Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared that the nation can survive without involvement with the US after Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports. Lula further asserted that they will look for other trade partners. During a live interview with Record TV, the Brazilian leader highlighted that they must find new partners to sell their products. He then made known the role the US had been playing in their economy. He says Brazil’s trade with the US only makes up 1.7% of their GDP, asserting they can manage this without the US. He also reiterated remarks made at the recent BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, where he called for a global shift away from the US dollar in international trade. Lula urged fellow world leaders to explore alternatives to the greenback to reduce dependency in global commerce. Lula condemns Trump’s trade strategy In a letter on Wednesday , July 9, US President Donald Trump threatened Brazil and warned of a 50% tax on all its imports. The maneuver, he said, was retaliation for the continued legal problems of Jair Bolsonaro, a Military officer and former President of Brazil. Additionally, the US levies — above the 10% first announced in April — came after the BRICS emerging market nations’ summit. The event had seen Lula and other leaders speaking out against tariffs and military actions in Iran, even though they did not directly mention Trump. Lula had promised to respond by taking his own actions. His government and supporters backed him and accused Trump of meddling in Brazilian business through quick public relations efforts. Notably, the US is Brazil’s second biggest trading partner after China. Economists believe a 50% tariff could cause a 1% decline in Brazil’s economy. Trump finds himself in trouble with the new tariff threats on Brazil President Trump’s tariff threat has subjected the conception of his power to a serious court test. After the US president sent a letter stating that the tariff was largely a response to Brazil’s treatment of its ex-president, he invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to justify imposing retaliatory tariffs on select foreign threats, a White House official confirmed. The administration’s invocation of IEEPA in this context has not gone unchallenged, and a case challenging Trump’s reciprocal tariffs is now before a federal appeals court. Trump’s legal team defended his actions in court, saying that using the IEEPA was legal and meant to fix numerous national emergencies, including America’s increasing trade deficit. US senators criticize Trump’s tariff policy on Brazil, calling it a “new job-killing tariff” Some contend that the 50% tariff on Brazilian imports wouldn’t directly affect the ongoing lawsuit for Trump. Still, others caution that his hostile trade maneuvers could hurt the administration’s credibility. Tim Kaine, a junior United States senator from Virginia, commented on the situation. Kaine stated that Trump’s letter about the tariff on Brazil is an abuse of power on a whole new level. He then promised to use every option available to stop these new job-killing tariffs. Ron Wyden, a senior United States senator from Oregon, also criticized Trump’s action. Wyden accused Trump of trying to harm the economy to settle his personal grudges, which, according to him, go beyond his legal power. Your crypto news deserves attention - KEY Difference Wire puts you on 250+ top sites
Ethereum price started a fresh increase above the $2,800 zone. ETH is now consolidating gains and might aim for a fresh move above $3,000. Ethereum started a fresh increase above the $2,850 level. The price is trading above $2,840 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. There is a key bullish trend line forming with support at $2,885 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD (data feed via Kraken). The pair could start a fresh increase if it remains supported above the $2,840 zone in the near term. Ethereum Price Rallies Above $2,880 Ethereum price started a fresh increase above the $2,750 zone, like Bitcoin . ETH price gained pace for a move above the $2,800 resistance zone and entered a positive zone. The bulls even pumped the price above $2,880. Finally, it tested the $3,000 zone. A high was formed at $3,000 and the price is now consolidating gains. It is stable above the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $2,515 swing low to the $3,000 high. Ethereum price is now trading above $2,880 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average . Besides, there is a key bullish trend line forming with support at $2,885 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD. On the upside, the price could face resistance near the $2,980 level. The next key resistance is near the $3,000 level. The first major resistance is near the $3,040 level. A clear move above the $3,040 resistance might send the price toward the $3,120 resistance. An upside break above the $3,120 resistance might call for more gains in the coming sessions. In the stated case, Ether could rise toward the $3,200 resistance zone or even $3,220 in the near term. Are Downsides Limited In ETH? If Ethereum fails to clear the $3,000 resistance, it could start a downside correction. Initial support on the downside is near the $2,920 level. The first major support sits near the $2,880 zone and the trend line. A clear move below the $2,880 support might push the price toward the $2,750 support or the 50% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $2,515 swing low to the $3,000 high. Any more losses might send the price toward the $2,720 support level in the near term. The next key support sits at $2,650. Technical Indicators Hourly MACD – The MACD for ETH/USD is gaining momentum in the bullish zone. Hourly RSI – The RSI for ETH/USD is now above the 50 zone. Major Support Level – $2,880 Major Resistance Level – $3,000
NRW.BANK, a German state-owned development bank, has issued a €100 million ($116.7 million) blockchain-based bond on the Polygon network, marking a major public-sector step into digital securities. The bond, with a two-year maturity, was issued under Germany’s Electronic Securities Act (eWpG). This legislation enables the issuance and registration of bonds entirely on blockchain networks, eliminating the need for physical certificates. Cashlink Registers Regulated Bond on Polygon as eWpG Law Fuels DLT Adoption The German bank used the infrastructure of Cashlink Technologies, a BaFin-licensed crypto securities registrar, to register the bond, with Polygon serving as the underlying blockchain. NRWBANK, Germany’s largest regional development bank, has tokenized its first fully digital bond, with support from leading financial institutions like @DeutscheBank , @dzbank , and @DekaBank . Polygon will serve as the rails for the EUR 100 million bond, registered via Cashlink as… pic.twitter.com/37jqqQpz8F — Polygon (@0xPolygon) July 10, 2025 According to the report, institutional investors such as Deutsche Bank, DZ BANK, and DekaBank took part in the offering, acting as joint lead managers. “This is more than a technical milestone. It’s a signal that public financial institutions are ready to move beyond blockchain pilots and start integrating these systems at scale,” said Michael Duttlinger, CEO of Cashlink. The bond marks the first time NRW.BANK has made a fully digital issuance of this kind, further reflecting growing confidence in blockchain for regulated capital markets. Notably, Germany’s eWpG law, introduced in 2021, has created a clear legal path for the use of distributed ledger technology in securities. This has helped attract banks and public institutions toward tokenized finance. While still small in size compared to the traditional bond market, digital bond activity is accelerating. Polygon’s involvement in the issuance also comes at a time when the network is preparing for a major technical upgrade. The Polygon Foundation is set to deploy Heimdall 2.0 , a new consensus layer for its proof-of-stake blockchain. Scheduled to go live on Thursday, the upgrade seeks to reduce finality time to just five seconds and enhance network resilience by minimizing the likelihood of chain reorganizations. “This is the most technically complex hard fork Polygon PoS has seen since its launch in 2020,” wrote Sandeep Nailwal, CEO of the Polygon Foundation, on X. Shipping Announcement! We’ve been on a shipping spree—and next up is Polygon PoS’s consensus layer, Heimdall v2, landing 10 July 2025. This is the most technically complex hard-fork Polygon PoS has seen since it's launch in 2020 What’s changing? 1. Heimdall sheds all… — Sandeep | CEO, Polygon Foundation (※,※) (@sandeepnailwal) July 8, 2025 He added that the upgrade would reduce the finality time to around five seconds and decrease the risk of chain reorganizations. The coincidence of the bond issuance and the Polygon upgrade indicates the growing maturity of the blockchain infrastructure underpinning tokenized finance. Digital bonds offer advantages such as real-time tracking, faster settlement, and reduced administrative overhead, which are now attracting public-sector issuers. Germany Advances Digital Bond Push as Banks and Industrials Embrace Blockchain Germany is quickly emerging as a hub for regulated blockchain finance. Recent digital bond issuances by major institutions, including DZ BANK, DekaBank, Commerzbank, NRW.BANK, KfW, and Siemens, indicate the country’s accelerating adoption of tokenized securities, enabled by its 2021 Electronic Securities Act (eWpG). Earlier this month, KfW, Germany’s state-owned development bank, issued a CHF 140 million digital bond via the SIX Digital Exchange (SDX) in Switzerland. Beyond banking, German industrial giant Siemens also entered the digital securities space. In February 2023, Siemens issued its first digital bond, worth €60 million ($64 million), on Polygon’s public mainnet. Beyond digital bonds, Germany’s traditional banking sector is deepening its engagement with crypto. Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, the nation’s largest banking group with over 50 million customers, seeks to introduce crypto trading services to its customers by mid-2026. The move will be coordinated through Dekabank, a financial institution owned by Sparkassen, and will allow retail clients to buy and sell Bitcoin and Ether directly within the group’s mobile banking app. The German Savings Banks Association confirmed the development, framing it as a response to the recently implemented EU Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. According to the group, the goal is to offer customers “reliable access to a regulated crypto offering.” Sparkassen joins a growing list of German banks moving toward crypto adoption; for example, DZ Bank, the country’s second-largest lender , began testing trading and custody services for digital assets in 2023 through a partnership with Boerse Stuttgart Digital. Similarly, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg announced plans earlier this year to launch crypto custody services for institutional clients in collaboration with Austrian exchange Bitpanda. Meanwhile, Polygon continues its strategic pivot. Following the May 24 resignation of co-founder Mihailo Bjelic , leadership has been consolidated under Sandeep Nailwal, now acting as CEO of the Polygon Foundation. BIG update – As the largest holder of POL and someone who dedicated his life to development and success of @0xPolygon from the very beginning, I have decided to take full control of Polygon Foundation and will be its CEO going forward. Polygon Foundation owns and oversees… — Sandeep | CEO, Polygon Foundation (※,※) (@sandeepnailwal) June 11, 2025 Under Nailwal, Polygon seeks to sunset its underperforming zkEVM chain and refocus on core verticals, including real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, stablecoin payments, and its proof-of-stake (PoS) chain. Despite a drop in market cap, from $20 billion at its peak to $1.7 billion, Polygon remains a key player in tokenization. Incredible. Arbitrum and @0xPolygon together account for 83% of the entire tokenized global bond market Source: @RWA_xyz pic.twitter.com/IDbzeKhiwi — Peter ( , , ) (@p_petertherock) July 10, 2025 According to rwa.xyz , the network ranks 6th in total RWA value, with over $343 million in assets across 254 tokenized instruments. It also captures 37.7% of the entire tokenized bond market, signaling its continued relevance in institutional blockchain infrastructure. The post German State Bank Issues €100M Bond on Polygon – Is TradFi Finally Embracing Crypto? appeared first on Cryptonews .
On July 11, Ethereum-related investment vehicles experienced significant capital inflows, as reported by farside monitoring. The FETH fund recorded a substantial net inflow of $37.3 million, highlighting increased investor confidence
Open Interest and liquidations data had some interesting observations for Bitcoin's price performance.
The Royal Government of Bhutan has transferred a significant portion of its Bitcoin holdings to Binance, raising speculation about potential asset offloading during a high point in the market. According to data from blockchain analytics platform Arkham, Bhutan moved 212.31 BTC, worth roughly over $23 million, to a Binance deposit address early Thursday, just hours after Bitcoin briefly surpassed its previous all-time high. Strategic Transfers and Onchain Footprints This is not the first such transaction from the Himalayan kingdom. Arkham data reveals that this latest transfer comes just one week after Bhutan deposited 136.99 BTC (valued at over $14 million) to the same exchange. The frequency and timing of these transactions have drawn attention, particularly as they appear to coincide with Bitcoin’s price peaks. Notably, a similar deposit worth $33 million was made in November 2024 when Bitcoin was approaching the $100,000 mark. Although Bhutan has not made a public statement explaining these movements, onchain analysts often interpret large deposits to centralized exchanges as a precursor to potential sales . These transactions continue a pattern of activity suggesting that the country may be using market rallies as opportunities to liquidate portions of its digital asset holdings. As of now, Bhutan retains approximately 11,711 BTC, valued at over $1.2 billion, making up about 40% of its gross domestic product, according to Arkham data. Its only other notable cryptocurrency holding is 656 ETH (roughly $1.8 million), some of which was transferred to Binance in May. The assets are managed through Druk Holding & Investments, the country’s state-owned investment firm. This centralized oversight has allowed Bhutan to quietly build a sizable digital asset portfolio over the past few years. In fact, Bhutan now ranks as the sixth-largest known nation-state holder of Bitcoin. It follows the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and North Korea, according to public data aggregated by Bitcoin Treasuries. Hydropower, Bitcoin Mining, and Self-Sustained Reserves Unlike several other countries that have accumulated Bitcoin via asset seizures and legal enforcement actions, Bhutan appears to have taken a different route . According to blockchain data and transaction patterns, the country has mined much of its BTC directly, reportedly through mining pool services like Ant Pool. Bhutan’s mining operations are believed to make use of its supply of hydroelectric energy, offering a relatively low-cost and environmentally sustainable means of acquiring Bitcoin. This mining-centric approach aligns with Bhutan’s broader economic strategy of using renewable energy to drive digital innovation. By converting its hydroelectric surplus into Bitcoin, Bhutan is capitalizing on a clean energy advantage in a space often criticized for its environmental footprint. Featured image created with DALL-E, Chart from TradingView
Robinhood has officially launched Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) staking services for U.S. users, enabling participation with as little as $1 in assets. This move aims to democratize access to
From July 14 to 18, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on three major digital asset bills—collectively dubbed “Crypto Week”— in a historic moment for the US
On July 11, Trend Research, a subsidiary of LD Capital, strategically acquired 182,000 ETH at an average cost near $2,250, as reported by EmberCN monitoring. This significant accumulation reflects a
Ethereum’s volatile journey since February highlights the impact of geopolitical events and market sentiment on its price fluctuations. Despite a sharp 37% plunge following Eric Trump’s bullish endorsement, Ethereum has