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Trump imposes 12.5% tariffs on 60 nations as 10% levies expire
Edgen Crypto·Jul 23 2026, 22:37Share to
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[1] Bitcoin slips below $65K as Trump unveils new global tariffs (https://crypto.news/bitcoin-slips-below-65k-t ...)[2] Trump announces next phase of global tariffs, affecting 99.4% of US imports (https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/arti ...)[3] Trump to slap 'sweeping' new tariffs on 60 trade partners as global duties... (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/23/trump-tariffs ...)[4] Trump imposes double-digit tariffs on dozens of countries as his 10% levies are... (https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/ ...)[5] Trump to impose forced labor duties on Friday as temporary 10% US tariffs expire (https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/arti ...)
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Jul 24 2026, 02:41
Bitcoin BIP-110 garners 1% miner support as Back rejects fork fears
**Blockstream CEO Adam Back dismissed the BIP-110 soft fork as a failed attempt, predicting the proposal will collapse within weeks of its August lock-in deadline as miner support remains below 1%.** Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110, which would temporarily cap arbitrary data embedded in Bitcoin transactions to target Ordinals-style inscriptions, has secured backing from just 0.86% of blocks in the current difficulty period — far below the 55% threshold required for activation, according to signaling data. The proposal faces a mandatory signaling window beginning around block 961,632 in early August 2026, after which miners must formally indicate support or rejection. "Or don't flip the bit => nothing happens, repel idiocracy," Back said on X on July 22, responding to a "flip the bit" activation plan proposed by Bitcoin infrastructure firm Start9. The firm had argued that flipping the bit costs roughly 0.1% of a miner's annual revenue and that refusing risks a chain split, stranded Lightning Network counterparties and lost fee-paying users. Back rejected the framing outright, calling the pushback circular and citing what he termed an IETF-like consensus process that weighs only valid technical objections. The debate has split Bitcoin's developer community for months. MicroStrategy co-founder Michael Saylor warned that the change could sacrifice protocol neutrality, while other developers frame the fight as part of a broader anti-spam debate over what the blockchain should carry. Back predicted the fork would stall almost immediately after mandatory signaling begins, comparing the abandoned chain to a "Pompeii chain" — frozen as a monument to the attempt's failure. Bitcoin traded near $65,495 on July 23, holding within a narrowing range with support at $63,800 and resistance at $67,433, according to CoinGecko data. ## The 'Flip the Bit' Plan and Its Critics Start9 framed the activation as risk-free reconnaissance, arguing that miners could test the proposal without permanent consequences. Back dismissed the premise, saying the signal simply expires without broad backing. The exchange extended an earlier debate over whether Satoshi Nakamoto would have supported BIP-110, with Back rejecting that premise as well and questioning whether anyone can speak for Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator. Major mining pools have largely stayed out of the effort so far. Exchanges and node operators are watching the deadline closely, wary that a contentious activation could split the chain they must support. Back has previously downplayed related claims that the network would forcibly exclude noncompliant miners, pointing critics toward his own fork risk warning for further context. ## What Happens Next The mandatory signaling window opens in early August 2026. If miner support remains below the 55% threshold, BIP-110 will fail to lock in, and the proposal effectively dies. Back predicted the fork attempt would collapse "within weeks" of that deadline, with miners having little economic incentive to continue mining a chain that falls behind in cumulative work. The outcome will determine whether Bitcoin's governance process can absorb contentious proposals without fracturing — a test the network has faced before and will face again. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
Jul 24 2026, 02:40
Empery Digital sells 1,400 BTC to back $20M AI data center play
About 1,400 bitcoin sold for $87.1 million funded Empery Digital's $20 million investment in an AI data center developer, shifting strategy for the Nasdaq-listed treasury firm. "This investment reflects the continued strength of our partnership with Hunt Properties and the differentiated investment opportunities this relationship is generating for Empery Digital shareholders," Ryan Lane, co-chief executive officer of Empery Digital, said. The $20 million preferred equity investment closed July 20 as part of Cardinal Data Power's roughly $70 million Series A round, giving Empery Digital about an 8% stake. CDP, affiliated with the Hunt family offices Cavallo Holdings and Stratford Bridge Holdings, is developing a 750-megawatt Phase I data center campus in West Texas with first power targeted for 2027 and expansion potential beyond 5 gigawatts. The move offers a potential template for bitcoin-heavy balance sheets: selling digital assets to fund infrastructure investments in the AI compute sector. Empery Digital's bitcoin holdings fell to 1,514 BTC after the two-month selling campaign, according to company disclosures. CDP focuses on behind-the-meter data center projects, combining secured generation equipment, natural gas supply and electrical infrastructure to deliver large-scale power on accelerated timelines. The company has reserved supply of reciprocating engine generation capacity from a leading OEM through an agreement with an independent power producer, according to the announcement. The Series A was led by Hood River Capital Management and included several strategic and financial backers. Empery Digital's two-month selling campaign, which raised $87.1 million, reduced its bitcoin reserves by nearly half. The company now holds 1,514 BTC, down from about 2,914 BTC before the sales began. The firm did not disclose the average price at which it sold the bitcoin. The investment marks a departure from the pure bitcoin treasury model embraced by companies such as MicroStrategy Inc., which continues to accumulate bitcoin without selling. Other firms are exploring hybrid approaches: last week, analyst Lyn Alden co-founded Orange Juice HODLINGS, a permanent-capital holding company backed by Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas that launched with $40 million to acquire businesses while using bitcoin as its treasury reserve asset, according to BitcoinTreasuries.NET. For Empery Digital, the CDP stake provides exposure to the surging demand for AI computing infrastructure. The West Texas campus is the first in CDP's development pipeline, with several other large-scale projects in various stages of development. The company said it plans to continue pursuing hyperscaler-anchored opportunities at the intersection of digital assets and next-generation compute. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
Jul 24 2026, 02:37
Stripe's $53B PayPal bid reshapes stablecoin market for crypto
**Stripe's proposed $53 billion acquisition of PayPal would create the largest stablecoin distribution network in crypto.** Stripe and Advent International's $53.4 billion bid for PayPal would combine Stripe's 4 million merchants with PayPal's 439 million active accounts, creating a stablecoin distribution network that could reshape how digital dollars flow through the global economy. "The combination would give Stripe something it cannot buy outright — consumers," Alex Carchidi, a crypto analyst at The Motley Fool, said. "PayPal's 439 million accounts represent the largest non-crypto-native stablecoin distribution channel ever built." Stripe generated $3.2 billion in free cash flow last year, up 52%, on revenue of $6.8 billion. Its Tempo blockchain, launched March 18, processes stablecoin transactions with minimal fees and carries no native token. PayPal's PYUSD stablecoin has a $2.7 billion market cap, with Solana as its default payment network since February. The combined entity would control roughly 60% of the $400 billion in annual B2B stablecoin transaction volume, according to Stripe's disclosures. The deal's outcome will determine which blockchain networks capture the next wave of institutional stablecoin flows. A merged Stripe-PayPal could steer capital toward its own Tempo rail, starving chains like Tron of new volume, while Solana's position remains hedged through its existing PYUSD integration. ## Tempo, PYUSD, and the Race for Stablecoin Rails Stripe's acquisition of Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure provider, for $1.1 billion and its partnership with Paradigm on Tempo signal a deliberate strategy to own the payment stack for digital dollars. On June 30, more than 140 organizations including Stripe, Visa, and Coinbase announced Open USD, a consortium-backed stablecoin launching natively on Solana that shares reserve yield with partners rather than pocketing it. PayPal's board rejected the $60.50-per-share offer on July 20, calling it too low. Stripe and Advent are weighing whether to raise their bid or walk away, according to The Wall Street Journal. PYPL stock slipped about 2% in after-hours trading following the rejection. ## Winners and Losers Among Blockchain Networks The merger would carry immediate consequences for specific tokens. XRP's original use case — efficient cross-border transfers — faces direct competition from Tempo's stablecoin rail, which targets the same enterprise customers with orders-of-magnitude greater consumer reach. Ripple's own Ripple USD is already cannibalizing XRP's institutional pitch. Solana faces a more nuanced outcome. If the merged entity steers stablecoin flows away from Solana toward Tempo, the network loses share of a fast-growing category. But if Stripe uses Solana as the rail to reach PayPal's consumers, capital stays on the chain. Solana's diversified ecosystem, including tokenized stocks and DeFi, provides a buffer either way. Tron, which depends heavily on stablecoin transfer volume, faces the most existential threat. A Stripe-PayPal entity with Tempo as its primary settlement rail could permanently divert new capital away from the network. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.