Global Weekly Top 10 Crypto News (Aug 25 to Aug 29)

1.  World Liberty Finance Set to Launch on Ethereum Mainnet on September 1, Unlocking 20% for Early Investors

  World Liberty Finance (WLFI), a crypto project associated with the Trump family, has announced its official launch on the Ethereum mainnet, scheduled for September 1, 2025. The platform will enable token claiming and trading starting at 12:00 UTC on the same day.

  Early investors who participated in the $0.015 and $0.05 funding rounds will have 20% of their tokens unlocked. The remaining 80% of the tokens will be subject to community voting for future unlocking decisions. Notably, tokens allocated to the founding team, advisors, and partners will remain locked indefinitely.

  To claim the unlocked tokens, users must follow a two-step process via the WLFI official website:

• Before September 1: Activate the lock-up contract on the website, transferring WLFI tokens into the unlocking contract.

• From 12:00 UTC on September 1: Claim 20% of the unlocked tokens directly from the contract.

2. Ondo Finance to Launch Tokenized Stocks on September 3

Ondo Finance has officially announced via its X account that it will launch tokenized stocks on September 3, 2025.

Earlier this year, Ondo Finance unveiled its upcoming blockchain-based U.S. stock platform, Ondo Global Markets. The platform aims to tokenize over 100 American stocks initially, with plans to scale up to thousands of tokenized assets by the end of the year.

3. Nasdaq-Listed ETHZilla Plans to Raise $10 Billion for Continued Ethereum Purchases

ETHZilla, formerly known as 180 Life Sciences Corp., has announced plans to increase its equity fundraising target to $10 billion. The Nasdaq-listed Ethereum treasury company disclosed the update via a post on X from its Strategic ETH Reserve account.

According to the announcement, ETHZilla has amended its previously signed securities sales agreement, which includes a supplemental prospectus and the accompanying prospectus for common stock issuance. The revised agreement allows the company to issue and sell common shares to raise up to $10 billion in funding. The proceeds will be used to continue its aggressive accumulation of Ethereum.

4. SBI Partners with Chainlink to Advance Institutional Digital Asset Adoption

SBI Group has announced a strategic partnership with Chainlink to accelerate the adoption of blockchain solutions in institutional markets, starting with Japan. The collaboration was reported by Financefeeds and is expected to focus on several key use cases, including tokenized physical assets, tokenized funds, and compliant stablecoins.

The partnership will leverage Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to develop cross-chain tokenized assets, such as real estate and bonds. Additionally, Chainlink's SmartData will be integrated for fund tokenization, while its Proof of Reserve system will provide transparent verification for stablecoin reserves.

5. YZi Labs Invests in Stablecoin Protocol USD.AI

YZi Labs has officially announced a strategic investment in USD.AI, a financial protocol designed to provide hardware-backed financing for AI infrastructure. According to the announcement, USD.AI has already achieved a TVL exceeding $62 million.

USD.AI introduces a unique loan model that is collateralized 1:1 by physical AI hardware. This innovative approach significantly reduces the traditional credit approval cycle from 60-90 days to less than seven days. Dana Hou, Investment Partner at YZi Labs, stated that USD.AI transforms the challenges of AI hardware financing into native DeFi yield products, effectively aligning the interests of depositors, borrowers, and infrastructure providers.

6. Trump Media Group Partners with Crypto.com to Establish $6.42 Billion CRO Asset Reserve Company

Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. (Nasdaq, NYSE Texas: DJT) has entered into a definitive agreement with Crypto.com and special purpose acquisition company Yorkville Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: YORK) to form the Trump Media Group CRO Strategy digital asset reserve company.

The new entity plans to establish a CRO token reserve backed by $1 billion worth of CRO tokens (approximately 63.13 million CRO, accounting for 19% of CRO's total market capitalization), $420 million in cash and warrants, and a $5 billion credit line from Yorkville-affiliated companies. Upon completion of the transaction, the company will be jointly owned by Yorkville, Trump Media, and Crypto.com, with plans to list on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "MCGA."

7. U.S. GDP to Go On-Chain: Chainlink and Pyth Network Lead the Initiative

The U.S. Department of Commerce has unveiled plans to bring GDP data on-chain, leveraging blockchain technology to enhance data accessibility and transparency. The initiative will be supported by Chainlink and Pyth Network, with updates to be provided monthly or quarterly.

Chainlink has announced that the GDP data will initially be available across ten blockchain ecosystems, including Arbitrum, Avalanche, Base, Botanix, Ethereum, Linea, Mantle, Optimism, Sonic, and ZKsync. Chainlink also noted that additional blockchain networks could be integrated based on user demand.

Interestingly, the U.S. Department of Commerce revealed a separate list of supported blockchains for GDP data distribution via Pyth Network. These include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, TRON, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Polygon, Optimism, and Stellar. The discrepancy between the two lists highlights the diverse approaches being taken to implement the on-chain economic data initiative.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo emphasized the significance of this move, stating that blockchain-based distribution of economic data like GDP will set a new standard for transparency and reliability in global financial markets.

8. Guotai Junan International Launches Cryptocurrency Trading Service, Stock Price Surges Over 23%

Guotai Junan International (HKEX: 1788) has officially launched its cryptocurrency trading service, allowing users to trade a variety of digital assets including BTC, ETH, AVAX, LINK, and SOL. The company's stock price rose by over 23% in a single trading day, marking its largest daily gain in recent months.

The service also caters to professional investors by offering advanced trading options for assets such as XRP, USDT, and USDC. Additionally, users can allocate idle funds to Guotai Junan International's "Wealth Management Treasure" program, which aims to optimize capital utilization.

Qi Haiying, CEO and Executive Director of Guotai Junan International, stated that the service is designed to meet the growing demand for compliant digital asset trading among overseas investors. She further disclosed plans to expand the range of supported cryptocurrencies and introduce advanced services for digital assets in the near future.

9. Hong Kong Digital Asset Listed Companies Association Officially Established

The Hong Kong Virtual Asset Listed Companies Association (HKVALA) held its inaugural conference in West Kowloon, Hong Kong, attended by government officials and Legislative Council members who delivered speeches. Northking Information (SZ: 002987), a fintech company listed on the A-share market, participated as a representative and assumed the role of Vice President unit of the Association.

10. MOG Holding Announces Subscription to WLFI Fund, Indirectly Invests HK$3.925 Million in ALT5 Sigma

Hong Kong-listed company MOG Digital Technology (HKEX: 1942) has issued a voluntary announcement regarding its subscription to WLFI Fund interests, disclosing that it has indirectly invested US$500,000 (approximately HK$3.925 million) in Nasdaq-listed ALT5 Sigma Corporation through the subscription of fund membership interests. The fund, jointly participated in by several global institutional investors and crypto venture capital firms, was recently issued by ALT5 with World Liberty Financial as the lead investor.