AiCoin Daily Report (July 15)

1. The Fed jointly issued guidelines for encryption custody operations to provide guidance for banks holding encryption assets.

On July 15, the Fed, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a joint statement regarding the custody of encryption currencies, providing operational guidance for banks holding encrypted assets. -Original text

2. Vanguard Group becomes the largest shareholder of MicroStrategy, holding an 8% stake.

On July 15, despite having referred to Bitcoin as an "immature asset class" and deemed it unsuitable for long-term investors, Vanguard Group ( has now become the largest shareholder of MicroStrategy ). According to Bloomberg, this institution, which manages $10 trillion in assets, holds 20 million shares of MicroStrategy through its funds, accounting for 8% of the outstanding shares, and likely surpassed Capital Group to become the largest shareholder in the fourth quarter of last year. -Original Text

3. The U.S. Congress has launched Encryption Policy Week, with three important bills slated for a vote.

On July 14, the curtain officially rises on the Capitol Hill encryption policy week, as this agenda, originally belonging to the House of Representatives, has escalated into a legislative feast at the national level. With the Senate Banking Committee preparing for a high-level roundtable meeting and soon to release a discussion draft on market structure, coupled with industry organizations intensively arranging activities, the encryption legislative battle has ignited across the Capitol. Majority leader Steve Scalise (Republican-Louisiana) will unveil the agenda today, proposing votes on three significant encryption bills led by the Republicans: the "GENIUS Act," the "CLARITY Act," and the "Anti-Central Bank Digital Currency Act." If all goes well, a stablecoin bill without additional provisions may reach the White House this week, while the other two bills will be handed over to the Senate. Notably, if amendments are opened for the "CLARITY Act" and the "Anti-Central Bank Digital Currency Act," multiple rounds of voting and extended debates are expected. The House Rules Committee's official website has already published some proposed amendments. This Wednesday, the House Fundraising Committee's oversight panel will hold a hearing titled "Making America the World’s Crypto Capital: Building 21st Century Digital Asset Policy," focusing on tax policy, reporting rules, and innovation incentives. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (Republican-South Carolina) will host a "Future of Digital Assets" congressional roundtable on Thursday morning. Industry leaders such as Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson, Algorand founder Silvio Micali, and former SEC Commissioner Michael Piwowar will discuss topics including regulatory clarity, market compliance mechanisms, and responsible innovation. The Senate version of the "CLARITY Act"—the market structure discussion draft will be released as early as Wednesday. This draft is based on the six principles framework proposed by the committee last month, advocating for clarifying regulatory authority and establishing a modernized regulatory system for digital assets.

4. Canadian listed company Matador plans to raise 900 million CAD for Bitcoin reserves.

According to the official announcement, Canadian listed company Matador Technologies Inc. has submitted a preliminary simplified prospectus to the securities regulatory authorities in various provinces of Canada, excluding Quebec. If approved, the final version of the simplified prospectus will allow Matador to issue up to CAD 900 million in common shares, debt securities, warrants, subscription rights, securities, or any combination of the above securities periodically over a 25-month period. The company's management believes that the simplified prospectus will enable the company to efficiently raise funds to seek future growth opportunities, make strategic acquisitions, and accumulate Bitcoin asset reserves. -Original text

5. Kazakhstan plans to invest the national fund's assets in encryption assets.

Timur Suleimenov, the head of the Central Bank of Kazakhstan, stated that the country plans to allocate its gold foreign exchange reserves and national fund assets to encryption assets. He mentioned that Kazakhstan has an alternative investment portfolio for gold foreign exchange reserves and the national fund, adopting an aggressive strategy to achieve higher returns. They have also studied the experiences of funds from Norway, the United States, and the Middle East, some of which directly invest in encryption assets, while others invest in related ETFs and stocks, but on a smaller scale. The central bank does not rule out directing part of the funds from the alternative investment portfolio of gold foreign exchange reserves into funds related to the encryption industry. He cautioned that while these assets offer high returns, they also come with significant volatility, and one should not act hastily. Furthermore, Kazakhstan aims to establish a national encryption asset reserve to store confiscated digital assets. If enterprises represent the state in mining, part of the assets could be included in the reserve through taxes and other means, as similar practices already exist worldwide. Previously, on June 30, Suleimenov stated that Kazakhstan plans to establish a national cryptocurrency reserve, with funds coming from confiscated digital assets and tokens mined from state-owned mining sites.

6. BitMine announced that its ETH holdings have surpassed 163,000 coins, with a total value exceeding 500 million USD.

On July 14, BitMine announced today that its Ethereum (ETH) holding value has exceeded $500 million. The company completed a $250 million first round private placement on July 9, continuing to promote its light asset funding strategy. As of 7:45 AM Eastern Time on July 14, the company holds a total of 163,142 ETH. BitMine's newly appointed chairman of the board, Fundstrat analyst Thomas Lee, stated: "After completing the $250 million private placement, our Ethereum holdings have surpassed $500 million, which confirms our strategic goal of increasing our holdings of Ethereum network assets." -Original text

7. Digital Commodities completed a $2 million financing for investment in Bitcoin and gold.

On July 15, Canadian investment company Digital Commodities announced the completion of its final round of private financing totaling $2 million, which has been fully subscribed. The funds will be used to purchase Bitcoin and gold. -Original text

8. Hungary implements the strictest encryption regulations in the world, with a maximum sentence of 8 years in prison for unauthorized trading.

Hungary has enacted one of the world's strictest cryptocurrency legislations, which came into effect on July 1 and has caused widespread confusion and concern in the fintech sector. The new regulations have forced large fintech companies to suspend services, such as digital bank Revolut announcing an "immediate suspension of cryptocurrency services in Hungary." The new legislation introduces two criminal offenses: 1. Severe penalties for using unauthorized services and operators (for basic transactions, up to two years in prison; for "particularly high-value" transactions exceeding 50 million Hungarian forints, up to three years in prison; for transactions over 500 million forints, up to five years in prison); 2. Service providers operating without proper authorization will face harsher penalties, and larger operations could be sentenced to eight years in prison. The wording of the bill is broad and lacks implementation guidelines, potentially affecting around 500,000 citizens who purchased cryptocurrencies, as previously legal activities may face criminal prosecution. The regulatory authority has 60 days to create a compliance framework but has not issued any guidance. Regulatory uncertainty may lead to business withdrawals, with some companies considering relocating elsewhere. While enforcement against global platforms is unlikely, Hungarian-registered companies and individual investors face significant legal uncertainty. The cryptocurrency community is waiting for clarifications from regulators, and industry groups have yet to receive an official response, leaving the industry with difficult choices; Hungary's move may isolate it in the EU's digital asset regulation landscape.

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