Data: Web3 social application Towns has over 400,000 total users, with over 200,000 token holders

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) recently posted on social media that artificial intelligence (AI) and Bitcoin (BTC) serve distinct functions: AI drives productivity gains, while Bitcoin is used to hedge against inflation and preserve wealth. CZ stated, “AI is great, but it can’t protect you from inflation—Bitcoin can.” He noted that markets often view AI and Bitcoin as two top investment themes, but they are fundamentally different: AI is a technology that boosts corporate efficiency and economic productivity, while Bitcoin is a digital asset with a fixed supply. He pointed out that the AI industry is growing rapidly, with global companies pouring billions of dollars into infrastructure such as AI software, data centers, and chips, driving transformations across sectors including healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. However, AI companies can issue additional shares to raise capital for expansion, so their investment value depends on corporate performance and market competition. In contrast, Bitcoin has a fixed total supply of 21 million coins, making it an undilutable scarce asset for holders. CZ believes this feature gives Bitcoin long-term value storage properties, acting as a hedge when fiat currency purchasing power declines due to inflation. CZ has previously noted that the AI boom could draw some capital away from the Bitcoin market. As AI firms like OpenAI and Anthropic attract more investor attention, some investors may sell other assets to allocate to AI-related investments. However, CZ argues that AI and Bitcoin are not competitive—they should be viewed as complementary assets: AI drives technological advancement and productivity gains, while Bitcoin offers a store of value unaffected by supply expansion.

According to market data from BIT (bit.com), shares of Bitcoin mining firm IREN rose roughly 15.7% on Monday, after the company announced an upward revision to its AI cloud business revenue target, projecting its annualized AI cloud revenue run rate will exceed $40 billion by year-end. IREN said it recently signed a multi-year cloud services contract worth $2.8 billion with an AI developer, with approximately 85% of its new AI cloud revenue target already secured by contracts, including clients such as Microsoft, NVIDIA, Perplexity, and Figure AI. Boosted by IREN’s news, the CoinShares Bitcoin Mining ETF (WGMI) gained around 9.6% on Monday, with other mining stocks also moving higher. IREN is currently the ETF’s fourth-largest holding, making up roughly 10.05% of its portfolio. IREN Co-CEO Daniel Roberts stated the company plans to deliver 480MW of AI cloud computing capacity by 2026, a massive jump from the roughly 3MW it had in 2025, and aims to reach 1.2GW of capacity by 2027. The firm noted that demand from hyperscale cloud providers, enterprise clients, and AI developers continues to outstrip its existing and planned computing capacity. Recent client agreements also include advance payment arrangements, which cover around 45% of GPU capital expenditures, easing the financial pressure of expanding AI infrastructure. Earlier, Bernstein predicted in April that as IREN shifts its Bitcoin mining infrastructure to AI computing, its AI cloud business will become its primary revenue source. This trend also reflects a growing number of Bitcoin mining companies transitioning to AI data centers and high-performance computing (HPC) sectors.

The Vietnamese government has issued Decree No. 284/2026/N?-CP, establishing an administrative penalty framework for unlicensed cryptocurrency trading activities and paving the way for the upcoming regulated crypto market. Under the new rules, investors trading cryptocurrencies via unlicensed platforms face a maximum fine of 50 million Vietnamese dong (approximately $1,900); unauthorized issuance of crypto assets and serious violations of anti-money laundering (AML) regulations carry a maximum penalty of 200 million VND (around $7,700). The decree also grants regulators the authority to suspend crypto-related businesses, revoke licenses, and seize relevant assets, with the rules set to take effect on September 1. Earlier this January, Vietnam opened applications for domestic cryptocurrency exchange licenses. Nguyen Duc Chi, Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Finance, stated in May that the country’s regulated crypto market is expected to launch in the third quarter of this year. According to Chainalysis data, Vietnam ranked fourth in the 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index; the firm estimates that Vietnamese traders executed digital asset transactions worth over $220 billion between July 2024 and June 2025.

According to a report from Axios, a senior Israeli official said that the Israel Defense Forces will withdraw from the pilot area in southern Lebanon on local time Tuesday.

Crypto KOL Ansem posted that although the current market is still in a correction phase, this cycle has multiple conditions that can drive large-scale retail participation. Ansem noted that Solana is currently down around 75% from its all-time high, while Bitcoin is roughly 50% off its peak. However, the industry’s infrastructure and user experience have improved significantly compared to the previous cycle, including more mature mobile trading experiences, easier cross-chain functions, and lower entry barriers for new users. He added that in this cycle, more high-quality developers are building projects via a combination of tokens and equity, while institutions’ interest in Real World Assets (RWA), regulatory frameworks related to the Clarity Act, and crypto initiatives from traditional tech firms like Stripe and Robinhood is growing. Ansem believes the surge in AI stocks over the past few years, along with wealth-creation cases from meme coins in crypto, is boosting the market’s focus on short-term trading opportunities. Some meme coins have previously grown from scratch to reach hundreds of billions in market cap, while current popular meme projects remain at relatively low circulating market cap stages. He pointed out that with the development of perpetual contracts, institutional-grade trading products, and the trading ecosystem for meme coins and small-cap tokens, this cycle could attract both institutional investors and risk-seeking retail participants. Ansem said that if teams can successfully advance their mobile app rollouts, it will further draw new users who previously stayed out of crypto due to operational complexity, pushing this cycle to become one of the largest in terms of retail participation.

Russia’s State Duma is scheduled to hold the second and third readings of its cryptocurrency bill this Tuesday. The legislation, numbered 1194918-8 and titled the “Digital Currency and Digital Rights Law”, will see its core provisions take effect on September 1 if passed. The bill aims to establish a clear legal framework for crypto activities in Russia, focusing on investor limits, transaction regulation, and the use of digital assets in cross-border trade. Under the draft, non-qualified investors face an annual cap of 300,000 rubles (around $3,800) for crypto purchases via a single intermediary, with a cross-border transfer limit of 100,000 rubles. Qualified investors will have higher thresholds: 3 million rubles annually for purchases, and a 1 million ruble cross-border transfer cap. Crypto trading platforms and related intermediaries will be required to verify investor identities, monitor purchase volumes and cross-border transfers, and enforce tiered limits based on investor classification. Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the State Duma’s Financial Market Committee, stated that the bill will create legal conditions for businesses to use crypto assets for trade settlements, allowing relevant enterprises to utilize digital assets “without excessive legal restrictions”. Analysts note that Russia’s regulatory approach here is not opening the crypto market, but bringing crypto assets under state control via investment limits and intermediary oversight. The policy may boost crypto asset adoption in cross-border trade, payment infrastructure and institutional investment, though enterprises will still face challenges including sanctions risks, liquidity concerns, tax obligations and compliance issues.