[News Brief] Jul 14, morning | Trump Proposes 20% Levy on Cargo Passing Through the Strait of Hormuz... Brent Crude Jumps 10%

Trump Proposes 20% Levy on Cargo Passing Through the Strait of Hormuz... Brent Crude Jumps 10%

President Trump resumed the blockade of vessels entering and leaving Iranian ports and proposed a 20% levy on cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz. As Middle East tensions escalated, Brent crude rose about 10% to around $83.63 per barrel.

According to UBlockchain, citing Bloomberg, U.S. Central Command said enforcement of the measures would begin at 4:00 p.m. New York time on July 14.

The announcement came as the United States carried out airstrikes against Iran for a third consecutive day. The Strait of Hormuz is a key global oil transit route, and concerns over logistics disruptions added upward pressure on oil prices.

BTC Nears $62,000 Amid Fears of U.S.-Iran Conflict

As concerns over a potential clash between the United States and Iran intensified, selling pressure spread across risk assets, and Bitcoin at one point approached the $62,000 level.

According to Odaily, BTC/USD remained in a weak trend. JDK Analysis said Bitcoin’s current price action is highly fragile, noting that large short positioning is betting on further downside and that the $60,000 range could once again become the market’s key level to watch.

However, some analysts noted that if new spot buying emerges and key support levels hold, short positions could instead come under pressure. Trader Roman said some technical indicators, including RSI and trading volume, suggest bearish momentum may weaken, leaving room for Bitcoin to rebound toward the $70,000 to $75,000 range.

More Than $3.33 Billion in Positions Liquidated on TradeXYZ

According to Odaily, monitoring by Hyperliquid News showed that more than $3.33 billion worth of positions were liquidated on TradeXYZ.

Large-scale liquidations typically occur during the unwinding of leveraged positions, and their magnitude often increases when market volatility rises.

Circle Mints 750 Million More USDC on Solana

According to Odaily, Onchain Lens reported that a Circle address minted about 750 million additional USDC on the Solana network.

With this issuance, the cumulative amount of USDC minted by Circle on Solana in 2026 reached about 68.26 billion.

Growth in USDC issuance is often used as an indicator of trading activity and liquidity flows on Solana.

2,509 BTC Transferred From Anonymous Wallet to Binance

According to Whale Alert, on the 13th, 2,509 BTC, worth about $156.84 million, was transferred from an anonymous wallet to Binance.

Large transfers of BTC to exchanges are commonly interpreted as potential sell-side supply and are often cited as a source of short-term market volatility.

U.S. Securities Transfer Association Urges SEC to Prioritize Issuer-Approved Tokenized Securities

According to CoinDesk, the U.S. Securities Transfer Association urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to prioritize issuer-approved tokenized securities over stock tokens issued by third-party platforms in future regulation of tokenized securities.

The association said blockchain-based stock tokens should be real securities backed by official approval from listed companies and shareholder registers. It argued that tokenized products created by third-party platforms expose investors to platform credit risk, custody risk, and operational risk, while weakening the legal relationship between issuers and shareholders.

The association called on the SEC to give priority to issuer-approved models in innovation exemptions, pilot programs, and future regulatory frameworks, while imposing stronger requirements on third-party platforms for issuer approval, disclosure, and compliance.

Tokenized securities have emerged as a major competitive area for both Wall Street and the digital asset industry. As Coinbase, Robinhood, Nasdaq, and the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation push to bring securities on-chain, the SEC’s classification standards are expected to shape the market’s growth trajectory.

CFTC Chair Emphasizes Need for CLARITY Act to Clarify Digital Asset Regulation

Mike Selig, Chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, emphasized the need for the CLARITY Act.

According to Bitcoin Magazine, Selig said, “Outdated laws must not leave the United States behind China and other countries,” adding, “Now is the time for clarity.”

The CLARITY Act is legislation designed to clarify regulatory authority and market structure for digital assets in the United States, and the industry is closely watching whether it will reduce regulatory uncertainty.

Robinhood Chain Logs $3.1 Billion in DEX Volume in First Week After Launch

Robinhood Chain recorded about $3.1 billion in decentralized exchange volume in its first week after launch, Odaily reported, citing The Block.

According to Bernstein data, Robinhood Chain has become one of the top five blockchain networks by trading volume. Since launching on July 1, it has attracted more than 65,000 users, and the amount of stablecoins held on the chain has reached about $300 million.

In addition, about $13 million worth of tokenized stock assets has been deployed on Robinhood Chain. The achievement comes as Robinhood accelerates the expansion of tokenized assets and on-chain trading infrastructure.

New Hampshire Enacts Blockchain Basic Law

According to Odaily, New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte signed House Bill 639 into law last week.

The bill, referred to as the “Blockchain Basic Law,” establishes a foundation for virtual asset innovation and user protection in New Hampshire. It also allows the state’s superior court to establish a special docket for blockchain-related disputes.

Previously, New Hampshire passed a strategic Bitcoin reserve bill allowing the state treasurer to invest up to 5% of public funds in Bitcoin and precious metals such as gold and silver.

However, New Hampshire’s Executive Council last week rejected a proposal that would have allowed the state’s Business Finance Authority to pursue the issuance of Bitcoin-backed municipal bonds.

Qubic Suffers GitHub Security Incident, Urges Users to Move Assets

Qubic said on the 13th that a security incident occurred within its GitHub organization, allowing a compromised account to access code repositories and extract sensitive information.

Qubic said it had initiated an emergency response and instructed network guardians to rotate their seeds immediately. It also said users who unlocked the web wallet between 03:00 and 10:00 UTC that day should transfer their assets to a new identity.

Developers were advised not to pull code from Qubic repositories or deploy new code until an official audit is completed. Qubic stressed that users should trust only announcements made through its official Discord and should never disclose their seed phrase to anyone under any circumstances.