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Chairman Selig orders a regulatory backup plan as Congress weighs digital asset market structure legislation CFTC Chairman Selig has instructed staff to prepare crypto regulations that the agency could issue on its own. The directive would apply if the Clarity Act does not advance through Congress.

Layer-1 network says a single-transaction design can support AI agent activity at a reported peak above 6 million transactions per second. Sui used its Basecamp event to detail a transaction model designed specifically for artificial intelligence agents operating on-chain.

The AI-focused data company is moving to add banking sector capabilities through the acquisition, according to a report from Finextra Blockchain. Datavault AI is preparing to acquire BankWyse, according to a report from Finextra Blockchain. The report, published on August 20, 2026, named the two companies but did not include financial terms of the deal.

A court has ruled partly in favor of the TRON founder in his dispute with the Trump family-linked decentralized finance venture. Justin Sun, founder of the TRON blockchain, has won a partial court victory in a lawsuit connected to World Liberty Financial.

Corporate customers reportedly object to a new policy requiring Anthropic to hold user data for a minimum of 30 days. Anthropic has put in place a mandatory 30-day data retention policy covering its frontier AI models, CryptoBriefing reported.

Wallets untouched for over a decade transferred hundreds of Bitcoin in a single 24-hour window, reigniting debate over early-holder behavior. A group of Bitcoin wallets that had sat untouched for eleven years suddenly sprang to life, according to blockchain data reviewed by multiple crypto outlets.

U.S. authorities allege the group ran a broad cyber operation that included ransom payments demanded in bitcoin. U.S. authorities have charged a group of Iranian hackers accused of running an extensive cyber campaign that included a $6 million bitcoin extortion scheme.

The Coinbase chief executive pointed to a range of $300,000 to $400,000 as bitcoin's price climbed past $72,000. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has offered a long-term price outlook for bitcoin, suggesting the asset could reach $400,000 by 2030.

The payments platform adds machine-to-machine settlement rails as autonomous agents increasingly need to transact on their own Ramp has added support for x402 payments on the Solana network, according to reports from CryptoBriefing and Bankless. The integration is designed to let AI agents transact directly, without a human approving each payment.

Crypto News Australia reports the securities regulator is preparing a broad rules initiative as Washington's approach to digital assets shifts. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is preparing a major push on crypto rulemaking, according to a report from Crypto News Australia.

Large holders added to positions as XRP broke out of consolidation, though reports differ on the exact scale of buying and the size of the rally. XRP has drawn fresh attention from large holders after the token broke out of a prolonged consolidation range.

Bond investors push back against the Treasury Secretary's hedge-fund-style approach to managing government debt. Long-term US government bonds are facing renewed selling pressure, according to reports tied to an intervention by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

The asset manager can now let existing mutual funds hold blockchain-based tokenized securities alongside conventional holdings. Franklin Templeton has secured clearance from the SEC allowing its traditional funds to hold tokenized assets. The move gives the asset manager a regulatory greenlight to bring blockchain-based instruments into products that have historically held only conventional securities.

A campaign dubbed StopAndProtect turned compromised WordPress installations into infrastructure for wallet-draining attacks. Nearly 2,000 WordPress websites have been hacked and converted into infrastructure supporting a cryptocurrency theft operation, according to security reporting. The campaign has been described using the name StopAndProtect.

The funding round included participation from 0G Foundation, according to reports from BeInCrypto and CryptoBriefing. NeoSoul has raised $11 million in a Pre-A funding round. The company said the capital will support its expansion in what it describes as the AI economy. Reports from BeInCrypto and CryptoBriefing confirmed the raise on August 20, 2026.

Intercontinental Exchange is reportedly considering a follow-on stake in the prediction market platform after its valuation surged past $20 billion. Intercontinental Exchange, best known as the operator of the New York Stock Exchange, is reportedly considering putting more money into Polymarket.

Industry groups from digital assets, artificial intelligence and prediction markets are pouring unprecedented sums into the 2026 election cycle. Spending on the 2026 US midterm elections has climbed to record territory, with crypto, artificial intelligence and betting firms named as leading contributors.

The three firms plan to bring institutional-style credit infrastructure to the XRP Ledger. Clearpool, Ripple and Cicada Credit have agreed to build a new lending platform on the XRP Ledger. The announcement was reported by CryptoBriefing and CoinGape on August 20, 2026.