PANews reported on July 16 that Swedish digital commerce company Refine Group announced the establishment of a digital asset business and implemented a Bitcoin reserve strategy to include Bitcoin in its balance sheet. To support its initial investment and strengthen its financial position, the company raised 10 million Swedish kronor through a private placement, which diluted its equity by about 45%. The largest investor, João Caldas, became a new shareholder and plans to nominate him as a member of the board of directors. The CEO said that Bitcoin's scarcity and liquidity will help the company innovate and collaborate.



Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin defended his blockchain’s 45-day exit queue after Galaxy Digital’s head of digital called it “troubling,” sparking backlash. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has finally addressed some concerns over the lengthening Ethereum staking exit queue, which has now grown to 45 days. His response came after Galaxy Digital’s head of DeFi, Michael Marcantonio, called the exit queue length “troubling” on X and compared it to Solana which only needs two days to unstake. He has since deleted the posts. However, Buterin seemingly took a more ideological stance on the subject, describing unstaking from Ethereum as “more like a soldier deciding to quit the army,” adding that staking is more about “taking on a solemn duty to defend the chain.”Read more