The threat centers on Iran's oil trade and could draw China into a widening dispute with Washington. President Trump has issued a warning to nations that provide support to Iran, threatening what he described as severe economic consequences. The statement was reported by CryptoBriefing on Thursday morning.
The state-backed token will now rely on Chainlink's cross-chain infrastructure instead of LayerZero, according to two reports. Wyoming has switched the underlying interoperability provider for its state-backed stablecoin, FRNT, from LayerZero to Chainlink. The change was reported by AMBCrypto and CoinGape, both covering the shift on the same day.
The South Korean memory chipmaker's preliminary labor agreement shifts a majority of bonus compensation from cash to equity. SK Hynix has struck a tentative wage deal that would convert the majority of employee bonus payments into company stock.
The Senate Banking Committee chair says opposition led by Elizabeth Warren's team aims to push digital assets out of the U.S. Senator Tim Scott, chair of the Senate Banking Committee, has sharpened his criticism of Democratic lawmakers over the CLARITY Act.
Cybersecurity firm Rapid7 says an automated phishing operation targeted crypto users through a massive trove of exposed phone numbers. Cybersecurity firm Rapid7 has disclosed a phishing operation targeting cryptocurrency users that exposed 885,000 phone numbers. The firm said the campaign relied on artificial intelligence tools to automate and scale its outreach.
Institutional demand for spot Bitcoin ETFs strengthens as fund flows accelerate over multiple sessions U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded $517 million in net inflows, according to reports from CoinTurk News, Coinfomania and UNLOCK Blockchain. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust led the group, drawing the largest share of the new capital.
A team funded by the Optimism ecosystem cast the decisive vote in a governance process that moved OP tokens away from a planned user allocation. Optimism's governance system has come under scrutiny after a vote shifted about $49 million in OP tokens away from an allocation meant for users.
August 20, 2026
AI Investment Push Drives 91% Profit Drop at Ant Group
The Alibaba-affiliated fintech giant's earnings collapsed even as its core payments business held steady. Ant Group's latest quarterly results show a sharp profit decline of 91% compared to the same period last year. Both CryptoBriefing and The Cryptonomist EN attributed the drop to an aggressive spending campaign on artificial intelligence.
The bitcoin miner locked in the long-term contract before its Malaysian site begins operating. Bitdeer has secured a $400 million offtake agreement spanning five years for an AI cloud computing facility in Malaysia, according to reports from CryptoBriefing and The Cryptonomist.
August 20, 2026
Bybit RLUSD Program: Was 11-Day Timeframe Disclosed?
Finbold and BlockchainReporter agree Bybit's RLUSD Hold & Earn passed $50M AUC and launched Phase 2 with XRP rewards, but disagree on whether the pace of accumulation was disclosed. Finbold and BlockchainReporter agree Bybit's RLUSD Hold & Earn passed $50M AUC and launched Phase 2 with XRP rewards, but disagree on whether the pace…
President met with crypto industry leaders to press for swift Senate action on market structure legislation President Trump used a White House meeting with crypto industry leaders to press for passage of the CLARITY Act. The gathering, reported by multiple outlets on August 19 and 20, 2026, brought together executives who back the legislation.
A single evening saw sharp gains across biotech, crypto and precious metals, according to market digests from Invezz and Yahoo Finance. Moderna's stock price surged after the company reported a breakthrough tied to a cancer drug, according to Yahoo Finance. The outlet cited a 177% increase in the share price following the news.
The online brokerage posted its strongest quarter yet, but digital assets remained a small slice of the total. Webull, the online trading platform known for stocks and options, posted record quarterly revenue of $198 million. The figure marks a milestone for the company as it continues expanding beyond its original retail trading base.
The social media platform is said to be weighing digital dollar-pegged tokens as a faster way to settle creator payouts. Elon Musk's social media platform X is reportedly exploring stablecoins as a payment method for influencers and content providers. CoinDesk first reported the development, with CryptoBriefing publishing a similar account shortly after.
The firm is examining decentralized finance options as the XRP Ledger considers building lending directly into its protocol. Evernorth is examining how it might participate in decentralized finance on the XRP Ledger. Reports from CryptoBriefing and The Block indicate the firm is reviewing a native lending framework tied to the network.
Regulatory clarity efforts and Trump's public support for the CLARITY Act have lifted Coinbase shares and broader crypto sentiment. Coinbase's stock price climbed 8% following news that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, or OCC, intends to finalize rules tied to the GENIUS Act by November.
August 20, 2026
Crypto Rally Reports Disagree on Ethereum’s Price Gain
CoinGape and Coinpedia both describe the same crypto rally fueled by short liquidations, Treasury bond buybacks, and ETF inflows, but they report sharply different figures for how much Ethereum gained. CoinGape and Coinpedia both describe the same crypto rally fueled by short liquidations, Treasury bond buybacks, and ETF inflows, but they report sharply different figures…
A wave of forced liquidations on leveraged bearish bets helped drive a broad crypto market advance, though reports differ on the size of the squeeze. Ethereum jumped 18% in a rapid move that traders linked to a short squeeze, according to a report from Invezz.