Middle East situation deteriorates sharply, with multiple countries activating their air defense systems simultaneously.

Crypto KOL Nikita disclosed that he tested the same €9.69 transaction across six crypto debit cards in Europe: Ether.fi, Plasma, Backpack, Lava, Jup Mobile, and KAST. After accounting for exchange rates, fees, and cashback, Ether.fi ranked first with an actual cost of $10.72, Plasma came second at $10.93, and Backpack placed third at $11.07. The test found that actual transaction costs varied by roughly 5% across the cards, driven mainly by foreign exchange spreads, fees, and cashback mechanisms. Ether.fi claimed the top spot for the second consecutive test thanks to its competitive exchange rates and on-chain cashback; Plasma, while its exchange rate lagged behind some newer offerings, held onto second place via its 3% cashback. KAST, due to unfavorable exchange rates and extra fees, was the most costly product in the test for the second straight time.

With all four semi-finalists of the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup confirmed, prediction market platform Predict.fun has updated its latest World Cup winner market accordingly. As of press time, the market assigns Argentina a roughly 20% chance to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy, France 39%, Spain 19%, and England 20%, with traders overall favoring France to win the tournament. The four semi-finalists are Argentina, France, Spain, and England, all traditional powerhouses in global football. Argentina and France are expected to maintain their strong form from the past two World Cups, Spain advanced to the last four behind a young squad, while England returned to the semi-finals led by key players including Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. As the tournament enters the semi-final stage, trading activity in the prediction market for the champion continues to surge, and each team’s championship odds will adjust in real time as matches unfold.

The U.S. military announced it has completed its third round of military strikes against Iran this week. The operation deployed land-based and carrier-based fighter jets, drones, and naval vessels, which used precision munitions to strike around 140 Iranian military targets, including missile and drone bases, naval capability facilities, ammunition storage sites, communication networks, and coastal surveillance locations. U.S. Central Command stated that it has struck more than 300 targets total this week as directed. The command also emphasized that commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a key international maritime corridor, remains uninterrupted, signaling that despite escalating military conflict, this vital energy transport route has not been fully disrupted. This is the U.S. military’s third large-scale operation against Iran this week, following earlier strikes on roughly 90 coastal targets and 170 military sites. The development shows that U.S.-Iran military confrontation is rapidly escalating, with conflicts expanding from initial areas around the strait to a broader range of Iranian military facilities.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard claims to have destroyed the command and control center and MQ-9 drone hangar at Jordan's Prince Hassan Air Base. The U.S. again attempted to provoke incidents in the southern Strait of Hormuz last night, but was halted after a firm response from Iran's navy. The Guard warned that continued U.S. aggression will trigger stronger retaliation. Separately, the U.S. military carried out airstrikes on multiple coastal bases and communication towers along Iran's southern coast.

Bitcoin reserve firm Empery Digital (EMPD) disclosed that it has sold 1,400 BTC over the past two months at an average price of $62,200, generating total proceeds of roughly $87.1 million to invest in AI data center projects and repay debts. A portion of the funds was used to acquire a 25% stake in an AI data center project, while another $10 million went toward settling outstanding debts. Following the sale, Empery Digital’s Bitcoin holdings fell by 48%, leaving it with 1,514 BTC valued at approximately $97 million at current prices. In response to the news, EMPD’s stock rose as much as 4.2% in early trading before closing with a 1.58% gain. The market notes that investors hold a positive attitude toward the company’s move to convert part of its Bitcoin reserves into AI infrastructure investments.

According to a New York Times report, a commercial ship was attacked again in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday local time, and the U.S. subsequently launched a new round of strikes on Iranian targets. The escalating situation in the Middle East is likely to trigger renewed sharp fluctuations in international oil prices after Sunday’s market opening. Data shows that the average daily number of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz has dropped to 22, far lower than the pre-conflict level of over 130 per day. Brent crude oil closed this week near $76 per barrel, roughly 5% higher than levels before the conflict broke out. The report noted that Iran insists commercial ships use its designated shipping lanes, while some vessels that took routes near the Omani coast under U.S. military escort have remained targets of attacks. Analysts believe that although oil prices are still far below the near-$120 per barrel peak during the conflict, Iran has proven it still has the ability to influence the global energy market through the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.