encrypt

Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) company Zama CEO Rand Hindi stated on X on Monday that the company has achieved benchmark results of 1,000 confidential transactions per second on GPUs, an increase of about 5,000 times compared to the 0.2 transactions per second demonstrated at ETHcc in 2022. Hindi mentioned that the cost of running an FHE node is approximately $0.000004 per ERC7984 transaction, significantly lower than zero-knowledge proofs, but this comparison has not been independently verified. The benchmark has not yet been activated on any mainnet, is self-reported data from the company, and the testing methods have not been published, with plans to go live by the end of the year.Hindi also set long-term goals: 10,000 tps by 2028 and 100,000 tps by 2030. Zama has been active recently: on July 24, a confidential RFQ exchange product was launched, which within weeks shielded over $121 million USDT on Ethereum, collaborated with Elliptic to enhance compliance screening for confidential transactions, and co-founded the Confidential Token Association with OpenZeppelin and Inco to standardize encrypted ERC-20 tokens. Zama previously completed a $57 million Series B funding round.

Anthropic announced that the Claude Mythos Preview model has made breakthroughs in cryptographic research, discovering improved attack methods against the post-quantum digital signature candidate HAWK. HAWK is a post-quantum signature candidate solicited by NIST to combat quantum computer attacks, which has already passed two rounds of expert review. However, Claude reduced the effective key strength of HAWK-256 from 2^64 to 2^38 in just 60 hours, significantly lowering the theoretical cost of cracking. HAWK has not yet been deployed in practice, and this attack currently does not affect any production systems.Claude also discovered an improved attack against 7-round AES, achieving a speed increase of 200 to 800 times. During the research process, Claude independently completed literature reviews, mathematical reasoning, and experimental validation with limited guidance from cryptographers. The HAWK attack took about 60 hours and had an API cost of approximately $100,000; the AES attack was completed independently by Claude, which generated about 1 billion tokens before proposing core innovative ideas. Anthropic researchers then spent hundreds of hours validating the results. Anthropic stated that AI models can now help identify significant flaws in cryptographic algorithms, and the cryptography community may face bottlenecks similar to those in the software vulnerability field—AI-generated research results far exceed human verification capabilities. Anthropic has collaborated with academic institutions to launch the CryptanalysisBench benchmark and coordinated disclosures with NIST authors and government partners. The research team has achieved preliminary results on algorithms such as LEA and Serpent-128. Anthropic warns that as AI capabilities improve, actual attacks against deployed systems may be discovered in the future, necessitating the establishment of response mechanisms in advance.

HSBC released the "Affluent Investor Snapshot 2026" report, which shows that a survey of nearly 10,000 high-net-worth investors worldwide indicates that the average allocation to crypto assets in 2026 is 6%, a decrease of 1 percentage point year-on-year; however, 45% of respondents still plan to increase their allocation in the next 12 months, while 40% plan to maintain it.The allocation to crypto assets for investors in Singapore and Malaysia is 5% and 6%, respectively, both unchanged from the previous year; during the same period, global cash allocation has dropped to 19%, with funds continuing to shift towards stocks, gold, and alternative investments.

According to TechCrunch, Apple has been sued over App Store security issues. Three plaintiffs claim they were induced to download a fraudulent cryptocurrency wallet app, Sparrow Wallet, which is not officially available for iOS. The plaintiffs have incurred losses totaling over $1.8 million—James Ramirez lost approximately $875,000, Christopher Ellis lost about $840,000, and Jalen Delgado lost around $120,000.The lawsuit accuses Apple of knowingly allowing fraudulent apps to remain in the App Store while using its security promises as a marketing tool to resist third-party app stores and sideloading. The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial, damages, and public disclosure of App Store risks. Apple has not commented on the lawsuit but stated that counterfeit apps violate its guidelines and will be swiftly removed. Currently, there are no counterfeit versions of Sparrow Wallet in the App Store, and over 371,000 submissions of plagiarized or misleading apps have been rejected in 2025.

According to former Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett, one of the largest police unions in the United States, the National Fraternal Order of Police, has shifted its support to the latest version of the Clarity Act, stating that the revised provisions of the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA) address its previous concerns and preserve law enforcement's ability to investigate cryptocurrency crimes.The report notes that the text of the latest version of the BRCA, released on Wednesday, has not changed, and it is currently unclear what specific revisions the union is referring to.

According to tracking data from the Web3 asset data platform RootData, in the past 7 days, the crypto media platform BSC News has been the project that X (Twitter) top figures have unfollowed the most. The new influential figures on X who have unfollowed this project include well-known cryptocurrency trader Ansem (@blknoiz06) and cryptocurrency trader Ash Crypto (@AshCrypto). In addition, the project that X top figures have unfollowed the most also includes Ostium.

According to CoinDesk, hardware wallet company Ledger has launched an open-source toolkit called Ledger Agent Stack, which supports AI agents to interact with crypto wallets by reading balances, preparing transactions, and suggesting actions, with all transactions requiring user approval on Ledger hardware devices.Ledger stated that this release is the first step in its AI roadmap, aiming to integrate hardware-based security mechanisms into AI-driven crypto applications and to prevent autonomous agents from transferring funds or accessing sensitive credentials without human approval.

According to Etoday, the Financial Services Commission of South Korea has announced a draft amendment to the "Special Law on Preventing Telecom Financial Fraud and Returning Victim Funds," planning to include funds from phone scams that are transferred to crypto assets within the scope of victim compensation, and to clarify the standards for the return and valuation of crypto assets. The relevant regulations are expected to officially take effect on October 1.According to the new regulations, if the frozen assets are cryptocurrencies, victims will generally be compensated based on the type and quantity of assets; if the defrauded assets differ in form from the frozen assets, compensation will be made in the form of assets that existed at the time the account was frozen. In cases where cash and crypto assets are mixed, the regulatory authorities will value the crypto assets based on the market price at the time of freezing to determine the final compensation amount.The Financial Services Commission of South Korea stated that clarifying the form of returned assets and the timing of valuation will help achieve faster and fairer compensation in complex cases involving mixed funds from multiple victims. It is reported that the public consultation for the draft amendment will continue until August 24.

According to a report from Hongxing News, an investigation report leaked from a scam park in Myanmar shows that global telecom fraud is accelerating towards an "AI industrialization + cross-border encrypted payment" system. The scam network completes fund circulation through cryptocurrency and uses automated tools based on large models for multi-language script generation, identity disguise, and emotional manipulation.According to the investigation analysis, these systems extensively utilize OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini at the functional level to support "scaled social fraud." The funding side achieves rapid laundering and transfer through on-chain payments and cross-border channels, forming a dual structure of "AI customer acquisition + encrypted settlement," which gives the fraud industry a high degree of automation and transnational diffusion capability. In addition, Starlink, owned by Musk, has become the number one network service provider for the scam park in Myanmar, with American ISP providers carrying nearly one-fifth of the park's traffic.In response to the related accusations, OpenAI stated that the behavior of scammers using ChatGPT is highly similar to that of ordinary users, making identification difficult. However, they have banned about 100,000 suspicious accounts monthly through behavioral pattern recognition and risk control systems. Google stated that its AI models have safety barriers in place and emphasized its commitment to "responsible AI development" to limit the tools' use for fraud and other illegal purposes.

According to official news, the crypto-native cross-border financial platform Offramp, primarily aimed at freelancers in Latin America, will cease operations.As of July 1, functions such as transfers, QR code payments, deposits, and investments have been disabled. Starting July 31, Offramp will stop fiat currency deposits and withdrawals as well as cryptocurrency deposits, and will disable physical and virtual cards and stop the operation of the mobile application. On September 30, Offramp will stop cryptocurrency withdrawals, and by December 31, the remaining functions will be disabled, officially ceasing operations.

According to Onchain Lens monitoring, as the price of ANSEM continues to rise, its market capitalization has surpassed 350 million dollars.At the same time, the ANSEM assets held by crypto KOL Ansem are currently valued at over 204 million dollars.

Paymentscan data shows that the total recharge amount of cryptocurrency payment cards has surpassed $10 billion for the first time, reaching approximately $10.33 billion, an increase of 82% since the beginning of the year and about 250% year-on-year. This data reflects the cumulative recharge scale of cryptocurrency payment cards and related payment projects, rather than the trading volume of cryptocurrency exchanges.Reports indicate that stablecoins are becoming the main driving force behind the popularity of cryptocurrency payment cards. Compared to volatile assets like Bitcoin, stablecoins can complete payment settlements through traditional card networks, lowering the access threshold for merchants and making them more suitable for cross-border payments, remittances, and daily consumption scenarios in high-inflation areas.As payment companies, cryptocurrency exchanges, and asset management institutions continue to improve stablecoin infrastructure, cryptocurrency payment cards are gradually becoming an important gateway connecting digital assets to real-world consumption. However, as the scale of application expands, regulatory agencies will also pay more attention to issues such as consumer protection, sanctions screening, tax reporting, reserve asset transparency, and transaction monitoring.

According to the official report, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) has applied to the Rotterdam court to declare the cryptocurrency trading platform Knaken Cryptohandel B.V. and its subsidiary Stichting Knaken Payments bankrupt.OM stated that the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) had previously warned that the platform was illegally providing exchange and custody services for crypto assets without the necessary licenses. Although the platform claims to have ceased operations and is undergoing liquidation, it has currently completely stopped making payments to customers. OM is concerned that its liquidation process lacks order and may harm investors' interests, thus applying for bankruptcy, aiming to appoint a liquidator to take over and safeguard creditors' funds.In addition, based on the report from AFM, the Dutch Financial Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD) has launched a parallel investigation into the alleged criminal activities of the platform. Law enforcement executed multiple searches on June 29, seizing relevant digital storage devices and freezing some of the company's assets, with no arrests made so far.

According to The Block, influenced by the maturation of the crypto market and the rapid development of emerging technologies, several leading crypto venture capital firms are shifting their investment focus from the pure crypto sector to a broader "frontier technology" track, involving AI, robotics, fintech, and biotechnology.It is reported that Framework Ventures and Haun Ventures have recently raised $400 million and $1 billion funds respectively to support cross-domain layouts; Paradigm is planning to raise up to $1.5 billion for a frontier technology fund; and the former Binance incubator YZi Labs has also ventured into the fields of AI and biotechnology.Industry investors analyze that the core reasons for this strategic shift are the demand for capital deployment brought about by the expansion of fund sizes, the decrease in high-quality pure crypto projects, and the increasing integration of adjacent technologies such as blockchain and AI. Some venture capitalists predict that as cryptocurrencies gradually integrate into a broader technology ecosystem, the exclusive label of "crypto VC" may gradually fade, and the market will ultimately differentiate into large multi-strategy investment funds and a few vertical investors focused on digital assets. However, some institutions like a16z Crypto and Dragonfly still insist on deepening their investment strategies in the pure crypto sector.

In the past 24 hours, the cryptocurrency derivatives market experienced massive liquidations, with a total liquidation amount of approximately $1 billion, and Ethereum's liquidation amount exceeded that of Bitcoin. At the same time, Bitcoin contract open interest rose for the second consecutive day to 778,000 BTC, with a sharp increase in open interest at the end of Thursday indicating that Bitcoin traders are adding short positions in a downtrend. In contrast, Ethereum contract open interest has remained stable at around 14 million ETH since June 15, and Ethereum traders have not actively shorted during the decline.The 24-hour cumulative trading volume difference adjusted for open interest shows that short positions continue to dominate among the top 25 cryptocurrencies, with only BNB, SOL, and TON as exceptions. Meanwhile, the 30-day annualized implied volatility index for Bitcoin surged to 53%, the highest since June 7; the volatility index for Ethereum rose to 66%. In the cryptocurrency options market, last week the skew for Bitcoin options approached 30%, with significant premiums for put options. In large trades, put options with a strike price of $53,000 expiring on July 10 have appeared, reflecting strong demand for downside hedging.

According to Deribit data, a nominal value of $11.32 billion in cryptocurrency options will expire, including:· BTC options with a nominal value of $9.68 billion, put/call ratio of 0.75, and maximum pain point of $72,000;· ETH options with a nominal value of $1.64 billion, put/call ratio of 0.56, and maximum pain point of $2,000.

According to CoinDesk, major lobbying organizations in the U.S. cryptocurrency industry jointly sent a letter to the House Ways and Means Committee, urging the advancement of the "Tax Clarity for Mining and Staking Act," advocating for tax treatment options for cryptocurrency miners and staking income recipients. The bill was introduced by Republican Congressman Mike Carey, and its core content allows taxpayers to choose the timing of taxation when they receive new mining or staking assets—either paying taxes at the time the assets are generated or deferring taxes until the final sale.Industry associations, including the Blockchain Association, Digital Chamber, and Crypto Council for Innovation, have expressed support, arguing that the current tax system may force users participating in network security maintenance to bear tax burdens before they have realized the assets. Supporters claim that the proposal does not provide "indefinite deferral," but rather avoids immediate taxation on income that has not yet realized liquidity, thereby alleviating cash flow pressure on miners and validators.However, Democratic lawmakers and some external critics are concerned that this mechanism could be exploited by large mining companies for long-term tax deferral, especially in the context of some publicly listed or politically connected companies participating in mining operations, raising potential policy arbitrage disputes. Meanwhile, the industry's focus remains on the broader "Digital Asset Market Structure Act" (Clarity Act), but tax issues have become the second key battleground, expected to continue advancing in tandem with regulatory framework legislation in the coming weeks.

According to Forbes, in the 2026 U.S. Congressional primary elections, the Democratic PAC "Protect Progress," supported by Coinbase, Ripple, and Andreessen Horowitz, is making a large-scale intervention in several Black district primaries. The PAC invested over $4.9 million in Maryland candidate Adrian Boafo, helped Christian Menefee in Texas defeat anti-crypto Congressman Al Green (spending over $5 million), and invested about $4 million in Georgia to support Jasmine Clark's victory.The related campaign advertisements did not mention the cryptocurrency industry background. Journalist Joy Reid characterized this operation as "Blackwashing"—delivering funds from the crypto industry to Black districts under the guise of progressiveness while deliberately hiding the identity of the funders.Analysts point out that the core logic of this network is not based on race, but rather on supporting allies and suppressing critics, with the ultimate goal of influencing the legislative direction of the pending "Digital Asset Market Clarification Act" (CLARITY Act).

Microsoft's Threat Intelligence team has announced a Windows clipboard trojan threat that has been active since February 2026. This malware combines "worm-like propagation + clipboard hijacking + Tor anonymous communication" to target digital asset users for attacks.