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From Linea’s announcement to eToro, from HongKong to the United States, we’re tracking today’s most important crypto and AI stories as they unfold. This article will be updated throughout the day.
Linea Token Airdrop Revealed
8:00 am: Linea, an Ethereum layer-2 network developed by Consensys, has announced plans to launch its native LINEA token alongside the formation of the Linea Consortium.
- The consortium, which includes Ethereum-aligned entities such as SharpLink Gaming, ENS Labs, Eigen Labs, and Status, will manage 75% of the token’s distribution.
- This effort will position Linea as the primary destination for Ethereum capital, with incentives like native ETH yield and an ecosystem fund supporting builders and users.
- The network will implement a dual-burn mechanism: 20% of net transaction fees paid in ETH will be burned, while the remaining 80% will be used to burn LINEA, creating a deflationary model tied to on-chain activity.
Linea’s token distribution will target users, developers, liquidity providers, institutions, and creators contributing to the network’s growth.
- 85% of token supply will go to the ecosystem. The remaining will be to the ConsenSys treasury in a five-year lockup.
- A snapshot was already taken.
eToro to Tokenize Top 100 U.S. Stocks as ERC-20 Tokens on Ethereum
2:00 pm: Trading platform eToro will tokenize the 100 most popular U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs on the Ethereum blockchain, offering them as ERC-20 tokens with 24/5 trading availability.
- The company said users will eventually be able to move these tokenized stocks into self-custody wallets or integrate them into decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols.
- According to eToro, the tokenization aims to improve transparency and accessibility while giving users greater control over their assets.
- CEO Yoni Assia emphasized the initiative’s goal of democratizing finance through blockchain.
Hong Kong Issues Strict Stablecoin Licensing Guidelines Ahead of 2025 Rollout
2:30 pm: The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has released detailed guidance for stablecoin issuers ahead of its new regulatory regime, which takes effect this Friday.
- The rules mandate high standards for capital, reserves, governance, technology, and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance.
- Issuers will be required to verify the identity of all stablecoin holders, even those without a direct customer relationship, unless a licensed third party conducts the verification.
While 40 firms are reportedly preparing to apply, the HKMA is expected to approve fewer than 10 licenses initially. Applications for fully prepared issuers are due by the end of September, with licenses expected to be awarded early next year.
Strategy Buys $2.4B in Bitcoin Using Preferred Stock Sale Proceeds
2:30 pm: Strategy (MSTR), the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, has acquired 21,021 BTC for approximately $2.4 billion using funds raised from its new preferred stock issuance, STRC.
- The purchase was disclosed Tuesday, with the average price per Bitcoin at $117,256, pushing the company’s total holdings to 628,791 BTC—valued at nearly $74 billion.
- The firm significantly exceeded its original $500 million target, selling nearly $2.5 billion worth of STRC, which offers a 9% dividend and begins trading Wednesday on Nasdaq.
White House to Release Sweeping Crypto Report Dubbed ‘Regulatory Bible’
2:30 pm: The White House is set to publish a major policy report Wednesday outlining its regulatory framework for digital assets, drawing close attention from the crypto industry.
- Dubbed a “regulatory Bible” by Digital Chamber CEO Cody Carbone, the document is expected to shape all federal rulemaking and guidance related to crypto over the next three and a half years.
- The report stems from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January, which created the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets, including key officials such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and SEC Chair Paul Atkins.
U.S. and China Move Toward Extending Tariff Pause
2:30 pm: The United States and China concluded two days of trade talks in Stockholm on Tuesday, agreeing to work toward extending a 90-day pause on new tariffs set to expire on August 12.
- Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng called the discussions “in-depth, candid and constructive,” while U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the meetings as “very fulsome.”
- Although no formal extension was finalized, both sides signaled openness to continuing negotiations, with the U.S. delegation expected to consult President Donald Trump before deciding on the next steps.
- The talks addressed key U.S. concerns, including China’s trade with Iran, tech transfers to Russia, and overproduction in critical sectors.
- A possible Trump-Xi summit later this year remains uncertain.
Visit the page to view updated stories: Linea Airdrop Confirmed | BitPinas Live Crypto Updates | July 30, 2025
Visa: Stablecoins Still in Infancy Until There is Clearer Regulation
2:30 pm: The global payment technology business reported that it has processed over $200 million in stablecoin settlements for Q2 2025 alone, according to Visa CEO Ryan McInerney.
- He explained that while they see a “real potential” on stablecoin payments, what Visa has processed for the last three months is “still a relatively small portion” of the company’s overall settlement volume.
- Currently, the payment technology business has “Visa Direct,” which tests stablecoins for cross-border transfers.
- The CEO also shared that Visa is building out programmability with the “Visa Tokenized Asset Platform,” which aims to help enable banks to issue and leverage stablecoins for new types of programmable finance.
“We are optimistic about the U.S. government passing more clear and pragmatic regulations. I think not just in the U.S., but hopefully in other countries as well.”
Ryan McInerney, Chief Executive Officer, Visa
New ChatGPT Feature Aims to Prevent Students From Using the AI Tool for Homework
1:45 pm: The “study mode” enables ChatGPT to ask its users first on where they will use the AI tool’s answer before responding to a prompt.
- It is currently available to logged-in users on Free, Plus, Pro, Team, with availability in ChatGPT Edu coming in the next few weeks.
- According to OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, they want to ensure that the AI tool is used to support real learning, and does not just offer solutions without helping students make sense of them.
- Study mode is powered by custom system instructions that OpenAI has written in collaboration with teachers, scientists, and pedagogy experts to reflect a core set of behaviours that support deeper learning, as what is written in the announcement.
- This includes encouraging active participation, managing cognitive load, proactively developing metacognition and self reflection, fostering curiosity, and providing actionable and supportive feedback.
“Instead of doing the work for them, study mode encourages students to think critically about their learning. Features like these are a positive step toward effective AI use for learning. Even in the AI era, the best learning still happens when students are excited about and actively engaging with the lesson material.”
Robbie Torney, Senior Director of AI Programs, Common Sense Media
Trump Admin Releases USA’s AI Plan
10:25 am: Titled “Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan,” it features more than 90 policy actions that is said to be consistent with the administration’s prior activities on AI technology.
- The AI Plan, submitted by The White House, contains three pillars of activity to drive US AI policy: accelerate AI innovation, build AI infrastructure, and lead international AI diplomacy and security.
- There are also four consistent overarching themes: regulation, investment, research and standardization, and cybersecurity.
YouTube to Use AI to Identify, Protect Users Under 18 Years Old
8:20 am: Utilizing a machine learning technology, online video sharing platform YouTube announced that it will roll out a new feature that would estimate the age of its users “so that teens are treated as teens and adults as adults.”
- According to YouTube, the company has used this approach in other markets for some time, and it is working well.
- The first roll-out will be to the U.S., then to other markets.
- YouTube also pledged that they will closely monitor the user experience and partner with content creators to ensure that the entire ecosystem benefits from this update.
- The feature will be able to assess a person’s age based on the types of videos they’ve watched, the categories of the videos, and how long the person has had their account
“We’ll closely monitor this before we roll it out more widely. This technology will allow us to infer a user’s age and then use that signal, regardless of the birthday in the account, to deliver our age-appropriate product experiences and protections.”
James Beser, Director of Product Management, YouTube Youth
What else is happening in Crypto Philippines and beyond?
