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After South Korea raised the margin requirements for single-stock leveraged ETF investors, the trading activity of related products has significantly decreased, with trading volume dropping to about one-tenth of the previous peak level.According to data from the Korea Exchange, the total trading volume of 16 single-stock leveraged and inverse ETFs related to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in the KOSPI market was 12.388 trillion won within two trading days after the new measures were implemented, a decrease of 58.6% compared to 29.907 trillion won on the day the measures were implemented (July 31).Previously, South Korean regulators raised the minimum cash margin requirement for single-stock leveraged ETF investors from 10 million won to 30 million won. Compared to the trading volume of 124.485 trillion won on the last trading day before the measures were implemented (July 30), the current trading scale of related products has dropped to about one-tenth.The enthusiasm of retail investors has cooled significantly. Data shows that the trading volume of retail investors in single-stock leveraged and inverse products has fallen to 250.7 billion won, less than a quarter of the 929.9 billion won on July 31.Analysts indicate that after raising the margin threshold, the effect of restricting speculative capital inflow has begun to show, and the trading pattern of retail investors continuously buying leveraged products during declines in the underlying stocks is changing.

According to NATE, South Korea's financial regulatory authorities are advancing the revision of the Capital Markets Act, planning to grant regulators the "emergency intervention rights" to directly take market stabilization measures during periods of severe stock market fluctuations.Currently, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) of South Korea has initiated relevant legal amendments with the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), focusing on single-stock leveraged ETF products that are believed to amplify volatility during the recent stock market crash. Proposed regulatory measures include adjusting leverage multiples and setting investment limits.In cases of abnormal market fluctuations, the aim is to reduce the risks associated with concentrated trading of funds. Additionally, South Korea's financial regulatory authorities are considering setting personal investment limits for single-stock leveraged ETFs, standardizing the investment cap at around 20% to prevent excessive concentration of funds, and introducing a simulated trading system to enhance investors' understanding of the risks associated with leveraged products.South Korean regulators stated that the increase in the basic margin is primarily aimed at raising the investment threshold, while the investment limit effectively sets an "upper limit" on fund inflows, with both measures forming a complementary risk control system.Previously, South Korea had raised the minimum margin requirement for investors in single-stock leveraged ETFs from 10 million won to 30 million won starting July 31.Data shows that on the first day of the new regulations, the trading volume of 16 related leveraged ETFs was approximately 3 trillion won, only about a quarter of the previous trading day's 12.4 trillion won, and a decrease of about 80% compared to the 15 trillion won level on July 29.

The Financial Services Commission of South Korea responded positively to the recent controversies surrounding single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) when it released supplementary regulatory measures. Byeon Je-ho, the Director of the Capital Markets Bureau of the Financial Services Commission, clearly stated that launching leveraged ETF products targeting single stocks such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in the domestic market has indeed had a significant effect in locking in domestic investment demand and preventing capital outflow to overseas leveraged markets like Hong Kong or the United States.In response to external accusations that single-stock leveraged ETFs are the "main culprit" behind the recent increase in volatility in the South Korean stock market, the Financial Services Commission refuted this claim. Byeon Je-ho pointed out that the recent dramatic market fluctuations cannot be solely explained by leveraged ETFs, with the core reason being the alternating expectations of the global semiconductor industry cycle. Data shows that from May 26 to July 10, the annualized daily return volatility of U.S. SanDisk (131%), Micron (123%), and Japan's Kioxia (118%) was higher than that of South Korea's SK Hynix (113%) and Samsung Electronics (96%). Additionally, some investors' contrarian operations have played a role in stabilizing stock prices to some extent.Regarding the demands from some politicians and market participants to "forcefully delist single-stock leveraged ETFs," the Financial Services Commission clearly rejected this request. The official explanation stated that delisting must meet statutory termination criteria such as a sharp decline in market value or a lack of liquidity providers (LPs), and currently, the market is showing signs of heating up due to excessive demand, which does not meet the delisting conditions. The Financial Services Commission indicated that such calls should be understood as the market's urgent expectation for strengthened compliance and robust regulatory measures.

According to The Block, Bitcoin mining company IREN Limited has agreed to acquire cloud infrastructure software company Mirantis for approximately $625 million in an all-stock transaction to enhance its AI cloud business layout.This acquisition will bring critical software and "orchestration" capabilities to IREN, helping it better monetize its expanding GPU and data center resources. Mirantis focuses on Kubernetes-based cloud infrastructure tools that enable automated deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.Analysts point out that the transaction values Mirantis at about 4 to 5 times its revenue, aimed at helping IREN catch up with AI cloud competitors like CoreWeave and build a complete "full-stack new cloud" capability.This merger is also an important step for IREN in its transformation from a Bitcoin mining company to an AI infrastructure platform. Previously, the company had raised approximately $3.6 billion through equity and convertible bond financing to expand its GPU and data center capacity, with total construction investments expected to exceed $9 billion. After the transaction is completed, Mirantis is expected to operate as an independent subsidiary.

According to Jinshi Data reports, there are market rumors that the Trump Media Technology Group (DJT.O) will merge with TAE TECHNOLOGIES in an all-stock transaction, which is expected to be completed by mid-2026. After the merger, the company is expected to select a site and begin construction of its first utility-scale nuclear fusion power plant in 2026.

According to CoinDesk, Solmate (stock code SLMT), a Solana infrastructure company focused on the Abu Dhabi market, has signed a non-binding term sheet to acquire the digital asset company RockawayX through an all-stock transaction.This acquisition will create an institutional cryptocurrency group with managed assets and third-party interests exceeding $2 billion. The merged company will integrate RockawayX's infrastructure, liquidity, and asset management business into Solmate, which is transitioning from passive digital asset fund management to an operational cryptocurrency business, and will continue to trade under the stock code SLMT. Solmate's CEO Marco Santori will lead the group, while RockawayX's CEO Viktor Fischer will oversee the operations of the RockawayX subsidiary and serve as the executive chairman of Solmate.RockawayX is the blockchain business division of venture capital firm Rockaway Capital, providing on-chain market-making, lending, and other services. The company also manages venture capital and credit funds that collectively oversee approximately $1.04 billion in assets, with around $1.1 billion in assets staked on its validation nodes.

ChainCatcher news, according to GlobeNewswire, Strive, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASST) and Semler Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMLR) announced the final agreement for a stock-for-stock merger transaction.Additionally, Strive announced the purchase of 5,816 bitcoins at an average price of $116,047 each for the company's assets, totaling $675 million, bringing its total bitcoin holdings to 5,886.The merged company will hold over 10,900 bitcoins and plans to adopt a "preferred stock only" leverage model to avoid the debt maturity risks associated with traditional leveraged bitcoin strategies. The merged company also plans to explore monetizing or spinning off Semler Scientific's historically profitable diagnostics business in the future.

ChainCatcher news, a fund that has already received investment from state-owned enterprises in Hong Kong is actively planning a coin-stock linkage project. A person from the Hong Kong financial sector revealed that although state-owned enterprise funds cannot directly invest in funds related to the cryptocurrency sector, they can indirectly participate in the digital currency market by purchasing "stocks of listed companies that hold Bitcoin." This method is currently unrestricted.

ChainCatcher news, Canadian stablecoin issuer Blockchain Venture Capital Inc. (CSE: BVCI) recently announced a strategic partnership with crypto brokerage HabitTrade. The two parties will jointly explore compliant pathways for tokenized stocks on-chain, promoting the construction of a closed-loop for stablecoins on-chain and achieving the encryption and compliant circulation of global assets.HabitTrade will provide BVCI with trading settlement infrastructure, global liquidity support, and financing strategies to accelerate its Web3 business layout. This cooperation marks an important step in both parties' globalization strategy, promoting the compliant implementation and scalable application of stablecoins and on-chain financing in the cross-border market into a new phase.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, CoreWeave stated that it will acquire the digital infrastructure company Core Scientific through an all-stock transaction. The value per share for this transaction is $20.40. The agreed exchange ratio implies a company valuation of approximately $9 billion.Previous news, AI infrastructure company CoreWeave is in talks to acquire the Bitcoin mining company Core Scientific.

ChainCatcher news, according to Crypto In America, Canadian Bitcoin mining company Bitfarms announced the successful completion of a full stock acquisition of Stronghold Digital Mining, with a transaction value of over $110 million, making it the largest merger and acquisition case between two publicly listed Bitcoin mining companies.This acquisition will increase Bitfarms' share of the North American energy market from 6% to 80%, significantly enhancing its presence in the U.S. PJM grid.It is noteworthy that the world's second-largest Bitcoin mining company, Riot Platforms, previously attempted a hostile takeover of Bitfarms, which ultimately failed, and chose to hold a 20% stake in Bitfarms.