JP Morgan Rebrands Blockchain Platform Kinexys Amid Expansion Plans

Charles Schwab is preparing to enter the prediction markets industry by offering contracts via Cboe Global Markets for people to wager on the S&P 500's performance. The firm will introduce features like the "Plus Zone" and may expand offerings to other financial benchmarks in the future.

Strive CEO Matt Cole highlighted the significant drop in value of digital credit preferred share offerings from Bitcoin treasury firms due to leveraged positions causing price plunges. Despite the recovery, both SATA and STRC traded well below their par values on Thursday.

Kaspersky reported that attackers exploited Steam Workshop to distribute malicious Wallpaper Engine downloads disguised as animated wallpapers, with some containing malware like Lumma and Vidar infostealers. The malware campaign primarily targeted victims in China and Russia, but infections were also found in other countries like Singapore, Germany, and Canada.

Isiah and Raymond Garcia pleaded guilty to robbing a Minnesota family of over $8 million in cryptocurrency, holding them at gunpoint for hours. The brothers traveled from Texas to Minnesota, kidnapped the family, demanded access to crypto accounts, and forced a transfer of funds.

Franklin Templeton plans to launch two ETFs that reinvest dividends from U.S. stocks into Bitcoin. The funds will have a 5% initial Bitcoin weighting, capped at 20%, and will utilize crypto ETPs and futures for exposure. The SEC filing indicates a potential launch in early September.

Microsoft has warned of a malware spreading through USB drives targeting crypto wallets since February. The malware, dubbed "crypto clipper," steals wallet information and replaces recipient addresses to divert funds to attackers. It also infects clean USB drives by replacing files with malicious shortcuts.

Bitcoin traders are actively purchasing put options on Deribit, with expirations ranging from June 22 to July 31, to hedge against potential market downturns. The surge in bearish sentiment is driven by factors such as a strengthening U.S. dollar and pressure on Strategy's bitcoin accumulation strategy.

The CFTC has permanently banned Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky from trading in regulated markets due to securities and commodities fraud. Mashinsky's actions led to Celsius filing for bankruptcy, causing customers to lose over $5 billion. He also faces civil lawsuits from the SEC and FTC.

The Algorand Foundation plans to make its blockchain quantum-resistant by the end of 2027, upgrading user accounts and network infrastructure. This initiative is in response to the potential threat of quantum-computing attacks on blockchain security.

Hsiao-Wei Wang, co-director at the Ethereum Foundation, announced her immediate departure, following a sabbatical and the exit of her fellow co-director, Tomasz Stańczak. This comes amid a series of high-profile departures, raising concerns about the Foundation's future direction.