Asset-management giant Fidelity has filed an application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) seeking permission to add staking to its Ethereum exchange-traded fund. The move is intended to create an additional source of returns for the fund’s shareholders. If approved, it would represent a significant evolution in the structure of Ethereum ETF products and further integrate traditional financial products with crypto-native yield mechanisms.

Maya Protocol has suspended all operations following a multi-vulnerability attack. The attacker exploited multiple security flaws to steal the platform’s native CACAO token and a large amount of cross-chain assets, with the specific loss amount not disclosed. As a decentralized cross-chain liquidity protocol, the incident damaged its core assets and liquidity across related pools, raising concerns about the security of cross-chain infrastructure.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission must submit, by Aug. 20, a distribution plan for a compensation fund for Terra investors. The $123.1 million fund was fully paid by Jump Crypto subsidiary Tai Mo Shan and includes $73.45 million in disgorgement, $12.92 million in prejudgment interest, and a $36.73 million civil penalty. The SEC found Tai Mo Shan misled investors during TerraUSD’s May 2022 depeg and acted as a statutory underwriter for some LUNA sales. The distribution plan is complicated by overlap with a separate recovery process tied to Terraform Labs litigation.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse is set to attend the CFTC’s IAC meeting. The U.S. CFTC and SEC have jointly classified XRP as a commodity, placing it alongside gold and silver. The move marks a major regulatory development for XRP. It clarifies that XRP is not treated as a security.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has granted preliminary approval for World Liberty Trust Company to form a national trust charter in Florida, but it does not provide full banking powers and it explicitly walls off the WLFI token. The approval is not a final license, and the OCC can change or withdraw it if circumstances shift. The trust must maintain at least $20 million in Tier 1 capital, including at least $10 million in eligible liquid assets. The preliminary approval will lapse if capital is not raised within 12 months or the trust does not open within 18 months.

Crypto market cap rose 7.53% to USD 2.456T as seven major assets advanced, BTC shorts were liquidated, and open interest rebuilt.

South Korea’s regulator has accepted BitGo Korea’s Virtual Asset Service Provider registration, clearing it to offer crypto custody and transfer services and making it the first newly established local entity of a global digital-asset firm to pass the process. The unit is backed by Hana Financial Group and SK Telecom, which hold 25% and 10% stakes respectively after partnering from 2023. BitGo has been under pressure as a newly listed company since its January 2026 NYSE debut, with shares sliding from $18 to $6.25 at the Aug. 19 close.

Iran is considering strikes on US military targets in Europe if President Donald Trump escalates the war, with Bulgaria and Cyprus cited as potential retaliation sites. Tehran has also examined the possibility of targeting subsea fiberoptic cables in the Strait of Hormuz as regional tensions rise. In crypto markets, Bitcoin whales have resumed buying, adding about 43,000 BTC worth roughly $2.75 billion.