Crypto News: Bitcoin, XRP, Ethereum Whales and Tokenized Gold

Crypto markets spent the week balancing price pressure with a steady stream of infrastructure, institutional, and regulatory developments. Bitcoin struggled near a key resistance level, while major stories emerged around Ethereum staking, XRP privacy, tokenized assets, stablecoin payments, and physical security. Here are the stories worth watching from last week.

Crypto Wrench Attacks Reach $124.2 Million in H1 2026

Physical attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders increased during the first half of 2026. CertiK recorded 52 wrench attacks, compared with 39 during the same period in 2025.

The number of incidents rose 33%, but the value connected to them increased much faster. Recorded financial exposure reached $124,180,400, up from $10,532,242 one year earlier. That represents an approximately 11.8-fold increase, or 1,080% year over year.

Wrench attacks use physical violence, kidnapping, threats, or other forms of coercion to force victims to transfer digital assets or reveal access credentials. Unlike online exploits, these incidents target the individual who controls the wallet.

Chainalysis has also reported a growing connection between cryptocurrency ownership and violent crime. Its wider data showed that illicit crypto addresses received at least $154 billion during 2025. Stablecoins accounted for 84% of total illicit transaction volume.

The sharp rise in financial exposure shows that criminals are targeting larger holdings, not simply carrying out more attacks. It also increases the importance of keeping wallet balances, addresses, and ownership details private.

Incident totals from the second half of 2026 will show whether the increase continues.

Bitcoin Falls to $64,000 After Failing to Break $65,000

Bitcoin dropped 2% to $63,750 after another attempt to move above $65,000 ended in rejection. The decline returned BTC to the $64,000 area and placed the latest recovery attempt under pressure.

The $65,000 level stopped Bitcoin’s advance before buyers could establish a sustained breakout. Sellers regained control near the resistance zone and pushed the price more than $1,000 below the attempted high.

The rejection makes $65,000 the main short-term level for traders. Another move above it would need enough buying activity to prevent the type of immediate reversal seen during the latest attempt. Until then, Bitcoin remains below the resistance that has repeatedly limited its recovery.

Upcoming US economic releases could provide the next source of volatility. The data may affect demand for risk assets and influence whether Bitcoin makes another attempt to reclaim $65,000.

BTC now needs to stabilize around $64,000 before buyers can challenge the rejected level again. A further decline would extend the pullback, while a recovery would return attention to the same resistance zone.

Ether.fi Launches Separate weETHs Restaking Vault

Ether.fi has introduced weETHs, a separate liquid restaking vault that gives users exposure to Symbiotic without adding the same restaking path to standard weETH positions.

The new weETHs vault, also called Super Symbiotic, can delegate part of deposited assets to Symbiotic. Ether.fi’s app displayed a 3.5% annual percentage yield and approximately $17.7 million in total value locked.

The product creates a clearer distinction between regular ETH staking and strategies that add another layer of restaking exposure. Users can select standard weETH or move into weETHs when they specifically want access to the Symbiotic-based strategy.

Ether.fi introduced the vault after publishing a security upgrade on July 14, 2026. The protocol moved key safety conditions into immutable contract-level invariants and completed an external audit with Certora.

The company also reported processing 542,792 ETH in redemptions over 33 days during an industry-wide period of market stress. That amount represented 20% of its TVL, and Ether.fi said it completed the withdrawals without missing a request.

Future weETHs deposits, yields, audits, and withdrawal activity will show how much demand the separate restaking product attracts.

Ethereum Whales Accumulate 5.6 Million ETH

Ethereum wallets holding between 10,000 and 100,000 ETH accumulated 5.6 million ETH during a buying period that began in mid-2025, according to CryptoQuant data.

The increase in large-wallet holdings coincided with rising inflows into addresses associated with long-term accumulation. Daily deposits to those addresses reached a record 1.14 million ETH in November 2025.

Their combined balance increased from 20.1 million ETH to 26.55 million ETH, a gain of 6.5 million coins. The inflow trend continued during 2026, with accumulation addresses receiving an average of 200,000 ETH per day.

Staking activity expanded at the same time. Data cited from Dune placed the amount of staked Ether at a record 37.85 million ETH. The two trends moved more of Ethereum’s supply into large wallets, accumulation addresses, and staking contracts.

The figures show that major holders continued increasing their exposure despite changing market conditions. They also indicate that a substantial amount of ETH moved into addresses associated with longer holding periods.

Whale balances, daily accumulation inflows, and the total amount of staked ETH will remain important indicators of whether this supply concentration continues.

XRPL Confidential Transfers Move Toward Validator Vote

The XRP Ledger has moved closer to adding confidential transfers for Multi-Purpose Tokens after developers merged the required support into the rippled client’s develop branch.

The Confidential Transfers implementation entered the codebase on June 27, 2026. It follows XLS-0096, a draft standard created on January 15 that introduces encrypted balances and transfer amounts for MPTs.

The system uses EC-ElGamal encryption, zero-knowledge proofs, Pedersen commitments, compact sigma proofs, and aggregated Bulletproof range proofs. Nodes can confirm that transactions follow network rules without displaying the transferred amounts publicly.

Token issuers would decide whether to activate confidential circulation for their assets. The code also introduces transaction types covering confidential transfers, conversions, inbox merging, reverse conversions, and clawbacks.

The feature still needs to pass the XRP Ledger amendment process. Mainnet activation requires support from more than 80% of trusted validators for two consecutive weeks.

A formal amendment vote will provide the next major milestone. If validator support crosses the required threshold and remains there for the full period, confidential MPT balances and transfers could become part of the XRP Ledger’s mainnet functionality.

Vangrid Offers Token Rewards for Smartphone-Generated 3D Data

Vangrid is developing a blockchain-linked spatial data network that turns short smartphone videos into 3D models for artificial intelligence and robotics applications.

The Vangrid platform allows contributors to record real-world locations with their phones. Its system reconstructs those recordings into three-dimensional models and attaches cryptographic proof showing when and where each capture occurred.

Organizations can create and finance data bounties for specific locations or environments. Contributors complete the requested recordings and receive rewards through Vangrid’s incentive system.

The project currently advertises a $100,000 rewards program. Participants earn PTC points for accepted captures, and Vangrid plans to convert those points into tokens during a future Token Generation Event. The platform has not yet announced the TGE date, token allocations, or point conversion rate.

For corporate clients, Vangrid promotes Edge-Computed Privacy, Cryptographic Provenance, and an Enterprise Spatial API. The company presents the network as infrastructure for supplying traceable spatial data to Physical AI systems.

The project’s next major updates will involve the token launch, conversion rules for PTC points, enterprise integrations, and examples showing how organizations use its bounty-funded 3D datasets.

Tether’s Hadron Targets Real-Estate Tokenization as Saudi Projects Expand

Tether’s Hadron platform supports the issuance of tokenized property as Saudi Arabia builds blockchain infrastructure for real-estate ownership and investment.

A Hadron onboarding guide published in March 2026 says customers can create tokenized products covering fiat-backed stablecoins, commodities, and real estate within weeks. The platform provides tools for asset issuance, management, compliance, and secondary-market activity.

Hadron also works with Blockstream’s Liquid Network. The integration supports confidential real-world asset tokenization, including fractional property ownership with private ownership information.

Saudi Arabia is developing local infrastructure for similar projects. Open World launched the country’s first RWA Tokenization Center of Excellence in Al Khobar on January 22, 2026. The licensed entity supports projects involving property, energy infrastructure, and carbon credits.

On February 25, SettleMint announced that Sahl, Madek, Ghanem, and Jozo had completed live tokenized real-estate transactions. The four Saudi PropTech companies used the Kingdom’s Real Estate Registry blockchain infrastructure in a controlled environment.

The combination of issuance platforms, local licensing, and blockchain registry systems could support more fractional property products. Upcoming transactions will show how issuers connect tokenized ownership records with Saudi Arabia’s official real-estate infrastructure.

Circle Schedules Arc Mainnet Launch for September 16

Circle will launch the public mainnet of Arc on September 16, 2026. The network will begin operations with validators from some of the world’s largest financial, payment, and digital-asset companies.

The founding validator group includes BlackRock, DTCC, Galaxy, Global Payments, Intercontinental Exchange, Mastercard, MoneyGram, SBI Group, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Corporation, and Visa.

Arc already runs as a private mainnet with more than 100 institutional and ecosystem developers. These participants are preparing applications and integrations before the network opens to the public.

BlackRock is expected to deploy BUIDL, its tokenized investment fund, on Arc. Circle also plans to work with DTCC on bringing assets held in Depository Trust Company custody onto the network. That collaboration is scheduled to begin during the second half of 2027.