Iran is considering strikes on US military targets in Europe if President Donald Trump escalates the war, with Bulgaria and Cyprus cited as potential retaliation sites. Tehran has also examined the possibility of targeting subsea fiberoptic cables in the Strait of Hormuz as regional tensions rise. In crypto markets, Bitcoin whales have resumed buying, adding about 43,000 BTC worth roughly $2.75 billion.

Ripple has been closely involved in U.S. top-level financial policy discussions over a three-day span. On Aug. 18, SEC Chair Paul Atkins moved forward with Regulation Crypto Assets, creating new compliance pathways for crypto under federal securities law. On Aug. 19, Ripple is set to attend a White House-level meeting alongside Coinbase, Chainlink, Nasdaq and CME Group, with President Donald Trump expected to attend. On the same day, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse is taking a seat on the CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee to provide policy input with both traditional finance and crypto institutions.

Bitcoin saw what was described as a coordinated short-selling move in the futures market. Against a risk-off backdrop tied to U.S.-Iran tensions and a 30% jump in crude oil prices in July, two entities executed 181 synchronized trades within 1.3 seconds. On Aug. 17, they added 585.3 BTC in short exposure at an average price of about $62,935, taking total short exposure to 2,675 BTC worth around $169 million. The operation was characterized as a planned whale attack intended to exploit macro-driven fear by creating the appearance of a short squeeze.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse is set to attend a White House meeting with President Donald Trump alongside SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Michael Selig. The gathering marks the kickoff of the CFTC’s new Innovation Advisory Committee, which is scheduled to hold its first meeting tomorrow. Garlinghouse is one of 35 members and will sit with representatives from Nasdaq, CME, Cboe and DTCC to discuss digital asset regulation, tokenization and market structure. The timing comes as the CLARITY Act remains stalled in the Senate, with a cloture vote set for September 15.

SOL Strategies disclosed in an SEC filing that it held C$1.87 million in cash as of June 30 and about C$22 million of unencumbered digital assets available for conversion into fiat. The company also reported C$37.33 million of current liabilities, including a C$13.90 million DeFi loan and C$10.73 million of current convertible debentures. Over the same period, it recorded a C$7.80 million net cash outflow from operating activities.

The USDD Peg Stability Module (PSM) is now live on GateDEX across Ethereum, BNB Chain and TRON. The module allows users to swap between USDT/USDC and USDD at a fixed 1:1 rate with zero slippage, including for larger trades. GateDEX said its smart routing compares official PSM liquidity with AMM pool pricing to select the most efficient execution path with transparent fees. The integration also enables users to move directly into USDD Earn after converting.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposed new rules aimed at streamlining the process of raising money through cryptocurrency sales. If adopted, the proposal would lower the compliance threshold and reduce the complexity for crypto projects conducting token offerings in the U.S. market. The original report specifically highlighted the Ethereum Foundation in connection with the news.

Aave’s total value locked (TVL) remains down 43% since the April 18 KelpDAO hack, and is 67% below its 52-week high. Hackers deposited stolen rsETH into Aave and borrowed real ETH against it, leaving Aave and Compound with an estimated $246 million in combined bad debt. Aave’s TVL fell from $26.4 billion before the attack to $14.9 billion, tightening lending capacity and increasing volatility pressure. The AAVE token fell about 20% the day after the incident and now trades near $89, still below pre-hack levels.