Geopolitical tensions could destabilize global markets, impacting energy costs and cryptocurrency volatility, with broader economic repercussions. The post IRGC strikes US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain as Bitcoin takes a hit from geopolitical shock appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Ukraine’s new production capability signals a shift in defense strategy, potentially altering global defense economics and trade dynamics. The post US grants Ukraine license to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors, reshaping defense economics appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Paradigm has raised $1.2 billion for its fourth fund, which will expand the crypto venture capital firm’s investments into artificial intelligence and related technologies.The company said on Wednesday that its latest fund will invest “first in crypto, and now across AI, robotics and other frontiers.”“We continue investing in crypto and the reinvention of markets and the financial system,” Paradigm added, highlighting its investments in the crypto perpetuals exchange Hyperliquid and the prediction markets platform Kalshi.Paradigm launched in 2018 and has raised more than $4 billion for three funds focused on crypto. Its interest in AI follows a trend of originally crypto-focused companies that have been lured to the lucrative and fast-growing sector.Source: Matt HuangThe Wall Street Journal reported in February that Paradigm was seeking to raise $1.5 billion for a new fund that would invest in AI and robotics.The company’s management reportedly decided to broaden its investments as it didn’t want to be restricted and miss out on attractive deals. There was also a noted overlap between crypto and AI, such as with AI agents.Crypto exchanges such as Crypto.com and Coinbase have made big bets on AI agents, offering the technology to their users and updating their platforms to cater to the bots.Crypto funding sinks as AI funding peaksOther crypto venture companies have moved beyond crypto, including Framework Ventures, which raised $400 million for its fourth fund last month for investments in crypto as well as AI, robotics and energy.In May, crypto venture firm Haun Ventures raised $1 billion to back crypto startups and expanded into AI for the first time.Global venture funding hit a record $510 billion in the first half of 2026, a new record for half-year investments that surpassed the $440 billion invested across all of last year, Crunchbase reported on July 2.Related: Morpho’s $175M raise shows where crypto VC money is flowingAI companies made up the majority of the investment, with OpenAI and Anthropic accounting for more than 40% of funding in the first half of the year.Meanwhile, crypto captured only a portion of all venture flows, with funding into crypto in the first half hitting $10.8 billion, according to Cryptorank.Paradigm highlighted that some of its non-crypto investments included the autonomous drone delivery service Zipline, the robotic metal fabrication platform SendCutSend and the AI company Nous Research, which created the open-source AI model Hermes Agent.It added that it would “continue to research and build where it accelerates” the crypto industry, and noted the blockchain tools Foundry and Reth and the AI projects EVMbench and Centaur.Features: AI’s power crunch turns Bitcoin miners’ grid access into an asset
Decentralized finance (DeFi) analytics platform Zapper announced it will shut down next month, becoming the latest crypto platform to fold amid a market downturn.In a post to X on Wednesday, Zapper CEO Seb Audet said Zapper’s website, mobile app and API services would shut down on Aug. 3, marking the end of a seven-year run after receiving backing from the likes of billionaire investor Mark Cuban in 2021.“We evaluated a number of different options, pursued some to the fullest extent possible, and came to the realization that an orderly wind down is the best course of action,” Audet said.While Zapper didn’t share the reasons behind its decision to shut down, Audet hinted in a response that the shutdown was due to falling demand, stating: “At the end of the day, the market decides.”Cointelegraph reached out for comment but didn’t receive an immediate response.Source: ZapperZapper adds to a growing list of crypto platforms that have shut as crypto market sentiment has sunk to near all-time lows and venture capital funding has become harder to secure.Cardano-based analytics platform TapTools made a similar decision to shut down in June, as did Bitcoin-focused DeFi platform Botanix a week later, citing weak demand for Bitcoin DeFi.SBI’s crypto unit, decentralized email service Dmail, and nonfungible token marketplaces like Nifty Gateway and Rodeo have also sunset operations this year amid a broader fall in NFT activity.Related: Yield Guild Games cuts 35 staff, shuts game publisher to focus on AIZapper was founded in 2019 and put itself on the map by winning one of Kyber’s DeFi Hackathon events later that year, which helped it raise a $1.5 million seed round.It also raised $15 million in a Series A funding round in May 2021, led by Framework Ventures, with Cuban, Coinbase Ventures and the Ashton Kutcher-founded Sound Ventures also contributing.Crypto traders use platforms like Zapper to track token prices, follow DeFi trends and discover new protocols. Zapper also allowed traders to connect their wallets to monitor positions, manage liquidity pools and yield farms and learn about upcoming airdrops.Audet said the Zapper team scaled its product to over 2 million monthly active users and oversaw more than $13 billion in processed transactions at its peak.However, Zapper has experienced major setbacks throughout its journey, including in April 2025, when it suffered a social engineering attack. The breach allowed attackers to temporarily hijack the platform’s domain and redirect unsuspecting users to a malicious page embedded with phishing traps.Securing VC funding has become a challengeWhile crypto VC funding increased 57.6% year-on-year to $4.21 billion in the second quarter, the spread of capital has become far more concentrated, with the overall deal count having now fallen nine times over the last 10 quarters, according to RootData’s VC dashboard.Quarterly change in crypto VC funding and deal count since Q1 2020. Source: RootDataFeatures: From Bitcoin critics to blockchain believers: The 5 biggest crypto backflips
The case’s outcome could redefine US jurisdiction in international bribery, impacting global corporate strategies and investor risk assessments. The post US judge presses Gautam Adani for details on Justice Department’s dismissal of criminal case appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Flexa has expanded its regulated payments platform across Europe, allowing merchants, institutions, and developers throughout the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) to accept crypto payments and process payouts. The expansion adds 37 countries and territories with euro settlement through SEPA. How Does Flexa’s European Expansion Change Digital Asset Payments? Flexa’s European expansion, announced July 8, […]
The renewed conflict in the Strait of Hormuz heightens geopolitical tensions, impacting global markets and potentially disrupting energy supplies. The post Bitcoin drops as Trump declares Iran ceasefire ‘over’ amid renewed Strait of Hormuz attacks appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
The CFTC has charged a North Carolina commodity pool operator and his company with fraud, according to an official announcement on their Twitter account. This action underscores the agency’s commitment to enforcing compliance in the crypto sector, as detailed in the CFTC’s tweet here. The Latest The CFTC’s enforcement action comes at a time when […]
Eleanor Terrett reported that Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is urging Senate leaders to maintain the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, as it was passed by the Senate Banking Committee, in any version of the Clarity Act brought to the floor. This request comes amid ongoing uncertainty regarding key law enforcement provisions in the cryptocurrency regulatory landscape, […]
On July 8, 2026, Superfinanciera issued a warning regarding Forex trading activities in Colombia, stating that such promotions cannot occur without the regulatory body’s authorization. This announcement can be found in their official tweet here. Organizations that wish to promote trading or Forex services must obtain the necessary permissions from Superfinanciera to comply with local […]
Blockchain Bodega is here and you know the vibes. We’re at the intersection of hip-hop culture and web3, exploring this new digital frontier. Who better to guide you through these uncharted lanes than Ock Chain – The Bitcoin Boss and the Consensus Corner Boys?
Ock Chain doesn’t just cook up random details about cryptocurrency; he lives it. Ock’s been deep in the game since Bitcoin was just a baby.
And let’s not forget about the Consensus Corner Boys. They’re our skilled crew of blockchain enthusiasts. They’re here to educate, entertain, and enlighten.
Welcome to Blockchain Bodega!
Copyright © 2023 Blockchain Bodega. All rights reserved.
