According to BlockBeats, on July 1, institutional digital asset broker FalconX announced that it has obtained a license from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) under the EU Crypto Asset Market Regulation Act (MiCA), which allows it to provide compliant digital asset trading, custody, liquidity and related institutional services within the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA).

FalconX stated that the license allows it to operate within a unified regulatory framework across EU member states, eliminating the need for country-by-country permits. Currently, the company serves over 2,000 institutional clients globally, including asset management firms, hedge funds, banks, and family offices, facilitating over $2.5 trillion in transactions and disbursing over $8 billion in institutional funding.

FalconX stated that with the full implementation of the MiCA regulatory framework, institutional clients' demand for compliant trading, custody, and liquidity services continues to grow, and regulatory qualifications are becoming an important competitive advantage in the European digital asset market.

According to BlockBeats, on July 1, a U.S. court sentenced Miles Guo (also known as Ho Wan Kwok) to 30 years in prison. Guo was previously convicted by a jury in 2024 of multiple charges, including extortion, fraud, and money laundering. This is the formal sentencing.

Prosecutors allege that Guo Wengui defrauded victims worldwide of over $1 billion in a series of interconnected fraud schemes spanning five years. Among these schemes, in 2021 he promoted a cryptocurrency project called Himalaya Coin (H-Coin), claiming the tokens were backed by 20% gold reserves and promising to cover all investor losses, raising approximately $500 million in total.

In addition, the court had previously ordered the confiscation of nearly $900 million in illegal gains from Guo Wengui, as well as his mansion in New Jersey and several luxury cars. Guo Wengui had close ties with Steve Bannon, a former senior advisor to US President Trump, who was arrested on Guo Wengui's yacht in 2020.

According to BlockBeats, on July 1st, statistics show that the 14 largest funding rounds globally in the first half of 2026 raised a total of $4.3 billion, with prediction markets, AI, and payments being the most favored sectors by investors.

Specifically, prediction market platform Kalshi topped the list with $1.2 billion in funding, while Polymarket raised $600 million, bringing their combined total to $1.8 billion, accounting for over 40% of the top 14 funding rounds.

In the AI field, Replit, Exa AI, and OpenRouter have raised $400 million, $250 million, and $113 million respectively.

In the blockchain sector, Canton Network, Arc, and Morpho raised $355 million, $222 million, and $175 million in funding, respectively.

In addition, payment, RWA, infrastructure, and compliance projects such as Rain, Slash, Goldcom, Alpaca, and Elliptic also made the list.

According to Kyodo News, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced on July 30 that it will provide 387.3 billion yen (approximately US$2.383 billion) in support to a new company led by SoftBank that is dedicated to developing domestic artificial intelligence (AI) basic models, as development commission fees for fiscal year 2026.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will support research and development in the field of physical AI, which combines robotics and AI technologies, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Japan's manufacturing sector, where it has a competitive advantage. The new company, named "Noetra" (formerly the Japan AI Basic Model Development Center), has been established with SoftBank, NEC, Honda, and Sony Group as its core partners.

In addition to a high level of Japanese comprehension and reasoning ability, the company will also focus on developing basic models capable of recognizing images, videos, audio, and physical spaces. The company has been selected as a support project by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

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