💵 Aptos Launches Open USD Stablecoin with Mastercard, Visa and Stripe
Aptos has unveiled Open USD (OUSD), a new stablecoin initiative developed in partnership with Mastercard, Visa, and Stripe, positioning the project as a potential accelerant for global stablecoin adoption.
The collaboration brings together major payments infrastructure players alongside the Aptos blockchain. The initiative aims to broaden stablecoin usability across mainstream payment networks, though it faces regulatory scrutiny and coordination challenges that could affect its rollout.
No further details on OUSD's backing mechanism, issuance structure, or launch timeline were provided in the announcement.
🟠 Strategy holds $3B cash as Bitcoin position sits $9.9B underwater
Strategy Inc. (Nasdaq: MSTR) has halted Bitcoin purchases and built a $3 billion U.S. dollar reserve alongside its 843,775 BTC holding, currently valued at roughly $55 billion but sitting $9.9 billion below cost basis.
Executive chairman Michael Saylor is framing the cash-and-Bitcoin barbell structure as the company's approach to navigating the current bear market — preserving liquidity while maintaining the world's largest corporate Bitcoin position intact.
🟠 BIP-110 splits Bitcoin community ahead of activation deadline
A proposal to restrict non-financial data on the Bitcoin network is dividing developers, miners, and industry leaders, reviving governance tensions not seen since the Blocksize Wars.
BIP-110 would limit the use of Bitcoin's block space for non-financial data — a practice popularized by protocols like Ordinals and Runes. Supporters argue it preserves Bitcoin's core monetary function and reduces node bloat, while opponents contend it represents a contentious protocol change that could harm miner revenue and set a precedent for restricting permissionless use of the network.
The debate reopens fundamental questions about who controls Bitcoin's development direction and how consensus changes are legitimately activated — issues that last reached this intensity during the 2017 Blocksize Wars.
⚖️ Japan reclassifies crypto as a financial product
Japan's House of Councillors has passed an amendment to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, officially recognizing cryptocurrencies — including Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP — as financial products rather than payment tools.
The legislation introduces insider trading rules, tougher penalties and stricter oversight for crypto businesses. It also establishes a separate crypto tax rate of approximately 20%, down from the current maximum of 55%, and opens the door to domestic crypto ETFs. Lawmakers cited crypto's evolution beyond its original payment function as the basis for applying investment-grade regulation.
🟠 Bitcoin climbs back to $65K as JPMorgan flags Hyperliquid risk
Bitcoin surged 3.5% in 24 hours on July 15, pushing back toward $65,000 as markets regained momentum. JPMorgan issued a risk warning on Hyperliquid, the decentralized perpetuals exchange, while the European Central Bank intensified its push for a digital euro.
The convergence of institutional caution around DeFi derivatives platforms and central bank CBDC development reflects the broader regulatory and structural shifts underway across crypto markets.
⚖️ Senate CLARITY Act text due in days, floor vote targeted before August
Senator Cynthia Lummis announced on July 14 that the CLARITY Act bill text will be introduced within the next few days, following roughly ten months of negotiations. Lummis, who chairs the Senate Digital Assets Subcommittee, is pushing for a floor vote before the August recess — leaving approximately four weeks to advance the legislation.
The bill is focused on fighting illicit finance, consumer protections, and keeping crypto markets onshore in the U.S. Lummis described the legislation as the product of daily work over the past ten months.
The CLARITY Act is one of the key pieces of crypto market structure legislation moving through the U.S. Senate, alongside the stablecoin-focused GENIUS Act already passed earlier this year.