Finance and Business News page 15

Bitcoin's rally toward $80,000 has pushed a key momentum indicator into territory traders often treat as a warning sign. Bitcoin's price has surged toward $80,000, extending a rally that has drawn fresh attention from traders and analysts.

Both assets rallied together in August, with sources differing on whether gold's gain marks its best month since 1999 or simply its best in decades. Bitcoin traded above $81,000 this week, extending a rally that has unfolded alongside a historic surge in gold prices.

The crypto trade group says stablecoin-specific rules would fit better than generic bank-style customer checks. The Blockchain Association, a Washington-based trade group representing crypto companies, has called on the U.S. Treasury to write know-your-customer rules tailored to stablecoin issuers. The group argues that generic, bank-modeled KYC standards do not fit how stablecoins actually operate.

A wave of short liquidations and renewed exchange-traded fund demand pushed the largest cryptocurrency to its biggest weekly gain in three years. Bitcoin climbed back above $80,000 on August 24, according to Coinfomania, marking its first close at that level in 113 days.

The bank's move marks a milestone for regulated stablecoin distribution in Hong Kong's financial sector. Standard Chartered has taken on the role of first bank distributor for HKDAP, a stablecoin pegged to the Hong Kong dollar.

Daily trading in the fund reached roughly $100 million to $108 million, with fresh inflows reported near $25 million. Bitwise's Solana staking exchange-traded fund recorded its highest single-day trading volume since launch this week. CryptoBriefing reported the figure at roughly $100 million.

New sanctions campaign hits digital assets, gold, aviation and shipping as Iran promises retaliation Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a broad new sanctions initiative on Monday targeting Iran's use of digital assets and technology. The campaign, named Operation Economic Outcast, expands Washington's economic pressure on Tehran across several sectors at once.

Japheth Dillman faces sentencing after investors lost nearly $1 million in a fake trading bot pitch. Japheth Dillman, the founder of Block Bits, has been convicted on wire fraud charges connected to a crypto trading scheme that collapsed after raising investor money. Reports indicate the scheme cost investors close to $960,000.

The corporate Ethereum holder expanded its treasury by 32,447 ETH during a week that saw the token jump roughly 30%. BitMine Immersion Technologies has expanded its Ethereum holdings by 32,447 ETH, a purchase valued at approximately $81 million, according to figures reported this week.

Treasury-led action extends secondary sanctions pressure on Iran into digital assets, aviation, shipping and gold trade The US Treasury has broadened secondary sanctions against Iran to explicitly reach the crypto sector, according to reports published on August 24, 2026.

Bond traders push up risk pricing on Broadcom debt as the chipmaker backs large-scale AI infrastructure financing. Credit risk measures tied to Broadcom have risen in recent trading sessions, according to reports from Yahoo Finance and CryptoBriefing.

Coinbase's tokenized equities go live on the Base network, relying on Chainlink's price feed infrastructure. Coinbase has begun offering tokenized versions of US stocks on Base, the layer-2 network it developed. The exchange selected Chainlink to supply price feed infrastructure supporting the new product, according to reports from CryptoBriefing, Coinfomania, and Cointelegraph.

CryptoBriefing and Yahoo Finance give different figures for the size of Strategy's new 'USD Cash' liquidity pool. CryptoBriefing and Yahoo Finance give different figures for the size of Strategy's new 'USD Cash' liquidity pool. What all sources agree on Strategy Inc. established a new cash pool called 'USD Cash' intended for treasury flexibility.

ZEC's rally past $814 has traders discussing a potential ranking overtake of XRP, while chart watchers eye higher targets Zcash's price climbed to $814 this week, marking one of its strongest moves in years, according to CoinTurk News.

A steep new fee targets skilled foreign workers, reviving a policy blocked earlier by federal judges. The Trump administration has proposed a new fee of $103,265 for H-1B visa applications, according to reports from CryptoBriefing and Nairametrics. The figure applies to visas used to bring highly skilled foreign workers into the United States.

The exchange operator now publishes ENA reference rates across London, New York and APAC trading hours. CME Group has expanded its cryptocurrency benchmark suite to include ENA, the native token of the Ethena protocol. The addition places ENA among a growing list of digital assets that receive standardized reference pricing from the exchange operator.

The crypto exchange is opening a commission-free trading channel aimed at algorithmic and quantitative trading firms. MEXC has rolled out a new application programming interface called RealStocks, offering zero-commission access for quantitative traders. The exchange announced the feature as part of a broader effort to court algorithmic and systematic trading firms.

The billionaire investor's move gives him indirect exposure to the fast-growing decentralized exchange network Hyperliquid. Stanley Druckenmiller, the billionaire investor known for running Duquesne Capital and later his family office, has acquired a $23 million stake in a company that holds Hyperliquid tokens as part of its corporate treasury.