Crypto Market Fear Subsides Significantly, Today's Fear and Greed Index at 45

Fintech firm and crypto-friendly bank Revolut has secured a French banking license, marking its second full banking license in the European Union after Lithuania. The license was jointly reviewed by France’s Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (ACPR) and the European Central Bank (ECB), and approved by the ECB’s Governing Council. With the license, Revolut Bank S.A. will be able to offer a broader range of banking services in France, including loans, mortgages, and regulated savings products. France is one of Revolut’s largest Western European markets. Previously, the company operated in France primarily under its Lithuanian banking license, offering only payments and basic financial services. Following the approval, Revolut will gradually migrate its French operations to the new French banking entity, with plans to subsequently expand to Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. Revolut noted that it has invested over €1 billion in Western Europe over the past several years, created more than 600 local jobs, and plans to set up its Western Europe headquarters in Paris by 2027. However, the license comes with regulatory conditions. Reports suggest the ECB may impose restrictions on new products for Revolut’s French operations, similar to the measures previously applied to its Lithuanian unit, which could delay the launch of loans and savings products. So far this year, Revolut has continued its global regulatory expansion drive. The firm obtained a full banking license in the UK in March 2026, and another full banking license in Australia in July. Currently, Revolut operates across 40 markets, with its valuation rising to $115 billion after secondary stock transactions in 2026.

According to BIT (Bit.com) market data, U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Monday, as investors focused on progress in U.S.-Iran talks over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and upcoming inflation data due this week. As of press time, S&P 500 futures rose roughly 0.1%, Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.2%, and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell about 71 points, or 0.1%. Iran said it is close to reaching an agreement with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but Tehran still refuses to resume direct talks with the U.S. until relevant conditions are met. Last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent said a deal could be imminent, but Trump later stated the U.S. is currently only in a "semi-negotiation" phase and wants to keep applying economic pressure on Iran. Markets are also closely watching this week’s U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) data to gauge the Federal Reserve’s future interest rate path. The unexpectedly contracted July non-farm payrolls data pushed markets to scale back expectations of Fed rate hikes. CME Group’s FedWatch data shows traders currently assign a roughly 44% probability of a Fed rate hike in September, down from 67% a week earlier. All three major U.S. stock indexes notched their best weekly performance since April last week, with the S&P 500 hitting a record closing high. Most Asian markets rose on Monday, with the Nikkei 225 up 2.1%, the Hang Seng Index gaining 1%, and South Korea’s KOSPI advancing 0.65%. European stock markets opened flat, as investors continued to assess the impact of the Strait of Hormuz situation on energy markets and the global economy. WTI crude oil rose roughly 1% in early trading.

According to an official announcement from Unitree Robotics, after the share reallocation mechanism was triggered, the final offline issuance volume reached 22.650148 million shares, accounting for roughly 70.00% of the total issuance after deducting final strategic placements. The final online issuance volume stood at 9.707 million shares, making up around 30.00% of the adjusted issuance base. The final online subscription rate after the mechanism was activated was 0.01809759%. Earlier reports stated that Unitree’s IPO price was set at 150.8 yuan per share, with a total of 40.4464 million shares issued, accounting for 10% of the company’s total share capital post-issuance. The fundraising amounted to approximately 6.099 billion yuan, 45.15% higher than the original planned 4.202 billion yuan. It took only 73 days from the acceptance of its IPO application on March 20 to gaining approval, marking the fastest such record this year.

According to market sources, tech and cloud services firm Cloudflare announced plans to issue $2.175 billion in aggregate convertible senior notes via private placement, consisting of $1.5 billion in principal of notes maturing in 2031, plus an additional $750 million in principal via an overallotment option. The company said proceeds from the offering will be used for general corporate purposes. The notes will be unsecured debt convertible into Cloudflare common stock, with specific conversion terms, interest rates and conversion prices to be determined at pricing. BlockBeats previously reported that on August 8, ARK Invest Research Director Lorenzo Valente noted the crypto community may have missed the most important earnings call of the week: Cloudflare’s results call. While the market focused on Cloudflare’s wallet-related news, what truly merits attention is the company’s management’s assessment of shifts in internet infrastructure amid the AI Agents era. Lorenzo pointed out that Cloudflare currently handles roughly 20% of global internet traffic, and data disclosed by the firm shows AI Agent requests have surged 1,700% year-over-year, with AI Agent traffic accounting for over 50% of total network traffic this quarter—marking the first time in internet history that non-human traffic has become the primary source of traffic. He argued AI Agents will completely transform the current internet business model. Traditional software service models relying on advertising and subscriptions do not apply to agent access scenarios, as AI Agents do not browse ads like human users. Going forward, Cloudflare may establish a new internet value settlement layer by charging extremely low micropayment fees for legitimate AI Agent requests.

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is pushing to use artificial intelligence (AI) to revamp the central bank’s economic analysis and policy decision-making framework. However, amid persistent inflationary pressures, the Federal Reserve will still rely on traditional interest rate tools to stabilize prices in the short term. According to reports, Warsh aims to cut the Fed’s reliance on lagging economic data and traditional surveys through AI, leveraging real-time data from retailers, banks and other entities to more quickly track shifts in economic growth and inflation. He has previously developed two AI models dubbed "Milton" and "Tobin" for analyzing modern economic issues. Since taking office, Warsh has pushed for the expansion of AI applications within the Federal Reserve, with dozens of staff currently exploring AI’s role in data analysis and economic forecasting via a test environment. He is also considering adjusting the Fed’s operating mechanisms, including cutting the number of annual monetary policy meetings, to boost decision-making efficiency. However, there are lingering divisions in the market over Warsh’s reforms. Following his July 29 press conference, U.S. stock and bond markets fluctuated, with some investors questioning his stance on curbing inflation. Analysts note that while AI could enhance the Fed’s long-term decision-making capabilities, the central bank’s policy framework will not undergo fundamental changes due to technological shifts in the short run. Markets expect the Fed under Warsh’s leadership to keep advancing AI and institutional reforms, but interest rate policy will remain the primary policy tool until inflation returns to the 2% target.

Jefferies downgraded Apple’s stock rating from "Hold" to "Underperform" and cut its price target for the company from $285.56 to $263.66. According to market data from BIT (bit.com), Apple (AAPL.O) fell 1.3% in pre-market trading.