While Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell continues to lean towards maintaining current interest rates despite pressure from President Trump, the crypto market is abuzz with positive news. The trend of tokenization is gaining significant traction and implementation, signaling a major shift in how traditional assets are viewed and transacted.

Market Overview

US equities closed mixed on Tuesday, July 1st. The Dow Jones rose 0.91%, while the S&P 500 dipped 0.11%, and the Nasdaq similarly declined 0.82%. Stock futures showed a slight increase. Oil prices climbed to $65.4 per barrel. Gold saw an insignificant decrease, hovering around $3347 per ounce.

Bitcoin experienced a slight dip but remained stable around $105,000. Most major altcoins registered declines. The overall crypto market capitalization also decreased to $3.365 trillion.

Concluding June, BTC recorded a 2.49% increase, with its monthly candle closing at $107,173, marking an all-time high for a monthly close. Conversely, ETH saw a 1.49% decrease for its monthly close. This divergence highlights Bitcoin's sustained strength and historical performance.

After a series of positive inflows, US Bitcoin spot ETFs ended Tuesday with total outflows of $342.2 million. However, ETH spot ETFs continued to attract positive inflows, totaling $40.7 million. This mixed sentiment across the two leading crypto ETFs reflects dynamic market flows and differing investor appetites.

A recent share from Robert Kiyosaki about BTC encapsulates the common sentiment of many investors in the market. Robert Kiyosaki revealed his past hesitation to buy Bitcoin due to a lack of understanding of modern monetary theory. When he made his first Bitcoin purchase at $6,000, he considered the price too high. Now, even with the price soaring to $107,000, he continues to buy and believes that if Bitcoin reaches $1 million, he will regret not having bought more. He isn't certain Bitcoin will reach that level, but he trusts that the current price will be considered cheap in the future.

Kiyosaki admits he often hesitated, despite consistently supporting Bitcoin long-term. Even when the price sharply dropped below $20,000, he still said he "would wait." However, the feeling of "it's too late" is a common experience for many investors, who later wish they had acted sooner. An individual's experience from 2017 is similar: when Bitcoin rose from $1,000 to $3,000, the feeling of it being "too late" emerged, but looking back now, that was still a cheap price. The important thing is to maintain a long-term perspective. Bitcoin's price can fluctuate wildly in the short term, but its true value stems from its scarcity, decentralization, and independence from the traditional financial system. That's why many investors continue to trust and hold Bitcoin despite all volatility.

Tokenization of Equities: Robinhood's Three-Phase Revolution

The CEO of Robinhood recently provided detailed insights into tokenized equities and their functionality, asserting that this marks a crucial step in modernizing the global asset trading experience. This tokenization initiative will unfold in three distinct phases.

In the initial phase, Robinhood allows European clients to purchase US stocks as tokens on the blockchain, with each token collateralized by actual shares. When an investor buys stock like Apple, Robinhood executes the real stock transaction in the US, then creates a corresponding token and records it in the user's account. This trading process is similar to buying cryptocurrency, yet the experience remains simple, user-friendly, and requires no prior knowledge of decentralized finance (DeFi). Although this feature has been quietly rolled out previously, many investors still haven't recognized the significant shift in how they are now owning and trading stocks.

Moving to phase two, Robinhood will integrate Bitstamp, the exchange they recently acquired, enabling clients to trade tokenized equities even on weekends when US stock markets are closed. During market hours, stock transactions will be executed through the traditional system. However, when markets close, stock prices will be determined via token trading on the Bitstamp exchange. The conversion between these two markets is supported by arbitrage mechanisms, similar to how Bitcoin prices are balanced across different exchanges despite potential liquidity discrepancies.

In phase three, users will be able to transfer these tokens to self-custody wallets, from which they can then use them as collateral or swap them on other blockchains. Robinhood anticipates that the tokenization market will increasingly attract market makers and capital flows due to its high-profit potential. According to Robinhood's leadership, this is just the beginning of a major revolution in asset trading, opening up possibilities for global financial ownership and access in a more flexible and efficient manner than ever before. This bold vision positions tokenization as a critical bridge between traditional finance and the rapidly expanding world of blockchain and crypto.

Central Bank Perspectives from the ECB Sintra Forum

At the ECB Forum in Sintra, Portugal, leading central bank presidents and governors worldwide convened to discuss crucial economic issues.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell expressed a reluctance to cut interest rates in July but did not rule out the possibility. He emphasized maintaining an independent stance against pressure from President Trump and warned that tariffs could lead to increased inflation later in the year. Powell acknowledged the unsustainability of US national debt and expressed his desire to be remembered as a chairman dedicated to economic stability.

ECB President Christine Lagarde suggested that 2025 could be a turning point for the US dollar's global reserve role. She advocated for the development of a digital euro to safeguard monetary sovereignty and voiced concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on economic perceptions.

Bank of Korea Governor Rhee warned that despite stable inflation, risks to financial stability are escalating due to tariffs and global financial fragmentation.

Bank of Japan Governor Ueda noted that interest rates remain below neutral levels, cautioning against excessive reliance on theoretical estimates. He forecasted that core inflation would gradually approach 2% in 2026–2027.

Bank of England Governor Bailey indicated that UK interest rates are trending downwards, but their effectiveness might be limited by low household debt. He urged caution in policy easing and emphasized monitoring inflation risks.

The forum primarily focused on discussing the impact of tariffs, trade tensions, digital currencies, and geopolitical risks. Extensive debates revolved around the role of the US dollar and the necessity for developing digital currencies amidst global instability. This collective dialogue from global central bankers provides a comprehensive snapshot of the macro-economic and crypto-related concerns influencing policy decisions worldwide.

Other Key Crypto & Financial Updates

Deutsche Bank plans to offer Bitcoin and crypto custody services starting in 2026, in collaboration with Bitpanda and Taurus. The bank is also considering issuing its own stablecoin, has filed for a digital asset custody license, and is researching Layer-2 blockchain development on Ethereum. This news follows Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe's announcement of plans to provide crypto services to 50 million customers in Germany, signaling a major push by traditional financial institutions into the digital asset space in Europe.

MicroStrategy (Strategy) has been added to the Russell Top 200 Value Index. This index tracks the performance of the 200 largest value stocks in the US, further cementing MicroStrategy's presence in traditional financial benchmarks despite its Bitcoin-centric strategy.

South African state-owned power utility Eskom is considering Bitcoin mining, AI, and data centers as ways to boost revenue amidst increasing solar power adoption by customers. The company lost 4% of its electricity revenue last year, is burdened by $22.7 billion in debt, and could reach $174.5 billion by 2050. While Bitcoin mining could utilize surplus power, South Africa's rolling blackouts remain a significant hurdle. This highlights how companies are exploring crypto and blockchain solutions for new revenue streams.

DDC Enterprise has completed a $528 million funding round (with Anson Funds and other investors) to implement its corporate Bitcoin acquisition strategy. This significant capital raise underscores the continued institutional appetite for Bitcoin exposure.

The US Senate passed President Trump's large tax and spending bill after hours of deadlock with a 50-50 tie, broken by Vice President JD Vance's decisive vote. The bill will now return to the House for further review before President Trump's July 4th deadline for signing it into law. Elon Musk strongly criticized this bill, calling it the largest debt increase in history and accusing politicians of betraying promises to cut spending, while calling for the formation of a new political party truly concerned with the people. In response, President Trump threatened to cut government subsidies for Tesla and SpaceX, emphasizing that Elon Musk has received the most subsidies ever and warning that cutting them would affect these companies' operations. Elon Musk retaliated fiercely, demanding "cut all subsidies immediately" after President Trump's threat. This political saga highlights the complex interplay between government policy, corporate interests, and the crypto community.

The Smarter Web, a technology company, acquired an additional 230.05 BTC for $24.6 million at an average price of $107,126. This purchase increases the company's total BTC holdings to 773.58 BTC. This marks The Smarter Web's fifth purchase in its "10-Year Plan" for its Bitcoin treasury policy, showcasing a consistent and long-term accumulation strategy.

European companies are increasingly accumulating Bitcoin with several notable purchases. Vaultz Capital, a London-based technology investment firm, bought an additional 40 BTC, bringing its total to 50 BTC. Coinsilium Group, through its Gibraltar subsidiary Forza!, also added 15.42 BTC, now holding 73.73 BTC. The Blockchain Group, a leading blockchain technology company in France, acquired an additional 60 BTC, raising its total holdings to 1,788 BTC. Furthermore, H100 Group, a medical technology company based in Stockholm, Sweden, has adopted a strategy of holding Bitcoin as a reserve asset following recent purchases. This broad-based European interest signals growing institutional acceptance of Bitcoin as a treasury asset.

Vanadi Coffee, a coffee chain in Alicante, Spain, recently had its plan to raise 1 billion EUR (approximately $1.17 billion) from private investors to purchase Bitcoin approved by shareholders. This move aims to make the company the largest publicly listed BTC holder in Spain. By the end of June, Vanadi held 54 BTC (around $5.8 million), including 20 newly acquired BTC. This news sent their stock price soaring 242% in just one month. The company intends to use Bitcoin as its primary reserve asset and continue accumulating to strengthen its financial position, exemplifying the increasing adoption of Bitcoin treasury strategies by diverse businesses.

Sources

• Bloomberg
• CoinDesk
• U.S. Treasury
• TradingView
• Reuters
• SEC
• Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad)
• Robinhood Investor Relations
• European Central Bank (ECB)
• Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
• Deutsche Bank
• MicroStrategy Investor Relations
• Eskom
• DDC Enterprise
• The Smarter Web
• Vaultz Capital
• Coinsilium Group
• The Blockchain Group
• H100 Group
• Vanadi Coffee Investor Relations

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Please do your own research before making investment decisions.