China

China no longer settles for gold alone, but is building the infrastructure of a new monetary order. After 22 consecutive months of acquiring the yellow metal, Beijing would be consolidating the bridges between gold and yuan, while its exposure to U.S. Treasury bonds is declining. We are therefore witnessing the beginnings of a "Yuan-gold" standard likely to reduce dependence on the dollar.

ByteDance has just closed a syndicated loan of 29.6 billion dollars. It is the second largest dollar transaction completed in Asia this year. For TikTok's parent company, the goal is clear: to finance its expansion in AI without relying solely on its profits.

The founder of Evergrande, former 2nd richest in Asia, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for fraud. Impact on the Chinese economy: the summary.

Bitcoin open-source development enters a new phase of oversight. A volunteer red team now uses several Chinese AI models to track flaws in hundreds of projects linked to its ecosystem. The Kimi K3 model, designed by the startup Moonshot AI, plays an important role in this operation. Researchers combine automated analysis capabilities and human expertise to identify risks, then discreetly warn the developers concerned before any detailed technical publication in the crypto ecosystem.

DeepSeek has just reminded the AI industry that a high-performance model does not necessarily have to cost a fortune. Without any press release or spectacular announcement, the Chinese lab quietly deployed the final version of its flagship model. Behind this update lies a shift. The performance gap is narrowing, while the price gap is widening. For Web3, autonomous agent developers, and companies facing the growing cost of AI, this new equation could reshuffle the deck. DeepSeek is no longer just trying to compete but is attacking where its competitors are most vulnerable, the price.

While the crypto market struggles to find a clear direction, China is quietly accelerating its strategy on a completely different front. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has once again increased its gold reserves, confirming a policy of accumulation carried out for several months. This choice reflects Beijing's desire to strengthen its financial autonomy in an environment marked by geopolitical tensions, monetary uncertainties, and the questioning of the global economic order.

On Monday, July 13, 2026, a flash crash wiped out 2.5 trillion yuan in 15 minutes at the Shanghai Stock Exchange, pushing Beijing to offload its US Treasury bonds to save the yuan. Triggered by US strikes in Iran, this stock market crisis exposes the systemic vulnerability of traditional markets to energy shocks.

Trump refuses to sign the housing bill, but the CBDC ban forces its way through anyway. Meanwhile, the CLARITY Act waits nervously in the wings.

While Trump sells us the crypto cold war against the Chinese, his personal piggy bank soars, leaving his most loyal supporters in the lurch.

Anthropic turned Claude into a snitch to track down Chinese users. Alibaba fires back with a ban. The AI war invades the code, and developers are left holding the bag.

The militarization of cutting-edge language models is redefining the map of global technological power, turning computer code into a massive deterrent weapon. Artificial intelligence is now establishing itself as the heart of defense infrastructures. However, limited access to these technologies immediately causes deep geopolitical fractures. The recent restriction of foreign users by American industry leaders triggered an immediate industrial response in Asia. This regulatory decision, far from slowing the technological development of the countries concerned, served as a sovereign accelerator for Chinese laboratories.

Published on June 16, the monthly report from the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is not limited to a series of macroeconomic data, but it reveals a major structural fracture, already forcing global fund managers to revise their risk asset allocations. In an ultra-connected financial context, Beijing's inability to revive its domestic demand, even as its technology factories operate at full capacity, outlines the contours of an unprecedented arbitrage for bitcoin, historically linked to global liquidity flows.

The unexpected postponement of the presidential decree on artificial intelligence revives the debate in Washington. Trump suspended the signing ceremony after judging that some measures could slow down the American lead. In a context of technological rivalry with China, the White House is seeking a balance between national security, industrial innovation, and international competitiveness, according to the American president.

Washington strikes hard against illicit crypto networks. US authorities have blocked 700 million dollars linked to a Chinese scam network in Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Tether froze 344 million dollars in USDT on two Tron wallets that Washington links to Iran. Between fake investment sites, "pig butchering" scams, and sanctions evasion, the United States tightens the noose on suspicious digital flows.

Bitcoin is increasingly moving from private portfolios to public balance sheets. A new report from River indicates that governments are no longer passive observers of the market. Today, 23 countries hold BTC in some capacity, marking a meaningful expansion of state-level participation.

Gold and silver closed 2025 at record highs, and that rally has accelerated into early 2026. A combination of strong demand, constrained supply, and rising political uncertainty is driving investors toward precious metals. New concerns about central bank independence have further intensified buying pressure.

While Beijing is making its e-yuan grow, Washington debates whether cryptos can offer rewards. What if the real danger is not what we think?

Reports of a renewed crackdown on Bitcoin mining in China’s Xinjiang region triggered concern across crypto markets this week. Early claims warned of severe hashrate losses and widespread shutdowns. Mining data reviewed after the initial reaction suggests, however, that the impact was brief and far smaller than first reported.

After one of the steepest selloffs in crypto history, digital assets have begun to recover. A renewed wave of buying has lifted both memecoins and major tokens, driven by easing tensions between the U.S. and China and a rebound in overall market sentiment.

Bitcoin collapses, Trump threatens, Beijing counterattacks, and cryptos suffer: meanwhile, Dogecoin still seeks a way out of the crisis. Should we laugh or buy?

China announces that it is giving up some of its privileges at the WTO. This move, described as "major" by the organization's director-general, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, reshuffles the cards of global trade. Made by Li Qiang himself, this decision marks a strategic shift for Beijing authorities, long accused of unfairly benefiting from multilateral rules.

AnchorX and BDACS have launched AxCNH and KRW1, stablecoins pegged to the offshore Chinese yuan and South Korean won, aiming to streamline cross-border payments and expand digital currency adoption.

Promised for 2026, the digital euro is already causing waves: Lagarde sees sovereignty, Navarrete calls it a useless gadget, and banks fear a digital bank run.

Chinese firms may face restrictions on stablecoin activity, affecting their role in the city’s digital asset market.

PetroChina is exploring the use of yuan-backed stablecoins for cross-border oil trade as Hong Kong rolls out a new licensing framework, while China weighs regulatory clarity for digital assets in international settlements.

China is reportedly weighing whether to authorize yuan-backed stablecoins. It would be a major reversal of its restrictive crypto stance. According to Reuters, sources familiar with the matter say the State Council will review a roadmap later this month that could open the door to stablecoin issuance tied directly to the Chinese yuan.

Faced with a wave of critical maturities on $4,000 billion of debt, Beijing launched an unprecedented monetary response. In August, the People's Bank of China injected $1,400 billion to avoid the suffocation of its bond market. More than an emergency measure, this intervention marks a strategic turning point in managing Chinese financial flows. In a context of global tensions, this technical gesture speaks volumes about Beijing's determination to maintain control over its economic cycle.

While the trade war intensifies, Beijing and Moscow show their determination. In July, their exchanges jumped to $19.14 billion, an annual record that contrasts with the gloom of the first half of the year. This rebound occurs as Donald Trump threatens China with new tariffs, after sanctioning India for its Russian oil purchases.