Blockchain News page 43

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.

Canadian equities swing as negotiations break down and steep new duties kick in Negotiations between the United States and Canada have collapsed, according to reporting from Invezz. The breakdown paves the way for tariffs of 50% to take effect on trade between the two countries.

A meme token tied to a Grand Theft Auto 6 leak rallied sharply, though on-chain data suggests it may have existed before the leak surfaced A cryptocurrency token named CYBERLEEK rallied sharply this week, gaining roughly 80% in value.

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.

The exchange joins a growing field of firms racing to bring equities onto public blockchains. Coinbase has begun offering tokenized versions of stocks on Base, according to reports from CryptoBriefing and CoinDesk. Base is the layer-2 network built by Coinbase on top of Ethereum, designed to lower transaction costs and speed up settlement.

The crypto advocacy group widens its political footprint as digital asset policy heads into a pivotal election cycle Stand With Crypto has announced endorsements for 32 candidates seeking House seats in the 2026 midterm elections. The group framed the move as part of a broader push to influence federal crypto policy through direct political engagement.

Industry organizations back a lawsuit challenging a new state levy on digital asset transactions Crypto advocacy organizations have formally joined a lawsuit opposing Illinois' new 0.2% tax on digital asset transactions. The move signals that industry groups view the levy as a legal and financial threat worth fighting in court, according to reports from BlockchainReporter…

The Pi coin is consolidating under a key price level as the network prepares for its September 15 mainnet update. Pi Network's token is consolidating below the $0.10 mark as the project approaches a scheduled mainnet upgrade known as Protocol 27.

The Animoca Brands-linked project will rely on Chainlink for data services as it builds toward the $19 billion tokenized real-world asset sector. NUVA has selected Chainlink to provide data infrastructure for its decentralized finance operations. The move was reported separately by CryptoBriefing, Coinfomania and CoinGape on August 24, 2026.

The token's record run has drawn fresh scrutiny of its tokenomics amid a broader push toward institutional crypto infrastructure. WBT, the native token of the Whitechain network, reached a new all-time high this week. The move comes as the broader W Group ecosystem continues to expand its infrastructure and platform offerings.

The proposed levy would sharply raise costs on cross-border auto and steel trade between the two countries. President Trump has laid out plans to raise tariffs on Canadian auto and steel imports to 50%, with the policy set to take effect January 1, 2027.

The vote will determine eligibility rules and key protocol decisions tied to the network's next major upgrade. Zcash developers have confirmed a timeline for a coinholder vote tied to the network's upcoming NU7 upgrade.

One market analyst projects sharp upside for Coinbase shares despite months of volatile trading in 2026. Coinbase's stock has moved unevenly through 2026, mirroring swings across the wider cryptocurrency market. Shares of the exchange have alternated between rallies and pullbacks, leaving the stock without a clear directional trend for much of the year.

RUM Group shares jumped 10% after the agreement was disclosed, according to Yahoo Finance. An affiliate tied to Rumble has entered a $13.7 billion agreement to provide GPU computing services to a US cloud customer. CryptoBriefing first reported the deal on August 24, 2026.

The bitcoin-focused company built a sizable cash reserve as its debt and preferred-equity obligations continue to grow. Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy, has added a $1.59 billion cash pool to its corporate balance sheet, CryptoBriefing reported. The addition arrives as the company contends with financing pressures linked to its aggressive bitcoin accumulation strategy.

Persistent redemptions from crypto exchange-traded funds are challenging the narrative of unstoppable institutional appetite. Crypto exchange-traded funds have spent much of the past two years as a symbol of institutional acceptance. Spot bitcoin and ether products drew billions of dollars in inflows after their launches, reinforcing the idea that traditional finance was steadily absorbing digital…

Gemini and Apex Fintech Solutions have struck a partnership to bring CFTC-regulated prediction markets to Apex's brokerage clients. Gemini has agreed to provide technology behind Apex Fintech Solutions' prediction market offerings, according to reports from crypto.news and CoinGape.

The new protocol aims to give decentralized applications and autonomous AI agents secure, non-custodial wallet infrastructure. human.tech has introduced a new wallet protocol running on the Ika Network, according to reports published Monday. The protocol is designed to serve both decentralized applications and AI agents that need to hold and manage digital assets independently.