Gemini has significantly expanded its tokenised stock offerings for European investors, adding 14 new major US company shares to its platform. Notable additions include Nike, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Uber, and Yum! Brands.
The move brings the total tokenised equities available to 37, providing EU users with a diverse range of investment options.
Tokens are issued by Dinari and minted on the Arbitrum blockchain, ensuring efficient and secure trading. Gemini enables 24/7 access to these tokenised stocks, charging a 1.49% fee per transaction.
The latest launch follows recent additions such as Apple, Tesla, Amazon, and Microsoft, reflecting Gemini’s commitment to broadening market access.
Meanwhile, Robinhood’s tokenised stocks, offering 215 tokens to European users, face regulatory hurdles after OpenAI rejected its shares. The company says the product provides indirect retail investor exposure.
Other crypto exchanges like Kraken and Bybit have also entered the tokenised equities space. Kraken’s trading interface resembles traditional crypto pairs, while Bybit offers its xStocks on both centralized and decentralised platforms.
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Kazakhstan may soon join the list of nations incorporating crypto into their national reserves. The National Bank may convert part of its gold and currency reserves into digital assets under a broader alternative investment strategy.
Timur Suleimenov, head of the National Bank, stated that crypto remains a volatile but potentially high-return investment. Inspired by international trends, including the rise of crypto ETFs and treasury firms, Kazakhstan has not ruled out allocating funds to crypto in the near future.
Plans are also underway to establish a national crypto treasury, which would store digital assets seized by law enforcement. To support this, the country will develop secure infrastructure, possibly involving cold wallet storage.
Authorities are even considering state-led crypto mining, where a portion of mined coins would be directed into national reserves. However, the government still intends to impose strong regulations, particularly against grey market activity not subject to taxation or oversight.
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The Czech National Bank has taken a notable step towards digital asset exposure by acquiring over 51,000 shares in Coinbase. Details emerged in a recent US filing, which also showed a larger stake in Palantir, an AI firm with government data contracts.
Both assets now form part of the central bank’s evolving investment profile.
Coinbase has performed strongly in 2025, rising by more than 40% in the first half of the year. Market enthusiasm has been fuelled by renewed institutional confidence, as well as regulatory clarity in the United States following the approval of physically backed Bitcoin exchange-traded funds in 2024.
Palantir, meanwhile, has seen its shares soar by 80% over the same period, driven by investor interest in its AI capabilities and defence-sector contracts.
Despite the high-growth nature of these equities, analysts suggest the Czech National Bank’s positioning is less speculative and more aligned with index-tracking principles. Coinbase joined the S&P 500 in May 2025, while Palantir was added in late 2024.
The purchases may therefore reflect efforts to mirror benchmark indices rather than express bold investment convictions.
The presence of crypto and AI-linked firms within a conservative central bank’s portfolio underlines shifting attitudes towards emerging technologies. As institutions reassess growth and risk, previously fringe assets are becoming mainstream in central bank portfolios.
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Nigeria’s anti-fraud agency had 194 foreign nationals in custody in 2024, prosecuting 146 for their roles in cyber-enabled financial crimes, highlighting a robust response to a growing threat.
December alone saw nearly 800 arrests in Lagos, targeting romance and cryptocurrency investment scams featuring foreign ringleaders from China and the Philippines. In one case, 148 Chinese and 40 Filipino suspects were detained.
These groups established complex fraud operations in major Nigerian cities, using fake identities and training local recruits, often unaware of the ultimate scheme. Investigations also flagged cryptocurrency-fuelled money laundering and arms trafficking, pointing to wider national security risks.
EFCC chairman Ola Olukoyede warned that regulatory failures, such as visa oversight and unchecked office space leasing, facilitated foreign crime cells.
National and continental collaboration, tighter visa control, and strengthened cybercrime frameworks will be key to dismantling these networks and securing Nigeria’s digital economy.
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Bitcoin reached a record high of $122,000 on Coinbase in the early hours of 14 July, extending its July gains to 13% and marking a third consecutive month in the green. The rally is fuelled by institutional demand, led by BlackRock’s IBIT ETF, which now holds over 700,000 BTC and exceeds $83 billion in assets.
BlackRock’s ETF has become the fastest in history to reach that milestone, outpacing previous records held by gold and equity ETFs. Analysts see this as a sign of growing confidence among major investors.
Despite the rally, on-chain indicators suggest that Bitcoin has not yet entered an overheated phase. The Long-Term Holder Net Unrealised Profit/Loss metric remains below the historical threshold associated with market tops.
Network activity continues to rise steadily. Average daily transactions have climbed to 364,000, still below previous cycle peaks, indicating a calm and composed market. Meanwhile, accumulation wallets have been increasing their holdings, now holding 250,000 BTC—the highest level recorded in 2024.
Data from CryptoQuant shows a 71% jump in 30-day demand, highlighting strong conviction from long-term holders. With no signs of mass profit-taking and institutional momentum growing, many analysts believe Bitcoin could push higher in the coming weeks.
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Global demand for crypto talent is accelerating, fuelled by Bitcoin’s surge past $122,000 on 14 July. As the market hits a valuation of over $3.8 trillion, countries are competing to become hubs for blockchain careers.
The United States ranks first in a recent Taurex study, offering 292 active listings and an average salary of $148,100. Its dominance is underpinned by a mature policy landscape and a strong base of 170 crypto firms. The UAE follows closely, combining competitive pay with the world’s highest Bitcoin ownership rate at 27%.
India, Singapore and the UK round out the top five. India leads in company count and user base, while Singapore shows the strongest job search interest globally. The UK remains Europe’s top destination, offering stable regulation and nearly 100,000 in average salary.
Other nations including Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong and Poland are also seeing sharp growth. Poland stands out with 157 listings, despite lower average salaries.
With job volume, salary potential and regulatory clarity on the rise, crypto careers are fast becoming a global mainstream option.
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Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has expressed strong opposition to private banks issuing stablecoins, warning they could introduce systemic risks and erode monetary sovereignty.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Bailey said the UK should focus instead on tokenising bank deposits. He argued against creating a central bank digital currency or supporting private stablecoin issuers.
Bailey, who now chairs the international Financial Stability Board, is expected to advocate for stricter controls on the global expansion of stablecoins. He argued that widespread adoption of such tokens could weaken national currencies and destabilise financial systems.
While the UK and other European nations are taking a cautious approach, the United States has fully embraced stablecoins under the Trump administration. US officials say stablecoins could boost dollar influence by making debt instruments accessible through digital wallets.
European policymakers remain concerned that dollar-based stablecoins could displace the euro in cross-border trade, threatening financial stability across the continent. The debate highlights a growing divide between the US and Europe over the future of digital finance.
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A wave of scams involving crypto ATMs has hit Australia, leaving elderly victims devastated. In the latest reported case, 15 people from Tasmania lost a combined $2.5 million, according to local police.
The average victim was 65 years old, and many are now facing severe financial consequences.
Police say the scams involve fraudsters manipulating people into depositing large sums of cash into crypto ATMs. Tactics range from fake romance and investment schemes to impersonating authorities or tech support.
Victims are often threatened or misled with false promises of returns, leading to irreversible losses once crypto is transferred.
Crypto ATMs offer no recovery mechanism, unlike traditional banks. As a result, once a victim sends funds to a scammer’s wallet, the money is gone. In one extreme case, a Tasmanian lost $750,000, forcing them to sell assets and depend on government aid.
Regulators are responding. Australia has imposed cash limits on crypto ATM transactions, while New Zealand has gone a step further by banning them altogether to curb criminal activity.
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Russia is preparing to ban cryptocurrency mining in data centres as it shifts national focus towards digitalisation and AI development. The draft law aims to prevent miners from accessing discounted power and infrastructure support reserved for AI-related operations.
Amendments to the bill, introduced at the request of President Vladimir Putin, will prohibit mining activity in facilities registered as official data centres. These centres will instead benefit from lower electricity rates and faster grid access to help scale computing power for big data and AI.
The legislation redefines data centres as communications infrastructure and places them under stricter classification and control. If passed, it could blow to companies like BitRiver, which operate large-scale mining hubs in regions like Irkutsk.
Putin defended the move by citing the strain on regional electricity grids and a need to use surplus energy wisely. While crypto mining was legalised in 2024, many Russian territories have imposed bans, raising questions about the industry’s long-term viability in the country.
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A cyberattack targeting the Cursor AI development environment has resulted in the theft of $500,000 in cryptocurrency from a Russian developer. Despite strong security practices and a fresh operating system, the victim downloaded a malicious extension named ‘Solidity Language’ in June 2025.
Masquerading as a syntax highlighting tool, the fake extension exploited search rankings to appear more legitimate than actual alternatives. Once installed, the extension served as a dropper for malware rather than offering any development features.
It contacted a command-and-control server and began deploying scripts designed to check for remote desktop software and install backdoors. The malware used PowerShell scripts to install ScreenConnect, granting persistent access to the victim’s system through a relay server.
Securelist analysts found that the extension exploited Open VSX registry algorithms by publishing with a more recent update date. Further investigation revealed the same attack methods were used in other packages, including npm’s ‘solsafe’ and three VS Code extensions.
The campaign reflects a growing trend of supply chain attacks exploiting AI coding tools to distribute persistent, stealthy malware.
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