Evercode Lab Summer ’26 Crypto News Digest

Bitcoin Posts Its Strongest August Since 2017

Bitcoin finished August up 24.95%, its strongest August since 2017 and its first positive August since 2021. BTC moved from the low-$60,000 range to above $81,000 before closing the month near $78,000. Market sentiment changed just as sharply: the Crypto Fear & Greed Index moved from Extreme Fear in early August to 74, Greed, later in the month.

The rally accelerated after the U.S. Treasury announced larger liquidity-support buybacks for longer-dated government debt on August 19. Long-term yields initially fell while the dollar weakened, giving risk assets more support. Rising Bitcoin prices then forced a large number of short positions to close, adding further momentum.

Buying continued after the initial squeeze. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted about $3.5 billion in net inflows during August, their strongest month of 2026. The combination helped Bitcoin hold much of its rebound through the end of the month rather than giving back the entire move after the first surge.

MiCA’s Transition Period Ends Across the EU

The final MiCA transitional period ended across the EU on July 1, closing the remaining grandfathering window that allowed some crypto companies to continue operating under national rules. From that point, providers without the required authorization could no longer accept new EU customers or continue normal marketing while waiting for approval.

MiCA itself had already been introduced earlier. Rules for stablecoin issuers started applying in June 2024, while the broader framework for crypto-asset service providers followed in December 2024. The July deadline therefore marked a shift toward full licensing requirements across the bloc.

The deadline also put pressure on companies still working through authorization. Binance withdrew its MiCA application in Greece shortly before the transition ended and said it would seek authorization in another EU country. A new application does not extend the old grace period, leaving providers without authorization unable to rely on transitional rules while they wait.

Visa Launches Stablecoin Platform for Businesses

Visa launched the Visa Stablecoin Platform in limited beta, giving selected businesses infrastructure to mint stablecoins, move them between wallets, and manage related operations. The platform is aimed at banks and fintech companies that want to add stablecoin functionality without building the entire backend themselves.

The product is still at an early stage, with limited availability and broader API access still to come. Even so, it moves Visa further into the infrastructure layer behind stablecoin products rather than keeping its role limited to payments and settlement.

Open USD Brings Major Companies Into a New Stablecoin Model

Open Standard announced Open USD, a planned stablecoin backed by a group of more than 140 companies. Participants include Coinbase and BlackRock, while Visa and Stripe are also part of the initiative. The stablecoin had not yet launched publicly by the end of summer.

The model differs from a typical issuer-led structure. Participating companies are expected to share in the income generated by reserves after management costs, giving distributors a direct economic incentive to support the stablecoin. Open Standard is responsible for the project rather than any single partner controlling the asset.

The partner list gives Open USD strong distribution potential from the start, but the project is still in its pre-launch stage. Details such as final reserve composition and some operating terms had not yet been fully disclosed by the end of August.

Robinhood Launches Its Own Blockchain

Robinhood launched the public mainnet of Robinhood Chain on July 1. The network is an Ethereum Layer 2 built with Arbitrum technology and is designed around financial products, including tokenized assets. Robinhood also made its Stock Tokens available through Robinhood Wallet to eligible users in more than 120 countries.

Those Stock Tokens do not give holders direct ownership of the underlying shares. Robinhood describes them as tokenized debt securities that track the economic exposure of the assets they represent. In its first month, Robinhood Chain generated about $3.6 million in network revenue, according to third-party on-chain data.

The launch gives Robinhood its own infrastructure for building on-chain products instead of relying only on its existing trading app. It also creates room for the company to expand tokenized financial services around the network.

UK Plans New Bank of England Objective for Stablecoin Innovation

The UK government announced plans in August to give the Bank of England a new secondary objective focused on payments innovation, including systems that use stablecoins. Financial stability would remain the Bank’s primary responsibility.

The proposal follows the Bank of England’s June policy statement on systemic sterling stablecoins, which set out how large-scale stablecoin issuers could be regulated. The new objective would add an innovation requirement to that work and encourage the Bank to consider how digital settlement assets can develop within the UK payments system.

The change has not been enacted yet. It is expected to be introduced through amendments to the Financial Services and Markets Bill, so the final form will still depend on the legislative process.

That’s a Wrap!

Summer brought plenty of movement across the crypto market, and August gave the season an especially strong finish. Some developments are already changing how crypto products are built and used, while others will be worth following into the final months of the year.

Thanks for reading our summer crypto roundup!