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According to Bloomberg, EdgeConneX Inc., a data center operator supported by EQT, is seeking banks to provide a power cost guarantee of up to $2.5 billion to support its global data center expansion plans.EdgeConneX is negotiating a letter of credit financing arrangement with several banks, including France's Natixis and Spain's BBVA. This arrangement will help the company lock in power supply costs for its data center projects.With the rapid growth in demand for artificial intelligence training and inference, global data center construction has entered an accelerated phase, and operators are exploring new financing tools to cope with rising power procurement costs and infrastructure investment needs. EdgeConneX's request for bank support reflects that AI infrastructure companies are shifting from traditional real estate and equipment financing models to establishing new financing structures around energy supply, long-term power contracts, and other assets.In recent years, major cloud computing companies and AI infrastructure firms have increased their investments in data centers, while power supply has become a significant bottleneck constraining the expansion of AI computing power. Securing future power costs through bank credit support is becoming a new way for data center operators to obtain expansion funding.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced the agenda for the inaugural meeting of the Innovation Advisory Committee (IAC). The committee will hold its first meeting on August 20, focusing on regulatory issues in emerging areas such as crypto assets, artificial intelligence, and prediction markets.CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig stated that the U.S. has long been a global center for financial innovation and hopes to explore how emerging technologies and financial products can drive market development through discussions with innovative entrepreneurs, researchers, and industry builders, and to jointly explore the "new frontiers of finance." The meeting will be live-streamed on the CFTC official website. Committee members and attendees will discuss topics such as the regulatory framework for digital assets, the impact of AI technology on financial markets, and the development of prediction markets. The public can submit relevant opinions by August 27, and these opinions will be publicly released through the U.S. Federal Regulations website Regulations.gov. The CFTC indicated that the meeting agenda may be adjusted based on the committee's subsequent focus.The Innovation Advisory Committee aims to provide the CFTC with recommendations on emerging technologies, financial products, and trends in market innovation, covering important areas such as digital assets and artificial intelligence that may influence the structure of future financial markets.

Hyperliquid Policy Center issued a statement, and HPC attended the CFTC Agricultural Advisory Committee meeting, submitting a formal statement. The statement revolves around three points: first, agricultural end users need diversified market choices, and the historical ban on agricultural options has proven to be overly restrictive; second, the CFTC's phased approach to perpetual contracts is the correct path, and end user demand should drive the adoption of new derivatives; third, public blockchains contribute to modernizing clearing and settlement infrastructure, while enhancing collateral liquidity and preserving the market integrity protection mechanisms of the Commodity Exchange Act.HPC stated that it will continue to collaborate with the agricultural community to promote the regulatory implementation of perpetual contracts in the U.S. market.

According to BeInCrypto, Tim Scott, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, stated that the CLARITY Act, aimed at regulating the cryptocurrency market, will be voted on before Congress goes into recess, and "there will undoubtedly be a vote."In an interview with Fox News, Scott mentioned that the Senate might extend its working hours, not limited to the next two days, to push forward the relevant legislation. He noted that there is a consensus forming within the Republican Party regarding the bill and believes that advancing a cryptocurrency regulatory framework "is in the interest of the United States."Tim Scott stated, "We will get this done."The CLARITY Act aims to further clarify the regulatory framework for digital assets in the United States, delineating the regulatory responsibilities of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the cryptocurrency market. Supporters believe that the bill will provide clearer rules for the industry and help the U.S. maintain its competitiveness in the digital asset space.Currently, the bill still faces internal congressional disputes regarding consumer protection, regulatory authority, and market risks. If ultimately passed, it will be an important step in building the U.S. cryptocurrency regulatory system.

According to Jinshi reports, the Gaza "Peace Committee" stated that once Hamas completes the disarmament process, the Israeli army will fully withdraw beyond the "green line" in eastern Gaza. This statement was confirmed after the committee's Secretary-General Nikolai Mladenov met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, with the ultimate goal of ensuring "the complete disarmament of the Gaza Strip and transitioning from gun rule to civilian governance."The statement noted that the implementation of civilian governance will be supervised by international stabilization forces and an enforcement verification committee.

According to Jinshi reports, on July 24, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a symposium for non-party figures at Zhongnanhai to listen to the opinions and suggestions of leaders from various democratic parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and representatives of non-partisan individuals. Xi Jinping presided over the meeting and delivered an important speech, emphasizing the need to adhere to the general principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, promote the continuous development of the economy towards new, better, and good directions, implement an active fiscal policy and a moderately loose monetary policy, enhance development momentum, and ensure and improve people's livelihoods.

The Federal Reserve maintained the benchmark interest rate at 3.50%-3.75%, marking the fifth consecutive meeting without changes. The decision statement noted that Hammack, Kashkari, and Logan favored raising interest rates, reiterating that inflation remains high, partly due to the impact of shocks.

Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan posted that the impact of interest rate decisions on Bitcoin over the next five years will be less than it has been over the past fifteen years. He stated that since Bitcoin's inception, interest rates have fluctuated significantly between 0% to 2.5%, 0% to 5%, and 3.5%, with changes measured in whole percentage points. However, future adjustments may be more moderate, with CME expecting interest rates to rise by only 50 basis points over the next year.Matt Hougan assesses that the Federal Reserve under Warsh may be closer to the slight adjustment style of the mid-1990s under Greenspan, rather than the patterns seen in recent years under Bernanke and Powell. If this is indeed the case, the smaller magnitude of interest rate changes will also weaken their impact on Bitcoin; while interest rates remain important, the weight of other factors will increase.

The rotation of hot spots in the US stock market continues, with strong performances from steel, healthcare, and entertainment consumer-related stocks. Data from the Gate platform shows that the top three stocks in terms of gains in the US market are Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (CLF), up 15.87%; Medpace Holdings (MEDP), up 15.06%; and IMAX Corporation (IMAX), up 11.98%. Among them, CLF's single-day gain is close to 16%, reflecting the increasing attention of market funds on cyclical manufacturing and consumer service-related stocks.

Intel released its second-quarter financial report, with revenue of $16.1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 25%, marking the strongest quarterly growth in over fifteen years, exceeding market expectations of $14.4 billion; adjusted earnings per share were $0.42, higher than the expected $0.21. Under GAAP, the net loss was $11 billion, primarily due to a $12.5 billion loss in market value related to the custodial shares under the U.S. government's CHIPS Act agreement.Revenue from the Data Center and AI business (DCAI) was $6.3 billion, a year-on-year increase of 59%; revenue from Client Computing and Physical AI business (CCPG) was $8.9 billion, an increase of 13%; Intel's foundry business revenue was $5.8 billion, an increase of 31%. The company stated that data center orders have exceeded current supply capacity, and it has signed 10 long-term server CPU supply agreements. Gross margin rebounded from 27.5% in the same period last year to 40.4%, with operating cash flow of $7 billion. Intel expects third-quarter revenue to be between $15.8 billion and $16.8 billion, with adjusted EPS of approximately $0.38, all above market expectations. After the financial report was released, Intel's stock price rose about 11% in after-hours trading.

According to official news, the ENS DAO has approved the proposal to activate a new security committee, with a term of two years. The committee consists of eight members and has veto power, allowing it to cancel proposals during the waiting period after malicious proposals are passed but before execution. The committee's authority is limited to canceling transactions within the time lock and cannot access treasury funds, submit proposals, or rewrite approved proposals.The committee can only exercise its power under emergency conditions specified in its charter. ENS points out that governance itself may become an attack surface—voting rights can be borrowed to initiate attacks, proposal codes can hide malicious behavior, and credential leaks can be used to push harmful transactions. The new committee adopts a 5-of-8 multi-signature, requiring at least five members' agreement to cancel a proposal, and must seek DAO voting for extension after the two-year term.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed an executive order to coordinate the regulation of virtual assets, strengthen cooperation among the country's financial, tax, and capital market institutions, and address the fragmentation of digital asset regulation. The executive order establishes a virtual asset committee composed of heads of Nigeria's main financial regulatory agencies, responsible for guiding relevant policies. The Nigerian tax authorities will update digital asset policies and provide more details on their impact on taxpayers.The President's Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga stated that the executive order does not establish new regulatory bodies nor transfer power between institutions; each agency retains its statutory responsibilities and independence, and registration requirements will be determined based on the nature of the activities and the assets involved. A report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in June indicated that since 2019, Nigeria has accounted for about 60% of the stablecoin inflows to sub-Saharan Africa; from July 2023 to June 2024, the country's cryptocurrency inflows are estimated to be around $59 billion.

U.S. Congressman Bryan Steil expressed optimism on Fox News that the CLARITY Act is expected to pass in the Senate next week, emphasizing that the U.S. needs to establish a regulatory gold standard in the digital asset space. Bryan Steil currently serves as the Chairman of the House Administration Committee and also chairs the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Inclusion within the Financial Services Committee.

The Crypto Innovation Committee (CCI) announced that Etherealize, Hyperliquid Policy Center, and Tools for Humanity (TFH) have officially joined. CCI stated that the new members will enhance its technical expertise in on-chain finance, institutional finance, and digital identity to better support policy-making.Etherealize stated that as the application of Ethereum in institutional scenarios accelerates, a prudent policy framework is of great significance for unlocking the potential of the next generation of financial infrastructure.

According to Jinshi reports, Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management stated that the U.S. Treasury yield curve may begin to steepen. In addition, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank, and the Federal Reserve may coordinate interventions before the end of 2026 to boost the yen.

Lighter founder and CEO Vladimir Novakovski tweeted that he has joined the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Innovation Advisory Committee as a member.

According to The Defiant, ENS community member Christoph Jentzsch proposed on the X platform that the ENS DAO dissolve itself, stating that "the ENS DAO has collapsed," and suggested destroying the ENSv2 Universal Router keys and reallocating the remaining funds, officially transforming ENS into a public infrastructure. Jentzsch, who wrote code for "The DAO" in 2016 and currently operates Tokenize.it, stated that he does not hold any formal position in ENS governance.Previously, ENS co-founder Nick Johnson unilaterally vetoed the security council renewal vote using about half of the active voting power of the protocol, while about two weeks ago he supported another proposal to expand the ENS Foundation's control over the treasury by delegating nearly half of the active voting power to himself.

The recent voting results of the ENS DAO, which governs the Ethereum Name Service, have sparked controversy within the community, as some members pointed out.In the latest on-chain vote, ENS founder Nick Johnson cast approximately 3.26 million votes against the proposal to extend the security committee's term for two years. This proposal had previously passed a Snapshot community vote, but the on-chain execution proposal did not receive support.As the controversy escalated, some community members expressed concerns about the degree of decentralization in the ENS DAO governance mechanism. However, there are also viewpoints suggesting that this incident reflects more on the distribution structure of governance tokens rather than a failure of the protocol itself.

According to Bloomberg, the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON) has approved a position paper on the legal framework for the digital euro, paving the way for negotiations with member state governments and the European Commission on the final rules. The plan will advance both the online and offline versions of the digital euro, with the European Central Bank aiming to complete the launch by 2029 and to conduct a pilot within the next 12 months to validate the infrastructure in real-world scenarios. Regulators hope that the digital euro issued by the European Central Bank will reduce reliance on Visa, Mastercard, and dollar-denominated stablecoins, while providing a "secure European domestic option" for retail payments without eliminating physical cash.