Blockchain News page 63

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.

Autheo's native token THEO is now listed and trading on the Hydrex platform, giving the project its first public market. THEO, the native token behind the Autheo project, is now live for trading on Hydrex. The listing gives the token its first appearance on a public exchange venue.

Shares of the Ethereum-focused mining and treasury firm climbed alongside crypto markets before stalling at a closely watched technical threshold. BitMine Immersion Technologies saw its stock price rise sharply on Wednesday, tracking a broader rebound in Ethereum's price. Shares climbed to $20.24, marking one of the stock's stronger sessions in recent weeks.

A Chainlink executive compared the coming shift to scenes from Star Wars, pointing to machines as future network users. Chainlink executive McCormick offered a striking vision of blockchain's next phase this week. Machines, not people, will increasingly initiate transactions on decentralized networks, according to the comments.

The funding round will support infrastructure aimed at securing data and transactions across decentralized and AI-driven applications. Beldex has closed an $8 million funding round intended to expand its privacy-focused infrastructure for Web3 and artificial intelligence.

Michael Selig says the agency will move on digital asset oversight even if Congress fails to pass market structure legislation. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael Selig said the agency intends to build out a crypto market structure framework whether or not Congress passes the CLARITY Act.

A new report says 152 wallets made roughly $8 million betting on prediction markets tied to US military events. A report published this week alleges that more than 150 wallets on Polymarket traded ahead of US military-related events, generating substantial profits. CryptoBriefing first reported the figure of over 150 wallets.

Reports of White House enthusiasm for the CLARITY Act coincided with a sharp bitcoin rally, though price forecasts on the legislation's impact vary widely. Bitcoin's price moved sharply higher this week, with multiple reports placing it above $72,000.