Crypto Weekly Roundup: SEC's Big Tick to Staking, Trump's Retirement Plans, & More

This week in crypto, major regulatory moves included the SEC clarifying certain staking receipt tokens are not securities, Dubai approving its first regulated crypto options license, and China preparing to launch its first fiat-backed stablecoin. Let’s dig deeper.

Business:

Ripple has announced plans to acquire stablecoin payment platform Rail for $200 million to expand its global digital asset payment capabilities and strengthen its enterprise stablecoin offering.

Web3

Stablecoins’ role in the shift from centralized lending to decentralized, Bitcoin-backed finance is unlocking capital efficiency by letting holders retain BTC exposure while accessing liquidity in a non-custodial, permissionless manner.

As the crypto world holds its breath, Bitcoin Swift is racing toward the end of Stage 3, and the price has already surged past $4.

BlockSack is a newly launched Layer 2 meme coin on the Base blockchain that's gaining serious attention as it blends bold storytelling with real tools like staking, NFT minting, and a trading bot, all powered by the BSACK token.

BlockSack has become a magnet for projects building high-performance dApps without losing decentralization. $BSACK taps into that strength.

In a year when many tokens struggled to maintain relevance, FUNToken ($FUN) has reached around $0.0188 at the time of writing after climbing from under $0.007 in early April.

One of the most powerful forces behind FUNToken’s recent surge is its predictable, revenue-backed deflationary model, a system that rewards real usage with measurable scarcity.

Decentralized perpetuals exchange gTrade has released version 10 (v10), its most significant upgrade to date, introducing a funding fee model that replaces the previous borrowing fee structure

The AI and gaming-focused blockchain infrastructure provider DAR Open Network is unlocking the full benefits of its expansive GameFi ecosystem with DAR Citizenship

RWA-focused Layer-1 blockchain (Mavryk), a global derivatives giant (MultiBank), a Dubai real estate company (MAG Group), and an institutional-grade custody leader (Fireblocks) have teamed up to make property ownership accessible to all by ambitiously targeting tokenizing $10 billion of property in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Aurora Labs has introduced the first cohort of startups to emerge from its six-week Aurora Blocks Incubator program to showcase what’s possible with its simple, no-code blockchain development platform.

Bitcoin.com Casino has leveled up its community engagement with a social presence on Telegram, X, and Discord, as well as a streaming experience on Twitch and Kick to allow gamblers to share strategies, tournament updates, and gameplay clips.

Security

The team behind the decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol CrediX Finance has disappeared just days after a $4.5 million exploit compromised the platform with the protocol’s official X handle and website going offline since August 4.

Regulation

The CFTC has launched a new initiative to allow spot crypto trading on federally registered exchanges, marking a key step toward unified federal oversight of digital assets.

President Trump has signed an executive order allowing 401(k) retirement plans to include crypto and other alternative assets, opening the $12.5 trillion market to digital investments while raising concerns around investor protection and fiduciary responsibility.

Dubai has officially approved its first regulated crypto options trading license, marking a significant regulatory milestone in its ambitions to position itself as a global hub for digital assets

China is set to approve its first fiat-backed stablecoin through Hong Kong’s new licensing regime, marking a significant policy shift aimed at expanding the renminbi’s global influence and reducing dependence on the US dollar.

The SEC has clarified that staking receipt tokens issued under specific administrative conditions are not securities, offering key regulatory relief to liquid staking platforms.

Former President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order that would direct federal agencies to crack down on banks allegedly denying services to crypto firms and politically conservative entities based on ideological grounds.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice