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Ivan Soto-Wright, CEO of MoonPay, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, ended up entangled in a minor scandal. It turns out that in late 2022, the MoonPay chief funnelled $500,000 into Suarez's electoral campaign via a Political Action Committee, or PAC. The twist is, Soto-Wright made the transfer from the account of another company under his belt - PassionForest. Now, that's also the name of a Chinese floral business, which led to some legal headwinds. When it was revealed that there were no ties between PassionForest and the Chinese venture, the controversy cooled down. Meanwhile, Miami's mayor, Francis Suarez, also quashed any whispers of potential Chinese backing. On a side note, Suarez is an avid crypto enthusiast who accepts his mayoral paycheck in Bitcoin.

Layer 2 network Optimism has surpassed Arbitrum, recording 944,000 daily transactions, which is nearly 50% more than its former frontrunner with 660,000 daily transactions. The surge in activity on Optimism can be attributed to the recent Bedrock update and the excitement surrounding the Worldcoin project, which enables user accounts within this network. However, when it comes to Total Value Locked (TVL), Arbitrum remains in the lead, boasting over $2 billion — twice as much as its competitor.

Brian Armstrong has publicly urged US residents to actively support the 21st Century Financial Innovation and Technology Bill, which promises to bring much-needed clarity to cryptocurrency regulation. Armstrong emphasized that it is ordinary Americans who can have a decisive impact on the outcome of the vote by sending an email to their representatives asking them to support the bill. In a more detailed statement, Coinbase added that the bill, in addition to protecting consumer rights and enhancing national security, has the potential to spur job creation in the US.

U.S. lawmakers are reportedly close to creating a framework for regulating stablecoins, but a separate bill overhauling financial laws' treatment of crypto assets is facing opposition from Democrats who deem it too favorable to the crypto industry. Top Democrats, including Rep. Maxine Waters, have expressed their disappointment with the market structure bill. Meanwhile, Republicans remain optimistic that ongoing negotiations may lead to agreement on stablecoin legislation.

Yesterday, reports surfaced suggesting that KuCoin had dismissed 30% of its employees due to declining profits. However, the cryptocurrency exchange's representatives debunked these claims today, explaining that there was just a slight downsizing in line with their routine organizational strategy. "To stay on top, we regularly evaluate our org structure based on employee performance and company development. So it is not layoffs, and it is all about making the organization more dynamic," asserted Johnny Lyu, the Chief Executive of KuCoin.

MicroStrategy intends to raise up to $750 million through a stock sale, stating it might use the proceeds to purchase additional BTC. Saylor's company bought 467 BTC in July at an average price of $30,835, without any previous sales of Bitcoin. The company currently holds 152,800 BTC, valued at $4.53 billion.

Terraform Labs was looking to the positive verdict in the "SEC versus Ripple" litigation as a precedent for its own safeguard against allegations from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Yet, Judge Jed Rakoff has dashed such hopes. The crux of the matter is a substantial divergence in the judge's view concerning the Howey Test, which assesses whether an asset is a security. Terraform Labs' token purchases were clearly carried out by users with profit expectations - a paramount criterion for securities. Therefore, it renders the precise method of purchase irrelevant. The dichotomy between the two judges' decisions underscores the persisting uncertainty in the landscape of cryptocurrency regulations.

Justin Sun has purchased 5 million CRV from Curve founder Michael Egorov via OTC transactions at a price of $0.4. This move is set to marginally enhance Egorov’s position in FRAX. Along with Justin, seven other addresses conducted OTC transactions with Michael Egorov at $0.4 per CRV. Currently, CRV trades at $0.59. Hopefully, the Curve founder can avert the liquidation of his position; otherwise, it could have a negative impact on a large number of protocols in the ecosystem.

The venture capital fund has reduced its funding for crypto projects from $585 million to $200 million. Moreover, it's halved investments aimed at backing individual investors. "We made these changes to sharpen our focus on seed-stage opportunities and to provide liquidity to our limited partners," commented representatives from Sequoia Capital.

US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. disclosed that he invested in Bitcoin earlier this year, buying two BTC for each of his seven children. This move came after facing criticism for promoting the cryptocurrency without having any personal stake in it. Kennedy clarified that he made the investment right after attending a Bitcoin conference where he announced his decision to accept campaign donations in Bitcoin. “Right after that Bitcoin conference, I got a big check, and I said, okay, you know, I’m going to put my money where my mouth is.” During the conference, he denied having any personal investment in the cryptocurrency. However, he later decided to invest in Bitcoin to demonstrate his commitment to the technology and its potential.

In a pivotal ruling on July 25, Judge Philip Jeyaretnam of the Singapore High Court declared cryptocurrency as personal property, placing it on par with fiat money. Judge Jeyaretnam's elucidation is notable for the legal status of digital assets. It was stemmed from a case where ByBit accused its former employee, Ho Kai Xin, of illicitly transferring approximately 4.2 million USDT from the company's coffers to personal accounts. The court mandated Ho to return the funds to cryptocurrency exchange.