Ripple applies for US banking license after Circle, plans to provide more encryption services

BlockBeats News: On July 3rd, Swiss crypto bank AMINA Bank announced on Thursday that it will provide its clients with services related to the Ripple Dollar stablecoin (RLUSD), becoming the world's first multinational operating bank to support the stablecoin. AMINA Bank stated that it will first provide custody and trading services for RLUSD to institutional clients and professional investors, and plans to gradually expand related services in the coming months. At present, RLUSD is supported by US treasury bond bonds and supervised by the New York State Department of Financial Services, with a circulation supply of US $430 million.

According to CryptoQuant analyst Carmelo Alem á n, the holdings of ETH cumulative addresses that meet strict standards (not belonging to centralized exchanges and with almost no ETH outflows in history) have reached a historic high, increasing from 16.7281 million ETH on June 1 to 22.7465 million ETH on June 30, a growth of 35.97%. The monthly cumulative amount also set a record, with a total increase of 6.0184 million ETH in June. In addition, the average realized price of these addresses as of July 1st was $2114.70, while the current price of ETH is $2565, with holders currently making a profit of 21.29%. The amount of liquid pledge also reached a new high, reaching 35.564353 million ETH, with significant benefits for Lido and Binance. Although the price has not significantly increased, institutional investors continue to accumulate and pledge, or accumulate momentum for future increases.

According to BlockBeats, on July 3rd, according to the Deribit Bitcoin Volatility Index data, the implied volatility of Bitcoin has dropped to its lowest level in nearly two years. This index tracks 30 day forward looking annualized price volatility expectations, indicating significant changes in trading behavior for this largest cryptocurrency. Over the past two months, Bitcoin has consistently fluctuated within a narrow range of $93000 to $111000, in stark contrast to its historical price trend. Market analysts attribute the decrease in volatility to multiple factors, among which the increase in call option sell operations by Bitcoin holders is particularly crucial. David Lawant, head of research at FalconX, pointed out that this strategy of earning profits by selling call options effectively suppresses price volatility. Currently, about 80% of Bitcoin option holdings in the market are concentrated in the strike price range of $100000 to $120000, forming a natural price buffer zone. It is worth noting that despite the decrease in volatility, the funding rate for Bitcoin perpetual contracts remains positive, indicating that the market's bullish sentiment has not changed.

UK listed company Hamak Gold Limited (LSE: HAMA) announced that it has raised a total of £ 2.467 million through direct subscription and the placement of new shares by brokerage firm Peterhouse Capital. This financing round issued 308375000 new ordinary shares at a price of 0.008 pounds per share, representing a 27% discount from the closing price on July 2nd. Two new directors participated in the subscription of £ 200000, while two non-executive directors resigned. Key investors include the private investment institution of Sheik Nayef Bin Eid Al Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family. The company plans to use some of the funds to repay debts and supplement working capital, while the remaining funds will be used to implement a Bitcoin asset management strategy. The newly appointed chairman Nick Thurlow stated that the company will focus on both gold exploration and digital asset management strategies, providing transparency, institutional level security, and governance guarantees through listing on the main board of the London Stock Exchange.

BlockBeats News: On July 3rd, according to a report released by cybersecurity firm Sentinel Labs on Wednesday, North Korean hackers are using a new type of malware targeting Apple devices to attack cryptocurrency companies. Hackers impersonate trusted individuals on instant messaging apps such as Telegram, send fake Zoom update files, and actually install malicious software called "NimDoor". This malicious software is written in the rare Nim programming language and can bypass Apple's memory protection mechanism by deploying information theft programs specifically targeting cryptocurrency wallets and browser passwords. The Nim language is becoming a new favorite among cybercriminals due to its ability to run without modification on Windows, Mac, and Linux, as well as its fast compilation speed and difficulty in detection. The malware also contains scripts that can steal Telegram encrypted local databases and decryption keys, and will wait for 10 minutes before activation to avoid security scanning.