[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | Circle to Launch Public Mainnet for Arc Blockchain Network on September 16 with Institutional Validators

Circle to Launch Public Mainnet for Arc Blockchain Network on September 16 with Institutional Validators

Circle will launch the public mainnet of Arc, an open blockchain network built for global financial markets, on September 16. According to Circle, Arc is currently operating as a private mainnet, with more than 100 institutions and ecosystem participants already involved. The genesis validators responsible for network security and governance include BlackRock, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), Galaxy, Global Payments, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Mastercard, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Corporation, and Visa. The validator set brings together asset managers, clearing institutions, card companies, remittance providers, and banks on a single network. BlackRock plans to deploy its institutional digital dollar liquidity fund, BUIDL, on Arc.

U.S. and U.K. Expand Digital Asset Regulatory Cooperation Covering Stablecoins and Tokenization

The United States and the United Kingdom have agreed to expand regulatory cooperation on digital assets, covering stablecoin regulation and tokenization. On August 4 local time, the two countries’ finance ministries released a joint statement disclosing the outcome of a financial regulatory working group meeting. The 13th U.S.-U.K. Financial Regulatory Working Group (FRWG) meeting was held in London on July 8. It was jointly chaired by the U.S. Treasury and HM Treasury, with participation from the Bank of England, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the U.S. Federal Reserve, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). During the meeting, the U.S. side explained the implementation status of the GENIUS Act, the stablecoin legislation, and the progress of work on digital asset market structure regulation. Topics discussed also included regulatory priorities related to tokenization, the U.K.’s digital strategy for wholesale financial markets, and the G20 cross-border payments roadmap. The statement did not include any binding new rules or implementation deadlines. Previously, on July 14, the two countries issued a joint stablecoin statement through the Transatlantic Taskforce for the Markets of the Future. It stated that stablecoins circulating like money should be backed at a minimum of 1:1 by high-quality liquid assets, with segregated reserves and timely redemption standards. The two sides also set out the principle of pursuing similar regulatory outcomes for similar risks and activities, while designing requirements within their respective legal frameworks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin Signs Cryptocurrency Regulation Bill

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a cryptocurrency regulation bill into law, according to Crypto Briefing. The outlet said the new law could reshape the global digital finance landscape. It added that the legislation could also affect international regulatory standards and cross-border cryptocurrency transactions. The date the law will take effect has not been confirmed.

On-Chain Analyst Says Large Holders of BTC, ETH, and XRP Show Accumulation Signals in Late Bear Market Stage

CryptoQuant said large holders of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP are showing accumulation behavior that may suggest the market has entered the late stage of a bear market. According to Odaily, CryptoQuant Head of Research Julio Moreno explained that the largest holder cohorts of BTC, ETH, and XRP have been increasing their holdings when prices approach or fall below realized price levels. CryptoQuant said these position changes could help reduce downside pressure and align with characteristics historically seen near the end of down cycles. However, the firm emphasized that a market bottom has not yet been confirmed and prices could still decline further. Bitcoin whale balances, excluding exchanges and mining pools, recovered to around 3.06 million BTC from a low of about 2.87 million BTC in December 2025. The figure does not include holdings by ETFs or digital asset treasury companies.

Ether ETF Under Purpose Investments Stakes 42,000 ETH Over the Past Three Hours

According to Odaily, citing Onchain Lens, an Ether ETF under Purpose Investments staked 42,000 ETH into the Ethereum beacon deposit contract over the past three hours. The staking amount is worth about $80 million and represents 36.6% of the ETF’s total holdings. The ETF’s total holdings were recorded at 114,900 ETH.

Proposal to Increase Solana Token Burn by 14x Passes First Vote

A proposal to increase the amount of Solana (SOL) token burns by 14 times has passed its first round of voting. However, one more hurdle remains before final approval. AMBCrypto reported that although the proposal received support in the initial vote, it must still pass one additional procedure before implementation is decided. As measures to reduce circulating supply are being discussed, bullish expectations around SOL’s long-term outlook have also grown. The timing of the remaining procedure has not been confirmed.

Uniswap Officially Launches Launchpad Service 'Pools'

Uniswap has officially launched its launchpad service, Pools. As of August 5, ahead of the official public rollout, more than 12,000 new tokens had already been distributed through Pools. According to data platform arbdata, Pools distributed more than 12,000 tokens on Robinhood on August 5. That was more than the combined number of new token distributions by competing services Flap and Pons during the same period. The cumulative number of new tokens distributed through Pools later exceeded 13,000. Uniswap founder Hayden previously posted on X celebrating that Pools had recorded $150 million in trading volume before its official launch.

Four New Bitcoin Wallets Receive 1,540 BTC from Galaxy Digital and BitGo Within Three Hours

Four newly created Bitcoin (BTC) wallets received 1,540 BTC from Galaxy Digital and BitGo within three hours. The transfers were worth $99.4 million. Odaily reported that all four recipient addresses were newly generated wallets. The 1,540 BTC was split into four transfers over the short three-hour window. Galaxy Digital is a firm that provides digital asset trading and financial services to institutions. BitGo is an institutional custody provider. The identity of the wallet owners and the purpose of the transfers have not been confirmed.

ARK Invest Buys Additional $17.29 Million Worth of Circle Shares

ARK Invest purchased an additional approximately $17.29 million worth of Circle (CRCL) shares. Foresight News reported that ARK Invest made the purchase on August 5 local time. Circle is the issuer of the dollar-based stablecoin USD Coin (USDC).

Upbit to Support Spot Trading for CAP Token

Upbit will support spot trading for the CAP token. BlockBeats reported that Upbit will launch spot trading for CAP. The market pairs and exact trading start time have not been confirmed.