US spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $730.9 million in net inflows as Bitcoin reclaimed $80,000, while QuFi Network deployed post-quantum verification on Testnet4. Meanwhile, regulators moved forward with a bank charter approval for OpenReserve, and a Bank of Korea study warned that dollar-backed stablecoins can devalue local currencies.
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QuFi Launches Post-Quantum Verification Platform With Bitcoin Testnet Proof
Externalizing post-quantum verification off-chain protects Bitcoin's base-layer throughput by shifting the heavy computational and storage burdens of enlarged cryptographic signatures to a separate node network.
QuFi Network has launched a post-quantum verification platform designed to protect digital transactions from future quantum computing threats without altering underlying settlement networks. The system operates as a separate verification layer using a decentralized network of nodes to validate transactions before they settle. Its initial proof of concept, known as uBTC, is running on Testnet4 and uses Bitcoin to generate cryptographic proofs governing value movement. The platform incorporates three post-quantum cryptographic standards: -DSA-65, SLH-DSA, and ML-KEM-1024. By handling verification externally, the architecture aims to avoid the increased storage, bandwidth, and computing costs associated with adding larger post-quantum signatures directly to individual blockchains. At the time of reporting, Bitcoin price traded at $79,717.71.
Hedging internal product development by taking a stake in a rival launchpad secures Uniswap's capture of the bonding-curve order flow that directly feeds its liquidity pools.
Uniswap Labs acquired a stake in PONS, the token powering a prominent memecoin launchpad on Robinhood Chain, to formalize long-term alignment between the two protocols. Neither party disclosed the purchase price, the quantity of tokens acquired, or the transaction date. The announcement arrived just weeks after Uniswap Labs launched its own competing launchpad, pools.trade, on the same network. PONS jumped 17.5 percent following the news, hitting an all-time high near $0.5242 before settling around $0.5013. Robinhood Chain currently accounts for 56.3 percent of Uniswap's total trading volume, representing $901.5 million out of $1.6 billion. PONS routes graduated tokens into locked Uniswap pools while running an automated program that has burned 29.34 percent of its total supply.
US Banking Agency Gives Blockchain Bank OpenReserve Initial Approval
A federal national bank charter for onchain settlement embeds tokenized deposits directly into the regulated banking system, giving blockchain architecture direct access to federal treasury rails.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted OpenReserve preliminary conditional approval for a de novo full-service national bank charter in Salt Lake City, Utah. Unlike firms such as Circle, Ripple, and Paxos that operate under limited national trust charters, OpenReserve secured the ability to hold , issue loans, and facilitate issuance. Led by co-founders Dee Choubey and Rick Correia, the startup aims to capture transaction volume during the twenty-two hours a day when Fedwire rails go offline. The approval requires OpenReserve to raise $210 million in initial paid-in and maintain a 12% Tier 1 ratio for its first three years. The firm has until September 2027 to close its capital raise and must open for business by March 2028. A separate subsidiary called ReserveUSD will require its own OCC approval to issue stablecoins under the framework of the GENIUS Act. Backed by a $25 million seed round led by a16z crypto, OpenReserve must still clear final regulatory hurdles before opening its doors.
Hong Kong Crypto Laws Raise Concern for Local Chelsea Football Shirt Retailers
Crypto sports sponsorships turn physical apparel distribution into a regulatory liability when jersey branding violates local fiat-referenced stablecoin marketing prohibitions.
scmp.com reports that Chelsea's front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with issuer Circle for the 2026-27 season has left Hong Kong fans and retailers anxious about local digital currency laws. The agreement features the USDC brand on player jerseys, yet USDC is neither issued or regulated under United Kingdom laws nor distributed by a licensed stablecoin issuer in Hong Kong. Hong Kong currently recognizes only two licensed stablecoin issuers, Anchorpoint Financial Limited and HSBC. Ahead of the Stablecoins Ordinance enactment on August 1, 2025, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority warned that actively marketing the issue of unlicensed fiat-referenced stablecoins to the public is illegal. Fans like Winnie Choi remain uncertain whether wearing or selling the newly branded jerseys constitutes an illegal promotion under these strict guidelines.
NBA restrictions on league-related wagering force prediction platforms to isolate athlete partnerships to non-competing sports, limiting the addressable contract volume a star ambassador can directly drive.
cnbc.com reports that LeBron James teased an upcoming partnership with prediction market platform Polymarket in a social media post. James posted a 14-second video on platform X that shows him in the elevator of Polymarket headquarters heading to the company sports floor. The campaign focuses on football, though terms of the deal have not been disclosed. NBA rules restrict players from taking financial interests in companies offering league-related wagering products, including ownership stakes. James recently announced he would join the Philadelphia 76ers for his 24th season on a two-year, $8 million contract after previously earning over $50 million with the Los Angeles Lakers. Prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi are increasingly partnering with athletes and sports leagues to offer contracts tied to future events. Polymarket has previously secured partnerships with Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball, and the National Hockey League.
Bank of Korea Study Indicates Dollar-Backed Stablecoins May Devalue Local Currencies
Central banks are discovering that global exchange order books effectively bypass domestic capital controls, forcing foreign exchange intervention costs directly onto market makers rebalancing local-fiat inventory.
coindesk.com reports that dollar-backed can weaken national currencies when global exchanges introduce direct fiat pairings, according to a Bank of Korea study. Researchers Jihyun Kim and Sangheum Cho found that listings on platforms like Binance allow investors to buy tokens such as USDT and USDC with local currency while market makers supply the . Those market makers then sell the local currency and buy dollars in the market to rebalance their inventories. For currencies paired on Binance, increased stablecoin buying pressure correlates directly with local currency . In Korea, which lacks a direct won-stablecoin pairing on Binance, buying pressure instead inflated local stablecoin premiums rather than moving exchange rates. Meanwhile, won purchases of stablecoins reached $64 billion in the 12 months through June 2025, cementing Korea as the largest local-currency stablecoin market in Asia-Pacific.
Bitcoin ETF Inflows Surge to $731 Million as BTC Reclaims $80K
Institutional spot ETF absorption of heavy holder profit-taking establishes a structural bid, though a rally powered by short covering reveals fragile underlying spot demand.
US-listed spot exchange-traded funds pulled in $730.9 million on Thursday, marking their largest daily haul in nearly eight months as Bitcoin reclaimed the $80,000 threshold. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust drove the buying with $454 million in inflows, capturing roughly 62% of the daily total. ARK Invest and 21Shares followed with $137.7 million, while Fidelity's fund added $74.4 million. VanEck and WisdomTree funds bucked the trend with outflows of $19.6 million and $5.2 million. The surge coincides with a broader advance driven largely by short covering rather than fresh spot demand, while analysts note that a decisive close above $83,000 is needed to confirm the new .
Spot Bitcoin ETF Net Inflows ($M)
BlackRock's fund drove 62% of Thursday's record inflows.
Institutional inflows and regulatory progress reflect strong momentum, yet international legal friction and currency devaluation risks create new obstacles. Whether expanding stablecoin usage causes sharper pushback from foreign central banks stays unresolved.
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