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$16.3B pension fund boosts Bitcoin exposure through Strategy stake
Edgen Crypto·Jul 22 2026, 21:39Share to
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[1] $16.3B Pension Fund Boosts Bitcoin Exposure (https://u.today/163b-pension-fund-boosts-bitc ...)[2] San Diego Union-Tribune (https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/ ...)[3] Why bitcoin treasuries are trading at a discount (https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/economy/why-b ...)[4] Japan’s Crypto Overhaul Could Open the Door to a Wave of Institutional Money (https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/crypto/arti ...)[5] Morgan Stanley filed a Bitcoin ETF during the worst week of the war: A $5.5 trillion signal that crypto is permanent (https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/morga ...)
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Jul 23 2026, 00:47
Litecoin's LitVM hits 140M testnet transactions as DeFi ambitions take shape
**Litecoin's LitVM processed 140 million testnet transactions, putting technical readiness ahead of a Q4 2026 mainnet launch that could unlock DeFi.** Litecoin's LitVM testnet processed 140 million transactions across 11 million addresses, pushing the network closer to smart contract capabilities that could expand its role beyond payments. "LitVM executes transactions off-chain before settling them back on Layer-1, preserving Litecoin's security model while adding programmability," the development team said. The approach avoids modifying Litecoin's base layer. Since April 2026, the LiteForge testnet has attracted 4.4 million wallets and processed over 63 million transactions, according to project data. Litecoin's DeFi ecosystem holds only $700,000 in total value locked, DefiLlama data shows, highlighting the gap between technical milestones and application growth. If LitVM launches successfully in Q4 2026, LTC could serve as a gas token, collateral asset, and yield-generating asset on its own network, diversifying demand beyond transaction fees. The mainnet date remains a development target rather than a fixed milestone. **LiteForge testnet activity builds before mainnet** The testnet has drawn developers building DeFi applications, AI agents, and cross-chain tools, suggesting interest in Litecoin's expanded functionality. Testnet activity often runs elevated due to experimentation and incentive programs, making real-world adoption harder to predict from these figures alone. **The gap between infrastructure and adoption** LTC traded near $47 in mid-July after bouncing from a swing low of $39.17, according to CoinGecko data. The token sits above its 20-day exponential moving average near $44 but remains below the 50-day EMA at $46.35, keeping the broader trend under pressure. Exchange outflows continue as investors withdraw LTC from platforms despite weak momentum, tightening available supply over time. Litecoin's $700,000 in DeFi TVL compares with billions of dollars locked on Ethereum and Solana, reflecting the network's historical focus on payments rather than programmability. A Nasdaq-listed company invested $1 million into LitVM, according to reports, adding institutional backing to the project. Emirates Airlines also began accepting LTC for flight bookings through its Crypto.com integration, strengthening Litecoin's payment use case even as the network pursues smart contract functionality. Smart contracts and cross-chain bridges introduce new security risks that require audits before large-scale adoption, the team noted. Technical readiness alone may not sustain growth without active developers, committed liquidity, and consistent user participation. The next block reward cut arrives in July 2027, an event that has historically supported LTC price in preceding months. For now, the gap between LitVM's technical promise and Litecoin's $700,000 DeFi ecosystem remains the key metric to watch as the network attempts to compete with established smart contract platforms. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
Jul 23 2026, 00:40
BNY Mellon targets 24/7 Treasury settlement as RLUSD gains institutional backing
**BNY Mellon is pushing the US Treasury market toward round-the-clock settlement, a shift that places Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin at the center of institutional digital asset infrastructure.** BNY Mellon plans to support always-on settlement for both tokenized and conventional US Treasuries by 2027, according to a client letter published Wednesday. The bank has already executed after-hours Treasury transactions with stablecoin issuers earlier this year and will release tokenized US Treasuries on its private blockchain before the end of 2026. "Congratulations to BNY on this milestone. Excited to be partnering together as $RLUSD helps support the evolution toward always-on Treasury markets and institutional digital asset infrastructure," Jack McDonald, Senior Vice President of Stablecoins at Ripple, said on X. The announcement comes weeks after BNY Mellon became the main reserve custodian for Ripple USD, the stablecoin issued under a New York Department of Financial Services Trust Company Charter. Ripple designed RLUSD for enterprise payments rather than retail use, focusing on regulatory compliance and faster cross-border settlement. BNY Mellon will safeguard RLUSD's reserves and provide transaction banking services that bridge the stablecoin with traditional financial rails. The move signals deepening institutional trust in blockchain-based settlement infrastructure. BNY Mellon's endorsement of tokenized Treasuries and its partnership with a regulated stablecoin issuer could accelerate real-world asset tokenization across traditional finance. BlackRock has also filed for two new tokenized funds with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Ethereum, underscoring the broader push by major asset managers into on-chain capital markets. For Ripple, the BNY Mellon partnership provides a direct channel into the $28 trillion US Treasury market, where 24/7 settlement could reduce counterparty risk and free up collateral that is currently locked in overnight processing cycles. The bank aims to fully support always-on settlement of conventional and tokenized Treasuries in 2027, with pilot transactions on its private blockchain expected before the end of 2026. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
Jul 23 2026, 00:29
Clarity Act faces 14-day deadline as ethics dispute stalls Senate vote
The U.S. Senate has 14 working days to pass the most consequential crypto regulatory bill — and an ethics dispute over Trump's crypto ties is blocking the path. The U.S. Senate's Digital Asset Market Clarity Act faces a make-or-break 14-day window before the August 7 recess, with a dispute over ethics restrictions on President Donald Trump's crypto businesses blocking bipartisan support. "The ethics provision is the strongest of any piece of legislation ever passed by any Congress," Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH), a lead negotiator, said. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), who released the updated bill text Wednesday, told CoinDesk that Republican negotiators had worked with Democrats "for weeks on end" but hit a wall over whether state attorneys general could bring criminal or private cases under the clause. The updated text, which merges bills from the Senate Banking and Agriculture Committees, would prohibit the president, lawmakers, high-level federal judges and their spouses from issuing or personally profiting from digital assets. That directly affects Trump, whose business ties include a memecoin company and a stablecoin issuer. Lummis said the ability of state attorneys general to sue individuals bound by the ethics provision was a "bright red line" for Republicans and the White House, which has faced multiple lawsuits from state prosecutors. Without a deal, the bill needs 60 votes to advance — a threshold that requires Democratic support. A group of Democratic senators led by Elizabeth Warren said Wednesday the bill "falls short" on ethics, arguing the current language would let Trump continue his crypto businesses largely untouched. Prediction markets put the probability of passage in 2026 at 43%, up from 32% on Friday, but negotiators must tee up a cloture vote by the end of this week to meet the August deadline. **The Republican Red Line** The core dispute centers on enforcement. Democrats wanted state attorneys general to have the power to bring criminal or private cases against officials who violate the ethics rules. Republicans refused, arguing that provision would subject federal officials — including the president — to politically motivated lawsuits from hostile state prosecutors. "That was a bright red line for a lot of U.S. senators who did not want to subject themselves to being sued by a different state attorney general," Lummis said. States could still sue crypto exchanges that list assets violating the ethics provision, she added. Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) said last week the Republican version gave Trump too much room to continue what he called his "grift" in crypto. A Democratic Senate aide told the Crypto In America newsletter that "the Republican plan being presented to the president is weaker than what Democrats will accept." **Beyond Ethics: Illicit Finance and Law Enforcement** The bill also faces headwinds from law enforcement groups. The National Sheriffs' Association released a video last week calling cryptocurrency "the cartel currency of choice" and arguing the Clarity Act would make law enforcement's job harder. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Mark Warner (D-VA) have both said they will support the bill only if those concerns are addressed. Lummis said the updated text includes provisions targeting crypto ATM fraud, strengthening Bank Secrecy Act compliance, and creating a safe harbor for platforms that freeze funds tied to suspicious transactions while cooperating with law enforcement. The illicit finance provisions are still under active negotiation, she said. **The Clock Is Ticking** Only 14 working days remain before senators leave for the August recess. Majority Leader John Thune has said he wants to bring the bill up soon, but next week's funeral for Senator Lindsey Graham will reduce floor attendance. Missing the end-of-week deadline for a cloture vote would effectively kill passage until after the break. Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger said she expects the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act provisions to remain intact and the banking language not to change significantly, though the Senate Agriculture Committee's portion remains under active negotiation. The bill also includes a non-binding "sense of Congress" provision urging that at least two of the commissioners on the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission be nominated in consultation with the minority party. Both agencies currently lack Democratic commissioners — the SEC has three Republicans, while the CFTC is run by a single commissioner. Lummis said the hold-up is on Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who needs to submit names to the White House. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.