Bergen County, New Jersey, will tokenize $240 billion worth of property deeds through a five-year deal with blockchain firm Balcony. Using the Avalanche blockchain, 370,000 deeds will be digitized, aiming to reduce fraud, speed up processing, and modernize land records. It's the largest deed tokenization effort in U.S. history.   Huge thanks to @BlizzardFund for the continued…

Telegram’s upcoming $1.5 billion bond offering has attracted major institutional investors, including BlackRock, Citadel, and Mubadala. The five-year bonds offer a 9% yield and a 20% discount on shares if Telegram goes public. Proceeds will help refinance Telegram’s 2021 debt maturing in 2026.

Ripple argued in a letter to the SEC that fungible cryptocurrencies like XRP should not be classified as securities in secondary market transactions. Citing legal precedent and Commissioner Hester Peirce’s recent speech, Ripple emphasized that economic realities, not blanket classifications, should guide cryptocurrency regulation.

The TON Foundation has appointed former Visa executive Nikola Plecas as vice president of payments to lead its global payment strategy. Plecas will focus on scaling TON’s infrastructure for over 1 billion Telegram users, leveraging his crypto experience at Visa to build interoperable systems and manage compliance and financial partnerships across jurisdictions.   🚨Big move in Web3…

Ugandan police arrested Phineous Biira after tracing stolen crypto from Festo Ivaibi’s abduction to her verified wallet. Biira, linked to past crimes, refused to explain the funds. The gang allegedly works with rogue military elements and Chinese businessmen. Mitroplus Labs praised police but raised concerns over military involvement.

Thailand is considering regulated crypto-linked services and tokenized government bonds, signaling cautious openness to digital finance. Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira stated that the use of crypto in payments remains restricted, but future models may be explored under strict oversight. The government is also expanding access to fractionalized sovereign bonds through blockchain-based “G-Tokens.”

Michael Saylor, executive chair of Strategy, warned that publishing onchain proof-of-reserves is a “bad idea” due to security risks. He argued it exposes wallet addresses, weakening institutional security. While exchanges adopted the practice after FTX’s collapse for transparency, Saylor stressed it’s unsuitable for enterprises and could undermine investor safety by revealing sensitive financial infrastructure.   I asked…

French authorities arrested over 12 people, including minors, linked to two crypto-related kidnappings in Paris. Victims included family members of crypto executives. Authorities suspect a criminal network using social media to recruit. Security measures have been increased for crypto entrepreneurs following the rise in abduction attempts targeting digital asset holders.

Paris-based Blockchain Group plans to buy 590 Bitcoin using proceeds from a €63.3 million ($72 million) bond sale. The firm will allocate 95% of the funds to Bitcoin and the rest to operational expenses. With this purchase, Blockchain Group’s holdings will grow to 1,437 BTC. Its stock, listed on Euronext Paris, has soared over 765%…

Four AI-enhanced humanoid robots faced off in China’s World Robot Competition Mecha Fighting Series. Built by Unitree, the 132cm robots were trained using motion capture from real fighters and controlled by humans during the match. The bots scored points with punches and kicks while avoiding knockdowns. The black-armored robot emerged champion, with another full-sized robot…