the German government has indeed been selling millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin (BTC) from a confiscated wallet. This selling spree has contributed to the lack of catalysts for a price recovery in the cryptocurrency market 

 Bitcoin's blockchain bandwidth usage has surpassed 90% since the halving event in April 2024 . This increase in network activity is attributed to the adoption of new token standards, such as BRC-20 tokens, and the rise in transaction volume . The halving event, which occurs approximately every four years, reduces the block rewards for miners by 50% and can lead to heightened on-chain activity 

 Real-world assets are physical or tangible assets that are tokenized and represented on the blockchain. Tokenization involves creating digital representations of these assets, which can include real estate properties, commodities, loans, artistic creations, and even government bonds like US Treasuries 

 Standard Chartered Bank, a leading global financial institution headquartered in the United Kingdom, is reportedly preparing to launch a dedicated trading desk for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) spot trading services. This move would make Standard Chartered one of the first major banks to enter the spot crypto trading market 

 The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Nigeria has recently updated its guidelines for crypto service providers in an effort to prevent criminal activity and protect the capital markets . This move comes in the wake of a dispute involving Binance, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, and the Nigerian government. 

 Consensys, a leading blockchain development firm, has requested a delay in the implementation of new cryptocurrency reporting regulations proposed by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) . In a letter sent to the IRS, Consensys expressed concerns about the potential impact of the proposed regulations on self-custody wallet providers and the broader industry 

 The trading desk is expected to operate under the bank's foreign exchange (FX) trading unit and be based in London, United Kingdom. While Standard Chartered has neither confirmed nor denied the reports, the bank has acknowledged the growing demand from its institutional clients to trade Bitcoin and Ethereum. They have been working closely with regulators to support this demand and align with their strategy to cater to clients across the wider digital asset ecosystem 

 Amazon is reportedly considering introducing a monthly fee for its Alexa service as part of a major revamp. The company is planning to enhance the service with a conversational generative AI and offer two tiers of service. The proposed monthly fee is estimated to be around $5 to access the superior version of Alexa. 

 multiple artificial intelligence (AI) companies are bypassing a common web standard used by publishers to prevent the scraping of their content for use in generative AI systems. Content licensing startup TollBit has informed publishers about this issue in a letter, although the specific AI companies and affected publishers are not named. 

 Italy is planning to introduce measures to strengthen oversight and regulation of cryptoassets, according to a draft decree reviewed by Reuters. The proposed regulations aim to address the risks associated with cryptocurrencies and include high fines for market manipulation. The scheme aligns with the framework established by a European regulation and designates Italy's central bank and market watchdog 

 Travis Kling, the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Ikigai Asset Management, has shared his insights on the current state of Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem. He described the situation as being on the verge of cannibalism, with Bitcoin being approximately 10% off its all-time highs. Kling's analysis delves into the interplay of macroeconomic factors, ETF flows, and internal market dynamics that are shaping the cryptocurrency markets 

 The Biden administration has announced plans to ban the sale of Kaspersky antivirus software in the United States due to concerns over its ties to Russia . The decision is based on national security concerns and the potential risks posed by the Russian government's influence over the company. 

 Nvidia has lost its top spot to Microsoft after experiencing a 3% drop in its shares. Nvidia's market capitalization, which had surpassed that of Microsoft, was set to lose around $91 billion, bringing its market value to $3.34 trillion. Meanwhile, Microsoft's market value also slipped to $3.30 trillion, with its shares down 0.4% at $444.8 in afternoon trading. Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple are currently in a three-way race to become the world's most valuable company 

 Marathon Digital Holdings, a prominent Bitcoin miner, has introduced Anduro, a multi-chain layer-2 network built on Bitcoin. Anduro aims to address scalability challenges faced by blockchain developers and enhance the utility of Bitcoin as a programmable network 

 VanEck, a prominent asset management firm, has launched its spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), which is the largest stock exchange in Australia. The VanEck Bitcoin ETF (VBTC) debuted on the ASX, accounting for 90% of the country's equity market. The ETF allows investors to gain exposure to Bitcoin without directly holding thecryptocurrency, simplifying the investment process and opening up opportunities 

 Anthropic, a startup backed by Google and Amazon.com, has recently released an updated artificial intelligence (AI) model called Claude 3.5 Sonnet. This launch comes three months after the rollout of Anthropic's previous AI model, Claude 3. The latest system, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, offers several improvements over its predecessor. It scores higher on benchmark exams, runs about twice as fast, and is priced at a fifth of the cost for software developers 

 The approval of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has had a significant impact on the crypto industry, providing investors with a sense of legitimacy and offering new avenues for investment. The approval of the first U.S.-based spot Bitcoin ETFs in January has resulted in the launch of regulated, publicly traded Bitcoin-based investment vehicles, which has been well-received by investors 

 MicroStrategy, one of the world's largest public holders of Bitcoin, has recently completed an $800 million convertible note offering to acquire more Bitcoin and for general corporate purposes . The offering consisted of 2.25% convertible senior notes due in 2032 . The company intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of the notes to acquire additional Bitcoin and for general corporate purposes 

 including CNN Politics and WICZ, Ukraine has been prioritized by the Biden administration to receive critical air defense capabilities from the United States. This decision comes as Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, and the US aims to support Ukraine's defense efforts against Russian aggression 

 Recent reports indicate that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has officially closed its investigation into whether Ethereum (ETH) is a security. This decision came as a surprise to the crypto industry, as the SEC had previously been scrutinizing Ethereum under the leadership of Chairman Gensler 

 Allaire points out that major payment companies are actively using stablecoin technology and exploring ways to expand its usage. As the benefits of public chains and stablecoins become more apparent, these companies are likely to further embrace and integrate stablecoins into their operations 

 Dell Technologies and Super Micro Computer will be providing server racks for the supercomputer being built by Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup, xAI. This information was shared by Musk on a social media platform. Dell is responsible for assembling half of the racks for the supercomputer, while Super Micro will be the second partner involved in the project 

 PayPal has hired Srini Venkatesan, a top tech executive from Walmart, as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to lead the company's efforts in artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology areas. This move is part of PayPal's strategy to leverage AI and enhance its tech infrastructure and services 

 The pound is treading cautiously ahead of the Bank of England (BoE) meeting, where interest rates are expected to remain unchanged. The pound is currently steady at $1.27125 in cautious trading but has seen a 0.2% decline in June 

 the United Kingdom is home to the largest number of generative AI (GenAI) startups in Europe and Israel. The study analyzed 221 GenAI startups and found that 30% of them were founded in the UK, followed by Germany at 14% and Israel at 13%. France accounted for 11% of the GenAI startups, while the Netherlands had 6% 

 Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has filed an appeal against a $4.3 million fine imposed by the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) in May. The fine was imposed on Binance for failing to comply with anti-money laundering (AML) and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) regulations 

 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made a visit to Ottawa on June 19, 2024, to receive the Louis St. Laurent Award and participate in the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence . The award is named after Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, who was a strong proponent of the NATO alliance 

 US spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced a fourth consecutive day of outflows, with a total of $152.42 million withdrawn on Tuesday . Fidelity's FBTC had the largest outflows, with a net outflow of $83 million, followed by Grayscale's GBTC with a net outflow of $62 million . Bitwise's BITB also saw approximately $7 million in net outflows 

 US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew also reiterated to Netanyahu that his comments were incorrect and provided a detailed account of the arms the US has transferred to Israel in recent months 

 A digital asset tokenization platform called Brickken, which is supported by Coinbase, has joined the European Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) Regulatory Sandbox. This program, initiated by the European Commission, aims to provide legal clarity for blockchain technologies and allows blockchain technology providers and regulators to collaborate in a secure environment 

 The BTC halving event reduced block rewards by 50% for miners, which can lead to decreased profitability and incentives to contribute to the blockchain's activity . As a result, the reduction in activity and potentially reduced miner profitability could be contributing factors to the decrease in block size. 

 Scientist.com has recently unveiled Elisa, an LLM-powered research assistant designed specifically for scientists in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries . Elisa is part of a suite of proprietary AI-powered apps created by Scientist.com to enhance and expedite drug research 

 a crypto wallet labeled "German Government (BKA)" by the crypto onchain analytics firm Arkham has been moving Bitcoin. The wallet held nearly 50,000 BTC since February 2024 and moved out 6,500 BTC on June 19, 2024. This movement has sparked curiosity among the community, leading many to believe that the German government is selling its BTC holdings 

 Bitmain has recently debuted its new Antminer S21 series of Bitcoin mining rigs. These mining rigs are known for their high hashpower and energy efficiency. The S21 series includes both air-cooled and hydro-cooled models, with the air-cooled model delivering up to 200 TH/s and the hydro-cooled model achieving up to 335 TH/s 

 CleanSpark Inc., a leading Bitcoin mining company, has recently announced the acquisition of five new Bitcoin mining facilities in Georgia. The acquisition will add 60 MW of infrastructure to CleanSpark's operations and is expected to significantly increase the company's operating hashrate 

 The United States is urging the Netherlands and Japan to further restrict China's ability to produce cutting-edge semiconductors by imposing restrictions on chipmaking equipment exports to China . This effort is part of an attempt to expand a 2023 agreement between the three countries to prevent China from acquiring chipmaking equipment that could be used to modernize its military 

 North Dakota has become the latest state in the United States to revoke the money transmitter license of Binance.US, the United States arm of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance. The North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) Commissioner, Lise Kruse, announced on June 17 that BAM Trading Services, operating as Binance.US, failed to comply with the state's money transmitter laws 

 Bitwise, an asset management firm, has recently amended its spot Ether exchange-traded fund (ETF) Form S-1 registration statement. The filing includes a potential $100 million investment in the ETF upon its trading launch. Pantera Capital Management, an investment firm, has expressed interest in purchasing up to $100 million worth of shares in the spot Ether ETF 

 Bitmain, a prominent name in the world of mining technology, has recently released several new products: AntSpace HW5, AntSpace MD5, and an upgraded version of the AntSpace HK3 containerized datacenter. 

 Snap, the owner of Snapchat, has recently launched new AI tools for advanced augmented reality (AR). These tools aim to enhance the user experience by providing more realistic special effects when using phone cameras to film oneself . Snap has been a pioneer in the field of AR, which overlays computerized effects onto photos or videos of the real world 

 The US budget deficit estimate for fiscal year 2024 is $1.9 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) . This represents an increase from the previous estimate and makes it the largest deficit outside the COVID-19 era 

 Nvidia has recently become the world's most valuable company, driven by the increasing demand for its chips in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) . The company's shares have experienced a significant surge, rising more than 170% this year and over 1,100% since their low in October 2022 

 Uphold, a crypto exchange headquartered in New York and a Ripple On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) partner, has announced plans to remove support for multiple stablecoins. The affected stablecoins include Tether (USDT), Dai (DAI), and Frax Protocol (FRAX). This move is in anticipation of the forthcoming Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulations set to take effect in the European Economic Area (EEA) on June 30, 2024 

 Coinbase has recently introduced pre-launch markets on its International Exchange and Coinbase Advanced platforms. These pre-launch markets allow eligible retail users to trade perpetual futures contracts on unreleased tokens, participating in price discovery for upcoming projects. Eligible institutional users can access this feature through Coinbase International Exchange, while retail traders can do so via Coinbase Advanced 

 Tanzania is not the only African country looking to tax cryptocurrencies. Kenya, for example, has plans to tax crypto trades by imposing a 3% deduction on the transfer or exchange value of digital assets  . It's worth noting that South Africa does not have an explicit rule on crypto taxation, but existing rules already cover the taxation of digital assets 

 The Antminer S21 XP Hyd is a newly launched mining rig designed for cryptocurrency mining operations. It offers impressive specifications and is manufactured by Bitmain, a well-known company in the mining industry.:
https://www.viperatech.com/product/bitmain-antminer-s21-hyd-335th/ 

 Fidelity's Director of Global Macro, Jurrien Timmer, Bitcoin is referred to as "exponential gold" and is seen as an emerging player on the "store of value" team. Timmer believes that Bitcoin's price is primarily driven by the growth in its network, which is influenced by its unique scarcity feature, as well as monetary and fiscal factors 

 Bitcoin Runes, a protocol for issuing fungible tokens on the Bitcoin network, has generated over 2,500 Bitcoin (BTC) worth of transaction fees in less than two months since its launch during the 2024 Bitcoin halving in April . This milestone indicates the growth of Bitcoin-native decentralized finance (DeFi) and the potential for significant revenue boosts for Bitcoin miners post-halving 

 The use of AI devices and technology in healthcare is becoming increasingly important as the aging population continues to grow. These technologies can support independent living and help meet the healthcare needs of older adults. Examples of such technologies include Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Ambient/Active Assisted Living (AAL) robots, and other forms of artificial intelligence 

 Adobe is facing a lawsuit filed by the U.S. government for allegedly "trapping" users in Photoshop subscriptions and engaging in deceptive practices. The Department of Justice (DOJ) claims that Adobe locks customers into a year-long agreement without effectively disclosing it and imposes hefty hidden fees when users try to cancel their subscriptions 

 A consortium of NATO allies has established a $1.1 billion innovation fund to invest in technologies related to artificial intelligence (AI), robots, and space tech. The fund aims to address challenges in defense, security, and resilience 

 The European markets are expected to have a fairly quiet session on Wednesday, with London closed for a holiday and little on the economic calendar to impact trading . However, developments in other regions could influence market sentiment.