Bitmine Chairman Thomas “Tom” Lee said prediction markets now put the odds of the Clarity Act passing at about 50%, the highest level in two weeks. He said investors’ growing expectations for regulatory clarity help explain the recent rise in the ETH/BTC ratio. Lee pointed to ethereum Layer 2 networks processing USDC transactions in the background for Shopify and Visa as evidence of real-world adoption.

Travel booking platform Epic said it will pay users up to 8% cashback, settled entirely in native XRP rather than a stablecoin or points, for hotel and flight bookings. The funds are sent directly to users’ wallets after each booking. The feature is live, with XRP as the only cashback token. The move marks XRP’s first high-frequency, small-ticket, on-chain, wallet-direct use in a mainstream consumer setting, raising its visibility as a payments-layer asset and supporting real transaction demand.

The European Union has formally classified XRP as an “e-money token” under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), rather than a security. The designation places XRP under a single EU-wide regulatory framework, removing the need to seek securities licensing on a country-by-country basis and lowering compliance hurdles. The move does not introduce new legislation, but marks the first official confirmatory classification after MiCA’s transitional arrangements took effect. However, real-world circulation, exchange listings and bank integrations still depend on follow-on implementation by regulators in each member state.

Ripple’s XRP has been certified as Shariah-compliant in Bahrain, opening the door to the $2 TRILLION Islamic finance market. The certification marks a step toward broader institutional adoption globally.

A proposed EU framework would tighten online age and identity verification and restrict VPN workarounds. The proposal includes a ban on cash payments above €10k, mandatory ID checks for Bitcoin transactions over €1k, and a ban on privacy coins. It is described as an extension of MiCA implementation and would subject crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) to tighter oversight, though it has not yet been passed into law.

A report claims the European Union is considering a mandatory online age/identity verification system and says it would be designed so it “cannot be bypassed via VPN,” aiming to curb anonymous access. The report frames this as part of a broader tightening trend that includes limits on large cash transactions, KYC requirements for Bitcoin purchases above €1,000, bans on privacy coins, and MiCA driving 90% of crypto firms out. It does not cite official documents, the legislative stage, or a timeline, presenting the information as directional policy rumor. If implemented, it would directly pressure the compliance foundations of privacy-focused crypto assets and could deepen market pessimism over EU enforcement.

Security research firm Coinspect has identified a cross-chain randomness-generation flaw dubbed “Ill Bloom” that affects thousands of wallets on networks including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. The weakness stems from poor randomness, allowing attackers to derive private keys and steal funds, according to Coinspect. Losses have exceeded $5 million since May 27. The incident has undermined confidence in on-chain asset custody and impacts public blockchains and ecosystem tokens that rely on ECDSA or similar signature mechanisms.

On July 6, 2026, Taiwan’s legislature passed the Virtual Asset Service Act, creating the island’s first comprehensive crypto regulatory framework. The law designates the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) as the sole regulator and requires all virtual asset service providers to obtain category-specific licenses. It also sets penalties of up to seven years in prison and fines of up to NT$100 million, while limiting stablecoin issuance to domestic banks with 1:1 fiat reserves. Existing firms will have a 12–21 month transition period, with full implementation expected in early 2027.