Malta’s financial regulator is exploring how decentralized finance (DeFi) could fit within the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework, focusing on governance, accountability and the meaning of “full decentralization.”
The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) said that while MiCA excludes cryptocurrency services provided in a “fully decentralised manner without any intermediary,” many DeFi projects retain centralized features such as administrator keys, governance concentration, protocol upgrade rights and control over user-facing interfaces, in a discussion paper published Wednesday.
The regulator is seeking feedback on whether decentralization should be assessed as a spectrum rather than a binary concept and whether a standardized framework should be developed to determine when a protocol falls outside MiCA’s scope.
DeFi is something of a grey area under the EU’s framework for regulating crypto, as it excludes services provided in a fully decentralised manner, but lacks a clear description of when a protocol or platform meets that threshold.
MSFA’s paper also asks whether regulated crypto firms should be required to conduct smart-contract audits, governance reviews and risk assessments before integrating DeFi protocols into their services.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JUNE 19: Cody Rhodes enters the ring at T-Mobile Center on June 19, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images)
WWE via Getty Images
The card is set for WWE Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 27. After an especially epic episode of SmackDown from Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday, we know every match that will happen in Riyadh. Let’s talk wrestling.
Key Facts at a Glance
Event: WWE Night of Champions 2026 (12th edition)
Date: Saturday, June 27, 2026
Location: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Start Time: 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
U.S. Stream: ESPN streaming service
International: Netflix (most markets)
Main Hook: King and Queen of the Ring finals plus an Undisputed WWE Championship triple threat
What Is The Full WWE Night Of Champions 2026 Card?
We saw a Triple Threat match for the WWE championship added in the first segment of SmackDown.
That makes six matches spanning both brands, with the two tournament finals carrying the heaviest long-term stakes. WWE assembled the lineup almost entirely through tournament progress and television angles over the past few weeks.
What’s At Stake In The King And Queen Of The Ring Finals?
A trip to SummerSlam in Minnesota and a title shot is on the line for the winners. Jey Uso will automatically pick Cody Rhodes, or whomever holds the blue brand’s title after NOC. Oba Femi will almost certainly choose Roman Reigns.
On the women’s side, Liv Morgan is already the Women’s World Champion, so she’ll go after WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, if she’s healthy. IYO will likely look to run it back against Liv for her title if she wins at NOC.
Both finals reward the winner with a world title shot at SummerSlam, which makes them the most consequential matches on the card. Oba Femi’s rapid main-roster ascent has positioned him as a potential first-time world champion, while Jey Uso carries heavy Bloodline storyline weight into the final.
Which Championships Are On The Line In Riyadh?
It’s not old school NOC with every title in the company on the line, but there is a good amount of gold up for grabs.
The Undisputed WWE Championship headlines after Sami Zayn’s actions turned the Cody Rhodes–GUNTHER Clash in Italy rematch into a three-way for Riyadh. Trick Williams defends the United States Championship against Ricky Saints, who earned the shot by winning a No. 1 contender’s match on SmackDown. Tiffany Stratton also defends the Women’s United States Championship against Jade Cargill, the first time that title is defended on a premium live event.
How Can You Watch WWE Night Of Champions 2026?
ESPN is the way to watch in the United States. In fact, the promotion is packing the first hour with marquee matches again for this premium live event.
Internationally, the show streams on Netflix in most markets, with SuperSport carrying it in Sub-Saharan Africa and Abema in Japan. It starts at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT from Kingdom Arena, an early bell that North American fans will need to plan around. For the full date, time and location details, the event is set for Saturday, June 27.
On May 28, UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE:UMH) announced that Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer Anna Chew elected to retire effective June 1 after 35 years with the company, including more than three decades as CFO. While stepping down from her executive responsibilities, Chew will remain with UMH in an advisory capacity to facilitate a smooth leadership transition and will continue serving on the company’s Board of Directors. The company also announced that Kevin Miller, who previously served as CFO of the UMH OZ Fund, has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer effective June 1. The planned succession reflects a structured transition process designed to preserve operational continuity and financial oversight.
On May 21, UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE:UMH) shareholder Erez Asset Management, which owns approximately 4% of the company’s outstanding shares, issued a letter urging fellow shareholders to withhold support from Presiding Independent Director Matthew Hirsch at the company’s 2026 Annual Meeting. Erez cited concerns regarding corporate governance and long-term shareholder performance, noting that Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) had previously recommended withholding votes from Hirsch in multiple election cycles. The development highlights increasing shareholder engagement and pressure for enhanced accountability, governance reforms, and improved value creation initiatives at the company.
Founded in 1968 and headquartered in Freehold, New Jersey, UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE:UMH) is a public equity REIT that owns and operates manufactured home communities. It holds thousands of acres of real estate and physical, tangible properties that are appreciated with inflation, serving as a reliable hedge against rising housing costs.
While we acknowledge the potential of UMH as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on thebest short-term AI stock.
WB-Shield Innovations GmbH, operating as WhiteBIT EU, announced today that it has obtained authorization under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) in Austria.
The authorization was granted by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA).
The Austrian authorization marks a key step in WhiteBIT’s European growth strategy and underscores WhiteBIT EU’s commitment to operating within a transparent, secure, and harmonized regulatory framework. Under MiCAR, WhiteBIT EU will be able to provide regulated crypto-asset services to eligible users across the EEA.
The authorization marks an important step in WhiteBIT’s broader strategy to build a regulated European presence and contribute to the continued development of the digital asset ecosystem in the EEA*.
“WhiteBIT was originally founded as a European exchange, and Europe remains at the core of our long-term vision,” said Volodymyr Nosov, Founder and President of W Group, which WhiteBIT is part of. “With MiCA setting a global benchmark for digital asset regulation, this authorization reinforces our commitment to building a transparent, secure, and compliant crypto ecosystem for users across the region.”
Strengthening WhiteBIT EU’s Regulatory Position in Europe
MiCAR establishes a harmonized EU framework for crypto-asset service providers, including requirements relating to governance, transparency, client protection, and market integrity.
By obtaining authorization in Austria, WhiteBIT EU has completed a substantive regulatory assessment in a jurisdiction recognized for its well-established financial supervisory standards. This strengthens WhiteBIT EU’s regulated European presence and supports the planned provision of crypto-asset services across the EEA within the scope of its MiCAR authorization and in accordance with applicable passporting, onboarding, and regulatory requirements.
With the MiCA license in Austria, these efforts are now consolidated under a single regulatory framework, enabling WhiteBIT to serve millions of European retail and institutional clients with compliant, secure, and accessible crypto services.
Launch of WhiteBIT.EU for European Users
As part of its transition to the MiCA framework, WhiteBIT is preparing to launch whitebit.eu — a dedicated platform designed specifically for users across the European Economic Area (EEA).
This new platform will serve as WhiteBIT’s regulated hub for the European market, operating under the MiCA framework and offering compliant access to the company’s products and services across the EEA.
New users interested in joining whitebit.eu can already register your interest through a dedicated form on the website and will be among the first to receive updates when the platform becomes available.
This press release constitutes a marketing communication for the purposes of applicable regulations.
* Excluding Malta
About WhiteBIT
WB-Shield Innovations GmbH (WhiteBIT EU) is an entity of WhiteBIT, authorised to provide crypto asset services in the EEA. WhiteBIT was founded in 2018 and is now a part of W Group, which serves more than 35 million customers globally. WhiteBIT collaborates with Visa, FACEIT, Barcelona FC, Juventus, and the Ukrainian national football team. The company is dedicated to driving the widespread adoption of blockchain technology worldwide.
Contact
WhiteBIT
pr@whitebit.com
Disclaimer: This is a paid post and should not be treated as news/advice.
The crypto market slipped a day after the Federal Reserve raised expectations that U.S. interest rates are headed higher.
Bitcoin BTC$63,405.49, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, was changing hands near $63,900, down more than 1% over the past 24 hours. Other major tokens, including XRP (XRP), ether (ETH), BNB coin BNB$580.09 and solana (SOL), posted similar losses.
The CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20) fell more than 1.2% in the same period. The DeFi Select Index (DFX) slid 5%, the largest drop among all the CoinDesk benchmarks.
Still, there were pockets of strength. For instance, Provenance Blockchain’s HASH token surged 15%, alongside a gain of almost 10% gain in Stellar’s lumen (XLM).
“Sentiment is washed out, the fear gauge has plunged into extreme fear and BTC is now about 48% off its $126k high from last October. Contrarian fuel if you have the patience, but a clear tell that positioning is defensive and conviction is thin,” analysts at Marex said.
Derivatives positioning
Crypto futures bets worth over $440 million have been liquidated across exchanges in the past 24 hours. Most were bullish long positions, indicating that traders had positioned for a recovery rally following Wednesday’s Federal Reserve interest-rate decision.
BTC’s futures open interest (OI) has pulled back to 730K BTC from Tuesday’s high of 742K BTC, signaling renewed risk aversion. The same applies to ether’s OI.
XRP’s OI is hovering at 2.30 billion tokens, the highest level since October, topping the recent peak of 2.29 billion tokens. This is not necessarily bullish because both perpetual funding rates and 24-hour cumulative volume delta (CVD) are negative, pointing to bearish dominance in the market.
Broadly speaking, most of the top 25 tokens, excluding TRX and SOL, recorded negative 24-hour CVD, a sign that bears are aggressively hitting market orders rather than placing passive limit orders.
Against this backdrop, the annualized 30-day implied volatility indexes for bitcoin and ether continue to signal calm. Bitcoin’s BVIV index is hovering near 41%, having reversed an early-month spike to nearly 59%.
In the options market, flows tracked by Laevitas show increased demand for put options expiring on June 21, a clear indication that traders are seeking protection against downside volatility heading into the weekend.
Token talk
Hyperliquid’s token keeps ripping higher, but its app layer is not. HYPE is up 34% on the week and its core perpetuals exchange is posting record volume, yet HyperEVM, the general-purpose layer meant to attract outside developers, hasn’t produced a breakout app.
A critique circulating in the Hyperliquid community argues the builder side has stalled, pointing to projects that have shut down or lost momentum and to activity concentrating in just a few hands.
The data backs the gap. HyperEVM holds about $1.5 billion in total value locked (TVL), the money parked in its apps, compared with the core exchange’s $5 billion-plus in daily volume. More than 175 teams have deployed, few have meaningful traction.
What traction exists is concentrated. Unit is the main deployer of HIP-3 markets, Hyperliquid’s permissionless system for listing new perpetuals, and Kinetiq leads in liquid staking. Relying on one or two builders is risky, in case either pulls back.
The disincentives look structural. Builders hesitate because a winning idea may simply get built by Hyperliquid itself, and an app that is unlikely to reward early users with an airdrop, and may not survive the year, gives traders little reason to lock up capital there.
The tension is that Hyperliquid says attracting builders matters to it. The token and the trading engine are among the strongest in crypto, while the layer meant to widen the ecosystem has yet to find its breakout moment the way Solana or Ethereum did.
On June 18, Cathie Wood‘s ARK Invest showed off a notable rotation following a superb run in two of the most popular high-growth stocks.
Investors had been rewarding Robinhood (HOOD) for its cost-cutting plan and Roku (ROKU) for its takeover-driven rally, but ARK moved in the opposite direction.
Wood took profits in both stocks after the catalysts lifted sentiment, turning both into sources of cash.
Those adjustments land against a far more buzzworthy story.
Wood recently built a major post-IPO position in SpaceX, with ARK buying nearly 3.3 million shares that were worth about $531 million by the end of the stock’s first trading day, adding to her reputation among fans and investors as a big-name, high-risk, high-reward stock picker.
On top of that, the ARK Invest boss didn’t just move to the sidelines.
The firm added to Eli Lilly, Coinbase, and other big names linked to new catalysts, pointing to a major shift from completed or mature rallies toward fresh upside stories.
However, the question now beckons whether Wood is taking profits early or getting ahead of a momentum fade.
Cathie Wood’s ARK sold Robinhood and Roku after sharp stock ralliesJose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Why Cathie Wood sold Robinhood and Roku after their rallies
Wood’s Robinhood and Roku sales point to a classic case of profit-taking after sudden catalysts.
Robinhood became one of ARK’s largest trims of the day.
The firm sold off 275,572 shares through the ARK Innovation ETF, worth $26.65 million. According to Reuters, the sale came just after Robinhood said it would cut about 10% of its full-time workforce, or roughly 290 jobs, as CEO Vlad Tenev pushed the company to stay lean and focused.
The cost-cutting offered investors a cleaner margin story, and the stock jumped as analysts lifted price targets. For Wood, that rally created an easy window to lock in gains.
Roku offered a different kind of catalyst.
ARK sold 239,267 shares across ARKK, ARKW, and ARKF, worth about $33.01 million, after Fox agreed to buy Roku in a $22 billion deal valued at $160 per share.
The deal gave Roku shareholders a defined takeover price and pushed the stock close to that level. That reduced the upside case for ARK, turning Roku into a source of cash rather than a fresh growth bet.
Why Eli Lilly led ARK’s latest round of growth-stock buying
Eli Lilly led ARK’s buying as Wood shifted cash from stocks to the most in-demand healthcare player.
ARK scooped up 41,138 Lilly shares through the ARK Genomic Revolution ETF, putting about $46.18 million into the drugmaker after a pullback in the stock.
That comes at a time when the weight-loss drug giant just acquired 4E Therapeutics, a neuroscience company focused on non-opioid treatments for chronic pain.
That offers Lilly another pipeline angle beyond its dominant obesity and diabetes franchise, fitting with ARK’s preference for companies with big addressable markets and platform-like science.
Coinbase was the next big buy.
ARK scooped up 111,799 shares across ARKK, ARKW and ARKF for about $18.92 million as Coinbase pushes beyond crypto trading. Its recent product moves, including tokenized U.S. stocks for international users and AI-driven investing tools, support the idea that Coinbase wants to become a broader financial platform, not just a crypto exchange.
ARK also bought $17.68 million of Block shares and added smaller biotech positions, showing the rotation was not defensive.
Tesla still remains ARK Innovation ETF’s largest holding
ARK Innovation ETF’s portfolio still shows a marked tilt toward disruptive growth names, with Tesla, Robinhood, CRISPR Therapeutics, Tempus AI, and SpaceX-related exposure making up the five largest positions.
Here’s the top 10 list:
Tesla, Inc. was the ETF’s largest holding at 9.50%.
Robinhood Markets, Inc. was the second-largest holding at 4.93%.
CRISPR Therapeutics AG was the third-largest holding at 4.87%.
Tempus AI, Inc. was the fourth-largest holding at 4.83%.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. was the fifth-largest holding at 4.71%.
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. was the sixth-largest holding at 4.51%.
Shopify Inc. was the seventh-largest holding at 4.07%.
Coinbase Global, Inc. was the eighth-largest holding at 3.85%.
Circle Internet Group, Inc. was the ninth-largest holding at 3.45%.
Twist Bioscience Corporation was the tenth-largest holding at 3.33%. Source: Stockanalysis.
What Cathie Wood’s latest rotation means for growth-stock investors
Wood’s latest rotation comes in a market that’s remarkably unpredictable.
The Nasdaq’s rebound and renewed appetite for disruptive tech are encouraging, but the Fed backdrop keeps that bar incredibly high, especially if rates stay elevated or inflation re-accelerates.
That’s exactly why ARK’s move underscores a mixed signal.
Trimming Robinhood after a cost-cutting rally and Roku after a takeover-driven surge suggests Wood is willing to take cash off the table when upside becomes more defined.
Buying Eli Lilly, Coinbase, and Block shows she is not turning defensive; she is rotating toward companies where the next catalyst still appears ahead.
Hence, in this market, the big winners will likely come from stocks with fresh catalysts, not just yesterday’s big rebounds.
A major Ethereum whale intensified its accumulation activity after purchasing 7,000 ETH worth $11.8 million. The latest acquisition lifted the wallet’s total purchases to 17,800 ETH valued at approximately $29.76 million over the previous ten days.
Such sustained buying activity highlighted growing conviction from large holders despite Ethereum’s recent price struggles.
Notably, the whale accumulated ETH at an average price of $1,672, a level close to the asset’s current market value. This positioning suggested that large investors continued to view current prices as attractive.
Exchange supply keeps shrinking
Beyond whale activity, exchange flow data revealed a notable shift in Ethereum’s circulating supply.
During the latest trading session, Ethereum recorded $95.92 million in inflows against $109.27 million in outflows. This imbalance produced a net outflow of roughly $13.35 million.
The persistent outflow trend indicated that more ETH left exchanges than entered them.
Since exchange-held assets typically represent readily available selling supply, the decline suggested reduced immediate sell-side pressure.
Source: CoinGlass
Why has ETH stalled below resistance?
Ethereum’s [ETH] recovery attempt lost pace after the price approached the $1,800 resistance level and failed to establish a sustained breakout.
The daily chart showed that ETH traded near $1,703 at the time of observation, while maintaining support above the key $1,700 region.
Technical indicators reflected a market that had attempted to recover but had not fully regained strength. The Relative Strength Index climbed from deeply oversold conditions and reached 38.02, while remaining below the neutral 50 threshold.
This reading suggested that buyers had regained some control, though bullish strength remained limited.
Meanwhile, the Parabolic SAR flipped beneath price during the recent rebound, signaling that short-term conditions had improved following the sharp decline earlier in June.
However, ETH remained below both the descending trendline and the $1,800 resistance level. Unless buyers reclaimed these barriers, recovery attempts could continue facing resistance.
If bullish pressure strengthens, ETH could challenge $1,800 again. Otherwise, support around $1,700 and $1,590 could attract renewed attention.
Source: TradingView
Liquidity map highlights Ethereum’s next battleground
Liquidation data revealed several high-interest zones that could influence Ethereum’s next move. The Binance Liquidation Heatmap showed a notable concentration of liquidity around the $1,720 to $1,730 region.
Since large liquidation clusters often attract price action, this zone emerged as a key area to monitor in the short term.
Below the current price, another significant liquidity pocket appeared between $1,665 and $1,675.
This cluster provided an important downside reference if Ethereum lost support near $1,700. Elsewhere, additional liquidity concentrations extended toward $1,750 and above $1,800, indicating areas where leveraged positions had accumulated.
As traders continued targeting liquidity-rich zones, Ethereum’s price action could remain drawn toward these levels before establishing a clearer directional move.
