Trump Tariffs May Be Less Severe Than Expected

A major custody provider has reached a significant milestone in the tokenized securities market, now holding over **$1.5 billion in underlying U.S. stocks**. - The firm has cleared or held in custody approximately **94% of all tokenized U.S. equities** - This represents substantial growth in bringing traditional securities onto blockchain rails - The development comes as the broader $70 trillion U.S. equity market gradually opens to tokenization The milestone demonstrates increasing institutional adoption of tokenized securities infrastructure, making traditional assets more accessible globally through blockchain technology.

**AI meets hardware security in crypto management** Ledger has introduced a system that allows AI agents to read wallet balances and analyze cryptocurrency portfolios while maintaining strict security protocols. **Key features:** - AI agents can view and analyze portfolio data - All sensitive actions require manual approval on Ledger hardware device - Private keys remain secured on the physical device - Combines AI convenience with hardware wallet security **How it works:** Users can leverage AI for portfolio insights and analysis, but any transaction or sensitive operation must be physically approved on their Ledger device before execution. This approach bridges the gap between emerging AI capabilities and the security standards crypto users expect from hardware wallets.

Galaxy has introduced **Galaxy Curator**, a new platform built on Morpho that provides institutional access to onchain yield strategies. The platform serves **2,400 institutional clients** through Fireblocks' custody infrastructure, marking a significant expansion of institutional DeFi access. **Key features:** - Built on Morpho's lending protocol - Integrated with Fireblocks custody - Targets institutional investors seeking onchain yield This follows Galaxy's broader strategy of building institutional-grade infrastructure, previously demonstrated through partnerships combining custody and consumer wallet technology. The launch represents another step in bridging traditional finance with decentralized lending markets.

The **x402 Foundation** has been established as a neutral collaborative space for competitors and payment providers to develop an open standard for AI agentic commerce. The foundation will govern the x402 protocol, which embeds payment capabilities directly into web interactions. This infrastructure aims to enable seamless transactions in AI and agent-driven commerce environments. By bringing together competing entities under a shared framework, the foundation seeks to create interoperable standards that could shape how autonomous AI agents conduct commercial activities online.

**Bitcoin dropped from its $65,500 monthly peak** as traders locked in profits and fresh Iranian strikes on U.S. bases rattled markets. **Key developments:** - Profit-taking pressure emerged after BTC reached monthly highs - Iranian military action on U.S. bases triggered risk-off sentiment - Bearish momentum dominated across most crypto tokens **Market context:** While traditional assets like gold, oil, stocks and bonds reacted sharply to the fourth round of U.S.-Iran strikes earlier this week, bitcoin initially showed resilience. However, the latest escalation broke that stability. The $65,000 level has historically served as a significant demand zone for bitcoin, previously tested during earlier U.S.-Iran tensions in May. **Current outlook:** Geopolitical uncertainty continues to weigh on risk assets, with crypto markets showing increased correlation to broader market sentiment during periods of heightened conflict.