🇺🇸 US sanctions Sinaloa Cartel-linked cash-to-crypto laundering network tied to fentanyl trafficking

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned more than a dozen individuals and entities, comprising two distinct networks, linked to the terrorist Sinaloa Cartel and its fentanyl trafficking activities.

“As President Trump has made clear, this Administration will not allow narco-terrorists to flood our borders with poison,” — said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Treasury will continue to target terrorist cartels and their fentanyl trafficking networks to protect our communities and Keep America Safe.”

❗️OFAC said the group collected bulk cash in the U.S., converted it into cryptocurrency, and routed funds back to cartel leadership in Mexico.

The agency said Ojeda Aviles coordinated cash pickups in the U.S. and facilitated crypto conversions, while associates, including Jesus Alonso Aispuro Felix, brokered digital currency transfers, and Rodrigo Alarcon Palomares facilitated money pickups.

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🤑 Ripple Prime Partners With EDX to Bridge Institutional Access to Digital Asset Liquidity

Ripple announced that Ripple Prime, its global multi-asset prime brokerage platform, has integrated with EDX Markets and EDXM International. The integration enables Ripple Prime’s clients to access EDX's spot and perpetual futures liquidity for digital assets within a unified, capital-efficient prime brokerage framework. 🤝

🟠EDX Markets’ spot trading venue and EDXM International’s perpetual futures exchange are primary price discovery destinations, offering deep liquidity and a non-conflicted structure modeled on best practices from traditional financial markets.

⚫️Clients receive enhanced capital efficiency through Ripple Prime's credit intermediation, net settlement, and collateral management services, addressing common pain points experienced by institutions brought by market fragmentation and counterparty risk.

“EDX is institutional-grade and delivers the performance, reliability, and depth that our clients expect. We’re excited to make its market structure seamlessly accessible through Ripple Prime’s capital-efficient framework, raising the bar for institutional digital asset trading,” — said Michael Higgins, International CEO of Ripple Prime.

❗️The partnership also lays the groundwork for the future integration of Ripple USD (RLUSD), as a settlement and collateral asset on EDX. 🔣 This will enable institutional clients to post and receive margin via a fully regulated, compliant dollar-pegged digital asset and drive enhanced cross-collateralization and margin efficiencies across spot crypto and perpetual futures trading.

#Stellar

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🔰 Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software is creeping into Europe

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) driver-assistance software is now available in Lithuania, the second European country to approve its use, as the company pushes to position itself as an AI and robotics powerhouse and not just an automaker.

Today, FSD is only available in the Netherlands, and now Lithuania. The rollout could accelerate if Dutch regulator RDW, which oversaw the first European approval, is successful in its bid for EU-wide acceptance.

🇬🇷🇧🇪 The Greek transport ​ministry said that an upcoming bill would grant approval of FSD. Belgium is also expected to authorize the use of FSD, following the same authorization process used by RDW.

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⚡️🇺🇸 White House Postpones AI Cybersecurity Order Signing by Trump

The White House has postponed the signing of an executive order by President Donald Trump that would address cybersecurity concerns raised by powerful new AI models. Spokespeople for the White House had no immediate comment.

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🇺🇸🇬🇱 The US will inaugurate a new consulate building in Nuuk on Thursday, its first in Greenland since the 1950s.

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🇺🇸 Army Corps grants final approval for Dakota Access Pipeline, 9 years after oil began flowing

A federal agency officially granted the Dakota Access Pipeline a permit to cross under the Missouri River’s Lake Oahe reservoir, ending a six-year environmental review to determine whether the pipeline could continue operating. The decision, issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, authorizes the pipeline crossing with additional conditions the agency says will make the pipeline safer.

The Dakota Access Pipeline has been carrying crude oil from northwest North Dakota to southern Illinois since June 2017. The pipeline’s owner, Dakota Access, was required to seek the easement from the Army Corps, which manages Lake Oahe, to build the pipeline under the reservoir roughly 10 years ago.

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🇺🇦🇪🇺 German Government Pushes Associate EU Membership for Ukraine

In a letter sent to leaders of the EU’s main institutions, Merz argues that the proposal would allow Ukraine to integrate with the bloc without gaining full membership for now. The push comes before an EU-Western Balkans summit next month in Montenegro where enlargement will be on the agenda.

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😎 Samsung Chip Workers to Get Average $340,000 Bonus in AI Boom

Samsung Electronics Co. will distribute about 40 trillion won ($26.6 billion) to chip employees as a bonus for this year after the company struck a last-minute deal with labor unions to avert a strike. Samsung employs 78,000 people in its semiconductors division. While bonus levels will vary, workers stand to get 513 million won on average, equivalent to $340,000.

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🇹🇼 AMD Commits More Than $10 Billion to Taiwan AI Investments

Advanced Micro Devices Inc., the leading challenger to Nvidia Corp. in AI computing chips, pledged to invest more than $10 billion in Taiwan to expand partnerships and add packaging capacity. 🤝

The company is working with partners including ASE Technology Holding Co., Powertech Technology Inc., Sanmina Corp. and Inventec Corp. to bolster its capabilities in the region, it said Thursday in a statement.

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🤝 UK and Gulf States Hail Trade Deal After Four Years of Talks

The UK signed a long-awaited trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council on Thursday, deepening its ties with the oil-rich nations. The free trade agreement marks an end to four years of talks between the UK and the bloc, which includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.

#BRICS

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🇨🇳 Xiaomi Debuts Sporty Electric SUV as Smartphone Business Flags

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi Corp. introduced a performance version of its popular YU7 sport utility vehicle. The YU7 GT boasts as much as 1,000 horsepower and a driving range of 705 kilometers (438 miles) on a full charge.

#BRICS

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🇺🇸 A federal arts commission approved a modified plan Thursday for President Donald Trump’s proposed arch along the Potomac River.

While similar to the original concept, the altered design removes a platform below the arch and tunnel access to the site. At Trump’s request, the plan to build large golden sculptures atop the arch was retained, while the designers selected granite for the surface stone.

The 250-foot triumphal arch — which would stand 166 feet tall without the statue — is one of several projects the Trump administration has undertaken to remodel Washington at the president’s personal direction.

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🇨🇦 Alberta Calls Vote on Oil-Rich Region’s Future in Canada

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she’ll call a referendum on whether the energy-rich province should stay in Canada or start a legal process that could eventually lead to its independence. The vote will be held Oct. 19.

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🇦🇺 Australia to Weigh Biofuel Mandates to Boost Domestic Supply

The Australian government is planning to open consultation on introducing mandates for biofuels as part of a plan to boost energy security, lower transport emissions and take advantage of the nation’s billion-dollar agricultural industry.

A consultation for potential demand measures to support lower-emission fuels will begin soon, a spokesperson for Transport Minister Catherine King said, with the government looking to draw on international policies to inform their own measures.

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⚡️🇺🇸 Kevin Warsh has officially been sworn in as Chair of the Federal Reserve

"I expect he will go down as one of the truly great Chairman of the Federal Reserves that we've ever had." - President Donald J. Trump

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🇺🇸 US to build first quantum wafer foundry with IBM to scale next-gen computing

The United States is moving to build its first dedicated quantum wafer foundry through a new partnership between IBM and the U.S. Department of Commerce, marking a push to scale quantum computing from lab research to industrial manufacturing.

The initiative centers on a new company called Anderon, which will operate as a pure-play quantum foundry based in Albany, New York. The project will receive $1 billion in CHIPS Act incentives from the Department of Commerce, while IBM will invest another $1 billion in cash along with intellectual property, manufacturing assets, and technical workforce support.

The goal is to create a 300-millimeter quantum wafer fabrication platform capable of producing hardware for multiple quantum technology companies. IBM said Anderon will support superconducting qubit wafers and related electronics, with plans to expand into additional quantum computing architectures in the future.

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🧑‍⚖️🇺🇸 Integrating Financial Technology Innovation into Regulatory Frameworks — an executive order that President Donald Trump issued on May 19, 2026.

📌 Worth paying attention to:

🟠Section 1. Policy. The United States is a global leader in financial innovation, driven in part by the rapid growth of financial technology (fintech) firms. These firms provide innovative services and solutions that enhance access to financial products and services and create economic opportunity for all Americans. To foster this financial innovation, the Federal Government must update regulations to allow integration of digital assets and innovative technology into traditional financial services and payment systems.

❗️It is therefore the policy of the United States to streamline regulatory processes, reduce unnecessary barriers to entry, and encourage collaboration between fintech firms, federally regulated financial institutions, and Federal financial regulators.

➡️ Within 90 days of the date of this order, the head of each Federal financial regulator shall conduct a review of existing regulations, guidance, supervisory practices, and application processes to identify those that could be updated to facilitate innovation, and competition to financial products and services for fintech firms, particularly those that are small and emerging. The reviews shall identify regulations, guidance documents, orders, no-action letters, and other items that unduly impede fintech firms from entering into partnerships with federally regulated institutions.

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