On June 17, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland said HyperFund promoter Rodney Burton, known as "Bitcoin Rodney," pleaded guilty to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business tied to an alleged $1.8 billion scheme. Prosecutors said Burton promoted HyperFund from June 2020 to January 2022 and received at least $7.85 million in proceeds. He faces up to five years in prison and is scheduled for sentencing on July 23.

A House proposal would curb crypto tax-loss harvesting by extending wash-sale and constructive-sale rules to many digital assets, limiting the ability to claim losses after quickly repurchasing similar positions. The plan includes limited exemptions, including for qualified U.S. dollar stablecoins and certain digital assets received through staking, mining and related validation activities. House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington said in a June 17 press release that the proposal is aimed at applying existing tax anti-abuse rules to digital assets.

Bitcoin is holding above a key support zone after a pullback tied to Federal Reserve messaging, while 21Shares sees a possible path to $100,000 by the end of Q3. The firm says the bullish case hinges on a decisive move above $70,000. Bitcoin has continued to defend support around $65,000 even as inflation concerns and rate expectations shape near-term sentiment.

Ripple has invested in Flutterwave to integrate its U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, Ripple USD (RLUSD), into African business payments via Flutterwave’s cross-border network. The partnership links RLUSD to Flutterwave’s $3.2 billion payments platform, with a focus on settlement for remittances and commercial payment flows. Ripple said selected payment rails and Send App remittance corridors will use RLUSD as a settlement asset.

Gate has added RLUSD trading pairs against XRP, BTC, ETH and USDT, expanding exchange access for Ripple’s U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin. Ripple said the XRP/RLUSD market is designed to improve interoperability and capital efficiency for digital asset markets worldwide. The listing opens spot markets in BTC/RLUSD, ETH/RLUSD, XRP/RLUSD and RLUSD/USDT.

XRP withdrawals on Binance increased as activity shifted away from deposits, while leverage in the exchange’s derivatives market reached a 2026 high. Data shared by Cryptoquant showed withdrawals accounted for 53.2% of transaction activity. Binance’s XRP estimated leverage ratio also rose to its highest level of 2026.

Michael Saylor said bitcoin’s next stage could extend beyond corporate treasury accumulation, outlining a five-layer financial framework built on BTC. He described a market structure that starts with bitcoin and expands into credit, money, yield products, and equity. The framework is designed to match bitcoin exposure to different investor needs rather than relying solely on balance-sheet holdings.

SpaceX detailed its post-IPO priorities in a new SEC filing, emphasizing spending on AI compute infrastructure, launch systems, and satellite capacity. The document also describes stock conversions and governance changes that took effect after the IPO. The company said it plans to use IPO proceeds to fund these initiatives and for general corporate purposes, according to the filing.

Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest bought nearly 3.3 million SpaceX shares for three exchange-traded funds after the company began trading. The move expanded ARK’s exposure to SpaceX’s rockets, Starlink broadband business and AI-linked infrastructure plans, along with SpaceX’s 18,712 BTC treasury position. The purchases followed SpaceX’s Nasdaq debut, Investor’s Business Daily reported.