Harvard's $443M Bitcoin Bet Outpaces Gold 2-to-1

Harvard aggressively acquired Bitcoin before a market correction that devalued its bitcoin holdings.

Bitcoin declined over 20% from $114,000 to $92,000 since the third quarter.

Harvard might lose 14% on its third-quarter purchases if shares were bought at July's low, which would be a $89 million paper loss on the recent position.

According to WSJ, Harvard's annualized returns have trailed behind certain Ivy League counterparts over the previous decade, despite its minimal endowment losses.

Markov Processes International ranked Harvard ninth out of 10 elite schools with an 8.2% return. Harvard gained 11.9% in the year ended June 30, trailing MIT's 14.8% and Stanford's 14.3%.

Stanford finance expert Joshua Rauh told The Harvard Crimson that “investors often seem to view both bitcoin and gold as hedges against a collapse of the international monetary system in general, and against a loss of the US dollar in particular.”

He warned that “the extent to which either actually protects investors from these forces is uncertain and scenario-dependent.”

Harvard's large Bitcoin allocation contradicts economics faculty projections.

In 2018, Harvard professor and former IMF chief economist Kenneth Rogoff predicted Bitcoin would sell around $100 rather than $100,000 within a decade.

"I think bitcoin will be worth a tiny fraction of what it is now if we're headed out 10 years from now," Rogoff told CNBC. He said Bitcoin will have “very small” transaction uses without money laundering and tax evasion.

In his latest book “Our Dollar, Your Problem,” Rogoff admits, “I was far too optimistic about the US coming to its senses about sensible cryptocurrency regulation.”

Argentina May Allow Traditional Banks to Trade Cryptocurrencies

After years of outsourcing crypto trading and custody to exchanges and fintech platforms, Argentina's central bank is allegedly considering crafting legislation to overhaul the country's crypto ecosystem.

Local publication La Nacion said Friday that officials are working on a rule that would allow bankers to directly handle cryptocurrency, but they have not set a timeline or provided essential specifics.

If the process continues, one exchange in the country predicts approval around April 2026.

Exchanges, regulators, and a few bankers have privately discussed the notion for months. It follows a government attempt to loosen crypto prohibitions and integrate some of the scaled-up activity into the formal financial system.

Argentina has bigger stakes than most markets. After years of inflation and currency regulations, savers have turned to dollars and digital assets, and many households store money in crypto.

A recent assessment suggests that Argentines utilize crypto six times more than the average Latin American.

Allowing banks to trade and hold bitcoin for clients could drive demand. Regulation may make digital assets feel less like a grey market product and more like a normal investment by providing familiar on-ramps, better disclosures, and stronger compliance checks, analysts say.

They warn that how the central bank handles custody rules, capital handling, and token eligibility will determine the consequences.

The New National Security Blueprint by Trump overlooks Bitcoin's potential, while AI and Quantum are mentioned

The 2025 Trump National Security Strategy (NSS) did not reference blockchain or digital assets. Instead, the 33-page booklet discusses AI, biotech, and quantum computing.

The NSS, released Friday, is a crucial White House policy document. The policy papers outline the President's global threats and opportunities.

The pro-crypto administration has established the President's Working Group on Digital Asset Markets, signed the GENIUS Act to regulate stablecoins, and dropped various enforcement cases against crypto businesses.

Bitcoin is not included in global economic policy debates, suggesting digital assets are outside basic security planning.

“We want to ensure that U.S. technology and standards — particularly in AI, biotech, and quantum computing — drive the world forward,” the national security policy stated.

Trump, who ran for "crypto president," also created a Bitcoin reserve. He later indicated the cache will be paid using seized Bitcoin, not new BTC.

Digital assets have been framed as a national strategic issue by the President in earlier statements.

Trump said at the 2024 Bitcoin Conference in Nashville that crypto and Bitcoin "would be made in the USA, not driven overseas.”

In various policy announcements, Trump portrayed foreign competitors as potential beneficiaries if the US fails to embrace crypto-friendly regulations.

The strategy only mentions “digital finance” in non-crypto terms, citing international economic systems and payment rails, not decentralized networks.

The White House's latest document drove Bitcoin below $88,000 over the weekend.

CoinMarketCap reports that the world's largest crypto rose 1.96% to $91,429 in 24 hours. A closing above $91,600 might aim $93K, while failing could lower to $89.5K. Bitcoin trades at $91,143 now.

Binance Expands UAE Presence With Multiple Abu Dhabi Regulatory Approvals

Binance has three additional licenses in Abu Dhabi, strengthening its control over one of the Middle East's most ambitious digital asset hubs and giving it a strong regulatory base to attract institutional money.

Binance.com has been allowed by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi Global Market to operate through three exchange, clearing, and broker dealer firms.

During Abu Dhabi Finance Week, Binance's worldwide platform received authorizations, not just a regional offshoot, which is important for professional traders watching where the exchange may legally service them.

Nest Services Limited, now Nest Exchange Limited, is a certified investment exchange with multilateral trading authority under the new structure. On exchange, Binance will operate spot and futures markets.

As a clearing house with custody and securities depository authorization, Nest Clearing and Custody Limited clears, settles, and stores digital assets.

Third, BCI Limited, scheduled to become Nest Trading Limited, holds a broker dealer license for investments, asset management, custody, and money services, including over-the-counter trading and conversion.

Philippines' GoTyme Bank Launches Crypto Trading for 6.5M Users

The release lets users buy and hold 11 crypto assets on the GoTyme mobile app, auto-converting Philippine pesos to US dollars.

Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Solana (SOL), Polkadot (DOT), and other prominent cryptocurrencies are supported.

While GoTyme has not specified whether more advanced trading capabilities will be provided later, the bank says the program is aimed for beginners.

CEO Nate Clarke said, “Our product focuses on simplicity and reliability, designed for people who want to buy crypto confidently without complicated technical analysis or managing multiple apps.”

Singapore's Tyme Group and the Philippines' Gokongwei Group launched GoTyme in October 2022, and user growth has been strong.

Users can open a bank account and debit card in five minutes, and now they can access crypto.

The digital bank is expanding beyond the Philippines. Clarke recently said GoTyme will expand into Vietnam and Indonesia to increase its part of Southeast Asia's fast-growing digital banking sector.