The popular AI framework Virtuals Protocol will host an in-person meet-up in Hong Kong on Friday, January 17.

June 21: Per HyperInsight’s monitoring, the largest ETH short position on Hyperliquid—held by the Ethereum address "pension-usdt.eth"—grew by $8.78 million, pushing its total short position to roughly $85 million. The position was opened at a price of $1734.41, with a set liquidation price of $2435.

June 21st: Sources disclosed that the United States and Iran are set to kick off the second round of negotiations in Switzerland.

June 21 – The first round of Iran-U.S. negotiations held in Switzerland has concluded, with Iranian sources noting the 80-minute session was temporarily paused for a break and internal consultations. Mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, the talks did not touch on Iran’s nuclear program in this round. Instead, they focused on implementing Article 13 of the Memorandum of Understanding and addressing priority issues related to Lebanon, according to reports from state media CCTV News.

June 21, a source close to the negotiating team said the first round of U.S.-Iran talks held in Switzerland has concluded.

June 21 — Tonya M. Evans, a Forbes columnist and cryptocurrency law and policy expert, pointed out that as the 2026 primary season heats up, political donations from the crypto industry are flowing into Democratic primary campaigns at an unprecedented scale. A targeted strategy focused on Black voting districts has sparked controversy over a practice critics have dubbed "Blackwashing." Protect Progress, a Democratic-aligned group under the Fairshake Network, which is funded by Coinbase, Ripple, and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), has spent more than $4.9 million to support Maryland House candidate Adrian Boafo in the majority-Black 5th Congressional District. Ads running in the district only touch on restricting ICE enforcement, opposing former President Trump, and addressing cost-of-living issues — with no mention of cryptocurrency whatsoever. Former MSNBC host Joy Reid publicly labeled this tactic "Blackwashing" on her show: a strategy where the crypto industry cloaks itself in progress

June 21 — Tech companies are reshaping the global investment landscape, with the information technology (IT) sector now comprising roughly 38% of the MSCI USA Index. This benchmark tracks mid- and large-cap U.S. stocks, covering around 85% of the total U.S. market capitalization. That share has jumped a notable 15 percentage points over the past four years. The IT sector also makes up approximately 44% of the MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Index, which includes mid- and large-cap stocks from 24 emerging market nations, representing about 85% of each country’s local market capitalization. Since 2022, the technology sector’s weight in this index has more than doubled. Over the same period, the IT sector’s portion of U.S. investment-grade bond issuance has surged more than three times its prior level, hitting a record high of roughly 20%. The current market reality? Tech is everything.