs but resulted in Ripple paying about $150 million in legal fees over four years.Ripple ultimately won the case after a federal judge ruled that XRP itself is not a security. The case was settled last year after changes in SEC leadership, with the new leadership taking a more lenient stance on cryptocurrency.

According to The Block, the entertainment sector on-chain clearinghouse KOR Protocol announced the completion of a $7.5 million Series A financing round, with a valuation of $100 million. Investors include 1kx, Blockchain Capital, as well as previous investors Republic Crypto, Sfermion, Alumni Ventures, and SevenX.KOR Protocol is building an on-chain creative asset clearing platform for the registration, verification, and settlement of creative works such as music and film, and will provide programmable revenue sharing to creators and rights holders through stablecoins like USDC.KOR stated that this round of funding will be used for platform development, ecosystem growth, and partner integration, and plans to launch a token.

The National Association of Attorneys General, the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Sheriffs' Association jointly sent a letter to the Department of Justice and the White House on Tuesday, warning that Section 604 of the Digital Asset Market Structure Clarity Act contains serious enforcement loopholes that could make it difficult for law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute crypto-related criminal activities. The letter pointed out that Section 604 includes broad exemption clauses that may allow individuals or entities assisting in the circulation of crypto assets to evade regulatory accountability, disrupting the investigative and enforcement powers that have long been relied upon.The four organizations emphasized that their concerns are not aimed at developers who simply write or publish software code, but rather at the broad exemptions that may provide a shield for illegal activities. The core of the controversy lies in Section 604—the "Blockchain Regulatory Clarity Act" (BRCA) provision, which was originally a standalone bill but was later incorporated into the Clarity Act, aimed at providing a safe harbor for non-custodial developers, clarifying that they do not fall under money transmission entities. Law enforcement organizations believe this move will create obstacles for investigations into crypto crimes.Additionally, the letter pointed out that several other provisions of the bill would "reduce transparency, weaken accountability mechanisms, and create loopholes in the anti-money laundering framework." On the same day, nearly a hundred Catholic leaders representing parishes across the country also issued a warning, stating that the bill could weaken protections against human trafficking. In response, White House cryptocurrency advisor Patrick Harker insisted that the Clarity Act is a bill that "supports regulation and supports law enforcement," emphasizing that the U.S. must proactively set standards or risk passively accepting the rules of other countries.

According to Cointelegraph, the U.S. House of Representatives passed housing legislation with a vote of 358 to 32, which includes a provision for a temporary ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDC), lasting until 2030. The bill has now been sent to President Trump for signing. Previously, it was reported that the U.S. Senate passed a housing bill that includes a four-year ban on the Federal Reserve's CBDC.

Chairman of the U.S. House Military and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee, Republican Congressman William Timmons, announced that a roundtable meeting will be held on June 25, focusing on how digital assets and cryptocurrencies can help individuals protect their wealth, access assistance, and maintain economic autonomy. In addition, this roundtable will also explore the intersection of digital finance and U.S. national security interests, and examine how the U.S. can promote financial innovation and maintain competitiveness in the digital finance sector.

According to Livecoins, the Brazilian House of Representatives' Finance and Taxation Committee (CFT) has approved a bill to penalize cyber fraud, authorizing the freezing of cryptocurrency balances of individuals under police investigation, and also proposing amendments to relevant provisions of the Penal Code to increase penalties for cybercriminals.Crimes committed through social media or phone will face harsher penalties, with those convicted of cyber attacks facing imprisonment of 6 to 10 years, up from the previous 4 to 8 years. Additionally, judges will have the authority to freeze suspects' assets in Bitcoin exchanges and bank accounts. Some preventive measures include freezing physical assets and prohibiting the use of payment systems. The bill will next be submitted to the Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) for review, which is expected to be completed in the coming days.

According to CoinDesk, bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill on Thursday to establish a federal cryptocurrency theft task force led by the Attorney General, aimed at coordinating and leading investigations into cryptocurrency theft, fraud, and hacking.The bill was jointly initiated by Republican member Lance Gooden of the House Judiciary Committee and Democratic member Josh Gottheimer of the House Financial Services Committee.The task force will encompass multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of the Treasury, aiming to address the $11 billion theft and fraud issues caused last year and provide a unified federal response mechanism for victims.

According to crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett, the U.S. House of Representatives' fundraising committee held a crypto tax hearing at 2 PM local time, introducing six separate bills and a discussion draft beforehand. The six bills cover crypto donations, taxation of mining and staking, reporting requirements, equal tax treatment, voluntary disclosure, and applying existing anti-abuse tax rules to digital assets; the discussion draft addresses offshore crypto tax evasion.The committee stated that the aforementioned bills aim to create clarity, fairness, and operability for digital assets, and to maintain the U.S. position as a global crypto hub. Witnesses attending the hearing included representatives from Fidelity, Coinbase, Coin Center, and NYU's Tax Law Center.

According to Jinshi, citing a Saudi Arabian television station and a White House official, negotiations on an agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons are making positive progress.

Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett revealed that three informed sources disclosed that U.S. government officials will hold a meeting with law enforcement groups at the White House on Wednesday to address concerns that certain provisions in the Clarity Act (including developer protection provisions derived from the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act) may increase the difficulty of cracking down on illegal finance.This issue, along with the ethical provisions, is one of the main obstacles that must be resolved before the bill is submitted for a full vote in the Senate. Several Democrats have stated that they will not support the bill unless the concerns of law enforcement are adequately addressed. Prior to this meeting, the crypto industry has conducted broader outreach, including holding town hall meetings and inviting former law enforcement officials currently working in the crypto industry to participate in lobbying.