Crypto Regulation Push: Russia’s State Duma passed a landmark law (“On Digital Currency and Digital Rights”) creating a regulated retail framework, with a 300,000-ruble (~$3,800) annual purchase cap for non-qualified investors and a ban on domestic crypto payments, while allowing crypto for foreign trade; it heads to Putin for signature and takes effect Sept. 1, 2026. US Crypto Bill Watch: The CLARITY Act’s odds jumped on Polymarket after reports of a White House ethics agreement, while Treasury Sec. Bessent urged Congress to pass it as lawmakers debate how ethics enforcement should work. Security Incident: Exchanges froze NIGHT token transfers after a ~$13M Wanchain bridge hack drained ~515M NIGHT, with coordinated response underway and the issue traced to a bridge message/signature flaw. Scam & Crime Trends: A UN report says Southeast Asia’s criminal networks are using tech and AI to expand, with 2025 scam losses estimated at $88.3B–$114.1B. Institutional Infrastructure: BlackRock-MGX-backed consortium committed $5B to expand Aligned Data Centres, signaling continued AI infrastructure spending. UK Banking Pressure: The UK crypto industry group APPG launched an inquiry into bank account and payment blocks for crypto firms ahead of the FCA’s mandatory regime in 2027. Pakistan Enforcement: Pakistan set up a Cryptocurrency Investigation Unit at the FIA to target money laundering, terrorism financing, and crypto-linked fraud.