Bittam Exchange Exposed: Why This Broker Is a High-Risk Platform
With a dangerously low WikiBit score of 3.06 out of 10 and serious questions surrounding its regulatory claims, Bittam Exchange has emerged as a high-risk platform that traders cannot afford to overlook.
ADI Chain brings Tangem hardware wallet to Virgin Megastores across the UAE
ADI Chain has launched a co-branded Tangem hardware wallet at Virgin Megastores across the UAE, bringing offline crypto self-custody for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and ADI Chain ecosystem tokens to physical retail shelves. The NFC-enabled card stores private keys on a secure embedded chip, requiring a physical tap to authorize transactions via the Tangem mobile app. This retail partnership expands Tangem‘s distribution beyond online channels, following its earlier expansion into over 200 Best Buy stores in the U.S. Tangem’s hardware has shipped over six million devices with no security compromises since 2017, and the wallet supports assets across more than 80 blockchain networks. ADI Chain describes its infrastructure as built for institutional users, while this retail rollout extends those security standards to individual consumers through mainstream retail.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin 'vibe-codes' anonymous billboard demo with onchain moderation on Aztec
Vitalik Buterin has released a working demo of an anonymous message board on Aztec, allowing users to deposit ETH on Ethereum's base layer, post messages on Layer 2 with no sender address revealed, and later withdraw funds. The system includes a censor role that flags posts as "immoral," with a local LLM daemon reading an onchain moderation policy to auto-flag violations. Posting is rate-limited, with larger deposits enabling more frequent posts. The project includes formal verification with 70 proven theorems covering rate limits, censorship, privacy, and deposit safety. Buterin described it as a "vibe-coded" toy version of a concept he outlined in 2022. The code is publicly available on GitHub but is noted as early and incomplete.
Bitcoin ETF inflows extend to second week, but recovery lacks momentum
US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $75.7 million in net inflows for the week ending July 17, marking a second consecutive week of positive flows, though July's total of $200.2 million remains modest compared to June's $4.5 billion in outflows. Analysts said the inflows suggest selling pressure is easing but are too limited to confirm a broader uptrend, with Bitcoin needing to decisively break above the $65,000–$65,500 range. Citigroup's recent revision of its 12-month ETF inflow forecast from $10 billion to zero and its lowered Bitcoin price target to $82,000 reflect ongoing concerns about institutional demand. Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas compared Bitcoin ETFs' trajectory to gold ETFs, noting a pattern of rapid adoption followed by weaker performance, with potential for higher highs over time.
TD Cowen cuts Smarter Web Company price target 36% on revised bitcoin outlook
TD Cowen lowered its price target on The Smarter Web Company to £0.64 from £1 while maintaining a Buy rating, implying roughly 123% upside from the current share price of £0.287. Analysts led by Lance Vitanza cited updated bitcoin forecast assumptions, treasury activity, and dilution projections, assigning £63 million to treasury operations and valuing projected year-end 2026 bitcoin holdings at £229 million. After net debt of £18 million, they derived a target equity value of £274 million, or £0.64 per share. The firm views Smarter Web as a leading UK public bitcoin treasury company, expecting it to increase bitcoin per fully diluted share and outperform spot bitcoin ETPs, with a base case assuming bitcoin reaches about $140,000 by December 2026.
Ethereum bridge users have 24 hours to exit before chain shuts down after just 5 week warning
Powerloom, a blockchain network for decentralized data infrastructure, will permanently halt at 6:00 AM UTC on July 21, giving users under 24 hours to move transferable POWER or other assets to Ethereum via the official bridge. Only liquid on-chain balances already available for transfer can be recovered; unclaimed rewards, staked POWER, and node-slot funds were lost when the dashboard went offline on July 16. After the deadline, the chain will stop producing blocks, the Arbitrum-based bridge will cease functioning, and remaining balances will become stranded with the inaccessible network state. Ethereum-held POWER remains unaffected, as its ERC-20 contract is immutable and accessible on-chain. Powerlooms founders cited a lack of sustainable operating model and ecosystem demand as reasons for the wind-down.
Tether's USDT hits 2-year countdown threatening its position on U.S. crypto platforms
The GENIUS Act, which governs U.S. stablecoin issuers, marks its first anniversary, leaving Tether and other non-U.S. issuers two years to devise compliance strategies. Federal regulators missed the deadline to finalize implementing rules, creating ongoing uncertainty. The law‘s basic standards would require major changes for Tether’s USDT, the world‘s leading stablecoin by volume, potentially pushing it out of U.S. markets if the company does not revamp dramatically. Despite CEO Paolo Ardoino’s assurances last year, Tether has not yet pivoted decisively toward the Acts demands. While the anniversary has seen a surge in stablecoin interest and many firms seeking trust bank charters, experts still disagree on key interpretations.
Kraken says simpler options can unlock crypto's next derivatives market
Kraken is launching a new crypto options platform as part of its evolution into a broader financial services provider, aiming to expand the options market by simplifying access for retail traders. While derivatives dominate crypto trading volumes, options remain a niche dominated by venues like Deribit, CME Group, and Binance. Krakens global head of product, Mayurita Theodorou, emphasizes that the goal is not merely to capture market share from incumbents but to grow the overall addressable market by offering straightforward, dollar-settled contracts in the same account used for spot and futures. She argues that the slow adoption of crypto options is a product design issue, not a lack of demand, noting that existing platforms primarily serve institutions and market makers, while retail traders have gravitated toward the simplicity of perpetual futures.
DOG Mode explains Bitcoin's next governance fight
Supporters of BIP-110 view Bitcoin as a public utility whose scarce block space should be reserved primarily for monetary settlement, potentially requiring new consensus rules to protect financial transactions. In contrast, DOG Mode argues Bitcoin should remain a neutral marketplace where any valid transaction is equally legitimate if the sender pays the prevailing fee, rejecting any objective distinction between a bitcoin payment and an Ordinals inscription. Rather than seeking a protocol upgrade, DOG Mode aims to remove policy restrictions its proponents believe Bitcoin never required. This could widen existing mempool fragmentation—where different nodes relay different unconfirmed transactions—affecting fee estimation and transaction propagation speed, even as consensus remains intact.
Bitcoin‘s quantum problem gets a recovery tool, but not for Satoshi’s 1.1 million coins
A new zero-knowledge proof system from Project Eleven offers a practical way to recover bitcoin locked under BIP-361‘s proposed freeze of quantum-vulnerable coins, including Satoshi Nakamoto’s holdings. The scheme exploits the fact that quantum computers can break elliptic curve signatures but not the one-way hashing used in modern wallet key derivation, allowing only true owners with seed material to prove control. Benchmarks show Project Elevens prototype is dramatically faster than prior work, but it remains unaudited, incomplete, and would require contentious changes to blockchain rules before it could protect any live coins.