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Short, verified market news summaries; every item names its source and publication date.
Ukrainian police dismantle crypto scam network earning $1 million a month
Ukraine's National Police, working with the country's Security Service, dismantled a large network of fake cryptocurrency investment platforms. According to ArzDigital, the network defrauded users in more than 20 countries and earned up to $1 million a month in illegal revenue. Based on initial reports from Ukrainian authorities, 62 victims have been identified so far, and the investigation continues to determine the exact scale of stolen assets and identify other victims. According to Ukrainian police, the operators built seemingly legitimate websites and advertised on Telegram to convince users to deposit funds, showing them a completely fabricated trading dashboard; when users requested withdrawals, the platform used a fake "additional verification" step to trick them into granting access to their wallets through so-called wallet-drainer tools.
ArzDigital
UK Police Seize Bitcoin Linked to Dark Web Markets
The financial investigations unit of Avon and Somerset Police in the UK has identified and seized digital assets worth more than 1.4 million dollars, including 20.21 bitcoin, traced to activity on the illegal dark web markets AlphaBay and Hansa between 2016 and 2019. Detective Anthony Davis of the unit said the case involved a now deceased individual accused of money laundering, and was uncovered by tracing transactions recorded on the blockchain. The seizure is the unit's largest operation since new digital wallet freezing powers took effect in April 2024.
Arzdigital
France's Capital B Raises $24.5 Million to Expand Its Bitcoin Treasury
French Bitcoin treasury company Capital B said on Friday, 6 Shahrivar 1405 (August 28, 2026), that it raised 21 million euros, about $24.5 million, through a private share placement. According to Cointelegraph, the shares were priced at 0.58 euros each, bundled with warrants, and sold without pre emptive rights, with participation from Bitcoin developer Adam Back and asset manager TOBAM. Capital B said proceeds will go toward acquiring 270 additional Bitcoin, taking its total holdings to 3,415 BTC. If all issued warrants are exercised, the company could raise a further 135.8 million euros, about $158 million, in additional capital.
Cointelegraph
UBS Reports 24-Fold Jump in Call Option Exposure to BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF
Swiss banking giant UBS, which manages more than $7 trillion in assets, increased its call-option exposure to BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) by more than 24-fold in the second quarter of this year, according to a regulatory filing this week. Per CoinDesk, the bank held calls representing 1.95 million underlying IBIT shares as of June 30 (9 Tir 1405), up from just 80,000 shares three months earlier. The same filing shows UBS's direct IBIT holdings rose 12% to 407,890 shares, worth about $13.6 million, while its put-option exposure fell roughly 53% to 143,300 underlying shares. CoinDesk noted the filing does not specify whether the increase reflects client demand, dealer hedging, or the bank's own directional position.
CoinDesk
Binance to Halt Transfers With HTX and 10 Other Platforms
Crypto exchange Binance said Friday, August 14, 2026 (23 Mordad 1405), according to Arzdigital, that starting August 23, 2026 (1 Shahrivar 1405), it will halt all direct deposit and withdrawal transfers to and from HTX (formerly known as Huobi) and 10 other platforms. The report said the move follows European Union Council regulation 2848 of 2026, which bans transactions with 14 crypto and payment platforms, including HTX, EXMO and Exnode Pay. Users have nine days to complete pending transactions, and any assets sent after the deadline will be frozen and reviewed by Binance's compliance unit. The report said HTX has come under pressure over allegations it provided financial services to Russian payment networks, and the UK earlier froze the Panama based parent company's assets over links to a network known as A7. The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has also filed a complaint against the exchange in London's High Court over allegedly unlawful crypto advertising. FCA director of market oversight Steve Smart said in a statement that HTX's conduct stands in stark contrast to the majority of firms working to comply with the regulator's regime.
Arzdigital
Intesa Sanpaolo cuts its BlackRock bitcoin fund holding by 93.7% and triples its ethereum fund position
Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy's largest banking group, disclosed a wide reshuffle of its digital asset portfolio in its Form 13F filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for the period ending June 2026. According to the filing, the bank's direct holding in BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) fell 93.7 percent, from 648,923 shares in the first quarter of the year to just 40,723 shares. Its call option positions also dropped 99.3 percent, while it opened new put option positions. By contrast, its allocation to BlackRock's ethereum fund rose 200 percent, from 116,200 to 349,600 shares, and the bank divested almost all of its holding in Bitwise's solana staking fund. The shift coincides with outflows from spot bitcoin exchange traded funds in the first half of 2026. It should be noted that 13F filings do not necessarily cover all off balance sheet holdings or complex derivatives, and the positions may form part of a broader hedging strategy. Bitcoin was trading at around $64,168 on Wednesday, 5 August 2026 (14 Mordad 1405).
Arzdigital
Revolut to Delist Tether's USDT for EU, EEA and Swiss Users by End of August 2026
Fintech app Revolut stopped new purchases of Tether's USDT for users in the EU, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland on Monday, July 6, 2026, and said, according to Yahoo Finance, that it would fully phase out support for the token by August 31, 2026. The decision follows Tether's failure so far to obtain stablecoin authorization under the EU's MiCA regulation. Per the report, balances of users who have not converted or moved their holdings by the deadline will be automatically converted to fiat currency, a shift that strengthens the position of MiCA licensed rival USDC in the European market.
Yahoo Finance