Pip Labs has raised $80 million in a Series B funding round led by VC firm A16z, reaching a valuation of $2.25 billion.

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Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki has explained why he is preparing for a crash landing. He criticized U.S. leadership, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, calling them “3-Stooges.”

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On Monday, the crypto economy held steady at $2.06 trillion, though it dipped by 2.26% in value over the last 24 hours. Bitcoin experienced a 2.5% drop this past week, while ETH saw a decline of more than 4% during the same period. Despite the downturn, some digital currencies managed to stand out, with superrare (RARE) soaring 164% over the week.

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On Aug. 12, 2024, the startup behind Perplexity, an AI-driven search engine and chatbot, revealed a new partnership with Polymarket, a blockchain-powered predictions market. With this integration, users searching for events on Perplexity will now find news summaries accompanied by real-time probability forecasts sourced directly from Polymarket.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new law to establish experimental legal frameworks to advance digital technologies, particularly cryptocurrencies, in international trade.

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Robinhood Markets announced a record-breaking $682 million in revenue for the second quarter, highlighting a 161% rise in cryptocurrency revenue. Robinhood’s assets under custody also saw a 57% increase, driven by key acquisitions and the rising value of both equities and cryptocurrencies.

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A recent report by Coinwire, a cryptocurrency research portal, predicts that cryptocurrency adoption levels in Latam will more than double in 2024. The report, which examined trading movements on trusted centralized exchanges according to Coingecko, forecasts that crypto trading volumes in the region will reach $7.82 trillion in 2024, with Brazil and Chile being the top two dominant markets.

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Canza Finance has partnered with stablecoin issuer WSPN to provide secure and efficient financial solutions to users in Africa and other emerging markets. With the integration of WUSD into Canza Finance’s ecosystem, African users will be able to smoothly convert fiat currencies to the WUSD stablecoin.

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The Orissa High Court in India has reaffirmed that cryptocurrency trading and transactions are neither banned nor deemed illegal in India. Citing the legality of crypto, the court granted bail to Sandeep Chowdhury, CEO of Yes World, who was accused of defrauding investors through a Ponzi scheme disguised as a cryptocurrency business.

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Russia plans to launch international cryptocurrency payments by the end of the year to counter Western sanctions, according to the governor of the Bank of Russia. The central bank is prepared to be flexible and is already discussing the conditions of this initiative with various ministries, agencies, and businesses.

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Neonomad, the South African hybrid exchange platform, is set to launch Zarcoin, a stablecoin tied to the South African Rand. This innovative stablecoin epitomizes the seamless integration of regulatory safety with decentralized efficiency. Neonomad’s platform will also facilitate multiple offerings, including in the decentralized finance space.

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In 2023, Africa’s share of global blockchain venture deals rose marginally to 1.3%, but the continent’s total funding dropped from 1.6% to 1.3%. Only South America’s share of blockchain funding ranks below Africa’s share. The continent achieved an all-time high in blockchain venture funding deal share, accounting for 6.4% of all venture funding and 12.5% of total deals.

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Grayscale Investments has announced the launch of the Grayscale Decentralized AI Fund, aimed at providing exposure to blockchain-based artificial intelligence (AI) protocols. The fund, available to accredited investors, includes a basket of decentralized AI crypto protocols, rebalanced quarterly.

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Former U.S. President and presidential candidate Donald Trump has announced Senator JD Vance as his running mate. Vance has advocated for clear cryptocurrency regulations and criticized the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) enforcement-based regulatory approach.

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Former U.S. President and current presidential candidate Donald Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania. Gunfire erupted while he was speaking, prompting Secret Service agents to rush him off the stage. Trump was seen with blood on the side of his head and ear.

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Dubai’s border protection agency announced the launch of a secure and efficient blockchain network, which is expected to improve efficiency and transparency within the United Arab Emirates city. The blockchain platform will also strengthen Dubai’s position as a hub for entrepreneurship and global competitiveness.

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Based on data from the past four days, 14 distinct artificial intelligence (AI), cryptocurrency and blockchain startups and projects secured approximately $207.28 million in investor funding. The leading entity for July is Sentient, an open-source AI platform, which garnered $85 million from Founders Fund, Framework Ventures, and Pantera Capital.

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Indian crypto exchange Coindcx is expanding globally by acquiring the Middle Eastern digital asset platform Bitoasis. This strategic move enhances Coindcx’s presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region while allowing Bitoasis to retain its branding and leadership, signaling a new phase of growth and maturity for both companies.

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The crypto market is heating up in July – and meme coins are leading the way. Let’s examine the prospects of Pepe, Brett, and PlayDoge, three joke tokens that might be set for big things this month.

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While June was a lackluster period for crypto assets as many experienced double-digit losses against the U.S. dollar, the stablecoin market also saw minimal growth over the past 30 days. Ethena’s USDE led the growth, with its supply increasing by 21.4% since May.

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Marathon Digital’s CEO has shared his insights on the future of the  crypto industry and the potential impact of the upcoming presidential election. The executive observed that the Biden administration has historically been hostile to bitcoin and  crypto through its various agencies.

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Parfin, a financial technology company, has created a new blockchain system to be used as a privacy solution for the Brazilian CBDC, drex. Rayls, the new blockchain, will offer the possibility of operating in a permissioned way and also linking itself to other public blockchains using Rayls Public Chain, a native Ethereum layer two (L2).

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Despite several bullish indicators, including a significant bitcoin purchase by Microstrategy and optimistic projections by notable figures, bitcoin’s price action remains subdued. Market analysts at QCP Capital shed light on the underlying factors contributing to this paradox.

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Ethiopian Airlines Group has partnered with Loyyal to leverage the latter’s blockchain infrastructure for its customer loyalty program. The partnership, which is earmarked for Ethiopian Airlines’ Shebamiles members, enables them to earn rewards daily, driving further engagement and loyalty.

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The meme coin economy is thriving on Wednesday, ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting, as the sector saw nearly $4 billion injected over the last 12 hours. Several meme tokens experienced substantial gains, with BENJI rising 36.9%, MAGA increasing 23.2%, and the runes-based DOG gaining 22.1%.

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Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman advocates for global consensus on cryptocurrency regulation, highlighting the need for international cooperation, particularly within the G20. She noted that while Indian regulators have differing opinions regarding how to treat crypto, there is currently no significant confusion.

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Over the past 35 days, the total value locked in decentralized finance (defi) protocols has expanded by $11.89 billion, recovering from a low of just over $83 billion on April 13. Although it has not yet reached the $100 billion mark, the value locked in defi is approaching that milestone after hovering just below it.

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Stakeholders in Nigeria’s cryptocurrency sector argue that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s previous decision to exclude cryptocurrency entities from the banking ecosystem has fueled the growth of peer-to-peer crypto trading. Nigerian authorities are reportedly seeking to ban peer-to-peer crypto trading.

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A recent report by Citi, a global financial institution, has put Brazil at the top of the nations leading the digital money initiatives in Latin America. The report states that Brazil features a combination of factors that ease the adoption of digital money such as government support and digital payment solutions.

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According to a recent survey, half of Canadian institutional investors and financial services organizations have actively offered at least one type of cryptocurrency asset product or service to clients in the past year.

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