Circle’s market capitalization exceeded the USDC circulation volume
As of the trading session on June 23, Circle’s total market capitalization reached $63.9 billion, surpassing the total issuance of its main stablecoin — USDC — for the first time. During the day, Circle’s shares rose 10% — their price climbed to $298, and the trading closed at $263.5. Recall that the company debuted on the stock exchange on June 5, raising $1.1 billion with a business valuation of $6.9 billion. On the day of its NYSE debut, its shares under the ticker CRCL surged 168% — from $31 to $82.
The rise in share prices was largely driven by the progress of the GENIUS Act initiative in the US Congress, aimed at regulating the stablecoin market. On June 16, the bill was approved by the Senate and sent to the House of Representatives for consideration. Experts believe that the adoption of such regulations strengthens Circle’s position, as the company has always aimed to operate within the framework of US law.
Since trading began, the company’s shares have risen by 750%. Circle is actively expanding its business: USDC has been integrated into the World Chain and XRP Ledger networks, and a strategic partnership has been signed with payment giant Fiser to develop stablecoin solutions. In addition, the Shopify platform added support for USDC payments. However, analysts warn of a potential bubble in the stablecoin market amid the rapid rise in Circle’s share price.
Tether aims to become the largest Bitcoin miner by the end of the year
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said in an interview with The Block that by the end of 2025 the company could become a leader among Bitcoin miners. According to him, the key goal of the mining direction is not profit, but the security of the company’s own assets. Tether currently owns more than 100,000 BTC and is actively involved in maintaining the network’s security to protect its investments.
Tether is actively expanding its presence in various industries: in addition to mining, the company invests in crypto projects and develops initiatives related to digital reserves. Ardoino emphasized that mining is seen as part of Tether’s broader strategy called “stable energy,” which includes four key elements of a sustainable future: stable money, energy, communications, and artificial intelligence.
Satoshi-era miners reduced BTC sales by 98% in 2025
Since April, Bitcoin miners have managed to increase their reserves by 4,000 BTC despite declining revenues, according to a report by CryptoQuant analysts. At the same time, asset accumulation has started among owners of old wallets from the Satoshi era. Meanwhile, miners’ daily revenue fell to $34 million — the lowest level since April 20, 2025. This decline is due to lower network fees and a drop in BTC’s value. Over the past 10 days, the hashrate has decreased by 3.5%.
Nevertheless, sales remain low: outflows from wallets dropped from the February peak of 23,000 BTC to 6,000 BTC per day. Transfer activity to exchanges also remains at a minimum. Analysts believe this is due to the operating margin remaining around 48%. Activity has increased among holders with balances from 100 to 1,000 BTC: their combined reserves have grown by 4,000 BTC since April, reaching 65,000 BTC, the highest since November 2024. Early-generation miners have virtually stopped selling: in 2025 they sold only 150 BTC compared to nearly 10,000 BTC last year. Historically, mass sales by these miners have coincided with market cycle peaks.
Ripple prepares XRPL updаte with elements of Ethereum architecture
Ripple plans to introduce new features to the XRP Ledger (XRPL) blockchain to make it more flexible and supportive of programmable capabilities. This was announced by CTO David Schwartz in a comment to DL News. The updаte is inspired by Ethereum’s approach and envisions adding smart contracts for payment management and launching a new hybrid lending protocol.
Schwartz explained that the team’s goal is not to create a universal platform on the level of Ethereum, but to offer basic programmable functions with minimal risk to users. For example, smart contracts will enable automatic conversion of incoming funds into assets selected by the wallet owner.
The new lending protocol, scheduled for launch in Q3, will combine on-chain and off-chain mechanisms: an off-chain agent will handle borrower verification and debt collection, while the XRPL blockchain will ensure the tokenization of interest payments and their distribution among investors.
Trezor warned of phishing attack using feedback form
Hardware crypto wallet manufacturer Trezor reported a phishing attempt in which attackers used the feedback form on the official website. The attackers sent requests on behalf of users to provoke the automatic sending of replies to the victims’ email addresses. Fake emails disguised as support communication followed these automatic replies.
The company stressed that no data breach occurred: the attackers only used the public functionality of the form and did not gain access to Trezor’s internal systems. The vulnerability has been fixed. The company once again reminded users: never share your seed phrase with anyone, and Trezor employees will never ask for it.
Ledger introduced autonomous device for wallet recovery access
Ledger announced the Ledger Recovery Key — a smart card with NFC support for secure access to crypto wallets using a copy of the seed phrase. The device does not store assets or manage them directly. It complements the main wallet and is protected by a PIN code. It can be used to restore wallet access, manage card settings, and updаte its firmware.
Despite releasing the device, the company stated that the main tool for recovery remains the Ledger Recover subscription service. Its launch in 2023 sparked heated debate in the crypto community due to concerns that a seed phrase could be reconstructed from three parts, even though the fragments are stored by different custodians.