Odaily reported that the Trump administration has invested approximately $26.7 billion through 30 equity or quasi-equity transactions to date, involving companies such as Intel, MP Materials, and U.S. Steel. However, these holdings are dispersed across multiple government departments, and there is currently no unified public portfolio disclosure mechanism, nor a centralized oversight and regular reporting system similar to the TARP program during the 2008 financial crisis. As of now, the Trump administration's equity holdings are distributed across at least four departments, including the Department of Commerce (17 transactions), the Department of Defense (7 transactions), the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC, 6 transactions), and the Department of Energy (2 transactions). The largest single investment among them is the Department of Commerce's 9.9% stake in Intel. Notably, White House National Economic Council Director Hassett stated that these equity investments are "like a down payment on establishing a U.S. sovereign wealth fund," suggesting that the U.S. government may further expand its direct holdings of corporate equity. (Fortune)

Odaily Odaily reports that the race for the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) is coming to an end, but the real challenges for companies are just beginning. The high cost of maintaining ongoing compliance systems may reshape the European crypto landscape. The future competitive focus in the industry is likely to shift from "who can obtain a license" to "who can afford the regulatory costs," driving companies towards scaling through mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, or partnerships with banks. As MiCA is gradually implemented and the UK's crypto regulatory framework takes shape, the European crypto industry is entering a new phase of consolidation. Insiders believe that high-standard regulatory requirements could fuel a new wave of M&A, and cooperation between crypto-native companies and traditional financial institutions will deepen further.

This trend may be even more pronounced in the UK market. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is developing a new regulatory framework for crypto assets, which is expected to bring crypto businesses under the existing financial services regulatory system, subjecting them to capital, operational, and customer asset protection requirements similar to those for traditional investment firms. Steven Lightstone, a partner at Morgan Lewis in London and co-head of the global fintech team, stated that while the FCA aims to promote market competition and support new entrants, its regulatory standards will be very strict when it comes to consumer protection. Unlike the EU's standalone MiCA framework, the UK's approach will directly leverage the existing financial regulatory system to manage crypto firms.

Meanwhile, increased regulatory certainty is accelerating the entry of European banks into the digital asset space. Simon Schneider, CEO of Sygnum Europe, noted that currently fewer than 20% of banks in Europe offer crypto-related services, indicating a significant market gap. The greatest value of MiCA is not just creating a new licensing system but providing legal certainty for financial institutions to enter the digital asset market. Citing Switzerland as an example, he pointed out that after the introduction of distributed ledger technology regulations, most major Swiss banks have begun offering digital asset services, a path that other parts of Europe may follow in the future. Banks are unlikely to replace crypto-native companies altogether; instead, they are more likely to rely on specialized infrastructure providers and collaborate in areas such as custody, brokerage, staking, and asset tokenization.

As companies that fail to secure MiCA licenses gradually exit the European market, assets may become further concentrated among regulated entities. However, Schneider believes that self-custody models and institutional custody models will continue to coexist for the long term.

Industry insiders suggest that the European crypto industry is entering a "regulatory-driven consolidation cycle." For crypto startups that previously thrived on rapid innovation and asset-light models, future core competitiveness may no longer be solely about technological speed, but rather compliance capabilities, capital scale, and the ability to integrate financial infrastructure. (CoinDesk)

Odaily星球日报讯 Bitmine 董事长 Tom Lee 在 X 平台发文回应市场认为以太坊正被 Layer2 蚕食的问题，他表示并不认同，并指出虽然 Layer2 网络也吸引数千万现实世界用户进入链上生态，但以太坊主网仍在进一步巩固其作为主要经济结算中心的地位，快速确认（Fast Confirmation）机制能够把转账摩擦降低约 98%。Tom Lee 表示，以太坊有望成为金融与 AI 代理最广泛使用的结算层，“ETH 就是链上货币”。

Odaily星球日报讯 受韩国股市活跃带动，韩国五大金融集团（KB 金融、新韩金融、韩亚金融、友利金融、NH 农协金融）2026 年上半年合计实现净利润 13.12 万亿韩元，同比增长约 10%。其中，KB 金融以 3.88 万亿韩元净利润继续居首，新韩金融以 3.44 万亿韩元位列第二。

分析显示，韩国五大金融集团的证券子公司业绩大幅增长，NH 投资证券、KB 证券、新韩投资证券上半年净利润分别同比增长 107.5%、135.0%和 123.1%，推动非银行业务对集团利润贡献持续提升。与此同时，受赔付率上升及保险精算假设调整等因素影响，多家保险子公司业绩承压。各大金融集团还宣布将在下半年继续推进股份回购及注销计划，进一步提升股东回报。（Asiae）

Odaily星球日报讯 MARA Holdings CEO Fred Thiel 称，AI 数据中心每单位电力产生的收入高于比特币挖矿。（Bitcoin News）

Odaily星球日报讯 据 Reuters 报道，三星与 SK 海力士即将宣布与美国科技巨头达成大规模 AI 芯片交易。