[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | EU bans transactions with 14 non-EU crypto platforms and entities to curb Russian sanctions evasion

EU bans transactions with 14 non-EU crypto platforms and entities to curb Russian sanctions evasion

The EU has imposed transaction bans on 14 non-EU crypto platforms and entities as part of efforts to block Russian sanctions evasion.

Source: Wu Blockchain. According to TRM Labs, on July 23 the Council of the European Union adopted its 21st sanctions package against Russia, adding Rafira, Iphori Pro, ABCeX, Whitebird, NoOnes Crypto, TradeX, Cryptex, Bitpapa, XNode and XNode Pay, HTX, EXMO, A7 Nigeria, A7 Africa, and Pilot Finance to the transaction ban list.

The targeted firms are reportedly based in Georgia, Panama, the United Arab Emirates, the Marshall Islands, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus. The package also grants the EU authority to restrict the virtual asset services of an entire third country if platforms there are found helping Russia evade sanctions.

A total of 218 designations were added in this package, making it the largest sanctions expansion in the past four years.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs see $240 million in net outflows, Ether ETFs also lose $70.62 million

According to Wu Blockchain, based on SoSoValue data, US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net outflows of $240 million on July 24 Eastern Time.

On the same day, US spot Ether ETFs also posted net outflows of $70.62 million, ending a five-trading-day streak of net inflows.

Spot ETF flow data is widely regarded as a key indicator of institutional investor demand.

White House official says Bitcoin Clarity bill could reach Senate floor vote and pass

A White House official said the Bitcoin Clarity bill could be brought to a full Senate vote and may pass.

According to @pete_rizzo_, the official said, "We are optimistic that the necessary votes can be secured," adding that "this bill deserves an opportunity to be voted on by the full Senate."

The remarks come amid continuing debate in the United States over establishing a clearer regulatory framework for digital assets.

Bitcoin mining difficulty also adjusted downward by 9.91% in June 2026

According to Odaily, after two major adjustments in February, Bitcoin mining difficulty was also lowered by about 9.91% in June 2026. The change was influenced by mining shutdowns caused by Texas winter storms, falling prices, and some miners shifting toward AI and high-performance computing.

The Bitcoin network automatically adjusts mining difficulty every 2,016 blocks to maintain an average block production time of around 10 minutes.

In February, Winter Storm Fenn struck major mining regions including Texas, causing large miners to halt operations, and Bitcoin hashrate fell from near a peak of about 1.13 ZH/s to 663 EH/s.

As a result, mining difficulty was adjusted downward by 11.16% on February 7. Later, as mining machines restarted and hashrate recovered to near 1 ZH/s, difficulty rose 14.7% on February 19 to 144.4 trillion.

Odaily also reported that on June 13, mining difficulty was reduced by about 9.91%. At that time, Bitcoin's price had fallen about 15%, and some listed mining companies redirected mining rigs and data center capacity toward AI and high-performance computing demand.

As of late July, preliminary data for the next difficulty adjustment pointed to a possible additional decline of about 1.2%.

224 crypto hacks in the first half of 2026 result in $1.32 billion in losses

According to Odaily, Onchain Lens said on X that 224 publicly disclosed cryptocurrency hacking incidents in the first half of 2026 caused about $1.32 billion in losses.

The largest loss categories were access control failures, phishing and social engineering attacks, and oracle issues. Compromised access rights and abuse of privileged accounts drove major attacks, including losses of $292 million at Kelp DAO and $280 million at Drift Protocol.

Losses from social engineering attacks were estimated at $282 million. For oracle-related issues, Ostium lost $24 million, Blend Protocol lost $10.86 million, and BONKJ lost $9 million.

Coinbase adds AI agent USDC payment capability to business services

Coinbase has introduced a feature in Coinbase Business that allows AI agents to execute payments in USDC.

According to Odaily, Coinbase said merchants can accept USDC from autonomous software-based payment methods through its open payment standard x402.

Business customers can manage, settle, and convert related funds in the same account, and eligible idle USDC balances can earn a 3.35% reward.

Coinbase Business launched in June 2025 and currently serves about 5,000 customers. Its cumulative payment and transaction processing volume is about $1 billion.

Initial use cases focus on digital services such as APIs, cloud storage, and domains. Coinbase also added features allowing AI agents to view open orders, market depth, real-time prices, and trading volumes.

BitMEX faces proposed class action over 622.66 BTC

According to Odaily, BitMEX is facing a proposed class action in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York brought by BKX Services and David Namdar.

The plaintiffs claim BitMEX designed its forced liquidation system for leveraged positions in a way that allowed it to retain 622.66 BTC that should have been returned to traders.

The lawsuit is drawing attention because it challenges how a crypto derivatives exchange handles liquidation procedures and customer assets.

Bitcoin falls below $64,000

PANews, citing OKX market data, reported that Bitcoin fell below $64,000 and traded at $63,988.30.

Its daily decline was recorded at 0.17%.

Stablecoin exchange inflows fall to lowest level since 2025

According to PANews, CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost said stablecoin inflows to exchanges have dropped to their lowest level since 2025.

The current monthly average exchange inflow for USDT and USDC is about $2.3 billion, while the annual average inflow is about $3.7 billion. During the period when Bitcoin was near all-time highs, the monthly average inflow was $5.6 billion and the annual average inflow was $4.3 billion.

Darkfost said this trend reflects weak market demand and declining investor interest. However, he added that sharp increases in stablecoin inflows often act as a lagging signal that both profit-taking and fresh buying interest are emerging at the same time.

1,815 BTC moved from Kraken to anonymous wallet

Whale Alert said 1,815 BTC was transferred from Kraken to an anonymous wallet.

The transfer was worth about $116.5 million. Large movements from exchanges to external wallets may indicate a shift to long-term holding or preparation for over-the-counter trades, but the exact reason has not been confirmed.