Global Weekly Top 10 Crypto News (Aug 4 to Aug 8)

1. Hong Kong RWA Registration Platform to Launch on August 7

The Hong Kong RWA registration platform is set to go live on August 7. Initiated by the Hong Kong Web3.0 Standardization Association, the platform aims to streamline the entire service system for tokenizing RWA assets, including data processing, assetization, and financial integration.

2. Arkham Reveals LuBian Mining Pool Theft of 127,426 BTC in 2020, Hackers Still Hold Stolen Assets

Arkham has disclosed that LuBian, a former top-10 global mining pool, suffered a massive security breach in December 2020, resulting in the theft of 127,426 BTC. At current market prices, the stolen Bitcoin is valued at approximately $14.5 billion, making this the largest Bitcoin theft in history.

LuBian, a Chinese mining pool with operations in China and Iran, once controlled nearly 6% of the Bitcoin network's total hash rate as of May 2020, giving it significant industry influence. The attack occurred on December 28, 2020, with hackers exploiting vulnerabilities in LuBian's private key generation algorithm. Through brute-force methods, the attackers managed to steal over 90% of LuBian's holdings. On December 29, the day after the breach, the hackers transferred an additional $6 million worth of Bitcoin.

In response to the theft, LuBian attempted to communicate with the hackers by sending messages embedded in on-chain OP_RETURN transactions. The pool sent 1,516 transactions containing pleas for the return of the stolen assets, consuming 1.4 BTC in fees. This further confirmed the authenticity of the incident.

As of now, LuBian still retains 11,886 BTC, valued at approximately $1.35 billion. The hackers’ last on-chain activity was in July 2024, involving address consolidation. Arkham's report states that the hackers remain in control of the stolen Bitcoin, with their holdings ranking 13th globally among BTC addresses, surpassing even the infamous Mt. Gox hacker wallet. Their identity remains unknown.

3. Lido Co-Founder: Team Size to Be Reduced, Affecting Approximately 15% of Employees

Lido Co-Founder Vasiliy Shapovalov stated over the weekend: "As part of efforts to ensure long-term sustainability, Lido Labs, Lido Ecosystem, and Lido Alliance have made the hard decision to reduce the size of their contributor teams, impacting around 15% of the workforce. This decision was about costs — not performance.

While it may seem counterintuitive amid a market upswing, the move reflects a deliberate commitment to sustainable growth, operational focus, and alignment with the priorities of LDO tokenholders. Lido is building for the decades ahead — and this change helps reinforce that foundation."

4. Bullish Files IPO Application with SEC, Aims to Raise $629 Million

Digital asset exchange Bullish, along with its subsidiary CoinDesk, has filed for IPO with the U.S. SEC. The filing reveals plans to issue 20.3 million shares priced between $28 and $31 per share, targeting a maximum fundraising amount of $629 million. This would value the company at approximately $4.2 billion.

Bullish operates across various digital asset services, including spot trading, leveraged trading, and derivatives trading, while also providing liquidity services for stablecoin issuers. Despite reporting $80.2 million in digital asset sales in Q1 2025, the company posted a net loss of $349 million during the same period. Notably, Bullish acquired cryptocurrency media platform CoinDesk in 2023 for $72.6 million, further expanding its ecosystem.

5. CEA Industries Completes $500 Million Private Placement, Led by YZi Labs

CEA Industries (NASDAQ: VAPE) has today announced the completion of a $500 million private placement and will rebrand as "BNB Network Company," with its stock ticker set to change to "BNC" on August 6. The company plans to use the funds raised to purchase BNB tokens as its primary reserve asset.

The private placement was led by YZi Labs and attracted over 140 institutional participants, including Pantera Capital and Blockchain.com.

Additionally, the company has appointed David Namdar, former co-founder of Galaxy Digital, as CEO, and Russell Read, former investment director at California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), as investment director.

6. MetaMask Plans Collaboration with Stripe to Launch Stablecoin MetaMask USD

MetaMask is planning to partner with Stripe to introduce a stablecoin named MetaMask USD (mmUSD). The stablecoin will be issued by Stripe but will utilize the M^0 network for issuance and settlement.

MetaMask USD is designed to become the cornerstone asset of the MetaMask ecosystem, with native integration across multiple functional modules such as the MetaMask wallet, trading, buying, selling, and yield generation. The stablecoin aims to provide a neutral and highly liquid base currency to enhance stablecoin liquidity and optimize the decentralized finance user experience. Currently, neither MetaMask nor Stripe has provided official confirmation.

7. China's 28M-User CaoCao Mobility to Explore RWA Tokenization and Stablecoin Payments

CaoCao Mobility has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding on virtual assets with Victory Securities, a licensed financial institution in Hong Kong. The collaboration will focus on three key areas: tokenization of RWA, application of stablecoin payments, and compliant digital currency issuance.

This partnership marks the first systematic exploration of integrating RWA and stablecoins within China's mobility industry. Cao Cao Mobility’s Executive Director and CEO Gong Xin stated that leveraging blockchain technology and Web3.0 innovation will accelerate the tokenization process of assets in the Robotaxi industry.

8. Parataxis Plans to Merge with SilverBox Corp IV and Raise $640 Million to Support BTC Reserves

Crypto investment startup Parataxis Holdings is set to merge with SilverBox Corp IV SPAC, aiming to raise $640 million for a Bitcoin fund management company that will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol PRTX.

Parataxis Holdings stated that the merger could provide up to $240 million in funding, subject to SilverBox Corp IV SPAC shareholder redemption rules. This includes $31 million in equity, which will be immediately allocated for Bitcoin purchases. Additionally, Parataxis announced that it has signed a share purchase agreement allowing it to issue and sell up to $400 million in equity. The combined efforts are expected to generate up to $640 million in total proceeds to support and accelerate the execution of its BTC fund management strategy.

9. Ant Digital: Self-Developed Blockchain Jovay Expected to Launch on Mainnet in September, No Token Issuance Planned

Ant Group's Vice President and Head of Blockchain Business at Ant Digital, Bian Zhuoqun, reveals that the company’s self-developed blockchain Jovay is scheduled to officially launch on the mainnet by late September 2025. Jovay is designed to handle real transactions and was introduced on April 30 as a Layer-2 blockchain. Ant Digital has explicitly stated that Jovay is a compliance-focused, institution-grade blockchain and will not issue any tokens.

Bian emphasizes Ant Digital's commitment to becoming a gateway connecting Web2 and Web3, aiming to provide more trusted assets for Web3 while introducing more compliant capital into Web2. Citing data projections, she predicts the global tokenization market size could reach $16 trillion by 2030. Currently, Ant Digital is expanding its RWA footprint across sectors such as renewable energy, computing power, and finance.

10. Vitalik Expresses Support for Ethereum Reserve Companies While Warning of Over-Leverage Risks

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, expresses support for the development of Ethereum reserve companies, viewing it as a way to expand the investor base for ETH. However, he also warns of the risks associated with excessive leverage. Vitalik emphasizes the importance of preventing reserve companies from turning into overly leveraged entities, as this could lead to forced liquidations triggered by price declines, resulting in a chain reaction of token price crashes and reputational damage.