The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has granted Augustus 
conditional approval to establish Augustus Bank, N.A., a clearing bank built 
from the ground up around stablecoin and artificial intelligence (AI) 
infrastructure. Augustus Clears First OCC Hurdle for AI Clearing Bank The New 
York-based company, formerly known as Ivy, announced the conditional approval 
[…]

OCC Gives Augustus Conditional Approval to Build AI-Native Clearing Bank in the US

MoonPay acquired Dawn Labs and launched Dawn CLI, expanding its AI native 
infrastructure push into trading automation.
The post MoonPay acquires Dawn Labs to launch AI trading tool for prediction 
markets appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

MoonPay acquires Dawn Labs to launch AI trading tool for prediction markets

Kraken&#8217;s parent Payward has filed a Payward charter application with the OCC 
to establish a federally regulated national trust company. Kraken&#8217;s parent 
Payward has filed a Payward charter application with the US Office of the 
Comptroller of the Currency, proposing…

Payward charter targets federal crypto bank status

Strategy CEO Phong Le said last week that Bitcoin&#8217;s daily trading volume — 
averaging more than $60 billion — is large enough to absorb the company&#8217;s $1.5 
billion in annual dividend payments without moving the market. Related 
Reading: Nearly 80% Of Bitcoin Supply Hasn’t Moved As Long-Term Holders 
Tighten Grip That comment preceded co-founder Michael Saylor&#8217;s latest post 
&#8220;Back to work, BTC&#8221; on X Sunday, a phrase he has used before to signal an 
imminent purchase. A Pattern That Repeats Strategy typically buys Bitcoin the 
day after Saylor posts that message. The company last bought on April 27, 
picking up 3,273 coins for around $255 million. That brought its total stash 
to 818,334 BTC, worth roughly $61.8 billion at the time of publication, 
according to data from Strategy&#8217;s own website. Its average purchase price per 
coin sits at about $75,537 — meaning the position is up around 7.6%. Back to 
work. $BTC pic.twitter.com/HLbBv5Sbbx — Michael Saylor (@saylor) May 10, 2026 
The buying announcement follows a week-long pause Strategy took ahead of its 
first-quarter 2026 earnings call. During that call, Saylor said something that 
raised eyebrows: the company might sell some of its Bitcoin from time to time 
to fund dividends for holders of its credit instruments. For a company that 
had long held the position of never selling, that statement landed hard. 
Reactions From Both Sides Not everyone took it as bad news. Strategy investor 
Adam Livingston argued that periodic sales could actually benefit the treasury 
by helping finance future Bitcoin purchases. Bitcoin advocate Samson Mow said 
the ability to sell gives Strategy more flexibility in the financial markets. 
But others pushed back, warning that a company that both buys and sells 
Bitcoin at scale could create a cycle that puts downward pressure on the spot 
price. Le pushed back on that concern. He told CNBC that Strategy owns about 
4% of Bitcoin&#8217;s total supply but said he does not believe the company drives 
prices in either direction. Sales, he said, would be limited to specific 
situations — covering dividend yields and deferring taxes. Related Reading: 
Swiss Bitcoin Reserve Effort Withdrawn After Resistance From Central Bank 
Clarifying The Scope Saylor offered his own framing during the earnings call. 
&#8220;We&#8217;ll probably sell some Bitcoin to fund a dividend, just to inoculate the 
market, just to send the message that we did it,&#8221; he said. That wording 
suggests the move is more about signaling than volume — a controlled, 
deliberate action rather than a broader shift in strategy. Whether markets 
read it that way remains to be seen. For now, based on Saylor&#8217;s Sunday post, 
another Bitcoin purchase appears to be coming. Featured image from Bitpanda, 
chart from TradingView

Strategy May Be Buying Bitcoin Again Despite Q1 Sell Talk

The EU&#8217;s sanctions highlight the urgent need for enhanced crypto regulation, 
increasing compliance demands and reshaping digital finance oversight.
The post European Union approves sanctions on Israeli settlers and Hamas 
figures, raising crypto compliance stakes appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

European Union approves sanctions on Israeli settlers and Hamas figures, raising crypto compliance stakes

Opening 401(k)s to private markets could boost GDP but raises concerns about 
liquidity risks and volatility impacting retirement security.
The post Council of Economic Advisers estimates $35B boost from opening 
401(k)s to private markets appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

OCC Gives Augustus Conditional Approval to Build AI-Native Clearing Bank in the US

Comments