SparkKitty malware has infiltrated Apple and Google’s app stores, and is specifically designed to steal cryptocurrency wallet mnemonic phrases.

Michael Saylor's @Strategy neither sold nor bought $BTC last week. #Strategy has neither bought nor sold $BTC for three consecutive weeks.

Payward, the parent company of crypto trading platform Kraken, announced the acquisition of Magic Labs' embedded wallet business. The transaction is structured as an asset purchase, with both parties remaining independent after completion. Magic Labs' wallet customers will migrate to Payward Services, while Magic Labs will officially rebrand as Newton Labs. Founded in 2018, Magic Labs has cumulatively created over 60 million wallets and provided embedded wallet services to more than 200,000 developers. Following the business spin-off, Newton Labs will focus on developing Newton Protocol, an on-chain financial authorization layer protocol. The protocol is set to launch its mainnet beta version in June 2026, designed to enforce compliance, security, identity verification, and risk control before transactions are recorded on the blockchain. Newton Labs stated that its first product built on Newton Protocol, VaultKit, will help institutional-grade custody solutions implement compliance and risk management prior to transaction settlement, with future expansion to cover real-world assets (RWAs), stablecoins, and AI agent commercial and financial scenarios. This acquisition marks the latest move by Payward to expand its financial infrastructure footprint. Earlier this May, Payward completed the acquisition of Bitnomial, a U.S. CFTC-licensed derivatives exchange, for up to $550 million, and also reached an agreement to acquire Hong Kong-based stablecoin payment firm Reap Technologies for $600 million. In 2025, it acquired retail futures trading platform NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion.

Following MicroStrategy's official sale of 3,588 BTC on July 6 to pay dividends on its digital credit securities, the firm has not added to its Bitcoin holdings for three consecutive weeks. However, over the same period, its U.S. dollar reserves have increased by $1.2 billion via activities including the sale of MSTR stock, bringing the company's current U.S. dollar reserves to $3.75 billion.

Bitcoin mining pool and crypto financial platform EMCD announced on July 27 the launch of its "Miner Support Program", which will provide up to $30 million in support to eligible miners, including financing, fee waivers, and preferential offers for hardware and infrastructure partnerships. The launch comes as the Bitcoin mining industry faces severe profitability pressure following the Bitcoin halving. According to CoinShares' Q1 2026 data, Bitcoin's hash price has dropped to approximately $28 per PH per day, a 50% decline from its October 2025 peak and the lowest level since the halving. Data from Hashrate Index shows that around 252 EH/s of computing power has exited the market due to declining profitability, with a large number of outdated mining rigs forced to shut down due to excessive operating costs. Meanwhile, three consecutive negative mining difficulty adjustments — the first such occurrence since July 2022 — signal the industry is undergoing a massive shakeout. EMCD stated that the support program will provide solutions tailored to the actual operational needs of mining companies, including offering collateralized liquidity support at an annual rate of 3.9% to miners facing financial pressure to help cover their operating costs; it will also launch a 60-day waiver of mining pool fees to reduce mining expenses. In addition, EMCD will offer discounts on Vnish firmware to miners using outdated or inefficient mining rigs, and provide equipment procurement and data center service support for miners looking to expand or migrate their computing power via its partner network. Founded in 2017, EMCD currently operates a Bitcoin mining pool covering over 120 markets, manages more than 30 EH/s of computing power, and ranks among the top 10 Bitcoin mining pools globally.

Tether announced that its gold-backed digital asset XAUT has obtained Shariah compliance certification from Amanah Advisors, providing a compliant digital gold investment channel for global Muslim users, Islamic banks, and institutional investors. Tether stated that the certification confirms XAUT aligns with core principles of Islamic finance, enabling users to hold physical gold digitally via blockchain infrastructure. Each XAUT token represents direct ownership of physical gold stored in Swiss vaults, with no interest (riba), leverage, or speculative derivatives included in its structure. Amanah Advisors verified that XAUT issuer TG Commodities, S.A. de C.V. meets Islamic finance requirements, including: actual ownership of physical gold; transparent and verifiable asset reserves; no interest mechanism; no leverage or speculative derivatives; and a transparent reserve structure. Tether noted that gold has long played a key role in the Islamic financial system, and XAUT aims to bridge traditional gold value with blockchain technology to enhance global accessibility of digital gold. The certification is expected to drive XAUT adoption in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, South Asia, parts of Africa, and global Islamic financial hubs, including digital gold services from Islamic banks, Shariah-compliant savings products, asset preservation solutions, and institutional-grade gold allocations.

Strategy did not increase its Bitcoin holdings last week, with its U.S. dollar reserves rising to $3.75 billion, an increase of $525 million.